"What do I live for? Can you tell on my face what my heart beats for? Do the words that I speak show into the core?"

***

"Oh, look at this."

"Stuck as Megatron's prisoner."

"That's ironic, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed."

"Isn't it a pity."

"He's waking up."

Optimus' optics slowly onlined, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Where was he?

He vented in sharply as his pain receptors suddenly made him aware of the pain and soreness that throbbed throughout his frame, throbbing more at his leg and right pauldron-where is it?

...Right.

He vented out again. He knew where he was. A part of him had hoped it was just some bad nightmare, but he knew that, in reality, it wasn't true. He was still stuck on the Nemesis.

"He looks disoriented."

Those voices.

They're so...patronizing.

Optimus lifted his helm up weakly to look at who the voices belonged to, and saw none other than the infamous Decepticon SiC and CMO.

Optimus was not in the mood.

"Morning, sunshine," Knockout said flatly, greeting the Prime not even half-heartedly. Optimus didn't bother replying.

"At least you could be considerate. I brought you your morning ration."

Optimus still was silent, but an expression of slight confusion appeared on his faceplate before it disappeared as soon as it had come.

"Although Megatron said that only he himself was to release you from your bonds. So, I guess we still have to wait as he attends to...a matter," Starscream explained, his shrill voice making Optimus' processor ache.

"So, I guess you're stuck there." Knockout smiled evilly, and Optimus' optics narrowed at what the medic could possibly be thinking.

"Knockout, I do hope you are not thinking of disobeying a direct order," Megatron magically materialized behind them, making Starscream's wings droop in shock.

"N-no! Lord Megatron!" Knockout replied hurriedly.

"Good," Megatron growled, staring at Knockout pointedly before extending a servo, his optics never leaving the medic. Knockout placed the energon cube into the warlord's waiting servo.

"I will have no need for either of you two for the remainder of the hour," Megatron spoke, looking at both of them intently, obviously telling them to leave. They both got the memo and hurried out, leaving the Prime with the warmonger.

"Rest well?" Megatron asked, raising an optic ridge.

"I believe you might know the answer to that inquiry."

"Yes, hanging by your chains overnight seems very comfortable," Megatron replied sarcastically, circling the Prime slowly. Optimus turned to try and keep optic contact with him, but he couldn't turn his helm a full 360 degrees, and his neck cables were sore in the first place.

"I need to speak with you."

"About?" Optimus asked, forcing himself to stretch his neck cables back a little farther to look at Megatron.

"The Autobots have not replied to any of the videos I've sent them. They have not even responded to any activity that we may have created, such as new energon mines.

They're lost without you, Optimus, aren't they," Megatron stated, stopping directly in front of Optimus and staring him directly in the optic, daring him to argue back.

Optimus was ready to comply.

"I would not say that they are lost, Megatron. Merely taken off-guard."

"They seem to have no interest in saving you or the planet anymore."

"It has only been three days."

"A day too long. If they were smart, they would have triangulated our position."

"Triangulated?"

"I've sent another video without your knowledge."

Optimus' optics widened. Megatron smirked, before reaching up to loosen Optimus' bands, again avoiding any punch or kick Optimus could do, again reminding him that he could decimate him before he reached the end of the hallway.

Once Optimus was settled against the wall as before, Megatron handed him his cube. Seeing as Megatron didn't seem to want to talk too much at that moment, Optimus started to consume the cube as the warlord gazed off at some random point at the wall.

It wasn't until he was a third of the way into it that Megatron started to speak.

"We've lost a lot of Cybertronians in this war, haven't we."

Optimus didn't know what he was doing, but decided to play along.

"Indeed."

"And also gained some."

When he didn't receive a reply, Megatron laughed.

"Right, I remember, only we seem to be getting those new arrivals, and destroying yours. Say, have you heard from Elita-One recently?"

Optimus froze, his optics wide as he stared at the floor. His cube slipped from his servos and fell to the floor.

"That's right," Megatron seemed to smirk. Optimus could hear it in his voice.

"What did you do to her?"

"Don't work yourself up, Optimus. I'm sure she's in a...better place."

"That does not provide me any consolation, knowing you had some part in her demise, if not the one to offline her."

"Well...I couldn't argue with that."

Optimus forced himself to look up at him, electric blue optics meeting crimson red.

"What do you want?"

"You already know."

Optimus looked away.

***
"What did he do to him this time?" Jack asked, slight fear in his voice.

"He didn't. Not this time. They seemed to actually have...a civil conversation," Ratchet replied.

"What is Buckethead up to?" Bulkhead wondered aloud, optics narrowing.

"I don't know. But Optimus continues to look worse and worse. We need to get him out, now," Arcee said firmly, looking pointedly at Ratchet.

"What? What do you want me to do?"

"What do you usually do on that slagging monitor of yours?"

Bee warbled in slight alarm and placed a servo on Arcee's shoulder plate.

"Bee, I'm perfectly fine," Arcee muttered. The kids exchanged looks with each other. They knew what was happening to the 'bots, they'd seen it before.

They were letting Optimus' absence get to them.

~~~
Just under a thousand words!
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

K so, I took LizzieFlynn200 's advice since I have no idea what Megs is trying to do with OP here and tried interviewing them

Didn't quite work out.

Anyway, an idea of mine is that Megs killed Elita so I decided to include it in here for this chapter. It's not that important to the overall book, it's just a small detail so there isn't much to know.

Aghh sometimes this book just gets so heated *~*

Also I love writing it