Chapter 23:

Low conversation filled the C-17 that was going to drop the Autobots near the Decepticons underground base in a remote desert. It was only by miracle that Blaster had managed to track Ravage back to the base two years earlier. There were three other C-17's, two filled with selected Autobots and the other with NEST soldiers. Blaster and Wheeljack had worked together to build and program a disruptor that hid their signals from any prying scanners.

On the plane was Optimus Prime, Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Ratchet, the Corvette twins, and Barricade. Prime, Prowl, and Ironhide were debating the best plan of action in attacking the base while Sideswipe pestered Sunstreaker out of sheer boredom, with Ratchet unfortunately sandwiched between them. Jazz was sitting quietly by his mate, trying to decide if it was a good idea or not to try and speak to Barricade, who hadn't said a thing since getting on the plane.

"Mechs," the human pilot said over the intercom, "Approximately 3 minutes until we reach our drop point. Get ready to jump."

Finally making his decision, Jazz stood up and walked over to where Barricade had been sitting the whole time. "'Cade…"

"What?" He snapped, optics flaring brightly as he looked up.

"I…," Jazz started, but couldn't think of the words to say. What could he say? 'Sorry I didn't tell you that I knew your spark mate was going to die, and now it may be too late'? Jazz felt Prowl nudge against him in the bond, sending a wave of questioning. He reassured his mate before turning his attention back to Barricade, who was looking at the floor again, shoulders hunched. "I…I guess I jus' wanted ta say I'm sorry."

"Aren't we all," the Mustang whispered, optics dimmed to their lowest setting.

Jazz went on. "Mech, each and everyone of us is gonna do their best to save Nicki. We all want her back."

"And what if it's too late? What if she's dead already? What then, Jazz?" Barricade said harshly, looking up again with a glint in his optics.

"Can't give up hope yet, 'Cade," Jazz said with a weak grin. Then the grin turned dark. "Primus help any 'Con who does hurt her."

The back of the C-17 opened, and the others stood up, preparing to jump. Barricade stood up and walked past Jazz to the opening to stand beside Prime, who was just getting ready to jump. "If they even fragging touched her, I'll kill them all." Then the black and white mech jumped out before even Optimus could, leaving the commander looked bewildered and the twins snickering. With whoops of glee, they jumped out after Barricade.

Prime was next, after getting over his shock. Prowl looked over the edge, looking irritated. Jazz came up from behind him, grinning. "What's wrong, Prowler? Scared?"

"It's just a long way down." The tactician replied icily and just a tad bit defensive. Hearing the saboteur's snort, Prowl pointed over at Ironhide, who was also looking over the edge with a gruff look on his faceplates. "I'm not the only one."

Ratchet, already at his wit's end because of the twins, simply rolled his optics. "Oh, get over it, you big sparkling." And then he pushed the Weapons Specialist out.

The remaining mechs could hear Ironhide swearing on an open comm. all the way down.

As Ratchet jumped out himself, Jazz grabbed his mate's servo and grinned. "Let's go kick some 'Con aft!" Then he jumped out, pulling a cursing Prowl along.

::Ratchet,:: Ironhide said as his parachutes deployed,:: I hate you.::

::Join the club!:: Sideswipe crowed, enjoying the whole thing too much.

::You're all being reformatted into blenders when we get back.:: Ratchet intoned darkly.

Prowl muttered something that sounded like 'idiots', but no one could be sure.

Nicole POV

When I usually am nervous or uncomfortable, I try to distract myself. Either by annoying the crap out of the person nearest to me or starting a conversation. And at the moment, the only thing capable of conversation was Screamer, who had been sulking darkly the whole two minutes since we had left Megatron, Soundwave, and Styker.

"So, Screamer-"

"Shut up, fleshie."

And thus my attempt was brutally shot down.

"Hey," I snapped from my sitting position in the cage, "I was just trying to make conversation, you jackass. No need to bite my head off."

Starscream looked down at me with disgust. "Like I would ever want to converse with a puny fleshling like you." He made a noise of disgust. "Primus, the AllSpark couldn't have chosen a stupider Host, could it? You are about to die. You should be screaming. Begging for me to spare your useless life."

I shrugged. "Eh, screaming and begging aren't really my thing. No, I prefer to annoy people to death. Much more satisfying, don't you think, Screamer?"

