Le Legal Stuff: Transformers is not mine, just my OCs and this story not intended for sale or to infringe. Update: 4/14 article 'Jagex Transformers Universe Character' had a Decepticon femme, Duststorm. (SHOCK) So, any similarities is purely accidental and not intended to infringe on any legal rights.

A/N: YAY and Thank yous to Galem, Bee4ever, and enmused, for posting reviews! Trust me when I say it's really encouraging to read your comments! Thank you!

And a special thank you to Sci-Fifan95 for adding this story to favorites!

A/N: Author's Liberties: Although there is an Air National Guard facility next to the Chicago Midway International Airport, it does not appear to have an active air unit. The 170th Fighter Squadron was located in Springfield and decommissioned in 2008, the last aircraft flown was the F16 Fighting Falcon. (Not appearing in this chapter, but just a 411 for later)

This chapter will be a little bit more serious, so, on with the show!

Cybertronian/Earth Time Reference:
Astrosecond/about .273 seconds
Breem / about 8 minutes
Groon/about 1 Earth hour
Orn/about 1 Earth day
Quartex/1 Earth month
Orbital Cycle/about 1 Earth year
Vorn/about 83 Earth years

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Chapter 3 – Earth Campaign (Part 23)

— Chicago, Illinois – Autobot Temporary Encampment —

Ratchet had just completed a check of Optimus's systems and determined it was time to revive him but he ran another check to be safe. While Ratchet read the data that streamed across his HUD, FirstAid tiredly stepped back and took the opportunity to stretch his limbs and waited.

Ratchet finally looked up at FirstAid and warned him, "Everything looks good. I've already sent the activation sequence. Optimus should be coming on-line in moments, be ready." With practiced ease the medic removed his lead. He grabbed the Prime's bicep and forearm with his servos as he braced himself and then watched as FirstAid copied him on Prime's other side.

The two medics waited patiently as Optimus's systems slowly sped up. When his optics blinked repeatedly, Ratchet muttered softly, "Get ready."

Their concern was not unfounded. It was based on vorns of experience dealing with combat mechs and their survival protocols. These protocols were designed to automatically engage defensive battle programming if major systems were either knocked out of sync or off-line during combat. When activated the mech, who might be completely unaware of what was happening to him, would instinctively attack any perceived threat. This sometimes occurred when a mech was revived after a prolonged medical stasis and would sometimes prove dangerous to an unsuspecting medic.

Ratchet, used to dealing with Optimus cautioned FirstAid softly, "Don't say anything. Let me talk, he'll recognize my voice."

Optimus's optics began to glow a bright blue as his foggy processor tried to recognize his location and any danger. His face displayed concern when he felt resistance and immediately multiple protocols engaged as he tried to rise while both medics did their best to restrain him. His instinctive programming warned restraint meant danger as Optimus prepared to hurl the weight holding him down when a familiar voice cut through his foggy processor as a blurry red warning flared brightly across his HUD.

"Optimus. Optimus? It's me, Ratchet, can you hear me? Do you recognize my voice?"

Optimus calmed at the sound of Ratchet's voice coupled with the HUD warning him 'Do Not Engage'. He slowly turned to look at the medic as the tense expression on his face relaxed. He nodded and slowly sat back down on the ground with a groan, "Indeed old friend. I hope I did not injure you?"

"No, no, you're fine, I'm fine. Just relax and take a few moments to let your systems readjust. You've been in medical stasis for a few orns. I don't need to remind you that it always takes a little longer to reach standard operations after a forced stasis of that length," Ratchet advised the Prime calmly, his voice soothing and reassuring.

Optimus nodded and had to admit his systems did feel rather sluggish as he disabled the emergency message that repeated across his HUD. He'd created that warning as a result of an accident that had happened early on in his career.

Optimus had been severely injured in a campaign and had been brought back to the medical triage tent unconscious. When the field medic revived him, Optimus reacted instinctively and attacked. Despite the field medic's experience, he hadn't been fully prepared to deal with the strength of a Prime and had suffered some injuries before Optimus was contained. Optimus had been relieved to know the field medic suffered no serious injuries but the incident impacted him greatly. Since then he did his best to insure another incident like that would never happen again.

As a result, Optimus created safety protocols which so far, had served him and the medics who healed him well. However, he knew from experience that no plan was fool-proof and always worried when it would happen again.

His optic intensity lowered to normal luminosity as he regarded Ratchet's worried expression and readied posture. Optimus smiled tiredly at his friend, "I'm alright Ratchet. Safety protocols are in place and working. Is everyone alright? What's our status? Have you heard from Prowl?"

Ratchet stood up and shook his helm tiredly, "Same old mech. Almost get yourself off-lined again and the first thing you think about is everyone else but yourself. Since you probably won't let me work on you until I've told you, everybody is fine. I'll give you a detailed report when I'm done. First, I need you to run a full diagnostic. Tell me if you get any errors, and that means, not 'accidentally' missing a few like you did the last time. Are we clear?"

Optimus smiled. He was immediately reassured by his medic's overbearing attitude as it indicated there were no pressing situations to worry about. With a quick thought, he promptly initiated his diagnostics.

As the Prime watched the data spool across his HUD, Ratchet quickly linked up to observe the results. It wasn't that he didn't trust Optimus he did, with his life, not in relaying data properly. It was a habit of Optimus's not to advise him of any system problems Optimus deemed unimportant. It wasn't a matter of arrogance, more his concern regarding Ratchet's work load and supplies. Within a matter of seconds the ancient leader nodded, "Looks good Ratchet."

"Hm hm," the medic hummed in agreement as he removed his lead. "You know the drill, unfortunately, so, let's take things slowly. Try to stand."

Optimus nodded and rose to his pedes as both medics listened carefully to his systems. They were trained by experience to observe any abnormalities which to others, might simply sound like hisses or creaks, or hitches in movement. Ratchet waited carefully and then asked, "Report?"

Optimus watched his HUD and noted only a few failures but all were minor, "Everything looks good, feels fine too. And before you question me, yes there are a few errors but given the quantity of injuries I've sustained it's rather remarkable the list isn't larger. Thank you."

"Don't think complimenting me will get you out of repairs, Optimus," Ratchet quipped as he attached his lead and pulled up the data. Ratchet quickly reviewed the list and ported it over to compare it to his list. Ratchet sighed grateful these were still part of the repairs he'd noted earlier and not new ones.

