The base was quiet. The kids were still at school, most everyone was out on patrols, which left Ratchet and Optimus alone in the base. The Prime was off working on a report that needed to be finished and Ratchet was at the base computers searching for any energon signals.
For the most part, Ratchet was enjoying the silence, he always worked best in peace, but as he read over the scans he really wished he had something to take his mind off this. The scans were coming back as they had been for the last three days… nothing.
At this rate their energon supply would fall again just like last time and the medic did not want that to happen. Setting the computers to scan over a new area, Ratchet heard the sound of someone walking down the hall way. Looking to the hall, Ratchet was welcomed with the sight of the Prime coming his way.
"Anything Ratchet?" Optimus asked. "Nothing so far. I just set the scans to look over a new stretch of terrain." Ratchet said as he turned to watch the computers scan over the area. "I just wish this wasn't so time tasking."
Nodding his helm at the medic, Optimus could understand why something like this is so boring. "But it is worth it in the end." Optimus added and Ratchet had to agree. "Did you finish your report?" Ratchet asked but the look he got from the Prime answered that. "You are not the only one with a time tasking duty." Optimus teased with a smile.
"I guess." Ratchet smiled back but his attention was brought back to the computers when a loud beeping noise came from them. The scans had detected an energon signal not too far on the state lines of Nevada. "At least my task is finished." Ratchet said as he zoomed into the area.
"The scans show that there is a good sized amount of energon. I'll call the others to join you in retrieving it." Ratchet said as he powered up the ground bridge. "Thank you Ratchet." Optimus said as he walked through the bridge.
Little did the two know that the energon they were after would come with an extra item and a price.
As the Autobots traveled through the Oklahoma terrain, they were beyond joy with the news that it was a large stash. "From what Ratchet said it will be the largest we've had in a long time." Arcee said as she followed behind Optimus and Bulkhead and Bumblebee behind her. "This is a win no matter the size." Optimus said.
"Yeah, but let's just hope the 'Cons haven't found it before us." Bulkhead said as they rounded a large patch of trees. "We won't know if it is until we get there Bulkhead." Optimus said as he pulled back a tree branch and opened his optics to a large and open field.
"Strange place for Energon to be." Bee said as they all scanned over the area. There was an almost complete circle of land that was void of trees, only grass grew here with a few bushes around. "Wouldn't the area have, you know, recovered over the years the energon crashed here?" Bulkhead asked and Optimus had to agree. The energon was sent to earth millennia ago, the land should have recuperated. But this land looks to just be finally to start growing.
"Look around for an opening where we can find the energon." Optimus said as they all spanned out. As they all looked around, Arcee walked up to a bush when she thought she saw something shine underneath it. Bending down to inspect the bush more, Arcee let out a shocked scream when the ground under her and the bush caved in and she fell down a hole.
"Arcee!" Bumblebee shouted as he and the others races over to the deep hole in the ground. "Arcee, are you alright?" Optimus shouted but no answer came. After some time passed, the Autobots were starting to worry. "Maybe we should go down there?" Bulkhead spoke and Optimus was one step ahead of him as he jumped into the hole.
Following the Prime, the two mechs slid down the hole that quickly turned into a tunnel that was longer then they thought it was. After about five minutes the bots finally came to a stop in a cave like structure where Bulk and Bee found Optimus helping Arcee up.
"Arcee you okay?" Bulkhead asked as he joined in helping her up. "I think so, just got caught off guard when I fell in here… where is here?" Looking around, the bots were shocked to see that this cave structure was large enough to hold their heights and that they weren't the only things in there.
Few feet away sat a large ship that was dented and broken. Parts of the ship's siding were missing and energon was leaking from a spot near one of the thrusters. "That explains the energon signal that Ratchet found." Arcee said as they waked over to the ship. "Wonder how long this ship has been down here?" Bee asked.
Inspecting the ship more, Optimus soon found the Autobot symbol on the side. "This is an Autobot ship." Optimus stated as he continued to walk around it. "Then what happened to the Autobot that was driving this thing?" Arcee asked as Optimus found the ships door and began to pry it open. "Let me try Optimus." Bulkhead said as the door wasn't opening.
