"Ratchet! First Aid! We need help!" Chromia cried through the base as she ran down the ramp of the transport, as Optimus and Jazz helped Ironhide down the ramp. The red mech drowsily dragged his legs across the ground, and looked up as Ratchet came up to them with a medical berth.
"Get him on, gently now." the medical officer ordered, and Optimus carefully helped his comrade onto the berth. Ironhide let out a pained grunt as Ratchet and First Aid pushed the berth down the hall, into the medical bay.
Optimus watched Chromia run after them, and he sunk to the floor, taking his head into his hands. His surrogate son and one of his beloved friends were missing, enduring Primus knows what pain.
"Optimus?" The Autobot leader looked up and saw Jazz walk up to her. "How're you holding up?"
"I just want them to be safe." he whispered, leaning his head against the wall. "Bumblebee, he's only a few meta-cycles out of his sparkling stage, he doesn't know how to defend himself - he's too young to be in a situation like this. And Elita-"
"Can handle herself." Jazz said gently, "She's tougher than you think."
"Yeah, but you know what Megatron did to Prowl back when the war first started, he was destroyed. He was left for scraps, what if he does the same to Bumblebee or Elita?"
"I guarantee you he won't hurt Bumblebee. Because he knows it'll make you angry." Optimus sighed and looked at his second lieutenant. "You've gotta relax, Prime. You out of everyone should know that Elita won't go down without a fight. Didn't you see what she did to Frenzy? She fought him off for ten klicks, that's quite a long time for someone to fight. Megatron can be ruthless to no end, but Elita-"
"Can only fight him off for so long." Jazz sighed calmly, looking at his friend. "I know Elita can handle herself, I know her. But I also know Megatron. Which is why we have to move quick and fast. Who knows what they're doing to them right now." Optimus leaned his head against the wall and closed his optics, bouncing his foot up and down rapidly.
"Prime, you've got to relax, everything will be alright. Besides, they're new prisoners, considering that we arrived not that long ago. Megatron won't do anything to them. You out of everybody should know that. And sitting here, worrying about them isn't going to help them. So let's take a moment to check up on Ironhide, calm Chromia down, and visit Wheeljack to see if he has anything that will help us. Okay?" Jazz nudged his comrade, and Optimus perked his head up.
"Okay." he whispered back as he stood to his feet, shakily walking to the hangar door. Jazz followed him into the hallway, and the two mechs saw Chromia sitting on the floor, her chin resting upon her knees.
"Hey, Mia." Jazz said, offering her a smile. He slid down next to her, gently taking her hand in his. "Has Ratchet come out yet?" Chromia lifted her head up, solemnly shaking her head.
"Not yet," she whispered, her voice a little hoarse. "I haven't heard any cussing from Ratchet, so I guess that's a good thing." she said, a small hint of optimism in her voice. Optimus sat down on the other side of her, and the femme immediatly laid her head on his shoulder plates. "I just want him to be okay." she whispered, closing her optics.
"He will, I promise." Optimus whispered to her, leaning his cheek into her head. "You really think he's gonna let the Decepticons outlive him? This is Ironhide we're talking about, the most hard-headed, stubborn mech I've ever met." Chromia looked up at him. "He'll be okay. And so will Elita and Bee." Jazz smiled to himself, proud that his message got into Optimus' thick processor.
The three Autobots sat there in the hallway for a few klicks, and at one point, both Chromia and Optimus drifted into a recharge, while Jazz sat with a datapad in his hands, trying to pinpoint the Decepticon base. He heard the door to the medbay open, and the silver mech looked up, seeing Ratchet walk out.
"Ratchet!" Jazz said with relief, and he bumped his elbow into Chromia, who jolted up quickly. The blue femme looked up at Ratchet, and she nudged Optimus, whose optics flew open.
"Is he okay?" Chromia asked as she and Optimus stood up, facing the medical officer.
"He'll be just fine, the blast didn't leave any permanent damages, just a slight processing malfunction, but luckily I was able to fix it. He'll be up on his feet in a few groons." Ratchet said, walking up to Optimus Jazz, and Chromia with a datapad in hand. "So, what's the move then? Have you been able to locate the base yet?"
"Not yet, but Jazz is trying to locate it, so soon hopefully." Chromia said quietly, keeping her optics glued onto the floor.
"Well, so far I have an estimated region where it might be, but we're gonna have to send out a drone or something." Jazz said as he quickly stood up,
"Primus, Bee must be so scared right now." Optimus sighed deeply, as he guided Ratchet, Jazz and Chromia to Wheeljack's lab, where the Autobot inventor sat at his desk, his head on the table.
