A/N: OMG you guys! 300+ reviews! I don't know what to say! You are all amazing and wonderful! I hope you all are having a great holiday and enjoy this chapter :)

Wheeljack looked up from polishing his katana as Ratchet walked passed. "Hey, what's up? Any word from the others?"

"I'm just going to meet Smokescreen. Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are on their way. I just wish I could get the ground bridge working."

"Give it time, Ratchet. Our energon reserves are very nearly gone. We've barely got enough to share much less power the ground bridge."

"Don't remind me. You coming?"

"Yeah." Sheathing his katana he got to his feet.

They walked in silence for a bit.

"Did Jack ask about his mom?"

"Yes."

"What did you tell him."

"The truth."

"And…"

"He was very upset."

Wheeljack sighed, it was only to be expected. He knew how worried he was about their two missing comrades. Knowing where they were didn't make it any easier. They could both be in a world of hurt or even offline and they had no way of knowing.

"We have to rescue them, Ratchet."

"Don't you think I've thought about that, Wheeljack?" Ratchet stopped and turned to face him. "There are five of us. Five. Against the entire Decepticon army here on Earth. It would be suicide. Even with the human military backing us up we stand no chance."

"There are others who would help. We just have to contact them…"

"They are light years away, Wheeljack and whose to say they would make it here in time. Optimus and June have been in Decepticon hands for nearly four solar cycles now … if they are still alive then there is a reason why Megatron is keeping them alive. I believe what Agent Fowler said. If Megatron truly had killed Optimus he would have wanted to flaunt it. It's in his nature."

"Once an exhibitionist-"

"Alway an exhibitionist." Ratchet vented slowly and placed a servo on Wheeljack's shoulder. "I am glad you are here. I would be lost with out you."

Wheeljack shuffled his feet, looking away. "Don't get all mushy on me, doc."

Ratchet jerked his servo away and stepped back. "Sorry."

Wheeljack shoved him playfully, "Hey no worries, I just don't know what to do if you aren't griping me out about something."

"I do not 'gripe you out', Wheeljack."

"Let me find those recordings-"

"That is quite alright. We need to be going. I'm hoping Smokescreen doesn't try to show off."

"If he wants to show off we could go take a spin on the racetrack I saw on the way here."

"Maybe once this crisis is over."

The army convoy was just pulling up outside the complex as they exited in their alt forms. Two of the military personnel stationed at the entrance gave them the all clear. Transforming they waited for Smokescreen to be unloaded.

"That has got to be worse than riding in that Decepticon stasis pod!" They heard him before they saw him. "Slagging uncomfortable to be stuck in alt mode for that long."

"You'll get used to it, rookie." Wheeljack chuckled as Smokescreen transformed the instant he was clear of the trailer.

"Ratchet! Where are the others and… you are a wrecker aren't you?" Smokescreen walked up to Wheeljack. "You've got to be Wheeljack! Bulkhead talked about you all the time! Nice to meet you."

"Yeah… you too, kid. Glad to see you got here in one piece."

Introductions out of the way, Smokescreen turned back to Ratchet his smile fading. "Any news on Optimus?"

"Sadly, no. We lost contact four days ago. It's safe to say he's in Megatron's custody."

"Slag it! So when are we mounting a rescue?" Smokescreen glanced between the two of them.

Wheeljack exchanged a glance with Ratchet who rolled his eyes and turned away.

"We can't do that Smokescreen. We don't have the resources."

"You've got me!"

"And we need you to stay here and online!" Ratchet snapped. "I'm going back to work on the ground bridge."

Transforming he took off leaving Wheeljack staring after him.

"What did I say?"

"It's not you kid. He's just… on a short fuse right now."

"I get it, but are we seriously not going to try and rescue Optimus?"

Wheeljack started walking, Smokescreen following after a moment. They both ducked to get under the door.

"Its not that simple, Smokes. Megatron has a fortress now and his ship. We are completely out gunned."

"What about an infiltration? Just a one or two bot mission?"

"You are forgetting. You send one or two of us and you've just cut our numbers almost in half. We don't have the manpower and we don't have the energon."

"There has to be something we can do." Smokescreen's shoulders slumped his door wings drooping.

"Sometimes there isn't. For the longest time I only ever thought of Optimus as a general in name only. Someone who sat back and sent other bots to die." He shook his head holding up a servo as Smokescreen glared opening his mouth to say something. "Let me explain, kid. I know you idolize big bot, but there were a lot of us that had a hard time accepting a former librarian as our new leader and supposed savior. He was no fighter and definitely no leader. Sure his spark is in the right place but that won't win a war. And it hasn't."

Smokescreen looked stricken his optics darting around. "You… you don't know. You don't know how Alpha Trion spoke of him. Of the great things expected of Optimus-"

"You're right, I don't know. But I do know one thing, kid. A legend rarely lives up to the reality."

