Woopsie! I was supposed to upload this yesterday but it was laundry day and I had to help my parents.
Disclaimer: Hasbro owns Transformers and all its characters. I only own Paige and Swiftblade.
Paige yawned into her hand as she sat on Swiftblade's hood and scooted back until she was leaning against his windshield. They were currently in her garage and she was in her pajamas. She felt the vehicle begin vibrating beneath her with a soft purr and she smiled, patting the hood lightly as she listened to the phone ring in her ear.
The person on the other end picked up after the second ring. "...Hello?"
"Hey, Jack."
"Paige…" There was a sigh on his end. "L-Look, Miko already came by and tried to change my mind. You don't need to bother trying."
"That's not why I called you," she patiently responded, closing her eyes as she relaxed against the purring Corvette.
"...Why did you call?"
"Because I wanted to check up on you and see if you're okay. I told you I'd be here if you wanted to talk about anything, and I meant it. How are you feeling?"
He sighed tiredly into the phone. "Like… Like hell, honestly. B-but what about you? You looked like you were having a panic attack back at base."
"I probably was," she admitted quietly with a small frown. She felt the purring increase slightly, as if to comfort her. "That was the second one today."
"Wait, wait, wait… You had another one? When?"
"Right before you and Raf came through the ground bridge. I, uh…" She cleared her throat, trying not to think of the image. "I saw some things and it shook me up. The differences between us and the bots are large but also small, and it hit me hard today." She reached up with her free hand to rub at her face with a sigh.
"...Why did you stay?"
Paige was quiet for a moment, thinking back on her decision and her words carefully. "Because… I…" She sighed again in a bit of frustration, struggling with her words. "...Miko and I have been friends since school started, and we've been through a lot together. I know how she is… I love her for being a 'party animal' and I know she can get out of hand if there's no one there to pull her leash. So I had decided a while ago to be that person who would go through anything with her, and to be there to tell her when she's being an absolute dumbass." She paused when she heard a quiet snort on the other end, like Jack was trying not to laugh at her words. She smirked slightly before continuing. "And… You know, Jack… You're right. This is all crazy and scary and - frankly - an adventure I wouldn't have chosen to chase if I had had a chance to make a choice to back out before this all even began. But it's all so much bigger than us. They're… The bots are like us, Jack. They're… very human - for lack of a better word." She paused and rolled onto her side, placing the palm of her free hand against Swiftblade's hood.
"It's why I got so shaken up today. They bleed, Jack. They can die and they're fighting a very long war that our planet has fought plenty of… I grew up being taught to take care of not only myself, but those around me. Miko and Raf are caught up in this - choosing to stay caught up in it despite all that's happened… And I can't figure out if it's dumb or brave, or both, or if I'm the one being a coward about it… But I can't let them do it by themselves. Yes, they have the Autobots, but they also need someone responsible to have their backs in all the human related situations, or when one of us gets too emotional."
There was a small breath on the other end, like he was smiling. "I think Miko making you the vocalist was a good choice."
"Pfft!" Paige snorted and couldn't stop the smile from pulling at her lips. "That was a spur of the moment. I didn't even know what I was doing."
"But it worked. It…calmed us all down."
She smiled softly and closed her eyes. "Yeah, well… That's exactly my point." She took a deep breath and let it out through her nose. "A-Anyway, I know it's late so I won't keep you up any longer. Thanks for… listening to me ramble. And thanks for looking out for us today."
"Yeah… No problem. Good night, Paige."
"Night, Jack." She ended the call and set the phone down on the hood. She didn't move. She simply took a few moments to enjoy the quiet safety of her garage, and the feeling of Swiftblade's rumbling purr beneath her.
"I am…sorry you had to witness that today."
