chiv-id: See, NEW CHAPTER, with new installments eventually making its way within 2 weeks! YEAH, PLANNING AHEAD! Ahhhh, Transformers, my one true nerdy love in life, LOLOLOL. Anyway, ummmm, lots of Prime story covered in this one, so we're up PART 4 in the Darkness Rising miniseries of the beginning!

...F*ck me, not that far into the actual series then. GOD D*AMN IT, SO MUCH CRAP TO WRITE ABOUT! Giving me an aneurism the size of PSY's Youtube popularity...

DISCLAIMER: Don't own Transformers, Hasbro does, only the story and original characters be mine. KAY READ!

A Fated Exchange

Chapter 8: Conflicting Classification

[Centennia Logs]

"Jack, Rafael!" she yelled, shielding her optics when Centennia saw flashes of red exploding around the two human boys, "Hurry Bulkhead, the children! I'll cover you!" Bulkhead stood up and transformed around Miko, the fembot jumping out first and pulling her whips out to deflect the shots as they came while Bulkhead swerved down to pick up the boys. She managed to keep them busy as she saw Bulkhead escort them to safety before a shot caught her on the shoulder, making her give a startled cry as she was forced back by the blow. She eventually made her way back to the rock with the others holding her scorched joint, scraping the paint as she pressed herself against the cover. Jack was huddling over Rafael, clearly worried about the smaller boy's safety, while Bulkhead remained in vehicle form.

"Hey, y-you okay?" Rafael asked in a stuttering voice amidst all the shooting. She pulled her hand away to show it sparking somewhat, but nothing she couldn't manage. She nodded to assure him before rolling her head to the side to take a glance at the firing squad atop the ship.

"I'll protect them!" she told Bulkhead, recoiling when a blast hit too close to her face, "Bulkhead, retrieve Agent Fowler!" His carriage nodded and he floored it, swerving out of cover to drive underneath the Decepticon ship and away from the blasts.

Meanwhile, Centennia turned to look at the two…two?

Oh no…where was Miko?

She turned to look, noticing that the Decepticons weren't firing at them anymore and saw Bulkhead battling them, who was winning despite being outnumbered. And just beyond the tinted windows was a stringy tail of pink and black whipping around wildly in the cab, much to Centennia's exasperated dismay.

"Aaaaand she's gone again," Jack muttered in an annoyed tone, though the little blue, black, and pink blob that Centennia managed to see after he was done finishing off one group of Decepticons assured her that she was at least safe with Bulkhead. He disappeared soon enough and Centennia gave them a very disappointed look, Rafael cringing slightly while Jack sighed.

"I admire your courage, Jack, Rafael," she moved her body lower to converse with them, "However, I had hoped that you would have stayed at the base, you are in grave danger here!"

"But she's a friend! We needed to –"

"No buts, Jack. We will wait for a few more minutes, but we must leave as soon as we – OOF!" Centennia felt an explosion blindside her, slamming the surprised automaton against the rock. She looked over at the new Decepticons that reappeared around the corner, despite being dazed and wounded in that shot. She managed to grab the handle of one of her whips and move in front of the boys, but another well-placed blast to her head sent her down to the ground.

"Centennia!" she could hear Rafael cry before he gasped, her optics slowly shuttering as she saw a claw reaching in to grab both her and the humans.

[Jack's Journal]

"Bring them to the brig. Commander Starscream is keeping the other human there," the leading Decepticon mentioned, dragging Centennia's body like a corpse while the other held Rafael and Jack. They'd been captured on the outskirts of the valley where the Decepticon ship was, the patrolling group having caught them off-guard and snuck up to incapacitate Centennia. When she fell, Jack felt his heart sink at her defeat before getting picked up roughly by the enemies. The older boy nodded at Rafael, noting the valuable information, but he couldn't help but stare at Centennia. The femm's unconscious head loll to the side, a few spattering drops from the corner of her mouth making him feel uneasy. She couldn't be dead…could she? He looked back at Rafael who was watching her with the seemingly same look of worry, to which he had to nod his head and give a small smile to placate him. This was his fault…if only he'd stayed at the base with Rafael, none of this would have happened…

"Centennia…" Rafael tried to whisper, but the Decepticon just squeezed him to keep the small boy quiet, Jack straining in its hand when he saw Rafael wince. Then a loud roaring echoed in the halls to the left of them, and Jack managed to turn his head fast enough to see Bumblebee and Arcee drive straight into the Decepticons, knocking them flat and sending him and his friend flying.

