Whoo boy this is gonna be juicy. Have fun!

Ironhide was not happy.

In the span of one morning patrol… just one quick morning patrol around Monaco, this… had happened.

Of course he'd realised something was up when Ratchet started venting over the bond and becoming more clingy towards his spark, but past a certain point Ratchet seemed to of heard/seen something that caused him to just stop processing the situation, leaving Ironhide in the dark until he'd managed to pick his was back through the mess that was Monaco's morning rush hour traffic.

Freedom, the ever quiet and demure Bald Eagle was now tucked up against the side of his neck in his normal spot, doing his best to be as small as possible as his handler took in the scene in front of him.

The twins were coming back to alertness now, their sparks apparently stabilising the closer Kia and he got to arriving.

He should've seen this coming.

They'd told Kia early on what the Allspark was capable of, filling in the gaps of what they'd learned from the American Governments documentation they'd gotten ahold of, so of course she'd want to learn how to use it...

They'd let her keep Megatron's helm, they hadn't had the grounds or want to take it, and she'd apparently been using it as her practice test subject.

He couldn't really hold that against her, it was the only offline Cybertronian they had access too, Blackout's frame's fate was unknown, but the twins had somehow confirmed it wasn't in the American Government's custody, it had vanished, no traces, no clues, so that query was dropped for now. Likely one of the other Cons planet side had seen to collecting the helicopters corpse.

Kia, who's holoform was sitting prone against one of the walls looked like she'd gone through a couple rounds with a combiner, and her haggard gaze was held resolutely on the now more alert, very jittery twins as the two, with a lot more care than usual, used their mouth to pull apart a dead cow that hadn't exploded in their room.

Freedom warbled quitely on his shoulder, he reached up to carefully pet the small Eagle.

Optimus and Derrick looked just as tired as the others, Derrick more-so, and seemed to have passed out at some point before he arrived, after he'd been given the all clear to stop yanking on his still new sibling bond with his half sisters.

Optimus was still standing, but was busy writing something on a data pad and periodically looking at the lift to the large garage where the trailer containing Kia and Megatron would be arriving through.

He was still having a hard time trying to figure out how Megatron had apparently raised the twins, but that was likely something Megatron would have the best answer for.

If he didn't let his battle protocols loose and he pumped a few rounds into the slagger and put him down for good.

Yes it would likely do a lot of damage to the twins already stressed sparks, but the mech had to pay, and pay in full for all he'd done.

Optimus seemed to somehow know what he was thinking and sent him a warning look.

Ironhide opted to keep his battle protocols locked for now, but sent Optimus a look saying explicitly that all Megatron needed to do was frag it up once, and he'd put the warlord down for good.

Optimus seemed to resign himself to that compromise and gave him a quick nod.

Ratchet gave a rumble of agreement from over the bond.

Another bond, one that had been inactive for a very long time, pinged back a query.

Both Ironhide and Ratchet's sparks jumped in their chambers, their focus swiftly rushing across the normally quiet bond to the third member of their small family unit.

Not much made it back, just a few feelings and words 'Safe' 'Message' 'New home?' 'Safe?'

Then sent back waves of reassurance, yes they were safe, Earth was proving to be a good home. They didn't mention the current issue, Primus knows their creation was so far out the bond barely allowed feelings and words across, it would be some time before they arrived.

In turn their creation replied with exasperation 'Terror twins' 'Pains in aft' and a few others, before something tentative came across the bond. 'Mated?'.

Everything in Ironhide's helm screeched to a stop, as it did in Ratchet's, Megatron was suddenly the least of his worries, some slagger had gone and swept their creation off their pedes and mated them?! Without him getting to at least vet this bot?!

Their creation seemed to pick up on this, and tried all they could to flood the bond with re-assurances 'Safe!' 'Happy!' 'Got courted!' 'Very sweet!'.

Both he and Ratchet sighed at once, and sent across reassurance, their creation was an adult now. A few vorns older than Bumblebee was, they were allowed to make their own big decisions.

Just a little hard to remember that when the last time they saw their creation they were barely into their adult frame and they were evacuating Cybertron with Elita-1 and her squadron, while they took Bumblebee with them, the youngling still not in his adult frame when they had to abandon Cybertron to ruin, and so he'd stayed with them.

