The stars are still beautiful they flicker the same since the breaking of civil war. Mirage found some sense peace in them and they were few things he can enjoy gazing at. To have unguarded moments of thoughts and pleasure and he is grateful to mechs who mention this empty cistern. It was people who brought Mirage the greatest source of his pain. One time long ago in his youth he swims through a party with an easy sense of trust. Here now Mirage has no weapons. Mirage in truth is now no longer at ease around people. Mirage knew he had been found. It was strange thing he did not care that he was found where would he go? Towers were no longer his home but a cage. The lower castes would sooner spat on him for being a Towerling. It is funny he understood them better now.

"That is the first I seen unguarded Mirage of the Towers."

"Optimus Prime. I am here to die soon."

"Not by my hand, Mirage." Spoke the leader of the Autobots in thought. "The spy world is your home now. The question is: are you will to live or just to exist?"

Mirage canted his head to gaze at Optimus Prime. "Meaning?"

"You have not been taking Energon regularly."

"Doctors just make me nervous." Answer Mirage "The previous question Optimus Prime has less to do the Energon intake."

"True enough." Nodded Optimus Prime sensing that Mirage will not give greater details about his general nervousness about doctors and decide pursues the subject at hand. "What do you want, Mirage, out of life?"

"I do not know." Answer Mirage "It has been long time where I can think fully about things without being so guarded. Thus it gives false sense of security and part of me feels like the shadows will jump out to get me. "

"Yet you make no queries about the Towers."

"Towers. Had long ago become a cage for me and I can never go back. Call me an exile if you like."

"Jazz would like to recruit you?"

"I would become an Autobot. It fails me why would Jazz recruit me since I am broken inside."

"So he has not mentioned it."

Mirage cocked his head. "I have not seen Jazz in a while. "

Optimus Prime merely nodded and put a cube of Energon from his subspace. Mirage gave him a questioning look of surprise. "Drink it."

"This is your private spot." Spoke Mirage after he took a polite sip.

"I come here like you did to clear the processor." Spoke Optimus Prime. "The Towers fell while you are in repair."

Mirage face look away as coolant tears fell from his optics. "I want to feel nothing, Prime, why can't I?"

"Because you are a mech and still have a spark, Mirage." Answer Optimus Prime

"How can I have a spark still? The people I assassinated." Spoke Mirage trembling

"Mirage, you were made to kill." Answer Optimus Prime. "You still feel guilt of the deactivation. My guess the superiors took your will away when order you on a mission to kill someone. Many would have lost their spark along the way and enjoy killing. What makes you special, Mirage, is that you do not enjoy war or the fighting especially the killing. "

"Optimus Prime, you are saying I am not a monster." Spoke Mirage

"You did monstrous things because you were stripped of free will." Spoke Optimus Prime. "You are no means a monster. The people who created you to be the agent that you are now are the real monsters."

Mirage, just sip his energon cube. "This is all the more reason why, Jazz, should not want me as his agent."

"How would feel about being an Autobot?" Ask Optimus Prime

"I would need to think about it."

Mirage looked at the stars again. The Towers are gone. How does he feel about that? It is a complicated mixture of emotions some relief and sadness to loss of life. The sense of loss of things that were once important by Cybertronian culture: art, music, dance and theater. Those things are important but to lose sight of the fellow mechs probably led to the downfall of the Towers. Many of the peers Mirage had were consume by the beauty around them. Just as some of the combatants were consume by violence and death around them. Mirage realize that the rationalizing the Towers are gone will not make the grief any easier to bear.

"Optimus Prime, thank you for telling me about the Towers."

"This war is going cost us dearly, Mirage." Spoke Optimus Prime

"It is dawn now." Spoke Mirage "I suppose I would head back to med bay. I am sure Ratchet is on the warpath."

"No he knows where you are."

"Optimus Prime, may I request to spend time with Hound?"

"Very well, I will grant that when Hound comes off duty." Nodded Optimus Prime as commed Prowl. "I pass along your request to meet with him."

Rec Room

Hound admittedly was very surprise that Mirage wanted to see him. It will be better than seeing Mirage poisoned like that. It nearly broke Hound to see someone suffer like Mirage had. Many gossiped about the Towerling and some tried to spread rumors about him. It was prejudice they had about the Towerlings. Mirage will face that kind of prejudice before. People already judge a mech before they met him.

"Hound."

"Mirage, you have startled me."

"I do apologize it was not my intention to do so." Spoke Mirage

"You wanted to talk though?" ask Hound

"Yes, I do." Answer Mirage "I want to ask you will you Hound consider to be my friend."

Hound look at Mirage in askance. "Mirage, how has it been since ask someone to be your friend?"

"A while." Mirage gave a frown of puzzlement "why?"

"The way you phrased it was like you asked someone Conjunx Endura."

Mirage mouth fell open to realize Hound was right. Hound got up place his hand on shoulder wheel and gave it a friendly pat. While the people watch the exchange. Mirage found his electro-disrupter to not working for the first time.

"We are not that formal Mirage."

Mirage merely found this open mech attractive in a way he is not. "I wanted to say Thank you for coming to my rescue."

"I didn't save you." Spoke Hound. Hound knew that Mirage is in a lot of emotional pain. Hound did some digging for Jazz about the Mirage past missions. Someone train this gentle mech in to an assassin once done with him they tossed him aside. Hound will make Mirage feel again he is worth something other than credits and Towerling.

"Hound I am here now." Spoke Mirage in a faint smile. "I never thought someone go to trouble to help me. You made me realize how wrong I was."

"You sound grateful for that." Spoke Hound in surprise