Team Prime stepped inside of their base, looking sadly at the destruction. They had been driving for a fair while, and they had finally decided to return to the one place they could call home on Earth. Yet they knew that they had to figure out a plan, and quickly, too. Optimus didn't know if Vesper had given in yet, but he prayed to Primus that she hadn't. He knew that he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for being unable to protect her if she perished, but he quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head and tried to think positively.
"Optimus," Ratchet said, distracting Optimus from his thoughts, for which he was grateful for. "We need to locate the Decepticon vessel." Optimus nodded in agreement, and listened at the ideas of the others. Alice, at one point, suggested that they fly around and search for it in the sky, but Ratchet promptly responded with, "None of us have the means to fly, and if we did, the Decepticons still have aerial superiority." His tone suggested that he thought Alice's idea was a stupid one, even though he actually didn't believe that and was merely grumpy, which caused the white haired human girl to glare at her guardian and question if he had any better ideas.
"Alice," Optimus said, his voice softly chastising, "Ratchet is very tense at the moment. He does not mean to snap." He shook his head. "Please do not think that he dislikes your idea."
Alice sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, then looked over at her guardian and smiled softly. "Sorry for snapping, Ratch," she said. The medic nodded and replied with an apology of his own. Then everyone turned to Optimus, waiting for him to think up a plan. He frowned and looked away, unsure of what to do. As a Prime, he was expected to be a leader, but he was unsure of how to lead them at current time. The Matrix of Leadership, hidden away in his chest, was not helping him here.
Suddenly Bumblebee beeped something, and everyone looked over at him with wide optics (except for Jack, Alice, and Miko, who didn't understand him). Then Optimus tentatively nodded and said, "It is worth a try."
"What did he suggest?" Miko asked, leaning against Bulkhead's leg and crossing her arms over her chest. Bulkhead told her that Bee had suggested that they use one of themselves as bait, and that it was the only choice they really had. Miko was silent for a few moments before saying, "Who will be the bait?"
It was a unanimous decision, as everyone looked at Optimus, who nodded in agreement with the silent decision. He knew that it was him that Megatron wanted to kill most of all, and he would gladly die if it meant that he could save humankind and the lives of his Autobots. He knew that there was a large chance that Megatron, after killing Optimus, would simply kill off the others as well, no matter if the Prime and the warlord agreed that the others would not be harmed.
"Well," Ratchet said after a while, breaking the silence that had settled over the group, "We should begin our preparations, should we not?" He looked at Optimus, and his blue optics seemed nervous, worried for the Prime's safety. Optimus nodded, and the group quickly set around to preparing. They replenished their ammo with whatever energon they could find, which wasn't much, and then got a quick medical check from Ratchet. He gave each and every one of them the all-clear, then turned to the human children and looked at them before saying, "Absolutely not."
Miko groaned. "Oh come on!" she complained, but Ratchet just crossed his arm and glared down at her, tapping his pede impatiently. Miko eventually sighed and turned away, then stormed off grumbling something about how she always missed out. Jack, Raf and Alice sighed, then shrugged at Ratchet before they walked after their human friend, who was now sitting on the (somehow) intact couch that was in the base and still grumbling. This caused Ratchet to sigh as he turned to the Ground Bridge control mechanism and checked to see if it was still functional.
Before they could do anything else, however, a proximity sensor alarm started to go off, and everyone immediately turned to it and looked only to find that there was no helicopter on top of the base. This caused Optimus and Ratchet to share a confused, wary look; the proximity sensor usually only went off when Agent Fowler had landed on top of the base.
"Ratchet, I—Whoa!" Bulkhead exclaimed as the already-ruined base suddenly shook violently, and a loud noise – one that sounded like an atomic bomb had just been dropped on top of the base – reverberated throughout the air. Alice, Miko, Jack and Raf all screamed as Bumblebee put his hands protectively over them. Optimus stumbled and leaned against the wall for support, while Ratchet clung to the Ground Bridge control mechanism. When the shaking finally stopped, Optimus asked if everyone was well, and once everyone had confirmed their status, Optimus walked over to the lift and shook his head.
"I will see what that was," he said, and everyone nodded. "Remain here, and await my command," he said before stepping onto the lift and heading up to the top of the abandoned missile silo. When he got to the top, his optics widened as he saw the Nemesis floating mere metres away, and upon seeing the new armament to the vessel – a large cannon – he knew that Vesper had relented… and it was quite possible that her spark was being used to power the weapon.