Giving the door a good hard whack from his wrecking ball, Bulk had the door open in no time. As the door fell to the ground, a cloud of dust came from inside the ship and an eerie darkness filled the inside. Turning on his floodlights, Optimus walked in first with the others following with weapons drawn.
The ship wasn't a massive one on the inside, just a few doors that led to spare rooms and closets, but the command room was the main part of it all. The front screen was cracked but it still was an impressive computer. Keypads, flight controls, and other attachments were all over, and in the middle of this was a large cylinder.
"What is that?" Bulkhead asked as he walked up to the cylinder with Optimus. "It is an old fashion Stasis Lock Chamber." Optimus said as he used his servo to wipe away some of the dust from the glass window on the front of the cylinder but it did no good. "So someone could be in there?" Bulkhead asked again.
Looking down at the cylinder's information jack, Optimus found that there was a life signal being supported but it was very weak. "There is. And the sooner we get them out the better." Optimus said as he studied the cylinder to see if there was a way to open it.
Off to the side, Arcee and Bumblebee were scouting the doors and rooms that the ship had. Opening one together, Arcee and Bumblebee were shocked to see a large stash of energon cubes stacked inside the room. "We have energon." Arcee shouted as she and Bee walked in and began to bring out some of the cubes.
While the two groups had things to do, Bulkhead watched as Optimus tried to unlock the cylinder. "There has to be an easier way to do this." Bulk said as he walked over to the computers keypads. Reading over the buttons, Bulkhead couldn't figure out which one would open the door or make the airship even take off.
Taking a chance on one of the buttons, Bulk pressed a bright blue one. The ship gave a hard shudder when the green wrecker did but then it went silent. "What was that?" Arcee asked. "I just pressed a button. Looks like nothing-" But Bulkhead never got to finish as the cylinder began to rise up slowly. "Well done, Bulkhead." Optimus said as the cylinder finally disappeared.
In place of the cylinder was now a command chair and in the chair sat a very still body. It had layers of dust on them; so much in fact that it's color scheme was impossible to know. The bots body was obviously damaged by the large dents on them, most likely from the crash, but what struck out most was what was coming from the bots back.
"A seeker." Arcee said as she pointed her blasters at the still body. In truth, Arcee was correct in this bot being a seeker. There were a pair of predominate wings sticking up in the air while another smaller pair was folded downward. "What is a seeker doing in an Autobot ship?" Bumblebee asked as he also pointed his weapons at the bot.
"Could have stolen the ship from an Autobot group, that much energon would have been a great addition to the Decepticon side." Bulkhead said as he held his wrecking balls at the ready. Staring at the seeker body for a bit, Optimus began to wonder if this was a Decepticon seeker. Where it was true that most seekers joined the Decepticons, there were a few to join the Autobots.
"I don't believe this is a Decepticon seeker." Optimus finally said. "What makes you think that?" Arcee asked, her guard still up. Pointing to the seeker's wings and chest plates, Optimus saw no Decepticon symbol where most seekers put them; there wasn't even one on the shoulders where air commanders put theirs. "That still doesn't mean that this isn't a Decepticon." Bulk added.
"Let's give them the benefit of the doubt." Optimus said as he picked up the seeker in his arms; resting their helm on his shoulder and let the legs dangle over his arms. "Wait, we're actually bringing this seeker to base?" Bee asked in shock. "This bot needs medical care, it would not be the Autobot way to leave them here." Optimus said as he called Ratchet and told him to ready the med-bay.
Not sure what to make of this, the rest of the Autobots just followed Optimus' lead and began to grab energon cubes to carry into the ground bridge.
Jack was a bit shocked at how quiet Arcee was being. Usually the femme would ask about his day or something, but she was silent. In fact, all the bots were. Bulkhead and Bumblebee hadn't said anything to Miko or Raf when they came to pick them up. Jack began to wonder what was bugging the bots out so much.
"Something the matter Arcee?" Jack spoke suddenly. "Huh? Oh, nothing's wrong Jack." Arcee said but even Jack could see that was a lie. "Come on now, there has to be something up your guys tailpipes." Miko spoke over the comm. Link. "Nothing's wrong Miko, it's just that…" Bulkhead began but he didn't finish. "Just what Bulkhead?" Raf asked.
