Nightmare

by Beloved Shadow of Light

Bumblebee didn't think his teammates hated him so much, but was Starscream right? Was he really a worthless glitch not worth anybot's time? All he ever wanted was to prove himself and show them all. Why was a Decepticon the only one willing to tell him the truth? What was this strange sensation in his spark?

18. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Transformers: Animated and everything related belongs to the rightful company Hasbro. I am in no way shape or form making money off this.

Author's Note: I'm not dead! Not yet anyway. Sorry for the long wait but here is the latest chapter of "Nightmare". If you're still with me, then go read the chapter I slaved over trying to get it as perfect as I possible could. Please remember to review, too.

Prowl: 22

Starscream: 25

Optimus Prime: 5

Other: 5 (Bulkhead: 1; Skywarp: 1; Sentinel: 2)

Rankings haven't changed much but if I'm wrong please le met know. Enjoy!

"Nightmare"

Written by: Beloved Shadow

Inspiration by: JazzTheTiger

Systems were slowly running through the multiple scans, the letters flashing across the HUD stirred the mech from his deep stasis. He was confused though as it why he was seeing this, but the confusion turned to worry when he realized he could not access anything, he didn't even know who he was.

… who… who am I? …

Panic would have surely settled in had a file suddenly opened up and he saw video files flashing before him.

"Congratulations, your sparkling in one fine looking mech."

"He's wonderful… I already see a great future before him."

"I am certain." Both bots smiled down at the tiny form wrapped in an insulation sheet, love and warmth in their optics. "Welcome to Cybertron… Orion Pax."

… Orion… Pax…? Is that—Is that me?

"I'm sorry to tell you this… but-was eliminated in battle-"

"Carrier? W'ere 'ire?"

"Gone… he had to go fight the Decepticons…"

"'ire fight bad bots? 'ire home 'oon?"

"No, sweetspark. He won't be coming home anytime soon… He's with the AllSpark now."

… sire…?

"Carrier! Guess what?!"

"Yes, Orion?"

"I was accepted into the Autobot boot camp! If I study hard enough, I can join the Academy and be part of the Elite Guard—just like sire!"

The bot before him smiled and pulled the speaker into a warm and loving embrace which he happily returned. "As long as you're happy that's all that matters. But I know you'll make all of us very proud, no matter what."

… carrier…

"Listen up, bots! Designation's Kup Minor and from this point on ya'll listen to me! If I tell ya to transform, ya do it no question asked! Any questions?!" the dark blue-green mech barked at the bots standing before him.

"No, Kup Minor, sir!"

… Kup… my mentor…

"Kid, I don't think I ever met a mech who had that much confidence in Cybertron's future, but at least ya ain't blowing exhaust my way. What's ya designation?"

"Orion Pax, sir."

"Not anymore. Ya go by Optimus from now on, got it?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

… Optimus… that's me…?

The planet was a wasteland, no sign of life anywhere, rust as far as the optic could see. But for the young cadet he was too focused on trying to survive an encounter with the feared warlord Cybertron has ever known. His alt mode had managed to get him only so far before he had to transform, disabling the Decepticon long enough to knock him off his peds.

'… Now with a little bit of luck I can make it out… online…!' A sharp piercing pain in his chassis, looking down long enough to see a slender sword being slowly pulled free, his flickering spark impaled-

"Optimus? You okay?"

"Of course, he's okay, Elita. It's just simulated combat! And, as usual, you got your skidplate handed it you, buddy."

"I wouldn't be so quick to criticize, Cadet Sentinel. Cadet Optimus just scored higher than any Autobot in academy history on the combat simulator," a royal blue and white mech said as the cadet was released from the virtual simulator. He gave the cadet a small but proud smile. "I expect great things from you, young bot."

... Ultra Magnus…

The plant was bare of any technology, rocks structures as far as their optics could make out. Strange flora in vibrant colors broke up the sparseness of the canyon, making it almost picturesque.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a yellow and greenish femme asked.

"Yeah... what is it?"

"I have no idea."

"Optimus! Elita-1! Get your fan belts in gear!" a dark blue mech said as he came up behind them.

"Sentinel, did you ever stop to consider why organic planets are off-limits to Autobots?"

The mech grinned and draped his upper stabilizers around their neck cables, pulling the three of them into a half-embrace as he chuckled quietly. "You're not getting cold landing peds now, are ya Optimus ole buddy?"

"Aren't you the least bit curious to see a real Decepticon ship? Think of the history!" the femme exclaimed excitedly.

"Forget history! Think of the energon, those 'Cons horded the stuff. We find that ship and we are set for the rest of our lifecycles."

"Which we could be spending in the cyber stockage if we're caught."

"Alright, fine, we get if it you're too scared."

The red and blue mech vented to himself, offlining his optics for a klik but he followed after the two bots anyway. "Somebot has to keep you two walking malfunctions from getting in over your helms."

"We never get in over our helms!"

… Elita-1… Sentinel… my friends…

He watched in horror as the femme continued falling, his grappling line too slow to catch her as the darkness swallowed her whole. He was dimly aware of the other mech peering down into the hole, shouting the femme's designation in hopes that she would respond back.

"Elita!"

He stood before a mech larger than himself, blue and white plating gleaming but there was an almost cold look in his optics as he demanded an explanation of what happened. He tried to say something, anything, but his vocalizer failed him. He didn't so much as flinch as his best friend threw all the blame onto him.

"It was his fault! He's the reason we went to that planet and he's also the on that insisted on us searching for that Decepticon warship! I also saw him leave Elita-1 behind!" Sentinel ranted angrily, glaring at the other cadet with anger in his optics.

"Is this true, Cadet Optimus?"

"… it was just as Sentinel said, sir. This mission was my idea and I also chose to leave one of our own behind."

"… I see. Cadet Optimus. You are hereby expelled from Autobot Academy and ineligible for the Elite Guard. I'd hope that someday, you'd achieve greatness, perhaps even prove yourself a worthy Magnus. But… clearly, being a hero isn't in your programming," the Magnus said calmly but there was a hint of disappointment in his vocalizer.

What… what have I done?

"Many millions of years ago, war raged between the forces of the heroic Autobots and the brutal Decepticons for control of the planet Cybertron. The Autobots battled valiantly in the name of honor—their courageous exploits bringing hope and glory to a beleaguered war-torn planet, and inspiring countless generations of robots yet to come on-line."

"Do you ever get the feeling that you were programmed for something more than just repairing space bridges?"

"I got a diagnostics program that can delete that feeling like a bad line of code," the white and red medic grumbled.

But… aren't we… meant for more?

"So, who was that bug-bot lady?"

"Someone I never should have left behind."

… my fault…

"I would have been perfectly happy if I never had to come back here and fix your mistake!"

"Watch yourself, Sentinel. And you're one to talk about fixing the mistakes of others. The only reason I sent you the message was because you've been here before, you already have alt-modes for here and the humans here are aware of our existence. I honestly expected you to ignore the message and I would have perfectly happy if you hadn't come back either."

"You think you're such a hot shot. It was your fault that the AllSpark was shattered! And then you had to start spreading rumors that the Decepticons were still around!"

"They are! You've seen proof of that and so had Ultra Magnus!"

"Watch yourself before I have you court-martialed for yelling at a Prime, soldier!"

"We're of equal rank, you outdated glitched up fragger! What's more, it's your fault Bumblebee is missing in the first place! Starscream was in stasis cuffs when you left and apparently now he's back here on Earth. If you had done your job as a Prime instead of showboating like the fragger you are, I wouldn't have had a reason to call you back!"

Why… why does he hate me? Aren't we friends?

"I'm worried about him too. He suffered at the servos of Starscream, but us pushing him for answers ain't gonna help. He's got to tell us, and that's if he wants to."

"But he refuses to talk to anyone—again! I'm the leader of this team but what kind of leader am I if I can't help one of my own teammates? He was never suppose to be there alone, he was suppose to wait for backup. We should have looked for him harder, I should have looked harder! I should have known that Bee was in Wasp's armor, he was trying tell us but I didn't bother to listen."

"You have to stop blaming yourself, nothing is gonna change what happened and living in the past ain't gonna help!"

… am I a good leader?

"Hate to say it, but Sentinel's got a point. I'd feel a lot safer with Wasp behind bars."

"That's not your call to make, Bumblebee."

"And it's not your call to make either, Optimus. I'm in command."

"On Cybertron. This planet is my jurisdiction."

"This is a Cybertronian fugitive, and I'll enforce my authority as the… the, uh… Primer Prime!"

"Did you just make that up?!"

"No!"

"There's no such thing as a Primer Prime!"

"It's a real term. Look it up."

… Prime…

"Let him go, Blackarachnia."

"Why should I?"

"Because… I'm the one who left you behind. Sentinel's not the one to blame for what you look like."

"What I look like is only half the story. What I am is a lot more complicated."

… I never should have left…

"I, I'm really sparked. And the sire—it's Starscream…" The yellow minibot looked so lost and afraid, as though waiting to be shunned and locked away but he couldn't do that to him. A blue servo reached out, to offer him comfort and support as bright blue optics looked up at him. "B-Boss bot?"