"Whoa!" they both exclaimed as Arcee managed to catch them, Jack smiling at his counterpart Autobot while Rafael rejoiced with his.

"Appreciate you clearing the front door for us, but storming the Decepticon warship was not on the activities list," Arcee reprimanded them with a small smile, Jack huffing as he caught his breath.

"Tell me about it!" he retorted before looking over at the mismatched femm still lying there, "Centennia! Hey, wake up!" He ran over to her, Rafael following him close behind as he tried to get her to move. Bumblebee came over and knelt by her, Arcee standing by as she watched for anymore patrolling Decepticons.

"We got ambushed outside…they got her pretty bad," Jack explained, Bumblebee tilting her face and noticing the Energon leaking from the corner of her mouth. With a few whirrs and beeps, the yellow scout bot picked her up in his arms and carried her carefully, nodding to Arcee before jerking his head. Jack noticed the downward glance she gave at the unmoving fembot in Bumblebee's arms, almost annoyed like he was with Miko, knowing that this was only making matters worse between the two female automatons.

"Right, let's move," Arcee replied curtly, rushing down the hall while he and Rafael ran after them, Bumblebee a bit slower because of both his size and his new charge. Jack continued to look up at Bumblebee and Centennia when he had the chance, though he couldn't for long since there the floor hard large cracks and jutting angles, but he was definitely going to apologize to her later. Soon, they managed to meet with Bulkhead, shouting safe words so that they wouldn't blast each other.

"Brought the kids, huh? And the new recruit?" Arcee asked in an admonishing tone, but Bulkhead merely brought his hands up, along with Miko.

"You try getting them to stay behind!" he retaliated, Bulkhead looking down at Miko exasperatedly.

"We need to find Fowler and get these kids out of here," Arcee redirected the conversation to the mission at hand, Jack glancing at Rafael as they smiled slightly. Even though they were caught, looks like they'd been helpful after all, finding a small sense of satisfaction within it before Jack looked at Centennia again, who'd paid a price for trying to escort them back home.

"Uh, he's in the brig," they both told the Autobots in unison.

[Fowler's Reports]

"My dear Agent Fowler, you do realize the Autobots have abandoned you," the sicko with the metal heels and glowing red eyes came before him again with a chuckle, Fowler moving his head slightly to look at the smug jerk, "I am the only one you can rely upon now. So tell me what I want to know or…" The villain brought the prod again, the thing that had been Fowler's source of pain for what seemed like ages. The 'Con mentioned something about Energon and humans not mixing well together, and Fowler agreed with him in his bitter torment, the tortured man trying to edge away from it.

"Please…no more," the agent weakly replied, feeling beaten as he began to speak, "They're in…a secret government base."

"Go on…" the silver 'Con moving in closer to listen, "What of its members? I've come to understand there's a new recruit amongst them…a fembot?"

"Ugghhh…" Fowler winced as he felt the detestable robot put a hand on the chains that he was suspended on, "Yes…she's…new…she has a human…family…"

"Mmm, yes, her weakness," the large arrogant automaton released Fowler's chains and he sighed, squeezing his hands into fists as he tried to get the blood running through them, "Let me guess, her name is…Killjoy?"

"…Killjoy…?" Fowler's positively confused answer made the 'Con stop in his tracks, turning to look at him, "Her name…they said…Centennia…" Fowler reared his head back away from the winged automaton as he came close to his face, almost as if he was trying to ascertain whether Fowler was lying or not. Then, the robot put the same intrigued and smug look back on his face.

"Interesting…more," the conceited robot tried to elicit more answers from Fowler, and the man was about to speak when a sudden firefight seemed to echo outside. It caused the secret agent to pause before looking back at Starscream who was similarly distracted.

"Yes? And their base?" Of course, the explosions from beyond the door made Fowler realize that help was on the way, his voice becoming much stronger.

