A/N: The only reason I was able to get this chapter out relatively soon after the last one is because I knew it was going to be one of the shorter chapters, basically only tying up some of the loose ends of the last chapter-some, not all. That, and the fact that listening to the Wreck-It-Ralph soundtrack seems to boost my creativity.

While I still say Optimus is the hardest character to write for, now I'm having difficulties with Arcee and Chromia as well, but that's probably just because I don't know them as characters in this story yet. That will change, though!

This chapter is based on prequel comic events but I'm changing some things to make it fit better. Besides, I'm not sure the comics are considered 100% canon, anyway.

I'm also going to say right here and now that since Ironhide and Chromia are NOT Bumblebee's actual creators, him having a crush on Arcee (Chromia's little sister) is JUST. FINE. And there is nothing wrong with it. He is adopted and not actually related to her. DON'T FREAK OUT ABOUT IT, IT IS OKAY.

Another thing I would like to mention is that the cast for this story-both humans and Transformers-is set. The cast has been set ever since I first wrote the outline for this story. No more characters will be added. I know where I'm going with these characters and I don't want to have to change the story to fit a character that has no place in it. So while I do like character suggestions…they won't influence who's in this story. Sorry!

This chapter still has a fair bit of angst on the Autobot side, but we'll be temporarily moving back into happier territory next chapter, don't worry.

One last thing: a minor edit has been made to the previous chapter. It's nothing more than a couple of added sentences addressing where Salvo was during the fight, but you should still go back an d check it out.

Dialogue Guide:

"Radio speak"

Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words

"Normal speech"

"Cybertronian"

Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve.

Enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.

HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.

NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Transformers: Day of the Black Sun

Chapter Nineteen-Three Minus One

Rating: T

Words: 7,048

IN SPITE OF THE JOY AND RELIEF he felt at seeing the two Autobots that he and the others had believed to be dead for two years alive, Optimus Prime was able to see that the reunion was not as wonderful as it seemed. Chromia was being supported by Arcee, and she looked very weak. As for Arcee, besides the obvious exhaustion on her faceplate, the younger femme looked to be in far better condition that her older sister, but even that was not saying much, as her exhaustion seemed to be causing her to just barely remain upright as well. The armor of both femmes bore the tell-tale signs of being badly damaged and repaired without the proper skill of a medic. Seeing this, the Autobot leader felt a hint of anxious worry, which was heightened by the fact that he knew that both femmes were also suffering from broken Spark bonds, which was a dangerous thing to be afflicted with when there was no medic trained in such manners near to help you. There was also no telling what other unseen injuries or medical conditions these two were suffering from after being lost for so long. They had to get both Arcee and Chromia back to the base and into Ratchet's care as soon as possible.

"Oh, now what's this?" Cyclonus's derisive voice rang out, interrupting the silence that had reigned ever since Silverbolt had helped Chromia and Arcee into the clearing, and bringing the attention of all those present back to the Decepticons and the halted battle. Both Arcee and Chromia tensed when they noticed the Decepticons, but did not move from where they had entered the clearing. The Decepticon leader looked from Optimus to the new arrivals and back, sadistic amusement in his expression. "Now this is definitely an interesting surprise, Optimus Prime. You've brought two more Autobots into the fight, and they don't look like they'll last very long. Maybe I should change my ruling against killing any of you just for them; they don't look too well off in the first place. I'd be doing them a favor by putting them out of their misery. What do you think?"

All of the Autobots and humans present tensed at Cyclonus's words, and Firestorm and Silverbolt moved to stand protectively in from of Arcee and Chromia. Normally, such actions would not be necessary as the two femmes were capable warriors and could take care of themselves, but it was obvious that they were currently in no condition to fight-Cyclonus was right in that regard.

"Cyclonus, if you even try to do anything to them, I promise you that you will regret it," Optimus warned, his voice tight with barely-controlled anger at the Decepticon's words.

Cyclonus snorted. "As entertaining as it would be to see you try, Optimus, you needn't worry; I'm just enjoying toying with you. Our interests lie elsewhere at the moment, as you well know, and you're in no position to threaten us, anyway. Besides, I wouldn't dream of interfering with your reuniting with those two femmes, and we need…wait. Who's that?"

