Attack on prime

Eren looked in slight awe at the new location for the Survey Corps. The castle was pretty dirty but it was huge.

He got off of his horse and tied the rope to the post so the horse wouldn't run off. He looked over to see Petra and Oluo bickering about biting tongues and pretending to be Levi. He also saw Eld and Gunther walking towards the castle. Eren wasn't really focused on that though.

He was more focused on the fact that these guys, or Levi's squad. They were the best of the best and chosen by Levi himself, and were also the ones who could kill him if he ever goes on a rampage. But there was also...

Eren looked over to see the red caravan come to a stop, before it shifted into the metal titan, or rather Optimus Prime. Optimus stood up fully before he began to stretch his arms.

"I'm not going to get used to that," Eren heard Eld remark.

Eren glanced back at Optimus before turning away. He really didn't trust him at all. He probably would've said because Optimus was a titan, but almost everyone else considered him a titan as well, even if he was born human.

But it wasn't even Eren's fault that he was like this. Every time he tried to remember, he would end up having a huge headache. At the worst, he would pass out.

And even if Optimus did help humanity, who knows when he'll turn on them. But after what he did in the courtroom, he was a little unsure.

"Optimus Prime, you will be handed over to the Survey Corps," Zackley declared.

"Understood, your honor," Optimus said.

Eren widened his eyes as Optimus walked over to him, causing everyone to whisper in confusion. Eren looked over to see Optimus pull the metal rod that held him down.

Eren didn't realize how weak he felt after Levi beat him up. He almost fell over, but Optimus caught him before he hit the floor.

"Are you alright?" Optimus asked.

Eren was about to answer, but he winced in pain. Optimus then carefully lifted Eren to his feet.

"Hey, what are you doing?" the merchant demanded, "Why are you helping that monster?"

"Monster or not, as far as I am concerned, he's not a threat. I simply see him as someone who needs medical attention." Optimus calmly told him.

Eren widened his eyes in shock. Why was he helping him? They didn't know each other, yet the titan was helping him. Who was this guy?

Eren wasn't really sure if he could trust him. No matter how many lives he saved, he really wasn't sure.

Eren looked back at Optimus, only to find him looking down at him while stretching. Eren quickly turned around in embarrassment before Optimus could notice.

Optimus quirked an eyebrow as he noticed Eren turning away. Optimus mentally sighed. Knowing from past experiences, it would take a while for the humans to trust him, especially ones in the military since they were more cautious. But he noticed that everyone was high-strung and on alert, even if they didn't like it.

Looks like it was back to square one.

"Look at all the weeds," Eld observed, "What a mess,"

"It hasn't been used for years," Gunther reminded, "Inside is probably covered in dust."

"That's a serious problem. We'll begin immediately," Levi proclaimed.

Optimus was confused. Begin what?

Optimus slightly deadpanned. He really did not expect cleaning. He understood the conditions of the building would not be suitable for a human to live in, but Levi was taking this very seriously.

While the rest of the humans were responsible for the inside and the windows, he was responsible for moving heavy objects, and for some reason, taking the vines off of the walls.

From fighting to cleaning, it was weird, but he preferred this better than fighting. But this place, the Survey Corps, was rather odd. There was an ambiguous Commander, a man who bites his tongues at odd times, a clean freak, a titan shifter, and the Miko-Silas combo.

Optimus mentally sighed. It's like you have to be crazy to survive this world. But if this was the way to gain their trust, he might as well just comply to this.

Optimus looked over at a window to see someone quickly hide behind it. Optimus kept a blank expression. If Eren was trying to observe him without getting caught, he needs to do a better job at it.

Optimus heard a yelp as he saw the man Eld slip and almost fall off the roof, but he caught him in his servos.

"Are you alright?" Optimus asked as he slowly set him on the ground.

"Yeah," Eld answered rather awkwardly as he got off of his servos, "Thanks for the save."

"Hey lovebirds," Levi called out through a window, "Get back to cleaning."

Optimus sighed before walking to the side of the castle. This was going to be a long day.

"Erwin, do you really think it's wise to talk about our strategies to him?" Mike asked as the two walked down the hall.

"So far I don't see the problem," Erwin answered, "He was a commanding officer. It could beneficial if his experiences help us in our missions."

"But he could use that against us," Mike retorted.

"With or without it, Optimus can destroy humanity with what he already has," Erwin explained, "but he said that he has no reason to attack humankind."

"I'm still unsure about it," Mike said, "Even though there isn't any malice from him."

"Then you shouldn't have much to worry about," Erwin reassured.

"And that's what scares me," Mike admitted.

The two arrived outside of the castle to see Optimus carrying logs of woods and stacking them.

"Optimus," Erwin called out.

Optimus stopped and looked down to see Erwin and Mike looking at him.

"Commander Erwin," Optimus greeted.

"You mentioned before that you didn't know much about our world," Erwin recalled.

"That is correct," Optimus answered.

"I would like to discuss with you more about humankind's history. And with your military experience, you could help us with strategies on receiving checkpoints and reclaiming Wall Maria," Erwin explained.

