As this fic nears its end, I find myself struggling with each chapter. Perhaps because I have been working on this particular story for so long, my muse simply does not want to let it go. Or maybe it's because that although I know the ending, reaching that ending is difficult, because I want everything to flow perfectly into the finish.

Either way, there will be two more chapters after this one.

Thank you, everyone, for your continued support, through faving, adding alerts for, reviewing, or simply enjoying this story. I try to respond to everyone's reviews, and thank each of you - but if I have missed you, know that I am eternally grateful.

DISCLAIMER: Been a while since I had one of these, so a quick reminder that I do not own Transformers, or any related media. If I did, I would not have college debt and a minimal bank account. However, my OCs are my own and must be used with permission, should such an occasion arise.

Chapter Thirty Seven

Resistance

Megatron, sensing his master's fading patience, decided to try once more to reason with the ship-form Decepticon. "Trypticon, you will obey my orders. Drop this field and fire upon the approaching vessel. This is your last warning."

If anything, the electromagnetic field grew thicker. "No, Megatron."

"Enough." The Fallen waved Megatron back with an impatient hand and raised his staff. "It is time to return this traitor to his rightful place in the Pit."

Several things happened at once. Soft whines and clanks of internal machinery warned Megatron mere seconds before the walls, floor and ceiling began to shift around him. The control room, being the current location of not simply the command center but Trypticon's newly relit spark, was located in the center of the massive Cybertronian's transformation hub, the first place things began to shift. The Fallen slammed his staff down and sent a violent pulse of energy into the electromagnetic field shielding the control room. It exploded, leaving a taint of smoke from burnt circuits and a miraculously unharmed room beyond. And a solid door slammed into place, barring further entry just before the damaged wall shifted away and became replaced with untouched metal, as the floor began to tilt.

Time to leave. Megatron wasted no words on his master, deciding to leave the mech to his fate. If he had been operating at full capacity, perhaps the Decepticon leader would have even shot the Fallen in the back on his way down the hall toward the nearest airlock, but safety had become his first priority. Besides, a small part of his still screamed to obey the mech that had terrorized his life for so long. But no longer. Megatron smiled grimly, even as he shifted into his aerial altmode and fled from his lost spaceship. Now, at last, he could see his destiny clearly as the uncontested leader of the Decepticons, answering to no mech.

Memories flooded his processors, and emotions with them. Including his protests when Soundwave first tried to lock away part of his processor. Frenzy started to bat Soundwave's hand away but it was already drawing back, as though the larger mech had heard his thoughts. Looking up, Frenzy saw the pain in his creator's gaze, but Soundwave gave him a short nod.

"Go." The word echoed through their bond, repeated back by the other symbiotes to a lesser extent as they watched the exchange.

Relief flooded Frenzy's systems, mixed with a pain that mirrored the one shining through his creator's and brothers' optics. Frenzy touched Soundwave's hand briefly, nodded to the others, then bounded across the distance separating him and leapt into Thundercracker's hand, tumbling into Katrina's arms.

Muscles protested against movement, but Katrina tightened her grip around her friend anyway, feeling the shudders running down his frame. It had been a difficult choice, and Katrina half-wished he had chosen differently, for his sake, though her own heart sang with happiness. Looking up, she met the silver mech's solemn red optics. The girl searched Soundwave's placid face for an explanation, but all she caught was a brief flicker of sorrow before the mech turned away and continued down the hall.

"This way," Thundercracker said, turning down a side hall. There was a smaller exit in this direction, one that might even go unused while the last few stragglers raced toward the larger exits. Another shudder ran through the ship, and he decided to throw caution to the wind, racing down the corridor as though Pitspawn were after him. And considering all he had seen since they had arrived on Earth, it would not have surprised the Seeker much if this were the case.

He reached the airlock in record time, transformed and hurried his passengers onboard. They took their seats in his cockpit, it being the safest place, long-disused belts clicking into place around the human's frail form. Frenzy wedged himself beneath the seat, and the sparkling vanished into the girl's clothing like usual. After a quick sensor sweep of the nearby space, void of everything save the swiftly retreating forms of other Decepticons, Thundercracker dove from the air lock and shot toward Earth's surface like an arrow.

Something beeped, the small blip of an incoming, anonymous transmission. It came from the ship, and Thundercracker hesitated before accepting the contact. Not an actual connection, just a prerecorded message wrapped into a small package of data sent after the Seeker.

