Arianna was sitting at the computer, typing away at the program that was on the screen. Perceptor and Nauticia were talking to her, helping her with the equations and technical stuff that she couldn't understand.
Raf was watching her work. "Need any help?" he asked her.
"No," said Aria, "Perceptor and Nauticia are already helping me. But I'll let you know if I need any help."
"What are you even working on?" asked Arcee, turning to look at the young adult from her conversation with Jack.
"Secret," said Aria, "But it should be done in a few days if all goes well."
"And you won't tell us?" asked Ratchet, looking slightly annoyed at her. He was obviously very curious.
"Sorry Ratchet," said Aria, a slight teasing note in her voice, "Not until it's done."
Optimus heard that slight note, and looked up from his conversation with Bumblebee, a slight hint of relief in his optics. She hadn't exactly been very much in a joyful mood since she had come back to the team a week previously, almost not smiling. Everyone, minus Aria, had noticed his worry about her.
A sudden beeping from the computer caused Ratchet to check his consul. He gave a gasp of astonishment. "Optimus, you are not going to believe this!" he exclaimed, "I've just pin-pointed the location of the Decepticon warship!"
"Seriously?" said Aria, turning in her chair as everyone crowded around Ratchet.
"How did you penetrate their cloaking technology?" asked Optimus, looking at Ratchet.
"I didn't," said Ratchet, "I was experimenting with variable frequency wavelengths when I stumbled upon it."
"They probably have a tech problem," said Aria, "They must have had to take down the shield for maintenance or something. They just did it at the wrong time and you picked it up."
"With Megatron deceased," mused Arcee, slamming her fist into her other servo, "and with the element of surprise..." she trailed off suggestively.
"We could cause some serious damage," finished Bulkhead.
Another beeping caused everyone to look up again as another signal popped up onto the screen. "Also on the same frequency," said Ratchet, even more surprised, "an Autobot emergency beacon."
Optimus looked at the two signals and said, "The Decepticons can wait. There may be Autobots in distress. Ratchet, bring your medical kit."
"Right away, Optimus," said Ratchet, heading over to the med-bay.
"Why aren't you taking the Con warship first?" asked Miko.
"Strength in numbers?" said Aria suggestively.
"You'd be wanting reinforcements, won't you?" asked Jack.
"Like Aria said," said Arcee as Optimus and Ratchet headed into the Groundbridge, "Strength in numbers."
"Aria, perhaps you could let me see the Autobot signal again," said Perceptor, "there's something about it that I cannot place."
"Alright," said Aria. She headed over to the computer and closed the program she had been working on, pulling up the Autobot signal. "What is it?" asked Aria.
Perceptor was quiet for a short while, then said, "This signal is old. It appears to be from the middle of the war, I believe."
"And what does that mean?" asked Aria, slightly confused now.
"Means these Bots are already long dead," said Nauticia, "But why is the beacon active now?"
Suddenly, Aria got a bad feeling in her chest. "Aria? Is something wrong?" asked Raf, noticing the sudden look of dread on her face.
"Perceptor said that this signal is really old," said Aria, "And all of the sudden, I've got a bad feeling. I think-"
*Arcee! We need a Groundbridge! Have the med-bay ready!*
"Cybonic Plague," said Ratchet grimly, looking up from Optimus's scans. The Autobot leader was laying on the medical berth, barely conscious, his previously bright blue optics dim and flickering. Already there was a coat of rust covering his right optic.
When Ratchet and Optimus had come back through the Groundbridge, Optimus had been staggering, with Ratchet barely supporting him. Aria could instantly tell that something had happened on the old Autobot ship.
The young adult looked at Ratchet and asked, "Is it contagious?"
"Only if you come into contact with the infected energon," said Ratchet as the rest of the team looked at each other. "A bit of it dripped onto Optimus."
"What was a plague doing in an Autobot spaceship?" asked Miko, worry in her voice.
"Its passengers were infected," explained Arcee, "The virus wiped out millions on Cybertron during the Great War."
"Cybonic Plague was engineered in the Decepticon's Biological War Program," added Ratchet, "By Megatron himself."
"You... have a cure, don't you?" asked Raf.
A small moan caused Ratchet to turn to look at Optimus, who managed to say, "No... cure."
"Optimus, please," Ratchet told his friend, "save you strength."
"Would Megatron create a disease without having a cure?" asked Jack, "I mean, what if he caught it by accident?"
"If there is a cure," said Aria angrily, "Megatron was probably the only one who knew it! And as far as we know, he's dead and pushing up lugnuts."
"But," mused Ratchet, looking over at the consul and tapping the scanner with a digit, "We might be able to access the Decepticon database. For the moment, we still have a fix on their warship's location."
Arcee turned to Bumblebee. "Bumblebee, come with!"
As the two of them headed for the Groundbridge, Ratchet turned from a moaning Optimus and said, "Arcee. Quickly."
