Rules of War (Book 1 in "War" Series)

Two~ War

"Don't listen to a word I say. The screams all sound the same."

***

Optimus was afraid.

Not for his imminent death, or the fact that most of his paint job was re"painted" an energon blue, his energon, but that Megatron was true to his word.

He could keep him in agonizing pain for as long as he wanted; though Optimus never doubted that he couldn't. He knew Megatron could do anything he set his processor to, and he had a feeling he wanted to keep him in such pain to also torture his team, who were safe at the base.

And that's what he was afraid of.

The Prime hung limply in the air, his pedes barely touching the energon stained floor. Megatron had had Knockout attend to his injuries after the torture for the day, but only enough so that he didn't offline from energon loss. Megatron wanted him alive.

This was his second day, and his injuries now consisted of a gash running down the length of his back struts, a cut on his faceplate that just missed his optic, and, on the same leg that had been sliced down the front was now sliced down the back side as well. In a last attempt to make Optimus cry out in pain, his right pauldron had been ripped off, exposing the gear below, and Megatron had received the cry he had been waiting for and left it at that.

And Soundwave had recorded it all.

Though they were all sloppily welded (minus the pauldron), the dried energon on his frame created the illusion that his injuries were still leaking energon; and he was constantly getting reminders that his energon levels were low. He needed to do something to get out of here, he had to get out alive, or else the Matrix would be in Megatron's servos, and that could certainly end the war in the Decepticons' favor if he were able to harness its power.

The door that lead out from the dimly lit room opened, revealing a large silver frame with a menacing gleam in his optics. He was holding two energon cubes in his servos, and the door slid shut behind him. Megatron walked over, setting the cubes down on a nearby surface that jutted out of the wall, before reaching up and working to unchain Optimus, who remained silent but was rather confused about his nemesis' motive.

"Don't try to escape, I could rip your spark out before you could reach the end of the hallway," Megatron hissed in his audio receptor before Optimus's right servo became free. Megatron moved out of the way of any type of punch Optimus could throw as he worked to free his other servo. After he completed that process, Optimus landed on the floor with a light thud before he immediately collapsed into a heavier thud after he had placed pressure on his injured leg. Megatron took the chance and cuffed Optimus' servos together in front of him.

"I figured this would be easier than one of the troopers giving you the energon while you were still chained," Megatron explained as Optimus made himself sit up, and he worked to make himself stand, as he did not like sitting on the floor with Megatron towering over him.

Much to Optimus' surprise, Megatron extended a servo out to him to help him up, and, hesitantly, he took it, using him as support as he finally was able to stand to his full height, which was just a few feet shorter than Megatron.

The two had a small staring contest, before Optimus backed away, limping as he set himself next to the wall for support, never taking his eyes off the warlord, who had turned his back on him to retrieve the cube resting on the surface, and he walked over and handed one to him.

Optimus had a brief suspicion that Megatron had poisoned it somehow, and didn't reach for it.

"Come now, Optimus. Your energon levels are low. The historical record wouldn't nearly be as exciting when the legendary Optimus Prime goes offline from low energon levels." Megatron smiled, though it was more of a 'drink this or I'll shove it down your throat' kind of smile.

Optimus took the cube, holding it awkwardly in his servos as he tried to figure out the best way to hold it when his servos were bound together. Although he was looking at the very lifeblood that would keep him alive, he couldn't bring himself to drink it until he knew Megatron's motive.

"Why?" Optimus rasped, the first real word he had spoken after his torture from the previous day.

Megatron huffed quietly.

"Why, indeed, old friend. Why, indeed."

***

This time the Autobots had made the kids go into another room when they received another video transmission from the Nemesis. They themselves didn't want to watch, but they couldn't not watch either.

Watching the video created an uneasy atmosphere to enter the Autobot base and hang over the helms or heads of everyone inside, and Ratchet silently closed the feed once Optimus' sharp cry of pain had sounded throughout the base after his pauldron had been ripped off.

The Autobots realized that he had been mostly silent throughout the entire thing, and they looked at each other.

"Do you think..." Arcee asked slowly.

"I know," Ratchet replied darkly. They knew they didn't have to clarify on what they were talking about, Optimus was refraining from crying out any more than he could, partly because he didn't want to give Megatron the satisfaction, and partly because he didn't want the 'bots to hear the pain he was in.

It hurt to watch, and the Autobots knew they had to do something.

Now.

~~~
Hey, guess who updated!

Sometimes during lunch at school I would start typing away at this, but then would always get distracted. But then yesterday night I had a rare free moment to do whatever I wanted, and decided Rules of War sounded pretty good.

And I just finished it up this morning.

Anyway, here is the second chapter! Megs is...doing something, haha

I'm the author but I don't even know ._.

I guess the characters will write the story, not me.

Anyway.

I stole Megatron's last sentence from a picture I found on DeviantArt and its description, and I thought it fit in this situation. If you want the title let me know. I'm on my phone and I don't like going on DeviantArt on mobile so I won't go and look for it right now.

See you all in the next update-and hopefully in Shattered Glass, too.