Well I knew that this story would get a huge response after my little update. And lo and behold, it happened. Pretty strong response too. 14 reviews (with three more guest reviews that will be posted later on), 26 favorites, 20 followers, and almost five hundred views. I say it has gotten off to a strong start. There were some people that are thinking about stopping to read my season after the second episode, one of which is Bigby the Big Wolf. Don't know why though, but it might have something to do with making him feel a little upset about what's bound to come next. But I assure him that he would be in for a surprise by the end of the chapter. He and the rest of you will like where I'm going with this. One more thing, Gazorscreen, the guest that's been backing me up mid way through was inspired by my word that he created an account for Fanfiction. I got to say, I am pleased with his commitment. Though I'm not a fan of Pokemon since they've been adding too many Pokemon characters each and every season at least I like how he's starting it. So in the words of Damien Sandow, you're welcome. As for the others, keep on reading my stories and maybe one day you will write stories of your own. Just a thought. Let's take a look at what's coming up on episode two of TFP season three. Jack gets news that Optimus is alive thanks to Vector Prime while Megatron interrogates the Autobot leader. Need I say more?

Chapter Notes

This chapter takes place immediately after the last episode, where Jack gets contact from Vector Prime. It was a reason why I have to cut off the conversation short like that. I think it fits in really well for the second episode too. Plus I added a reason why Optimus survived the blast and it has something to do with being a Prime. Now this is my opinion and it's a really good one. So you can argue about that when you're done reading it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime

Chapter Two: The Dream

Jack: "Optimus is alive?"

Jack was completely surprised by this news. In fact, he was surprised about everything that happened in the past few minutes. First, he had been recharging peacefully on his berth after a serious fight with MECH's army and getting out of there alive. Then in the next minute he was taken to a mysterious place that only the Primes knew of, either alive or dead. And now he was standing before Vector Prime, one of the thirteen original Primes and creator of the Vector Sigma key. But this news of Optimus summed it all up as the shocker of all time. Vector looked down at the young teen and answered his sudden question.

Vector Prime: "But of course Jackson Darby. You seem surprised by this news."

Jack looked up to the Prime and was a little hesitant by this.

Jack: "Surprised? That's pretty much an understatement. How is it possible that Optimus is still around? Fowler said that the blast killed him!"

Vector looked at him oddly and responded to his confusion.

Vector Prime: "And do you believe him?"

Jack: "Well he saw the base get destroyed."

Vector Prime: "But did he see Optimus get destroyed?"

Jack gave that some thought and realized that he was right on that one.

Jack: "Okay, you make a very good point right there. But it still doesn't explain to me why Optimus could survive a blast that destroyed the entire base in one hit!"

Knowing now would be a good time to explain, Vector told him a secret that all the Primes knew.

Vector Prime: "You see Jackson Darby, being a Prime is more than a leadership title, it is something unique. Within each Prime is a special ability that can help us adapt to the world around us, especially in combat. Only we Primes know of this and would only use it if things get too dire. For Optimus, his ability is to create a sphere like barrier from within his matrix, making it big and strong enough to withstand even the most powerful of weapons. It's a defensive ability for the most extreme situations."

Vector then extended his servo as an image magically appeared close to Jack. The young teen turned to the image to see what the Prime was showing. What he saw was Optimus in the old base prepping his Star Saber sword. Looking on, he saw the leader strike his sword into the ground bridge controls, destroying the terminal containing the location of the other Autobots and their companions. But with the controls gone, he had very little time to escape. Knowing that there was no time left, he placed his servos near his chest and opened his spark chamber, revealing his Matrix of Leadership. That was when Jack noticed a light blue translucent barrier appear out of his spark chamber and surround the brave leader, seconds before the entire base was destroyed. As the image disappeared, Jack tried to process what he had seen. Almost immediately, his eyes were wide and he finally figured it out himself.

Jack: "Optimus knew that he had this ability the whole time and didn't tell the others about it!"

