Chapter 151 – The Game
(OPOV)
Optimus touched his mate's cheek.
"Optimus," Mikaela murmured softly. Optimus reached out and pulled her into a gentle hug.
"We will meet again," he rumbled gently, "you will always know where to find me."
Kae nodded weakly and backed up, standing proudly.
"I will find you," she declared firmly.
"And I will wait," Optimus rumbled, he turned and boarded the Xantium, the doors closed and Ratchet reached out, grasping his shoulder firmly.
∂We ready?∂ Roadbuster asked quickly.
∂Auto-bots, prepare for splashdown,∂ Optimus rumbled sternly, nodding to his unit. The Femmes were smirking evilly, even as Chromia rubbed lightly at her chest-plates.
"Chromia-" Optimus started in a grieved tone.
She smirked at him.
∂Sorry, Prime, you're a terrible liar without your battle-mask∂ she smirked. ∂Ironhide is hiding out and currently grousing that a weapons master has to hide. The twins are with him.∂
Optimus stared in shock at the femme.
∂Holoform,∂ Chromia smirked. ∂Sentinel's idea, we needed a betrayal, so he shot a holoform Ironhide and 'massacred' the twins when they attacked him.∂
Optimus shook his head and grinned.
∂Does Kae know?∂
∂Of course, Kae is a damned good liar when she needs to be,∂ Arcee stated cheerfully. ∂Let's get this show on the road.∂
∂All due respect Cap'n, you ain't goin' down with the ship, so you're first in, we need you to play ballast,∂ Roadbuster stated cheerfully.
Optimus snorted and tucked himself into the modified escape pod.
One bot in, it was going to be a scrapping tight fit. The femmes came in next, tucking themselves in around him in the gaps he couldn't help but leave.
∂Too bad Kae couldn't come, this is gonna be fun,∂ Flareup stated cheerfully.
∂Drone shit,∂ Roadbuster snorted. ∂this is gonna be a rough landin'∂
Ratchet promptly began swearing.
∂Aah calm down Ratch, yer in the middle.∂ Roadbuster snorted.
Optimus snorted softly and reached out, carefully settling his old friends around himself until he had to slide his arms around Flare and Chromia.
∂Really scrapping tight fit.
∂Wheelie, Brains, quit squirming,∂ Arcee murmured with a giggling snort.
∂Sorry,∂ Brains immediately stated.
∂Hurry up! They're starting the countdown!∂ Leadfoot muttered sharply.
∂Get in there then,∂ Roadbuster muttered. ∂Squeeze over, one more to fit.∂ he squirmed into the pod and closed the door.
∂Holoforms are activated,∂ Jolt murmured.
Topspin, Roadbuster, Leadfoot, Optimus, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Jolt, Arcee, Chromia, Flareup, Jazz, Prowl, Mirage, Wheelie and Brains all sat in absolute silence for a long moment.
∂Seventeen Auto-bots walk into an escape pod, one of them is dumb enough to make it a joke.∂ Brains muttered.
Ratchet began desperately snorting back a hearty guffaw, even as the pod around them began to warm, and the gravity became far heavier.
∂Ten seconds to separation,∂ Leadfoot muttered. The pod shook, not that there was really any space left over for them to get knocked around.
∂Scrap, scrap scrap scrap scrap!∂ Roadbuster began growling.
∂Roadbuster report,∂ Optimus rumbled sternly.
∂You're right boss, they blew up the Xantium,∂ Roadbuster snarled. ∂Except unless we get some kind of distraction or confirmation that we're dea-∂
Suddenly, every last frequency was jammed, and Optimus couldn't hold back his own keen of pain. The ache of separation wasn't new for him, the tone of his Kae's voice as she screamed his name, begging him to be alive, begging him to answer...
That hurt more than any wound he had ever endured.
∂Steady, Optimus,∂ Ratchet stated gently.
The femmes cuddled into his sides, holding him tightly.
"She knows you're alive, and even if she doesn't she's not going to die until this is finished," Chromia whispered to him. "You both know that."
"And as a bonus, she's completely covered for us," Roadbuster added in awe. "We're officially dead now."