Their creation seemed to notice that, and sent a ping enquiring to how their adopted sibling was doing.

Ratchet was the one that replied with 'Courting a native'.

He could feel the surprise, yet not surprise their creation felt at that reply.

Surprise that Bumblebee was dating, not surprised it would be an alien.

Ironhide sent an enquiring ping.

Their creation pinged back something along the lines of 'He's young.'

Which was fair.

Ratchet piped up with what was roughly a 'let's not talk about that' and instead sent a ping requesting the conditions of all those their creation was looking after.

Ironhide took a few moments to preen his pride as his mate and creation went full medic on each other.

Like carrier like creation was never a truer statement.

Shame their creation had never been too fond of loud noises or weaponry.

But that was fine, he was the protector, he'd probably be more worried if their creation was gungho about the war and jumped out of drop ships guns blazing before they were even in their adult frame.

He shuddered at the mere thought.

Optimus sent him a confused look, EM field flaring in his direction out of concern.

Ironhide brushed the enquiring EM field away, reassuring the Prime that he was indeed fine.

He glanced to the present Harpies, and Prowl, who'd joined them at some point and was kind of just standing around, not quite sure if he should speak up to enquire why the twins front and the Prime's lower legs were covered in lilac crystals.

He glanced back to Optimus and spoke. "Red Alert's finally close enough me and Ratchet can feel them, said they received your hailing message and that they're on the way."

Optimus' optics widened in surprise. "Elita-1 and her squadron? How many are on board?"

The twins looked over, their visor back down again, their mouth occupied with a chunk of flesh and bone so it was difficult to read their emotions. More so than usual that is, those protrusions still made little sense to him in their motions.

Ironhide sent a request for numbers.

Red Alert provided, there were a total of six remaining.

That, wasn't promising, Elita-1 had left Cybertron with a force of twenty behind her.

He looked to Optimus. "There's six left, Red, Elita-1, Inferno, Wheeljack, and the terror twins."

The currently conscious Harpies were definitely paying attention now.

Kia was upright and walking over. "My bunker in Barcelona isn't finished yet, Ira has a somewhat operational bunker, but it has limited capacity due to it being in central Rome, and the one here still isn't fully furnished, how long do we have to finish the bunkers before they arrive and the fall back hangers are too full to go ignored?"

Ironhide frowned, mulling over it and sent a ping to Red Alert requesting a rough guess of how long they would take.

After a moment of converting the time provided, he answered the Bateleur. "Around nine Earth months, Elita-1 has been apparently gunning the engines since they received Prime's message."

Kia seemed to mull over that for a moment before nodding. "Ira may have to relocate her base of operations out of Rome, but the bunker here will be fully operational by then, and mine shouldn't be too far behind."

Ironhide regarded Kia for a moment before asking her a question. "Why is your's taking so long?"

Kia gave him a withering look. "The original ground testing didn't pick up the fact that past a certain point it's solid granite, the elevator isn't operational yet so I haven't been able to get heavy construction machines in to help, so all the space that has been made so far is from blasting with high explosives, which, need I remind you, is highly dangerous and time consuming, thankfully the ground where we built the tunnel for flight entrance and exit was a lot softer and easier to get through, downside is you can't make lowering a JCB down the side of a cliff into a cave 'inconspicuous'... Or something the insurance company will accept if it drops."

He nodded. "Fair point." Kia nodded, before her attention shifted to the lift. "The trucks pulling up to the front gate now… estimated arrival time is two minutes…" She looked to where the twins were doing their best to lick all the blood and sinew off their faceplates and huffed. "He already talking to you?"

They slowly nodded, and there was a little smile there. "Yeah… it feels really good to finally have that empty spot in our head filled." Aria confirmed, if her optics were visible they likely would have been able to see the wistful expression on their features.

"And he's not gearing up for war?" Optimus enquired, looking to the twins himself.

They shook their helm, then frowned before Aria continued. "No, no intent of conflict… but he does really, really want to talk to you, no drawn weapons, and with an open processor… heh, he says if you don't like what he says, you can kill him…" They frowned at that. "Not something we're exactly keen on, but we're compromised by this situation…"

Optimus sighed. "If peace is what he wishes, I can accept those conditions."

