The concert was forcibly disbanded by Nova Prime. Everyone who had gathered there to celebrate was utterly infuriated by his intervention.
"What is this? Are we forbidden from celebrating in our own country?"
"We won't accept this event ending like this!"
"Why are you protecting a sinner like him, Lord Nova Prime?!"
"We demand an explanation, Lord Nova Prime!!"
"We are sick of your disputes! We are tired of your strict rules! How can you let someone like him live?"
"Wait... could the corruption expose just be a distraction?"
"Exactly! Why did he only care after Voltage City hit massive inflation?"
"We demand Nova Prime be stepped down!!"
"Yeah! None of his decisions make sense!"
"... I can't believe the Matrix is in his possession!"
"Dethrone him!!"
The crowd no longer cared for Nova Prime. They rallied together, creating a massive uproar to force him from power.
Sitting in his wheelchair, Nova Prime generated a shield bubble around himself and Taken to escape the massive, aggressive mob. Behind them, Sentinel remained on stage, watching everything unfold.
Sentinel reached for the microphone and spoke, his voice heavy. "... Why, Nova Prime?... I thought you had changed. I thought my friend finally understood. But it turns out, he is still the same—naive and unable to distinguish evil."
"Why... Nova... how could you be so heartless?"
Sentinel shed a tear.
The crowd grew even more furious seeing their leader, Sentinel Prime, in tears.
"How dare you make Lord Sentinel Prime grieve!"
"Do you not understand the sorrow he feels?"
"Be gone, Lord Nova Prime!"
"You have failed us!"
'Just as I thought, Nova... now you won't be able to do anything. You are trapped. You know... how easy it is for me to bring you down!'
Sentinel muttered to himself, wiping his tears away. It was all a calculated plan. Sentinel had set a trap for Nova Prime, proving just how cunning he truly was.
Nova Prime remained silent, unable to find the words to defend himself. Finding no light at the end of the tunnel, he took flight, launching into the air and leaving the arena while carrying Taken with him.
Nova brought Taken to his home and laid him on his bed. He plugged a charging cable into the back of Taken's head, hoping it might help. Since charging during sleep helps organic organs relax and even heals open wounds in the armor, it was his best hope. Taken looked frail, completely drained of energy, though his optics remained lit—he was still alive.
"I hope you recover soon," Nova Prime whispered.
He gathered some supplies, took a cloth, dipped it in cold water, and placed a compress on Taken's head.
"... Why did you save me?"
Taken's voice startled Nova; he hadn't expected him to speak.
"... I didn't have a choice," Nova replied.
Nova moved his wheelchair closer. Though Taken didn't turn to face him, his heavy voice resonated in the room. Nova chose not to look directly at him as well, saying:
"Taken..."
"... I don't understand."
"... You've always been so guarded about your personal matters."
"... We are both Primes created directly by Primus; we should be able to share anything."
"..."
"I mean..."
"... We could rely on each other."
"If you would just tell me a little about your problems, I could help you, Taken!"
Taken fell silent again, refusing to comment or answer. Nova Prime's hands began to tremble. Tears he didn't realize were forming began to fall, and his jaw tightened in frustration.
"... I'm fed up, Taken."
"... I gave you the chance to speak, but you still choose silence. Why? I want to help you, but why don't you care?"
"... I should have realized long ago, you aren't the Taken I once knew. If I had executed you back then, maybe I wouldn't be plagued by these thoughts."
"... Farewell, Nova," Taken's voice echoed.
Nova turned back toward the bed, but Taken was already gone. The curtains billowed in the wind from the open window. In the distance, Taken could be seen jumping from rooftop to rooftop, disappearing into the night in his black cloak.
Nova hadn't even finished speaking. The exhaustion made his neck ache. He leaned his head back against his wheelchair, staring at the ceiling and letting out a long, weary sigh.
"... Just as I thought!"
"..."
"... I can't save you anymore, Taken."
"You are vulnerable now; your strength has eroded. You might end up in someone else's hands."
"... This is the worst day of my life. Sentinel... he must be behind all of this."
Nova sat there, reflecting on everything that had happened—from the memories of Atlas Prime to the chaos of today.
"... Sentinel... why would you do this to me?"
"Why did you hide all of this? And why am I only finding out now?"
"... Have you hated me for this long?"
To be continued....