Nashua, New Hampshire

A sharp dressed man and his assistant were being escorted out of the building of the corporate headquarters of a major American company. The CEO of said company walked beside them, looking eternally grateful to the man with the light gray suit. This was Derek Clifford Simmons, head of the most powerful families in North America.

"I can't thank you enough, Mr. Simmons. You've just saved my entire company and over a million jobs." The CEO said.

"My boy, I'm only doing what any real American would do. Now, you keep in contact with me. If any more of those suits from Morrison Consolidated come at you again, you call me. We're in business now and I won't let them take your family's company from you."

They came to Simmons' limo and his assistant opened the door for him.

"I will be in touch to finalize the deal. You can rest easy, Mr. Brice. Your company's not going anywhere."

The two shook on their alliance and Simmons entered his vehicle. As it pulled away, his assistant began speaking.

"He understands that he works for you now?"

"Of course, he does. They all know."

"You were in the news again. The Republicans are criticizing you for your nonpartisan position."

Simmons was fiddling with his gold thumb ring, which bore the crest of his family.

"This again? What are they saying now, Partlow?"

"Same as the Democrats. They feel you need to pick a side instead of 'playing the middle ground', as they put it."

Simmons always hated these schoolyard antics.

"I'm not playing the middle ground, I'm actually getting things done. I've been busy keeping this economy from falling back under and saving billions of jobs while they have their political gang war. They can shame each other on national television well enough without me. The grownups have to work, however."

"And what of this upcoming election? You think either candidate will give us any trouble?"

Simmons seem unconcerned with the prospect.

"They'll fall in line. They always fall in line. If not, there are always more agreeable replacements."

"And what about Bedford? How come we allowed him to resist us during his two terms?"

Simmons clenched his fist.

"Bedford may have been uncooperative, but he stayed out of our way. He's a cuddly house cat, no threat to us. Besides, his term is almost over. Once he's out of the White House, its back to business as usual."

"I still feel he should've been neutralized."

"He had his uses, Partlow. However, with him knowing what he knows, and his unwillingness to work with us and Umbrella, we will have to deal with him once he steps down. He should've just played his position like everyone else. Idealist, they are their own worst enemy."

The limo came to a stop and Simmons saw that they were taken somewhere fairly isolated.

"What the hell is my driver doing? Why aren't we at the hangar?"

"I'll go see." Partlow said as he exited the vehicle.

Simmons was already annoyed, but decided to relax a bit by pouring himself a drink from the bar in his limo. The man did love a good scotch. Before he could enjoy his drink, a knock was heard from his window.

"I am going to fire this man, then have him disappear."

Simmons exited the vehicle, not at all happy.

"I hope you've got good references, friend, because I will have you..."

Simmons was stopped when he saw that the driver wasn't there, but Partlow was. He was on the ground with his neck broken.

"Partlow?"

"I truly hope he wasn't anything special, as far as assistants go."

Simmons turned around to see Wesker standing there. He quickly backed away from the car, obviously feeling threatened.

"I know how difficult it is to find a dependable assistant."

"Wesker...You...I thought you were-"

"Dead?"

"You stay right there. If you touch me, you'll be the most wanted man in America."

"You vastly overestimate your worth."

"I know my worth, Wesker, to this country and to you. The old man knows my worth well...and if you put one hand on me, you won't be able to hide from him or Umbrella."

Wesker responded by speed running to Wesker and then lifting him up off the ground by the throat.

"You actually believed that he answered to you, that the kill order he sent out was by your command. Your arrogance plays second only to his."

"You kill me...and...Umbrella dies." Simmons choked out.

Wesker smirked up at the struggling Simmons and then threw him back into his car door. He was left thrown off from the impact but recovered just in time to see Wesker drive his hand through the car right next to his head.

"What the hell are you?!"

"Shut up, Simmons, and listen well. You are not in charge, you never were. Your money and your connections were useful to Umbrella. But never forget that when we were exposed, you abandoned us. You tucked your tail between your legs and ran while we were publicly crucified by the government that you supposedly controlled. But we didn't die, did we? We survived without your family's wealth for two years, selling our weapons on the black market and keeping our research funded. You only came back when you thought it'd be safe to work with us again. Spencer never trusted you after that. Before your return, he had plans to have you assassinated. Did you know that?"

Wesker removed his hand from the car door, having demonstrated his strength.

"So if you have any misconceptions that you are indispensable, erase them. You can disappear just as quickly as any of our other pawns in this broken society."

Simmons was clearly unnerved by the threat, but he still had one card to play.

"If that's true, then you're even more disposable than I am. Spencer still wants you dead for trying to hide Jackson Darby from him. Umbrella will come after you."

Wesker's smirk remained where it was.

"The old man is dead. Umbrella is mine."

Wesker kneeled down to be at eye level with Simmons.

"And you..."

Wesker took painful hold of one of Simmons' ears, gripping it hard enough to almost pull it off.

"Work for me now. You can have all your friends in the military send out their best operatives and they will be sent back as corpses. If they're lucky, they'll be corpses that aren't still moving."

Wesker let go of Simmons.

"I can get to you far easier than you can get to me and no amount of old money will be able to protect you, Simmons. Wealth is not power, it's long past time that you and your kind realized that."

Wesker stood up, having made his power over Simmons clear.

"What did you do to yourself, Wesker?"

"That does not concern you. From here on out, you do as I say. Is that in any way unclear?"

Wesker looked back at Simmons, who had clearly lost all sense of power with this scenario.