"Something is waiting for us at base." Bee answered. "What kind of something?" Jack asked after Raf translated. "Just wait till we get there." Arcee said as the saw the base in the distance.
When the group finally made it to the base, the kids already saw that something was off. Ratchet wasn't at the computers, he was normally there to greet them with a groan and asking was it truly the end if school. But not today, the medic wasn't in sight and neither was Optimus.
"Where is Ratchet and Optimus?" Raf asked. "Follow us and we'll show you." Bulkhead said as he began to walk down the hallway with Arcee and Bee following. Quick to follow them, the kids trailed behind their bots until the entered the med-bay. Inside was Ratchet and Optimus waiting for them, but there was one extra.
There was a bot sleeping on the berth, still in stasis, but what made the humans jump back was what kind of bot it was. "A seeker." Jack stated, and he was right. The bot before them was the seeker Optimus and the team had found in the crashed airship.
"They found her while scouting for energon." Ratchet said as he scanned over the seeker. "Her?" Miko asked. "She is of femme class, yes. It was a bit hard to tell with all the dust on her but I cleaner her up." Ratchet said again as he read over his scans.
"Is she a 'Con?" Raf asked, knowing at least two seekers who were Decepticons. "Not to our knowledge." Optimus said. "We did find her in an Autobot ship, but she has neither an Autobot nor Decepticon emblem."
"And I have no records of her in the Autobot database." Ratchet said as he walked over to a computer and typed in what his scans gave him. "Why wouldn't she be in the database?" Arcee asked. "Either she is some kind of secret agent the Decepticons had or she is a neutral." Ratchet said, not looking away from his computers.
Looking at the femme, everyone was wondering what she was truly. She didn't look dangerous, most cons were dark colored but she was painted a soft sea green with white high lights on her arms, legs, face, and her servos were white as well. She was thin build but still taller than most of the bots here; just a few inches under Optimus.
"Have you ever seen her before, Arcee?" Jack asked. "Not that I can recall." Arcee answered, and for the others it was the same answer. No one could remember a time when they had seen this femme, not in battle, not in the Neutral camps, no one had any recollections of ever seeing this femme.
"Wherever she is from, she is in need of medical care." Optimus said and everyone had to agree. When they had found her she wasn't in the best of shape, but now that Ratchet was aiding her she looked a bit better. "And in need of rest, so everyone out. I don't need her waking up right now while her body is adjusting." Ratchet barked out as she shooed everyone out of the med-bay.
"Alright Ratchet, we're leaving." Bulkhead said as he began to walk out of the room. "Hey Miko, I heard that a Monster Truck rally was on today." At the sound of some exciting television, Miko ran out of the room with the others following. Now that they were only, Optimus stared down at the femme and tried to figure out why he had this odd sensation in his mind.
Did he know this femme? Had he seen her before? He couldn't remember. Looking back at Ratchet, Optimus saw the medic reading over a part of the scan over and over again. "Something troubling you Ratchet?" Optimus asked as he joined at the medic's side. "Just this image." Ratchet answered as he zoomed into the femme's chest.
The image was blurry at best. The inside of her spark chamber was obscured by some force or object that made seeing her spark impossible. The only thing that showed her spark was alright and there was the blue light shining past the object.
"I cannot figure out what this is. And I cannot open her up until she wakes up." Ratchet said as he exited out of the picture. "Hopefully it is nothing dangerous." Optimus said but Ratchet only shrugged. "I won't know for sure until I examine her." Ratchet said as he began to walk out the room. "Come on, we need to let her rest."
Following the medic, Optimus shut off the lights as he exited the room. But something continued to bother his mind. And it revolved around this new femme.
The day had come and passed; now nothing but darkness surrounds the town of Jasper. The stars were unseen by the people who were out late due to the thick clouds. But everything was relatively quiet. Even at the Autobot base, nothing but the soft hum of the base's computers was going. Everyone was sleeping away, unaware of what was happening around them.
Slowly pushing open the door to the med-bay, a lone figure stalked out of the room. Nothing but the light of their optics guided their way as they traveled down the hallways. Checking each door for an exit, the figure finally came to the main room to find the computers still on.
