The hot sun baked the half-spark in her armor, adding more drops of blue-flecked sweat to her messy, plastered hair. The dusty piles of rocks that Nova, Ratchet, and Optimus ducked behind bordered a large pit that staggered into the depths of the valley below. The place was crawling with Vehicon miners, who were toiling away under the supervision of someone much worse.
"Megatron?" Ratchet inquired.
"It seems you detected the ancient Autobot frequency precisely because it was unearthed," Optimus speculated as Nova lifted herself up between the stones to get a better look.
"Well, our backup shouldn't be far behind," Ratchet said, but Optimus was already rising to his feet.
"Without knowing what the Decepticons have exhumed," he stated, forming his blasters, "I do not think I am willing to wait."
Optimus began to walk down the steep slope as Nova and Ratchet followed behind.
The past few days had been rough. Any opportunity for downtime or rest had been thwarted by the Decepticons, whose recent movements kept the Autobots on their toes.
Everyone back home was tired, irritable, and miserable, and the whole team had the distinct feeling that the Decepticons had more of an advantage than usual. Optimus, of course, blamed himself for this. So far, no one except for Ratchet and Nova had bothered to contradict his worries. It was hard to tell someone they weren't at fault if you secretly think they were.
As they reached the bottom of the rocky cliffs, Nova caught a glimpse of the artifact the Decepticons had unearthed. It seemed to be a sort of metal urn, and had been placed in Megatron's hands.
"Megatron!" Optimus challenged; his blaster pointed at the Decepticon warlord as he approached. "I cannot allow you to pilfer Autobot relics."
"Not only are you misinformed, Optimus," Megatron said, reaching into the pot as the Vehicons trained their blasters on the Autobots, "But I would strongly advise you to lower your weapons … unless you are in the mood for mutually assured destruction." He held up the artifact so that they could see.
Nova initially thought he was threatening them with a Cybertronian salad plate, but she quickly sobered when she caught sight of the look on Optimus' face.
He was rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the relic. She felt cold talons of horror clutch at her Spark as she watched him.
"It can't be!" Ratchet gasped.
Optimus' eyes remained on the artifact, and his voice carried an edge as he said, "The Spark Extractor."
Eyes wide, Nova turned to Ratchet. "Does it work as a half-spark extractor, too?"
"Every being within its radius which bears a Cybertronian energy signature is absorbed by the Extractor," Ratchet hurriedly explained. "By all accounts, it is absolutely capable of killing you as well."
"Should we run?" Nova whispered, her blood running cold.
Ratchet just shook his head. "It is already too late."
Megatron held the disk out for a second more, allowing them to look upon it as long as they wished.
"Rather unassuming," he said with a wicked grin. "Yet capable of extracting every Spark within its radius."
He turned his gaze on the Prime. "And to think that you led me straight to it, Optimus. Or should I say… Orion Pax did."
Standing beside Optimus with her blasters cocked, Nova could see the effect Megatron's venomous words had upon her guardian. His breath came a little slower, his eyes widened above his set jaw, his hands clenched so as not to shake. But Megatron could see it too, and he was not finished.
"You should really have left your Decepticon shield intact," he taunted, glancing at the Autobot symbol engraved on Optimus' shoulder. "For you have no idea how useful your code-breaking skills proved to be … during our all-too-brief time together."
Optimus faltered as Megatron spoke into his comm-link. "Soundwave, send the Groundbridge."
The Autobots looked up at the blooming portal as it materialized on the rocks above them, and Megatron snarled, "Engage them!"
Immediately, the blasters of the Vehicons rained down red fire upon them, beginning a firefight that echoed through the valley. At their sudden movement, Optimus leapt into action as well, sliding his battle mask over his face and opening his blasters. Nova used the chaos to take down unsuspecting soldiers, leaping up onto their backs and slashing at their heads until they toppled.
Amidst the exchanging waves of laser fire, Optimus and Ratchet suddenly turned to look at the cliffs behind them, out of which sprang a familiar gold-and-black Camaro.
"Backup's arrived!" Nova cheered, throwing up a fist to hail Bumblebee as he zipped in and out between the legs of the hapless Vehicons.
"Bumblebee, secure the package," ordered Optimus, directing him toward the still-open Groundbridge into which Megatron had disappeared.
Buzzing a reply, the scout revved up his powerful engine, dodged the legs of one final Vehicon, and shot into the Groundbridge, disappearing in a golden light as Nova placed a hand to her ear.
"Raf, we're ready for pickup," she said, dodging a blast from an especially skilled Vehicon. "Send a Groundbridge for us."
"Roger that," came the reply. Sure enough, a bright green portal flared to life just beside the Autobots, and Optimus looked to the Decepticon's Groundbridge to make sure Bumblebee had returned before he ran through himself.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Back at the base, the golden scout demonstrated his feats inside the Decepticon Groundbridge to the others, using Raf's toy car as a model. Weaving the toy car through the air, he regaled them with tales of exactly how he had driven up and over Megatron in the tunnel and snatched the relic from his very hands while he was unawares.
"Loop-de-loop, huh?" Arcee said in response to his dramatic beeping as he carefully handed the car back to Raf.
"Heh," Bulkhead chuckled, slapping his friend on the chest fondly. "you've got some brass bearings, Bumblebee."
"Optimus," Ratchet called, from where he stood examining the Spark Extractor.
With Nova sitting on his shoulder like a wingless parrot, Optimus came over to look at the analysis results that had popped up on the computer screen as the medic pointed to a familiar sign.
"Here," said Ratchet, looking at the Autobot symbol. "The source of the ancient frequency we detected."
"An Iacon homing beacon," the Prime realized.
"What's an Autobot locator doing on that?" Arcee asked.
Optimus Prime turned to explain to all of them. "The Class-A Decepticon weapons confiscated during the war were sealed within the vaults below Iacon."
"Where you once worked as an archivist?" Bulkhead clarified.
"Iacon was both a cultural center and a stronghold," Optimus continued. "Which Megatron raided when Autobot troops were at their nadir*. It stands to reason that in anticipation of Iacon being overrun by enemy forces, these weapons were jettisoned off-world to keep them far from Decepticon reach."
*(A/N: "nadir" is Optimus-speak for "all-time low.")
"Clearly, the beacon was added as a safety measure, should the weapons be found by the undesired party," Ratchet speculated.
Bulkhead laughed. "Well, thanks to our hotshot stunt-driver, this one's goin' in our vault," he said jubilantly.
"Do you … think this is the only intel you supplied to Megatron?" Arcee asked hesitantly to Optimus. Nova winced as she looked up at her guardian. This was a simple question, but taken the wrong way, it could have been an accusation.
"Arcee, you are right to ask," Optimus said with difficulty. "And … I am afraid I — do not remember."
He closed his eyes, overwhelmed with fatigue, and his normally straight shoulders caved a little. He was retreating inward again, surrendering to his fear that he may have doomed them all. Nova had seen it several times the past few days; Optimus would lapse into periods of long, contemplative silence, broken by a sigh and a heavy hand to his face.
She put a hand on the side of his head, patting him a little. She didn't really know what else to do.
Luckily, Ratchet did.
"Optimus," the medic said firmly, waiting until his friend looked him in the eyes, "Megatron clearly took advantage of your amnesia. But for all we know, this Spark Extractor is the extent of it."
He leaned forward, recapturing Optimus' gaze. "Have you stopped to consider that Megatron might have suggested otherwise, merely to plague your thoughts?"
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Lost in thought, Optimus said nothing to Ratchet's statement of reason, but gave him a short nod.
Satisfied, Ratchet clapped him on the shoulder as best he could and returned to the computer, scanning for more activity.
One by one, the others went back to their various tasks while Nova slid down to the ground and looked up at Optimus, waiting for a statement, a sigh, a smile, anything from her guardian.
He gave her nothing, and walked grimly to the back of the base with her trotting at his heels. Even though he did not speak, Nova got the distinct feeling that he wanted a word with her. This, of course, filled her with apprehension, and her armor tightened around her chest as she followed him.