"Is that clear, Simmons?" Wesker repeated more harshly.

"Y-yes."

"Say it."

"I work for you."

"Damn right, you do. Forget that and I will purge your whole bloodline."

"Yes, Wesker."

"Good dog. Now, on to the matter at hand."

Simmons stood up and collected himself.

"I need to find Jackson Darby, but he's in hiding. The B.S.A.A. are protecting him."

"My people can track any of them down."

"If that were true then they wouldn't be a problem, would they? You won't find the boy through them...The key to finding him lies in Jasper."

"The town you destroyed?"

Wesker didn't even bother correcting him.

"I stumbled upon a Government secret while I searched for the boy there, one I'm sure you are not aware of. No doubt, an agent was put in place as a handler to this secret and is somewhere in the White House. Find out who was assigned in Jasper, Nevada then inform me of who he is."

"Why? What does any of this have to do with Jackson Darby?"

"Never mind you, why! Why is not in your repertoire any more, Simmons. Find this agent. I will contact you in three days."

Wesker began walking away, leaving Simmons alone.

"Cross me, Simmons, and it's your family who suffers."

Wesker left Simmons by himself with the threat looming over his head. The seemingly powerful individual nervously opened his car door to pour himself another drink, the first having fell over during the scuffle. He drank it slowly to calm his nerves. Once he was able to stop himself from shaking, everything began to sink in.

"Oh, God." He said to no one.

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The B.S.A.A. black site personnel stood at the landing pad, waiting for the government aircraft to touch down. Many of them were uncertain about allowing government personnel onto their base, not knowing if they could be trusted. The aircraft landed and began unloading its passengers.

Agent William Fowler stepped out first, followed by Leon Scott Kennedy, then Helena Harper. Fowler was approached by Clive O'Brian, who was less guarded than his men. Optimus had assured him that Fowler was a man to be trusted and Chris had personally vouched for Kennedy. Harper was the only one he didn't know about, but he rolled the dice nonetheless.

"Director O'Brian, I appreciate you allowing us to be here. I want you to know that we've come with the best of intentions." Fowler greeted.

"You evacuated the town of Jasper and prevented another outbreak. Between that and Optimus Prime's word, I'm willing to trust you, Agent Fowler."

Leon stepped forward, interested to know more about this Optimus Prime he's heard so much about.

"You must be Leon Kennedy. You're a bit of a legend in these parts." O'Brian said.

"I can promise that whatever you've heard is an exaggeration." He replied.

"So you didn't take down a giant B.O.W. with help from a stray dog?" O'Brian asked.

Leon often wondered how ridiculous the whole Spain mission looked like on paper. There was a reason he'd left the cockney merchant he kept running into out of his report. Thankfully, Harper's approach managed to change the subject.

"Director O'Brian, this is my partner, Helena Harper." Leon introduced.

"A pleasure, Director." She followed.

"Agent Harper, welcome. Follow me, I'm sure you're eager to see the big guy."

Kennedy had no idea what to expect of the being from another world named Optimus Prime. All he knew was that he and his crew were autonomous, robotic, life forms. Even with all the strange and disturbing things he'd seen in his time, he couldn't picture what these beings would look like. His world was about to change, that much he knew. He just hoped that it was for the better.

The three of them followed O'Brian into a hangar that was meant to house larger aircrafts. Leon wondered why these beings needed so much room. When he and the others stepped in and saw the Autobots for the first time, all of his questions were answered.

Leon looked up, awestruck. Helena did the same. Both O'Brian and Fowler were smirking to each other. They were huge, bigger than any B.O.W. than either of them had encountered. Leon wasn't completely sure, but he was almost positive that the "El Gigantes" he dealt with in Spain were smaller than all but one of these robotic giants.

"Leon."

Said agent was able to pick his jaw up off the floor to be greeted by Chris Redfield. The two of them had met more than once and had great respect for each other.

"I had a feeling that Fowler would bring you in. Not what you were expecting, was it?"

"Chris, you're a part of this?"

"Looks like we both are now. And who's your comrade?"

Helena was able to break her focus on the Autobots to greet Chris.

"Helena Harper, D.S.O., Secret Service." She said as she firmly shook Chris' hand.

"Glad to have you. If you're good enough to keep up with this super-agent, you must be one hell of an agent yourself. That's the kind of skill we're gonna need if we're gonna put an end to Umbrella."

"That's why we're here, Agent Redfield." She responded.

Chris seemed impress that Helena knew who he was. She did her homework, always a good sign.

"Well, I'm sure I'm not the one you're here to see. Let me introduce you to the Autobots."

Each of the Autobots stepped forward, safe for Optimus and Arcee, who weren't there. They were occupied with two very at risk humans elsewhere on site. Chris took to naming off the Autobots himself.

"The white and orange one is named Ratchet, he's the medic and chief scientist to the Autobots."

"Greetings." Ratchet followed.

"This jolly green giant is Bulkhead. He's what's known as a Wrecker, hard hitting warrior class and took down a mutated Tyrant."

"Wasn't easy, let me tell ya'" He responded.

"The one with the green and white colors is known as Wheeljack. Another member of the Wreckers, demolitions and explosives expert, weapons genius, swordsman, and all around badass."

"'Sup."

"Wu-Tang here is named Bumblebee, kid brother of the Autobots."

Again, Bumblebee responded to these nicknames Chris liked to give him with beeps of confusion.

