"The burning! Make it stop! Help me! Someone! Anyone! Please... it hurts so much..."

She ran towards the voice, through the torrent of purple fire that licked at her with a cold, searing agony. Pushing past the pain of the fire and the ones inside her body that was telling her she was going beyond what it could handle, she focused ahead as her bare feet slammed down in repeating rhythm. The voice was so far away and it seemed to be continuously moving away from her, further and further into the void. Towards oblivion. She didn't know who the woman was that was screaming for help, but that didn't matter. She couldn't die. She couldn't let her die. She wouldn't let her die.

Several pairs of cold, purple eyes watched her as she ran past them all. Some with anger, a seething rage. Others a hopeless pity at her seemingly eternal quest to save. A small number of them had hope. Behind her a larger pair loomed, watching closely.

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

You'll never make it in time.

Her ever present inner voice of self doubt, as always, decided to give her its two cents on the matter as she crashed harshly to the ground. For a few moments she could only lie there in pain.

You'll fail her just like before.

"No... I won't," she breathed out in ragged gasps.

"It hurts! Please make it stop!"

Like you did your mom.

"I'm coming!" she yelled, forcing herself back onto her feet. Her first few steps were a stumbling mess, but she pushed past the pain into a full run again.

Like at the first base, when you didn't get back in time to save the children and Megatron used them like the little pawns they are against Optimus. Proved Ratchet's point though; how they didn't need to be meddling with the Autobots.

"Please... it's getting so dark... it hurts..."

The voice she was running to was getting weaker. It made her push herself harder. "Hang on! I'm almost there!"

The flames and eyes were the only lights in the dark void, illuminating the figure of a Cybertronian female curled up on the ground. Her body was bleeding the purple flames, her head adorned with a crown of it. Kneeling down beside the figure, she reached out to try to lift her up. Fearful optics focused up at her as the femme seemed to realize that she wasn't alone.

"I've got you."

The voice that belonged to the largest pair of eyes boomed around them. "Foolish creature! She belongs to me. You both belong to me."

A violent force yanked her backwards, away from the femme she struggled so hard to reach, making her release a surprised shout as she flew backwards through the flames.

Elita bolted upright on repair berth that Ratchet had placed her on, shouting out and startling the medic in the chamber, which had him instantly at her side and updating his scans while she was struggling to catch her breath, as if her human form was needing the Cybertronian one to aid in the task. He also didn't like the odd angle that her smaller form seemed to be hanging in the harness as she sealed herself up.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like I've been run over," she replied. With a groan she pushed herself off of the repair berth and began to walk out of the room.

Naturally worried about her unsteady steps, Ratchet stayed by her side as she followed the sound of voices. As wobbly on her feet she seemed, he watched her still move forward with a firm determination. Once they reached the entrance to the command center he was glad that she at least stopped there for a moment to lean against the structure. The pair listened in on the plans being made, Elita nodding in agreement about the decision to split their attack.

"Do we wait for Elita -One to wake before we strike?" Ultra Magnus had asked up at Optimus, and she took that as her cue to make herself known.

"You better," Elita answered, trying to find her strength to push herself away from the door frame, though with Ratchet looking like he wanted to scan her again she felt more inclined to shove him away than move forward. But she had to stand strong for the others.

She couldn't let them down. Not again.

"Sounds like a solid start, striking both places at once." With a deep breath she straightened herself up and stepped closer to the table. She looked up at the large map that they had up on one of the view screens, but she was also trying to use the moment to recuperate some of her energy. Which one was the femme at? The one that M.E.C.H. had taken with them when the fled the Dark Enegon bomb they had left for the Autobots. Calming herself she let the tug from the darker energy coursing through her guide her intuition. "I'll go with Jazz's group to hit location one."

"Are you sure that is wise, Elita?" Optimus asked calmly. He wasn't the only one that was concerned over how she was having trouble moving, let alone standing. None of them had dealt with the effects of Dark Energon going through them directly. It gave him pause to ponder if Megatron had gone through similar effects on his form.

With a tired sigh, she nodded as she looked up at both him and Ultra Magnus, since the commander stood at Prime's side. "Those pariah brought something detrimental into play now. Something that they don't understand and could cause harm with to more than just Cybertronians. I can counter it, so I need to go. She needs me to go."

Knowing and understanding her driving force, Optimus looked over at the medic that stood beside her. "Ratchet?"

"I'll go with her."

With a tired nod, Elita looked down at the two humans on the table. "Hey, Spike?"

"Yeah, E?"

"When was the last time the men had a full on surprise training exercise?"

The human commander had to pause. At first his mind went to their schedule they had first established, then he had to smile. Fowler did as well as he realized that it would be the perfect way to have the troops ready, but not draw any attention as to their other plans.

"I believe they're past due for one, to be honest."

From the walkway that ran around the inside perimeter of Building E, Agent Fowler watched Commander Witwicky and his team run through their final preparations for their tasks that day. The unit was being split into three groups, each group taking turns being the targeted aggressor in the battle scenarios that were going to be run over the following few days. There was even a few Autobots that were joining in this round of war games. Taking a long, enjoyable sip of his coffee, Fowler was glad that he wasn't having to go. He still might end up hitting the field once in a while, but he was grateful for his desk job. Besides, it wasn't as if Elita didn't give him his own task to work on. He was about ready to return to his office when he heard someone step up beside him.

"Bill, just the person I was looking for."

Fowler just gave a quiet sigh as he swallowed his recent sip of coffee before turning towards the owner of the voice. General Bryce had stopped beside him, he too looking down at the men now departing from the building. It looked like his moment of quiet had ended.

"I didn't know that there was a call to action for the team," the General said firmly.

"There isn't. The men were getting a bit antsy so Spike decided to have them do practice runs with one another. Said something along the lines of not having his hide flayed like a fish if E caught them out of shape."

"Ah, I see..." Bryce nodded a couple of times, almost seeming to force a chuckle at the joke. "Speaking of which, I just got your report about the Autobot skirmish. Dark Energon exploding, you said."

Agent Fowler nodded again. "That's right. It looked like it was an abandoned mining town, the stuff probably was making the locals sick so they left. We don't know if M.E.C.H. knew that it was there or not. The stuff is as volatile as Energon itself, though."

"So I read. And Elita? How are her repairs going?"

"Slowly. She took the brunt of the force for her team. Really messed her up. Both Autobot docs have been working overtime on her repairs."

"Sounds like she takes after her father more than she realizes."

Folwer frowned a bit at that nettle. Once her human identity was known to everyone it wasn't surprising that someone would put two and two together about whom her father was and how died to protect the men with him, but it just seemed a bit odd for Bryce to speak of the man as if he knew him.

"Well, keep me updated on her condition," Bryce said before he turned to walk away.

"Will do, Sir. Will do."

Fowler focused down at the quiet area below him, taking another sip of coffee. Things were starting to add up and he wasn't liking the figures.

Author's Note: I don't own the show. Thanks for reading.

Really sorry about not posting in like forever. I do appreciate you all.