Finding a Way

Chapter 10

Solus POV

I patched the wounds on Optimus's body. He didn't say anything and I looked into his optics. He just looked straight back. I stood up and moved away from him. Optimus just follow. "Is something the matter Lady Solus?" He asked.
I stood still. Turning slightly I looked at his optics once more. "No Optimus. Nothing you need to worry for."
I continued down the passage my sisters were in. Soundbarrier was the first to notice and bounded up to me and Optimus. "I like the new look Optimus." She said looking at his optics. Sound looked back at me, "so what of the cons?"
"Unicron ordered them to tell the primes what had happened." I simply stated.
"Oh to bad," she sighed and I raised an optic ridge. "The one with the visor was cute." She said her thought aloud.
I smirked, "does one of my sisters have a crush."
She blushed hard, "NO, I DO NOT, SOLUS!!!"
I laughed at her outburst. "Oh really? Than why did you deny it blushing and yelling?"
Sound turned away from me heading away. I smiled at her antics. She could be reformed for the better if she likes someone. A small voice said but I could barely hear it.
I walked up to Shadowblade who along with Redcrest and Flaredagger looked at Optimus with a delighted smirk. "Well done sister." Flaredagger purred.
I nodded before looking at a Shadowblade. " So what's our next move?"
"We will lure the primes into a trap within the canyons. After we corner them we will have them executed." Shadow explained.
"And how do we get them there?"
"They more than likely will not believe Optimus had turned on them so he will send them a comm to come to the location." Redcrest piped up.
"Alright when do we start?"
"Now," Shadowblade stated. "Shadow Assassins, now is the time we have waited for. Today the Primes shall fall. And the darkness shall arise!"
Cheers rang out as they disappeared to the location. I smiled before resting a servo on Optimus's forearm. Together I shifted us to the location.