"…Don't blame yourself," she ventured as he walked on in silence. "There was nothing you could do to prevent it."
Reaching the end of the hallway, he stopped and looked down at her.
"What is it?" Nova asked, twisting her fingers. What did I do?
"Nova, you were the only one present with me in my captivity," Optimus said, an edge of stress to his normally calm voice. "Is there any information you can impart?"
"I — I don't think it would help," she murmured quietly.
"This is not a matter of imparting information of my sickness," Optimus said, taking a knee and towering above her even then. "In order to ensure the safety of the others, I need to understand exactly how helpful my actions were to the Decepticons. Please tell me."
Nova sighed, glancing at the ground in resignation as she thought back to that long night she had spent in cramped tunnels, scuttling around fearfully in the dim light.
"You were put to work decoding something," she said. "I couldn't hear all of it, but it was linked to Iacon, and you were afraid that its information could lead the decoder to weapons of mass destruction. I didn't look for anything else."
Optimus frowned. "Why not?"
"Because I was trying to look after you!" Nova cried, and burst into tears.
The Prime started, taken aback. He hadn't realized he sounded so harsh.
This was the first time Nova had ever really cried in his presence. Optimus had seen her hurt, and he had seen her angry, and he had even seen her smile, but he had never once seen her cry.
He reached for her. "It is all right—"
"No!" She pressed herself against the wall and hugged her arms to her chest, gritting her teeth against her sobs. "It's not all right. I was useless! I just hid and watched and didn't do anything to help! I wasn't … I didn't …"
She started to shake as Optimus leaned in and offered her his finger to grasp.
"Optimus, I'm so sorry!" Nova stifled her tears as she threw herself into his hand, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. "I'm so, so sorry! I failed. I – I should have done more, I wasn't prepared enough and – and I didn't do enough and I'm sorry…"
Optimus listened to her outburst in silence and waited until she was finished, then lifted her up in his hand and brought her up to his face, her legs dangling from the edge of his palm.
"Look at me," he ordered. He waited until she raised her eyes to his.
"You bring this unnecessary guilt upon yourself," he intoned firmly. "And I do not want you to carry a weight which is not yours to bear."
"You don't even remember what happened," Nova sniffed. "How do you know I shouldn't carry it?"
Optimus looked at her gravely. "This is the only thing I do know for certain — you were the only one who remained with me through my darkest hour. You seem to count that as nothing."
He saw her face change to one of surprise as he continued, "Do you not think that is worthy of my approval?"
She took in a deep breath and wiped her eyes as the Prime got to his feet and continued walking.
"Now," he said, "Tell me what troubled you in that time, that I may know, and make amends if necessary."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Optimus," Ratchet said, "Bumblebee and Bulkhead have detected another frequency. They are currently en route."
"Understood," Optimus said, approaching from behind with Nova on his shoulder. "Are there enemy forces at the location of the frequency?"
"No," replied the medic. "That's what is so surprising. It's as if we were the first ones to discover this relic."
Nova frowned.
"As if it was put there, just for us," she murmured, causing Optimus to turn his head.
"Inform them to proceed, with extreme caution," ordered the Prime.
Nova frowned, a writhing sense of apprehension in her chest. "Something feels different about this. I think it's a trap."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Soon, the Groundbridge opened to let the Autobots back into the base. Both were on foot, and Bumblebee's face held a desperate look that Nova instantly recognized. She had worn the same expression herself on many occasions, often when a new piece of armor had wedged itself into her skin, or when a larger dose of Energon had been administered, and when she had wondered how long it would be before she would die.
She trotted up to Bumblebee, standing next to Raf as Bulkhead explained the horrible truth: Bumblebee could no longer transform.
Ratchet, fussing and theorizing as usual, made the scout lie down on the medical table while he ran the laser-scanner over him.
"You can fix Bee, can't you?" Raf asked from the floor.
"Bumblebee was hit pretty hard," Ratchet said. "The stun blasts may have fried his T-cog."
"Is that like a T-bone?" Miko inquired.
Arcee looked down at her. "Not exactly. It's the organ that allows us to scan vehicles and transform." She jerked her head at the half-spark. "Nova has one, don't you, kid?"
Nova swallowed, giving a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah."
"By the Allspark," Ratchet gasped, his scanner powering off. "Bumblebee's T-cog isn't damaged. It's missing."
At his words, the entire base was plunged into silence. Everyone, even Optimus, stood openmouthed at the gravity of the situation.
Shaking, Nova's mouth ran dry, her face blanching with the realization that she had been right. This was a trap. And she knew exactly who had set it.
"But the Decepticons transform too," Jack said confusedly. "Why would they steal that?"
Ratchet shook his head in denial. "Megatron may be known to raise zombies, but he's no ghoul."
Typical, Nova thought. An evil warlord from a race of alien robots is more humane than people of my own kind.
Optimus turned to look at her, but Nova didn't notice. She had begun to pace in tight circles, her metal-clad fingers pressed to her chest.
"If Megatron wasn't behind this," Raf asked, "Then who was?"
Bulkhead lowered his brows. "The ones who cannibalized Breakdown."
"And tried to gut me," Arcee said in disgust.
"The ones who held Nova captive all these years," Ratchet realized. "MECH."
Clowing her eyes, Nova winced at the sound of that name, keening over her clenched fists.
"And it would appear that their knowledge of Cybertronian biotech has grown more sophisticated," Ratchet said gravely. The fact that they had made a precise surgical incision at the site of Bumblebee's T-cog and taken it out without a trace was evidence of that fact.
"But why would they want Bumblebee's part?" Raf wondered.
With an angry buzzing and beeping, Bumblebee sprang from the table and made his intentions perfectly clear.
"Bumblebee, please," Optimus said, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking him in the eye. "You are not presently … equipped to handle this."
Indignantly, the scout erupted in a string of beeps profane enough to make Ratchet's eyes widen.
"You are mistaken, my friend," Optimus said patiently. "I do know what it is like to lose a vital part of oneself. And, as a result, I know the value of putting one's faith in the strength of those around you." He looked up at the others as he finished. "We vow to do everything in our power to make you whole again."
"And if not, Ratchet can just make you a new cog thing, right?" Miko said.
At her ignorance, Bumblebee groaned and sat back down with his head in his hands.
"What'd I say?" the girl inquired.
Ratchet looked at her reproachfully. "Miko, a T-cog is a bio-mechanism, not a scrapyard find. If it were that easy, don't you think I would have replaced Bumblebee's voice box by now?"
A disgusted buzzing and beeping spouted forth from Bumblebee's makeshift voice as Raf shook his head.
"You're not useless, Bee."
The scout did not respond, but hugged his knees and buzzed in a low voice that was not meant to be words.
"All right, all right, I say none of us transform until Bee gats his cog back," Bulkhead suggested.
"Your Spark's in the right place, Bulkhead," Arcee said, "But I don't think now is the time to be limiting ourselves."
"Not with Megatron seeking other doomsday devices," Optimus finished. "And, I fear, not while MECH uses Bumblebee's T-cog for their own sinister purpose."
Nova had said nothing throughout this whole conversation, and when Optimus finally returned his attention to her, she had formed her visor and hid her face. She was shaking with fists clenched.
"Nova?" He looked at her until she raised her head.
"MECH … always has a base," she said finally, clearing her throat to hide the tremor in her voice. "I don't know where, or what it will look like, but I do know what to look for. If we begin the search now, we should be able to find them within a week, unless they expect retaliation."
"Where would we even look?" Bulkhead asked. "It's not like they tell us where they're going."
"No," she said. "But we do know where they've been. They only set up their facilities in areas of extremely low populations, and I know that Silas has several secure locations in the northern United States."
She took in a shallow breath, looking slightly away from Optimus' eyes. "I … have an idea of where I might try looking first."
"Great, so Nova will look for the base and contact Fowler if she finds anything, while the rest of us will keep tracking the 'Cons," Bulkhead agreed.