Optimus snarled then, and the plan that he and the others had thought up immediately left his mind. All he wanted to do now was get on board and kill everyone who had dared to wrong him. That was including Megatron and Starscream, and every other Decepticon on board. And that was precisely what he did. He took a running jump and managed to get on board, then started to sneak around.
While he was walking through the hallways of the Nemesis, Optimus heard a pained scream reverberate through the ship, and he stiffened before realising that the scream had come from somewhere close by. He immediately broke into a run and desperately tried to find the room where the scream had come from, and soon enough he found it. His optics widened in horror as he stepped into the dark room and observed the femme hanging in the very centre. Energon was dripping from in between her legs, and she appeared to be very despondent. Whoever had been with her moments ago was no longer present, and for that Optimus was grateful.
He reached out and gently stroked Vesper's face, but recoiled in horror as she flinched and started to struggle away. "N-No!" she hissed, her optics snapping open and wilding glancing around. "D-Don't to-touch m-m-me!" she begged, struggling even more as Optimus watched, absolutely bewildered and scared. "I g-ga-gave you th-the parts of th-the wea-weapon, so pl-please…" Her voice broke off as she started to sob, her struggles ceasing, and Optimus felt a large pain in his spark.
"Vesper," he breathed, his voice saturated with sadness, "I am so, so sorry…" He reached out again, but this time refrained from touching her. "Please, forgive me… I could not protect you…"
"Oh, how touching," Optimus heard a voice say, and the Prime whipped around to see Starscream standing at the door, his arms crossed over his chassis. "It's a pity, really." The Seeker's vibrant red optics bored into the Prime's turquoise ones. "She is mine now."
This caused Optimus to stiffen. "Excuse… me?" he asked, his voice stony and strained as he realised what Starscream had been implying.
"Oh, I do not need to repeat myself," Starscream mused, his voice sickly sweet. "But I will, just for you. Vesper is no longer yours." He grinned maliciously. "Her body belongs to me now." Optimus' servos clenched into fists, and he found himself struggling to contain his pure rage, as Starscream continued his mocking. "Of course, she's a little bit unwilling, but she will come to accept me," he said, his malicious smile growing. That was not the only thing growing, however. Optimus' rage was like fire within his veins, and it was starting to become uncontainable. "And she will soon be—" The Seeker was cut off as Optimus roared, his faceplate sliding over his mouth as he jumped forward and slammed his fist into Starscream's face, sending the 'Con flying backwards into a nearby wall.
But that wasn't the end of it. Optimus was fighting a losing battle against himself; his calm, rational side was telling him to not do anything too rash… but the angry, wrathful side of him would not listen.
And it was the angry, wrathful side that won.
Optimus screamed in anger and pain as his blue optics began to change colour. They flickered between blue and red, but like Optimus' angry side, the red won out, and Optimus looked slowly up at a terrified Starscream. Then, slowly, he put one pede forwards as the Seeker tried to scramble backwards, but it was no use. Optimus' blazing eyes were completely focused on Starscream, and there was nothing that the Seeker could say to stop Optimus from injuring him severely.
"You," Optimus breathed, his voice coming in ragged, venomous growls, "Have wronged me one too many times." He stepped forward slowly before stopping in front of Starscream. Then, even as the Seeker begged for mercy, Optimus roared and kicked him the head. He knelt down, picked Starscream up by the head, and started to slam him into the wall. Each time he heard a howl of pain, Optimus felt a dark thrill course through him. A maniacal smile appeared on Optimus' face, although it could not be seen because of the Prime's faceplate, and he found himself laughing as he held Starscream – who was now only whimpering feebly – in the air triumphantly.
"P-Pl-Please… no more…," Starscream gurgled, and the rage in Optimus' spark spiked again. His eyes narrowed before he threw the Seeker to the floor and started to slam his pede down on the Seeker's chest, causing Starscream to scream pathetically and wheeze. "I…," Starscream choked, his spark beating feebly, "Beg… you… for… mercy…"
Optimus' eyes narrowed as he knelt down next to Starscream and pressed a servo to his throat. "Is that what she said when you forced yourself upon her?" he breathed, his voice low, dark, and malicious. "Is that what she said when you repeatedly tortured her?" His eyes were blazing with dark fury at this point, and Starscream was beginning to feel quite panicked and horrified. Never in the Seeker's life had he imagined that Optimus Prime would have this much anger and wrath within his body.
Optimus' current condition reminded Starscream painfully of Megatron.