The CMO removed his lead, "Good, no new errors. Alright Optimus, I want you to walk around this compound. Slowly. Do not leave the enclosure. I don't want the humans to be aware you might be close to ready."

Optimus nodded and walked carefully around the perimeter. When he completed his circuit he turned and rotated his trunk, raised his arms and rotated them, as he performed various moves in a sort of mechanical calisthenics. When he was done he held out his arm with a quirky smile for the medic to port in and said, "I'm functional and operating well within specs. But knowing you, you'll want to verify that for yourself."

"Smart aft," Ratchet muttered as he ported in and pulled data and compared it to his original list. Unfortunately, a few new errors had cropped up and he quickly added them to the list. The medic regarded the Prime and informed him, "There are a few new issues but you're right, they're not problematic. However, that doesn't give you permission to think of yourself as a diagnostician, are we clear Prime?"

Optimus nodded as Ratchet snorted in response, clearly indicating he disbelieved the Prime, as he continued with his orders, "I'd like you to attempt a transformation. Just like before, if you get any errors or pain, stop so I can check what's wrong."

Optimus nodded and activated the transformation sequence. He smiled with confidence at his small medical audience while the sequence initiated. There was, as expected, some groaning as his newly repaired systems adjusted but the transformation occurred without any incident. Within moments he was reassembled into his albeit badly beat up blue and red flamed vehicle mode.

Ratchet placed a servo on the Peterbuilt's scratched hood, "Good. Did that feel alright? Did you run into any trouble? Get any errors?"

Optimus reactivated his transformation sequence forcing Ratchet to take a step back as he again returned to his bi-pedal form. His voice had grown stronger as systems warmed up with the increased activity when he responded, "No. No trouble, just as I expected with your work Ratchet, FirstAid. Good job, both of you."

Optimus turned to FirstAid and nodded his thanks as he continued to flex his servos and rotate his arms gently.

Ratchet placed a large servo on top of Prime's arm, "Uh huh, don't get overly enthusiastic, mech. You're no way close to being ready for any combat maneuvers. We just fixed you for travel and that's it. I just wanted to be sure you'd be able to safely exit the city. The rest of us will guard you."

Although Optimus understood Ratchet's concern, past experience taught him to be prepared and he ignored the medic to promptly engage his arm transformation systems to test and activate his various weapons.

Ratchet quickly slapped the Prime's forearm as it transformed into a cannon and barked, "Optimus! Will you give it a rest?" The Prime simply chuckled as he returned his arm back into its original form.

Ratchet got into Optimus's face, his countenance a thoughtful scowl, "You're not going to stop are you? Okay, the only way I can think of to keep you out of trouble is to bombard your processor with data. So, here's my report, Prime."

Ratchet stepped back and nodded to FirstAid that all was well as he made his report, "We've been here approximately three Earth days. Aerial reconnaissance has cleared Chicago of Decepticons, well, except for our Decepticon or rather should I say FirstAid's Decepticon?" The medic winked at FirstAid who simply shook his helm with a resigned sigh at the teasing and turned to tidy up the area.

Ratchet continued without missing a beat, "As you may remember, most enemy air assault units, single and carriers, were sucked up along with Cybertron when the space bridge collapsed. Duststorm tracked a few ground units and flyers fleeing the area. But, given the tense political situation I decided to keep her close, she's currently working with a human air guard unit. Once the Con signals cleared the city they disappeared and so far human authorities have not reported any attacks or have been able to track them. My guess is they've gone to ground until new leadership takes command."

Ratchet paused a moment to spool through his lists, "Since we liberated Chicago the United States military along with civilian authorities have created cordons and set up energon detectors near all major entries into the city, including ports. No injuries to us or NEST have been sustained since bivouacking here but we are running low on fuel. I've contacted Lennox to see if we can get some of their aviation fuel trucked in. I've also informed him there's a possibility you may be ready to roll once I've cleared you."

"We haven't heard much from Sam and Carly. Last contact from Dino confirms they're staying in a hotel pending the remodel of a building on 'Embassy Row' the U.S. government acquired for our use. Mearing has been a great help, by the way. I believe we'll also be allowed to return to the HHS facility, but there is still a great deal of damage which means repairs and remodeling."

"Speaking of, since we've acquired a new 'citizen' who's system requirements aren't in any way similar to ours. I think you might want to talk to Mearing about installing a human habitable section within our area. You'll need to come up with a suitable excuse as to why we need one. It will raise a lot of questions that I don't have the patience to answer, so I'm passing that one off to you."

Optimus chuckled and sighed, "I don't blame you, but if it must be done it may as well be done by me. As soon as you're finished, let's try to get ahold of Mearing and get that modification implemented."

Ratchet nodded and then poked Prime's chest, "Dino also said Sam mentioned there are factions within the U.S. government still trying to oust us. Yet another political situation to deal with. Yay you. Also, once you're cleared, we'll need to coordinate with NEST regarding evacuation of this location. Since we've become 'known' we've attracted quite a bit of attention which translates to a rather large crowd out there, some of which are quite unfriendly. Oh, and media too. I would like to recommend we leave early in the morning, about 0200 or 0300, when there are fewer humans here or on the road. It will decrease the potential for confrontation."

Optimus nodded as a weary expression crossed his features, "I see. This information saddens me but it's not unexpected. At least we have a place to stay for the time being. When you're ready, I'll take over command, which I'm sure you'll be grateful for."

Optimus chuckled at the look of relief on Ratchet's face and chided him, "For a CMO, you should be used to command by now. But I understand. As to leaving this place, I agree, doing so when there are less humans present makes sense. I also think it's unlikely the Decepticons will strike during our departure given the lack of command. We just need to make sure the Wreckers don't respond to whatever the humans do."

"Actually they've managed really well considering what's going on out there. I'm proud of them, if not their choice of language," groused Ratchet, clearly fatigued and pushed past endurance.

Optimus placed a large servo on the medic's shoulder appreciatively, "I'll be sure to say something to them in thanks. By the way," Optimus turned and looked at FirstAid, "how is our guest doing?"

FirstAid put a tool into a small chest and stood to face the Prime, "I've been receiving regular reports from Bumblebee, he indicates she's doing well, just bored."

Optimus nodded and turned back to Ratchet, "Any news about the incoming ships?"

