hey, guys! i am so, so, so, so, so, so sorry about the uuber long wait! i was briefly off of my TF-high, but i am back! and i started thinking about this story while i was working on a super long oneshot, and i reread it, and i wanted to clear up a mistake...

so, i mention once that silvercrest is eight feet tall. that's incorrect, she's about fifteen. i also said that, but yeah, wanted to make sure that's clear.

by the way. if any of you are fans of evanescence or the like, and you haven't heard their new album, it is AMAZING. i recommend it.

and with arcee, i actually usually place her with bumblebee, i also usually prefer the TFP Arcee, but in this, she's Sparkmate to Sideswipe. i'm also going to have the arcee make it throught to DotM. I actually was going to kill the Arcee sisters off, because they aren't in dark of the moon, but I couldn't do it, because that would create a whole new problem because i was having them bonded with a few of the team (Elita/Optimus, Chromia/Ironhide, Arcee/Sideswipe) but yeah, i even wrote her death, which i think i will feature as a deleted scene at the end of this chapter. yeah, i just couldn't do it...

also, Elita is not in this story following Optimus's death because in this story, she didn't survive her Sparkmate's death.

also, i don't know anything really about jolt other than in the movies, where he doesn't have a single line, so if he was in one of the cartoons that I never watched, i'm sorry if he's OOC. i'm kind of giving the characters my own spin.

anyway...

thoughts

'song lyrics'

autobot comm line

enjoy!

Silvercrest

Lennox appears next to my alt-form as I roll drowsily out of the Osprey.

"Hey, 'Crest.", he greets me in a strained but pleasant tone, "How was your flight?"

I transform, badly needing to stretch my legs. "Not terrible."

He takes a step back to give himself a better vantage point. "So, Mikaela just left Sam's college?"

I nod my affirmation. "Yes, she received a strange call from him relating to an Allspark shard. I only know what she told me, I did not tap the phone line, and we were interrupted by a Decepticon scrap drone."

He nods grimly. "Most of the Autobots are off-base, doing God knows what, but the Arcee triplets are in the med bay."

"Thank you, I believe I will speak to them..."

He excuses himself and disappears into the moving mass of human soldiers. I sigh, deem it simpler to get around base in alt-mode, and transform once more.

I have the common sense to not move to quickly around the base, which is packed with human males, so it takes me around ten minutes to reach the med bay. Chromia is in stasis on an examination table. Arcee is sitting up on one of the other ones, in perfect working order, watching Chromia. Elita-1 is also in perfectly functional, but she's fallen into an unscheduled recharge on the table on Chromia's other side.

Arcee smiles as I enter, but it has a fatigued quality to it. "Silvercrest!" She slides off the table, landing easily. Arcee is about five vorns older than I. Elita-1 is Sparkbonded with Optimus, as being the eldest. Chromia and Ironhide have been mated for vorns. Arcee is the youngest of the three, and still single. Several of the mechs here have shown an interest in her, but she has yet to make a choice.

I smile. "I heard you were here! Didn't want to get my hopes up, though..." I shrug sadly.

"Oh, we're fine! Well, Chromia took a nasty hit to the shoulder in Shanghai, but other than that, we're fine."

"Where have the other gone? Major Lennox said that they'd left."

"They picked up a few Decepticon signals near Samuel's college. Went to check them out. What are you doing here? I thought you were guarding Mikaela."

I nod. "I was, she went to help Sam. It would have been difficult to make it there myself. Optimus instructed me to come here."

Arcee nods with a sigh. "Anything serious?"

I shrug. "I haven't heard anything since I boarded the Osprey."

She sighs. "That's too bad. C'mon, I'll show you your quarters."

They just drop his shell. He lands ungracefully, with a loud clatter. My optics narrow.

And then the trucks surround us. They couldn't harm us, at all, but I guess that these ignorant humans don't know that.

We were not completely betrayed, however. Lennox slams a fist on the window of a truck.

"Lower your weapons!"

