I am so so so sorry I haven't updated in forever! Finals and stuff at school have hindered me from writing, along with a little bit of writer's block. I am so sorry!
I hope you enjoy this next chapter, because it's been in my mind for a while now. It's not one of my best chapters, but I wanted to get it posted so you guys could continue reading. I am so sorry I made you all wait this long.
As always, please rate and comment, and the more, the better! More comments mean faster writing, because you guys are my inspiration!
The next few minutes went by in a rush. All I could recognize was a bunch of flying colors, the smell of diesel, and the touch of cool metal as it surrounded me.
When I could finally understand my surroundings, Optimus and I were already back at base.
When they started talking about who would go, Optimus said that he would.
"You're not going alone," I said with a straight face.
"I cannot let you come. It is too dangerous," he said, shaking his helm.
"Hello, that's why I have my abilities and my training," I retaliated, demonstrating by focusing my mind quickly, and a katana appeared in my outstretched hand.
"Mika-" Optimus started to say, but I cut him off.
"My brother is the one we're rescuing." My eyes misted, but I kept a stiff lip. "And if you can't let me help rescue my brother, then how can you expect me to fulfill the prophesy?"
With that, I turned and ran to my room.
"Mika!" Optimus yelled, starting towards me, afraid he had hurt my feelings.
I disappeared into my room and slammed the newly-fixed door shut.
The sound echoed in everyone's audios, but it seemed to physically hurt Optimus's own.
Wheeljack came up to his side and put a hand on his shoulder plating for a moment before moving away.
Optimus changed forms, and his holoform appeared next to the still semi. He swiftly walked up to my door and knocked loudly, but he received no response. He knocked louder, but silence only ensued.
After a few moments, he sighed. "Mika, we need to talk."
"Go away," came the muffled reply. "We'll talk when this is done."
"Mika," Optimus said, his voice dropping to a low growl. I refused to answer.
Finally, Optimus shouldered his way inside my room, finding the door unlocked, but blocked by a randomly strewn chair that had been caught on a large piece of furniture.
When he managed to squeeze his way inside, he looked around, but he did not find me.
Walking to the closed bathroom door, he knocked on it softly.
"Mika," he said, "please. Can we talk this over?"
"Why do we have to talk about it? You've already made it clear you don't want me to go." From the other side, I leaned against the bathroom door and crossed my arms. "You've made your point very clear that I'm too fragile to handle myself in a rescue mission."
"Mika, you and I both know that you are not fragile. Not physically," he tried to reason.
"Oh, so now I'm emotionally unstable? That helps a lot," I grumbled.
"I didn't mean that," Optimus said quietly, lowering to a crouch in front of the door. "Yes, you may be emotional at times, but I know you are strong. You've proven that time and time again."
"Then why can't I go?" I asked, my voice rising.
"Because I am afraid," Optimus said softly. "I am afraid to lose you."
The words sunk in, and my anger slowly melted.
After a few silent minutes, I finally responded. I stood up and opened the door, revealing Optimus's holoform, crouching on the ground. He quickly stood up and met my eyes.
"That's part of the reason why I want to go. I don't want you to get hurt," I said in a quiet voice. "You may be Cybertronian, and your mortality rate may be much lower than a human's, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about you."
His gaze softened, and he moved closer and pulled me into an embrace. His nose in my hair, he kissed the top of my head, then rested his chin on my head. I limply laid my forehead on his chest and breathed in his scent: the smell of metal, diesel, and leather that I had grown to cherish.
The gentle embrace was a reassurance that was gladly accepted by both of us, and my arms around him tightened, pulling him closer.
"Alright," Optimus murmured into my hair, "alright. You can come. Just—be careful."
"You be careful, too," I said, lifting my head and looking up into his crystalline blue eyes.
I reached up, placing my hands on the back of his head, and I gently pulled him down to my level. I closed the space between us and planted my lips on his tenderly, my fingers curling into his blonde hair, and his arms pulled me a little closer in response, along with putting a little more force in the kiss.
A couple slow minutes passed until we broke apart. My hands still tangled in his hair, I pressed my forehead to his chest again and sighed before finally pulling away.
"Wheeljack and Shadestar should come with us," I said, turning towards my bed and falling to my knees beside it. I reached underneath and pulled out a large but relatively flat bin.
Inside was winter clothes that Nathan had given me a couple years ago, when he promised me that one day he would take me somewhere to see the snow that he had described to me so many times. His descriptions always filled me with wonder.