"I am not inclined to allow Nova to undertake such an operation alone," said Optimus fixing his gaze on her. "She may require assistance."
"No," Nova protested, finally meeting his eyes. "I can do it alone."
"Just what makes you think so?" Ratchet demanded, folding his arms.
"One-person recon is the only way this will work," Nova insisted. "Their scanners and early warning systems are very effective, and if we send more than one person they might detect us and evacuate."
"What gives you this idea of where to look first?" Ratchet asked.
She looked back at him. "Just experience."
"Well, experience or no, I am not going to stand here and watch a repeat of what happened before," Ratchet said, looking at Optimus. "We almost lost our half-spark last time MECH got ahold of her."
"While finding Bumblebee's T-cog carries priority, I am in agreement with Ratchet," Optimus said, looking at her. "In this situation, it is paramount that we enforce proper safety measures, especially where MECH is concerned."
He had refused to grant her permission. Nova ducked her head. "I understand, Optimus."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The next morning, the base was in a state of uproar.
"Optimus, we've looked all over the silo," Ratchet said. "Nova's disappeared."
The Prime nodded in acknowledgement, but instead of searching within the base with the others, he thought for a minute, walked to the elevator transport and rose to the top of the base, stepping onto the sun-baked rock outside.
"I must admit, I had my suppositions," he said as he came to sit by the half-spark, who dangled her legs over the edge.
"I was just watching the sunrise," she said quietly.
He turned to her. "When were you planning to depart?"
Guiltily, she turned her head away. "You knew."
"I knew that you would not be pleased at the thought of your brother being allowed to spread destruction."
"It's really not his fault," she said defensively. "Silas corrupted Coby's mind against me specifically, not you all. Whatever he does, he thinks it's right because he'll get back at me, and because he's glad to do anything to get to me. That's why I wanted to go alone. I just—" She paused and sighed. "I just want to save him before he becomes something terrible. Even now, I've almost convinced myself that there's nothing I can do to help him."
Optimus looked down at her. "I once thought these things of Megatron, in the early days of the war," he said. "But I still hold to the belief that he has the capacity for change, and can become honorable once again."
He paused briefly. "But in the case of both Coby and Megatron, it must be by their own choice."
"That's why I want to leave," replied Nova. "If I keep hiding here; Silas will just keep sending Coby after me, and I know what kind of damage they could do in the meantime…" She got to her feet and took a breath. "Optimus, the reason I asked you yesterday was because I may be able to track Coby down."
"How do you know this?"
"Because I could almost feel it when he was near me, that time in Alaska," she said. "I believe our Sparks are connected somehow — maybe because we're siblings, or maybe it's part of the experiments — I don't know why, but I do know where he is, and I think that if I find him, I'll find Silas too."
Her guardian was silent for a moment. "Would you contact us if you uncovered any evidence of MECH's location?"
"I would have to contact Agent Fowler. Sending a transmission to base would be too dangerous."
"Are you afraid?"
There was silence for a moment.
"Yes," she whispered finally, "I am."
Optimus looked at her. "And you still wish to do this?"
"You can't let fear stop you from doing what's right," said the half-spark with head raised and eyes steady. "You would try, wouldn't you?"
There was another long silence, and then Optimus nodded. "Very well. You have my permission."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Nova stood with a slightly cocked head and folded arms as she looked up at the medic, rolling her weight on and off her toes in little nervous bounces.
"Where to?" Ratchet asked, his hands at the ready.
"Um…" Nova looked at the map of the globe on the computer in front of him and knit her brow. The other Autobots, minus the school-bound children, were gathered around her at the exit to the base in solemn silence, knowing the gravity of such a situation.
"Where's she going again?" Bulkhead muttered to Arcee.
"Optimus said she was going to try and find the location of the MECH base, solo," she replied. "Against his previous orders."
Bumblebee buzzed angrily.
"That's right, Bee, it is for you," Arcee said shortly. "Nova's doing it out of her own free will, so the least you can do is be grateful and not beat yourself up about it."
Another sullen beep, and then Bumblebee was silent.
"Well, what are the rest of us supposed to do?" Bulkhead asked. "Just sit here?"
"Optimus will probably send us out to scan for any other Decepticon finds," Arcee replied. "We still don't know exactly how many relics Megatron's after."
Meanwhile, Nova had come to a decision.
"There," she said, pointing to a spot in the northwestern United States. "That's a good place to start."
"Shouldn't we all go?" Bulkhead asked Arcee quietly. "I mean, I don't really like the thought of her going out there alone again. Not after what happened last time."
The Wrecker felt a hand on his shoulder as Optimus spoke to him.
"I, too, share your sentiment, Bulkhead," he said in a low voice as they looked at Nova, preparing to depart with her hands clasping and unclasping at her sides. "But sending a large team of Autobots would only hinder her in her reconnaissance mission, and we need all the warriors we can spare to attend to other matters."
"Huh, well, I don't like it," he replied sullenly, his jaw jutted out.
The Groundbridge portal blossomed in the tunnel as Nova straightened her shoulders and swung her arms, preparing to depart.
"I'll — I'll come back as soon as I can," she said, her eyes flicking up to Optimus' briefly. "Bye."
Then, she turned away and ran into the Groundbridge, not giving anyone a chance to respond.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Has the bio-mechanism been transplanted into Project Chimera?"
"Yes, sir," the agent of MECH replied to his leader. "The Decepticon called Starscream has been most helpful, but he demands that we scout for Blueblood in the surrounding area, in order to provide a more reliable power source."
"Understood," Silas replied. "Scramble a unit and prepare to move out."
"Sir, we've just discovered a spike of tachyon emission at the site of our apprehension of the robotic life form," another agent informed his master as images and measurements flashed on the computer screen.
"Are the surveillance drones still on patrol?"
"Yes, sir."
"Bring up a visual," Silas ordered.
The agent did so, and an aerial view of the place where Bumblebee was assaulted flashed onto the viewing screen. The sand and rocks, interrupted by the winding road every so often, stretched wide in all directions, the whole area plunged into darkness with only the light of the full moon to shine upon it.
And there, kneeling in the hollow where the downed Autobot had lain, was a human.
"Magnify the image," said Silas, coming a little closer to peer at the screen. The agent knew that something was wrong when his leader would actually move to do something. Silas didn't often peer.
"Yes, sir."
The image increased in size until they could clearly see a young girl, probably seventeen or eighteen, wearing a dark red sweatshirt and blue jeans.
Silas' mouth turned up in a very slight, smile.
"So, Subject Alpha has been deployed once more," he muttered. He raised his handheld radio to his mouth. "Prepare Subject Omega for combat," ordered the leader of MECH. "The traitor is about to arrive."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Nova crouched in the dirt and ran her fingers over the ground quietly. The sand and rocks around her had been scuffed up with human tracks, and a large hollow dipped into the ground in the midst of the prints. And near the side of the hollow were three gleaming drops of blue liquid.
"Energon," she muttered. "Your agents didn't clean up after themselves, Silas."
She looked around. Except for the tire tracks she knew to be Bulkhead's, there were no other vehicle marks to be seen.
"Where to go from here?" Nova asked herself. She put a finger to her chin.
If they used a helicopter, it would probably be equipped with an internal-combustion turboshaft engine, she theorized. And since that engine runs on gas, then I should be able to track the exhaust from the residual fuel.
She twisted the knob on the side of her helmet until her visor turned red, and then she could see clearly an invisible cloud of the fumes — a trail leading her onward through the night sky.
"I'm coming, Silas," she said aloud. "And you'd better be ready for me."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The energy signal pinged on the map of the computer screen, and Bulkhead peered at it intently.
"This could be it," he said to Bumblebee, who was the only other one present. "I'll alert the others."
Bumblebee interrupted, however, beeping and chirping in protest.
"I know you and I can handle it, Bee, but there's no reason to—" Bulkhead sighed. "What are you trying to prove?"
