Failures

Chapter 5

Every one has a breaking point.

WARNING - SUICIDE.

Life had gone on as normal, the Xanthium was exiting their space craft to greet the welcoming party. Optimus had remained at the ark, allowing Ratchet and Ironhide to greet the mechs to earth.

Ultra Magnus had been the first to exit the ship, greeting the two older mechs.

"Welcome to Earth," smiled Ironhide.

"It is good to be here, old friend," stated Ultra Magnus.

The construction of the Xanthium had been going quite well. There were still minor repairs that needed to be made, but everything seemed to be going well.

While the Xanthium was docked waiting for its repairs to finish, the Autobot sub commander had yet to really see the Autobot commander. Optimus, since the crew of the Xanthium, (mainly Jazz and Prowl) were walking about, decided that staying hauled up in his quarters and office was a great place to be. That is until Hot Rod decided that it was time for them to talk a little bit, about anything really. At this point Hot Rod just wanted to make sure the Prime was still going to be functioning later on.

Ultra Magnus had approved the idea, get the Prime out of his quarters, actually get him to talk to his subordinates again.

The idea had seemed to have been a good one. Until Prowl and Jazz walked into the rec room. The two had been followed by Ratchet. Prowl had noticed the sub commander and Hot Rod sitting across from the Prime. Prowl walked over to the table Jazz following him.

"Be careful Magnus, He'll just abandoned you too."

Optimus Prime stood, his head hanging. "I have already apologized for hurting Jazz. I refuse to apologize for my feelings."

"He's done nothing wrong," stated Prowl. the whole rec room hearing their discussion. "You are the one who thinks the universe revolves around you. You are an attention seeking glitch. Guess what Prime, the universe doesn't revolve around you. People cancel things, it fragging happens. Just be cause your little crush for Megatron isn't working out doesn't give you the right to act like a sparkling."

"That is enough," stated Ultra Magnus. "I believe it is time for all of us to retire for the cycle."

"It needed to be said, Prime. You abandoned your friends, and Autobots don't do that," stated Prowl.

Ultra Magnus stood, angered by the fact that an officer under his command would disobey an order. "Prowl, I said that was enough."

"No! He hadn't learned his lesson yet," stated Prowl. "He hurt Jazz and he needs to pay."

"That is not up for you to decide," stated Ultra Magnus. "That is a decision for Primus."

Ratchet had been standing silent next to Jazz watching the whole thing, "But he did hurt Jazz, he did abandon him."

Optimus stared at the red medic, the one who claimed would help him. The one who claimed he would remain his friend. He didn't have an issue with Prowl calling him out for 'abandoning' Jazz, he had an issue with Ratchet agreeing with him.

The Prime didn't care if Ratchet continued to talk to or hang out with Jazz, he figured he would remain a neutral party, like a true friend to both sides would be; he had been wrong. This was something he had not expected of the medic. He had seen the impending doom from his 'friendship' with Jazz, but Ratchet? He thought he meant most of everything he said.

Hot Rod leaned down to help the Prime, "Optimus, come with me please." Ultra Magnus could only stare at the Medic, he had been told by Optimus that Ratchet seemed to be meaning what he said, now the trust issues already within the Prime were going to get worse from here.

Eventually Hot Rod had gotten the Prime to get up and move out of the rec room. Ultra Magnus had followed as the three others went their own way, every one in the rec room still silent.

Hot Rod had lead the Prime to his quarters, Hot Rod remained with his Prime. Trying to console him, but Optimus had never needed consoling. He had always been the one to comfort others, the one who smiled to you said everything was going to be alright and it always was. Now that Optimus was on the other end Hot Rod wasn't sure what to do exactly, and he couldn't tell the Prime everything was going to be alright; he wasn't entirely sure it would be.

Those that knew about the Primes attempt to take his own life were still worried that the Prime would totter a little too close to the edge and take a dive. Truthfully, no one would put it past him either. His close friends had been worried about him since Megatron had declared war against his own lover.

Hot Rod looked to the Prime. His visage was blank, his optics glossed over. More and more of the Prime was leaving. Hot Rod could feel the depression and anxiety roll off of the commander like a waterfall.

Ultra Magnus had finally entered the Primes quarters, Optimus was practically folded into himself as Hot Rod continued to rub his back plates.

"Optimus," started Ultra Magnus, starring at the broken Prime.

The Prime wrapped his arms around his legs, pulling them close to his chest, "Please leave."

"Optimus we're not leaving," stated Hot Rod. He could tell the Prime was just seconds away from a break down.

"Please," stated Optimus, "Just leave. I know you want to. Please just leave." The medic had convinced him that he was indeed his friend, and then Ratchet had stated that Jazz and Prowl were right. A feeling in the back of his processor told him that Hot Rod and Ultra Magnus would soon fall under the same category that Ratchet did. The Prime figured that instead of those two calling the shots, he may as well call them, at least then, it wouldn't hurt as much.

The Prime figured it was only a matter of time before Ultra Magnus and his mate joined Ratchet; seeing that Jazz had been in the right.

"Optimus- Orion," started Ultra Magnus, "We do not want to leave. We want to make sure you get through this."

"Why? So Prowl and Ratchet can hang everything over my helm? So that they can remind me that I only seek attention, that that was why I had attempted suicide? Or that I am abandoning my Autobots, because I am tired of being left behind by friends. If they think I've abandoned the Autobot cause, they'll soon be proved right. I am beginning to think everything that Megatronous had said so many vorns ago was right." Ultra Magnus stared at his commander, Hot Rod couldn't conjure up a good sentence to assure the commander that he was still being an Autobot. "Ultra Magnus I leave you in charge of the Autobots. I am abandoning the Autobot cause."