Cyclonus was looking at Arcee and Chromia with an incredulous expression on his faceplate. Optimus turned to see what it was that had caught the Decepticon's attention, just in time to see blur of bright purple duck out of sight behind Arcee's shoulder.

"Ratbat?" Howlback said, stunned disbelief and an emotion Optimus could not identify present in her voice. The feline Decepticon was still standing near Sideswipe and Bumblebee, but she was completely ignoring the two Autobots now as she focused on the small Decepticon that she had thought dead for two years, unconsciously taking a step forward.

The Decepticon spy? Ratbat, one of Soundwave's cassettes? Why would he be with Arcee and Chromia? Optimus frowned, but when the purple shape reappeared, looking back over Arcee's shoulder, small and bat-like in appearance, with bright-red optics, there was no question over his identity. It was Ratbat.

Of course, Optimus realized suddenly, remembering the details of just what Arcee and Chromia had been doing with they had disappeared. They were fighting Soundwave and his cassettes when we lost all contact with them. We assumed that they had gone offline, but their signals must have been damaged in the fight, and that is why we were unable to locate them. Ratbat must have somehow been stranded with them…perhaps he was injured in the same way.

But why was the little Decepticon still with them, and why had he tried to hide when Cyclonus had noticed his presence? Optimus pushed those thoughts from his processor. He would have to find that out later; no doubt Arcee and Chromia would tell him. Right now, the assembled Decepticons were more important to focus on, even though, with Ratbat's reveal, there was even more of a stretched-out stand-off than there had originally been.

"Ratbat," Howlback said again, her voice sounding strained with the same unidentifiable emotion. "Ratbat, why are you with them? Why are you with the Autobots? You're a Decepticon, come back to us!"

The purple-armored cassette hesitated, looking at the other Decepticons-a particular nervousness was obvious in his optics and demeanor when he saw Cyclonus and Scourge-before looking up at Arcee questioningly, almost as if asking for confirmation that it would be alright for him to return to his own faction.

"You held up your end of the deal, Ratbat, and we held up ours. We're back with our own again. We've finished what we set out to do and we don't need to stay together anymore. You can go back to the Decepticons, if it's what you really want to do." Arcee's voice was quiet and tired, and barely audible.

Ratbat still seemed unsure, and looked back at the other Decepticons nervously.

"Ratbat," Howlback repeated once more, looking at her fellow cassette with-was it desperation? Optimus was not entirely sure, but the feline Decepticon did seem to sincerely want Ratbat to rejoin the others.

At Howlback's last call, Ratbat appeared to have made his decision, as he immediately launched himself off of Arcee's shoulder and flew towards the other Decepticons, landing on Howlback's back. The feline Decepticon looked questioningly at him, but Ratbat shook his head, casting a terrified glance in Cyclonus's direction. Howlback nodded in silent agreement, backing off from the assembled Autobots as she moved to rejoin the rest of the Decepticons. Cyclonus looked from the two reunited cassettes to the two Autobot femmes and back, realization dawning in his optics as he pieced together what must have happened.

"So there was a deal between the three of you. I see. Let me guess-you only agreed to help each other as long as it was mutually beneficial, and now that you've all found your way back to where you each belonged, there's no reason for such an agreement to stand anymore." Cyclonus sneered condescendingly, looking down at Ratbat with disgust. The smaller Decepticon shuddered and huddled against Howlback, looking even more nervous than before. Cyclonus seemed to take Ratbat's actions as confirmation of his words, continuing to look contemptuously at the small Decepticon for a few moments. "How interesting. I'm sure I'll find out all of the details later." He returned his attention to Optimus, remaining silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, this has all been a most lovely distraction, but we're on a tight schedule, and I'd hate for everything to be ruined after we've worked so hard to get it just right. So, what is your answer, Optimus Prime? Will you let us leave the planet peacefully and fight us when we return later, or shall we Decepticons take the final confrontation into our own hands?"

"If we agreed, you would attack the human settlements anyway." Optimus Prime's voice was firm, and he met Cyclonus's arrogant gaze evenly. "No matter how much you claim you would grant us a final battle that would not result in any innocent casualties, you would never do so. We know you too well. You are lying to us."

"Your desire to protect the weak blinds you very thoroughly in some cases, but not here Optimus. It seems you are not as big of a fool as I thought you were," Cyclonus growled. "How unfortunate. It doesn't matter, though, not in the long run, anyway. We're going to carry this out and there's not a single thing you or anyone else, even your pathetic human pets, can do to stop it."

