The two Autobots drove to a dock in New York and caught a ride to Asia, where they continued driving to Hong Kong, where the KSI Company was located. They didn't talk much at all on the way. Sam did ask how they've been and stuff like that. They stopped right in front of the KSI building.

"So, what's the plan?" Bumblebee asked.

"We try to get in without being seen. I've heard they have a collection of Transformers sparks." Optimus answered. "Ratchet's has to be one of them. Then we'll find a body, put the spark in it, use the Matrix on him, and get out of there."

"Sounds good." Bee replied. "Is Sam coming in too?"

"No." Optimus said firmly. "Keep him out of the possible danger."

"Okay, sounds fine to me." Sam nodded with a slight shrug.

Bumblebee opened the door and Sam got out. "Stay here, Sam. I'll be back for you."

"I will, Bee." Sam grinned.

"Let's go!" Optimus said to Bumblebee, as the yellow mech closed his door.

The two vehicles sped away from Sam, leaving the boy to look out for himself. They drove around to the back of the building. Optimus figured that this is where they'd keep the sparks and, hopefully, the bodies too. Time to find out.

Optimus transformed into robot form right in front of one of the giant garage doors. Bumblebee followed the Prime's movement and transformed too. Optimus grabbed the bottom of the door and pushed it up, above his head.

He and Bee looked in at the huge collection of Transformer sparks.

"Bingo." Bumblebee whispered, obviously trying to keep them undetected.

The room was had a low ceiling. How does this work? Sam! "Bumblebee," He whispered, "Go get Sam."

The yellow mech nodded, transformed, and sped in the direction they'd left him.

A minute later he returned and Sam went into the room.

"Find Ratchet's spark." Optimus told him quietly.

"Okay." Sam whispered back.

*X*

Sam looked around the room. The walls were covered with cases of Autobot and Decepticon sparks. He started searching for Ratchet's.

10 minutes later he still hadn't found it.

"Hurry." Optimus urged him.

"Hang on; it has to be here, Optimus." He was frantically searching now. Then he saw the medical officer's spark. He didn't see any ways to open the case. "Optimus, I found it, but there's no way to open the case."

"Break it then." The Prime ordered. "Just get the spark!"

*X*

Optimus was growing more wary and impatient as each second passed. Bumblebee could tell. At least Sam found it. Bee thought. Knew we could count on him.

He looked back at the Prime. Before he could say anything, there was the loud shattering of glass. Sam had done it!

*X*

Sam came out of the room and handed Optimus the spark.

"Good job, Sam." He complimented him.

"No problem." Sam replied with a shrug. "Now for a body."

"Yep." Bee gave a thumb up. "Let's go get this over with before we get caught. "That glass ought to have alerted someone."

"Bumblebee's right." Optimus agreed. "We better hurry."

Sam just nodded in agreement.

We have to hurry, the Prime thought. It was true though. The KSI might call the TRF on them if they get seen. We wouldn't be able to handle the TRF…or would we?

"Let's move." He ordered, snapping out of his thoughts.

Bee nodded and grabbed Sam.

Optimus walked up to the second garage door. This door was bigger than he was, so maybe there were bodies in there. He hoped so at least. The faster they got this over with, the better. He pulled it open. "Perfect."

He walked into the room, which was full of KSI made bodies. He saw one that looked exactly like Ratchet before he died. "It's Ratchet…"

He took out the Matrix and held it with the spark, ready to revive his old friend.

Bumblebee put Sam back on the ground and brought Ratchet's body out of the garage. Then the yellow mech laid it down and grabbed Sam again.

Optimus walked over to the mech on the ground. He forced the spark chamber open and inserted Ratchet's spark. He looked at Sam and Bumblebee.

"Let's bring Ratchet back to the team." Bumblebee stated.

The Prime nodded in agreement. He lifted the Matrix into the air and thrust it into the spark of the dead medic.

*X*

The first thing Ratchet heard was the humming of metal as he came back from the dead. What the frag…? His optics onlined and he sat up. No pain at all. How…? But I died, I thought. The medical officer was confused.

"Ratchet?" Bumblebee asked.

