Chapter Text
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!
Nova scurried along the ventilation shaft quickly, heart racing in the darkness.
Stupid idea. I can't believe I'm alive.
Luckily, due to the general uproar of the ship's crew at the sight of the Prime, she had narrowly managed to slip into the ducts without drawing attention to herself.
But the Dark Energon poisoning made movement far more exhausting than before, and to her fright, she nearly collapsed squarely behind Megatron with even the small effort of crawling to the vents. She couldn't fathom how he or Optimus could even stand after such direct exposure to Unicron's Spark.
Then again, she remembered, they were both stronger than she, and Megatron had a tolerance for the stuff.
Having followed the Prime under the floor for a short distance, and satisfied that no one was likely to kill him in the immediate future, the half-spark spent several minutes sitting in the dark vents by his door, slumped against the wall, trying to catch her breath.
It was stuffy and hot in the ducts, but she dared not remove her armor, not when she was this deep in enemy territory.
The last time she had infiltrated her enemy's base to rescue someone, she reminded herself, she had been discovered, and the one she had tried to rescue had only been taken further out of her reach. This time, the situation was worse. If she made a single mistake, she would surely die. Maybe Optimus would die, too.
No mistakes, then. Not this time.
Shaking fingers tapped restlessly on her legs, and she released a wavering breath into the silence.
She wanted to speak with Optimus more than anything, but Nova knew that to reveal herself now would mean a horrible death. For the moment, she was alone behind enemy lines, and would have to handle the situation by herself.
The thought paralyzed her.
Her imagination ran wild, painting pictures of all possible escape scenarios and how they would go wrong. She imagined Megatron discovering her before she could help Optimus. He could crush her, step on her, pull her to pieces — and worst of all, she imagined being strapped to that medical table again, forced to undergo the twisted functions of every single instrument in Knock Out's arsenal.
She tossed her head to clear it, sucking in a deep breath.
Maybe Optimus is bluffing. Maybe this is all part of a plan to fool Megatron. Any minute now, he's gonna ditch the façade and bring down the entire army, and everything will be all right.
The thought encouraged her until she remembered the way Optimus spoke to Jack when he gave him the Key, and her heart dropped like a stone. No matter how hard he tried, Optimus couldn't even deceive a toddler. Which meant this was all for real.
Maybe he was gone forever.
Nova pulled her knees up to her chest, staring somberly at the darkness stretching away in front of her.
What am I supposed to do?
Perhaps it was due to the fatigue or her crippling terror, but no ideas would come to her mind.
Resigning herself to a long night, Nova tightened her armor around her shoulders and settled down to wait. Every so often, the terrified girl fancied she could hear someone approaching her ventilation shaft, imagining they would hear her pounding heart. The very thought of Soundwave stalking the halls with his silent, eyeless face and all-hearing ears was enough to keep her awake for hours.
She spent the night drifting in and out of fitful sleep, watching Optimus' room for any sign of movement, until finally, she closed her eyes out of sheer exhaustion and lost consciousness altogether, her woes and worries momentarily silenced by blissful rest.
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Nova jerked awake a while later. How much time had passed was a mystery to her; she could have been asleep for two hours or two days.
Feeling sick and exhausted and slightly more irritable than afraid, she crawled along the duct beside Optimus' room and found the door open, the inhabitant long gone. Filled with sudden panic, Nova pulled herself into the vents above the hallway and began a hunt for the medibay, crawling through an endless network of cramped, stuffy vents, berating herself for indulging in that stupid nap.
Navigating her way across the warship took some time, and her lack of familiarity with its layout made finding the medical bay even more difficult. She kept going in circles, and several times she stumbled over her own hands or had to wriggle between tight spaces in the wall, both of which made a lot of noise and sent her heart into her throat. Luckily, few Decepticons were on patrol, and no one discovered her presence.
It took her about half an hour to locate the blasted room and another few minutes to find a position that would afford her an acceptable view. Seeing that Optimus had not yet arrived, she took up a post where she could observe everything, and sat down to wait.
Knock Out was alone in the medibay, humming to himself, getting some tools in order, and setting up a medical slab. He was still preparing for a patient, so Optimus couldn't have been treated and gone.
Despite herself, she yawned, oddly comforted by the ever-present hum of the ship's engines.
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A loud clunk woke her up, and she started awake just in time to see the medical table lowering to its former position. Optimus now lay upon it, with Knock Out standing close by, and what Nova saw freshly engraved upon his shoulder made her recoil in horror.
"Welcome back to the winning team," Knock Out smiled, putting the finishing touches on the Decepticon symbol. It glowed red-hot on her guardian's chassis, a searing image that branded her mind.