I pulled the winter clothes out and held them against my body.
"I hope these still fit," I mumbled. I waved a hand to Optimus without actually looking at him, too preoccupied with the clothing to look back at the moment.
"Give me a few minutes to get ready, okay?"
Optimus nodded, although I couldn't see it.
"Alright," he said, then promptly disengaging the holoform, the human form disappearing in a shower of sparks.
Without delay, I hurriedly changed my clothes, then slipped on the outer winter clothes. Surprisingly, they still fit, which I was glad for.
Once I was ready and having all my gear, I ran out of my room, closing the door behind me.
"Wheeljack," I called out as I ran into the main hangar, "I'm riding with you. I need to talk to you about something."
He didn't answer, but I knew he was fine with it by his facial expression, along with the fact that he changed forms in front of me, his driver side door opening. I immediately hopped inside.
Optimus, who was standing nearby, changed to his altmode as well, opening his door to let Shadestar inside, who was in her small feline form.
Ratchet stood by the groundbridge controls with a wary look. The rest of Team Prime stood nearby, watching.
"Be careful," Arcee said to me.
The window rolled down at Wheeljack's compliance, and I looked at her with a serious expression.
"I will," I said. "But Starscream is going to wish he had never heard of me."
With that, the window rolled up, and the groundbridge opened up before us. Without a second's hesitation, we propelled forward with a sudden burst of speed, speeding through the blue-green portal.
XxxxxXXXXxxxxxx
Meanwhile...
Megatron was furious.
"Dreadwing!" he thundered.
The large second-in-command swiftly came to the warlord's side.
"Yes, Lord Megatron?" he asked, seemingly unfazed by his leader's anger.
"I have a mission for you. Since Starscream and Makeshift have failed me, I need someone I can rely on to get the job done properly."
"What do you wish for me to do?" Dreadwing asked.
The Decepticon warlord's voice dropped until it was a low growl. "She has escaped. I need you to find her for me, and bring her back. She will not be allowed to escape again."
"I assume you are talking about her?" the green mech asked lowly, aware of the magnitude of the conversation.
"Yes," the silver-grey mech replied. "No one else is to know of this, understood?"
"Yes, my liege." He understood that if the rest of the Decepticon faction found out, they might become skeptical of Megatron's leadership. "I will not fail you."
"See to it that you don't; and if you succeed, your services will be rewarded," Megatron said, his voice rising to his naturally loud, commanding tone. "Soundwave will give you further information for your task."
Dreadwing nodded respectfully, and the warlord, somewhat satisfied, turned and walked away. The second-in-command watched only for a moment before he, too, turned and left the room to find the silent communications officer.
XxxxxXXXXxxxxxx
"Wheeljack, I need to ask you something," I said as we drove over the icy plain, Optimus's familiar altmode driving alongside us.
The Wrecker grunted, the sound coming through his speakers.
"Will you train me on how to fight?"
"You kidding? Of course I'm gonna teach you how to fight, properly. You're not gonna be staying at base with me there and not learn how to fight."
I nodded, grateful for the confirmation. "I'm going to need it," I mumbled, leaning back in the seat. The prophesy had been on my mind a lot lately, and the more prepared for what might happen, the better off everyone would be.
"I'm gonna warn you now, though: you better like swords," Wheeljack said, to which I gave a halfhearted smile.
"I seem to be fond of them," I said distractedly, looking ahead. My face changed to a serious, somber look as I thought about my brother. I hoped and prayed to Primus that he was alright, because of he wasn't...
Starscream would regret ever existing.
I sat up straighter, my body becoming rigid as I saw a dark structure ahead of us, rapidly approaching.
Wheeljack slowed down, as did Optimus, until they finally stopped just ahead of the building, he wall a few yards away from us.
Before Wheeljack could do anything, I had already opened the door and climbed out, suddenly freezing when the frigid artic air hit me. I stumbled back, taking a ragged gasp, the icy air hurting my throat and lungs.
I hurriedly climbed back inside Wheeljack's alt mode and slammed the door shut.
"Remind me to never come back here again," I gasped, taking huge gulps of the warm, moist air inside his alternate mode.
A conflicted chuckle came from the speakers. "Me neither," Wheeljack agreed. "The cold doesn't exactly agree with us Cybertronians, either, but we can brave it much longer than you can."