"Wheeljack, we need your help." Optimus said tiredly, wiping a hand down his face. Wheeljack lifted up his head, tiredly wiping his optics.
"What can I do for you?"
"We need one of your drones," Chromia said, folding her arms. "preferably one that can camouflage, so it can't be picked up by Decepticon tech." Wheeljack stood up and walked over to a supply cabinet that sat in the corner of his lab, rummaging through the shelves.
"Lucky for us, I designed this thing a few decacycles, tested it and everything." Wheeljack said as he pulled a small white drone out. Optimus perked up, watching carefully as the inventor placed it on the lab table.
"And it works? Camouflage and everything?"
"Yep. Tested it out on the twins when they were sparklings. Used to fly it when they were recharging, and surprisingly didn't wake them up. Even passed the security system we had set up in their room." Wheeljack explained as he grabbed a screwdriver, tweaking a few spots on the mechanism. Chromia and Jazz glanced at each other, darting their optics back to Wheeljack.
"Can it survive long-distance?" Optimus asked, bouncing his leg up and down nervously. "Like, if we send it out to the base, would it survive the long journey?"
"Yeah, it can go out in all weather conditions, except during heat waves. That's when things go eerie." the Auotbot shuddered slightly, shaking his head at the sudden memory. "Anyways, it should be good, but let me give it a little test run."
Reaching under his lab table, the inventor pulled out a small controller, with a couple of buttons and two joysticks. Wheeljack plugged the controller into one of the many datapads that sat on the table and flicked one of the switches, bringing the drone to life.
"Let's visit the medical bay, see if First Aid is actually doing his job." Ratchet frowned at the comment, and all Autobots kept their optics locked onto the datapad. "Ratchet, lock the medbay."
The medical officer did as told and placed all the security systems on from his datapad, watching as Wheeljack began to control the drome, lifting it off the table and out of the room. Chromia and Optimus watched carefully from the table as the drone made its way into the med bay, bypassing the security system that Ratchet initiated.
"Primus, it actually works," Ratchet said, completely bewildered.
"I'm not even offended, Ratchet, I know how your old mind works." Wheeljack said, ignoring the death glare that the medical officer was giving him.
"So it works? That means we can send it in the field to find the Decepticon base?" Optimus said, standing up. His voice wavered with anxiety and desperation as Wheeljack guided the drone back into his lab, placing it on the table.
"Yeah, I just have to insert the camouflage chip, and we should be good to go." Wheeljack muttered as he pried open a small compartment on the drone, inserting a small chip with a pair of nippers, hearing a small click.
"Let's pray to Primus that we find it soon," Chromia whispered, bringing her entwined hands to her chest. Optimus wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to his body, and she grabbed his fingers, lightly grasping his fingers.
All the Autobots in the lab carefully watched as Wheeljack controlled the drone, driving the mechanism out of the base, into the cloudy outdoors. The inventor watched carefully with his optics as he guided the drone a ways away from the base, searching over the sandy terrain.
"Their base is about fifty miles south of base, so I'll just head that way until we get anything in view." Optimus subconsciously tightened his hold on Chromia, feeling his spark pound against his chest. Wheeljack kept his optics completely focused on the screen, moving his hands swiftly across the control board.
Silence filled the lab as Ratchet, Optimus, Jazz and Chromia stared at the screen, anxiously waiting for something to pop up. More desert terrain kept popping up on the screen, and Chromia shook slightly, from anxiety and nervousness.
"Holy Primus," Wheeljack said, his blue optics wideneding. Upon the screen, Decepticon soldiers were piling into their own base, and as Wheeljack flew above the base, he could tell the Autobot base was just a little bit better.
"It's actually there," Optimus whispered in disbelief, his optics completely locked on the screen.
"Can you get in?" Chromia asked, breaking away from Optimus' grasp. "Can you see if they're still alive?"
"I can tell, I'm picking up two energon forms. One is coming from little Bumblebee, which is strong, his health forms are completely normal."
"What about Elita?"
Wheeljack looked at his screen, gulping thickly. "I'm picking up an energon form, but her health forms are weak. Ratchet, come take a look at this," The medical officer quickly moved beside the inventor, taking a glance at the screen.
"Her energon signal is weak, her vitals are slowly falling - you need to get out there now, or Primus knows what'll happen."
