A big weight has been lifted knowing that Rafael was now fully awake and very much alive after Ratchet had successfully expelled the Dark energon invading the boy's body. Everyone had a smile filled with relief on their faces except for Lucy, who was staring off into space. As the minutes passed by Lucy's concern for Optimus plagued her mind like a swarm of bees. Her features caught Jack's attention and asked if she was doing alright, but before she could respond, Ratchets voice boomed in alarm as he then activated the ground ridge. Bulkhead was the first to run in the vortex before Ratchet and Arcee quickly followed the wreckers lead.

Her blood went cold and she feared the worst for what will come through the vortex. She stood up and pressed both hands against her chest hoping that the vision she saw earlier were nothing more than silly hallucinations.

When four familiar figures appeared from the vortex she exhaled in utter relief. Optimus looked fatigued and could barely keep his footing while Bulkhead and Ratchet help him reach to the med bay. Optimus passed by until finally being sat down on the large metal sized bed beside the gurney where Raf was occupying, along with nurse Darby and Lucy stood next to him. The prime glanced over to them and his optics landed onto Raf. A smile formed on the primes lips.

"Hey," Rafael said in a weak but audible voice smiling up at Optimus. June raised her gaze towards the prime with her eyebrows furrowed, a serious expression written across her face. "He's lucky to be alive."

Optimus's smile quickly faded into a frown. Lucy stared at him sympathetically after seeing his faceplates change. She walked over to his right servo and gently placed her hand on his index finger. He immediately gazed down and his optics landed onto Lucy staring at him, with a soft and reassuring look written in her eyes. Optimus, felt like he was hypnotized by the way her eyes penetrated to his very core, yet this feeling only lasted for a few seconds before responding to her with a curt nod.

"Megatron found more of the dark stuff?" Jack said while walking down the stairs. "A volcano full." Arcee pointed out, then Bulkhead chimed in. "The question is how?" Ratchet then joined in on the conversation. "No. The question is what, as is, what in the world is the blood of Unicron doing here on earth?"

"The 'cons killed a unicorn?" Miko asked wholeheartedly and glanced over to the others.

Optimus, Bulkhead, Arcee, and Lucy stared at Miko with a dumbfounded look on their faces by her statement. It was an awkward silence before Miko proceeded to explain briefly of what a unicorn was to them. Her explanation was perfect in many ways, but Ratchet quickly corrected her.

"Unicron. An ancient evil whose fossilized blood comprises the matter which we call Dark energon. As legend, would have it." he stated and turned his helm over to where June, Raf, and Lucy stood. "So, you're saying this Unicron is some kind of Boogey man?" June asked raising her brow questionably.

This stumped Ratchet and repeated the two exact last words she had told him "Boogey man?" Miko suddenly began to briefly explain in which he turned to face her. "Make belief creepy guy who hides in your closet."

Ratchet's lips grew thin furrowing his brow-ridges before turning around to face June. "No nurse Darby. Unicorn is very real...um...was." she stepped forward with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "That is- Well I do believe he once existed I just don't subscribe to the theory that he is primordial lifeform is the substance which-" he momentarily paused before continuing with a slight frown "harmed Raf."

June finally decided it was too much and motioned with both hands for the conversation to halt and not wanting to go any further than what was explained. "I've heard enough." she placed her hands on the metal bars on Raf's gurney raising it up and began to pull it. "Jack, please, help me get Raf into the car."

Bumblebee began to beep in confusion as the young scout watched his human companion being rolled away. Jack began to follow his mother, and this caused Lucy to do the same action but not what the mother thought it was.

"Mom, I thought he was doing better," Jack said to his mother. He sounded stunned. His mother, however, turned her head over her shoulder to look at her son. "Raf needs to be examined by 'real' doctors-"

Lucy caught sight of Ratchet slumping his shoulder pads and a deep frown plastered across his faceplates. She instinctively walked over to him to where she stood beside his left leg and placing her hand onto the cold metal. Ratchet's optics drifted down towards her tiny figure where she stared at him with a comforting gaze. There was no smile and the look in her eyes says it all. His optics soften ever so slightly for only her to see, to which she replied with a soft nudge onto the metal surface of his leg,

"and Raf's family needs to know what's happened," June turned her head around to the others before finally saying. "His Real family!"

