As always, the first thing that struck the Autobots as soon as they exited the ground bridge, letting it dissipate into nothingness behind them, was the dry heat of the desert. They stood on a wide and open plateau that was only broken sporadically by towers of boulders and stones that had been toppled over by the elements and the weary march of time. While Arcee was quick to recognize the advantage to be had by such a landscape—it would be easy to see an enemy approaching from a long way off—she was just as quick to recognize the dangers. They stood out in the open, in full view, easy pickings for those that need to spare only a wayward, unassuming glance in their direction. They needed cover and fast.

Fortunately, there was a jumble of stones that lay just steps away from a yawning chasm that would serve perfectly; Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were quick to take shelter behind the rocky obstruction. With a light whistle, Bumblebee pointed into the canyon below: there, diligently toiling away, was a large amount of Decepticon miners as they unearthed, and cut into manageable sizes, energon crystals. A lot of energon crystals.

"If only we could get away with just half of all that!" Bulkhead mused longingly, "That'd hold us over for months!"

But Arcee was no longer focused upon the amassed quantities of energon that lay glinting enticingly in the sunlight. Peering around one of the oversized boulders that she crouched behind, every servo in the cycle-bots frame froze in dread and shock. For there, not quite opposite from where they hid, lingering upon the precipice that overlooked the frenzy of mining activity was Megatron. With the sunlight reflecting off of his silver armor that was all hard angles and edges, he was hard to miss; his bloodied gaze darted too and fro, taking in every movement of his miners with diligence. And standing beside him, conversing with the leader of the Decepticons as if it were the most natural and casual thing in the world, sunlight winking off of deep blue and red armor…

No!

Arcee, quickly ducked behind the boulder again, resting her forehead against it's rocky recesses as her processors rebelled at the sight her optics had beheld moments ago.

No!

She felt a light and would be soothing touch upon her back and Arcee looked up into Bumblebee's wide, apologetic optics.

"We knew he might be here, Cee." Bulkhead rumbled softly.

"Still doesn't make things any easier," She couldn't help but snap. Taking a moment to re-orient herself, and her feelings, Arcee once more leaned around their hiding spot, this time taking in the scene from a more analytic point of view. In the canyon itself, there weren't many solider class drones—a good sign for them—but Breakdown and Knockout mingled amongst the miners, whether as guards and thus protection for the valuable energon, or rather as incentive to keep the vehicons working at the near frenzied rate, it was hard to discern. With more effort, Arcee forced herself to look back to where Megatron and Optimus—she didn't care what Megatron called him, he wasn't Orion to her, never would be—lingered. With their lofty vantage point it would be hard to surprise them as they would have a clear view of anything and everything both in the canyon and of the surrounding landscape above.

"So what's the game plan?" Bulkhead asked as she ducked back behind the boulder, " Do we go for the energon? Or do we try to grab Optimus?"

Arcee paused, considering, "Either way I don't think we should split up…"

"Agreed," Bulkhead glanced over to Megatron, remembering all to clearly how hard it had been to fight off the Decepticon Leader for even a few precious seconds, "Besides, Optimus doesn't remember us and I'm sure Megatron hasn't done us any favors in whatever he has told Optimus about the Autobots—"

Here Bulkhead was interrupted by a string of Cybertronian curses, all directed at Megatron, from Bumblebee. It may not have helped their situation any, but Bee's sentiments sure made Arcee feel better.

Taking a moment to agree with Bumblebee, Bulkhead continued, "Its just that its not like we can just walk up to Optimus and ask him to come with us. If he thinks we're the enemy he'll fight back, and I don't know about you, Cee, but I know I can't take Optimus one on one."

The thought that Optimus would fight back, would fight against them and would see them as the enemy, hadn't occurred to Arcee, and her spark contracted in pain at the notion. Of course she had logically accepted that being surrounded by the Decepticons, Optimus was bound to listen to their ideologies. But, Optimus their enemy? If someone had told her even two months ago that they would be here, hiding from Optimus, viewing him as an opponent, then Arcee would have told them to go jump off a cliff, or kicked them in the head; hard to tell which she would have enjoyed more. But now….

How had it come to this?

Again, Bumblebee rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, speaking through a comm. line, " I think we should try for Optimus, we can always hunt for energon later. If all three of us charge them, it might catch Megatron off guard and with one of us distracting Megatron that leaves two of us to try and get Optimus back to the ground bridge coordinates."

Arcee nodded curtly, "Alright, I'm game Bee."

"Lets do it."

"But hang on, who gets the short straw?" Two sets of quizzical optics looked back at her, and Arcee waved a hand dismissively, "Sorry, it's a human saying I've picked up from Jack. I'm asking who is going to be the one to distract Megatron? And remember, it won't take long for Knockout and Breakdown to come in as backup."

There was a long considering pause before: "I'll do it."

"Bee, are you sure? This isn't like anyone you've faced before."

"Yeah, Bee, even I couldn't hold off old Meggsy for long."

But Bumblebee was resolute: "I'm quick and can stay out of his reach long enough for you two to get Optimus back to the ground bridge point. Besides, if Optimus does fight back, we'll need Bulkhead, and if some part of Optimus will still listen, its most likely to listen to you, Arcee."

In the considering silence that followed Bumblebee's plan, Ratchet radioed Arcee for an update.

"We're here, in the clear, Ratchet. The 'Cons found a massive energon vein."

"And?"

Arcee knew what he was asking, what he wanted to know, "Optimus is here, with Megatron."

"By the Allspark, be careful you three!"

"We will, Ratchet."

"What are you going to—"

"—Oh, sounds like you're breaking up—"

"—I am not, this is a clear comm. line—"

"—Got to go—"

"—Now wait just a second-"

"—Bye Ratchet." And with that Arcee cut the communication.

Before any of them could make a quip at Ratchet's expense, all three of them looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps echoing across the plateau. As their luck would have it, both Megatron and Optimus had turned their backs to the Autobot's hiding spot; both mechs were walking away from them towards a more distant point along the canyon's rim. If ever there was a chance for their plan to work, it was now.

"Alright, lets do this."