Third POV autobot base

The Autobots and a few of the primes were on edge. Optimus shut off his comm and wasn't talking at all. Ratchet seemed the most concerned. He didn't leave the computer and kept trying to reach contact.
"This is bad. Optimus is MIA and the primes are divided. What do we do?" Smokescreen asked Arcee.
"I don't know. But did you hear how strongly Optimus tried to defend Solus. I hope he was right and it was only a mistake." Arcee wished. The other Autobots nodded in agreement.
Alpha Trion who heard the comment walked over to them. "You all are not the only ones. But I do not believe Solus will accept returning. At least unless she can be persuaded."
"But if she believes she's a prime..." Wheeljack started.
"Won't effect anything. Right now Solus can be easily persuaded back to the Shadow Assassins. Right now all we can hope for is that Optimus finds her first and convinces her to return." Alpha Trion cut him off.
"Alpha Trion, sir," Ultra Magnus began. "What would happen should she go rogue?"
Alpha Trion heaved a heavy sigh. "Then the primes would have no choice but to destroy her and the other Shadow Assassins completely so they can never return. But I'm sure many of us would prefer to have her beside us again."
"But you consider her your sister. How can you just give up hope like that?" Smokescreen argued.
"Because Prima had it be long ago that the Thirteen could not form strong ties with her no matter what. Many of the primes followed this rule to the letter, only acting like brothers to her, while Megatronus, Vector, myself and the thirteenth prime formed strong ties with her."
"The thirteenth, why is he not here? Couldn't he tell if she was trustworthy better than anyone?" Bumblebee asked.
"He could prehaps. The reason why he is not here is because we can not reveal who he is until he discovers it for himself."
They nodded in turn. A loud sound filed the base causing everyone to look at the center of the base. There stood the Decepticons, all looking shocked, scared, and shaken. Prima was the first to speak to them. "What has happened?"
"Something that no one wishes to remember." It was small and everyone zeroed in on Knockout. "Him screaming for her to stop. To stop corrupting his spark."
"The Matrix falling and becoming dark." An equally small voice of Starscream. Every one froze realizing who was being talked about. Optimus was captured by the Shadow Assassins.
"Unicron placing him under his control." Megatron said causing the very air to turn to ice.
Prima seemed the first to snap out of it. "You lie. The Matrix can not be corrupted nor can a prime."
"Soundwave show them." Megatron ordered.
With that Soundwave linked with the computer and a scene no one wish to believe appeared. Optimus appeared suspended in the air with energon dripping from wounds.
"This...isn't y-you... Solus. I-I know the truth. They...messed with...your m-mind. They tricked you." He pleaded.
"They only told me truths, " Solus appeared from the shadows with her optics bright purple and told him as she servo traced the transformation seams covering his chest.
The tip of her digit clawed into the area between two plates above his spark. He looked at her. "Stop. Solus... Please... Sister..." She looked up at his optics freezing as he called her, his sister. Optimus noticed her shock at his words. "I know...you wouldn't hurt me on purpose." He drew in a shaky vent. "Remember the time long ago when Scarletdrop sent a poison throwing star at me and you smashed it with your Forge in their attempt to assassinate me before the accident." He murmured weakly, his optics flash in multi-colored light before returning to normal.
She stepped back away from him. Solus looked over his form again and shook her helm. "I do remember Optimus. And I do want to protect you. That is why I'm doing this. It'll save you the pain if you just relax and open your chest plates."
"You know I can not do that Solus." He tried to be firm.
"Fine then, " she turned away from him and grabbed the blunt dagger. Pressing the tip into the armor seam, she coax the plates to shift open revealing a pulsing blue spark behind a gold container with handles. "The matrix." She whisper. Solus place a servo on it to feel the pulsing warmth emitted by the gift Primus had given the primes. She fell to hesitance again as her servo grabbed the shard of Dark Energon from her subspace.
She lifted it to the opening of the Matrix and it began to fuse with its core. The Matrix pulsed wildly trying to resist the venom of the energon. She then moved the shard from the core to Optimus's spark to let them fuse. She pulled back hearing Optimus scream for the first time.
Breaking the shard in two, she sighed and pressed one shard into the Matrix fully, and the other within the spark. Optimus screamed, yelled, thrash, and writhed around in pain as the dark force flooded his systems.
Solus watched as the Matrix flickered and went nova. Then it just faded to black and fell from the bared chest. It clanged on the ground and Optimus went limp. Lifting the now cold, ice cold matrix. She subspaced it and looked at Optimus. His head hung low, chest bare, spark pulsing wildly calming down and taking a purple tint, and energon smeared from gashes all over.
"Do not pity him." She jumped at the voice and turned to see Unicron.
"Father." Solus greeted.
"You did a great job, Solus. Now it is time." He walked up to Optimus fully who online once more and looked at Unicron steadily.
"Unicron." Was all he could force out his throat tubing raw.
Unicron smirk, "the Prime that locked me away."
Solus watched silently as Unicron put more dark energon into Optimus's spark. His screams bounced around. That is until Unicron released him. Optimus landed in a kneeling position. "Now you serve me. Arise Optimus, and serve your master." Unicron ordered and Optimus rose to his peds.
"Yes my lord." He's optics flashed purple and stayed.
"Good now Solus, is the one you follow when I am not around. She is also your master." Unicron pointed to her. She blinked in shocked.
Optimus's optics landed on Solus . "I shall serve my lord and my lady." He bowed.
"Good. " Unicron nodded.
She snapped out of her daze. "Father. I-I don't understand."
"You have proven yourself my daughter. You deserved a reward. Now send these spectators to tell the primes and that little team what had transpired." With that Unicron faded away.
The feed ended as the primes looked at each other. No one broke the silence that filled the room. What could be said? Alpha Trion looked down knowing what was going to be said once the shock was gone.
Sure enough when Prima clenched his servos into fists by his sides did he speak. "Solus, despite the chance Optimus tried to give her to prove she is a prime, she has betrayed us, Primus, and tainted the one who tried to convince us she was innocent. Now Solus is a true enemy of the Primes. She is a Shadow Assassin, just as she was before. As such it will be that she will be destroyed should she try to return, if she is captured, or within battle. Her spark, frame and spirit must be broken and erased from the universe in order for the universe to be free of the fear of the Shadow Assassins and of Unicron's threat. As for Optimus, capture him and try to free him. If that is not possible then free his spark from Unicron by off lining it. If he puts up too much of a fight, or tries to assist Solus in escaping justice, he is to be taken out. Is this understood?"