Nova woke to the familiar sounds of an Energon pump and Ratchet muttering to himself.
Eyes springing open, she raised her head, clenching her fists at the sight of medical tools.
She took in a deep breath, praying this was not a nightmare. "Ratchet?"
Sure enough, the red-and-white mech came into view, adjusting the machine that ran Energon through the tube in her arm.
"Good morning," he said.
"Good morning? How long have I been asleep?" Nova asked, sitting up on the table.
"Yip-ip-ip! No moving! Not until I say so," Ratchet ordered, making her lie down again. "You've been asleep for five days. Optimus was starting to get worried."
"So, I was asleep for the whole week? What is today — Thursday?" Nova asked. She reached up to touch her face. "My cuts are gone."
"Courtesy of your rather frustrated local physician," Ratchet replied, pointing to himself. "Were you aware, young lady, that your Energon levels had dropped to only five percent in the time it took for June to 'humanize' you? You wore yourself disgracefully thin. If you weren't such a small human, and liable to fall apart at the slightest reprimand, I'd be angry with you."
Nova sighed, clasping her hands on her stomach and gazing up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry, Ratchet. I just had a rough week."
"I should say so. That means you need to be even more careful than usual. You need to take good care of yourself if you are ever out of my sight, understand? Until then, you have to do exactly as the doctor says, or he will get angry."
"Yes, Ratchet."
"And you won't get up from that bed until my diagnostics are through."
"Yes, Ratchet."
"And you won't go anywhere without telling me or Optimus."
"Yes, Mom."
Ratchet narrowed his eyes. "What was that?"
Nova suppressed a smile. "Sorry."
"'Sorry' my skidplate. Do you know how much you put us through these past few days?"
"Yes, Ratchet."
"No, you don't. I had to send Optimus on an Energon scouting mission earlier just so I could keep him from you. You may have been sleeping these past few days, but Optimus wasn't. When it counts, he can be almost as protective as I am."
"Yes, Ratchet."
"He wouldn't even recharge, because he had to watch you. Now hold still." He raised the scanner to her body. "You know what to say to that?"
"Yes, Ratchet?"
"Very good."
"After you're done, can I go out to the cliff?"
Ratchet looked at her skeptically. "What if you fall?"
She shrugged. "Never fell before."
"What if you jump?"
Nova glared at him. "Ratchet, do you really think I'm going to commit suicide?"
"It's possible. Arcee considered it once, after Cliffjumper died."
"I'm not Arcee," Nova said. "I won't jump, and even if I did, I doubt it would kill me."
"The impact of jumping off a cliff would absolutely kill you!" Ratchet narrowed his eyes at her. "And those are some famous last words. Doubting your own death."
Nova sighed. "I'll be fine. I just feel awful and I want to go up and clear my head for a few minutes, okay?"
After a minute of reflection, Ratchet shut off his scanner and put it away.
"I will allow it," he said. "But I'm going to send someone out with you."
"Oh, Ratchet—"
"No. You say 'Yes, Ratchet,' and that's it," he snapped.
"Yes, Ratchet."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Five minutes later, Nova dangled her legs high above the ground and stared into space as she sat on the edge of the cliff above the base. It was her favorite sitting place, a little ways away from Cliffjumper's rock pile, but close enough to allow conversation with it on some days.
Nova hadn't known Cliffjumper, and she did not like to tread upon Arcee's sacred ground, but some days, when she felt very sad, and if Optimus was busy, she would come out to the cliff, and she would dangle her legs, and sometimes, she would talk to the rocks. It wasn't any substitute for a real friend, but Nova preferred it to nothing. Cliffjumper was a good listener.
But today, she had nothing to say. The half-spark still felt tired, even though she'd already slept for a while, and she didn't feel like talking to anyone who wouldn't respond.
In her zoned-out state, Nova hardly noticed Bulkhead's approach until he was right next to her.
"Uh, hey," he said simply, taking a seat.
Nova broke from her trance, glanced at him, and stared out at the world again. "Hey."
"Long nap?"
Nova nodded. "You got the short straw?"
"Yeah, uh, Ratchet told me to come out here and make sure you didn't fall, or something," Bulkhead explained. "Not sure why he asked me. This is kinda Arcee's spot, you know?"
"I know," Nova said, looking over at the rocks. "She comes out here a lot."
"Don't you sit out here, too?" Bulkhead asked.
The half-spark nodded. "I come out here when I need to. Sometimes Optimus doesn't have time for me."
"Well, he's had a lot of time for you lately," Bulkhead replied, rubbing his head. "Seems like he couldn't really think of anything else. You slept for a while."
"Mm." Nova grunted, staring into space.
Bulkhead looked after her gaze, down the road that led to Jasper. "Um. Nice day, huh?"
Nova nodded.
"Uh," Bulkhead tried to think of something else to say. "Did you like Jasper when you went?"
Nova snapped back to reality. "Oh, I didn't get to see much of it. All I really saw was June's house and the school." She fell back into silence.
"Um," Bulkhead ventured, "There's a monster truck rally over there in a few days. Maybe you could ride with Miko and me; we could show you around. Miko likes the burger joint on Third Street."
"I can't," Nova replied. "Ratchet said I can't go anywhere without permission, and I doubt he would let me go back to Jasper so soon after my … um … web-based popularity."
"Yeah," Bulkhead smiled, remembering. "I heard about what happened with Vince. He's one messed up kid."
"Can't argue with you there," Nova replied, smiling back. "Did you see the video?"
"Yeah. Kinda glad Miko wasn't with you." Bulkhead nudged her teasingly. "Were you scared, or does Nova not get scared?"
"To tell you the truth, Bulkhead, in that moment, when he threw his first punch…" Nova shook her head. "I didn't really know what to do."
"You didn't?" Bulkhead asked. "I thought you had the plan to beat the bully by not beating him, or somethin'."
"Not a plan, really," Nova admitted. "I just knew I couldn't hurt anyone. That was the whole plan: don't hurt anyone. Really, I was kind of scared. I have been for a few days now."
"Oh," Bulkhead said. "Nova, I'm, uh… I'm sorry. Y'know, about your brother."
"That's okay," she sighed, and fell back onto the rock, her arms resting in the dust.
After a long silence, she whispered, "Bulkhead, do you ever think this'll end?"
Bulkhead thought for a moment.
"Well, uh, I dunno," he admitted finally. "You know I'm not a genius like Ratchet or Optimus. But my Spark tells me this war will be over someday. And when it is, let me tell you I'm gonna be the first to put down my guns and stop fighting."
Nova sighed again, a long, long sigh. "You and me both."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
That night, after Bulkhead and Nova had come back inside, Optimus still hadn't returned, and everyone was clustered around the human corner as they played the old familiar racing game that Raf always won.
"Yes!"
"Go, go, go!"
"Metal to the pedal, Miko!"
"Go, Jack, go!" Arcee cried.
"No way," Miko shouted, her thumbs working overtime as her tongue stuck out of her mouth. "Raf's scorching us!"
Suddenly, at Ratchet's monitor, an alert beeped for an incoming transmission.
"Prime!" Agent Fowler shouted through the screen. "Do you read me?!"
"I'm sorry, Agent Fowler," Ratchet said calmly, looking at the screen patiently. "Optimus isn't here at the moment."
"Then I'll take that as confirmation that he's presently trying to run me off the road!"
Nova glanced up from the game, puzzled. "What did he say?"