They nodded, and seemed to shift as if uncomfortable under his gaze. "Your… not mad at us right? We didn't know…" He raised a servo to quiet them.

"I hold none of this to you, you've already suffered unnecessarily as a result of his return, I doubt you would have done what you did in the Hoover Dam if you had known who he was to you."

You could have heard a pin drop in the moments that followed as the twins lower jaw slowly began to drop open, their protrusions slowly pinning down against their helm.

"Oh… Oh ancestors… We… we did it…"

"We were the ones that severed the connection…"

Prowl looked over to Ironhide with an expression that belayed his concerned confusion, right, he was going to have to explain bonds to the mech later.

"No… no… that… that… no…" The twins were slumping down, their struts shaking for a few moments before they dropped to their knees, helm pressed to the ground as their frame began to shake more and more violently.

"Arien…" Came the soft call of Kia.

Optimus took a moment to regard the shaken looking holoform.

"Thirteen years… we murdered our own brother… and we've paid for it for thirteen years!" They shouted at the ground.

They lurched up, falling back to rest on their folded legs in a way that they likely were not meant to go. "By the Ancestors… it wasn't random…" They rasped out, turning to Kia. "We weren't brought here randomly… us knowing each other wasn't a coincidence… We were groomed for this…"

Kia seemed to mull that over in her head for a few minutes before grabbing her head in both hands and slumping down to her own knees. "Dios mio… how far did it go…?" The horror in her voice was palpable as something seemed to dawn on her. "The sickness… The rot… Could… Could that have been…"

The twins grimaced and folded their wings around them in as much of a self hug as they could. "We won't know… not until the final relics are collected…"

"Ira isn't…"

"We know Ira doesn't have any interest in getting her relics!" Wren snapped at Kia , protrusions flaring before they seemed to catch themselves and ease back down and seemed to hug themselves tighter. "Sorry..."

The attempted apology was interrupted by the main lift starting to lower, revealing a truck hauling a trailer behind it.

Suddenly the attention shifted to the trailer, the truck rolled off the lift, the moment it stopped and the panels of the top and side hissed as they unlatched and fell away with loud metallic 'bangs'.

Kia's holform flickered out of existence as the Bateleur Eagle began to move and slowly began to rise, shifting from side to side in the process to loosen up their stiff frame.

Once she pushed off the trailer with her wings, a second form came into view, three tones of grey and a deep maroon coloured plating, with bright red optics darting out at the scene around him.

They found Optimus first, the now much smaller warlord slowly standing up under Kia as she stepped off the trailer and moved over to stand by the twins, extending a wing out to cover their back in a show of support, though considering how her holoform had reacted to everything, she was still as equally shaken internally.

"Prime… No… Optimus… it has been a long time, old friend." Megatron spoke, correcting himself at first as he slowly stepped off the trailer, servos up in surrender.

Ironhide stepped closer to Optimus, but the larger mech didn't pay his weapons specialist heed, instead his optics were slowly cycling wider. "Megatron… what has happened to you?"

Megatron grimaced. "If it is alright with you, I'd like to go back to being referred to as 'Megatronus'. Much has happened, and…" He looked to the twins and Kia. "We have much to discuss… but first… can I go to them?"

Optimus slowly nodded as he steadily turned to look at Ironhide, his shock as palpable as the red and black mech.

Megatronus moved over to where Kia and the twins were, his expression was one of awe as he looked up at them. "I… I'm for once… lost for words."

A pained, humoured laugh came from the twins as they unfurled their wings, opening them out for him to come closer, he did so, and after a moment, rested a servo on their leg.

Wren hummed. "Now we know why your touch always felt like knives…"

Aria spoke next. "Pretty sucky we can't hug you, huh?" She remarked, bringing her wing closer, he took a moment to grab hold, and after a bit of maneuvering, Aria hoisted him up so he could swing and land on her shoulder and neck guard, causing her to wince and hiss. "Ah!"

Megatronus was already trying to check the area he'd landed looking for damage, he'd already been briefed by them on what re-establishing the bond had done to their sparks, but this was different, he felt the pain in her shoulder over the bond.