"Oh, Optimus," she whispered to herself, closing her eyes to shut out the symbol. "What have they done?"
But no matter how hard she tried, the afterimage of the grotesque emblem was burned into her eyelids and would not go away.
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Orion followed Megatron silently into the bridge, looking around at the various Vehicon troopers milling about below him. The bridge was poorly lit, and the young archivist wondered why everything in the warship had been so dark and gloomy thus far.
Probably a means of conserving energy, he thought to himself. I suppose that's very practical.
Megatron, his back turned to his now-young ward, began to speak, utterly unaware of the listening ear in the ducts above the enormous viewing screen.
"You have been a captive of the Autobots and locked in stasis for quite some time, Orion," the warlord explained sympathetically. "Long enough for us to be in an exodus on another world."
"Exodus?" Orion inquired, joining him. "Why?"
Megatron peered down at him gravely. "Because the warlord Ratchet's careless actions led to this."
An image shot up onto the screen.
A wide panorama of a barren metal landscape, pockmarked and clearly dead, met Orion's surprised eyes.
From her vantage point above, Nova could clearly see the expression of horror that appeared on her guardian's face.
"Cybertron," he gasped, and as the camera panned over the planet's cold, desolate plains, his shock melted into the most angered, hate-filled look Nova had ever seen on Optimus' face. It frightened her.
Megatron's words were full of poison, and his wiles were beginning to work upon the young clerk. Optimus Prime, in any form, may have been unable to lie, but Megatron had no such handicap.
Under Megatron's silent glares, the poor Vehicon operating the slideshow flipped through full-length, high-definition images of Cybertron's war-scarred landscape. Daring to peer at the screen, Nova was taken aback by how much destruction the planet had suffered. The alien land was filled with burned and blackened buildings, overshadowed by choking, dark skies. It was a sobering sight for the young girl.
They all lost everything...
"I cannot believe Ratchet to be capable of such horrors," Orion said in astonishment.
"Yes," hissed Megatron, "And to think that the Doctor of Doom's mad quest for power continues."
He turned to Orion, launching into a web of lies that made Nova grind her teeth.
"His marauders pursued us to this planet's orbit. We feel its species is not ready to behold us."
Megatron turned and folded his hands behind his back, walking away from the screen as he continued. "But we have resolved to protect this world from the same tragedy which was dealt to our own."
Nova tightened her fists.
"One question, Megatron," Optimus stopped him. "Why are we called Decepticons?"
The warlord hesitated.
"Another craven Autobot scare tactic," he said finally, moving his arms in a dramatic flourish. "The name was meant to demonize us; instead, we wear it as a badge of honor! For if speaking the truth is deception, then we are gladly guilty."
Satisfied, Optimus nodded.
"Now please, Orion," Megatron said to the curious recruit, turning to leave as Nova scurried along the duct after him. "There will be plenty of time for catching up. You must rest."
"Megatron," Optimus' voice swelled with passion in the room as Megatron stopped again. "I will do my part to stop Ratchet's unspeakable crimes of aggression." He clenched his fist. "This I vow, with all my Spark."
"Oh, great," Nova sighed as the door closed behind Megatron. Optimus had literally signed his Spark over to his sworn enemy.
She could even hear Megatron's comment to Soundwave outside, coming in a broken, airy rasp through the ventilation ducts.
"It seems we have successfully achieved control of Orion's Spark," he said, amused at the delicious irony. "Now, to put his mind to work. Have you sanitized the data core?"
There was no response, but Nova assumed Soundwave nodded, for Megatron continued in a pleased voice. "Excellent. Our new archivist will require unlimited access to our files. It would be… counterproductive for him to stumble upon any sensitive information."
"I've got to talk to him," Nova told herself. "We have to get out of here."
You really think he'll believe you? her brain replied. Look at him.
Nova slowly turned and looked through the vent slits. Optimus was staring at the images of Cybertron, his hands trembling.
He's just lost everything he ever loved. As far as he knows, Megatron is all he has left. You're his enemy. If you show your face now, he'll tell Megatron -- and you will die.
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Hours later, Nova curled up into a miserable ball inside another shaft. This time, she had taken up a position in a floor vent under Optimus' makeshift office. Since she was at an intersection of the ducts underneath the floor, she could keep an eye on Optimus as he worked while listening for sounds in the outer hallway.
Now, Megatron was conversing with Knock Out just outside the room, explaining the task to which he had put Orion.
"When we stormed the Iacon Hall of Records in the waning days of the war for Cybertron, we acquired highly classified files — files written in Autobot codes which we had been unable to decipher."
