Chapter 51 - Redemption

Optimus P.O.V

Calm. Peace. It surrounded me, embraced me.

So long, so utterly long it had been since I felt at rest – well almost. Something tugged at what passed as my consciousness or remnants of my spark. Something was missing. Someone was missing. But whom? The answer skittered just out of reach. I felt incomplete. I also felt as though there was something I had to do, something unfinished…. I could not ''think.'' I did not want to think.

I allowed myself to be wrapped up in the feeling of warmth and light and for the first time in millions of years - I surrendered. Unburdened by a crushing weight, my spark light and not weighed down with grief, fear and anger, I allowed myself to drift away.

Moments later, or possibly eons later, a sharp stabbing pain ripped through ''me,'' a blinding light, like a small sun engulfed me and carried me away from that place of peace and slammed me back into a world of pain and confusion. I felt my optics fly open in shock not only to find myself suddenly ''alive'' again, but as a great power surged through my body, electrifying my circuits, kick starting my now healed and pulsing spark.

I coughed, spluttering the remnants of sand and dirt that had found their way into my dermas. /Where had that come from?/. As I lay there for a moment, my processor kicked into gear, images flashed through my mind. The battle… that battle where Megatron had killed me. I had died. I remembered.

Something moved awkwardly off my chest back to the ground. /SAM!/. I gave a loud groan as I moved to get back to my pedes. Every joint, gear, piston and cable ached. Torn and bent metal scraped and screeched in protest as I moved my damaged frame to kneel. I truly felt as though I had gone through a massive battle and come out worse for wear.

As I knelt there, my optics focused on an equally battered body before me – Sam. He had somehow brought me back. A sense of amazement and gratitude flooded my systems, ''BOY, you returned for me!'' Sam simply looked at me with shock and amazement, even though it was he who brought me back, he could not believe it had worked and I was alive and kneeing before him.

Somewhere off to the side of me I heard an unfamiliar voice boom out, ''A living Prime!'' Coughing and spluttering, they clearly weren't well either, ''I don't believe it!''

Before I had a chance to locate who had spoken, there was an eerie boom like sound and all at once a large, menacing figure appeared before me and, in my weakened state, knocked me to the ground. He disappeared briefly before reappearing placing a pede on my chest as he reached out and, in a voice, laced with evil, malicious intent, plucked the Matrix from before me, ''My Matrix!''

That voice – /The Fallen!/. I laid there, my body, although starting to power up again, was still recovering from the massive beating it had taken, I was weak, confused and in pain.

Sam yelled out to me, scrambling towards me, 'Get up, get up!''

I could hardly move. Pain, confusion, weak. I wanted to do as Sam bid me, but my body would not obey.

Ironhide added his gruff voice to the urgent pleas, ''Get up Prime!''

I tried to move my limbs, make them cooperate but it was as though the weight of the world lay on them.

''Oh no,'' that same unknown Transformer spoke in concerned tones.

Sam called urgently to me again, I tried to roll my battered body onto my side to try and stand. ''He's got a machine. You gotta stop him. OPTIMUS!" he screamed my name in such a desperate manner that perhaps it was the fate of the world that weighed me down.

I was vaguely aware of N.E.S.T soldiers preparing to engage the enemy in a last-ditch attempt to stop The Fallen's sinister plan. The sound of heavy artillery fire and rockets launching assaulted my audials. Though it was closely followed by the sound of explosions and crashes as they were rebuffed and despatched of by the Fallen.

It was in that moment, when all seemed lost, that the large unknown Transformer, ancient in appearance, addressed me. ''All my Decepticon life, I never did a thing worth doing until now.'' I raised my helm to gaze upon him. /He was one of the oldest, a seeker from memory, though his name escaped me… Jetfire?/. ''Optimus, take my parts and you will have a power unlike any you have ever known.'' I cast my optics away. /One more spark lost in this Primus forsaken war/. ''fulfill your destiny!'' With that he reached into his chest cavity and wrenched his own spark out before collapsing to the sand below.

