Hey guys! You get one more chapter before school :D enjoy it!

Shout Outs!:

Don't judge me I'm a Fangirl

Dying of fluffiness is good right? XD There's not a whole lot of fluff in this or the next chapter, though, watch out, fluff bomb coming your way in Darkmount and those episodes ;)

.char

thank you! here's another :)

Adby1

I won't, i promise, i can't say the same though on how you will take it :} but don't be scared, nothing too horrid will happen-wait, that come out right*cough, cough* making a sequel*Cough cough*

Guest

I'm glad, sorry i made you lose sleep but I'm glad it was that good! :D yes i am planning to finish the series and the movie...I'll also be making a sequel, though that's a ways off but yeah!

Cashagon

I think he can to, just lowers the intimidation factor a bit

*pats pocket's* I found that walking in...I don't tend to carry cash-no pun intended-with me unless I absolutely know I'm going to get something, and that was kinda unexpected. Uh, I have a couple of mechanical pencils in my front pocket...sketch/note book in my back pocket *opens lunch sack* Uh...Turkey sandwich? that's all i got...i can also offer you another chapter? i know, this doesn't cover the price of a window...

tayla

XD

Seeker3

ya think? But it's cute! XD :)

Jemina sat on the couch while Optimus decoded, messing around with her powers. When she had been recuperating when she figured out how to combine her different abilities, much to Ratchet's chagrin, and found out how to make rough sort of hologram by bending the light and altering its frequencies. She didn't do anything much at this point, just annoy Ratchet really when she had been recuperating. Optimus suddenly turned, "Autobots, the next Iacon coordinates have been decoded. Ratchet, ready the ground bridge."

Ratchet put in the coordinates when Smokescreen said, "Last one to the Omega Key has to scrub the Energon tank for a week."

Arcee glared and turned to Bee, "Didn't know we were keeping score."

Optimus heard everything and added, "Arcee, Bumblebee, prepare to roll out."

:Cool! I hope it isn't too hard to grab.:

"Wait, what about me?" Smokescreen asked surprised as Bulkhead scoffed, "I mean, me and Bulkhead."

"The two of you will remain here in the event I'm able to decode a subsequent database entry before the others return."

Ratchet agreed, "Optimus is right, considering the very fate of Cybertron is at stake, response time is critical." He finished and activated the bridge.

"Keep your engines idling kid. Come on Bee, destiny awaits." Arcee finished mockingly.

Bulkhead walked over, "We call it a pit stop. We'll get back in the race."

Jemina suddenly looked up after the two left, eyes wide, dang it! We're gonna lose the key! Mentally she cursed herself for not having paid more attention to what was being said as she jumped off the platform and landed quite softly in her Cybertronian form. She looked worriedly at the ground bridge for a moment before Arcee commed, "*We need a bridge.*"

Ratchet opened one and Arcee and Bee came in limping a bit, "What happened?!" Ratchet yelled as he started patching Bee up, him being the worst.

Arcee looked up at Optimus as he walked over, "I'm sorry Opitmus. Knockout was there, waiting for us. Seems the 'cons are improving their decoding skills."

Ratchet turned, "And it seems that with two keys already separated, no one currently possesses the means to revive Cybertron."

"While our quest to restore our planet may have reached a stalemate, securing the remaining keys is still the most prudent course of action." Optimus advised.

Smokescreen looked wistful, "Man, it must have been crazy with Knockout going all sonic. Oh, I wish I'd been there."

Jemina glared and growled quietly, "I can give you a taste if you want."

Smokescreen suddenly didn't look so excited when Optimus pulled her close and said, "Having been on the receiving end of a subsonic wave, be grateful you were not."

Jemina looked guilty when Bulkhead nodded, "Look kid, Arcee and Bumblebee are no slouches. And Opitmus managed just fine for eons without the big sword. Of course, you wouldn't know about that, you've been locked in stasis the whole time we've been fighting this war."

"Exactly, and I'm ready to make up for lost time." Smokescreen argued.

Jemina spoke having regained some composure, "Smokescreen, what he means is they've gained battlefield experience while you've been napping. They've also been together as a team for far longer than you've been here. Those two combined with the absolute necessity of regaining these keys means you and I will be on the sidelines a lot until they're secured. Isn't reviving your planet more important than any one of our personal tallies? There will still be plenty of chances after Cybertron is restored."

Bulkhead agreed saying and looking at Optimus, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Smokescreen looked deep in thought as they all broke up a bit while Optimus decoded. Jayce got up from the table he'd been drawing at and ran to Bee as he was cleared, talking up a storm while he did so and showing him a picture. A few hours later Optimus decoded another set of coordinates, "The next coordinates are ready."

"There remains one set left to decode." Ratchet said happily.

