Today was when Megatron's big plan was put into action. It was Sunday, so it was a no work day for Pete. He absolutely had to have Sunday off.
Couldn't really blame him.
I wasn't around when Optimus explained just what Megatron's plan was, so I was completely in the dark.
But… I decided to suck it up and go back after Talida paid a visit.
Poor kid was a wreck.
She had spent the night at Jack's last night. If I had to guess, she begged him to come back, like she did us.
She said that the past two days, since we found out were the happiest she's ever been. She didn't have to hide anything anymore, she could speak freely.
I thought it was just Jack leaving that hit her hard… but that just compounded onto it.
Granted, no matter what she says, I feel like Jack leaving hit her more than us did.
Those two have some sort of feelings for each other. They just seem to either not realize it, or they don't want to acknowledge them.
But… they need to.
I guess seeing Talida crying like that… it just struck me.
I see Talida like a daughter. I used to babysit her when we were younger, and when we got together, so did Amy.
It's not an expression.
That girl is family.
So, we went back.
And when we found out what Megatron's plan was… it became a good thing that I'd come back.
He was bringing an army of undead Cybertronians through a Space Bridge to conquer the planet.
As far as I was concerned, that wasn't happening.
But… the day wasn't all bad.
I got to ask Amy a question I'd been waiting to ask her… for so long.
A knock at the from door woke Clark from his slumber. One of the rare times where something woke him up rather than awaking naturally.
As his eyes cracked open, he took in his environment.
Next to him, Amy was snuggled into his chest, Clark's arms pulling her close in a protective and loving embrace, the cover over both of them, completely naked.
Slowly, the events of the previous night came back to him, and he couldn't help but smile as he pulled Amy closer, kissing her sleeping head.
Another knock reminded him of why he was woken up.
With a rather disappointed sigh, Clark slowly seperated from his girlfriend, gently pulling his arm out from under her as he climbed out of the bed.
Quickly throwing on a pair of underwear and his shorts, Clark was quick to make his way through the door as the knocking grew more frequent.
"Hello?" He asked once he was at the front door.
Instead of someone Pete, or someone he had expected, it was Talida Prime at his door.
And she looked like a wreck.
"Tally?" Clark said in surprise, before his face warped into one of concern. "You okay?"
Talida had tearstains on her face, and her eyes were puffy red from tears. Her hair was a mess, thrown haphazardly together from the looks of it, not really put in a specific way, and her outfit was just kind of thrown on.
"I… not really, Clark." Talida admitted. "Can I come in?"
With a nod, Clark moved out of the way, holding the door for the techno-organic teen. "Yeah, come on in, Tally."
With a nod of thanks, Talida slowly walked into the house, taking a look around the living room she'd walked into.
"This is only the second time I've been here." Talida couldn't help but remark, causing Clark to chuckle.
"Yeah, because you and Jack are always going on your dates." Clark teased as he walked towards the kitchen.
"We're not dating!" Talida objected, though a blush was visible on her face now.
"Not yet, anyway." Clark retorted. "You want anything to eat or drink?" He offered as he opened up the refrigerator.
"No thanks." Talida politely refused as she walked over to the couch, taking a seat. "I just came from Jack's. Ms. Darby made some eggs and bacon.
Clark shrugged. "Well, if you want anything, feel free to grab something." He told her as he grabbed himself a Hershey bar from the fridge, settling on a quick snack for now since it was so early. "So, what brings you here anyway?" He asked as he made his way back to the living room, plopping down on his recliner next to the couch.
"I…" Talida trailed off, averting her gaze for a moment, before looking at Clark. "I was hoping I could talk you into coming back."
Clark's eyes widened, before he let out a sigh, setting the still unopened Hershey Bar on the stand next to his chair. "Tally…"
"I know everything that happened yesterday was… not a good experience." Talida continued, averting her gaze. "It was terrifying, dangerous, and more people were put in danger than they needed to be.
Clark sat, silent, as he listened to Talida speak.
"But… despite that, these past few days are the happiest I've ever been." Talida admitted.
Clark's eyes widened. "Really?" He asked in surprise.
Talida nodded. "Despite the circumstances, I didn't have to hide anything from you or Jack anymore. Raf was a rather welcome addition, and Miko… well, I guess having a girl my age to talk to is still nice."
Clark raised an eyebrow. "It's be better if she had some common sense." He said with a roll of his eyes.
Talida looked at Clark. "I… I don't want to lose that." She said, and she looked close to tears. "Clark, you're like a father to me… even though you were a teen when you started babysitting me and Jack, you've always acted like more of a father than a brother."
Clark looked at Talida for a few moments. "You're breakdown yesterday… that wasn't just about Jack, was it?"
Talida looked away. "No." She spoke quietly.
Clark gave Talida a sympathetic gaze. "Listen, I see you as my own family too." Clark admitted. "Hell, I've known you since you were about three years old, and I started babysitting you when I was twelve." He recalled with a fond smile. "You are always welcome here, Talida."
Talida gave a nod. "Thanks Clark."
Clark gave a smile. "No problem, Tally."
A silence fell between the two for a moment.