I tried to crawl towards this brave Transformer as Rachet began to bark orders. ''JOLT! Electrify. Transmit those after burners.'' I felt electricity course through me, bright flashes of light as pieces of metal and parts flew through the air and were integrated and fused to my armour and my body. Large guns, wings, afterburners. As the parts attached themselves to me, I felt a wave of power and strength surge through me along with a renewed and burning sense of purpose and righteous anger.

I rose to my pedes as the afterburners began to light up, I clenched my left servo in determination while the right held a massive gun. ''Let's roll!'' I called out as I took to the sky in pursuit of my quarry - /Time to finish what I started and end this!/.

I watched in vain as three fighter pilots made a final attempt to take out the machine amid a swirling belt of rocks from the crumbling Pyramids. As one of the jets exploded before me, I used the cover of smoke to make my final approach undetected.

I smashed through the rock barrier as though it were mere pebbles. Spying ''The Fallen'' standing atop his machine, I swooped in and ploughed into him, our collision destroying part of the machine and sending him flying from the pyramid. I flipped in mid-air and as I turned, I primed my gun and aimed it at the offending machine.

With a squeeze of the trigger the massive bullet found its mark – the machine shattered and exploded in a burst of blue electricity and flames. I had the satisfaction of watching it explode, knowing I had saved countless lives and this planet I now called home before gravity brought me plummeting towards the pyramid below. /Redemption/. I crashed into ''The Fallen'' as we rolled towards the ground, locked in a deadly embrace.

A loud groan was torn from my dermas as we crashed into large stone pillars below, the momentum of our fall forcing us to roll along the top of these massive, ancient pillars before crashing into the ground. We knelt for a moment facing each other.

''Die! Like your brothers!'' my enemy spat out the threat as he prepared to launch himself at me, pure hatred and revenge boiling in his optics. I immediately rose to my pedes and let off a shot into his chest, before I surged towards him. /I would NOT lose again; I would NOT allow death to take me/.

He slammed into a wall and I raced to grab his helm and punch him, ''They were your brothers too!'' I taunted him. He managed to land a punch on my faceplates and at the same time I felt something heavy jump onto my back. During our skirmish Megatron had crept up on us and was trying to take me out. I simply fired my afterburners and swept him towards the retreating form of ''The Fallen whom I grabbed and carried with me, slamming him into a wall after dislodging Megatron.

I quickly jumped off ''The Fallen'' and turned to attack Megatron, I had a score to settle. He slashed at me with his sword and cannon arm, landing a lucky shot before I seized his arm, twisting and forcing it back upon him. At that same time, a shot Megatron had intended for me, blasted him squarely in lower jaw, taking a good portion of his helm with him, sparks and wires everywhere. He screamed a title he had long since ceased using to address me, ''BROTHER!''

As he turned about to try and grab me, I let out a loud growl and knocked his arm away from me spinning around before I slashed at him with my energon blade, slicing his mangled arm from his body. I crouched down and felt my after burners transform and pivot to face Megatron, shooting a blast of energy towards him and sending him soaring through the air and crashing through a wall on the far side of the large courtyard we had been battling in. /Who is weak now brother?/, I thought triumphantly to myself before I turned on ''The Fallen'' who had since risen to his feet and was preparing to attack again.

The Fallen tried to fling great chunks of stone at me to slow my approach. I spun about to avoid one of them before bringing my energon blade down to slice and shatter the second. A bloodlust and determination tore through me. I ran at him, firing a round of shots at his face and chest before wielding my energon blade at him, feeling it tear through his faceplates and sever the digits on his left servo.

