Cybertron - The Final Days of the War.

The War was nearing it's end, and both sides knew it. The planet was infected to the core from the conflict, the death. The arrogance of those who stepped on others to rise to power leaving their world unable to support life.

Primus had seemingly abandoned his children.

The Well of AllSparks was dead. Another Cybertronian life would never emerge from it's once rich source of life. And those who remained knew they had to leave if they wished to live.

One fateful night, in the still Autobot occupied city of Iacon, the world already looked at it's end. The sky was filled with fire as Decepticons continued to attack the city's defences and were close to breaking through. Screams of the falling soldiers filled the air, that was suffocated with ash and dust. The sparkless bodies lay in the way of those who still stood to fight. The explosions and screams and gunfire were so loud and intense, the battle so fierce that many civilians saw this as the apocalypse. The end of the universe.

Hell.

Through the ash and fire and bodies hoards of parents emerged. Scared, desperate Autobot parents that clutched their precious sparklings to their chassis to shield them from the sight around them. They were running, risking their lives in a last desperate attempt to save their children. Their destination: the launch pads. Where the mighty starship, The Ark stood as a beacon of hope to those wanting to escape. The terrified parents thought that Optimus Prime must have the ship launch that night. They could not stay or they would risk slaughter at the servos of Megatron.

Across the city stood Optimus himself. Among his team as they fought against the Decepticon army that was attempting to break through and seize the Ark to prevent their escape. At his side stood his most trusted allies. Bumblebee, Ultra Magnus, Jazz, Prowl, and many others as they fought to keep the city safe. Though one of his closest and oldest friends was unaccounted for.

Ironhide had been at his side earlier, but he'd vanished a while back now.

As Optimus looked from his position across the city, he saw the small army of parents risking their lives to reach his position, with their precious children in hand, he knew where Ironhide had gone. Who he had gone to protect.

Leading the group of parents was Ironhide himself, yelling for those who followed him as they entered the battlefield to stay close. With him he dragged a adolescent Autobot Femme who shared his red and black colourscheme.

"Faster!" Ironhide barked at those who were starting to fall behind, which they could not afford to do now as they entered the crossfire separating them from the Ark. The group was tiring, the stress and pace exhausting them at the worst time. Including the young 'bot Ironhide was practically forcing to keep running now as she started to tire.

"Ricochet! Keep moving!" Ironhide yelled roughly to her, yanking her as he quickened his pace as the gunfire descended onto them. Decepticon gunfire from those attempting to seize the Ark. Some of the parents were hit and fell to the ground, cries of pain escaping them as some fell still.

Ironhide was on his highest guard, stopping quickly and using his own body to sheild Ricochet from the bullets, holding her tight to him with one servo as his free one held a gun that fired at their assailants. To clear a path for them to get through.

But there were far too many Decepticons. Thousands stood in between the hope of escape and them. Not even Ironhide and the determined parents could break through all of them. The children would be taken by the 'Cons and the adults would be slaughtered.

Ironhide was not the only one who knew this now.

A little way behind him stood a young female Autobot, orangey-gold and silver in colour and by her looks barely out of her teens. Within her shaky servos she clutched a tiny orange and brown sparkling tightly. The Femme panted softly and yelped as she dodged gunfire while trying to protect her sparkling. Her blue optics scanned the area for somewhere safe. Somewhere she could take her son. The Ark was a no go now.

The she saw the launch pads a few minute's run away. The ones that housed the escape pods that the trainee soldiers would use. Nobody had even gone near them as they were too busy trying to reach Optimus and the Ark.

Looking down at her little sparking, the Femme gave a nervous sigh.

"I'm gonna save you, sweetspark."

With that, the Femme split from the group despite the other's yells that it wasn't safe. Which it wasn't. A few of the Decepticon snipers saw her split and concentrated their fire on her even though she carried a child.

Once the gunfire started to move with the young Femme that was when Ironhide noticed. He saw her run and was about to order her back when he saw where she was headed. He knew that Femme had the right idea.

"Follow me! We're taking the escape pods!" Ironhide barked in a orderly fashion, shoving those closest to him in the direction of the launch pads before dragging Ricochet as he ran after the brave Femme.

"Sire I thought we we're goin' to the Ark?" Ricochet questioned as her father forced her to run faster, yelping as they narrowly missed being caught in a explosion that erupted meters to the side of them.

"The Ark's lost 'Che. The escape pods are our only hope now." Ironhide spoke gravely, holding her wrist a little too tightly to force her to keep moving. They couldn't afford to slow even a little.

"But where will we go in the pods?" Young 'Che questioned as she hastened her pace, her peds starting to hurt the more she pushed on. Sleep also threatened to hinder her. It was the early hours of the morning and she had been awoken rather abruptly by her Sire when he reliazed that the planet was pretty much doomed.

Ahead of Ironhide's group ran the single Femme who held her precious baby. She panted heavily, clutching the little orange sparkling tighter as he started to cry and whimper, scared by the loud explosions and yelling. His little frame quivered in his Carrier's arms, his blue optics teary and afraid as they caught small glimpses of the carnage.

Her little one's cries only fueled the young mother to move faster, dodging gunfire left right and centre before she finally reached the escape pod pads, guarded by a few Autobot soldiers who were ordered to stay, commanded by Optimus' sort of lookalike and Commander.

Ultra Magnus himself.

The tall Commander stood and raised a eyebrow very slightly as he saw the army of parents charging in their direction. He was rather confused but he knew one thing: the pods were not to be removed by anyone. Those were his orders.