Ratchet shook his head. "Agent Fowler, that hardly seems likely."
"Tell that to my burning treads!"
Ratchet turned to the others. "Autobots, I've located Agent Fowler's position. We need to go rescue him from … whatever he thinks he saw."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Fowler slammed the gas pedal to the floor as he glanced frantically in his rearview mirror. The hulking semi truck cab was hot on his bumper. It was Prime all right; the huge honking Autobot symbol on the grill proved it.
The truck was coming up on him, the headlights taking up all of his vision, like two blazing suns shining into his eyes, and his whole body jerked backward as the car was rammed from behind by the big rig.
Fowler gripped the wheel, knocking his head against the dashboard as his car spun out of control. He realized dimly that he was running off the road before a horrible crash lurched him forward. The seatbelt bit into his arm as he found himself staring out the windshield glass into the abyss that lay under the bridge.
I'm on a bridge? Sweet Mother of Teddy Roosevelt, I'm on a bridge! I'm gonna fall!
He put the car in reverse, trying to back away from the edge his car was already teetering on. The wheels, lifted from the ground, spun and spun without any purchase.
"Come on, come on!" Fowler growled, revving the engine again and again. But it was no use. The car was not going anywhere.
Glaring headlights reflected off his rearview. Fowler looked behind him, to the truck that had already driven up close behind him in the rubble of the divider. It inched ever closer, the lights growing brighter and brighter.
"Prime, no!" Fowler whispered, thinking this was the end. He was going to be pushed off the road by a sentient robot he'd trusted with his life only two days ago.
The truck pushed him closer, teasing the agent with death. Fowler's eyes bugged out. Prime wouldn't do this!
Would he?
The car slipped. Fowler's heart leapt into his mouth.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
As Bumblebee raced towards the bridge, and the endangered US officer, Arcee peered suspiciously at the semi truck before them.
"Looks like Optimus," Bulkhead said hesitantly, as the truck, suddenly aware of their approach, turned tail and drove in the opposite direction.
"Primes don't run," Arcee said. She transformed and took off after the fleeing truck, her little engine revving. She was determined to catch this bot, whoever he was.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Just when gravity took hold, just when the vehicle fell over the edge, Fowler's car jerked to a sudden stop, suspended in midair. It dangled from Bumblebee's hand. The scout had a firm grip on the rear fender, the metal crumpling in his fingers.
But the fender didn't have a firm grip on the car.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
And then he was falling. And falling. And screaming in terror.
As the fatal ground rushed up to meet him, Fowler was dimly aware of a huge green shape hurtling past his car — somehow it was faster than his falling vehicle — and it reached the ground first. The next thing Fowler knew, the whole car was jarred again with the impact of landing squarely in Bulkhead's stocky arms. The US agent expected to find his spine to be snapped in several places.
Bulkhead peered in through the driver window. "You all right in there?"
"At ease, soldier," Fowler wheezed, before the airbag exploded in his face.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The truck turned into a darkened lot in a labyrinth of warehouses, and disappeared just before Arcee could reach it.
Determined, she turned into the entrance of the abandoned facility, her little headlight gleaming, and swept her gaze across the lonely flat. Her engine hummed quietly as she searched. There seemed to be nothing here, but she was sure she had seen —
Suddenly, glaring headlights overtook her vision as a shuddering impact jarred her frame and plunged her into darkness.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"What happened out there?" Nova asked as Ratchet propped Arcee up in the examination pod.
"I dunno," Bulkhead replied, and Bumblebee shrugged. "After we sent Fowler through the Groundbridge, we went lookin' and found her like that, passed out."
Bumblebee made a beeping sound and pretended to swoon, falling into Bulkhead.
"But who was pushing Fowler over the bridge?" Nova asked.
Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked at each other.
"Well," Bulkhead said hesitantly. "It, uh, it looked like Optimus."
Bumblebee nodded.
Nova shook her head. "That's impossible. Optimus wouldn't do that. Where's Agent Fowler? I want to ask him."
"He's not in a mood to talk to any of us right now," Ratchet said. "We'll find out once he comes out of his room. In the meanwhile, I'd like to attempt to revive Arcee without any further distractions!"
Bulkhead and Bee murmured their apologies, and Nova shut her mouth. But something about this made her suspicious. This wasn't something Optimus would do. But he hadn't come back yet…
"No," she said to herself. "No. Even when Optimus thought he was a Decepticon, he didn't do anything like this."
Meanwhile, the kids and Fowler had reappeared on the railing.
"Have you figured out the Prime problem yet, smart-guy?" Fowler demanded.
"Agent Fowler, we aren't even sure it was Optimus who is responsible for any of this," Ratchet said.
"But Agent Fowler's sure it was him," Raf said. "I mean, how many big rigs with an Autobot symbol are out there?"
"I find it extremely difficult to believe Optimus Prime would do anything remotely related to the things he's been accused of tonight," Ratchet snapped in response. "We'll know for sure when Arcee wakes up. If you would kindly remain silent, she's coming to."
Sure enough, the two-wheeler was opening her eyes with a groan.
"That's it. Follow the light," Ratchet said, holding up his optic-coordination flashlight to her face.
At the sight of the glowing light, Arcee started awake. "What?" Fear leaped into her eyes before she looked around and realized where she was.
Relieved, she recovered, and placed a hand to her forehead wearily. "Not the best choice of words, Ratchet."
"Arcee, are you alright?" Jack asked in concern.
She nodded, staring vacantly at the ground. "Sure. Except for being blindsided by … Optimus."
"Didn't I tell you?!" Fowler demanded.
Ratchet shook his head. "Impossible."
"I'm only reporting what I saw," Arcee said quietly.
"Why would Optimus try to knock off Agent Fowler?" Jack asked.
"Thank you, Jack," Nova said, throwing up her hands. "Optimus doesn't do that kind of thing."
"Maybe Optimus thinks he's a Decepticon all over again," Raf ventured.
Miko raised a finger as if a sudden realization had come to her. "Or… he's been faking being a good guy all this time!"
"If Prime has gone off the rails, for any reason," Agent Fowler said gravely. "We have a serious problem."
"But he wasn't out there! He's scouting for Energon," Nova said, looking up at Ratchet. "Isn't that what you told me?"
"Optimus hasn't reported in for hours," Arcee said. "Who's to say that's what he was really doing?"
Nova glared at her. "Now, wait just a—"
"This is absurd," Ratchet scoffed, turning towards the computer. "A quick check for Optimus' signal will reveal that he's nowhere near the location of tonight's incident."
He pulled up Optimus' location on the screen.
"In fact," he continued evenly, turning to the drive-in hallway. "He's just returning now."
They all watched, attentively, as Optimus' familiar engine came rumbling through the tunnel and he drove steadily into the middle of the base, transforming before them. Nova could feel the apprehension vibrating off of everyone as the tall Autobot leader approached them, his steps as steady and firm as ever.
He looked at Nova, and then at the tense fright in the eyes of the others.
"Is something wrong?" Optimus asked.
"We were just…" Arcee looked at Bulkhead. "Wondering where you've been."
"We… haven't been able to reach you," Bulkhead added.
Optimus nodded deferentially. "I have been outside of our communication range…" he said, and reached for something in his hip compartment.
Instantly, everyone was on guard, weapons bristling. Except for Nova.
"Whoa!" Arcee said.
Bulkhead armed his guns. "Easy!"