A younger soldier meets his eyes without hesitation. "We take orders from him."

Galloway climbs out of one of the vehicles, waving a paper in Lennox's face. "NEST team has been deactivated, Major. You are to cease anti-Decepticon operations and return to Diego Garcia, pending further orders."

"Or what?"

"I have operational command now. An alien blood feud has been brought to our shores for which our soldiers are paying the price."

Ratchet deactivates his rotary saw. "This fool is terribly misinformed."

I suppress a snort, falling into a brief com link.

What is he talking about? He sounds a little insane.

Ratchet rolls his optics. He's just ignorant, frighteningly so. Pay attention, youngling.

"...while we explore every possible diplomatic solution."

"Like what?", Lennox spits in reply, "Handing over the kid?"

Galloway hesitates. "All options are being considered."

How could they do that to one of their own? A child?

Ratchet sighs quietly. I don't think they will. Calm yourself.

Graham speaks slightly uncertainly."Whatever the Decepticons are after, this is just the start."

Lennox nods. "There is no negotiating with them-"

"I'm ordering you to stand down. You won't be needing this anymore." He tears something off of Lennox's uniform. "Now get your assets back to base, and take that pile of scrap metal back to Diego Garcia."

A burst of curses, directed at Galloway, and the human race in general, burst out from Ironhide's frequency.

"I really don't like that dude.", Epps says slowly, "He's a' asshole."

I'm stuffed in a plane with Chromia, Arcee, Ironhide, and Sideswipe. Ratchet and Jolt are in a different one with a group of humans, and Optimus's shell is on a plane with the Lennox and his troops, as well as Galloway.

I'm in alt-mode, underneath a net of black rope, shoved up in between Chromia and Arcee. To say it's close quarters in an understatement.

This is scrap.

I twist my mirror so that I can see Ironhide. Sideswipe answers from in front of us.

I know. What ever happened to the Primus-damned alliance?

Lennox doesn't mean anything by it, Arcee interjects, It's just his orders.

From Galloway! I wouldn't do anything that little glitch says to..., Chromia spits out.

Sideswipe's engine revs. Well, he's not OUR superior.

I scoff. I'm sure that if you asked him, he would be.

Yeah, but he has some sort of little bug way, way, way up his ass. Just saying, the Corvette shoots back.

Lennox, who can access our frequency through a headset Ratchet fixed up for him, cuts in briefly. Galloway just got dropped on his ass in the middle of nowhere. Prepare for landing.

Arcee's voice comes from beside me. "Um...what?"

Sideswipe transforms, wrestling briefly with his bindings. "Well, that's a relief."

We follow suit. Arcee zips away from us to Sideswipe's side. He grins at her, looping an arm around her waist. I sigh as Chromia joins Ironhide. The two are really close, and I'm pretty sure that they're going to come out with it any day now.

Assuming that we live to see the next few days.

I watch enviously. I'm starting to think I'm going to be alone for, well, ever. I have no idea where Bee and I stand.

It's hot outside. Not that it's uncomfortable for me, actually, this sort of sunlight is incredibly pleasant to me. Perhaps a little distracting, but comfortable.

I look at Arcee. "I'm picking up a slagheap of Decepticon signatures."

She vents loudly. "This is bad. This is very bad.", she moans quietly. "Primus, we're going to die. We go down fighting, yes?"

My lip components twist in a smirk. "That's the best way."

A series of Decepticon reinforcements contact Earth's surface, raising a huge cloud of dust. The humans are popping flares for Sam's benefit. I take a defensive stance activating a plasma cannon as the 'Cons start to emerge.

Sides take a position behind a half-collapsed wall, optics narrowed. He turns around, grinning at me.

"This will be fun."

Shots echo in my receptors. My own Energon is spattering my form as I take hit after hit. I'm not badly hurt, just badly scrapped up. Not deadly...hopefully.

"We need to get together a scout team, look for Sam!"

Ironhide deactivates his cannons. "I'll lead."