Optimus was silent for a moment before he transformed into his alt mode. Erwin slightly widened his eyes while Mike kept a neutral expression as Optimus' holoform appeared.

"Where do we begin?" Optimus asked.

Optimus watched as Erwin opened a door to a form of office. Optimus looked around to see books stacked against shelves. There was sunlight from the window shining down on an armor suit that was in a corner. He noticed a desk in the middle of the room that had a sketch of some sort of formation.

"The sketch," Optimus began.

"It's a formation we use when scouting in Wall Maria," Erwin explained as he walked over to the chair and sat down. "We use this to avoid titans so there would be less casualties, but the casualties are always an average of thirty percent."

"The titans, what are they exactly?" Optimus asked.

"We're unsure. It was said over a century ago that they appeared, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction. The surviving humans built three walls: Maria, Rose, and Sina. Humanity has endured a century of peace until the Colossal and Armored titan broke through Wall Maria." Erwin explained, "We've lost Wall Maria to the titans, and we've been trying to regain it by sealing the breach, but we haven't made it that far. And after Eren sealed the breach in Trost, the route that's been made for the past five years has gone to waste."

"So if you can reach the wall and seal the breach, then you shall regain the territory you have lost," Optimus assumed.

Erwin nodded his head. "I want to know if there are any changes that need to be made."

Optimus looked at the paper and studied the formation. "There is no flaw within the formation. I feel as though the only issue is technology. Your race does not have weapons that can easily kill the titans. If you had advance technology on you missions, there would be less casualties."

"I see," Erwin said, "You mentioned in the courtroom that you would help us create more weapons."

"It depends on the resources here," Optimus retorted as he picked up a book from the shelf, "however, I am concerned whether or not the weaponry falls into the wrong hands. I do not wish for a civil war to happen amongst your kind."

"We're going to have to be careful with technology then," Erwin assumed.

Optimus nodded his head.

"Erwin, when are we going on our next expedition?" Mike asked.

"In thirty days," Erwin answered.

"Isn't that too sudden?" Mike asked.

"Maybe, but we need to prove that Eren and Optimus are helpful to humanity," Erwin explained, "If we don't the Police will-"

"You are an ambiguous man, Commander Erwin," Optimus cut off without looking up from the book, "but it's not hard to see through your lie."

Erwin looked at Optimus in shock while Mike kept a neutral expression.

"He's right," Mike agreed, "Don't try and use that trick."

Erwin smirked. "You two are very sharp."

"I was never deluded in the art of deception," Optimus explained as he put the book back, but what are you truly aiming for in your expedition?"

"I'll tell you both when the time comes," Erwin answered.

Optimus heard a zapping noise and looked at the holoform's hand to see it losing shape.

"It would seem I need to disperse my holoform." Optimus observed.

"That thing has a limit?" Mike asked in surprise.

Optimus nodded his head before looking at Erwin. "I will speak with you another time, Commander."

"I look forward to it," Erwin said.

Optimus turned away before the holoform dispersed into blue sparks.

"I'm not going to get used to that," Mike admitted.

"Neither am I," Erwin agreed, "but we still gained a valuable ally to humanity."

Optimus looked up at the starry night while all the other humans remained inside the castle.

There was one thing Optimus did enjoy about Earth, and it was the stars. Just looking at them reminded him of Cybertron during the Golden Age.

'Cybertron,' Optimus thought before shaking his helm. The Autobots were fine. They were fine. He didn't have anything to worry about, even if he did feel 'homesick' as the humans would call it.

He really did miss Cybertron, and even when they got it back, he had to sacrifice himself so that new life could emerge on Cybertron. He was going to sound selfish, but all he wanted was to live out his remaining life in peace.

But it didn't matter now, the humans need his help and he will sacrifice his life so that they can be free. If Primus did send him here, he completely understood why.

Optimus was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a grumbling noise from his stomach.

'I have not had energon,' Optimus realized. He looked through his data and saw that he had enough energon to last him a while, but he still had to find more.

He ran a scan throughout the area and found that there was a decent amount of energon pockets nearby. How he was able to detect energon without a tracker was probably because of Primus.

But he probably couldn't leave the area unsupervised. He would have to go with someone, and the only person that would want to go would be-

"Hi, Optimus!" a voice called out.

The Survey Corps Squad Leader Hanji Zoe.

Optimus turned around to see Hanji waving at him while holding a flame torch in her hand.

"Wow, your eyes can glow in the dark," Hanji observed.

"I see that you are back from your experimentation," Optimus remarked. Optimus remembered hearing that Hanji as experimenting on two titans that were captured in Trost.

"Yep! I would love to stay and chat, but I need to speak with Eren about tomorrow's experiments. Do you know where he's at?" Hanji asked.

"Inside the castle," Optimus answered.

"Thanks. Titan, here I come!" Hanji yelled with excitement as she ran inside.

Optimus groaned quietly. If titans weren't going to be the death of him this woman would be.