Fowler flung a protective arm in front of the children.
Ratchet just stood there, looking around at all of them.
Optimus raised a hand in a placating gesture. "…In a subterranean Energon deposit," he finished, showing them the large blue crystal he had obtained.
Nova crossed her arms over her chest and grinned up at Fowler triumphantly.
Bulkhead and Arcee exchanged another glance, unsure.
"Come on, it's our guy," Jack said. "Can't you tell?"
There was another tense moment, before the Autobots put up their guns and stood down.
"We're … sorry," Arcee offered after a minute.
A rather bewildered look remained on their leader's face, until Agent Fowler stepped in.
"Don't blame them, Prime," he said, placing his hands on the railing. "I was attacked earlier tonight, on the open highway by a big rig … one that bore a striking resemblance to you."
Optimus' frown deepened. "A Decepticon?"
"Not sure," Arcee said. "But it had a pretty prominent Bot sigil on the grill, just like you."
"I … see," Optimus replied. "And you thought it was me."
"No," Bulkhead denied, laughing it off. "Not really! Course we didn't!"
"We just weren't sure," Arcee said honestly.
"Whatever the vehicle's origin, we must find a way to stop this impostor," Optimus said. "By any means necessary."
"Who knows what other havoc it may wreak in Optimus' name," Ratchet agreed.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Jeremy Wilson stared out the dirt-crusted window of his little security guard booth, his gaze roaming over the dusted plains surrounding the Alden military base, doing his job. It got a little boring sometimes, but Jeremy was a man of discipline. He had been assigned here for almost a month now, and it was much better than the assignment he'd had before. Being a security guard for this base, in the exact middle of nowhere, meant that nothing ever happened. Military determination aside, Jeremy really was looking forward to the next guard who would relieve his shift. He looked at his watch.
Three hours left.
He sighed. It would be a long wait, but he set his jaw and looked resolutely out at the dust and sand beyond. The little grey road that ran into the base barely had visible yellow lines on it; cracked in several places, it sometimes barely passed for a road, but in these places, nondescript and unassuming was best. It would not do to attract unnecessary attention. This base might not have the popularity of other US bases which were the subject of conspiracy theorists, but it still required secrecy, and the more Area 51 stole the spotlight and drew attention away from Alden, the better.
"Speaking of attention," Wilson muttered, peering down the wobbling road, "What in the Sam Hill is that?"
A big rig; dark red in color, with rusted silver smokestacks, was barreling down the grey pavement at full speed toward the base, kicking up dust behind it.
Jeremy leapt out of his booth and stood before the yellow bar at the entrance to the base, holding up his hand in a warning. "Halt!"
The truck sped closer, paying no heed to the human in its way. Jeremy leaped out of the truck's path as the unidentified vehicle blasted through the yellow pole and into the base, screeching and squealing as it crashed into every helicopter and aerial object on the ground.
Yelling some hurried details into his radio, Jeremy joined a few others in his squad as they marched to the base, ducking behind a downed helicopter as they prepared to apprehend the truck.
"THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA," their commander barked through his megaphone as the truck came to a stop. "EXIT THE VEHICLE, OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE."
Wilson and Gibson ventured forward and flung open the driver's side door, thrusting their guns forward in preparation for an attack.
But there came none, for there was no one inside.
The shock the soldiers experienced quickly gave way to fear as the truck's outer plating split apart and slowly reformed with a whrr-tchz-tchz-tchz-chk into a giant robot, towering thirty feet above them, and it stared down at them coldly.
Jeremy held onto his helmet, his mouth agape as he stared up and up and up at the giant.
It began to speak, in a loud, booming voice, reverberating through the whole base as it glowered down at them with dull yellow eyes.
"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots," it said, forming a huge blaster over its right hand, "And I bring you this message."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"It has to be MECH," Nova said. "Silas is responsible, I know it. This is Project Chimera. This is what I've heard them talk about."
"We do not know for certain that MECH is responsible," Optimus said.
"We don't know for certain they aren't," Ratchet retorted. "This is just the kind of thing they would do."
"But wouldn't they be doing more with their tech than just making a red truck and trying to bump off Agent Fowler?" Raf asked. "They have the potential to do so much more. Why would they do something so … so …"
"Lame," Miko finished. "Really, really lame."
"I — I don't know," Nova said, putting a hand to her head. "But think about it. This wasn't some angry trucker looking to do jail time. This person knew Optimus' specific color scheme, they knew about the Autobot symbol, and they knew where to find Agent Fowler."
"So do the Decepticons," Raf pointed out.
"But wouldn't the Decepticons order an air strike, or try to infiltrate our base, or something?" Nova asked. "They wouldn't try to commit a traffic violation."
"They might," Bulkhead replied. "They tried to clone Wheeljack before, and send a phony to the base."
"But the 'Cons know we won't fall for that again," Arcee said. "Besides, the clone was Starscream's idea. Subtlety isn't Megatron's thing."
"That's right, and besides, we already have the real Optimus," Nova said, pointing to her guardian. "Whoever's driving that truck isn't trying to fool us. Someone's targeting the humans. The Decepticons are different. They would try to target you directly, but this truck has just been running away at the first sign of conflict. MECH runs away. Believe me, I know. This is Project Chimera. This is the end result of the plans and blueprints I saw."
There was a silence as they mulled over Nova's words.
"I guess we can't know that for sure until we have further proof," Jack said.
Ratchet snorted. "Hmph. Not that I don't believe it."
"But we already know," Nova said in exasperation. "Look, I'll prove it to you. If it really is MECH behind that truck, then it'll attack a military base at some point."
"Why would they do that?" Raf asked.
"Yeah," Miko said. "It's only a truck. What's a big rig gonna do against a tank?"
Nova thought for a minute. "Silas isn't stupid. If he wanted to frame Optimus, he'd have the means to do it."
"Are you saying they actually built a robot version of Optimus?" Arcee scoffed. "That's impossible."
"Not much is impossible for Silas," Nova said. "If he's gone this far with a simple truck, he will go further. He's planned this out."
"If the military already knows about Optimus, there's no reason to attack them," Arcee said.
"Yes, there is," Nova said. "Think about it. Agent Fowler is the only United States agent who is in constant contact with Optimus. MECH just tried to kill him, to get rid of our one human advocate. With him out of the way, there would be no one who could stick up for Optimus."
"But they didn't kill Fowler," Jack pointed out. "There's no way they'll fall for a fake if Fowler can sort it out."
"Now, hold on, kid," Fowler said. "I'm good, but I'm not that good. Nova's right. If the truck starts destroying government property, the Pentagon won't care what I say. The military responds to threats, and this truck is becoming one."
"MECH's way to world dominance is to destroy all who oppose them," Nova agreed. "And Silas has a sort of … personal grudge against the US. He's going to attack their military first, but he's going to do it discreetly. This truck will just be a way for him to get the robotic aliens blamed for the attack, so he can do his real work in the shadows."
"Oh, I get it," Miko said confidently. "This is how every action movie goes."
"Yeah," Raf agreed. "The fake Optimus will destroy the military infrastructure, and then Silas will come in with his robot supersoldiers, ready to save the day. Then he'll pull the wool over everyone's eyes, and conquer the world after the governments buy into his "world protection" plan."
"If he can make the world afraid of Optimus; Silas will conquer nations overnight," Nova said.
"Hold everything," Fowler said, pulling out a ringing phone. "I'm gettin' a call."