After a moment something seemed to dawn on him and he reached up and over to cup Wren's side of their helm and pull them to look at him, he saw his own optics narrow as they reflected on their visor. "You're not taking care of yourselves."

They bit at their lower lip, causing them to wince as a small rivulet of energon pooled, proving his point. "Y-yeah… you could say that…"

He shook his helm and after a bit of shuffling, moved to stand on Wren's shoulder, servo holding into the flaring metal that framed her side of their face to steady him. "Can you stand?"

There was a pause as they tried to get their legs out from under them, before they sighed, shook their helm and looked to Optimus. "Little help? He doesn't want Aria using her wing to push us up, and if I do it alone we're gonna land on her shoulder." Wren explained.

Optimus nodded at the request even before Wren provided the explanation and stepped over, after a moment he bent a bit to grab them around the narrow waist, and easily hefted them up to free their pedes.

Kia, who'd stepped back to let the Prime provide the aid, stepped back over. "If this peace talk goes well I'd like to speak with you about a matter later if that is alright?"

He was a little surprised by that, but he nodded.

Megatronus patted Wren's side of their helm. "Could you take me over to the lift? I'd like to speak to Optimus with his holoform, if that is something you can agree to?" He enquired to the Prime, who took a moment to nod as he stepped back and transformed down into his alt mode as the twins moved over to the raised platform that the lift was built into, lowering themselves down enough that he could jump off and land easily.

Optimus' holoform flickered into life next to Megatronus, and he gestured for the larger mech to lead the way.

Megatronus took the time to pet the blood stained faceplates of his treasures for a moment longer before stepping away and moving to the lift. "Once the private talks are done, I will give you the all clear to join us to continue the talks, you're input will be required as the hosts."

The three conscious Harpies all nodded.

With that, Megatronus and Optimus stepped through the open doors to the lift, and Optimus pressed the button to take them up.

Kia turned to the twins when they were gone. "Okay you two, open up, gonna see how much of this mess I can fix."

One of the offices on the second floor.

Megatronus slowly eased himself down into the leather chair that was slightly too small for him.

Optimus did the same in the chair opposite across the small coffee table to him.

A few seconds passed as they became comfortable.

Megatronus sighed, moving to rest his elbows on his thighs. "Optimus… I'm struggling to decide where I must start in my explanations…"

Optimus let out a slow sigh himself. "Perhaps… start with how you and the twins came to… be as you are?"

Megatron hummed under his vents. "Very well, though there is little I can do to bring light to it… until early this morning, I was of the belief that I perished on impact with the Arctic... the magnetic pull of this planet is not to be messed with Prime, I advise greatly against any sort of flying in the upper atmosphere when I solar flare is striking the the magnetic field of this world, the effect is rather agonising EMP blast..."

Optimus nodded slowly. "And then?"

"The next thing I remembered, I was in a human medical ward, phased through the walls and ceilings, but I was placed just so, that I could witness the birth of the twins… I knew almost instantly my spark had somehow been tied to theirs… how I do not know… for the next fifteen years they were my wards, and I their protector… I trained them, taught them all I could think of, and made sure that as little harm would come to them as possible…" His servos clenched. "With my… execution though… my ability to care for them was severed… it would seem that my… spark or the 'spirit' of it seperated from my physical form, but was still tethered to my physical form in that Dam… when they struck me down, I was no longer able to maintain the connection with them… and they have suffered great injustice as a result… of their own unintentional actions… I doubt my words will ease their guilt even slightly any time soon… They believe I will hold this against them… if I can be honest, I couldn't be prouder, they did just as I taught them, analyse, evaluate, execute...they took that last one more literally than usual though."

Optimus listened to all of this, and slowly let this all roll over them. "What changed... Megatro...nus?"

Megatronus took a minute, a check over the bond with his treasures had him pondering over how to answer. "It wasn't my time with them that I... changed instead, it was not long before the battle of Helex… you remember it correctw? You charged at me with a fury I had never seen before, an anger I couldn't really understand… It changed when the thing that had held me prisoner for so long, finally returned my free will… Once it had finished doing all the damage it needed to."

Optimus didn't notice he'd sat more upright. "Meagtronus… what… what are you saying?"