I hadn't thought of that, and it made me worry. Just how long could they stay out here before it became critical?
The Wrecker sensed my unease and correctly guessed the reason. "Don't worry, we'll be able to get your brother back before then."
I nodded hesitantly, still unsure but somewhat satisfied with the answer.
"So, what's the plan?" I asked, settling back into the seat.
A brief pause ensued, then he replied.
"Boss bot says that someone will need to sneak in and rescue your brother while the rest of us keep Starscream busy. That way, he won't be able to interfere with our little rescue operation."
I nodded, agreeing with the idea.
"He says that you should be the one to sneak in, with Starshadow as backup."
"But what about you guys? What if Starscream sets a trap or something? What if you guys get hurt? What-"
"Mika," Wheeljack cut in, his voice firm. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."
"I can't help but worry! You guys are family to me, and family watches out for each other and has each other's backs," I argued, frowning. "And I'm not losing another member of my family."
Wheeljack huffed. "We are more than capable of protecting ourselves," he said in a low, gruff voice.
I sighed softly. "I know, but I just can't help but worry."
The Wrecker's radio filled with static, and to my surprise, Optimus's voice came through.
"I appreciate your concern for our well-being, Mika, but we can protect ourselves. In truth, we should be worrying for you, and we are."
I sighed in defeat. I couldn't figure out what to say, so I just kept quiet, and noticing my predicament, he continued.
"I am glad that you have concern for us, Mika. But the concern is not one-sided, for we also harbor concern for you and our other human companions; but, in truth, we are even more concerned for you; both for the reason that you and I are emotionally tied together, and for the prophesy.
"You hold the key to our planet's survival, and quite possibly your's."
I felt the invisible weight of responsibility settle even more on my shoulders, and I grimaced.
"I don't know if I can do it, though. I'm afraid I will fail. What will happen if that happens? I'm not the one to do this; I'm not worthy of the responsibility."
"Mika, that is exactly what I thought and believed when I first became a Prime. We both have received our responsibilities by Primus, and because of this we need to believe that his judgement is much better than ours. Have faith, Mika. You are not alone in this war."
The radio crackled again, and Wheeljack's voice came through again, his voice deep but soft.
"And I have to add to that. No matter what happens, we'll be by your side in this. You don't have to do this by yourself," he said gruffly, but I could still hear the amount of belief in his voice.
I felt the burden lift a little from my shoulders, and a confident, determined light came to my eyes as I sat straighter.
"That's my girl," Wheeljack said, chuckling with pride rising in his voice.
Once his chuckling subsided, I asked my question.
"So, when do we start?"
Shadestar stood behind me, blocking my small body from the intense, freezing wind. I stood in front of a human-sized door, which was at the back of the large, squat building.
I pressed my gloved hand to the door and closed my eyes to focus my mind. The wind disappeared into the background until it was a dull roar, and I hummed lowly, further focusing my mind.
Through my abilities, I saw the inner workings of the door, which was surprisingly complex. Gears and elaborate machinery made up the inner portion of the door, while all of its components were shielded from the elements by two thick sheets of reinforced steel on either side.
Instead of trying to shout above the howling wind, I tried to mentally speak to Shadestar. After a few attempts, I succeeded.
This might take me a few moments, I thought to her silently, my face contorted into a frown as I tried to keep my focus from breaking.
I felt the Cybertronian cat flinch, startled. I reached out and laid a hand on her armored flank, and she turned to me. I gave her a reassuring look and a slight nod.
She returned the nod, finally understanding, and I turned back to the door and refocused myself.
Several minutes passed as I mentally manipulated the machinery, turning gears and pulling pistons in their proper places. Faint clicks were made when each part of the mechanism moved into its proper place.
A dull thud sounded within the metallic door, and I jumped, startled. Shadestar tensed behind me, crouching and emitting a low growl.
The door shuddered, groaning, before slowly sliding open a few inches. I hesitantly stepped forward and pressed a hand on the door, pushing it open carefully.
The snow and ice crunched under my thick, heavy snow boots, and I slowly peered through the small opening in the door.
I couldn't see anything because the room was too dark. Sighing inwardly, I cupped my hands in front of me as if I were cradling something to my chest, and I pursed my lips and gently blew into my hands.
A small flame ignited in my palms, hovering an inch above the gloves I wore. I shielded the feeble flame from the wind by setting my back to the wind.