Suddenly Optimus picked Starscream up by the head. "You cannot answer me, can you?" he hissed, his freakily red eyes regarding Starscream with a dark curiosity. "Or do you simply hold your glossa because you do not want to die?" The way Optimus said the word 'die' made Starscream's energon run cold, and it was then that he realised that he had been doomed the moment he'd started mocking the Prime.
"P-Pl-Please… mercy…," Starscream choked, and again a fresh wave of rage washed over Optimus.
"YOU BEG ME FOR MERCY?!" he roared, slamming the Seeker against the wall once, twice, thrice over. "YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO BEG ME FOR MERCY?!" he roared again, pressing Starscream's head against the wall using all of his strength. Starscream squealed feebly in pain and horror as he realised that Optimus was crushing his head. "I WILL NOT GIVE YOU MERCY! YOU DO NOT DESERVE IT!" the Prime roared as he pulled Starscream away from the wall and slammed him into the ground. There was a sickening crack, and Starscream cried out as he went limp, although he still lived.
Optimus gently put his large pede on the Decepticon's head. There was crystal-clear intent in the Prime's eyes, and a malicious smile underneath his faceplate. Starscream struggled weakly, but there was no point. As he felt pressure start to build up in his head, Starscream realised that this was the end for him… and he was right.
The Seeker released a strangled scream as Optimus' pede crushed his head, and then silence fell as the cry died away. Optimus was panting as his faceplate slid off of his face, trying desperately to fight his anger off, and this time he won. He closed his optics – still as red as Megatron's – and released a sigh before he opened them again. They had returned to their turquoise blue, and he looked down at the offline Seeker that was underfoot with his upper lip curled up in disgust. Then he turned back to Vesper, and his anger immediately melted away and was replaced with tenderness and misery.
"Vesper," he breathed as he strode over. He reached out again and touched her shoulder, only for her to flinch away and quiver in fear yet again. This caused Optimus' servo to fall to his side as he began to sob. "I have failed you… Please, please forgive me… Please…" He bowed his head, but this caused him to not see that Vesper had finally dragged herself back into consciousness and was regarding the one that she truly loved with a despondent, soft look.
"Only… if you… forgive me," she gasped, and Optimus stiffened before he slowly raised his head and looked into her eyes. His optics widened as he slowly reached a servo up and gently cupped her cheek, and she smiled at him, her smile forced and sad. "I… have failed… humanity… I have… failed the others… and I have… failed… you…," she sobbed, closing her eyes and casting her eyes downwards.
Optimus reached his other servo up and cupped her other cheek. "Look at me," he breathed, his eyes scanning every detail of her face. She slowly looked up, and Optimus smiled sadly. "I do not care if you have failed. We still have a chance to stop Megatron's plan."
Vesper felt regret course through her body. "No, Optimus," she breathed, averting her eyes yet again. "You still have a chance. I… do not." She jerked her head from his servos and refused to look back at him. "Please… leave me. You deserve better."
Optimus frowned, hurt. He did not understand. "Vesper, I—"
It was something hitting him in the lower abdomen – Vesper's pede – that cut him off and caused him to stumble backwards. He looked up at her in shock, and then noticed the miserable, regretful look on the femme's face. "I… do not expect you to understand, Optimus," she said, her voice strained. "Please, forget about me. I—"
The Prime suddenly cut her off as he hastily strode forward and wrapped his arms around her. She noticed that his body was heaving, and it dawned on her that he was crying.
"Please, Vesper, please do not push me away," Optimus sobbed, and Vesper's glossa felt unmovable in her mouth. "I need you, Vesper, more than I will ever know." He slowly stepped away from the femme, still crying, and held her at arm's length. "Please… tell me why you do not want to face me," he breathed, reaching up and cupping Vesper's face, stroking her cheek lightly with his thumb.
Vesper was about to shake her head, but something in her spark told her that Optimus was the only one she could tell. She sighed, then said, "I… was once not an Autobot." She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting Optimus to become angry, but nothing happened. She tentatively opened them and cautiously looked over to see a sad twinkle in the Autobot leader's optics. "You… are not angry?" she breathed, frowning.
Optimus shook his head. "You would never truly be a Decepticon… I could not be angry at you," he said, gently touching her forehead with his own. Vesper smiled, relieved, but also feeling guilty. She decided to tell him everything, and she poured her spark out.