"Don't call me that, human." He hissed.

"Why not, Screamer?"

Whatever Starscream was going to snap back at me was cut off as a there was a flash of purple light and a shift in the air. Skywarp and Thundercracker dropped in front of us suddenly and it was all Starscream could do to not run into them.

There was a pause before Thundercracker smacked Skywarp over his helm. "I told you not to do that without a warning."

Skywarp cackled. "Admit it, TC, it was worth it. Did you even see Screamer's faceplates?"

Said Air Commander growled in annoyance, whether at the nickname or because he had been stopped. "Move. I don't have enough time to deal with you right now."

Skywarp totally ignored him, instead catching sight of me. He leaned closer, peering in the cage at me. "Oooh, a fleshie."

At a loss of what to do, I did the first thing that came to mind. I waved at him. "Hi."

The purple and black Seeker grinned and waved back. "Hello, human femme."

Starscream glared daggers at Skywarp. "You idiot, don't talk to it!"

"I'm a 'she', not an 'it'. Get your biology right, Screamer."

Skywarp thought I was funny, at least. Starscream didn't.

Thundercracker sighed, looking like he had dealt with Skywarp's special brand of stupidity thousands of times before. "'Warp, leave it alone before Starscream blows a gasket." Then he switched to Cybertronian. "Is that the Host?"

Starscream was still glaring balefully at Skywarp, who was trying to get my attention again. "Yes. Megatron apparently had it drain it's powers into a sparkling frame."

"Sparkling frame?"

Starscream sneered. "A successor."

Thundercracker looked at me curiously. "So, did it work?"

"Our mighty leader seems to think so. The sparkling is alive, but it shows no signs of even containing AllSpark energy."

"Maybe they'll develop in time?"

"I doubt it. It will be dead before it reaches it's second frame."

Thundercracker shot him a disbelieving look. "You're going to kill a sparkling, Starscream?"

I felt myself go cold at the blue jet's words. Would Starscream really kill a sparkling, just for power?

Said silver and black jet hissed. "No, you idiot! The AllSpark energy would be too much for a simple sparkling frame! It will kill it soon!"

I felt myself relax. I knew that the AllSpark energy wouldn't kill Stryker. No, if the AllSpark had a purpose for Stryker, than it wouldn't kill him.

Suddenly Starscream's comm. beeped. With a snarl, he opened it and I hacked into the frequency. ::What now?::

Shockwave's cold voice came through the other end. ::Starscream, are bringing the Host?::

::Yes! I'm on my way!:: Without waiting for a reply, the Decepticon SIC shut the comm. Then aloud, he said, "Shockwave demands my presence elsewhere. Now, move."

Skywarp finally lost interest in me and grinned at his trine mate. "We'll come with you, Screamer!"

Starscream just pushed past him with a growl. "No, you won't."

My head spun a bit from the sudden movement again, but I ignored that and the Seekers bickering, thinking. Would Stryker really be safe in a base full of Decepticons? As far as I knew, Starscream was the only mutinous one, but…still. I wanted my sparkling to be safe. Soundwave had experience in caring for sparklings with his symbiotes, but that was one mech. I highly doubted that Megatron would actually care about Stryker, as long as he stood up to his standards for a good successor. I didn't trust any Decepticon, and I never would, even if my life depended on it. But this wasn't about me. This was about Stryker, my innocent, little sparkling that would be alone in a Decepticon base surrounded by Decepticons that didn't give a frag about him, much less want to care for him.

As much as I hated to admit it, I'd have to trust some 'Con to watch over my little Stryker.

The first 'Con that popped in my head: Thundercracker.

I honestly couldn't believe my thought process at the moment. I knew from the AllSpark, that if it weren't for his trine mates, Thundercracker would've probably stayed Neutral. But his loyalty to Starscream and Skywarp was strong, the type of loyalty that came with siblings or bondmates. I didn't trust Thundercracker in the least, but I had to put aside my differences for Stryker.

I pictured myself cracking my knuckles and popping my neck. Well, here goes nothing…

I slipped into Thundercracker's mind, bracing myself against the thoughts and emotions. Thundercracker.

The blue Seeker, who had been walking behind the arguing Starscream and Skywarp, jolted to stop with a startled look on his faceplates. He looked wildly around before his optics settled on me with a shocked look.