The femme nodded and she and Bumblebee headed through, their weapons drawn. When they were gone, Aria looked over at Ratchet and said, "Ratchet, can I... stay with him?"
Ratchet turned to her and appeared to contemplate for a few seconds, then nodded. He held up a servo to where she was. She hopped over the railing and landed on his servo. He then lowered her down close to Optimus, where she floated off and landed on the un-infected side of his head. As the Prime tried to turn to her, her hand rubbed the area above his optic, causing him to give a tiny moan of relief.
She closed her eyes and contacted him telepathically. It's alright Optimus. I'm here.
Aria. She was slightly worried when she heard him trying to talk with her. Even his thoughts sounded weak. Is Ratchet... alright?
He's fine, she told him.
Can you... ask him?
Aria nodded and looked up at Ratchet, who was checking Optimus's scans. "Ratchet?" she asked, causing the medic to turn to her. "Optimus wants to know if you're okay. He can't see very well."
Ratchet nodded. He looked over at Optimus and said, "I wasn't infected, old friend. Don't worry."
Optimus must've heard him, because he gave a deep sigh of relief. Aria continued rubbing his helm, wishing she could do more.
Arcee finally reported in, saying that she couldn't find anything. Ratchet started arguing with her about her search methods and she started to bark back at him when she said to Bumblebee, *What. Is it?*
That piqued Ratchet's attention. "What is it?" he asked, "What's going on?"
There was silence on the line for a bit, only penetrated by a shocked gasp and the sound of a door sliding open. Then, Arcee's voice said, *It's Megatron. He's...alive.*
Aria's head shot up and shocked gasps filled the room. "That's not possible," Ratchet said to her.
*Well, I'm staring right at him,* Arcee told him, *Good news is, Megatron isn't exactly staring right back.*
"Mega... tron," murmured Optimus, shock filling his weak voice.
Aria and Ratchet looked at him as Arcee said, *He's in stasis. On life support. Time to finish this once and for all.*
"ARCEE! DON'T!" yelled Aria. She left Optimus's side, flying straight for the consul and landing on Ratchet's shoulder.
*One good reason, Aria,* snarled Arcee, *fast.*
"Don't you remember what I was saying earlier?" she asked the Autobot femme, "How if there was a cure, Megatron is probably the only one who knows it?"
*Yes...* Arcee said hesitantly.
"This may sound crazy," said Aria, "but does Megatron have brainwave activity?"
After a brief moment of silence, Arcee reported, *Spiking hard. His sick mind is still at work.*
"I think I know what Arianna is getting at," said Ratchet grimly, "It's like she said; if there is a cure, Megatron is possibly the only one who knows it. You must enter his brain and find it."
"You know, Ratchet," said Aria, turning to look at the medic, "That was actually what I was about to say."
Arcee practically exploded at Ratchet's statement. *Enter Megatron's brain? Ratchet, Aria, are you two out of you fragging minds?!*
"Well, do you have any better idea's Arcee?" asked Aria, "Because I am just as uncomfortable about this as you are."
*Maybe haul him through the Groundbridge and buy us some time to figure us out?*
"Time is one of the things that Optimus does not have! One of you must try this!" Ratchet exclaimed angrily, "I WILL NOT ALLOW OPTIMUS TO PASS, KNOWING THAT MEGATRON WILL OUTLIVE HIM!"
The kids and Aria scooted back slightly nervous.
*Ratchet,* said Aria gently, *I would lay my life down for Optimus, anytime, anywhere. But a mind body split-*
Bumblebee's voice came on then, *If you're too scared, then I'll do it!*
*You will?*
"Are you sure, Bumblebee?" asked Raf. He sounded worried.
Bulkhead turned to look at Bumblebee's friend. "Bee's the best scout there is," he assured him as Jack and Miko gathered around Raf.
*How do we do it?* asked Bumblebee.
"The lab should have the materials you need for a Cortical Psychic Patch," said Aria, "And Perceptor's studied the technique, as well as there being a few friendly Con scientists."
*Alright then,* said Arcee, *let's do this. For Optimus.*
A few minutes later, Bumblebee entered Megatron's mind. Ratchet set up a screen so that they could see what Bumblebee was seeing. "Whoa," said Jack, looking at the dark and gloomy landscape that Bumblebee was in, "Where's that?"
*Looks like Kaon,* commented Bumblebee.
"Bee said it looks like Kaon," translated Raf, "the Decepticon capital back on Cybertron."
"Well, that's not very shocking," said Aria, rolling her eyes.
Bulkhead turned from Optimus's side. "Ratch'," he said, "Optimus's vitals..."
"I know," said Ratchet. He turned to look at the screen and said, "Quickly, Bumblebee. I know you're in unknown territory, but you must figure out where information must be filed in Megatron's mind."
"Or, failing that," said Thundercracker in Aria's mind, "finding King Buckethead himself."
"Don't you dare jinx it!" exclaimed Chromia and Nauticia.