Bulkhead walked over, "On it boss."

"I'm gonna bring back that key." He then stopped and looked at the ground when he saw Arcee's look.

Jemina looked at Optimus curiously when he shook his head, "I would prefer that you remain here." She nodded understanding while he went back to work decoding the final set of coordinates.

Jemina suddenly looked up and asked, "Where are the kids?"

Arcee answered, "Jack had to work late, Raf's moving into his new house, and Miko had some kind of online update with her parents back in Tokyo."

Jemina nodded, "Ah."

"*Ratchet, we need a bridge.*" Bulkhead and very glum Smokescreen came back, "Smokescreen was sucker-punched. Could have happened to any of us."

Smokescreen finally blew his top, "But it didn't because I was the one who dropped his guard. I was the one who blew it. Some great warrior I'm turning out to be."

"You still don't get it do you?" Arcee asked annoyed, "A couple of victories aren't gonna make you a legend. And not every mission results in success, not for me, not for Bee, not even for Opitmus. We've gained relics and we've lost some. We've also lost friends. We've even lost a world. But this is one time we get a do-over, we have a chance to bring back Cybertron and everyone in this room needs to be in sync. This isn't about you or your destiny."

Jemina wanted to tell Arcee to stop venting at Smokescreen but knew it needed to be done if they wanted to get the one key back from Megatron. Optimus spoke instead, "Arcee, you have made your point."

Arcee objected, "Optimus, he needs to hear this. You might actually become a great warrior one day, and I sincerely hope you do, but greatness begins and ends with putting the team first. Not your personal scorecard."

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you guys." Smokescreen said trying to keep his voice calm.

Arcee shot back, "Then stop trying to be a hero and start being an Autobot."

Smokescreen looked over at Optimus and subsequently Jemina who was looking to the side while the former was just watching with a neutral face. Smokescreen turned around and transformed, "You know what? Maybe I'm just not good enough."

Ratchet took a few steps forward, "Next time Optimus advises you stop, perhaps you should listen."

"I'll bring him back." Bulkhead said walking towards the hallway.

Optimus stopped him, "Smokescreen is young Bulkhead and has much to learn. But right now he needs to clear his thoughts, and I need to finish decoding the final Iacon entry." He worked for a couple minutes longer until the computer beeped, "Ah, the final Iacon entry has been decoded."

"Has it?" Ratchet asked looking at the screen.

Optimus looked curious and confused, "Hmm, perhaps it's a layer of secondary encryption."

"Maybe it's a picture of the relic." Bulkhead suggested.

"Of what possible use could that be to us without knowing its location?" Ratchet asked heatedly.

"I trust that Alpha Trion had his reasons." Optimus said flatly.

The computer finally formed the image and Bulkhead cried out surprised, "Smokescreen?"

"Is this that hotshot's idea of a joke?" Arcee asked frowning.

:I don't think so.:

"Maybe he knows where the key is." Bulkhead tried to reason.

Arcee turned around, "And never bothered to mention it?"

"A more likely possibility is that Smokescreen himself is the key, without knowing it." Ratchet argued.

Optimus spoke up, "Whatever the case, he could be in grave danger. Smokescreen, return to base immediately."

When Optimus received no answer Ratchet said, "He may have deactivated his com link."

Optimus turned and said quickly, "Locate his position and prepare the ground bridge."

"I have it Opitmus! Opening bridge now." Ratchet called out.

Opitmus, Arcee, Bee, and Bulkhead ran through while Jemina and Ratchet watched them go. The group came back in a second later, Opitmus looking upset, "Do you have any way to locate Smokescreen?"

Ratchet looked at the screens, "He would have been taken aboard the warship, with its shielding it will be impossible to locate him."

Optimus nodded, "Continue monitoring all frequencies Ratchet. Far more than Smokescreen's fate may be at stake."

"I…don't get it." Bulkhead said, "How could Smoke be an Omega Key?"

It melded with his systems? Jemina thought sarcastically as Ratchet answered, "Perhaps he isn't the key, but its container."

"The other Iacon relics were sent to Earth in pods…why not this one?" Arcee asked.

"When the Decepticons stormed Iacon it may have been too late for Alpha Trion to launch the final Omega Key into space…at least, by standard means." Opitmus explained.

Arcee put it together, "So Smokescreen assumed everything went black because he was hit by Decepticons-"

"But Alpha Trion's the one who actually turned out the kid's lights." Bulkhead finished.

Optimus nodded, "It stands to reason that my mentor did not want Smokescreen to know what he was carrying in the event of capture."

Arcee added, "And with a mobile relic Alpha Trion couldn't possibly supply fixed coordinates."

"So the big A slipped us a clue instead-Smoke's mugshot." Bulkhead agreed.