"Autobot codes which the archivist Orion Pax should have no trouble cracking," Knock Out realized with a smile in his voice. "Considering what's at stake, shouldn't we beef up the security around here?"
After a pause, Megatron responded in an amicable voice.
"Knock Out; I believe that Orion will perform most effectively if he does not feel threatened or confined in any way. However, it is no coincidence that Orion's work-station is located in direct proximity to the Energon storage vault…"
"… Which is under constant surveillance," Knock Out finished. "Well played."
The half-spark wrinkled her nose in disgust. Filthy 'Cons.
"I believe it is high time I pay our industrious new archivist a visit," Megatron said, his footsteps thudding toward the door as Knock Out remained behind. Nova scrambled forward in the shaft to listen as the door slid open, granting the warlord access.
"Orion! How fares Project Iacon?"
"I am a bit rusty, I fear," Orion responded, without turning away from the computer. "I've only managed to decode three entries."
"And what do these entries comprise?" Megatron inquired expectantly, still standing at a respectful distance.
"They were logged by Autobot archivists during the war..." Orion said, allowing his typing to halt for a moment. "... after I entered stasis. My only knowledge of their contents so far is that they are coordinates."
He turned from the computer and gestured to a hologram of Earth. "Targeting locations on this very planet."
As Megatron looked over his work, Orion continued speaking, and Nova noticed that the clerk was markedly timid in his manner. Every time he met Megatron's eyes, he broke contact first and looked at the ground, as if unsure of himself.
Oh, Optimus, she thought with pity. What happened to you?
"I surmise that they could indicate hiding places for vessels, shuttled from Cybertron… for safekeeping," he said.
"Such as… historical documents, or cultural artifacts?" Megatron wondered. Nova could tell he was searching for something deeper, a suspicion the oblivious Orion confirmed with his next statement.
"My greatest fear would be weapons of mass destruction," he said. "Hidden away, for later use."
Megatron's mouth curved into an evil, secret smile, and Nova knew precisely what the Decepticon was after. Concealing his satisfaction, he turned and faced Orion in false good fellowship.
"All the more reason we must do everything in our power to keep said vessels from Autobot reach," he said, placing a warm hand on Optimus' shoulder. "We are fortunate to have you on our side, Orion Pax."
Nova nearly kicked the vent walls.
Then, Megatron turned to exit the room, but the archivist ventured to ask another question.
"Lord Megatron?"
Nova winced at the words coming out of his mouth but reminded herself that he didn't mean it… he didn't know.
As Megatron waited expectantly, Orion continued. "I am puzzled by one particular finding. I have discovered several historical references to Starscream as your second-in-command."
He pressed a button, and an image of the skinny, winged Decepticon flew up on the screen. "Yet I have not seen him aboard the ship."
Nova nearly chuckled at the expression on Megatron's face, and he indeed seemed to be at a loss for a clever response, for he only turned to the archivist and said lamely: "Sadly, Commander Starscream is dead."
With that, he turned and left the room, giving no further opportunity for Orion to ask any more intrusive questions, and Nova shook her head in disgust in her hiding place.
Everyone knew that Starscream had deserted the Decepticons after being held captive by the Autobots. Now he was aligned with no side, and since his defection, no one had seen or heard of him for several months.
Orion turned and further inspected the computer screen; his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
A brief glimmer of hope began to blossom in Nova's mind as she watched him. Perhaps he wasn't so compliant after all. Optimus Prime was no fool, and she found it hard to believe Orion Pax had been one either.
Then again, she remembered, Optimus was now as innocent as a child, and he trusted Megatron — after all, why shouldn't he? As far as he was concerned, the warlord was still his best friend.
I have to do something. Now's my chance.
She glanced up at the slits in the grate above her head determinedly. There had to be some way to talk to him -- to convince him to leave.
Bad idea. Stupid.
I have to try.
Quietly, Nova extended her wrist-blade out a couple of inches and wedged it under the grate, sliding it upward and outward, moving it little by little.
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The grate had nearly been shifted out of position when Nova heard something. The sharp screech of rubber on metal reverberated through the ducts to meet her twitching ears.
"Arcee?" Nova whispered in disbelief. She turned away from the grate and angled her head, listening intently.
"That's Arcee."
Abandoning the vent cover, she scurried down the length of the ventilation shaft as fast as she could, heading for the place from which the noise had come. Sure enough, in an adjacent hallway, the sound of blaster fire and clashing metal spurred her onward, so that she was in a half-run, half-crawl sort of crouch as she sped through the duct. Her heart raced. An elated smile tugged at her lips. The others were trying to save Optimus!
