Orion stepped through the groundbridge, his eyes immediately spotting Megatron, standing in front of an open spacebridge, his sword unsheathed.
"-so that I may end the lineage of the Primes for all time." Megatron spoke to himself.
"I cannot allow that to happen Megatron." Orion told him, shifting me to his shoulder.
Megatron turned around. "Orion. This has nothing to do with you."
"That may be true, or yet another deception, but this much I do know: My sympathies are with the Autobots and you are not one of us." Orion equipped his swords, one of which was broken.
Megatron looked to Livia and snarled. "We are a family, Orion. Do not betray your fam-"
"Oh, shut up with the family, scrap, Megatron! Families don't lie to each other!" Livia sneered.
"And what would you know about family?" Megatron demanded.
Livia shut her mouth abruptly and Orion leveled his gaze.
"She knows more than you do, Megatron." Orion said before charging the warlord.
Megatron easily caught Orion's sword blade and then sent a punch to Orion's abdomen. Orion cried out, curling inward over Megatron's fist before the Decepticon dropped him to the ground.
Livia clutched Orion's neckcables as he landed on his hands and knees weakly. Megatron slammed the back of his forearm into Orion's head, making him fall down completely. Livia yelped and fell off.
"Your spark may be in the right place Orion, but you have much to learn before you hope to ever again stand your ground against me." Megatron told him, pointing his sword at the fallen bot.
Livia's eyes widened in horror and she sent her horror through the bond to Megatron. He glared at her before turning back to Orion.
"A moment, sadly, which shall never come." Megatron drove the sword down.
"NOO!" Livia screamed.
Megatron suddenly flew forward, Arcee shoving him away. Livia's head snapped around as the two bots began to battle, although Megatron clearly had the upper hand.
Orion began to stand and his gaze fell upon another human in a strange suit. He held up the key to vector sigma, which was glowing with the knowledge of the Primes.
"Are you... certain I am worthy?" He asked.
Livia turned around, eyes wide.
"More than you know." Jack replied before shooting the glowing blue energy into Orion's spark.
Megatron began to run at them and Livia turned, before repeatedly smacking Orion's leg.
"He's coming!"
The matrix finished reloaded and Optimus grabbed it just before Megatron tried to stab him. Optimus turned swiftly and caught the blade.
Megatron's eyes widened in horror.
"Megatron, be gone!" Optimus ordered, his battle mask sliding into place before he punched Megatron back and began to attack the warlord.
"Livia, what happened?" Jack asked.
Livia didn't look away from the two battling bots as she answered him. "That... is a very long story."
Everyone began to gather around them and Optimus sent Megatron into a wall before he regrouped with the others.
"Ratchet, how did we arrive here?" Optimus questioned.
Livia's eyes widened. He didn't remember.
"Long story, old friend." Ratchet replied.
Megatron began to get up and everyone began to shoot at him, slowing down the warlord's approach. Livia's stomach twisted painfully and his fury rushed through her as a groundbridge opened nearby.
"It's ours!" Arcee announced.
"Autobots, fall back!" Optimus ordered.
Arcee suddenly swooped down and grabbed Jack and Livia. She jumped into the portal, the others following behind her shortly.
Before Livia could protest, Arcee put both humans down and they all walked into the base together. Miko, Raf, Nurse Darby, and Agent Fowler waited for them on the other side.
"Jack!" June ran to hug her son, clearly relieved. Livia smiled at them.
Miko threw an arm over Livia's shoulders and grinned. "I expect a full, detailed report."
Livia's smile fell and a feeling of dread twisted inside of her gut.
Optimus didn't remember what happened aboard the Nemesis. What was she going to tell them? What would they think of her?
"Welcome back." Raf said quietly with a small smile.
Livia gave him a forced smile and then ruffled his hair. "Good to be back."
Raf turned around as Optimus stepped through the groundbridge and it closed behind him.
"Optimus?" Raf asked.
Optimus smiled. "Hello Rafael."
"The big guy remembers us!" Miko exclaimed, shaking Livia. "Wahooo!"
Optimus looked at his shoulder, where the Decepticon insignia was sitting on his mesh.
"Although, it seems there is much I do not remember." He stated.
"Optimus, this truly has been our darkest hour, but know this. Your spark never ceased being that of an Autobot." Ratchet told him.
"Besides, Livia was with you!" Miko pointed out. "She can tell us what happened."
Livia's entire body went stiff as the others looked at her and Miko elbowed her encouragingly.
"I- I- uh..."
What was she supposed to say? That Megatron had tricked her into thinking she was Lifestar and that the Autobots had injured Optimus so bad that he forgot his memories from all the way before he became a Prime?