Without any further pretense, Cyclonus quickly activated his plasma cannon and fired in the direction of Arcee and Chromia. A combined cry of shock went up from the Autobots and humans at Cyclonus's actions, and Optimus quickly moved to intercept, but knew he would not make it in time.

Fortunately, however, Firestorm and Silverbolt were still next to the two femmes, and both flying Cybertronians rushed forward, intercepting the blast and deflecting it away to the best of their combined abilities before it could reach its intended targets. Stray bits of plasma fire from the weapons blast shot off to each side, hitting some of the tress closest to the clearing, splintering them in two and igniting small fires, but Arcee and Chromia had not been hit, and Silverbolt and Firestorm were battered but had escaped serious damage. Unfortunately, several more energy blasts followed the initial attack, giving the Autobots and human soldiers no time to recover or regroup as they were forced to dodge and deflect the attacks as best as they could.

"Decepticons, retreat!" Cyclonus's voice rang out over the sounds of weapons fire.

Optimus turned rapidly-if Cyclonus escaped, it would only make matters worse, and he could not stand by and just allow that-but the Decepticons were already fleeing the clearing, Salvo leading the flight-capable ones into the sky while those with ground-based alternate modes were taking off into the forest on the side opposite of the Autobots' position, and with the signal dampeners they now carried, it would be very difficult to track them down. There had been little hope in the beginning if the Autobots and their human allies coming out of this encounter better off than they had been when they had entered it, but knowing and seeing that they had failed to prevent the Decepticons from obtaining what they wanted made the situation seem even more hopeless.

The Decepticons had seen to it that everything would work out in their favor, and Optimus knew that the consequences would be severe.

In spite of the hopelessness of the situation, Optimus still headed in Cyclonus's direction as quickly as possible. He had to make one last attempt to end this. He knew that in all likelihood it would not be successful, but he also knew that he had to try regardless. At the very least, he might be able to get one last bit of information out of Cyclonus, which might help him realize how the Decepticons planned to revive Megatron.

Cyclonus liked to boast, and, with a Decepticon victory at hand, he might let slip more than he intended.

Optimus knew he could use that to come up with a way to fix the problems caused by his failure to realize what was happening in the first place.

That offered a little hope, but it was hope, and the Autobots and humans needed it right now.

Cyclonus fired one more blast into the clearing, looking over his shoulder to make sure that all of the other Decepticons had fled-it wouldn't do for one of them to be left behind, where they could potentially be captured by the Autobots, since they had a talent for turning their Decepticon captives into traitors who gave up important secrets-and then turned, grinning triumphantly, to look at Optimus Prime. He knew it was over, and he could see that Optimus had likewise come to the same conclusion. However, the Prime was still stubbornly clinging to the belief that he could end everything anyway.

Cyclonus looked at the Autobot leader in amusement. You still think that you can stop this from happening? You are a fool, Optimus Prime.

"Cyclonus, this must end now."

"Oh, it must?" Cyclonus mused. "Ending it completely right now would ruin the fun." The Decepticon prepared to initiate his Transform sequence so that he could make his escape before Optimus attacked, but he still could not resist making one last parting taunt at the Autobot leader.

"Farewell, Optimus Prime. Enjoy what little time we will be off of this planet, because we will return soon enough. You see, the end has only just begun."

Optimus quickly fired his ion blaster at the Decepticon, but Cyclonus simply jumped up in the air, Transformed into his Cybertronian jet mode, and shot away, into the sky, deftly dodging the weapons blast as he did so. He knew that Optimus might send the two fliers the Autobots had on-hand-Silverbolt and that old traitor Firestorm-to attempt to track him and the other Decepticons down, but he wasn't concerned about it. They all had signal dampeners, so they would be able to hide quite easily if they had to.

Once they arrived at the rendezvous point, he would question Ratbat about what he had been doing with those two Autobot femmes. If the cassette didn't have a good enough reason, well, he had been gone for two years. No one would miss him if he were gone again.