Paige frowned in confusion at the guilt lacing his quiet voice, not knowing what he was talking about. And then it clicked - the reason for her first panic attack. She sighed through her nose and nuzzled against the glass. "Well… With me deciding to stay, I think I would have seen it in the future anyway. While it wasn't pleasant…I'm kinda glad it happened now rather than later. I think I needed that wake-up call," she admitted quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"Earth is still filled with countries stirring up trouble and brewing wars against each other," she explained slowly, carefully choosing her words. "We're not perfect and we'll never be perfect. There will always be those who want to kick us down, and some in the most brutal ways possible. My dad is in the military and I know he's seen his fair share of battles. Eventually, I would have seen them too if I planned to follow in his footsteps." She paused for a moment as she opened her eyes, gazing at the glass beneath her head but not really seeing it. Her eyes were distant.
"Like I told Jack… I've come to realize that you guys are very much like us. It was like a slap in the face, waking me up from the dream I thought I was still stuck in… Now I realize that this is all very much real and lives are at stake - both ours and yours." She closed her eyes again. "I needed something to make me realize that what we've been thrown into is very serious, and that your war is very real and still currently happening. No, it's not fun being a part of it, but… This is better than finding out about it alone," she admitted softly. "I'm among friends, and people who care for my well-being." She stroked the hood fondly with a soft smile, feeling the vehicle shudder at her touch. "And you've been here for me since the moment Optimus chose you as my guardian. Thank you for that."
"Of course. I will always be here for you as long as you need me." She smiled at his words and then fought to hold back a yawn. "Perhaps you should try and get some recharge."
"Recharge?" She blinked at the windshield in confusion.
"...Sleep, I believe, is the term humans use."
"Ah." She thought about it for a moment and then gripped the edge of the top of the hood where the leafguard sat between it and the windshield. "I don't think I'll sleep well on my own tonight," she admitted quietly. "Can I…stay with you?"
The passenger door opened in response, silently inviting her. She smiled and slid off the hood. She sat in the seat and snuggled into it as it reclined for her. The door shut, closing her off from the rest of the world as the seat grew warm and vibrated with another purr. Swiftblade sank down on his axles, relaxing with his charge safely in his cab. She hummed in content and closed her eyes, curling into the seat.
"Good night, Blade…"
"...Good night, Paige."
"Optimus, I've pinpointed the location of Megatron's space bridge. High in Earth's orbit." Ratchet sighed as he announced the news, not pleased.
"Out of our reach," Optimus clarified.
"Okay, so you guys don't fly, but can't you just ground bridge there?" Something sailed through the air and bounced off Miko's head, making her squawk more in indignation than in pain as the empty plastic water bottle bounced to the floor. "Hey!"
All eyes turned to Paige, who was sitting nestled in the spot between Swiftblade's neck and shoulder armor. There was a cheeky glint in her eye from her accurate aim, but her face showed nothing but a serious frown. "Miko, I think the name ground bridge speaks for itself," she responded slowly. "Ratchet told us it can take us anywhere on Earth. Orbit is off Earth."
"Precisely," Ratchet confirmed the brunette's words. "The ground bridge has limited range. Stretched all the way into orbit, its vortex could snap and scatter us to the stars."
Paige cringed at the mental image that gave her.
"Since Megatron is likely already in transit, I'm afraid we must take that risk," Optimus said in a grave tone as he turned to look at the tunnel for the ground bridge. "Reaching the space bridge first is our only means of stopping him."
A double honk caught their attention and they all turned to watch as Arcee drove in. Paige allowed a smile to grow on her face, pleasantly surprised as she watched Jack dismount and pull his helmet off. "Hey," he greeted with a smile. "Guess who's back?" She grinned and gave him a two-fingered salute in greeting.
"Autobots, prepare for departure," Optimus commanded.
"Where to?" Arcee asked.
"The final frontier," Miko answered wistfully.
"Whoa, space?" Jack asked, shocked. "I-I thought they didn't have any way to get there?"
"They don't," Raf answered as Bumblebee carefully set him on the ground from his shoulder.
"Not safely, at least," Paige clarified as she stepped onto Swiftblade's waiting hand. She turned to look at him and they exchanged a small smile. "Be careful out there. Watch each other's backs." He gave a minute nod and set her on the ground. She patted his thumb in thanks before moving to stand beside Miko.