He flipped it open and put it to his ear. "Fowler."
The next instant, he throttled the air in an involuntary response to what he heard. "What?! That's not possible." He turned to look at Optimus. "I can tell you as sure as there are fifty stars on my star-spangled shorts, it isn't him!"
Within another few seconds, Fowler shut the phone and came back to the railing, glancing at Nova briefly.
"Alden military base is under attack," he announced. "By Optimus Prime."
"The truck?" Jack asked.
Fowler looked at Optimus. "The 'Bot."
A grave look came into Optimus' eyes.
"We've gotta go!" Bulkhead said, running to the Groundbridge entrance.
"Ratchet, bridge us there," Optimus ordered, sliding his battle mask on as the others gathered at the portal tunnel. "We must defend the military base."
"With pleasure," Nova growled, marching forward.
"Not you, Nova," Optimus denied. "Remain here."
"But I—"
"Nova," Optimus said firmly. "You are to remain at base until further notice. I will explain later."
From the way he looked at her, Nova knew she had no choice but to obey.
She set her jaw and swallowed her protest. "Yes, sir."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
A plume of fire exploded on Jeremy's right, knocking him to the cement, but he righted himself again and lifted his automatic weapon to his shoulder, targeting the huge robot — truck? — who advanced out of the smoke toward them.
The voice of his commander cried out between explosions, "Fire! Fire!"
So Jeremy did. So did everyone else around him, but it had no effect on their assailant. The robot kept advancing, blasting into them with that awful gun on its arm, destroying everything in its path. Ruthlessly. Coldly. In all his years of service, Jeremy had never before faced an enemy like this.
The soldier gritted his teeth and stood his ground, readying his weapon to fire again, but before he could pull the trigger, a green swirling plume appeared out of thin air, giving way to three other robot monsters who stomped into view. They were more brightly colored than the first intruder, but Jeremy was far past caring what they looked like. Their glowing arm-mounted weapons were enough evidence that they were dangerous.
As soon as the rusty ground-pounder saw what had come out of the portal, it transformed and sped away, churning up dust, but Jeremy had no idea where it went. The new robots captured all of his panicked attention.
There's more of them? How can there be more of them?!
"There!" Jeremy heard a voice bark in his radio. "They've brought reinforcements! Resume fire!"
Streaking missiles from helicopters and dozens of bullets peppered the air, including Jeremy's own, but the robots, though their weapons were readied, did nothing. All he knew was that the big red robot was saying something about falling back, and the four of them jumped back into the portal just as the last missile was fired and it exploded —
And that was it. They disappeared with the smoke.
Jeremy got shakily to his feet and coughed through the smoke, brushing off his combat uniform. This was not a good day.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Agent Fowler paced back and forth, the flip phone glued to his ear as he debated with his superior. "No, General Bryce. Optimus Prime did not attack our boys."
He put a hand to his hip as he stared at the floor, listening to the angered response. "…Because I was with Prime when I received the alert!"
Nova held onto Optimus' leg as the entire base listened to Fowler's report. This was going to be bad. She felt that sinking feeling in her gut that told her something horrible was about to happen, and she knew exactly who was responsible for it.
"Yes, sir, the Autobots were at your base, but only in response to the initial attack," Fowler said. A moment passed as he listened to Bryce yelling on the other end. A pleading look came into his face as he protested, "But sir, I—"
His shoulders slumped a little in resignation as Bryce interrupted him with a string of loud denials.
"Yes, sir. I understand," Fowler said finally.
He flipped the phone shut.
"So what's the damage?" Jack asked. Nova already guessed what it was. Optimus must have felt her fingers gripping his tire treads, because he leant down to pick her up and put her on his shoulder. At least now she could see better, but the words she heard next still hurt.
Fowler set his shoulders. "All military personnel are under strict orders to destroy any and all Bots on sight."
"Are you kidding?!" Jack asked.
Raf stammered out a protest. "But th-they're innocent!"
"Optimus was framed!" Miko cried.
"Though unfortunate," Optimus said firmly, his voice ringing out above their protests. "This military order changes nothing. Our imposter clearly poses a grave threat to humanity."
"A thirty-foot-tall transforming imposter," Fowler reminded them.
"It's just what I was afraid of," Nova said, burying her face in her hands.
Ratchet turned to Optimus and the girl. "They finally did it. Those butchers managed to crack the code."
Nova thought it. Optimus said it.
"MECH."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The rust-colored, dull red truck rumbled along the cement tunnel, driving up the path and parking in the middle of a dark hangar, its brakes squeaking a little. In a chair surrounded by orange, glowing light screens sat the scarred embodiment of Nova's trauma, Silas himself.
He operated the joysticks for his remote-controlled vehicle with as much grace and ease as an 80's teen at an arcade store, his smooth, cold face showing only the slightest of smiles as his creation rolled into the hangar and eased to a stop, transforming into the visage of Optimus Prime himself.
Another agent came up behind the control chair, his black goggles glinting in the dim light. "Sir, any parallax or latency issues?"
Silas leaned back in his chair, studying the screen for a moment, then stood up.
"The telepresence interface performed flawlessly," he said, with another uncommon smile. "In vehicular and robot mode."
He turned to his subordinate. "Anything to report?"
"We've received an update from the field," the agent said, handing him a clipboard. "Apparently the tracking device on the Omega Centurion has been deactivated."
Silas took the clipboard calmly. "The Centurion has been terminated?"
"Yes, sir."
The leader of MECH surveyed the papers briefly and handed it back. "Who was responsible?"
"Subject Alpha, sir. The traitor."
"Unexpected. She is becoming bolder," Silas said. "It is only a matter of time before they discover us. Fortify the silo. No one gets in or out until the operation has been completed."
"Yes, sir."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Well, that was an epic disaster," Arcee said as she stepped back into the base.
"Did you trash him, Bulk?!" Miko demanded, gripping the railing excitedly.
"I didn't even get to touch him," Bulkhead replied, shaking his head. "He disappeared right when we showed up."
"Did he look like Optimus?" Jack asked.
"Couldn't tell," replied Arcee. "He turned and ran too fast for us to see anything but his taillights."
"That phony son of a scraplet," Miko growled. Bumblebee buzzed in agreement.
"Language, Miko," Ratchet said gruffly.
"Why didn't you let me go?" Nova asked, trotting beside Optimus' heel as they exited the Groundbridge. "I could have helped."
"No, Nova," Optimus replied, looking down at her. "If you had joined us, you would only have been harmed. This impostor was no unbalanced drone. It was fully autonomous and fluid in its movements, and … it was targeting humans."
"What do you mean?" Nova asked.
Optimus looked at the floor for an instant. "The impostor's interest was not in destroying military weapons or supplies. It specifically wished to harm the soldiers. If you had been there, as a traitor to Silas' cause, he would likely have fixated on you."
Nova thought for a minute. "You're saying he's trying to draw me out."
"I believe that is his intent, among other things." Optimus turned to join the others. "Until this impostor is defeated, you will not be allowed to leave the base unless you have my express permission to do so. Do you understand?"
Nova stared up at him silently, but there was a certain gleam in her eyes that the Prime knew well. The look in her face showed that she had already made a decision, and had no intention of abandoning it, even for him.
"I am well aware of the destruction Silas has wreaked upon your family," Optimus said. "And I know you wish to bring him to justice. However, he remains a clear and present danger to you, Nova, and as such, I cannot allow you to face him alone. To do so would be to violate one of the most important values we Autobots cherish," he continued, bending down to her. "To protect life."