The noise of battle got closer and closer until something fell onto the top of the grate with a crash. Flinching away, Nova looked closer. It was a dead Vehicon body.
"Well, I guess stealth is out the window," she muttered, forming her blaster and aiming at the grate. In three blasts, she had made enough of a hole to crawl out and take a look at her surroundings, ducking behind the corpse of the Decepticon for cover.
Arcee was indeed aboard, stabbing and slashing one Vehicon after another, laying waste to all Decepticons which stood in her way. She had pinned one poor soul to the ground with her blades extended and yelled, "Where's Optimus?!"
At the sight of her, Nova's heart leapt for joy, and she opened her mouth to cry out, but she hesitated for a moment as something troubled at the tactical portion of her mind, and her heart froze as she realized:
Where were the others?
The Vehicon struggled to break free from Arcee's grip, but he refused to speak as she threateningly raised her arm in the air. "Answer me!!"
The trooper, instead of answering, looked behind him into the hallway that joined theirs, from which spouted an entire unit of Vehicon troopers, their blasters alive with red fire.
Scrambling to her feet, Nova struggled to get out of the hole, tripping over herself in her haste.
Arcee used the trooper as a temporary shield, allowing his corpse to take the brunt of the lasers until the other Vehicons approached. Then she burst into action, dodging and jumping and blasting and slashing, even running over a Vehicon in her motorcycle mode, popping a wheelie off of his head as she sped off to look for her leader.
"Arcee!" Nova called after her, "Arcee!! Wait!"
But the two-wheeler was gone, her red taillight disappearing around the corner as she revved up her engine and vanished from sight, leaving Nova alone with several dozen Vehicon carcasses.
All her hopes came crashing down, and she felt tears welling up in her eyes.
No ...
Her shoulders slumped, and she took in a shuddering breath as she trembled.
Then her head sprang up as an idea slammed into her brain.
Optimus has to see her.
She slipped through the shafts even faster now, crawling with purpose through the dark tunnel back to her guardian.
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Standing at his computer and typing in several decoding algorithms, Orion suddenly cocked his head at the increasingly loud noises rattling his locked door. Curious, the young archivist abandoned his research and approached the door. As it slid open, he placed one hand on the wall and leaned out to look into the hallway.
Nova, wedged into a crevice beside the opening, smiled and blew off her smoking blaster. Her decoy had worked.
Two Vehicons sprinted past the opening, one of them pausing to speak with the clerk.
"Orion, please return to your station," he ordered. "Lord Megatron's orders."
Nova was pleased to hear Orion step out of the door after the Vehicons had left, too inquisitive to heed their warning.
She ducked back into the ventilation shaft as she heard blaster fire coming closer. Even though Arcee had managed to infiltrate the ship, the two-wheeler was alone. Nova did not want to give away her presence until she was sure they could get Optimus out, especially since her eyes had caught a flicker of movement at the end of the hallway.
Soundwave was on the move.
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Her way now clear, Arcee dodged the last of the lasers and sped down the hallway as fast as her motor would allow. She had absolutely no idea where they were keeping Optimus, but she was not about to waste her one chance to find him. She had to be faster; search the ship before it was too late.
But her determination stalled as a slim figure came into view.
Taking his time, Soundwave planted his feet at the end of the hallway and stood in silence, staring calmly at the incoming motorcycle.
Arcee popped a wheelie, revving her engine in defiance of the silent spook. Optimus was here, she knew. He had to be. And no one, not even Soundwave, could stop her. Not now.
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Soundwave was aware. He was aware of everything. He watched the impudent little blue Autobot streaking toward him at impossible speed, and he watched the nosy Prime, walking at a slower pace from his left. Megatron had ordered him to get rid of the two-wheeler and discreetly. The curious archivist must not be allowed to suspect that he needed to be saved. To any other Decepticon, this would seem like an impossible task, but Soundwave was not any other Decepticon.
He knew how to deal with the motorcycle. He knew precisely how.
The coordinates for the Groundbridge he wanted to make appeared as beeping numbers on his screen-like face. The moment — the very splintered moment that the two-wheeled Autobot would have slammed into him with the full force of her tiny body, the portal blossomed between them and swallowed her up. It dumped her squarely into the center of the Arctic just as Orion Pax rounded the corner.
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"I heard a commotion," Orion said to Soundwave, hoping to elicit a response. But the silent Decepticon barely gave him a glance before walking away, leaving Orion more puzzled than before.
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Back in the 'office,' Nova silently berated herself for letting Arcee get away without even seeing that Optimus was alive.
How could you fail? He was right there. She was right there. That was your one chance to make him remember something, idiot. Now Arcee's gone. They don't even know if Optimus is alive, and you're going to get yourself killed.
