"Temptest," Soundwave walked up to the femme with an armful of rods. "Ratchet has requested sound-dampeners. You will bring them to him and apologize while you are there."

Temptest whined. "Nooooo, Optimus will be there."

"Irrelevant." Soundwave shoved the rods into her arms and pushed her outside. "Don't come back until you're done. Remember, this is your fault."

"Yeah, yeah," Temptest transformed reluctantly and took off.

This was probably for the best, anyway. When Temptest thought of her fight with Ratchet, all she could imagine was smacking herself in the helm repeatedly and chanting: stupid! stupid! stupid! Optimus and the other Autobots were no doubt disappointed and angry. They had every right to be.

"You were using violence and fear to control someone who is clearly less powerful than you! That is exactly the kind of unfair, cruel treatment that started this war in the first place!"

Temptest cringed. He was right. Everyone told her, all the time, that she was just an angry ball of revenge and that wasn't the Decepticon way. She had good intentions, sure, but the moment her temper flared...

She had to admit that somewhere in the dark, twisted lies that the false Prime whispered to her, there was an ounce of truth. She wasn't meant to be a Decepticon. She was as unforgiving and ruthless as an Autobot. It was hard to imagine that there was ever really a time when she had inspired Megatron to break the chains of slavery. Surely the innocence she had in her younger years had been beaten out of her by the war and death. It dripped out of her battle wounds and saturated the fields of Cybertron, alongside rubble and ash.

With the Autobot base approaching, Temptest pushed those thoughts aside. She transformed and landed, nearly forgetting to catch the sound-dampeners that went flying out of her alternative mode. She pushed the door in and looked around, thankful that Arcee wasn't pointing a blaster at her again.

The femme did, however, cross her arms and glare.

"Sorry," Temptest muttered, quickly scurrying past and into the main room, where Ratchet was sitting at his computer again and Bumblebee was sorting through Optimus's forgotten pile of scrap. "Ratchet, I brought the sound-dampeners."

The medic grumbled to himself before getting up and walking over. "Great, these will be helpful. Thank you."

He took them from her arms and went to leave, but Temptest followed him nervously. "I also— I wanted to apologize, you know, for what happened. I'm sorry I attacked you."

"Don't be," Ratchet replied off-handedly. "I needed the exercise. I've been couped up in this trash heap for too long. We all get a little stir-crazy."

"Oh... okay."

Ratchet glanced at her as he started walking to the back of the room. "And I'm sure Optimus gave you an earful, but don't let his reprimand bother you. He had a bad night."

Temptest followed him into the back of the room, which seemed to be part of the main room, but it was sectioned off by some of the taller human machinery. Ratchet started setting the poles up around the room.

"Is this where you recharge?" she questioned.

"Arcee usually recharges at her guard post by the door, but yes," Ratchet answered.

Temptest looked between the poles and the makeshift berths and frowned. "When you said Optimus had a bad night, did you mean he had a... a loud night?"

Ratchet sighed. "We've all been fighting a war. Everyone gets spark terrors sometimes; even with the matrix forcing him to suppress his emotions."

"I thought that was his choice?" Temptest pressed.

"It's his choice whether or not to let it," Ratchet responded. "It tells him what the best course is and sometimes, he listens. The matrix has no regard for Optimus's health. It just wants to stop the war, and an individual's life isn't important; especially one who has already pledged his life to it."

"That's terrible."

Ratchet nodded. "Yes, but Optimus handles it well."

Temptest watched for a little while longer as Ratchet set up the poles, but the task wasn't very complicated. The medic finished quickly and left the room, leaving Temptest standing in forced silence. She frowned and then left too.

"Where is Optimus?" Temptest questioned.

Bumblebee answered. "He's out on patrol, cooling down. It's probably better to leave him alone."

"Okay," Temptest smiled at the yellow scout before leaving.

Temptest felt a pit form in her gut as she flew back to Airachnid's base. She knew Optimus's emotions were wacko, but this was just... sad. How could he live like this?

"Temptest," Megatron's voice came over her comms. "Do not return to base. I need you to come to my position."

Temptest slowed down. "I need a groundbridge and coordinates."

"Yes, yes, but come quietly. Don't tell Soundwave."

"Why not?"

"I found something. We need to talk."

Temptest turned around and headed back to the Autobot base. "Alright, I'll be there in a moment. Hold on."

"Wonderful. I love you."

Oh. Temptest made a face. "Love you too?"

Megatron said no more, simply pinging her a set of coordinates, so Temptest went back to the base and pushed open the makeshift door.

"Back so soon?" Arcee questioned.

"Megatron needs me to groundbridge to his position," Temptest told her. "Do you think Ratchet will mind?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," Arcee shrugged.

Temptest shrugged back and went further inside, where Ratchet was sitting at his computer. He was always right there. Maybe he got his aft melted to it or something and he was trying to hide the leftover Ratchet paint that got stuck.

"Hey, Ratchet, can I use your groundbridge? Megatron asked for me and he says it's important."