Jack took a step forward and spoke. "Mom! Raf's family can't protect him. Not like they can." he motioned his hand towards the 'bots behind him.

Optimus slowly began to stand up from the berth. Knowing how weak he is being exposed to a massive amount of dark energon he still managed to stand up as he slowly walked forward. " June, it deeply grieves me that I have failed." he briefly paused before continuing "But I will do everything in my power to ensure that no harm comes to our human friends or any human ever again."

June stopped in her tracks and began to speak. Raising her head to face them. "Optimus...they're children. They do not belong in your world. They should be worrying about grades, prom dates, pimples—not their own survival!"

"Mom, Dark Energon is pouring out of the earth. It doesn't do that! This could be about everyone's survival, not just ours!" Jack said to his mother, yet she just ignored him before she finally declared. "You're coming with me all four of you, and they will not be coming back!"

Lucy froze from where she stood. Never coming back? The thought of leaving them forever made her shudder mentally. Her heart began to ache like pins and needles being pricked onto her flesh then down to her very core. She couldn't leave them, she couldn't leave...him. Lucy refused to just simply walk away and forget they ever existed and expected to forget the memories she shared with them. She never even moved from her spot after June had declared she was going to take us all away from this place.

Optimus felt like a giant needle the size of a sword stabbed him right into his spark. Never seeing the humans was something he disapproved almost immediately, yet he had to accept reality. This meant that he won't be able to protect Lucy. One of the first humans to ever peek his interest since the day he first spotted her while he was driving around town to clear his thoughts. The human who he saved from two decepticons' and he willingly became her guardian in which he did not mind. Her very existence made him feel like a strong bond had formed between himself and Ratchet as well. She had an impact in his life and yet, he simply did not want to let this go.

He finally snapped out of his thought and simply said. "I understand."

"That's it?" Optimus looked down and watched Miko approach him "After all we've been through together?" she then gestured a goodbye wave. "See ya?! What about our freedom to choose?"

"That may fly on their planet but not here on earth," June said while helping Rafael climb inside the back of her car. Her eyes drifted its attention towards Jack, Miko, and Lucy, gesturing her arm for them to hop on. "Get in." She said with authority.

Miko scoffed with her arms folded and rolled her eyes. "Tsk, do you really expect me to ride on a non-transforming vehicle?" June narrowed her eyes towards the young Japanese girl. "Miko, I'm serious." Miko then retorted "You're not my mother." Bulkhead stepped forward calling out his little friends' name "Miko." Miko looked over her shoulder. "Neither are you!" Bulkhead flinched by her words and stared at her with wide optics but said nothing.

June stepped away from the car and began to walk forward then stopped half-way. "Well, I am yours. Let's go, Jack."

Arcee's' footsteps came to a halt and now stood behind the two teens. Jack turned around to face her while furrowing his brows. "She is your mom."

Jack's eyes drifted down as it landed onto his mom who had a serious expression written across her face expecting for him to follow. Though, this was not the case. Jack didn't move from where he stood and pondered to himself. Soon enough he made up his mind and stared at his mother with a slightly stern look on his face before finding the courage to speak up. "I'm staying. I'm sorry." His gaze landed onto the floor not wanting to see his mothers' reaction.

June was stunned by this and her eyes widen slightly. She was disgruntled and the only person left that she was taking with her was Lucy. Her blue eyes landed on the British girl who stood beside Ratchet's left leg, and it appeared that she was hiding from her. Junes' eyes studied Lucy's' attire and she seemed to be feeling uneasy by her intense stare and quickly averted her gaze towards the metal leg beside her. Lucy wore a beige colored sweater with large pockets on either side of it and it had a deep V-neck opening, which showed off her smoky rose colored knitted halter tank top underneath it and a white scarf hung neatly around her neck. She had on a beige colored knitted beanie. Her hair hung freely without any bands. Finally, she had ebony colored leggings which were the same color as the converse she wore and a few silver bracelets on her left wrist.

"Lucy," June called out her name. Lucy shyly glanced over to June who was waiting for her to follow. "Let's go and I won't take no for an answer," June added which made Lucy feel tense. She exhaled a shaky breath before finally speaking in a calm and heartily manner. "I'd love to go with you Miss Darby I really do, but I just can't leave the people that mean so much to me. " Lucy paused, placing both hands on her chest before continuing. "I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving."

