Death of Hope

Mausoleum

''Peering around this gigantic, quiet room, you feel the urge to speak only in hushed tones or not at all. The floors and wall here are pristine, with almost no features save a few stylized Autobot symbols. A row of caskets lines one end of the room. Each casket is opened to show the body of the Autobot resting within. Although there are no names on the caskets, you recognize each: Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet, Brawn, Wheeljack, Windcharger. They vary in appearance, size and function, but each has made the final sacrifice for their cause. The features of each Autobot are serene and composed, helping the peaceful nature of the entire room. Behind the others, slightly raised, lies a much larger casket.''

Contents:

Silverbolt

Lifeline

Open Casket Holding the Body of Optimus Prime

Obvious exits: Out O leads to Main Lobby - First Floor.

Silverbolt quietly walks his way into the Mausoleum.......of course...he's stonefaced as usual.

Seated on the floor, her back to Optimus Prime, is Lifeline, the newest addition to the Earth forces of the Autobots. She does not sleep; she is a robot, but she has not moved in hours. Sitting as she is, it also allows her to not have to face directly the morbid monuments of the other dead Autobots. For all intents and purposes, she remains simpyl staring off at nothing, in silence. Until, that is, she hears quiet footsteps of another arriving, and then for the first time in hours, her head turns toward the entrance to see who it is.

Silverbolt tilts his head as he sees Lifeline sitting there. Then realizes where he is. "Ah....In Denial?"

"Silverbolt, as I recall." Lifeline slwoly stands and takes a couple steps toward him, "I am having...difficulties, you could say. Yes." she looks curiously to him, "Why did this happen?"

Silverbolt says, "Power. That's the only thing I can say. Megatron craves power and to rule." he then looks towards Optimus' body. Rodimus Prime is our leader now. Optimus died to protect us all....and made decisions that baffles most of us today. Like my posting as the Aerialbot leader. Many of them perished during the second Cybertronian war.""

"Rodimus Prime," Lifeline seems almost to be tasting the name to see if it fits, and apparently she's undecided. "Mm...I doubt it is someone I knew." she leans her head a touch to the side, "It may have been a baffling decision to post you as he did, but you seem to have accepted it. Why do you remain, if most of your men are dead?"

Silverbolt shakes his head. "all of the Aerialbots are still alive. We even have a few more teams you might like to meet. Especially the Protectobots and Technobots. As for accepting it, Seems Optimus found something in me that I don't see myself." He then peers towards Wheeljack and Ratchet.....and chuckles. "heh. Wheeljack would be proud of First Aid. and Ratchet....well.....we have a medic that Sideswipe has nicknamed 'Nurse Ratchet'. All it does is tick her off, but Peacekeeper is a very very competant Combat Medic. I'd dare call her one of the best. Just....don't call her Nurse Ratchet.....ever."

Lifeline chuckles quietly, "I was told I would meet Peacekeerper. Unfortunately, I think it was under the...perhaps very unfortunate misguidance that I am a medic. As I told you prior, I am not. I bluffed. It is probably the only reason the Decepticon let me live, though I am sure he regretted it over the years. I am no medic...Just rescue."

Silverbolt nods. "Well....we can always use more medics. Especially when one of our medics keeps flying into Decepticon territory to take on the whole bunch all by himself. But that's up to you, Lifeline." he then holds out his hand. "When you get up....I'm going to ask you to do something?"

"Perhaps that is why the Autobots are losing the best among them," Lifeline still pointedly does not look toward the obect of whom she is probably speaking, "Because they are wreckless. They could learn a thing or two frum the little guy. Bumblebee." But then she wonders, "What is it you would ask me to do?"

Silverbolt snerks. "Bumblebee's been acting really reckless lately as well. I mean...going one-on-one with Megatron isn't all that smart really." He then sighs. "I want you to look at them, Lifeline. Wheeljack, Ratchet, Prowl....and Optimus Prime."

"No." is Lifeline's calm response. "I have seen the others," and with a hand she indicates the caskets bearing the fallen Autobots, "And will mourn their loss. But not the other. Not *him*, Silverbolt. Not until Megatron lies in that display."

Silverbolt peers to Lifeline. "Lifeline.....stand up....and take a good look at Optimus Prime. Not at his body.....at his face."