Vector Prime: "And he stayed behind to make sure that you and your friends could not be located, creating this barrier to protect him from the destruction of the base."

Turning back to Vector, he finished with what he said.

Jack: "So basically Optimus has an instant god mode. Clever…"

Vector Prime: "Indeed… However he is still in grave danger."

Jack's face turned to worry as he asked the great Prime about it.

Jack: "What do you mean by that?"

Vector's response was to wave his other servo and showed him another image. Jack looked right at the image and was horrified by what he was saw. The image showed Optimus in his current state, with his armor banged out, the paint job beyond scratched, the windshields cracked, and the skin on his face broken in places. He also looked shackled by energy cuffs from his servos to his pedes and was hanging above the floor in a dark room with one light on over him. As the teen looked at that image, Vector explained to him the situation.

Vector Prime: "Though Optimus managed to create a barrier to protect him, he didn't make it strong enough for a blast of that magnitude. He is badly damaged and in no position to fight. Not only that, but he is being held captive by the very enemy that threatens your world, and they are keeping him locked against his will. He must be saved before it's too late."

Jack turned back to Vector and asked about that.

Jack: "What would happen if Optimus isn't rescued in time?"

Vector Prime: "Think about it, young Darby. Optimus is the last of the Primes and the only hope to end this war that has entered your world. If his spark gets extinguished before he is saved, then the Decepticons will win this war and will take over your planet. He needs to be rescued, and you, Jackson Darby, will save him."

Jack looked up to see him and almost felt like he had a heart attack.

Jack: "Me? Save him? I can't do that! I'm just a kid! A teenager that just got into the wrong place at the wrong time! I don't have hero material written in me."

Vector Prime: "No Jackson Darby! That's where you're wrong! I foresee a great destiny ahead of you. The path is uncertain, but this destiny you face will ultimately change the course of this war. But in order for your destiny to be set, you must free Optimus from his imprisonment."

Jack looked at him strangely and was confused. Jack has a destiny? That he has to save Optimus from Megatron? That felt impossible for him to muster. But looking into Vector's optics, he could tell that he wanted him to do this. If there was a chance to save his world, Optimus must be freed. But there were still obstacles in the way of this rescue and Jack needed to tell the Prime about it.

Jack: "Okay… Even if I could rescue him, it would be impossible to get to him. The Decepticons have a fortress, an army, and a barrier that's preventing anyone from getting in. How am I supposed to save Optimus if all of that is in the way?"

Vector Prime: "Aren't you forgetting something Jackson? You have your friends that will help you in your quest and enemies that will become your allies. You will have many obstacles to face, yes. But with the help of others, you will succeed in your task. Now go, Jackson Darby. Time is short and you must face your destiny."

Jack heard this and was surprised by Vector's words. He would get help from his friends. Does he mean the Autobots? Does he mean his friends, Raf and Miko? Does he even mean Arcee? And what about Professor Sumdac, his daughter Sari, and Sam Witwicky? Will they be involved in this war too? And what did he mean he would have enemies becoming his allies? Can't be the Decepticons. Could it be someone else? Still, all these questions are left unanswered, as Vector said his final goodbyes. But yet, there was one more question that needed to be answered, so he looked at the Prime to ask it.

Jack: "There is one more question I need to ask you Vector."

Vector Prime: "Yes? And what is it you want to ask of me?"

The teen took a deep breath and told him his question.

Jack: "If you have news that Optimus is alive, then why come to me? Why not the other Autobots? I'm nothing that special."

Vector looked down at the young Darby and chuckled a little.

Vector Prime: "Oh my dear Darby, why ask such a question when you already know the answer."

With that said, Vector slowly faded into the empty space while Jack panicked and didn't know what that meant.

Jack: "Wait, Vector! What do you mean by that? What do you mean that I already know the answer? Don't leave me here! Come back! Vector, come back!"

Almost immediately, a white flash engulfed the room and completely blinded him.