Walking up to them, the figure typed something into them which activated the ground bridge. Seeing the bright green swirling portal before them, the figure was about to walk in when a very loud alarm went off. Not too long after the alarm was sounded, the Autobots came down the hall to see the figure standing in front of the bridge portal.
"Hold it there!" Arcee shouted as she powered up her weapons. Following her lead, the rest of the Autobots brought out their weapons but it did little good as the figured rushed into the portal which remained open for some odd reason.
"Who was that?" Bulkhead asked as Ratchet walked over to the computers. "I believe that was our guest." Ratchet said as he read over the information the computers gave. "And she sent herself to a random location outside Jasper." Walking up to the ground bridge, Optimus seemed puzzled at why the femme ran out of the base.
"We will go after her." Optimus said suddenly, surprising everyone. "We will?" Bee asked. "Yes, she does not know of earth or its population. She could end up in a very bad situation if we allow her to travel around outside the base." Optimus said and everyone had to agree.
"Well then, lets not just stand here then." Bulkhead said as he lowered his weapons and began to walk through the bridge with Optimus. Following after them, Arcee and Bee also disappeared through the bridge before they came out the other side. They were in a open prarie, no roads around for some miles but also no femme around them.
"Looks like she took off." Bulkhead said but just as he did something hit his helm and knocked him over. "What was that?" Arcee asked as she looked around but saw nothing. As she continued to look around, Arcee was soon attacked by a mysterious object that sent her down. "Okay, now this is getting freaky." Bumblebee said but not a second after that he was also decked on the helm.
Now that he was the only one left standing, Optimus looked around in circles; trying to find a location of where these propelled objects were coming from. Hearing a soft hissing noise,Optimus turned to his right just in time to slice a large rock with his sword. Looking to where the rock had come from, Optimus was surprised to see the outline of the femme flying in the air.
"We mean you no harm," Optimus said as he lowered his weapon. "We just want to help." But the femme seemed little to not interested in what Optimus had to say as she quickly transformed into a Cybertronian seeker alt-mode and zoomed right to him.
Not sure what she was doing, Optimus was shocked when she slammed into him and brought him up into the air with her. "Don't recognize me Optimus?" the femme asked. "That's alright, gives me another reason to hate your kind." Suddenly transforming in midflight, the femme pushed Optimus off her and watched as he crashed into the ground far below.
Finally getting up, Arcee and Bumblebee saw Optimus smash into the ground. "Optimus!" Arcee shouted as they raced over to their fallen Prime. Also getting up, Bulkhead saw that the femme was still in the air staring at Optimus. "No one attacks Optimus like that and gets away with it." Bulkhead said as he pointed his blaster at her.
Firing one shot was all it took to bring the femme down, hitting her right in the chest plates Bulkhead brought her down just as quickly as she had brought Optimus down. Seeing that she was not getting up, Bulkhead raced over to Optimus just as Arcee and Bumblebee were helping him up. "Where is she?" Optimus asked.
"I shot her down." Bulk said as he pointed to where she was. Walking over to the downed femme, the Autobots were shocked to see what they did. The femme was down alright, but she was far more damaged then the shot had done to her. Her chest plates were leaking large amounts of energon and her claws were stained with the diluted blue liquid.
"Go ahead, do it." The femme said randomly. "Do what?" Bee asked, a bit confused. "Kill me, I know that's what your kind does. So just get it over with." The femme said not even showing the least bit of fear. "We are not here to kill you." Optimus said as he held his servo out to the femme. "Of course you are. That's all you Autobots are good for, killing Neutrals without question." The femme answered.
"Whoa, hold up, you're a Neutral?" Bulkhead said, a bit stunned that a Neutral had attacked them. Most Neutrals were against fighting all together; patifest by choice and nature. "What else would I be? A Decepticon, please." The femme spat out the last bit with so much venom that even the bots could sense she had a high disliking of the 'Cons.
"With that fighting style I could mistake you for an Autobot." Arcee said. "Don't flatter yourselves, the day I join either side, let alone the Autobots, is the day I join the All Spark." The femme said, venom still high. "It does not matter what you think of us or the Decepticons, you are injured and we will assit you." Optimus said with his servo still out stretched.
