Bumblebee couldn't decide what surprised him more, that Megatron said they had located the cube or that it appears that The Fallen wasn't merely a legend. From his vantage point he had a clear view of the gigantic creature sitting on a stone throne. He was in awe of the sheer size of The Fallen, he made Megatron look like a scout bot. He had to get back to Orion Pax and let him know what he had found out before Megatron put his plan into action. If he was telling the truth they needed to start planing countermeasures.

As quietly as he could he made his way down the hallway and back into the desert. Once outside he turned back into vehicle mode and began speeding away. It hadn't been easy following Megatron in such an open space, but sometimes it paid off being small. It also helped that Megatron hadn't been as vigilant about seeing if he was being followed once he left the city. Bumblebee's mind raced as he traveled across the sea of rust, The Fallen was real. If The Fallen was real what did that mean for the legends surrounding him?

Xxxxx

Orion Pax paced the length of the makeshift command center that housed the Autobot resistance. The faint glow of monitors lit the otherwise dark room as he walked from one end to the other. He had dismissed the rest of the command crew for the time being. The Decepticons hadn't made a move in over a day and Megatron was nowhere to be seen. He had assigned Bumblebee to track Megatron and the little scout had gone quiet for the last day as well. There were two scenarios that played through his head, the first Bumblebee was dead or the second he was in a place that radio contact could compromise him. Orion didn't like either option.

From behind him the door hissed open, he stood with his back to the door awaiting whoever opened it to make their presence known. He heard the clang of feet on the floor walking towards him. They were soft, almost delicate. He smiled.

"Ariel," he said softly, "You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous."

"If it is dangerous for me to be here then it is doubly for you Orion," she came up behind him embracing him in a hug. "You aren't a Prime, this isn't your place. Sentinel should be here leading the charge."

"Sentinel is working on completing a Space Bridge that would allow us to travel much faster between far distances. It could change the outcome of this war. He has asked me to lead in his stead. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, Megatron would make us all slaves," He didn't turn around. He couldn't bring himself to look at her right now. If he did he would give in the doubts that he knew she had because he had them too.

She was right he wasn't a Prime. Sentinel was the last and when he fell there would be no more. He had to stay strong to lead as if he was a Prime. The other Autobots looked to him for guidance; if he faltered their cause faltered with him.

Ariel embraced him with all her might. She knew he wouldn't give up. That's what made her love him. He was dedicated to making sure that every bot on Cybertron was free to choose their own destiny. In that he and Megatron agreed. They had been like brothers once, sharing ideas about what Cybertron could and should be. But Megatron had turned to violence, it was the only world he had known being a gladitoral bot. Orion had embraced educating the lower classes, trying to bring change by peaceful means. In the end the War had started.

"I worry about you Orion," Ariel laid her head on his shoulder, "Sentinel asks to much of you, you aren't a soldier. None of us are."

He placed a hand over hers, "We may have not been built soldiers Ariel, but we have become them out of necessity. I don't know if I can be anything but a soldier now. This war has and will continue to change us all."

"ORION!" He could hear his name called out ringing through the compound, it was Bumblebee. He was back. He turned to face the door, Ariel pulling away from him.

As soon as the door opened the little yellow bot came bursting in. Orion could see that he was tired and nervous.

"Orion, I followed Megatron like you asked. He went into the Sea of Rust to the remains of what looked like an ancient city. There are tunnels under the sand, he went to a large room. Orion, The Fallen is real. Megatronus is real and Megatron is working for him." Bumblebee looked absolutely terrified.

The news hit Orion like a ton of bricks. Trying to stay strong he placed his hand on the little bots shoulder, "Tell me everything Bumblebee." Orion removed his hand and took a seat as Bumblebee began telling him everything in detail. He listened intently as the story was unfolded.

Xxxxxx

Megatron paced the length of the chamber that had once been where the laws that had governed Cybertron had been made. A smirk crossed his face as he looked at the great assembly hall now in ruins. Those bots who had once sat in judgement of all others, those who had believed themselves above their brethren were now gone. They had fallen first when the population began to rise up. He dragged his finger over the speaker's podium as he stood in front of it. It was then he heard the clanking of footsteps across the hall.

Without looking at where the sound was coming from he spoke, "I didn't know if you'd come Sentinel, I thought your pride as a Prime would get the better of you." There was snide tone in his voice as he spoke.

"I'm surprised I haven't been attacked Megatron, I thought your scrupulous ways wouldn't allow that to happen," was the older bots response. Each looked at the other waiting, eyeing each other to see what would transpire. Megatron began laughing.

"What do you find humorous Megatron? You've brought this world to the edge of ruin. Your treachery has destroyed a whole civilisation. Here you are laughing, I assure you there is nothing to laugh at," Sentinel had anger creeping into his voice, "I'm here because you said you wished for a cease fire. If there is a way to end this conflict I would hear it."

"I know where the Allspark is. Your pupil was a fool to fire it off planet, but we have found it. I offer you the location, you can take the space bridge you are developing and bring it back easier then we can," Megatron was telling the truth in part. He wanted Sentinel to take the space bridge to where the Allspark was, he just didn't expect the Autobot leader to come back.

"You don't do anything unless it benefits yourself Megatron," Sentinel raised an eyebrow, "I just can't see the angle you are working."

"I want to destroy The Fallen," he answered straight the the point. The look on Sentinel's face was exactly what he wanted to see. Sentinel couldn't hide the shock and fear on his face.

"It's impossible," Sentinel stuttered, "The Fallen, the thirteen Primes, the knights, the matrix those are all just legends."

Megatron smiled. The old fool was giving him more information than he knew. "Then it is true. You aren't a Prime, it's just a title those in power use to keep the superstitious lower classes in line."