Ignoring her worries, Nova worked her knife further under the grate and slid it away from its holder. The other Autobots had no way of knowing if either of them were being held on the warship, but it was an immense comfort to know that they were actively searching for them.
"Just like the clueless archivist I find myself with," she muttered as Orion looked up from his computer.
Suddenly, as she moved the grate out of its hole and made to lay it on the ground, it slipped out of her fingers and hit the metal floor with a clattering crash!
Klutz! Idiot! Moron!
"Who is there?" Orion asked.
Silence.
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Petrified, Nova pressed herself into the shadows and looked up through the narrow opening, listening to his heavy footsteps coming closer. Her shaking breath hissed through her teeth.
Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no...
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Kneeling by the damaged vent, the archivist peered down into the hole.
"Come out," he said gently. "Do not be afraid."
A slight sound came from the hole in the floor, and Orion saw something move in the vent. He could tell that the person, whoever it might be, was of very small proportions indeed, and therefore was probably a little afraid.
"I will not harm you," he promised. "You may come out."
"Are — are you alone?" A quiet, feminine voice responded to his vow.
Orion looked around.
"I am," he told her.
"What about security cameras?"
He frowned, a little puzzled by her question.
"I see no security cameras in the room," he replied softly. "Please, show yourself that I may know who you are."
"All right," the voice said, and the clerk was astonished at what he saw emerge -- hands first -- from the ventilation shaft.
It was a tiny little… person, barely as tall as his hand and clad in glinting armor. She clambered up through the hole and stood before him, rubbing her arms sheepishly.
"I remember you," Orion said, remaining on his knee. "From the tunnels."
The thing trembled.
His frown suddenly deepened. "You are with the Autobots."
"Don't--" the little thing warned as she backed away. "I'm not your enemy."
Orion considered her for a moment, wondering if he should sound the alarms.
But the creature seemed so worried, and looked at him with such desperate fervor that he felt she needed to be protected rather than exposed.
Besides, she was so small that she probably couldn't hurt him too badly, even if she tried.
Orion, being the curious sort who didn't like to make a scene, opted to talk to her instead -- at least until she did something violent.
The archivist tilted his head as he peered at her armor. "Are you a Minicon?"
She seemed confused, as if her identity was obvious. "What? No. Don't you know what humans look like?"
"Only from diagrams," he answered truthfully. He had spent quite a lot of time researching the things this planet had to offer, as a sort of distraction from the fate of his own. This little creature was just as fascinating as he imagined.
Shrinking away from his probing gaze, the human regarded him in silence, waiting to see what he would do. Orion could tell she was even more skittish without her armor. This puzzled him. She bore the Autobot symbol on her gauntlets, and yet she seemed much too fearful to be a spy...
Giving a small smile, he offered a forefinger to her. "I am Orion Pax."
Haltingly, she took it in her tiny hands. "I'm Nova."
Orion's eyes widened in surprise. For being so small, human hands were very warm.
"You told me that you were not an enemy," he continued, leaning back a little to give her space. "You mean Lord Megatron no harm?"
A pained look flashed over her face, but she recovered quickly.
"Uh," she answered, shooting furtive glances at the door. "I'm just here for you."
"For me?" Orion blinked. "But ... what do you mean?"
Her eyes darted up to meet his, her voice lowering to a whisper. "I ... can't talk out in the open."
"Oh. Of course," Orion replied, glancing around the room. "We can speak by the monitor."
After a moment's hesitation, he slowly offered her his open hand. "... Do you…"
"No." Nova shrank away from his touch, approaching the computer herself. "I can handle it."
"Well, then," he began, watching as she scrambled onto his keyboard. "What did you wish to speak to me about? And how did you know my name?"
The human took in a breath. "Because I know who you are."
Orion shook his head. "That is not possible. I have never been to this planet."
"Okay," she sighed. "You really don't know who I am?"
He tilted his head. "Should I?"
She folded her arms, trying to sound authoritative. "Okay, listen. I know this sounds crazy, but you are in terrible danger, and you need to come with me right now."
"What?"
"You have been captured by the enemy," Nova explained again, "And we need to get off this ship."
"Leave the ship?" Orion inquired, a quizzical frown darkening his features. "But Lord Megatron has forbidden--"
"Megatron has been lying to you since you woke up," Nova said sharply. "And I don't have time for this. We have to go, now!"
He shook his head, agitated.
"You must be thinking of someone else. I- I have been in stasis for eons."
"That's a dirty lie!" Nova growled. "Megatron wants you to believe you're still Orion Pax, whoever that is!"