"I was a Pawn Prime, they, it, whatever it was, it made me a Pawn…" His fists shook, he'd clenched them so tight, the urge to tear whatever it was apart ever present. "I am missing the entire start of the war from my memory banks… there is a massive gap… my memory banks are partially empty because I wasn't the one experiencing those memories. Hundreds of vorns worth of stored data… not there."

Optimus' expression became one of dawning horror. "Prowl's memory banks were completely wiped… We only just recently found him… Here on Earth… He didn't even know what a Cybertronian was..."

Megatronus' expression was swiftly matching the Primes. "By the pits… they might have used him too… or… or destroyed a witness... he might have discovered something he wasn't supposed to..."

Optimus got up and moved over to rest his holoforms hands on Megatronus' shoulders, the first time in milenia physical contact between them hadn't been a blow meant to offline. "Megatronus, you speak as cryptically as the Harpies, what do you mean?!"

Megatronus let the touch continue as he bowed his helm. "I speak as such because I too am in the dark… but what I do know is this… the Tarn refinery was not an accident Prime… Dust… Shrike… the Mutes... their passing was no accident of war… they were murdered Prime… our seconds in command, and their closest friends… were murdered…"

His hands fell away from Megatronus' shoulders as he stumbled back in horror, calves banging against the coffee table. "...What?!"

Suddenly the fury Megatronus knew too well exploded into view within the Prime's expression, he rushed forwards again and grabbed at his former friends front and snarled. "Tell me. Now. Who. Did. It."

Megatron let his helm hang again. "I do not know designations… they did not allow me to know… I just know what I saw and heard… I will show you by sharing the memory file with you, if you will allow me?"

Optimus released him and again stepped back around the table and slumped back into the chair. "Show me… please…"

Megatronus nodded, and sent the file along the ancient, unused com-link line he still had with the Prime.

Optimus received it, and after a moment of hesitation, opened it, and allowed the world to fall away and be replaced by a long dead one.

The city of Helex, some time before the war.

The sound of life support equipment filled the circulated air, once every few breems, the spark monitor gave a singular pulse notification, the alert system about the danger of the patient offlining had been turned off.

In any over situation he'd be frustrated with the constant buzzing noise, but now, now he could care less.

Clutched within his massive servo was the ever frail, ever small servo of his closest friend, his dearest companion… his voice of reason and calm. It was wrapped in a fine mesh, hiding the numerous deep gashes that had only been recently welded back shut.

The thermal blanket that his clutched servos rested upon was draped over the rest of the prone frame on the berth.

Hiding the surgical welds that would not set for a long time yet, berth rest for the foreseeable future…

He bowed his helm and carefully rested the metal between his optics against the soft blue plating that covered the top of the servo he held, the pointed tip that extended past the fragile servo, he in-vented, taking in the almost unique scent she shared only with her twin.

A groan came from the small frame, he looked up, optics widening… Dust had said she wouldn't wake for a number of cycles yet!

"Neb…?" He rasped out the nickname.

The optic shutters twitched.

Scarred lipplates parted to let free another whimpered groan, the servo clenched in his flexing slightly, the sharp tips brushing against the seams of his own.

Intricate, ancient optics flickered online, he took a moment to marvel at the glowing orbs he'd feared he'd never see again, oh what wonders beyond wonders those optics had taken in during their travels across the cosmos… he felt in that moment they all paled in comparison to seeing that his dearest friend was waking.

He didn't follow the urge to grab her up in a crushing hug, Dust had explicitly told him that she wasn't to move, at all if possible.

"...M...ega?" The faint voice whimpered, optics screwing up for a moment before opening again, more focused on his looming form.

"Yes Neb, it's me, I'm here… it was my turn to watch over you…" He explained quickly.

She tried to sit up, but he caught her, pushing her back against the berth, the tires on her back struts had been temporarily removed so she could lay flat to allow the welds to set. "Easy, easy, no getting up, Dust's orders."

She gave him a weak smile. "Alright… alright… I can… wait… Mega… what happened? Why am I here?" She asked, her voice, that soft tolling voice that could ease a thousand distressed sparklings, was laced with confusion, concern and worry.

