A/N: Argh because FF doesn't like asterisks in its formatting and because that's what I use in Word...and because I can't remember what I changed it to in earlier chapters... slash marks along with italics /example/ will now denote electronic radio communication.


Simon couldn't move. He was mired in tar, stuck in molasses, thrust into slow-motion. The edges of his world were fuzzy and drawn inward, like a zoom lens with motion. He clung to Megatron, to Zoe, and Alex was there...and now he wasn't. Simon looked down and Starscream stared up at them. His mouthplates were moving, forming words, angry words, but Simon couldn't hear above the pounding of his own heartbeat. He watched as the Decepticon raised his cannon. He watched as energy formed deep down in the barrel. He watched as it began to shoot towards him an astrosecond later. His eyes went wide as the ball of plasma blazed ever larger in his perception.

Then suddenly, Alex was there, between certain death and Simon. Alex was there, to use his own body as a shield between his friends and certain destruction. There was a blinding flash of light, an explosion, and for a single frozen moment he could have sworn Alex looked back at him. His eyes spoke words, chapters, volumes in that one brief instant in time. Then suddenly Alex was gone. Only a cloud of smoke remained as evidence and a burning trail towards the ground.

"A...al...ALEEEEX! NOOOO!" All else was forgotten as Simon left his perch and dove towards Alex's plummeting body. Behind him, Zoe cried out from the sudden additional strain. There were only minutes left and she felt Springer behind her. Parts of Megatron began to change, transform, exposing the bomb within him. "Stay back, Springer!" she screamed over the rush of air. It was cold up here, her body, though mechanical, was still subject to many human limitations. Her breath froze in the air, her fingers were stiffening. But she stayed with him.

Springer dropped back and let Zoe pilot her precious cargo out of range. He had only just met the human but he found himself intrigued by her. Were all humans this disposed towards self sacrifice? Were all humans this noble? There had to be a reason the AllSpark had chosen this planet as its final home, and chosen this species, this girl, at its last voice. Perhaps this was some cruel trick of fate, to strand the last of their kind on a planet that would never, COULD never, be their home.

No, he thought at last. The Autobots were alive. He was alive. There was still hope. There could be no giving up while hope remained...in any form. "Damn..." he swore aloud, "Hot Rod...and your contagious optimism. You definitely grew up with Bumblebee..."

His thoughts were cut short by the explosion before him. Even at his distance he could feel his processors twitch from the specialized energy release. He could only imagine what it would have done to him and his comrades if they had been within its radius. This was a human weapon? What more were these tiny creatures capable of?

There would be time for further study on such matters later. Right now, Springer moved quickly to catch the young girls plummeting body before it slammed into the black ocean below. He matched her drop speed and she settled, nearly floated, into his hands gently. She was conscious, but stunned, and he smiled at her as best he could. "Easy, female, I've got you."

He paused a moment to watch Megatron disappear beneath the waves and then headed back down to the ground. There were no other Decepticons in the area, neither in visual or scanner range. Had they all been driven away? What about that strange jelly human they'd contacted. Drath? Or his partner? There were many unanswered questions.

For that matter what about Optimus and the forward Autobot team? Were they online? The city of Houston below him was a mass of damage. Blue and red lights mingled with the orange of the fires. From this height, Springer had to admit, it reminded him a bit of Cybertron…right after the war had started, when Iacon's towering skyline dominated the horizon. Before the spires of Nova Cronum and Polyhex fell into the Rust Sea, Cybertron was a model of magnificence and reached into the sky.

No longer. He remembered the destruction caused by both sides, and how the Cybertronian skies were a dull red from the fires that consumed their planet. Even the stars had been blotted out, veiled behind the smoke of shattered lives and a dying world. Springer looked down at Zoe again and thought about Arcee. He could not allow this planet to suffer such a horrible fate. He couldn't allow Arcee to have her youthful innocence ripped away so cruelly and totally. Sure, he reminded himself, she was a warrior, strong, independent. But so was he, and it was his duty, his desire, to protect her from danger, and to give to her a life she could enjoy.

It was also his duty to serve the Autobots and their cause. He'd made that pledge hundreds of thousands of years ago, and it was as strong now as it was then. He would do as Optimus Prime commanded, or as any appointed by the Autobot leader dictated. His loyalties were to his leader, and then to the Autobots.