I continued to blow until the flame was large enough to illuminate my surroundings, and I managed to shoulder my way inside. I tried to force the door to move farther to give Shadestar enough room to squeeze inside, but the door was caught against something and wouldn't budge.
Shadestar nudged my back gently with her snout, pushing me inside. I complied and shuffled inside, barely able to see. I assumed that the room was large, because I could discern any definite walls.
The door behind me shook violently as Shadestar rammed into it. It shuddered for several long seconds before it gave, whatever the door was caught on snapped in half.
"Shadestar!" I hissed in a fierce whisper. She gave me an apologetic look as she made her way to me as quietly as she could, given her naturally large size.
"Sorry," she said quietly, her snout dropping.
I turned away from her and surveyed our surroundings. The room we were in was large, the flickering light of the flame in my palm barely able to illuminate the room's walls. The ceiling was easier to see, however, but did little to console me. I didn't need to know how high the room was. I just needed to find my brother and rescue him before anything else happened.
"Come on," I whispered, walking forward.
Within a couple of minutes of walking almost-blindly, I finally made contact with a wall. I walked right into it.
"Ow," I moaned softly, rubbing my nose gingerly. That was when I felt a knob in the wall.
My pain suddenly forgotten, I reached towards the doorknob and slowly turned it.
Bright light spilled through the small crack in the door, and my eyes smarted, unaccustomed to the sudden brightness.
I closed my hand into a soft fist, snuffing out the small flame in my palm with a soft hiss.
Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I motioned to Shadestar, who was behind me.
"Come on," I whispered, slipping through the door.
Shadestar silently followed behind me as I walked out of the room.
The hallway was long and beige-colored, which I thought was strange, because I thought it should have been darker, considering the building was in the Arctic.
After several minutes of walking down the corridor, my guard raised, I stopped.
"Wait," I said lowly. "I heard something."
I listened closely, and after a few seconds, I heard it again.
There.
I rushed towards one of the nearby doors that lined the hallway and placed my ear next to it.
A slight hum came through the door. Muffled, but still recognizable. I had no idea what could have been causing the sound, but I didn't care too much.
I reached for the door, but Shadestar suddenly head-butted me out of the way. I landed on my back, pain arching up my spine. I groaned as I slowly sat up.
"What the slag was that for?" I hissed, wincing slightly.
"The handle of this door is electrified," she said lowly, narrowing her green optics at the door.
So that was why I heard a humming sound.
I managed to stand up, ignoring the pain in my back, which was now a dull throb. I moved towards the door and took off my scarf and wrapped it around my hand tightly, making sure that no skin was showing. I didn't dare put on my gloves, since they were electric as well. I also needed them functioning properly so it wouldn't fry my hand in the middle of our escape.
I shakily reached towards the door, hesitating. I looked away and closed my eyes, bracing myself.
I grabbed the doorknob and turned.
The door swung open. And I wasn't electrocuted.
I gave a broad smile and opened my eyes, but it immediately disappeared, replaced by a look of utter horror.
"Nathan!"
I rushed inside and hurried to his side. He was strapped to a metal table, his clothes bloodied and torn. His body was a patchwork of numerous wounds and bruises, almost unrecognizable. Blood was smeared over the table, and I saw gruesome instruments of torture laying on a nearby table.
"Oh, Nathan, what have they done to you?" I asked, my eyes filling with tears. I reached up with a shaky hand and touched his cheek gently.
He didn't move.
Dread filled my heart. Was he truly gone?
My heart leaped when I heard the faintest of moans escape his bloody lips.
"Hold on, Nathan. I'm gonna get you out of here," I promised, my eyes hardening into fierce determination.
I quickly studied his bonds. They were made of thick, durable metal, and I pulled at them, trying to get it open, but it wouldn't budge. I struggled with them, becoming more frantic when nothing happened.
Shadestar appeared next to me and nudged me aside. She raised a sharp claw and swiped at the restraints, easily cutting through the metal. She made quick work of the other three bonds, and as soon as she was done, I rushed up to his side.
"Don't worry, Nathan. I got you. I promised I would," I said, gently slipping an arm underneath his shoulder blades and pulling him into a sitting position.
I managed to get him off the metal table without falling.
"Shadestar, can you carry him on your back? I can't carry him, since he's too heavy."
She sat on her haunches, waiting. I carefully placed him next to her and tried to lift him up onto her broad back, but I nearly fell when his weight shifted unexpectantly.