"Bumblebee, you are not only a member of my team but you are also my friend. I'm sorry you had to go through something like that, but I'm sorry I failed you as your commanding officer. Can you forgive me?"

"Optimus…" Small servos came up and wrapped around him in a tight embrace, one he gave back, afraid if he let go he would lose him like he had lost others before.

… I should have searched harder…

"Lay a single digit on my teammate and I'll rip out your struts through your port. This is Earth, not Cybertron, and I am the acting Prime here, not you. I make the rules, I give the orders, and I decide whether a member of my team deserves punishment or not. The future of my team is mine; meaning I will alert Ultra Magnus to the situation when I am ready, not you. And you had better get it through your processor that you will stay away from Bumblebee and his sparkling, or else."

"Or… or else what?"

"Or else… you had better pray to Primus that Skyfire offlines you before I get my servos on you, or you will wish you had never been sparked."

… jealously… disappointment… anger… rage…

"B-Boss bot… please… want you, now… Please…!"

"You have no idea how long I wished to hear you say that to me."

… surprise… desire… lust… possessive… greed…

"N-No… Opti-mus, please… s-stop…"

"You should be carrying my sparkling, not some defective seeker! … You. Belong. To. Me."

"O-Op-ti-mus- *wheeze* -p-please!"

"Don't call me that! Call me, Nemesis."

… Nemesis? But, wha-?

"Optimus? Optimus, you still with me? … Prime?"

"I fragged the minibot, because he begged me for it. I never thought of him that way, but knowing what the seeker did to him, knowing he needed help, my help! I… I never, meant to hurt him…"

I hurt, Bumblebee? N-No!

"I am a Prime. I am the leader of this team, I should have had that scout reprimanded for having relations with the enemy, then he ended up being sparked. I should be the one that sparked him! It is my right as a Prime!"

That's… not true-

"A Prime, is more than a leader, Optimus. A Prime must prove he has the skills to not only lead his team into battle and return safely, but to keep the team together. Those who are granted the title of Prime earn it and proudly follow the duties given to them, they never think of their teammates as merely drones to serve them."

Psyche?

"You, you think Sentinel is so great? You don't know him like I do. Everyone believes his lies, his stories, he gets all the glory, he even has those two freaks under his command."

No. No, I didn't say that! That's not me, I won't hurt my friends!

"What you have failed to realize, Optimus Prime, is that you have lost. There is no one else to save you or stop me. No one."

Megatron!

"These-se are your-r fri-ends, Op-ti-mus!" A blue servo reached out, digging into an exposed gap and ruthlessly pulled out a servofull of wires and cables, aggravating the injury even more. "Lis-ten to me-me-me-me!"

Skyfire, no!

"He'll only listen to me, neutral upstart! Get rid of that mech, my puppet!"

The Prime stiffened but once more dug his servo back into the injury, grabbing at more wires and cables, pulling hard enough that the white shuttle cried out in pain, reaching down to grab at his servo in an effort to keep him from pulling anything else out. Unfortunately, it left him open to be struck in his abdominal plating, further aggravating his internal injuries. Distracted him, the Prime knocked the massive mech off him, sending him rolling onto his front but getting to his peds he stomped down on the deep slash Cyclonus delivered earlier, making the large seeker cry out in so much pain his vocalizer was beginning to break up. His blue ped dug into the nearly exposed spinal strut as blue servos reached down, grabbed at the badly damaged wings, and began pulling. An audio splitting shriek filled his audio as wires began to snap and spark, the hot feel of energon and oil being spilled as it coated the floor-

NO! That's not me, that's not me!

~Optimus?~

I-I don't know who I am anymore!

~Can you hear me?~

I-I hurt him—I hurt everyone I ever cared about!

~Listen to me, please!~

Elita… Sentinel… Ultra Magnus… Bumblebee… Skyfire… carrier… sire…

~Optimus Prime?~

I… I'm not fit to be called a Prime…

~… are you really going to give up after everything you've been through? Are you going to let Megatron win? Are you going to turn your back on everything you believed in, in what you stood up for?~

W… who…

~We all make mistakes, but it takes a real bot to learn from them. Now, are you going to let your mistakes rule you, or are you going to get right back on your peds and learn from them?~

… I don't know if I can…

~Never know until you try.~

… I… I, refuse to give up. And… and I will never let my team down… I will never let, myself down.

~Good mech. Just answer me this… who are you?~

… who am I…

… optimistic …

… a prime…

I… am… Optimus Prime.

~… Optimus?~

"Can you hear me, Optimus?"

Optics slowly onlined, pixels hazy and filled with a thick layer of static but he waited and watched as it began to clear. Slowly the optics shuddered as they took in his surroundings and the worry faceplates looking down at him. At first he thought it was his carrier but, his carrier joined the Well of the AllSpark a long time ago. He wanted to call out Elita's designation but, she was gone as well. A servo reached out and rested along the side of his helm, blue-green optics looking down at him in concern.

"Optimus?"

"... p… psy… che…"

The femme smiled and gave a slow nod. "Welcome back. How do you feel?" she asked softly as she slowly sat back.

"Con-fused… what, happened?"

"That's a long story, but you should get some rest. I promise, when you wake up from recharge everything will make sense."

But, he had so many questions and she was the only one here, and yet part of him was also afraid of that dark voice returning, that he would end up hurting those he cared about and never realize it. The hand resting along the side of his helm gently caressed his forehelm, reminding him of kinder times when he was a young mechling and his carrier would do the same, lulling him into a gentle recharge. Still he tried fighting it and clutched at the servo holding his tightly, afraid of returning to the dark.

"It's okay, Optimus, the darkness won't hurt you anymore," the neutral femme said softly, stroking his forecrest with her thumb. Humming softly under her vents she watched as he slowly drifted into recharge.

---

Sentinel would not say he was worried, but his ped kept nervously tapping on the floor. Since the destruction of the mines, everyone looked to him to give out orders since Optimus was currently out of it. Any other time he would have let it have gone to his helm, that this was the way it was always suppose to be, and yet he froze, absolutely terrified. He was horrible at high-pressure situations and yet here he was, leading a crew much larger than he had, all the while trapped on a purely organic planet.

'Still don't know how I did it, but we managed to walk away from that one.' He paused and winced when he thought back to some of the more serious injuries. 'Most of us.'

Seeing how Skyfire had the most serious of all the injuries, he had the teleporting seeker take the shuttle and the old medic to the warehouse. The tiny techno-organic, Sari, went with them to help. Since Optimus was still suffering from a massive crash and Bumblebee was in no means able to transform safely, the group had no choice but to find a way back to the city on their own. Mega-cycles later had Skyfire in a deep medical stasis and would remain that way until his self-repair could attend to his wings. The minibot also had his vocalizer repaired but there was still no word on the other Prime. Just as the navy-blue Prime was about to get up and start pacing a door opened then closed, making him freeze. The neutral femme stepped out of the hall, taking a moment to rub at her optics.

"How is he?" he asked as he stepped up to her, trying not to imagine the worse situation his processor could conceive.

"He's got a long road of recovery ahead of him, but he'll be fine," she sighed softly and slowly blinked up at the Prime. "How are you doing?"

"W-What are you talking about? I was one of the lucky ones!"

"… Sentinel, you don't always have to be the bigger bot. It's okay to ask for help, and its normal to feel like you are out of your element."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Oh Primus, give me strength… look, I may not be an Autobot but I am here and I am willing to listen. But you have to be the one to ask for help. Okay?" The Prime could only nod and watched as she silently left him. Could it really be that easy to ask for help?

Psyche felt vorns older and briefly wondered if this was what her sire felt before ruthlessly pushing that thought process back. No, she was not going down that path ever. Turning down the hall she entered the medbay and could see that the large frame of her friend deep in stasis. She had been afraid he wouldn't have made it but she knew he would pull through. Coming up to his side she reached out to cover one of his servos, smiling at the feel of the warm plating beneath her digits.

"Get better Skyfire, the jettwins are anxious to have you back much more than me," she smiled. There was no response, not so much as a twitch of his digits, but she knew he had heard her. Releasing his servo she moved to the adjoining door and knocked on it but shuddered her optics when it opened after the first tap.

"Ratchet?" No answer and the room was dark so she went in deeper. "Ratchet? You in here?" Still no answer but there was another energy signature within the room. Adjusting her optics she looked around and saw the medic sitting at his work table. She knew he wasn't working on anything as he would have told her to leave, and he never worked in the dark. She walked up to him and made to reach out and touch his shoulder but he was staring intently at a datapad in his servos. It was a detailed schematic of Omega Supreme and what looked like a daily log the medic had recorded of their time together. "… Ratchet, I'm sorry. He gave his spark so we all could live. So you could live."

"It wasn't suppose to be this way… I-I brought him out of stasis to help us, knowing that he didn't want to be part of this war… I should have just let him sleep!" he said angrily, nearly breaking the pad in his servos.