As the mother raced onto the pads he put a servo out to stop her, making her skid to a stop.

"Please.. My Sparkling... Please send him off somewhere safe." She begged, pointing to the escape pods lying a few feet away from them. As she spoke she was trying to pass the little orange boy to Ultra Magnus desperately.

But Magnus shook his head, pushing away her efforts to hand him her son."I am under orders not to allow anyone near the Pods." He replied simply.

The young mother's optics widened in horror and despair, shaking her helm. "But you have to... He'll die! Please!"

"I'm under the strictest orders from Optimus-"

"Screw your orders." A deep, gruff voice interrupted Magnus as Ironhide arrived at their sides, Ricochet and the rest of the parents too.

"Optimus gets no say in this." Ironhide added determinedly, his gaze falling on the Commander. Ironhide had the highest respect for Optimus as a leader, but Optimus couldn't tell them not to save their children.

Ultra Magnus still however would not break his orders. It was not in his nature to do so. He'd only accept a direct order from someone above him.

Ironhide simply shook his helm with a growl, and in a second he sent Magnus flying to the ground with a hard punch. The Young Femme behind him gasped in shock, her little Sparkling whimpering in fear of the loud clang.

"Let's go! Now!" Ironhide barked, leading the charge and pulling Ricochet quickly towards the pods, the hoard of parents pushing to get through first. To save their Sparkling first.

Amongst the chaos slipped through the Young Femme with her little orange Sparkling, but because of her small stature and the chaos she found it hard to reach a pod. This wasn't a time for courtesy and letting others going first.

Quickly the sky was filled with what looked like stars, flying out to space, to safety. Hundreds of pods filled with Sparklings blasting off to seek out a safe world.

The Young Femme could only watch in despair, fearing she wouldn't get her own child to a pod in time.

But then there was a sickening chorus of explosions.

The Decepticons nearby had opened fire on the parents. To try to stop them launching the pods. Some fired upwards in a attempt to stop the pods leaving the atmosphere and ground them. Then they would claim the Sparklings for themselves.

But it all went wrong.

The fire became too intense, sending the pods crashing to the ground at high speed, exploding on impact with the ground.

Screams and cries of horror came from the parents, who could only watch hopelessly as their children fell like asteroids to their deaths. By the time the Decepticons reliazed what they'd done it was already too late.

The Young Femme clutched her child tighter as she watched the sky fill with fire. Her faceplate a picture of horror and dread. She looked around to reliaze her Sparkling was the only one left. The only one not sent upwards.

But the Femme knew if her Sparkling didn't go the Decepticons would take him and kill her. He'd grow into a murderous 'Con monster. If it was last thing she did she couldn't let that happen.

Holding the little one close to her chest, the Femme charged through the distraught parents, hearing the stamping of Decepticon peds stampeding and gunfire heading straight for them. She had moments only.

So she raced to where the final few escape pods were. Ironhide was stood there, watching Ricochet's distant pod vanish amongst the stars. She'd been one of the first to go, and so by a miracle escaped the planet unscathed.

The Femme gave him only a small glance as she rushed over, the mourning parents too preoccupied with their losses and the incoming Decepticons to notice as she buckled her little Sparkling into a Pod. The little one cried as she did, tiny servos reaching out for her. For a moment she hesitated, debating her choice. She wanted so desperately to keep her little son, but she knew at least this way he'd have a chance. Even if it wasn't with her.

"It's alright my little sweetspark." The Femme cooed with a low, broken voice and held one of his little servos to quieten his cries. "You'll be alright. You're going to blast off now, and find a new home. Somewhere you'll be safe."

She paused as her voice cracked, quickly wiping a tear from her cheek before she continued. "And you're going to find a new family, who will love you just as much as I do. Who will look after you now... "

She flinched as the gunfire hit the other parents a few meters behind her. It was time.

"Time to fly amongst the stars... just like a Comet."

Placing a shaky, final goodbye kiss to her Sparkling's helm, the Femme forced herself to pull away and shut the escape pod.

"Goodbye my little Comet. I'll always love you."

The pod flew away like a flash of light, it's shape visible flying upwards through the fiery sky. The gunfire concentrated up there had ceased and now focused on those on the ground, allowing the pod the chance to escape like Ricochet.

From the ground the young Femme watched the pod fly. Her teary optics locked on its shrinking shape as the gunfire grew closer. She didn't look, didn't turn or flinch. She wanted her Sparkling flying through the stars to safety to be the last thing she saw.

And so when the Decepticons gunned her down, she went quickly and with content, knowing that her child was safe and away from the dangers of Megatron.

There was nothing that could be done for her. By the time the medics arrived she'd passed, but as Medical Officer Ratchet examined her husk, he determined it was quick and painless. He felt sympathy for the young Femme. He wished that he could have helped her in someway.

He was unaware that in a few years, on a distant planet in the midst of war, he would get the chance to do so. By taking her little Sparkling as his own.

Yeah... so.. 7 months.

I know I suck.

Life has just been generally shit for home and college reasons, and I have this big final major project so I've had to write for that and it's taken a lot of time and stress. Buuuttt I'm done with college forever in a few weeks (yay ;3) so I'll have writing time again!

I haven't abandoned this book promise :) I've actually missed it a lot recently. So from now I'll try to not leave months between updates XD

So I tried to do this Cybertron flashback to make up for it, if it sucks I'm sick rn and stressed about my movie so...

And if you want more Ratchet and Comet action my fabulous friend 5carletteRose wrote a oneshot about our fave lil Sparkling 3 so please go check that and her other stuff out, review and hopefully I'll see you all soon x

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