Transformers Prime: Shattered Glass (Completed)

Chapter Twenty One

The battles between Autobot and Autobot and Decepticon and Decepticon continued to wage. Megatron was still dealing with drones, and Bumblebee had specifically targeted Optimus, as if knowing that would put the Autobot leader on edge to fight the 'bot he most viewed as a son.

Ratchet wasn't sure how much he would be able to help Bumblebee with his injuries, and his counterpart wasn't sure how much he'd be able to help Optimus, either. But neither of them planned on giving up. However, when Optimus regained consciousness and forced himself to stand despite his injuries, Ratchet knew his counterpart wasn't kidding. Optimus was definitely defying all odds.

Optimus seethed slightly in pain as he walked with his injuries. The shrapnel in his leg had been removed, but energon was now leaking from that wound. He denied the medic's help and looked around, seeing his medic's counterpart working on one of his team members, and Megatron still unconscious. Optimus briefly wondered why he didn't fly away as soon as the explosion hit.

"Work on him," he demanded to Ratchet. "I have a matter to attend to."

Ratchet said something, and Optimus growled. One of his audial receptors had been damaged.

"Where's Arcee?" he asked, and Ratchet pointed to an area to the right, where he could make out distorted blaster fire. He transformed and drove over, with one goal in mind.

It wasn't long before he reached the battleground. His dimension was fighting their counterparts. He quickly found his own counterpart and his optics narrowed. He wondered if he intentionally meant to have this pathetic country's color scheme.

No one hadn't really noticed him yet, and that was fine. He found the Starscreams, and knew the grey one had assisted his second in command in her treacherous act. He'd let Megatron deal with him if he wished, and searched for her. It didn't take long. She was busy with her counterpart. He calmly walked over and unsheathed his blade. He didn't care if her counterpart got in the way.

Arcee was only lucky once and had gotten the upper hand when she took her evil counterpart by surprise the last time. She was back pinned on the ground; that's where most of their fight seemed to be. She had to admit, her counterpart wasn't bad, but at the same time too good. She was pinned again, and this time she really didn't have a way out of it. Her counterpart learned from her mistakes. She closed her optics and accepted her fate.

She opened them again when an energon-curdling scream erupted in front of her, and her optics widened to see an energon stained blade almost penetrating her own chest chassis. Looking up, she saw her counterpart barely staying alive in that moment, and the evil Optimus Prime calmly whispering something to her while his blade was through her spark chamber.

"Now, I hope you will remember who is truly in charge."

Arcee watched in horror. Energon was starting to leak onto her frame and yet she was frozen in place. She was afraid to move. Optimus could finish her off too if he so desired.

By now everyone had stopped to see what had happened and who had screamed, and they were stunned into silence. Not only had Optimus survived, he had just taken down his second in command without much of a thought. Optimus' optics seemed to glow a brighter orange now, and when her spark pulsed one last time he carelessly threw her aside and let his blade transform back into his servo. He looked back at Arcee as if severely contemplating it, before walking away. More than simply his optics glowed now. His chassis was starting to, as well. The others had long since stopped, but now were almost frozen too. Something was going on. Even the evil Autobots weren't sure how to react.

And then the laughing started.

It was just a low chuckle, but it gradually became louder and then eventually terrifying, and it almost seemed to echo. His chest chassis practically glowed orange now, and they finally realized what might be going on.