"But he woke up because deep in his spark he knew that you wouldn't have brought him from stasis if you didn't need his help. Ratchet," this time Psyche reached out to rest on servo on his shoulder, and the other to cover his servo, feeling it tremble beneath her touch, "I don't agree a lot with the Autobot High Council did to try to end the war, I still don't, but they were trying to protect Cybertron and her bots from complete annihilation. I know the Omega Sentinels were purposely built to have simple processors, but that just meant they had to be careful in choosing their mentor to bond with, somebot to know when to give commands but to always remember that their battle ship was still a bot with a spark, just like them."

"… but I wasn't suppose to his mentor. I wasn't built for war, I was onlined as a simple field medic-"

"A medic who has gone beyond the programming of any other medic our galaxy has ever known. Ratchet, I know you've seen a lot of slag that would have ruined a lesser bot, I know you still have nightmares about what you've seen, and I know that part of you wants to find the deepest hole you can and hide yourself from everything that's going on."

"Tch. You don't know that," he grumbled, looking away but gentle servos cupped his faceplates and turned him to look at the femme as she leaned over to look him directly in the optics.

"I know you, Ratchet. You work hard and you enjoy helping those in need not only because its your prime directive but you truly enjoy it and would never change it. You hate the war because there are always too many causalities to even calculate, and most of them can never be saved. You give more than you should but you refuse to stop even if it means giving up your own plating. You tend to focus on regrets when you don't have anything to do so you work yourself into exhaustion. But when you do that you become short-tempered and yell at everybot for the smallest reason. You also blame yourself for the loss of those closest to you even though you did the best you could."

"But, I-I could've done more."

"Arcee gave you the access codes to Omega for a reason and don't you dare say it was a failsafe program. She trusted you to be the friend he needed, not a commanding officer. Omega was built and programed to protect and sacrifice, he was designed to obey every command given to him, but he was still a new spark and I'm certain he was terrified of what he was going into, so what he really needed was a friend." Psyche paused and smiled gently, brushing her digits over his cheek ridges and leaned in closer. "Don't lose yourself in the past, Ratch. Like you I lost the bots closest to my spark… I don't want to lose you, either."

"Psy-"

"Please… just, just for now… call me by my designation."

Slowly, his servos came up and covered the ones that still held his faceplates, and whispered ever so softly, "… Bluestar Lotus…"

The feme felt her optics widen and leaned forward, resting her forehelm against his. She tried to suppress the cries but this time it was her turn to be comforted as a servo reached up and gently cupped the back of her helm, pulling her close.

---

Prowl looked down at the mech curled up on his lap. The minibot's helm was resting against his chassis, his servos wrapped around his protruding stomach plating protectively. The ninja's own servos held Bumblebee close, digits gently tracing seams in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. They were in the scout's old berthroom, having fallen into a deep recharge once his vocalizer and neck cables had been repaired. But, he was also worried about not only Bee's future, but that of the sparkling.

Starscream was gone, and, from what he had read about sparklings in Ratchet's datapads, could only accept spark energy from the creators. As of right now, Bumblebee's own spark was the only one providing energy but he couldn't do it for very long or it would weaken his own. The thought process did not settle well for the ninja and his servos pulled the scout closer, as though afraid he would lose him if he didn't hold on tight enough.

"I'm sorry… I wish, I could help," he said quietly.

"Autobot Prowl?"

Said Autobot looked up and saw one of the seekers standing in the doorway. He couldn't remember if he had locked the door or not but he nodded and watched as the seeker entered, closing the door behind him. It took him a few kliks to remember this one's designation as Skywarp. One of the slightly saner clones except his cowardly streak was as broad as Sentinel's chin. The seeker quietly stood at the side of the berth, looking down at the sleeping carrier.

"… is, is he…?" he asked quietly, wincing as though he would wake up the scout if he spoke too loudly.

"Recharging. How are the rest of you fairing?"

The seeker looked up at him sharply, optics wide but his wings drooped low and his optics dimmed. "We—are conflicted," he admitted, turning so he was sitting on the edge of the berth. "Starscream created us… but, we were still connected, by the same spark…" His servo came up and rested on his chassis. "His last thought process, was of Bumblebee and the sparkling."

"You mean… Starscream, cared about him?" He didn't think the Decepticon knew how to care about anyone but himself and yet the signs were all there. Skywarp nodded quietly. "So, siding with Megatron…"

"Was his way of protecting them. We told him to tell you Autobots, but he couldn't." Not only that Thundercracker was also gone and he couldn't feel him at all. Looking at the minibot he realized how peaceful he looked, he didn't stop to think as he reached out and gently brushed his digits over the side of his helm. He froze when the yellow bot twitched, leaning into the gentle touch and murmured a designation under his vents.

"Starscream…"

The ninja felt as though his spark was breaking but tried very hard not to let it show on his faceplates. Slowly, his servos slid over the brightly colored plating and looked up at the timid seeker. "He needs you more than he needs me right now." Decepticon red optics stared up at him and derma plating moved soundlessly, no doubt try to think of an excuse but Prowl was already moving. Having gently lifted Bumblebee up he got up from the berth and watched as the seeker took his spot. Clawed servos made to wrap around the carrier but froze when the scout shifted, stirring slightly. A small black and yellow servo came up, unintentionally groping the chassis but once the digits traced the curve of the faux glass the minibot vented softly and curled closer to the mech. He was back in a deep recharge.

Skywarp froze, unsure what to do but when he looked up to ask the Autobot he was already gone. His wings twitched slightly, uncertain about this but the smaller frame felt very warm and pleasant. Clawed servos twitched as they lowered, but he reached out and pulled the insulation cover up, draping it over the carrier. He watched for a moment before slowly reaching out and held the minibot in a similar manner he had seen the ninja doing earlier. He didn't know what he was doing, but something was telling him that Bumblebee would need them more than ever before.

"I'll protect you. I'll protect the both of you," he vowed quietly as he tightened his hold around the carrier, feeling his spark pulsing in his chassis.

---

With Megatron gone there was no sign of the other Decepticons. It was as though the battle between them had stopped—on Earth anyway. The same could not be said for the Elite Guard squadrons who had been stationed to protect the remaining Space Bridges. Things were chaotic but with forces spread so very thin they were unable to call for back-up.

On Earth, several days had passed but Sentinel Prime frowned as his transmission to Ultra Magnus still wasn't able to go through. This had never happened before but he tried to send another message through, this time to the High Council but was meet with the same error message. "What is going on?" he asked himself.

Ratchet was entering the main room when he overheard the Prime at the communication center. "What's wrong?" he asked him.

"I can't get a message to Cybertron," he said with a deep frown. "Nothing is going in or out, it's like all lines have been shut down."

"Why would all communication to and from Cybertron be cut off like that?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it." If he remembered his training, the main reason it could be was because the High Council didn't want the Decepticons to track any of their communication links, or there was a sever electrical storm in the area disrupting everything. As much as he hated storms he was leaning more towards the latter. Venting sharply, he ended the message and leaned against the console. "… What do I do?" he asked himself quietly.

The CMO frowned, wondering what Optimus would do in this situation but he was still not cleared for duty and their team was down several mechs as Bumblebee and the Dinobots were once more taken to Dinobot Island. He would be lying if he said wouldn't miss them, but with the minibot carrier gone the seekers went with him to ensure his safety. Part of him didn't want to give the Prime any advice, knowing the slagger wouldn't accept it, but after the incident with the Space Bridge they were all forced to process things in a different perspective. "Sentinel-" His words were cut off when the proximity alarms went off and they looked up at the screens.

"Alert! Decepticon sighting detected. Alert! Decepticon sighting detected."

The navy blue prime managed to hone in on the signal and the two were able to see that it was a gray and reddish seeker hovering in the air, opening fire on the buildings and causing the terrified humans to flee for their safety. They would know those wings anywhere, but it was just not possible!

"What are your orders, Prime?" the medic asked,

Sentinel looked startled; before he would have immediately taken command and ordered the Elite guard to take the Decepticon down, but he had seen those wings go down just solar cycles ago. "Stay here and keep an optic out, just in case this is a trap," he said as he headed for the door.

"You're not going to wait for back up? What if it is a trap?"

"Then you can be the one who told me so." Transforming, the truck with the snow plow headed out. Sure, he could have alerted the jettwins or the other Autobots, but what if this was some kind of distraction and the other Decepticons were fighting in others parts of the city? What if some of this planet's organics were in danger and their alarms weren't able to pick it up? It was strange how different he was acting, but he pushed his fear of the unknown aside and booked it to the sight of the disturbance.

The flying frame of the Decepticon continued blasting buildings left and right, causing them to crumble and making the people flee for their lives. No one could hear the insane laughter of a young man who saw their fear as a thrill, eyes glued to the screen.

"Yes! I'm gonna have the new high score of all time!" the lanky young man cackled, messing with the controls as he opened fire on parked cars. "T0t47 0wN4ge!" He paused in gloating at he noticed a blue truck speeding towards his general direction, looking a bit out of place with the broad plow out front but he grinned and locked onto it. "Time for major points!"