The scout made a fist and brought his arm up to his chest confidently, buzzing all the while.
Bulkhead sighed again in resignation. "Fine."
He lowered the levers to the Groundbridge reluctantly and walked into the portal, Bumblebee close on his heels.
"Clear," he called back to him as he jumped out the other side, scanner in hand. The scout passed through, coming to stand next to him as the Groundbridge disappeared. They stood in the middle of a dense forest in the noonday sun, the light filtering through the leaves and making patterns on the swept dirt ground.
"I still dunno how you talked me into this," Bulkhead thrust his finger at him rebukingly. "You're worse than Miko."
Buzzing and beeping punctuated Bumblebee's remarks as he argued, following Bulkhead at a slower pace.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Not every mission ends in a high-speed pursuit. But without your—"
Insulted, Bumblebee glared at him and buzzed angrily.
"Fine. I'll drop it," Bulkhead relented. "But if Optimus finds out, this was not my idea."
Bumblebee buzzed impatiently and waved him off.
They walked forward through the trees, eventually coming to a wall of rock which barred their path. Within the cliff face was an opening, and as they looked upon it, the scanner beeped in Bulkhead's hand.
"Signal's coming from over there," he said, looking at the rock. He stared at it more intensely as the scanner beeped faster.
"And it's coming our way fast!" Bulkhead readied himself, activating his mace with his right hand.
Sure enough, out of the cave a second later burst the sleek red vehicle mode of Knock Out, churning up dust in his wake.
"Catch me if you can!" Knock Out teased as he sped past them.
"I'll get him," Bulkhead growled, turning to chase after the car, but as soon as he turned his back, a thudding came out of the cave, and Breakdown, with his hammer flung back and ready to strike, charged out of the yawning opening, heading directly for Bulkhead.
"O-kay, you get him!" Bulkhead changed his mind, turning around to face his rival and slamming his fists together.
Bumblebee beeped twice and charged after Knock Out as the sounds of the larger Cybertronians' struggle echoed through the woods.
Once on the paved road a short distance away, Knock Out sped up and pulled gradually ahead of the running Autobot, looking back at Bumblebee in his rearview mirror curiously.
"Sporting of you," he remarked.
As the faster Decepticon sped away, Bumblebee slowed to a halt and thrust his arms forward in an attempt to fire at the red car with his blasters.
But without his t-cog, the scout's arms could not transform into weapons, and he lowered his arms in frustration as Knock Out skidded to a stop several yards ahead.
"You're not even gonna try and shoot out my tires?"
He raised his voice so that the scout, standing dejectedly down the road, could hear his words loud and clear. "Bumblebee, where's your famous horsepower, eh? Show me some speed!"
He had struck a nerve.
Clenching his fists in determination, Bumblebee sprinted forward and tried in desperation to lock his fingers in the back bumper of the red sports car, but Knock Out let him get very close before peeling away, churning a cloud of dust up in Bumblebee's face as he stumbled after the Decepticon.
Seeing that he could not continue the pursuit on foot, the scout glanced around until his eyes fell upon a rusted, broken down pickup truck in the lot of an abandoned gas station by the side of the road. He seized it in his hands and shoved it down the asphalt, working up a running start and leaping into the back of the truck bed, causing sparks to erupt from the undercarriage as the truck rolled down the street.
Up ahead, Knock Out glanced in his rearview again.
"What is with the rent-a-car?" Knock Out laughed, revving up his engine forcefully.
Under the unexpected weight, the aged truck began to rattle and shake, and Bumblebee heard a sickening crack from underneath the frame as more sparks skittered along the road. He looked back and reached out helplessly to the severed tire, watching as it bounced out of reach like the rest of his hopes.
"I'd stick around and do some donuts around you, but I've got a delivery to make," Knock Out taunted, with the relic he'd dug up with Breakdown bumping around in the backseat.
With that, he spun his steering wheel full circle, screeching around the bend and disappearing from view. Bumblebee could see the turn coming up towards him, and tried desperately to steer the dilapidated truck around the bend … too late.
The broken fragments and pieces of the shattered guardrails flew left and right into the air as the Autobot and truck both went over the edge, and the loud beep of Bumblebee's scream echoing through the cliff walls was all you would hear if you had seen him go over the side and blink out of sight.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Armor tight around her spine, Nova peered out at the building she had discovered.
For the past hour or so, she had been walking through the forest in pursuit of any human activity, when she was almost startled out of her wits by a green car as it sped by and rumbled into the compound. She had followed the tracks to a sturdy warehouse in a wide clearing, dimly illuminated by the rising moon.
Nova leaned against a tree quietly. The base looked completely abandoned, set on the slopes of the tree-covered hillside and as quiet as death. If she hadn't seen tire tracks leading this direction, Nova would have assumed it had not been touched in decades.
"If that's where Silas is hiding, then that's where Bumblebee's t-cog is hiding, too," the half-spark muttered to herself. "I just have to find a way to get in."
"Don't you have a key?" a voice said from behind her. Nova spun around, eyes wide, and came face-to-face with the last person she wanted to see.
"Surprise," a husky voice said, punching her in the visor.
With a cry, Nova reeled back, her spine slamming painfully against a tree. Her armor flared in pain, nearly coming loose as she shook the stars out of her eyes.
She barely had time to dodge the next blow, pulling her face to the side at the last instant as a fist embedded itself in the tree inches from her neck.
Sucking in a breath and gritting her teeth, Nova whirled away and clenched her fists. "Coby."
"Don't call me that!"
He lunged forward and slammed her against the tree, and despite her armor, Nova's breath was knocked out of her. With a growl, Subject Omega grasped her foot and swung her around, sending her body crashing straight into a rock.
Nova hit the ground with an audible thud and let out a cry, her head still spinning from the pain. Before she could get up, however, her opponent leaped into the air and dropped like a ton of bricks right into Nova's chest.
"Augh!"
Her face crumpled as the force of the impact shot into her spine and rattled her armor horribly. It was all she could do to keep it closed.
Coby knelt on her chest, bringing his face close enough for her to see the glint of rage in his eyes as he pressed her into the dirt.
"Hello, sis," he spat venomously, shoving himself away. "Miss me?"
Sucking in a breath, Nova rolled onto her hands and knees as Coby taunted her from above.
"Real pain hurts, doesn't it?" Coby reached down, lifted her up by the shoulders and slammed her face-first into the nearest tree.
With a loud crack, the tree split down the middle, and Nova choked out a groan as her brother let her fall to the ground on her hands and knees.
"Let me tell you what really hurts," he continued, pacing around her slowly. "What really hurts is being abandoned by your own flesh and blood. What really hurts is being left to die by your own sister."
"That's not true," Nova grunted, raising her head to look at him. "That's a lie."
"That's just what a liar would say," he growled, seizing her chin in his hand. "But hey, if you surrender now; I'll let you live long enough to see Silas, and we can have a new family reunion. Won't that be fun?"
"No," Nova grunted, a trickle of Energon emerging from the corner of her lip. "I'm not going back there again."
"Then I guess I'll kill you now," he snarled, shoving her backward once again. But Nova had had enough of being shoved. She spun to the left as Coby's body flew past her, delivering a blow to his back and helping him down to the dirt.
Leaping to his feet, the Centurion met her gaze and flung out his sword, a black, blue-edged weapon that glowed cruelly in the darkness. In response, Nova let her own sword extend out of her right arm, another radiant, blue-rimmed blade.
"They told me you were dead," she said. "I'm not a traitor, Coby."
He snarled. "I said don't call me that!"
He leaped at her, his sword whistling through the air as he brought it down on her head. She raised her own sword above her shoulders and blocked his blow, and their blades collided with a ring which echoed through the forest.
"So it begins," Coby hissed, and flung his blade at her again.
Back and forth their swords flew, flashing in the air at the speed of lightning, clanging and whistling through the air again and again as the former siblings battled. As they exchanged blows, Nova was thankful that Optimus had taken the time to teach her a few things about swordplay, and some of these lessons may indeed have saved her, for when Coby feigned a final blow to her right, swinging around again and thrusting at her left side, she caught his sword just in time and kept her stance firm as their blades crashed together.
