Arisen

8

D is chosen to go first.

Ultra Magnus is handed the veritron serum, then promptly brings it to D's neck, pushing the plunger in.

"May Primus guide your words." Ultra Magnus decrees, then allows D to move forward onto the platform, in front of both the Enforcers and fellow Wreckers.

Pax just stands there with his arms crossed, saying nothing as he stares straight ahead, ready for this to be over with.

Up on the platform, D begins to vent haggardly, his vision becoming extremely disoriented as he hears Ultra Magnus,

"D-16, you've been charged with conspiring with the Wreckers in the attack on the Technobots and the archives. Is this true?"

"Not the conspiracy." D says, trying and failing to control his breath. "But I won't deny I did attack my fellow bot." Breathe in, then out. "I was brainwashed by Sentinel, along with the other newest Wrecker recruits." In, out. "Pax was the one to come back for me. He snapped me out of it, and then..." he takes a really deep breath, then says, "Then we fought back to get out of there."

Here, Ultra Magnus comes closer to D. "You're saying Sentinel was behind the attack?"

"I am." D confirms, not that he has any choice.

Ultra Magnus appears to believe it, but still, he asks, "Now just one more thing. If you were so concerned about Sentinel brainwashing the Wreckers, why did you stay? Surely leaving would've been preferable to being brainwashed."

"I was going to." D feels himself saying, and Pax doesn't take his optics off of D as he continues, "But then I met Orion Pax. I couldn't let that happen to him, even if it meant I took his place."

Ultra Magnus looks at Pax then. Whether for confirmation or just any kind of reaction, is anyone's guess, but Ultra Magnus just turns back to D.

"Thank you for enforcing justice."

"Thank you for enforcing justice." The crowd repeats.

"D-16, your trial is dismissed. You've been found not guilty of the attack on the archives and Technobots."

D nods, then steps off the platform.

"Orion Pax, if you please." Ultra Magnus gestures.

Pax's almost tempted to refuse, just to see what would happen. Then it's gone a moment later, and he steps forward, wincing at the stab of the syringe into his neck.

He doesn't move his arms from where they're still crossed, hearing Ultra Magnus' words, "May Primus guide your words."

Pax walks onto the platform as the veritron starts to take over, feeling everyone's optics boring into him.

"Orion Pax." Ultra Magnus begins. "D-16 said it was you who snapped him out of being brainwashed."

Pax turns, noticing Bulkhead out of the corner of his optic. "Yes, that's true."

"So does that mean you never were?" Ultra Magnus asks, and Primus, it's like his words are pulling the answer out of him from sheer force of will.

"No, I wasn't."

"Why is that?" Ultra Magnus asks. "That's supposed to be impossible."

"It's only possible because I'm an Ascendant." Pax blurts out.

This prompts a murmur among the crowd, as Ultra Magnus only says, "Is that so? Hm."

But then he's back to questioning, "And you never attacked any of your fellow Wreckers or the Technobots?"

Pax holds himself tighter, breath going shallow as he nods, mouth making him say, "No, I did. Both Technobots and Wreckers." Even as he tries to hold the words back.

"Who did you attack?" There is no accusation in Ultra Magnus' questioning, which makes it so much worse.

Pax wants so much to fight it, to not say another word ever again, but the veritron does its job too well, and the words are pushed right out.

"Alpha Trion. He was first." Coolant has begun pooling in his optics, the serum becoming nearly unbearable now. "Then my fellow Technobot Dion. They died protecting me."

Now he shakes his helm, not caring how pathetic he knows he has to look as he says angrily, "Stop this."

"Orion Pax, the serum is designed to expose the truth. The quicker you stop fighting it, the sooner it will be over."

Pax closes his optics as coolant finally drips, unable to look at anyone as he's once again forced to say, "My friend from the Wreckers. I attacked him with my axe. He was brainwashed and was going to kill me." Now he fights with everything he can, breathing haggard, but it's no use, and it all comes pouring out, "I swung my axe at him before he ever landed a single hit on me. And then I just left him for dead."

"Who was it?" Ultra Magnus asks.

"No. Please." Pax begs.

"Orion Pax, tell us the name of the Wrecker you attacked." Ultra Magnus orders.

Pax nearly screams, " BULKHEAD !"

Bulkhead's optics are blown wide as he listens.

"I attacked Bulkhead and left him for dead. Because I don't think about anyone but myself. And they all paid the price. I will never forgive myself."

Finally, Ultra Magnus seems satisfied, and says, "Thank you for enforcing justice."

And the crowd repeats it, "Thank you for enforcing justice."

Pax looks at Bulkhead, who's still just staring at him with wide optics, before he practically leaps off the platform as he finally gets the frag out of there.

"Pax, wait." D calls as he chases after him, but when Pax doesn't slow down, D grabs his arm. "Pax!"

He's not prepared for the punch that lands square on his faceplate, knocking him back and leaving D clutching his jaw in shock.

"Okay, now that that's out of your system, can I apologize now?" D asks.

"You knew I didn't want to do that." Pax snaps angrily.

"Pax--" but Pax's done listening, as he walks away, before D can say anything else.

But of course it's not that easy, as Pax runs into Bulkhead.

They stare at each other for several seconds, before Bulkhead just steps out of the way.

"Bulkhead--" Pax starts, but Bulkhead cuts him off.

"Get out of here." Bulkhead says quietly.

Pax doesn't move, so Bulkhead repeats. "Get. Out. Of Here."

Pax knows better than to press his luck, so he just walks past Bulkhead without another word.

The bot in the pod writhes and shakes as they hear,

" Alchemist simulation, complete. Beginning Solus simulation. "

"Sentinel, the Ascendant's vitals are dropping." A Constructicon warns. "If we don't stop, he'll die."

"He's not stopping until I say he can stop." Sentinel replies, not taking his eyes off the projection of the simulation. "He's almost there. He's gonna do it."

But he's proven wrong when the bot suddenly stops moving, the cube goes dark once more, and they hear,

" Solus simulation failed. "

"Ascendant number 12 is one with the AllSpark." The Constructicon says.

Sentinel sighs, then says, "Fine, close it down."

As he walks away, he muses, "We're not getting anywhere like this. All this time, I thought one Ascendant is as good as another. But some were able to last longer than the others."

Sure he's right, he orders Airachnid, "All non-essentials to Ascendant detail. We need to dig deeper. We need to find the one Ascendant that rises above the others."