Archive of Our Own

There is a legend that propagates among the miners, whispered at times during the night before recharge. While it is said that the 13 Primes were killed in the battle of the Quintessons, there were rumors that one survived. It is said that if you were to brave the journey to the surface and find the surviving Prime, you would be granted any wish by Primus. Of course, it was merely a fairytale made up by some bored miner who had had too much energon to drink. Still, the mech Orion Pax held onto the belief that it was true.

He was not the type to believe in wishes. If you wanted something, you needed to work for it. If he wanted to know more about the 13 Primes, he would sneak into the archives himself. If he wanted a first edition decal of Megatronus, well he would get that too through his own hard work. If he really wanted to, and he was planning to, he could even participate in the Iacon 5000. Yet despite his belief, he knew there was one task he could never achieve. One mech he could never have no matter how hard he tried.

Pax was not a fan of Megatronus, but there was one mech he knew who would have appreciated the decal he had painstakingly gotten. The problem was… that mech was D-16. As a lowly miner, he hardly had enough time for himself, much less the opportunity to sneak away from work to speak to D-16. Well, sure, he did manage to speak to the mech sometimes - mostly when D-16 had orders for the mining group Pax was in or if D-16 felt kind enough to save Pax from Darkwing - but to truly approach the mech so casually was nearly impossible.

“Paxxx, when are you going to give him the decal?” The sudden voice of his friend cut Pax out from his thoughts. Turning around, he was greeted by the cheeky smile of B-127. He groaned internally, embarrassed that he had been caught. At least it was only Bee. If Elita had found out he was using precious mining time to watch (not stalking!) D-16, Pax would never hear the end of it. “He’s right there! Darkwing is yelling at some other mech down at one of the other caves. This is your shot! The worst he can say is no.”

“Yes, the worst he can say is, ‘thanks, but I don’t want anything from a cogless miner’.” Pax grumbled out. His spark ached at the thought of hearing such words, but he had to learn to expect them. He tried to stand up, taking in Bee’s words… before quickly darting back down as soon as D-16’s yellow optics turned in their direction before flitting away again. He let out a sigh. Even if D-16 noticed they weren’t doing anything, he wouldn’t snitch on them to Darkwing. He was kind that way. “Primus. This would be so easy if I wasn’t…”

“Pax, you don’t know if he cares about that.” Bee raised a servo, trying to give a little wave towards D-16 before Pax grabbed it down. The yellow mech gave him a sad look before kneeling down to hide next to Pax. Pax could feel his face plate heat overheat. Maybe being spotted by Elita wouldn’t have been the worst option. At least she wouldn’t try to draw D-16’s attention towards him. “He defends you like all the time and he’s so nice! The other day he gave me three energon cubes. Oh! I still have some, you want one?”

An energon cube is shoved towards him but Pax bats Bee’s servo away. He usually wouldn’t ignore the offer (Primus knows how difficult it was to get energon as a miner), but his tanks felt too nauseous. He needed to psyche himself up. Bee was right, the worst D-16 could say was no. Besides, even if he did get rejected it’s not like D-16 would make it a whole spectacle. He’d probably be embarrassed himself and turn Pax down in private. AND ANYWAY, Pax was just offering a decal… he was hardly confessing his undying love! That would be stupid.

Getting up on his pedes, Pax stepped away from the minecart he had been hiding behind. Taking a deep vent, he started to walk over before quickly darting back as the foreboding frame of Darkwing appeared from one of the caves. Skidding to a stop next to Bee who had stayed in his hiding spot, Pax watched as Darkwing walked back over to D-16. The shorter gray mech looked up at Darkwing in irritation. Pax couldn’t hear from where he was, but he could tell the two mechs were about to get into another verbal altercation. There goes his shot.

“Bummer. It’s okay, Pax. You can always try tomorrow!” Bee smiled up at him, before getting up to return to whatever it was he had been doing. Pax vented, staying where he was as he continued to watch D-16. As predicted, Darkwing and D-16 were now in a screaming match. If he had to guess, D-16 was probably shouting at Darkwing on behalf of that poor miner that Darkwing had previously been yelling at. He felt his spark flutter. It was silly, but he was sure that the more he saw of D-16’s kindness, the more he felt in love.

It had begun the day D-16 had taken a hit intended for him. He’d insulted Darkwing (but Darkwing had started it first) and the mech had geared up to hit him when D-16 stepped in. That had been the talk of the entire mining group. That had been D-16’s first day as a mining supervisor - he had just been assigned - and yet… Pax shook the memory away, focusing instead as Darkwing and D-16 went their separate ways. Okay, now was his chance—

“Pax, if you don’t get your aft back to work, I swear to Primus—”

Elita found him.

Frag.

—

This was starting to become the worst day of his life. Pax watched as Elita furiously walked away, guilt gnawing at his spark. He had to fix this. It was his fault! Not that he was that sorry about what he’d done. If he hadn’t stayed behind, then Jazz could have died… He vented, following after Darkwing. He could hear Bee follow behind him, and he knew the smaller mech was terrified at what Pax would do next. “Hey Darkwing! I may not have a cog but my finger can transform. Guess which one. I’ll give you a limited option.”

He raised his middle digit towards the mech. He leaned back, bracing himself for the impact. There was the clang of metal… but there was no pain. He opened his optics, offlining and onlining them again as he stared at gray metal. It took Pax a while to realize that it was D-16 standing in front of him. The mech was holding his face plate, and Darkwing had immediately backed off. There was a tense silence, and Pax swore he could feel every miner staring in their direction. “That’s enough, Darkwing. You’ve already had Elita-1 demoted. Just ignore Orion Pax.”

“If you weren’t protected by Commander Starscream…” Darkwing was not a quiet mech, but the threat was whispered that only D-16 and Pax could hear. Even Darkwing had enough of a processor to know he couldn’t yell that out loud without repercussions. Pax stood there awkwardly, watching as the two mechs glared at one another before Darkwing took a step back and walked away. He let out a vent he hadn’t known he was holding, but immediately regretted it since the noise only attracted D-16’s attention to him. The emotion in the mech’s yellow eyes were inscrutable but Pax worried.