Unfortunately, Starscream and Skywarp noticed. Both of the Seekers stopped to turn and look at him, giving me a better view of him from my cage. I can imagine the looks he was getting from them.

"TC…," Skywarp said uncertainly, "You okay?"

I sent him a pleading look. Please don't say anything, Thundercracker. At least hear me out.

He opened his mouth, before shutting it again and then repeating the action. Just when I thought he was going to tell them, Thundercracker looked back to his trine mates. "Nothing. Just still a little dizzy from warping."

Apparently they believed him, because after hesitating for a few moments, they started walking again, returning to their argument.

What do you want, human? I heard Thundercracker inside of his own helm.

I took a deep breath before steeling my resolve again. I want to ask you a favor.

I owe you no favor.

Please! Just listen, at least!

I could feel the blue Seeker struggling with himself. I had begun to lose hope of ever getting through to him when he said, I'll listen, but I won't agree.

I…Pausing, I wondered exactly how to say this. I…want you to take care of Stryker.

Of what?

Stryker, the sparkling Starscream was talking about. Megatron's successor.

The one you brought to life, He said flatly. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Yes. Can you watch out for him after I'm gone? I don't want to leave him in a place surrounded by 'Cons that don't give a damn whether he lives or dies.

There was a pause. Then, What do I get out of it?

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Thundercracker, honestly? Do you really want something out of it? Can't you just do it out of the goodness of your spark?

Thundercracker said nothing.

Please! He's just a sparkling. I feel responsible for him. I brought him to life, only to be in a place where he won't have friends.

There was a mental sigh. You really do care, don't you?

Humans have emotions, too, Thundercracker. We aren't stupid. Well, most of us.

It was another good minute before I felt acceptance in the Seeker's mind. Fine. I'll make sure nothing happens to him.

I felt relief flood me. I know I wouldn't have been able to rest in death if he had said no. Thank you.

There was a pause, before he asked, You know you're going to die?

The weight of knowing came back, and I felt so tired again. Yes. I know.

You don't think the Autobots will try to save you?

They might. But my death was sealed a long time ago. It's already too late.

Just as I said that, Starscream stopped in front of a door with Cybertronian glyphs on it. I didn't bother reading them since I knew what they said. As the doors slid open, the air turned colder. I tried my best not to look around, because that just made the fear in the pit of my stomach grow until I was physically cold and sick.

My cage was thrown on a table. To say it just jarred me would be an understatement. Impact against a metal floor hurts pretty fragging bad.

"Here, Shockwave. Have fun with the little fleshie." I heard Starscream's screechy voice.

"Commander Starscream, send my sincerest regards to Lord Megatron for allowing me the privilege of using this human in my experiments."

It was impossible to not look up at that voice.

Peering in my cage with the interest reserved for test subjects, Shockwave studied me like some new puzzle. It chilled me to my core. Still, I forced myself to look him in his one optic and lift my head. "Do your worst, Shockwave."

He hummed thoughtfully. "Still resistant? No matter. That will be taken care of."

More words were said between Starscream and Shockwave, but I was too busy trying to turn down the buzzing noise that came with fear in my ears. I almost missed the Seekers moving to the door. Thundercracker shot me a look that may have been pity, but before I could focus on it I screamed as I was electrocuted again with the collar. So Shockwave had the codes, too. Joy.

This electrocution lasted longer than any of the others had. At some point I stopped screaming, instead just writhing on the floor of my cage. Primus, it hurt. Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. My brain felt fuzzy. All I could really do was just lay there as I felt my self being picked up by a servo and pulled out of my cage.

Then I was laid on the table, but I couldn't move even if I wanted to. While I tried to recover, in the back ground I could hear shuffling and things being moved. Just as I began to regain feeling in my fingers and feet, I felt the air beside me shift. Suddenly someone was standing over me. I felt a cold hand feel along my neck, before there was a small prick and something was injected.

All I could do was groan, because at the moment my limbs weren't working. I did manage to open my eyes, though. And then I wished I hadn't.

Because Shockwave's holoform had no face.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to forget the image. It- It wasn't right. It was disturbing.

Whatever he had put in me, it was cold. The feeling spread from my neck to the rest of my body. Almost like it had been liquid ice had been injected directly in my veins. I was only when I started trembling uncontrollably did I realize something was seriously wrong.

