The Horrible Truth

"Who are you?" I demanded again, throwing off my slurred words, the shaky tones. Yet despite myself, I still didn't sound the same. I leaned my head back down for a moment again, my mind feeling as though it was thrown back into a pool of deep water, and realized I could no longer feel my limbs. The man above laughed; a dark laugh that sent chills running up and down my spine. "Absolutely perfect. Why don't you come with me, Optimus, to my private quarters?"

"I am not going anywhere with you." I said, my optics glancing up at him, my gaze as defiant as I could make it. The man's appearance was as shocking as his deep tones. His features, like the attendant that had given me the drink, were angular. He had bright crimson eyes, the same color as human blood, and there was a mixture of knowledge and experience settled in that gaze, yet there was a darkness, a cold evil that tauntingly remained in those eyes. He had hair that was straight and long, falling down to his shoulders that held the same silvery sheen as his goatee, yet he didn't look old at all. He looked as if he was my human body's age, middle twenties at the latest. His teeth were a perfect, pearly white, and his smile was dangerous, yet enticing at the same time, complimenting and contrasting his handsome features. His body structure was built like mine, as well. He was tall, and strong; muscle defined even underneath the gray suit that he wore. Under the gray suit there was a red shirt and tie that matched the color of his eyes, and an expensive watch was clasped around his wrist. His shoes looked as expensive as the rest of his outfit, and they were the clearest things that I could see.

"Do you know how often I've dreamed, of seeing you this way, crouched at my feet, writhing like a worm? I just never imagined that you'd look the way you do now." The man's voice proclaimed. I watched his shoes move, turning around and beginning to walk away from me. "Help our guest to his feet, and then to my office. Set him in the chair we set out just for him."

Two men that I hadn't noticed before walked from their places, and grabbed ahold of each of my arms, almost harshly dragging me to my feet. I didn't have the energy, nor the strength to fight back. We exited the purple and red-trimmed room, into a long and gray hallway that seemed to stretch out on both sides to no end. These men carried me down this passage for what seemed like hours to me, following behind this tall man who had yet to say another word after his singular order. At last we reached a pair of double doors, which were opened by two more shadowy men of the same look as those that were carrying me, and held open until we all had passed through, they had dumped me in a chair set before a long, oak desk. The two men stood back, and the man, without turning away from the window, barked, "Leave us."

"As you command."

I heard the door shut behind us, and I looked up, my face hard, trying to study him. I could see my reflection in the glass of the windows, the wall I faced was made up of them entirely. There was a door that led to a chamber at the right, shut closed, and it looked the same on the other side. The room was large, the desk and chair that I sat in didn't seem fitting compared to its elaborate décor. The desk was almost empty, only a few things across the top: a cup that seemed attached to it that held pens, pencils, and other writing utensils, a small stack of paper no more than an inch thick, and centered at the middle was a laptop computer, with its lid closed. Behind the desk there was a large, black chair, and inside it sat a woman.

She stared back at me with as much surprise as I had. Her frame was more fetching than that of the other women in the first room, her face far more pristine and fragile than theirs. The definition of attractiveness and splendor fit her face and body with careful perfection. She had more clothes on than the other women had. She wore a long, white dress; yet it hugged her frame so tightly there wasn't a single curve that went unseen. Her pale features were framed by raven black hair that fell in waves around her shoulders and down her back. The chair she sat in was obviously far too large for her; it made her look smaller than she actually was. I was sure she was an apparition, induced by whatever had been in the drink that the first man had given me. Yet suddenly, the large male's voice rang out behind me, and I stiffened, realizing that he had moved away from the window and was now standing dangerously close behind me. "Beautiful, isn't she, Optimus?"

"I do not have any standing ground to judge her." I answered, and tried to sit up, to no avail.

"Darling, who is this?" the woman's voice asked, her voice like the ringing of soft bells.

"This is our guest, the one I told you about. Optimus Prime."

"The one the boy won't stop asking about?"

"Yes, the one the boy won't stop asking about. He's made his long-awaited appearance at last." The man walked around the chair I was just barely sitting in, past the desk, and to the chair, where he traced a finger along the back of it, before he leaned around the edge to look into the woman's face. "I would like to have a private talk with our dear friend, if you would find that reasonable?"

"Of course, my lord." the woman answered, rising out of the chair to be caught by the man, his hands sliding down from the middle of her torso to her thighs. Their faces became incredibly close, until their lips touched, and I turned away for a moment, unwilling to be watched. My sight was getting worse, and the swimming was growing more persistent with every passing minute, and I didn't look up again, trying to regain my composure, even as I heard the woman take her leave.