“You owe me twice now.” D-16 rubbed at his face plate, but despite the pain the mech was feeling, he still managed to give Pax a smile. Pax could only hope that his embarrassment wasn’t visible on his own face plate as he stumbled out a thank you. The taller mech laughed, and the noise seemed to put the rest of the miners at ease as work resumed once again in the mines. “You saved Jazz despite the protocols. That was reckless of you… but kind. Still, Elita-1 had worked so hard for that promotion… Walk with me, Orion Pax.”

He felt his spark flutter, and he gave Bee one last look over his shoulder pads before quickly following after D-16. The gray mech led him towards one of the more isolated parts of the mine. With D-16’s back plate turned towards him, Pax tried to find the Megatronus Prime decal he had been carrying. He hoped to Primus he hadn’t lost it in the mines. “So, D-16, you, uh… You… come here often?” What did he just say? He wanted to slam his helm against the wall. “No, sorry that wasn’t… Did you have something to say to me?”

“Look, I get that you wanted to save Jazz and that brave of you, but Elita-1 is right. You don’t think about how your actions impact other mech’s lives.” D-16 turned to stare at him, those yellow optics holding a slight pity. “It’s not fair, Orion Pax. I am aware. As cogless miners you carry the future of Iacon on your backs and still you’re treated unfairly, but this is all you have. Elita-1 had worked hard for that promotion. It’s good that you saved Jazz but… Sometimes we have to consider our actions before we choose to do them.”

“What are you saying? That I should have left him down there?” Pax hadn’t meant to, but he could feel his voice rise just slightly. Those yellow optics stared down at him, full of emotion that Pax wasn’t sure he could understand. Yes, it was protocol. If you died down in the mines, that was on you. If you weren’t capable enough of getting out on your own, then maybe you deserved to die. Pax could feel his anger rise at the injustice of it all. “You said it yourself, you know this is unfair. Jazz deserved to be saved.”

“Everyone deserves to be saved. Today you were Jazz’s savior, and Elita-1’s downfall.” D-16 had kept his own voice stable. Slowly, the taller mech approached him, placing a servo on his shoulder pad. While at any other time, he would have been excited at the touch, but right now he could feel his affection waning at the conversation. “You’re correct Pax, everyone deserves to be saved. Still, as I said, you’re a cogless miner, and so is Jazz and Elita-1. Your choices are limited. I’m not trying to argue with you. I’m just telling you what the painful truth is.”

“So you think we should just do our jobs without complaint? That we should let other miners, fellow Cybertronians, die when we could save them?” Pax would have pushed the other mech away if he could, but deep down he was enjoying the proximity - even if he was seeing another side of D-16 that he unsettled him. The mech had been entirely nice, and Pax was reeling at the words he was now hearing. It was his fault. He shouldn’t have fallen for a mech he hadn’t even really known that well. “I’m sorry that Elita-1 was demoted, but I—”

“She won’t be demoted. I’ll… fix this. I’ll talk to someone I know.” D-16 vented, and Pax could feel his spark flutter again. The mech stepped back, fixing his yellow optics on him. “I’m not lecturing you, Orion Pax. I’m just asking you to think before you act. For today, I’ll fix your mess and save you. As always.”

The taller mech moved past him. Pax followed him with his optics. D-16 stopped before he could turn the corner, giving Pax one last look over his shoulder pad.

“But please remember, I won’t always be here to save you, Pax.”

—

He had done it. Pax had snuck aboard one of the trains headed to the surface. And now… now he was trying to avoid getting killed by the moving terrain of the surface. That fantasy story about finding the surviving Prime never mentioned how dangerous the surface was. He screamed as he dodged quickly formed mountains. When he had gone to his berth last night, he never expected he’d be on the surface the next day. If he survived, he needed to thank Bee for whatever lie he’d had to come up with to explain why Pax wasn’t at work.

He felt stupid. He was stupid. There was no guarantee that the legend was even real. Primus, it could be a stupid story that was made for sparklings for all he knew! Yet here he was, risking his life to find a Prime that may or may not be dead. D-16’s words had haunted him in his dreams. He had wanted Pax to think about his actions. Well, he thought about this… and now here he was acting on it. If D-16 knew what he was doing right now, he was sure the mech would let Darkwing actually kill him.

With that thought, Pax darted into a cave, venting hard as he gasped for breath. Adjusting his optics, he gazed at the sanctuary he had found, nearly running out again as soon as he spotted a hulking frame in the shadows. Pax jumped back, smacking right into… Primus, what ancient graveyard had he just stumbled into?! He could feel his entire frame shake as he took in the entire cavern. It was… He knew those frames, even if they were covered in rust and greenery. The Primes. This is where they rested, but then… He turned back to the shadows.

“It has been cycles since I’ve seen a Cybertronian.” The mech moved closer, and Pax could feel his optics widen as the face of Alpha Trion peered down at him. Pax could hardly contain the awe and fear he felt. He had come looking for a surviving Prime, so that meant the legend… But who cared about the legend?! There was a surviving Prime! So the Matrix… “Tell me, how does Iacon fair? What has Sentinel done now that he holds the power that he so desired that he would kill my brothers and sell us all to the Quintessons?”

“Wait, what?” Pax took a step back as the Prime moved closer, observing his lack of a T-cog. He didn’t know why, but a part of him felt shame at that. Still, he forced his processor to focus on what the Prime had said. He could feel the energon in his cables turn cold. The Prime must be mistaken. “Sentinel… Betrayed us? He wouldn’t. He’s looking for the Matrix, that’s why he goes to the surface. He would be happy to know that you survived. If you’re alive, then the Matrix might appear and restore energon to Iacon. But why…?”