Nova looked at the floor.
He lifted her chin with his finger. "To protect you."
A moment passed.
"Yes, sir," she said curtly, looking into his eyes. The light had not left. Optimus knew neither he nor any force in the universe could stop her, now.
"Do not confront Silas unless there is dire need," he said. "That is an order."
"Yes, sir."
He searched her eyes. "Do I have your word?"
At this, Nova's gaze seemed to soften, and she responded sincerely. "Yes, sir."
He nodded at her, assured of her promise, and they walked together to the computer, where everyone else was gathered.
"MECH abducted Breakdown," Ratchet was saying, laying out the facts for everyone who hadn't caught up. "And by all indications, dismantled him from cranial chamber to heel strut."
"I was there," Bulkhead agreed, looking at Nova. "Remember that?"
"Painfully," she replied.
"And we know that, more recently, they obtained Starscream's T-cog," Ratchet continued.
"Which they evidently installed in a knockoff of you," Arcee said, gesturing to Optimus.
Ratchet nodded. "—which, in turn, scanned an appropriate vehicle form…"
"Fill the tank with Energon," Jack added.
"And say hello to Nemesis Prime!" Miko finished with a flourish.
Nemesis Prime, Nova thought. That's what Silas is sending after my friends.
She folded her arms over her chest and thought to herself, This has got to stop. I don't want to disobey Optimus, but someone has to find Silas and take him out. He can't be allowed to kill anyone else.
Her mind responded with a pertinent question.
Are you ready to take the life of another human being?
She pondered this for a moment, imagining herself finding Silas and destroying him for everything he had ever done. She thought of Coby's madness, and of the screams she had heard when Silas had killed her mother and father, and she thought of the fear she saw in Vince's eyes and in the eyes of any human who saw her for what she was. A monster. An alien that did not belong. And it was all because of one Colonel Leland Bishop.
Yes, she thought. I am ready.
Ratchet had just finished explaining that MECH did not have the technological capability to make a working Groundbridge, so their base must be within driving distance of the two incidents carried out that day.
"Well, then, what're we waiting for?" Fowler demanded, punching his fist into his hand. "Let's get out there and mash MECH's little science project."
"Agent Fowler," Optimus said sternly, "I do not think it advisable to put yourself in harm's way of MECH's robot again."
"Well, I'm not sure it's advisable for Bots to be running recon with the military out there gunning for you," Fowler fired back.
Optimus looked down at him. "We will maintain vehicular cover until absolutely necessary."
Ratchet keyed in four separate coordinates near the areas of the robot's attacks, and opened the Groundbridge.
"Who wants to go first?" he asked. "I'm sure you're all eager to get scrapped by an Optimus lookalike."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Nothing but tumbleweeds," Bulkhead reported in a few hours later. The sun had set, the moon had risen, and there was no sign of MECH's base anywhere. For once, even Nova had no idea where it was.
"Just a whole lotta empty," Arcee said over the channel.
She rested her chin grumpily on her hand as she stood by the railing, watching the monitors on the screen. Optimus had ordered her to stay behind again, and she had to sit and watch with all the other humans as the Autobots combed the area for the location of their target.
A few minutes later, Bumblebee commed in from his position. He had found something. It seemed to be an abandoned network of silos.
I'm gonna check it out, he beeped. I think this is it.
"Bumblebee, proceed with utmost caution," Optimus said over the link. "Reconnaissance only. We will rendezvous at your coordinates."
Nova lifted her head. "Do you think they found it?"
"It appears to be the only viable location so far," Ratchet said. "Certainly big enough to hide a machine as big as Optimus."
"He might need help," the half-spark suggested.
"Absolutely not!" Ratchet retorted sharply. "You remember what Optimus said. We have no idea what is waiting for us there. I will not bridge you into the middle of a dangerous situation with no way of knowing what you're walking into."
"Ooh, busted!" Miko said next to her.
Nova sighed. This was going to be a long wait.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The computer monitor identified the yellow Camaro as it drove through the dust-paved roads, tracking its progress. The MECH intelligence agents had a file on every Cybertronian they had encountered, but even they had not expected an appearance so soon.
"The Autobots are persistent," Silas said, sitting in the controller chair and grabbing the joystick. "Time to meet their match."
Nearby, the towering robot they had constructed jerked in response to its master's command, the yellow eyes flickering to life.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Bumblebee transformed and stepped warily through the abandoned buildings, his glowing blue eyes scanning the darkness around him as he approached. His movements were fluid, ready for action, but his gaze was sharp, and intently wary of anything that stirred.
Step by step, he moved forward, his eyes sweeping back and forth as he searched ahead of him silently. He was a scout. He knew what he was doing. But for some reason, he felt more exposed and vulnerable than he had in a long time. A bad feeling started to creep into his circuits.
"Bumblebee."
He whipped around and readied his blasters, prepared for whatever might come out of the darkness.
A clunking noise of a large bot met his receptors, and he saw two eyes glowing in the shadows as the voice came again.
"Be on your guard," it said. "My double could be anywhere."
It sounded just like Optimus.
Bumblebee beeped out a hesitant question, lowering his guns slightly.
A pause.
The voice said, "I'm sorry. What?"
That thing was not Optimus. Optimus always understood what he said.
Bumblebee raised his weapons and let lasers fly into the darkness. The dark shape dodged his shots and lumbered over to him, slamming Bumblebee over the head despite the yellow scout's blows to his side and chest.
Before Bumblebee could retreat, the impostor slammed a foot into his chest, and the powerful impact sent him flying. As his body hit the ground, the scout tried to get up, but his systems had been disoriented, and he fell back and knew no more.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Bumblebee?" Optimus called through the commlink, with Bulkhead and Arcee by his side. "Do you read?"
His effort to hail their scout elicited nothing but static as they approached the darkened buildings of the silo.
Arcee drew her guns. "Fan out?"
The two mechs activated their weapons as well, and split up into three directions as Optimus gave them a final warning.
"And beware of anything that might resemble me."
No warning could prepare them for the attacks that followed, or the machine which managed to deplete Optimus of both his remaining soldiers, leaving only one left.
But the impostor did not kill the Autobots in the darkness. Silas wanted Optimus alone, and he was not going to waste time with mere associates.
It was time for man and machine to challenge the Prime of Cybertron.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"If I can isolate the control frequency of the remote link that Silas is employing," explained Ratchet from his computer, "I should be able to pinpoint his exact position."
"Remote link?" Raf asked from the railing.
Ratchet looked at him. "You didn't think MECH possessed the ability to build a completely autonomous robot, did you?"
Miko grinned. "I was hoping Silas would be operating the bot from inside, because one punch from Bulkhead and booyah! Ughelayh!" She acted out the scenario which ended with the "bot" falling to the floor in its death throes.
"Aha!" Ratchet exclaimed, staring at his monitor. "Frequency isolated."
Agent Fowler pointed at the tunnel firmly. "Then reopen that bridge."
Nova looked at him from where she stood next to Jack. He wanted to go?
Apparently, Ratchet shared her doubts. "Agent Fowler, did you not hear Optimus advise against your involvement? It's for your own safety."
"Look, Doc," Agent Fowler said. "I don't plan on dancin' with any Bots, but there's a human element in play here. And in case you haven't noticed, I happen to be a highly trained, government-grade human."