"Clark?" Talida asked, turning to look at her secondary father figure.
"What's up?" He asked as he turned to her.
"Is there any way I can convince you to come back?" She asked. "I… I can't lose you and Jack both…"
Clark looked at Talida, sighing. "Talida, I can't have my family in the middle of a war." He shook his head some as he looked out the window. "You're already too much."
"I don't have a choice, Clark." Talida quetly spoke.
Clark looked at Talida for a few moments.
"I don't get to just walk away. Not until it's over."
"If that's the obligation you feel, that's fine." Clark spoke softly, but firmly. "But I'm not gonna put them in anymore danger than they're already in."
"You heard Dad, Clark." Talida recalled. "Megatron's got you in his radar. And if he comes for you-"
"I'll tear his fucking wiring out." Clark finished rather agressively.
"And what if you're not around?" Talida tried to reason, but Clark gave a small chuckle.
"Talida, I can make a seven hour trip within a second, and I can hear a continent over if I choose." He told her. "Even if I'm not actually present, I'm almost always around."
Talida looked at him for a few moments, and then she let out a sigh. "There's really no way to convince you to come back?" She asked him
Clark looked at Talida for a few moments, his gaze soft. "I haven't quite decided yet… but it doesn't look that way."
Talida looked at Clark for a few moments, and Clark had a feeling that the answer was more heartbreaking then he'd assumed.
And he was right.
The dam broke.
"O-okay…" Talida said sadly as she tried to wipe away the onslaught of tears that began flowing. "I-I'm sorry…"
"Aw, Tally…" Clark said with a soft tone as he stood up, moving to sit next to her on the couch.
"You, Amy, Krystal and Jack…" Talida whimpered as she brought her hands to her face trying to wipe away the tears. "It was only two days, and everything went to hell…"
The site of the poor girl crying her eyes out struck Clark harder than anything on the 've, and his arm wrapped around her, pulling her close to him in a hug as he tried to comfort her.
"It's alright, Talida…" Clark reassured.
"No, it's not!" Talida cried out. "I can't have anything go right in my life… the war, the torture, and now this…"
Clark's heart shattered at the tone the teen had, and was beginning to dawn on Clark what might've been happening.
She was sinking into depression again…
And suddenly, Clark wondered if maybe, it hadn't been the best idea, leaving the Autobots.
Not for Talida's sake.
He wanted to keep Krystal and Amy safe… but Talida was family too.
And she's been through enough.
After a hesitent thought, Clark made a decision.
"Hey, kiddo… let me wake up Amy."
Admittedly, the thought of Talida's condition when she arrived the night prior has still stuck wth Jack, even as he rode to work.
He stood by his decision to leave the Autobots. He didn't plan on getting caught in the middle of a war between giant robots.
He only wished it didn't hurt Talida as much as it seemed to.
With a sigh, he pulled his bike into the parking lot of K.O. Burger, leaning it up against the building as he prepared to start his shift at the fast food resturaunt.
"Nice bike."
Jack couldn't help the sigh of frustration that escaped him at the sound of the familiar voice, as he turned to face the familiar blue and pink motorcycle.
"Arcee, really, Miko already tried." He told her, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Tell Optimus I respect him big time, and Talida that I'm sorry, but if you're at war with the Decepticons… there's nothing I can do to help."
"Optimus didn't send me, Jack. And no one is asking for your help." Arcee revealed.
"Okay… if we both agree I'm not warrior material…" Jack didn't really need to voice his question.
"Jack, I just lost someone I care about." Arcee spoke up, sadness clear in her voice. "Maybe it's the grief talking, or maybe you're growing on me… but whatever it is, I'm just not ready to say goodbye. And I don't think Talida is either."
Jack turned to look at Arcee. "How bad is she?"
"I don't know." Arcee admitted. "No one does… she hasn't been back to base since her breakdown last night."
Jack's eyes widened. "What? She left my house this morning… she spent the night at my place."
"Then she might already be back at base." Arcee guessed hopefully. "But her breakdown last night was a sign that she was falling back into depression, Jack. And if she starts spiraling back…" Arcee trailed off, but she didn't need to finish her sentence.
Jack's shift could wait.
"Let's go."
"Optimus!" Ratchet called out to his old friend. "I've pinpointed the location of Megatron's space bridge, high in Earth's orbit."
"Out of our reach." Optimus sighed grimly. It definitely wasn't helping his nerves that Talida still hadn't returned after her outburst last night.
"Ok, so you guys can't fly," Miko acknowledged. "But can't you just Groundbridge there?"
"The Groundbridge has limited range." Ratchet explained. "Stretched all the way to orbit, its vortex could snap, and scatter us to the stars."
"Since Megatron is already in transit, I'm afraid we must take that risk." Optimus proclaimed. "Reaching the Space Bridge first is our only means of stopping Megatron."
Suddenly, the sound of Arcee's horn sounded out through the base from the drive tunnel, before the form of Arcee's vehicle mode became visible, carrying a familiar passenger.
Arcee skidded to a stop as Jack took his helmet off, a small smile on his face. "Hey, guess who's back?" He joked.