"He can't speak, unfortunately. During the war on Cybertron, he took one for the company and lost his pipes. Don't let the fact that he's young fool you. He's a veteran and all heart. Way too proven to be scout, if you ask me."

Chris had great respect for Bumblebee since he was the one who rescued Jack. Bumblebee greeted the two newcomers kindly. While it was not understood in words, the expression he wore was enough. Leon, to his credit, remained composed enough to form a response.

"An honor to meet you all. I...never thought in a hundred years that I would actually make contact with aliens like yourself. Thank you...for lending us your help to stop Umbrella."

Leon looked over to Helena, who was still stuck in a state of disbelief.

"Helena...you still with us?"

"Just trying not to be a fangirl, Leon."

Leon found himself smirking, knowing full well that she grew up on giant robot animes. Even now, her apartment living room had a poster of some show called "Blue Gender" on the wall. This was a dream come true for her, he knew.

"Two of them aren't here right now, Arcee, the second in command and Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots. The both of them are keeping an eye on Jackson and June Darby." Chris added.

Leon and Helena were snapped out of their amazement at the mention of Jackson Darby. Leon wanted to meet this kid, to know what Umbrella wanted from him.

"Where is this Jackson Darby? I want to talk to him, ask him a few questions." Leon asked.

Everyone, even the Autobots, changed their expressions once Leon asked that. He wasn't sure if it was because of what happened, or if it was because of distrust. Leon was a government agent, after all. They had every reason not to trust him.

"Jackson isn't well." The Autobot named Ratchet said. "I think it's best if he was left alone for the time being."

"What do you mean, not well?" Helena asked.

"They mean..." Chris started. "He's dealing with some stuff right now."

Leon then remembered that Jasper, Jack's hometown, was destroyed. He also remembered that Jack was originally from Raccoon City, which was also destroyed. The kid had lost his home twice because of Umbrella. On the way, Leon and Helena were already told of their involvement in Jasper. He glanced up and noticed for the first time the young Asian girl sitting on the green Autobot's massive shoulder. He could see that she was still coping with the destruction of Jasper...and whatever else she saw before it was destroyed. Moments like this really put things into perspective for Leon, making him see clearly why Umbrella needed to be brought down.

"What about Optimus Prime? I'd like to meet the Autobot leader who I'm gonna be working so closely with."

Ratchet looked to his fellow Autobots, who all responded back to him by nodding. Clearly, he wanted to make sure they were okay with this.

"Follow me, Agent Kennedy."

Leon and Helena both walked behind Ratchet's massive pedes. As they did, they caught sight of a young Latino boy buried into his computer. Leon saw the bags under his eyes and the sideways glance he gave the two. He hated to see this, to see children caught up in Umbrella's madness. He thought of Sherry Birkin, hoping that she was still safe. He knew Claire would keep her safe from Umbrella, he just hoped the government would too.

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"May 11th, 2010
Around 5 o'clock this morning, Scott came in and woke me up suddenly. He was wearing a protective suit that looks like a space suit. He told me to put one on as well. I heard there was an accident in the basement lab. It's no wonder, those researchers never rest, even at night."

Optimus had spent most of the day in this room, trying to think of a way to track down Umbrella without a ground bridge. Even with his considerable intelligence, the Prime found himself coming up with nothing.

"May 12th, 2010
I've been wearing this annoying space suit since yesterday, my skin grows musty and feels very itchy. By way of revenge, I didn't feed those dogs today. Now I feel better."

This was frustrating as could be to the Prime...and equally discouraging. He was the leader of the Autobots. They were looking to him to know what to do next. But he just didn't know what to do? He was a Prime, but he felt a powerless as he did when he was still Orion Pax.

"May 13th, 2010
I went to the medical room because my back is all swollen and feels itchy. They put a big bandage on my back and the doctor told me I did not need to wear the space suit any more. I guess I can sleep well tonight."

If he couldn't think of the next course of action, he decided to do some research on Umbrella and the monstrosities they create.

"May 14th, 2010
When I woke up this morning, I found another blister on my foot. It was annoying and I ended up dragging my foot as I went to the dog's pen. They have been quiet since morning, which is very unusual. I found that some of them had escaped. I'll be in real trouble if the higher-ups find out."

The B.S.A.A. had kept valuable intel copied and archived in their database and shared with every site they operated. They allowed Ratchet to upload their intel onto the Autobot database so they can research it on technology fit for their size. What he was reading now was from a diary found by Jill Valentine back in the Arklay Mansion facility, where this nightmare first began. It belonged to an Umbrella researcher.

"May 15th, 2010
Even though I didn't feel well, I decided to go see Nancy. It's my first day off in a long time but I was stopped by the guard on the way out. They say the company has ordered that no one leave the grounds. I can't even make a phone call. What kind of joke is this?"

Optimus hoped that somewhere in these old files, the key to taking down Umbrella was hidden. But the more he read, the more unnerved he became.

"May 16th, 2010
I heard a researcher who tried to escape from this mansion was shot last night. My entire body feels burning and itchy at night. When I was scratching the swelling on my arms, a lump of rotten flesh dropped off. What the hell is happening to me?"

Optimus had to pause for a second, realizing what was happening to the author of this diary nicknamed "Keeper" by Agent Valentine.

"May 19, 2010
Fever gone but itchy. Hungry and eat doggy food. Itchy Itchy Scott came. Ugly face so killed him. Tasty."

Optimus stopped reading his data pad and quickly put it aside. He had no desire to read about the author's further descent into mutation.

"By the All Spark." He whispered to himself.