Optimus didn't need to be told twice. Immediately, he looked at his comrades, determination covering his anxiety. "We have to stay small in numbers, I want Jazz, Chromia, and Prowl."
"I'll send for Prowl." Jazz said, quickly exiting the room.
"Count me in too," A familiar voice startled the Autobots, and they all looked to the doorway, seeing Ironhide standing up straight, a determined look on his face.
"Ironhide," Chromia smiled and ran over to her sparkmate, wrapping her arms around his neck. He returned the gesture, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Primus, I was so worried about you." she whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"I'm fine, my love. I promise." Ironhide whispered back, cradling the back of her head. "We've more important things to worry about. Like Lita an Bee. We've got ourselves a rescue mission to complete." Optimus walked up to them just as Chromia pulled away, the Prime patting the weapon specialist's shoulder.
"We're bringing them home."
The coldness of the cell made it hard for Elita to fall into a recharge. The femme weakly looked around the room, looking at the guard that stood at the door. Shakily, she brought the recharging youngling that was in her arms closer to her body, feeling a sense of protectiveness swarm her. The little bot mumbled and furrowed deeper into Elita's chest, wrapping his little arms tighter around her.
The coldness of the room didn't help her injuries whatsoever. She still felt a burning sensation from her circuitry, and she guessed that it was her systems that were beginning to shut down. Elita laid her head against the wall, squeezing her optics tightly, ignoring the pain that seared all around her body.
One thing was for certain: she was definitely not leaving here conscious. She knew she was gonna get called back in, she knew she was going to withhold the information that Megatron needed, and she knew she would get severely hurt. But she made a promise to Optimus that she would protect Bumblebee, even if it meant she had to sacrifice herself.
"So what's your relation to Prime, huh? Are you his sparkmate? Are you the mother of his sparkling? Are you in love?" A voice tore her away from her thoughts as she weakly looked ahead, seeing Barricade and Shockwave stand in front of her cell.
"Why do you care?" Elita retorted back in a raspy voice, feeling her voice start to give out. That was the first sign of her systems failing. "Shouldn't you be bowing at your master's feet?"
"I'm just curious as to why you're such an important asset to Prime. I know why he is," Shockwave said as he looked to Bumblebee, and as Elita followed his stare, she felt herself begin to hold him tighter subconsciously. "he was rescued by Prime when he was a sparkling."
"And I'm just curious as to why you care so much." Annoyance filled her voice, and she flickered her optics down at Bumblebee, who had begun to wake up. "Hey," she whispered, watching as the youngling stretched his arms, frowning when he looked around. "how was your recharge?"
Bumblebee tiredly wiped his optics, looking at Elita. "I just want to go home."
"I know, we'll be back at base before you know it. I promise." Elita whispered to him, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "We'll be out of here before you know it."
Barricade watched the interaction between the femme and youngling, and he felt a feeling of sorrow build up in his chest. He glanced over at Shockwave, seeing him type into the datapad that he had in his hand.
"Megatron will be wanting to interrogate her again, this one will be far more damaging. I don't think someone as small as you would be able to handle the pain." Shockwave looked at Elta with his singular red optic. "Word of advice: just give in so you can have a quick, painless death."
The pink femme glared at him, clutching the youngling closer to her body, keeping her eyes locked on the purple mech. "I'm not telling him anything." Barricade watched closely as Elita rubbed her fingers up and down the younglings back affectionately, in hopes to calm down the frightened mech.
He tried pushing down the guilt that was gnawing at him from the inside, but he couldn't shake the thoughts. He looked at Bumblebee, seeing the youngling lean into the femme affectionantely, and he growled to himself.
"Keep an eye on her. Megatron wants Frenzy and you in here to watch the young one. I'll be right back." Shockwave said, glaring at Elita one last time before quickly striding out of the room.
"Look," the mech said, coming up to the bars of the cell. "I can't do anything about your interrogation, but I can promise that he'll be okay." Elita looked skeptical at him, arching her brow up.
"What?"
"The youngling. Frenzy wants to get at him, but I can promise you that I won't let him." Barricade said, frantically looking back at the door.
"How do I know you're not lying?" Elita asked, looking at the Decepticon uneasily. "Decepticons are known for not keeping their word, and aren't you Megatron's second in command or something?" Barricade shook his head.
"That's Starscream and Soundwave. It doesn't matter what my status is to Megatron. What's important is that," He pointed to Bumblebee. "that youngling will stay safe."