"Autobots, prepare for departure." Optimus ordered as Jack climbed off of Arcee, glancing around the base.
"Where to?" Arcee asked.
"The final frontier." Miko answered in a serious voice.
"Space?" Jack gasped in surprise. "I thought they didn't have any way to get there."
"They don't, really." Raf answered as Bumblebee sat him on the ground, looking at Jack in worry. "Have you seen Talida?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah. She spent the night at my place." He revealed. "I thought she came back here after she left this morning."
"No one's seen her since yesterday." Bulkhead revealed. "We're all worried."
"Hmm… Did she have any special spots? Places she'd go to so she could gather her thoughts?"
"We've already checked." Bulkhead responded sadly. "She's nowhere to be found."
Suddenly, a Groundbridge portal swirled to life in the middle of the base, catching everyone's attention.
They watched in anticipation, expecting, hoping, for Talida to walk through. And she did.
But she wasn't alone.
Behind her, Clark followed, Amy close behind, a sleeping Krystal in her arms.
Talida's eyes widened when she spotted her best friend at the base. "Jack?!" She cried out as the Groundbridge portal closed, immediately running to hug the teen.
"Hey Lida." Jack greeted with a smile as he returned the hug. "I'm back."
"Thank you." Talida whispered, hugging Jack tightly.
Optimus watched the scene with a small smile, before turning to the other new arrivals. "Have you made you decision, Clark?"
Clark chuckled. "Yeah. Your kid's just as pursuasive as you." He joked. "So, what's happening?"
"Megatron intends to bring forth an army composed entirely of Cybertron's dead." Optimus revealed, to everyone's horror. "He intends to use it to conquer this planet.
"What?" Clark gasped in horror. "How the hell to we stop him?"
"Fortunately, we have discovered the location of the Space Bridge." Optimus assured. "And we are preparing to depart."
"Where's it at?" Clark asked, looking up at the Autobot leader.
"Space." Jack answered, catching Clark's attention. "I think they plan to try and use the Groundbridge to get there."
"What?" Amy gasped, looking up towards Optimus. "I thought the Groundbridge is limited to Earth."
"It is." Bulkhead spoke with a nod. "But… we don't really have much of choice. We have to try."
Clark looked up at Optimus, a newfound respect for the Autobot leader welling within the man. He was willing to risk his own life to save a planet that wasn't his own.
"Autobots, prepare for departure." Optimus ordered.
"Be seeing you?" Jack asked awkwardly, looking up at Arcee. The femme smiled, and nodded back.
"Be careful, Bee." Raf warned the bot, looking at him with worry as Ratchet activated the Groundbridge.
"I'm so jealous." Miko pouted, looking up at Bulkhead.
"Don't even think about following me." Bulkhead warned the girl.
"Optimus," Ratchet spoke up, turning to look at his old friend. "If you leave me on a planet teeming with humans, I will never forgive you."
"Until we meet again, old friend." Optimus replied with a small smile, before he kneeled down, gently scooping up his daughter in his hand and cradling her against his spark. "If I don't come back, Talida, stay strong. For me, for Jack, Arcee, for everyone. I love you, sweetspark."
"I love you too, Dad." Talida muttered quietly as she hugged him back as best she could.
With a sad smile, Optimus placed his daughter back on the ground, before standing to his feet, joining the other Autobots, but not before he turned to Clark.
"If I don't make it back… take care of my daughter."
Clark couldn't help the smile that wormed it's way onto his face. "Like I haven't been doing that already?"
WIth a nod, Optimus turned back towards the swirling Groundbridge portal. "Autobots, roll out!
All of the bots transformed as everyone watched. Jack moved up behind Talida, wrapping his arms around her stomach as they all watched the Autobots risk their life. Clark wrapped his arm around Amy, who leaned her head into his shoulder as they watched the bots leave, Krystal still soundly asleep in their arms.
"Maximum Overdrive!" Optimus ordered as the Autobots drove through the Groundbridge.
High in Earth's orbit, there was nothing but silence. The Earth was a glowing blue orb in the vast darkness of space, and the Space Bridge was the only thing of Cybertronian origin in orbit… until the Groundbridge portal opened up.
"Autobots, transform, and gravatize." Optimus ordered as they all drove out of the Groundbridge, jumping towards the Space Bridge.
As they approached the Space Bridge, magnetic fields eminated from their feet feet as they basically magnetized themselves to the Groundbridge.
Though, one bot did have a bit of trouble gaining footing.
"Whoa…" Bulkhead groaned as he wobbled some. "Don't look down. Or up. Or left."
Ahead of them, they saw the familiar form of the Nemesis appraoching. They'd gotten to the Space Bridge just in time.
"So… Megatron's packing enough Dark Energon to raise Cybertron's dead?" Arcee asked in disbelief.
"And since we don't possess ready means of disabling the Space Bridge, nothing gets in… or out." Optimus ordered, taking up a combat stance as he deployed his blasters, the Autobots following suit.
Within the Nemesis, Megatron chuckled at the site of his enemies, making a futile attempt to guard the Space Bridge.