"Yeah," Miko agreed brightly. "Plus, Cylas tried to run him off the road." She shrugged. "It's personal."
Ratchet looked at Nova. "You're awfully quiet."
"What do you expect me to say?" Nova replied. "You already know I'm going."
Ratchet sighed. "Well, considering what is at risk here, and considering the amount of human security that base will undoubtedly have, I do not think Agent Fowler should be allowed to go alone."
"And Optimus did say you could fight if there was an urgent need," Jack reminded her.
"I know what he said," Nova said, perhaps a little irritably. "You heard the agent, Ratchet. Open the bridge."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The moon was high in the night sky, gazing down at the Prime as he locked his gun on his forearm and prepared for a confrontation. No one had reported back for several minutes, and there was no sign of movement anywhere, human or otherwise. Had it not been for the tangible apprehension Optimus felt, the scene could have passed for a peaceful night.
He advanced forward, passing one silo after another, his footsteps clanking gently in the quiet, until he turned a corner, and saw his opponent.
The impostor, legs wide and in a defensive stance, was directly before him, staring at him with emotionless, cold eyes.
"Optimus Prime," it said, the voice unmistakably that of a human, "We meet again."
The Prime loaded his gun and leveled it at the impostor's head. "The deception ends here, Silas."
"Does it?"
Nemesis Prime charged forward, flipping out a gun similar to Optimus' own and firing a shot, which the true Prime dodged and returned with a few of his own, crossing the few steps until he was at a distance at which his fists would suffice as his primary weapons of choice.
The confrontation had begun.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Green and purple swirling into white light bloomed in the darkness, and two human bodies emerged from the brightness to land on the concrete with soft noises.
As the dizzying portal faded away, Agent Fowler held his stomach with one hand and covered his mouth with the other.
"Ugh," he groaned.
"You all right?" Nova asked.
"I think I'm gonna toss the breakfast I ate back in flight school," he replied, recovering.
A sharp clang drew their gaze immediately to their right, where the shadowed shapes of two massive Cybertronians could be seen grappling with one another.
"There they are," Nova said.
A cellphone chime rang from Fowler's pocket, and he flipped open his device to listen to Ratchet's instructions as Nova watched the struggle beyond.
"Agent Fowler, the control frequency is transmitting from a structure one hundred meters due north."
The US agent looked to the left, and spotted the building. "Copy that," he said, flipping the phone shut and sliding it back into his pocket.
Nova was still watching the fight.
"I think Optimus is going to beat him," she said. "But it's so dark out here, it's hard to tell which is which."
"C'mon kid," he said, looking over his shoulder at her. "Prime can take care of himself. We're here on a different mission." He pointed at the large, rounded building north of their position. "That's our target. Stay close."
Nova nodded, and formed her armor over her body. "Yes, sir."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The swords clashed loudly in the night air as the two opponents swung at each other, straining against the other's blows until Optimus swept his sword away and slammed his foot into Nemesis' chest, sending the robot flying into the nearest building, which went up in instant fire and smoke.
Holding his hands in front of his face, Optimus plunged into the burning wreckage in pursuit of his adversary. The explosion plumed in the dark sky and attracted the attention of a MECH agent standing on the balcony of the control building. He lifted his night vision binoculars to better see the results of the fight, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
He turned around, and was knocked senseless by one punch from Agent Fowler's fist.
The soldier disposed of, Fowler turned to see Nova coming around the corner before him.
"That's all of them on the outside," she said, glancing down at the fiery debris left from the building.
Fowler looked askance at her. "Did you kill anyone?"
"No." Nova looked at him steadily. "Not yet."
"Then come on," he said, making his way to the door. "Let's take this to the head honcho."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Nemesis Prime landed another punch on the Prime's jaw, and sent a flying kick to his chest, landing blow after forceful blow. He moved almost too fast for human eyes to comprehend, and he seemed to be gaining the advantage over his Cybertronian opponent.
"My robot chassis possess all your strength, speed … and firepower," Silas boasted, activating the robot's guns as he flung Optimus away. He let lasers fly at the Prime, but his opponent charged right between his blasts and leapt at him. Effortlessly, Nemesis used his momentum and launched the Prime several meters away, still standing in his defensive position.
"Add my extensive combat training," Silas continued, "And MECH has clearly achieved the perfect meld of man and machine."
The Prime said nothing, getting to his feet and pummeling the robot with all he had.
Silas, from the view of his monitors, could see every tactical decision, every physical weakness of the Prime, and he exploited them for all they were worth as he controlled the robot, but once the Cybertronian's physical skills became too overwhelming, the MECH commander steered his robot away, falling back and climbing up a ladder of the very building in which his control chair sat, the blaster fire of the Prime hot on his heels. Optimus gave chase, mounting the ladder and pursuing Nemesis to the top of the silo a few seconds behind.
Atop the roof, the two opponents faced each other on higher ground. Silas flung out one of his hand mounted swords; Optimus did the same, and they collided again, slicing and sweeping the blades at the speed of sound as one tried to gain the advantage over the other.
Quickly, Nemesis brought down his sword toward Optimus' head with a heavy blow, and Optimus blocked it, the two of them straining against each other, the metal creaking and groaning. Optimus brought his enemy's sword down to the side and flung it away, raising his arm again for another stroke.
Taking advantage of his enemy's exposed side, Nemesis swept down his sword, seized his opponent by the shoulder, and drove his blade into Optimus' torso.
In that splintered second, the Prime let out a strangled groan, and his eyes sprang wide above his mask in sudden pain as Silas held him steady on the hilt of his sword.
"But the key difference between you and me?" he asked, his head almost touching the Prime's audio receptor. "My body can't feel pain."
He thrust the sword deeper, and twisted.
This time, Optimus let out a cry, and fell to his knees as Silas stood above him, the Energon staining the metal of his weapon.
"This is just the beginning," he said, his voice laced with venom. "Imagine an army of transforming robots."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Sitting in the chair, Silas smiled to himself as he saw the Prime, beaten and forced to his knees by himself; a mere human. He raised his robot's sword for the final blow.
"No one will stand against the newly rebooted MECH," he said.
"Think again, Si."
Silas got up from his chair, whirling around.
"Agent Fowler," he said, recognizing the US agent surrounded by dozens of unconscious MECH soldiers. "In the flesh at last."
His gaze darted to Nova, who had just fallen to her knees in a reflection of the pain that Optimus was going through. "And you brought the traitor. I must admit, I was not expecting you so soon."
Nova gasped in pain, curling over her wound in agony. Agent Fowler, seeing that he was on his own, punched one fist into his hand and made a beckoning gesture, his mouth cocked in a confident smirk. "I'm pullin' the plug on your video game!"
They charged at each other, but nearby, Nova watched, her hand pressed over her aching side. The pain throbbed in her ribs, and a sudden small voice, unbidden and unnoticed, began to whisper in her mind.
This is it, the voice murmured. This is your chance.
Kill him.
The blue-edged sword began inching out of her wrist, and her eyes filled with horrible wrath.
Kill him. He has done so much to hurt you! You have a chance to make things right. To pay him back for all he did to you. To Coby.
She struggled to her feet, and got up off the floor. Her rage began to grow.
He deserves death. Kill him.
The blade inched out a little more.
He will pay. I will kill him.
Kill him!
She moved a half-step forward, as if drawn by a string.
No, Nova.