"Kinda too late," said Aria, watching as Bumblebee soon saw Megatron fighting images of Optimus.
"Thundercracker..."
"Ratchet," she whispered, turning to the medic, who turned to look at her, "I'm going to stay next to Optimus. As soon as you see the cure, get Bumblebee out of there."
"Already planning on it," Ratchet whispered back.
Aria nodded, flying over to Optimus's side. His helm turned slightly and he gave a small moan as she rubbed his helm. "It's okay," she murmured, "I'm here."
Another small moan came from Optimus, and his optics closed as his helm leaned closer to her. Aria gently continued to rub his helm, keeping half an ear to Bumblebee's conversation with Megatron.
Thankfully, the Decepticon leader couldn't hurt him, but Bumblebee was having a hard time trying to derive a cure from him. And it was only got harder when Arcee, who was guarding Bumblebee's comatose body, reported that Starscream, Soundwave, and a new mech named Knockout entered he room with the first and third mech trying to convince Soundwave to 'pull the plug' on Megatron.
Finally, Bumblebee said, *Well, I know what you want most.*
*And what might that be, scout?* asked Megatron.
*You'd want to kill Optimus with your own bare servos!*
*Don't you see?*said Megatron, laughing, *I kill Optimus with my own bare hands every single time!*
*Yeah. In your head. Wouldn't you want to come back and kill him actually in the real world? You always prefer doing everything yourself. I know that more than anyone.*
Raf heard that, perking up slightly.
Aria noticed that. Raf. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to ask Bumblebee about that. I'll tell you about it some other time. Raf heard her and nodded. He translated what Bumblebee said to Megatron, leaving out the last part.
"Smart," said Jack in amazement.
"Twisted," commented Miko.
Bumblebee's statement, however, seemed to strike something in Megatron. He projected the cure above his servo, which Ratchet saw. He quickly took a screen shot and said to Arcee, "Arcee! We have the formula! Disconnect Bumblebee now!" He turned to Bulkhead and said, "Bulkhead, you're on Groundbridge control! Aria, stay with Optimus! I need to make the cure."
Aria nodded as Ratchet darted off to his lab, pulling up the taken formula as he went. As Optimus gave another moan, Aria rubbed his helm, saying, "It's okay, Optimus. We've got the formula now. You'll be okay soon."
As Arcee and Bumblebee came in through the Groundbridge, the femme slightly behind the yellow scout, Jack asked, "Are you two okay?"
"Shot at Megatron," said Arcee with a smirk. "They might plug him back in, but it felt good to do that."
"Alright, I have it!" Ratchet rushed out of the lab, holding a container full of bright blue liquid, a brighter shade than Energon.
"That was quick," said Aria.
"I prepped everything beforehand," he told her, putting the container into an injector, "All the chemicals I needed were thankfully at hand. Better step back."
Aria nodded and stepped back to the edge of the berth. Ratchet took a deep intake and placed the injector on Optimus's arm. With a small click, the antidote emptied out of the container and into Optimus's arm.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, Optimus gave a groan of pain, grasping the edges of the medical berth, his body jerking. "Bulkhead, help me hold him down!" yelled Ratchet, setting down the injector and grabbing Optimus's arms. "Aria, get off for a bit."
The young adult quickly hopped off and Bulkhead came forward, grabbing Optimus' jerking legs and helping Ratchet to pin him down. "Come on, boss-bot," said Bulkhead, "You can do this."
"Optimus, hold still," Ratchet urged, having a slightly hard time trying to hold him down. "Let the antidote take its course."
A few minutes seemed to be several hours as Ratchet and Bulkhead struggled to keep Optimus on the medical berth. Finally, Optimus gave a shuddering gasp and laid limp on the berth. "Is he-?" Arcee asked worriedly as Ratchet stood up and scanned Optimus.
The old medic gave a sigh of relief. "The virus has degraded," he told everyone, "He'll be weak for a while, but he will be alright."
Everyone gave massive sighs of relief and Aria vaulted back up to Optimus' side, curling up next to his helm. His optics flickered open slightly, but they closed again. Aria heard Optimus' thoughts speaking to her. Although they were very weak, she could hear them clearly.
I'm... alright.
A few hours later, Ratchet helped Optimus stand up. "That's it," he urged as Optimus stumbled a bit, catching himself on Ratchet's shoulders, "Steady." As soon as Optimus had gained his footing, her looked up at the applauding and cheering Autobots and humans.
Optimus, although still appearing very weak, managed a smile. "Please," he told them, "Save the heroes welcome for my physician. And," he added, looking towards Bumblebee, "My scout."
Bumblebee looked rather awkward and rubbed the back of his helm as he said, *Ah, it was nothing.*
"Still," said Aria, grinning at him, "Thank you."
No one was sure what had happened to Megatron... everyone, except for Bumblebee, who froze when he heard the warlord laughing in his mind.