"She?" Eren questioned.

They all heard a yell as someone slammed into the door. Petra walked over and opened the door to reveal Hanji rubbing her head.

Well then, hey, squad Levi," Hanji greeted as she recovered and waved.

"I thought you were experimenting with the titans, or would be tinkering with Optimus," Levi remarked casually.

"I just couldn't wait, and I barely had any time to talk to Eren," Hanji explained as she walked over to Eren, "I came to talk to you about joining me with experiments tomorrow.

"But what are you going to-"

"Something so cool!" Hanji cut off with excitement, "So I came to ask permission."

"I can't exactly grant permission to myself." Eren explained.

"Levi, what's Eren doing tomorrow?" Hanji asked.

"Cleaning the courtyard," Levi answered.

"Alright then," Hanji smiled before holding Eren's hand, "Eren, see you tomorrow."

"But what exactly are we going to experiment-"

"Hm?"

Eren slightly raised his voice in confusion at her action. "What exactly are we going to experiment on?"

"Hey, stop!" Oluo warned, "Don't ask her something like that."

"Ah, I knew it. I knew you looked interested to learn," Hanji smiled.

Levi put his cup on the table before getting up and walking out of the room while everyone else followed the suite.

"Well then, let me tell you about the two boys we caught," Hanji began as she sat down.

Optimus heard the doors open and looked down to see the woman Petra walk outside with a torch.

"What are you doing up this late?" Optimus asked, "Shouldn't you be asleep at this time?"

"I was just going to check up on the horses." Petra answered rather awkwardly, "Don't you think you should sleep too?"

"I could not sleep," Optimus admitted, "What about your comrades?"

"They went to sleep," Petra answered, "except for Eren."

"Where is Eren?" Optimus asked.

"With Hanji," Petra answered.

Optimus kept a blank expression as there was silence.

"I am compelled if I should help him or not," Optimus admitted.

"Unless you want to be kept up for the rest of the night," Petra said before walking away.

Optimus looked over at the castle and sighed. May Primus bless his soul.

Eren stared off into space as the circles under his eyes got darker. He could still hear Hanji actively talking about the titans.

When they started the conversation, Eren was really interested in learning about the titans, or Sawney and Bean. But as they continued the conversation, Eren grew tedious by the minute while Hanji just chronically talking. He didn't know how long he could last.

"Did you get that Eren?" Hanji asked.

"Yeah," Eren answered.

"Now, I'm going to put my theory." Hanji said.

The doors suddenly opened to reveal a soldier run in.

"Is Hanji Zoe here?" the soldier asked frantically.

"What's wrong?" Hanji asked.

"The test subjects have been killed," the soldier answered.

Optimus couldn't believe it. He really couldn't believe it. After he woke up from his recharge while in his alt mode, he decided out of curiosity to see Eren was doing with Hanji.

Hanji wasn't even tired. Her life signature was totally fine as she continued to talk about who knows what. Eren was barely surviving. Her life signature was fading and Eren was getting ready to sleep. He was surprise that Eren was even able to last this long. What were they even talking about?

He suddenly picked up footsteps as he saw Hanji, Eren, and other soldiers running towards their horses. They all just got on and rod towards the town.

If Optimus was in his bipedal mode, he would've slightly raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was going on?

"Sawney! Bean!" Hanji cried as she saw the disintegrating corpses of the captured titans.

"Who was it?" Gunther asked.

"We weren't able to find out who. The soldiers reported that the person fled using 3D Maneuver Gear." Eld explained.

"So it was a soldier then?" Gunther asked.

"Look at Hanji," Oluo smirked as he saw Hanji screaming and crying, "she's going insane."

Petra growled before elbowing Oluo.

Eren just widened his eyes. Who would do this? Those titans were one of the only things that could've helped humanity. Did they do it out of revenge?

Eren snapped out of his thoughts as he felt Erwin's hands on his shoulders.

"Who do you think it is? Who do you think the enemy it is?" Erwin asked.

Eren looked in confusion. What did he mean by that?

"Never mind. Forget I said anything," Erwin told him before walking away.

"So the two experiments are now deceased?" Optimus asked Petra as he was carrying a large object.

"Yeah," Petra answered solemnly, "I still don't understand why though. The only reason that would make sense would be out of revenge,"

"Revenge is a powerful thing and can consume others emotions," Optimus agreed as he put the object down.

"But for some reason, Erwin's been asking a really weird question," Petra began.

Optimus looked at Petra before he kneeled down towards her. "What did he ask you?"

"He asked 'Who do you think the enemy is?'" Petra answered.

Optimus' optics barely widened. He knew that if he showed some reaction and she caught it, she would want an answer. And judging by Erwin's ambiguous personality, he was only tell his plans to the people who answered the question right.

"Did he ask you anything else?" Optimus asked.

Petra shook her head.

"I see," Optimus began before he stood up, "Thank you for informing me of this."

Your welcome," Petra said.

Petra raised an eyebrow in confusion as she saw Optimus walk away. Where was he going?