Ratchet shook his helm as he crossed his arms over his chassis, "Our priority was getting you on-line and out of this hole, then I was going to contact Prowl. Now, let's get to it, I'd like to run several more diagnostics and see if you're ready to be cleared. Once that's done, I'll give you Teletraan 2."

Optimus angled his helm with a teasing twinkle in his optic, "More diagnostics? Haven't you done enough?"

Ratchet scowled at the Prime, "You do love to bait me don't you."

Optimus shrugged, "Not really. Although from time to time, you do make for an easy target."

Optimus smiled, "Is it possible for me to use Teletraan while you're running diagnostics? I want to contact Prowl and find out what the Decepticons are up to. I need to know who assumed command in order to prepare and try to determine what they're next play is."

Ratchet's sighed and rubbed his face tiredly, "No. But these scans will be brief and then you can comm. to your spark's content. FirstAid? Will you check in with Lennox to see what the status of that fuel is?"

The white and red medic nodded and exited the tent as Ratchet picked up Optimus's wrist again. Optimus watched patiently as medical data scrolled rapidly across his optics having long since given up trying to ascertain the nature of the data given the speed at which Ratchet reviewed it.

Instead Optimus allowed himself to sense his frame, injuries, and overall form. There were various aches and pains but everything seemed to move adequately as the text disappeared from his HUD. Optimus looked up at Ratchet who simply quirked an eyebrow at him and then reached into subspace to retrieve Teletraan 2 and handed it to the Prime, "I'm clearing you for light duty, only. Comm away while I take care of packing up."

Optimus took the device and sat down as Ratchet strode from the tent. There was a small set of cables he extracted from his wrist unit that he connected to the device. This would allow him to run the system from his HUD and communicate silently.

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Ratchet met FirstAid at the perimeter barricade, "Lennox?"

"On his way," FirstAid responded.

"Alright. FirstAid, I'd like you to complete picking up medical supplies and then recharge in the med tent. Keep an optic on Optimus and make sure he doesn't do anything overly physical. Which he will try to do. Also, make sure your systems are combat ready," Ratchet ordered. FirstAid nodded and then looked over at the lean-to shelter.

Ratchet quickly interpreted the mech's desire, "Let's take care of this place first. I want to be out of here as soon as possible. You can catch up with your charge later." FirstAid was about to rebut the order until he noted the strain Ratchet displayed and then scanned the mechs within the encampment. Each showed various levels of fatigue and tension and he decided against arguing. FirstAid nodded and headed back to the medical tent. Ratchet watched the mech's silent debate and wondered what FirstAid would do and was pleased to see that FirstAid acquiesced knowing how difficult it was for the mech to put off attending his charge.

Colonel Lennox saw Ratchet's attention was elsewhere, shouted, "Hey, Ratchet!"

The medic turned and looked down. He knelt beside the barrier so he could speak at a level that would not carry beyond the officer, "Hello Colonel. Any word on the fuel?"

Bill shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry, it's a no go, the fuel is considered too dangerous to transport through the city. Do you have enough to at least make it to the air guard station?"

Ratchet sighed, "I figured as much but it didn't hurt to ask, right? I have a question for you, is it possible to evac say between 0200, 0300?"

Bill's eyes widened, "The big guy is up?"

Ratchet nodded as he looked at the crowd. The hour was late, almost 11:00 p.m., and there was still a rather large crowd that concerned him.

Bill noted Ratchet's concern, "Four hours isn't enough to prepare for an evacuation. Although I agree, leaving early rather than during the day is a good plan. Let's try for the following morning, say 0400-0500?"

Ratchet deflated slightly, "I suppose. I'd prefer sooner rather than later but I understand. I'll check with… and let you know if there are any changes."

"Can I see him?"

"Not yet, he's… resting," Ratchet stumbled almost admitting they had an active communications device.

Bill angled his head curious as to what Ratchet omitted, "I… see? So I'm guessing you don't want HQ to know he's up and running?"

"Actually, I think we should at least get ahold of Mearing. Optimus will want to speak to her about headquarters… We've got a request regarding… modifications… to the facility," Ratchet hedged.

The colonel was no slouch when it came to speaking around a subject and quickly deduced what the medic was hinting at, "Ah, I see, as in... special… accommodations?"

"Among other things," Ratchet hedged again making the colonel sigh heavily.

Bill understood and reasoned Ratchet's lack of forthrightness was probably due to fears of being monitored, "Alright. I'll get to work on my end for evac. Do you want the 'Con to stay with the air guard or fly cover for us while we're in transit?"

"I don't think cover will be needed unless Optimus decides otherwise. He's in command now," Ratchet added softly.

"Will do and I'm glad he's okay. I'll go contact Mearing," Bill said as he popped a quick salute and ran back into the encampment to begin preparations.

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Optimus quickly opened frequencies on Teletraan 2 making sure to use the latest security encryption algorithms. Closing his optics to focus he adjusted his vocals, that way he could communicate via the Teletraan system without speaking aloud, 'Varion this is Omega One, please respond.'

As he waited for a response, the Prime allowed his frame to relax into a meditative mode. Apparently a comm was expected and his query was answered immediately.

'Omega One, this is the Varion,' Prowl's calm voice responded. 'It is good to hear from you Omega One.'

'Agreed. Is this frequency still secure?'

There was a pause before Prowl responded, 'We believe so.'

Optimus sighed softly, 'Status?'

'What would you like to know first, the Decepticons or us?' Optimus could hear a slight lilt to Prowl's voice that indicated he was not under stress and that knowledge relieved the Prime. If Prowl was calm and relaxed than meant his forces were relatively safe for the time being.

'As much as I'd like to know about the status of our forces, it would probably be wiser to know what's going on with the Cons first,' Optimus said with a resigned edge to his voice as he pushed his curiosity aside. What he really wanted to know was the status of the femmes, in particular Elita-1. However personal matters were just that, personal, and by necessity overshadowed by his greater concern for his people.

'Rumors of Megatron's defeat have the Cons in disarray, for now. We're picking up rumors of various faction in-fighting as they try to determine who's to command. One bot in particular you may remember from your early days dealing with the Council, Ratbat. He was the first to claim right of command and also started a rumor that Cybertron was destroyed. He's trying to rally forces in a revenge counter-strike against you for Cybertron's destruction. He doesn't appear to have much backing at the moment but we're still going to follow the chatter and see where that goes. Given his history as a Senator, I find it unlikely the Cons will rally to him.'

