Ch. 154

-Earlier-

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. The young mech saw Wheeljack continuing to struggle against Ratchet, trying to break free.

"Doc, you gotta listen! Splitting us up ain't gonna give Scream a chance in the Pit!"

Ratchet scoffed, "Yes the situation is dire, but that is no excuse for this behavior! And if you don't settle down you'll leak what little energon you have left from your systems and I really don't feel like putting myself through a long and arduous surgery to save you!"

Smokescreen went to the medic's side, helping him sit the Wrecker down in a chair among the relics and supplies that were haphazardly transported there.

Ratchet stood and huffed, "I'm going to grab a medical kit," he looked up as Arcee stepped into the ground bridge room and sighed in relief, "Good, Arcee, come help me."

The two walked out of the room and Smokescreen went to follow but his arm was grabbed by Wheeljack, the wounded mech growling through the pain, "Kid, kid, you gotta listen."

"I'm here," he set his servo over Wheeljack's, nodding, "C'mon, what is it, what's wrong?"

"Everything!" Wheeljack grumbled, "Scream was real specific. Don't split up. Stay together. We've been to the letter about everything else... or at least, you guys have. I can't screw this up. We split and we're done. Promise me, and if you can't promise me then promise Scream, ok? Promise you'll make sure we all get back here. Can you do that kid?"

Smokescreen turned away. He was sure he had caused this. He shouldn't have fired at the seeker. He shouldn't have activated his hiccup. This was all his fa-

"KID!"

The young mech was jolted back and Wheeljack huffed, "Kid, you got this or what? Cause if I try to limp my way back to the Bots, I'll just be dragged back."

Smokescreen let his optics wander around the room until they settled on the device Starscream had once used on him, the Phase shifter.

With a slowly growing confidence moving through him, the white mech nodded and stood, "Jackie, I got this. You just make sure you don't die on us."

Wheeljack chuckled and watched Smokescreen grab up the Phase Shifter as he ran back to the bridge, "You got this, kid! Make it count!"

Smokescreen ran through the glowing ground bridge, activating the Phase Shifter after attaching it to his wrist, and hid in the walls of the Autobot base as Breakdown, Bulkhead and Knockout made their way through to the Harbinger.

-Now-

Smokescreen phased out from his rock hiding place only enough to see another patrol go by. Once they had cleared he pulled himself and Optimus out, both staying low to the ground.

"So what's the plan, Optimus?" the white mech murmured, "The longer Megatron has Starscream, the worse it's gonna get. But we need to get back to everyone else."

The Prime hummed lowly, "It is a situation that is not remedied by either option and as much as I wish to free Starscream now, the pair of us will not be able to rescue him on our own."

Smokescreen sighed, "I promised Wheeljack I wouldn't let us stay split up. And Scream told him that we needed to stick together..." his gaze wandered up, towards the still hovering Decepticon warship, "Optimus... do we abandon him now in favor of getting to everyone else...?"

Optimus's optics shuttered close. He didn't want to make the decision. After everything the seeker had been through, after everything he had created or endured, this fate was unfair to leave him to.

"Smokescreen..." the Prime began but he stopped, unable to finish the thought.

Do they stay? Do they go? Could they risk being found? Killed?

The white mech held up his arm, "You know, I have the Phase Shifter. I could go up there and get him. Phase in, phase out, all that."

Optimus's optics onlined again, "Do you know where Starscream is being kept? How they are housing him? What sort of security has been made to keep him from escaping?"

Smokescreen felt an intake hitch, "... W... well, no but-"

"Then it appears, unfortunately, that our decision has been made for us..." the red mech looked up at the Nemesis, "Should we die trying to save him, the rest of our team would be on their own and yet, should we escape with Starscream, it would not be long before Megatron's forces would catch up with us again. Even with the Phase Shifter..."

Smokescreen cast his optics down, "So... we're leaving him."

"As hard as it is, yes. We must. If we do not, then his chances for rescue will dwindle further still. He would agree. We... must leave."

The white mech quickly wiped tears from his optics, "Ok... ok, so how are we getting out of here then?"

Optimus pointed out towards the horizon, "We will use the Phase Shifter to return to the underground cave systems," he said gently, "As long as we head in that direction, towards the location of the Harbinger, we will reach our team within a few days. Once we are out of visual and radar range of the Nemesis, we will phase out from under ground and drive the rest of the way. Until we are hailed with a COMM from our new base, it will not be safe to try and contact them."

Smokescreen nodded, "I think I can handle that... Optimus?"

"Yes, Smokescreen?"

The white mech hesitated, "Can we wait? Just a few minutes more? Please, just in case something happens? Just in case he-"

He stopped talking. He was vocalizing his hopes too much. But the Prime understood. So the pair sat, hidden by darkness and listened to patrols walk by in the night surrounding them. Crickets sang and a gentle breeze blew soft sand dust onto their metal. But after a few minutes, Optimus had to nod to his companion. Smokescreen reluctantly activated the Phase Shifter and pulled the Prime into the ground with him, both feeling the bitter sting of guilt deep within their sparks.