Erwin continued to write down the plan for the expedition when he suddenly heard a knock on his door.

"The door's open," Erwin informed.

Erwin looked in slight surprise to see Optimus in his holoform, opening the door.

"We need to talk," Optimus declared.

"I'm making plans for the next mission," Erwin explained as he continued writing, "I need to continue without any-"

"The enemy is a spy who knows the secrets of the titans. The enemy is after Eren Jaeger, since he now possesses the powers of a titan. And I am going to make a guess that the enemy is a titan shifter." Optimus interrupted.

Erwin widened his eyes in shock before he smiled. "I'm guessing you've been trained very well."

"Commander, why are you keeping this claim to yourself?" Optimus asked.

"Because if I tell all of the Survey Corps, the information may end up going to the spy, and the spy will be more prepared. That's why I'm telling people who answer the question." Erwin explained.

"Do you even have any proof for your claim?" Optimus asked.

"No," Erwin answered, "but that is what the next expedition is for. During that mission we will attempt to capture the spy."

"This is very dangerous," Optimus said, "One wrong move and there will be more casualties than necessary. More than your thirty percent average,"

"I know that," Erwin calmly admitted.

"Then why are you doing this?" Optimus demanded.

"Optimus, we don't have any of the advanced technology that you have that would help reduce the casualties or help humanity out of it dire situation. I do hate sacrificing the lives of my comrades, but if it's for the sake of humanity, I will do it." Erwin proclaimed.

Optimus slightly glared at Erwin. This man was mad. Did he not see the bodies in Trost or whenever he was on their expedition? Wouldn't he want to prevent that?

Optimus sighed. "I cannot do anything to change your mind, nor can I change anything about the plan since I am not part of this chain-of-command and I will probably never be allowed to because of your government. But let me give you a fair warning: this is a very dangerous gamble."

"And I am willing to take that gamble," Erwin said.

Optimus just turned away before his holoform dispersed into sparks.

Optimus sat down as he pondered over Erwin's plans. Was he really willing to sacrifice his comrades? He really couldn't believe that. Even though they wanted to help humanity, Erwin's way seemed a bit insane.

But he guess it couldn't be helped. If you keep a bird caged in for too long it will go insane, and try to find a way to get out.

He suddenly heard crying off in the distance and decided to walk over to the source. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as he saw Hanji crying to herself. She was sitting on the grass with her knees tucked into her chest.

"Ms. Zoe," Optimus called out.

Hanji looked up at Optimus,not even bothering to wipe the tears from her face. "Oh, hi Optimus."

"Why are you crying?" Optimus asked, "Did something happen?"

Hanji stopped for a moment before more tears began pouring down her face.

"Sawney! Bean!" Hanji cried.

Optimus slightly cringed at her outburst. He forgot. Petra told him when the two experiments were killed, Hanji was, in human terms, "freaking out." She must be still upset about it, but Primus, why did she have to be so loud?

Optimus then remembered something. Hanji wanted to know more about his race, and he did detect energon nearby. Maybe taking her there would help with her research, and to make her feel better.

But there was also something in the back of his mind telling him not to do it and that she will dismantle you with her bare hands. Another part of him was telling him he needed the energon, so "suck it up."

He was going to regret this completely.

"Ms. Zoe, would you like to know more about my race?" Optimus asked as he kneeled down.

Hanji looked in confusion as she stopped crying.

"You would probably want to know what my race consumes for energy and life," Optimus explained, "I have detected an energon mine not too far from here, but I am probably not allowed to go by myself. Since you are interested in learning about my race, would you like to accompany me?"

Optimus had to slightly force out the last part, but luckily went unnoticed. Hanji widened her eyes as they somehow began to sparkle.

"Really?" Hanji asked.

"Yes," Optimus slightly forced out.

"Thank you!" Hanji smiled as she jumped to her feet, "but let me go get my horse and-"

"That will not be necessary," Optimus interrupted.

Hanji raised an eyebrow in confusion before widening her eyes in excitement as she saw Optimus transform in his alt mode and opened the door.

"My vehicle mode is meant for travel. We will be able to travel to the location quicker," Optimus explained, "You also mentioned that my seats looked comfortable."

"Are they?" Hanji asked.

"I will let you be the judge about that," Optimus answered.

Eren was cleaning the hallway that was near a couple of bedrooms in the castle. Eren stopped and almost fell asleep, but immediately woke up as he almost fell over. He then shook his head and continued cleaning.

After everything that happened today, Eren forgot that he didn't get sleep from last night because of Hanji. He was just hoping he didn't fall asleep while Levi walked by. He really didn't want to get hit with a broom.

"Are you tired Eren?" Petra asked as she walked out of a room.

Eren jumped in surprise before rubbing his eye.

"Yeah, I stayed up the whole night with Hanji," Eren answered, "I wasn't able to get sleep after everything that happened. Hanji's probably still upset about it."

"Actually she's not anymore," Petra told him, "I saw her go with Optimus somewhere."

