Come back for round two, eh? Ted thought as he ran out to the edge of Autobot City. Bringing his up his mask, he looked out over the lake. He spotted them, three figures, closing fast. He recognized the one of them as the Starscream clone, and another one as Waspinator, though it looked like he was carrying something or someone. The other one was a mystery to him.

It looked like Waspinator, but the coloration was wonky in this lighting, and it seemed much too small. It too looked like it was carrying something, but that object was very small, and he had no idea what it was.

By the time Kup and Springer arrived, the deceptions were close enough for him to get a better look. It seemed that Waspinator was carrying Blacharachnia. Then the other one must be carrying. He used zoomed in with his optics on the other bug-bot's payload. Oh no...

"Hold, fire. Nobody attack, their not here for a fight!" He shouted as they drew nearer.

"What, why?" Springer asked, looking incredulously at the small human-bot.

"Because not even decepticons bring their wounded onto a battle field." Kup answered for him, pointing to the unknown bot, or more specifically, the thing it was carrying.

Held by the three legs was Sari Sumdac, her arms and legs hanging completely limp from her body, her head hanging back, like a rag-doll. The innocence of that sentiment was ruined, however, by the gaping hole in her abdomen, just below her chest.

Ted ran forward as the bot carrying her set her down. Everything else faded away into the background. He knelt down beside Sari, lifting her head off the ground with his hand. He turned around, and shouted.

"Somebody get Gearbox, Ratchet! ANYBODY!"

********

All of the original earth autobots were gathered around Sari's bed. Gearbox had done his best too patch up the external damage, and he and Ratchet had spent hours trying to stabilize the girl. They had had some success, but even so, things looked grim. The same thought went through everyone's head as the looked down on her. They wouldn't leave her alone when she died.

The strange bot that had looked like Waspinator had revealed itself to be Bumblebee, given a new form. It was now the closest to Sari, sitting next to the bed and hanging over her as if to protect her from any more harm.

Optimus could barely stand the sight of it. It hurt him too much. He had tried to be a good leader. Tried to provide an example of leadership and goodness to his bots. An example of what an autobot should be.

But he had failed. He had failed because, in the end, he hadn't been strong enough to destroy his enemy. He had failed because that enemy had escaped, taking with him one of his most trusted friends, an action made easier because of his own stubborn idiocy and refusal to listen. And now he had failed because that friend lay on their death bed.

He left the room unsteadily, and soon found his way through the building to one of its balconies. He looked out over the unfinished city. "How can I protect the future of the autobots if I can't even protect the ones that I care about."

"You worry too much, blue bot." He heard someone say behind him. Optimus turned quickly, and saw Blacharachnia standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "Sometimes things happen that are beyond your control, and there's nothing you can do to stop them. Or if you do, you can only make it worse."

The autobot Prime was irritated at finding himself, and his thoughts, no longer alone. But he let that pass. "But I could have avoided this. If I hadn't have been such a stubborn glitch and listened to her. She wouldn't have had any reason to doubt who was in the right, and wouldn't have gotten into this mess." His frustration boiled up, "Argh, I'm such a stupid malfunction."

The fembot walked up beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, I'm not going to argue with you. In fact, I think you interpretation is a little bit conservative," He cast a mild glare at her, "But that's beside the point. You can't protect everyone, and you can't know everything. As the wise Primus tells us, 'All formulas are free of error in hindsight.'"

Optimus simply glared out across the city, trying his hardest to ignore the truth in her words. Blacharachnia only sighed and hugged him. "Hey, I know its not close to an even exchange, but you've got me back. And between me, that mechanical prodigy, the greatest medibot on or off Cybertron, and the two greatest minds in cybertronion mechanical theory on the job, she'll get better."

"She'll get better." He repeated, now returning the embrace. She'll get better.

********

The room was almost completely dark when Ted stepped in. The only light came from the soft glow of the monitoring equipment. He was completely alone. Well, almost alone. He thought, looking over to the new Bumblebee asleep and leaning against an equally snoring Waspinator.