Umbrella, Wesker, Spencer, Birkin, Ashford, Simmons...monsters, all of them. Even their own workers weren't safe from their madness, as the diary showed Optimus. All of this, coupled with the state that his human companions were in, angered Optimus more than a Prime should be allowed to be. They had to be destroyed, for the sake of all humanity and life in general. But Optimus was still unsure of what to do. How could he track down Umbrella and Wesker, and not leave the humans exposed as he did back at Outpost Omega One. That had become Optimus second greatest regret as a Prime, allowing Jasper to be lost. Losing Cybertron was his first.

As he began to doubt his own leadership, he heard the sounds of someone stirring and groaning.

"J-Jack...Jack where are you?" A weak voice mumbled.

Optimus quickly went over to the other side of the room where June was resting. Her injuries left her very weak and in constant need of sleep. Though, Agent Valentine worried that depression played a factor as well, as she still was unable to help Jackson cope with his own trauma.

"Jackson, please...don't leave me."

Optimus couldn't take hearing her cry, or crying for Jackson.

"June, you must wake up. You're having a nightmare." Prime answered softly.

June gasped as she opened her eyes, wet with tears that hadn't fallen yet.

"June."

She looked up at Optimus, still as weak and scared as the day before.

"Optimus."

She let herself cry in front of the Prime, feeling no need to hide her pain. Optimus wanted to take that pain away, so he picked her off of the bed and held her to his spark chamber. She always seemed to calm down whenever he did that. Just as she always did, she pressed herself against his frame, allowing him to feel her tremble.

"It's alright, June. It was only a bad dream."

"I...I dreamt that he was bitten again...And then he ran away...When I found him...he had...he...he had killed himself...to keep from turning."

June became more emotional as she finished her horrible dream. Why nature would be so cruel as to give human minds capable of showing them such things while they slept was beyond him.

"That will not happen, June. Jackson is immune to the T-Virus and therefore incapable of becoming a zombie...And neither I nor Arcee would ever allow him to take such action. We will keep him safe no matter what, even from himself."

June pressed her side closer to Optimus. He began stroking her back with one of his large digits.

"Help him, Optimus. Please, help him. He needs you now...I can't do anything. I can't..."

"I will do everything in my power to help Jackson. I swear to you on my own spark, I will help him."

But Optimus didn't know where to begin. Every time he tried to speak to Jack, the teen shied away from him. He knew it was because he felt ashamed, ashamed of what Umbrella had done to get to him. It hurt Optimus to see Jackson think so little of himself, that he had returned the Key to Vector Sigma, feeling unworthy of it. Optimus wasn't going to give up on him, but he was just as uncertain of what to do about him as he was about Umbrella.

"Optimus."

The Prime looked to the doorway and saw Ratchet standing there.

"We have two representatives of the D.S.O. here. They wanted to meet with you and talk about bringing other agents to the black site."

Optimus looked back at the human he held ever so gently and saw that she had fallen back to sleep.

"Where are they now?" He asked.

"They were behind me, but I sent them back when I saw that you were...needed here."

Optimus appreciated Ratchet's discretion and gently placed June back onto her bed. As best he could with his large servo, he made sure to cover her with her white blanket. He looked at her as she rested, seeing that she wasn't doing so peacefully.

"I'll watch over her, Optimus."

Optimus looked to Ratchet gratefully. He didn't wish to leave June alone.

"Thank you, old friend. However, if she awakens, you must let me know."

"Of course."

Optimus got up to leave and meet with the two D.S.O. agents.

"Optimus."

The Prime looked back to the medic.

"I'm just as angry as you are that Umbrella has done this to them...But if Jack sees you doubting yourself this way, it will crush whatever hopes he's holding on to."

Optimus should've known. No one knew him better than Ratchet.

"If you want Jackson to know that he is worthy of the Key to Vector Sigma, remind him of the faith he has in you by being the Prime he looks up to and of the faith that Prime has in him. He needs that. Do you understand, Orion?"

Ratchet was right. He was always right about these things. How could Optimus help Jackson if he couldn't live up to his own standards? The two humans needed him to be strong for them, as did the others, as did the Autobots. Optimus took one last look at June Darby, vowing to take her fears away and make her feel safe, to make her son feel safe. She once told him that Jack didn't feel safe after escaping Raccoon City until he was reunited with his father. He wanted to give that security back to him...and that's just what he was going to do. He would give Jack that peace of mind that his father had neglected and Wesker had stolen. Optimus would protect him...as if he were his own sparkling.

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Leon didn't understand why the Autobot medic, Ratchet, led them back into the main area of the hangar. However, he didn't question it. He figured it had something to do with the loss of their previous base. He hoped that Ada would come through with the information he'd asked her to get. That would bring them so much closer to bringing this corrupt organization to justice. He and Helena then heard the sounds of loud footsteps, much louder than the medic's. A Cybertronian, much bigger than the rest, stepped out from one of the hallways and stood before the two D.S.O. agents. His presence gave off the aura of leadership and his blue and red colors reminded Leon of Superman. This had to be Optimus Prime.

"You must be Optimus, the one Fowler spoke so highly of. My name's Leon Scott Kennedy and this is my partner, Helena Harper. It's an honor to meet you, Sir."

"The honor is mine. Welcome to our temporary base within the B.S.A.A. We thank you for coming here to assist us in our time of need."

Leon remembered what President Bedford said about Optimus being a Prime, something held in the highest regard. From the way he spoke, to the way he carried himself, Leon could only imagine what he had done to earn such a title.