'What concerns me more are the rumors about Cybertron's destruction and what sort of reaction that will provoke with the Cons if not verified soon. I sent Cosmos home but it seems that every Con with a ship was doing the same thing. I've ordered him to stand down and try again when it's safer to do so.'

'There is one interesting bit of news regarding the remaining and largest Decepticon fleet. It's currently under the command of Dreadwing and Skyquake. I expected them to join in on the attack on Earth but instead they appear to be pulling back to the edge of Decepticon territory. It's not logical but until I have more data I can't ascertain why they're holding back. When I learn more, I'll let you know.'

'Optimus, is it true? Is Megatron and his command gone? Sentinel too?'

Optimus nodded, even though Prowl would not be able to see the gesture, 'Yes, it's true. However, Megatron has an uncanny ability to survive even off-lining but I'd rather hope for the best this time. Sentinel also is no more. I can't remember if you were advised that Sentinel off-lined Ironhide? We also lost Que. We do have two interesting additions to our ranks, a Decepticon energon seeker designation Duststorm and we recovered FirstAid. It appeared the two of them were brought to Earth and captured by humans. They escaped during the Decepticon attack.'

'I am… surprised,' was all Prowl could say as the unexpected information temporarily caught him off-guard. The lapse was momentary, 'Sir, are you safe? Seekers have never been exactly trustworthy….'

'I believe so but we are also taking appropriate cautionary steps,' Optimus sighed as he reassured his First.

'I should hope so,' Prowl's tone had a slightly parental edge to it.

'Our forces,' Optimus asked, ignoring Prowl's underlying rebuke and changed topics.

'An interesting development. Elita's unit discovered a Decepticon base on the moon orbiting Earth. Sky Lynx and Ultra Magnus's Wreckers arrived in your system and joined with the femmes in taking the base. Gratefully, there was no opposition and no casualties,' Prowl added sourly, silently communicating the action had not been coordinated with him.

Optimus smiled and shook his helm as he rubbed his forehead and simply said, 'I see.'

Prowl continued, 'I'll send you the frequencies as I'm sure you'll wish to speak with Ultra Magnus and Elita-1. When you do, perhaps you might remind them to consider observing the chain of command from time to time?'

Optimus actually chuckled aloud before sending, 'I'll do what I can but I can make no promises.'

'I don't know how you do it Optimus. All I can say is I'm deeply grateful you survived because I don't know what I'd… we'd, do without you,' Prowl added gratefully.

'I feel the same with you in command Prowl, thank you for handling things for me. How are the rest of our forces doing?'

'Engagements have dropped off as the Cons have fallen back to deal with their own internal issues. All available Autobot ships are picking up as many of our forces as our ships can hold. But we're still leaving a great many behind. Ultra Magnus and Elita-1 discovered the Ark and are trying to determine if they can repair it. Adding another warping vessel of the caliber of the Ark would be a great help in retrieving the rest of our forces.'

'I see. Prowl, I want Blaster to make sure all our outposts are on alert. We need to be ready. Once the Decepticons have chosen a new leader, he will strike and strike hard in order to prove himself. Let's make it as difficult for him to do so as possible.'

'Will do. Anything else?'

'Yes, how many of our forces are close to arriving here on Earth?'

'I wish I had better news, but I'm sorry to report that it will be an orbital cycle or two. The Decepticons made a point of targeting our warping craft,' Prowl answered sadly.

'I see,' Optimus frowned deep in thought, 'it's regrettable but we'll have to make do and hope the Decepticons spend a great deal of time trying to decide who's to lead. At least on Earth, the situation here with the Decepticons is quiet for now. However, the political situation is still tenuous so having a base on the Moon will be useful in case we need to evacuate.'

'Are the humans really that foolish,' Prowl's shock was clearly evident as Optimus imagined his first's expression with a chuckle.

'Some, yes, others no. Mostly it's their lack of understanding and experience. Our war has shaken many of them deeply. Until we arrived many thought they were the only beings in the universe,' Optimus advised.

'That is not logical…'

Optimus quickly interrupted, 'Perhaps, but isn't sound logic based on fact? Until recently they had no evidence to indicate life existed elsewhere. Then the Decepticons came. It has been a frightening realization for them to deal with and their reaction is natural. We do have human allies who are working with us to help ease humanity along and hopefully smooth over any difficulties created by the Cons. We shall see.'

Optimus smiled as he could almost hear Prowl sigh with resignation as the First countered, 'I still do not understand how they can hold such beliefs but you are there and I am not. You're involvement with that species no doubt helps you understand them better than I.'

Optimus chuckled, 'It is no different than those who do not believe in Primus or that the 13 existed. For humanity many require 'seeing' to believe and now that they've seen, they're having trouble adjusting. As much as I enjoy our theoretical discussions Prowl, Ratchet has returned and is glaring at me. No doubt he feels I should be resting. I will comm you once we reach our base. Prowl, I know you don't want to hear this but as long as I'm still stranded here on Earth, I need you to continue commanding our forces, understood?'

Prowl's tone was clearly displeased, 'Optimus, there is no reason you can't lead our forces. You've done so before without a ship, why should now be any different?'

Optimus paused as he composed his thoughts knowing Prowl would need a clear explanation other than a 'gut' feeling, 'Because in doing so we manage Decepticon perception and temper their desire for revenge. Without me as a focal point, they won't have much to fixate on. And as much as I dislike doing so, I'd rather have the Decepticons focused on you rather than on Earth until we have sufficient forces to protect this world.'

'The indigenous are not militarily capable of defending themselves and are still too war-like and factionalized to risk upgrading them to our level of technology. I believe that as long as the Decepticons believe our command remains unchanged, that might create enough doubt as to my survival.'

Optimus could hear Prowl sigh thoughtfully and gave the mech time to run variables and strategies. Finally the First answered, 'I concur although I don't wish to. As ordered, I will continue to command your forces. But, you owe me Prime, are we clear on that?'

Optimus chuckled, 'Will a bottle of Wheeljack's finest do?'

'A bottle?'

'I could send you the twins,' Optimus teased.

'Then it's a good thing you don't have a ship,' Prowl countered with a slight smile.

'For now. Primus be with you and our forces Prowl, Prime out,' Optimus quickly closed comms and turned to regard the medic. "Ratchet, where are the twins and Jolt?"