As if on cue, they both heard Hanji scream with excitement followed by a strange noise.

"Isn't that dangerous? Do you know where they're even going?" Eren asked.

"No," Petra answered, "but knowing Hanji she'll probably experiment on Optimus."

There was silence as Petra began to wipe an old armor statue.

"What do you think of him?" Eren asked.

Petra stopped wiping the armor and looked at Eren in confusion. "Who's him?"

"Optimus," Eren clarified, "What do you think of him?"

"Well," Petra pondered a little, "he seems rather nice."

"Nice?" Eren questioned, "he doesn't seem like it."

"If you talk to him he seems pretty gentle," Petra explained, "but he reminds me of Levi."

"Levi?" Eren asked, "I don't know if Optimus likes to clean."

Petra began laughing. "Not like that. I mean they keep a strong façade."

"Façade?" Eren asked.

"Yeah," Petra answered, "They both have blank expressions and don't show much emotion. I know we just met Optimus, but that's what it seems like. But he also seems lonely,"

"How can someone like him be lonely?" Eren asked in confusion.

"Well he can't go back to his home or see his friends so he's probably upset," Petra explained, "That's another reason Optimus is like Levi. They don't seem to tell anything personal and keep things to themselves."

"Do you know what Levi thinks of him?" Eren asked.

"Levi thinks he's suspicious and that the way he speaks is annoying," Petra answered, "Erwin's actually taking a liking to him."

"But what if he turns on us?" Eren asked, "What if he just decides to attack us?"

Petra shrugged. "So far all he's done is help humanity. He hasn't done anything wrong. I guess we have to wait to see what happens."

"These seats really are comfy!" Hanji smiled as Optimus drove towards their destination.

"I am glad you are comfortable." Optimus said through the radio.

Hanji looked at the steering wheel to see the Autobots insignia in the center.

"That symbol of yours is here," Hanji observed.

"In my alt mode, the symbol appears on the steering wheeling and on the front. When in my bipedal mode the symbol appears on my upper arms," Optimus explained.

Hanji pressed on the symbol slightly, causing a sound to emit from the wheel. Hanji yelped and quickly moved her hands from the wheel.

"What was that?!" Hanji yelled.

"It is simply used to tell drivers to move, since they are unable to leave the vehicle unattended," Optimus explained, "however, people have a tendency of abusing that."

"Well all this stuff is new to me," Hanji remarked as she looked around, "If there was more like you or stuff like this we could've taken down the titans in a day."

Hanji looked over to see a button under a small screen. She slowly moved her finger and pressed the button, causing a screeching noise to come from it. Hanji covered her ears and winced at the sound before Optimus turned it off.

"That hurts," Hanji complained.

"It's called a radio, and it's used to listen to news and entertainment," Optimus explained, "The only reason it made that noise is because there is no satellite which helps create a signal."

"So if there's a signal, or whatever you call it, news can be passed around quicker?" Hanji asked.

"Yes," Optimus answered.

"Amazing!" Hanji smiled.

"However, I do advise you not to touch anything else," Optimus said.

"As much fun this is, I won't so I won't burst my ears," Hanji said.

Optimus mentally sighed. Note to self: do not let Hanji in his vehicle mode ever again.

Hanji then noticed weird circles behind the steering wheel. One of them had a red handle, like a clock, pointing at what looked like a numbers.

"I do not understand. Can you clarify?" Optimus asked.

"There are these circles with numbers on them," Hanji explained, "And sometimes the red handle moves little."

"It is a speedometer," Optimus answered, "It determines how fast I can drive when in this form. For example, your horses run at an average of fifty miles an hour. I can go up to 120 miles an hour."

"Your faster than our horses?" Hanji asked with excitement, "Can we see how fast you can go?"

"I'm afraid that will be for another time. We are at our destination," Optimus informed.

Optimus opened the door and unbuckled Hanji's seatbelt before she jumped out. Hanji looked in awe at the large cave while Optimus transformed into his bipedal mode.

"This cave is giving off a strong signal," Optimus observed as he walked towards the cave with Hanji following him.

Hanji looked in confusion as Optimus held out his hand towards her.

"I do not know how deep this cave is and I do not wish for you to get lost," Optimus explained.

Hanji smiled before jumping into Optimus' hand. Optimus carefully lifted Hanji to his shoulder before turning on his head lights and walked in the cave.

"You're a kind soul," Hanji complimented.

"Thank you," Optimus said.

"So what's the food you guys eat called?" Hanji asked.

"It is called energon," Optimus answered, "It is my race's lifeforce and can be used for anything."

"Really?" Hanji asked.

"Yes," Optimus answered, "even the ammo in my guns are energon."

"Is that why your eyes are blue?" Hanji asked.

"That is mostly the reason." Optimus answerred.

"But why would this energon be on our world?" Hanji asked in confusion, "Shouldn't it be on yours?"

"During the war for my planet, many began hiding their energon spoils off-world," Optimus explained, "That is why energon pockets such as this one exist on this planet."

