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Prowl was unable to steer his gaze away from the figure standing in front of the cell's door. Where once bright red painting was, now a deep purple stood, and the bright blue was now darker, and yet the optics shone with the same intensity he remembered. It was hard to believe how much time passed since his dear friend and captain was lost to them in the battlefield and how everyone has given up on retrieving the body they knew was out there, somewhere. Prowl, and the rest of the team, always had hopes that one day, someday, they were going to be able to give their friend the burying he deserved as the warrior to Iacon he was.
But the imagery in front of him was too much, it painted his spark with so much grief and hurt and, most of all, betrayal. The purple marking Prowl had grown to associate against everything Autobot command stands for was sitting proudly on top of a smudged, washed up red one he had known since the day he first opened his eyes.
"What did they do to you?", came Prowl's aching question. "What did he do to you?"
The other hummed, pensive, a hand under his chin and the other stroking the small swell on his abdomen.
"Nothing, really.", he said and took a step forwards the cell's energy bars. The two guards behind him remained on their spot. "He simply showed me the truth.", both his hands now rested on his midriff. "I'm sure you remember the many times I brought it up. How uneasy things in Iacon made me, how strongly I felt at how we were treated, both here on Cybertron and on the little time we spent on Earth.", his piercing blue eyes made Prowl shiver involuntary. He never saw him look like this, so consumed by emotions he didn't dare put on him. The mech on the other side of Prowl's cell sighed. "The way I was treated after Archa7…", a slow pause, a slow blink of eyes. "Something broke inside me, I suppose, and I couldn't stand it anymore."
"We thought you dead! DEAD!", Prowl shouted and rattled against the stasis cuffs that hindered almost if not all his movements, but the sheer rage and disappointment boiling inside him were enough that, for a moment, his body didn't care about the pain surging thanks to his bindings. "Dead and lost to us, to your friends! We mourned you and grieved for you! And all you had been doing is rolling around on the Slagmaker's berth and carrying his child?!", the cyberninja growled. "What happened, Optimus? Weren't… weren't we enough?"
"None of you really listened to a thing I said, did you?", came Optimus' reply, eyes downcast and Prowl saw genuine sadness in his friend's face that it stalled him with shock. "None of you paid attention to a single word I muttered whenever I brought up things of our own history, or the Academy, or however we were being treated by the Magnus…", Optimus left his growing belly alone for a moment and crossed his arms on front of his chassis.
Prowl groaned.
"That do—"
"Doesn't matter anymore.", Optimus finished. "Yeah, you kept telling me that. In fact, Ratchet did few times and so did Sentinel, and Ultra, and Elita… and I think all of you.", Optimus' expression hardened in an instant, a low hiss leaving his vents. "It's all in the past, a past that has been buried and conveniently destroyed, huh?"
"You can't possibly think Megatron is telling the truth!", Prowl shouted, struggling against the cuffs. "Had you gone mad?!"
It's what Prowl wanted to believe, he wanted to believe that Optimus' had been taken prisoner and tortured and abused for so long he had no way out of it but to submit. To submit to a fickle and cruel warlord out of desperation to stay alive. Prowl wouldn't hold him against him because if it that was the case, he could understand the whys of Optimus' behavior, of his sudden choice, of his betrayal.
"Prowl.", the soft tone made the cyberninja hold his breath and look up. "You are saying they are lies and yet how can you admit to that, when the Hall of Records has no text before the Purge happened? A part of our history has been completely erased, and dare I say reconstructed with ill intent, and we all believe in it. I believed in it, so strongly for my entire life, but when conclusive facts were given to me…", Optimus turned his head around.
"That you decided to throw yourself on Megatron's arms and open your legs, just like that?", Prowl growled.
Though, Optimus laughed at the comment instead of feeling as offended as the cyberninja thought he ought to be.
"Actually, it took a really long while for me to do that even if Megatron was certainly not subtle about his affection.", he rubbed at his midriff once more. "This little one was a surprise to come out from it, but we are more than excited to welcome them."
The way Optimus said it with such nonchalance and the way his eyes shone with happiness it made Prowl's tanks churn and curl around themselves and he felt himself get nauseous in record time. This was not the Optimus he remembered, this was not the friend and captain that fought with them against the Decepticons, that protected Earth and brought the Allspark together.
What happened? When did Optimus turn around on his oath? On the Autobot teachings? Against his friends, family and birthplace? Prowl shook his head. Nothing was making any sense anymore.
When Cliffjumper said they had received delicate intel from the border, about a certain quarry of interest, Prowl had been the first one to be given notice. He was called, interrogated and then shown a rather blurry picture of a mech he barely recognized but who would not be able to forget anytime soon. He was draped with an elegant thick purple cape, looking towards a stall of a passerby merchant, flanked by two guards at either side. At the time, Prowl had not seen the gunmetal figure looming in the picture. In hindsight, it wouldn't have even mattered because to him, there shouldn't even be a connection in the first place. To him, the picture meant hope and with that hope in mind, he attempted to mount a rescue mission but the acting Magnus refused; their armies and best soldiers were too busy working on the conflict for him to spare resources in the retrieval of a measly Prime who was never given the title officially.