"They went underground and I haven't heard from them. Which was Jolt's orders," Ratchet answered as he continued to glare at Optimus, "I can contact them later if you want, after you've rested."

"In a bit, I need to contact Ultra Magnus…."

Ratchet interrupted with a shake of his helm, "What you really mean is Elita-1, don't you?"

Optimus shrugged, "Can you blame me?"

Ratchet smiled slightly, "No, not really. Before you do, I spoke with Lennox. Leaving this morning isn't possible, so we'll have another day here and will try for 0400 to 0500 the following day. As to fuel, we're going to have to settle with what we have. Transporting the aviation fuel here was deemed too dangerous."

Optimus frowned, "Do we have any reserves?"

Ratchet paused knowing the information he was about to relay would upset Optimus but answered anyway, "What we had we used on you and before you get that look, you needed it. Badly. No arguments, understood?"

Optimus lowered his helm both in frustration and disappointment, "Are you sure you didn't…."

Ratchet quickly interrupted, "Optimus. There is not one bot here who would begrudge giving their reserves to help you. Now, you're wasting time, contact Ultra Magnus and Elita-1. When you've finished I want you to give me the Teletraan and put yourself in recharge. That's an order, Prime."

Optimus nodded as he straightened his shoulders, "Yes Ratchet."

The medic scoffed and then turned his back on the Prime to mutter as he helped FirstAid police the area making sure all of their tools, components, or supplies would not be left behind. When the area was clear the two medics used a raised concrete planter to sit on and placed themselves into a light recharge giving the Prime some privacy.

Optimus entered the new frequency Prowl had given him for the Autobot Moon base and commed, 'Moon Base, this is Omega One, do you read me?'

— Moon Base Alpha —
Autobot Combined Commands of Wreckers, Minibots, and Femmes

Perceptor looked up from the science station and rose to his pedes. With measured steps he reached the comms station and acknowledged the incoming signal, "This is Moon Base Alpha, go ahead Omega One."

'Perceptor? It's good to hear your voice, can you please advise your commander I'd like to speak with him?'

The mech sat down in the seat, taking care not to bump his shoulder-mounted scope against computer equipment in the cramped space and asked, "Please send ident code."

Optimus chuckled to himself and did as directed.

As Perceptor waited for the code, he quickly opened a joint comm, "Ultra Magnus? Elita-1? I'm receiving comms from Optimus, you might want to come up to the command center."

Both commanders had been in conference going over various reports and discussing everything from repairs to maintenance. They both stared at each other questioningly when Ultra Magnus canted his helm and replied, "Perceptor, we're in the conference room. As soon as the ident is confirmed, why don't you transfer the comms here. Magnus out."

Perceptor's digits flew over the console readying the transfer. The Wrecker knew with absolute certainty the comm was Optimus. There were just some things you can't fake. One of them was the subtle blend of humility, power, and charisma the Prime could convey simply by speaking.

However, Ultra Magnus was a stickler for rules and if Perceptor wished to avoid another rules lecture, he followed the rules. So the mech waited and as he did so he thought about his current dream project, the Ark and a new development. One of the femmes, Moonracer, had discovered Perceptor was a sharpshooter and the mech was smart enough not to let an opportunity like that pass him by.

A ping from the console made him vent with relief as he pushed the signal to the conference room and added, "Ultra Magnus, ident confirmed, I'm transferring the signal now, Perceptor out."

Once that was done the scientist quickly rose to his pedes and back to his science station where a schematic of the Ark was displayed.

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Ultra Magnus unconsciously straightened in his seat, "Ident confirmed, go ahead Omega One."

Optimus's rumbling chuckle could be felt in the small conference room before he answered, 'Ultra Magnus. It's good to hear your voice again, old friend.'

"As it is to hear yours, sir. What is your status?" Elita covered a small quirk of her lips as she listened to the interplay as if eons of time simply disappeared and they were back on Iacon before the start of the war.

'Functioning. We are preparing to evacuate the site the humans call Chicago and should be back to our base in Washington, D.C., in two days,' Optimus answered.

"Optimus, what happened," Ultra Magnus asked as he leaned forward on his arms to listen.

There was an audible sigh then, 'In brief? The Allspark was destroyed and we lost Jazz. The Matrix was a fake, the real one was hidden here to keep from the Fallen. He too is now off-line. I hold the true Matrix now. Sentinel Prime betrayed us to bring Cybertron here and in doing so executed Ironhide. We also lost Que. Sentinel, Megatron and his command team have been off-lined. And for now, we appear to be secure. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how long that will last. So, until new Decepticon leadership has been clearly established let's use this time to regroup and prepare.'

Ultra Magnus leaned back in his seat, "It sounds like you've left out quite a lot, Optimus."

'It's more important to know what's going on out there, I can handle the rest here. So, you found the Ark and a base on the Moon?'

Ultra Magnus nodded, "Yes, we did. We have a science team going over the Ark to see if it's repairable. As to the base itself, it was abandoned and appears to be nothing more than a simple listening outpost. It won't stand up to a direct assault. So we've decided not to waste the resources to correct that. Instead we're upgrading Elita's ship, it's is a civilian model, and will try to add armor and a warp drive if it can handle the added stress. Then we'll work on the Ark." Ultra Magnus paused, "Optimus, I'd like to send a team down to…."

'No, not yet.' As Optimus spoke Ultra Magnus's gaze flicked to Elita with concern. She met his gaze with nothing but that of calm understanding. Optimus's voice continued on unaware of the subtle interplay between the two commanders.

'The political situation is quite delicate, thanks to the Decepticons. I fear the humans will react negatively if more of us arrive. I haven't had an opportunity to speak to their leaders since the Decepticon attack on Chicago. Despite that, the humans have allowed us an embassy, which is a good sign, I think.'

"I see," Ultra Magnus answered clearly not pleased with leaving his leader, in his opinion, woefully under-guarded. "Do you have any ships?"

'No, the only craft we had was the Xanthium and it was shot down.'

"Understood. However, should the situation warrant your unit needing either reinforcements or extraction, Elita's cloaked ship can handle the mission. What about supplies?"

'I will provide a report once we reach our base. Sentinel really tore it apart and I'll know more later. Continue with your activities however be sure to include monitoring the Decepticons. If a large enough force arrives, I want everyone out of there. Are we clear?'