He walked up to the bed, and looked down at the girl. She was still entirely in robot mode, nobody had even dared trying to force a transformation. Even her mask was still on. She shouldn't be like this, I shouldn't have let her go. He thought, anger at himself driving him to try and pull at his hair.

He looked at her face, and became angered by the simple mask there. We should at least be able to see her face. This shouldn't be our last memory of her. He started to remember his time with her then. He had only known her for a few months, basically the school year, but her influence on that time was overwhelming. She had become an important part of his life, and slowly had become the center of his attention.

Damn, it. Its bad enough that your my friend and this happened to you. But your more than just that to me.

"I love you." he said, leaning down and kissing her on the mouth plate. There, now make your miraculous recovery like the Mary Sue you are, just in time for me to act all embarrassed. Sari just lay there, showing no sign of stirring. He looked up hopefully at the monitors, but they showed nothing else but the slow and steady decline of her vitals.

Fucking damn it, don't do this, Sari. Snap out of it and come back to us. Your important to all of us, you can't die, its against the rules. His mind carried him backwards through his memories of her. Their battle just a few hours ago, the earlier one before that. The picnics they would have on the hill looking over Autobot City, their races against each other and their practical jokes and games with Ted and bumblebee. He remembered seeing Cybertron, and how the both of them had simply been stunned by the glory of the autobot's council building.

Eventually, he reached their first encounter with each other, and the realization that they were not so different. Scaring the piss out of that punk had been fun, and the walk to her home had sown the seeds of his attraction to her, not at all helped by the way she had layn her hands on his chest when she had revealed his all spar...

Realization hit him like a hammer to the skull. He brought his hand to his chest, just above the chamber that held the All-spark fragment that preserved his life. It hovered there a moment in hesitation. Hold on, can I do this. Should I do this? They might find another way to help her, she might recover on her own. He thought, fear gripping him.

But what if she doesn't. What if she dies right now, and you could have saved her. You can save her. And you know that you should. Do it, do it now before its too late.

He willed the chamber open, bathing the room in the soft blue light of his heart. He reached his other hand out and placed it on Sari's chest, opening her own spark chamber. He bent down low, his face just above hers, his hand reaching around his All-spark fragment. Behind him, he could hear Bumblebee and Waspinator stirring.

He kissed her again. He pulled the shard out and laid it in her spark chamber.

Wake up now, my sleeping beauty.

*******

Power surged through Sari, literally filling her with life. It was unlike anything she had felt before, greater even than her upgrade.

Drearily, she opened her eyes...

"t-ted. Ted! TED!!!"

*******

Alarm claxons sounded all throughout the security facility. Cliffjumper Prime ran towards the door. Already, the outside outposts had gone quiet. Whoever was behind the attack had been fast.

He commanded his autobots to take positions all around the main door, weapons at the ready. If anybody was going to get in here, they were going to pay for every inch in coolant, energon, and lives. He was going to make certain of it.

"Cliffjumper Prime." The enemy is just out the door, they've stopped there." His lookout said.

The autobot nodded, and brought his ridiculously over-sized Gatling-laser out of subspace. "Don't let anything through, Autobots. GIVE THEM NOTHING, BUT TAKE FROM THEM EVERYTHING!!!!"

Then, silence, broken only by the throbbing of the alarm. After a few moments, it chaffed on Cliffjumper's nerves. The bots began to whisper amongst themselves in confusion. "Lookout, The enemy is in front of the door, yes?"

"Yes, sir. He's just, standing there."

"He?"

"Yes sir, only one."

What, who would be stupid enough to. Just then, he heard a resonating th-WUMP.

OHSLA-

The door exploded and he was thrown back. Bits and pieces of cybertronion flew everywhere. He was dimly aware of the fact that both his legs and an arm had been completely broken off. He lifted his head, ready to glare in defiance as his attacker finished him.

He was struck dumb as he saw the figure come forward. It... it can't be.

The massive decepticon looked down at him, his purple eyes burning menacingly.

"Don't feel bad about your injured defiance. I will spare you this time." The decepticon said, leaning down towards the autobot leader. "Besides, I have a message for your leaders. Tell them that Galvatron has arrived."