Author's Note: Whew, Chapter 8 is finally up! Sorry everyone for the slow update on this story, but I've been having serious writer's block. Plus, I've been trying to get my new story (We Rise and Fall Together: Part 1) up and running. But, problems solved and the new Chap is up!

Now, this story will have a flashback on part of Optimus's past and how the All Spark was launched and what happened. Whether my facts are true or not, I do not know. I did both in my own perspective of how it happened.

Well, now that that's cleared up, I want to thank the people who have followed, favored, and reviewed this story; you're support keeps me writing! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; I only love to write about them.

~sweettea1


Chapter 8

Optimus Prime stood outside of the temporary base, looking up at the grey clouds that hovered above. Their monotonous gloom set a heavy mood on the Autobot leader. For the past couple of days Optimus hadn't recharged much nor has he talked to anyone. Everyone was starting to worry about the Prime. They were hoping to receive orders sometime soon; whether it be hunting down Decepticons or even guard duty. However, none of them had been assigned either.

Nobody knew, though, what was going through Optimus's processor. The leader wasn't ill and he was far from giving up. He had a plan, but he had been keeping it to himself. He knew his soldiers and their human companions very well; they wouldn't like his plan. Same goes for the world leaders and other humans in high command. True, Optimus didn't know them personally, but he spoke with them enough times to know what their response would be. So, keeping his plan to himself was the best option. Only when the time came close would he reveal his plan.

You may find it wrong of Optimus to keep secrets from his Autobots and human companions, but it was for the best. Optimus had a sneaky suspicion that the Decepticon who landed in Litchfield, Illinois, wanted to be noticed. You may recall that the other Decepticons crash landed and then fled the scene. However, the Decepticon in Litchfield destroyed the city, making a huge scene. It wasn't by accident either. Whoever that Decepticon was wanted to draw attention. Otherwise, he would've fled the scene without a trace like his fellow Decepticons.

Another suspicion Optimus had was that the Decepticon landed not too far away from Chicago. All other Decepticons landed globally, far away from Illinois, let alone Chicago.

When Optimus put these facts together, he knew what needed to be done. Sending out his soldiers to find all the Decepticons was a pointless mission; a distraction from the big picture. Optimus did not know what the Decepticon from Litchfield's objective was. So far, none of the pieces seem to fit well together. The Autobot leader figured the Decepticons would be after their deceased leader, but they more than likely had no idea where his body resided at. That's probably why they are dispersed; so they can cover more ground.

Whatever the case, Optimus could not let the Decepticons retrieve Megatron's body. He had a good feeling that Unicron would be able to bring back the leader of the Decepticons; especially when the Chaos Bringer had most of the power of the Matrix. Optimus clearly remembered Sam telling him that Unicron planned to reincarnate the Matrix of Leadership. If Unicron could do such a thing, there was going to be major problems. Who knows how much damage Unicron could do with the Matrix's power. Optimus could only guess. Shaking his head, Optimus tried to rid his processor of the thought.

The Autobot leader returned his gaze back to the overcast skies, reviewing his plan in his processor. He so wished he could tell his fellow soldiers, but he knew it was for the best that he didn't. 'Like how you didn't tell most of them that you were launching the All Spark until it was too late to turn back?' Optimus scolded himself. A downcast look dawned on Optimus face as he remembered his blunder; back when he sent the All Spark off-world.

(Flashback in Optimus Prime's POV)

My processor was filled with memories as I drove through Tyger Pax. As a sparkling I loved the city; especially since my creation name was Orion Pax. Me and my parents went there quite often back during the "Golden Ages" of Cybertron. All fun and games and great memories; however, those good times ended abruptly when the War began. It wasn't truly the beginning of the War, but it was the rising of it. Many cities were being attacked by unknown criminals who go by the name Terrorcons. At first, the threat was small; but it eventually began to cause strife and distress among our people.

I was roughly 9 cycles old when my father was called into duty to stop the Terrorcon threat. Even today, I still remember him promising me that he would be back soon; that he wouldn't leave me and my mother behind. However, that was a promise he could not keep. My father was killed a few vorns later due to a surprise attack by the enemy. My father and his team didn't see it coming…

I quickly shoved those memories aside and I revved my engine, increasing my speed. The broken down buildings flew by me as I sped away; the city seemed never ending. Everything seemed to bring back a painful memory, each one worst than the last.