Ultra Magnus frowned and answered with a deep base of his own, "What? And abandon you? No, sir, we will not."

'Yes, Magnus, you will. If Elita's ship is civilian, she needs your crew as escort and protection. She and her unit are a priority. Clear?'

Elita frowned but held her tongue allowing the two commanders to argue. She had already come to her own decision on the matter and by the militant set of her shoulders Ultra Magnus was relatively certain what that decision was.

With a subtle nod to her, Magnus continued, "Normally, I would agree. However, I am the Commander of the Elite Guard whose sole responsibility is to insure your safety and I will do that. Now, we can waste time arguing the finer points of Cybertronian law regarding your protection or we can close this meeting to allow you speak to Elita-1. Who, by the way, has been patiently waiting for us to finish…."

Elita's eyebrows rose and mouthed, "Nicely played."

There was as a bark of laughter from Optimus as he countered, 'An oversight that I can easily remedy if you continue to press the matter. However, you're right, is she there?'

"I'm here," Elita answered and then looked up at Ultra Magnus, a subtle glance that easily conveyed a request to be alone.

Ultra Magnus rose to his pedes, "We will speak more later on the matter, Prime."

'No doubt.' There as a pause as Elita waited for Ultra Magnus to exit the room.

Once the door slid shut she quickly clasped her servos together while she tried to hide a slight tremor to her voice, "Optimus."

'Elita, I cannot tell you how much it means to me to hear your voice and know that you are safe.'

"And you?"

'I'm fine.'

She chuckled softly at that, "And what does Ratchet say on the matter?"

'Must we waste precious time speaking of Ratchet?'

She shook her helm and chuckled immediately sensing a diversion. Without exactly calling him out she countered, "Ah, that bad. Well, at least you are on-line. All I ask is that you try staying that way, alright?"

'I shall try to do my best. How… is Chromia?'

"Still on-line and feisty, even though it's been hard on her. She won't tolerate pity or sympathy, but she's determined."

'So like Ironhide. Just saying his name fills my spark with grief. Elita, tell her I'm sorry, I had no idea Sentinel would betray us. I wasn't there to stop him, to my utter shame. Will you tell Chromia, Sentinel was brought to justice, by my hand? Let her know?'

"Optimus, none of us would have expected Sentinel to change sides. Sentinel? You cannot be expected to be everywhere at once. But I will tell her. How is Ratchet? Bee? Tell me anything, I just want to hear you speak," she sighed and then felt her system flush with embarrassment at such an emotional display.

'Likewise. Ratchet is as irascible as ever and yet he's managed to help me hold things together and for that I'm very grateful. Bumblebee… You would be so proud of him Elita, he consistently proves himself over and over again. Did you know he took out Ravage and Soundwave? There was a sort of justice in that given what those two did to him. And if it were not for Bee we would not have friendly humans willing to represent us. I am very proud of him.'

'Sideswipe has done well despite his separation from Sunstreaker. And Jazz, Megatron… Jazz is gone. Without Jazz and Ironhide, I feel like pieces of my spark are missing.'

"I grieve with you. Their loss will be felt for a very long time," she said as she wiped a small trickle of fluid from her cheek. Her spark thundered in her chassis while another part of would not accept this was real and she admitted as such, "It's hard to believe I'm really speaking with you."

'I know. And knowing you're so close,' she could hear him dryly chuckle, 'I don't know what's worse? The not knowing, or having to keep you away. I should be grateful we can at least speak with one another but selfishly? I want to see you now, touch you, make sure I'm not hallucinating.'

She smiled, "As much as Ratchet has a way with medicine, I can assure you, I am very much alive and real. For now, I'll just keep looking up at the world you're on and know you're there. When I learned you were badly injured, it was all I could do to keep myself from ordering my crew down there."

She paused nervously, "Optimus, I must tell you something that I don't want to, but it's best I do it now. Alpha Trion… he wouldn't leave Cybertron. I tried but he refused and said something about there was still work he had to do and now Cybertron, Cyberton is gone?"

'Until we know for certain, have hope. There were many who told me they did not think it was possible for you to survive with Shockwave running Cybertron and yet you did. Trust Alpha Trion to do the same.'

"How is it you can offer comfort and security so easily? I'm up here shaking like a new recruit before their first engagement…."

'Elita, no one is truly impervious, even me. You know very well that I feel vulnerable at times. Don't chide yourself for allowing those emotions to surface from time to time, especially with me. Now, clear your processor. Let's end this comm on a happier note. I'll think of you standing there proudly with that smile you wear only for me and that's the image I'm going to have in my processor as I go into recharge.'

Elita lowered her helm with a ghost of a smile on her face as she replied, "I should've added romantic to the list." She raised her helm and grinned as another idea came to mind, "I, however, will have an entirely different image in mind before I recharge and standing won't be part of it." She could almost imagine the scandalized expression on her noble mech's face and was rewarded by his response.

'Elita! Would you give a poor mech a break? Do you know how long it's been?! I won't be able to recharge with images like that in my processor!'

She laughed, not the cheery bell-like tones of femmes with higher pitched vocals, as hers were slightly deeper and had a warmer, throatier sound. To the Prime it was intoxicating, "You do realize I didn't suggest anything, per se. For all you know, I could've meant sitting and talking."

Optimus groaned, 'I know exactly what you meant and regardless, I wouldn't change the images in my processor for anything. We will be together soon, count on it, one way or another.'

"I have no doubt in my processor, simply a desire for more patience in waiting," then her tone grew serious, "Optimus, take care. You are vulnerable down there, watch your back."

'I am surrounded by our finest but I will take care, you too. Elita, if the Cons may want their base back give it to them if it means you and your femmes get out safely.'

"Understood," she paused her face grew anguished as another tear trickled down her cheek as her voice sounded softly vulnerable, "Optimus, I don't know if I can close the comms."

— Chicago, Illinois – Temporary Autobot Encampment —

Optimus felt his spark hitch at the anguished tone of his beloved's voice, 'Elita…'

"It truly is harder," she managed to squeeze out of her vocals.

'I know, but I promise you, soon and I'm not talking vorns, a quartex at the most,' his tone was almost pleading as he too felt the pain of separation taking its toll.

"A quartex… What a greedy femme I am, I'd rather have less than an orn."