Optimus had known he was losing hope, there was none left. He had quickly left his quarters, leaving Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod in his old quarters. Once out side of the base the Prime transformed and drove. He drove until he found the Nemesis, hailing for them to open their door. The Prime was ready to give Megatron what he wanted; the Matrix.

The Nemesis surprisingly had answered back, Starscream doing all the talking. Soon the Prime could see the Decepticon drones getting ready to surround him, should he retaliate they would shoot, at point blank range. Optimus remained silent and cooperative, even when Starscream had pushed him into the brig roughly.

Eventually the seeker left, Megatron had assigned him other duties to attend to, and possible to make Megatron aware of the Primes capture in the ship. It was also a matter of time before Megatron realized that his presence with in the ship broke their agreement. He could break peace and ignite war again.

How was that for abandoning the Autobots?

On the Ark Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod had gotten out of the Primes quarters trying to catch up to him. For such a big mech he was fast. Both mech lost the Prime when he turned down a main road, busy with vehicles and noise. Their sensors weren't working, something blocking their radar to find spark frequencies.

They had gone back to the ark hoping that Teletran One's radar was strong enough to pick up the Primes signal, they just hoped that they wouldn't be alone in trying to find the Prime.

Several hours passed, Ironhide had contacted Megatron, telling him about the Prime's disappearance, while Ultra Magnus had explained that the Prime was unstable. There had been no time for subtlety, Optimus's life was in danger.

Back on the Nemesis Megatron sighed, wondering if he should go out looking for the large blue and red bot. Their war may have been going nowhere, but Megatron was starting to miss the little librarian he had once known so well. And his incident from before, still fresh in his mind as well as the look the Prime had. His hope and optimism draining from every bit of his frame as this war continued.

If Optimus Prime had been the mech Orion Pax was, he would already have died. Orion Pax had not been built for war, let alone the emotional turmoil that came with it. If Megatronous had seen the look Optimus Prime wore now on Orion Pax, he would have turned Kaon inside out to see the librarian smile once more.

Those days would no longer exist, or at least that was what he thought. Optimus Prime reminded him so much of his lover from Iacon, the little librarian.

He had thought, early in the war, that Optimus Prime and Orion Pax were two different people. It wasn't until Optimus Prime showed the same emotion that Orion showed did it finally click. Orion and Optimus were the same mech, Optimus was just thrust into what Orion could not handle.

When the blue and red mech had shown such emotions, realization had hit Megatron.

Eventually Starscream had gotten wind of Optimus Prime missing, and eventually went up to his commanding officer, the silver mech sitting high on his throne. "Lord Megatron," started the seeker.

"Starscream, I do not have time for your idiotic plots to foil me," stated Megatron. "There is a Prime missing and he can ruin our pact."

"Actually, Optimus Prime is in the brig. He contacted the Decepticons, and I took him to the Brig," stated Starscream.

"You what?" yelled Megatron. "Take me to him!"

Starscream nodded leading the Decepticon leader to the brig where the seeker left the Prime.

The cell that held the Prime was covered in energon. It littered the floor, almost like one of the insecticons had gone wild. Megatron just stared at the mess the Prime had made in the cell. The Primes optics were off, his armor beginning to gray, energon flowed from the cuts the Prime had put there.

Megatron opened the cell door and ran to the dying Prime. Energon was every where; Optimus's energon. Emotions whirled within the Decepticon leader.

Optimus had finally gone off the deep end, he had tottered too close to the edge, all before Megatron had a chance to try and find the mech the help that he needed.

"Starscream!" yelled Megatron. "Call Hook, Knock Out, any medic or mech with medical training to Optimus Prime's aid now!"

It was in all likelihood too late to save the Prime. Megatron knelled next to the leaking Prime as Starscream went to get any medic that was available.

Eventually the medics had made it to the Prime's aid, it had felt like an eternity since the Decepticons leader had found the Autobot commander.

The medics paused to wonder why Megatron was helping the Prime before one look from the silver mech sent them to work as fast as they could on the Prime.

Hours passed and Hook stood to his leader, "He needs the medical equipment in the medical bay."

"Than move him there!" screamed the silver mech.

"Sir it doesn't matter, he'd bleed out before we got him to the medical center, there is no saving Optimus Prime." stated Hook, he thought that the news he had just given his leader would have been good news. The reaction he had gotten from the Silver tyrant was far from what he expected.

Megatron knelled down next to the fading Prime. His armor was already starting to gray, his bright paint job turning to dull gray. Every fiber of Megatron's being told him to get the medics to work on Orion, as quickly as they could.

"Orion! You need to save Orion!" Megatron yelled to the medics who had been called for help.

"Sir, there's nothing we can do, his spark is gutting out," stated Hook. "He's going to die no matter what we do."

"That's not an excuse! Save Orion," Megatron was beginning to become desperate. Every word he said was sounding more and more despairing.

"Lord Megatron," stated Hook. "He will not survive."

Knock Out stood from his spot on where he watch the Primes spark pulse. "Sirs," both mechs looked to Knock Out. "His spark is no longer a flame. He's dead."

Megatron fell to his knees, his CPU frozen.

Orion Pax was gone for good.