"In the old steel mill…or was it under that carnival fun house?" he ended his words with a smirk, and the 'Con gritted his metal mouth in annoyance and frustration, Fowler crying out when he was hit with the electric prod. He saw it coming, but Fowler's tormentor saw fit to give him the maximum dosage of Energon, making him black out almost immediately. The last thing he remembered seeing was the 'Con's smirking face…

[Jack's Journal]

It was madness. So this is what it felt like to be in a battle…specifically a battle between 60-foot-tall robots armed with guns that expelled blasts the size of elephants and swords that could cleave through steel in a nanosecond. The Autobots and their counterpart humans had encountered two patrolling guards at the same time while on the way to the brig, and suffice to say, it was chaos. Bumblebee had to rest Centennia on the ground on her right side in a corner, so Jack tried to keep Miko and Rafael together as they avoided the pounding footsteps and stray Energon shots, heading to her body. When they reached her, they safely hid by her, using her as cover since her unmoving form was perfect as a shield.

"This is why we shouldn't have come here, Miko!" Jack yelled over the fighting at her, the Japanese girl crossing her arms and looking away.

"Then you shouldn't have followed me, Jack!" she yelled back, Rafael merely keeping his hands on his ears while they watched. A singular blast struck near them, causing their ears to become deaf, the only sound they could hear being a distinct ringing sound. Jack pulled Rafael and Miko into a crouch and pulled them back when a Decepticon head clanked its way towards them, sliding against the wall next to Centennia. He hated not being able to do anything…not being able to defend himself. The fight was just too intense and he didn't want to be here. He didn't want to die.

"…It's all right…" a voice murmured, the black-haired boy looking up in its direction and noticing Centennia's body finally moving. Her head tilted slightly as she opened her optics, a hand slowly and gently coming to shelter them.

"Don't move, it will be over soon," she told them, keeping him, Miko, and Raf close to her as her white optics narrowed and dimly darted to the side to observe the fighting.

"Thanks Centennia," Jack replied before coming a bit closer to her, "And I'm sorry you got hurt. If I hadn't…" She flicked her optics back over to him before the rims of it curved slightly, giving a gentle look.

"If you hadn't you wouldn't have been able to know where Agent Fowler was," she gave a small smile and Jack looked at her, surprised, "Well done, Jack. Human resourcefulness ceases to amaze me."

"Oh, you're awake now," Bulkhead retracted his wrecking ball, transforming it back into a hand that he offered to Centennia, "About time. So much for physically capable, looks like you still need a few cycles to get your bearings." The fembot first grabbed Jack and the others, placing them on her shoulders and helm before taking Bulkhead's hand, allowing him to pull her up gently.

"I may not be in top form, but I am far from being incapacitated, Bulkhead," she straightened her form and flashed her white eyes, the most striking part of her appearance besides her strange armor configuration. Bulkhead shrugged at her slight bravado, Jack guessing that it was pride that was speaking now, while Arcee gave a small smirk that didn't go unnoticed by the boy. Oh great, here we go again…

"And yet you get jumped by a couple of servant-class Vehicons?" Arcee passed by her and Jack had to hold onto Centennia's shoulder a bit tighter when he felt the fembot jerk slightly to face the motorcycle, "Even the kids did more to help than you." The slightly harsh insult caused everyone to uncomfortably stare between the two femms, Jack traveling over to Miko and Rafael's seat at Centennia's left shoulder to ensure that if something did go wrong, he could cover them.

"…True," it surprised everyone when Centennia conceded, a small look of shame passing her face before it became determined, "However, drawing attention to my inability to perform at maximum efficiency does not help our cause. Arcee…" Again, Jack and his friends had to hang out a bit tighter as Centennia leaned towards the blue and pink automaton, although Centennia was taller than her.

"We will settle this one day, but for today, we focus on the mission at hand and getting the humans back to safety as our number one priority. Agreed?" Centennia asked, staring down the fembot while the other mechs stayed back, unwilling to join the catfight. Jack himself wondered what Arcee would do. They hadn't known each other long, but after listening to her regards about the new femm, he was certain that she wouldn't back down without a fight.