"It is my understanding that the United States President wishes for you to bring members of the Division of Security Operations to this site and form an alliance with us Autobots and the B.S.A.A. Director O'Brian has authorized clearance for your team's arrival. Agent Fowler and Agent Redfield assure me that you can be trusted."

"I've seen Umbrella at work, Sir. I've spent my entire career in law enforcement fighting their experiments and made a new career in hunting them down. We're fighting on the same side of this war, I promise you that."

"And what of your partner, Agent Harper? Can I assume that you trust her as well?"

Leon looked back and saw the usually strong willed Helena shrink for a moment. Understandable, it's not every day that a titan like Optimus Primes questions your loyalty. To her credit, she recovered and stepped forward.

"I don't know what you've heard about me...but I have made some mistakes in the past."

Optimus looked suspicious for a moment.

"But I never lost sight of who the enemy was and what I'm fighting for, even when the enemy tried to play a dirty hand."

Now Optimus looked intrigued. Leon knew what she was going to tell him. She must've really wanted his approval if she was letting them know about her past this early.

"They went after my sister once, after I was facing suspension because of a mistake I made. I made that mistake to protect her, like a big sister is supposed to. They tried to get me to betray the President, but I didn't. Instead, he and Leon helped me to rescue her and keep her safe while we went after the one's Umbrella sent after us. They still help me protect her to this day. I was lucky that I didn't lose her."

She kept her eyes locked onto Optimus unthreatening, yet powerful blue gaze. She was standing her ground, not showing any sign of weakness.

"My job to protect the people and my sister are the only two things I live for. Umbrella threatens both, so I have two reasons to want to end them. That's all I have to convince you."

Optimus wasted no time to respond.

"And that is enough. Agent Kennedy, I will let Director O'Brian know that I approve of you bringing your best to help us. "

"Thank you, Optimus, Sir."

"Just Optimus will be fine."

Kennedy and Harper had gotten the Prime's approval. When he stepped away for the moment, Helena let herself exhale in relief.

"That was brave." Leon joked.

Helena held her hand up to chest level, letting Leon see it shaking.

"Brave, yeah." She said.

"Optimus." The medic called.

"Yes, Ratchet."

"You need to see this."

Optimus walked over to a large console that was clearly built their kind. He looked at something on the monitor that Leon couldn't make out.

"By the All Spark...Are we sure what we are seeing is correct?" Optimus asked.

"You tell me. Alpha Trion trusted you with these artifacts."

Optimus looked on at the screen and saw that the signature was indeed one of the few he remembered back in Iacon. It must have landed on Earth only recently, after all this time. If they had picked up the signal, then the Decepticons most certainly did as well. They could not let it fall into the wrong hands. But more than that, they needed it themselves.

"Agent Redfield."

"Optimus?"

"Please inform Director O'Brian that I require his assistance."

"What do you need, big guy?"

"I am in need of transportation to Krasnoyarsk Krai in Russia."

The present Autobots all stood at attention.

"What's goin' on, Optimus?" Bulkhead asked.

"A relic of Iacon has landed on Earth, The Forge of Solus Prime."

"What?" Bulkhead asked. "After all this time, it finally made it here?"

"Yes it has, Bulkhead. And if we wish to create a functioning ground bridge, we must retrieve it before the Decepticons."

"I'll get right on it, Optimus." Chris said before leaving to find O'Brian.

Optimus looked around and saw that one of his teammates was not there.

"Where is Arcee?"

Bulkhead looked hesitant to answer.

"She's uh...she's with Jack."

Optimus looked down in understanding.

"I see."

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In Jack's quarters, Arcee was sitting up against the wall that was opposite of his bed. He was lying down with his back to her, pretending to be asleep. Arcee didn't disturb him, however. He hadn't gotten much sleep at all since escaping from Outpost Omega One. She was hoping that he would fall asleep and maybe get some much needed rest without the plague of nightmares interrupting him. He'd had a particularly serious one earlier that morning that made him storm into his mother's quarters to make sure she was alright. Arcee didn't ask him about the dream he had. She was scared to know what he was thinking.

Optimus' warning the day before was haunting her to no end. She didn't even think about leaving him alone. Even when he went to the showers to bathe himself, she kept close watch over his vitals and listened for any signs of trouble. She didn't want to even consider it, that Jack was capable of doing something like that. But she had read up on the B.S.A.A.'s files and learned that many hardened soldiers having taken their own lives after enduring less than Jack. The thought sent a pain through her spark. She could never look June in the eyes again if she ever let that happen. Thankfully, Jack didn't seem bothered by her constant presence at all. He didn't even acknowledge her, in fact. She wondered if was just him ignoring her...or if he was so lost in his own head that he truly didn't notice her.

A woman came into his quarters. She was holding a tray of food from the cafeteria.

"I brought this from the mess hall. Agent Chambers wanted me to tell you to make sure he eats it. She also wants to see him later for a checkup."

"I'll let him know when he wakes up. Thank you."

The woman left the food on Jack's desk before leaving and Arcee walked up to his bed. Even though she knew he wasn't asleep, she acted as if he was and tried to wake him.

"Jack, c'mon. It's lunchtime."

Jack was slow to respond, or even move.

"Not hungry."

Arcee figured as much. Jack had hardly eaten anything since arriving, not that she could blame him. Still, organics like him needed food the way she needed energon. After two days with only a half meal at best, Arcee could tell that his weight was slowly dropping and that he was getting weaker.

"You have to eat something."

