Optimus worked in silence.
Nearly all the panels in the floor had been removed, revealing the endless repairs gathered and awaiting Ratchet's attention. Two days of work had made little difference, as power surges continued to damage the base's systems faster than they could be repaired.
Somewhere around him, in the dark, he heard the occasional grunt or huff, the only sign that anyone else was there. Both flashlights had run out of power, leaving Optimus and Bulkhead to sort through the various piles of disassembled technology mostly by touch.
A loud clang broke through the silence, making Optimus pause.
"What was that? What did you do?" Ratchet, barely visible by the main console's glowing screens, glared in Bulkhead's direction.
"Uh...whoops."
"Bulkhead! Don't I have enough to fix already?"
"It's too dark!" Bulkhead protested, a definite edge of irritation evident in the large warrior's voice. "How am I supposed to do anything if I can barely see an inch in front of my face?"
"Carefully!" Ratchet shot back. "I don't have time to fix your mistakes on top of everything else!"
"Well, maybe if you fixed all the lights first..."
"The lights aren't the only things damaged, Bulkhead! If we don't get the main power grid back to full working order, the lights will be the least of our concerns! Have you forgotten that Arcee and Bumblebee are currently locked outside the base?"
Bulkhead grumbled but didn't respond.
"Status, Ratchet? People are starting to slow down and stare." Static crackled, nearly drowning out Arcee's voice. Optimus had to listen closely to hear Bumblebee's affirming whirr through the commlink.
Ratchet paused in his work, spluttering. "You're...are you still outside the door? Drive around behind the base, out of sight of the road! Some human might try to steal you!"
"Relax, Ratchet. I have my hologram on. No one's stealing anything, or anyone."
Ratchet continued as if she hadn't spoken. "For Primus's sake, use some sense, both of you! Don't we have enough problems without more humans getting involved?"
At their mention, Optimus's optics went to the lounge. Somewhere in the dark, Miko and Rafael sat, undoubtedly listening to every word. Both of them, despite poor attempts to pretend otherwise, had lost much of their usual energy, making the base feel that much more oppressive.
The Autobot leader hadn't realized just how much he'd grown accustomed to the sounds of talking and laughter in the background. And fond, he might admit. This silence was not right.
A hum from his panel gave him no time to dwell on his melancholy thoughts. In all of two seconds, it grew louder, only to be cut off by a flash and a SNAP that echoed through the base.
A chorus of alerts immediately began to blare from the main console, all from various systems. Ratchet bellowed a curse and slammed a fist on the keyboard.
Optimus couldn't hold back a grimace as the scent of burning computer parts hit his olfactory sensors, threatening to overwhelm him. Not much remained to recieve damage save several of their most important systems, so the loss of whatever was giving it off would undoubtedly be felt.
"What happened?" Arcee's voice was barely audible, but thankfully it was there. The protections Ratchet had pulled together had kept at least the commlinks functioning for now. "Let me guess. Another surge?"
The medic responded with a sound between a sigh and a groan.
"Yep." Bulkhead answered for him, voice flat. "Probably created another few hours if not days of work for us."
Optimus gently pulled a freshly damaged board from its compartment. Heat emanated from it, and his audio receptors picked up the much smaller snaps of lesser electrical sparks, but nothing seemed to have been damaged beyond repair. As of now.
He hummed as he set it aside, creating a new pile. If the surges continued to worsen, much of what they had built could not be replaced, even with Agent Fowler's help.
The thought gave his spark an irregular pulse, though he kept his mind clear and his expression steady, a skill perfected through eons of practice.
"You sure we can't just break the door down and get Bee and Arcee back that way?" Bulkhead said.
Ratchet groaned again, though there was no energy in it. "Sure, Bulkhead, let's do that, and leave a big gaping hole in the base for anyone to find."
Optimus stood and carefully made his way across the room to join him."Perhaps you should take a break, old friend."
Ratchet turned to him with dull optics. "I can't." He rasped. "There is too much at stake, and I'm the only one who can fix it."