He looked around as he neared the ground. His leader, Prowl, where was he? They had come back for him, and for Jamie, aka Scar, who'd gone with him almost a year ago. Did Prowl run afoul of the Decepticons? Those were answers that Springer was certain that Optimus Prime could answer. There were just more immediate concerns. "Female Zoe." He brought her closer to his optics to scrutinize her closely. She was damaged, and she needed to recharge, but she was still on-line...it seemed. "Are you unconscious?"

Zoe couldn't move, even if she wanted to. Her legs and arms felt missing, and her vision was dark. Springer's pair of huge blue optics came close and blinked at her several times as he asked her a question. She didn't respond right away; her body wouldn't listen. "Now..." she said at last as his fingers started to probe her gently, checking for life. "...that's a question no one can answer yes too, truthfully...Springer."

The green Autobot smiled and looked around. The fighting seemed to have ceased, for now. He didn't see or hear Starscream, nor were there any new explosions. Perhaps it was safe. He opened a secure line to Arcee. /Arcee, are you alright? Where are you?/

Not far across the mutilated downtown city, Arcee leaned over her knees as she watched Ratchet finish his work on the prone Hot Rod. She shook her head with a sardonic grin, "Wow, next time why don't you join the battle with the rest of us, Rod. That doesn't even look painful."

The bot in question affixed her with a blank stare. "Not as painful as your wit, Arcee." Hot Rod was rewarded with a smirk and a jab into exposed circuitry that made him whimper.

Arcee slid away to answer her comm. as the CMO glared at her with undisguised annoyance. Ratchet didn't appreciate other bots fiddling with his work, especially now. He was tired, damaged, and spread thin. He quickly finished up what repairs he could on Hot Rod and glanced over at Ironhide who was standing nearby acting nonchalantly. Ratchet wanted, almost needed, to work on Ironhide. His mate was injured, badly and it tore at Ratchet to see him in that state, but centuries of living with the surly weapons specialist had taught him it was better to voice those concerns in private. The injured humans around him were being shunted off to other hospitals in the area and so he deactivated his holo-form as it was no longer needed.

Police surrounded the area and moved among the damage and the displaced, though none of the officers approached the giant robots. Ironhide looked around doing his best to be aloof. This needed to be over. They needed to find Optimus, the kids, Jazz, the Orion crew, and leave. Being this open, this exposed, left Ironhide cranky. He continued to ignore Ratchet too. His mate would rest before he let him repair his minor injuries. /Optimus. Come in./

As Starscream was drug away by Optimus Prime, Jazz picked himself up slowly. That had been close; his hand closed over his chest and he allowed himself a moment. Even as he stared at it, he could see, feel, it healing courtesy of Zoe's nanites. Starscream and Optimus moved further down the street, engaged together. It left Jazz free to pursue the biggest reason he was here in Houston. "Girl...where are ya?"

The upper floor of the Drath building was in ruins, so it was safe to surmise she wasn't there. Megatron had shot Starscream, and Jazz scanned the sky for the behemoth. That HAD to be Zoe, he thought. Incredible as it sounded, there was no other explanation. He knew Zoe would die before she brought back that Decepticon, and she had broken her conditioning. Was her link with the AllSpark THAT powerful?

No. Somehow he knew it wasn't. She must have had help. Simon and Alex both possessed fragments of its power, was it possible the three had combined their energies? It had to be. But, could Zoe handle that much raw power? His link with her was still intact, so he knew she was alive, but it was weak, fluxuating.

And he knew she was dying.

An explosion in the sky made him look up, and he knew ... even as his processors sent the signals for his servos to move, before the sound that entered his audio receptors was processed into data ... he KNEW that it was Zoe there. Visual receptors quickly zoomed in on the explosion. A body, tiny and nearly lost against the backdrop of night plummeted towards the Earth.

An unknown emotion smashed through him then. It froze the energon in his conduits, it stopped his processors. Jazz was a being capable of managing thousands of commands in the blink of an eye, and in that second, in that instance, he couldn't even handle a single one.

He could only watch, transfixed, as Zoe fell from the sky.

Zoe only fell for a short distance. Jazz could just make out a flying being nearby that caught her. It could only be Springer. He'd thought he'd heard their communication chatter earlier; he was just a bit too busy to respond at the time. Springer was here, Hot Rod was here. The Orion crew was here. Sunny. Sides. Friends from long ago. They were here to find Prowl.

