CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN | PENULTIMATE
"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take."
~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
• • •
"The formula is almost complete." Ratchet spoke aloud, focused on the Decepticon computer. "Shovel, are you saving each piece like I told you too?"
The Vehicon nodded, his makeshift servo resting at his side as he frantically tried to keep up with his good one. "I'm doing my best!"
"I think I almost have it figured out." Rafael added. "This formula isn't really complex, it's just long and tedious." His digits flew across the keyboard alongside Ratchet, briefly moving to push up glasses that were not actually there. He played it off by scratching his faceplate, his optics carefully reading the Cybertronian Ratchet had taught him.
"And once you two masterminds finish it, we will have all the energon we may ever need!" Knock Out noted excitedly.
"With the Decepticons and Autobots united, and the Synthetic Energon formula at our disposal, we will be able to restore all of Cybertron." Optimus added, some pride in his voice.
"It will make the rebuilding process much easier." Megatron mused.
"Could you all stop vocalizing? We are trying to concentrate!" Ratchet growled.
Miko stood off to the far side with Jack, June resting in his servo, the older boy looking down at Miko with a sad smile.
"So, you're going to Cybertron, huh?"
Miko shrugged with a grin. "It'll be like studying abroad, except I'll be on a completely different planet!" She frowned a bit. "But Optimus is going to make me continue my education, since I apparently have a lot more still to learn. That's going to be boring."
"And your parents are okay with it?" June was a little in disbelief. Letting Jack go to Cybertron for Optimus was one thing, but to let him to to Cybertron to study, and perhaps live . . . She had once said that she wouldn't mind if he went to college out of state, but out of the galaxy was a big NO. Though it helped that he too wished to remain on Earth, and was not merely listening to the wishes of his mother.
"Agent Fowler put them in the loop. Did you know he speaks Japanese?"
Jack laughed, his mother joining in. "No, really?!"
Miko continued to smile. "They were a bit upset at first, but I promised to face time with my holoform so they would stay up to date." Her faceplates twisted into a slightly curious look, gazing over at where Raf sat with Ratchet, the youngest of them hunched over and working furiously. "Y'know, I'm kind of surprised Raf didn't jump at the chance to go to Cybertron."
Jack shrugged. "Well, I guess he was like me. He wants to at least try and be human again. His family was certainly happy to see him home."
"You're probably right." There was a slight pause before her lower lip plate quivered. "I'm gonna miss Earth."
Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulder plates, allowing June to pat her cheek comfortingly as he spoke. "You can always space bridge back and forth. Or take a trip on the Nemesis."
Nodding, the girl continued to sniffle. "I'll be a little homesick for a while."
"That's the bad part about traveling." Jack pulled away a bit and smiled. "It's hard to create a home away from home."
His spark thrummed in agreement, the young man glancing over to see that Megatron was giving no indication he was listening. Waking up to the idea of possessing a piece of the warlord once again was unnerving, but Ratchet was reluctant to operate again until he had a few cycles of rest. His spark had nearly collapsed, and grudgingly he had to admit that Megatron saved his life. Now their connection seemed to be stronger, or perhaps Jack was just paying more attention to the feelings and nuances of the Decepticon's inner thoughts. Nevertheless, it was rather obvious he was eavesdropping, and even admitting that Jack was right. Earth had never been considered a home to him, but it was a temporary residence he had come to accept as "home away from home."
"I got it!" Ratchet announced loudly to the multitude of Cybertronians squeezed into the lab. "Rafael, we did it!"
Knock Out was one of the first to cheer, getting a slap on the shoulder from Bulkhead (who earned a "watch the paint!" in return), Miko jumping up and down with a fist pump like she was at a metal concert. Soundwave was as silent as always, Bumblebee whirring with joy and hugging Arcee tightly, Starscream grinning with delight. Even Megatron and Optimus shared small smiles, Ultra Magnus resting heavily on his cane next to his commander.
"Upload the finish product to the database, and we will begin preparing the new Omega Lock." Shockwave spoke, not one to celebrate.
"I thought you said Me - Jack ordered its deconstruction." Ratchet pointed out.
"Did you really think we were going to follow his orders? Of course not!" Starscream's wings were perked upright in pride, having done the right thing for once.
"Then we must make haste." Optimus started stepping out of the lab. "The fastest way to revive Cybertron will be through its core. I will put in the coordinates right away."
"Soundwave, if you would activate the Space Bridge, please." Megatron commanded, his third in command following him out as he tailed Optimus. There was still trust to be had, but with the two leaders at ease almost everyone was getting along.
"So we're going home?" Shovel asked hopefully, ever at Ratchet's side.