"…Only because that's what Optimus would've wanted," Arcee finally replied, the breath that everyone had been holding in now releasing in a unified and relieved sigh, "Let's move." Jack was rather shocked and happy that Arcee was able to move past the grudge, though he was more than a little worried that it would only escalate into something bigger later on. Sure, he'd seen her soft side, but her strong ties to her deceased partner as well as distrust of anything remotely related to the Decepticons always made her almost volatile…

[Centennia Logs]

Centennia was grateful that she could neutralize the situation before it got any more out of hand, but she would be lying if she didn't admit that she hated not rising to defend herself. It was Holly, her first human friend that had taught her that not everyone had a perfect day, but even so, Centennia's pride stung from being so…useless.

"Here," Arcee motioned to the others, before looking at Centennia, "You, stay put. We're going to clear the area." She nodded and kept herself against the wall, looking to her human charges that all decided to relocate to her left shoulder. Arcee knocked several times on a door they'd just come across, and when it opened, all three Autobots went in, guns blazing. It only took a few seconds of firepower before the entire hallway went quiet, oddly so after all that noise. Centennia took it as a cue that things had settled down and entered soon after, walking in calmly as she surveyed the damage they wrought. Several mechs laid scattered on the floor, some at their stations, others face down as they tried to run away. Scorch marks were still smoldering where they had missed, and Centennia wondered if any other mechs had heard the noise.

"Wait in here," Arcee ordered, the humans on her shoulder giving a sad and somewhat abandoned look at her words. Bumblebee replied in like with whirrs and buzzing that conveyed his disagreement.

"They're slowing us down and they're easy targets," Arcee began to walk away as she drew out one of her blasters, "They'll be all right in here. As long as they stay put." She gave Centennia a small glance before walking out, the two other Autobots joining her as she exited. She shook her head at Arcee's somewhat inability to express her rather see-through desire to protect the children before noticing that Jack was looking at Miko with a familiar hostile eye. Deciding that the children were safe enough, Centennia put them down, observing what was in the room as she waited for the boy to get whatever he needed to say off his chest. She didn't have to wait long before a fight broke out between Jack and Miko.

"It's your fault we're stuck in this intensity!" the older boy jabbed a finger at her, eyebrows drawn down in an angry V, "What were you thinking, Miko?"

"Did I ask you to follow me?" she threw back with sass, Centennia sighing a bit as she watched them bicker.

"Uh, you wanted us to be a band, doesn't that usually mean playing together?" Jack countered, Rafael starting to look nervous as he was caught in the middle of it. Centennia rose a hand, about to speak, but Miko immediately replied back.

"Well, maybe I decided to go solo," Miko put her hands on her hips in defiance, the rocker Asian girl putting up a fight to defend her adventurousness.

"Well, maybe I have some regard for your safety!" Jack crossed his arms in return, Centennia again trying to interject, but finding that they were too involved with each other to notice her half-hearted attempts to stop the fighting. She agreed with Jack, mostly because Miko wasn't exactly 60 tons of metal and armed to the teeth with advanced alien weaponry. Despite being oblivious to the danger, Miko exercised poor judgment and merely ran head-first into the fray, which lead to Jack trying to admonish her. Young and naïve, Centennia saw that Miko did not understand much of what Jack was trying to make her understand, but yelling and arguing with her did not seem like the best tactic to helping her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is your name Optimus?" Miko leaned towards Jack so that their foreheads were almost touching, "You can leave my protection to Bulkhead, thank you very much!"

"Waaa! Stop it, both of you!" Rafael suddenly shouted, darting between them and running behind Centennia's leg, the fembot looking on sorrowfully. She knelt down to comfort him, sitting on a ledge with him while the others came to join the quiet somber moment.

"H-Hey, Raf, Raf, it's okay," Jack spoke up, trying to see if he could get the kid to lift his head.

"Yeah, we're gonna be fine," Miko tried next, rubbing a hand on his shoulder, "Centennia's here if we need any help." The femm nodded and used her smallest finger to nudge the brown hair on his head slightly, though he just shirked more into his arms.

"And our bots'll come back for us," Jack encouraged more, looking at Miko for help.

"Yeah! They're going to take us home!" she finished, smiling at him.