That sudden realization spurred him into action then. How will they react once they find out those kids could be responsible for his termination? At the very least his torture and torment. Jazz was suddenly filled with the overwhelming need to be there, between them and her, if necessary. He rushed forward and opened a link to Springer. /Springer!/

/Little bot!/

-twitch-

Springer couldn't help the playful jab at his old friend and mentor. Springer had trained under Jazz's unbelievably harsh leadership for several centuries before he'd been given his own command and his own place within the Autobot Special Forces. If it had not been for the fact that Springer trained under the Lieutenant himself, he would never have believed the easy going mech capable of such single-minded severity. But when it came to his missions Jazz was a different bot. Though it wasn't often, if ever, anyone else saw the saboteur in his alter ego, so to speak. So it was times like now that Springer had to take to needle his commander.

It was well known that Jazz was somewhat sensitive about his height. Being one of the shortest, smallest Autobots was definitely a factor in his life that continuously drove him towards his goals. In Jazz's head he felt the constant need to make up for size differences with other aspects. So, Jazz became the best at what he did; he differentiated himself with his style, and his outstanding record. But he always kept that playful, unique streak. It was now only because he could, that Springer did. /Where are you at, L-t?/

/On my way to you./ Jazz sighed. He definitely wasn't in the mood for his normal level of playful banter, but the joy from the knowledge that at least some of his friends had survived the cosmos tempered the otherwise grim situation. Still, he watched as the green Autobot came to Earth and met him as he touched down.

Despite it all, Jazz smiled; glad to see his friend though the smile was short lived as he saw what Springer cradled carefully in his hands. Zoe lay there, unmoving and silent. Her battle armor dented and singed, her face bruised and cut. "Zoe!" He said softly as he reached out to her.

The bigger Autobot sensed the connection between Jazz and the human he held in his arms. Springer carefully laid her body on the ground as Jazz knelt beside her. "Zoe...please wake up." He brushed hair from her face. "Don't leave me."

"Jazz." Zoe opened her eyes to look directly at him. "Is your shoulder ok?"

Jazz wanted to smack her then. "Worry about yourself woman!" He said, half-joking, half-serious. It was just like her to think about him first, but not this time. This time it was going to be about her. He opened a line to Ratchet and sent him coordinates and then turned back to Springer. "You can head back. I got this."

"Alright, L-T." Springer replied. He wanted to get back to Arcee and Hot Rod. He was worried about them both, but he'd never admit to that aloud. Although a small part of him disliked leaving Arcee alone with Hot Rod especially. The youngster had a way of charming Arcee without actually meaning to.

Alone now, Jazz turned his attention back towards Zoe, who was trying to sit up."Whoa. You need to lie down boo."

"No...Jazz." Zoe took a hold of his finger and sat up. "...I'm...sorry. I never wanted to hurt you..."

He couldn't take it any longer. "Zoe!" he said, harsher then he'd wanted to, and she looked up at him sharply. He continued. "It doesn't matter what happened. None of that matters now. It doesn't change how I feel about you." Frustration once again boiled up, "Don't you get it boo? I lo—"

The words were cut off abruptly as Zoe put her hand on his chest, over his spark chamber. A feeling of indescribable euphoria washed over him and any words he had died unsaid as he felt himself slip into a bottomless chasm. She leaned forward, resting her head against his chest, and closed her eyes. "Jazz..." she whispered.

Jazz put his arm around her body gently and hugged her to him. She was so close to him right now, emotionally and physically, and it overwhelmed all other senses. Exactly when she'd come to have such power over him was unknown, but he knew that there was very little he wouldn't do for her. Jazz wondered then, if this was what it was like for everyone who shared a bond with another. Did they feel this same sort of desperate attachment towards their partner? For all his talk, Jazz hadn't allowed himself to spark with very many over his life time. His emotions, his feelings, were his, and he guarded them jealously. Missions, both brutal and benign, were not something he liked to speak about, and sparking opened that part of him for exploration.

But this, this was different. With Zoe he wanted her to know about the deepest parts of him. He wanted to show her what he kept hidden behind his walls. There was no fear that she'd judge him, or turn away. In turn, he wanted to know everything about her. To experience her emotions and feelings that were so alien to him, and yet still familiar. He wanted to understand and mingle his life with hers.

Zoe leaned forward against Jazz's chest. She could hear the rhythmic throbbing of his spark only inches below her ear. It was fast, strong, and it called to her like a siren. She'd seen it before, held it, and carried it through a world that beckoned her once again. She'd been able to see infinity in his spark and she wanted to be there again, with him, to explore everything that was Jazz. But it was more than that, with him, she'd found something she'd never believe was within her grasp.