Ratbat's arrival and future interrogation aside, the Decepticon leader was thrilled with how well things had gone. They now had possession of Lord Megatron's remains, and the Autobots and their human pets had been left in complete disarray. And while they had not killed anyone-human or Autobot-in the battle, many had been injured. Some, hopefully severely, which meant that Optimus would place the value of treating those injured above tracking down the Decepticons, soft-sparked fool that he was. In any case, the Decepticons had made it perfectly clear that they were holding back during the fight, which was exactly what Cyclonus had wanted them to do. It was a perfect message to the Autobots.

This is just a sample. The real slaughter is coming.

And Lord Megatron would be the one to lead it.

"Do you want us to go after them, sir?" Silverbolt asked immediately, taking a step forward as Optimus walked back to the assembled Autobots and humans. "I know that they have signal dampeners, but if we move quickly in both the sky and on the ground, we might be able to-"

The Prime shook his head, voice heavy with weariness as he replied. "No. Our priority right now is to take care of those who are wounded. We must return to base." Optimus pushed aside the guilt and regret he had over how the battle had turned out-nothing could be done to change what had happened- as he focused on what was important now. He looked over the group of Autobots and humans; many were injured, but none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. The human medics were already seeing to the wounded soldiers, directing those who were able to move easily on their own back to the vehicles they had traveled in and helping those who weren't to do the same.

As for the Autobots, Silverbolt and Firestorm both had damaged armor from the plasma blasts they had absorbed, but other than that they seemed to be fine. Bumblebee was leaking Energon from gashes in his arm, and Prowl, Red Alert, and the others all had similar injuries. None of the injuries they had received in the battle were serious, and all the damage they had sustained would be taken care of quickly once they were back on base and Ratchet could see to them; they were fine otherwise and would be able to make the journey back.

Arcee and Chromia, on the other hand, were in need of immediate medical attention, beyond that of what they could get here from Red Alert and Firestorm-the two mechs present who knew the most about Cybertronian battlefield first aid- and, as such, it was urgent that they be taken back to the base in Ohio as quickly as possible. Prowl was looking after them now, with Bumblebee hovering close by-the other Autobots were worried about the two femmes as well, but the Security Officer had shooed all of them away, as Arcee and Chromia didn't need to be crowded at the moment-but there was little more they could do than Firestorm and Red Alert could.

Fortunately, they had the means of transporting them back to the base relatively quickly.

"Silverbolt, are you in any condition to fly?" Optimus questioned the silver mech, coming to the decision of what must be done.

"Of course, sir." Silverbolt nodded. "I'm not hurt too badly."

"Good. I need you to transport Chromia, Arcee, Prowl, and myself back to the base as fast as you can." While this might have been a tall order if they were debating on the carrying capacity of a normal C-17, the Aerialbot would not find transporting four fellow Cybertronians a problem-as long as Optimus remained in vehicle mode and Prowl remained in robot mode, there would be room for all four of them inside. It would be a little cramped, yes, but there would be room. Of course, that meant that he would have to have his trailer pulled back to the base by one of the human-driven vehicles, but he knew that the humans would be fine with that arrangement.

Silverbolt nodded, and stepped forward to a part of the clearing where he would have enough room to Transform into his alternate mode. Seeing that, Optimus turned his attention to the humans present.

"Colonel Lennox, are there any soldiers that are severely injured and need to be taken to the base immediately?"

"Not very many, thank God. But there are some," Will confirmed, gesturing in the direction of one of the parked vehicles, where some of the more severely injured soldiers were being tended to by the medics.

Optimus looked at Firestorm. As the only other flier among their number capable of transporting humans when in his alternate mode and with Silverbolt already carrying as many passengers as he safely could, the old Seeker was the only one who could transport their injured human allies back home. "Firestorm, are you able to fly, as well?"

Firestorm nodded, his determination to help evident in his optics as he stepped forward. "Yes, Optimus Prime. My armor is more resistant to plasma fire than most. I am also not at all too injured to fly."

"Very well. I want you to transport those human soldiers that are the most severely wounded back to the base." Optimus was not blind to the nervous looks some of the human soldiers cast in Firestorm's direction at his announcement. It wasn't surprising; while most of the soldiers now trusted the former Decepticon, there were still a few who remained unsure about him. But those few would have to place their nervousness aside. Firestorm was the only one who could get them to the base quickly enough for them to get the full medical attention they needed.