"I'm so jealous!" The girl told her guardian.
"Don't even think about following me."
"Don't worry, Bulkhead." Paige slung her arm around her friend's neck in a loose chokehold, sending a grin the bot's way. "I'm keeping a tight leash on her today." Miko squawked in indignation before breaking free and darting up the stairs to safety. Paige giggled.
"Optimus," Ratchet called. "If you leave me stranded on a planet teeming with humans, I will never forgive you."
"Until we meet again, old friend. Autobots, roll out!" Optimus and his team transformed to their altmodes and drove straight into the vortex.
Paige turned and followed the teens up the stairs to the catwalk to watch the screens. They waited with baited breath, waiting to hear back from them.
"Autobots, transform and gravitize!" They all breathed a collective sigh of relief upon hearing the leader's voice come through the comms that Ratchet was monitoring.
"Whoa! Don't look down. Or up. Or left." Paige exchanged an amused glance with Miko at Bulkhead's words.
"So Megatron's packing enough Dark Energon to raise Cybertron's dead?" Arcee asked.
"And since we don't possess ready means of disabling the space bridge, nothing gets in or out!"
Paige chewed her lip and thrummed her fingers against her arms. It was several seconds now and things were quiet. What's happening out there? Are they fighting?
"Well, what are they waiting for?" Arcee asked, as if to answer her thoughts.
"It appears the Decepticons have sustained serious damage to their interstellar navigation system," Optimus noted.
"Huh. That's my handiwork."
"Great job, Bulkhead. Without the dish, Megatron will be unable to aim the space bridge at Cybertron."
"Don't the Decepticons know where their own planet is?" Raf asked, confused.
"Naturally," Ratchet scoffed. "But Cybertron is many lightyears away. To reach their target, their aim must be astronomically precise."
"If Megatron went to the trouble of rendezvousing with his space bridge, he must have an alternate targeting system. A remote one." Optimus' words made Paige wrack her brain for anything that could do what the Decepticons were hoping to achieve.
"Hmph. From what I know of Earth's technology I doubt there exists a single radio telescope dish on this planet powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron," Ratchet responded.
"What about a whole bunch of linked telescope dishes," Raf asked, searching something on the computer.
Paige gasped and snapped her fingers. "The Giant Size Array in Texas!"
"Zip! Ip! Ep! Ep!" Ratchet's sudden closeness and sounds to 'shut their mouths' made the teens lean back. "This is not child's play." Paige frowned at him.
"Good thinking, Raf, Paige." Paige smirked when Ratchet deflated at Optimus' words, placing a hand on her hip. "Ratchet, have Agent Fowler alert the Array staff to the security hazard."
At that moment, Agent Fowler bolted upright on the gurney, pointing directly at Ratchet. "You! Soldier! You're out of uniform! Put on some pants!" And then promptly fell back unconscious.
Paige wasn't sure whether to be amused or disturbed. Poor guy must have really had a number done on him. What did the Cons do to him?
"That may be a challenge," Ratchet told Optimus.
Raf turned back to the computer and began typing. Paige saw this and walked over, placing a hand on the desk as she leaned on it to watch his screen. "What are you doing, bud?"
"I can't get past the Array's firewalls," Raf responded and then slammed his fists on the desk in frustration. "They're too thick!"
"You actually think you can keep the Decepticons out?" Ratchet asked skeptically.
"Maybe… If I could get in."
"Wait, wait, wait. Raf." Jack stepped over and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "What if we could get you all the way in? Like, inside the building in?"
"I could log onto their side of the firewall."
"The risk is too great. The Decepticons will be there. Perhaps even onsite," Optimus said, refusing their involvement in potential danger.
"Optimus… With all due respect, you said it yourself," Jack spoke up. "This is bigger than the safety of four humans."
"Yeah! If we let the Cons win, we're fragged. Along with everyone else on our planet," Miko added.
Paige stepped up and placed a hand on the railing, placing her other fist over her heart with a determined frown. "Please, Optimus. This is our home. Let us help you fight to protect it."