He rested his servo over her middle, where no armour guarded her off-black protoform. "Neb… you nearly offlined… an attempt was made on your life, and by proxy, on Sol's…"

Her optics widened. "The… the escort… they suddenly stopped when we were getting close to Helex… We all transformed… Somebot shouted on the left side of the convoy… I turned... pain… then…" Her free servo went to hover over his middle. "Oh…"

He slowly nodded. "They impaled you and pinned you to the city wall… they left you to bleed out and offline… Dust say's it's a miracle they missed your primary strut… otherwise, you likely would have never walked or transformed again."

Her optics widened in horror, but then she sagged with relief. "Is Sol alright?"

"Last I heard, Ratchet is keeping her in a medically induced stassis."

"She was so worried… she still is, but she's calm now, that's good, Orion is probably with her…" Lubricant was pooling at the edges of those cosmos like optics now, something in the back of his processor lamented that Cybertronian frames weren't forged with such complex yet mesmerizing optics anymore… maybe in time they could bring optics such as theirs back with the next generation?

He nodded, and carefully pulled back the thermal blanket to let her see the welds, her abdominal plates clenched at the sight, causing her to hiss and clutch at the welds. "Careful, please, you don't want those to tear."

She whimpered and nodded, easing back down against the berth.

He had to tell her, she was online now, there was no use waiting till later. "Neb… I've renounced your place as my second in command of the Decepticons."

Her vibrant blue optics snapped wide and she lurched up. "NO!" She shouted, hissing louder as one of the welds tore open, but she ignored it, and pushed against him when he tried to push her back down, panic rising. "NO! YOU CAN'T!" Her voice was no longer soft, it was booming, belaying her small stature, when she wanted her voice to carry it slagging carried.

He tried to plead with her. "Neb! Please! Lay down!"

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

"I have to! You almost offlined!"

"I DON'T CARE! IT'S HIM ISN'T IT?! YOU'RE REPLACING ME WITH HIM!"

He knew exactly who she meant. "Yes… Starscream was the best o-" She slapped him, her deceptively frail looking servo leaving a burning track across his battle scarred faceplates.

The strike burned worse than any wound he'd ever felt before.

Her optics were overflowing as they flooded with lubricant. "I can't… I can't let you do this! Everything we've worked for! Everything we've all suffered through! We have peace! The Senate is gone! We got rid of them! You and Orion are bringing us into a new age! If you let him sink his claws into you… it will all be for nought!" She exclaimed out, barring her denta at the end as she took a moment to try and steady her venting.

His optics widened slightly before he let them close and shook his helm. "It's already been done… you still maintain your position as one of the pilots of the Polaris, your place there is not something I would even hope to control, but Starscream is now my second, now please, lay down."

She glared at him, and swung her legs off the berth and jumped off the other side, much to his horror as all the life support systems detached, sending out silent alerts to the medical staff.

She spun on him a fury in her gaze he'd never had aimed at him before, oh he'd seen fury, but this was different, suddenly he felt small… so small. "Then you have doomed us all."

Her middle was now drizzled with her own energon, the welds having ruptured further from her jump from the berth.

He rose, intending to reach over and lift her back onto the berth but she stepped out of his reach. "No, no coddling, no more. Starscream will get into your helm, don't you see?! He planned this! He has the most motive out of anyone to get rid of me! And Sol by proxy! And you've just handed him my role without even waiting for me to wake up! You didn't even think to consult me did you?!"

He tried not to snarl. "And have you convince me to keep you as my second?! I refuse to have you bear such a target on you anymore!"

"WHY?! I can handle myself! I kick your aft on a regular occasion!"

"WHY?! WHY?! BECAUSE I FOUND YOU! STRUNG UP ON A WALL WITH A SWORD IMPALED THROUGH YOU. YOU WERE TURNING GREY BY THE TIME DUST AND KNOCKOUT GOT TO YOU!"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE WAITED! AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO WAR! ALL BECAUSE S-UUZZZURK!"

She went ridgid, vocaliser glitching into horrid static, her helm jerking back like something had her by the neckcables, then her optics went wide in horror, before she suddenly dropped to the floor, almost like she'd had whatever was holding her up suddenly vanish.

