Chapter Twenty-Four: Exiled

"Hey, Arcee.

It's been a while. A lot has changed.

I know you want me to come home. And I know you say the others forgive me for what happened. But…I can't. The look in your eyes is something I'm not going to forget.

You were afraid of me.

Of what I could do.

Optimus already told me the fate of the other Enhanced, thanks to his orders. I won't be another victim.

I love you, Arcee. But I can't promise when we'll see each other again."

As I ended the recorded voice message, I sighed. This was the only way to talk to my sister now. Through scattered messages I hoped Ratchet would be able to track. Last time, they arrived almost early enough to catch me leaving it. It was only by stroke of luck that they didn't see me. Seeing the distraught way Arcee and Bee looked though…

No. I needed to stop thinking about it. I couldn't go back. Not after what I'd done.

I dropped the message in the undergrowth of the dense forest I was currently trudging through. Since leaving the team, I'd made my way through quite a bit of the U.S. There was no particular destination in mind. Just somewhere I wouldn't hurt anyone.

Following the forest river upstream, I caught my reflection in the water. It took me off guard how many dents, scratches and scars I'd gotten since arriving on Earth. Of course, most of them were thanks to Airachnid.

Another sigh escaped me as I walked on. Up ahead, I found a dark cave. For that night, it'd be my best option for shelter. I sat down, tracing lines in the dirt with my finger and counting the seconds. Right on time, the green light shone through the forest in the same place I left the last message.

I tried moving my helm to peek through the thickness of the trees, hoping to catch a glance of blue or yellow, just to know they were okay. And to remind myself of what I gave up.

"Well," I lay back on the cold, jagged stone, "I'd better get comfortable."

—

Meanwhile . . .

"She's close by!" Arcee insisted to the group, "We need to find her before she gets away again."

Bulkhead shrugged apprehensively, "Uhhh, I dunno, Arcee. She's been getting away for months. We're not gonna find her on some random mission."

Arcee rolled her optics, "Fine, do what you want. Optimus, Bee, you're still coming, right?"

The silence from them both was enough to tell her everything she needed to know. Her shoulder fell in disbelief.

"Wow." The blue femme shook her head, "Am I really the only one still trying?"

"We're all trying, Arcee," Bee whirred in a low tone, "But she clearly doesn't want to be found right now."

Silver's disappearance had been harder on the yellow mech than he was willing to admit. He was falling for her. And he hoped she still felt the same about him. After everything that stood in his way of happiness before…he kinda hoped that Silver could be the one constant in his life. And even she was gone.

He didn't blame her. But he missed her.

Optimus stepped forward, "Arcee. We didn't just come here for Silver Sun's message. Ratchet tracked unknown Cybertronian energy profiles. Once we've investigated that, we will look for your sister."

Arcee folded her arms, glancing at the floor, "Fine…"

—

Silver's POV . . .

My white optics quickly opened as a scream rang through my ears. It was distant, but loud enough to wake me up. I groggily sat upright. Realising it was coming from the forest, I turned to the dark abyss. A year ago, I would've said "Nope" and ran the other way. But at that moment, there wasn't really much I had to lose.

It sounded like someone in trouble. Maybe even a human. I know Optimus wanted us to maintain cover, but I doubt he'd prioritise that over saving lives.

Transforming into my bike mode, I drove as quietly as possible through the forest. The further I went, the more my guard went up. If being alone had taught me anything, it was how to sense danger.

I screeched to a halt at seeing a puddle of energon. Turning back to bipedal mode, a dark feeling crept over me. I transformed both servos into guns as I traipsed carefully ahead. But I didn't have to look far.

I saw him. Breakdown. He was lying lifeless in a pool of his own energon. As for his right arm, it was currently suspended from a web-like string I knew too well. My shock at seeing the Decepticon quickly turned to panic.

Running over to him, I quickly found the main source of bleeding on his severed arm. I had limited medical resources compared to the Autobot base, but still held onto a few field tools. I didn't have enough to reattach his arm. Only a blowtorch to cauterise the wound. He'd lose his arm, but if I didn't act now, he'd lose his life.

I made a call.

—

Hey, everyone!

Thanks to anyone who's come back to this story, it's very much appreciated :)

I won't try giving excuses for why I've been gone for so long because they're personal, but long story short, college and my own personal life have been taking a lot of my time. Also, I've been developing my passion for art and will be starting a cartoon and comic art course at university in a few weeks!

So back to the story…

The time jump is about two months since the last chapter. A lot has happened, and this chapter is set during the episode Crossfire. What do you think Silver Sun did that drove her to leave the team?

Comment your guesses and also let me know if I should drop my instagram where I post my art! I've started a new one recently and might make it a page solely for Transformers Prime art :)

Again, thank you so much for coming back to this story. Even after so long, I couldn't leave it unfinished. After all, I owe you guys for supporting my passion in storytelling!

Til All Are One,

GreyroseLegacy