“You don’t even realize what he has done to you. No son or daughter of Cybertron is born without a cog. He must have taken them from you when you were but a sparkling. As for the Matrix…” Alpha Trion trailed off, his optics turning to the fallen frames of his fellow Primes. “I survived Sentinel’s betrayal, and yet the Matrix never returned. That is why I remain here, with my brothers. I cannot return to Iacon with such shame. I’m sorry. You come here to find a Prime, but all you’ll find here is a broken mech. Now go.”

“But you’re Alpha Trion! And what do you mean no Cybertronian is born without a cog, but I… I’ve been this way since…” Pax felt his tanks tighten as the truth hit him. Sentinel had… “Don’t you understand that this changes everything? If what you say is true, then you have to return to Iacon. Even without the Matrix, Iacon would be better with you there. Sentinel Prime… He’s in power. He tells us that he goes to the surface to find the Matrix but… Alpha Trion, you have to come back to Iacon. The mechs down there need you.”

“Sentinel… Prime…?” There was a dark edge to the old Prime’s voice, but all Pax could see in Alpha Trion’s optics was a sad acceptance. Before Pax could say anything, the memories of the past took on the space of the cavern. Much to his horror, he watched as Alpha Trion showed him the brutal murders of the Primes… and Sentinel’s betrayal. His processor could hardly stand the sudden overload of information, but he knew he would never forget. “He is nothing but a fake. Still, I cannot return. I am in no condition to fight. I am too broken.”

It was cruel to know the truth and be unable to do anything. Pax fell to his knees. He couldn’t know the truth and just return… to what? His life back in those dark mines? Mine for the rest of his life knowing that Sentinel had lied to all of them. And here was a Prime, someone who was supposed to protect them all, who refused to save them. Pax’s processor felt heavy. He sought out a legend, and instead all he found was a truth that could kill him. “So you won’t return. How… How could you abandon us?”

“I’m sorry. With the death of my fellow Primes and the loss of the Matrix… I have felt nothing but shame, and my spark has been nothing but broken since. Return, and forget.” The Prime turned to return to the shadows, but Pax knew he couldn’t let it end this way.

“Wait!” He stood up, following after Alpha Trion. “You don’t have to return.”

“And I won’t return.”

“Okay, fine, you won’t return.” Pax vented through gritted dentas. “And I can’t force you, but do me one favor, please.”

“What is it?”

“You see, there’s a legend among the miners…”

—

D-16 had three goals for himself. First, as a mining supervisor, he had to ensure the energon quota was met. Second, he had to maintain this cover and play this role. Third, and this was completely going against his second, to ensure that the miners didn’t get themselves killed - especially one particular mech named Orion Pax. They were not easy goals, and he knew that Starscream would turn him into scrap if he heard of the third one, but he had settled on those goals since his first day in the mines. If only Orion Pax made his life easy…

He slammed the other mech against the cave wall, his processor in a frenzy that he forgot how unstable the mines could be. All Dee knew was that no one could see Orion Pax. Especially not Darkwing. His yellow optics turned up, and he winced as he realized he’d have to get used to staring up instead of down now. Orion Pax - who the day prior had been cogless and shorter - had now grown in height. That wasn’t what caused him concern. It was that Orion Pax… had somehow gotten a T-cog. “Orion Pax, what the frag did you do?!”

“You recognize me?” The mech’s voice was full of awe and Dee felt the urge to kick him. For all his intelligence (as Dee knew that Orion Pax somehow always snuck into the archives, having had to distract the guards at times for him), he could be so stupid. The cog had changed Orion Pax’s frame, yes, but not by that much. Even Darkwing and his limited processor would be able to tell. “Isn’t it great? I could transform now! It took a while to get back but being able to transform is so much better than taking a train—”

Dee tried to process the words that came out of the other mech’s mouth. Through small snippets, he realized what had happened. Despite his warnings, Orion Pax had not listened to him and decided to go to the surface. His anger at the mech’s reckless actions quickly dwindled the moment the mention of Alpha Trion’s name left Orion Pax’s intake. Thinking fast, Dee shoved his servo against Orion Pax’s mouth, optics turning towards the main part of the mines. No one was close enough to them, but he couldn’t risk such vital information being overheard. “Please stop talking, Orion Pax.”

“But D-16—” With the mech’s voice muffled, Dee didn’t worry about anyone hearing anything. Whatever had happened on the surface, it had given Orion Pax a cog, and it had something to do with Alpha Trion. But the Primes were dead… Dee shook his helm, trying desperately to process what Orion Pax was implying. If a Prime was still alive… If Orion Pax had a cog… Dee could hardly believe that stupid miner legend was true, and yet… He turned back just in time to see Orion Pax’s optics slowly show his desperation. “Please, you have to listen to me.”

“I will, but not here.” Dee slowly dropped his servo. He turned towards the main part of the mines. Unfortunately, he could see that Darkwing wasn’t distracted. If Orion Pax wasn’t careful (though Dee didn’t doubt the mech could easily sneak his way out the mines without being caught), Darkwing would notice and be furious. Dee would have to make up a story. He hoped Darkwing was stupid enough to believe that a cogged Orion Pax was a vastly different mech to the cogless Orion Pax. “Sneak out of the mines, stay near the mine area and I’ll find you.”

Dee nearly left but he turned back to stare at Orion Pax again. A part of him just couldn’t believe how… Unfortunately, turning back to look at Orion Pax meant he had to look up at those sweet blue optics that Dee could never seem to forget. This close, Dee could feel his face plate heat up. Orion Pax, even when he was cogless, had always been… Well, Dee had been charmed by him. Starscream would have teased him if he wouldn’t be so infuriated by Dee endangering himself by helping Orion Pax. Dee was infuriated at himself too sometimes.

“I’ll distract Darkwing. I know you can sneak out but I don’t want to leave this to chance. After I finish work, I’ll meet up with you. You can’t stay with your fellow miners now that you have a cog so you’ll have to stay with me in my quarters. Luckily, I rarely get visitors. Once there, you will explain what the frag you did and… what you found out.” Dee should walk away now. The longer they stayed, the higher the chances of Orion Pax being caught. Darkwing would look for him soon enough. “Orion Pax… you’re so stupid.”