Lucy watched Junes' eyes widen in shock before her expression changed which appeared to look like she was about to flip out but she stormed off instead. Closing the back-seat door with a loud bang. Optimus told Ratchet to open a ground-bridge, but June quickly denied the offer and drove off into the tunnel. Bumblebee was deeply sorrowful as he watched the vehicle disappear further into the tunnel. Suddenly, the monitors began to receive a call from Agent Fowler who began to speak and a video cam popped up into the screen.

"Prime, do you copy?" Optimus quickly replied and walked over to the main monitors. "I hear you, Agent Fowler." "Been watching the news? Mother nature's got a twitch in her breeches." Optimus then responded "We know about the volcano." but then Agent Fowler added something that stunned all of us. "and the quakes? Seven major temblors of the exact same magnitude at the exact same time as a volcanic eruption." he proceeded to continue "All over the globe on different tectonic plates, in theory, unrelated if they haven't happened- "

"At the exact same time." Ratchet finished fowlers sentence before Miko called out to everyone "Check it out! More good news." Miko pressed the unmute button where the male broadcaster began to talk with concern.

Lucy clasped both hands onto her mouth as she watched the TV in utter shock. Awful storms plagued around the globe where many urban cities were having a massive power outage which left them in total darkness. Everyone in the room watched in silence before the broadcaster ended it with an unanswered question, What next? For a moment, she had completely forgotten that Fowler was still there up on the screen and listening to the TV before he broke the silence.

"Don't tell me the 'cons have built a weather machine!" Ratchet waived his right servo, quickly dismissing that notion "One that powerful? Highly unlikely." Optimus then spoke. "I do not believe the appearance of dark energon at this point in time to be coincidental."

A few minutes had gone by, the sounds of a familiar muscle car were heard appearing from the tunnel where Raf and June stepped out of Bumblebee in which he soon transformed. Ratchet told Raf how glad they were to be back safe and sound. Lucy swiftly ran down the stairs and practically glomped Rafael, holding him in a tight and warm embrace. Ratchet observed their heartwarming reunion which made him smile unconsciously, though he manages to hide it before anyone saw.

"World leaders are classifying these bizarre weather patterns as a global emergency." the broadcaster said as June stood there after running up the stairs. "Global?!" she exclaimed in awe. -As scientist believe the phenomenon to be somehow related to the current planetary alignment- then the TV cuts off abruptly and the screens fade to black.

Suddenly, Agent Fowler appears from behind the TV from where the elevator doors opened as he began to walk forward and speaking directly to Optimus. "What have you learned, Prime? and you better not blow a smoke up my-" he stopped in mid-sentence as his gaze landed on June. He was surprised to see her here and he nervously spoke. "M-Miss Darby. What a nice surprise!" June smiled. "Special Agent Fowler."

"We have learned this as with the so-called magma from the volcano these earthquakes originated far below the earth's crust. From the very center of the earth's core, in fact." Ratchet announced by showing off the information on the left screen of the monitor. Agent Fowler was dumbfounded. "Quakes don't start there!" he pointed out as June now stood next to him in front of the railing. He turns his head towards June with a questionable look on his face. "Do they?"

"Tiny tremors rising and falling in a consistent pattern almost like..." Ratchet stopped as he now stared at the screen in deep thought. His brow ridges furrowed slightly together as he concentrated narrowing his eyes before finally, it hit him. Ratchet eyes widen in disbelief and exclaimed softly. "By the Allspark! If I convert these data-points to audio files..." he trailed off and began to click away from the buttons. Lucy approached the railing, where the human-sized computers were, as she observed Ratchet quietly.

"What? what is it?" Agent Fowler questioned the 'bot eagerly, yet Ratchet simply replied with a single word. "Listen."

The two audios were slowly coming together until finally, it merged. The sound of a constant rhythm was played loudly as it echoed throughout the silent atmosphere. Everyone was staring intently at the screen and listening to the sound as it continued to beat in a familiar rhythm. Lucy's eyes widen, the shock caused her to cover up her mouth with her right hand. Optimus's eyes widened with his mouth slight agape as he stared at the screen with a stunned look across his face-plates. Lucy managed to mutter out the words from her lips. "A heartbeat."

"A Cybertronian heartbeat?" Jack said in confusion. His mother turned her head around to face him "How is that possible? A heart pumps blood there's nothing inside the earth to pump except..." "Blood of Unicron!" Rafael blurted out.