"But -- I am Orion Pax," he insisted. "Who do you think I am?"
Nova gave an impatient sigh. "Fine. I'll spell it out for you."
She took another deep breath, about to launch into her tale, but the door slid open before she could speak.
Orion spun around, guilt written all over his face, and Nova immediately slid off the keypad and dropped to the floor, ducking behind her guardian's foot.
The last person either of them expected to see walked into the room, four large Energon cubes stacked in his skinny arms.
Starscream?!
The cubes initially hid Orion and Nova from Starscream's view, but once the rogue Decepticon had gotten his bearings and realized who stood before him, he choked out a gasp of surprise.
"No!" he cried. "Optimus Prime?!"
Dropping the cubes, the former lieutenant raised his hands and leveled his arm-rockets directly at the helpless archivist, who froze in his tracks. Nova held her ears, her armor locking around her body in anticipation of the fiery blast.
"Please," Orion said, raising his hands quickly. "I mean no harm."
"Oh?!" Starscream shot back, his rockets still trained on the Prime. "Then… what are you doing here?!"
"Research," replied he. "For Lord Megatron."
Starscream did not lower his arms. "Is this some kind of joke?!"
"I do not understand," Orion stated. The innocence on his face was indisputable. Nova's heart raced in her chest. What was stopping Starscream from killing Optimus where he stood?
Stunned, Starscream realized that the Prime did not intend to fight, and he lowered his blasters with a gaping face.
"And why did you call me… Optimus Prime?" inquired the archivist.
"Uh… why wouldn't I?" Starscream asked, choosing his words carefully.
"Because my name is Orion Pax," the clerk responded humbly. "I am ... far from being a Prime."
The rogue Decepticon glanced at the Decepticon insignia adorning the shoulder of his former enemy and scrambled for a response.
To his credit, he was excellent at improvisation.
"Uh, you reminded me of someone I once knew, that's all," he lied easily.
Her eyes on the vent, Nova crept out from behind Optimus' foot, but when Starscream caught sight of her, he raised his blaster again.
"What?!" he roared. "We have that vermin on board, too?!"
"Don't you dare!" Nova yelled, her guns locked on the Seeker's stupid face.
But Orion stepped between them, reaching down to shield her with his hand. If Nova had been in the mood to think about such things, she would have noticed his sudden, almost angry, burst of courage.
"Do not fire," he said in a supplicating manner. "She means no harm."
He stared the rogue Decepticon down until Starscream deactivated his blaster, and they all stood quietly again.
Shaking, Nova returned to her spot behind the archivist, keeping her weapons mounted. For the moment, she was safer with him.
"You are Starscream," Orion observed.
"Yes…" replied the Seeker, his face twisted in disbelief.
"Lord Megatron told me you had been — terminated."
Starscream smirked. "Lord Megatron says many things, only some of which are true."
Nova raised her eyebrows in agreement, but the archivist found this information hard to accept.
"You are the second person to imply such a thing," he said incredulously. "Surely you do not suggest that our leader would speak ... falsehoods?
Starscream let loose a cackle of amusement. "Oh, you truly are being kept in the dark, aren't you?"
Eyes darting toward the door, Nova gritted her teeth, lowering her blasters a fraction as she debated whether to retreat. This was going on for too long.
"You speak in many riddles, Starscream," Orion said desperately. "Please, tell me what it is that you know!"
"And… in return?" The greedy Decepticon could not let an opportunity like this pass up.
Before Optimus could answer, the door clanked open again, and there stood the two Vehicons who had apprehended Optimus before.
"Starscream!" They whipped out their blasters. "Surrender!"
Shrieking, Starscream ducked behind Orion in a panic, using him as a living shield as the archivist drew back.
Instinct kicking in, Nova scuttled away amid the chaos, sliding into the vent shaft and slamming the grate back into place.
"Hold your fire!" Orion said, then felt his back shoved down by the Decepticon behind him as Starscream transformed into his jet form and blasted out of the room, his afterburner smoke lingering in the dark air.
"Remain in the lab," one of the Vehicons ordered as the disappearing jet rounded the corner.
Orion protested. "But I—"
"Lord Megatron's orders."
The door locked behind them as they departed, and Orion was again left alone.
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Sounds of laser fire and distant explosions reverberated again through the walls as Nova pushed the grate out of its spot and rejoined her friend.
When Orion spotted her, he knelt again.
"Are you all right?" he inquired.
"Yeah. You?"
"I am fine," Orion mumbled with a preoccupied expression. Nova could tell he was having trouble sorting things out.
"Sorry I left," she apologized. "But if anyone found out I was here, they would kill me."