::Hey Prime, slow down!::

Jazz, my first lieutenant and close friend, shouted through the comm. link. I saw his alt form speed up beside me. His form was quite small compared to my bulkier alt form. Well, he was built for speed and stealth while I was built for more heavy duty battle. Nevertheless, I didn't slow down. I was afraid that the ruins of Tyger Pax would bring back more memories of my past. When I finally passed the final few war-torn buildings, I let off on gas. When Tyger Pax was completely out of site, I transformed to my full height. I shook my head, not daring to look back at the city I once loved. Too many painful memories replaced the good ones I once had.

"Prime, are you alright?" I heard Jazz speak up behind me. My vents gave a low hiss as I regained my composure before turning back to my lieutenant. I saw his concern flash across his face plates as he looked up at me. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked me, his concern still quite obvious.

"Yes, I am sure. There is no other way. Megatron cannot get the All Spark," I said gravely.

"There is always a choice, Prime. You don't have to do this. We can find another way-"

"No," I cut him off. Judging by his slight jump, my voice came out stern and loud. "No," I said more gently, "we need to do it. Ironhide, Perceptor, and the Aerialbots are waiting for us at the All Spark's location. We need to pull through with the plan." Jazz looked up at me, sympathy and concern in his optics. I quickly turned away and we continued our trek to the All Spark. We were silent most of the way. I could tell that Jazz wanted to start a conversation, but the right words didn't seem to come to him so he remained quiet.

Our silence was only broken when Ironhide's gruff voice echoed through the link.

::You two better pick up the pace. The Decepticons could be here any minute. I just know it.::

::Let me guess, 'you can smell them'?:: Jazz snickered.

::Jazz…:: Ironhide growled though the link. I chuckled slightly, imagining the weapon specialist warming up his canons. Jazz also let out a chuckle before telling Ironhide that we would be there in a few nanoclicks.

Soon, me and Jazz arrived at the All Spark's location. My optics scanned over the ancient Cybertronian artifact. It was hard to believe that I was standing before the very thing that created life on this planet. I felt deep sorrow as I thought about launching it. Without the All Spark, reviving Cybertron would not be possible; however, I couldn't let Megatron get his claws on it. I could only imagine the damage he could do with it…

Shaking my helm, I walked over to Perceptor. "How is it coming, Perceptor?" I asked the red mech. Perceptor was eagerly typing away at one of the computers, trying to bypass the security which kept the All Spark grounded.

"The security is quite extraordinary. Why, I've never seen anything so complex-"

"Yeah, yeah, amazing technology. How about you just do it instead of explaining it?" Ironhide interrupted Perceptor, annoyed with the mech's chatter of technology and science and whatever else runs through Perceptor's processor. Perceptor let out a low groan and continued typing.

"Anyway, it is coming along nicely Prime. I should be able to reach the controls for the latches any minute now. Then we can release the All Spark," Perceptor replied, not looking up from his work. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Perceptor's question hung in the air for a bit. Everyone looked at me for an answer; no doubt they were wondering the same thing. I honestly wasn't sure if we should, but I knew it was for the best. The All Spark had to stay away from Megatron.

"Yes, Perceptor, I am," I replied with as much confidence as I could muster. Graveness settled upon me and my soldiers as we waited for Perceptor's work to be done. Once again I looked up at the All Spark. Its cube form was covered in ancient Cybertronian writing; much too old to be translated by anyone. Even my time in the archives when I was younger could not help me translate what was written. Silently I wondered what would become of the All Spark. It could go to any corner of the universe; any star, moon, or planet. Who knows if it could ever be found again.

"Finished!" Perceptor said triumphantly. After he pressed a couple more keys, the eerie silence was broken by the groaning of metal. My optics focused on the latches as they slowly began to release their grip on the All Spark.

"The metal is quite old; it might take a bit for the latches to unlock," Perceptor mused as he scanned over the computer screen, reading the Cybertronian writing. Each groan echoed in my audio receptors as I waited for the latches to unlock. My spark ached as it finally hit me that we were actually gonna do this; we were releasing the All Spark. Part of me wanted to shoot the computer; to stop it from releasing Cybertron's most beloved and important artifact. However, that wouldn't be necessary.

All of a sudden, an explosion came from Perceptor's position. I quickly turned around, only to find Perceptor lying on the ground with a gaping hole through his midsection. My optics widened in horror, my legs refusing to move. I saw the energon starting to pool around Perceptor as he lay motionless on the ground. My processor screamed at me to help, but the message didn't reach my legs. Only when another shot rang through the air did I come back to my senses.

"Autobots, take cover!" I shouted over the roar of incoming fire. I ran to Perceptor's side and tried to help him up. "Come on, Perceptor. We need to take cover," I told the red mech. Perceptor looked up at me with dim blue optics and shook his head 'no.'