Optimus watched him sadly as he checked the next alert, assessing the damages. He himself had only a basic knowledge of computer repairs, and the skills required to work with such miniscule components took time to develop. Time they did not have.
"I need to run more diagnostics...no, that's not right...scrap..." Ratchet typed in a daze, squinting at all the red. "There's so much. Will this never end?"
Optimus reached one hand towards his shoulder, but the medic suddenly stood straighter with a sharp intake, making him pause. "By the Allspark!"
Optimus involuntarily stiffened at his shout. He leaned closer to the screen to get a better look, and froze.
One of the alerts was from their cloaking systems.
Ratchet began to type again, fingers flying frantically over the keyboard. "The surges have broken through all my protections! There!" He pointed at a small section of code that had turned red. "As of now, it's not severe, but any amount of damage to our cloaking could be disastrous."
He turned to face Optimus, his expression grim. "If the surges continue like this, and the cloaking systems go down, the Decepticons won't take long to find us."
Optimus gave a single nod. "We must locate the source of the surges before that can happen."
"How?" Ratchet almost snapped. "Our tracking systems are damaged too! We have almost nothing to work with!"
Optimus laid a large hand on his friend's shoulder, as much to reassure himself as Ratchet. But he kept his expression focused and steady, a skill perfected through eons of practice. "We will find a way, old friend. What have you been able to determine?"
"I believe it to be an outside source, somewhere far away." Ratchet said, slipping into his professional calm mask. "It seems to target mostly Cybertronian technology, through a series of small but abundant burnouts."
"You want to know the source?" Bulkhead cut in, coming up behind them. "It's the Cons', who else?"
Ratchet shook his head, turning back to the screen. "No, I don't think so. They would have to know the location of our base for that, and I doubt the Decepticons would waste time with this game of "cat and mouse" as humans would call it. This is something else."
He glared at the console. "Now, if we could track it, we'd be able to find out what."
"I think I can." A small voice got everyone's attention. Rafael had moved to the railing of the lounge, carrying his laptop under his arm. "My laptop works just fine."
Ratchet sighed. "Be that as it may, you would still need the tracking systems."
Rafael pointed at the screen. "Yeah, but look, it says most of the damage is in the signal transmitters. The rest of the tracking systems look intact, so all we'd need to do is plug something in as a substitute." He held up his laptop. "I still have the transmitters you helped me install on this. All we'd need to do is catch the next surge and track where it came from."
Ratchet still looked doubtful. "Well..."
"Perhaps it is worth a try, old friend." Optimus said, giving Rafael an appraising nod.
The medic was silent for a moment. "What about Arcee and Bumblebee?"
"We can wait." Arcee said, though she couldn't quite hide the forced patience in her voice. "Dealing with the surges is our top priority."
Optimus glanced down at the open panels. The main power grid would not be functional for a while yet, more so without work. "No. We need them in here, as soon as possible. Bulkhead and I will attempt to open the entrance manually while you work with Rafael."
Ratchet opened his mouth, then closed it with a sigh. "All right. Just...try not to completely destroy it."
He walked over to the railing and held out a hand, palm upwards. "Over here, Rafael. I don't want you trying to find your way in the dark."
The entrance door was heavier than any load of raw energon crystals.
On any normal occasion, Optimus could work with heavy, especially with Bulkhead's help. But today, their own strength worked against them.
Inch by inch, they forced the door upwards, wincing as the edge of the thin inner metal sheet bent under their fingers.
Bumblebee's head appeared on the other side of the small gap they'd made. He beeped happily, and raised his thumb; an Earth gesture Optimus had learned meant encouragement or approval.
Bulkhead released the door and stepped back, growling. "This is all we can do? It'll take forever to get that wide enough to fit through!"
Arcee appeared next to Bumblebee, in vehicle mode. "Bumblebee, another car incoming!" She snapped. Bumblebee quickly transformed.
Optimus kept pushing up, budging the door a little more. "We will raise it only enough for their vehicle modes to fit." He said, making sure all three could hear the finality in his voice. Bulkhead softly groaned, but put his hands under the door again.
"Optimus?"