His eyes widened. "You? A child?"
"Of course," she cried. "You just saw Starscream -- he was about to blow me up!"
"Yes, his reaction was ... disturbing," he said, obviously conflicted. "Everyone is so eager to kill one another. I do not know what to make of all this."
"Well," Nova sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Starscream was telling the truth. Megatron is lying to you."
Orion shook his head with some difficulty. "How can you say such things? Megatronus is my friend — I mean..." he sighed. "Megatron is my friend. Why would he inform me that Starscream had been terminated in the first place? What reason would he have to lie?"
"Because he's not getting his stories straight," said the half-spark. "He's trying to cover everything up. That's what I've been trying to tell you -- he's lying about everything."
Optimus tilted his head. "Megatron may have been unaware that Starscream was alive. The two of them have a rather… unfriendly relationship. Perhaps he was was only mistaken."
She sighed. "Look, I know he is -- was your friend. But Megatron just wants to keep you here so you can decode that stupid Iacon thing, and he can get his hands on all those weapons."
Orion raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Look, I know you're confused, but you really have to trust me," Nova insisted. "I'm here to help you get off this ship before it's too late."
"I do not understand any of this," Orion confessed. "Both you and Starscream have told me that Megatron is falsifying information, but he… he showed me Cybertron."
Nova pulled in her breath.
"Cybertron is dead," she said gravely. "But Ratchet didn't do it — don't you know Ratchet at all?"
Orion glanced to the side. "I ... thought I did."
"You do!" Nova insisted earnestly. "You do know him. He's old, and grumpy, and rusty. Right now, he's probably losing his mind looking for you. He's working as hard as he can to get you out of this… this awful, awful place..." She clenched her fists. "Don't you believe me?"
Orion sighed. "I do not know who to believe. You have both told me things about myself that I do not remember. But I cannot leave until I have uncovered the truth."
Nova twisted her fingers, backing away. The realization that she was trusting a complete stranger with her life had just set in, and it terrified her.
Her fears came out in a whisper. "... Are you going to turn me in?"
Orion Pax was silent for a moment.
"No," he replied at last. "I do not understand why Megatron would lie to me, but something does not feel right. You are so afraid of him..."
He got to his feet, looking down at her curiously. "And it is odd."
"What?"
"I feel that I must protect you," he said. "Though you are technically my enemy."
He put a hand to his chest, rubbing it lightly. "Something... something about you--"
"Orion." The door slid open, sending Nova flying for the grate, and Megatron strode in just as the archivist assumed a natural position at his computer.
"I am so sorry for the recent commotion," he declared, looking him over. "You were not in any way harmed, were you?"
Miraculously, Orion managed to keep a straight face.
"No, Lord Megatron," he responded. "But ... why did you tell me that Starscream was dead?"
"Because he is dead to our cause," the warlord responded easily, brushing past the archivist pompously and folding his hands behind his back. "Starscream was my most trusted lieutenant until he turned traitor and joined the Autobots."
He turned back to the silent Orion with an air of disgust. "Never have I witnessed a more profound act of deceit!"
Orion stared at him.
Watching from the vents, Nova dared not breathe as Megatron tried to read him.
After a second, the warlord continued in a voice that dripped with concern. "He did not… do or say anything troubling to you?"
Orion held his gaze. "No."
After a short pause, Megatron withdrew his searching stare. "Good. Perhaps it's best to forget the entire incident and return to your project."
"As you wish, my lord," Orion said calmly as the door shut behind Megatron with a snap.
Within the tunnel, Nova let out her breath in relief. She had not been betrayed. Something inside Orion Pax had compelled him to ensure her safety.
Suddenly, she heard a growl at the other end of the hallway. Curious, she crept silently through the long ventilation tunnel until the noise of Megatron stopped her in her tracks.
No sudden moves.
Don't make a sound.
"Orion was never very adept at the art of deception," the warlord said to someone -- probably Soundwave, judging from the lack of response. "I made a mistake not terminating Starscream while I had the opportunity — a mistake I do not intend to make again!"
He knows... Nova realized once they had gone.
This time, she did kick the vent — hard.
Gah! I knew it was too easy!
"Nova?" A quiet voice called her name from the other end of the shaft. "Are you there?"
She scrambled back to the grate and emerged again into the workroom.
"I'm here," she said, leaning her elbows on the floor as her legs dangled down into the duct. "Why didn't you give me away?"
"I have decided that, given further evidence, I must take the truth into account before I blindly brand anyone as an enemy," he said quietly.
"Great," she cried, hopping out of the vent and mounting her blasters. "Now let's take down this ship and everyone in it."
He stared at her curiously.