He glared at her over their crossed metal as their muscles strained, and at that moment, the weary Autobot half-spark decided to end the struggle.
Nova twisted her blade around his and flung his sword wide, but instead of striking, she raised her proud weapon and let it slide back into her armor, deactivating her weapons as she stared at Coby.
"What are you doing?" Coby asked, incredulous. "Bring out your sword, you coward!"
"I'm trying to get you to listen to me," Nova said, lowering her trembling hands to her sides and deactivating her helmet. "I don't want to fight you anymore, Omega. I never did."
"Well, that's too bad, isn't it?" Coby asked. Bringing his elbow around, he struck her a vicious blow on the side of the head, and Subject Alpha fell like a stone as the darkness crashed into her mind.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Of all the scrap-brained ideas!" Ratchet growled as he looked at Bumblebee's still body lying upon the medical table before him. "Taking Bumblebee into a potential chase scenario when he no longer has the ability to access his wheels?!"
"He improvised," Bulkhead said in defense.
"Hey! Bee's waking up!" Raf exclaimed, as Bumblebee beep-groaned and sat up shakily, placing a hand to his head.
"You've already lost your voice-box and your t-cog," Ratchet said to him, coming to the table with the formidable fury of a field medic. "Were you really trying to add your Spark to the list?"
Bumblebee buzzed dejectedly, his eyes downcast.
"Don't say that, Bumblebee," Raf protested. "You're not useless!"
Arcee stepped forward and interrupted. "I hate to break up the pity-party, but the 'Cons just added Unknown Iacon Payday Number Two to their armory."
The thudding of Optimus' footsteps came from behind the three of them as he said, "Neither blame nor praise will modify past events, but we cannot afford to take further unnecessary risks. Bumblebee, you are not to leave our base. Not until we can retrieve your missing bio-mechanism."
With that, he turned and began to walk away, but after a moment of thought, Ratchet followed him.
"Bumblebee is right to be less than hopeful," he said, with a wary glance over his shoulder at the despondent scout. "But you and I both know there exists a way to make him whole again."
Optimus paused in his gait. "A transplant. But that would require a donor." He began to walk again, but stopped short as Ratchet's calm voice interrupted.
"You need look no further than the Autobot standing before you."
The Prime looked back at him.
"A generous offer, old friend," he said finally. "But your solution would merely trade one Autobot's handicap for another's."
"I don't rely upon my t-cog," Ratchet argued. "Not like Bumblebee does. The ability to transform is virtually wasted on me." He gestured to the floor of the base. "This is where I spend my days— where my thoughts and hands are of value; not my weapons or wheels."
The medic looked at the three Autobots behind him, as Bulkhead placed a comforting hand on Bumblebee's shoulder. "Our team cannot afford to be shy even one warrior in the field."
"You make a compelling case," Optimus allowed. "But know that we will find Bumblebee's t-cog."
Ratchet looked up at his old friend with a pleading expression on his face.
"Optimus," he replied firmly, "MECH are savages; who knows what damage they have already inflicted upon it, or—" His voice broke. "Or if I will be able to repair it…"
His eyes closed and he bowed his head in hopeless despair, but Optimus knew that he was not merely referring to Bumblebee's t-cog.
"Ratchet," he said after a pause, "You did everything in your power."
The unsaid understanding in his voice made the medic snap his head up abruptly. For a moment, Ratchet's eyes widened, and his jaw slackened as he realized Optimus had driven right to the heart of his fear.
After a tremulous moment, the medic recovered and averted his gaze, letting out a snort. "Puh-lease! Do you really think this is about my inability to restore Bumblebee's voice-box?"
Optimus said nothing, looking at him steadily.
"I — I just want to do what's right. For our scout," Ratchet said finally, raising his eyes to Optimus. "For the team."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Nova cracked her eyes open slightly.
After a short inspection, the half-spark realized that she had been chained rudely to a small chair in the middle of a large room, her head resting on her chest and wisps of her loose hair tickling her jaw. Her armor had been deactivated.
Not this again…
Through a large viewing window in the far wall of the room, she could see the entirety of the warehouse she just been observing from the forest less than an hour earlier.
Before she could try to wrestle her way free, however, she spotted about five more MECH agents entering through the large doors at the front of the warehouse.
At their head was a clean-shaven, scarred man who looked around once and stopped to speak to an associate. Nova bit back a growl at the sight of her five-year tormenter.
A few minutes later, sending the roaring sound of jet engines reverberating through the forest, the familiar form of Starscream streaked into the warehouse and transformed, landing before Silas with a characteristic chuckle.
"What is he doing here?" Angrily, Nova struggled against her bonds, but suddenly felt a hand ruffle her hair.
"Ah-ah," Coby warned in a low voice. "You don't want to try and escape. Believe me."
Nova jerked her head away. "What exactly am I supposed to do?"
"Wait, and watch." The Omega Centurion placed a casual but firm hand on her shoulder as he turned her chair to face the window. "And you may see something fun."
"Command your troopers to bring the Energon inside," Starscream ordered, his voice penetrating the wall easily. "So that we may begin production of our army."
Nova saw Silas glare at him, and Starscream hurriedly changed his words. "Your army."
"My army will not be a success if I have to deal with associates who do not stop talking and ruin my plans," Silas said back.
As ever, his voice was quiet and composed, one of the things Nova hated most about him. Whatever she did as a child to make him angry at her only resulted in a curt nod to his minions in the awful silence, and then the torture would begin.
On the arms of the chair, her fingers balled into fists, and her younger captor laughed harshly.
"Oh, you really hate him, don't you?" Coby teased.
Nova ignored him, gritting her teeth and watching the events outside intently.
"If I am to be an … associate to this rather difficult undertaking, I believe my suggestions merit a little more consideration on your part, my dear flesh creature," Starscream chuckled, leering down at the humans. "Of course, if there was a point in which I would decide to discontinue our partnership, then this planet would be a few dozen idiots short."
"Unload the substance," Silas ordered the nearest agent, and with a furtive glance up at the leering Decepticon, the minion scrambled to do his work.
"You see? I believe my presence may solve any efficiency issues around here very quickly," Starscream smiled down at the MECH leader, who gave no response and stalked toward the room where Nova sat.
With a shrug, Starscream followed him, kneeling down in front of the little door and peering inside the window.
"Ah, I see the half-breed is still alive," he chuckled, tapping on the glass and grinning evilly. "Hello, little one."
Nova kept silent, but she cringed involuntarily as the Decepticon ran his talons down the window, the glass screeching under the scrape of his claws.
Starscream laughed, delighted with her anxiety.
"That's enough," Silas ordered. "Inform the lead scientist that we are to fuel the subject once the Energon is processed and resume testing."
"As you wish, my flesh-covered friend." Starscream sneered once more at Nova as he got to his feet and walked away. "I will be sure to tell Prime what happened to you, little sparkling — if he thinks to ask about you, of course. Have fun!"
"No!" Nova growled, jerking at the chair. Coby thrust out his sword and placed the hot blade to her neck, discouraging any further movement.
Silas calmly strode forward and slapped her in the face, provoking her cry of pain and triggering her armor reflex. Tight metal snapped over her head and shoulders, and Cylas took her chin in his hands, lifting her head and looking her over appraisingly.
"Fine craftsmanship," he said, letting her head fall. "To think what the knights in the Middle Ages would have done to gain armor like yours."
"Give me the cog you took from the Titan," Nova demanded. "Right now."
"I'm afraid that is not possible," Silas said diplomatically, folding his hands and placing them on the table as he addressed her. "For I am putting it to better use."
"What are you going to do with it?" Nova demanded. "How did you get this Decepticon to help you?"
"Your questions are well-placed, my former warrior," the scarred man said. "But I have a few questions of my own." He stood up from the table. "This is your final chance to cooperate. Where is the location of the Cybertronian base?"