There was a moment of silence before Optimus spoke again. "Raf?"
The teens looked to him. He looked at each of them and then clenched his fists. "I wanna give it a shot," he answered.
Ratchet sighed but had no choice except to open up a ground bridge to the coordinates. They each connected their cellphones to the comm. system to keep in contact before heading through. The second time through the vortex was just as disorienting as the first and Paige didn't have anything to distract her this time. She stumbled and knelt down to steady herself, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves and her stomach.
"That'll take some getting used to," Jack groaned and shook his head.
"Whoa…"
Paige looked up at hearing Miko's awed voice. In front of them was a long line of the largest radio dishes they had ever seen. There was a white building directly in front of them, their target location. She got to her feet and pulled one of her pistols out of its holster, holding it ready.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Raf asked quietly.
Paige looked at them and they stood straight upon seeing her serious expression. "We don't know who or what is here waiting for us, so we need to be on our guard. From here on out, this is a stealth mission. For obvious reasons, I'll be your main bodyguard. Our top priority is getting Raf inside to a computer and keeping him safe. Are we clear?"
Three firm nods were her answer.
"Good. Let's move." Paige darted across the ground towards the nearest door of the building. She leaned up against the wall and she heard the others file behind her against the wall. With one hand, she reached over and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. A pit of unease settled into her gut. She opened the door and gestured for the teens to enter first before following them inside.
They quickly moved along the halls, keeping their eyes open for any guards walking around. With each step she took, the feeling of unease grew inside her. The halls were empty. No staff were walking around and no guards were standing around a corner. She frowned and ran over to a door. She opened it and peered inside. The room was dark but she could make out a desk with a computer inside. She opened it wide and ushered the others inside. Once they were in, she closed the door behind them and flicked on the light.
"Alright, Raf. Work your magic," Paige said, nodding towards the computer. He nodded and jumped into the chair, booting up the system. She glanced at the other two. "I'll stand guard at the door and give Ratchet an update." She pulled out her phone and dialed the number. "Ratchet, we're inside." She waited, but only heard static. She scowled and tucked her phone back in her pocket. Something is jamming our signal.
The silence was filled with Raf's typing on the keyboard. Paige kept the door ajar to peer out, keeping an eye on the hallway as she held her pistol pointed towards the ceiling. The fact that not one staff member had walked past in the past minute was setting off alarm bells in her head. Something wasn't right.
"Security sure is lax in this place," Miko whispered over Paige's shoulder. She had come up to check the hall as well, not able to stand still for long.
"I'm in!" Raf smiled triumphantly and then frowned. "And so are the Decepticons." Paige gripped her pistol tighter.
"What?"
"How can you tell?" Miko asked, walking over to him.
"Schematics. With the same alien math we saw on their ship. But this time, I can download it!" Raf plugged his flash drive into the computer.
"It's gotta be the space bridge!"
"The Decepticons are syncing it to the dishes. But I can sync to them."
"Will they know?" Jack asked in concern.
"Even if the Decepticons see that I'm in the system, they'll have no idea I'm in the house."
Typing continued and Paige peeked out into the hallway. Still nothing. They were still alone. For now, the skeptical part of her brain scoffed. Her eyes scanned the room as Raf began having an internet battle with the Cons. She could hear the whirring of the dishes as they moved. Her eyes caught something just behind Raf, a little blinking light. She scowled, took aim, and quickly pulled the trigger. Cries of surprise went off as sparks rained to the floor. The teens looked at her in clear alarm and confusion.
"What was that?!" Jack whisper-shouted.
"A little warning next time!" Miko griped, scowling.
"Camera. Someone was watching us," Paige informed them, making them stiffen with unease. She nodded towards Raf. "Whatever happens, don't stop. Everyone is counting on you." He nodded firmly and dived back into his internet battle. She then closed the door and moved to position herself in the middle of the room. She faced the door with her gun pointed at it, keeping herself between it and her friends.
She tuned out the idle chatter happening behind her, keeping her focus on the only entrance and exit to the room. A sneer pulled at her lip as the door creaked open and what she could only describe as a large cable-like tentacle snaked inside.
