Prologue
Beep Beep. Beep.
That was all the prime could hear at the moment. It was faint, but as he began to come back to reality, it became clearer and louder.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Where was he? He couldn't remember much before he had blacked out; considering that the scenario was him falling unconscious. He definitely didn't remember falling asleep. The prime tried opening his optics, but his vision was blurred. Apparently, not all of his systems had reactivated at the same time. They caught a brief surge of light, which accompanied by the sound of sparking electricity. But he didn't any other details to discern where he was. He shifted slightly. He could feel that he was lying flat on whatever he was resting on. He quickly deduced that he was on a bed of sorts.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Optimus put the facts together, realizing where he was. He opened his optics again, determined to keep them open. They blurred for a few seconds more before focusing fully. This time, he was able to see the ceiling of the room he was in, and the broken light above him which sparked occasionally. Optimus blinked, realizing that this room indeed looked familiar. He was in Teletraan 1's medical bay. But he was certain that the broken light fixture was a new thing.
In fact, the entire room was a bit dark for a medical bay. As far as the prime could tell, only one of the room's lights was on at the moment. But why?
Beep. Beep. Beep.
He glanced to his side to see the source of the beeping, pushing himself up. A spark monitor stood by the side of his bed. Optimus stared at the monitor in thought. Had he been wounded? Perhaps that was the reason for his lack of knowing the situation fully. If that was the case, then Ratchet had done his duty again.
"Optimus!" A familiar voice spoke.
Optimus looked to the shadows to see a pair of blue optics staring back at him. As if summoned by his thoughts, the old medic stepped from out of the darkness, a look of relief stretched over his faceplate.
"Ratchet." Optimus rumbled, feeling a sense of reassurance wash over him. "What happened?"
Ratchet's mouth turned downward slightly before he began to explain. "We had just gotten a good distance away from Cybertron when Decepticon ships ambushed us. A Decepticon flew in and landed a shot directly on the bridge. The blast was what knocked you unconscious."
Optimus looked away into the darkness, a slight scowl spreading over his face as he thought to himself. "Starscream."
"Indeed." Ratchet confirmed with a nod. "After we got you to the medical bay, we attempted to steer Teletraan out of firing range. They chased us, but we managed to lose them."
Optimus looked around the medical bay, observing the condition it was in. Electrical systems and equipment sparked and crackled, obviously beyond repair. The walls also appeared to be bent and twisted out of proportion.
"Did we crash?" Optimus asked.
Ratchet nodded grimly. "We tried the best we could, but the ship was too heavily damaged. We got caught in a nearby planet's gravity field and-well, I'm sure you know the rest."
Optimus nodded in understanding. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself up. Ratchet was immediately by his side, gently pushing Optimus back down onto the bed.
"Slowly Optimus. That explosion hit you hard. I don't want you to risk injury."
Optimus gave in, knowing from experience to trust in his old friend's advice. Optimus looked back at the medic, noticing that something seemed off about him. He had known Ratchet for years now, and could tell when something was wrong. Ratchet often worried about him and the other Autobots, but-
That was when Optimus's eyes widened in realization. Was Ratchet acting strangely because…?
"Ratchet?" Optimus began slowly, afraid to ask. "Where's the rest of the team."
Ratchet froze, looking down at the floor. His mouth tightened into a thin line.
"After you were knocked out, I told Bulkhead, Arcee and Bumblebee to try and gain control of Teletraan while I took you to the medical bay. But Teletraan had become too damaged and couldn't handle entering the planet's atmosphere. After I had gotten you here, the ship…"
Ratchet paused, as if wondering how to tell him.
"The ship tore itself in half. Acree, Bumblebee and Bulkhead were still in the bridge. I haven't heard from them since."
"What about Cliffjumper?" Optimus questioned. "Is he with us?"
"Cliffjumper…perished in the explosion." Ratchet told him with a sigh. "I'm sorry Optimus."
Optimus looked down, despair gripping his spark. Cliffjumper was dead, and the others were missing, if not dead themselves. But as Optimus looked at the medic's face, he knew that they couldn't linger on the negative if they were to pull through this. Putting on a knowing but determined face, Optimus stood up again, resting a hand on Ratchet's shoulder.
"It is unfortunate how things have gone, my friend. But we must not lose hope." He said reassuringly. "If they are alive, then they will find us. They are strong, and as long as they have each other, they will make it."
Ratchet didn't look up at Optimus as he opened his mouth to say something. But he didn't speak, simply closing it. He then looked up at the Prime and nodded.
"I know they will." He replied simply.
Optimus nodded again in reassurance.
"We must go and explore our surroundings." Optimus declared. "If there are natives on the planet, we must reassure them that we are not a threat. If we can do that, then perhaps they will be willing to help us."
Ratchet nodded an uncertain look on his face. Optimus walked out of the medical bay, watching his step as Ratchet followed behind. He and Ratchet made their way through their half of Teletraan 1. It seemed that they had gotten the smaller portion of the ship, as they were able to find a way outside quickly.
Optimus glanced around, his eyes widening slightly. The landscape of the planet looked awfully familiar. Everything in sight was composed of metal, and the terrain had several indents and drops within the surface.
"Ratchet, how did we end up on Cybertron?" Optimus asked as the medic came up behind him.
"This isn't Cybertron Optimus." Ratchet told him. "But I agree, it looks almost identical. I was surprised myself when I saw it."
Optimus narrowed his eyes. He had never heard of planets similar to Cybertron before. "We had best be cautious." He advised Ratchet.
So, what do you think? Good, bad? Should I continue?
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