"I'll go with him." Arcee and I speak at the same time.

"Alright, Arcee team, Silvercrest, with Ironhide. Come back alive."

A few soldiers jump into the pick-up of Ironhide's alt form. I speed along with them easily.

"Ironhide!"

I glance around. Sam is leaning out of a gaping hole in the wall, and I can see Mikaela behind him. I block the hole, facing away, firing relentlessly upon the incoming 'Cons.

"Get under cover. We'll take you to Optimu-AH!" A white-hot plasma shot strikes me mid-chassis. A clatter and a shout from my right side tells me that Arcee is in a similar position.

Mikaela appears in my line of vision, pushing past Sam. "'Crest!" Her careful training with Ratchet is kicking in, to my horror. Ratchet has...lacking bedside manners. "Don't move, you'll only frag yourself up more. Stay awake, no matter what. We'll get someone here to move you as soon as we can. Pretend to be dead, then the 'Cons won't bother you."

I clench a hand over the wound, feeling hot Energon against my metals. "Just get somewhere safe, huh? I've had worse... Go." I jerk my helm to the side, and she gives me a worried look before nodding and following her mate. Or whatever the hell the humans call them.

Arcee drags herself over to me. "Guess we're in this together, eh?" She vents, a tortured, strangled sound. "Chromia's..."

I look at her. "We'll be okay. Sides won't let you go with them."

She laughs painfully. "Not sure if that's a good thing anymore."

I grunt softly as I shift slightly. She probably doesn't even realize it, but she's reaching out for a sister bond, and it's setting a vicious ache on my Spark, one of a completely different kind than anything the plasma blast could give me. We lock optics for a moment.

I can tell that she isn't going to make it through like this. Arcee's strong, but without Elita and Chromia, she pretty much just lost two-thirds of her Spark. The only reason she's not offline yet is most likely because she's clinging to her Sparkbond with Sideswipe. But if I were to accept a sister bond, she might be okay.

I hesitate as I locate her frequency. It's pushing on my like a physical force. I press my lip components together and allow the barriers built up around my Spark and my processors to capsize for just a moment, letting her in. She vents steadily, her electropulse rate noticeably slowing. Throwing caution to the winds, I push a series of reassuring emotions over the newly formed bond. She relaxes and stabilizes.

I look at the sky, slightly drained. Devastator is climbing up a pyramid that is about to destroy Earth's sun, and I'm stuck lying of my aft, plasma burning a hole in my chest, next to my newly bonded Spark-sister. I vent my intakes.

It could be worse.

I don't remember falling into stasis, but the next thing I know, I'm in holoform, lying next to my very beat up alt-mode. My own silver alt-mode is just next to a pink motorcycle of the same model, Arcee's alt-mode. She's about as fragged up as I am. I can still feel the burn, but my wounds are much less noticeable now.

Arcee's holoform is lying next to me in the form of a young woman, slightly taller than me, tan and toned, with dark blonde hair. Her eyes are just a bright blue as any of us, and she's sitting up, looking at me. I push myself to my feet, holding out a hand to help her up as well.

A huge explosion rocks the Earth, and I catch a glimpse of an organic's body flying through the air. My Spark nearly freezes when I hear Mikaela scream his name.

"SAM!"

I drag Arcee back to her feet. She groans slightly but offers no further complaints. I race towards the noise, my hand clasped tightly on her arm.

"Fucking do something!" Mikaela is screaming at Lennox, who hesitates and then starts applying synchronized bursts of pressure to Sam's chest.

I kneel beside her. A mournful, mechanical whine comes from just behind Lennox, attracting my attention. Bumblebee is leaning against the rock, staring worriedly at the resolutely unconscious Sam.

A team of human medics lean over him, sending electrical shocks into his body. His creators are screaming his name. The team backs off. A lost cause.

"Sam...

Mikaela is begging him to come back, tears mixing with mascara is they stream down her face. The remainder of the Matrix is flying out of his hand, swirling next to him like sand.