"Fragger," I hissed through chattering teeth, "What'd you do to me?"

Opening my eyes, I saw Shockwave was working on…something. It was like a horizontally-laying glass pod on a stand. There were small dime-sized holes in the floor of it. It was just big enough for a human to lay down in it.

A human…

Oh.

Shockwave didn't even glance at me. "It's going to speed up the process of freezing your body in the cryogenic pod. As we speak, the formula I created is crystallizing your blood cells."

"What?" I managed to say louder. By now I had curled up in a ball, wishing I had kept my jacket.

"I have other projects that require my immediate attention, so cryogenic preservation is the best option for the moment."

"But that'll kill me!"

"I do not need you alive to perform the experiments, girl."

By now I couldn't think straight enough to form a reply, so I settled for trying to warm myself up.

I don't know how much time passed - three minutes, three hours - but suddenly I was picked up by Shockwave. Before I could even think of a protest, he had put me in the cryogenic chamber and shut the glass cover.

It was even colder in the pod. There was a slight hum, and then a hiss as a white gas sprayed out of the holes to fill the pod. I coughed, before I realized that breathing in the gas was a mistake as cold spread to my lungs. A tear rolled down my face. It froze halfway as the air dropped to life threatening temperatures. I drew my arms and knees up to my chest, but it sent pins and needles through me because my muscles were growing stiff from the cold.

I refused to close my eyes, despite how the frigid air hurt my eyes and how heavy my eyelids felt. If I closed my eyes, I would want to keep them shut forever. As death crept closer, I felt myself resisting more and more. I didn't want to die. Not this way. Not now.

I started to cough again, and this time it lasted for a minute.

This whole time, it was silent except for the hissing from the holes. But…now I could hear something outside the pod… Something like…an alarm. Did Shockwave have an alarm clock?

But then I managed to look past the white gas circulating in the pod. I could just barely see flashing red lights.

It was the base alarm.

That meant either an intruder. Or intruders.

Somehow I knew that the Autobots had indeed come for me. There was that gut feeling, and then there was the feeling in my heart telling me that Barricade was near by. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or not.

Something moved outside the pod. Something silver.

The thought had just crossed my mind when the gas being sprayed in the pod suddenly stopped and the humming stopped, too. Then there was something scratching at the edges of the glass before the glass cover lifted up with a small hiss.

I sucked in my first breath of fresh air. Compared to the gas in the pod, the air outside felt like 95 degrees now.

I expected to see Shockwave's one red optic, but instead I was met with a bright blue visor. Suddenly I was being lifted out by gentle silver claws. "Primus, Nicki…"

It took my muddled brain a few seconds to recognize Jazz in the flashing red lights of the alarm. I coughed again, still shivering. "Jazz?"

The silver mech clutched me to his chest plates. I could feel his spark pulsing warmly beneath his armor and I tried to soak up as much of that as I could. "Yeah, Nicki, it's me… Ya're alive. Primus, ya're alive… Are ya okay? What'd they do ta ya?"

I hissed, still freezing. "Shockwave…gave me something…" I broke into a coughing fit again and I vaguely felt him rubbing my back. "He said it's…going to freeze…my blood cells."

"Then we need ta find Ratchet-"

"No, Jazz," I managed to look up in his visor. "Did…Did everyone get their letters?"

"Yeah." Jazz's visor was dim. "I tried ta tell them not ta come…"

"Can you…take me to Barricade? I have to see him one last time."

"Nicki, we're here now, ya aren't goin' ta die-"

I smiled sadly. "Yes, I am, Jazz. This was how it was supposed to happen. Tell everyone I'm sorry. Be careful and stay alive."

Before he could say anything else, I locked onto a random Cybertronian signature and used that to pinpoint exactly where I would transwarp. In a flash of blue, I was gone and dropped into a hallway.

There was a battle raging around me. Explosions, cannon fire, and guns were going off, making my ears ring. At least it was warmer out here. There were several mechs crowding the halls, and just small pockets of humans here and there. I couldn't tell which mechs were Bots or 'Cons, but I could tell the humans were NEST. No one seemed to notice me, and I was glad.