"NEB!" He shouted, rushing to her side around the medical berth.

She was convulsing, servos reaching up shakingly to pull at her scarred face. "... N….no…." She was able to pry her mouth open long enough to rasp out, her optics screwed up in fury. "NO!"

They shot back wide, instead of soft blues they were blinding whites, the edges of her optics spitting sparks.

"NEB!" He shouted again, grabbing a hold of her convulsing shoulder span.

He heard her screaming in his own helm.

"NO! STOP! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! WHY ARE YOU DESTROYING EVERYTHING WE WORKED FOR!? DON'T TAKE HIM! DON'T TAKE HIM FROM ME!"

"You have done your part. Try not to dwell on it, your time will be up soon, remember that, make your peace, and leave us to do as we must."

The voices weren't Nebs, they belonged to none he'd ever heard before.

He heard her snarl, that anger, that unbridled fury. "HAVE YOU NOT MADE US SUFFER ENOUGH?! NOW YOU TAKE HIM FROM US?! YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT TAKE EVERYTHING FROM US!"

"But of course. It's nothing personal."

"Nothing… Nothing… You… you monsters! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! I'LL TEAR YOU APART!"

"No. No you won't. Don't fool yourself thinking you can challenge us, you are no longer needed. Cogs past their life expectancy are replaced, and you have just passed yours."

Something smashed into his helm, his spark, there was a moment of sheer blinding agony.

He barely made out the scream of 'BROTHER' from Neb, before everything went dark…

Decepticon Head Quarters, three cycles before the battle of Helex

He lurched forwards, optics snapping wide. "SISTER!"

Starscream, who'd been looking over a war map projection, jerked away shocked at Megatron's sudden alertness. "Ahhh!… Ahhh… you're awake... about time." He muttered the last part, but Megatron heard him.

His helm snapped to the Seeker. "Nebularburst, where is she?"

Starscream looked at him like he'd sprouted a second helm. "Dreaming about the offline my Lord? It only sows weakness into the spark, you know that don't you."

He rose before he even realised what he was doing. "I asked you a question, where is Nebularburst."

Starscream pouted. "Last I checked, atomised, nothing left, eviscerated, you watched the refinery explode my Lord, right along with the rest of us. Don't tell me you've forgotten the largest explosion in recorded history not produced by a Gas planet imploding?"

He had the Seeker by the neck a moment later and slammed him back first into the war table. Starscream changed his tone immediately. "Oh! Maybe you meant the shrine that Barricade built in their, and the rest of the victims, honor?! It's just down the hall! Remember?!"

He snarled and threw the seeker away and stormed out of the room.

He needed answers.

Now.

He found them.

It was a massive placard, thousands of names were listed.

The top four had an icy chill lance directly through his spark.

Nebularburst - Frame Type - Pilot Frame (Traitor)

Solarstorm - Frame Type - Pilot Frame (Autobot Second in Command)

Dust - Frame Type - Transport/Medical Frame (CMO of the Decepticons)

Shrike - Frame Type - High Class Exploration/Science guild exclusive Frame (Crafter of the Space Bridge warp drive)

He looked further up at the quote above.

'In memory of the victims of the Tarn Energon Refinery implosion.'

He leaned in, and almost snarled.

A thin scratch had been run through Nebularburst and Solarstorm's designations.

Starscream had at some point joined him. "To be fair, the Mutes were archaic, they just delayed the inevitable of their frame type becoming nothing but a footnote in the history archives. Dust is missed, as is Shrike, but you already know that my lord… as your memory seems to be failing you, Barricade has reported that the Autobots are moving on Helex as we speak, you have Soundwave on the front lines as you're direct link to said front line soldiers, and I will be of course leading the air support. Try not to stare at the past too long my Lord, you might just forget the war in the present."

The Seeker slunk back off, leaving him to run his claws over the names of some of his closest friends, old memories of good times, laughing, dancing, plotting the demise of the Senate, training, sparring, Nebular teaching him a small number of the techniques she'd picked up during her and her twins time travelling the endless cosmos with 'The Navigator' back in the Silver Age…

He tried not to let the lubricant fall…

That thing… that thing had jumped from Nebular to him… it had… it had… Primus he didn't know… her crying out to him was the last thing he remembered….