"…How do you know?" Rafael sulkily asked, both of them lost for words until they looked at Centennia.

"Do you believe in Bumblebee?" Centennia gave another nudge to Rafael's head, the boy looking up for a moment before going back to his arms, nodding slightly, "Then there's all the proof you need. Believe in your friends and they will come through for you. You'll see, Rafael…" After Centennia reassured the boy genius, Jack noticed something on the computer screens in front of them.

"Hey Raf, what do you make of that?" Jack nudged the glasses-wearing kid and Rafael looked up at the red and black screens that loomed before them. Now, distracted from the fear and danger of their situation, Rafael hopped down the steps and began to observe them, the two older humans coming over to look at it with him. Centennia similarly joined them, unsure what to make of it.

"It's important…real important," Rafael began before looking at the other screen, "And that…I'm not sure what that is…" Centennia walked over to the opposite screen before looking down at the keyboard, perplexed as she scrutinized the foreign keys. Rafael came over to her, tapping on her leg as he tried to get her attention.

"We gotta get this to Optimus!" he told her, Centennia kneeling down to pick him up. Miko and Jack similarly came over to get picked up, the femm standing to full height so that they could observe it close up.

"How do you know it isn't just a recipe for space nachos?" Miko queried skeptically.

"I know math when I see it," Rafael squinted at the Cybertronian glyphs, "And that is one serious equation." Centennia scrutinized the foreign lettering, unable to understand it despite herself being of Cybertronian origin, before turning her attention to a small round port off to the side by the keyboard. As she put the children down on the surface of the keyboard, her right servo reached for it and a small panel just beneath her wrist joint opened, showing a port of its own. Confused and surprised, Centennia continued to watch as a multi-pronged plug spawned from the keyboard's port in response to her own mechanical process.

"Centennia, what're you doing?" Rafael asked, adjusting his glasses.

"…I'm not sure," she admitted in puzzlement, glancing at her wrist before slowly moving it to the plug.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Jack held up his hands, making her stop, "You don't know and you're just putting that thing in your arm?"

"Well, we're not getting anywhere by just standing around here, I say go for it!" Miko gave a big 'thumbs-up' and a grin, Centennia blinking before Jack started up again.

"We don't know what'll happen! It could set off an alarm or something!"

"Look, stop being such a worry wart! Centennia, just do it. If we get in trouble, I'll totally have your back!" The fembot looked at Miko for a few seconds before deciding to take a chance, unable to resist as she lined up her port and pushed it in. A small red bar suddenly appeared and it blinked a Cybertronian word before it turned green, the schematic disappearing as a sort of loading bar appeared.

"Wait, wait, go back! We have to get that equation!" Rafael panicked slightly, jumping over to her hands, "What did you do?" Her optics darted around the keyboard and she began fumbling with it, several screens popping in and out at her distress, more so because her right hand was somehow trapped in the jack port. In her frantic typing, Centennia paused when she saw a digital diagram of herself, and a small voice began to speak in a garbled tone.

"Whoa…what's that?" Miko asked, pulling out her pink cellphone and holding it up. She quickly took a picture, Centennia just looking somewhat helpless as she watched the loading continue to fill.

"If only this were in English I would be able to - " at Centennia's behest, the screen suddenly shifted, and it became translated into words she could understand, "…How convenient." The children snickered at her dry tone before they focused on the screen once more. The word in the loading bar suddenly became 'updating', and Centennia watched as the word 'terminated' became 'active' just above her diagram's head.

"Updating data file 6100: Commander Killjoy – Previous Status: Terminated; Current Status: Active."

Centennia looked to the other children as the computer's voice began to talk, small data packets of information flying across the screen as it continued to 'update'. And, what she could only describe as uneasiness, settled into her frame, Centennia's optics turning back to watch as the windows began opening with the words 'ERROR' blazing in a burning purple-red color.

"Error…Conflicting Classification Rank – accessing data file 8961…Current Commander: Starscream. Contacting Administrative Assistance."