It was the most ridiculous idea ever and looking back on it, Livia had no idea how he'd managed to fool her for so long.
If the Autobots knew she almost believed that they would do such a horrible thing to Optimus they would feel betrayed. They would never do that to him. And she didn't help Optimus escape, instead she went along with the fantasy.
She was just as much to blame as Megatron.
"Maybe another time." Optimus said, quickly noticing the girl's increasing panic. "For now, I want to know what happened here during my absence."
Ratchet nodded and began to explain how they came to the conclusion of what happened to him, of how the Decepticons gathered the objects for their groundbridge, Starscream's intel, and Jack's travel to Cybertron.
Miko ran over to add sound effects to the story, so Livia slunk back, finding the stairs and escaping to the roof of the base.
She sat down at the edge of the cliff and ran a hand through her hair. Livia was going to have to tell them about what happened eventually.
They would hate her.
Now the Decepticons had a spacebridge and three Iacon relics. All because she didn't force Orion to escape the Nemesis.
But it had felt so real. How had Megatron done it? The feelings he sent her. Livia knew they were something, but... She refused to believe anything he told her back on the Nemesis. There had to be another explanation.
Maybe dark energon from when he shot her, Raf, and Bumblebee. She was a human with energon in her after all, maybe it just had some strange effect.
Livia let out a shaky sigh.
Things had never been this difficult with Olivebranch. Sure, they weren't too fond of each other, but Olivebranch always protected and cared for her. She was like a really grumpy... guardian.
Livia's head fell back into her hands. Primus, she felt like a fool. Trusting a Decepticon-- the leader of the Decepticons no less. She was a dolt!
Rage consumed Livia and she grabbed a small rock before hurling it into the desert and standing up. She wanted to scream. To cry. She wanted to grab her frustrations by the throat and strangle them!
But the frustration was mental. There was nobody to blame for her foolishness but herself.
And Megatron.
A footstep sounded behind her and Livia whirled around, her eyes coming in contact with Optimus.
"Livia." He acknowledged. "I have some questions."
Livia's frustration curled up into a fetal ball and sunk down into her guts like a sack of potatoes.
"Do not fear." He told her gently. "It's okay."
Optimus knelt down and regarded her thoughtfully.
It was true, he did not remember what happened after he released the power of the matrix into Unicron's spark, but he did remember Olivebranch's revelation clearly. As if it had happened right before he took a long recharge.
The only question was... Did she know? Livia had been barely conscious.
He hoped she did because if Livia forgot, he had a feeling it would be very difficult to convince her.
Livia waited for him to ask his question, hiding her hands behind her back so that he did not see them shaking.
Optimus decided to beat around the bush.
"Did I... reveal any sensitive information to Megatron?" He asked.
Livia let out a small breath of relief. "You decoded some of the Iacon database for him."
Optimus frowned. He feared that Megatron would have set him to work on something.
"How much? Do you know what the information on it was?"
"Coordinates. Three sets of them, but I believe that is all you did." Livia explained.
"Mm." Optimus nodded, not sure whether to be relieved or not. It really depended on what the coordinates revealed and how many others were left encrypted.
He looked at Livia. She seemed drastically relieved about the topic subject, which was concerning, considering he could have possibly led Megatron to three weapons of mass destruction.
What happened aboard the Nemesis?
Optimus frowned. "Were you hurt?"
Livia looked up sharply. "N-no!"
"Did I hurt you?"
Livia looked at him in horror. "Of course not! You were so kind."
Optimus nodded in understanding. "So you were around me often?"
Livia stomach dropped. She was around Orion a lot, but answering that question would only lead Optimus to believe that she didn't help him escape. That she failed him.
For Megatron.
Optimus detected her panic begin to rise again and he sighed. Optimus couldn't decide if it was easier to talk to her when she was mad at him or when she appeared to be almost terrified of answering his questions, as she seemed to be now.
"No matter what happened aboard the Nemesis, we will not place the blame on you, Livia. You are not the first one to fall prey to Decepticon tricks, nor will you be the last." He assured her.
Livia looked away, guilt eating away at her insides. He didn't know what she did. Or rather, failed to do.
"I will not ask you to tell the other what happened, but I would request that you trust me to be your confidant. It is not good to let yourself dwell on upsetting topics alone." Optimus said.
"I do trust you." Livia told him quietly. "I just don't want you to hate me."
Optimus tilted his head. "I could never hate you."
"Yes you would."
Optimus felt pain squeeze his spark and he reached down, attempting to quench the pain that Livia was no doubt feeling as well by picking her up and holding her closer to his face.
"I could never hate my own sparkling."