'Not greedy, not to me. At least we have comms for now until I can arrange things down here,' Optimus felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and opened his optics to note Ratchet's concerned face. 'Beloved, Ratchet wants me to rest, I should go.'

"So soon? Alright, rest, stay safe, and please, watch your back until I'm there to do that for you." It was lucky for the Prime he didn't see her as she quickly cut sound and collapsed onto the table top sobbing.

'I will. We will be together soon, I promise. Prime out.' Optimus vented heavily as he tried to ease the pain within his chassis. He was unable to meet Ratchet's concerned optics as the medic knelt beside him. Ratchet reached out for the comms system and looked up into Optimus's face for permission and waited. Optimus blinked slowly and nodded, fearing to speak. With gentle servos Ratchet disengaged the connection and left the Prime alone with his thoughts.

As Ratchet subspaced the comms, he sat down behind the Prime feeling his own spark stinging in sympathy with his friend.

— Nebraska —

Jolt carefully pulled the humanoid-shaped armor out of the cab and onto the ground despite Hui's attempts to stop him. It wasn't that she was refusing to allow him to examine the equipment, she was afraid of the exposure and wished Jolt would test it inside of the trailer.

When Jolt looked at her, his expression was unexpected to the young woman as he gave the armor a cursory examination. She expected him to be more cold and mechanical and yet Jolt appeared more anguished as he held out a hand to stop her from interfering, "Please, I must examine this more carefully and I can't do so inside the trailer, it's too small for me to move."

Romero strode over and stood beside Hui with his arms crossed in anger over his chest, "If I haven't mentioned this before, I think this is a really bad idea. If they are the enemy, we've just let them in on our plans and any attempt to defend ourselves with that is lost. Do you understand?!"

Hui looked up into her companion's face and then turned to face him fully. Her face was full of compassion as she met his eyes, "I know. I understand what's at stake and what I'm risking. I can't explain why I think this is the right thing to do, I just know it is. I can't ask you to trust me because you're right…." Her mouth opened as she tried to find the right words to express her feelings and then turned away unable to do so.

The two humans watched Jolt in silence, as he laid the armor onto the ground and then turned to his companions and ordered, "Skids, Mudflap, form a perimeter. Let me know if you pick up anything."

To Jolt's surprise the green and red mechs saluted him and split off to either side of the area to stand guard without argument. The medic's surprise didn't last long as he returned his attention to the form before him. To any Cybertronian who saw what the humans had created, it would've been considered horrific, an atrocity, an abomination.

To the human eye, it was a beautiful marriage between the two technologies as pieces of Cybertronian parts were attached and mixed in with human technology. If Jolt had had an interest in human fiction, he might've likened this device to a character written by Mary Shelley in a book entitled, 'Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus'.

He ran his servos over the forearm of the… he paused in thought. There was no way he could consider it a mech, and yet, part of it was. He forced his emotions aside and located the panel he was looking for and activated the trigger to open it. Hui heard the noise and stepped closer to watch as the large open panel revealed a complex interweaving of wiring and frame. She heard Jolt sigh as he opened his own wrist port and extracted his medical lead. He paused again before finalizing the connection, making sure all of his firewalls were in place and at full strength.

The worst thing Jolt could do was allow whatever the humans did infect him with some unknown virus or corrupt his system in anyway. Then, with a slight tremor to his spark, he connected. Hui drew closer and watched in fascination as several of the components seemed to glow with a slightly bluish color. She would not have noticed in the full light of day but daylight was waning and soon the area they were hiding would be pitch black.

Jolt initiated the command for medical protocols and attempted to access the system. To Hui's surprise he flicked a hand over his forearm and a raised holographic image appeared as strange symbols scrolled. He grunted in frustration noting the coding was heavily corrupted by human algorithms. With an agitated flick of his wrist he separated the two screens and started to parse through the data.

Despite the horrific conglomeration of parts and coding, he felt a growing admiration for the feisty organic species who, despite their lack of understanding of Cybertronian biology, had managed to hack several operational systems to make the device actually functional.

Hui jumped when Jolt asked her, "What do you call this… thing?"

She blinked up at him, "Call it? A mechanized armor, some call it a mecca for short."

"I see," he answered distantly as he continued reviewing the data. She thought he'd forgotten about her as she stepped closer when he spoke again, "You were able to make this… thing… move weren't you?"

"We were, but it was inefficient and slow. The translation matrix… wasn't bridging the data fast enough, there was no way it would be combat capable until that problem was corrected," she answered him honestly.

"I see," he answered as he swiped a servo again making a third screen appear as more glyphed data streamed across the hovering screen.

"What is all that," she asked softly.

Jolt leaned back on his haunches as he tried to determine whether he should try to explain or simply ignore her. He looked down and saw that her curiosity was not a morbid one but more based on awe. He shook his helm, "You are a computer language programmer, correct?"

She nodded as she walked closer to the screen showing the human coding and pointed, "I wrote a great deal of this code."

"I see. Our bodies do vaguely resemble your computerized technology, that alone raises several concerning questions. However, to answer you specifically, this is biological data. As a medic I'm trained to understand and diagnose a myriad of medical conditions through the code you see. But it has been heavily tampered with and corrupted either by the off-lining of the mech in question or by your science. The best I can determine is that most of the parts you have in this… thing… were from the same mech, a Decepitcon."

She looked up in shock, "A Decepticon? How can you be sure of that?"

"Autobot and Decepticons possess uniquely specific firewalls so opposing medics can't hack their systems. It's a security measure. Although, my coding is specifically medically oriented for Autobots, I can work on Decepticons to a minor degree, like performing basic repairs. These safeguards prevent me from off-lining an enemy unit and visa versa."

"So, can you tell me where I went wrong?"

Jolt's expression grew cold as he stared down at the human and simply answered, "No."

"Are you saying you can't tell me where I went wrong or you won't tell me where I went wrong," she countered looking up at him.

He simply stared at her and refused to say anything further. They both turned to look at the holographic images. She stepped closer to study some of the glyphs when the information suddenly began to fly across the screen and then the glyphs vanished. Only the human coding remained.

She looked up at him, "What happened? Did you do that?"

He nodded as he removed his lead and closed the panel. "Look for a moment at me and then at this, thing. What you humans see is a tool, it's not. This, this was a living being who had a spark. He had hopes, dreams, aspirations, and you intend on using him, his corpse rather, to continue fighting. I can't allow that."