"A small vessel approaches. I believe Autobots may be aboard, perhaps a rescue attempt. Recommend cautious approach. Safe journey." No tag to name the sender, but from the succinct contents, Thundercracker had a good guess who it might be. Soundwave had honestly meant to help them, whether for Frenzy's sake or for some other, unknown reason, the Seeker did not know or care. Adjusting his flight path to intersect with the given coordinates, he engaged his jets and spiraled away from the Decepticon warship for the last time.

A small ping told him the message had been received. It served no further purpose to remain on the swiftly transforming ship. Soundwave pressed the button that opened the airlock, then stepped inside, followed closely by the symbiotes. All were uncharacteristically silent, and Soundwave let the door cycle shut before turning to them. Without a word, his chestplates slid back, revealing a large carrying hold. One by one the symbiotes transformed into their most compact format and deposited within, until all had settled, leaving a blank space and unfelt weight where Frenzy usually tucked himself between Rumble and Laserbeak.

Chestplates slid back into place, hiding his symbiotes away. As the outer door began to open, Soundwave transformed, drifting into space as a satellite that acted quite differently from the manmade kinds. With unusual speed, the satellite shot away from the ship, taking a curving path that would soon set it in orbit around Earth once more, hidden in the net of satellites and space junk that the humans had created in mere decades.

There he would wait, until Megatron called upon him again. Soundwave closed his optics and for once made no attempt to connect to the human surveillance system when he arrived in his usual place. Time enough for that later. For the moment, he wanted nothing more than to simply rest. His symbiotes settled into a state similar to stasis lock, all but the most vital systems shut down, a deep hibernation from which they would not wake until they had been given the signal by their creator.

Barricade looked up from the sensor readings, hoping that the visual sight of the Decepticon warship would give him a better explanation for what was happening on the Nemesis. "I don't like the look of this."

"It doesn't make sense," Jazz agreed.

"Someone want to explain to me what is going on?" Ironhide asked, glaring at the viewscreen.

"The Nemesis appears to be transforming," Sunstreaker said.

For a big ship, it had already gotten halfway through the process with unusual speed, far faster than any non-sentient mechanics could allow for, at least as far as Barricade's limited knowledge of such technology extended. Barricade thought back to the early days of the war, of the time of large warships such as Omega Supreme and Trypticon. The ship Nemesis had been brought by Decepticons from Cybertron, but Barricade had served on it for only a short time and had never made the connection between it and those great Cybertronians he had thought destroyed in the last battle before Cybertron had been pronounced lost forever. If the ship did have sentience now, Barricade had a good idea how that had come to pass, and he willed his own ship to move faster. Ratchet's words had shaken him, and the guardian's spark ached for his charge. Silently swearing to make the mech responsible for using her power pay, Barricade coaxed a little more speed from the already overtaxed engine. At least this not-so-small sign of a transforming warship proved that Katrina was indeed onboard and alive, or had been.

The small blip from a proximity sensor had the former Decepticon almost slamming on the metaphorical brakes, but the blinking red dot on the screen moved toward them in a slow curve. Not the approach of an enemy firing high-power rockets. Another ping came from the ship communications board, which had somehow survived destruction, and before anyone could stop him, Sunstreaker jabbed the accept button.

Ironhide shot the yellow mech a glare and leaned a little closer to the mike. Voice short and hard, he demanded, "Identify, mech."

"This is Thundercracker, Decepticon Seeker, requesting permission to transfer the young human female to your care. She requires immediate medical attention, which I am unable to supply. I offer in exchange my surrender to the Autobots until such a time as they wish to release me, as a show of my good intentions."

Barricade's spark stuttered in his chest – at once happy that his charge lived, and horrified by the phrase "immediate medical attention". What horrors had she been put through during her time on the Nemesis? The thought of the Decepticon warship brought his gaze briefly to the view screen. Before them, the massive form of a mech now floated in space, silent sparks spiraling and jumping around his frame as the transformation completed. Damage covered the mech's body, but a spark glowed bright in his chest.

"Stop the ship," Ironhide said. "'Con, you are going to approach slowly and surrender at once, because the only reason you haven't been shot down is that human in your hold."

"Understood." Thundercracker's end went silent, save for a soft hiss-crackle common during inter-space communications.

With Ironhide watching the mech's approach like a hawk, Barricade turned his attention to the newly birthed Nemesis. Still drifting along from the momentum of his transformation, the mech did not seem inclined to react, either to the presence of the fleeing Decepticons – most now lost against the black void of space or burning specks in the Earth's atmosphere – or the presence of the commandeered ship, now slowed to a halt. His body tense, Barricade waited to make a move when the other did. Let Katrina get onboard before we have to run. His optics flicked to the other screen. Thundercracker's little red blip moved much too slowly for the black mech's tastes, but at last it slowed to a stop beside the main entry hatch.

