Ch. 147

"Optimus," Ratchet called from the front of the base, "We've just finished moving the last of the vault supplies!" a bump overhead made him flinch and he scowled, "And Agent Fowler just landed!"

Knockout squealed as he rushed passed, "Which buffer, Breakdown?! And where did you put my polish rag?!"

"Doc, easy," Breakdown sighed, following him around as the red mech began to frenzy, "you don't need all of them."

Bumblebee whistled as he came through the open ground bridge portal, saying the Harbinger was secure and that he and Arcee were very tired.

Miko looked around the room and whined loudly, "You guys, this base is going crazy! You're all over the place!"

Bulkhead stopped to lean down towards her, his arms full of medical supplies, "Miko, this is a crisis situation. We're kinda stuck on an invisible deadline."

June was trembling as she paced the catwalk, "Then maybe I should take the kids out of here. I can call their parents and we can get as far away from here as possible."

"Not necessary!" came a strong voice from the elevator as Fowler stepped from the lift, "It will be safer for all of us, and I do mean human partisans, if I escort you from the premises myself."

"Negative, Agent Fowler."

Optimus came around the corner with a large box of supplies; he handed the box to Bumblebee then turned his attention to the humans, "I believe it is in your best interest to come with us to the Harbinger before you contact your superiors. It will be safer."

"No offense, Optimus," Fowler began, "but Megatron now has two of your bots, one being a future-seeing former Con with a weird death-defying teleportation power. How safe are we if Megatron somehow uses Starscream against us?"

"Starscream: safe," Soundwave informed as he walked passed, a stack of datapads in his arms, "Wheeljack: mentally compromised."

Fowler blinked, "Wheeljack? How is he a problem?"

"He never came in for cortical patch training," Jack shrugged, leaning against the back of the couch, "Since Wheeljack never trained for mental defense, it's a pretty safe bet that Megatron can pull the answer to any question he has right out of his mind."

June rubbed the side of her arms firmly, "But Wheeljack's an Autobot. How safe are we really if he knows who we are and what all of you may be doing right now?"

Bulkhead groaned in exhaustion, "Jackie knows enough, but not everything. Since he didn't wanna come in to play mind games, he doesn't know about the Iacon relics or Scream's Harbinger hideout."

"That may be the case," Fowler frowned, "but these are human civilians. Their safety falls under my jurisdiction. I'm sorry, Prime, but they're coming with me."

Miko jumped up from her seat, "What?! No way! Bulk's got me covered just like I got him! What if they need us? Who else is gonna slip in and take down the Cons without getting spotted?"

Raf quietly adjusted his glasses, "Or help them hack into the Nemesis main frame?"

June frowned alongside Fowler, "Arcee is just as sneaky and Soundwave can handle the computers himself. I agree with Agent Fowler, we need to go with him."

"Please," the man smiled, taking her hand, "call me 'Bill'."

Jack glared as his mother smiled back and he growled quietly, "'Bill'?"

Miko sat herself roughly on the couch and scowled, "No way... just no way..."

Agent Fowler pulled himself away, straightening his jacket, "I'll call in a truck to pick you up from this location. I can have one here in a few minutes. Jasper's being evacuated on the off chance Megatron decides to do damage elsewhere. I'm sure they can spare a set of wheels for us."

"Thank you, Bill," June sighed in relief and watched him go back into the elevator.

Jack watched her and grumbled loudly, "Mom! We have to focus on what to do here while we still can," he looked up at Optimus, "Is there anything we can do? Anything we can move or help with?"

The Prime shook his helm, "There is not. It would be best for you to stay here and wait for your transportation."

"But what if there isn't any time?!" Miko pouted, "Please, Optimus? Anything we can do to help! Anything?"

Optimus took a step back to allow Breakdown to pass with a load of supplies, "I am sorry, but the best way for you to help is to stay safe. If Agent Fowler has his own means of protecting you, then it is best you accept his help."

The children grumbled in their own ways but ceased when a roaring engine began to sound from just outside. Ratchet ran to his computers and scowled.

"SOMEone put the outside perimeter alarm on mute, Bulkhead!"

"I swear," came the green mech's response as he scuttled passed, "it wasn't me!"

Ratchet growled, "You know what you did!"

Optimus leaned down to take a look at the computer, "What does the alarm tell us right now, old friend?"

The medic huffed and went back to the monitor, "We have a guest, it would seem. It looks to be friendly, it could be Star-"

Everyone went silent and turned as the engine noise faded out and a heavy, metallic limp became more audible. Fresh energon from pouring wounds glowed brightly in the tunnel to the outside world and a mech covered in more smoke and gashes than paint stumbled forward, his blue optics wide.

"Th-they're..." he murmured, his legs beginning to buckle, "B... Bulk, this is way too..."

Bulkhead ran forward and grabbed the mangled mess, helping to steady him, "Jackie?! What happened, how did you get here?! Ratchet! Knockout!"

Wheeljack resisted, shaking his helm as he winced and grabbed his friend's shoulder plating, "No, no time. Not now."