"I will never tell you," Nova seethed.
With a curt nod, Silas stood up from the table. "Terminate her."
"Yes, sir!" Coby placed his blade to Nova's neck again, but before he could draw it across, her armor snapped over her arms, breaking the chains around her wrists. Reaching back, she seized his wrist and wrenched the blade aside, while her foot shoved the chair into Coby's legs and caused him to fall to the ground.
Nova leaped towards Silas, whipping out her blades, but the half-spark suddenly felt herself jerked back as Coby got up from the ground and grabbed her by the shoulders, hurling her to the floor and knocking her painfully against the concrete.
"I can handle this, sir," Coby said, as Silas turned toward the door. "Continue the test phase, and I will terminate the traitor."
Silas nodded, walked out the door and shut it behind him.
"No!" Nova leapt up and lunged after him, her hand an inch away from the doorknob, but just as her gauntleted fingers brushed the handle, a blue-rimmed blade slapped down on her palm with a clink.
"Just you and me now, Tiny," Coby hissed into her ear.
Nova removed her hand from the knob and let her arms fall to her sides, fighting back tears.
"I don't want to fight you, Coby," she whispered, her voice choked with sobs. "I'm trying to help you."
"You're weak," Coby growled. "You aren't prepared to do what it takes to stop me."
He leaned closer, hissing in her ear, "You're a coward."
Nova clenched her fists, trembling. "I told you before, I didn't know you were alive."
"Really?" Coby asked, shoving her away from the door. "You didn't watch during my first injection? You didn't stand and stare as they started experiments on me?"
Nova shook her head, her lip shaking. "No, no, never! I never saw you!"
"I saw you!" Coby yelled. "I saw you every day. They used you to keep me quiet. You knew what they were doing to me. And you still left!"
Tears rolling down her face, Nova shook her head. "No, no, that's not what happened!"
"Lie to yourself all you want!" Subject Omega thrust his blade out at her as she backed toward the table. "You can't change the past, Nova." He slid the edge of the blade beneath her chin. "And you can't change me."
She flung out her own blade and swept it up to meet his, slamming his sword away and straining against it as her eyes widened behind her visor. "Please don't do this…"
Omega struck out at her face, making Nova reflexively jerk back, and in her moment of imbalance he leapt forward and barreled her into the wall.
Immediately, the flimsy metal on the opposite side of the room caved in, and the siblings burst into the outer air, tumbling out at the feet of the darkened hills and night sky.
Terrified, Nova sprang to her feet and sprinted away, charging up the nearby hill with all her might as Subject Omega roared out in rage behind her.
As she ran, Nova formed her helmet and placed two fingers to the side of her head.
"Agent Fowler," she panted as the trees flew by her. "Agent Fowler!"
"Who is this?"
"I've found the location of an unidentified MECH base. I'm in need of assistance."
"Great jumpin' Jefferson, kid! Where are you?"
"I'll send you my coordinates," she huffed, breathlessly pressing a few buttons on her vambrace as she crashed through the forest. "I'm somewhere in Oregon, I think. Use the satellite feeds for this sector and find images of an abandoned warehouse. That should give you all the proof you need. And tell Optimus that Starsc—"
Suddenly, a dark figure dropped out of the air directly in front of her with his blade extended, nearly spearing Nova through.
"Kid? Kid! What's goin on?"
Gasping and staggering to a stop on her tiptoes, her chest inches away from the sword, Nova stumbled back and gaped at the figure before her.
"Going somewhere?" Coby asked.
Nova shut off the comm-link.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Optimus, Arcee, and Bulkhead stepped out of the Groundbridge, surveying the blue skies and icy slopes which greeted them, and the Prime raised the scanner in his hand to point them in the right direction. They had discovered another relic signal whilst Ratchet and Bumblebee had been in the middle of preparing for t-cog transplant surgery, and the unwilling surgeon Arcee was forced to cease the operation before she had even put Bumblebee under stasis.
Now, all three Autobots, minus the patients back at base, were pursuing the relic alone, with only their scanner and their skill to guide them, because no one could be prepared for what the Decepticons would unearth next.
"The signal's coming from up there," Arcee said, pointing to the peak of the mountain in front of them.
"Oh, great," Bulkhead muttered. "We're gonna have to climb that thing, huh?"
"Yeah," Arcee replied.
"And there's 'Cons at the top waiting for us?"
"Yep."
The Wrecker bashed his fists together and grinned. "Last one to the top is Scraplet bait."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Prime!" The incoming transmission to the Autobot Outpost Omega One was heralded with a beeping signal as Agent Fowler's face flashed onto the screen. "Breaking news!"
Bumblebee skidded to a stop in front of the computer, buzzing and beeping excitedly.
"Huh?" Fowler's face registered his surprise as he demanded, "Where's Prime?"
Bumblebee tried to explain that Optimus had gone to find another relic, but his words were lost on the human, who pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Look," he said, very slowly and carefully, as if Bumblebee couldn't understand English. "Let him know … I just received access … to satellite imagery … which I believe pinpoints the center operations… of MECH."
Bumblebee's eyes widened with the realization, and he buzzed very slowly and deeply.
He began to talk again, asking the human rapid-fire questions, and Fowler's face twisted in frustration as he threw up his hands.
"Oh, for the love of — Get me someone who speaks something other than bleep!"
"I can help!" Raf piped up eagerly from the human corner.
"What?!" Ratchet roared from the medical table, making them all jump. "Do I hear a Fuzor in need of voice box repair?!"
Ratchet was still waking up from stasis.
"What's a … fuzor?!" Fowler yelled incredulously. "What's goin' on over there?"
All eyes went to Ratchet, who struggled to sit up on the medical table to address someone who was probably not there.
"I am able! Just ask Bantor! He wuz all mandrill before I putta … tiger in his tank!"
He flopped back down to the table again, and Agent Fowler was speechless with disbelief as he stared openmouthed at the scene unfolding.
In the silence, Bumblebee beeped up at Raf insistently.
"But, Bee, you heard what Optimus said about leaving the base," Raf replied. Bumblebee responded with pleading gestures and buzzes that were hard to refuse, while Jack looked up at Agent Fowler, still on the screen.
"Send the coordinates, Agent Fowler. We'll … make sure Optimus gets them."
Fowler raised an eyebrow suspiciously at the boy, but he knew that both Nova and the Autobots were running out of time.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Nova felt the jarring pain in her back again as her body was flung up against a tree, and she hit the ground with a solid crash.
"Had enough yet?" Coby asked from up above her.
She grunted in response as he lifted her up by the shoulder and shoved her against the tree's trunk.
"You're …" she coughed. "You're really going to kill me…"
"Now you get it," Coby growled. "You're about to suffer all the pain I suffered for five long years. But you know what the greatest pain is?" He yanked her close, glaring into her eyes. "Knowing for certain that nobody will come to rescue you."
With a great effort, Nova kicked out at him, catching him in the gut and shoving him away from her. He got up in a rage as she flung out her sword and readied herself.
"It'll take more than that to kill me, Coby."
Suddenly, a flaring green light erupted in the middle of a clearing, and a Groundbridge swirled wide, sending flashes of light reflecting off their armor. Subject Omega spun around to look back at the base, and saw a golden colored figure advancing toward the huge doors in the moonlight.
"No!" He lunged forward, trying to race down the hill, and Bumblebee turned his head in surprise at hearing the noise.
"Coby, no!" Nova grasped him about the shoulders and wrestled him to the ground as Bumblebee looked up at the two of them.
"Bumblebee!" Nova called. "Don't worry about me. Your t-cog's inside! Watch out for Star—"
Before she could finish, Coby slammed his fist up into her face and knocked her off of him, sending her rolling along the grass uncontrollably.
Bumblebee, unwilling to wait, put up his own fists and began to beat down the door, punching it until it gave way with a huge crash and a cloud of dust.