Immediately, Jack woke up in a cold sweat, though he didn't have much a sweat, and was breathing heavily. Looking around, he soon realized that he was in his own room. Then looking down at himself, he saw his metal body with the Vector Sigma key still in his servo. He was back to being Rodimus. The young mech sighed to himself and was a little on edge after what he'd experienced.

Jack/Rodimus: "A dream… It was all just a dream. But it felt all too real."

Thinking about that dream, he began to wonder if the words of Vector Prime were true. What if Optimus is still online and he needs the Autobots help. Just as he was thinking about that, he heard a knock on the door and the sound of Arcee on the other end.

Arcee: "Jack? Is everything okay in there? Open up! It's me Arcee!"

Realizing the femme's voice, he got off his berth and approached the door. Opening it, he saw Arcee with a look of worry in her optics. Knowing this, he calmed her down and asked what was wrong.

Jack/Rodimus: "Arcee? What's going on? Why are you feeling so frantic?"

The two-wheeler took a deep breather and explained what she heard from him.

Arcee: "Well, I should ask the same thing from you. You were yelling in your room and I could hear it through the walls. You even called out the name of Vector Prime. Is everything okay with you?"

Jack's optics were wide and couldn't believe that she heard him, let alone that he had been talking in his sleep. It was a little embarrassing for him, especially the fact that he had to say Vector's name out loud. He was about to explain to Arcee what happened, but he heard the voice of Vector Prime in his processor, repeating what he heard.

Vector Prime: "Time is short and your must face your destiny."

Hearing those words, Rodimus knew it meant they had to rescue the Autobot leader. With determination on his face, he told the femme what he wanted her to do.

Jack/Rodimus: "Arcee, we don't have a lot of time to explain. I want you to wake everyone up and tell them to come to the command center. It is important."

He then started to walk away from Arcee and headed to the command center. The two-wheeler though looked a little dumbfounded by this and didn't know what to think. First Rodimus was screaming during his recharge and now he's acting way too serious. Something wasn't right, and she felt it. So she decided to ask him about it.

Arcee: "Jack? What's wrong? What's gotten you so worked up?"

Rodimus slowly turned to the femme and told her about the news he received.

Jack/Rodimus: "It's about Optimus. I don't think he's as dead as we think."

Meanwhile, Optimus was still groaning as he was trying to regain his sight back. But the moment he was able to open his optics, he saw the face of Knockout with a gleeful smile.

Knockout: "Wakey, wakey oh mighty Prime."

Looking around, Optimus realized where he was. He was in a dark and dingy room strapped to a berth with stasis shackles on his arms, legs, and waist. Close by was a tray table filled with Cybertronian tools made for torture. The room he was in was an interrogation room used to force Autobots to give the Cons Intel. Optimus had been in this room most of the time since his capture and he had been suffering the torment the enemy put him through. Yet no matter what they did to him, he would never divulge any information about his team. Still, that didn't mean they would continue to torture him until his spark was extinguished. Once Knockout stepped back, the Autobot leader saw Megatron and Starscream standing at the doorway, with the leader wearing a pleasant, yet sinister, smile on his face.

Megatron: "Ah… Optimus… So nice of you join us on such short notice."

Prime slowly looked up at the Decepticon leader with a sour look in his optics.

Optimus Prime: "Megatron… What do you want with me?"

Megs just looked at him intently and gave off a slight chuckle, approaching him with an ultimatum.

Megatron: "Why Optimus, I'm quite surprised at you. After all this time, you have forgotten why you're here. I know that you let your team scatter across the world, and you destroyed the ground bridge controls to prevent us from finding them. I also know that you have information regarding the location of your Autobot soldiers and their human allies. That is the reason I'm keeping you alive, so that I can get what I want. Now I can tell that you've been in so much pain since your imprisonment. So I'm going give you a chance to save yourself. Just tell us where the Autobots are hiding and I'll spare your life."

Optimus looked down and remained quiet, indicating that he won't tell his enemy anything. Megatron just stared at him coldly and could tell that the Prime won't speak. So he had to do what he'd been doing for the past two weeks. Force the answer out of him.