"Maybe later."

"No, Jack." She said harshly as his mother would. "If I have to get Jill to force feed you, I will."

Jack made no attempt to get up. He was like a stubborn child, but Arcee knew that wasn't the case. Even though she should've, she didn't have the spark to go get Jill to make him eat. She tried a different approach instead.

"Jack, if your mother finds out that you're not eating, she's just gonna worry about you. Worrying will only slow down her recovery. She's already depressed enough."

It was a low blow, but Arcee couldn't think of anything else.

"Alright." Jack said as he weakly got up and walked to his desk.

He sat down and pulled the tray of...whatever it was that Jack was given closer to him. He picked at it with his fork, hesitant to take the first bite.

"Yeah...the energon rations we were given back on Cybertron were pretty low grade too, not the best stuff to survive on. Still, gotta' make due, right?"

"That's not it, Arcee."

Arcee looked at Jack as he cut his meat into smaller pieces. He seemed somewhere else as he tried to eat, like his mind was drifting away. Jack managed the first bite and began eating like normal. Arcee was glad for that. Maybe he was getting better. Jack went on as Arcee tried to think of a way to strike up a conversation. She couldn't stand the silence between them and really wanted him Jack to talk to her.

"Ya'know what I'm thinking of right now, Jack?"

Jack didn't answer.

"I'm thinking about our trip to Tokyo. Primus, we had fun that day. I still remember that look on your face when you realized where we were. You were so excited to explore the city...Heh, Remember that crazy guy who was throwing vending machines and light poles? Wouldn't it be great if he was on our side? He probably wouldn't have been afraid of Airachnid if he was there when she attacked us."

Arcee looked over to Jack, seeing no reaction.

"When this is all over, I'm taking you back there. We need to see the rest of the city. We only saw a small part of it last time. I hope we run into that shadowy biker again. If I see her again, I'm gonna smoke her and those motorcycle cops."

Jack kept on eating slowly.

"We should try to find Kyohei too. Remember him, that kid you hit it off with in Ikebukuro? He seemed like a nice kid. I'm sure he'd remember you. I could tell you guys would be good friends."

Arcee looked over and saw that Jack had stopped eating.

"Jack?"

Jack looked like something had just come to him, but it wasn't of comfort. He heartrate was elevating and he seemed to be having some trouble breathing.

"Jack, what's wrong?"

He looked paler all of a sudden and seemed like something was stuck in his throat. Arcee knew what was coming next. Quickly, she moved a trashcan by the entrance over to Jack. It was just in time because he quickly began vomiting what he had just eaten. Arcee comfortingly placed a servo on his back as he continued to heave into the trash can. When he was finished, he was gasping for air, gagging in between breaths.

"You alright, Partner?"

"No..." He said as another gag interrupted him.

"Easy...Guess you really weren't hungry."

This had happened before. The few times Jack tried to eat, he had trouble keeping it down. Most of the time, it ended like this. Jack finally settled himself, but as he pushed the can away from him, she saw that he wasn't looking up.

"Arcee..."

"Jack?"

"Umbrella had a lab under Tokyo."

"They did, but Chris said they pack up and frag off when one of their facilities is compromised."

"But...What if...What if Wesker found out I was there? What if he does to Tokyo what he did to Jasper?"

"That won't happen. It wouldn't do him any good. Besides, there's no way he'd be able to pull that off without the whole world knowing what happened, not after Jasper."

"But...what about Kyohei and his friends? What about that rider? What if Wesker thinks they know me?"

Jack looked up with true fear in his eyes.

"You think he'd go after them?"

"Jack..."

"Arcee, he went after my Dad. He'll do anything to get to me. What if he kidnaps them and infects them like he did..."

Arcee firmly took Jack's shoulder as she knelt in from of him.

"Jack, don't...Don't even let your mind go there."

"But Arcee...I...I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me. Miko's parents are out there too."

Arcee took Jack's other shoulder.

"Jack, stop...Just, stop."

Jack looked down again.

"I can't...I keep thinking about my Dad. You didn't see him, Arcee."

He was beginning to tear up again, something Arcee never wanted to see.

"I don't want that to happen to anybody else...especially someone who has nothing to do with this."

He began to cry again and Arcee couldn't fault him in the slightest. Jack was always so mature and such a leader in his own way. It made it hard to remember that he was still just a kid.

"Jack...I..."

Arcee had no words of comfort. She didn't know what to say. Arcee heard someone approaching and looked to the doorway. Bulkhead appeared, but stopped when he saw the emotional Jack.

"Uh...Is this a bad time?"

"What is it, Bulkhead?" Arcee asked.

"Listen, Optimus has a job for us. One of the Iacon Relics landed on Earth. It's the Forge of Solus."

Arcee stood up and gave Bulkhead her full attention.

"The Forge of Solus?"

"Yeah, Optimus wants to get to it before the 'Cons so he can use it to whip up a ground bridge. We're gonna need one sooner or later."

"Sooner...How are we gonna get there?"

"That's the tricky part. Chris is gonna lead a team and take us there on one of their aircrafts. It's gonna take a while before we get there."

"We'll never get there before Megatron."

"Maybe, but the signal is still strong. He hasn't gone after it yet."

"Then we need to hurry if..."

Arcee stopped when she remembered what Optimus had told her about Jack.

"Actually, 'Cee, Optimus wants you to stay behind." Bulkhead said as he motioned to Jack.

"Is...Is he sure?"

"He insisted."