"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe," Ironhide ordered without need for further words. All three mechs left the room, giving the others a little more space. Barricade paid no attention to the resettling of the room's current occupants, and they did not interrupt his concentration. Every particle of his being wanted to be down there, rescuing Katrina from her Decepticon captor, but someone had to pilot the ship, and now that his charge was soon to be onboard, Barricade wanted himself to be the one to get the ship home safely.

"Ironhide," he pinged the mech over internal communications, realizing with a start that they had forgotten something important. "Katrina must have air."

"Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are pressurizing the holding cell and connecting corridors."

Barricade vented a soft puff of air in relief, then jumped with Jazz gave a short exclamation.

"'Cade!"

Ignoring the use of his loathed nickname for the time being, the black mech looked where the silver mech pointed and frowned. Nemesis had begun to move toward the Earth's atmosphere, picking up speed and then settling at one far too high for entry. A quick calculation of angle and velocity told Barricade that the mech would crash into the Pacific Ocean, too far from any landmass to cause damage from the collision, except to the Nemesis himself. Even before the mech reached the uppermost atmosphere, the energy arcs dancing across his body began to increase.

"What has happened?" Mirage asked, leaning closer to the view screen as though that might cause the image before them to make more sense. "He will die."

"Such a big mech might make it," Barricade said dubiously.

Jazz shook his head. "Not a chance."

Thundercracker kept his movements slow, not simply to dissuade his captors from shooting him the moment they retrieved the human, but also to offer said human a gentle move from his cockpit to another mech's hands. Having Ironhide's fingers so close to critical lines made him uncomfortable, but transforming was not an option. Not with the human unresponsive. She had gone into stasis sometime during their trip, and he and Frenzy had been unable to wake her. Soft mumbles and the occasional groan came from the girl during the transfer, and Ironhide cupped his hands around the girl with unusual gentleness.

"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, secure the prisoner," he ordered, before checking the pressure in the corridor outside the holding cell's door. Not perfect yet, but it would do. Calculating the swiftest route to the command room from his knowledge of the ship's layout, Ironhide departed, leaving the twins to their job.

"Don't try anything funny, 'Con," Sunstreaker warned as he and his brother began to snap the holding cell's restraints onto the Seeker's arms, legs and wings.

"I don't suppose you plan on defecting like Barricade now?" Sideswipe joked, clicking the last bar into place. A flick of a switch on the wall, and a gentle electrical current flowed through the restraints, adding an extra degree of security against any sort of escape.

"My loyalties are to my trine," Thundercracker stated. "And they shall remain so."

Sideswipe shrugged and followed his brother out the door. It slammed shut behind them, leaving the Seeker in the dim light of the holding cell, alone in his thoughts. He could not even contact his trine to let him know he was all right, as the holding cell had been shielded against communications from the outside. For a brief moment he thought about the origins of the ship and wondered how the Autobots had managed to finally capture Lockdown and his vessel, which the Decepticons had known the location of for quite some time. No doubt Barricade had passed on this knowledge though, perhaps even willingly. His connection to the human was a strong one. Thundercracker could almost imagine it rivaling his trine bond – a guardian should never be trifled with. Ironhide had been proof of that during Bumblebee's infant years. Thundercracker settled in a more comfortable position and dropped into a light stasis, deciding that his best option at the moment was rest, rest and wait for judgment upon the arrival to the Autobot base.

Sunstreaker took over the controls once Ironhide reached the command room. Barricade cradled his charge in his hands and sat braced in a corner, scanning her again and again. Every scratch, abrasion and nick became recorded in a medical file to be transferred to Ratchet upon their immediate arrival. When he discovered the wounds on the human's back, his spark flickered in pain, horrified by the damage. Although her spinal column had miraculously escaped injury, the deep slashes struck him deep in the core. How could he have allowed this to happen? Only the expert bandaging gave him pause – someone had cared enough to ensure her survival before the Nemesis began to cause trouble.

"Frenzy, did you do this?" he asked, indicating the bandages with a tip of his claw.

Frenzy shook his head. "Starscream-showed-me-how-and-Rumble-helped. Will-she-be-okay-Barricade?"

Air hissed from his vents as Barricade considered the situation. "I hope so," he said at last, not willing to make promises he might not be able to keep, no matter how spark-wrenching the thought was. "Her injuries are grave."

"Hey, 'Cade," Jazz called, looking up from his fiddling with communications. "Shoot me the diagnostic file, I'll patch it over t' Ratchet so he can get a med team standin' by."