"What about the Decepticons?" Will asked in a low voice. "I know there's not much we can do now, but…"

"I regret that I was unable to stop Cyclonus from escaping," Optimus admitted, his voice still full of weariness. "At the moment, however, we are in no condition to go chasing after them and, as long as they have signal dampeners, we would be unable to properly track them. But I believe we may not have to, in any case. As they wanted to leave the planet, whatever it is they hope to gain from this must be acquirable elsewhere, most likely on another planet. However, the Decepticons are known for not delaying battle when they know that they have the upper hand. Now that they have gained something that could put them back at an advantage, I believe that they have a way to get to their destination and back here quickly, and that they will not wait too long before they move to confront us again. Before he fled, Cyclonus said that they would not be gone for long, and even though Decepticons are not truthful, I believe this time is an exception. We will just have to be ready for the confrontation when the time comes."

"As we've always been." Will nodded. He wasn't happy with the situation either, but he knew Optimus was right. They couldn't do anything about what had happened. But they would be ready for them the next time they decided to show themselves.

Will moved off to help the injured soldiers as Firestorm moved to join Silverbolt-the silver mech already in his C-17 alternate mode-at the part of the clearing where there was enough room from him to Transform. Seeing that his orders were being carried out, Optimus finally moved towards the fallen tree that Arcee and Chromia were resting by. Prowl was still standing nearby, as was Bumblebee.

Bumblebee was obviously very worried about Chromia-the concerned looks he kept casting in her direction were proof of that-but as she was resting with her optics shuttered, he was avoiding disturbing her. The young scout and Arcee appeared to be conversing-not surprising, seeing as how the two of them were good friends-but broke off when Optimus came to a stop in front of them.

"Optimus," Arcee said after a moment of silence. "I'm sorry. If we hadn't arrived when we did, Firestorm and Silverbolt might have gotten back here sooner, and you might have been able to…"

Optimus shook his head. "The battle was already over by the time you arrived. There was nothing more to be done, even if Silverbolt and Firestorm had been here. In any case, if Firestorm and Silverbolt had not been in the area where you were at the time, your distress signal would have gone unnoticed and we would have never found you." He looked at Arcee, then turned his attention to Chromia, offering the two femmes a faint, relieved smile. "It is a relief to see the two of you alive and back with us."

"It's good to be back with everyone," Chromia said, her voice weak and barely audible, unshuttering her optics and looking at the Autobot leader. "After what's happened over the past two years, we thought…"

"Chromia, you need to rest," Arcee told her sister worriedly, casting a concerned look at Optimus before turning her attention back to Chromia. "You need to save your strength. Let me tell them what happened."

"Silverbolt will be transporting you back to our base," Optimus informed the two sisters. "Prowl and I will be accompanying you, and you can tell us all that has happened then. There is much that we need to tell you, as well."

Arcee nodded and stood, helping Chromia up and, firmly insisting that she could support her sister by herself despite her own exhaustion, accompanied Optimus in the direction of the waiting Silverbolt.

Bumblebee made to follow them, but Prowl stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Optimus and I are the only ones going with them, Bumblebee. I know you're worried, but we'll take care of them now. Go and see Red Alert about that arm so that you won't lose too much Energon before Ratchet can patch you up properly."

The scout was visually upset by this, but reluctantly nodded, watching as Prowl went to join Optimus and the others. Prowl was right. Bumblebee was worried about both of them, for various reasons. Arcee and Chromia were both very important to him, but in different ways. Chromia helped raise him, and while she hadn't been involved in his upbringing as much as Ironhide had been, due to being stationed on another part of Cybertron most of the time, she was still the closest thing to a mother he had. And Arcee had always been one of his closest friends, and he also…well, he'd always sort of really liked her-not that he'd ever actually told her, of course; she was older than he was and he was afraid she didn't feel the same way towards him. Their roles in his life were different, but they were still both part of Bumblebee's Cybertronian family and he cared about them a lot, just as much as he cared for his family that he had on Earth.

When the two of them had disappeared without a trace two years ago, Bumblebee had been devastated. While it had been obvious then that Chromia, at least, had most likely been alive-unless something had happened to disrupt their Sparkbond (which was rare but possible), Ironhide would have known immediately if his Sparkmate had been killed-Arcee's fate had been less certain. They had tried everything to find them and had not been successful. Ironhide had never given up hope that Chromia would find her way back and spent every moment that he could trying to find her, but…well, several things had happened and, after Chicago, they had all finally accepted that the two femmes were never coming back.