Sentinel's systems told him he had been locked on and quickly went through the transformation sequence, holding his arm before him he activated his Skyboom Shield as large as he could. The missiles exploded on impact, but he kept himself braced so not to get knocked down by the explosion. Waving the smoke from the explosion away he glared up at the bot but shuddered his optics. "Wait, you're not Starscream!"

"What the frag is a "starscream"? Hey wait a sec… you're onna those annoying goody goody Autobots!" Masterson growled out. "I had enough of you walking tin cans screwing up my plans!"

"What is this organic going on about?" Sentinel hissed only to run for cover when he continued opening fire at him, looking around to make sure the rest of the organics had run off as well. Something about this seemed familiar but the Prime could not place his digit on it. ::Ratchet! Some organic has control over Starscream's frame!:: he told the CMO, risking a look when he didn't hear any laser fire and peeked out only to duck down once more when it exploded around him. ::And apparently, he's got a grudge against Autobots!::

::Not that slagger again!:: the veteran groaned, resisting the urge to slap his servo onto his faceplates. ::Look, none of us like him but you need to stop him before he ends up leveling the entire cityscape!::

::And how do you expect me to do that?! Last I checked, Autobots don't fly!:: Optics shuddered as realization suddenly hit him like that large green glitch's wrecking ball. "That's it!"

::Wha-::

::Gotta go!:: Abruptly cutting the comm link with the medic Sentinel opened a line to two mechs he hoped were close enough to assist him. ::Jetstorm! Jetfire! Come in, this is Sentinel Prime!:: There was a brief surge of static but he didn't have time to dwell on it as he lifted his shield up just in time to keep from getting shot at.

"You lousy Autoboobs are gonna it now! This time I win!" the young man cackled as he kept on the offensive front, not caring about the amount of property damage he was doing or the way the people screamed in fear as they fled the area. "Soon as I take care of you, I'll get my revenge on Isaac Sumdac! And there's nothing you glitches can do to stop me!"

"T-Think again!" Lowering his shield, the Prime lifted his lance and threw it at the mech as hard as he could. He cursed when he moved out of the way but it was merely a distraction as he took the opportunity to transform and rammed into him as hard as he could. He had hoped that he would have been able to knock the slagger down and maybe snap the stasis cuffs on him, but the roar of thrusters ignited and he was being pushed back. Rubber burned as he pushed his engine as hard as he could, struggling to knock the seeker down but it was no use. ::Somebot, come in! This is Sentinel Prime, requesting back-up!::

::We is going, Sentinel, sir!:: He never thought he would be so grateful to hear the jettwins comming him.

Streaking through the air two identical jets raced to the disturbance, easily maneuvering between the tall buildings, they zeroed in on the dark magenta seeker. With no warning, the two jets transformed and managed to land a powerful kick to his chassis, hard enough to make him lose his grip on the dark blue and orange truck only to be effectively run over as well, leaving a nice set of tire treads over the already damaged frame.

"I think I'm gonna hurl," Masterson muttered to himself, willing his stomach not to betray him as he struggled with the controls to get the bot back up on its feet. "So, you n00b called for back-up? It doesn't matter, I can still beat you all down! This will be the ultimate high score!"

"High score?" The two remembered hearing that before, wasn't that something from those "video games" that yellow minibot taught them? But this was too dangerous to be a game, many of the organics could get hurt! "We is beating you, not screaming one!"

"Yes! We is Elite Guard and we is protecting organics being here!"

"Are you two crashing or something? Doesn't matter, I got the top advantage here!" Henry said as he activated the thrusters, taking to the air and once more pointing his guns at them. "Any last words, n00bs?"

"Yeah… y-you think you're so great, then prove it!" Sentinel snapped, unsure where these words were coming from but he found himself unable to stop. "Transform!"

"Say what?"

"Like this!" Jetfire and Jetstorm both transformed and took to the air, showing off their aerial skills. "We is flying circles around you!"

"We is also beating you much!" the other remarked a bit smugly. "You is being noob!"

"No one talks to me that way! I'll show you; I'll show you all!" the pissed off geek snapped angrily, activating the controls to begin the transformation as he lifted higher into the air, so confident in his superior skills. Plating began folding back, gears shifting, but when it tried closing over the headmaster unit it was slowly becoming crushed, the metal bending under the pressure as the command to transform tried forcing itself into the alt mode. Masterson watched in confusion rapidly followed by fear as the unit was slowly being crushed around him. "So… I'm guessing the bot's body I jacked, has a smaller head?"

On the ground below, Sentinel watched as the helm was forced off the frame, the tiny organic screaming as it fell to the ground but he reached out and caught the sparking machinery before it could crash. With nothing to control it, the seeker's frame went flying out of control only to sink into the river. He frowned and was about to order the twins to go retrieve it but it was no use. He did look down when a panel opened and a skinny organic popped out. He still didn't like organics, but he especially didn't like this one as he picked him up by the back of its "skin".

"Put me down, you-you walking scrap heap!"

"I really dislike organics, but you are the worse example I have ever seen," he said with narrowed optics. Hearing the sirens, he looked down and watched as black and white vehicles arrived, as well as a yellow compact. He tried to suppress a shudder as he watched the organics climb out but he recognized one of the organics as being the one in charge of this planet's defensive division. Looking at the squirming thing he still held, he carefully knelt down and handed him the criminal. "I believe this is yours?"

"As much as I don't want him, I'll take him off your hands," Fanzone said as he immediately placed Masterson in the handcuffs. "You have the right to remain silent, Masterson, and if I were you, you better keep that trap of yours shut!"

The dark blue Prime couldn't help but smile, especially when the few organics that had run and hid from the danger began cheering, for him and the jettwins. It wasn't the same as back home, but they really were appreciative of their help and he found himself thinking that perhaps, this organic-filled planet wasn't all that bad.

'I think I'm starting to see what you see here, Optimus,' he thought to himself.

---

Skywarp was terrified of all a lot just about everything, even the deep recess of space but the island was quieter than the city, and there wasn't a single Decepticon around. However, an insanely loud roar was heard and he couldn't help but yelp in fear, clutching the mech he was sitting with tightly.

Bumblebee shuddered his optics, wondering what had set the seeker off but vented softly when he recognized the roar and clash of metal striking metal. "It's okay, Skywarp; the Dinobots are playing," he told the terrified mech.

"P-Playing?" It didn't sound like it but the much larger mech wasn't coming after him, so he relaxed. He shuddered his optics and immediately released the carrier. "I'm sorry!"

"It's alright, I'm okay," Bee assured him, looking out at the scene before them but once more he found himself looking up at the sky and wondering if Starscream was alright. Was the AllSpark fragment still keeping him onlined? Had he transwarped to another world? Was he trying to come back to him and their sparkling? … did he want to come back?

"Bumblebee?"

The minibot was taken from his thoughts and looked over at the seeker who was looking at him with concern. "Oh! Y-Yeah, I'm okay." He looked away, reaching up to gently rub at his swollen midsection. "I'm okay…"

The purple seeker could tell he wasn't but he didn't want to say something that would upset him. He reached out, wanting to comfort the smaller mech but he kept pulling back, unsure of his actions. What if he didn't want to be comforted? What if he didn't want him? What if he did? Venting deeply, Skywarp moved closer and slowly, wrapped his servos around him in a loose embrace. He felt the smaller frame tense but before he could pull back the minibot relaxed against him, reaching up to cover one of his servos.

"Thanks, 'Warp," Bee said softly.

Prowl watched the two quietly but there was a painful ache in his spark. He wished he was in the seeker's place, to offer the minibot comfort after what happened, but he knew that he still cared about Starscream and he still hurting after losing him. He was still his friend, but he wished that they could be more. So much more. Venting quietly to himself he watched as the small birds that had been perched on him took off with a quiet flutter of feathered wings.

"You're very light on your peds, Psyche," he remarked quietly.

"Not all bots announce themselves by stomping around wherever they go," the femme remarked as she leaned against the base of the tree the Cyber Ninja was perched in. "I can see why you and the Dinobots enjoy it here, it so different from Cybertron and New Detroit."

"It is one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen," he remarked but his attention was on the yellow mech that was laughing at what the purple mech had said with a small smile.

"… Bumblebee cares about you, you know." Venting softly, Psyche leaned her helm back, letting her optics offline. "You need to spend more time with him, talk to him, be there for him."

"… He doesn't need me."

"Really? Is that what you think? Or are you afraid?" Hearing a very quiet rustle she onlined her optics and saw him standing before her. "Bee hasn't said anything, but if you bothered to talk with him you would see that he misses being with you out of the entire team. Even the seekers have been picking up on it but they won't say anything, and I know you wish there was more between the two of you."

"You do not know me."

"I read your data file: you're one of the last students of Master Yoketron, given the title of Cyber Ninja even though you never finished your training, and you had spent several vorns isolated in an asteroid field before Optimus' team unexpectedly ran into you. From what everybody told me you prefer the natural beauty of Earth and you strongly believe that anything that can feel and think should be given a chance at living, that to let a spark die out is inexcusable. But I noticed some things you've managed to hide from your team."