"Those drugs Starscream slipped you must be working well; I must say you never disappoint. Otherwise you should have recognized me the moment I spoke to you."

" . . . Starscream . . . ?" I asked, my voice layered in disbelief.

"Yes, Optimus. Are you telling me you didn't recognize his voice when he spoke, either?" My mind drifted back to the man that had escorted me into the building as he spoke, and then my optics widened, flooding over with realization. The man laughed darkly again, his voice slowly becoming more and more familiar with each dark tone. "Think about it long and hard, Prime. And then maybe . . . you'd be able to answer your own questions."

I looked up at him, my optics locking on his. The crimson eyes, accompanied with the voice, the mention of Starscream's name, when he shouldn't have known him at all. If I took away his human face, and pushed past the oppressive cloud that had ahold of my mind so fiercely . . .

"Megatron!"

"Hello, Prime." Megatron grinned, "I'm glad that you've finally joined us in our little master plan."

"Master plan?"

"Oh, yes. You see . . ." he knelt by my chair, his hand reaching up to touch the side of my face. My hands clenched the arms of the chair, my jaw tightened. His fingers were cold as ice; they sent chills up and down my spine. ". . . I . . . arranged our change of nature."

"You're bluffing." I hissed through my teeth, my nose wrinkling as my eyebrows furrowed.

"You can believe what you wish, Prime. But I'm going to give you a chance by telling you the truth. But first . . ." Megatron reached up, plucking the device out of my ear, and the murmurs from the other side ceased. He looked at it as he twirled it in his fingers, an amused chuckle rising out from inside his chest. "I don't want anyone to eavesdrop on our little conversation." Megatron then let the bug fall into his palm, before clenching his fist, crushing it. He opened his hand again, and I watched the pieces fall to the ground before he stood up, leaning on the desk, the triumphant smile remaining on his face.

"You're not Megatron." I retorted, beginning to try and piece it together, yet none of it fit. "The leader of the Decepticons despises humans . . . he wouldn't have anything to do with any of them, certainly not what you displayed with the woman."

"You'd be surprised what a body such as this can do to you when you've been trapped in its form for two years. You begin to see things a little . . . differently. Especially when certain desires demand you not avoid contact." Megatron said. "If you're applying I have any feelings for her, you'd be very mistaken. Though she is indeed special; she pleasures me whenever I desire."

My stomach churned, and I turned away for a moment, yet suddenly his freezing hands were on my face again, his crimson optics staring into my blue gaze, alight as though he were amused. "But enough about that. Like Perception she isn't much more than a toy. I have so much more I want to tell you."

"Perception is yours, then?"

"Oh, yes. With a little tweak here and there, I built it from the ground up. It started two years ago after we were Changed."

"You Changed before us?"

"Yes, Optimus. You're getting good. I wonder . . . is that drug is wearing off, or have you've just gotten smarter while sitting in my presence?" Megatron's voice was mocking, cold. "It was an accident. The first time the Machine was turned on, we weren't supposed to be there. And yet, we were. My Decepticons and I were transformed, our Cybertronian bodies replaced by that of the filthy beings that roam this wretched planet. At first I was furious . . . and then I realized that it meant that if we tried it on you, it would work.

"Yet our lovely scientist had to go and explain that it only worked once every two years, that he would need to prepare. And so we began to set up our elaborate trap. I sent those men to take over N.E.S.T., to spy with Dr. Tully to gain the information you needed, and gain your ever-patient trust. And I got what I wanted. I built Perception, watched it grow as I waited. And then, when the moment was right, I had them spring a trap. A trap that you sprung quite perfectly! Again, Prime, I must say you never disappoint me."

"What is the point of making us human? Now you can't rule, as you wanted . . ."

"Oh, yes I can. Perhaps not in the same way I always dreamed, but I know how humans work now. With any amount of money, any of them would betray anything close to them. And over two years, I have gained a substantial amount of money. I now have a legion to do my bidding. There will be no stopping me, when I have you out of the way. I'll be a god! I'll-"

"Lord Megatron!"

The voice that I remembered immediately that belonged to the woman's interrupted him, and the Decepticon's leader let go of my face, his eyebrows knitting together. "What is it? Why do you interrupt me?"

"My apologies, my Lord. But there are intruders, they have suppressed Starscream, and are asking for him."