"Optimus Prime never dissapoints." He grinned, before glancing to his seeker. "Unlike you, Starscream."
"No need for concern, Master." Starscream assured. "Soundwave is locking onto Cybertron's coordinates. Per my instructions, of course." The seeker added the last bit nervously.
"Well?" Arcee asked impatiently as she glanced towards Optimus. "What are they waiting for?"
Optimus narrowed his optics, before using his telescopic lenses, something few Cybetronians had, to see if he could spot the problem. And he did.
"It appears the Decepticons have sustained damage to their interstellar navigation system." Optimus observed.
"Wasn't Clark the one that ripped the dish off?" Bumblebee beeped questioningly, turning to Bulkhead, who nodded.
"Yeah, that's Clark's handiwork." Bulkhead confirmed as he looked at Optimus.
"What?" Clark's voice echoed through com link. "What did I do?"
"That dish you turned into a large blade when we rescued Fowler yesterday?" Bulkhead reminded him. "It was their navigation system."
"Good work, Clark." Optimus congratulated.
"I didn't even know what the thing did when I grabbed it… that's some crazy luck." Clark remarked through the com link.
"Without the dish, Megatron will be unable to aim the Space Bridge at Cybertron." Optimus revealed through the com link.
"Don't the Decepticons know where their own planet is?" Raf questioned, looking up at Ratchet.
"Naturally." Ratchet confirmed. "But Cybertron is many lightyears away. To reach their target, their aim must be astronomically precise."
"But Megatron still went to the damn thing." Clark noted. "Either he doesn't know, or he's got another way to activate it."
"Clark is correct." Optimus agreed with the man. "Otherwise, Megatron wouldn't have gone through the trouble."
"Hmm…" Ratchet spoke, bringing a finger to his chin in thought. "From what I know of Earth's technology, I doubt their exists a single radiotelescope dish powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron."
"DON'T DISS THE TECH, YA FOOL!" Talida snapped.
"Well, there is the giant size array in Texas." Amy spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "They're all linked, and I think there's a few hundred or so… though I could be wrong about the number."
"Good thinking, Amy!" Optimus spoke. "Ratchet, have Agent Fowler alert the array staff of the security hazard!"
Every turned to look at Fowler, who seemed to spaz out in his sedated stupor with comedic timing.
"You! Soldier!" Fowler shouted, sitting up. "You're out of uniform! Put on some pants!" He ordered to no one before flopping back down onto the bed, unconcious.
"That may be a challenge." Ratchet remarked as Talida fell to the ground laughing.
"What, getting his help or getting some pants?" Clark couldn't help but joke with a chuckle.
"I can't get past the array's firewalls." Raf groaned, catching everyone's attention. "They're too thick."
"You actually think you can keep the Decepticons out?" Ratchet asked in disbelief.
"Maybe." Raf said with a nod. "If I could get in."
"What if we could get you in the building?" Clark asked, catching everyone's attention. "You get access directly from the server."
"I could log into their internal networking from the other side of the firewall." Raf explained in more detail.
"Uh, yeah… that." Clark said awkwardly.
"The risk is too great." Optimus objected. "The Decepticons will be there. Perhaps even on site"
"But Dad, I'll be with them!" Talida piped up, as if that would change Optimus' mind.
"No buts!" Optimus shut down the argument. "I'm not putting my daughter's safety at risk!"
"Prime, we ain't got a choice." Clark spoke into the com, interrupting the squabble. "This is the entire planet at risk. Raf's the only one who can do it, the more eyes to keep watch, the better."
Optimus was silent for a moment. "Raf. Can you do it?" He asked.
"I want to give it a shot." Raf said with a resolute nod.
Optimus let out a sigh. "Alright… Clark, you keep everyone safe. If you encounter a Decepticon, safety is the priority."
Clark nodded. "You got it."
"Surely, Lord Megatron, the Autobots are up to something." Starscream observed.
"Really, Starscream?" Megatron asked sarcastically, before he pressed the com button. "CRUSH THEM!" He growled in agravation.
On command, dozens of Vehicon ariel drones began flying towards the Space Bridge, intent on destroying the Autobots at their master's behest.
In Texas, A Groundbridge portal opened behind the Array security gate, with Clark, Talida, Jack, Miko, and Raf all exiting it.
Clark and Talida looked absolutely fine.
Jack, Miko, and Raf on the other hand…
"That'll take some getting used to." Jack remarked as he held his head, the three of them trying to recover their bearings.
Clark glanced at Talida. "It's not that bad, is it?"
"I think you're a special case." Talida retorted. "I went through the same thing the first few times. I had to get used to it."
"Huh." Clark said. "Guess I'm lucky."
"Whoa!" Miko gasped, looking at all the satellites in front of them.
"Alright, let's go." Clark said, moving past everyone and towards the door. "We need to hurry,"
With looks of determination, everyone followed him into the facility.
The battle on the Space Bridge was going rather well.
At least, considering the numbers the Autobots were facing.
Bulkhead used his wrecking ball to smash cons to bits, while Arcee was running around with swift ease, slicing up Vehicons with her arm blades. Bumblebee was holding his ground as well, alternating between his blasters and his fists.