I must have overextended in my eagerness to be rid of him and he grabbed at my left arm with what remained of his left servo and brought his right servo down to punch and twist my arm. I let out a loud growl of pain, but I was not deterred. He removed his damaged left servo and grabbed hold of my helm as though trying to tear my head off in anger and hatred. At the same time, he tried desperately to tear my left afterburner from my back, quickly spinning around and slamming it into my helm and faceplates. I was momentarily knocked off balance but quickly found my footing as he brought his staff down to bare on me.

Reaching up with both servos, I grabbed the staff, twisting around as I tried to wrench it from his control. ''You picked the wrong planet!'' I managed to pull it from his grasp and, using my spinning momentum, I turned around and stabbed the staff back down and through his faceplates. I shoved him bodily up against a pillar and bent the staff back on itself about his face. ''Give me your face,'' my own voice seemed foreign to me, filled with malice and sadistic pleasure as I tore his faceplates from him. He had orchestrated my demise. He had tried to destroy this beautiful planet.

I heard with no small amount of satisfaction as my ancient, evil brother, let out an anguished scream of pain and frustration as he turned and tried to flee. /Not today/. As he sank to his knees, I stepped up behind him and without a moment's hesitation, placed my right servo on his shoulder and forcefully plunged my left servo through his back, into his chest cavity tearing his spark out of its casing and squashing it like some putrid, vile bug, before retracting my servo, and the fragments of his spark, through the gaping hole in his chest.

''The Fallen'', collapsed in a shuddering mess, a burning hole smouldering in his chest, and what remained of his face, twisted and contorted in agony and defeat. I rose confidently and proudly to my pedes, ''I RISE, you fall!'' /So many lives lost as a result of your bloodlust, greed and evil – Chase among them. OC injured, almost lost/. Though normally the use of violence and the loss of life saddened me, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction at the quivering mess that lay before me.

The sound of jet engines taking off nearby roused me from my reflections. /Starscream and Megatron, retreating like the cowards they were/. I let them go. There had been enough death and destruction for one day. Taking one last glimpse at the vanquished pile of scrap at my pedes, I turned and walked back towards my Autobots and my family.

As I stood on the crest of a large dune, looking down among the smokey piles of debris and wreckage, I could hear the faint sounds of celebration and triumphant shouts of relief and joy drift up towards me. I could see familiar faces, Sam and Mikaela hugging, their shared ordeal seeming to have brought them closer. I could feel Sam's gaze rest on me and send me silent thanks. I could see Epps, Lennox and Simmons slapping each other on the back and embracing each other in shared victory. Though as I stood there taking the moving scene in and shaking my now massive, bulky frame free of excess parts, there was one face, one figure, not among them. /My OC/.

Since my rude awakening and subsequent battle, I had not had time to think of her. Now, knowing for the moment all was well, my foes vanquished, my processor whirred back to what seemed an age ago when I was with her in the Med Bay back on Diego Garcia and her small, pale and helpless frame lay amongst the blankets. My recently healed spark seemed to ache slightly at the thought, /What has become of you my OC? Do you live? Have I saved the Earth only to lose you?/.

Despite knowing the outcome, I tried anyway. I activated my comms trying to get hold of Rachet. Static. I tried once more, closing my optics as though it might somehow aid the process, willing Rachet's voice to burst forth on the other end.

Nothing except cackling and static.

The damage sustained in my battles must have compromised my comms abilities. I allowed a very deep, spark weary ex-vent to escape my dermas. It would seem I must wait a little longer before knowing the fate of my OC. Squaring my shoulders, to once again take up the mantel of leadership and the burden it requires, I began the slow descent down to be welcomed back and greeted by those who had fought alongside me and those I call family.

As I approached them, they looked at me with grateful and appreciative eyes and optics as though their hope had their future had just been restored. While it was good to walk amongst my human and Autobot friends and allies again, my spark ached for another, one whom I did not even know if she lived or had perished.