"I have been hiding nothing," he said defensively.

"You see faults in everybot, having been alone for so long you can't help but compare everyone to your old mentor, but since arriving here you're been making an effort to try and understand them more, even going so far as to teach them what you yourself were taught. You won't say it, but you view your team as a family even though you refuse to let anyone get close to you. You also care a great deal about Bumblebee but you're afraid to tell him because he might still be yearning for Starscream."

The Ninja was stunned but everything the femme had said was true. More than once he wanted to confront the minibot about his feelings, to ensure no bot ever harmed him again, to be there alongside him, watching the sparkling grow. "I'm not sure where these feelings came from… for the longest time I saw him as an immature sparkling, too impulsive for his own good, but when he went missing, I never wanted to stop looking. I sometimes wonder, if I had continued looking, could I have prevented all of this from happening?" he asked quietly, visor dimming slightly.

"I should've, could've, would've done something about that day, if only I had known it ended this way."

Shuddering his optics the mech looked at the femme questionably. "Excuse me?"

"It's a poem that one of this planet's natives wrote, proving words can be more powerful than even the AllSpark itself," she explained but nodded to him as she continued speaking. "Nothing can change the past except to learn from it and continue on. I can't tell you what to do, but I still suggest you talk with him and go from there."

"... You make it sound so easy." Psyche let out a snort even as she crossed her servos over her chassis, giving him a look.

"It is easy. You're the one making it difficult." But before the ninja could say anything, they were both hailed on their comm link. Normally it wouldn't have mattered but this one was listed as a high-priority emergency. Looking at each other they opened their sides of the link just in time to hear Ratchet yelling at somebot to pick up.

::-bot answer their fragging comm link?!::

::Ratchet, this is Prowl. What's happening?:

::About time! Omega Supreme just appeared above New Detroit and apparently, he's opening fire on Sentinel and the jettwins! I already sent Bulkhead and Skyfire out to assist but there's no way they can stop him on their own.::

::What? But Omega would never attack another Autobot-:: Psyche shuddered her optics at the realization and uttered a black curse. ::He's not alone, is he.::

::Megatron somehow took over and is controlling him. I'm still at the warehouse but Optimus is still down. If we don't stop him, they'll be nothing left to protect!::

::Just stay there, I'm on my way.:: Cutting the comm link the femme immediately ran to where Bumblebee and Skywarp were sitting and immediately grabbed the seeker by the shoulder. "Skywarp! I need you to teleport me to New Detroit now!"

"W-What? Now? Why me?" he asked fearfully even as the femme dragged him onto his peds.

"Because you're the only one with a warp drive!" Looking at the ninja she nodded. "Stay here with Bumblebee. I'll let you know if we need any help."

The ninja merely nodded as he helped the confused carrier to his peds. "Be careful." There was a slight charge in the air and soon both the femme and the seeker were gone. Prowl knew Bumblebee had questions but right now his safety came first. "Come on, I'll explain everything once we're safely inside," he said even as he wrapped a servo around his backplates and led him to the caves. The minibot said nothing but leaned into the other bot, praying to Primus to keep his friends safe.

---

A Megatron-possessed-Omega Supreme kept opening fire upon the bots even as he tried stepping on them like micronic insecticons. Jetfire and Jetstorm had merged into Safeguard, thinking they could use the combined strength to turn the tide in their favor but Omega Supreme was a titan compared to them. Even Skyfire found himself drawn into the fight, trying to catch the mech's attention when he focused too long on the others.

"How does it feel to know that the greatest source of the Autobot victory in the Great War will now deliver your annihilation?" the feared warlord gloated as he attempted step on the oafish green Space Bridge engineer only to fail as the twin seekers flew low and tackled him to safety.

Bulkhead shuddered his optics as he heard the titan stomp past them. "And I thought the Headmaster was bad news," he muttered to himself.

Megatron reached down and was about to rip up some pipes on the ground but pulled back when two bots suddenly appeared out of thin air. It was the black/dark purple seeker and the femme that claimed not to be an Autobot. "You," he sneered and reached down for them.

"I surrender!" the cowardly mech screamed loudly, throwing his servos to cover his helm.

Psyche growled herself and grabbing the seeker by a wing, yanked him to the side, both of them hitting the ground as the massive clawed servo ripped up the pipes they had been standing on. "Why can't he stay lost?" she muttered bitterly as she got up onto her peds, pulling Skywarp up as well.

The acting Prime looked around before spotting a large drainage pipe off to the side. ::Autobots! Quickly, follow me!:: he commed to them even as he began running towards it. The twins and the shuttle were busy distracting Megatron as the others ran for safety, watching as he kept opening fire on anything that moved. Venting heavily, he turned to the femme who wasn't attempting to pry the whimpering mech off her stabilizer. "How on Cybertron did you get here so quickly?" he hissed lowly.

"Warp drive," she said simply. "We didn't have time to spare, but what I wanna know is how did Megatron get ahold of Omega Supreme? I thought they had all been pulled into that malfunctioning Space Bridge."

"They did, but I guess the transwarp energies managed to send them all to the same location," Bulkhead said with a shrug. "The odds of that happening is impossible, though."

"Then somebot better tell him that," she vented, planting her available servo on her pelvic plating. She looked at the opening of the drainage pipe to watch as the fliers landed and ran into the drainage pipe to join them. "Everybot alright?"

"Yes and no," the shuttle said, ignoring the sting of some of his still healing injuries. "Megatron has full access to Omega Supreme's weapons as well as his ability to transform. Even combined I'm afraid we won't be able to stop him."

"Bad bot is going now to organic cityscape," Jetstorm pointed out and the group watched as sure enough, Megatron was steering the massive titan towards the populated downtown. "Orders being, Sentinel Prime, sir?"

It was on the tip of his glossia to demand what he meant by that but Optimus was still down and out. He still didn't like this overly organic planet, but he couldn't let the leader of the Decepticons lay waste to it either. "... we have to bring down Omega Supreme," he told them. "By any means necessary." No one as sure what to say but they all knew there was no other way. "But first, we need to somehow get Megatron's attention back on us and try to lure him away from the organics."

Psyche was silent, but she knew if anything happened to the giant warship Ratchet would never forgive them or himself. Silently she opened up a private comm link to the medic and quickly asked, ::Ratchet, is there a way to sever the hold Megatron has on Omega?::

::I doubt he'll let you get close enough to remove the hardline he's set up, but if you can reach his personality programming he might be able to fight for control and override the hardline.:: He paused as he picked up the data pad detailing his old friend's schematics. ::But you yourself need to set up a hardline connection directly into Omega's processor in order for that to work.::

::Which means finding a way inside.:: No way in the Pitt was the warlord going to open the door even if she asked nicely, but luckily she had something to help her get inside. ::Ratchet, in case this doesn't work—bring Optimus out of stasis. You bots are going to need all the help you can get.::

::But-!::

Quickly cutting off the comm link Psyche turned to the seeker who was still clinging to her like a frightened sparkling. "Skywarp, I need one last favor from you."

As the femme explained her plans to the seeker, the Autobots had managed to get Megatron's attention and were now leading him away from New Detroit but to keep him from using Omega's targeting systems, they took to the river; including the fliers.

Megatron growled to himself, "The moisture on this infernal organic planet is interfering with their energy signatures." But it didn't stop him from following them into the river or opening fire, knowing that sooner or later they would reveal themselves.

"So now what? We can't stay underwater forever," Bulkhead said as they continued swerving, avoiding the laser fire and being trampled on.

"If we can take out his peds, it'll bring him closer to our level. Then, we go for an all-out attack," Sentinel said a bit bitterly.

"But, grumpy med bot is saying ship is being friend," Jetstorm reminded them even as he and his twin stopped and transformed.

"I know that!" the Prime snapped as he stopped and transformed as well, prompting the others to do the same. "But unless you have a better idea there's nothing else we can do-wait. Where's Psyche and that seeker?"

Flying low as he could, the black and dark purple mech was so nervous he felt like he was going to start warping randomly in order to escape but managed to hold on tightly to the urge. He glanced at the aqua blue femme he was carrying. "A-are you sure this will work?"

"Do you really wanna know?" He immediately shook his helm. "Thought so. On my count. One… two… three!" Squeezing his servo tightly there was a small flash of light followed by a sound of air being displaced but the two vanished only to appear within the transformed warship itself.

"Are we offlined?" the seeker asked, having offlined his own optics just in case his teleporting didn't work. But they quickly snapped open when he heard a loud blaring alarm around him. He barely had time to cry out as a pair of pincers suddenly grabbed him about his mid-section.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"

'I don't have time for this!' Immediately taking out her hammer, the neutral femme destroyed the security measures, freeing the seeker. "Teleport outta here! I can do the rest alone!" Skywarp didn't waste a precious astrosecond and warped out of Omega and right in front of a very surprised Ratchet.

