TRANSFORMERS | Death of a Hero

XVIII

"What?"

The question was hoarse as it exited Prowl's rust-stained lips. His mind was going in different directions like a frenzy. His body instantly felt weak in feeble.

Dai Atlas had muster every ounce of strength still flowing through his veins to hoist himself up. Prowl didn't help him in the slightest, he needed clarification, of what Dai Atlas meant,

"What?"

The repeated question was even more hoarse, it felt forced from Prowl's voice box, but he would continue asking until the rust gave him an infection that shut down all his systems. He needed to know the truth,

"AUTOBOTS!"

The valiant cry came from within the Sea of Rust, it was Metalhawk who was helping Optimus traverse across the floor. Behind him were the stagnated amount of Autobots who miraculously escaped Darkmount's borders before its collapse,

The rest of Team Athenia huddled close together as they began to check on their severely wounded leader. Prowl had left him where he laid to blissfully wander to Dai Atlas who was still staring at Darkmount's faded remains,

"We're alright, we...we...made it out." Metalhawk heaved and coughed towards the floor,

"Straxus is dead..." He sighed with relief,

Every Autobot within Metalhawk's vicinity cried with triumph, their shouts carried on as if they had wings that soared for eons. Some Autobots comforted each other, some reveled with one another while the rest grieved.

"Not all of us did." A sharp voice entered the jubilee.

Metalhawk and a somewhat dazed Optimus looked to Dai Atlas who was now facing downwards. The Sea of Rust seemed to silence as the sharp comment was drawn. Prowl started shaking with nervousness and anxiety, he hadn't heard what Dai Atlas said just a few moments ago but it took him seconds to realize that Sky Garry had not joined the celebrating party,

"Where is he?" Prowl asked sorrowfully with a hint of indignation in his dialect,

Every spark in that area was silent, waiting for a compliant answer,

"He told me he would return..." Dai Atlas started and walked past Prowl,

"We spoke via the internal Zen synthesia realm that Yoketron had taught us. He said he would never leave me and that he would return. Sky Garry promised he'd return!" Atlas yelled,

"You left him to face Straxus alone?" Prowl asked,

"Of course not; you saw what was happening atop the spire. Purple aura waves of alien origin acted as a barrier to keep me from helping, Straxus and Garry were the only ones unaffected. I was knocked clean off my perch without the right weaponry to defend myself, I had no choice but to retreat-

"You gave up on him." Prowl snapped,

"Prowl, do not let your emotions influence your words." Optimus' low murmur called,

"He's right." Atlas started, "Garry had Straxus pinned like the cowering wretch he is, and suddenly Garry got skewered through the back with Straxus' damn trident. I had a clean shot at that tyrant, but that alien energy thought otherwise...that's the true enemy!" Dai Atlas yelled at Optimus,

"That's what killed Sky Garry!" Dai Atlas looked to Prowl for some sort of agreement,

Prowl had a cold stare of hatred on his face, hatred towards Straxus, hatred...towards Dai Atlas. It was a small but bitter hatred that seemed to ignite a flare of anger. Prowl whipped his head to Darkmount's ruins and screamed as loud as he could, only until his vocal processor gave it,