"We've got company!" She shouted as she opened fire on it. Sparks flew as her bullets ricochet off of the tentacle, making it reel back. It then charged forward and grabbed her middle quicker than she could react. "Urgh!" She squeezed her eyes shut as she was flung around. Shouts of surprise filled the air and she felt her body slam into two others. And then she was flying through the air, and the air was knocked from her lungs as her back hit the wall.
She fell to her knees with a grunt and dropped her weapon. She grit her teeth and looked up, noticing that her pistol had slid underneath the desk. Her eyes found Jack and Miko across the room, having also been slammed against the wall. The tentacle reared up and hovered over Raf. "Oh, no you don't!" She reached for her second pistol and whipped it out. She took aim and opened fire immediately, making it flinch and rear back as her bullets bounced off its impenetrable alloy. It writhed and then turned towards her. She gasped and rolled to the side as it dove for her, slamming into the wall and making a large hole where she had been. She shot it a few more times as it pulled itself back out and then swiftly grabbed her. The force knocked the air from her lungs and she dropped her gun again. She saw it was making a beeline for Raf and she scowled. "Raf, watch out!"
Her warning was heeded and Raf quickly pulled his flash drive from the port and leaped out of the way. She was thrown and slammed into the desk with a cry. Debris fell on top of her and pain erupted in her left leg, making her grit her teeth.
"Paige!" Raf was instantly at her side, moving something off her leg that made pain flare from it. She was lying on her back so she lifted herself up on her elbows and quickly scanned the room. She was laying amongst a pile of broken desk and computer parts. Her left leg didn't seem broken at a first glance - it didn't look twisted or was bent at an odd angle, so she counted that as a win - but she could see blood soaking her dark jeans on the lower half of her leg. "Are you okay?" She looked up and saw Raf had seen the blood, his face pale as he looked at her face worriedly. She opened her mouth to respond.
"You handed it an axe?!" Jack's horrified shout caught their attention.
The tentacle was holding the red-bladed axe reserved for emergencies and brandished it at them. It swung it around as if to slash them, and then quickly retreated from the room. Paige grunted and her face twisted in a grimace as she forced herself to her feet. Pain flared from the wound and she heard Raf protest her movements. She gently shook him off and pointed at the door. "After that thing!" She shouted, and thankfully Miko and Jack were quick to run out of the room. She quickly looked around the floor as she shifted her weight onto her good leg. "Where are my guns?"
"Right here!" Raf had stayed with her. He ran to retrieve her pistols scattered amongst the debris and handed them to her.
She quickly shoved them into their holsters and hobbled towards the door. "Come on!" Pain flared like fire in her leg as she forced herself into a jog, but she just grit her teeth and muscled through it. She saw an open doorway with Miko and Jack standing there, looking up at something. She slid to a halt and blanched at the Decepticon that towered over them.
It was the most sleek and slender Cybertronian she had seen thus far. It was tall and purple and it had no face. Just a blank screen covering most of where its face would be. She whipped out her pistols as she heard Miko take a picture. She pulled the triggers but scowled when they simply clicked on empty clips. "Shit!" The Decepticon transformed into a jet and flew away, leaving them to stare after it in confusion.
"Why is he leaving?" Miko asked.
"He cut the hardlines…" Raf said as he stared down at an axe embedded into some cables. Paige swore again. "The dishes are locked onto Cybertron. For good."
Paige sighed and holstered her pistols. "Well… We did our best. We at least stalled them." She shifted her weight to her good leg and pulled out her phone to try contacting base again. "Let's just go back to base."
"Paige, w-what happened to your leg?" Jacked asked worriedly, noticing the blood on her leg.
She opened her mouth to answer but cringed and held the phone away from her ear as Ratchet shouted at her. "It's about time you answered! What's happening?"
Paige rubbed her face tiredly, wobbling a little on her one leg as she dared put the phone back to her ear. "We tried, Ratchet. There was a Decepticon here and they locked onto Cybertron. We need a ground bridge."