Meanwhile, Optimus was like an unstoppable force.
Every Decepticon that got close was turned into scrap metal rather easily, whether from powerful Energon blasts, or the sheer strength of the Autobot leader.
Optimus blasted one poor Vehicon, whom he grabbed in his grip, turning him into a projectile as he flung him at another Vehicon, crushing them both.
They could only hope that Raf could stop them from his end.
"Security sure is lax in this place." Miko remarked after taking one last glance to the hallway.
"Considering this is a government building, that's an understatement." Clark muttered as he and the others watched Raf hack into the array's system.
"I'm in!" Raf exclaimed excitedly, before his mood turned serious. "And so are the Decepticons!"
"What?!" Jack gasped.
"How can you tell?" Miko asked.
"Schematics." Raf replied.
"With the same equations we saw on the ship." Talida clarified.
"But now we can download it." Clark finished as Talida plugged in Raf's USB. "At least that's a good thing."
"It's gotta be a space bridge." Miko said seriously.
"The Decepticons are syncing it to the dishes." Talida noticed. "But we can sync to them."
"Will they know?" Jack asked nervously.
"Even if the Decepticons see that I'm in the system, they'll have no idea that I'm in the house." Raf reassured them.
Talida didn't look too sure, though.
"Not to cast doubts, but Soundwave is the eyes and ears of the Decepticons. There's nothing he can't see or hear." She explained. "And you never know when he's listening in."
Admittedly, everyone looked nervous at the prospect.
"Well, at least we have Clark here, right?" Miko said, jerking her thumb towards Clark, who chuckled.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine."
None of them knew that the silent Decepticon was in the next room over.
The battle for the Space Bridge was suddenly interrupted when the entire structure began to shake and shift, wobbling.
All of the Autobots were admittedly surprised by the sudden shift, though only Bulkhead came close to actually losing his balance.
"What was that?" Arcee asked, glancing at Optimus.
"The Decepticons are locking onto Cybertron." Optimus announced grimly.
"Lord Megatron, the Space Bridge is ready for activation." Starscream informed his master.
"Finally…" Megatron said, a sense of anticipation filling him.
"They're locked onto Cybertron." Talida obverved, looking at satellites' settings on Raf's computer.
"But not for long." Raf said with a determined gaze.
Everyone watched as Raf typed in a few commands on his computer.
It seemed that he'd worked his magic, but a few minutes later, they were moving again.
"The dishes are heading back towards Cybertron." Raf said with a sigh. "I'll just undo that again." He proclaimed as he typed away commands on his computer.
"What happens when the Cons realize they're being punked?" Jack asked.
While the discussion was going on, Clark perked up when his hearing picked up something. The sound of a door opening.
"It's only virtual combat." Raf reassured as Clark turned around. "Like online gaming."
"Don't be too sure!" Clark shouted as he snapped around, spotting a tendril of some sort slinking into the room, a set of claws on the end of it.
"Soundwave!" Talida exclaimed in fright as the tentacle suddenly lashed out, smacking away Talida, Jack, and Miko, just coming short of Raf while Clark ducked under the appendage.
"Raf, keep the dishes logged off!" Clark instructed as he grabbed the tentacle, causing it to flail around in his grip.
"I won't let them log on again!" Raf proclaimed, typing commands on his computer as Clark ripped the clawed end of the tentacle off.
Clark growled as he let the tendral go, the injured appendage retreating back into the room it came from.
"Stay here!" Clark ordered everyone, as he briskly followed the tentacle, determined to keep the Decepticons from achieving their goal and to keep the children safe.
When he marched into the room, he spotted a large Decepeticon. Thin, like Starscream, though this one only had a screen for a face, and admittedly, he was much more intimidating. He was holdng his side, and if Clark had to guess, that was the tendril he'd ripped apart.
"I take it you're Soundwave?" Clark guessed, recalling Talida's words as he glared up at the Con. Soundwave didn't respond. "I'm gonna give you a choice. You can leave, or get scrapped."
Rather than respond, a section of Soundwave's chest suddenly detached from the Decepticon, and Clark was admittedly taken off-guard when it transformed into something vaguely resembliing a bird, and flew straight at Clark.
Clark was able to catch Laserbeak with ease, though the drone provided the perfect distraction as Soundwave's thin foot slammed into Clark's side, sending him flying into the wall with a grunt and causing him to let got of Laserbeak.
As Laserbeak resettled onto Soundwave's chest, Soundwave attempted to continued his assignment.
Only for Clark's fist to immediately slam into his visor a second later.
"The hard way it is!" Clark growled as he returned the favor, sending Soundwave flying to the opposite wall, a crack in his visor.
Soundwave was admittedly stunned. He had obviously overheard Megatron's explanation about Kryptonians, but he had admittedly not expected the sheer force of the punch.
Silently bristling in rage, Soundwave deployed another tendril, the appendage snapping towards Clark.
Clark caught the appendage with ease, and spun on his heel, sending the Decepticon sound officer through the wall.
