Disclaimer:Transformers belongs to Hasbro, Takara, etc . The only thing in this that belongs to me is Arcee's sister.
At the Autobot base, Ratchet was at the cybertronian computer system, "Optimus, you're not going to believe this. I've just pinpointed the location of the decepticon warship," he said as the computer aimed somewhere in China and near Korea and Mongolia.
Optimus approached the Medic "How did you penetrate their clocking technology?" Chromette and Arcee stood in front of Bumblebee and Bulkhead stood behind the catwalk, where the humans stood.
"I didn't," Ratchet told the Prime, "I was experimenting the variable frequency wavelengths when I stumbled upon it. Even still, their ship must be experiencing some kind of electromagnetic breach."
"With Megatron deceased and the element of surprise…" Arcee said, pounding her fist into the palm of her hand.
"...We could cause some serious damage," Bulkhead added.
"And end this war once and for all," Chromette added.
Suddenly the computer picked up another signal as it beeped, the signal came from between the Chinese provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangdong in south-eastern China. "Also on the same frequency, an Autobot emergency beacon."
"The Decepticons can wait. There may be Autobots in distress," Optimus said, "Ratchet, Bring your medical kit."
A ground bridge opened near the location of the autobot Emergency beacon in a desert, Optimus and Ratchet came through the portal and saw a starship crashed in the desert sand. "A crash landing. Buried here for centuries," Optimus said and they approached the ship and cut open an entrance to enter the ship.
"If they traveled in stasis mode, there may be survivors," Ratchet said they held cybertronian flashlights, but then the ship shook for a second, causing them to lose their balance for a second and approached a door after regaining their balance. Optimus opened the door with his arms. They walked into the room and saw autobots that looked dead as they looked like to have died from a virus with Energon underneath them, but the energon was more pale violet than it's normal blue color. Ratchet scans one of the deceased Autobots with his med scanner, "Optimus. These Autobots didn't perish in the crash." he stood up and looked at the Prime, "They're displaying the effects of a virus."
"This is a plague ship," Optimus realized and began walking, and Ratchet stopped him.
"Don't touch anything. The virus could still be active." The ship began to shake again, causing them to stumble backwards towards a wall, Optimus looked up and saw a dead Autobot body hanging above him and the energon from the dead autobot's neck fell on Optimus's face, he tried removing the energon by shaking his head. Ratchet stared at his friend with shock, worry and fear, "No."
Optimus was laying on a sickbed, as Ratchet scans him to find out what's been infected with, the region around Optimus's right optic, had lost its usual color turning into a range of horrific colors, below the optic, the area was colored brown with a big on neon white, the rest of the right side of his face was a horrific shade of blue, the device the medic was using to scan the Prime began beeping, "Cybonic plague," he informed everyone, "It's only contagious if contact is made with the infected energon."
The humans stood on the catwalk high above, "What was a plague doing in an Autobot spaceship?"
"It's passengers were infected," Arcee answered, "The virus wiped out millions on cybertron during the Great War."
"Even some closest to us," Chromette said, " A squad I was assigned to got infected with the virus, all but me got infected."
Ratchet turned around, "Cybonic plague was engineered in the Decepticons' Biological-Warfare program by Megatron himself."
"You have a cute, don't you?" Raf asked worriedly.
"No cure," Optimus said weakly as his voice was strained.
Ratchet looked at him, "Optimus, please, save your strength."
"Would Megatron create a disease without having a cure?" Jack asked, "I mean what if he caught it by accident?"
"It's not like we can ask Megatron, Jack," Bulkhead said, "He's pushing up lug nuts."
"But we might be able to access the Decepticon database," Ratchet said, "For the moment, we still have a fix on their warship's location."
Chrome, Bumblebee, come with," Arcee said.
"Coming, Sis," Chromette told her twin.
Ratchet looked at the blue femme, "Arcee, quickly."
On the Nemesis, a Ground Bridge portal appeared in a corridor, Arcee, Chromette and Bumblebee flipped their way through the portal, activated their blasters aiming them around.
"Let's start with the lab," Arcee suggested.
"Great idea, Sis," Chromette agreed as they walked around, carefully, their weapons still armed and dangerous.
As they reached the corridor that leads to the lab, they saw the door open and hid just in case any Decepticons appeared from the door. They saw Knockout walk out of the lab, he didn't notice the autobots, as soon as he left the area, The autobots got out of hiding and entered the lab.