"What?! What-"
"Now, Ratchet. Before I pass out!" She hissed, feeling herself tilt to one side. She felt hands lift her arms and she tossed the phone to Raf, who caught it instantly. Jack and Miko supported her on both sides as they turned to head back out of the building and back towards where they had originally arrived.
Ratchet was not happy when they stepped through the ground bridge. He took one look at Paige's pale face and quickly walked over. "What happened?!"
"Con knocked us around a bunch," Paige wheezed as she was handed off to Ratchet's waiting hands. She sighed in relief when she flopped down onto his palm, feeling him walk somewhere. "Had some weird tentacles and no face…"
"Soundwave," Ratchet grunted and lowered his hand to the catwalk near Agent Fowler's gurney. "Megatron's loyal surveillance and communications officer. You're lucky he didn't do more to you."
Paige carefully slid off his hand, holding onto his finger for support until she sat down on the floor with a grunt. She let him pull his hand away and immediately dug into her shoulder bag. "Good to know," she grumbled as she fished out her first aid supplies.
"Do you…require assistance?" Ratchet asked hesitantly, watching her pull out gauze, a rag, and small bottle of antiseptic liquid.
"No. Just keep the others from coming over here. I don't know how bad it looks and I don't want Raf seeing this." She heard him grunt in response and walk away as she reached for her pant leg. This is gonna hurt, she inwardly groaned. She began carefully rolling up the material, grimacing when it would rub against the tender area. She got it above her knee and took a breath at what she saw.
Her shin was covered in blood from a gash just above her bone. Damn, this is really gonna hurt.
"Need some help, kid?"
She whipped her head up in shock at the voice behind her. Agent Fowler was currently sitting up and fully conscious. There were no traces of delirium in his dark eyes as he eyed her leg and then met her gaze. She chewed her lip and then nodded.
"Come on." He got off the gurney and held out his hand. She took it and he pulled her onto her feet. She grimaced and then sighed in relief when she was sat down on the gurney. He then carefully knelt down in front of her, reaching for the meager supplies she had brought with practiced ease. "What happened?"
She let out a contemplative hum, only to hiss when the antiseptic touched her wound. She clenched her fists into the sheet and squeezed her eyes shut. Yep, that hurts like hell! She took a deep breath before responding, keeping her eyes closed. "D-Decepticons… They're trying to raise an army of their undead from Cybertron and bring them here to conquer us." She hissed again as she felt him carefully wipe her leg with the rag.
"They're doing what?" He asked, horrified.
"O-Optimus and the others… Th-They're in space fighting on the space bridge the Cons built… But their navigation system was broken so they had to find one of ours…" She finally opened her eyes as she felt him wrapping her leg with the gauze. She watched his face, seeing his focused scowl as he worked. "They used the Array in Texas… My friends and I went there to try and stop them from locking onto their planet… There was a Con already there and all we managed to do was stall it, and it thrashed us around a good deal. Thankfully, I was the only one hurt. But Soundwave cut the hardline and there's a decent bit of damage in the room we used… I don't know what happened to the staff. We didn't see anyone while we were there," she explained, making sure not to leave anything out. "Y-You may need to work your magic in trying to cover that up…"
Fowler scowled in anger but took care not to take it out on her as he finished wrapping her leg. Once he was done, he stood up with a small grunt of effort and fixed her with a hard stare. She stared back, not backing down. "Put your leg up on the pillow to keep it from bleeding again," he grit out through his teeth, moving to fix the pillow for her. She complied and grimaced at the effort but managed to set her leg on the gurney. She looked at him again, ready for his temper to boil over like she knew it would. She could tell he was trying to be civil with her. She just didn't know if it was because she was young or because she was injured. It very well could have been both.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe this… Not only did you break and enter government property, but you engaged a Decepticon? Are you out of your mind?!" His voice was rising, catching the others' attention. They wisely stayed where they were but Paige could feel their curious stares that she ignored in favor of the conversation at hand.
Paige fixed him with a serious, deadpan look. "The fate of our planet is kinda at stake, sir. We had no choice."