"Jeez, you guys can do anything," Hanji remarked.

"Not everything," Optimus said, "And we are here."

Hanji looked over and widened her eyes at the sight before her. The cave was illuminated by the glowing blue crystals hat were on the floor, wall and ceiling. She smiled as Optimus slowly put her down onto the ground. Hanji jumped out of his hand and looked around.

"This is awesome!" Hanji yelled in excitement, "It looks so pretty."

She looked at her reflection in the crystal and reached her hand out to touch it.

"I advise you not to touch the energon," Optimus informed, "Energon is toxic to anything organic, including humans."

Hanji looked at the energon and back at him. "So is energon toxic to titans?"

"Yes," Optimus answered, "When I fired at the titans they were unable to regenerate. The energon was destroying their body parts."

Optimus widened his optics to see Hanji chuckling darkly and still reaching out to grab the energon. Optimus sighed before picking Hanji up by her jacket and bringing her up to optic level.

"Ms. Zoe, energon is a very dnagerous substance to be around. I do not wish for you to get hurt." Optimus explained.

Hanji pouted a little before she agreed. Optimus then slowly set her down before Hanji crossed her arms. Hanji widened her eyes as Optimus transformed into his alt mode and made a large box with the Autobot symbol appear. Optimus transformed into his bipedal mode and began to put energon in the box.

"I didn't know you had a box," Hanji remarked.

"My vehicle mode is also designed for transportation," Optimus explained, "It is an advanced version of your caravans."

"So the energon, are there different kinds or are they all just naturally blue?" Hanji asked.

"There is red energon, which has the ability to make you run faster than the average Cybertronian," Optimus explained, "There is a green energon called "Tox-en" which can drain the life-force and kill a Cybertronian. An old friend of mine had perfected a synthetic energon, which works like normal energon. And there is also dark energon,"

"Dark energon?" Hanji raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"It is the most dangerous form, and should never be tampered with." Optimus said as he transformed his servo into a blade and cut a chunk of energon in half, "It has the ability to kill; however, it also has the power to bring back the dead."

Hanji's mouth dropped. "The dead?"

Optimus nodded his head. "But the being brought back will not be conscious. It will simply be a mindless creature."

"So it's like a titan?" Hanji compared.

"In a sense," Optimus answered, "Dark energon is also known to be the life-force of Unicron: the chaos bringer."

"Unicorn?" Hanji asked in confusion.

"Unicron," Optimus corrected, "He's been known to destroy planet and take millions of lives. You may consider him the 'devil' of my world. The only one who was able to stand against him was Primus: the life giver of my planet."

"So Primus is the same as God?" Hanji pondered, "That's why you were criticizing Pastor Nick in the courtroom! You actually have a God while the Wallists worship objects."

"Yes," Optimus said, "I know what a God is and I have proof for my statement, and close encounters. Pastor Nick simply worshipped the walls because it protected humanity. Either Pastor Nick is desperate, or there is more to the cult that meets the eye."

"I think he's desperate," Hanji shrugged off, "Wait, what do you mean 'close encounters?'"

"I fought Unicron," Optimus clarified.

"You fought a God?" Hanji asked in shock, "How were you even able to do that?"

"Unicron's true form is energy, and he is able to manifest anything. Meaning he was able to take on different forms," Optimus explained, "I fought rock forms of him, him in his purest form, and when he manifested a dead body that had dark energon flowing through it."

Megatron was a sensitive topic for Optimus, and he preferred not saying anything about him. If he were to even breathe his name, Hanji would bombard him with questions.

"Can you tell me more about it?" Hanji asked.

"I'm afraid answers will have to wait," Optimus answered, "I have enough energon to last for a while and I need to take you back to the castle."

Hanji groaned. "Please?"

"Ms. Zoe we must go," Optimus said.

"Okay," Hanji gave in as she walked over to Optimus. Optimus transformed into his alt mode so Hanji could sit inside.

Optimus then drove out of the cave with his cargo of energon.

"The sun's already setting," Hanji remarked as Optimus arrived at the castle, "I can't believe we were out that long."

Optimus opened his door and Hanji jumped out before Optimus transformed into his bipedal mode.

"I assume you had a great time, Ms. Zoe," Optimus said.

"I did. I feel a lot better. Thank you," Hanji smiled.

"You're welcome," Optimus said.

"Now Hanji began, "I have to record the data you gave me. Tomorrow I'll experiment with Eren and I'll need your assistance incase Eren goes on any rampages. See you tomorrow."

Hanji waved at Optimus before running to the castle. Optimus then opened the cargo box before pulling out a piece of energon. He could finally get rid of the grumbling in his system.

Eren stared at the ceiling as a small lamp lit up his room. After night time came, Eren decided to head to his room and try to sleep.

Unfortunately, Eren was unable to sleep and was just staring as ceiling for past hour. He had Hanji to blame for that.

Eren sighed before getting up from his bed. Maybe walking around would help him sleep.