"What the slag!? What are you doing here?!" he demanded.

"I—the f-femme—warped—scared!"

"Psyche?" Looking around there was no sign of her and the veteran began to worry. "Where is she?" The seeker began to tremble but the medic had enough and quickly gripped the terrified mech by his upper stabilizers, ignoring the way the red optics widened in fear as he leaned in close. "Where the slag is she?!" The seeker could only look outside in the direction where Omega Supreme was still opening fire on the still hidden Autobots.

Inside the warship Psyche was battling her way past the security measures, ignoring the way some of her gears groaned until she reached the spark chamber. Closing the door behind her she took a moment to vent and subspaced her hammer.

"I only have one chance at this, so I better make it count." Walking up to the console she withdrew a data cable from the back of her helm and plugged it in. Almost immediately her frame went still and she found herself being drawn into the much larger mech's processor. She found that her own processor had created a digital avatar of herself in an aqua blue color. "Omega Supreme, my designation is Psyche and I'm a friend of Ratchet's." She looked around but couldn't find the mech himself. "Listen, I'm connected to your internal processor and I'm here to help you." Before her optics digital blocks were coming together, creating another digital avatar but not the one she was hoping to see.

"Unfortunately for you, Autobot. I am here, as well."

"Scrap."

The digital Megatron didn't waste any time in throwing himself at her, destroying the block of programming she had been standing on. Psyche herself knew she was no match for the Decepticon but she wasn't going to give up so easily.

"Omega, listen to my vocalizer! I know you don't want to hurt the Autobots, you never wanted to be part of this war and I don't blame you. But I need you to fight!" she called out, hoping he was able to hear her.

"Do not think you will succeed. Your warship is under my command," the war mongrel smirked as he continued chasing after her, destroying anything that got in his way. "As soon as we return to Cybertron, I will use it to claim the planet as my own."

"Ultra Magnus will stop you! And so will I!" Pushing herself off a block, she lunged at the larger mech, a version of the Magnus Hammer materializing in her servos she wasted no time in swinging it, catching the mech by surprise as it connected. But he recovered faster than she expected and cried out in pain as a large servo quickly grabbed her by her neck cables, tightening little by little. Her physical frame was trembling as her processor tried fighting off the other, trying to break free but unable too.

"You have failed, little Autobot."

"O-Omega, pleas-se! Only-together c-can we re-sist Me-Mega-tron's-control!" she managed to force out, struggling against the tight servo. Just when she thought she had truly failed, the black servo immediately released her and she watched as the warlord fell back.

His darkly colored avatar was rapidly being overwhelmed by a shimmering gold program, taking over regardless how hard he struggled to fight it. It soon enveloped him completely and the program took the avatar of its original program.

"I AM OMEGA SUPREME!

Megatron cried out in pain as his processor was forcefully booted from the ship's hard drive, bringing him back up onto the command deck. He thought he had subdued the titan completely but as he felt the mech go still he growled to himself. "I will destroy that meddlesome femme with my own two servos," he said darkly as he went in search of the accursed bot.

"Uhh what just happened?" No one knew how to answer Bulkhead's question but seeing the image of Omega Supreme's faceplate on the visor as a very good indication that Megatron was no longer in control. but before they could celebrate, they were taken back at the titan let out a low groan of pain and the screen turned to static.

"What's going on?" Sentinel demanded but no one had an answer.

"Omega! What's happening?" Psyche asked in great concern, watching at the digital avatar of the warship appeared to be breaking apart.

"I-I'm sorry. But there is another processor attempting to take over."

"But there's no one else here!"

"I-" Whatever he was going to say was lost as the gold-colored avatar exploded, only to be replaced with a red-violet digital image with wings.

"Now I'm the one in control!" Starscream sneered with a large grin. His smirking faceplates appeared on the screen and once they settled on the Elite Guards, he began opening fire all the while laughing like a crazed glitch.

"Starscream, what are you doing?! Those are Bumblebee's friends!" the femme shouted at him but she let out a cry of pain as she was forcefully booted from the ship's processor. Back in her own frame she struggled to remain standing but it didn't last long as a large servo gripped her from behind and slammed her into the wall, soon followed by a fist nearly the size of her helm striking her in the middle of her chassis. Her plating was nearly caved in and she tried to defend herself against another strike but this time the same servo grabbed her roughly by the faceplates and slammed the back of her helm into the wall. A sickening crack was heard but it would be much much later that she would realize it was the sound of her plating beginning to split open. Her HUD filled with warning and multiple error readings but she fought them down even as she weakly tried prying the digits off.

"Autobot or not, I will enjoy watching as your spark is extinguished," Megatron rumbled darkly, pulling his other servo back he was prepared to smash her chassis open so he could crush her spark when something sharp struck him in the back of his upper stabilizer, causing him to lose all function. The femme dropped from his numb servo and the warlord turned in time to see a blue ped kick him across the small room. He stumbled back, catching himself from hitting the floor but glared at his new opponent with burning red optics.

Optimus matched the look of hatred with his own cold fury blazing from his blue optics. "Don't think for one klik I'm going to stand by and let you hurt those I care about."

"... So it would seem we are destined to battle aboard this ship once again, Autobot." Calmly getting to his peds, the war machine calmly removed the energy axe from where it had cut into the back of his shoulder joint and threw it back at the young Prime. Optimus effortlessly caught his cherished weapon and made sure he was standing before the injured femme.

"Bring it, Decepticon."

As the two mechs fought, throwing each other off and trying to pummel the other while they were down, Skywarp peered into the room and quietly made his way to the femme. He was running low on energy, having gone through more than half his reserves, he knew he would only be able to warp one last time before he was done. "Psyche… c-can you move?" he asked but her blue-green optics were shorting out and she was unable to say or do anything. He didn't like the look of energon smeared behind her helm but she was in desperate need of the medic; reaching out, he carefully pulled her to his chassis and held her close, slipping a servo beneath her stabilizers as he got to his own peds. Offlining his optics he made to concentrate to teleport them out but froze when he heard a shout and turned to the source.

Megatron lifted the Prime over his helm as though he weighed nothing, even with one servo twitching as his self-repair tried connecting the cut wires to his motion relays. "I will destroy you all and once more take control of your precious ship," he growled and with a grunt, threw the other mech into the wall, watching him crumple to the floor. But as he moved to eliminate him once and for all the ship began moving once more, causing him to stumble slightly. He finally noticed the seeker and smirked at the terrified look in his optics. "So, you survived after all."

'Not good! Not good not good not good!' Skywarp thought frantically, tightening his hold over the femme even as he pressed his backplates to the wall as tightly as he could. He tried looking for the door but he choked back the whimper of fear when he realized it had been locked, meaning he was trapped.

"Tell me seeker, if you are here does that mean the Autobot carrier is somewhere close by?" the Decepticon leader asked as he slowly stalked closer, digits flexing as sensors began clicking online.

Wings twitched even as optics narrowed, a warning growl threatening to break free. "Like I'll tell you," he said lowly, feeling a surge of protectiveness coursing through his systems.

"Is that so?" He had heard about seekers and their program to be highly protective of carriers and sparklings, it was one of the things that made them so feared even before the war. "Starscream may have sparked that minibot, but I do wonder if you or the others imagine being the sire of an innocent spark." His smirk grew as the wings twitched sharply, scrapping along the wall. "I imagine the sparkling will emerge soon, so I wonder, which one of you will be the one to claim him next?"

Claim? No, Bumblebee was a friend, not some sort of prize to be given to the winner! But, to have the carrier as his sparkmate, to care for him and watch a sparkling they created grow, to be there for the emergence and hold it for the first time—no! What in Primus was he thinking?! Skywarp forced the dark desires away but they had distracted him just enough for the fearsome mech to strike him down. Pain exploded across his sensory network and he couldn't suppress the scream of pain. Sparks danced along torn plating as the energy axe was removed, energon and oil spilling freely from where the weapon had been driven through. One of his wings had also been damaged so even if he could transform, there was no way he would be able to fly to safety.

"Pity you will not survive long enough to watch me claim the carrier as my own, but I will ensure any sparklings he carries will belong solely to me." Megatron lifted the stolen weapon from the Prime over his helm, ready to bring it down and end the miserable existence of both the cowardly seeker and nuisance femme in one swing but a grappling line shot out, wrapped around his servos and pulled hard enough that he stumbled onto a stabilizing joint. He growled at the Autobot even as he struggled to regain his stance. "What are you doing?!"

Optimus refused to give him a single mechanometer of space as he continued to pull as hard as he could. "G-Get outta here!" he yelled at Skywarp, ignoring the strain and pressure he was forcing on his own gears. He wouldn't be able to hold off the warlord for too much longer but hopefully it would be enough for the two to escape.

"W-What?" Escape? The seeker's HUD was rapidly showing errors and diagnostic reports, warning of an impending stasis if he didn't seek medical assistance soon. But, surely he had enough energy to get the three of them out of here-!