"Whatever," Ratchet waved her away.

"Great!" Temptest walked over to the groundbridge and looked for a control panel. She found it hastily build into the side. Ugh, Autobot technology was atrocious in every dimension, wasn't it?

Temptest fired it up, set the timer, and made her way through. The bridge spat her out somewhere further East, perhaps Europe? Temptest didn't bother recalibrating her mapping system.

"Where are you?" Temptest wondered aloud. "Here, Megsy, Megsy, Megsy!"

"Temptest," his low voice rumbled from around a corner. "I told you to stop calling me that."

Temptest rolled her optics as she walked over. "Yeah, well— What the frag?"

Megatron was laying against the rubble of a building, his cannon arm and side melted and ripped. It was eerily similar to the wound he had a few years ago when Wheeljack detonated a grenade two yards away.

"Why didn't you get Knockout!?" Temptest demanded, running over to the mech in panic. "Or Soundwave?! Or literally anyone other than me!?"

"Soundwave is compromised," Megatron gritted his denta. "He groundbridged back, so the others are too."

"What?" Temptest gaped. "The frag happened?"

"Megatron," Megatron snarled. "The mech nearly killed me and Soundwave helped. We need to get Soundwave back and help him."

Temptest's spark throbbed. Betraying his friends and helping the enemy? That was an offense that struck painful close to home. If Soundwave was being manipulated, she needed to help him. And fast. Or...

"Are you sure it wasn't the Soundwave from the other dimension?" Temptest questioned.

"I'm sure," Megatron nodded. "I saw Megatron use dark energon to manipulate him. We will need the matrix to help him."

"Okay," Temptest nodded. "I'll go back and get Optimus and Ratchet."

"No," Megatron grabbed her arm. "Just the matrix."

Temptest shook her helm. "You're injured, you need a medic, and I certainly can't use the matrix without Optimus."

"You can pull it out of his chassis," Megatron said. "It won't hurt him."

Temptest looked at him in horror. "Of course not! I can't just take a matrix out of a Prime! Is the energon loss getting to you!?"

Megatron pulled her closer, his optics desperate. "Temptest, please. This is the only way to get Soundwave back and– and we can't lose anyone else. You need to trust me."

"But Optimus—"

"When have I ever led you astray?" Megatron questioned. "You need to take the matrix from Optimus."

Temptest stared at him, her faceplates etched with indecision. "I don't... why?"

Megatron suddenly gasped and grasped his side, his optics flickering with pain. "Ah!"

Temptest jumped forward and grabbed him. "Let me at least get you help from Ratchet first."

"No!" Megatron barked. "You must get the matrix. Do it for Soundwave, for me, for our small army here on Earth. I promise my reasons will be clear soon enough. You need to act quickly."

"Okay, alright," Temptest stood up and backed away slowly. "I'll... I'll be back. Hold on."

Megatron nodded. "I'm sorry, Temptest. Good luck."

She nodded, her brows furrowed, and reactivated the groundbridge. It swirled to life for her and she quickly ran through, right into the Autobot base, and ignoring Bumblebee's question, she ran outside and transformed.

"Optimus, send me your coordinates," Temptest spoke into her comms.

"Is something wrong?" he questioned as the location transferred.

Temptest took off after him. He hadn't gone far, especially for a flier.

"Maybe," Temptest quickly spotted him and landed. "I need to... confirm your identity."

Optimus transformed. "Is there reason to doubt?"

"I— Yes. Yes, weeee– we saw the other Optimus. I need to see the matrix again."

Optimus didn't look entirely convinced. "Are you sure?"

Temptest ran a servo over her helm. "Yes!"

The Prime frowned at her, scanning her with his optics, clearly not trusting the validity of her words. After a moment of indecision, the Prime set his intake into a firm line.

"Are you certain you are making the right decision?"

Temptest hesitated. This felt so wrong. It was the feeling she had when her Optimus, the damned false prime, placed his disgusting servo on her shoulder and told her to kill Megatron. And she complied.

But this time, Megatron was telling her to take something precious from Optimus. It wouldn't hurt him. It was to help Soundwave. She trusted Megatron.

Temptest nodded.

"Will my Autobots be harmed?"

She shook her helm. She didn't want to speak; she was afriad it would trigger tears. Even when he knew she was lying, when she threatened the matrix, Optimus only worried for his team. He relented, and his spark chamber opened with a hiss, revealing the brilliant light of his spark and the merged matrix. Temptest took a step back, no longer awed, but horrified.

How could anyone take something so precious?

Optimus walked forward, took her servo gently, and wrapped it around the matrix. "I trust you know what you are doing. Please protect my friends when I cannot."

And then he yanked her servo forward, the matrix still within her grasp, and smiled gently. Immediately, his spark energy fluctuated and his optics went dark. The Prime fell back, completely stunned.

No, not a Prime. Not anymore.

Temptest stood there, petrified, until Optimus moaned quietly and looked up at her, his optics bright and innocent. Confused.

She immediately took to the skies and left him as quickly as possible.