Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 6: Telling The Truth

The Autobots are going to be referred to by their real names but here is what the others (Decepticon versions) are going to be called:

Optimus Prime-General Prime

Prowl-Shadow Ninja

Ratchet-Hook (yes I know he's a Decepticon medic but who cares?)

Bulkhead-Monster Wreck

"What makes you so sure that it was Bumblebee who betrayed you?" Optimus asked.

General Prime's optics flashed an even brighter red and he said, "Ten thousand years ago we went out on patrol as well. We left Bumblebee behind to keep an optic on the monitors just in case something happened to us. We made it to the end of town and we were about to head back to the base when the Decepticons show up. Before we even had a chance to transform they had surrounded us. They ordered us to either surrender or be off-lined. So we went with them. They kept us prisoner for I don't know how long. After a while Starscream came and told us that Bumblebee had sold us out; told them where we were going to be. So we eventually decided to join the Decepticons."

"But Bumblebee didn't betray you," Optimus said. "He thought you bots betrayed him."

"And why would he think that?" Shadow Ninja asked.

"He didn't know you had been captured by the Decepticons. He thought you bots just up and left. He thought we were you. That's why he turned us in; because he was trying to pay you back for leaving him."

General Prime's faceplate grew stony and he said stiffly, "You're lying."

"No we're not," Optimus insisted.

"Yes you are," General Prime's tone of voice brooked no argument. "All of you Autobots are liars and traitors!"

"You used to be an Autobot too," Optimus said softly.

"Not anymore," General Prime said. "Not anymore." He and the other three Decepticons stepped back; the darkness swallowing them whole.

Optimus sighed heavily and propped his cranial unit on his servos and just sat there, staring at the energon bars in front of him.

The Decepticons watched from their quarters as they monitored the brig. They watched Prowl as he sat cross-legged on the floor and began humming. Ratchet was attempting to recharge while Bulkhead was nervously pacing up and down in his cell. Optimus was the only one not doing anything as he simply stared into space.

"What's he doin'?" Monster Wreck asked curiously.

"Who cares?" Hook grumbled.

"He's thinking," General Prime said. The tall Decepticon watched with narrowed optics as his Autobot self shifted ever so slightly then relaxed.
"Do you think he was telling the truth?" Monster Wreck asked hesitantly. "About Bumblebee I mean?"
Instead of answering him Hook and Shadow Ninja both turned to look at General Prime. Feeling their optics on him General Prime shook his head. "No."

"But he could have been telling the truth," Monster Wreck argued. That was a surprise; Monster Wreck was the most soft-spoken of them all, having retained most of his original personality.

For the most part the others had tried to shield him from what they did now. He wasn't allowed anywhere near the brig when they were interrogating prisoners. But today General Prime had had enough; it was bad enough he'd had to deal with another version of himself and Monster Wreck was irritating the slag out of him. So he rose to his pedes and shouted, "He is lying! Bumblebee did betray us! He sold us out just like he did Ultra Magnus and the others. So just…shut up."

"Prime!" Hook yelled. "Knock it off right now!"

"I'm sorry, Monster Wreck," General Prime said sincerely as he sank back down into the chair he had just vacated. "I really didn't mean to yell at you like that."

"It's okay," Monster Wreck assured him.

"I need some air," General Prime said abruptly. He stood up once again and pushed past them, disappearing into the darkness.

Hook sighed and awkwardly patted Monster Wreck on his right shoulder strut. "He didn't mean it, kid," he muttered.

"I know," Monster Wreck nodded.

"Wasn't anything personal; he just has a lot on his processor," the medic continued.

"I know, okay!" Monster Wreck snapped then immediately looked contrite. "I didn't mean to yell at you, Hook," he apologized.

Hook nodded then left the room, muttering something about oiling his joints.

There was silence for several minutes. Monster Wreck fidgeted nervously until Shadow Ninja finally grew bored and said, "All right, I give up. Go ahead; ask away."

"Do you think that Optimus was telling the truth about Bumblebee?" Monster Wreck blurted out, the words sounding rather rushed.

Shadow Ninja groaned. "I honestly don't know," he sighed. "I just don't know."

"But it does make sense," the large mech argued. "Starscream probably figured that we wouldn't bother trying to escape if we thought that Bumblebee was just going to turn us back over."

Shadow Ninja looked straight at Monster Wreck and said, "It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than you are me." The big mech lowered his head and looked at the floor even as the ninja said softly, "It doesn't matter what you believe; what matters is what you do about it."

Monster Wreck grinned suddenly and said, "Thanks, Shadow!" then ran out of the room.

An oddly gentle smile appeared on Shadow Ninja's faceplate as he deliberately turned off one of the cameras. He spun around in his chair and began to whistle.

Megatron was not a very happy mech. Starscream (the glitch) was keeping a secret from him. In and of itself that wasn't unusual; Starscream always had at least one secret that he wanted to keep hidden. But it was very unusual for Blitzwing and Lugnut to join in. Especially Lugnut as he was always exalting Megatron's name to the heavens which, to be perfectly honest, was actually rather annoying. It had been amusing and kind of nice at first to hear a bot praising you 24/7 but after a while it had gotten old. Anyway, it wasn't normal. But what drove Megatron crazy was that it had something to do with the four Autobots that had disappear ten thousand years earlier then had re-appeared just a few days ago. The Decepticon leader scowled as he mulled over the problem, searching for solutions in the deepest recesses of his processor.

To be perfectly honest getting locked in the brig was pretty boring. At least it was in Optimus's opinion that is. He was about to slip into recharge when Monster Wreck appeared in front of his cell. Optimus blinked in surprise then his optics widened when he realized that Monster Wreck was deactivating the energon bars on his cell!

Once they had all been let out Monster Wreck turned to Optimus and said hurriedly, "Go down this hallway and turn left. It'll lead you into the woods. Be careful and avoid getting into any fights 'cuz I'm pretty sure that Bumblebee removed your weapons."

Optimus nodded. "Ok," he said. Before he followed his teammates down the hall he smiled at Monster Wreck and said, "Thank you, Bulkhead," then left.

Monster Wreck felt frozen as if he were unable to move. Finally he came to his sense and waved at the Autobots retreating backs. "You're welcome," he called then in a whisper said, "good luck," before lowering his arm and heading back to his quarters.

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