Chapter 78 – The Phoenix awakens

Phoenix P.O.V

I slowly open my optics, trying to allow for the brighter light after being unconscious for Primus knows how long. I shutter my optics a few times and I listen to the beeping of various machines as they monitor my vitals. There are no blaring alarms, so I assume all is well.

''Ra… Rachet?'' I hear my own voice weakly call out, searching for my friend, expecting to see him loom into my sight at any moment to check on his patient. ''Prime? Where are you?'' I expected to at least see Prime sat beside me to greet me after my operation. /Note to self to take this up with him as poor form in the ''newly formed relationship'' guidelines, Prime or not/.

Nothing. No one.

''Rachet? Where are you?'' I start to push myself up into a sitting position on the gurney. I look down at my left forearm and can't help the smile spread across my dermas as it looks as good as it did before that bastard shot me. I flex my servo to check it works. Check. Looking around carefully I then unsheathe my sai which slides out immediately. Check. Rachet is a genius.

With a satisfied grin I put my weapon away and look around the med bay. /This is most unusual for Rachet to not be around when a patient comes out of sedation? He is always hovering nearby, ready to welcome them back and talk them through the procedure and what they need to do to aid recovery/.

I begin to feel a cold coil of worry twist itself about my spark and a heavy feeling settles in the pit of my tanks. I slide off the gurney slowly and take a few tentative steps on my pedes. I am slightly shaky but am soon able to move around fairly confidently. ''Rachet! Come on mate, where are you? This isn't funny now. Stop playing silly buggers.'' Nothing. Silence. ''Prime?''

I walk towards the med bay door and punch in the code. Exiting into the hall I notice how devoid it is of action and beings. Neither human nor Transformers appear to be milling around. /Something is not right here/.

I begin to walk towards the main hanger and comms room. Perhaps Prime is there? Suddenly I freeze on the spot. The last time I saw Prime he was going to talk to Sentinel to try and convince him to abandon his unholy alliance with the Decepticons. Did he…. Was he…. I felt my spark tighten painfully and I caught my ''breath.'' ::PRIME? WHERE ARE YOU?:: I tried to comm him. No response. Static.

My energon froze in my lines and I heard a faint choked sound forced out of my dermas. I began to run in the direction of the comms room. I needed answers NOW!

I burst into the room and was greeted with a flurry of activity. People running about here and there, every monitor was on. Voices were strained and very serious. I heard Lennox and Morshower's voices and I saw Director Mearing and Simmons! I hadn't seen him since I first met the Autobots. I had heard of him and how Sector 7 was shut down. I knew of his involvement in Egypt through various conversations with Prime. To actually see him though, and in a wheelchair no less, heightened my concern. Something had indeed taken place.

''Hey!'' I yelled into the throng of people and the mass of screens. I stepped forward towards Mearing and Simmons, intent on answers. ''Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? Where is Rachet and Prime? Why aren't they here and why won't they respond to my comms?'' I cast interrogative optics towards Mearing and Simmons respectively.

All eyes turned to me for a brief moment before most of them returned to whatever it was, they were focused on. Clearly listening to and aiding an angry, slightly confused 24-foot-tall female autoboot was low on the priority list. I heard Lennox's voice call out, ''Phoenix? Is that you? What are you doing there? I thought you were with the others?''

I stepped up towards the screen so Lennox could see me better. ''What do you mean ''what am I doing here?'' Rachet had to operate on my injured arm and I have been sedated since before Prime went to talk to Sentinel Prime one last time.'' At this I noticed Mearing and Simmons exchange looks and Lennox closed his eyes briefly.

''You mean to say you have no idea what is going on or where the Autobots are?'' Lennox asked tentatively.

I nodded, ''And the winner of ''Guess the Bloody Obvious'' goes to Colonel Lennox,'' I replied in a sarcastic manner. ''Where is Prime? Where is Rachet? Where are any other Autobots? What the hell is going on around here?'' I folded my arms over my chest.

Lennox was about to reply when the faint sound of a familiar but strained and urgent voice broke out over the channels. ''Hello, hello… Can you rotate or something? Come on man, work, work!'' It was Epps!

Lennox immediately focused his attention on the screens and the voice coming through them, ''Epps! We got Epps. Alright turn the volume up on that.''

Simmons and Mearing turned around in surprise as Sam loomed into focus, ''It's the kid!''

Mearing had a look of disbelief and annoyance on her face as she whispered his name, ''Witwicky.''

Sam stepped up to the screen and began to speak in a hurried and desperate manner, ''Okay Chicago is ground zero, do you understand? You hear us, do you understand?''

Sam stepped back to allow the attractive but equally serious and desperate Carly crouch down to talk into the screen, ''Please listen. Sentinel Prime is here, and he has the pillars to his space bridge. They're on top of a building on the Chicago River it's owned by Hodgekiss, Gould Investments. Now the pillar that controls everything is in the south east coupla.''

''You gotta destroy the pillar, you have to shoot down the pillar or they're gonna transport Cybertron here. Do you understand? Do you understand?''

Lennox barked orders to his team in the room with him, ''Give me a GPS on that building and on that drone, let's go.''

''Guys on the tarmac, five minutes,'' Lennox taped the screen and headed off, ''Alright''. With that he disappeared.

