Eyes were wide with fear as the terrifying sight was absorbed into their minds. Mouths dry as they were plagued by their thoughts of the possible outcomes. Air seemed to seep away from the humans that needed it making their breaths hitch as the dark reality was bestowed upon them. Their ears now squealed as an unbearable silence surrounded them. Their bodies had gone numb as if their central nervous systems had completely shut down. Everything that surrounded them had suddenly slowed down to a pace that didn't match the reality that they were supposedly in and eventually dizziness crept up on them.

A teenage boy, about 16, ripped his eyes away from the root of his troubles. He swiftly turned to look at his friends, his stormy, blue eyes radiating fear and giving away his next words. However his expression changed when he observed the readable facial emotions of absolute horror on his younger friends' faces. His face twisted from one of fear to one of drive and determination. He would get his friends out alive and he didn't intend on allowing himself to fail.

"Run." Jack said smoothly yet with a hint of authority as he began running towards his friends who still seemed to be frozen in place.

The only girl, one that looked about 15, didn't need telling twice. In fact she didn't need to be told once as she had already started trying to yank her younger friend out of his comatose-like state. The boy, about 12-ish it was hard to tell due to his height, wasn't budging. His gaze remained fixated on what would most likely be the cause of his death. It wasn't until he heard the creaking of giant, metallic joints that he snapped out of it. He stared, eyes filled with shock, into his female friend's eyes before she tugged his arms to get him to start running.

Now all three of them were running together and out of the power room of the Nemesis. They didn't dare turn to look back in case the sight of a certain colossal warlord chasing after them met them. They continued to run as fast as they could through the dim, endless maze of corridors that held a chilling atmosphere. Their aim was to reach the room they had originally started in and also where they had left Agent Fowler. The 16 year old, Jack his name was, was the one that realised that there was a very high chance that a large group of vehicon blasters would be pointed at them as they hummed signalling that they were ready for shooting the three targets.

The stasis that had been forced onto all Cybertronians in range of the Nemesis had practically been slapped out of them and soon enough they would all be out of their statue-like state. That includes every Decepticon on the vessel. These thoughts gradually built in Jack's mind as he continued running alongside his friends until he finally dug out a logical plan.

"Miko! Your phone!" He called to her but didn't look at her as he kept his focus on dodging, diving and jumping over sprawled out vehicon bodies.

"I don't think now is the time to take pictures!" She shouted back breathlessly, almost angry with his idea. Sure, when she took pictures it was dangerous but when Jack decides to take pictures in any situation it's all safe. Screw him, he always thought he was the best. Miko shook her head to rid of those thoughts as she diverted her attention back to the overhead conduits that would lead them back to where they had started.

"No! Call Ratchet and tell him to have a ground bridge ready!" Jack would've face palmed if he had not been running away from an army of tyrannical, alien, robots that just happened to hate humans.

Miko's thoughts calmed but she didn't reply to Jack as she figured it would be better to dedicate her energy towards sprinting. She stuck her hands in the pockets of her shorts feeling around for her phone. Usually she would have just whipped her phone out but her frenzied running made it much more difficult, instead she found herself fumbling around in other corners of her pocket that weren't even close to her phone. At one point she thought she had lost her phone but it was when the children reached the room that they stopped running and Miko could finally yank out her phone and flip up the front revealing the keypad. Jack and Raf helped Agent Fowler steady himself and kept a hold on him as Miko unlocked her phone. Just as she was about to press the key that had been assigned as a speed dial for the Autobot base she felt her spine tingle as she heard movements coming from behind her and her friends.

All humans with the exception of Agent Fowler swivelled their bodies around to face the intrusion. Agent Fowler simply fell to the floor after Jack and Raf released their grip on him and he began mumbling incoherent things to himself as he hugged the ground beneath him.

"Well, well. Here for a check up are we?" Knock Out grinned as he transformed his hand into his famous saw and pointed it at the children, slowly getting closer and taking great delight in the way they flinched and slightly moved away.

Miko's eyes were wide and her mouth agape however she mentally slapped the fear out of herself and pressed down the button on her phone to contact the Autobots. She kept her phone tight in her hand as she slowly raised it towards Knock Out but only slightly so he couldn't see. Hopefully Ratchet would understand what she was hinting at and that he would immediately send a ground bridge with the team storming through and ready to totally own the crimson medic in front of her.

"Miko, Bulkhead and the others are out of stasis. Where on the warship are you located? I'm bridging you back" the medic told her sternly although anyone could detect the relief in his voice too. The old mech would probably never admit it but everyone knew he cared for the humans despite his act of not really giving a toss.