But now they were back, they were actually back and they were alive, and Optimus and Prowl would see to it that they would be fine until Ratchet could take care of them. And Ratchet would be able to treat whatever injuries they had. They'd be fine, and he'd get to see them later. Seeing Arcee and Chromia again more than made up for what had happened in the fight with the Decepticons.

He thought of his family waiting back at the base, feeling relieved that Sam had not managed to tag along to this battle; even though the Decepticons had held back, Sam still could have gotten hurt if he'd come. Since none of the Autobots or humans who had come to participate in the fight had contacted the base yet, Sam and Carly and the others were probably worried about what had happened. Once they got back to the base, he'd have to tell them, as well as Wheelie and Brains, what had happened. Bumblebee knew that they'd be worried about what the outcome of the fight implied would happen, but he'd reassure them in any way he could, even though he was worried about it himself. But while he did feel nervous and worried about the fact that the Decepticons had, for all intents and purposes, won the battle, he knew that Optimus would handle the outcome like he always did. He trusted the Autobot leader to make things right and believed firmly that he would. Despite his faith in Optimus, however, Bumblebee still hoped the Decepticons would really leave Earth now that they had what they wanted, that they had been honest about that, just so those he cared about would be safe.

The young scout would also tell his family about Arcee and Chromia being okay, seeing as how they'd most likely be rushed to the medbay before anyone else could see them and not be allowed to leave until Ratchet was completely sure that they were alright. Carly didn't know the two femmes, but Sam did, he knew how important they were to Bumblebee, and the young Autobot knew he'd be happy they were alive, too. Wheelie would probably tease him about Arcee, because he was annoying like that, and Brains would probably join in, but Bumblebee wouldn't really mind as he knew they would just be teasing him.

And, on the other side of his family, he had to introduce Blaster to Arcee and Chromia, once they were allowed to leave the medbay; Bumblebee knew they'd love the little Sparkling, and he knew that Blaster would like them, too.

So maybe they had lost today's fight, but some good had come out of it, anyway.

Bumblebee took comfort in knowing that, and headed towards Red Alert to have his injured arm looked at, so that he wouldn't be leaking Energon all over the road on the trip home.

Just like Arcee had pointed out, Chromia was truly in no condition to help her sister in the telling of what had happened to the two of them during the time they had been missing. So, after being helped onto a makeshift Autobot-sized stretcher that was attached to one of the sides of the interior of Silverbolt's alt mode, the blue-armored femme once again leaned back and shuttered her optics in an attempt to get some rest, too weak to do anything else but merely listen at the moment. Arcee sat next to her, with Prowl close by. Optimus took up the rest of the space in his vehicle mode. As the Prime had predicted, it was a little crowded, but they were able to fit.

Even though Optimus was anxious to hear what it was that Arcee had to say and knew that Prowl was as well, they also both knew better than to pressure her into talking. There was no doubt that the past two years had been difficult and painful for both Arcee and Chromia, and no good would come out of forcing Arcee to tell their story before she was ready. They rode in silence for some time, none of them making an effort to begin a conversation as Silverbolt flew them back to the base.

Finally, Arcee broke the silence, looking hesitantly at Optimus and Prowl.

"It's so strange, being back with other Autobots again. Chromia and I…we were beginning to think that we wouldn't ever find our way back."

"We tried to find you," Optimus assured, willing them to understand, hoping that neither of them felt that the Autobots had given up on them from the very beginning. Their failure to find them when they had first been lost still weighed heavily on his processor. "But we could not pick up your signals. No matter what frequency we used, we could not find where you were. After the battle with we had with Shockwave, it was as if you simply did not exist."

"It was Soundwave's doing," Arcee replied. "We were fighting with him when this all started, and he was jamming all communications during our fight so we couldn't call for help, but that wasn't all he did. We didn't realize it until later, but he fired some sort of sonic weapon at use that destroyed our signals."

"What happened during that fight?" Optimus asked.

