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"How you holding up?"

Her eyes twitched from tiredness, her insides needing rest and her clothes dirty from the journey. It had been quite a day. First being kidnapped on campus, then being dragged across the galaxy to another planet, and now a massive, gigantic overlord was about to take over the world? Diana loved sci-fi though when they said life wasn't like the movies, she couldn't agree more.

"I'm alright," she replied. "Are you okay? Need anything more to eat, drink…?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking anyways," said Raf.

The base was gone. Diana never thought the day would come, though Megatron found them out. A lot happened while she was back in Portland. Raf and Bumblebee helped catching her up. Since everyone was on the run and a lot was going to change, how will everyone get back to a normal life? Her professors and friends were going to hound her with questions if she made it out alive.

The three of them were looking for Ratchet. Thanks to the help of the conspiracy website, they managed to find where he was with Raf taking down the photo. All the other Autokids went with their respective Autobot friend, though Diana thought best if she went with her cousin, just to make sure he was safe. Fortunately, Ratchet respected that decision. With where he was now, hopefully he was safe, especially Optimus.

They found themselves in a junkyard, piles of rusted cars heaping upon layers and layers. The crickets chirped in the night, dogs barking at one another. So far, nothing looked like an EMS vehicle.

"He's gotta be here…" Raf broke the silence.

Bumblebee jerked, his tires screeching. In front of them was a familiar EMS vehicle with orange designs. The car doors opened, Bumblebee getting out of his alt mode.

"Ratchet!" called Raf, the cousins running up to the vehicle. "Ratchet, it's me, Raf and Di…!"

The vehicle didn't respond.

"Uh… Ratchet?"

"R-Ratchet…?" Diana rasped.

This was the grumpy Autobot medic, wasn't it?

"Go away…!"

Diana's eyes widened. This was the Bot who she had in depth discussions with, grew closest to out of all the extra-terrestrial beings, on the brink of becoming friends... Now he was dismissing her like nothing happened? Bumblebee crouched down, his hands supporting him, spewing out bleeps and whistles.

"You're interrupting my power down."

Raf and Bumblebee exchanged glances.

"Come on, Ratchet," began Raf. "We need your help to find the others!"

Bumblebee continued to sound more blares, this time sounding more assertive. He hanged his fist in the air with confidence.

"We can't stop Megatron, not anymore," said the robot medic. "The war is over, and we lost!"

"You're giving up?" Raf asked, bewildered. "We can't just give up!"

Diana wanted to speak, though with Ratchet pushing her aside and the tiredness from being on the road prevented her from saying anything.

Ratchet transformed to his true height. "Then tell me what we can do! Without communications, without a Ground Bridge, without a base of operations or resources of any kind…!"

The three of them continued to quarrel, Diana trying to keep up with what was going on, though being tired and having no knowledge of what happened in the base while she was at Portland made her unable to state her opinion.

"… not without someone to…" paused Ratchet, "lead us."

"It's a start!"

"Then you'll have to start without me. This is someone else's fight now."

"There is no one else, Ratchet, just us," said Raf. "Just the team."

"Please…" the old Autobot transformed back to his alt mode. "Just let me… rust in peace."

Raf, flustered and disappointed, turned to Bumblebee who already transformed back into a sports car, opening the doors for them to come in.

"Come on, Bee…" once he got in, he saw Diana was still standing in front of Ratchet. "Di?"

Ratchet could get fussy at times. He could get from old man to a screeching six-year-old in two second flat, though with what happened at base and how scattered everyone was… She just about had enough. This had more magnitude than when Ratchet tested Synth En on himself and the discussion that she gave him when she visited base. She sacrificed her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Gavin, just to keep the secret from ever getting out. She had to lie, lie to her parents, Raf's parents, her aunt and uncle, her friends. Those lies were what began to break Gavin and her apart. She sacrificed so much for Raf and everyone else… including Ratchet. She thought they were friends. She opened up to him so many times, and he was just as open with her.

She hustled over to the front of him, breathe tense, fist clenching in each hand. He was going to hear her out, no matter how much she was interrupted. Someone had to show his place.

"You think you're the only one who lives on this planet?" she began. "This planet is my home, the only home Raf and I have…! Megatron already destroyed your planet. He is here on mine, and sooner or later, everyone's going to find out the truth. Fine by me if you want to sit back while all the crap happens, but I for one am not gonna let that monster take away anything more from me."

She felt her face grow moist from the tears, remembering a pale Raf on the medical bed. Using her sleeve, she dried herself off. She jogged over to where Bumblebee and Raf were.

Before she got in, she began to speak.

"If you want to stop Megatron from creating more destruction…" she began, making sure Ratchet heard every word she said. "You can start by preventing him from not letting Earth end up like Cybertron."

Slamming the car door, Bumblebee began to speed away.