Jack looked up and Bulkhead pulled back by how terrible he looked.

"Go, Arcee. They need you." Jack said.

"I mean..." Bulkhead began. "We should be able to handle it. Wheeljack'll cover for Arcee. Don't worry about it, Jack."

Bulkhead gave Arcee a concerned look which was returned in kind.

"They'll be fine, Jack. They got along well enough without me before I came to Earth."

Jack didn't look convinced.

"Arcee...You're the Second In Command. Optimus might need you...If Airachnid shows up, he'll definitely need you."

Arcee could tell that this was Jack pushing her away. Maybe he was getting tired of her company, or maybe he felt like she was wasting her time with him, maybe both. But Arcee made the mistake of leaving Jack alone to go on a mission once before...and that's how this whole thing began. Now, even in the safety of the B.S.A.A. base, surrounded by people who would protect him, Arcee was not making that mistake again. This time, he was as much a danger to himself as Wesker or any of his B.O.W.s.

"I'm fine, Arcee. Really, I am."

There was such a desperation in his voice and Arcee was afraid to know why he was so eager to send her off. But it wasn't happening. Optimus might need her, but Jack needed her more. She made June a promise that she would pull him out the hole Wesker had pushed him into. Now that he had made the hole even deeper, it would be a lot harder to reach him. She couldn't risk it, not even with Jill or Chris. They couldn't watch him as closely as she did. She was terrified to leave him alone, to come back to find him buried in that hole. No, losing two partners was enough. If she lost Jack, she'd be the one in a hole she couldn't climb out of...and no one would be able to pull her out.

"Go on, Bulkhead." Arcee said without looking away from Jack. "They're waiting for you."

"Gotcha','Cee."

Bulkhead left the two alone. Jack kept his head down, looking not too happy about Arcee's decision.

"You shouldn't, Arcee, bailing on your team because of me."

Arcee didn't reply, choosing to look at her broken down partner. There was nothing to say, nothing one could do to convince the other of what was the right thing to do. Just as before, the silence continued. With each second that passed with words left unsaid, Arcee felt her partner, her best friend, drifting further and further away from her. Even Airachnid had never managed to hurt her like this, to take someone she loved without having to take his life, to strike him hard enough to make him crack...and then slowly break apart, piece by piece.

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Agent Alomar walked up to Optimus and Bumblebee as they discussed the plan in detail.

"Optimus, Sir, Chris and the Director are looking for suitable transport right now, one that'll be big enough for all of you."

"Thank you, Agent Alomar."

"Of course, Sir."

Bulkhead came from the hallway to rejoin the group.

"We headin' out, yet?" He asked.

"We are still waiting for available transportation." Optimus replied.

"Oh, well...The Forge is still there, right?"

Optimus looked over to Ratchet.

"It hasn't moved. The Decepticons don't seem to be interested in it."

"They were also caught in Umbrella's attack. It could be that the incident is holding their attention for the moment. We must use this distraction as an opportunity." Optimus said.

Wheeljack had just finished sharpening one of his swords when he decided to speak up.

"I don't get it, though. What took the Forge so long to land on Earth and why was it fitted with a tracking beacon in the first place? I'm no Iacon clerk, but I remember hearing how Alpha Trion sent out all the artifacts when Cybertron started dying."

"That is correct, Wheeljack. Before sending the rest of the artifacts to Earth, Alpha Trion had created a database that contained the exact coordinates of where they would land, encoding it enough that it would take a million years for even Soundwave to decrypt just one of them."

"A wise choice of action." Ratchet added. "Considering that Megatron had acquired the database when the Decepticons stormed Iacon after the last relic was sent off."

"Hold on." Sheva began as she realized something. "The rest of the artifacts? What happened to the first few?"

Optimus sighed.

"An unfortunate mistake...that I had made."

"Wait, What?" Bulkhead asked.

"As the war began to take its toll on Cybertron and the Decepticons began making their way to Iacon, I was given orders from Alpha Trion to make preparations to send the relics to Earth. I did as I was told and waited to be given further instructions. When the Decepticons launched a savage attack on a city not too far from Iacon, a few of my colleagues had given me false orders that I did not question. I...foolishly assumed that these instructions were passed on to me from Alpha Trion. But they were merely orders given in a state of panic without his approval. So, I sent a handful of the relics to Earth with tracking beacons, each carrying their own signature to prioritize their retrieval, for the Autobots to locate after the Great Exodus was completed. I was not aware of Alpha Trion's encrypted database."

"In other words, the Decepticons could find them as well." Sheva realized.

"Correct."

"But that wasn't your fault, Optimus." Bulkhead claimed. "You were just following orders. It was the other guys who gave you to do somethin' you weren't supposed to so."

"You are correct, Bulkhead. However, as clerk of Iacon, I should have confirmed these instructions with Alpha Trion before carrying them out. I did not...and as a result, none of those relics had made it to Earth. Alpha Trion had carefully picked the most suitable coordinates, along with the most precise course of travel to ensure their arrival. The artifacts that I had sent out were more than likely lost during their travels, or worse...intercepted by the Decepticons. The Forge of Solus would be useless to them, as it can only be used by a Prime. Other artifacts, however, were dangerous weapons or tools that can be used as such. My mistake may have potentially put many Autobots and neutrals in danger."

Optimus still held himself to the highest responsibility for this poor choice of action. Despite this, Primus still saw fit to name him the next Prime when he went into Cybertron's core. Optimus understood that despite the high standard he must hold himself too as a Prime and as a leader, he is not perfect. Even a Prime can make mistakes...or feel weak and scared. If only Jackson could understand that.