Arcee vented, then continued. "When we discovered what it was the Decepticons were really doing, Soundwave and the usual lot of his cassettes-you know, Ravage, Buzzsaw, and the others-attacked to prevent us from warning you about what Shockwave was up to, about how he had a Driller that he was going to use in battle, and that he was planning on attacking everyone at the Diego Garcia base. Elita managed to get away to try and warn you while we held Soundwave and the others off, but…" Arcee made a sound that was very much like a strangled sob.

"I know," Optimus said, pain evident in his voice. He felt the faint echoes of that same pain in his Spark; the same pain he had felt ever since Elita had been killed by Shockwave. Spark pain was always a result of losing a Sparkbond, no matter what kind it was. Optimus knew that Arcee and Chromia felt a similar pain from Elita's death. Not quite like his, though, as it was a Sibling bond the three femmes shared, the bond Elita had with him had been a Sparkmate bond.

Losing a Sparkbond of any kind always caused extreme pain and those who experience it needed to undergo special medical treatment to deal with it. Arcee and Chromia had not been able to get such treatment, not with being on their own for two years after Elita had been killed. And to make matters worse, not only had the two of them suffered from losing their Sibling bond with Elita, but Chromia had lost her bond with Ironhide. Losing a Sparkmate bond could be life-threatening if the damage was not treated soon after the bond was severed. Ratchet had treated Optimus for this, but Chromia had not had a medic to turn to when she had suffered in the same way. Knowing this, Optimus could see that it was a miracle Chromia was still alive, and knew that it was more important than ever that she be taken to Ratchet as soon as possible.

Silverbolt, how long do you think it will take for you to reach the base? Optimus asked the flier over the comm, as Arcee took time to calm herself down, holding the hand Chromia had offered her, her older sister having felt her distress and offering what comfort she could in her weakened state.

I believe I can get us there in about an hour, sir, Silverbolt replied.

Please hurry.

Yes, sir.

Optimus refocused his attention on Arcee, feeling pained and sympathetic as she straightened back up and continued speaking where she had left off.

"Chromia and I…we felt it when she died. It hurt so much…it was awful. When that happened, Chromia nearly gave up…she wanted to set off explosives that would take Soundwave out with her, but I was able to pull her away just in time. I knew that we couldn't just give up when Elita had sacrificed herself to warn everyone else about what was going on. After we were clear of the explosions, Chromia realized I was right. I was hurt worse than she was at the time, so I couldn't really travel any further, so we stayed nearby. Soundwave and his cassettes were nowhere to be seen by then, so we figured it was safe to stay there until we got help. Chromia tried to contact the base, to get someone to come and pick us up, but no one answered. At first, we though the communications were still jammed, and while we would later learn they were not working at all, it was too late. Even if we had communications then, no one would have answered. There was no one left at the base… right?" She looked up for confirmation. "Where there any survivors from the base attack?"

"No," Optimus said heavily. "Shockwave left none alive."

"So we would've been stranded regardless," Arcee said, though she looked stricken at the thought of so many Autobots and humans being wiped out at once. "When we couldn't get a response from the base, we tried contacting you. But we got the same result…nothing. Chromia realized first that we would have to try to make our way back on our own. She took care of my injuries as best as she could, and after that, that's when we started our journey to get back to everyone. It took a long time, because so much happened on the way."

"Where does Ratbat come into this?" Prowl questioned, speaking up for the first time since Arcee had begun to tell her and Chromia's story. The Security Officer had been quietly listening, but now he wanted to know about the small Decepticon that had been with the two femmes when Silverbolt and Firestorm had found them.

"We found him in the area that the explosives had gone off in," Arcee explained. "His wing was injured in the blast and he fell. Since he couldn't fly, he was left behind. I don't think Soundwave realized that Ratbat was still alive, though. He wasn't giving off a signal either. We found that out by scanning for him and picking up nothing, and he told us that he couldn't feel Soundwave's Cassette connection anymore, either. He wasn't much of a threat to us by himself and he was injured, unable to fight back, so it wouldn't have been right to kill him. Initially we left him alone, but he followed us whenever we were on the move. Eventually, Chromia confronted him about it, and he told us he just wanted to get back to Soundwave, and we were better equipped to travel than he was at the moment. He seemed legitimately scared at being separated from Soundwave…he was almost acting like a Youngling that was separated from his creators. Chromia and I discussed it, and even though we knew it was risky, we decided to work together with Ratbat until we were able to find other Autobots, and, in Ratbat's case, other Decepticons."