Acting Sentinel Magnus didn't care too much about his former friend either because when shown the picture by Cliffjumper and Prowl, he surmised the mech in question had already renounced to his Autobot oath. As such, he was now an enemy and should be treated as any other Decepticon. Cliffjumper had no real reason to argue about the decision, but Prowl did and he had to be forcefully dragged away from the office with a warning -warning he could care less about- of misconduct and worse. After that, Prowl was unable to get any more hearings with the Magnus and the intelligence department stopped answering to any query he had about Optimus' whereabouts.
Prowl knew it was up to him, and him only, to rescue Optimus from the claws of the Decepticons. He couldn't drag Ratchet, Bumblebee and Bulkhead with him even if he knew they were as ready as he was for payback. Ratchet had been severely injured after their last stand on Earth; a missing leg replaced with a measly peg wouldn't get the medic too far in the mission. Bumblebee could be of use, but he was way too young still and it didn't sit well with Prowl to sent him into the Decepticon's fortress, recently ramped up in security, just to get himself injured or worse. Bulkhead, while capable of fight, wasn't really keen into going after Prowl showed them the picture. He had been in disbelief much like they were and, from out of them, seemed to be the most affected. Prowl couldn't understand because, to him, this was something they set up. That wasn't Optimus, but just a persona he was using in order to survive whatever Decepticons were doing to him. Ratchet wasn't convinced either and Bumblebee agreed with Prowl; this had to be Optimus being smart enough to deceive the deceivers, to bide time in order to escape or be rescued.
It had to be.
Prowl gritted his teeth, hissing in pain when the cuffs sent another discharge across his frame.
Infiltrating the Decepticon fort was no feat. Shockwave had been on top of every detail, every nook and cranny were kept under strict vigilance. There was nowhere Prowl could crouch and slip undetected, there was no shadow for him to use to stealth by, there was no transmission or communication he or Soundwave didn't know about. And he couldn't understand why. Why would the Decepticons have so much security over the past few months? What had happened for them to be so defensive when they were already having the upper hand in the rekindled conflict of old? Prowl believed they were just fortifying their city-fort in order to begin what could be Iacon's last stand against the Decepticons.
But Prowl had to try, even if in the end it got him caught and thrown in the cell he currently was.
"You see…", Optimus said, breaking Prowl's inner musing. "You are not the first one to try and see what has been going on in here."
Cautious, Prowl managed to sit up against the wall. His visor lighted up and Optimus knew the cyberninja was ready to listen.
"I hope not, we do have to know what the 'Cons are up to, after all."
Optimus laughed.
"Of course, but no, it's not about that.", he shifted his weight around evidently being affected by the extra weight that has begun to form inside him. "Sentinel and the entire Intelligent Department had known I have been here and only chose to tell you when they definitely needed a different approach."
"What are you talking about?", Prowl shook his head in disbelief. "You were lost to us for years and you are telling me Sentinel Magnus knew you were here, all this time?"
"He did, yes. He had sent many spies into the fortress and one of them managed to get back and live enough to tell what was going on here, between Megatron and I.", Optimus' eyes closed for a moment, his hands returning to cup the swell. Prowl's tanks twisted around at the sight. "He sent me many messages through his spies and other encrypted means, with the same questions you brought here today, demanding Megatron to release me. But as time passed, he realized I wouldn't return because I simply did not want to. I wanted to stay here, on the side of the truth, with Megatron.", he smiled faintly at a memory and gave a soft sigh. "He worried when the fort became far heavier with defenses, how most of his spies turned up dead or worse, because they got certain intel they needed to confirm."
"And what was that worrying intel, Optimus?"
"Tell me, how long ago had you known the fort to be heavily secured?"
Prowl rose a brow ridge, not completely understanding the question or why Optimus suddenly steered the conversation that way. But he did as was told, looking up on his memory banks about information that had been passed by, rumors and other little details, the blurry picture Cliffjumper shown him. He looked up and down at his friend and the realization hit him hard that he forgot how to breath for a moment.
"Of course…", he whispered and he could hear Optimus hum in affirmation. "The surprise really threw a wrench in Megatron's plans, huh? No wonder Sentinel was so disgusted at my rescue mission…", then, Prowl tried to move, to stand up, but his energy was so drained he decided to better stay on the floor. "I wonder if he didn't stop me, if no one stopped me, to reach you was because I wouldn't have believed it had he told me…"
"I don't think you would have. Either way, you were bound to come here to see for yourself sooner or later. If my guess is correct, Sentinel didn't stop you either because he knew I would convince Megatron and his warriors from killing you, as someone I used to care for."