"You idiot! The project will be ruined," Coby hissed at Nova, looking down at her. "And as usual, it's all your fault!" He formed his blaster on his wrist, turned, and began to stalk down the hill.
"No, Coby, stop!" Nova pushed herself off the ground as the sounds of bullets and screams erupted from the hole in the warehouse door. "You can't go in there! You might get killed!"
He turned to look at her, a wild look in his eyes. "And you can't tell me what to do!"
His blaster swung around towards her as he unleashed a barrage of lasers in her direction, peppering the ground with blue laser-scorches.
Nova felt herself beginning to lose her temper. Tackling him with a furious lunge, she sent them both barreling down the hillside and tumbling into one of the smaller buildings adjacent to the main warehouse. The wall crashed in on itself as the siblings tumbled into it, sending plumes of dust into the air.
"Coby! Stop!" Nova growled, pinning him to the ground as best she could, glancing up at the building before her. Through the hole in the door, she could see flashes of gunfire and could hear the shouts and thuds of humans flying through the air. Coby struggled, flinging out his elbows, trying to punch her again.
"Stop fighting me!" Nova growled. "Don't you understand?! I'm not your enemy!"
"I hate you!" Coby roared, writhing underneath her. "Let me go!"
"No!" Nova braced herself against his neck and pinned him to the dirt. "Coby, listen to me! Silas is using you. You will only be his second-in-command as long as you obey him. Do you understand? Defy him, Coby. Just once, refuse to do what he says, and see what happens! See how quickly he destroys you!"
With another roar of anger, the Omega Centurion muscled her off his chest and kicked her viciously into the wall of the cliff before them.
The rock face crumbled around Nova's limp body as she slid downward. Coby jerked her up by the neck, and she groaned aloud, her hands clutching feebly at his taut arm as it forced her upward.
"You can't lie to me anymore," he seethed, his grip getting tighter and tighter around her neck with every word. "You can't run, and you can't hide. I can find you anywhere."
Wild-eyed, Nova gasped as she realized how he had found her in the woods. She had tracked him across the country, and he had known where to find her. He could find her even under the protection of the Autobot base.
"You … you knew where I was?"
"I can sense you anywhere, runt. The mechanical parts of us are connected through kinship. Silas tested it on us when we were kids. If you'd stayed and followed his teaching, you could have learned how to use your power to its full potential." His eyes grew dark as he glared at her. "But you didn't stay. You left and joined the enemy. You think you're some kind of alien-loving hero?" The Omega Centurion laughed harshly. "You're nothing but a coward. You were afraid to face me here, weren't you?"
Nova's eyes widened again. Summoning all her strength, she raised her feet off the ground and struck him full force in the chest, causing him to release her and fall to the ground.
"I am afraid," she growled quietly as she stood over him. "I'm afraid you could be too far gone for me to save." Tears began to run down her cheeks. "Prove me wrong."
He glared at her as the MECH agents began to run out of the warehouse with Silas at their head.
"All units, regroup!" Silas called. "The area has been compromised. Fall back to the rendezvous point."
"Don't go with them, Coby," Nova pleaded one more time, holding out her hand. "Come with me. We can be a family again. Please, Coby!"
He got to his feet before her, a look of hatred in his eyes.
"My name is not Coby," he growled.
He turned away and ran to catch up with the group, and Nova watched them go up the hill and disappear from sight among the trees. There was an eerie silence as an owl hooted.
"Bumblebee," she realized, and sprinted towards the warehouse.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The medic's eyes opened wearily as he came out of stasis, and he sighed softly as he sat up on the table and stood on his feet, walking towards the console in the middle of the base.
The three children were already there, standing at the railing attentively.
"Hey, Ratchet. How're ya feeling?" Jack asked.
Ratchet, surprised, looked himself over and tested his joints and actuators tentatively.
"Fine," he said in disbelief. "In fact, I feel as though … nothing's changed."
He was confused to see the children exchange glances between themselves, as if they knew something he didn't, but he had no time to think about it. A beeping came from the computer, indicating that a message was incoming from Agent Fowler.
"Prime," Fowler said, his face appearing on the screen.
"What is it, Agent Fowler?" Ratchet asked.
"Has Prime reached the coordinates?" Fowler demanded.
Ratchet screwed up his face in confusion. "Coordinates?"
"Possible MECH location!" Fowler explained frustratedly. "I sent 'em a half-hour ago!"
Jack scrambled to answer. "Uh, don't worry, Agent Fowler, it's … taken care of."
"Optimus had to go lock fenders with some 'Cons," Miko put in.
"So … Bumblebee went instead," said Raf, with a nervous glance at the medic.
"What?!" Ratchet shouted, turning to the children. "Bumblebee can't do that! He's recovering from surgery!"
"About that…" Raf began, launching into the story.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"You let her get away?" Silas demanded, standing before his half-spark in the middle of the wooded clearing.
"Sir, I was given the order to regroup before I could finish her," Subject Omega said, standing at attention.
"Idiot," Silas bit out. "She can sense your presence anywhere on the globe. As long as she is alive, she remains a threat to our plans."
Coby's shoulders slumped a little. "I understand, sir."
"Arkeville modified you to be the superior subject," Silas said, folding his arms and glaring out at the young man. "For your sake, you should not fall short of our expectations."
Coby looked up. "Sir?"
"If you fail me again," Silas clarified, coldly. "I will decommission you permanently. There must be no room for error in this unit. Is that understood?"
Taken aback, Coby's hands began to shake. "But-"
"Am I clear?" Silas repeated, lowering his brows.
Coby straightened, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. "Yes, sir."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Nova peered into the hole in the warehouse door, watching the events unfolding inside. Starscream, holding Bumblebee's precious t-cog in one hand and his wicked red blaster in the other, stared down the golden scout with a malicious glare in his eyes. Behind them, which gave Nova quite a shock, stood a robot. A very large, Transformer-sized robot, with hands that seemed … familiar to her.
Where had she seen those hands before?
Bumblebee buzzed angrily at the Decepticon, threatening him in his makeshift voice, and Starscream grinned.
"Or you'll what?" he taunted. "Shoot?"
Bumblebee's eyes narrowed in a glare that would have fried the circuits of any electric computer, and Starscream continued goading him as Nova placed two fingers to the side of her head and crept inside, inching toward the main console.
"How sad, to be incapable of achieving vehicle mode," he sneered, tossing the t-cog into the air and catching it mockingly. "Experiencing the sensation of speed? How very pathetic — to be a failure as an Autobot."
Bumblebee's glare intensified. Starscream had gone too far, and as he lunged at the Decepticon, Nova whispered into her comm-link.
"Ratchet, this is Nova. I know I said I wouldn't send any transmissions to base, but this is important. Do you copy?"
"Nova? Where are you?"
"I'm at the MECH base location which I told Agent Fowler about," she said. "Didn't he tell you?"
"I tried to tell 'em, but these Auto-bozos were out on some relic-finding mission and the disabled kid went instead!" Fowler's voice on the other com link came into her ear loudly.
"Why did you send Bumblebee?" Nova hissed. "He and Starscream are about to go berserk over his t-cog, and he has no weapons yet! Ratchet, how soon can you get Optimus and the others over here? We need help right now!"
"I'll contact Optimus now," came the reply. "They will be en route soon, but you and Bumblebee will have to hold out until they arrive. Make sure MECH and Starscream keep their hands off that t-cog!"
"I'll try," Nova said. "I just — oh no!"
"What is it? What's happened?"
Bumblebee had managed to knock the t-cog out of Starscream's hands while Nova spoke to Ratchet, but as the cog had shot through the air, nearly landing in the Autobot's very grasp, the Decepticon had taken aim, fired, and hit the t-cog squarely in the center, blasting it out of the air in a burst of fire and smoke.
With a sickening crash, the smoldering, blackened t-cog landed directly in front of Nova's hiding place, and Bumblebee raised his head from where he had fallen on the floor to look at it in despair.
"Time to jet, because I can!" Starscream shrieked, leaping out of the hole in the warehouse roof and shooting into the sky.