"Civilians shouldn't even be here, let alone children!"
"Well, these children are helping the Autobots fight to save our home," Paige argued, scowling. He opened his mouth to argue but she held up a hand to stop him. He clamped his mouth shut with a matching scowl, not happy. "Don't get me wrong, Agent Fowler, this war isn't fun to be part of. It's scary and - I'm not gonna lie - we almost died a few times, especially trying to save your ass." She shot him a glare as he tried to retort, looking mildly offended, and he wisely shut his mouth again. "But everyone here has each other's backs. And Optimus is right - the Autobots are our only hope against the Decepticons. I don't see humanity going out to fight in space any time soon."
Fowler sighed and shook his head. "I can't believe a kid is arguing with me about the fate of Earth," he grumbled under his breath.
"With all due respect, sir, I turn 18 in two months. And although Raf is 12, he is an extraordinary computer genius who tracked down your coordinates on the Decepticon warship. Drop the daycare jokes and give us more credit."
He was silent for several moments as he eyed her, trying to figure her out. "What's your name?"
"Paige."
"...Alright. I'll…think about what you've told me." He seemed to have simmered down and that was an improvement in Paige's book.
"Good, now sit down. I don't know what the Cons did to you but just looking at you standing looks like it hurts." She patted the gurney beside her. He rolled his eyes but complied after a moment of hesitation, making her smile a bit.
"Optimus!" Ratchet's urgent voice caught their attention and they turned to look at his screens from where they sat. The middle one was showcasing a planet and multiple flashing purple dots leaving it. "I'm registering a rapidly expanding mass in their space bridge vortex. One with a peculiar energy signature."
"Dark Energon," Optimus realized gravely. "Ratchet, we must destroy the space bridge. There's enough live Energon coursing through it to achieve detonation, but we lack the firepower to ignite it."
Paige watched Ratchet's face, gauging how he was feeling as the conversation went on. "If I knew how the space bridge was engineered, I might find a technical way of accomplishing that feat."
Paige blinked and pointed her finger at the young boy across the catwalk. "Raf! The flash drive!"
"Um… would schematics help?" He asked, holding up the little device.
Ratchet looked down at it and pressed his lips into a thin line. He then looked to the screens. "Optimus, I must say… The space bridge is our sole hope of ever returning to Cybertron. Are you certain its destruction is the only option?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Then by all means, let us light our darkest hour!" Ratchet's determined declaration had Paige blinking in surprise. This was the bot who seemed to despise humans, despise their very presence at base. And he was willing to destroy their only way back to their home planet. All to save Earth. She felt a warmth settle in her chest as she watched him download the schematics from Raf's flash drive into his own systems, her eyes glittering with gratitude and a new growing respect for the CMO.
"Autobots, take your positions and follow Ratchet's lead! While I make my stand."
"Your fellow Autobots are wise, Optimus," a new voice echoed over Optimus' comms. The sinister tone sent a shiver down Paige's spine. "They know when to retreat."
"I hold no illusions about engaging your army, Megatron. But I might derail its objective…by removing its head."
Paige swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and clenched her fists in her lap. She tuned out their conversation and instead focused on the information being displayed on the monitors.
"Those things are getting closer," Fowler spoke up for the first time since their talk. "That's bad, right?"
"Very bad, Agent Fowler," Paige told him with a frown, her eyes watching the purple blips edge closer to what looked like the space bridge on the screen. "That's the undead army." He gulped in response.
"Ratchet, we're in position," Arcee announced.
"Arcee, pay close attention. Now follow the line from the flow regulator to the Energon pump. There should be a valve."
"I see it."
"Good. To turn all that power against itself, all you need to do is reverse the current."
"...Current reversed."
"Yes!" Fowler jumped up from the gurney with a fist pump, startling Paige and causing the others to give him an odd look. He realized no one was celebrating with him and turned to his injured companion with hesitation. "...right?"
Paige let out a breath through her nose but couldn't stop a small smile from forming. "Yessir."