Even separated, Optimus felt the sudden sensation of his Kae winding her spark around his own in her chamber. Concealing him. Protecting him.
His brilliant, beautiful femme.
He relaxed again, just in time to grunt as they splashed down.
The next moment, every last bot was piled on top of him. They continued going down, slower this time. A gentle thud, and they stopped.
"Right, we can get out of here and walk along the bottom of this liquidy salt pit, or we can propel ourselves a bit closer to shore first." Roadbuster reported calmly.
Silence for a long moment.
"What kind of a choice is that? Stay squashed or wander around in salt water?" Wheelie demanded indignantly.
"I would like to request as little contact with that liquid salt shit," Brains rasped.
"Agreed," Chromia shuddered beside him.
"A moment?" Optimus rumbled with a snort, he shifted somewhat in place, compressing his armour and protoform. Smaller. And far more comfortable. "I am good to stay for a while."
"How'd you do that?" Ratchet demanded with a grin, settling comfortably beside Arcee.
"I forgot to compress my armour." Optimus rumbled in embarrassment.
"And we're the better for it," Roadbuster snorted. "Less jostlin' about."
"Commencing forward propulsion," Leadfoot stated calmly, he began making choking, gasping sounds before his optics sharpened. "Oops."
The bots stared at him irritably.
"No, we're going forward, apparently humans don't survive down here," Leadfoot stated wide eyed.
Ratchet began laughing.
"You drowned-" he laughed. "You drowned your holoform!?"
"And crushed," Leadfoot stated wide-eyed.
"Crushed and drowned your holoform." Ratchet snorted. "It doesn't occur to simply put your eyes out there?"
"They got swept away!" Leadfoot protested irritably. "And it stung!"
Ratchet snorted his amusement.
"So don't solidify it!" he stated in amusement.
"Oh riiight..." Leadfoot mused. "Right, here we go."
(MPOV)
The fliers roughly dragged me from the tarmac and into the air, their flight patterns erratic at best, obviously not entirely used to flying in the lighter gravity of earth, or in such a heavy atmosphere. I checked our vectors and listened mildly to the reports Starscream was receiving.
Arrogant little twit wasn't even bothering to block his signal.
Twit.
"Going to have fun with you, little Femme, gonna have some fun with you," one of the cronies kept repeating. I ignored him, cheerfully playing deadweight in their arms.
Carefully hiding my signal, I linked to the computers and projected my holoform behind the soldiers. They stood, silent and shocked.
"What do we do?" Jacobs whispered.
"You take a deep breath, and then another. You stop time as your heart slows, but the moment of frozen time is when your life is most in danger. So you put one foot in front of the other. You're only afraid when you have something to lose. But that something to lose, that is what you're fighting for, and that's what gets that next foot off the ground." I said quietly.
Every face turned to stare at me, the shocked looks were absolutely priceless.
"What?" I asked cheerfully, "you thought I was going to abandon you without a fight?" My face straightened. "I'm going to have to keep my transmissions short, signals indicate that Chicago is the one being hit. Which means we need to get the people out."
"How do we evacuate an entire city?" Simmons whispered.
"You don't, I do, I need medical backup, field hospitals, accommodation tents, emergency response. Call Barry, get him pulling strings, tell him rule 44 is in effect. Every piece of necessary equipment can be fabricated by the neural units, no you don't need to hook up to it. They're fully powered, all you need to do is punch in your request. I have tracking beacons attached to the fabricators, get 'em spread out, fifteen mile radius. Apocalypse file, Redbird. Will, activation is yours, Colonel," I nodded gravely to Lennox and winked my holoform out, concealing a grin from my captors as I listened for a second.
"Is that a VFG...?" Chance whispered.
"Rule twenty, Chance," I muttered.
"Don't hold the funeral till the casket is full," the lieutenant whispered. There was silence for a second before Will began bellowing. I listened to his orders for a moment and nodded internally. A good man, a good leader. He was getting it sorted.
"Gonna have some fun with you," the crony said again.
I ignored him patiently, inwardly agreeing.
I was going to have some fun with these twits, somehow I rather doubted they were, though. I touched the raw ache in my spark, feeling Optimus' presence beside my own. I hid him carefully, surrounding him with myself.