I was still freezing, but it seemed like the cold was with drawing. Either I was closer to death than I thought, or the AllSpark was doing like it had with Ratchet's sedative and making the formula wear off. It still felt like my legs and arms were asleep, but I managed to start limping along the wall where I wouldn't be stepped on.

I was close to Barricade. I could feel it. My Barricade. My soul mate, spark mate, and the one I wanted to be with the rest of my life. I had to see him before I died, to make sure he was alive.

I nearly screamed as a pede came down right beside me. It belonged to a Decepticon. That was third or fourth time. It was a miracle I hadn't been shot already-

Pain blossomed in my side as a bullet ricocheted off of something and hit me on my right side. I could literally feel the bullet lodged in my lung. And I thought the electrocution had hurt. Boy, was I wrong. I coughed, feeling and tasting the coppery taste of blood in my throat.

I tried to take another few steps, holding my side, but it hurt too much before I had to stop. I could feel the blood filling my lungs because it was so hard to breathe. But I had to reach Barricade. I had to. And he was so close…

A particularly loud explosion had my ears ringing. Wincing, I pressed myself closer to the wall. Or, at least what I thought was a wall.

The Not-a-Wall slid out from behind me. With a small squeak I fell back into a new room. By some miracle, the Decepticon that came out of the room ran right past me without noticing me.

From my sprawled-out position on the floor, it looked like a big storage room full of shelves, containing spare parts, weapons, and other junk. It was easily as big as the Rec room at the Autobot base.

I sat up just in time to see the door about to slide close on my feet. I jerked them back in time, hissing as the motion jarred the bullet wound.

"Frag," I hissed in pain. Now I was stuck in this room, seeing as I couldn't reach the key panel and I didn't think I had enough AllSpark energy left to mess with the codes. Wonderful.

I started coughing again, and this time I tasted the blood in my mouth. I spit the blood out. "Disgusting." Pressing a hand to the bullet wound, I hobbled my way to a low shelf and sat down. I may not have had a comm. link like the Autobots, but I had something even better. Telepathy.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the pain and sounds of warfare, and cast my senses out, searching for Barricade's mind. I found him not that far away in a corridor. Using that as a beacon, I entered Barricade's mind gently. Barricade.

There was surprise, then, Nicole-

Whatever the Mustang said, I didn't hear it because I was suddenly none-too-gently grabbed by a large servo.

My eyes flew open and I immediately screamed, because:

One, the mech was squeezing me tight enough to break a few ribs and aggravate my bullet wound further.

And two, 'the mech' was Megatron.

The silver mech just laughed. "Finally, you scream, fleshling."

I gritted my teeth at the pain, but forced myself to look up. "Screw you!"

Megatron's expression turned angry, and I just barely felt him squeeze tighter. "Tell me, girl, what makes you resistant still? What makes you stand up to me? Stupidity? Fear? Strength?"

"Strength, but mostly stupidity," I coughed, feeling the blood in my throat.

He laughed again, but the cruel look never left his optics. "It's a shame I'm going to kill you, girl. I might have kept you as a pet. But I'm going to inflict on you the pain that your creator caused me." Megatron leaned closer, smiling darkly. "Do you know what it's like to die, human?"

Before he could say anything else, the doors behind him slid open. Barricade stood there with Optimus, both of them already having their cannon at Megatron's helm.

Of course, only I saw this, since I was facing them and Megsy wasn't. And I had to admit, Barricade looked fragging murderous.

In all the years I had known Barricade, he had never done a single stupid thing. But as he lunged at Megatron right now, I was forced to change that opinion. Because attacking the Decepticon leader who was a good two helms taller than him was pretty slagging stupid.

Sweet, but stupid.

Several things happened at once. Barricade all but jumped on Megatron's back. Optimus shouted something, probably telling the Mustang not to attack Megatron, and started to join in, but another 'Con in the hallway jumped on his back and pulled him out in the hallway again. Oh, and I was dropped from who-knows-how-many feet.

I remember in school that our science teacher had said once that if you fell a hundred feet onto a body of water, it'd feel like hitting the sidewalk. Well, I wasn't being dropped on water, but actual concrete. And it hurt. Really, I should have been dead, but instead I was just lay there like some rag doll. Limp. I was having trouble breathing, because of the blood in my lungs and the fall had knocked the air out of me.