“Huh?” Orion Pax stared down at him, those blue optics wide with such naivety that Dee wanted to strangle him. It seemed that Orion Pax hadn’t realized what Dee had. Orion Pax shouldn’t have gone back to the mines now that he had a cog, and he had no reason to believe Dee wouldn’t rat him out. Then again, this was Dee’s fault for overindulging the mech into thinking that Dee could be trusted. “I know it was reckless of me to follow a legend that I wasn’t sure was true but… It all worked out well, didn’t it, D-16?”

“Such blind optimism.” Dee shook his helm. This changed everything. If it had been any other mech, Dee wouldn’t feel so guilty. Forcing himself to turn away, he kept his back to Orion Pax. “We’ll talk later. You’ll have to think of a different designation in case somebody asks you who you are. I won’t be there to help you until later.”

“Oh! Um… I didn’t think that far… Got any suggestions?”

For the love of Primus why did he have to fall for the stupidest mech in existence?

Dee vented, trying to clear his processor of his irritation.

“Optimus.”

—

Pax sat awkwardly against a table as D-16 paced the room. He had just finished recounting his journey to the surface, his encounter with Alpha Trion, and the truth of what Sentinel had done. He was sure the other mech would have been astonished - or even horrified. Pax could still hardly believe it. Their whole lives were a lie. Sentinel had betrayed them all to the Quintessons. Pax could feel his spark ache. All those lives lost in the mines… Though, he couldn’t tell if the burning in his chassis was for those lost lives or his spark breaking down.

His blue optics continued to follow D-16, and that was enough to put the pain at ease. Alpha Trion had warned him this may happen. The other Primes’ cogs had deteriorated, so Alpha Trion had offered his own. But he had warned Pax that with Alpha Trion being sparkbroken, it may cause Pax some pain. If he wasn’t careful and got sparkbroken himself, it could even kill him. Pax tried to put his worries to the back of his processor. He had asked for a cog so he could use it to save his fellow Cybertronians, not to impress D-16.

Confessing and asking D-16 to be his conjunx could happen after they dealt with Sentinel. He would have enough time then to woo D-16. Speaking of… He still had the Megatronus decal on him. Aside from looking for D-16, he had gone back to the mines to get the decal. He would have looked for Bee or even Elita after he had spoked to D-16 but he couldn’t risk it, not after D-16 had practically invited him to his quarters, and Pax could still hardly believe that he was in D-16’s quarters. He had always imagined what it looked like…

Feeling his face plate heat up, he quickly tried to remove the thought from his processor. Back to the task at hand. He sat up from the table, making his way towards the other mech. He could hardly believe that he was taller now. He had gotten used to looking up at those yellow optics. Now, they were looking up at him. Honestly, a part of him will miss looking up at D-16. Though, he could learn to enjoy this new angle too. He tried to play it cool, leaning against the wall. “I heard you were a Megatronus fan.”

“Orion Pax, I don’t think this is the time for such casual conversation.” D-16 looked unamused, and Pax had to scramble how to approach this. Right, D-16 for all the kindness that he had always shown to the miners, was still a serious mech who always ensured the energon quota was met. “You just told me that Sentinel lied about being a Prime and that a true Prime, Alpha Trion, is still alive on the surface. You just showed me a memory of you witnessing Sentinel’s betrayal and the Primes’ deaths. You do realize how this changes everything, don’t you?”

“Yes, I know. That’s why I asked for a cog, so I could save Cybertronians… the same way you keep saving me.” Pax vented out, his spark burning. Luckily, D-16’s optics softened, as though he were apologizing for being harsh. “I know it’s a lot for you. It was for me. You told me to think before I acted, and I am! I know we can’t just go up to Sentinel and… I don’t know, confront him. We need to plan it out, but it’s a lot for you and I wanted to ease your processor for just a moment.”

Pax expected to be kicked out or slammed into the wall again, but D-16 only lowered his helm, as if he was processing Pax’s words. Frag, Pax wanted to kick himself. He had been right to trust D-16 with the truth, but he wasn’t sure what D-16 might want to do. D-16 had never really… he’d never felt what Pax and his fellow miners felt. He had always lived a good life in Iacon. D-16 had never been deprived of anything, and with his close connections to the High Guard— “Yes. I am a Megatronus fan. Why do you ask?”

“I…” Pax brought out the first edition decal, now sheepish even as he took in the awe and disbelief in D-16’s optics. Well, Pax guessed that even D-16’s connection with the High Guard couldn’t exactly get him what Pax was giving him now. Somehow, the idea of that made him feel almost proud. He had gotten D-16 something he wanted, and he’d done it even before he had a cog. “I wanted to give it to you a few days ago but I never got the chance. I mean if you don’t want it, I could just throw it away.”

“Throw it away?! Don’t! That’s not funny!” D-16 moved closer.

Pax grinned, moving the decal back a bit. “Wait, wait, don’t grab. You’ll crease it.” 

He couldn’t help it, he leaned closer to place the decal on D-16’s left arm. He only hoped that D-16 couldn’t see how flushed his face plate was now that he was this close to him. With the decal on, Pax leaned away, giving D-16 a small smile. “Looks good on you.”

“This is really cool.” D-16 placed a servo on the decal, his yellow optics full of so much joy that Pax felt his own spark fill up with happiness. “Thanks.”

“Yeah well, I got my servos on the decal and I heard you were a fan so…” Pax waved it off, though he really wanted to tell D-16 how hard he had worked to get that decal just for him.

D-16 narrowed his optics at him, letting out a small vent. “So… you got a cog to help Cybertronians? You want to do something about Sentinel?”

There was something in D-16’s voice that Pax couldn’t quite decode. Was it worry? Or was it… hope?

“Yes… why?”

“Okay. Maybe… maybe you’ll fit in perfectly.”