"Hm." Prime thought to himself. 'I should tell Jack about this when I return. Perhaps it will help him."

"Optimus."

The Prime looked down and saw that Chris had come back.

"We've got the transport ready. Whenever you wanna leave, just let me know."

"Thank you, Agent Redfield."

Optimus looked to Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, and Ratchet. He was thankful that Arcee had decided to stay behind.

"Autobots, we are in a race against the Decepticons to reach that artifact. While it may be of no use to Megatron, he would not allow us to possess it. For whatever reason it may be that he has not already retrieved the Forge of Solus, we must take full advantage. Autobots, Roll Out!"

With the exception of Ratchet, they all took their alt forms. Leon and Helena, who were watching from the walkway, both stood up in shock from the Autobots ability to transform.

"Whoa." Helena said with no breath.

"Scale of one to ten, how hard are you fangirling internally?"

"Like when I was 19 at a Con and I met Laura Bailey, that hard."

"Laura Bailey?"

"Voice actor."

"Oh."

Chris walked over to Optimus, giving his attention elsewhere.

"Sheva, Piers, you're with us. Pick an Autobot and follow us to the strip."

"Sir." They both said together.

"You okay with this, Optimus, us tagging along?"

"It is not ideal for you to accompany us against a potential confrontation with the Decepticons, but I will respect Director O'Brian's conditions for providing us with transport.

Chris entered Optimus' cabin and closed the driver door.

"Number one rule of the B.S.A.A.: Never go without backup, even if you're a badass Autobot."

"A rule that I understand well, Chris. However, I must request this of you...be careful."

Chris lightly pounded the dashboard in a friendly manner.

"You do the same, Prime. June would be awfully upset in something happened to you."

Chris had a smirk on when he said that, but Optimus ignored it. The Autobots drove out of the hangar as Ratchet booted up his comm system. The signal was still strong and there was no sign of Decepticon signatures. Ratchet could only hope for the best. They really needed that forge.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Megatron stood at the center of the brig, optics fixed on the monitor above Soundwave who was hard at work. The Forge of Solus was the perfect bait to lure Optimus Prime and the Autobots out of hiding. Soundwave had Laserbeak monitoring the area closely, waiting for one of them to arrive. He only needed one, preferably Optimus. He hoped for all of them, but that was highly unlikely. With the destruction of their base in Jasper, the Autobots were more than likely scattered about with their human allies. But one of them was surely to come across the signal. They couldn't ignore the Forge, not when they still needed a new base and a new ground bridge. One of them would show up, he was certain of that.

But he needed to be careful. The Forge could not fall in the hands of the Autobots. It was useless to him, but letting them have it would give back the upper hand he had gained when he destroyed their home. It was pure luck that they had intercepted it during their journey to Earth. Megatron was not going to throw that away. He was still ahead of the curve. Unicron be forsaken if he allowed the Autobots or Umbrella take the higher ground away from him.

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Itchy, Tasty
I've been looking for a way to get that into the story since chapter one, my favorite piece of Resident Evil intel.
Okay, I took my damn sweet time getting this one up when I should've had it up last week. I apologize for that. I didn't like writing this chapter except for the beginning and the diary segment. Writer's block came back for a second round and for a week, I found myself creatively constipated...There had to be a better way for be to put that. Anyway, before I go into the chapter, there's a few things I should address.
I know some of you want to know if certain characters will be showing up from both TFP and Resident Evil. As much as I'd like to have everyone from both works, I'm at a point in the story where I think I have all the characters I need. I regret not writing Claire and Sherry in the story earlier, especially with Jack the way he is right now, but I feel like any more characters from this point on would be shoehorning them in. I'm already pushing my luck with Leon and Helena and I have no idea what I'm gonna do with Hannigan. This is in no small part due to the fact that I started writing this story without any real direction of where I wanted to go with it. I won't make that mistake with my future stories from this point forward.
In an earlier chapter, I asked if I should create my own B.O.W.s to go against the Autobots. Most of you said I should, but I'm still on the fence on that one. I had forgotten when I came up with that idea that I am absolutely devoid of creative juices when it comes to monsters and the like. I have no idea of what kind of B.O.W.s I would create that would still feel like Resident Evil. I'm not killing that idea in the crib. But if I do decide to go that route, I have to hit the drawing board to figure out what to do.
Now to talk about the chapter. First, I relapsed badly with the Jack drama. Really trying not to make a habit out of that, I swear. And I promise, I have plans for Jackson in future chapters.
Second, I took a lot...A LOT of liberties with the Iacon Relics. I had to figure out a way to bring the Forge of Solus into the story without the Orion Pax arc or Trypticon, but I didn't want to rely on a plot convenient coincidence.

"Oh, we need a ground bridge. Hey, there's a relic. Look, it's the Forge of Solace. Just what we needed."

So I wrote that Megatron had it and is using it to lure out the Autobots because he knows how badly they need it. I did the best I could with that without making it seem too convenient.
And because I can't resist making actor allusions, I made Helena a mecha fangirl for the sole purpose of referencing a mecha anime Laura Bailey starred in. I have an obsession.
Anyways, I'm gonna get my shit together and work to get these out sooner. One a week, that's the goal. I appreciate your patience and I appreciate those who stuck with me during my hiatus and all new readers who began following me in that time as well. You guys are the reason I've gotten this far with the story. Well, I'm tired all hell so I'll see you all next chapter.