Darkness surrounded her. Nikki called out. Nothing answered back, not even an echo. Holding herself and looking all around, she moved forward. The chance of finding someone or something was unlikely but it was better than just standing around.

A bright light shown suddenly in the distance, dissipating the inky blackness. Nikki let go of herself to cover her eyes but it didn't take too long to adjust from the temporary blindness. Large blue crystals rose from what would be the ground if it weren't for the abyss surrounding the area. But there was something strange. The total height of the crystals was not much greater than her and there seemed to be an outline of a humanoid form in it. From what Nikki could tell, she was standing behind it. Cautiously, she stepped around to reach what was possibly the front of this form and froze at what she saw. The figure bore the shape of a familiar face.

The figure and the crystals were ripped away with a new, brighter light enveloping her and forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. Upon reopening them, she was met with Knockout's faceplate which held a bored smile.

"Wakey, wakey," he chimed, shining a handheld light in her face.

Nikki raised a hand to shield her eyes. It didn't seem to help much. The blue crystals on her arm were still allowing the miniature sun through. Wait… She shrieked with the realization that nearly her entire arm was covered in Energon.

Knockout lifted her by her clean arm, a sinister smirk crossing his faceplate. "Well, good to see you're awake now."

He set her back down as she stared at him in horror. What did he have planned for her? Knockout plucked a vial filled with green liquid from a nearby counter. He did not even have to open it for it to take effect. The crystals from Nikki's arm swam up her shoulder and neck, and then descended her side. Unable to scream, she rolled onto the opposite side of her body, the only noise leaving her lips being small, panicked wheezing. The crystals on her neck were constricting her breathing, not so much to kill her but damaging enough.

Laughing, Knockout grabbed another vial from the counter. "Interesting results. Now let's try this…"

Nikki's mouth flew open, but nothing came out. Her body convulsed as the Energon a part of her body began devouring her even quicker. Knockout pulled the vials away, and her convulsions slowed to random twitches. The pain was fading but the damage was done. Nikki's mind was nothing but a blur.

"Well, this experiment is over," Knockout mused, obviously bored now that he had some results. "It seems both the Synthetic and Dark Energon act as a catalyst. However," he poked at her. "I never did set a control group… Nor do I have the time to continue to test this theory."

He paused for effect but received nothing but a blank stare. Venting, he continued, "In other words, this 'experiment' was all for naught."

His words sunk in slowly as she regained some semblance of cognitive function. He did it all… for fun. No other reason. Just because he could. She lay there like a third degree burn victim because he wanted to see what damage he could cause. Rage welled up inside her with nowhere for it to go. She didn't dare move. She wasn't even sure she could at this point, not that it mattered. All that was left was for her to be disposed of.

Raf wandered the halls of the base, kicking his feet at the ground every now and then. He had left the main hall when Ratchet began yelling at Optimus, something none of them had seen in quite a while, and Raf did not want to be a part of that. He needed to be alone. Trying not to think about what the Decepticons were doing to his sister or even what her eventual fate would be, he sifted through his memories to find something nice.

The little scraplet popped into his mind. He looked around at the hallway. It was the same place he met that adorable creature. Then, he remembered how it almost killed his friends. Raf shook his head furiously. Why did so many memories end with his loved ones being hurt?

"Raf?"

He tensed and looked over his shoulder. It was Jack and Miko side by side.

"Hey…" Raf look at the floor. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home sleeping."

Jack shrugged. "Wasn't tired, I guess."

"We felt bad leaving you here on your own," Miko chimed in, fidgeting with hands behind her back.

Raf turned to face them and smiled weakly. "I'm fine. Really."

"No…" Jack stepped forward. "I don't th- "

An alert beeped through the base, effectively interrupting the conversation. Ratchet's voice echoed alongside it. "We've got something!"

Knockout held Nikki tightly in one servo as he left the Med Bay, on his way to open a Ground Bridge. Nikki stared blankly into space, barely able to comprehend her surroundings. The crystal growth slowed more so on leaving the makeshift lab but by then only her face was left uncovered. Even her hair had been consumed. The hair tie holding it in a ponytail had crumbled away and left her hair as a wave of semi-flexible Energon.

Doors slid open in front of them. Soundwave was off to the side working away. He made no reaction to show he had been alerted to their presence.

"Now… Where to drop you off at…" Knockout grinned as he checked the maps. "Oh~ Maybe the Antarctic? Mmm… No. It has those little black and white creatures from those movies. The fleshies seem to like them. What about…"

He continued thinking aloud, not noticing Soundwave now standing behind him. The silent mech gazed down at Nikki hanging limply in Knockout's grasp. The state that she was in… She didn't even notice the tendril that waves slowly in front of her face. Soundwave tilted his helm and pulled the tendril back as Knockout spun around dramatically on his heels.

"I just can't decide. This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make," he said with a sarcastic smile still plastered on his faceplate.

He held Nikki out in front of him, out to Soundwave. "Here. You decide since you've dealt with it the most."

With the utmost care, a tendril rose and lifted her away, Knockout leaving swiftly now that his fun was over. Soundwave examined Nikki closely. The Energon crystals were beginning to climb up her chin. Reaching out to the panel beside him, he typed in some coordinates.