—

They had both wandered off into the roof, a block of energon in each of their servos as they stared up at the sky. He could feel D-16’s heat at his side as he stared down at his block of energon. D-16 had just finished recounting a story from when he had been a younger mech, and his antics with some of the High Guard seekers. The laughter had eventually dwindled, leaving them both to settle in a comfortable silence. This close to D-16, Pax couldn’t feel the pain in his chassis. He wished he’d gotten this chance much earlier.

D-16 wasn’t quite the mech Pax had dreamed about, but he was so much more. Without any other mech, D-16 had been open about what he really thought. Pax could hardly believe it, but somehow actually talking to D-16, genuinely being able to talk to him, made him want to love the mech more. D-16 had even been fascinated by Pax’s reason for sneaking into the archives, impressed at the curiosity that he had held. If Pax hadn’t been deprived of a cog, he just knew deep down in his spark that he and D-16 could have been good friends.

“I’m sorry.” He nearly jumped as D-16 suddenly spoke.

Pax frowned, “What for?”

“I was thinking about what you said, and I’m sorry. If Sentinel wasn’t in power, maybe you would have been a great archivist. You do a lot of reckless and stupid actions but…” D-16 smiled up at him. “I think you would have done well as an archivist. Maybe in another life, you would have been one, and I would have been a mathematician instead of a mining supervisor.”

At that last statement, Pax tilted his helm. “Why are you a mining supervisor? You could have been a mathematician. You have a cog. Nothing was stopping you.”

D-16 opened his intake… before quickly closing it. Pax could feel his curiosity rise but before he could ask, D-16 was already moving onto the next topic. “Aside from being an archivist, what other dream do you have?”

Pax let it go, though he would have to ask D-16 about that later. He processed the question, his optics looking over the bright lights of Iacon before settling on a hologram of the Iacon 5000. It wouldn’t happen for at least another deca-cycle, and while it was Sentinel’s ploy to distract everyone, Pax couldn’t help but yearn to join it. He had wanted to show everyone that a miner could win the Iacon 5000. With a cog, he could join if he wanted to.

He could feel D-16’s optics on him and he looked back in time to see a horrified look cross the mech’s face plate before it quickly morphed back into indifference. “The Iacon 5000?”

“Yes. Did you ever join? I don’t think I remember seeing you.”

“Never had the time, and I don’t care for it.” D-16 waved the idea off, a look of contempt and disgust in his optics. He focused instead on Pax. “Orion Pax, maybe you need to let go of this dream.”

“D-16, how could you say that to a mech who just got one of his three wishes granted?” He teased, before realizing what he just said. Pax quickly swallowed down his energon, hoping that D-16 wouldn’t ask.

Alas, Primus hated him since D-16 moved closer, their frames pressed close together. “Oh? And what are those three wishes?”

Unlike Pax, who would let D-16 get away from not answering his question about why the mech wasn’t a mathematician, he knew D-16 wouldn’t let the topic go. Pax vented, averting his optics. “I wished I could transform… that was granted.”

He didn’t look at D-16, and there was only silence from the other mech. Pax took that as a sign to go on.

“The second is race at the Iacon 5000, and the third…” 

Pax couldn’t say it. He forced himself to look back at D-16 whose optics had turned back towards the Iacon 5000 hologram. “I’m sorry, I can’t…”

“My first day as a mining supervisor, I chose to have two goals.” The other mech began. “The first was, as a mining supervisor, to ensure that the energon quota is met. The second was to play my role well. I was only supposed to have two goals.”

Those yellow optics met his again. “Then I had to change it to three.”

Pax vented, his spark felt like it would explode. Not out of pain but… something. “What was the third goal?”

Instead of answering, a cheeky smile appeared on D-16’s face plate. “Sorry, Orion Pax, you won’t tell me your third wish so I won’t tell you my third goal either.”

“What? Come on! Mine is personal, yours couldn’t be that bad!”

“How would you know? I haven’t even told you.”

“Fine, you tell me your third goal and I tell you my third wish.”

“Who goes first?”

“Uh…”

D-16 laughed, throwing his helm back, and soon Pax was laughing alongside him. “Guess neither of us will know.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, we have plenty of time to learn about one another…”

Pax sat up straighter, intake agape as he processed D-16’s words. The mech looked at him, unimpressed.

“You can’t return to your quarters. You’ll have to stay with me… here. And we still have to plan a counterattack against Sentinel.”

“You want me to stay here?” Nevermind, Primus must really love him.

D-16 scoffed. “What other option is there, Orion Pax?”

With that, they both dwindled back into silence. He thought over D-16’s offer, or well not offer, more like insistence. He would be living with D-16… He decided to push his luck even more.

“If I’m staying here, then we’ll have to get used to each other. No more Orion Pax. Just call me Pax. My closest friends call me Pax.”

He waited a moment.

“Okay… Pax.” 

D-16 smiled at him, yellow optics soft with… hopefully, affection.

“Call me Dee.”

“Okay… Dee.”

—

Megatron could hardly believe that the Iacon 5000 was near at hand. He could feel his frame shaking with anticipation, but also fear. Before today, he had spent a lot of time with Pax. It was a bad idea from the start, but Megatron couldn’t help himself. Pax had shown up with a cog, full of information he should have never known, and Megatron knew he had no choice but to bring the mech into the fold… well, as close as he could that is. He wasn’t sure how Pax would react to… well, Megatron was about to find out.

In truth, he hadn’t needed to keep Pax around after the mech had let Megatron record Pax’s encounter with Alpha Trion. He certainly had no reason to keep Pax around after he had told Starscream and the mech had sent some High Guard members to find the surviving Prime. He shouldn’t have let Pax stay, but damn him and his stupid spark. Megatron was selfish, and he wanted to believe that Pax would be invaluable to the cause. Surely Pax, who had admitted he wanted to help Cybertronians, would agree with the plan. Megatron had convinced himself of that truth.

“Expose and kill Sentinel during the Iacon 5000?! Are you both out of your processors?!” 

Megatron had been wrong. Of course, he always knew he would be.

With the Iacon 5000 so close to happening, Megatron had finally cracked and told Starscream that Pax had been staying with him for the past deca-cycle. The mech had been furious, which Megatron had expected. He remembered their conversation.