He opened his com-line, and searched for her channel.

There had only been one communication between them since that cycle she'd awoken after the attempt on her life… when she'd told him they were doomed to war…

She'd been right on that apparently.

He had the thought about him to locate his private quarters, slumping down to sit on the side of the berth before playing it, it came from her, he hadn't replied, hadn't even opened it before now.

The video message played on loop as he wept, as she repeated over and over her final goodbye…

He could see the other three in the background, furiously working at the controls as Neb explained what they were doing, why they weren't evacuating…

Her optics spoke a truth he could assume only he was left online to know.

They knew this would be their final moments… long before they even approached the refinery

"Cogs past their life expectancy are replaced, and you just passed yours."

He swore at some point that night cycle, that he would find the accused replacements, and destroy them.

Smite the monster that stole his dearest friend from him…

Primus how had Barricade, Soundwave and Orion dealt with this?

Pits below… he had to get to Orion… he was likely still leading the Autobots, fighting now against him instead of beside him…

He had to tell him what he knew, and how he knew so little…

Starscream mentioned the Autobots moving on Helex… he had to get Orion to listen, he had to!

Present day, Orichiono Manor, Monaco.

Megatronus watched as Optimus tried not to weep, the holoform was shaking from the effort. "Prime… we are beings of emotions, I will not fault you for expressing your grief… I know you loved them… I know their demise has tortured your spark for eons… you deserved to know the truth..."

Optimus just slowly dropped his face into his palms, and let out the most agonised grief stricken cry the holoform could produce, body shaking with uncontrollable sobs.

Megatronus let his own grief consume him for a few moments, allowing a few drops of lubricant to fall, before moving around to take his old friend's shoulder. "I found the replacements…"

Optimus took a few moments to look up, eyes already red at the edges. "Who." He rasped out, that same fury igniting.

Megatronus shook his helm. "I would not appreciate you striking down my treasures Optimus, I… I did not know they would be brought into contact with you when I raised them… I didn't even realise what I was doing until… until I started seeing Neb and Sol in them… by your shocked expression I realise you hadn't noticed yet… well… now that they're whole again… you will… I made them the spitting images as much as I could to ease my own spark… I have no final verdict on either Kia or Ira, but the former having the Allspark does place her in an unnervingly similar position to Dust..."

"By Primus…" Optimus gasped out, body still shaking and he dropped back into his own hands.

Megatronus rubbed at his back. "I am sorry Prime… I truly am… I tried to tell you during the battle of Helex but…"

"But I was too busy trying to offline you to listen."

"Yes… but… we can make amends now… that is why I told you about the twins… I saw them as… as well my chance to feel whole again… give them time to grow more comfortable with you, and you may be able to heal your spark of some of the wounds… as I have done."

Optimus slowly nodded, sat back up, and flung his arms around Megatronus' shoulders. "I have missed you… old friend…"

Megatronus clutched him back as tight as the holoform would allow.

He let Optimus return to his composure. "Now… how about we start on that treaty… I never wished war with you Optimus… when I returned to my senses… it was already too late… the war had too much momentum… and I'd have been offlined if I tried to wave a white flag."

Optimus nodded and leaned back in his chair, whipping at his bloodshot eyes. "I understand… forgive me… I have tried not to think of them… I lose focus… and I slip up… I will try not to during this discussion but I make no promises."

Megatronus just gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. "No need Prime, if Aria and Wren taught me anything, it was that a good cry always helps… do you know them to cry?"

"I have only seen it once… and that was when the were having frequent nightmares of Derrick being murdered."

Megatronus sighed. "They have not taken care of themselves… I know they are adults now… but they weren't when they lost me… they do not know how to properly deal with loss when it is those they hold closest…"

Optimus slowly nodded. "Just like Neb and Sol…"

Megatronus grimaced. "I fear that whatever controlled me… may try to control them… Make them the latest pawns..."

Optimus shook his head. "I'm afraid… that is likely already the case, considering everything that has transpired."

Megatronus grimaced further. "That was what I was afraid you were going to say old friend… now, let us focus on this treaty shall we?"

Welp, that's all for this chapter! See you all soon!

Moon