Elita looked down at the youngling that sat in her lap. She didn't know whether or not to trust her mind or her gut. She didn't trust Barricade at all, but she needed Bumblebee to be safe, no matter if it cost her her spark. Bumblebee looked up at her with his innocent baby blue optics as his bottom lip started to quiver slightly. The youngling reached his small hand up and touched the cut that was on her cheek, looking at her with a frightened look.
"Do you swear?" Elita asked quietly, not tearing her gaze away from the youngling. She was starting to feel the feeling of guilt for even considering trusting the enemy.
"I swear on Primus. He won't have a single scratch on him." Elita looked up, slightly nodding. "He'll be safe, I promise."
The door opened back up again, and Shockwave sauntered in, Frenzy following him closely. "Megatron wishes to see you again." the purple mech said with evil delight, grabbing the pair of cuffs that she had the previous night.
Elita watched as the door was opened, and Bumblebee was torn out of her grasp. "Hey! Careful with him, Megatron said that if anything happens to him, it's our heads that he's gonna get." Barricade said, watching as Shockwave forcefully grabbed the femme, clasping the cuffs on her wrists. Elita grunted as she was forced onto her feet, and she staggered out of the cell.
"Lita!" Bumblebee called out to her as the small bot ran to the bars of the cell, holding his little arms out. Elita tried to turn around, but the moment she did, Shockwave pressed the button that sat on the bonds, and electric shocks were sent throughout her body once more.
A painful cry escaped her lips as her knees buckled, and she fell onto the floor. Shockwave smirked at the Autobot and dragged her out of the room, and down the halls of the dark Decepticon base, leading her into a large room, different from the day before. Shockwave threw her down on the stone cold ground, and Elita tensed up, bracing herself for the pain she was about to endure.
"I hope you have thought about our previous conversation." The familiar deep voice rang through the room, and Elita looked up to see Megatron slowly walk up to her. "Leave us." Shockwave nodded his head and bowed slightly, leaving the dark leader alone with the femme.
"I don't care what y-you do to me." Elita said in between pained gasps, looking up at Megatron. He snarled and reached his large grey hand downwards, grabbing her by the throat, bringing her close to his face. She clawed at his arms with her bounded hands, but she couldn't pry his fingers off from around her neck.
"I bet you'll care when I snap your delicate neck in his hand." Megatron growled, watching as Elita tried kicking her legs at him. He retracted his arm back for a slight second, and threw Elita across the room, hitting her head and body hardly against the wall.
The pink femme groaned weakly as she tried to push herself up, but collapsed once more. Megatron watched with an evil smirk as he slowly walked over to her, kneeling down in front of the imprisoned Autobot.
"All Autobots must be the same then. Stubborn, thick-processor," He grabbed her face roughly, his fingers scraping into her cheek. "weak." Elita let out a pained whimper as she felt Megatron squeeze her face. "I'll give you one last chance to tell me where your base is located."
The Autobot officer shook her head slightly. "N-No," she whispered faintly, which angered the dark lord even more. He dropped her face from his hand and stood up, glaring down at her as he did so. He kicked her hard in her midsection, and the femme curled up, squeezing her optics tightly. She let out pained groans and shaky breaths, and she shook slightly.
"W-What do y-you think you'll g-get out o-of this?" Elita questioned weakly, pushing her body up. "I-If I d-die, that doesn't m-mean anything." Megatron nodded his head, looking around the vacant room as he grabbed the small clicker, and Elita let out an exasperated sigh. She braced herself, and it only took a few astroseconds for Megatron to click the small button.
The shocks this time were stronger and more painful, more electric currents were sent through her body. She let out a piercing scream as she twitched and shook vigorously, and as he shocked her, explosions rang throughout the base, alarming Megatron. The dark lord looked around confused, and his optics found the barely conscious femme, his dark red optics turning into fury.
"You led them here, didn't you?!" Megatron yelled as he pressed on the button again, and all Elita could do was moan weakly. He growled and sped walked over the the femme, and his large hand found its way around her neck, lifting her up against the wall. "I'll kill you for this." he snarled. Angrily, he held her roughly against the wall and pulled back his arm, transforming it from a hand into a long, sharp knife.
Just as he was about to pierce the sword into her spark, an explosion erupted in the room, causing Megatron to transform his hand back to its regular form. Smoke filled the entire room, and the evil mech squinted his optics as he saw a familiar blue and red mech emerge from the smoke, a blaster pointed directly at his chest.
"You have five astroseconds to let her go, or I swear to Primus I'll shoot you dead."