For a moment the femme did nothing but stare at the appendage, almost scurtenizing every digit and joint it had. Finally, she took it and allowed Optimus to help her up. "Ratchet, we need a bridge." Optimus said as he called his medic. While doing this, the Prime also noticed that the femme was not looking him in the face; gaze off in the distance or to the ground.
"So you found her then?" Ratchet asked over to comm. link. "We did." Optimus replied as a bridge opened up before them all. Walking in one by one, Optimus and the mystery femme were last to enter. The reason why was the femme was having a hard time walking due to the pain she was feeling. "You must have done more damaged to yourself then I thought." Optimus thought aloud.
"You don't know the half of it." The femme said as they entered the base to find everyone staring at her with confused and irritated gazes. "So this is our escape artist?" Ratchet commented. "Didn't get far did you."
"Looks like I have been forgot by more then one bot today." The seagreen femme said with a bitter tone. "What is that supposed to mean?" Ratchet asked. "Nothing that concerns you medic." She spat out but with it came energon, and lots of it. Using her servo to cover her mouth, the femme coughed loudly as more energon came up.
"Primus, what happened?" Ratchet asked as he helped Optimus carry the femme to a nearby berth. "Spark casing." The femme coughed, which only made more energon come up. "Your spark? I don't see how it could be the cause of this." Ratchet said as he shouted at Bumblebee to grab him a cloth to clean up the energon. "My spark casing is damaged you idiot." The femme barked loudly, spitting energon on both Optimus and Ratchet.
Now understanding what she had meant, Ratchet tapped the femmes chest plates. "Open up." He said and even though she was a bit reluctant the femme did as he asked. Everyone turned away in respect as she did, only medics and bondmates saw anothers' spark. "By the All Spark." Ratchet said as he saw what was done to the femme's spark chamber.
There was a long and deep crack in it, and energon was spilling out of it. The energon was being caught by a small pouch that was attacked to the chamber, but it had overflown and now was leaking everywhere. "Who did this to you?" Ratchet asked as he took the pouch out and emptied it. "Myself." The femme responded. "Fell down when I was little and never got it fixed."
Placing the pouch back next to her chamber, Ratchet cleaned up the energon and closed her platings. "That must have been one nasty fall." Arcee said as she and the others turned around. "I can take it. I have been delt worse things in my life time." The femme said as she rubbed her chest plates. "I am afraid I wont be able to fix that at this time," Ratchet said. "I don't have the proper tools or the items to fix and/or replace your spark chamber."
"Fine by me. I've lived with it this long, I can still." The femme said as she hopped off the berth but quickly fell to her knees. "You need rest. Your energon levels fell drasticly." Ratchet said as he helped her back up. "I was stuck in a stasis container for years I don't know how many, rest is the last thing I need. And as for my energon levels I could care less." The femme said as she shoved Ratchet away.
"What about all that energon that was on your ship?" Bulkhead asked. "Don't care about it, take it for all I care." Now this shocked everyone, this war had made even the nicest of bots and femmes greedy when it came to energon, but here this femme was just giving it to them without a care.
"You sure?" Bee asked and the femme shrugged. "It makes offlining easier." Now if the femme hadn't already startled the Autobots, she was now by her statement. "You… wish to offline?" Optimus asked, since no one else was. "… Yes." She answered. "This war has done nothing but tore my life apart. I just want it to stop, just to end my existence."
"… I think we need to relax for a bit. Stasis container or not, you need rest." Ratchet said with a stern voice. "Optimus, take her to one of the spare rooms we got."
Nodding his helm, Optimus placed his servo on the femme's shoulder and began to lead her down the hall. All the while, the remaining team members watched in shock and terror at what the femme had just said. Some may call it suicidle, others depression, but if they only knew what the femme knew they would have called it something else.
Something much simpler then suicidle thoughts and depression.
The feeling only those who had lost everything they had could feel.
The knowing that their life had no meaning now that they were alone.
An emotion that burned many to their very core.
Sorrow.
New chptr?
Why yes indeed this is!
What you guys think?
I really hope you liked it.
Leave me a review to show me you did!
Until next time,
Girl Supersonicboy OUT!