But it's not just swirling. It twists around, ringing slightly as it reforms itself before our eyes. Mikaela leans back, eyes wide, and suddenly, Sam jerks violently, sitting upright.

I sigh in relief, dropping back away from her. Arcee is behind me, conversing quietly with Sideswipe. He's on his knees, nearly at eye-level with her holoform, but not quite. I turn around, brushing my holomatter hair out of my face. I roll my shoulders. I hope that the repairs on my alt-mode don't take very long. I would hate for this to be my only mobile form.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts. Optimus has been brought back online. A smile breaks out on my face. Perhaps we aren't all going to be fragged.

In a matter of seconds, a Decepticon appears in front of Optimus. He's gigantic, larger than Megatron. He strikes the already-weakened Optimus down with ease, and disappears. I look longingly at my alt-form. The Fallen. Only a 'Con would fight that dirty.

There's nothing that I can do to help like this. I've never been happier that I'm not human. To be in this form is to be...well, defenseless.

"Optimus, get up, you gotta get up, he's turning on the machine! He's gonna kill our sun!"

Optimus is groaning softly. He's trying, it's not arguable that he's trying. But he just came back from the dead, and took a hit from the Fallen, like, all at once. That's a hell of a day.

I press my lips together as I watch everything play out. Arcee appears by my side.

"Sideswipe's pissed at me." She looks around, and judging by the influx of panic that I feel from her, she realized what was going on. "What the f-"

She's cut off by a loud clatter as Jetfire tumbles to the ground. Her lips press together. "What's...happening?"

"The 'Cons are trying to turn on the machine..."

She looks at Optimus, Ratchet, and Jolt. "Look at all that slag. I think he has a chance."

"Really?", I reply sarcastically. Rather comically from a distance, Optimus dislodges the Fallen from the pyramid. Megatron and Starscream fly away, cowards as they are. Threat seemingly diverted, I look at Arcee. "What's up with Sides?"

I know it's a weird time for girl talk, but until Ratchet is starting up the temporary sick bay, we have nothing to do. Hell, we might not even be able to help then, because our alt-modes need repairs as well.

She sighs. "Well, not so much pissed, just worried. But with him, that comes out as anger. Which sucks."

I nod slightly. "I know, right? I mean, when you already got hurt, the last thing you need is everybody pissed at you..."

She nods emphatically. "I apologized for everything that I felt deserved an apology, but-" She stops, gritting her teeth. "But I guess that's not enough."

She's upset, I can tell. She sound close to tears. "I'm sure he'll get over it. He usually does."

"He's really upset this time, though."

"Why especially now? You've gotten shot before."

She sighs. "Well, when there was about three kliks when I was about to die, and I could tell. I just... I didn't want him to have to die too, just cause I did. I broke our bond for a few minutes. It really scared him..."

I half-smile ruefully. "I wouldn't've let you die."

She shrugs. "Somethings can't be helped."

I chew on my lip, fiddling with my holomatter fingers. I really don't like this form. "Chomia and Elita...were good femmes. We won't forget them."

She sighs, dropping to sit on the ground. "I'm never going to be able to look 'Hide in the eye. Or Prime, for that matter."

I purse my lips. "And you weren't even with Elita when she...went. And Chromia wasn't technically..." I hesitate, worried that I made it worse. I think I did.

"That's the thing!" She turns fully to look at me. "Now she'll never get the chance. Primus knows I have no idea why, but she was crazy for that mech. And now..." She breaks off, her face crumpling.

I press my lips together, wrapping her in a hug with a frantic private com to Sideswipe.

If you're pissed at 'Cee, get the frag over it and get your AFT OVER HERE. She doesn't need this.

What?

Did you just forget about Chromia and 'Lita? She needs you, like, now. I don't know what I'm doing.

It only takes seconds for Sides's holoform to appear next to us, allowing me to move as he takes my place, whispering softly to her.