“You what?!”

“I just need to convince him to join our cause!”

“Megatron… I should have picked another sparkling all those cycles ago because I have clearly chosen wrong!”

“Yeah, well, you have bad judgment.”

“You little—”

Starscream had been furious, and had thrown another dramatic fit in front of Megatron, Soundwave, and Shockwave before finally calming down. As per usual, Megatron should have known that Starscream was only being dramatic for the sake of it.

“Fine, convince him if you can. I’ll come with you. I shouldn’t have let you indulge in this little spark-crush of yours.”

“You don’t have to come with— Wait, you knew?”

“Of course I knew, I raised you. Of course I would recognize the signs.”

“Soundwave told you.”

“...Soundwave told me.”

Now here they were.

He had brought Starscream to his quarters, much to Pax’s shock. Megatron had quickly explained the truth. Megatron had always known what Sentinel did to the 13 Primes. The High Guard, who were still loyal to the 13 Primes and against the Quintessons, had chosen to stay in Iacon all those cycles ago so that one day they could usurp Sentinel. With Pax’s help, they finally had a way to expose Sentinel for the fake Prime he was - and finally execute the mech for all the pain and suffering he had caused every Cybertronian. Of course, the High Guard would have to take over Iacon but Megatron expected that.

“This whole time… Dee you—”

“Starscream managed to get me a position as a mining supervisor so that I could convince the miners to rise up against Sentinel. I just didn’t… it may have been a cover, but Pax I meant everything. I do care about getting justice.” Megatron tried to reach for him, but Pax took a step back. He could feel his spark break but Megatron had prepared himself for this. He had no choice. He had to prepare for every contingency… even the one where he loses Pax. “This is how we get justice. With Sentinel gone—”

“Rebuilding Iacon cannot begin with an execution!” Pax vented out, blue optics trained entirely on him. “He deserves to be brought down. Everyone deserves to know the truth, but Dee… Attacking during the Iacon 5000? I understand that Sentinel needs to be taken down, but think of the innocent mechs who would be caught in the crossfire!”

“We’ve thought about it.” Starscream cut in. And with just those words, Megatron knew his time was up. They had made a deal. Starscream would let Megatron try to convince Pax to join them. He would give him time to. Now that Starscream spoke, he knew it was over. “If they know what’s good for them, they will stand aside and let Sentinel face his execution. Any Cybertronian who gets in the way, well… they’ve chosen the losing side and deserve to face the same fate as Sentinel.”

“That isn’t justice.” Pax spoke through gritted dentas.

Megatron kept his mouth shut, feeling Starscream’s servo land on his shoulder pad, squeezing slightly. It was over. He’d failed.

“Then you stand by Sentinel. Since Megatron is so fond of you, we’ll let you live this time. Run to the surface, live with that coward of a Prime if you wish.” Starscream let go of him, and he heard him move towards the door. He should follow, but his legs couldn’t move. He couldn’t look away from Pax’s optics.

“Pax, I— None of it was a lie. You just have to understand us. This is what’s good for Iacon. Pax, I…” Megatron took a deep vent. “Pax, I lov—”

“Megatron!”

He flinched, turning his optics away as he looked over his shoulder pad. Starscream was glaring at them, red optics turned to Pax. If Megatron didn’t leave now, he just knew a fight would break out.

“Either we leave this instant, or you’ll really understand how much I detest this little spark-crush of yours.”

He turned away, pausing when he heard Pax let out a weak laugh. He couldn’t bring himself to look back. Starscream had already left the room, having mustered the patience to let Megatron deal with Pax… for the very last time.

“So… Your real designation… It wasn’t even D-16, huh?”

“No.”

“You lied about a lot of things.”

“I know.”

“Goodbye, Megatron. I hope you can live with the justice you believe in.”

“Goodbye… Orion Pax.”

—

“You need to kill him.”

Elita’s voice broke through the haze in his processor.

After Dee… No. After Megatron and Starscream left, Pax had snuck back into the mines, managing to avoid the other miners. It had been a blur though, and before he knew it he had bumped into another mech. Luckily, it had only been Bee who had immediately freaked out at where Pax had been this past deca-cycle and why he seemed to be losing color. Bee had snitched to Elita-1, and even though the femme was still furious at him for nearly getting her demoted, they had both spirited him away to an isolated part of the mines - where no one could find him. 

Elita-1 had forced him to explain everything that had happened. Once he got to the part where he’d found out about Megatron’s deception, Pax had nearly keeled over. His spark had been burning ever since Megatron had left. No, his spark had been burning ever since Starscream had showed up to Megatron’s quarters.

He couldn’t believe he had believed that D-16 could have ever liked him. Pax could hardly even believe that Megatron had tried to use his affections for D-16 to manipulate him at the end. Pax had seen the way Starscream had placed his servo over Megatron’s shoulder. He had heard the disgust in the mech’s voice as he spoke about Pax. He had seen the look in the other mech’s optics when Megatron had tried to talk to Pax for one last time. Clearly… Megatron certainly had a connection to the High Guards.

His spark couldn’t take it. Alpha Trion had warned him. Pax just didn’t expect it would hurt this much. He’d heard how dangerous being sparkbroken was, but he hadn’t realized how much it would consume you. The worst part was feeling himself die slowly.

“You heard Elita, it’s the only way Pax. I mean… he lied to you! That’s so not cool.”

Being sparkbroken was usually fatal. You’d have to have a strong will to keep on living - like how Alpha Trion’s shame over surviving and his insistence that he didn’t deserve to be with his fellow Primes kept him alive all these cycles. Or… there was another solution.

“Pax, they’re planning an attack during the Iacon 5000. Not only will you be saving your life, but you’ll be stopping them in their plan.”

He could feel Elita’s servo on his shoulder pad, but even that felt too far away.

“You can’t let him do this to you. You can’t let them do this to the other Cybertronians. Pax, stop being stupid. You have to kill him.”

“We could kill him for you if you want!”

