Fandom: Transformers

Universe: Transformers Prime-AU

Author: Lotte-Bubbles

Characters: Bulkhead and Miko

References To Non-Prime Cannon: Miko's battle suit is inspired by Verity's in Last Stand of the Wreckers

Notes: This takes place in a world 15 years later, all three kids have gone into the military/alliance with the bots who've settle permanently on Earth and Mars, though still are at war with the Decepticons.

Summary: In this story the Cons come knocking and hell breaks loose.

The image would be burnt into her brain until she died, nothing wold ever be able to erase it for as long as she tried. It was the crash of metal, the busting of components and the splatter of energon onto the ground as it arched through the air and then hit the ground it disgustingly graceful arcs and hit the mechs around them and the mech it belonged too.

The scorched metal hit the ground with a heavy thud that created a ringing in her ears and as more plates were torn away and destroyed from the force of gunfire from an unseen weapon onto the tall and broad body.

The shock that crossed the mechs faceplates was clear even in the distorted view provided, a spark flew from the broad chest and as the blade dug into the ground, spark still skewered by the hand crafted blade Bulkhead froze for a moment, staring in shock at the ruined frame before him, it felt like an orn before he moved though it was barely more than a klick.

Leaping back into action against the Decepticons He quickly spotted Springer-close to defeat against the enormous force of Motormaster. He wished to stop and confirm Breakdowns death for himself-just to be sure. But as he saw Drift move from their own battle-both swords back in place he had no doubt about the fate of the once blue and white, red faced mech.

Motormaster was not to be defeated by them but they managed to knock him down, Bulkhead pinning his helm momentarily while Springer severed the spinal connection that allowed the commands to move to be executed, it was a only a temporary fix, but one the mech would not recover from on his own.

He was unable to move and it was good enough for them as they raced through the battle field delayed by the barely trained and somewhat trained vehicon ground fighters and eradicon flyer cannon fodder Megatron had been utilising in the past few centuries against them.

They were battered and damaged to the point that they'd shut down their HUD visuals in order to escape the system warnings blaring at them, if they held out for another breem the programing worms they'd illegally installed for their more challenging missions that in Bulkheads case he'd yet to need for nearly a millennia, would shut down the warning until their vitals went out of the levels that indicated battle.

Miko couldn't find them on any of the remaining video feeds, she thought she caught a glimpse of red, blue and white but she couldn't place the mech who it belonged too, she pulled up her battle mask and visor cutting the video feed. The shelter rumbled and shook as Jack curled his arms around his wife. Miko had to admit she'd never even wanted to meet the woman but as she watched the dark brunettes scared features as she clung to Jack and her children.

The three dark haired children looked utterly terrified, the eldest was only 10 while the youngest had only turned 5 last month, the only boy, and the middle child of 7 was a spitting image of Jack, dark hair and bright blue eyes against pale skin.

Miko pulled at the restraint in vain before as if a switch was flicked it released with a faint hiss, she rolled her wrists in the suit and crouched down near Jack, stepping out of the suit she pulled him to the side, Raf saw their expressions and ran over from beside the other techs huddle in the corner.

It was the hardest sentence she'd ever tried to say, and the words were bitter and acidic on her tongue "Guys…Jazz and Prowl, Ironhide…Ironfist…Wheeljack…they're all gone" tears had started rolling down her cheeks as she ground out the broken words.

Jacks eyes went wide but no words formed as his face twisted into a world of grief, Raf just stood there shaking his head at the words "n-n-no" the words made them all jump at the noise "Miko…they…"he shook his head, tears welling in his eyes "they-they can't be" his voice was small, and suddenly, though he stood taller than them all now he was suddenly the tiny 13 year old they had first met all those years ago.

She could find no words to give her friend, and chose rather to wrap her arms around him and tug him down into her lap, she felt far more maternal then she'd ever wanted to and as she cradled the trembling form in her arms.

Ratchet pulled the ruined frames into the medical bay, grey frames were lain out behind a moving divider, so many mech he knew for so many years and his entire spark wanted him to do was fall to his knees and mourn their passing. Yet his processor would not let him, his determination to stop others facing the same fate as the mechs already dead pushed him on. They weren't expecting this level of attack, none of their Intel had given even the slightest idea such an assault was being prepared. Fireflight's systems suddenly destabilised fully, as the warning alarm sounded it wasn't a klick before he started crashing. As Ratchet worked to save Fireflight First Aid was trying to patch a tear in Bumblebees door wings that had been leaking energon at a rate that could quickly send him into stasis shock. Before he could get even remotely finished the mech let out a pained hiss "Take them off" he chirped in Cybertronian, the one langue that his currently glitching vocals would produce.