We'd agreed, we'd block our signals from each other for the first stage.
Except now I could not tell if my beloved was alive and blocking, or dead and reaching for me from the well.
I took stock of my surroundings and locations as we began losing altitude again. Chicago.
They dropped me on the roof of one of the towers, that selfsame crony dragging me to stand up.
"Say hello, little insect," Starscream purred at me.
"I said to leave her intact!" Sentinel snarled, visibly scanning me. I had to give him credit, I almost believed the shock on his faceplates. Certainly the 'cons would
"Phah, she don't want to live no more," the crony chuckled. "What's it matter? 'Er spark's still burnin'."
"I would suggest that you show more respect to your creator," Sentinel growled, firing a warning shot over my shoulder, damaging the crony. He fell back immediately, I dropped to my knees, covering my chest slightly.
"This little femme?" Megatron rumbled softly.
"Archangel, the host to the All-spark." Sentinel replied coldly. "Your creator. She will repair Cybertron."
"Why repair what you will only destroy again," I whispered, finally looking up at Sentinel, letting him see the fight in my optics for a brief second before I covered it with the grief. My mate was dead.
"Soon, you will see little insect, one spark is as good as another's," Megatron purred, he reached over and dragged my chest plates open, baring my spark chamber. He froze, staring at it.
"Archangel Prime," he purred, extending a binder cable toward my chamber. "You shall be a most enjoyable conquest."
I prepared to shock the living hell out of him, baring Optimus' mark as it sat, engraved intertwined absolutely with my own. The next moment Sentinel was bellowing in rage, tearing into Megatron's head and throwing him to the other side of the roof.
"How dare you attempt to assault a spark-rent Prime!" he bellowed, "We need her alive! Not offlined the second she can manage!"
The bots stood in silence for a long second, Sentinel reached down and carefully lifted me to my feet. I caught his optics.
::. Tell me he's alive.:: Sentinel sent desperately ::. You're bonded to him, this is the only way we could win without an alliance! He has to be alive!.::
I stayed silent for a long moment.
(LPOV)
Lena ran with the soldiers, following orders.
It was trained into her, allowing her to move without thinking. Allowed her to exist without thinking.
Her Jolt. Her Jolt was gone.
There was only one thing that was left for her in this life now.
Destroying the scum that had killed her intended. She'd probably die in the process.
But her Jolt would be waiting for her, she knew he would be. They weren't bonded, as Kae and Optimus had been. Watching Kae falling to the tarmac, tearing at her armour had been one of the most painful things Lena had ever seen. Her immediate need to join her mate in death apparently stalled only by the bastards who would separate two sparks belonging with each other absolutely.
That was another thing she held close to her heart, although her face would never show it.
Those bastards would taste her bullets, too.
Lena knew she was backsliding, the happy, smiling Lena that had finally begun to emerge with her inclusion into NEST, and finding Jolt...
Happy Lena was shunted to the side now, not dead, simply dormant, as she had been for so long before. She knew her face was cold, her eyes made of ice again.
That was fine.
Because her compassion was gone.
Those bastards who had murdered their Prime, had torn the bonded Primes asunder. Who had taken her Jolt, her love, her happiness away from her...
They didn't deserve the compassion that had once been in her eyes.
"Colonel Lennox!" Lena shouted at the man, already strapped into her harness and striding with a purpose toward the soldiers.
"Lena-" the colonel started. Lena glared at him.
Then it was Will standing in front of her.
"Nothing I can say, is going to stop you from coming to Chicago, is it?" the man asked quietly.
"No, Sir." she stated flatly.
Will heaved a breath and glared at her.
"You will not allow your distraction to endanger your fellow soldiers!" he barked.
"Sir, no Sir," Lena barked right back at him. The soldier. The fighter.
The Colonel nodded and reached for her chest.
"'Scuse my fingers," he muttered, thumbing the activation of the harness on her chest.
For that statement alone, Lena prayed that the Colonel would survive to return to his family. She however, was prepared to join her Jolt.
(SePOV)
Sentinel watched with anger burning close to his spark as the Decepticon scum dropped Kae onto the roof.
"Say hello, little insect," Starscream purred. Little slagger.