The medic's tone was now beginning to fill with worry rather than relief as he heard Knock Out in the background and no reply from Miko.

"Miko? Miko, please respond" he tried again when he still heard no reply. Ratchet kept his audio sensors turned up as he awaited a reply. And there it was.

"I see you have been getting well acquainted with my medic" a sinister voice sneered from behind the children.

The children once again swivelled to face yet another intrusion when they heard the raspy voice. All three gasped and felt their heartbeats speed up as they turned and faced the monstrosity of the Decepticon leader himself, even Agent Fowler had stopped his ramblings and gazed up in shock at the number one enemy.

Megatron's booming footsteps drew closer and closer to the four terrified humans.

"And where do you think you are going, my little guests? Why not stay and join the fun we have planned? I can assure you it will be entertaining" he sneered at them again but wore an evil grin which served as a way to further frighten the humans.

"F-fun?" Raf squeaked quietly as he gulped causing Megatron to turn his attention on him.

"All sorts of fun" he continued to grin wickedly as he suddenly snatched up the three human children but left the Government Agent in his position on the floor to stare up at the saw still threatening to kill him.

Abruptly, the green vortex of a ground bridge swirled into existence and unfolded itself allowing the Earthbound Autobots to run through. Of course this instantly attracted the battle hungry optics of Megatron and the face of Knock Out that was currently twisted into a look of shock and worry but when he saw his leader at the ready his expression warped itself into an almost amused look.

"Prime" Megatron greeted his Nemesis in his raspy voice.

"Megatron, it would be mutually beneficial if you were to let the humans go and keep this war between Cybertronian beings only" Optimus replied in his deep, firm, rumble of a voice.

"Mutually beneficial?" Megatron let out a thunderous laugh that made the humans in his grasp cringe in fright, "And how exactly would it be 'mutually beneficial' as you say it is, Optimus?" He smirked horribly at the red and blue mech, his red optics flashing brightly.

"You will be spared" Optimus said in a flat yet dangerous tone as he summoned his blasters and began taking steps towards the warlord.

"If I am comprehending correctly then this must be the part that becomes mutually beneficial" the tyrant grinned as Optimus' optics showed clear confusion, "Move any closer and I will drop your beloved pets"

Megatron's evil look never faltered as he sucked up the expressions of each Autobot which had dropped from stormy and determined to pure horror and shock.

"I'm giving you 5 seconds to turn around and go back to your base or I will drop the human sparklings" he snarled in warning, "And then allow Knock Out to drill the older human into chunks of meat"

"Megatron-" Optimus was interrupted by something his audio receptors did not wish to be introduced to.

"5...4..." The warlord smirked at the blue opticed Cybertronians as he held up his free hand using his digits to show his enemies the amount of time they had left as he counted down.

A count down of their friends' lives.

Optimus wouldn't allow stubbornness to block the fact that Megatron's pure distaste for humans trumped his determination to get his friends back. He knew Megatron and his ruthless nature wouldn't have a problem with dropping the children to their death and watching as Agent Fowler was torn apart by a saw.

"Autobots, return to base" Optimus ordered after a quick run through of the situation, the anger in his voice crystal clear.

"Optimus we can't just leave them!" Arcee shouted at her leader.

"Who knows what they'll do to them?!" Bulkhead added on as he vented his frustration on Optimus.

Bumblebee beeped and warbled at his leader angrily but let out saddened chirps when he looked at Optimus' faceplates and saw he wasn't going to change his mind.

"3.."

"Into the ground bridge now" Ratchet hurried the three complaining guardians of their allies through the ground bridge after scowling at Optimus miserably.

"2..."

After the Autobots has gone through Optimus turned and spared one last sympathetic look towards their human friends and allies, silently promising that he would return for them.

"1..."

Jack, Miko, Raf and Agent Fowler watched as Optimus ran through the ground bridge. Megatron observed with a wicked look engraved onto his face plates as the ground bridge closed into itself and vanished. He then looked down at the three humans in his hand with a dark chuckle and then called to his medic.

"Knock Out, prepare the older human for interrogation. I'm sure you and Dreadwing will enjoy yourselves getting information out of him" he smirked as he saw Agent Fowler visibly flinch and divert his gaze to the ground as he silently prayed.

"Of course, my liege. And what of the human children?"

The tyrant chuckled darkly, his sharp teeth bared menacingly before he replied.

"Take a look at them, Knock Out. They are young" he stared maliciously down at them, "With the right equipment and training..."

Jack, Miko and Raf looked up at the silver warlord as they waited for him to continue.

The warlord honestly couldn't wait to see the crushed, defeated looks on the face plates of the Autobots as they died at the hands of their once friends.

"They will become great editions to the Decepticon army"