The image of Sam, Cary and Epps disappeared.

Mearing, Simmons and the others seemed to replay the footage that had been recorded over and over to try and decipher what they had meant.

''WOULD SOMEONE MIND TELLING ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON AROUND HERE?'' I screamed to anyone who would listen. I felt my ire rising drastically as I could tell something serious was happening, something that involved those accursed pillars and Sentinel Prime, and Optimus was nowhere to be seen after he had gone to talk to him. My servos were on my hips and the first faint signs of fire danced along my forearms and within my optics as I tried to fight back the growing anger boiling inside me.

Mearing and Simmons looked up at me and immediately ceased what they were doing. Simmons spoke first, ''Look I don't know who the hell you are, I have never met you before and we are in the middle of a highly…''

''Actually, you have Simmons, just been a long time and I've… let's say had ''some work done.'' My optics glowered at him. ''It's Orianna Connors, or Phoenix as I am now known. We met at Hoover Dam a few years back. ''Lovely to see you again, now, if you don't mind, what the bloody hell is going on?'' I bent down menacingly towards them both.

Simmons' mouth flew open in shock and disbelief, his eyes darting all over my frame. ''What the… I mean how the..''

Mearing rolled her eyes, ''Look Phoenix, as you can see, we are kind of busy here with top level National Security but to make a long story short. Sentinel Prime issued a threat to exile the Autobots or he would destroy us all.'' My dermas flew open in shock, ''The United Nations agreed.'' The flames began to dance higher, a fact which was not unnoticed by Mearing. ''None of us wanted that to happen but we had to. The Autobots left at dawn yesterday and…'' she faltered as if considering her words carefully as she took in my response. ''We have not heard from them since. We assume they will return shortly to support us but until then, we are on our own.''

I looked at Mearing, ''That does not make sense. Why would they leave me here? Why would they leave Earth unprotected without a fight? Why would Prime leave me without saying goodbye at the very least?'' I pondered out loud.

Simmons seemed to go to say something, but Mearing turned to level him with any icy glare that immediately silenced him. I folded my arms across my chest, ''And why would you look at Simmons like that? You're hiding something Mearing,'' I raised an optic ridge at her and folded my arms.

Mearing blanched slightly though Simmons jumped in, ''Look, Phoenix, OC, whatever your name is, essentially Sentinel and the Decepticons have set up shop in Chicago and we have just discovered, as you are aware, that they intend to use the pillars to bring Cybertron here in a matter of hours! So as much as we would love to chat with you about..''

He had a point, this could wait until later, she said the Autobots were likely rendezvousing later, ''Why is Sam, Epps and Carly the only eyes you have in there? Where are NEST and your other assets?'' The flames died down as I began to think this through.

Mearing seemed to sigh a breath of relief, ''We can't get anyone in there. They keep shooting down our drones, as you just saw. Luckily that one still functioned. They want us blind to whatever they are doing there. Our high range bombers have been knocked out of the sky. The enemy air defenses are tight.''

Simmons tagged in, ''Thanks to the kid, we now have an understanding of their game plan and how we can go about taking them down.''

Mearing spoke again, ''Lennox and his team are enroute now from Grisham Air Force Base about 10 minutes from the battle zone. There are special forces trying to gain access to the city and we have infantry staged at the perimeter. We just can't seem to penetrate their air space.''

''Until now.'' I looked at both of them with determination.

Simmons allowed a smile to spread across his face and a slightly dubious snort erupted from his lips, ''What? You? Look Phoenix, given you are…'' he looked me over again, ''what you are, I have no doubt you can bring some pain their way, but cause some serious damage?'' he shook his head, ''I'm sorry, but without the backup of the other Autobots and Prime, I think it is best you wait this one out.''' His voice lowered and took on a sad tone. ''I don't want to see any more of my friends die today.''

Mearing went to speak but I held up a servo to silence her, and fixed Simmons with my own smug smile, ''Oh Simmons, how much you don't know. I appreciate the concern but really, it's the Decepticons who should be concerned. Not you.'' I turned to Mearing, ''You need every possible asset to gain the upper hand and stop Sentinel. Permission to head to Chicago and engage the enemy Director Mearing?'' I bent down conspiratorially towards her, ''But just so you know I am going anyway…. Just being formal.''

She nodded curtly, ''Permission granted Phoenix,'' she gave me a small smile, ''Unleash hell on them.''

I nodded my helm, ''Yes Director, my pleasure.'' She gave me another smile of appreciation as I had deliberately not used ''ma'am'' to address her. ''Simmons just keep watching your screens, you'll see what I can do,'' and with that I turned and strode quickly towards the exit. It was time for me to find out what I could do in the field of battle. It was time for the Decepticons to find out I existed. And most importantly it was time to make good on my promise to Sentinel.

I ran out of the exit and transformed into my alt form of ''The Phoenix''. My form burst into flames, my wings dwarfed the trucks in the cargo bay where only days before Sentinel had shot me and stopped me being with the Autobots, wherever they were now. /You better have a bloody good explanation for why you left me Prime and you better bloody well show up again soon or there will be no place you can hide from me!/. With a massive flap of my metallic, fiery wings, I took to the sky.

There was no need to hide anymore. The world well and truly knew Transformers existed. Now they would know so too did a Phoenix.