Ratchet sighed, "But the Decepticons got to Smokescreen first. I fear they have decoded the same clue."

:Hey guys…there was only one entry left, right?:

"What do you mean Bumblebee?" Ratchet asked.

Bee pointed to the screen where the image was reconfirming into words, "What?" Optimus asked, Alpha Trion had said nothing about this in the message.

A few seconds later a single, simple sentence appeared. Jemina looked at it for a second before translating it in her mind as it was written in Cybertronian…Utilize it Crystal. Her eye's widened slightly but her back was to everyone so no one saw and she regained her composure quickly. Bulkhead was the first to ask, "Whose Crystal?"

"How do you know it's a who instead of a what?" Arcee asked, just as dumbfounded.

Ratchet turned to Optimus, "Do you any idea of what he meant?"

Optimus shook his helm, "I haven't the faintest…"

"Well that's great, how are we supposed to restore Cybertron when we're missing some stupid crystal that does how knows what." Arcee fumed.

Bulkhead put in, "Maybe it's what power's the keys."

"In any event we do not know. We can only hope that it will find its way to us and not to Megatron." Optimus concluded.

Jemina climbed up to the platform and sat next to her brother, a million thoughts swirling through her mind. Should she tell them now? Should she wait until they go to Cybertron? The computers beeped and a life signal came online, "Smokescreen's signal, it's back online!" Ratchet exclaimed as he got to work pinpointing it.

"The kid escaped the warship!" Bulkhead cheered.

"*Smokescreen to base, I could really use a ground bridge.*"

"I can't lock onto his position." Ratchet growled.

Jemina looked at the screen, "Why does it look like the little blip is falling?"

Ratchet looked at it again, "Oh…he's freefalling! Smokescreen, I am opening the ground bridge directly below you."

"*Brace yourselves, I'm gonna make an entrance.*"

"He's…off course."

Arcee asked upset, "You missed?!"

"No, Smokescreen missed it, that movement wasn't natural." Jemina interjected.

Bulkhead pointed to the computer, "Open another one, fast!"

The blip hit the ground, "No!" Ratchet breathed.

"*Hey Ratchet, I could still really use that really use that ground bridge.*" Smokescreen whispered.

Everyone breathed in relief when he came in, "Did I tell you? Destiny. Alpha Trion knew I'd keep it safe." Smokescreen said as he gave Optimus the two keys.

Arcee looked downright ticked before she smiled, "Nice work kid."

:There was only two keys? And we have one…but we need four. Where's the other?:

"It was the only key in Megatron's vault." Smokescreen explained.

Opitmus held the keys, "Then three keys are accounted for."

"Then the fourth is still somewhere on the 'cons warship." Bulkhead growled.

Arcee didn't look so sure, "Unless…Megatron never had it to begin with?"

"But who would have it?" Bulkhead asked.

The other's shrugged when Smokescreen asked, "Hey, you guys wouldn't happen to know about a crystal, would you?"

"You mean Megatron doesn't have it?" Arcee asked.

"Nah, he was grilling me about it but I had honestly never heard about one that went with Omega Keys. Shoot, I never knew of the Omega Keys till you guys did."

Optimus nodded, "Then we at least know that it is not within Megatron's grasp." His adios picked up light breaths and he turned and saw Jemina asleep on his shoulder again. He frowned half way and nudged her awake.

She opened a tired eye, "What?" Jemina asked and came out as a bit of a growl.

"When we the last time you went into recharge?"

She shrugged, "I kind forgot with all the excitement."

Ratchet frowned, "Go to your room and get some rest. I swear, you are the most forgetful person when it comes to your own wellbeing."

Jemina switched her forms and mumbled walking out, "How many nights have I fallen asleep on my computer or notebook writing, art book, or falling asleep on top of a different book I'm just reading?"

Ratchet just glared at her, "Sounds a lot like another mech I knew at the Iacon Hall of Records."

Optimus looked at the ceiling and walked a few steps away to the computer. Smokescreen stifled a laugh as Arcee asked, "What does that mean?"

Ratchet and Smokescreen looked at each other before Ratchet answered, "Orion Pax tended to forget the same things, there was more than one night were Alpha Trion was practically dragging him to bed to get some rest, I remember Elita was that way to when she found something exciting. Oh, with the two of them together and it was almost impossible to get them to get some recharge."

Smokescreen did snicker a bit, "I remember Alpha Trion telling me about some of those-nights. He said those were always long nights of trying to get Orion away from those computers."