"Reactivate the… computer. Release…the All…Spark…" he said through pained gasp. I watched as his optics dimmed to darkness. My spark twisted in pain as I helplessly watched him die in my arms. He was gone.

"I'm sorry, Perceptor…" I said quietly as began typing on the computer.

::Ironhide, I need cover so I can reactivate the computer.::

::You got it, Prime!::

::Silverbolt, who is attacking?::

Static was the response.

::Silverbolt! Do you copy?::

No response came from Silverbolt. I tried the other four Aerialbots but no response came from them, either. We had been caught by surprise. My spark pulsed fast as I typed on the computer. Finally, the latches began groaning again as they continued their progress.

My hand transformed into my path blaster while my sword slid out of my other hand's wrist. I turned to face battle and my battle mask slid over my face. Mayhem was spreading quickly throughout the area. Decepticon jets were sending in missiles while other transformed in attempt slaughter me, Jazz, and Ironhide. Both were unsuccessful.

I ducked down as more missiles flew in wildly. Looking up, my optics searched through the heavy smoke and I didn't like what I saw. Megatron casually walked through the smoke and fire. His murderous optics were trained on me and a cool smirk crossed his face plates.

"Optimus. Why am I not surprised to find you here," Megatron said, amusement in his tone. I glared at the Decepticon leader, anger welling up inside me. The smoke rising from the barrel of his canon only made me think of Perceptor's and all the other Cybertronian deaths that Megatron has caused.

"Megatron, you cannot control the power the All Spark; you will only endanger the entire planet. The All Spark's power isn't meant to be controlled," I said, authority returning to voice.

"You only say that because you can't control it yourself, Prime," Megatron said with a dark chuckle. "You let doubt overpower your might. The All Spark can be controlled and I will be the one to do it. My power will be like no other!" With that, our battle began. We swung our swords and fired our weapons, damaging one another but refusing to give up.

Then, in the middle of our battle, several clangs and cracks sounded into the air. I looked over at the All Spark to see that the latches had broken and the All Spark was free.

"Now, Ironhide!" I shouted to my weapon specialist. He nodded in acknowledgement and pressed a few keys on his arm compartment. Suddenly, the edges of the All Spark lit up and the roar of engines could be heard.

"NO!" Megatron yelled in anger as he fired his canon at the rocket boosters on the All Spark. After many failed attempts, Megatron let out a low growl. "You fool!" he shouted at me, wrapping his claws around my throat and banging me against the wall. "You launched our only hope for survival into the empty void of space!"

"You're wrong, Megatron," I said through gritted dental plating. "I kept our hope of surviving from your hands so we may actually have a chance. You think you can save Cybertron, but all you have brought is death and destruction."

"Then maybe I should do the same to you," Megatron growled.

"Prime, watch out! Prime!…"

(End Flashback)

"Prime! Are you even listening to me?" Will Lennox shouted up at the Autobot leader. Optimus blinked a couple of times as he pulled out of his memory. Looking down, he saw the Major staring up at him with an irritated expression.

"I'm sorry, Major," Optimus said apologetically. "What is wrong?"

Will just let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his temples as he regained his composure. Looking back at the Autobot leader, Will answered, "Our energon detectors are picking up strong signals; whatever it is, it's making a beeline for Chicago. Should be here within the hour."

"Can you check any security cameras in the area for detection of 'it'?" Optimus asked.

"Already did," Will responded. "Pretty nice car if I do say so myself. Midnight black Lamborghini. Decepticon sign on the hood."

Optimus nodded. "Then prepare your soldiers. I have a bad feeling about this."


The car was smooth, sleek, and built for speed. Anyone on Earth would wish to own such a sweet car. Although, most would probably prefer a red color rather than black, but that didn't matter. The body of the car was in great condition; new as it could get. The car whipped around in the lanes, swerving past others humans and their primitive vehicles. It had a mission to do and had no time to deal with these insects and their traffic laws.

::Cyclonus, report.::

::Scourge, I do not need to 'report' to anybody. And the communications link will only give away my position.::

::What? Did you find some Autobots? Let me at 'em!::

::Stick a socket in it, Blitzwing! Cyclonus, we are looking for Megatron's body; not going off on assassin missions.::

::I know that, Scourge. I simply going to…ask for directions.::

::Cyclonus, I'm telling to abandon your 'mission'. Now.::

::I am the one leading this mission. NOT you. Now get off my link.:: With that, the conversation ends.

"I'm coming, Optimus Prime. Just you wait…" the car revved its engine in a dark chuckle as it sped down the freeway towards Chicago.


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