I sigh and turn away, walking away from them. I can see Optimus standing next to Ratchet, who is giving him an exam. Bee, Jolt, Lennox, and Mikaela are next to them, and Sam is a little ways off with some guy about his age, and Simmons. I sigh, and decide to join my charge. Ratchet will fix me up when he does, and until then, I'm not qualified to do it myself.

Mikaela grins half-heartedly at me. "You don't look so good."

I snort. "Thanks."

She shrugs sheepishly. "Sorry."

Long time no see.

I glance at Bee. They're really rubbing off on you.

Shut it.

That's impossible, I'm not talking.

He face-palms next to me, which, amusingly enough, rouses Ratchet's attention. "Are you injured, Bumblebee?"

Bee glares at me, shaking his helm rapidly. 'And I say, no, no, no.'

Mikaela snorts at his song choice. Ratchet gives him a piercing look and turns his full attention back to Optimus.

Lennox turns around, dropping a small, handheld radio into a pocket. "'Kay, transports are here. Board up at the gulf."

Jolt looks at Lennox. "It's via the water?" Lennox nods. Jolt knots his servos together. "What if we can't see it?", he asks. His tone is perfectly serious, but I can tell he's just messing with the major.

"I doubt that, it's a huge ship..." Lennox replies doubtfully.

"Well, some of us have horrible visionary skills."

I catch Bee's optic. He's on the verge of laughing. Lennox is so confused, his expression is priceless.

"I...didn't know that was possible."

Jolt's optic ridges rise. "It's very possible. Do you know how many bots used to die every vorn on Cybertron, thanks to faulty optic calibration? Everyone walked into sharp objects. The planet itself was very sharp. Well, the vision wasn't sharp. But, seriously, it was terrible."

Ratchet turns around, smacking his apprentice upside the head. The medic turns to Lennox, scowling ferociously.

"He's being an aft. There's no such thing as bad vision in our species."

Jolt rolls his optics, muttering a little too audibly to Bee, "Primus, and that's a medic? That's just sad."

A wrench makes solid contact with the back of his helm, and he shuts up.

I hesitantly approach my alt-mode, slightly at a loss. I suppose that, as a holoform, I might be able to push...myself...up to the gulf. Arcee is up ahead, receiving a lot of support from Sideswipe. Well, honestly, he's practically dragging her, and her stabilizing servos are hardly even on the ground. I sigh, grabbing my handlebars and bringing the kickstand up. I push, starting to walk slowly. I groan softly. From the perspective of my holomatter 'muscles', my alt-mode is incredibly heavy. Also, the stress is making my chest hurt all the more.

If you need help, all you have to do is ask.

I turn around. Bee is standing a little ways behind me. My eyes narrow.

I don't need any help.

His ridges rise in disbelief, but he knows better than to contradict me. I go back to the task at hand. It's still completely ineffective.

Maybe I want to help. You don't have to need it. I sigh, still catching the underlying message of what he's saying. I don't have to admit that I need it.

I purse my lips. Fine.

He gives me an expectant look, and I deactivate my holoform, transforming quickly. He locks optics with me, grabbing one of my arms and pulling it around his neck.

They got you good.

I scoff. "You're an aft."

Oh, and you still keep up those good spirits!

"I hate you.", I inform him.

I'm touched.

"I really do." My voice is void of emotion, save for fatigue.

You sound like it. He glances at me for a moment. You look like you're about to drop dead. Stop talking.

"Okay, that's just offensive."

He rolls his optics, whirring softly. No, stupid. You're exhausted, and talking isn't helping you.

"Oh."

It takes about three and a half more minutes to reach the ship. Bee sets me against a stack of crates up by the cabin, telling me to go ahead and recharge while I can. He turns and starts off towards Ratchet, and my optics offline by default. I can't stay online any longer.

so, again, i am SO SORRY about to super long wait. I lost my TF fix for a while, and by the time it came back, and i started on this chapter, it took an unbelievably long time for me to finish this! please review, thanks for reading!