Arcee and Chromette approaches two different computers of the database and type getting access to the database as they hack the computers, "All right, I'm in the network," Arcee said.
Back at the Autobot Base, Ratchet was checking Optimus's vitals, "Ratchet," he heard Optimus call him, weakly, drawing the medic's attention from the vitals to his old friend, "were… you…"
"Infected? No," Ratchet told him, causing Optimus to breathe a sigh of relief as the light in his optics slowly dimmed.
"If it's here," I don't see it," Arcee said over the computer."
"Are you certain, Arcee?" Ratchet asked.
"Me and Chrome have searched every file. Nothing," Arcee answered.
"Well, search again! You both clearly missed something!" He shot at the twins.
"Ratchet, me and Sis, have scanned the entire database!" Chromette said and Bumblebee starts beeping as he looks through the window of a door to the room next door.
"Did either of you use a redundant quantum algorithm?" Ratchet asked them.
"Don't tell us how to research," Arcee snapped, "You think you're the only one who cares about Optimus?" Bumblebee starts beeping again. "What is it?!" She said approaching the window with Chromette.
"What is it? What's going on?" Ratchet asked.
The twins gasped as they looked at the window and the door opened and saw the comatose Megatron lying in stasis connected to spark support. "It's Megatron,"Arcee answered, "he's… alive."
Everyone at the base but Optimus and Ratchet gasped "What?!" Jack said with shock.
"That's not possible," Ratchet said.
"This isn't the first time, he survived the impossible," Chromette said, "Remember before the Ark launched Metroplex crushed him, killing him but he somehow survived."
"Who's Metroplex?" Raf asked.
"Metroplex was a gigantic Autobot that was Autobot city who helped Optimus defend the Ark from Megatron before it launched," Ratchet answered, "He sacrificed himself, giving the Ark energon as there was barely any energon left for the ark his energon, allowed us to finally get off of cybertron."
"Chromette's right as we're staring right at him." Arcee said, aiming her blaster at the comatosed warlord. "The good news is, Megatron isn't exactly staring back."
"Megatron," Optimus said weakly and Ratchet looked at Optimus.
"He's Critical, hooked up to life support," Arcee said, before charging her blaster, "Time to finish this once and for all."
"Wait! Don't!" Ratchet pleaded.
"One good reason, fast?" Arcee asked.
"Megatron may be Optimus's only hope for survival," Ratchet answered.
"What are you talking about?" Arcee said, activating her commlink.
"Does he display brainwave activity?" Ratchet asked.
"Spiking hard," she answered, "His sick mind still at work."
"Perfect," Ratchet said, "If a cure exists, Megatron may be the only one who knows it. One of you must enter his brain and find it."
"Enter Megatron's brain?" Arcee asked with confusion. "Ratchet, are you out of your fragging mind?"
"Arcee is correct, Ratchet," Chromette said "That's crazy!"
"The Decepticon laboratory should contain all the equipment you need for a cortical physic patch," he went on.
"No way!" Arcee said "Have you ever even performed the procedure?"
"No," he said and the three Autobots widened their optics, "But I have studied the theoretical literature. Invented by Decepticons, outlawed by Autobots."
"Whoa, can't we just haul Megatron through the Ground Bridge, buh us some time to figure this out?" Arcee asked.
"Time is one thing that Optimus does not have!" Ratchet told her, "one of you must try this! I will not allow Optimus to pass knowing that Megatron will outlive him!"
"Ratchet, I will lay down my life for Optimus, anytime, anywhere. But a mind-body split?" Arcee said when Bumblebee started buzzing, the twins looked at him, "You will?"
Are you...sure, Bumblebee?" Raf asked.
Bulkhead looked at the human, "Bee's the best scout there is."
"Why has the electromagnetic shielding not been repaired?!" Starscream asked the Vehicons from the Bridge.
"The crews are working as quickly as they can, Lord-" a Vehicon said before getting smacked in the face by Starscream.
"We are leaking a trail! All the Autobots need do to pinpoint our position is to access the correct frequency wavelength. Accelerate your efforts!" He said.
"Yes, Lord Starscream," the Vehicon said before going back to work.
Knockout suddenly walked in, "Doctor in the house," he said announcing his arrival.
"Ah, Knockout. And how is the patient doing today?" Starscream asked the Decepticon medic.