Again with the nickname. Barricade checked a momentary rush of irritation. Katrina's wellbeing was far more important. He shot the files over, via their personal communication line, and Jazz set about getting them downloaded into the ship's computer for transferring to Earth.

"Down it goes," Sideswipe called, drawing their attention to the screen, where the Nemesis had been approaching Earth's atmosphere. Its shape soon vanished in a red haze, a highly visible comet on its way to the northern part of the Pacific Ocean.

"Trypticon," came a soft mumble from Katrina.

Barricade looked down to find his charge semi-conscious, eyes barely open as she squinted at the view screen. "Trypticon?" he repeated back, more to keep her talking than because the word had registered. Then it sunk in and he almost missed her response at the startling thought that she, a small human, could have brought such a colossal being back to life, even with the power of the AllSpark.

"He saved me," she whispered, each word slow and forced through barely parted lips, as though the effort to speak was almost too much. Her violet eyes filled with tears that trickled down, leaving paths in the blood and dust that coated her face. For a moment, her voice strengthened and she tried to sit up, agitated. "The Fallen, Barricade! He's on the ship."

Barricade's spark grew cold. "The Fallen? You brought him back?"

"Yes." The tears flowed faster now, and Katrina turned her head away, refusing to meet his optics. "He would have killed Morse."

A soft chirp came from the girl's jacket and the insect squirmed from his hiding place to rest on her shoulder, head bowed in shame. Barricade sent Morse a gentle ping of acceptance, not accusing the little mech. Had he been in Katrina's position and she had been in Morse's, the black mech had no doubt that he would have done the same.

"Rest," Barricade told his charge, resting the tip of a claw on her forehead. "If the Fallen has returned, Prime will deal with him as he did before."

Katrina closed her eyes and settled down, but her mind remained a turmoil of pain and dark emotions. Then a sharp stab sent a spasm through her body, and she whimpered, reaching up slowly to clutch her head.

"Little one, can you hear me still?"

The voice was Trypticon's, shaky and full of pain. Katrina thought of the burning image on the screen, and the lecture Jazz had once given her on the approach to a planet with atmosphere, how a mech had to be transformed into entry mode or risk irrevocable damage. With all her might she wished to respond to the mech, let him know someone was still there. "I can hear you."

"Your voice is faint, sparkling. You must rest. The Fallen will not survive the crash, this I promise. He remains weak and my death will encase him in a tomb, deep beneath your planet's ocean."

"I didn't bring you back to die!" Katrina felt more tears gathering, a mixture of despair and pain. The ache in her head was almost unbearable, but she refused to let the darkness envelop her.

"You did not bring me back for a reason, but you gave me life and now I return the favor. Live long and well, sparkling. This war has been fought for far too long and must end. My first passing came too late, after the death of my own planet. If my second passing can help save yours, then so be it."

"Thank you." Katrina wanted to say so much more, but before she could Trypticon transmitted one last message.

"Good-bye, sparkling."

The connection vanished, along with her headache, a relief from pain so sudden that Katrina's eyes opened, just in time to watch the mech's last moments on the view screen. Hazy in the distance, a red glowing spot against the vast blue ocean. Katrina's eyes stung from salty tears, but she refused to blink until the mech landed in the water. Water sprayed up from the crash site. When it had settled, there was no sign of the spacecraft. The pang of loss was too much for the girl's overstressed body to handle. Closing her eyes, she let the darkness take her somewhere there was no thoughts, no loss, no pain.

His constant medical scans caught the drop in the girl's vital signs at once, and Barricade made a sharp sound that brought everyone's attention on him. He paid little attention to them, however, focused completely on his charge until Jazz's hand on his shoulder brought his optics up to meet the silver mech's concerned blue gaze.

"She's fading," Barricade growled. "We need to get to your base now!"

"Going as fast as I can," Sunstreaker said, no sarcasm at all in his voice, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I can't coax anymore from the engines."

"Give the controls t' me," Jazz said, nudging the yellow mech away from the pilot's chair. "I'll get us there." Adjusting a few dials, he braced himself in the chair and nodded to Barricade. "Keep her steady, this may get a bit bumpy."

Barricade locked his joints, holding himself in the corner with every ounce of strength he had. The others had barely settled in secure positions before the saboteur shoved the ship's engines into a burst of speed they had never been meant to offer. The ship's walls creaked and groaned under the sudden stress. Barricade's sensors picked up the acrid smell of burning circuits coming from the boards he had repaired, and he prayed to any god that might be listening to let the ship last until they made it back.