Transformers Prime: Shrouded Truth (#4) [Completed]

Chapter 29

Taking Solus' advice, I thought over her plan as I observed the prison Derek was being kept in. With a time limit on my mission, the pull from the amulet of death to complete my given task grew. I wasn't going to do it in broad daylight; that was reckless and stupid. It would have to be at night. As much as I hated it, I knew I would be forced to do it right. I mine as well do it how I wanted to do it.

I parked on the road, watching the guards. There was a fair bit of security, but nothing that sneaking and the phase shifter couldn't get me past.

"Why am I even thinking this over this well? I'm about to murder a man. There's no loop hole out of this. What would Optimus think if he found out? Lora? The others? I doubt they would be impressed. But what choice do I have? Heck, I can't even chose."

My thoughts froze as I watched a familiar car roll into the parking lot. Wheeljack parked, then he and Lora got out. If I needed to breath, it would have been stuck in my chest.

Lora looked fine, well in fact. Her hair had grown a bit, but she was still the same young woman. On her wrist was my bracelet, glinting in the sunlight. Her hand grabbed it, playing with the charms I had picked out for her. It made me happier than I knew to see that. The world seemed to drop away as I watched her and Wheeljack walk up to Fowler, who was waiting for them at the door. They all looked fine, and that was what made me glad. Wheeljack laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her comfort before Fowler let the door shut. I knew without a doubt of where they were going.

That should have been me beside her, giving her the comfort she needed to confront Derek. Why did I let my guard down that day? How could I let have myself leave her? How could I have stayed away for so long? Solus was right, I needed to do something, I needed to let the Autobots know I was okay, that I was still out there. They needed to know. The question was, how?

I didn't wait for Lora to exit before I drove away, a plan already formulating in my mind.

••••••••••

I drove towards the prison, night now fallen. Ravage was with me, sitting in the back seat once again. He wasn't as eager as last night, this wasn't his revenge any more, it was supposed to be mine. To be honest, it wasn't actually my revenge, Derek had done nothing to me. In actuality, it was more me doing it for Lora. Derek had hurt her time and time again, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he had done some twisted word game while she talked to him.

I hadn't told Megatron about seeing them, only Solus, who I had also told my plan to. Megatron didn't ask, so I had no obligation to tell. Loopholes, those would be my friends.

I pulled onto a street not far from the prison. Ravage didn't do anything this time, waiting for me. This was my mission this time. My holoform appeared, and I remained where I was, thinking over what I had to do. The pull to do it was overwhelming, but I forced it down as I pulled gloves on, then my hood. I exited my alt-form, letting Ravage leave too. I turned on my phase shifter right away, and together, Ravage and I approached the prison on foot.

After driving around and noting spots all day, it was easy to sneak in. I didn't use a door, but entered through a wall, Ravage's tail in my hand. Together, we stuck to in the walls, walking where no one could see us. I couldn't let my presence be known, an order by Megatron before we had left, or I would had already messed this mission up. I couldn't think of a loophole out of that command.

I poked my head out of the wall, looking around. No guards. With a hand motion, I signalled for Ravage to follow. I avoided the cameras the best I could, hiding my face. We stopped in front of Derek's cell, provided to us by Soundwave, and I used the phase shifter to unlock the lock. I gave Derek a minute, before I opened the door and entered.

There was fear on Derek's face, seeing Ravage first. It morphed into a smirk when he saw me.

"I knew something was off as soon as you didn't arrive with Lora," Derek said as a way of greeting. I shut the door, Ravage sitting down as if guarding it. I may have to kill Derek, but the less humans I had to harm, the much better. "She beats herself over it you know, blames herself."

"I don't doubt it," I said. My optics finally looked at Derek. Nothing had changed about him. I could see the confusion as he saw the purple. "I'm sorry, I never wanted to do this." The confusion on his face only grew.

I couldn't hold back the amulet's hold any more. My body launched towards Derek, not giving him any time to react. My hands found his throat, curling themselves around it. I wanted to pull away from my body, to not watch what I was doing, but I couldn't. I was forced to watch as I choked the life from Derek, as it left his eyes. Despite everything he had done, I felt sorry for him.

When he left the world of the living, a piece of my sanity went with him.