She found love.

She nuzzled her cheek against the warm metal of his chest as a tear fell from her closed eye. "I love you Jazz." For a moment she marveled at how, now that it was said aloud, true it was. And she wondered briefly how she could have denied this part of her; why she closed herself off from this wonderful feeling. Now that she said it, it was like it was suddenly real, and she never wanted the feeling to end.

To Jazz, it was amazing that something so simple as three words would bring a smile to his face, but simply hearing her say it was almost intoxicating. His spark beat in its chamber with a pulse that might have worried the CMO, but it was as natural as sunlight.

He could have lost himself in that feeling forever, had it not suddenly turned painful and he instinctively knew something was wrong. He pulled away from her slightly to look at her, and her body went limp in his arms. Her eyes were still closed and she was still. "No...Zoe!" Panic started to grip him then. She was hurt physically, drained of energy, and mentally exhausted. She needed to get back to Ratchet now.

With tender care, he scooped her up in his arms and ran back into Houston. /RATCHET!/

Not too long ago, Optimus Prime had watched Sam push the All-Spark into Megatron's chest. Now, just a few minutes ago, he'd watched again, as his once-brother again fell into darkness. He watched as Megatron's shell fell into the ocean. Would this time be the last time? There was no way to tell. He'd thought he'd seen the last of the Decepticon before. Would the tyrant rise again? Never? Someday? Sooner? Later? Optimus turned away silently. They were timeless beings, and words like 'never' simply didn't exist for them.

Springer's call brought Optimus out of his contemplation. It was ironic there was so much time in the picture, yet so very little at the moment. /I am here Springer. Meet up with the others./

/Yes sir./

Arcee had already left to meet up with the group, and Optimus followed suit now. The Autobots needed to leave the city as soon as possible. There would definitely be repercussions they would need to deal with, but that would come later. They would need to speak with Major Lenox or Secretary Keller and get things into sorts. But now, they had done enough to disrupt the humans here, it was time to leave.

The Autobot leader transformed painfully and returned to where Ratchet had set up his triage along with Ironhide. Optimus wasn't without his injuries, but he knew his CMO well. Ratchet would drive himself into stasis repairing his colleagues. He'd seen him do it before and he wasn't going to allow it to happen again. A smile tickled at his faceplates. Ratchet could be every bit as stubborn as Ironhide. Orders or not, Ratchet would balk, probably loudly.

The triage area was abuzz with activity, both human and Autobot. Ratchet, Ironhide, Alex and Simon, both unconscious were there. Nearby stood Arcee, Springer and Hot Rod. The reunion with his troops, though brief, was intense. It was an immeasurable relief to know others were still alive, still out there. Catching up, however, would have to wait. "Autobots, we need to return to our base." He turned towards his colleagues. "I will locate Jazz. Transform, and roll –"

"Optimus!" Ratchet interrupted with alarm. He didn't need to say more as Optimus heard the transmission as well. He nodded to Ratchet as the CMO transformed and headed towards Jazz.

Optimus turned back to the others. "Springer, with us. The rest of you, head back."

Ironhide looked like he was about to question his orders but remained silent and transformed with difficulty, and left with the others.

Ratchet sped along the surface streets following Springer who had a pretty good idea of where they were. Worry creased his processors. After the one signal, the one plea for help, the comm. was quiet. Ratchet continued to evade human traffic, his lights and siren blaring, until he at last came to the ocean side stretch of road where his friend seemed to be.

Springer landed beside Jazz and moments later Optimus and Ratchet pulled up alongside him.

At the base of a sand dune lay two bodies. Jazz and Zoe.

Ratchet transformed and scanned them both medically. The prognosis wasn't good. "Jazz isn't badly damaged, but he's offline. Springer, can you carry Jazz back to base?"

"Of course, Optimus." He answered and transformed. Carefully Ratchet loaded Jazz onto Springer's frame and the bot took off into the night with his cargo.

Behind them Prime loaded Zoe into the back of Ratchet's vehicle form. "How bad is she Ratchet?"

He didn't answer, and his silence filled Prime with more dread then any answer would have.


Iacon - Autobot headquarters and Cybertron's hub-capital. The planets northern polar region. The high council and Chamber of the Ancients, of which Ratchet was a voice, was located here.

Nova Cronum - a philosophical haven and site of theoretical research facilities.

Polyhex - satellite control and Cybertron network command hub