"Uh oh, that's not good," Rafael began backing away from the console as the voice stopped speaking and a large red 'ERROR' flashed across the large monitor. Centennia, deciding that her curiosity wasn't worth the extra risk too little too late, wrestled with the jack before tugging her wrist free, the screen suddenly burning a deep red before returning to its perplexing math equation. She glanced at her charges after a small while of waiting, and was about to state that everything was fine before they heard a series of heavy footsteps slowly coming towards them, her helm snapping to the door located just to the left of the supercomputer.

"Quickly, hide!" she urged them in a hushed tone, looking around before laying on the ground and draping one of the bodies of the fallen Decepticons over her, shuttering her eyes to appear dead. She had managed to sneak a peek at the children who were hiding underneath the console before the door hissed opened, shutting her optic closed and listening to the Vehicon make its way towards her.

"Huh?" he uttered before she could feel the dull thuds as he walked right next to her, feeling the weight of the unconscious 'Con being moved off of her, "What in Primus' name – " She wasted no time in clenching her fist and delivering a solid right hook to the unsuspecting underling's head, holding his neck afterward as she rolled them both over so she was on top of him, a sharp metal hand poised in strike.

"Soldier, what's going on in there? We heard something on your com-link," a voice distantly echoed from the bot's helm, her optics narrowing before she opened her claw-like servo above him in threat. He looked at the lethal weapon before at her twisted visage, taking a moment or two to respond.

"...Just…slipped…someone's leaking oil up here," the smart 'Con answered, inhaling air into his cooling vent just a bit easier as she nodded.

"All right. The next guard should be coming around soon, I'll let them know to look for you," the transmission ended and he seemed smug, even under the concealing helm.

"Looks like you're scrapped either way, femm," he sneered, getting cocky as he leaned towards her a bit. A small pang of annoyance ran through her circuits before she coldly peered down at him from her position.

"As are you," Centennia replied curtly before she brought her hand down in a mighty swipe and tore out the set of cords running down to his cord box, his head rearing back in silent agony, "Explaining the escape of an Autobot and three humans to your superiors ought to be punishment enough!" Her next swipe knocked his head to the side harshly, finally making the writhing Decepticon stop moving. Neither of her strikes were fatal, for sure, but the little simpleton would certainly learn his lesson for next time, should they ever encounter one another again. She almost had to shake her head as she realized how foul her thoughts had turned, wondering what made her suddenly lose herself like that.

"We haven't much time, let's roll out," Centennia turned to the children and laid a hand out for them, but Rafael was still looking at the schematic.

"We can't just leave this here! We have to figure out a way to send this to Optimus!" the boy reiterated, but Centennia scooped him up wordlessly, her receptors pricked to pick up the sounds of footsteps that drew near.

"Wait, Miko, your cell phone!" Jack turned to the Japanese girl before Centennia picked him up as well, only grabbing two of the children before the guard entered. The 'Con pulled out his blaster immediately and began to fire, holding up one of the fallen soldiers as cover.

"Take a picture!" the older teen yelled as they were being blasted, Miko bouncing up and down in oblivious excitement.

"Great idea!" she spoke, distracting Centennia as she looked over to the girl and had her shield blown right out of her hand. The guard slowly began to advance on her, but was similarly distracted when Miko yelled at him, confused when the girl took a picture of him with her cell phone.

"Not of that!" Jack angrily scolded her before pointing at the schematic, "THAT!"

"Ooohh," she uttered before doing as he said, giving Centennia enough time to lash out with a leg and kick in the Decepticon guard's knee joint, bringing him down to her level and giving him a severe jab to his head. He went down heavily, but it wasn't enough to completely knock him out, forcing Centennia to roughly grab Miko before running towards the door, a couple of blasts nipping at her heels.

"GO, GO, GO!" Jack urged her, Centennia agilely missing the shots before barreling through the exit. Just as she came out, however, Bulkhead honked his horn and blared his lights at her, causing her to jump over him while he transformed and charged straight into the unsuspecting Decepticon that was chasing her. Her head continued to watch as the bot pummeled the other, but had her attention drawn to her sides as the two remaining Autobots came for their humans. Centennia immediately unloaded her cargo, trying to be as gentle as she could, although the situation made it hard for her to do so without jarring the kids.

"I told you to stay put!" Arcee reprimanded before Jack ran to her, Miko and Rafael doing the same as they went to Bumblebee. Unable to transform, Centennia continued to run after them, but was slowly being left behind, her vents heaving as she tried to catch up.