Brokenly, Bumblebee fell to his knees in front of his precious transformation device and picked it up gently in his hands, his eyes trembling in sadness.
Nova stood stock-still for a moment, murmuring to herself, "No, no, no…"
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Starscream transformed in midair and landed directly in front of Silas in the midst of the trees as the MECH leader looked out upon the quiet of the warehouse.
"My t-cog?" Silas asked the Decepticon, noticing that his hands were empty.
"Yes, that," Starscream said indifferently, looking out at the base with his hands on his hips. "Unfortunately, it was destroyed during the ferocity of battle."
Silas' brow lowered and hid his eyes in shadow as he glared at the Decepticon, with Subject Omega at his side. He had run out of patience.
"Eh, a temporary setback," Starscream excused himself nervously. "Other Autobots; other T-cogs. We shall find a replacement soon enough."
"Not 'soon enough,'" Silas replied as his soldiers raised their stun weapons. "Now."
The weapons charged up, and soon the torturous sounds of Starscream living up to his name echoed through the forest and reverberated through the hills.
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Nova placed a hand on the scout's foot gently. "Bumblebee, I'm … I'm so sorry."
There was no response. The scout could only stare at the cog in his hands in hopeless silence, not even bearing to look at her.
"Ratchet can repair it," Nova said, trying to put confidence in her voice. "I know he can. It'll be all right. You'll see."
Somber buzzing and beeping interrupted her.
"Don't say that!" Nova snapped. "Just because Ratchet couldn't fix your voice box doesn't mean he can't do better."
The scout whirred in a robotic sigh, his wings drooping in resignation as Nova stood in front of him.
"You're not an Autobot because of your wheels, Bumblebee," she told him. "You're an Autobot because of what you do. You're one of us no matter how badly you're hurt. That's what we've been trying to tell you this whole time."
He gave a long, slow beep, the saddest sound she'd ever heard him make before.
She shook her head. "You are valuable, Bumblebee. Don't you understand? We need you, and Raf needs you the most … and it's not because you can drive."
He turned his gaze upon her, but the look in his face told her everything. He had lost a part of himself, and with it, he had lost all his hope.
Nova sighed and sat down next to him. "Well, if it helps, you aren't the only one who can't get something back. I'm a failure, too."
He beeped a dull response, cradling his cog tenderly, thinking of what could have been different, somehow, someway, if he had just done better.
Seeing that he wasn't in the mood to talk, Nova got to her feet and began to search the warehouse. A brief inspection was enough to tell her that all the computers were dead.
She assumed that the MECH agents had crashed the hard drives before they evacuated, according to their usual methods. Then, she peered up at the unfinished robot hanging in the back of the base. She had no idea how they had known enough to build something so complex, but she knew what it was for. Silas was planning to manufacture an army of these — an army which could only spell doom for anyone who stood in his way, human or no.
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The Groundbridge burst open in the darkness of the clearing, and Optimus charged through, along with Arcee and Bulkhead.
Seeing that the facility was abandoned, the Prime removed his battle-mask and proceeded to approach the building, which had a blackened, warped hole in its doors.
Out walked Bumblebee, cradling his t-cog in his hands with utmost care, his wings drooping in sadness. A half-spark trotted somberly at his feet.
The scout beeped sadly as the three others gazed upon the device in his hands.
Optimus placed two fingers to the side of his head. "Ratchet, reopen the Groundbridge, and prepare for surgery."
"Thanks to me, Megatron's got the Forge," Bulkhead bemoaned.
"While we would have put the Forge of Solus Prime to valuable use," Optimus replied. "I do not believe we have reason to fear Megatron's possession of it."
"Why not?" Arcee asked.
"Because a relic such as this one can only be activated by the power of the Matrix of Leadership," Optimus explained. "And thus, only a Prime can wield it."
The Groundbridge bloomed behind them as Bulkhead chuckled. "Huh. I guess Megatron's figuring out all he got his hands on was just another heavy hammer."
Nova looked from one to the other of them. "What are you all talking about?"
"The Forge of Solus Prime," Arcee replied. "It was the latest relic the 'Cons took. It has the ability to make or repair anything we can dream of, as long as Optimus holds it, of course."
"But it's gone, and all we've got is a broken t-cog to show for it," Bulkhead groaned again as they walked into the Groundbridge. "This has been a long day."
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Later, as the Autobots gathered around the medical table in silence, Ratchet closed the vital scanner on his arm and turned away from Bumblebee slowly.
"I — did what I could," he said quietly, looking at the ground. Optimus came forward and placed a hand on the medic's shoulder.
"Our scout could not have been in better hands, old friend."
"And we didn't stick with Plan A and let Ratchet donate his cog, why?" Miko asked Jack quietly, from where the four humans stood on the ground.
"Bumblebee wouldn't accept it," Jack replied.
They all looked up as a groggy buzzing noise came from the table and Bumblebee tried to stand up on his feet.
"Bumblebee, easy!" Ratchet cautioned.
The scout, however, beeped in confidence and rolled his shoulders, striking a pose as he told the medic that he felt just fine.
"Please, recovery takes time," Ratchet warned, gesturing his hands uselessly.
Bumblebee held his arms out in front of him readily and tried to transform, the plates shifting on his body slightly. But the plates bounced back to where they had been before, leaving him to beep out a question as he looked at himself in confusion.
"The damage was … severe," Ratchet said gravely, shaking his head.
But the scout would not give up. He tried again, activating his t-cog once more, and when the plates shifted and failed to change he slumped his shoulders in sadness.
Then, in a final effort, he clenched his fists, tensed his whole body and tried for the last time — and finally, the familiar whrr-tchz-tchz-tchz-chk noise resounded through the base as he transformed into his vehicle form and triumphantly revved up his engine. A huge smile broke out on Ratchet's face as Bumblebee beeped to Raf, who whooped for joy and laughed aloud along with the other kids.
Bumblebee screeched his tires as he turned around and opened the door for Raf, buzzing and honking his horn.
"Anywhere!" Raf replied in elation, breaking free of the joyous group and jumping into the passenger seat. "Just — drive!"
Bumblebee obliged, his rubber tires churning up smoke as he tore out of the base, Raf waving from the front seat.
"Go easy!" Ratchet called after them, letting loose a laugh of unconfined joy. "Adhere to standard break-in procedure!"
"Whoa," Bulkhead chuckled in amazement. "Bee's t-cog looked like it was ready for the scrapyard."
"Hard to believe the doc repaired it," Arcee said admiringly.
Optimus looked at the jubilance of the medic before him, then at the half-spark at his feet. "That is not all that Ratchet repaired today."
Ratchet stood with his hands proudly on his hips as the others looked on, their pride evident as well.
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"And when did this start happening?" Ratchet asked the girl on the medical table.
"I think a little before Unicron came," Nova responded, trying to hold still under the scanner. "When I had that really weird feeling, remember?"
Ratchet sighed. "Yes, I remember."
"I felt like something horrible was going to happen; something so horrible it could kill us all," Nova said, looking up at the ceiling. "And when Unicron began to wake up and Optimus got hurt, it was … worse," she continued, trying to force down the memory. "I could feel all of it. It was like I knew what was happening to him, or something."
"Interesting," Ratchet said. "It seems his battlefield injuries affect you."
"Yeah, I think so." Nova sat up as the scanner switched off. "Do you know why?"
Ratchet turned to her. "I do not know for sure, but as far as I can tell, you gained this new ability after Optimus exposed you to the energy of the Matrix," he said.
"So?"
"Let me finish. You could not have known about Unicron's arrival, but it is said that the Matrix is supernaturally linked to the wisdom of Primus himself, and when you received a portion of its power, apparently you were endowed with the ability to feel the evil of Unicron's return.
"And because you were also exposed to Optimus' Spark, you apparently retained some sort of link to him which allowed you to share his pain," Ratchet continued, "Which means that at any given time, the combined weight of any severe injuries could kill you."
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