The sudden thought, like a beam of light in a deep cave, seized ahold of her and brought her forcibly to her senses. Her eyes widened, the rage disappeared from her face, and she wobbled. Shaking, she looked down at the sword she had formed, and was about to put it away, when her gaze suddenly fell on the control chair.
"Don't give in, Nova." She sucked in a breath, ignoring the pain in her side, and flung out her other sword. "You have a job to do."
A few feet away, Fowler leapt at Silas, who dodged his initial attack and floored him with a well-placed blow on his back. A little winded, Fowler got up from the floor, shocked at the fighting style he experienced.
"Ex-military?" he asked in astonishment.
"Special tactics," Silas rejoined, his fists clenched before his face as he charged again. "You?"
Agent Fowler stepped away from his punch and delivered a blow to Silas' gut, then his neck, then finished off with a hard right hook to the side of his jaw.
"Army Rangers," he said proudly.
"Retired, clearly," Silas smirked, amused at Fowler's unbalanced stance.
Fowler took a breath, and looked at him.
"I may be outta shape, but I don't need to bust you up," he said, swinging again. This time, Silas dodged his blow effortlessly and kicked him in the chest, sending Fowler to the floor.
A half-dozen more MECH soldiers approached, holding a weakened Nova securely between their electric prods as three others stood above the defeated agent, who raised his head, and wiped his mouth.
"I just need to buy Prime a little time," Fowler smiled.
A horrified look came over Silas' face as he recalled his forgotten robot, and he darted over to the control chair in a panic. The Prime had recovered somewhat from his stab wound, and had stumbled to his feet when the robot had made no move to finish him.
Silas sprang forward and slammed down the joystick just as the Prime's fist struck, just barely blocking his attack, but it was too late. The Prime rained down blows on the impostor, one after the other, so fast that Silas could no longer keep up.
"No," he muttered, pressing every button, moving every lever. "No, no no!" He tried to press the pedals to move, to transform, but what was his surprise to find that his monitor had been sliced open by a certain laser-edged bioweapon. The smoldering streak went right through the casing and cables, and sparks flew onto the concrete floor as he struggled with his machine. Nova Makutan smiled.
It was then that Optimus Prime leapt into the air, his fists clenched above his head in a stark silhouette against the moon, and came down on top of the robot with all the force of a falling semi, slamming into the roof.
Nova jumped into action and lashed out at the MECH agents, shoving them away, grabbing Agent Fowler by the arm and hauling him to his feet.
"We have to get out of here!"
They dashed away from the center of the building a split second before the roof caved in.
Seeing the machine he had constructed plunging down above him, Silas flung his arm over his head and cried out in terror.
"No, no, NO!"
The impact of the robot sent a cloud of dust and debris blasting into the building, and Agent Fowler raised an arm to protect his face. "Whoa!"
In less than a minute, the dust settled, the debris clanked to a final stop, and the robot fell still, its golden eyes flickering out.
As she regained her balance and swept the dust from her visor, Nova stared at the impostor's face.
That monster looked far too much like Silas. Even in death, it wore an expression of calculating, ruthless brutality, as cold as ice. Optimus didn't look like that.
"Agent Fowler?" Optimus' voice echoed down into the building.
Nova looked up. Fowler tensed in sudden apprehension like a child who had been caught swiping cookies.
The agent smiled, about to give an explanation, but the noise of distant helicopters suddenly met their ears. Optimus raised up a little and glanced at the night sky, staring warily out at the approaching military aircraft.
"That'd be our boys," Fowler reassured him, folding his arms. "I'd advise you to get back to base, Prime. I'll handle Uncle Sam."
Optimus gave him a slight smile of gratitude.
"That goes for you too," Fowler continued, turning to Nova. "You did good, kid. Thanks for the backup."
She nodded, failing to meet his eyes.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Ratchet sent the Groundbridge a few seconds later, and Nova met Optimus outside the building as Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee helped each other into the Groundbridge. The experience of being beaten up by someone so similar to their leader had been a strange experience for them, and none of the others seemed to want to talk about it. They advanced through the Groundbridge with wary eyes as Nova waited behind for Optimus.
He lowered himself down from the top of the building, grunting softly as he pressed a hand into his side and approached the half-spark, who was waiting for him in the green glow of the portal.
Nova stared at him, then looked at the ground.
"He hurt you," she said.
Optimus was silent for a moment.
"It will mend."
"But when any of you get hurt, I get hurt, remember?" Nova asked, looking at him sharply. "It hurts my heart with the others, but I can feel it with you. It hurts the most with you."
Optimus held her gaze. "I know, Nova."
She stared at him in surprise. "You … do?"
"Yes," he said quietly. "You are not the only one who must take on the pain of others."
She looked at him for a moment, and then her eyes widened in realization."It hurts you, too?"
"Indeed," Optimus said. "It is a manifestation of the power within the Matrix. It should not affect me as much, for I have learned to endure its pain. But sometimes…"
"Sometimes it still hurts," she whispered.
"Yes," he admitted. "It … hurts the most with you."
He stared at her, perceiving a slight movement in her shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Optimus," she said softly. "I should've done what you told me."
A silence passed. The sound of helicopter blades pummeling the night air grew ever closer.
Nova looked up at him. "Are you sure we're going to be all right?"
"My wound will mend," he said reassuringly. "And in time, so will your own."
"I hope so." Nova glanced up at him. "Until then, it looks like we just have to take on each others' pain for a while."
"Maybe so, but you are one of the few people for whom I would gladly bear it." Optimus smiled at her. "Let us go home."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"So how was it to see someone who looked exactly like Optimus kicking the scrap outta you?" Miko asked playfully, leaning on the railing above Bulkhead.
Bulkhead only groaned and held his head.
Arcee folded her arms. "It's a sight I won't soon forget."
"The question remains whether MECH will continue to function as we know it without its leader," Optimus said, his arm raised so Ratchet could finish welding his stab wound shut.
"Yeah, the Decepticons practically fell apart without Megatron," Arcee agreed. "Maybe MECH will, too."
Nova sighed and lolled her head back, looking up at the ceiling from where she sat on the couch. "Don't count on it. They're a well-oiled machine which has a plan in place. They always do."
"Well, here's the kicker," Fowler said from the commlink. "We sifted through the wreckage with a fine-tooth comb. We couldn't find any trace of Silas."
"They must have gone back for him right after we'd left," Nova said, still staring up at the ceiling.
"What does that mean? Did he survive?" Jack asked.
Nova shrugged, and no one else answered. None of them had even seen the body after it had been buried in the rubble.
"I'm not sure any human could survive that," Ratchet said, continuing to finish the welding line.
"He's not just any human," Nova replied, sighing. "He'll probably be back, and we'll have to deal with him again at some point."
"Well, dead or no, it's safe to say MECH is a threat to national security if they keep doin' what they're doin'," Fowler continued. "And because of that, I've got some major debriefing to do with the guys and with my boss. This whole thing's gonna take a while to clean up."
"I thought now that the fake was gone, things would get back to normal," Miko said with a sigh.
"'Fraid not. That thing we fought today was a Cybertronian, for all intents and purposes, and a Cybertronian is what the military saw. It's gonna take a lot of convincin' for them to give you the okay to stay here."
"Thank you, Agent Fowler," Optimus said, walking over to the computer. "We are grateful for your assistance."
"Thank me when it's over," Fowler replied. "You're not off the hook yet. We gotta wait and see what the government does after I pull some strings."