"Let's do this, you son of a bitch." Clark proclaimed, cracking his knuckles as he stomped towards Soundwave, who was climbing to his feet, albeit slowly.
"The Decepticons aren't in the system anymore!" Raf announced as they heard a loud crash echo through the building.
"Were you able to boot them out?" Jack asked hopefully.
Raf shook his head. "No. They just suddenly disconnected."
"It's gotta be Clark!" Miko shouted with glee. Talida nodded in agreement, an excited grin on her face.
"He must've forced Soundwave out!"
Suddenly, the entire building shook, and they could hear something slamming into the other side of the wall.
"I'll tear that fucking tendril out if you hit me with it aga-"
The familiar, albeit muffled, voice of Clark could be heard a little easier, before it was cut off by what sounded like a loud impact.
"If Clark can't stop Soundwave, what do we do?" Jack couldn't help but to pipe in nervously. "Even if he does, what's stopping Megatron from sending someone else to do the job?"
They all looked a little uncomfortable at the thought. While they all had faith in Clark stopping Soundwave, Jack made a good point about Megatron sending someone else.
"We can stop them from doing it completely." Talida realized, glancing at Raf. "If we cut the hardline while the dishes are on Cybertron-"
"Then nobody can operate the array until it's repaired!" Raf finished excitedly.
Miko looked around at their words. While she wasn't a complete tech wiz like Raf, nor anywhere near as knowledgable as Talida, she did know what a hardline was, thanks to watching too many movies.
Upon spotting an axe hanging on the wall, she grinned. "Maybe we can use this?" She proposed, picking up the weapon as showing it to the others.
"Miko, you're a genius!" Jack said as he took the axe, running into the room Clark had disappeared into, Miko following him as Talida kept watch over Raf. Just in case.
When they ran into the room, their eyes went wide when they spotted a large portion of one of the walls missing, and outside, was quite the site.
Clark's clothes were rather torn. His red shirt was ripped apart, shreds hanging onto him, exposing most of his chest, while his pants seemed to be rather torn, holes in different spots all over the place as he fired his heatvision at Soundwave's visor.
Meanwhile, Soundwave was definitely worse for ware, if Jack had to guess. The Decepticon was covered in dents and dings, and he had scorch marks all along his body in different spots. He was leaking Energon in different spots, and his visor was cracked.
"Woah…" Miko gasped, utterly shellshocked. The drones were one thing, but watching an actual fight between Clark and a real Decepticon was quite the site.
"That's insane…" Jack muttered in disbelief as he watched Soundwave jump out of the way of the heat vision and make an attempt to stomp Clark, only for the man to catch his foot, spinning him around with ease and throwing him out of view, before jumping after him.
Shaking himself out of his stupor, Jack quickly found the hardline, and with a grunt, he slammed the axe down into the hardline, severing it completely.
"There." Jack said as he looked at Miko. "Let's go."
"Ratchet!" Talida's voice came through the com link, of which both Ratchet and Optimus picked up. "Are you there?"
Amy and Fowler stood by, Fowler having awoken from his slumber earlier, as they listened to the conversation.
"Affirmative, Talida." Ratchet spoke.
"Talida, is everything alright?" Optimus asked worryingly.
"Dad, we've stopped the Decepticons from locking onto Cybertron, they can't reconnect."
"Good job, Talida. Tell Raf he has my thanks." Optimus muttered, somewhat relieved despite the fighting.
"Are you ready for a bridge back?" Ratchet asked.
"No." Talida objected. "Not yet. Clark has engaged Soundwave."
"What?!" Optimus shouted in worry.
"Soundwave?!" Ratchet exclaimed. "He was there?"
"Is Clark gonna be okay?" Amy asked, a little unsettled by the bots worry.
"From what I've seen, Miss, your boyfriend we'll be just fine." Fowler reassured Amy. "It's the Con I'd worry about." He joked.
"He is here, Ratchet. At the moment, Clark is turning him into scrap metal, but I refuse to abandon him." Talida spoke firmly through the com link.
"With their only ways of locking onto Cybertron disabled, the Space Bridge is effectivlely rendered useless at the moment." Optimus stated. "Ratchet, bridge us back. We'll provide back up to Clark."
Soundwave slammed into the ground, hard. He was weak, injured.
His visor was cracked, he was leaking Energon all over the place, Laserbeak had been rendered unconcious after a failed surprise attack, and all of his tendrils were gone.
Meanwhile, Clark was completely unharmed, physically.
Slowly, Soundwave tried to climb to his feet, only for a blast of heat vision to sever his arm off at the elbow.
"One last chance." Clark snarled. "Leave, or die." He said, his eyes glowing red with rage.
Soundwave glared at Clark for a moment. As much as he'd like to stomp the organic into the ground, he knew he was outmatched.
So he went with the logical option.
Remotely activating a Groundbridge, Soundwave immediately bolted through, swiping up his severed arm and leaving Clark alone.
Clark glared at the spot where Soundwave disappeared, before turning and making his way back to the facility.
Groves and patches of grass were gone from the battle, and if it weren't for the specific way most of them were carved, it could easily be assumed to be a minefield.