"Hey, need a hand?" Bulkhead had slowed down for her, his undercarriage rising slightly as she looked down at him. Before Centennia could answer him, however, he suddenly drove into her, causing her to yell in surprise as she felt one of her legs slip in the collision. He managed to get under her as she fell and grunted under her weight, but continued to drive on all the same.

"Bulkhead, that's completely unnecessary!" Centennia tried to get off of him, but one of his arms transformed and latched onto her, the green behemoth unsteadily swerving as he did so.

"Unless you got an alternate form on hand…" he put his hand back into his form, steadying himself, "Just keep the 'Cons off my back!" She reared her head back at the authority in his voice before she shut up and did as he ordered, grabbing a whip and snapping at any blast that got too close for comfort, having to hang on whenever they went around a sharp curve. When they finally drove off of the ship, the femm eased up and got into a semi-comfortable position for the courteous ride back. Centennia's pride was, once more, wounded as she had to ride on Bulkhead's back during their escape, resting her elbows on her knees as they sped away from the Decepticon warship, the children laughing at her as Bumblebee slowed down to buzz at her. She gave a little mocking smile as she waved at them with her fingers, making them laugh more as she made a funny face by sticking her glossa out at them; much like Max did to Ally.

"You really need an alternate form, Centennia," Miko shouted to her from the passenger's seat of Bumblebee, "Maybe a sports car like Bee or a truck like Bulkhead!"

"I've already gotten something in mind, Miko, you needn't worry about me!" Centennia smiled back before looking back at the Nemesis, her mind uneasy after the encounter. What was all of that about? Killjoy? Error? Terminated? Was this possibly apart of her past? And more importantly, if she was indeed a former Decepticon...what would Marleen and the twins say?

[OPTIMUS PRIME - PERSONAL DATA]

"Bravo, Optimus!" Megatron mock-congratulated the triumphant Autobot leader as he finished off the last of the Terrorcons, "Though this is but a prelude. You may wish to save your strength for the main event!" The Decepticon warlord seemed unfazed by his army's destruction, and the dark cloudy sky behind him only served to make the evil purple luminescence of his optics stand out more. Optimus, tired but ever-persistent, proceeded to the foot of the cliff from where his opponent stood and began to climb, focusing his optics on the one staring down at him.

"You will not prevail, Megatron," Optimus grunted out, his breath ragged from the energy spent tearing through the dead Cybertronian warriors, "Not while Energon still flows through my veins!" When he made it to the top, Megatron merely crouched down to speak to his old comrade, grinning toothily.

"Fitting, for it is Dark Energon which flows through mine," the steel-gray Decepticon touched his chest before risking a few more feet towards Optimus to whisper, "As it does...through her's." Momentarily surprised by the close proximity as well as his words, Optimus made a swipe towards Megatron only to come up empty-handed as his foe leaped away. And though he made several well-placed efforts to shoot Megatron down, the Autobot leader had to settle with the minor victory as he watched the Cybertronian jet fly away.

'...Her...does he mean...?' Optimus was clear on what Megatron meant, but the mystery of the femm named Centennia now only grew. Was she perhaps more connected with all of this than originally conceived? However, Ratchet, trying to follow his commander up the ravine, broke Optimus from his thoughts and he helped the wounded medic onto the cliff.

"...If this wasn't Megatron's end game," Ratchet's uneasy and foreboding tone rang out over the carnage of their battle, "Then what is?"

And as much as he would have wanted to respond, Optimus could only narrow his optics in suspicion.

chiv-id: YAY, DONE, WHOO, ANOTHER CHAPTER. However, this is not the end of "Darkness Rising, Part 4". *cries a river of tears* I HAVE NOT EVEN GOTTEN PAST THE MINISERIES PEOPLE, SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW SLOW THIS IS MOVING. GAAHH!

Anyway, please REVIEW! I can't even tell which reviews were for the last chapter since Fanfiction somehow replaced my last chapter with the same chapter I was uploading before...so, I'll do reviews next time I upload which will hopefully be in the next week or two weeks. CROSS YOUR FINGERS GANG!