The words hit and made Prowl whine in pain. Used to care, used to love, used to be a friend. He slumped back on the wall, wanting nothing more than to curl around and disappear. The mech before him was friend no more, but his spark ached for him regardless. If Optimus released him, if he was allowed to return to Iacon, what would he even be able to tell Ratchet and the others? How could he put into words that the Optimus they knew for most of their lives had been a lie? How was Prowl going to look at Bumblebee, the one who looked up to their captain the most, and tell him Optimus no longer cared or saw them as friends? For a moment, Prowl thought death would be far better mercy for him than to return and be the bearer of the worst kind of news he had to give his team.
"He needed confirmation about the intel he got was correct.", Optimus continued without knowing of what was going through Prowl's processor. "You were the better choice; someone who personally knew me and I wouldn't be so inclined to kill."
"I am not sure I will be able to tell him that you are carrying Megatron's child with a straight face…", the words that left his mouth were laced with pain, despair and exhaustion.
"Oh, but I know you will, Prowl. You were always so good and so professional in your line of work.", Optimus said with a tone of mockery, even, and Prowl resented that but didn't have the energy to get angry at it. "I always felt a little jealous, sometimes even wanting to be like you or Jazz, so pragmatic and good at what you two do."
"…and yet you taught me to open up to you and trust others, and now you are here, breaking my spark.", Prowl whimpered. "Was our friendship a lie, too? Were you just…?"
Optimus shook his head.
"I love you all.", he admitted. "However there was no future where all of us remained together once I set up my mind. At the very least, I wanted to spare you all the pain by pretending to have died in battle.", he shifted around again, clearly growing exhausted of standing in front of the cell so long. He gave a deep, long sigh. "You shall get medical treatment and some energon before we set you free to return to Iacon. I already spoke with Megatron about it and he has no problem with escorting you out of here."
"Why, was he in a good mood after you sucked his spike dry?", Prowl trembled in renewed anger.
"He was!", Optimus replied in the same mocking tone the cyberninja used. "Believe me, all of this has him so stressed out we have been going at it quite often.", the grin that appeared on his face made Prowl's face contort in disgust. "The little one in here appreciates it, though.", Optimus rubbed at his swell. "Gotta give them all the materials to grow big and strong."
Prowl resisted and fought the scream that threatened to come from his throat, to trash around his cuffs and grab Optimus by the throat and choke him, to snuff his spark out right then and there. It was not worth it, he was not worth it anymore. He abandoned him, he abandoned his home, his oath. And for what? Prowl didn't understand how all this happened.
He could hear Optimus giving him a farewell he didn't reply to. He sat there against the wall as he watched the mech he once called a friend wave at him with ease and a smile on his face, that same smile Prowl remembers fondly, before he disappeared forever from sight.
Prowl watched from afar, beaten and battered, visor cracked but still functioning, missing an arm but not the will to survive, as Iacon burned under Decepticon attack. He was huddled against a wall in a hallway, catching all kinds of panicked and desperate transmissions across all known Autobot channels about the massacre and desecration Megatron's army brought to Iacon. He knew Ratchet to be back at the barracks offering all the help he could, but he had been separated from Bumblebee and Bulkhead long ago and had not been able to properly contact them at all.
"Ah, there you are.", a booming voice startled the cyberninja's audials.
Prowl didn't have time to react when the shot of a fusion cannon destroyed his left leg and made him collapse on the floor. Despite the intense pain flaring from the wound, he managed to turn his head around and lock his own eyes against the crimson ones looking down at him with mirth and disdain.
"I promised Orion to be quick with you all, but unfortunately I can't help myself.", Megatron chuckled. "I like playing with my food."
"Orion…?", Prowl said, desperately trying to contact his highers up —anyone really— about Megatron's new position to rally reinforcements against him.
"My Orion, yes.", the warframe said, cannon still raised and charged. He shot again but Prowl was quick to dodge. Megatron clicked his tongue, annoyed. "He no longer goes by the name Iacon and the Autobots imposed on him, but one he choose for himself. I think it rolls off the tongue much nicer than 'Optimus' ever did."
Prowl couldn't really help the huff of a laugh that escaped his mouth.
"Really? Orion?", he said, more to himself than to argue with Megatron. "Did you know that was the name of our ship? The one where we traveled with for so long?"
"He mentioned it when I asked about the name. Can't really remember much else, though.", he grinned. "He is oddly fond about it."
"Yeah, I wonder why…", the thrumming of the cannon became louder and louder and so did Megatron's shadow as he walked closer to the cyberninja, until he was right above him. "Tell me something… As deadmech soon to rejoin the Allspark, or what's left of it, what did Optimus say about all this?", Prowl asked, gesturing to their surrounding with his last remaining arm.
"Of what? The destruction I would bring to Iacon, to the system that subjugated us, enslaved us? The order that forced us into servitude, that killed us?", Megatron's cannon pointed at Prowl's chassis.
"That…", the cyberninja nodded. "And his team getting killed."
Megatron smiled. His plating bristled with glee, his eyes shone with a fire that made Prowl shiver far more in fear than the cannon pointing at him.
"He told me that 'it is worth it'."