Ratchet looked at him. "Been a while."

"Indeed." Optimus said.

"What happened to Lockdown while I was dead?" Ratchet asked, curiously.

"He's dead, don't worry." Bumblebee answered first.

"Good." Ratchet said as he got to his feet. He looked at his body. He was surprised. How did he look as good as new?

"The KSI rebuilt your body somehow." Optimus explained, as if reading his mind. "They also rebuilt Megatron."

Ratchet groaned. "On purpose?"

"No." The Prime shook his head. "They tried to make their own called Galvatron, but Megatron's memories and mind got into it somehow."

"Where is he now?" Ratchet questioned the Prime.

"That we do not know." Optimus told him. "He lost an arm and fell back to Earth."

"What do you mean he-" Ratchet was interrupted.

"-fell back to Earth?" Bumblebee snorted. "Forgot you didn't know about the battle. Well, Optimus met our creator, Quintessa. We had a battle against her and she had control of Megatron. How did she get here? She brought Cybertron to us. Look over there." Bee pointed to the right.

Ratchet looked in that direction. He saw the ruins of the planet Cybertron. "Wow. What happened to Quintessa?"

"Bumblebee shot her and she fell off of Cybertron too. If she's alive, she's down here somewhere." Optimus explained.

"That's not good." Ratchet muttered. "What else did she do?"

"Controlled Optimus." Bumblebee said. "I ended up fighting him. Boy, am I glad my voice stopped him."

"Let's get moving before we're spotted." Optimus decided.

The three bots transformed into vehicle mode. Sam was inside of Bumblebee. They sped around to the front of the building and onto the highway. They went only 10 miles over the 65 mph speed limit. They had to hurry. They went along the streets they had used to come into the city.

Suddenly they heard the whirling of propellers. Ratchet adjusted his mirror. TRF drones were on to them. Oh no…

:TRF is onto us!: He said through the comm. link.

:I know.: Optimus answered.

:We got to juke them off our tail: Bumblebee decided.

:Obviously: Ratchet muttered. :Any ideas?:

Ratchet sped up enough to pass Optimus and Bumblebee.

:Never mind that question.: He told them. "I have an idea. Follow me:

:Alright: Optimus said.

:If you get us killed, I'm killing you!: Bumblebee joked.

*X*

Sam could hear the three Autobots talking on their intercoms. What was Ratchet planning? Where was he taking them? Did he do something in secret after the Autobots split up to hide after Chicago?

He'd find out soon if they escaped the TRF drones.

*X*

Optimus was taken by surprise at Ratchet's command. He wondered what his medic friend had in mind. He knew that the others wondered too.

They turned a few times, but the drones kept following. Optimus opened a hatch on his side. A gun came out and turned towards the drones. He started firing at them, taking some down in one hit.

:How much further, Ratchet?!: He yelled into the comm.

:Just outside of the city: The medic replied, surprisingly calm.

:Good: Bee mumbled. :We can't outrun these guys much longer now:

:I know, I know: Ratchet retorted. :Shut up so I can concentrate on where we're going!:

*X*

Bee was starting to get annoyed with their revived medic friend. He's going to get us killed!

He opened up a gun from his roof and started helping Optimus attack the TRF's drones. His gun was semiautomatic, which helped because the Prime's wasn't.

*X*

Ratchet was worried that the drones would hold them back from making it. He hoped to get to the destination because he needed to show something to the others desperately. They needed to see what he had done. The other bot needed to see them too. We're coming, buddy. Don't worry, Ratchet thought.

Suddenly he saw the land beyond the city to the left. He made a sharp turn. He heard the others turn too. Ratchet sped up, now going at full speed, ignoring the speed limit now. We have to make it!

They burst out of the city and kept driving. He heard the shooting stop and looked in his mirror. All the droids were down.

:Good job, both of you!: He complimented. :I have to show you something important:

:What?: Bee seemed to be curious now.

:You'll see when we get there. It isn't far at all now:

Ratchet saw the cave. The one they were going to. They were a good distance from the city now. Far enough that no human would see them transform. So that's what Ratchet did. He transformed into robot mode. He heard the others do the same.