"Now, Skywarp! That's an order!" the Prime yelled at him as he dug his peds into the floor, ignoring the pain as his upper struts were nearly torn free from their sockets. Said seeker flinched but firming his resolve, concentrated and soon the two disappeared into thin air just as the security panels slid open and pincers emerged, ensnaring both battling bots tightly.

"I'm the one calling the shots! I'm the one in complete control!" Starscream shouted for everyone to hear as he continued opening fire on the Autobots below. "No one will take my mate and sparkling away from me, and if I have to destroy all of you to protect them then I will!"

"Damn bot's gone insane!" Ratchet said as he ran and dodged to avoid getting shot at. When Psyche had cut her comm link with him earlier he knew what she had planned and despite his medical programming, brought Optimus out of medical stasis. He didn't have time to give the Prime the complete story, just that everyone needed their help. The two Autobots and one still terrified seeker headed to where the others were at just in time to see Starscream taking control of Omega and using his weapons' systems. Only quick thinking on Optimus' part to have Skyarp warp the two of them into the titan like Psyche had done earlier would hopefully assist the neutral and possibly bring Omega back online. The medic looked to the side when he saw a brief flash of light followed by a popping sound he had associated with the warping mech and felt his optics widen at the damaged state he and his passenger were in. "What the frag happened?!" he demanded even as he turned his attention to them, thankful for the outcropping of rubble they were all currently hiding behind.

"M-Megat-tron," Skywarp growled in pain, ignoring the pain of his backplates scratching the rubble as he fell to his aft. "Ne-Nevermind me. She needs-s your help more," he hissed, jerking slightly when the medic tried reaching for his wing. Ratchet wordlessly took one look at the critically injured femme and began working as fast as he could.

Back within the spaceship, Megatron was attempting to break free of the internal defense systems but the more he struggled the tighter the pincers became. He had no weapons (he had dropped the axe moments ago) save for his own two servos, and one of them was not at full capacity but glaring at the Autobot he smirked when he saw he had been easily subdued. "Excellent work, Starcream. Together we will crush all those who would stand in our way," he called out, knowing his traitorous SIC was listening.

"Who said anything about us?" the seeker said coldly, causing the pincers to tighten around the warlord and making him grunt in discomfort. "I seem to recall you threatening to offline my unborn sparkling and force my mate to carry for you. Did you think I would have forgotten, oh mighty Megatron!?" he sneered angrily. "I am in control and I will give Bumblebee everything he could ever dream off!"

"What about Cybertron?"

"... come again?"

"Even if you destroy the Autobots here, more will come to investigate the disappearance of their mechs. Once the Autobot High Council finds out what has happened, what do you think they will do with your precious mate?" The large grey helicopter smirked as he could almost see the gears turning in the seeker's helm as he processed the information. "Why, instead of waiting for them to come to us, we could go to Cybteron ourselves and eliminate them all, leaving the planet to the rule of Decepticons everywhere."

"Yes… yes. Yes! I can give him Cybertron and he will never have anything to fear! Why, it's such an ingenious plan. I'm so glad I thought of it myself," he smirked. But despite being hotwired into the ship's console, the seeker was having a difficult time trying to activate Omega's transformation sequence. "Why the slag won't this piece of scrap transform?!" he shrieked in frustration.

'I-I have to do something, before it too late!' the downed Autobot thought to himself but what? Even if he managed to break free Starscream would stop him before he could reach the command deck, and with the warp drive they could be back within Cybertron's orbit before he could shudder an optic. But first, under the guise of being trapped, slowly began to retract his grappling line as it dragged his energy axe closer to his servo.

Time was rapidly running out for the Autobots, they had nearly expended all their energy into trying to stop the Decepticon-controlled titan but nothing worked. Ratchet was trying to stabilize Psyche's damage, fighting the video feedback that threaten to overtake his processor. He had so many bots during the war, he was even beginning to doubt himself and his abilities.

'I-I can't…'

"R-Ratchet…"

"Wha-Omega Supreme?" The medic looked up sharply and stepped out from where he had been sheltered, looking up at the titan. The visual screen was flickering back and forth between faceplates, as though fighting for control. "Omega! You have to keep fighting! I know you can do it!"

"Starscream's to-too powerful;" the much larger transformer twitched as he narrowly missed stepping on said medic, struggling to regain some control over his systems. "Please, shut me down! I-I want to sleep again!"

The red and white mech knew what he meant and looked down at where his EMP generator was safely tucked away. "I… I already had to use this thing once too many things, especially when I didn't want to. Please… don't make me use it again."

"We do what we must, even if it sometimes doesn't make sense."

"..." He really didn't want to do this, but if it meant saving his oldest friend, so be it. Getting to his peds, Ratchet released the magnetic devices and upped the charge to its maximum. "… forgive me, old friend." He let the powerful charge loose on the warship and watched with halted vents as it struck Omega directly in the chassis, the power dying out shortly but for several tense moment, nothing happened. Had it worked? Had the powerful EMP burst send the gentle giant back into stasis? Unfortunately, the sound of thrusters activating was their answer and the bots below could only watch in horror as it transformed back into the spaceship.

"About fragging time!" Starscreeam muttered to himself as he gained control and began heading for the Earth's atmosphere. "Now, to Cybertron!"

"If Starcream manages to use Omega Supreme's TransWarp system, Cybertron won't have a chance to stop him," Sentinel called out, now at a complete loss of what to do. How in Primus' designation were they going to catch up to him much less stop him?

"Hold on, doesn't Omega use the same technology to traswarp like the Space Bridge?"

"Of course, he does! But what has that got to do with-" The words died on Ratchet's glossia as he watched Bulkhead rummage in his subspace before pulling out a large piece of Cybertronium technology he was not expecting. "Where did you get a plasma dynamic thruster?!"

"Long story but I promise I'll tell you later! We gotta get it up there before he takes off!"

"I is taking it, green bulky one!" Jetstorm said and without waiting for an order, grabbed said item and immediately took to the air, thrusters igniting in full power even as he chased after the much larger warship.

"I is helping!" Before anyone could stop him, Jetfire also took off into the air after his twin. Both ignored the worried shouts coming from the others below, pushing their engines as hard as they could. This would require all the training and skilled they had learned since they were repaired and brought into the ranks of the Elite Guard, and they knew that they would not fail.

Inside the ship Starscream was rapidly losing his patience with maneuvering the massive titan, already missing his own sleeker (and much more attractive frame) as well as yelling at Megatron to shut his derma plating before he made him.

"At this rate Cybertron will be nothing but a planet of rust," the warlord growled lowly.

"HA! Like you were any better! At least I was able to get it to transform into a function spaceship!" the dismembered helm taunted.

"Then why are we are moving slower than a space slug?"

"I-shut up!"

The young Prime flinched from the unholy shriek but it didn't stop him from wrapping his digits around the handle of his axe. Whether the two Decepticons realized it or not, the large pincers were slowly losing their tight grip they had on him but he continued with the illusion that he was still trapped. Scenarios filled his processor, such as deciding which of the two to take out but he quickly push those behind him. Megatron was easily stronger than him and at full power he still had difficulty bringing him down by himself. And if he went after Starscream that would leave him open for a sneak attack. No, his best option was to escape and try to find a way to keep them from leaving this solar system.

'But first, I need to get out of here.' His chance came when the gunmetal grey mech insulted the seeker one more and said helm let out another shriek, the pincers tightening around the tyrant who let out a grunt of discomfort did the Autobot move. Activating the energy blade, he swung the weapon behind him and severed the limb, freeing himself.

"What the-" Crimson optics widen and the frameless seeker let out a rather embarrassing squawk of surprise and pain as the pincers that had been used to ensnare the leader of the Autobots thrown in his direction, knocking him off the console. Through cracked optic lens he watched as said Autobot ran out the door and glared at the other mech. "Why didn't you stop him?!"

Sometimes he really wondered why, why did he pick this glitch to be his SIC? "And how do you propose I do that?" he asked coolly, still trapped where he stood.

"Don't start with me, mech!"

Optimus ran down the corridor as fast as his peds could take him, using the walls for balance when he felt the ship shift before righting itself. Unfortunately, it seemed that he wasn't able to break whatever connection Starscream had over Omega Supreme but he had to figure out a way to stop him from getting away.

'But I should really get outta here, first!' Bringing up the layout of the ship from his memory banks he raced to the door and input the access door. Of course the systems locked him out but it dind't stop him from wedging his axe into the seam and prying it open. He clung to the frame tightly as he was nearly pulled outside where despite being composed of mostly metal, he doubt he would survive such a fall. "Now what?" he said to himself.

"Optimus Prime, sir!"

Optimus looked up, his audio receivers barely picking up his designation being shouted and looked down to see the jettwins flying below the ship. He was about to shout at them when he saw one of them holding something in his servos.

"Catch, Prime sir!" Jetstorm threw the device as hard as he could, aiming for the Prime but he grinned as he saw him lean out and manage to catch it.

"Be using transwarp thing to stopping screaming one!" Jetfire yelled out.