"I understand," Optimus said, and watched as the US agent terminated the call.
"Hey, Nova," Jack asked, leaning on the railing and looking back at the half-spark. "You okay?"
"Sure," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm fine."
"When a woman on any planet says that, it's usually a lie," Ratchet said, standing up from Optimus and putting away his welder.
"I'm fine, really," she said, getting up from the couch and stretching. "I'm going to bed."
"Now?" Miko asked in disbelief. "It's only seven, and it's Friday! Video Game Smackdown Night!"
"I'll have to pass tonight, Miko," Nova replied with a shake of her head. "Maybe next week."
She descended the stairs and headed for the storage hallway, eventually disappearing into the darkness.
"Maybe next week?" Miko repeated. "She never said that before."
"Somethin's up with her," Bulkhead said at length.
"I will speak to her," Optimus offered.
"No, no you won't," Ratchet refused flatly. "I think I know what it is. You take monitor duty for a few minutes, Optimus. I'll go talk to her."
"Don't you have to fix up the Bots?" Jack asked.
"Their self-repair systems will be enough for now," replied the medic, a little gruffly. "But Nova Makutan doesn't have any self-repair systems, does she?"
"Sorry," Jack said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Optimus laid a hand on the medic's shoulder. "I would appreciate your assistance, old friend," he said quietly.
Ratchet nodded, and with that, he turned and followed the steps of the half-spark into the back.
"The Doc's in a bit of a temper," Arcee said with a wry smile.
"He just doesn't like it when anyone, uh, smaller than us gets hurt," Bulkhead guessed. "I know when Raf was hurt, he was pretty torn up."
Bumblebee let out a soft beep as he remembered.
Raf looked around. "Could we, um, could we start that video game tournament now?"
"Yeah!" Miko said, jumping on the couch. "Let's hear about the Nemesis Prime smackdown while I trash these boys, Bulk!"
The kids began their night of fun, and Arcee, Bee and Bulkhead crowded around to watch, while Optimus stood at the computers, losing himself in deep thought as the lingering pain in his side faded away.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Ratchet, meanwhile, followed the hallway's path until he came to Nova's room. It was only a human-sized storage closet, nestled in between Optimus' and Arcee's crude habitation suites, but it was a good size for her; she was so small.
It did not take much to keep the half-spark happy, he thought to himself. In the way of material possessions, she had very little, and only needed someone with which to live. She had certainly never felt the need to shut herself up in her room before.
Ratchet knelt down and tapped a knuckle against the door. "Nova?"
"Go away," came the muffled response from inside. He could hear the stifled tears in her voice.
"I came to check on you," he explained.
"Ratchet—"
"I'm not leaving until you let me look you over," he said firmly. "Don't argue with me."
There was a pause, then Ratchet saw the door open slowly. The naked bulb in the ceiling above Nova cast a harsh glare on the floor around her, and he could plainly see the tears on her cheeks.
"Happy?" Nova asked.
"No," he responded, pulling out his scanner. "Come out of there this minute. Primus, you're making me sound like a human mother."
The half-spark emerged hesitantly from her room, and held still as Ratchet passed the laser field over her body, once, twice, and shut it off.
"Am I okay?" Nova asked impatiently. "Can I go back now?"
"Physically, you're fine," he said. "You have an aggravated area where I assume you were knocked with a cattle prod of some sort, but that's not why you ran off to your room, is it?"
She glanced sideways. "No."
"No. I thought not." Ratchet picked her up, plunked her on the nearest tall box, and folded his arms, staring at her steadily. "Tell me about it."
Nova twisted her fingers, refusing to look him in the eye. "Tell you about what?"
"Nova, if you act like a child, I'll treat you like one."
"Fine," she said, placing her hands on the box. "I'm mad because I disobeyed Optimus and it almost made someone die."
"Who?" Ratchet asked. "Agent Fowler?"
"No. Well, yes," she said, reconsidering. "But it's not just him. I shouldn't have gone, and Optimus knew it."
Ratchet waited patiently, and after a moment of hesitation, Nova began to tell him about the night. She told him about the fight between Optimus and his lookalike, the plan Fowler had to infiltrate the building, and the pain she had felt when her guardian was stabbed. But when Nova began to speak about their encounter with Silas, she stopped.
"Ratchet … when I stood in front of him, and I realized he had hurt Optimus — that he had hurt me, one more time — I was so … angry. I wanted to kill him," she whispered, as if divulging a horrible secret. "I really, truly did. It would have been so easy, just a knife through his back, or a blaster shot in his head. I wanted to do it, Ratchet. I wanted to do it so badly. And you know something?" Her voice rasped. "I don't think I've ever been so afraid in my whole life."
He said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
Nova gripped the edge of the box, and looked up at him. "I was so close, Ratchet. I could feel it. And I was terrified. I've…" she swallowed. "I've always been afraid that Silas would plant that rage inside me, ever since he took me away, but I never thought that so much evil could come from inside myself."
The half-spark sighed. "I could have killed him, right then and there."
"Why didn't you?"
She shook her head slightly. "I don't know. Something told me not to."
"Then I'd say you still have a conscience," Ratchet replied evenly.
"Yes, but it was almost too late," she rejoined. "What if I had killed him? I would have had to live with the fact that I killed two people." She shuddered. "First Coby, and now…"
"You're being ridiculous," Ratchet said. "You think none of us have ever gotten angry before? Even Optimus has, and he isn't someone who gives in to anger easily."
"That's just the thing," she cried in agitation. "I was about to give in, and it was so easy. What if it gets easier from now on? I was raised in darkness, Ratchet — what if I have that darkness inside me, and I can't get it out?"
Ratchet stared at her.
"So that's it," he said finally. "You're afraid of yourself."
The half-spark bowed her head. "I'm a monster, born and raised. What makes me any better than Silas?"
Ratchet bristled. "What makes you better than Silas? I'll tell you. You're better than him because you choose to do what's right. You have a clear sense of right and wrong, and you choose to act upon it. None of us can ask any more of you."
She narrowed her eyes. "Even Megatron knows the difference between right and wrong, and he's the biggest monster of all."
"You really don't get it, do you?" Ratchet asked, putting a hand to his face. "You think that's what we see when we look at you? A monster?"
"Isn't it?"
"No!" Ratchet fired back. "I for one refuse to believe you're a monster! And so does Optimus, you know that?!" He looked her straight in the eyes. "Optimus protects you because he loves you. We all do. And do you honestly believe we would care for a monster?"
Nova looked down at the ground. "No. You're right."
"Oh, good," Ratchet said sarcastically. "That's good. We've finally established that you aren't a monster."
"But something's wrong with me, Ratchet," Nova protested. "I don't belong here."
"You're not the only one," he responded with a snort. "In case you haven't noticed, we are an alien robotic species, residing on one of the only planets in the galaxy which has no knowledge of our existence, the inhabitants of which would try to kill us if they could. We don't belong here any more than you do."
"But at least the kids have Earth, and you have Cybertron," Nova said. "You know where you belong — you all belong somewhere. I don't know if I belong anywhere."
Ratchet sighed.
"To be honest, Nova, I don't think any of us really belong anywhere," he said finally. "But we do belong together, and that's what you have to remember. You will always have a place here, with us; no matter what anyone says."
Thinking about this, Nova smiled softly. "Thank you, Ratchet."
"Anytime."