"What are you doing here?" Optimus asked. He didn't turn around, able to sense Sentinel lurking somewhere behind him. The sound of his pedesteps had given him away long before he entered the cell.
The chain felt heavier than ever locked around his throat. He itched to turn, to swing, to claw at the mech who had ruined his life.
"I wanted to see you." Sentinel's voice dripped with fake friendliness. Optimus could picture the smirk he must have on his face right now.
"Well I don't want to see you." Optimus muttered under his breath.
"Ouch, Optimus... you hurt my feelings." Sentinel sneered. He was getting closer. "Is that any way to treat one of your oldest friends?"
Optimus grit his denta together. "Last time I checked, none of my friends were trying to falsely incriminate me."
"Funny. I hate to break it to you, Optimus, but we actually have evidence against you now."
"Evidence of what? There's nothing to accuse me of!"
"I don't think Elita would agree. Not that she could, anyway."
Optimus whirled around with a snarl, the chain links harshly clashing against one another. Sentinel stood just out of reach, that signature smirk still plastered across his face. It made Optimus's energon boil.
"Listen here, you son of a glitch." He seethed. "You can't keep pinning that on me. Neither of us would be standing here today if we had gone back in."
"And yet you were expelled from the academy as a result. Such a shame." Sentinel replied with a smug grin. "Then again, we can't have outspoken traitors like you in the Elite Guard. While I applaud you and your pathetic crew's efforts in protecting this mudball planet from the Decepticons, I think you should leave it to the professionals and just stick to repairing space bridges from now on. Wait a minute, you can't! How silly of me to forget."
Oh, how Optimus wished he could punch Sentinel and that stupidly large chin of his.
"You're going to regret this, Sentinel." He muttered.
Sentinel only scoffed. "Tough words coming from a traitor." He turned towards the energy barrier to leave. "I'll be back later with Magnus's instructions on how to punish you. In the meantime, enjoy solitary confinement!" With a cruel burst of laughter, he stepped out of the cell and put the energy barrier back up.
Optimus glared at Sentinel until he disappeared behind the wall. Once he was gone, he let his shoulders sag. What was he going to do?