“Bee…” He forced himself to speak, glaring up at his two friends. He had collapsed on the ground at some point. He couldn’t even remember when. “I won’t.”

“Orion Pax, you asked for a cog from Alpha Trion because you wanted to help your fellow Cybertronians, now are you going to sit there and die because some delusional mech broke your spark?”

He knew Elita was doing her best to encourage him, no matter how edged her tone was, but Pax couldn’t do it. No matter how hard he tried to separate D-16 from Megatron, to understand that D-16 had never existed, he couldn’t. Everytime he tried to remember how much Megatron had broken his spark, all he could remember was their first night together on that roof.

Had that all been a lie?

Megatron had said he wanted to be a mathematician. Had that been an attempt to relate to Pax? 

He didn’t know.

“He’s not looking so good. Elita, we need to get a medic, or some energon, or… Do you think we could somehow get Megatron here? Pax could kill him and feel better.” Bee was spouting solutions, each one made Pax more nauseous than before.

There was another way to survive being sparkbroken.

Kill the cause.

“We can’t subdue Megatron, and he hasn’t come in for work. Darkwing has been grumbling about how it’s like he vanished from Iacon. The High Guard have gone missing too. A mission on the surface, or…” Elita murmured to Bee, but Pax could hear them. His spark flickered at her words. Megatron had left. He’d left Iacon, or he was hiding.

The High Guard and Megatron were probably already planning their attack during the Iacon 5000. They’d gone into hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to enact their plan. Pax could hardly bring his processor around it. He couldn’t imagine D-16 taking another mech’s life, yet that was about to happen.

Maybe he should have stopped it. Maybe he could have knocked Starscream out and convinced D-16 that their justice was wrong. That they could build the future together, not through violence, but peace.

But D-16 had never existed… he would have never listened to Pax…

“We have to get a medic. Pax, stay there. We’ll be back.”

He could hear Bee and Elita run back, leaving him to stew in his thoughts.

The pain in his chassis was unbearable. He could feel his own servos clawing at it, desperate to get rid of the T-cog - but he couldn’t get it off. Alpha Trion had warned him.

Now he was paying the price.

Slowly, the burning pain eased somewhat. A small reprieve that Primus granted him every now and then.

He had wanted to help his fellow Cybertronians, but he couldn’t even do that. He knew Elita and Bee were right. He needed to cure himself.

But wouldn’t that make him a murderer? Just like the High Guards and Megatron.

He couldn’t do that.

By killing Megatron, that would keep Sentinel alive to face justice not through execution. But Iacon would still be marked by violence. It’s just that instead of Sentinel, it would be Megatron’s death that would usher in the new era.

No.

Pax couldn’t do that.

He couldn’t kill D-16, even if that mech never did exist.

—

The first time Pax laid optics on D-16, it had been a typical routine in the mines. He had just placed newly mined energon into one of the minecarts and was wheeling it out when he had bumped into Darkwing. In typical fashion, the mech had turned to look at him, raising a fist to hit him. Pax had vented, bracing himself for an impact that had never come. He had opened his optics to realize that another mech had stepped in between them, and the hit that was meant for him had instead made contact with the other mech.

“I didn’t realize that this was how we treated our miners. How barbaric of you.” Pax had stood frozen as that deep voice spoke. It was the mech’s next words that stunned him even more. “When I was assigned, I thought it would be a great honor to work with our fellow Cybertronians who carried Iacon on their shoulders. How many mechs do you think these miners have kept alive? How many mechs have had to sacrifice themselves to the dark of the mines so that the rest of Iacon can have energon? Have you considered any of that, Darkwing?”

“D-16. The new mining supervisor… Tch. Protect these cogless miners if you want, just stay out of my way.” Darkwing had gritted out. At first, Pax had thought Darkwing would hit the mech again. Instead, he had backed off, giving Pax one last glare before turning away to probably harass another mech - far from D-16’s sight. Everyone who had watched the encounter had stopped what they were doing, completely stunned by what had just happened. Pax wracked his processor, his vocoder completely mute as he tried to find the right words to say. What could he even say after that?

“Are you okay?” The other mech hadn’t even turned to look at him, his optics focused entirely on Darkwing. Pax couldn’t remember what he had said, stumbling out maybe a ‘thank you’ or ‘yeah’. The other mech had only nodded his helm, and without so much as another word, had left Pax alone. He had wandered off to another mining group, barking out an order for them to get back to work - to forget what just happened. Pax stared at the mech’s back plate for a long time, up until the mech finally disappeared into one of the many mines.

Pax had felt something in his spark, and he hadn’t even seen the other mech’s face. Realizing he had been standing there for too long, he quickly got back to work, but he could not forget the incident. Even after the work had finished and he was back at his berth, his fellow miners were all recharging beside him but he couldn’t fall into recharge himself. He needed to see that mech again. He needed to know the color of his optics. He needed to see him. At least… he knew one thing about him.

D-16.

He’ll remember that. Always.

—

The first time Megatron had laid optics on Orion Pax, it had been entirely by accident. He had snuck away from the High Guard meeting, bored out of his processor. Starscream was entirely serious during the meeting and while Megatron would usually interrupt the flow by making him some quip or snarking at Starscream, he didn’t feel like antagonizing the mech - not when it was clear that Starscream was beginning to get frustrated by Sentinel’s continued excursions to the surface. Megatron knew when to pick his battles, even if he knew it would only ever escalate to a shouting match.

He had made his way to the archives, intending to study before he was forced to return to the meeting. Soundwave had probably noticed that he had left, but it was only a matter of time before Starscream noticed. Megatron had just entered the archive when he noticed a frame dart among the shelves. He froze. He had hoped to be alone but… well it’s not like he owned the archives. He let out a small frustrated vent, walking deeper into the dark archives, though he tried to keep quiet. He didn’t know why he did it. But he did.