Thankfully, I had fallen facing where Barricade and Megatron were have their brawl. My black and white mech may have lacked in strength and size, but he was getting a few good hits in on Megatron by dodging around him, using the speed of his smaller size. Pride swelled in me, and if I didn't hurt so much, I may have even smiled.

But it was all replaced with cold dread when the silver warlord's servo lashed out, catching Barricade by his neck.

Megatron pushed the Mustang up to the wall, aiming his fusion cannon at his spark chamber. I was pulled back to that trip to Wal-Mart, which seemed so far off now. Terror makes things seem so much slower than they really are happening. Megatron's fusion cannon powered up, building the charge. Adrenaline made any pain in my body leave, and I stood up, ready to transwarp in front of that cannon pointing at my beloved's spark if I had to.

But I wasn't fast enough.

I heard the shot, saw it, and felt it as if it was my own pain. I think I screamed, but there was a few moments where everything just…spaced out.

The next thing I knew, I was kneeling beside Barricade's helm where Megatron had dropped him on the floor carelessly. The silver mech was now battling Optimus, who had either killed or gotten away from the 'Con from earlier. I was sobbing by now, running my hands over Barricade's slack faceplates.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. I was supposed to be dead, not Barricade. My kind, sweet, beautiful Barricade was dying in front of me. I was the one who was supposed to die, I was, not Barricade. How did everything go so horribly wrong?

Tears streamed down my face. "Barricade, please, please, please, don't die! This- This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! I should be dead, not you! I'm so sorry…" I sobbed, the pain and grief in my chest making me bend over his helm. "I'm so sorry… It's all my fault… But I'm going to fix it, Barricade, I swear."

I had no idea if he heard me or not. His optics were totally shut off, systems were running almost silent, and I was kneeling in the pool of Energon that had gathered around him. It was terrifying, to see my mate's lifeblood on the floor.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go. This was all wrong.

Wiping tears away from my face only to be replaced two seconds later, I stood up, ignoring the fact that the knees of my jeans had burned all the way through from the Energon and climbed on Barricade's chassis. It hurt to look at the jagged hole where his spark casing would be, but I used the AllSpark energy to coax his chest plates open all the way. His spark casing already had a hole blasted in it, and I could see Barricade's spark pulsing weakly.

Despite it being so weak, I couldn't help but think that Barricade's spark was beautiful.

"Stupid fragger," I sobbed, reaching in his spark casing to caress his spark, "I'm not letting you die."

Much like I had done to revive Jazz and create Stryker's spark, I poured AllSpark energy into his spark. I gave up every bit of it, willing it to strengthen his spark, but I had been low on AllSpark energy to begin with. It wasn't enough.

"Dammit, Barricade!" I screamed at him. "Live already!" I yanked off my necklace off my neck, breaking the wire and spilling the beads. Then I shoved it in his spark casing and started draining my own life energy through it into his spark.

It worked. Barricade's spark was sucking up my energy, sucking it out of me, and it grew brighter until it hurt to look at. I let it. I felt myself growing weaker, until, finally, I couldn't hold myself up anymore. I fell backwards, exhausted, but relieved. My beautiful Barricade would live. He was going to survive. I hadn't failed. He was going to live.

I felt more at peace than I had in a long time. Not resisting, I closed my eyes. Barricade was going to live. I could rest.

Barricade POV

When Megatron shot me, it had hit my spark directly. Instead of feeling pain, all I felt was…numb.

I could feel myself falling to the ground. A few seconds later, I felt small warm hands on my faceplates and tiny drops of liquid falling on my faceplates. Nicole… I wanted to hold her, tell her not to cry, that it would be alright, that it wasn't her fault. But I couldn't. All I felt was numb.

Then she started to open my chest plates. No, I wanted to tell her, Don't kill yourself saving me. But she didn't listen.

As she drained the AllSpark energy into my spark, I felt myself growing stronger. But it wasn't enough. Nicole screamed at me, before shoving something in my spark casing. Don't- Nicole, stop…

But I could feel her life energy draining into my spark, making it stronger, and I was ashamed that my spark was pulling it from her. She was killing herself for me. I didn't want this. I didn't want Nicole to die saving me. It wasn't fair.