Raf, Jack and Miko ran back to where the others were. Ratchet was pinging Bulkhead and Wheeljack back to the base. The kids raced up the stairs and hit the rails hard.

"Did you find her?" Raf gasped.

"It is possible this reading is Nikki," Optimus answered. "We will investigate."

The Ground Bridge opened, allowing the remainder of the crew back to the base.

"So, where do we need to go, Doc?" Wheeljack asked, hopeful that Ratchet's idea worked.

Ratchet closed and reopened the Bridge with new coordinates. "It's not far, actually. Remember the Energon mine that was around here?"

Arcee flinched. That was the last place Cliffjumper was alive. They all nodded and made their way to the Bridge. Raf went to follow them but Arcee, being the last in line, stopped him. "Wait here. It could be a false reading…"

"Or a trap," Raf finished.

She reluctantly nodded, uncertainty swelling under her chestplate. Bumblebee shut off the Bridge when Arcee made her way through. He knew he needed to stay behind for Raf's sake.

Optimus led the way through the mines with Ratchet as a close second. The tunnel opened to a small cavern picked clean of Energon. At the far end stood Soundwave. The Autobots took cover where they could, aiming their weapons at him.

"What are you doing here?" Ratchet hissed.

A tendril slowly made its way out behind Soundwave, something blue glowing in its grasp. They watched as he set it down in the middle of the cavern. Retracting the tendril, he stepped back and opened his own Ground Bridge but hesitated from moving further. The Autobots turned to each other cautiously. Ratchet removed himself from his stalagmite cover and stepped forward, his optics glued to the unmoving Soundwave. With weapons still at the ready, the rest followed suit. Ratchet reached the blue object and knelt down for a better look before scooping it up gingerly in his servos.

Optimus watched Soundwave while the rest huddled around Ratchet, confusion etched across his faceplate. Soundwave nodded before using his Ground Bridge to return to the Nemesis. Ratchet stood as the Bridge closed, staring down at his servos. At least his theory had been correct, but this wasn't quite what he expected or wanted.

A few hours had passed since the Autobots returned to base with Nikki. Raf was pacing on the platform in the main hall where most of everyone waiting while Ratchet desperately tried to help the girl. They heard Ratchet curse as glass shattered. Storming out of his lab and disappearing in the halls, Bumblebee, who had been trying to assist Ratchet, trudged behind.

Taking his chance, Raf flew down the stairs and past Bumblebee. He froze when Nikki came into view. Tears welled up in his eyes. He climbed onto the table to see her better. Maybe he was just hallucinating. He hoped he was hallucinating. He choked when he found that only her open, green eyes remained untouched. He couldn't speak. He just cried silently while looking down at his sister.

Optimus stood in the doorway, watching the scene unfold while Jack and Miko peered inside. He left the pair to find Ratchet. It was in one of the back halls where Optimus found him. He was resting his helm against a wall littered with dents, refusing to look Optimus in the optics. "She's not responding to anything," he huffed quietly.

Though he knew there was not much he could do to reassure his friend, Optimus placed a servo on Ratchet's shoulder.

"It's only a matter of time," Ratchet continued, "Before she is completely consumed…"

The doors to the vaults clanked shut.

"Is this really necessary?" Jack asked with his hands resting on Raf's shoulders to comfort him.

Optimus nodded. "If she is removed from the base, the Decepticons may reclaim her as a source of Energon. And if humans were to find her…"

"Let's just say that she's safer in there," Ratchet blurted.

Raf bit his lip. He wanted to ask if there was a chance for her recovery but was afraid of the answer. This was no a fairy tale. No amount of wishing could bring his sister back good as new. All he would have are his memories.

"May I be alone with her for a few minutes?" he asked tentatively.

The Autobots nodded and made their way down the hall. Jack and Miko were more reluctant but decided to respect his wishes, not without hugging him first.

Raf waited until they were all gone before placing his hand on the vault door while closing his eyes. He thought he could still feel her on the other side of all that metal. A tear rolled off his cheek. Looking up, he smiled softly. With that he could at least leave her the same way she left him.

At first there was nothing. Everything had gone dark again. Part of her hoped she was dead just so she would not need to feel the inevitable, tortuous pain again. Then, like before, a light shown in the distance. With nothing else in mind, Nikki made her way towards it. Despite all the books and movies that said, "Don't go towards the light," she would rather take her chances than wait alone in the abyss surrounding her. Not without caution, she continued walking towards the light that was emanating more brightly. A peculiar sense began to make its presence known as she drew closer: sound.

It was faint, but she knew she had heard something. A voice, maybe? It was becoming clearer. It almost sounded like her name. Yes. Yes, it was. But who was calling for her? It couldn't be the Decepticons. None of them had ever used her name (like they'd ever bother to learn it). The voice was much more familiar than that anyways.

The light was so close now. A blurred image appeared, wiping away the darkness. Slowly coming into focus, she found Raf was staring down at her, tears saturating his little face. Her gaze locked onto his but only for a moment. He knew though. He knew she had recognized him. With the weakest smile possible, her eyes shut, drifting out of consciousness. She had at least found some semblance of happiness in that moment. She had finally made it home.