"Same old," he replied.
"An inglorious fate that he should remain in this vegetative state," Starscream said.
"On the contrary " Knockout said, before pointing at his head for a second, "Megatron's body may be scrap metal, but his mind is still percolating."
"Keep that to yourself," Starscream told him. "That blasted Soundwave sees and hears everything."
"The eyes and ears of the Decepticons," Knockout agreed.
"Well, as long as their master remains in limbo, so does their cause," Starscream said, "The Decepticons deserve a strong, alert leader."
"One who would require a loyal second in command," Knockout added, slyly.
"A candidate would need to earn that post by making a strong case to said eyes and ears," Starscream said after chuckling.
"A case for showing mercy, Lord Starscream," Knockout smirked.
"You scratch my back, I scratch yours," Starscream said as they come to an understanding that Knockout will be his new second-in-command.
Arcee plugs a purple glowing cable into the back of the bed Megatron's body was laying on and walked to where Bumblebee and Chromette were hiding, in a small place near the body of Megatron. The twins looked at Bumblebee, for a second when he gave them both a thumbs up.
"Ratchet, we're ready," Arcee said contacting the medic.
"Initiate cortical physic patch," he said and Bumblebee buzzed as Arcee inserted the other side of the patch into the back of the scout's head and twisted it, making the connection happen.
Inside Megatron's mind, Bumblebee looked at his arms for a second before noticing that he was on Cybertron in a city with Fire surrounding the city and walked forward.
"Communications downlink activated," Ratchet said, "this will allow us to see and hear everything Bumblebee does while within Megatron's subconscious mind."
"Whoa," Jack said as he looked at the screen from the catwalk, "Where is that?"
Bumblebees buzzes a reply, knowing where on Cybertron he was. "Bee says it looks like Kaon, the Decepticon capital back on Cybertron."
Bulkhead looked at Optimus's vitals which was worse than before, "Ratch, Optimus's vitals."
"I know," he said from the computer.
"Quickly Bumblebee," Ratchet said, from the Autobot base, "I know you're in unknown territory, but you must figure out where information might be filed in Megatron's mind."
In front of Bumblebee was Optimus, free from the Cybonic plague and the scout ran towards him. "Bumblebee, that is not Optimus but a figment of Megatron's mind," Ratchet told the scout, "It cannot see or hear you."
Suddenly they heard Megatron laugh from above, "Optimus prime, your Autobot armies are defeated. Bow before your new Master."
"Never, Megatron," the figment Optimus of Megatron's mind said, turning around, as Bumblebee moved away and hid behind a molten rock,"One shall stand. One shall fall." He deployed his sword.
"So be it," Megatron said before deploying his own sword and jumped down to the floor below, they charged at each other and went to punch each other, Optimus missed but Megatron didn't, as soon as Megatron punched the Prime, he disintegrated.
"That never happened," Bulkhead said.
"It's not a memory. We're seeing Kaon as Megatron has re-created it in his darkest dreams," Ratchet explained.
The rock Bumblebee was hiding behind suddenly changed color, texture and shape as it became another figment of Optimus. "Megatron, your treachery ends here," he said, deploying his sword, Megatron turned around, deactivated his sword and charged his fusion cannon at him. Bumblebee tried jumping in front of Optimus like he did on the Ark when Optimus and Megatron battled each other as their spaceships left Cybertron towards a space bridge portal. But the blast from the Fusion Cannon went through him and disintegrated the optimus behind him.
Megatron approached him as he finally noticed him, "The Autobot scout. The punishment for trespassing in my domain is your destruction!" He deployed his sword and stuck at him but it just passed through the scout and Bumblebee buzzed with surprise. "How can this be?!" He said with anger before striking him a few more times only for the sword to just go through him.
"Megatron can't touch Bee?" Raf asked.
"Because, he's not a creation of Megatron's mind, Bumblebee is immune to his physical attack," Ratchet explained.
Megatron walked around and Bumblebee tracked the Warlord's movement, "You're not wearing phase displacement armor," he said before walking behind him, "Your eyes track my movements, so you're not a hologram. And I do not believe in spirits. So tell me, Scout, what are you?!"
"Megatron," they heard another Optimus say and they saw an Optimus, Bulkhead and another Bumblebee appeared across from them.
"Uh-oh. Special guest stars," Miko said.