"I said to leave her intact!" Sentinel snarled, scanning his young friend's mate. She was undamaged, thank Primus, just a few nicks in her paint.
But her systems weren't running.
"Phah, she don't want to live no more," a crony chuckled. "What's it matter? 'Er spark's still burnin'." anyone could tell what that pathetic excuse of a bot wanted to do.
"I would suggest that you show more respect to your creator," Sentinel growled, firing a warning shot over Kae's shoulder, damaging the crony. He fell back immediately, and Kae dropped to her knees, winding her arms around her chest-plates.
"This little femme?" Megatron rumbled softly.
Time to play the game.
"Archangel, the host to the All-spark." Sentinel replied coldly. "Your creator. She will repair Cybertron."
"Why repair what you will only destroy again," Kae whispered, finally looking up at Sentinel. His spark ached on her behalf, there was fight in those optics, the briefest flicker of the fire before grief covered them again. They had gone against his orders, destroyed the Xantium. That alone was enough for him to remain absolutely decided.
The murderers would see the justice of the Primes.
"Soon, you will see little insect, one spark is as good as another's," Megatron purred, he reached over and dragged Mikaela's chest plates open, baring her spark chamber.
Megatron froze, staring at it.
Sentinel watched in shock, he didn't think Kae would allow such a thing...
"Archangel Prime," Megatron purred, extending a binder cable toward her chamber. "You shall be a most enjoyable conquest."
Mikaela simply stayed still, the only motion her spark chamber turning away from the cable and baring Optimus' mark as it sat, engraved intertwined absolutely with her own.
Optimus' mark.
Intertwined absolutely with her own mark.
They were that closely bound. That. Was one in a billion. Dead or not, Optimus' absence would have her rent, dead, she would be in agony.
That only took a moment's contemplation. Rage flared though his spark, he strode forward and caught hold of the weakened Decepticon leader. A hand sank into the torn head.
"How dare you attempt to assault a spark-rent Prime!" Sentinel bellowed, "We need her alive! Not offlined the second she can manage!" he threw the bot away.
The Decepticons stood in silence for a long second, wary of a bot stronger than their leader. Sentinel reached down and carefully lifted Kae to her feet. She caught his optics.
::. Tell me he's alive.:: Sentinel sent desperately ::. You're bonded to him, this is the only way we could win without an alliance! He has to be alive!.::
Mikaela remained silent for an interminably long moment.
::. I don't know.:: she whispered ::. my only comfort, if he is alive he is coming, if he is at the gates to the Well, he is waiting for me. We both understood that we would likely not die together, not with the way things are.::
Sentinel carefully led her to sit before he was forced to continue monitoring the pillars, Primus forbid the Decepticons know she had become his friend.
Not yet, anyway.
::. I am so sorry, they are defying my orders.:: he sent softly.
::. We can't risk using the voice.:: Mikaela replied in return.
::. Indeed, are you still strong enough to fight? You are not converting your fuel.:: Sentinel sent worriedly.
::. I'm stopping, remember?.::
::. But...::
::. I still function as a human at times, we go for hours without new fuel input. I'm programmed to handle a massive surge of energon and utilize it.::
::. From where?.:: Sentinel demanded, keeping his face calm as he paced the rooftop. The Decepticons were cowering in front of him now. Much better.
::. Keep your face neutral, I have two dozen energon cells in my legs. I said neutral!.::
Kae knew him quite well, apparently, his face did not so much as flicker, but twenty-four backup cells hidden in her legs!? Nothing short of her crisp order was keeping him visibly neutral.
::. Do you realize...!?.:: he choked out over their private comm.
::. The danger, sheer amount of power, the amount of power I'm using to transport them – which is minimal, by the way – do I realize what, Sentinel?.:: she asked innocently.
::. Different question, did your mate realize that you are completely insane?.:: Sentinel sent in amusement. ::. Who in their right mind carries spare energon cells in their legs?.::
::. The one whom has lost their mate.:: Mikaela stated crisply.
That. Was completely confusing.
::. But are you still strong enough to fight?.:: Sentinel demanded worriedly.
::. They killed my mate, why are you still asking that?.::
Sentinel quickly synced his processors.