Seeing Prowl's incredulous look, Arcee hurriedly continued. "Ratbat's actually somewhat nice when he's not following Soundwave's orders to try to kill you. He was pretty useful to have around, too. He could find Energon for us, he had better sensor capabilities than we did, and he also knew a little bit about how to repair our communicators. We didn't trust him to do the work himself, though; he told us what to do and we did it ourselves. During the entire time we were on our own, though, Ratbat never did anything to hurt us…he just wanted to get back to Soundwave, and he knew that, injured as we were, we were still capable of taking him out if he betrayed us."

Prowl nodded, satisfied with that answer.

"Even with Ratbat's help, though, we knew it was still going to take a long time to fix our signal beacons and communications systems, and until they were ready we wouldn't be able to set off a distress signal, so we kept traveling and looking for signs of everyone else," Arcee continued. "Even though our pace was slow because we still weren't in the best condition, we were actually making pretty good progress, but then…Chromia felt Ironhide die, and she was in so much pain we had to stop. Even though, by that time, it had been a year, we were both still weak from Elita's death, and Chromia could barely handle losing Ironhide, too. I couldn't do anything to help her, either…it made me feel so useless."

"You weren't useless, Arcee," Chromia spoke up then, her voice still faint but sounding a little stronger as she attempted to comfort her sister once again. "You took care of me as well as you could."

"Not well enough," Arcee said sadly. "It was almost a year before you were able to travel again, and you still never got your full strength back."

"I will now," Chromia insisted weakly. "Ratchet will help."

Arcee shook her head, but didn't answer her sister. "It wasn't long after Chromia felt Ironhide die that Ratbat felt the same thing happen to Soundwave, even though he hadn't felt his Cassette bond to Soundwave for a long time. I guess Soundwave dying was enough to jolt the bond back into being active, or working…I'm not really sure. He wasn't hurt as badly by it as Chromia had been by Ironhide dying as it was a different type of bond, but he was still weakened by it. Chromia and I quickly realized that, with Soundwave gone, Ratbat no longer had an exact reason to help us, and I thought he would leave. But he didn't. During the months we stayed in one place so that Chromia could rest, Ratbat fought the pain he was feeling to take the opportunity to fix up an Autobot distress signal for us, though it was a weak one and we would have to be in close proximity to an Autobot for it to be picked up at all. Once we were ready to move again, he had even managed to hijack a radio signal that pointed us in the direction of where the new base was."

Arcee paused for a moment, looking back at Prowl before looking back at Optimus. "He could have left us once he knew Soundwave was dead, but he stayed to help us instead. I think he thought that, with Soundwave dead, he no longer had a place with the Decepticons. He was afraid of what they would do to him for helping us, now that Soundwave wasn't there to protect him-that's why he tried to hide and wasn't eager to go back to them until he saw Howlback; he probably hopes that she will protect him from the other Decepticons' anger. I still don't know what will happen to him now that he's back with the Decepticons, though, but when he was with us he was no different than we were. That's why we decided to let him lead us to you. We followed the signal Ratbat had found and we were lucky enough to arrive in the area just when you were there. If Silverbolt and Firestorm hadn't been flying by when they were, like you said, we would have passed by each other, and never even known it."

"We are fortunate that things have worked out they way they have," Optimus replied. "While the situation and circumstances causing your separation from us and our reunion are less than ideal, I am grateful that everything has worked out and you are both here with us again."

"We are all grateful," Prowl added. Even though he had not been on Earth for the events that Arcee had just told them about, he knew that it was a blessing that the two lost Autobots had found their way back.

"So, what now?" Arcee asked. She looked and sounded drained, both emotionally and physically. Telling her and Chromia's story had taken a lot out of her.

"We are going to arrive at the base in nearly an hour. Once there, Ratchet will see to you both. There is much that you two need to know, but that must wait until after you are rested and healthy."

"A lot has happened since we've been gone, hasn't it, sir?" Arcee asked, looking at the Prime.

Optimus thought of the events of the past two years, of Sentinel, of Chicago, of the Decepticon's defeat, the Sparklings, Firestorm, Scattershot, the recent Decepticon activity, and the great evil that was making its way to Earth and getting closer with every minute.

He vented in exhaustion himself.

"Yes, Arcee. Quite a lot has happened."