Once the initial euphoria of victory had worn off, we immediately turned our attention to aiding the injured and stabilising them, recovering those who had been lost, aiding any civilians, clearing up and arranging transport out of here. I managed to hail my second lieutenant Jazz aside for a moment. ''Jazz, a moment of your time please.''

''Of course, Prime, gladly.'' He walked over to me a massive grin on his dermas. ''Man are you a sight for sore optics,'' his grin faded. ''Thought we'd lost ya for good Prime,'' his normally upbeat and cheery voice quietened, and a sadness momentarily flashed across his visor.

''For a moment you did my friend,'' there was no denying the truth of the matter. ''Jazz, I have been trying to get a hold of Rachet to inform him of the situation here and to check on OC.'' I felt my voice tighten slightly. Jazz considered me carefully but didn't say a word. ''With everything that has, eventuated, I have not had the chance to speak with him regarding her condition. The last I saw she was sedated and still very ill.'' I paused, forcing myself to calm my rising emotions. ''I would very much like to know her status.'' Years of practice masking my emotions allowed me to meet Jazz's gaze in a calm and authoritative manner.

Jazz allowed a small smile to form on his dermas, ''Of course Prime. I can comm Rachet right now if you like?''

I shook my helm, ''Negative Jazz. I wish to speak with Rachet and OC in person.''

Jazz nodded his helm, a small smile playing on his dermas. ''Fair enough Optimus, of course you would.'' After a moment's hesitation my second continued, ''We can arrange a satellite connection once on board the USS John C. Stennis later this afternoon. However Prime, I can inform you that as of about 24 hours ago, OC was alive. She was sedated and recovering from her ordeal.''

''Ordeal?!'' I knitted my optical ridge in confusion and a wave of trepidation swept over me. ''What ordeal Jazz? Has something happened to her as a result of the Allspark shard?'' I could not hide the growing concern from my voice.

Jazz held both of his servos out towards me in a bid to calm me. ''Easy Prime! In answer to your questions. Yes, something has happened to her as a result of her interaction with the Allspark, what exactly I don't know as Rachet would not say, only that she is not the same OC we remember.''

My processors reeled with this information. /WHAT changes? Not the same? How?/.

Jazz continued, ''And the ''ordeal'' she was recovering from was news of your death. She did not take it well Prime.'' He fixed me with a serious and penetrating gaze. ''OC cares for you so very much, Optimus. When she heard the news you had died, she nearly died herself.'' Jazz's voice trailed off.

I stood there; my dermas open in shock as I processed this disturbing news. /How could that even happen? Though we have a close friendship and care a great deal for each other, we are not bonded…/. I struggled to comprehend how OC could have had such an extreme reaction. The thought of her dying was hard enough but dying over me - as a result of me. It was more than I could bear.

After a moment I was able to speak, the words a soft whisper, ''Jazz, double our efforts here. We need to get back to base. I need to get back to base without delay.'' I managed to cast a quick glance in my second lieutenant's direction. ''As you can see, I am urgent need of repairs and if the Allspark has indeed adversely affected OC, I feel responsible for her welfare and would like to see for myself what ''changes'' have taken place, if she is well and what can be done to help her.''

Jazz opened his dermas as if to ask something but thought better of it and instead saluted me, ''Yes Prime, at once.''

As he turned to stride off and check on progress, I called out after him. ''Jazz!'' My SIC whipped back around to listen. ''Please ensure the remains of that selfless and brave Seeker Jetfire, are respectfully collected and he is given the funerary rites and honour he deserves.''

Jazz bowed his helm solemnly, ''Of course Prime. I will personally see to it.'' With a final nod of his helm Jazz turned on his pedes and strode off to carry out my orders.

I stood there for a moment surveying all around me. So much destruction, sadness and devastation. So many lives lost, our human and Autobot relationship hanging by a thread no doubt after this. Yet I could not feel defeated and smothered by the weight of it all. My lifeline, my light, was alive and waiting to see me again and selfishly, in this moment, that was all I could think about.