"This is not good," Ratchet remarked.
Bumblebee buzzed with confusion as he looked at Megatron before walking over to Optimus before waving at the clone of himself, buzzing happily. Megatron then growled before shooting Bulkhead, Optimus and the clone of Bumblebee, disintegrating them on impact. "You are real. They were not," Megatron said as he realizes what is going on, walking away and chuckles, "A Cortical Psychic Patch. How unexpected."
"We've stirred Megatron from his oblivion. He's becoming self-aware," Ratchet noticed.
"If this is my subconscious, what are you doing inside my head?!" Megatron screeched in Bumblebee's face.
Meanwhile back with the Twins, they had their blasters activated, just in case the Decepticons came in and noticed them, "Come on, Bee. What are you doing in there?" Arcee asked.
"Sis, don't be harsh," Chromette said.
Suddenly the door to the room opened and the two twins saw Starscream enter the room with Knockout and Soundwave behind him. "Knockout, If you would be so kind as to provide your medical opinion to Soundwave for the historical record," Starscream said as they walked towards Megatron's body.
"Simply put, unaided, Megatron could remain in this deathless slumber forever," Knockout said.
"Our Master would not have wanted to be seen this way, to stand idly by while he remains captive in his own body. It's not just," Starscream said and Soundwave walked forward and pointed at Megatron's brainwave activity.
"Brainwave activity, not evidence of consciousness, but merely of an endless dream from which Megatron may never wake," Knockout told the Silent mech.
"Soundwave, we must face reality. Megatron is lost to us," Starscream said.
"The only honorable option would be to show mercy," Knockout mumbled sadly.
"A simple throw of the switch," Starscream explained.
"Quick, painless, compassionate," Knockout added.
This worried the twins, If the Decepticons turned off Megatron's spark support, Bumblebee would die as his mind would be stuck in Megatron's body. They looked at each other with fear, "Ratchet, are you hearing this?" Arcee whispered, activating her commlink.
"If Megatron perishes, Bumblebee's mind will remain seperated from his body, forever," Ratchet said gravely.
"We'll lose Bumblebee and Optimus?!" Jack said, shocked.
"The only way you could have entered my mind is via Cortical Psychic Patch," Megatron said to Bumblebee in his face. "But the question remains, what happened to me?!" Bumblebee remains silent as Megatron realizes what happened as Bumblebee's optics rotated around forming a shape similar to a portal.
Suddenly Megatron found himself back at that fateful day, the day when the Autobots destroyed his space bridge as he was bringing in his army of Terrorcons. He stood and watched as the Space Bridge started to explode around him and reached into the portal to retrieve his army while he still can. Then just nanoseconds later, the Space Bridge exploded all around him. Presumably destroying him along with the structure.
"The Space Bridge explosion. And yet if you're in my head, I am not one with the Allspark," Megatron said as he realises what happened, "So tell me, Scout, do I still function?"
"Bumblebee, we are out of time," Ratchet said to Bumblebee through his commlink.
Bumblebee began buzzing to Megatron.
"Cybonic Plague? Someone besides myself is unwell?" Megatron asked him and Bumblebee nodded and Megatron realizes who it was, "Optimus!" He began laughing evilly, "Such irony! But after ages of Endless Battle, the mighty Optimus Prime is felled by a simple virus from the distant past. And what makes you think I would save the life of my oldest enemy?"
Suddenly another Optimus appeared, "Megatron, your treachery is-!"
Megatron immedly shot and disintegrated the Optimus and BumbleBee began buzzing to the Warlord, "Oh. And just what do you think I want most, Scout?" Bumblebee began buzzing again and Megatron chuckles as he heard what Bumblebee said through his beeping,"Did you not see? I do slay Optimus by my own hand, at will, whenever I desire." He began beeping again.
"Bee told Megatron if he lets the plague virus destroy the real Optimus, Megatron will never get the chance to do it himself," Raf translated to Jack and Miko.
"Smart," Jack said.
"Twisted," Miko agreed.
Back on the Nemesis, Starscream and Knockout looked at Soundwave, "Soundwave, do I take your silence to mean you concur with Knockout's medical expertise?" Soundwave just said nothing, "Speak now or forever hold your peace." Starscream reached for the main Spark support cable and grabbed it, "Going… Going…" He taunted as he slowly pulled at the spark support cable.