"Wait, what does that mean?" he called out but the red and blue mech found himself clinging to the door frame as the ship gave another lurch and he almost found himself falling out. The twins were forced to back off least they got spotted themselves or knocked out of the sky. Optimus blinked at the device in his servo began to hum and gave off an energy signal he remembered all too well. "Transwarp energy," he murmured and suddenly everything seemed to click into place. The only problem that remained was where could he hide it to keep the Decepticons from getting their greedy servos on it? The ship gave another lurch and he could see the ground was rapidly growing farther and farther away as the ship continued to gain altitude. 'There's no other way.' Bracing himself for the worse, the Prime leaned out as far as he could and tossed the still glowing plasma dynamic thruster into one of Omega's vents and released the grip he had on the frame. Even falling to what he was certain would be the end of him he saw the ship being encased in the energy field of transwarp energy before it disappeared from sight, the insane cackle of Starscream echoing in the skies for all to hear.

Down below the Autobots could only watch with disbelief as they saw the form of their friend falling much too rapidly towards the ground. They knew they had to do something but there was no way to catch him safely. Even the jettwins had transformed into their altmode and were flying towards him as fast as they could, hoping to save him but they would never make it in time. However, the white and red medic was not going to lose another friend to this Primus-forsaken war, not as long as his spark continued to pulse within his chassis.

Ignoring the warning levels he upped the strength of his magnets as high as he could and aimed it for the falling Prime. At first it didn't seem to be working but the plummeting was beginning to slow down his rapid descent, not as much as the medic would have liked but enough for the merged form of Safeguard to catch the Prime right out of the sky. Once he was in safe servos Ratchet cut the power and sagged down to his joints.

"Ya did it, doc bot!" Bulkhead said excitedly, nearly bowing the veteran over in a rather enthusiastic hug. Normally the CMO would have smacked the gentle wrecker about the helm and yell at him for acting like a giant sparkling but he was just too slagging tired.

Optimus honestly thought he was going to be one with the AllSpark but his friends had come through, once more proving that they were all more than worthy of being called Autobots and they were the best friends a mech could ask for. And as frightening as it had been falling, there was a pleasant sensation as he felt the wind against his plating as the blue/yellow jet flew through the air, circling around to rejoin the others.

"Someday I really have to learn how to fly," he said to himself.

---

"I see, I will tell Bumblebee the news but please let me know about Psyche and Skywarp's recovery as soon as possible," Prowl said with a slight nod of his helm.

"I promise. Let us if know if you need anything," Optimus said as he nodded back. "Optimus, out." The communication screen went blank and the Cyber Ninja silently left the console. Since escorting the minibot back to the caves he was meet with the anxious looks of the seekers who had no doubt felt Skywarp's own anxiety over the bond they shared and explained the situation. Of course, bumblebee wanted to help and was not happy that he couldn't but they did not want to risk leaving him alone either. Coming up to the room the slender mech paused before lifting his servo and knocking.

"Bumblebee? It's prowl. May… May I come in?" There was no answer but the door slid open and the ninja entered, letting the door close behind him.

The yellow mech was sitting against the head of his berth, being supported by the numerous pillows. He didn't look up at the ninja as he entered or even as he came closer, giving a non-verbal grunt when he asked if he could sit. The only sound in the room was the music coming from the handheld game he was playing.

"… The others were able to save New Detroit from being destroyed, although Megatron and Starscream managed to escape. But apparently Bulkhead found a working plasma thruster that enables transwarp energy and Optimus was able to secure it onto Omega Supreme," he began to explain.

"So what, they're gonna be warping all over the galaxy with no way to stop?" the carrier mumbled, never looking up from the tiny screen.

"Y-Yes, I believe so. You know what it does?"

"Bulkhead likes talking about Space Bridge stuff, I don't understand most of what he says but it makes him happy."

Prowl said nothing but he could tell that the smaller mech was not happy. "Bumblebee, I know you wanted to help but no one wanted to risk you or your sparkling. We were trying to protect you."

"Right, because I'm just a minibot that makes me weaker, slower. Dumber than everybot else," he said bitterly. "The only thing I'm good for is being a carrier only to get sparked up by a Decepticon."

"That's not true!"

"Oh yeah? Not even the mech who sparked me up is here, doesn't care about me of his sparkling." He finally tore his optics off the portable game and looked at the ninja with narrowed optics. "Just admit it! I'm useless! I can't fight like you and Optimus! I'm not smart like Bulkhead and Ratchet! Even Sari's faster than me! So just tell me I'm worthless!"

You are not worthless and you never were!" Prowl snapped and he couldn't help but reach out and grab the smaller mech by his upper stabilizers, forcing him to look at him. "You are—stubborn. Prideful. You know how to make me lose my patience in less than a klik. And I can't help but feel my spark yearn for yours. I would do anything for you and your sparkling, regardless of its coding."

"P-prowl? What, are you saying?" Bumblebee asked after a tense moment of silence. The other mech said nothing, looking at him but he watched as he released his servos and slowly reached up to his faceplates, digits gently wiping away the thin trails of optic fluids he was leaking. Slag it all, he was really beginning to hate this "mood swings"! His vents stalled as the ninja leaned in so close he could almost make out the ninja's optics behind his visor.

"I love you." Still moving slowly, the black and gold mech closed the remaining distance and kissed the trembling mech, cradling his helm as though he was made of fragile crystal. He was more than prepared to pull back when he felt the carrier shift but froze as black and yellow-tipped servos reached out and curled around his shoulders, clinging to him tightly. The kiss slowly broke apart but the two were still so close, lip plates slightly parted. "Bee-"

"I love you." Any other time Bumblebee would have smirked proudly at having caught the stoic Cyber Ninja off-guard as he did but instead of gloating, he leaned up and kissed him right back. More oily tears slipped down his faceplates only to be wiped away with a gentle touch. Slagging mood swings. His servos pulled the other mech clos, even as the kiss broke and buried his faceplates into the side of his neck cables, trying to get his frame to stop trembling. "Please, don't leave me alone," he whispered brokenly.

"… I promise, I will never leave you alone." Prowl wordlessly hugged the frame to him as tightly as he could, curling his servos around him as though to protect him from the world. Whether or not the minibot really meant those words or it was due to his carrier coding wreaking havoc on his system, it was too late to take back what he said even if he wanted to. But he meant what he said and he would accept any consequences that came with it.

Author's Notes: Finally! I updated this story! (collapses on floor) Holy moly… I swear, I should be the poster child for procrastination or something! Okay, first I am so sorry for not having updated in… (checks last update) June 2018?!

… that's gotta be a freaking record or something, I swear!

Ugh… I won't bother with the same excuse so I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Yes I pulled out some stuff from the episodes just changed it around. Now lemme just explain some stuff before I log off for the night (or morning in my case):

I took some creative license with Optimus' past, such as his original designation was Orion Pax. He got it changed to Optimus by Kup Minor when he was in Autobot Boot Camp. And I had to refer to some of the TFAnimated comics for the training simulation of Optimus fighting Megatron. I also changed Sentinel's personality a bit since he's forced to stay on Earth a lot longer than he though, he's also forced to see this team in a whole new light. And I gave Ratchet a chance to grieve for the loss of his friend as well as a bit more insight in the relationship between him and Psyche.

Yes I added a bit of a scene between Skywarp and Bumblebee. Why? Well, so far out of all the clones Bee seems to be developing a bond with the cowardly clone but this could be because he turned against his own "creator" to protect Bee and the innocent sparkling several chapters back. Now whether or not this could into something more (shrugs) remains to be scene but it could be possible.

Another possibility, the relationship between Prowl and our loveable yellow minibot. I realize I haven't done as much interaction between them as I would have liked so while writing this I thought "Why not put in a scene?" I'm not really sure where I was going with the last scene but I know mood swings hit hard and bee already suffers from cases of self-dubt so being told he can't help his friends hit him much harder than he thought and it kinda spiraled from there. Though prowl finally took Psyche's advice to heart-er, spark and admitted his feelings.

BTW, for those of you that are concern (or care) Psyche is not dead. She still had a role to play but for the sake of not turning her into some glorified-all-powerful-Primus-chosen-Mary-Sue I needed to show she is still just a normal bot. So yeah, I had Megatron beat the living slag outta her (scratches side of neck) I tend to abuse my OCs like that. But she'll recover and yes so will Skywarp.

Oh yes before I forget, the line that Psyche uses is actually part of a beautiful and touching poem I found online. It talks about bullying and having gone through that growing up and even now as an adult, I wanted to pass this alone to you all to please share with others. Please excuse the spaces as this site seems to eat links: familyfriendpoems poem / shouldve-couldve-wouldve (or look up the poem "Should've, Could've, Would've" by Emily Greenlee).

I would also like to thank those who have stayed with me since I first started this story, and wish I could do more for those that are still with me. I will try to publish another chapter soon and would like to remind you that you are more than welcome to send me a private message eve if its to ask if I'm still alive. What I can give you is a bit of a surprise for the next chapter: Bumblebee's sparkling is going to be making her first appearance in the story and I already have a name picked out for her. I can't wait for it to happen!