"Alright, nearly there." He said out loud this time.

"Ratchet, where are we going exactly?" Sam finally said something.

"That cave up ahead." Ratchet pointed to it.

"Why?" Optimus asked.

"Stop asking questions! You'll know why when we get there!" The medic was annoyed again.

They trekked over to the cave. They arrived within five minutes.

"Who's there?" Came a rough and hostile, but familiar voice.

"It's just me." Ratchet called back into the cave. "I brought some old friends."

"Who'd you bring, Ratchet?" The voice came.

Ratchet glanced at the others.

"Who is it?" Whispered Optimus.

"You'll see soon enough." Ratchet responded. "How could you not recognize that voice?"

"I brought, Sam, Bumblebee, and Optimus." He called back to the mysterious mech.

"Alright, come in guys." The mech in the cave sighed.

Ratchet started walking towards the cave, motioning for the others to follow.

"Who is it Ratchet?" Optimus asked again.

"Your old weapons specialist." The medic answered.

"Ironhide?" Optimus said, a little louder. "I thought he died."

"Yeah, it's me, Prime." The mech moved into the sunlight. His black frame was rusty in many spots. "Ratchet brought me back after that traitor of a Prime, Sentinel, killed me."

"H-How? I had the Matrix the whole time." The Prime was astonished.

"I have my ways." Ratchet smiled. He looked back to Ironhide, his smile fading. "You've gotten worse."

"So what?" Ironhide spat. Then he let out a rough cough. "Nothing is the same anyway now that we're being hunted."

Bumblebee just stood there, watching the mechs. He looked down at Sam, who looked back up at him and shrugged.

"What's wrong with him?" The yellow mech finally asked.

"He got some kind of sickness." Ratchet answered.

"Glad to see that you got your voice back, Bumblebee." Ironhide said.

Bee grinned and put Sam down.

"Good to see you, Ironhide." The human said.

The black mech looked down at Sam. "Same to you."

"Should we leave before the TRF sends more drones?" Optimus asked.

Ratchet nodded. "You coming with us, Ironhide?"

"Yeah, I'll come." The mech coughed again. "I won't last much longer on my own anyway."

Ratchet looked back to Optimus. "Alright, let's go."

All four mechs transformed and Sam got into the yellow camaro of Bumblebee. They started driving away from the cave and away from Hong Kong. They caught a boat back to America and ended up in Texas.

They stopped in the desert. They transformed into robot form. They sat down and didn't talk much. Not even Sam.

*X*

I knew he would come back for me. Still, it's amazing he's still alive. Ironhide was thinking about Ratchet. The amazing medic had brought him back and was still fighting to keep him alive. I'll never lose faith in him. He and the Autobots are my family. They always have and always will be my family.

*X*

Sam sat and listened to the Autobots talk. They didn't talk much though. They were mostly catching Ironhide up on what he had missed while hiding in the cave.

Suddenly there was a voice. A female. She didn't sound kind, but Sam easily noticed that Bumblebee and Optimus knew her. It had to be Quintessa in human form.

"Prime, you betrayed me. You hurt me! This yellow scrap almost killed me! He's going to pay!" She was furious. She was pointing at Bumblebee. There was a cliff right behind where she stood.

"You're not taking me anywhere!" Bumblebee retorted, warning in his voice.

He shot the cliff side right in front of Quintessa. It broke off from the rest of the ground and started falling. The damage to the land was more than Bumblebee must have expected because it broke off from where he stood, in front of the whole group.

"Whoa!" Bee shouted as the land broke underneath him. The yellow mech grabbed the cliffside, trying to scramble back up to safety and away from the portal, which was now somehow right under him.

No! Not Bee!

"Bumblebee!" Sam shouted as loud as he could.

*X*

Bumblebee heard Sam scream his name. It was sparkbreaking because he somehow knew that he wasn't getting back up all the way.

The yellow mech felt something pulling him down. Quintessa's powers. He tried to fight it, but he couldn't. He felt his hands slip. He let out a yell. He heard the Autobots and human scream his name. He fell down, down, down. He looked sideways to see the edges of the portal.

Quintessa had gotten him in revenge for shooting her.