Megatron: "Very well… Knockout, proceed…"

The medic nodded and picked up an electrode prod from the tray. Approaching the brave leader, he pointed the prod at his faceplate; sparks dancing at the end.

Knockout: "This is going to go quick or slow. But I'm really hoping you go for slow…"

With that said, the medic pulled the prod back and thrust it forward, striking the Autobot leader in the chest plate where the spark chamber is located. Prime felt the pain and grunted in agony. But yet no matter how painful it was, he didn't scream from the pain. Knockout kept on striking through the spark chamber as Optimus kept holding his anguish. As it all went down, someone was peeking through the crack of the metal door, watching the torture through his own optics.

Outside of the interrogation room, two Vehicons were guarding the door's entrance, keeping watch in case anything suspicious came. But the Vehicon on the left looked through the crack of the metal door and found it strange that Optimus didn't cry from the torment. Even after these two weeks he didn't see him looking scared. He turned to the other Vehicon and asked him about it.

Vehicon 1: "I don't get it. Every Autobot screams when they get interrogated. Why won't he?"

The other Vehicon grunted and explained the reason why.

Vehicon 2: "Humph… Isn't it obvious? That Autobot is a Prime."

The first Vehicon peeked back through the cracked door and was impressed by the leader's bravery.

Vehicon 1: "A Prime huh?"

Back in the interrogation room, Knockout continued to punish the Prime as he thrust the electro prod at the leader's chest, each hit stronger then the last. Still though, the leader continued to be resilient; he kept his mouth shut despite the torture he was being put through. Megatron looked at this little show and realized that he had seen enough. The last thing he wanted was for the Autobot leader to die before giving him the Intel he needed. Lifting his servo up, he told the doctor the stop.

Megatron: "Stop Knockout. I think the Prime has had enough."

The Decepticon medic turned to his leader and nodded in approval, knowing that he wanted the Autobot leader alive. Stepping aside, Megatron approached Optimus, who was breathing heavily from the prod strikes, and placed his sharp digits to his chin, lifting his head up so that he could see the deadly leader.

Megatron: "I've got to say, Optimus, you have such strong willpower. In fact, no matter what we use on you, you won't even cry. It doesn't matter though. Sooner or later, you will crack under pressure and you will give me the locations of your friends and allies. And once my troops find each of them, I will bring them all here so I can let you watch as I tear every Autobot and human pet apart. Piece by piece…"

Letting go of the chin to let the head tilt downward, the leader then turned around and walked away, ready to tell the guards at the door to take him to his cell. But before he could get to the guards, Optimus slowly lifted his head back up and decided to ask him a simple question.

Optimus Prime: "Why Megatron? Why did you do this? You had the Omega Keys in your possession. You had the chance for revitalizing Cybertron. But that wasn't enough for you, was it? So you wanted more power than you had before, and wouldn't stop until you had it all. That obsession is what cost us our own home. You can never get enough of what you possess."

The Decepticon leader stopped in his tracks and listened to the very words Prime said. Slowly turning to him, he talked about the Prime's actions as well.

Megatron: "Oh Optimus, even before you were a Prime you lectured me. Though I must say, you shouldn't speak of my actions after the crimes you yourself have committed."

Optimus Prime: "My crimes?"

Megatron: "But of course, Prime. You were the one that used the Star Saber to destroy the Omega Lock. That was our only hope, our only salvation, to restore our planet back to the way it was. But thanks to your selfish act, you have doomed all Cybertronians across the universe. You have betrayed your kind, Optimus, and violated the covenant of the Primes. You are the one responsible for the extermination of our race. You are nothing but a traitor to both Cybertronians and the Primes."

Optimus Prime: "I'm a traitor? I wouldn't have taken such a drastic step if you had not used the Omega Lock as a weapon to attack Earth. You've built this fortress to begin your empire here on this planet. To make matters worse, you decided to attack the small town of Jasper that was near our base, killing all those innocent people. So why go that far to threaten this very planet?"