"Why are you so eager to kill people?" he asked, with sorrow in his eyes.
Nova stumbled over her words. "Well, I -- uh, because they are eager to kill me."
"I do not know much about war," he said wisely. "But I believe we must be willing to reserve that course of action until every other option has been exhausted. Otherwise, I fear that this conflict may continue perpetually."
Ouch, her brain pointed out. That's him all right.
Nova shook her head. "Great, but we don't have time to argue about this. We have to go, now."
"I cannot do that," Orion said firmly. Again, the hint of his former authority startled Nova.
"Are you kidding?" she cried, pointing toward the door. "Megatron knows you're lying! It's not safe anymore. We can't stay here!"
"You are free to go," said he, "But I cannot leave until I ascertain what I must do."
"Do?" Nova demanded, reaching the end of her wits. "What in the world are you going to do?!"
"If Megatron has been speaking the truth, I must help him," Orion explained. "If he has been misguided, I must appeal to him. And if your claim is true, and he has truly become an oppressor ..." he clenched his fists with a somber gleam in his eye. "Then I suppose I must stop him."
Nova groaned, clapping her hands to her head and letting out muttered curses as she marched in a frustrated circle.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Gah!" she burst out at last, throwing up her hands. "Fine! Get us killed! See if I care! But I'm not leaving without you!"
Orion smiled. "I am glad for your company."
He stooped to her level, reaching out to pick her up, but Nova flinched away, her eyes wide.
Thinking better of it, Optimus got to his feet and patiently allowed her to clamber up to the keypad herself, which she did briskly, plumping herself cross-legged beside his keypad with a grumpy sigh.
He studied the half-spark curiously for a moment. "Why did Starscream call you 'vermin?'"
"Because he's rude."
"But he recognized you," insisted Orion. "Do the Autobots actually let you fight people like me?"
Nova shrugged. "Yeah."
"But... you are so small," Orion protested, indicating her size with his fingers.
"Small?!"
"And according to my research, you are young for a human," he observed, "Do the Autobots send children to fight for them?"
"You don't have to be big or strong to make a difference!" Nova cried. "You just have to do what's right. That's why I'm on this stupid warship."
He tilted his head, trying to sort this out. "So... they sent you here because you are small?"
"They don't know I'm here," she said. "In fact, I don't think they know I'm alive."
Optimus frowned. "Why would you do something so dangerous?"
"Because I promised," she replied. "I promised I wouldn't go home without you. We need you."
"But I am nobody," he protested. "I am nothing but a simple archivist, confused and lost and unsure of myself. I have never done anything great, and yet you are risking your life to stay with me. How — how could you do something like that for me?"
The human tilted her head. "Because you would do the same for me."
"I don't know what to do," he sighed in frustration, turning to the computer. "I — I need to research. I need to find out why no one has matching stories."
He set his hands down to type, but his fingers were blocked by the half-spark, who stood in the middle of his keypad.
After studying one another for a minute, the girl raised her arms towards him, her resolute eyes locked with his as she clenched her jaw.
Orion drew back a little as he realized what she wanted. "Oh..."
Taken aback, Nova lowered her arms a fraction, her eyes falling. "Neverm—"
But the archivist interrupted her with a hand behind her back, gently scooping her up and lifting her to his shoulder.
Wide-eyed, Nova slid off his hand and sat timidly on his shoulder, letting out a small huff.
Okay. Not so bad. We're fine.
Again, Orion was nagged by a vague reassurance that her presence was strangely familiar — that it was supposed to be this way — as his fingertips hovered over the keyboard.
"Okay," he exhaled, beginning to type. "Optimus… Prime."
The only result that came up was an image of a Cybertronian Nova did not recognize. She tilted her head, staring at it with narrowed eyes.
"Never seen him before," she denied flatly.
Orion exhaled again, shakily, as he began to read the biography attached to the image. "'Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobot invaders.'"
"Invaders," Nova scoffed. "What a joke."
He studied the image again. "I reminded Starscream of him?"
"Definitely not," Nova denied. "Your shoulders aren't that ridiculous."
" ... And Lord Megatron said Ratchet was the Autobot leader." The archivist frowned. "Someone is not telling the truth."
"Maybe they're hiding the real file," Nova suggested. "Megatron told Soundwave to purge the data core before you started working."
"I will try to bypass it."
Orion began to type again, faster, more sure of himself. His focus had returned.
Nova let out a yawn, slumping against the inside of his shoulder in fatigue. She had not slept in a long while.
"My apologies." Orion halted. "Are you injured?"
"No," she grumbled wearily. "Just hurry up and finish, so we can get outta here."
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