"Okay, hold on. You mean somethings living down there inside our planet?" Miko glanced over to Optimus. "I fear that the earth's very core is not comprised of nickel and iron as your scientist's suggested but of Dark Energon." Optimus declared as Ratchet then began to speak. "And if we're hearing a spark then Unicron is the raising darkness that the prophecy foretold." he had his finger against his chin.

"So, how do we stop this 'thing' from rising?" Agent Fowler questioned them, and Optimus was the first to reply but with a slight downfall. "That I am afraid was not foretold."

"How can something be in our earth's core and be alive?" June gestured her hand towards the monitors. "Such a thing is not unprecedented. Before the beginning...there was Primus. And there was Unicron. One, the incarnation of creation—the other...of destruction. For eons, Primus and Unicron battled, the balance of power shifting between them more times than could be counted. Only by creating the Thirteen—the original Primes who preceded me—was Primus finally able to defeat Unicron and cast him out. Primus became one with the very core of our planet, creating life through the Well of All Sparks, while Unicron was never to be heard from again...until now. " he finished the tale.

"Maybe we can find the hole this uber 'con left when he dug himself all the way down there and fill it with explosives!" Agent Fowler said, which made Lucy facepalm, gently. Optimus turned his head over to Ratchet then back at Fowler. "Agent Fowler, I do not believe that earth became Unicron's home, but rather that with time and gravitational force debris collected around the slumbering titan." Ratchet told him the obvious, glancing over at Fowler. "Forming your earth itself."

"And he is only awakening now due to the magnetic pull created by the planetary alignment!" Arcee exclaimed.

"Okay well, what happens now when Unicron wakes up from his billion-year nap?" Jack folded his arms with a raised brow. "Yeah, does he stretch and KA-POW! Earth poofs to dust?" Miko said while she mimicked the explosion when a person stretches.

Optimus was speechless and, in all honesty, he doesn't know what will happen to the earth when Unicron fully awakens. Lucy was now sat down on an armless chair next to the computer monitors staring up at the screen where the audio was still playing, but the volume was lowered. Her breathing was labored but kept it hidden from the others, not wanting to worry them. The cause of this was a dark an ominous presence that lingered in the air, which no one else but her could feel, sent goose bumps down her spine. Her necklace reacted to this by gradually warming up her chest which seemed to help stop her labored breathing, but it couldn't make the evil presence disappear.

"you don't know do you?" June said with her hand hovering near her chin. "My guess is that Unicron has transcended physical form as we know it. Nonetheless, we must find a way to ensure this force of nature never fully awakens. The fate of your planet depends upon it." his brow-ridges furrowed together and his face became sterner than ever.

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The loud roars of a familiar jet flew past the darkened skies reaching its destination towards the lip of the volcano. The Decepticon leader transformed and began to beseech for Unicron to speak to him. Unicron appears before him in a cloud of purple smoke that emanated within the volcano. Unicron is unimpressed with Megatron and suddenly senses the taints of Primus.

"What is this I sense? The taints of Primus? Here?!" Unicron is shocked that the Primes are still living. Megatron then speaks. "That is Optimus, the last of the Primes, our sworn enemy." Unicron grows weary and narrows his eyes in suspicion. "Really now? How come I sense two of the primes here!? You profess loyalty to me, yet allow the disciples of Primus to live?!" he yells angrily at Megatron who seemed stumped. Two primes? It couldn't be possible and he quickly dismissed the fact that there was another prime other than Optimus. " I will destroy him for you! His screams will be heard —" Unicron suddenly interrupts him. " I grow weary of your prattle. Surely if you had the power to destroy the Primes, you would have done so already. I will deal with them myself. " with that, he vanishes into the volcano. The smokes of the volcano growing thin than when he was present.

Meanwhile, Optimus scouts one of the locations where a quake has struck and confirms that, like the others, it's rich in metals. Ratchet warns him of an increase in spark activity, and a few moments later, Unicron himself appears to Optimus as a huge, stone being. Optimus asks Unicron to consider the many humans inhabiting Earth who rely on Unicron, but Unicron considers them parasites and opts to strike Optimus with lightning instead. Optimus retaliates, blasting Unicron until the stone golem falls and crumbles into the ground. Optimus has not won, however, as more Unicrons burst out of the ground all around him.

To be Continued...