Megatron: "Simple, Optimus. To watch you break… You promised these weaklings that you would protect them no matter what the cost. And now you failed them just as you failed our race. I have made an example of that pathetic town because they were the ones that had kept that base of yours hidden. Now the blood of every man, woman, and child has been spilled all over that same town. And the worst part of it is that all is that the blood is now all over your servos, Optimus Prime."

Optimus turned his head away and felt disgusted by it. The fact that every human in that town was killed thanks to him sickens his very spark, yet he knew that the blame was on his archenemy. Turning back to him, he argued back to the cold and sparkless leader.

Optimus Prime: "All those humans didn't even know of the Autobot's existence or the base we resided in. Only a few knew of us. None of them deserved to die or get dragged into our war. Yet you went ahead and attacked that town just to fill that ego in your processor. And now you talk of raging war with the human race. Are you mad?"

Megatron had just about had it with the Prime and turned around fully, spitting back at him.

Megatron: "NO Prime! I am not mad, nor am I ego driven. What you've done made me into a desperate mech. With our last chance of reviving Cybertron no more, and the All Spark nowhere to be found, our kind has no choice but to find a planet that is suitable to our liking. And this planet has all the resources and energon to help us sustain that life. But with the humans in the way, it would be impossible to coexist with them. Which is why they need to be eradicated, quickly and swiftly. Even if they managed to survive my onslaught, they would make excellent servants to our cause."

Optimus cringed at the fact that this world would be taken over by the Cons and the human race serving them and told Megs what he thinks of his plan.

Optimus Prime: "You are a monster, Megatron…"

The dangerous leader then slowly walked to the wounded Autobot and decided to end this.

Megatron: "I'm a monster? No… It was you and the Thirteen Primes that are the monsters. If you hadn't gotten involved in that meeting with them, then I would've been the next Prime. But you never listened, did you? Instead, you decided to let Cybertron live in peace and the Primes graced you, with your knowledge, as an alternative to my proposals. No thanks to you, our planet went to war. Cybertron is dead, and now this planet is next. Don't worry Optimus; I will let you live as I force you to watch, as Earth and humankind fall into the hands of the Decepticons. And once your Autobot friends have been disposed of, this world will be no more, and the humans will be enslaved. Then I will let you decide if you are ready to die. But until then, you will feel the pain I have suffered through many eons…"

Slowly he raised his right servos and wiggled his sharp digits, looking at them with the sheerest of delight. Turning back to his archenemy, he positioned his servo to him and struck.

Outside of the interrogation room, the two Vehicons were waiting for the session to be over. Suddenly, they heard a loud grunt coming from Optimus as it sounded like he was seething in pain. As soon as the noise stopped, the doors suddenly opened and Megatron, Starscream, and Knockout came out of the room. The first Vehicon looked at the leader and noticed that the digits of his right servo were dripping with fresh energon. The leader then turned to that Vehicon and told him what to do.

Megatron: "Take the prisoner to Knockout's lab for immediate medical attention. Then return him to his cell. He could still be of some use to me."

The Con nodded as the two entered the interrogation room while the leader, the commander, and the medic left. As the two entered the room, the first Vehicon spotted the trail of energon going to the berth of the prisoner. Looking up, he was appalled by what he saw. Standing before him, was Optimus Prime in complete and utter pain with a huge gash below his left breastplate. He was slowly oozing out energon. The Autobot leader looked up to the two Cons and groaned in agony, with his optics flickering madly. The Vehicon looked horrified and couldn't believe that the Decepticon leader could do something like that. There is a line that leaders shouldn't cross and to the Con's processor, Megatron had crossed that line.

Done with chapter two. I know that this is a pretty short one. But don't worry, as the story progresses it will get more interesting. I promise you won't be disappointed. As for the next chapter, with the Autobots now knowing that their leader is alive and being held captive, the team must find a way in getting into the citadel and save their leader. The bad news though is that the Decepticons now got a weapon that could destroy the Autobots. I'm pretty sure you all know where I'm going with this. Please Review.