A glimmer of light caught his attention, and he hid behind a shelf, peering through the sliver. The light came from a hologram, and before it stood a mech, entranced by the image. The mech’s back was turned towards him. Megatron would have left at that, but he was fascinated by the hologram that the mech had chosen to watch. It was about the Primes. He nearly laughed, guessing the mech was a fan. He had made a move to stand up, intending to spend a bit of time conversing with the mech, but then he heard the security drone.

“Halt, criminal! Prepare to be detained.” Megatron had casted a look behind his shoulder pad, worried that it was talking to him - even though he did have authorization. Seeing nothing, Megatron immediately turned back to the other mech, watching as he punched the security drone and began to run out of the archive. Megatron sat there, completely stupefied even as he heard the loud clanging of the security bots. The mech had already escaped them, but the security bots still looked around the area. He tried his best to remain inconspicuous. He didn’t want to be questioned about all this.

“Damn defective mining bot. It was probably Orion Pax again.” One of the security bots had growled out. Keeping quiet, Megatron waited until the two security bots finally left. He let out a small vent, processing the information.

A mining bot. Huh. 

Whoever they were, they were probably cogless too.

Despite himself, he could feel a bit of admiration rise in his spark. He hadn’t seen the mech’s face, but now he was interested. Who was this brave cogless miner who had snuck into the archives?

At least… he knew one thing about him.

Orion Pax.

He’ll remember that. Always.

—

It was not easy, but Pax had stumbled his way to Sub-Level 50.

He knew how angry Elita and how upset Bee would be once they realized he had left, but he couldn’t stay there. They would keep telling him to try and kill Megatron, which would only agonize him further. He knew they wouldn’t look for him down here. Not that they could even get to where he was. Not without cogs. Bee wouldn’t even dare to come back down here. Now, he would die alone. In a way, this is what Alpha Trion had warned him might happen.

His spark had become unbearable now. If he were to look down at his servos, he knew there wouldn’t be any color. He had transformed for one last time so he could make his way to Sub-Level 50. That had been the last straw. He had stopped transforming at some point, falling the last few levels. Still, the pain of falling was nothing compared to the pain in his chassis. It consumed him, and the cog was releasing sparks of light that he knew couldn’t be good. With his entire frame collapsed on the ground, he could barely stand up.

His optics tried to focus on the room he was in, the last place he’d ever see. It was dark, the furnace having long gone out now that there was no one to maintain it. The room was completely filled with unwanted scrap, like himself, like he soon will be. He felt sorry for Bee. He wondered if the younger mech had thought that this would be the last place he’d ever see too. Luckily, someone had gotten him out, having taken pity on him. Pax wouldn’t be so lucky. No one was coming to save him. Not this time.

He stumbled his way until collapsing against a wall. Despite the consuming pain and the way his optics began to darken, his processor could only focus on all his regrets. He was so sorry. To Alpha Trion. To Iacon. To his fellow miners and Cybertronians. Instead of using the cog he had been granted for good, here he was dying. Here he was being pathetic and sparkbroken when he could be out there trying to stop Megatron… Right… Megatron . But if he wanted to stop the violence, he’d have to commit one himself. And he couldn’t do that. Ever.

As he felt himself shut down, his processor let him have one last thought.

That day where he had been convinced to go to the surface.

D-16 had told him he wouldn’t always be there to save him.

Pax had known that, and he didn’t want to always be saved.

The worst thing about constantly being saved is knowing how weak you are, and being unable to do anything about it.

He knew there would come a day where D-16 wouldn’t be able to save him.

He just didn’t realize that it would be D-16 who would lead him to death.

—

There was a light.

Pax could not feel his body, and he was sure his optics were closed. Yet there was a light.

He felt as though he were floating.

He hadn’t known what would happen once a mech’s spark dimmed, but he hadn’t expected this. 

Then came the voice.

“Orion Pax.”

Who was speaking?

Where was he?

He couldn’t tell anymore. Was he floating or was he falling?

“I have watched your trials. Where many mechs would have chosen to live, you chose to sacrifice yourself for a mech you loved.”

Megatron…

“Alongside that, you chose to accept Alpha Trion’s cog, knowing it could kill you. You chose to reveal the truth and wished to fight for the rights of every Cybertronian. To correct the wrongs committed by Sentinel.”

The truth…

“You chose not to begin a new era with violence.”

Sentinel was about to be executed…

“The Iacon 5000 is soon to begin. It is not too late to save the mech you love and to stop the cycle of violence from repeating.”

Save… 

Could he really save Megatron…?

Did he still have that chance…?

“There is always a chance.”

Then he couldn’t die here!

Suddenly, his optics were open.

And he was back in that cave, well, a vision of it.

Pax let out a small vent, realizing that instead of the remains of the fallen Primes, there they all stood - staring down at him.

Alpha Trion moved closer, his optics shining with an apology.

“I warned you that you could die, and you still chose this path.”

“And I will, if given the chance to do everything all over again.”

“Cybertron needs you.”

Pax felt that heavy weight on his shoulder pads, but it was Alpha Trion’s next words that nearly got him to his knees.

“He needs you.”

“He doesn’t want me. We’re too… different.”

“Convince him, as he tried with you. Show him there is another path to building Cybertron’s future.”

“Could I really do that?”

“If he loves you enough, then maybe he’ll change his ways… for you”

Alpha Trion let out a small chuckle.

“Save him, as he has saved you.”

Suddenly, the vision began to disappear before Pax’s eyes. He stared up, desperately trying to follow after Alpha Trion who had turned to return to his fellow Primes.

Pax didn’t know how. How could he possibly save Megatron?

“Wait, how?! Tell me!”

“You’ll have to learn and decide that on your own.”

Soon, he could feel himself pulled upwards, no matter how hard he tried to reach back down. Pax stared down at all the fallen Primes, wishing for one last wisdom. Instead, all he got was a declaration that would forever alter his fate.

“Orion Pax, your noble sacrifice for the greater good has proven you worthy in the eyes of Primus. He entrusts in you the future of Cybertron, and... the Matrix of Leadership!”

—

Orion Pax died the day of the Iacon 5000.

In his place, Optimus Prime arose.