Eren opened the door to his room and walked through the hallways, being careful to step lightly when walking near any doors. If someone saw him walking around the halls, they probably would've thought he was up to something. He still wasn't fond of the beating Levi gave him in the courtroom.

After walking around for a while, he found himself at the front doors of the castle.

'Maybe fresh air will help,' Eren thought.

Eren slowly pushed the door open and walked outside. He looked over and widened his eyes as he saw Optimus in his bipedal mode looking at the stars.

Eren covered his mouth at backed away slowly from his sight. You think he'd be asleep by now.

"I know you're there," Optimus said without looking behind him.

Eren looked in surprise as he walked out of his hiding spot. "How did you know?"

"I heard the doors open," Optimus answered nonchalantly.

Eren slightly deadpanned.

"I am rather surprised that you are not tired after staying up last night with Ms. Zoe." Optimus admitted.

"I am, too. Wait, how do you know that?" Eren asked.

"I detected your life signature out of curiosity," Optimus explained, "You were trying your best to stay awake while Ms. Zoe was not even tired."

"So are you going to send me back to my room?" Eren asked.

"No."

"Huh?"

"I see no point in forcing someone to sleep when cannot," Optimus explained, "but since we are both awake, would you like to watch the stars with me?"

"I guess," Eren answered.

Optimus turned and held out his hand towards Eren, causing him to step back.

"I will not harm you," Optimus reassured, "You have my word."

Eren was still unsure, but e simply complied as he sat in the hand. Eren waited for the hand to crush him and kill him, but nothing happen. Optimus just put Eren on his shoulder.

"The view looks better from up here," Eren remarked.

"It reminds me of when I would look at the stars from my home," Optimus said.

Eren looked over at Optimus. "Do you miss your home?"

Optimus was quiet for a moment. "Yes, I do."

"Didn't you say that you were in a war?" Eren recalled.

"The war for my home is over and the Autobots have won. I thought I would be able to live my life in peace, but it seems I am needed here," Optimus answered.

"How did you even end up here, in our world?" Eren asked.

"It is rather complicated. Even I am confused on how I arrived here," Optimus answered.

Optimus wasn't lying. He knew Primus had something to deal with him being here, but he didn't know how Primus sent him here.

"I do not know where this planet is located and I cannot contact my comrades." Eren remembered Optimus saying.

"Are you...stranded here?" Eren asked hesitantly.

"I have no way of reaching my home," Optimus answered.

Eren looked away from Optimus. "I'm sorry. I'm guessing it's a pretty sensitive topic."

"It is alright," Optimus reassured, "You had no way of knowing."

Eren nodded his head before there was a rather awkward silence between them.

"Eren. may I ask you a question?" Optimus asked.

"Sure," Eren answered.

"Why are you so persistent on killing titans?" Optimus asked, "I know it is not my place to pry, but when Armin was trying to regain your conscious, he mentioned about vengeance and the outside world. If you do not wish to speak of it, then that is fine."

Eren remained silent as Optimus noticed a dark look in his eyes.

"They took my mom," Eren said, "They took my mom and I want them dead."

Optimus mentally sighed. "Revenge will not bring back those you have lost."

"I know that," Eren said.

Optimus widened his optics in surprise.

"Even if I do kill them all, I know she won't come back. And I was an idiot for spending the last time with her fighting." Eren vented, "And now she's gone forever. The titans took away everything. Our hopes, our dreams, we can't even leave the walls and see the outside world."

"You are unable to leave the wall?" Optimus asked.

"Yes," Eren answered, "Anything about the outside world is considered taboo. The only way I was able to find out more about it was through Armin's book. Salt water that takes up most of the world, flaming waters, frozen earth, anyone who saw that would be the freest person ever."

Optimus looked up to the sky. "Armin is not wrong. The water takes up three-fourths of this planet. Flaming water, I am not so sure about, unless he is talking about lava. Frozen earth may be referring to the polar caps of this world."

Eren looked Optimus in shock. "You...you know?"

Optimus looked at Eren in confusion. "Hm?"

"You know about the outside world?!" Eren demanded.

Eren yelped as his foot slipped and he fell off of Optimus' shoulder. Optimus quickly caught Eren and looked at him with worry.

"Eren you need to be more careful," Optimus scolded.

"Tell me!" Eren demanded as he sat up, "Tell me about the outside world!"

Optimus was rather confused. At first he had one darkest looks he's ever seen, and now his eyes were full of interest and wonder.

"All right," Optimus said as he put Eren on his shoulder, "Since your world is similar to one that I have seen, this is what your world should look like."

Optimus used his optics to create a holographic map of Earth.

"That's what our world looks like?" Eren asked.

"Yes," Optimus answered, "And judging by the races I have seen so far, the location of your walls should be around this area."

Optimus zoomed in on the continent 'Europe' and pinpointed on the area that should've been the country Germany.

"That's how much space we're taking?" Eren asked in surprise, "It's so small...that's what the titan's took from us?"

"I am sorry to say, but yes," Optimus answered.