Megatron looked at me, his nose wrinkling. "They're too late." He gestured toward me, snapping, "You two. Grab him, lift him up. Steady him on his feet, against the wall!"

Rough hands grabbed me again, the same ones that had escorted me harshly into this room in the first place. They brought me out of the chair, and propped me up against something hard. I immediately realized it was the wall, and then the two men ushered the woman out as Megatron went to his desk, grabbing ahold of something that made a metallic noise, and then walked over to me, his crimson eyes meeting mine. "This will be goodbye, Optimus Prime." he said, and moved. Megatron's movements were swift, his arm quickly descending toward me, something in his hand carrying with it a dangerous glint. I tried to shrink away, but my limbs still wouldn't respond to my thoughts. And despite their numbness, I still felt the cold that entered my side.

At first, that's all I really felt. Was the cold. It was terrible, worse than Megatron's fingers. It spread throughout my entire lower torso first, establishing its angry chills that made me involuntarily shudder. And then the pain hit me. It made me need the wall even more, and I slowly crumpled, my hands wrapping around the handle of the knife as the Decepticon commander stepped back, a grin on his face. "The deed is done. Let's clear out of here before his Autobots arrive."

"But . . . my Lord!"

"I have done what I wanted, Starscream. There's no saving him now."

I heard their footsteps leave, but my eyes remained on the handle that was plunged through my jacket, shirt, and into my stomach. I pressed my hands to the point where the blade had gone in, yet despite my struggles, the warmth was still growing around it, staining everything red. I leaned my head back against the wall, my eyes squeezing shut, my features pinching as wave after wave of pain ran through me. ". . . P-primus . . ." I groaned, feeling the warmth seep through my fingers, even as I kept pressure on it.

I don't know how long it was before someone was there.

Time didn't seem to be passing as quickly as it should be. Minutes seemed like hours, and the longer I sat there, the more tired and weak I became. I stared straight ahead, except when I was hit by an excruciating wave of pain, my optics resting on the desk that Megatron had leaned on, yet I wasn't really looking at it. And then Drift's face was in my vision, his sleek, spiked raven hair and worried blue eyes staring into mine. "Oh, dear Primus! What happened? Optimus, can you hear me?"

"Take off your shirt, Drift, quickly. And tie mine to yours. I'll keep pressure on his wound."

"I-iron Hide . . . D-drift . . ." I began, pushing the words through my lips, despite all the anguish it caused in my lower side.

"Shut up, Prime. Save your strength." Much warmer hands were placed over mine, and the pressure applied to my torso was increased.

"Shouldn't we take out the knife?"

"No, Drift. That'll make it worse. Just give me those shirts. We need to make a bandage. And then get ahold of Lennox. We don't have time to drive him back."

"Me-" I tried again, yet Drift was the one to quiet me this time, calling my name in warning tones. "Please, do not say anything you don't need to."

I know I needed to tell them this. I didn't know if Megatron and the Decepticons accompanying him had really left, or if they had said they would to reassure me, to have me put my guard down. For all I knew, my fellow Autobots were in danger. And they needed to know just who could be lurking around the corner. So I waited a moment, long enough for Drift to turn back toward us and bring his fingers from his ear. "He is on his way, in a helicopter. He will be here in two minutes, at the most."

"I hope Optimus has two minutes . . ."

"Megatron . . ." I said at last, and even I could hear the agony in my voice now, how strained it was to pronounce only three syllables. Iron Hide and Drift stared at me for a moment, and then my weapons specialist turned toward Drift, and there seemed to be some unspoken communication, for Drift stood up slowly, pushing the hilt of his sword to where part of the cool metal was able to be seen, and then Iron Hide turned to me. "Keep the pressure on it, Optimus."

"Wait. We cannot move him!"

"Why not? We can't stay here. If Megatron and his gang show up . . . we're all good as dead."

"This should not have happened in the first place!"

"I know. It'll be easier to get him into the helicopter if we carry him out of this stinking building. Can we just go?"

"Yeah. Okay. I will lead the way."

I felt Iron Hide lift me up, his strength substantial enough to carry me almost too easily. I looked behind us to the red stain that was left behind on the white carpet, until we were in the pale gray hallway. The gray was getting darker . . . and darker . . . until I couldn't see anything, and I felt my own consciousness slipping away from me, despite my struggle to keep ahold of it. Yet the harder I tried to stay awake, the faster I slipped further and further into the darkness.

". . . Just hang on, Optimus . . .

"Hang on . . ."