Jemina leaned tiredly on her berth about ready to call it a day, really she had been up for two days straight with only an hour cat nap-but being part Cybertronian she didn't get as tired like she did before. Just before she closed her eyes a thought struck her, Starscream! He was coming. She jumped up immediately, her powers giving her an energy boost, and ran for the main room. Peeking inside she saw the ground bridge open. She didn't know whether or not Starscream had come in yet and ran for the storage vault. Finding it intact she spread out her powers so she would hopefully sense if he was coming then opened it and grabbed the keys, replacing them with her own fuzzy holograms. She closed the door and felt a strange energy coming and knew without a doubt who it was. She immediately bent the light around her and became invisible.

A sudden blast made her stumble and nearly loss the grip she had on the keys but did make her lose focus on the light around her. Her eyes glowed for a second as she felt like she was grasping some other energy subconsciously, or draining it. She saw Starscream exiting the room with an obvious snarl, "You!" He shouted as he ran towards her, only for her to manage to step out of the way a second before he reached her, "What?! How could you have known I was coming at you?"

She was wondering that herself. Both missed her optics glowing and Starscream's systems depleting of its red Energon far quicker than should have been. He attacked again but as she could only dodge she could do little to defend herself, the keys taking up most hand room. He swiped and she barely dodged as an idea came to her. The second she had an inch of breathing room she grabbed one of the keys and threw it like a javelin at his wing. It hit dead center and he cried out in pain as he reached out for the key she threw only to be kicked away as she grabbed it. "No more games." Starscream hissed before he fired off his other missile and it hit the floor just to the side of Jemina and threw her against the wall.

She hit it with a grunt and lost hold of the keys and Starscream picked them up instantly and ran, Jemina right behind him. He let out a small shriek as he saw Arcee almost done closing the ground bridge and jumped through it a second before it was fully closed, trapping Jemina in the base. She frowned then huffed, well…she tried, she really did, maybe it was for the best he got away.

Smokescreen stepped forward completely confused, "When did you get in here?! And how did you get over there without me seeing you?"

She shrugged as Arcee opened a bridge for the others, "Opitmus?" Arcee asked hesitantly.

"Starscream, has all four Omega Keys now." He said looking down. Ratchet walked over to the computers and shut off the sprinklers as they all grabbed towels and began drying things off. A couple hours later they were finished, but Opitmus was still very upset.

Jemina sighed, he needed some good news right now…"Optimus, can I talk to you, alone?"

He looked slightly surprised but nodded and they went up to the roof where dawn was breaking. She sat at the edge and Optimus joined her before he asked, "What were you doing in the main room?"

"I felt the red Energon when Starscream came in and tried to keep him from getting the keys…"

"Oh, I guess we all failed in that respect."

She leaned on his shoulder, "I think some things were meant to happen for a reason and nothing we could do would change that…no matter how hard we try." She muttered the last part.

Optimus looked out across the horizon, "Is this what you wanted to talk about?"

"Hm? No, it's-it's about the Crystal message."

He suddenly looked up, "Do know of its location? Did Alpha Trion tell you?"

He at least sounded a bit happier and she nodded, "Yes, I know of its exact location."

He smiled faintly, "Then all is not lost."

"It was never completely lost as long as we kept trying."

"Where is it, I assume if you told me then you are allowed to tell me of its location? Was there a reason you kept this a secret from me?" Optimus asked.

Jemina sighed and smiled slightly, "Is there a reason you haven't told the others yet about the Omega Lock, the Keys are useless without something to unlock."

"How did you know about that? Alpha Trion only just connived it too me in the message from the Star Saber." She looked at him knowingly, "He told you while you were on Cybertron? But, why?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, he just told me not to tell anyone until he said so, and that included you."

Optimus nodded, "Alpha Trion has his strange ways I suppose…you said you know of the location of the crystal?"

Jemina stifled a laugh, "You guys all talk about it like she's a thing."

"Well he did say it was a…wait, she?" Optimus started then stopped.

Jemina nodded, "She. Optimus, when Alpha Trion gave me the A-3 Key that changed me into a Cybertronian, it had/has a second purpose…to guide the energy beam from the Omega Lock to restore Cybertron. Crystal is not a thing, it is the name Alpha Trion gave when we met."

Optimus' optics were wide as he took in the information, she had known all this this whole time!? His intake sounded like a heavy sigh and Jemina spoke again, "Optimus, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just-I couldn't...I-"

Optimus stopped her, "I understand, there are many secrets which I carry also, do not try to explain." Jemina sighed gratefully as he pulled her in close. He then smiled and began tracing her wings and she slumped a bit more into him and purred softly. Optimus traced her wings for another few minutes before her intakes took on the regular rhythm of recharge. Sighing he held her close as he thought about what she had kept hidden for so long, the other thought on his mind was, is there anything else she's hiding from us, from me?

Hehe, it's done! for now. Reveiw and tell me your thoughts!