"Who are you to say that," Romero ran up yelling. "Do you NOT understand what we're up against?!"

"I do and I face it every single day of my very existence," Jolt argued sadly. "However, unlike the Decepticons, I will give you a choice. You can either come back with us to Chicago and help us fight the Decepticons or leave in peace without this. What is your answer?"

"You can't take that from us, it's ours," Romero countered and then belated realized the risk he was taking arguing with a massive being that could easily kill him with slap of his hand.

Jolt sighed as he tried once again to reason with the human, "Think carefully on this before you answer. Would you condone the use of human bodies as weapons? Would you allow an enemy to use your body against your forces? Friends? Family? Yet that is exactly what you are doing here. We are not machines."

Jolt paused with a sigh, "Yes, he was my enemy but I am not without a conscience. His body must be put to rest. We will help you find another way to fight the Decepticons, one that won't require dead bodies to do so."

Romero raised his upper lip in a grimace both because Jolt's words created a visceral reaction and his desire to use anything to fight against a superior foe. He clenched his fist and turned away as he waged his own internal struggle. Orders were orders but would he have accepted those orders knowing exactly what he was working with?

Hui walked up to Romero and faced him, "I don't want to see all my work destroyed like this but he has a point. Had I known, understood, I don't' think I could've worked on this project. At least I hope so. Just look at them. If they were the enemy why would they go through all this trouble? Wouldn't it have been easier to simply destroy everything here, including us?"

Romero sighed as he head lowered to his chest and then looked at her with a sour chuckle, "These questions are all above my pay grade."

Hui smiled sadly, "On the surface. But deciding what is morally right is incumbent on each of us individually. Now that I know, I won't continue with this project because it's wrong. I'm going to go with them because I'm willing to risk trusting them and I want to work with them to protect our world. It's my decision, my choice. You must do what you feel is right, okay?"

Romero looked up into the darkening sky and closed his eyes as he silently prayed for guidance.

Jolt activated his scanners and with relief noted no other energon signals except for theirs as he waited for the humans to decide.

Romero turned as determination settled over him and faced the blue Cybertronian, "Where she goes, I go. I promised to protect her and I keep my word, so be warned robot. If you betray her, I will take action."

Hui's jaw dropped at Romero's words as he turned to look at her and she felt a slight jolt at the intensity of his regard. He made sure he held her gaze as he repeated his vow to her, "I always keep my word." With a curt nod, he left Hui's side and strode up to Jolt, "So, what are you going to do with that?"

Jolt sighed, "Destroying the body here would create too much attention and leave questionable debris behind. Let's load it up and take it with us. Give me a moment to contact my leader and find out what we should do next. Skids, Mudflap? Would you please move… it… into the trailer."

Romero watched as the two smaller robots quickly did as ordered while he did his best to avoid looking directly at Hui. It was true, he'd found himself growing more attracted to the small woman but knew their disparity of age, race, and intelligence would hardly make him an acceptable choice for her. His expression grew sardonic at the thought and mumbled, 'I'm such an idiot.'

Skids overheard the human mutter as he stood up after Mudflap pushed the armor inside the trailer, "Yeah, but in this ya ain't. Ya made da right call, mech. We Autobots are da good guys."

Romero's eyebrow's rose as he wondered if the robot had accidentally ascertained his emotional state and then realized the robot was referring to his choice to go with them. It was easier than trying to wrap his mind around the idea of robotic romance and then he coughed and rubbed his face. He must really be tired if his mind was going off in that direction. With an irritated scratch on the back of his head he walked past the two twin titans and closed the trailer doors.

Jolt activated an Autobot emergency comm frequency, 'Med. Unit 2 to Med. Unit 1, do you read?'

— Chicago, Illinois – Temporary Autobot Encampment —

Ratchetjolted out of light stasis, no pun intended, and responded, 'Go ahead Med. Unit 2.'

'Ratchet, I've a very interesting problem to discuss,' Jolt's words were quite dry which reassured the CMO all was well.

'Well then why are you breaking comm silence? Agianst orders need I remind you? So what is it? Did Skids and Mudflap manage to hide your tires or something?' Ratchet snorted aloud which quickly roused FirstAid from recharge.

Ratchet waived a servo at his friend, "It's not serious. Jolt is contacting me for some reason. Go back into recharge." FirstAid nodded and reinitiated recharge.

'No, it has nothing to do with the twins, it's more serious than that. Were you aware humans were using off-lined Cybertronian body parts to create armored suits to use in combat?'

Startled, Ratchet barked aloud, "The frag you say!" He quickly switched to comms embarrassed by his outburst. 'No, but it's not surprising. We discovered another human involved in a different program for the similar reasons.'

'Is that so? Interesting, I should like to compare research. There is something off about this entire process that bothers me and I wish to discuss it with you. I have the… thing… and two of the humans involved who are willing to work with us. I'd like to join up with you but what do you want me to do?'

'Where are you?'

'Someplace called Nebraska,' Jolt answered as he watched Romero head to the cab of the trailer and retrieve something and then used it to lock the back of the trailer. Jolt wondered why it hadn't been locked before but pushed it off for later thought as Ratchet's gravelly voice echoed in his helm.

'Optimus is ready for travel. We'll be leaving Chicago in about 24 hours or so. Meet us at the air guard station located next to the Chicago Midway International Airport. I'll have Duststorm escort you in, if you want. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention we have a Decepticon flyer on our side, so don't shoot her down.'

'What? It sounds like there's lots for each of us to talk about,' Jolt answered in surprise, 'We really have a Decepticon femme on our side now?!'

'Yep. Gotta go. Have to warn the big bot and our human allies, so they don't mistake you for cons and shoot ya, Ratchet out.'

Ratchet rubbed his face tiredly as he rose to his pedes and walked over to the recharging Prime. He gently shook the Prime who responded quickly, his servo instantly transformed into a cannon. Ratchet pushed the weapon to the ground, "Easy, you're okay, we're not under attack. We've got some interesting developments."

"Interesting." Optimus groaned, "When you say it like that, it's never good is it?"

Ratchet shrugged, "On this one? I'll let you decide."

"Better and better," Optimus said sarcastically. "Alright Ratchet, what's going on?"

A/N: Any mistakes, apologies. Thank you for reading and reviews are always appreciated. Questions too, just ask! Thanks