The Mech had lost his visor earlier in the battle in the battle between Defensor and Bruticus. The giants had fallen apart when the foot that had been made of Swindle was obliterated by missile fire. His now visible optics went wide at the half request, half order and he looked expectantly at Ratchet who was elbow deep in Fireflights internals. Without missing a beat or looking up the medic growled out "Do it Aid-disable the sensor pathways in his neural lines then cut through them with a laser scalpel" it was a sharp order as he struggled to stabilise the mechs spark chamber.

The sensors in his hand buzzed painfully as he literally grabbed the spark to pull it towards the EM neutralisers activated in his other hand, as the field wrapped around the spark it stopped fluctuating and pulsed strongly before the bright light was muted by the medics frame turning towards a humming device.

Inside the box of sorts was a generator and around that was sections for up to ten sparks, and above in the lid section and below that another ten already resided in the experimental contraption, two of those sparks were Slingshot and Silverbolt, the pair having crashed after an encounter with the Rainmaker trine.

The two remaining members of the gestalt were stable in their own frames in CR chambers in the room below along with 5 other mechs who were badly damaged but not so far gone as to need Spark storage, he'd removed the mechs Memory cores and labelled them before storing them in one of the coded storage rooms off the main medical bay, it wasn't the solution he wanted to take but when three mechs had started crashing almost simultaneously he'd had no other choice.

It was something that should have been tested for years before even considering testing with anything alive, but like all things today the heat of battle and the need for something to be done had pushed his hand in the matter.

A shout from First Aid brought his head up from sealing the containment chest, Bumblebee had bolted away from the other medic the klick his door was fully removed running out of the medical bay to re-join the fight above ground, a unusual stream of curses came from First Aid before they died out at the sight of Hoist and Perceptor hobbling into the bay three mechs propped up between them all, the Gold and Red frontliner twins were slumped clinging to one another between the Sniper come medic and the GP turned war time medic while Drift was propped up by Perceptor, his side was torn and had been bleeding, First Aid moved to help Hoist move the semi-conscious twins onto the berths.

Ratchet moved swiftly over to Drift and began to patch the side of the mech, he knew the blade warrior only came in at the snipers request. It was only a field patch to stop further damage and contaminants, it was done in just over a breem, he spared the mechs a second glance as they raced back out to fight and Ratchet ran to bring the twins back from the brink with First Aid.

As he worked, elbow deep again in another mechs internals a part of his processor was starting to formulate plans for the worst case scenario, which meant Decepticon victory, he'd heard from Air Raid before the mech went into stasis that Prime had been hit but he hadn't heard anything else.
Soundwave was scrambling any and all communications and for once Blaster had been off planet-up on the secondary base on the moon completing the finer details to the expanded communication grid.

If this was true then he was the highest ranking mech left alive, or functioning in any real state on base-Magnus was on Mars. He desperately hoped he'd sent some help when the call had gone out for it. If they lost the medic needed a plan, with a grimace at his own acceptance of their very possible defeat he set his AI on the task of formulating plans taking into account the likely hood of few survivors, framed or not.

The medical bay shook violently around them and he found himself holding Sideswipes frame on the berth with his hands while they remained inside the mech, he cursed as Sunstreaker's spark flickered, visible from torn chest and torso plates "Aid! Containment-NOW!" He moved one hand ripping away plating from the stasis locked mech, Sideswipe was on the verge of crashing and if one of them did the other would follow in breems.

With careful moves Hoist opened the containment chest and moved out of the way as First Aid and Ratchet lowered the dancing sparks into the same field, they melded together for a moment before pulling back and entered into a twirling dance around its partner-coroners brushing in contact with one another. They seemed to pulse happily at the contact, the spilt spark as close to whole as it ever would be however temporarily.

Ratchet closed the chest and triple coded it, it beeped off as the last locks engaged and over the roar of battle that was still heard through the thick walls the sound of a blasters charging and the similar charges from First Aid and Hoist-he looked at the other medics whose weapons were aimed past his head. He knew Aid was trained but to see the mech holding something other than a practice rifle made his spinal column tingle.

The medic's normally soft and calm voice held a level of rage and malice Ratchet had never imagined "Starscream…I'd really think twice about that if I were you" another weapon was raised in his free hand as he faced off against the Con SIC.

TBC…. *hides* I didn't mean to write another cliff-hanger! I swear I didn't mean too!

A massive shout out to Winterbornbree for the review and for reminding me that I owe it to this story to finish it.

Thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying it so far:)