"No." Lifeline echoes her previous sentiment, moving to step torward him with an almost scolding finger, "*You*, here on this planet, may be willing to accept defeat but some of us are not. Optimus Prime has been a beacon of hope, and I will not accept that the hope he represents is dead."

Silverbolt blinks his optics. "Willing to accept defeat? Optimus Prime might be deactivated, but his ideals live on. Hope for peace live on in each and every one of the Autobots.....except for maybe the Dinobots. and I know for a FACT that Protectobots were formed to protect the Terrans of this planet. Optimus Prime's ideals are NOT dead....not by a long shot." he says as he pushes Lineline's pointing finger away from him.

Lifeline seems surprised as he pushes her hand away, as if that's never happened before. She kind of stares at her hand a moment in surprise before it returns to her side, "But he is. You let him die."

Silverbolt says, "No I didn't. I guarantee you that if the Aerialbots were on Cybertron....Superion would have crushed Megatron before he could raise his cannon." He says almost angrily. "and no one should take the blame for someone's death, Lifeline. It would only tarnish Optimus' memory.""

"Your war was on Earth, why were you on Cybertron!" Lifeline seems quite frustrated, beginning to move about in irritation, flustered almost. It's unlikely that her anger is personal, but poor Silverbolt does seem to be the unfortunate receptor at the moment, "You are on Earth now. Crush him! He has Vigil, will we be putting him here as well? Or are we going to be able to save him! There is always someone to blame, Silverbolt. Because if we were not making the mistakes we are, then the people around us would not be on display like objects in a museum...Nothing more than memories. There is no life in here, and there should be. Words of wisdom, recordings of their moments of glory! otherwise, all there is, is death....And how can hope live, surrounded by death?"

Silverbolt shakes his head. "you want to keep blaming others, Lifeline....go ahead. I'm not going to stop you. But if you're going to blame Autobots for Optimus' death.....blame us all. We all could've been there, and could've jumped in front of Megatron's killing blast. Is that what you want? To make us all doubt ourselves? If that's why you're here....you can go RIGHT back to Cybertron. Here, Legacies live on. Optimus Prime and his wish for peace. Wheeljack and his creative genius, Ratchet and his ability to bring a spark to a dead Autobot....and Prowl....his devotion to duty. You tarnish all of their memories by laying any sort of blame......and opening old wounds that have been closed with determination to live up to Optimus Prime's dream." he then stands up straighter. "How do you go on when the Autobots around you are dying left and right?" he then stands up straighter. "I'll repeat to you what Optimus said to me when he first posted me as Aerialbot commander. 'You'll find a way.....No firepower in the world, nor any muscle in the world can stop a brilliant mind.'"

"What I want, Silverbolt," Lifeline replies, approaching the proud Aerialbot commander, her tone softening somewhat, "Is to know that we are all taking responsibility for each other's wellbeing. If you died today, then that would be my personal failure. And Blurbles--" Poor Blurr, she's still not entirely sure what his name is, "Bumblebee, Jetfire, Defcon...We'll all have failed. Not the Autobots, as a whole, mind you, and not just ourselves, but we'll have failed you, too. We have a responsibility to see to it that every single Autobot comes back alive...When they die, then we have failed. And we have to accept responsibility for that mistake. We are better than that, and no one deserves to be labeled as a casualty of war."

Silverbolt makes an odd face....and turns his head to the as if in thought before looking back. "How long have you been an Autobot?"

Lifeline doesn't answer at first, and then finally replies, "A very long time. The actual years are...kind of a blurr. I did just spend who-knows-how-long in a pod. With a Decepticon. And not a very interesting one."

Silverbolt chuckles. "Then I suggest you worry more about your function....than the Autobot code, Lifeline. We're all here to assist each other in times of peril and each of us would take a laser shot for another if need be. Laying blame only degrades the faith we have in each other. Besides.....we have enough Shenanigans in Metroplex without having to add to it."

"There is more to me than my function, Silverbolt, and I am certainly not going to duck my head down and pretend like everything is all right, and just be a good little gumby and not worry about the bigger picture." She sighs and shakes her head, "I think I need to find somewhere to be alone....I wonder what Fusion is doing."

Silverbolt says, "I'm just a soldier, Lifeline." he says before heading out of the mausoleum without another word."