::. What happens when a human loses a mate?.:: he asked instead.
::. Depends entirely on the circumstance and the relationship between the two, what happens to Cybertronians?.::
::. We are immediately weakened, our bodies shutting down as our sparks reach for our mates.:: Sentinel sent gently.
::. hmn.::
::. Kae?.:: Sentinel sent tentatively.
::. It would seem that I am still more human than I first thought.:: she sent musingly ::. My reactions are remaining the same.::
Sentinel turned around, prepared to look at her.
::. Your human reactions?.:: he demanded.
In the corner of his optic, he saw her face rise.
::. I kill them all.:: she whispered.
Her optics raked the Decepticon positions, barely glancing at him.
But for that brief second he saw them, he had never seen optics that intense.
Pure, black-fired rage and hatred flickered beside the piercing blue-green.
The optics of a bot that would not stop until the object of that hatred had been destroyed. Sentinel knew, right down to his core processors that aimed at him? He would be cowering in front of those optics.
Thank Primus they weren't aimed at him.
Her optics lowered and she sat, absolutely still again.
::. What's the game plan?.:: she sent calmly.
::. I need to order them to seal off the city, soon.:: Sentinel stated worriedly.
::. A moment.::
Sentinel couldn't feel anything from her, she simply seemed to be sitting there.
::. Right, give the humans another five minutes and we're set.:: she stated calmly.
::. How...!?.:: he demanded.
::. I have holo-projectors set up everywhere.:: Mikaela snorted.
That was a brilliant idea... actually...
::. Would you mind if I started sweet-talking you?.:: Sentinel sent almost cheerfully.
::. You want me to go along with your plan to make my people slaves?.:: she asked with a snort ::. Not even that crony would buy that.::
::. They would if I have my hand in your spark.:: Sentinel sent rather shyly.
::. I will not betray my Optimus.:: Mikaela snapped back at him.
::. When Optimus returns, he will have my helm for not helping his mate, alive or dead, your spark will be aching from the separation. You are far too young to have built the resistance necessary for operating separately. If he is dead, once this is finished I will ease you into the well myself.:: Sentinel stated gently.
He felt her nod.
::. Thank you.:: she whispered.
Sentinel straightened and strode over to Kae, gently taking her face into his hands.
"What now, traitor?" she whispered hoarsely.
"Such a beautiful, fiery little femme," Sentinel crooned to her, stroking her cheek gently. "Do not lie, your spark aches for your lost mate."
"What do you care?" Mikaela choked, jerking her face from his hands.
"Young Prime, our duty is to our worlds, to each other," Sentinel murmured gently.
"You speak proudly of duty yet keep me from mine," Mikaela stated quietly.
Sentinel straightened, even if they were allies, that was a sharp blow to his spark.
::. Sorry.:: Kae sent silently.
"Even in pain, you are a formidable opponent," Sentinel stated calmly. ::. Are they ready?.::
Kae stayed stock still for a moment.
::. Yes.::
"Perhaps then, I am to remind you of your proper duty," Sentinel stated coldly. He turned to the Decepticons. "It is time for the human slaves to recognize their masters. Seal off the city."
::. Wait for it.:: Sentinel sent to her silently, and felt her nod ::. We must unfortunately wait for the first shot to be fired.::
Sentinel began scanning the city again, paying particular attention to the human creatures wandering the streets, looking out windows...
::. I've got them scanned already.:: Mikaela sent silently ::. you don't have to worry about it.::
The first shot was fired.
::. Good! Because now is the time!.:: Sentinel snapped over their comm, handing over temporary control of the pillars to the femme.
A brilliant flash of light blinded him, and suddenly there was silence. A silence broken only by the continual firing of Decepticon weaponry as buildings were collapsed. Kae handed him back the control to the pillars.
Seamless.
"What is this!?" Megatron was roaring the next moment.
Sentinel stood, completely stunned at the control the femme had exercised. The only native living creatures left in this city were the rodents. He turned and stared at her.
Prime Mikaela Archangel Banes was sitting back in the place he had settled her, a tiny smirk dancing on her face, even though the grief was back, masking her optics.
"Nothing, keeps me from my duty for long." she commented mildly.