To all of my reviewers, from the bottom of my heart I thank you.

Chapter 42 - As the Dust Settled

(RPOV)

"MIKAELA!" Optimus roared as the men and Auto-bots exploded around them.

"Oh no..." Jetfire murmured beside him.

Ratchet scrambled to scan her, desperately praying to Primus.

His prayers were unanswered.

There was nothing left of her; nervous system shot, heart torn and lungs full of blood from the massive gravitational forces she'd endured, the last of her spark guttered. He sank to his knees, head bowed, rocking in silent grief as it too flickered out. On his other side, Sideswipe stood in shock, holding a sobbing Flare and Arcee wrapped around him. Chromia clung to a hunched and tired Ironhide, whimpering softly, but still trying to comfort the weapons master. The twins stood stock still, staring in shock.

"Big Sister wake up!" Bumblebee bellowed desperately, onlining his holoform beside the soldiers and running to her side as Optimus did the same, laying the Matrix on her chest. "Kaelie! Wake up Big Sister! Don't leave me behind! KAE!" he began sobbing uncontrollably.

He didn't know what to do, there was nothing left of his daughter... his daughter. Ratchet couldn't hold back the keen of returned pain, once again, he had failed to save a daughter. All of his training, all of his researching... made useless by yet another manner of death.

"You sent me back!" Prime shouted, mech and holoform at the same time. "Bring her back! Give her back to us! Take me if you want, don't you dare take her!"

She laid deathly still in his holoform's arms. Ratchet felt every last one of his vorns settle onto his shoulders, his assistant, his daughter was beyond repair. Optimus' holoform cradled her, rocking, sobbing beside his scout, pleading as no man or bot had seen him do. Not even for Elita.

Men and bots stood in a silent circle in the still, deathly silence after a battle. A rooster crowed.

"It's not right," Epps whispered, "It's not... she can't... she's just a kid, pulled our asses out of the frying pan... she can't be dead..."

"She has fought well," a stranger's voice spoke behind Ratchet. The bot whipped around to look at the towering form, clad in the ancient styles of armour and wavering in the red of the setting sun.

"But has she paid for killing?" a second voice asked calmly.

"Each kill has seared her conscience, her spark is pure. She grieved."

"Rise then Mikaela, rise Archangel Prime, Sparkchild of earth," a gentle faced illusion whispered. "As the sun sets so to the flash of the dead does light."

Illusions faded, the sun dipped below the horizon, flashing green across the sky.*

Ratchet watched in shock as the nanites that his assistant played host to multiplied at an unprecedented rate, travelling on energon currents to rest on the injured soldiers around her. Energon pulsed from her, injuries around her mended, the hose in Ratchet's leg that he intended to repair later sealed itself perfectly.

"Oh shit she's healing everyone but herself!" Lennox bellowed. "Damn it Kae! We're good! Take care of yourself!"

"But I've killed," she whispered, opening her eyes, her voice was ethereal, as though it didn't come from her body.

"To protect others!" Ironhide bellowed, "and we will gladly kill to protect you!"

"Where you go, I will follow," Optimus murmured in her ear.

"That is my prerogative," she growled, sitting up and falling backward again with a gasp of pain. Ratchet scrambled to scan her again. The all-spark splinter had flown to rest in the centre of her spark, integrating with it. Her heart though...

"Optimus! Get her in your spark! Get her in your spark NOW!" Ratchet bellowed. "Her spark burns, but her body is too badly damaged to hold it! She needs help to stay alive until she's repaired! Spark emergency one! Anchor her!"

Optimus flew at the command, the Prime's holoform scooping her up immediately and running to tuck her into his chest as his body leaned down. In moments, Optimus' spark chamber closed around her. He stood with one hand covering his spark and chest plates protectively and looked to Ratchet for instructions.

"Keep her awake until her heart starts beating again," Ratchet said in a deathly calm voice. "Once her heart is beating..." he trailed off and cocked his head, listening. The most beautiful sound reached him, the beat of a heart, weak, but growing stronger, a gasping breath. "Let her sleep," Ratchet said kindly. "With the Major's permission, we should find a safe place to bunk down for the night and lick our wounds."

"What wounds?" Chance asked incredulously, staring at his leg. "She grew me a new damned leg! How the FUCK do I have a new LEG!?"

Ratchet rolled his optics.

"Very well, we should find a place to bunker down, rest and let the healing stick."

A load of vehicles roared over the side of a dune.

"THE CAVALRY!" a man bellowed from the lead jeep. He hopped out and stared around himself. "Well. Shit."

"You're late Colonel, but just in time to help with cleanup," Lennox stated with a grin.

"Well, we got the med-bags..." he stared around at men standing up, taking off bloodied bandages with the occasional burst of laughter.

"Grew me a new goddamned leg!" Chance bellowed cheerfully, then winced.

"Dude, don't shout!" Jacobs called back, albeit quietly.

"Clean what up?" Colonel Baldwin asked curiously.

"Prime, with your permission?" Jetfire rumbled in an increasingly younger bot's brogue. Optimus nodded while Ratchet looked on with approval, the Prime's first priority now was to Kae. Jetfire turned to the men. "Righ'! Pull everyone back three miles into the desert, set up a temp'ry camp and get these soldiers tae bed, they've been repaired but need to rest to keep the repairs from bein' rejected." Jetfire commanded briskly.

"But..." Chance started.

"Unless you want that new leg o' yers tae fall off again sonny, go sleep," Jetfire rumbled sternly. Soldier's eyes widened in surprise, and a few of the wounded obediently laid down on the stretchers again. "In the meantime, the rest of us will make sure everything has been deactivated." Jetfire finished before he stomped off, scanning the area and tossing servos into a pile.

Optimus turned and walked up a towering dune, sitting vigil and watching the stars.

*Yes, I know the green flash doesn't show in the middle of the desert, I've seen the thing! She's coming back to life, people, the flash of the dead, a soul returns, but I'm not bridging a bunch of autonomous robotic organisms into the middle of the ocean to do it. Think about it, metallic, mechanized creatures in a liquid salt pit? That's just mean. That's all for now folks, see you tomorrow! :)