Ratchet ran over to inspect the wounds marred over the white mech's chassis, "No time? You're leaking copious amounts of energon, you'll go into stasis lock if I don't seal these up!"

The Wrecker growled, "Listen! We have to go now! They're minutes away! They're gonna blow this place to the Pit! Stop fussin' over me and let's bridge out! Now!"

Optimus typed into the computer, "Which direction are they coming from?"

Wheeljack shook his helm, "The north face? I don't know! Scream helped get me out of the brig and I had to bridge off! I don't know what direction they were flying at or-" he frowned, "but that's not the point! We have to go, NOW! Scream needs us alive if we're gonna rescue him!"

Ratchet glared at him carefully, "... How do we know this isn't another Makeshift incident?"

Wheeljack's optics brightened, "What?! You really think they had the time to dig up another one of those creeps to stage this?!"

Bulkhead shook his helm, "Nah, no way!"

Optimus hummed lowly, "... We need to be certain."

The Wrecker growled softly, "Fine. We don't have time for it, but fine. Uh... Scream said that he hid something? It's really important that I get it to you, it's back at that other ship: the Harbinger. He says that's where he's made a second base."

The tension in the room was still evident, but Ratchet nodded quickly, "Good enough, I suppose... What do the scanner's say?"

The Prime scanned the screen quickly, "Nothing as of yet. They must be descending from farther up in the atmosphere."

Smokescreen stepped forward to help Bulkhead sit Wheeljack down, "Hey, how's Starscream? Is he ok?"

Wheeljack hissed and held pressure against his leg, "He's fine for now, kid. But if we don't get out of here now, he won't be fine for long... Shockwave is one messed up mech. Megatron may have some ideas he wants put into practice, but that one-optic freak has plans of his own. Scream didn't want to hear about it..."

Smokescreen frowned sadly, "Maybe he already knows..."

A loud, blaring alarm sounded, the echo going deep into the base. Optimus ghosted his digits over the computer console and hummed lowly when a large mass slowly began to appear on radar.

"Wheeljack, it is as you told us," he announced firmly, "it would appear the Nemesis is settling itself into position overhead."

The Wrecker growled, "We gotta go, Prime!"

Optimus turned back to his team, "Autobots, this is not what I had envisioned would occur when we set out today to investigate as a team... but for the sake and safety of this team, we must split up to avoid capture by the Decep-"

"NO!" Wheeljack shouted, struggling to stand, "Optimus, no! Scream said to stay together! We'll be safe at the Harbinger, you gotta listen, we can just go now!"

"We may not find this ideal, but the Harbinger was best suited for four," the Prime explained, glancing at Knockout, Breakdown and Soundwave, "And while a few of us may be safe there alongside the treasures Starscream collected, I doubt our activities would go unnoticed at that location for long."

Ratchet shrugged, "It is an open enough structure..."

Knockout frowned, "W-well, maybe Wheeljack has a point. The mods we would need to cover the rest of you? A couple of days, tops! Breakdown and I can handle most of that and with Ratchet and Soundwave-"

Wheeljack finally stood with a roar, energon pouring from his leg, "We can't keep talking about this! We have to go, we can't stay, there's no time!"

Ratchet took a hold of the mech and helped him to the bridge, "Fine, you and I are the going to be the first to join Arcee at the Harbinger. Optimus, I expect you to send the rest in after us with armfuls of supplies."

Optimus nodded, but didn't speak. He watched as Smokescreen frowned harder and ran into the bridge after the two without reason. With a shake of his helm, he turned back to Knockout.

"These modifications could be made quickly?"

The smaller mech nodded, "Done and installed before you know it."

The Prime shuttered his optics, "Take whatever else you can and begin as soon as you get there. Soundwave, establish communications with Agent Fowler. Breakdown, may I ask that you and Bulkhead transport our human companions safely to the Harbinger?"

The two large mechs nodded and transformed, Miko squealing in delight as she ran down from the platform and into the front passenger seat of Bulkhead's alt. mode, "Oh yeah! Not exactly the coolest situation, but at least we won't have to get into the truck Fowler's sending us!"

The rest of the humans loaded into the mechs' seats and the two drove into the bridge as Knockout and Soundwave ran after them; Optimus looked to Bumblebee, "Assist Ratchet with Wheeljack. He may have his servos full. I will be along shortly."

The yellow mech beeped quietly, asking why Optimus was staying behind.

The Prime smiled, "There are a few more things I must complete to ensure our safety. But I will be there shortly."

Bumblebee watched him for a moment then buzzed in a quick agreement. He shuffled his peds before running in and the bridge flickered in an invitation to join the scout. This was something Optimus couldn't do.

The Prime turned his back on the open portal, even as it continued to swirl and glow in a loud hum, and transformed out his blade, "I am sorry," he murmured to no one, "but I cannot allow them to find any of you."

Optimus reached out to the bridge lever and pulled, shutting it down, then thrusted his blade deep into the console, destroying it.