Arcee and Chromette aimed their blasters at Starscream just in case he went to pull the cable out fully and end Megatron's life but they didn't want Bumblebee to die along with Megatron. Soundwave then pointed at the Cortical Psychic patch cable, Starscream let go of the spark support cable and walked behind Megatron's body and noticed the beginning of the cable and saw where it lead to.
"Scrap," Both twins said as they hid away, evading Starscream from seeing them, they looked at the scout.
"After our deep history together, to not watch the spark ebb from Optimus's eyes with my very own," Megatron started and Bumblebee began buzzing for him to go on, "Well played, Scout." He complimented before a blue cube shaped hologram appeared in his hand with pink lines surrounding it, "The chemical formula for the cure you seek, not that I expect you to know how to read it." He reached for the formula only for Megatron to make it disappear and he buzzed.
"Not yet," Megatron told him, he buzzed a question, "And how am I to accomplish terminating Optimus as you propose while I'm trapped here in a perpetual daydream?" He pondered aloud before finally deciding, "Once you release me from this prison, you will have the cure."
Starscream was looking at the Cortical Psychic Patch cable as Arcee looked at Bumblebee, "Come, come on."
"You've got to hurry up, Bumblebee, they're about to disable Megatron's life support," Chromette told him,
"You must guarentee my recovery, or Optimus fades to gunmetal gray, the real Optimus," Megatron told Bumblebee.
Ratchet rewind and fast-forward the video multiple times until he found the frame he wanted. The frame of Megatron showing Bumblebee the formula of the cure, "Arcee, Chromette, we have the formula! Disconnect Bumblebee now!"
Arcee began to twist the cable, disconnecting the cable from the scout's head.
Inside Megatron's mind, the world around them began to crumble and Megatron realized what was going on, "You were watching. You tricked me!" He lunged himself at Bumblebee, "No! Take me with you! Take me!"
"Hurry, Bee," Arcee told Bumblebee and both her and Chromette charged their blasters at the approaching Starscream and suddenly Bumblebee woke up and Starscream saw the three Autobots.
"What in…" Starscream said as a Ground Bridge portal appeared behind them as they aimed their blasters at him, "Intruders!" He activated his blaster.
"Allow us," both twins said at the same time and they both fired their blasters at the spark support cables on Megatron's body at the same time. Both twins then jumped backwards into the portal.
Starscream approaches Megatron's body as the three Decepticon's heard a high-pitched ringing noise from the machinery, and he sighs sadly, "It was the inevitable outcome." Soundwave points at Megatron's body. "Of course, it would be wrong to allow Megatron to perish by the hands of two or one Autobot. Knockout."
Knockout just looked at him and shrugged before waving at him in the style of 'yeah, yeah, yeah.' He reaches for the cable both twins pulled off with their blasters and reconnected it to his chest.
Night has fallen at the Autobot base, the mood in the air was no longer somber. After Ratchet discovered the formula, he set about to create the cure and save Optimus from succumbing to the plague. By the time Arcee, Chromette and Bumblebee returned to the base, Ratchet was giving the cure to Optimus. And so they waited. With Bulkhead, Ratchet, Jack, Miko and Raf. Eagerly. Worriedly. Waiting for any sign that the cure had worked. That Optimus would be alright. When Optimus groaned and opened his eyes, everyone released the breath they didn't know they were holding in. Ratchet immediately ran over and helped him sit up and eventually up on his feet.
"That's it. Steady," Ratchet coaxed carefully.
Everyone but Optimus and Ratchet clapped happily as Raf laughs. "Please. Reserve the hero's welcome for my physician and my scout," Optimus said, referring to Ratchet and Bumblebee.
Everyone turned to Bumblebee and began clapping at him.
"All right!" Jack said.
"Yes," Raf added.
Meanwhile back on the Nemesis, Knockout was running a diagnostic on Megatron when Starscream walked in, "And how is the patient doing today?"
"Funny you should ask. Not sure what the 'bots did in there, but Megatron's registering zero brainwave activity," Knockout answered.
"Meaning?" Starscream asked him.
"Physically, he's stable, but now there's… no one home.," Knockout explained.
Back at the Autobot base, the autobots were still celebrating, when Bumblebee bowed and the Autobots complimented him, when suddenly he saw a pair of glowing red optics. Inside his mind was Megatron.
"I'm out…" or should I say in?" He then laughs, evilly.
To be continued