#duobus

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This tunnel appeared rocky, though touching the wall told him it was at least semi-metallic. Long defunct lights were wired along the walls and ceiling.

"We're in a mine..."

Megatron shouldered by. "Yes...your intelligence is amazing."

"I've...I've never seen one in person before."

"Ugh, what in the world did you do with your life before you became a leader? Paperwork?"

The derision was thick enough to taste. Optimus sneered behind his mask and felt suddenly ashamed of his previous job.

"Yes, I did." He said. "Most of what I knew about the miners, I learned by reading the records passed across my desk."

All that reading...it made him thirst for battle. He always loved a good brawl--especially with miners who hung out in taverns, but not as a leader--not as someone so visible his triumphs and failures were known by all.

"That explains a lot. Well, Optimus, while you were up there in your little air-conditioned office, hoping you wouldn't strain a finger filing something in a drawer, I was down here working my servos off, digging out the materials used to build your cities and processing the energon you sipped on break...and the only personal possession I had to call my own was my name. I have worked for every moment of my leadership." Megatron narrowed his eyes, and Optimus wasn't sure if it was jealousy or anguish that sprinkled ice in his voice, "You've had everything handed to you, Optimus Prime. It's a wonder you survived this long! Now your grand cities are gone. Your men are gone. You are utterly alone. You have no electronics and no one to hand you what you want. You've lost everything you sought to protect from me. All you have left is your name. What does that make you feel?"

No wonder the haunted look hung around Megatron's features. Most of the buildings were made of the metals he mined from these tunnels. The men who worked for him were chosen by him alone, not presented as worthy soldiers. He saw all his hard work, all the glory he scraped from the dust in the ground, demolished in the flicker of an optic.

"I don't think this is a time to argue about our origins," Optimus sought to diffuse this fight before it began. He swallowed the anger and pain Megatron chipped free. Paperwork wasn't his only job...but said nothing because it'd just give Megatron more verbal ammunition. He felt lower than the ground and didn't want to face it in Megatron's presence. "We should get moving. I doubt this level will stay cool for very long."

"Yes, yes, ignore everything I just said. Ignore that which you don't want to hear. Autobots are incredibly skilled at that." Megatron stepped in Optimus' path and the lights on his shoulders became blindingly bright. "Cybertron is virtually decimated. We are the only ones left. Nothing to come between us. We should finish this war once and for all."

"I see no need to resume our battle!" Now Optimus began to lose his temper. It boiled in flaming waves somewhere behind his Spark. "Fighting won't accomplish anything, Megatron! Even if you won, you have nothing to conquer!"

"Oh, yes I do." Megatron grinned, baring his fangs. "I'll conquer you."

"Right. You beat me. Then what? You lord over a dead planet. What's the point?"

"Tch, you never change, do you?" Megatron clicked his tongue, "Knowing I ground you into dust, and knowing I'm strong enough to survive longer than you...that is the point."

Optimus threw his hands in the air. "Fine! Shoot me! Spend the rest of your life alone in this hole and die right where you started!"

Laughter greeted him. Megatron waved his hand and doubled over, slapping his knee. "I--had no idea--you had a temper..." He continued to guffaw. "You should see yourself!"

"I also have the fuel." Optimus countered, but his statement had no effect on the situation. He realized Megatron wanted him to turn around and hit him. His self control was being tested. He refused to give in and punch his rival. It didn't seem right anymore--him, one of society's jewels grinding a dirt smear under his heel. Miners were always seen as disgusting, uneducated and uncouth. They were the trash of society, the dirty specks marring an otherwise perfect picture.

Maybe the Autobots were to blame for the war, for neglecting those who worked the hardest. Those who lived on the surface weren't too happy about Mini-Cons taking over the work of the miners...because it meant those filthy workers emerged into the daylight. The unseen, unheard people of Cybertron were suddenly in front of everyone. They were met with contempt and walled off, probably forced to live in the same filth they sought to escape.

And what did the Decepticons do about that? They rioted. They started fighting for what they believed they had a right to have. A leader was needed and Optimus found himself chosen. The Autobots wanted someone to stop the violence with force. The fighting escalated into a war.

Optimus felt smaller than dust under Megatron's heated glare. Decepticons weren't evil for evil's sake. They were made. Combined with the massive, immeasurable loss he witnessed above ground, he was amazed he didn't crumble into subatomic pieces inside.

"Yes," Megatron whispered, answering his silent question. "I always knew I'd die in filth. What makes me laugh is knowing you will as well. So, let's have a little fun and see who lives the longest down here, shall we?"

"Fine."

It had been a long couple of days for Yuna, what with her having to help her little sister with mother nature's gift and her boyfriend disappearing. She knew he had a mission from Shinra, but it being so immediate and he not saying anything was almost concerning. However, she pushed all of this to the side this evening as she trailed into her favorite caffé. Live performers played every Saturday, and she was sure this would take her mind off of everything.

Looking around, she didn't see anyone she could call an acquaintance, and selfishly, she smiled. To be honest, tonight wasn't one she wanted to share with anyone she knew; she either wanted to isolate herself, or jump into a see of new.

As her eyes reached a table towards the corner, she noticed a familiar young girl sitting there, seemingly patient.

"Deuce," she named mentally, eyeing her for a moment before deciding this was the sea of new she wanted to dive into.

Smiling, she approached the girl and asked,