Thankfully, Shadestar's claw shot out and gently supported me to keep me from falling.
With her help, I finally succeeded in getting any brother on her back. She carefully stood up, moving as little as possible so his unconscious form wouldn't fall off.
"Get him to safety," I said in an authoritative voice.
"I can't leave you. I'm your guardian," Shadestar protested.
"I'm making you Nathan's guardian for now," I told her flatly. "I can't protect him and myself while we get to safety. If I could, I would. But I'm not physically strong enough yet to be able to support him."
She stood there for a moment, contemplating her decisions.
"You be careful, or I'm hunting you down," she growled lowly, concern and hesitancy in her feline features.
"Don't worry about me," I said, placing a hand on her snout. "Worry about our objective. Now go. I'm going to make sure that Starscream can't use this facility ever again."
She gave me a wary look, but finally turned and ran off, staying as level as possible for Nathan.
I watched her as she ran down the corridor and turn down another hall farther along the passageway.
With that, I turned and headed back in the interrogation room.
Optimus and Wheeljack managed to sneak inside. They decided against blasting their way inside, due to the extreme weather conditions in the Arctic. They would not allow their human charges to freeze to death when it could be avoided altogether.
So, the two Cybertronians found themselves sneaking inside the enormous warehouse before they would create their distraction.
Once they secured themselves in the immense building, Wheeljack looked at the Prime.
"So, what's our distraction?" he asked.
Optimus glanced at him briefly. "We will attract Starscream's attention," he said simply.
Wheeljack grinned. "So, blowing stuff up? I like that idea."
"No. We will not do that, yet. There are other means of attracting his attention without the use of explosives."
"Then what do we do?" Wheeljack huffed, his facial plates shifting to show his annoyance.
Optimus didn't say anything. One of his servos changed to a blade, which he proceeded to hit the flat of the blade on a large metallic pole that helped to support the building. A resounding clang echoed throughout the renovated warehouse, making the two Autobots' presence known.
"That's it?" Wheeljack asked, his tone disappointed.
The Prime signaled the Wrecker to be quiet. He amplified his audios frequency, listening for any telltale signs of the Seeker's presence.
A minute later, his actions were rewarded.
One of the inner walls of the warehouse, which was behind them, exploded.
Wheeljack and Optimus turned around, only to find that not one, but six Starscreams surrounding them, and all of their weapons aimed directly at them.
"Scrap," the two said in unison.
Battle masks slid into place, and weapons were subspaced in a matter of seconds.
Metal crashed against metal as the two Autobots fought against the Seeker clones. These, however, didn't back down as easily, as opposed to the real Starscream.
They fought valiantly, forcing the clones far enough away to give the two Autobots a better advantage.
Ten minutes passed, and they had only succeeded in offlining two of the clones, and the others seemed to be more irritated and determined to destroy the Autobots because of it.
"Optimus, this is getting us nowhere. These clones will offline us if we don't find a better advantage."
"Wheeljack, remember what our objective is," the Prime said lowly.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, but if we don't do something soon, we'll be pounded into scrap metal." The Wrecker deflected another randomly strewn blast with the flat of his blade. Optimus said nothing in response. He instantly grew suspicious when the clones became slower and less aggressive. He continued to fight the clones, successfully offlining another one. He saw Shadestar come into view through his peripheral vision with an unconscious, injured Nathan on her back. Satisfied with knowing he had some protection, he turned his attention back to the Seeker clones, only for a sound to make his energon run cold.
"Let me go!" a shrill female voice yelled, the sounds of her struggling evident through her voice.
The real Starscream walked calmly out of one of the hallways, holding me tightly in his clawed servo.
"Well, isn't this surprising?" Starscream asked, a grin on his face plates.
The three Autobots froze, their attention solely on me and the Decepticon who held me. I saw Optimus giving the Seeker a deadly glare.
"Let her go," Wheeljack growled, stepping forward.
"Ah, ah," Starscream said, his grip tightening. Something snapped, and I bit down on my lip as hard as I could to distract me from the pain. A pained groan came from my throat.
Optimus's patience was running thin. He couldn't bear to see me in pain. He stepped forward, his servo changing into a blade.
"Let her go, Starscream. You know you can't kill her, otherwise-"
"-Or the prophesy won't be fulfilled, Cybertron and the Darkness - do you think I really care? No; I want her alive for my own reasons, but if you want her dead then so be it."