"I'll ready the ground bridge," Ratchet announced, turning their attention back to the screens. He turned and walked over to the controls, inputting the previous coordinates for the space bridge. "Optimus, the ground bridge is ready and waiting!"
"Autobots, jump!"
All eyes turned to the open ground bridge and waited for the arrival of the team. They waited with baited breath as seconds seemed to stretch.
Raf was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "Do you…think they're…?"
Ratchet lifted his arm to look at his readings. "Five life signals. One very faint…" His words and grave tone had the teens exchanging worried glances before staring at the vortex again.
The first to step through was Optimus. Bulkhead was next and Miko ran down the stairs to greet him with a relieved shout, hugging his extended hand. Then it was Arcee, and she and Jack greeted each other with smiles. Paige clenched her first tighter and pushed herself off the gurney to her feet. She grimaced but held onto the catwalk railing to steady her balance as she stared hard at the ground bridge.
The next to arrive was Bumblebee, who was supporting an unconscious Swiftblade.
"We lost one this week. By the Allspark, don't let it be two," Ratchet prayed.
Paige's blood ran cold and she was moving before she could think about what she was doing. She heard Fowler call her name but she was already sliding down the stairs railing. She stumbled as she landed on ground level but managed to catch her balance and continue running. Bumblebee lowered her guardian just enough for her to reach his limp hand, and she wrapped her arms around the much larger appendage. "Blade…!" She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face into the metal, feeling her heart squeeze and tears sting the corners of her eyes.
The hand she was hugging began to vibrate and grow warm. She choked on a relieved laugh and looked up to meet the cyan eyes that were staring down at her, half-lidded. "Paige…"
"Oh, thank God!" She buried her face into his hand for a moment more, idly registering the conversation happening behind her.
"And Megatron?" Ratchet asked.
"Not even he could survive ground zero," Optimus replied.
"Prime!" All eyes turned towards the voice, and even Paige detached herself from her guardian's hand to look towards the elevator. Fowler was fixing his suit. "I didn't get to thank you bots for the save. I owe you one. We all do." He stepped into the elevator.
"Bye, Agent Fowler!" Paige smiled and slid in the military salute, body straight and right hand pointed at her forehead. Her leg was flaring in pain but she didn't care.
Fowler smirked and lifted his hand to salute back. "At ease, soldier." And then the elevator closed and he was gone.
Everyone turned to look at Paige in shock and bewilderment as she relaxed and shifted her weight onto her good leg. She heard footsteps behind her and she looked up to see Swiftblade standing now and giving her a smile, to which she returned.
"So… is this the part where you say goodbye and tell us that we need to forget we ever saw you?" Miko's timid question had all teens looking up at Optimus, and Paige held her breath in preparation as she waited for his response.
Optimus gazed down at each of them, and then at his team. His battle mask slid away from his face to reveal his smile, and they had their answer.
Paige released the breath she had been holding and grinned. She felt her heart swell with warmth at the knowledge that they would get to stay and be part of Team Prime. She couldn't think of any place else she'd rather be.
I adore Paige and Swiftblade's growing relationship! And damn, they both got hurt. What will they do now?
I let her get hurt to show that she is human. She isn't invincible and she tends to put her life on the line to protect those she cares about. It can happen and its a war they're fighting. Regardless if Soundwave really meant to hurt them or not, I like to think that all that bashing around did at least SOME damage to them even if it simply made them sore. But due to Paige's recklessness in protecting her friends (and angering SW with her bullets), she got hurt because of it.
It wasn't mentioned in the story simply because everything was happening all at once and so fast, but I like to believe that Paige was the one that really made Jack rethink his decision to leave. Like how she talked with Agent Fowler and Blade, she has quite a bit of empathy that seems to just spill out of her when its really necessary. It could be seen as rambling to some people, but she really thinks a lot about things and she makes connections and relates things, so its easier for her to figure things out and understand them faster and better than most. Also she does have a rather good memory so some things that happen in earlier episodes, tend to get called back on by her at times because she remembers it being mentioned before.
Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! Until Friday. Let me know your thoughts in a review!