"Yes Shovel. We're going home." Ratchet assured.
Bumblebee expressed interest in going to see the new Omega Lock work, Arcee agreeing.
"I'd like some front row seats to our planet's revival." The femme added.
"The main control module is there. It would be logical if we were to rendezvous with Lord Megatron and Optimus Prime." Shockwave looked at June. "But I would not take the human. The Omega Lock is on the external underside of the ship. If you do not want to expose her to Cybertron's potentially toxic air, it would be best to leave her on the bridge."
Jack nodded, smiling down at his mother. "We'll watch from the window," he said.
"I'll go too," Miko added with a grin. "Just in case you get lonely."
That earned her an eye-roll from at least Jack and Rafael, the pair walking to the bridge with June in her son's hand, the other Autobots striding towards the belly of the ship.
A shudder went through the Nemesis as it passed through the Space Bridge and hovered above Cybertron, Optimus guiding it to the Well of Allsparks.
"We actually did it." Ratchet spoke as he gazed down at the Omega Lock. "We are going to restore Cybertron."
"Shockwave, activate the Omega Lock!" Megatron commanded, becoming increasingly impatient as every second ticked by. Cybertron was almost restored, it was just a matter of throwing the switch.
Shockwave walked over to the main module, pressing several buttons and having Synthetic Energon flow into the feeding system as quickly as physically possible, giving the machine a rest before he activated the Omega Lock, each container discharging its Energon into the circular vortex, which glowed eerily and then filled with an unnatural light, like a clear pool of water.
Everyone, Cybertronian and human, held their breath. This was it, the moment of truth. Would it work?
Like the rest of his comrades, Bumblebee was too fixated to notice Megatron come up behind him, an odd expression on the warlord's face. On the ship, Jack felt his spark thrum with the odd feeling, grimacing a little and earning a concerned look from his mother.
Fix the wrongs you have done, and make them right.
"Megatron -" Optimus began, Jack stating the same on the ship, cut off by shock as everyone watched the massive Decepticon push the scout overboard with little effort, Bumblebee screeching in surprise and terror as he fell into the Omega Lock.
"Bumblebee!" Rafael and Ratchet cried out in unison. Megatron snapped back into reality and took several steps away from the edge, blinking in surprise and barely raising his arm to defend himself as Optimus tackled him to the ground, raising his sword to finish Megatron once and for all.
"We believed we could trust you, but you have shown us nothing but treachery!" The Prime could not help the anguish in his voice. Twice in one day, he dared to hope, but now -
"Wait, he's coming out!" Starscream pointed a clawed digit to a servo which clutched the edge. "Bumblebee did not perish!"
Megatron stared at the blade that was poised to end him, not using Optimus' distraction against him, lying still. He wanted to somehow explain himself; something had told him to push the scout into the Omega Lock below! Primus, he was certain. A feeling of confidence had nearly overwhelmed him. For some reason, he felt that he had to push Bumblebee in, to right the wrongs he had committed against the young 'bot.
What wrongs?
Bumblebee clambered out in time for Optimus to fly down and retrieve him, seeing the relief on his leader's face and letting out an angry shout.
"What's the big idea?!"
Ratchet's optics almost popped out of his helm. Impossible -
"Once I get my servos on Buckethead up there, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! What kind of sick joke was that?!" Bumblebee looked at Optimus, hoping for an explanation, but his leader simply stared.
"Bumblebee . . . Your voice." Was all he managed to say.
"My voice? What about- my voice?!" His servo flew to his vocalizers. "Ratchet! I got my voice box back!"
The medic threw a glare at Megatron. "How did you know that would work? That it would heal him?!"
"I . . . Don't know." Megatron stood, a servo going to his helm. "Your guess is as good as mine, doctor."
Bumblebee allowed Optimus to return him to the edge of the Omega Lock, the unsuspecting Ratchet getting an excited hug from the scout. It was not unwarranted, as the medic did crack the Synthetic Energon code which made this possible, but it was still a pleasant surprise.
Optimus looked over at Megatron, who was watching with an interestingly guilty expression. "Megatron, I suppose I should apologize."
"Don't. It is unnecessary." The warlord brushed it off, his pride not allowing him to take such a thing. The Prime just nodded in understanding.
After a brief moment of celebration, Bumblebee looked at his comrades with wide, sparkling optics.
"Well, what are we waiting for now?" He grinned. "Let's revive Cybertron!"
• • •
I feel like this chapter kind of sucked, so I do apologize to those of you who were kind of expecting more, or something else. I did not want to change the ending of this story too much, because I didn't want to continue this on and present less-than-stellar work just for the sake of change. So, the Epilogue will conclude this story, and I thank everyone in advance for reading!