One of his taloned digits shot out and plunged into my shoulder, almost completely impaling through it. Bones were crushed and pushed out of the way, shards of bone piercing delicate tissues.
The pain was unbearable, and I cried out in agony, tears involuntarily streaking my cheeks.
He twisted, further damaging my shoulder before pulling out. I bit my lip even harder to keep myself from screaming, and I could taste blood in my mouth.
Starscream turned away, then called over his shoulder.
"Clones, destroy them."
"No!"
Something in my mind kicked in, and suddenly all my senses were sharper. Epinephrine pumped through my veins, and inhuman strength flowed through my body.
I freed my uninjured arm, and with an enraged battle cry, I clawed at his arm. The phantom claw appeared, but this time, it was more defined, and most definitely more powerful.
The talons of the enormous claw sliced through the Seeker's arm as if it were made of soft plastic.
Starscream shrieked as the dismembered limb fell to the ground, along with me.
Everything was a blur. The floor and ceiling melded into one swirling mass, and then I hit something solid.
I was surprised when I didn't feel any more pain than I was already in, and I opened my eyes.
Optimus had dived to the floor and caught me.
In those brief seconds, Shadestar vaulted from where she was and tackled the injured Seeker. Wheeljack fought against the clones with a burning passion. I had never seen so much rage in the Wrecker's optics.
"Retreat!" the true Starscream shrieked, shoving Shadestar off of him with a groan.
He and the two remaining online clones changed forms and flew down one of the hallways.
Optimus slowly unfurled his servos from me, his glowing optics filled with concern and a question on his metallic lip plates. His optics were immediately focused on my injured shoulder, which by now my dark winter jacket was soaked in blood.
Before he could ask his question, I heard a dull explosion.
"They're going to blow the place up!" I yelled, jumping out of Optimus's servos and running to one of the outer walls. "Wheeljack!"
The Wrecker turned and began to run towards me.
"We need one of your grenades to blow the wall open!"
He reached down at his hip as he ran and grabbed the grenade that rested there. Swiftly, he pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it as I ran towards him, away from the wall.
Just before the grenade hit the wall, I jumped in the air. Wheeljack slid to the ground, catching me just as the grenade detonated.
Wheeljack shielded me from the debris, but the smoke was a different matter. It filled my lungs, making my breathing difficult. I coughed harshly, trying to rid it from my lungs, but it only returned.
"We need...to get out of here..." I wheezed when the Wrecker moved away. "Optimus! Shadestar!"
"We're fine," the Cybertronian cat called out. I could just barely see their moving forms through the drifting smoke.
A metallic groaning filled the air.
"The building is going to collapse," I heard Optimus say.
All of us started running towards the open hole. My lungs burned, and my shoulder began to feel like it was on fire, but all of that was forgotten when I thought of my brother.
"Wait! Where's Nathan?" I screamed, starting to panic.
"I have him," Optimus said. "Now go!"
With that, I raced through the smoking hole in the wall.
Wheeljack, Shadestar, and Optimus came behind me, my unconscious brother in Optimus's servos.
I slowed down, waiting for them to catch up to me. A sudden spasm of pain erupted from my shoulder, and I cried out, falling to my knees on the ice.
"Mika!" Optimus cried out, starting to run towards me, but I waved him off.
"I'm fine. Worry about Nathan first," I said, slowly rising to my feet.
The three Autobots' attention instantly turned from me to something behind me. Puzzled, I turned and looked.
Although I couldn't see his reaction, I could feel the emotion that was going through Optimus. As I looked at the flying object that came nearer, and my eyes widened as I recognized it.
So did Optimus. His voice rang out, frantic.
"Mika, run!"
Time seemed to slow. I turned and broke into a full run, but I felt like it was too slow. Pain coursed through my shoulder as I ran, the wound reopening and bleeding again. My heart in my throat and fear in my eyes, I sought out the one mech I needed.
Optimus all but handed Nathan to Wheeljack and started running towards me, fear fueling his actions.
Starscream fired his last missile at me. Optimus watched in horror as it sped towards me, and he desperately raced towards me, trying to get to me in time to move me out of the way of the missile.
The missile missed me, however, and hit the ice instead. Optimus's spark slowed a little in relief and looked at me with relieved worry.
Then, the ice cracked and broke open underneath me, and I disappeared.
He stood in utter horror near the edge of the hole, scanning the icy black water frantically, fear and dread gripping his spark.
"Mika!"