Optimus gave a slight flinch as static filled his audio receptors at a very uncomfortable volume and pitch.
He released one hand to press two fingers to his head. "Have you located the source of the power surges?"
There was no answer.
Optimus stopped. "Ratchet?"
"Well...I think you'd better come see this."
Optimus hummed and turned to Bulkhead, who was watching him expectantly. Ratchet had contacted only him. "Continue to open the door. I must check in with Ratchet."
Bulkhead's face fell, but he didn't argue. "Alright."
By the time Optimus arrived in the main hangar, he'd prepared himself to receive whatever bad news the medic had for him.
Or at least, he'd tried.
What he saw on the screen was not at all what he'd been expecting. It was a signal, so the tracking systems had indeed found something. The location was unspecified, but he knew that unique frequency and signature all too well.
Griffin Rock. The power surges originated from Griffin Rock.
Ratchet turned to face him uncertainly, optics gesturing to Rafael, and Miko who now stood beside him.
Optimus didn't move for a long moment. Thoughts raced through his head. How hard he'd fought to keep the Rescue Bots' secret. Yet all his efforts were unraveling before his helpless gaze.
He closed his optics. For the Rescue Bots' sakes, Jack's, and the Autobots, they had to act fast, even if more of Team Prime discovered them.
"Disable the communication systems." He finally ordered.
Ratchet blinked, taken aback.
"What?" He and both humans all spoke in unison.
"You can't turn off the commlinks!" Miko said, eyes wide. "What if Jack needs to call base? Or anyone out on patrol? We can't..."
"I fear the commlinks may put Jack in danger." Optimus cut in gently, keeping his optics on the screen. "If what I suspect is true."
Ratchet narrowed his optics. But Rafael was the one to ask, "What? What could the commlinks do that would hurt Jack?"
"Yeah! For some reason, no one will tell us where he is, but he's far away from here. We've figured that much out."
Optimus repressed a slight twinge of guilt at the frustration and hurt in Miko's voice. Keeping the Rescue Bots secret had been the right decision, even if it was no longer possible. All one could do at a given moment was their best with what they had.
"When did the Decepticons' inactivity begin?" He asked, turning to Ratchet.
The medic paused to think, then his optics widened in realization. "Around the same time as the surges."
Optimus nodded. "You say they target mostly Cybertronian technology. The Decepticons have nothing else."
"Ha! So the Cons' are struggling as much as we are! More so, even! No wonder they haven't been finding any new energon deposits!" Ratchet smirked.
"But, what does that have to do with Jack?" Miko leaned closer on the railing.
"Even damaged, our tracking system could identify these unique frequencies and signatures. They are from a team of Cybertronians currently living on Earth."
The two humans gasped. "There are other Bots' on Earth?" They said in unison.
"They are called Rescue Bots. This particular team was off-world for most of the war on our home planet, and all of them are untrained in battle. Currently, Jack is with them."
He met their wide-eyed gazes. "Should they attempt to contact us, or we them, their transmissions could draw the Decepticons' attention. Their ship's communications are not as secure as ours, and our protections are not currently functioning as well as they should. If the Decepticons link their signals to the surges as we have..."
"They'll find and destroy them." Rafael realized, getting over his initial shock. "And Jack with them!"
"We must avoid any possibility of the Decepticons thinking to investigate them. Jack will be beyond contact for a short time, but he will be safe. He is in good hands."
He turned back to Ratchet. "Disable the communication systems." He repeated.
The medic hesitated, then obeyed, typing several commands into the computer. "I suggest we get back to work as soon as possible. If we get sufficient protections up for our communications, we can get a message to the Rescue Bots. If the surges are from Griffin Rock, we'll need them to investigate, since we can't get over there ourselves."
Optimus nodded absently as Ratchet hit the final button, and the commlinks went down. How hard he'd fought to keep the Rescue Bots out of their war, yet very little of what he did now seemed to make much difference.
His thoughts went to the dark-haired young man among them. Think, Jack. He thought, as if he could transmit the words straight to the human. Put the pieces together.
We may all depend upon it.