FOUR: NO ONE ELSE BUT ME
--The past--
The drive to Durax had been a short one, as the polity bordered that of Ultirex. Weaving through streets of Empties and prophets, Orion eventually reached a worn-down shack marked by the sign FerakTech, although the lights of some of the letters had gone out, spelling out "AkTec" instead.
Detaching from the trailer that contained Hefter's body, Orion transformed and knocked on the door to the shop. After a minute or two, it slowly creaked open, revealing a red-faced white mech with gray wings.
"Yes?" he said.
"Are you Ferak?" Orion asked. "Ratchet told me you were friends with Wheeljack and suggested I come to you."
"Ratchet, eh?" Ferak looked him up and down. "And you would be...?"
"Orion Pax, Iacon Security Force. But my business here is off the record."
"Oh, right. Optronix's brother. I've heard of you." Ferak tilted his head. "What can I do for you?"
"May I come inside? I have something to show you."
Nodding, Ferak stepped aside and Orion pulled the trailer inside. As Ferak closed the door behind him, Orion looked up to see he wasn't the only bot in the shop. Two others stood in front him, looking too intimidating to be mere customers.
Orion frowned. "Uh, did I come at a bad time?"
"Not at all," Ferak said from behind him. "In fact, the fun's just about to start."
Without warning, something struck Orion in the back of the head and he fell to the floor, disorienting him. As the room spun around him, he felt himself be hoisted up in the air by a large blue hand.
"This is for Hefter, murderer," a gruff voice growled into his audio.
"What? I didn't--" Orion cried out as he was thrown against the wall, knocking over a shelf with tools in the process.
"Horri-Bull!" Ferak cried out. "Watch it! Those are precious items!"
"So?" the brutish mech replied. "It was worth it."
"Look, I hate him as much as you, but that's not a good reason to wreck my shop! Besides, we need him alive."
"Alive?" the other bot asked. "Why?"
"Because he's Orion Pax, Needlenose!" Ferak said. "Megatron's Autobot brother! Imagine the reward we would get for turning him in! We would become more than just petty thugs!"
"Like, what, non-petty things?" Needlenose asked. "I don't know, pal, I just don't think Megs wants anything to do with his baby brother anymore."
"Baby... brother?" Orion winced as he got back to his feet, rubbing his head. "Is that... all I am to you?"
"Uh, yeah?" Needlenose shrugged. "I mean, what else separates you from any other Autobot? Red and blue color scheme? Nothing special. Delusions of heroism? Please, that's every Autobot ever."
Orion smirked. "Oh, yeah? Well, let me show you that this 'baby brother--'" He deployed his battle mask over his face. "--Is about to become your worst nightmare."
Needlenose cocked his head. "How cute. He's even got the same mouthplate."
"Yeah, you guys deal with him," Ferak said, stepping away. "I'll give Soundwave a call. Try not to break my stuff."
As the engineer slipped away, the other two Decepticons charged towards a battle-ready Orion....
--Now--
Night had fallen on the nameless planet and the stars were out.
Doublecross and Twinferno were fast asleep, their shared body curled up. But Optimus could not find the will to do the same. He didn't know what was out here, if anything at all, and decided it was his duty to keep watch.
As he sat there, he looked down at his body and marveled at its black and teal colors. How had he ended up back in his Nemesis Prime form? Had he not successfully push back the separate personality a year ago now? How had it managed to resurface?
"You had your fun. Now it's my turn."
Startled, Optimus looked up to see an exact replica of himself sitting before him, purple optics glowing rather than blue.
"You did your part in defeating Unicron," Nemesis Prime said. "Your time is over. Mine has finally arrived."
"Why, though?" Optimus asked. "What do you hope to accomplish? The Decepticons are finished--"
"The Decepticons?" Nemesis laughed. "Who said anything about them? I'm my own bot now, Optimus; no longer Megatron's pet project."
"No," Optimus said firmly. "I won't allow it. This is my body."
"Is it?" Nemesis looked him up and down. "No offense, but black doesn't really suit you."
Growling, Optimus got to his feet, a move which Nemesis mirrored. He grabbed the dark copy's shoulders and Nemesis his.
"How did you resurface?" Optimus asked, shaking Nemesis. "I thought I had pushed you out!"
"You can never be rid of me, Optimus," Nemesis cackled. "I am further ingrained in your consciousness. I am you and you are me. Two halves of one whole. Two sides of a coin--"
"Okay, I get it!" Optimus snapped. "But how did you get control of my body again? How did I even end up here? What is going on?"
At this, Nemesis stopped laughing, his expression turning serious. Surprised by this, Optimus let go of Nemesis and stepped back.
"I don't know how you -- we -- got here," the dark Prime said quietly. "First thing I remember is awakening in the arena, fighting that... thing."
"Do you remember any details?" Optimus asked. "Was there an announcer of any sort who said where you were fighting or why?"
Nemesis shook his head. "None of the sort. I just remember fighting."
Optimus sighed. "Then you're as clueless as I."
"What did you expect? We're the same bot." Nemesis fell silent for a moment, his gaze moving towards the horizon. "You know... I'm beginning to realize that coming out of dormancy isn't as cracked up as I thought it would be."
"Oh?"
"I mean, we're out in the middle of nowhere on some dirtball planet. What's even the point? There's nothing here to fight or to conquer. It sucks."
"So, what? Are you going to return to the recesses of my subconscious again?"
"Of course not." Nemesis sighed. "But... I suppose I should let you remain in control... for now. You always seem to know what to do better than I."
"I wish that was always so," Optimus murmured. "Because right now, I'm at a loss on where to go from here."
"Are you sure? Because...." Nemesis paused before slowly nodding in realization. "Oh, right. I'm distracting you. Give me a second."
Before Optimus knew it, Nemesis had vanished from view... just as a booming voice assaulted his senses.
PRIME.
Optimus cried out as he fell to his knees, clutching his head. Doublecross and Twinferno both awakened from their slumber and looked at him in alarm.
"He has his colors back!" Twinferno exclaimed.
"Optimus?" Doublecross moved over to the Prime. "Are you all right?"
"West," Optimus muttered. "We must go west."
"Why?" Twinferno asked. "What's west?"
"There's a Titan here, on this planet," Optimus replied. "And it's calling to me."
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