Those lying eyes

Not strong enough

After a few days, Optimus recovered from Megatron's recent attack. He was feeling a bit more optimistic than usual.

He started the morning with a happy attitude, making sure he got all the datapads that needed to be finished and checking on the others.

Today, they were going on a mission to scout for new energon sources. When he was hurt, they had to use that last of their supply to make sure he stayed alive and didn't go into shock.

"Alright Autobots, are you all geared up and ready to go?" Optimus asked, checking his systems to make sure everything was functional.

"Yep, ready to go." Arcee replied, nodding to Optimus.

"You sure seem happy today, Optimus." Bulkhead smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

"I've been feeling better over the past few days." Optimus grinned, his optics scanning over his team.

Once he got confirmation from everyone, the groundbridge portal opened and he transformed to drive through.

-Forest, just outside of Jasper-

The portal blinked into existence, the team stepping out of its depths and into the soft grass. As it disappeared behind them, Optimus brought out his scanner.

"Be on the look out for any signals. There could be Decepticon scouts in the area..." he mumbled, slowly walking forward while following the scanner.

They followed the scanner for a while, ducking underneath trees and pushing through thick brush. Finally, they reached a clearing with a cliff side that seemed to shoot up into the sky. There was a small crevasse in the cliff side, indicating that there was a cave.

Optimus waved his hand forward, slowly moving in on the cave. It was only when they reached it that Optimus realized he couldn't fit. He was too tall to squeeze into the opening, his legs couldn't bend that far, and his shoulders were too broad.

"Wait, So Bulk can fit but you can't?" Arcee tilted her head in confusion.

"My prototype was not designed for squeezing into small spaces. Although Bulkhead is larger than me in width, he is still short enough to fit." Optimus explained, putting the scanner away.

"Are you saying I'm short?" Bulkhead chuckled, ducking down to fit into the opening.

::Well, technically everyone is short compared to Optimus:: Bumblebee chuckled, folding his wings so that they didn't scratch the roof of the opening.

"We'll scout the cave for energon and then report back to you." Arcee said, her voice echoing through the cave.

"Alright, I shall wait here and guard the entrance." Optimus nodded, watching as his team went deeper into the cave. He sighed, feeling like he could do more than just standing there.

A couple hours went by and there was still no sign of the team.

"That cave must be larger than I thought." Optimus mumbled to himself, leaning to one side. His legs were starting to get tired from standing for so long, but he didn't want to let his guard down. Not even for one minute.

He felt his mind begin to wander after another hour passed. He grew interested in the plant life nearby and studied it with his optics. He was so focused on the plants that he didn't notice a Decepticon squadron above him on the cliff. The worst thing was that Megatron happened to be with them, tracking the same energon source.

Megatron peered over the cliff's edge, smiling when he saw Optimus being distracted by the petty plant life. He silently leapt off the cliff side, aiming straight for the unsuspecting Prime.

Optimus looked up just a split second before Megatron slammed into him, his optics widening. He crushed by the sheer weight of Megatron's falling mass, cracking the stone beneath him. He quickly kicked him off and got to his pedes, assessing the damage done to his frame.

"Armor strength: 65%. Not bad, but not good either." He thought, holding up his fists as Megatron charged at him.

He dodged a punch and threw one of his own, clipping Megatron on the jaw. Megatron skidded backwards, growling as energon trickled out of his mouth.

"Finally gotten your bearings back, huh Prime?" He snarled, kicking Optimus in the chest against the cliff side.

"That is none of your concern, Megatron." Optimus retorted, banging into Megatron's head with his and punching him again.

The vehicons up above transformed and flew around in the air, opening fire on Optimus. Optimus dove out of the way, trying to also avoid Megatron's punches. One shot clipped his leg, sending him tumbling to the ground.

He pushed himself up, only to be met with a massive blow by Megatron's fist. His audio receptors were ringing as he tried to shake it off. As he looked up, his vision wavered and he tried to punch Megatron.

Another shot hit him in the back and he tried to get up. Megatron continued to beat down on him until he could barely defend himself. All he could see was his energon splattering everywhere as he collapsed to the ground. His head was pounding and he couldn't even comprehend what was happening.

"And here I thought that you were beginning to fight back." Megatron spat, kicking him in the side.

Optimus coughed, shaking as he still tried to get up. He couldn't give up, his team needed him. "No..." he rasped, trying to hit Megatron again.

"How pathetic. Still trying to fight back when you can't even see straight!" Megatron sneered, lifting Optimus by his throat. "You really are worthless.."

"No...!" Optimus growled, beginning to choke as Megatron tightened his grip. He tried to pry his hands from his throat, but it was no use.

His struggles grew weaker and weaker until finally, his limbs went slack and darkness enveloped him.

Satisfied, Megatron dropped his limp form and brushed off his hands. "Tsk.. take him back to the ship...." he huffed, crossing his arms as the groundbridge portal appeared and Optimus was dragged through. He followed them through, the portal disappearing behind him with a hiss.

A few moments later, the rest of the team appeared out of the cave, arms full of energon.

"Optimus! You won't believe— Wait, where is he?" Arcee glanced around in confusion.

"He... he was standing right here, wasn't he?" Bulkhead exclaimed, scratching his head.

::Guys...:: Bumblebee whirred, pointing to the splatters and puddles of energon nearby.

Arcee's optics widened and she dropped the energon in her arms. "No....."

"What happened?" Bulkhead asked, equally surprised and confused.

Arcee gripped her hand into a fist and frowned. "Decepticons..."