As he walked back towards the destroyed section of wall, another Groundbridge opened up nearby.
Clark instictively prepared for combat, expecting more Decepticons, but instead, it was the Autobots who ran through, battle ready, looking for a foe.
"Did we win already?" Clark asked, confused.
Upon realizing that Soundwave was not present, the Autobots relaxed, as Optimus looked down at Clark, a small smile on his face. "Indeed." He nodded. "Rafael was able to completely cut out the Decepticons, from what I was told. But we were informed that you had engaged Soundwave."
Clark couldn't help but smile. "Wasn't a fight so much as a beat down." He remarked. "He took off like a bat out of hell just before you got here."
"Hah!" Bulkhead chuckled. "Looks like we got a regular Con crusher here." He remarked with a grin.
"Clark!" Talida exclaimed running out of the building, the others following her. "Are you alright?" She asked upon seeing the state of his clothes.
"I'm fine." Clark assured with a smile, looking down at himself. "Though… this is the second pair of clothes those assholes have ruined."
A wave of laughs and chuckles washed over everyone there as they realized that they had one.
The Deceptiocons had been stopped. For the time being, at least.
"GRRAAAGH!"
"Lord Megatron, I assure you, I-"
Starscream was interrupted as Megatron's powerful hand slammed into Starscream's stomach, more than enraged at the day's events.
"Your idiocy is what caused this, Starscream!" Megatron growled, kicking the downed seeker across the room. "Malita has been scarred and wounded, and now Soundwave is in need of immense repairs!"
"My lord, I-AGH!" Starscream was backhanded to the ground before he could speak.
"My Space Bridge is useless until our satellite is repared, and thus, my plans stay delayed!" Megatron growled as he stomped on Starscream's downed form. "You would be lucky if I don't tear out your spark, end your idiocy once and for all!"
"Megatron, I-"
"Quiet!" Megatron snapped, stomping on Starscream hard and knocking him unconcious. "I don't want to hear anymore of your mindless rambling, Starscream."
"Oh thank god." Amy could help but mutter in relief as she sprinted down the stairs, throwing herself at Clark as the Autobots came through the Groundbridge.
"Hey," Clark said with a chuckle as he kissed her. "You know you don't have to worry." He told her when they seperated.
"I can't help it." Amy mumbled softly as she looked up at Clark. "It's my job to worry."
Clark smiled down at her, before his eye caught Fowler, walking down the steps. "Well, welcome to the land of the living, sunshine."
Fowler chuckled as he approached the man. "From what I hear, you've saved our bacon again."
Clark laughed. "I just smacked around an asshole." He said, jerking his thumb towards Raf. "He's the miracle worker."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short, Clark." Talida remarked as she walked up next to Clark. "I seriously doubt we would've been able to handle Soundwave half as well as you did."
"Yeah!" Raf agreed, running up to him. "What use is my hacking if I'm not around to do it!"
"You have been a great help to us, Clark." Optimus spoke, catching everyone's attention. "If it weren't for you, we would not have access to an immense Energon mine."
"Yeah!" Bulkhead agreed. "And I really doubt I would've been able keep everyone safe as well as you did when we rescued Fowler."
"Not even mentioning that it was you that saved my star-spangled butt." Fowler piped up.
"Heck," Jack spoke as he walked up to the group as well. "It was you that kept us from getting killed the day we learned about the Cons."
Clark was admittedly unused being the center of attention. Especially when he had spent most of his life staying under the radar.
To say he was stunned was a bit of an understatement.
"I… well, I'm not sure what to say, really." Clark admitted, looking around at everyone. "I'm just a guy trying to do the right thing."
"That's what many of us are, son." Fowler smiled, offering his hand. "Clark Kent. That's your name, right?"
Clark nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, Mr. Kent, you saved my behind, and the behind of everyone on this planet." Fowler spoke seriously. "We are all in you debt, and I suppose I can start paying it by pretending I never met you."
Clark smiled as he returned the handshake. "I appreciate it, Fowler."
Fowler smiled. "Glad to help, young man." He turned to face the other humans too. "That goes for you as well. As far as I'm concerned, I've never met any of you, and the Bots have had no human contact."
At his words, Jack, Miko, and Raf all cheered as Fowler walked up to the steps.
"Oh, and one more thing," Fowler said, stopping midway up the steps to look at Clark. "Try not to create another crater. The forest in Nebraska's gonna be a hard one to manage."
Clark's eyes widened. "Uh… yeah… about Texas…"
Chuckles rang through the main area as Fowler sighed. "Guess I should've seen that coming."
Fowler turned his gaze to Prime once he got in the elevator. "Thanks for the save, all of you. We all owe you one."
And then the elevator doors closed.
"So…" Amy spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "Now that the trouble has passed, what's on the activities list?"
"Actually, I want to talk to you." Clark spoke up, looking at his girlfriend with a smile. "If that's okay."
"Sure, Clark." Amy said, smiling up at Clark.
Clark turned to look up at Prime. "Hey… what are the chances you can send us home? I need a change of clothes."