"When I was first initiated into the Decepticon ranks, my mentor told me that the Autobots were evil. I believed him, for a time, until I watched Megatron coldly murder an innocent bot. I had never seen an Autobot commit such an atrocity, and it was then that I knew the truth," Vesper whispered, turning her head away, which caused Optimus' servos to fall to his side. "In an attempt to redeem myself, I killed my mentor and stole the condensable parts of the weapon. I headed for Alpha Trion, hoping that he would understand, and he did. He made me an Autobot, took the weapons from me, sent them away, told me their coordinates." She looked into Optimus' optics, and was astounded by how much love and care were in them. "But then, I was captured and tortured. I… was raped many times back then, and I felt disgusted. I felt horrible, impure, and when I finally managed to escape again…" She shook her head. "I wanted to destroy myself. It was many years before I was found again, and I was put into stasis."
Optimus nodded. "And you had been in stasis until we found you."
Vesper nodded in agreement. "Yes," she breathed. Then she looked up. "We… have spent enough time talking," she suddenly whispered, and Optimus frowned before nodding. He looked up at the chains before transforming his servos into blades and cutting her down. She collapsed to the ground, then weakly tried to stand, but she found herself unable to without support.
Optimus knelt down and gently picked her up, then the two of them slowly walked out. However, the moment they stepped outside of the room, they were assaulted by Vehicons shooting in their direction. Optimus immediately pushed his femme behind him and returned fire, killing most of the Vehicons instantly. Then, when they were all offline, Optimus picked Vesper up and ran down the corridors of the Nemesis, hoping desperately that he did not run into Megatron.
Megatron, however, was hoping that he would run into Optimus. Standing over the mangled, sparkless corpse of Starscream, Megatron was thinking of all the horrible ways that he could kill Optimus. He turned on his heel, gave Knockout the order to clean up 'the mess' as he gestured at Starscream's body, then walked out of the room and looked down the hallway, his optics narrowing.
"Soundwave," he hissed, and the silent Decepticon – standing nearby, keeping an optic and audio receptor on everything – walked over, awaiting his lord's orders. Megatron turned to look at his most trusted minion. "I want all Vehicons to search for Optimus Prime."
Soundwave nodded before broadcasting the order to each and every Vehicon, directly using their frequencies. It was in this way that he ensured that Optimus and Vesper did not hear the order, and were at a disadvantage because of it.
Or they would have been, if they had not gotten up to the cannon before the order had been given. Optimus, after making sure that Vesper had been safely hidden away, had killed every single Vehicon that was guarding the cannon, and they'd never even seen him coming before retrieving his femme and bringing her over to the weapon she had ultimately helped to create. Now, he and the femme were standing near the control panel of the cannon, looking with both curiosity and hurt at the spark that was being used to power it.
Optimus frowned. "I wonder who was used to power it…," he said softly, looking over at Vesper, who had turned her head away. Then he shook his head. "But that does not matter now." He walked over and gently put his servo on Vesper's shoulder. "Do what you need to."
The femme nodded before walking over to the control panel, but just as she was about to punch something in, Megatron grabbed her around the throat and threw her away. She cried out as she slammed into the wall and fell limply to the floor, unconscious. Optimus' eyes widened as he looked back at her, then at Megatron. The Decepticon warlord was baring his sharp dentas at the Prime, and the two stood off against each other. Blue optics met with red optics as Autobot faced Decepticon.
"So, Optimus Prime," Megatron scowled, his tone of voice indicating that he was, in no way, pleased with the Prime putting a dent in his plan. "I should have finished you off at that canyon."
Optimus snorted. "Yet, you did not. I shall not hesitate, however," he hissed, clenching his servos before transforming them into his blades. Megatron immediately revealed his blade as well, and the two leapt at each other and their blades met with a clang. Sparks flew as the two fought against each other, but soon enough both of them jumped back before repeating what they'd just done.
They repeated this many times before Optimus fell to his knees, exhausted. Megatron, however, seemed just as strong as the moment they'd started to fight, and realising this made the Decepticon maliciously gleeful. He stepped forward and slammed his pede into the 'Bot's side, which sent him flying and caused him to land directly in front of the weapon.
Vesper groaned as she finally managed to drag herself back from unconsciousness, and she looked up just as Optimus landed directly in front of the barrel of the cannon. The Prime was struggling to get to his feet, and he did not notice when Megatron walked over to the control panel of the weapon and typed in the code that would fire the weapon.
"NO!" Vesper screamed, causing Optimus to look up, just as the cannon powered up and sent a powerful, almost pure white laser in the Prime's direction. "OPTIMUS, MOVE!" she cried, even though she knew in her spark that he was completely unable to. His turquoise optics widened as the beam filled his vision, and the last thing Vesper heard from Optimus was an agonised scream as the beam struck him.