Nicole, having drained all of her energy, collapsed and fell to the floor. In my mind, I was screaming at her about how stupid she was for doing that, but I couldn't do much more. I could feel the AllSpark energy coursing through me, replacing Energon I had lost, repairing armor, filling the hole in my spark casing. It was a few more moments before I could even move.

Distantly, I heard Megatron call a retreat, but I was more focused on Nicole as I struggled to sit up. My spark froze when I saw her. I thought she was dead until I scanned her and found her heart beating weakly. She had so much blood staining her right side, and she was so pale.

I turned my holoform on so I could brush her hair from her face. Primus, it felt like it had been forever since I had seen her. Gently, I put both my hands on either side of her face and brushed one cheek with my thumb. "Nicole…," I whispered, feeling the tears gather in both my holoform's eyes and my own optics.

Her eye lids fluttered for a moment, before she opened them halfway to look at me. It terrified me that her irises were already going cloudy. She smiled weakly. "Barricade."

I smiled shakily. "You're an idiot, for draining your energy like that."

Nicole closed her eyes. "It was for a good purpose."

"Please, Nicole, look at me," I said desperately. "Don't close your eyes yet. I'm going to comm. Ratchet so he can come and fix you."

She laughed a little, but it sounded sad, lacking the life that it usually contained. "No, Barricade. I'm already dead. No one can fix me now."

"Don't say that. Please."

"Can you- " Nicole broke off as she started coughing. Gently, I turned her on her side as she coughed up blood, staining her lips. When it was over, she looked even paler. Still, she looked up at me. "Turn off your holoform. I want to see the real you."

I did as she said and kneeled down to her, cupping my servos around her body. Nicole shakily reached up and brushed her fingertips over my faceplates. Then she whispered, "Barricade… Promise me you'll keep living. For me."

"I won't have to, because you're going to live, Nicole. I swear."

My Nicole sighed, frowning at me. "You're crying, 'Cade."

"I don't care." I snapped. "I'm not letting you die."

She smiled again, looking sad. "But I am going to die. Just know that I love you, Barricade. I'll be waiting for you in the Matrix."

She was saying goodbye. Primus, no, no, no… But I didn't know what else to say. I couldn't. Energon tears streamed down my faceplates, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

Nicole looked over my shoulder, looking at…something. Suddenly a tear slid down her face, and she smiled. "I see them, 'Cade. My parents. They came for me."

No, no, no…Please, Primus, if you're even listening to me, don't take her from me…

Nicole looked back to me, but I don't think she could see me. "Goodbye, Barricade. I love you, and I'll be waiting for you."

"No! Please, Nicole, don't leave me! Please…" I whispered, but it was too late. My Nicole was dead.

Nicole Witwicky was dead.

My love, my one true love, was gone. And I was alone. I was so alone.

The End

…

…Nah, I'm not that mean.

Me: Okay, raise your hands: Who cried? *raises hand*

I'm going to make this short, because I don't have very much time left on here, so I'm going to spit it all out at once.

My laptop fried.

As in, it's now a piece of worthless junk that has no purpose anymore. I dragged my mom's dinosaur out and by some God-given miracle, got it working. So I'm typing the chapters on here, putting them on a flash drive when their done, and using either my dad's computer or grandparent's computer to post the new chap. So chaps will be slow in the coming months, especially with school starting up again. And it'll be who knows how long before I manage to buy a new PC, so, again, chaps might be slow.

Really, I wrote some this all in literally three days. It turned out pretty good in my opinion for a first draft.

But!…The story is not over. I will just say that. I have a feeling I'm going to be bricked after this one, though.

Artemis: No, I'm actually not turning that car into a Transformer. It's just the car that my dad races. And it actually is just a coincidence. I have read Tatyana's story and I loved it, too. And what reference to Megamind? I've seen that movie, too.

Silverfire: Thank you for letting me whine at you about my PC problems. Really. You're a great friend, Silverfire.

All Reviewers and Readers: Thank all of you for reading and reviewing! If it wasn't for the reviews, I wouldn't finish this.

Also, head over to DeviantArt . com (without the spaces) and check out Loki7744's pic she drew for me! It's called 'Transformers Ate the Rainbow'!

Just 4 more reviews till we reach 200! Yay!

The Me's will be returning next chapter, by the way.

Now, I'm going to hide behind a desk or something because I have a feeling there will be rocks and rotten vegetables….

Review if you hate/love me and want to stone me!