"So, what is it you wanted talk about?" Amy asked as Clark walked out of their bedroom, now in a fresh pair of pants and a bright red shirt.
"Well… take a walk with me, will you?" Clark asked, walking past Amy and towards the front door, opening it up.
Amy looked at Clark, a little confused, but she smiled nonetheless. "Sure."
She walked past Clark, who shut and locked the door behind her.
"A specific place you want to go, or…" Amy trailed off, but the question remained as she looked at Clark.
"Not really." Clark admitted. "I just want to walk and talk for a bit, if you'll let me."
"Okay…" Amy said, a little confused.
Clark smiled as he began walking down the sidewalk, Amy in tow. "So… these last few days have been… kind of hectic."
"That's an understatement." Amy said with a laugh.
Clark chuckled. "Yeah…" He nodded. "It is…" He turned to look at Amy. "But… it got me thinking."
"Oh?" Amy looked at Clark with a raised eyebrow. "About what?"
"Well…" Clark let a puff of air escape his lips. "I… It made me realize that nothing is guaranteed." He admitted.
Amy looked at Clark in concern. "What do you mean?"
"The day we found out about the bots, you were knocked unconcious." Clark began. "And then, there was Fowler's rescue… when you all almost got killed… And then, if Talida hadn't convinced me to go back…" Clark let out a deep sigh. "You and Krys have come closer to getting killed these past few days than you have in the past five years."
"Clark, we're fine." Amy assured.
"I know that." Clark said sincerily. "I do… but like I said, nothing's guaranteed."
Amy watched Clark for a moment when he stopped, running a hand through his hair. "Clark, where are you going with this? You're starting to scare me."
Clark's eyes widened. "No, don't be scared Amy, that not what I'm… If we're gonna regularly be with the Autobots, I want to make sure that everything is… the best it can be."
"Clark?" Amy was more confused than ever. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm…" Clark let out a sigh, throwing his head back as he groaned in frustration. "God, this is more nervewracking than it should be."
Amy looked at Clark with a furrowed brow. "What's wrong, Clark?"
Clark looked at Amy for a moment, before he let a small smile cross his face. "In the last seven years that we've been together… you've been my rock." He spoke honestly, walking up to her until he was directly in front of her. "You got me through what little high school I managed to get through. When I got you pregnant, and told you everything, you stuck by me. When Dad died, it was you, at my side, all the time." He announced. "I want to spend my life with you."
"I want to spend mine with you, Clark." Amy responded with a smile, resting her hand in the middle of Clark's chest.
Clark smiled. "I… I want to cement it, it that makes sense."
Amy's eyes widened. "Huh?"
Clark let out a sigh. "Remember that job I told you about? The day we got run off the road?"
Amy nodded. "You said you were saving up for some things."
Clark nodded, reaching a hand into his pocket. "Yeah… but after the past few days, I think I want to tell you what I'm saving up for."
"Clark…" Amy said with a smile. "You don't have to-" She suddenly stopped when she saw what Clark pulled out of his pocket.
It was a pair of rings.
Looking up at him in surprise, it suddenly dawned on her as to why he's so nervous.
"No…" She said in disbelief.
"I was gonna wait till we had the money to afford it, but the last few days really put things into perspective." Clark admitted, giving a nervous sigh. "I love you Amy. I love you with everything I have. I'd move the Earth itself for you." He proclaimed.
Amy looked at Clark in shock as he took a knee in front of her.
"My decision was made long ago, but I want to hear your answer…" Clark said.
"Clark, you aren't…" Amy said, bringing a hand to her mouth in shock. "No way…"
Clark smiled up at Amy, despite the nervousness in his face, as he held the ring in front of her. With shuddering breaths, a testament to how frazzled his nerves were, Clark spoke.
"Amy Jane… will you do me the greatest honor on the whole planet… and be my wife?"
"Oh my god…" Amy couldn't help tears that began leaking from her eyes, the pure happiness and surprise completely washing over her.
Clark couldn't help the small smile of his own. "Will you marry me, Amy?"
"Oh god Clark…" Amy whispered, before nodding her head. "Yes… yes, I'll be your wife."
With a slightly shaking hand, a result of the tears of joy and her shuddering breaths, Amy allowed Clark to slip one of the rings on her finger.
It was a small thing, fitting her finger perfectly. It was silver, but it had a diamond right in the middle at the top.
She couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of joy that washed over her as she looked at the ring now on her finger.
She was engaged. She was actually engaged.
To the extraordinary man she'd spent seven years of her life with.
He was finally her fiance.
"Thank you, Amy." Clark said as he stood back up, slipping the matching finger onto his own ring finger. "Thank you so much."
"No, Clark." Amy whispered softly, throwing her arms around Clark with a large smile. "Thank you." She corrected. "Thank you so much."
Amy proceeded to pull Clark into a tender kiss, her hands coming up to cup his face as their eyes closed, melting into the kiss.
Clark's hands wandered up, softly wrapping around Amy's wrists in a comforting grip as the electric sensation of her lips washed over him.
After seven years, the two lovers were finally making strides towards marriage.
And both were determined to see it through.
They've waited long enough.