"Wait, you said you knew nothing about us. How did you even know what our world even looked like in the first place?" Eren asked in confusion.

"This world is similar to another one that I have been to," Optimus explained, "so I assume the form of this world is still the same. The other world that I have been to has humans; however, they do not live in fear of the titans."

"You mean...there's another world where humanity is free?" Eren asked.

Optimus noticed the look in Eren's eyes and decided to change the topic. "Would you like to know more about the animals or scenery?"

"Eh? Don't they all look the same?" Eren asked in confusion.

"The planet has different climates and weather, meaning they'll have different kinds of animals to survive in that certain region," Optimus explained.

"Let's start with scenery," Eren suggested.

Optimus nodded his head before showing him a holographic form of the beach.

"It is called a beach," Optimus explained, "It lies among the coastal regions of the continents of this world. I have also heard that it is most beautiful when the sun sets."

"How can it look better than what it is now?" Eren asked.

Optimus showed Eren what it would look like during the sunset, and Eren widened his eyes. The sky was filled with so many colors at once, while the water glistened beautifully.

"It's amazing," Eren smiled.

Optimus smiled at Eren's expression before changing the scene to a rainforest.

"The trees look different!" Eren observed.

"This is called a rainforest. The trees are designed for warm weather. The trees in the walls are mainly designed for winter weather," Optimus explained, "And since it rains occasionally, the trees grow larger and expand."

"I didn't know trees could look like that," Eren remarked.

Optimus then showed Eren the desert.

"What is that?" Eren asked in wonder, "Is that sand?"

"Yes," Optimus answered, "The sand can form in deserts; however, there are not that many resources there, and majority of the time there is no life."

Eren looked in confusion as he saw an animal slither across the sand. "I thought you said-"

"Majority of the time," Optimus said.

Eren smiled. There's so much. There's so much in the outside world, better than these cramped wall.

Optimus showed Eren the African Savannah with wildebeests running around in their herd. Eren looked in awe as he saw the strange animals all together. He then also noticed an animal with a long neck eating from a tree.

"What is that?" Eren asked.

"It is called a giraffe," Optimus answered, "Their spines are eight times larger than that of a human. They're mainly designed to eat food from tall trees."

"They don't eat humans?" Eren asked.

"No, giraffes a herbivores, meaning they only eat plants, "Optimus explained.

Eren looked closely at the scene and noticed something in the grass. There were small things following it as it made its way towards the beast. Eren was about to ask what it was, but widened his eyes as he saw an animal that looked similar to a cat running towards the herd. The beasts began running away asthe cat chased them. The cat managed to jump onto one of the beast before biting its throat. The beast let out a cry of pain before collapsing on the ground, dead.

"Fast," Eren stared in awe.

"It is called a lion," Optimus explained, "It runs faster than your horse, they have claws to grip on their prey, and their teeth are designed to tear into flesh. These animals are built to kill."

"But why do they have to kill?" Eren asked.

Eren widened his eyes as he saw two baby lions running towards the adult lion. The adult lion licked to two cubs on the head before all three began eating their kill.

"Sometimes they have something to protect," Optimus answered.

Optimus changed the scene into Arctic region. Eren widened his eyes as he saw everything was frozen.

"Is that?" Eren began.

"The frozen earth that Armin referred to," Optimus said, "It is quite dangerous place if you do not have proper clothing. Even I could not withstand the cold weather."

"Eh? You can die?" Eren asked in surprise.

"My race is not invincible," Optimus said, "and even though our life-span is longer than a human, we can still be killed. I strongly disagree with going into that region."

Eren began laughing. "I can't believe you have dislikes."

"Not everyone favors everything," Optimus said before noticing the bags under Eren's eyes.

"Eren, I think it is time for you to rest," Optimus said.

"Huh?" Eren questioned before touching the bags under his eyes, "I guess, but what about the outside world?"

"I will tell you more about it," Optimus promised, "All you must do is ask."

"Thank you," Eren said.

Optimus raised his servo as Eren slowly climbed onto it. Optimus slowly put Eren to the ground and Eren slowly climbed of.

"Goodnight, Eren," Optimus said.

Eren smiled before giving a small wave and walking back to the castle. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Eren jumped as he heard a shifting noise and turned to see Optimus in his alt mode. Eren sighed nervously. They were right, he really wasn't going to get used to that.

(Deleted Scene)

"Oh, Optimus, I forgot to ask," Hanji began as she ran back to Optimus while he was eating energon, "How come you have a mouth?"

Optimus looked in confusion. "Ms. Zoe, you are going to have to clarify."

"When we met, you didn't have a mouth," Hanji explained, "Now you do,"

Optimus thought it over before putting two and two together. "Are you referring to my battle mask?"

"Battle mask?" Hanji questioned.

"I am equipped with a battle mask that protects my face whenever in combat," Optimus explained.

As a demonstration, Optimus activated his battle mask before retracting it.

Hanji smiled. "Going in the journal!"

Hanji ran into the castle before Optimus sighed under his breath.

She was definitely a Miko-Silas combo.