Smokescreen clenched his servos, looking for a moment like he might try and take a swing. He finally lowered his head shaking it slowly. "You are wrong. I believe in Optimus. He's a good leader. I've seen him in action. He is-he is a Prime!"

"So was Sentinel and he died in disgrace." Wheeljack shook his head. "Take it easy kid. I know you look up to Optimus but you've got to be realistic. You aren't being fair to him."

"What? What do you mean?"

"You'll figure it out kid. Let's get going. I need to help Ratchet or I'll never hear the end of it."

###

The clatter of metal on metal filled the room. Knockout couldn't stop shaking as he watched Flatline prepare his instruments. This couldn't be happening! Not after everything he'd put up with and endured for Megatron's sake. If it wasn't for Megatron he wouldn't even be on this Primus forsaken planet. He would have still been out searching for energon with Breakdown.

"Nervous?" Flatline smirked at him.

"Trade me places and we'll see how nervous you get." He snapped.

"Well at least you haven't lost your sense of humor. Now, where to start… I was thinking that you are about the right size that I could make three smaller drones from you." He hummed softly to himself as he pulled up schematics on the computer screen.

"You-you can't!"

"Oh? I can't hmm? Is three too many? Or not enough?"

Knockout froze in horror, his processor threatening to overload. There had to be a way out of this. "Wait, just wait. I have-had a project I was working on. One that Lord Megatron gave me. You could…you could use it."

Flatline looked over at him, eyebrows raised. "Indeed? And what kind of project was this?"

"My-my partner, Breakdown… the humans found a way to use his body after he'd died. I dissected the human and removed it from his corpse but not before I learned a lot about them. Breakdown's body is still here on the Nemesis, you could use it…"

Flatline watched him for a long moment. "Were is the data on this experiment?"

"It's in my chambers, one of the data pads."

Flatline gestured to one of the Eradicons who immediately left. "This won't make any difference in your fate. Lord Megatron is very upset with you."

"That's the understatement of the orn." Knockout mumbled. "So what did you do to Optimus?"

Flatline grinned. "It's a modified quarantine algorithm. Normally it would be used to isolate a virus or other harmful programing until it could be removed. Shockwave changed the coding so that it isolates the bot's consciousness and restricts it. For all intents and purposes it's a prison within the mind."

Knockout shuddered, glancing over at the silent Prime. There was movement at his head that had him narrowing his optics. Was that who he thought it was? How had Megatron and Flatline missed seeing her?

"That is quite… diabolical."

"You expect anything less from the Decepticon's head scientist? If you think that is interesting you should see what else we have planned for him. Lord Megatron is most adamant that the Prime's will be broken completely."

"Why not just kill him and take the Matrix? Why play all these games?" Knockout wasn't really interested in the answer, but the longer Flatline talked, the longer he stayed alive.

"You never saw Megatron fight in the Pits did you? He was a thing to behold. Pure genius wrapped in raw power. He understood not just how to fight, but what weaknesses to exploit in his enemies. He could draw a fight out for orn or end it within a klik and the crowds loved nothing more than watching him toy with his opponent. He craves the challenge and no one has challenged him like the Prime."

In a twisted way, Knockout supposed it made sense. He understood to a degree. It was why he'd gone racing as often as he could. Without something to strive for, a goal to reach, what was there?

The Eradicon was back with a stack of data pads. Flatline took his time going through them making soft comments and sorting them into stacks.

"I will give you one thing, Knockout, you are thorough."

"Uh… thanks?" He twitched feeling something on his foot. Glancing down his optics widened seeing June. He wanted to shake her off, but the way she was looking at him made him pause. She smiled and patted his knee before looking over at Flatline, her expression hardening.

What did the little pest have planned? If his experience with her was anything to go by then it wasn't good. Flatline was still reading, scrolling through reports and observations. He nearly yelped as tiny hands latched on to his grill. She was climbing all over his chassis and probably smearing his finish. Who was he kidding, his finish was slagged. By the time she reached his helm he was forcing himself to vent slowly and evenly to prevent a panic attack.

He jerked to the side as she touched is audio sensor, nearly growling at her. What in the Pit did she think she was doing?

"Shh, I'm here to help you."

Help him? After she'd tried to kill him, not once, but twice. He growled softly wishing he could turn his head and crush her, but he didn't want that mess all over him.

"Flatline is going to kill you if you don't let me help you. Once we are off the ship we can go our separate ways. No strings attached."

It was a tempting proposal. He was dead if he stayed. At least if he escaped he would live for a while longer. He didn't relish the thought of scrounging for energon like Starscream though. Maybe they could work something out.

"Thank you, now I'm going to release your restraints while Flatline is occupied. Can you disable him and the two Eradicons?"

He nearly snorted. As if there was any doubt. There was a soft pat on his cheek, then she was gone. After that things happened very quickly. The instant he felt the restraints release he leapt off the table and straight at the two Eradicons. His energon prod sent them both crashing to the floor. It was just like Megatron to overlook a simple thing like disabling his weapons.

"What the-" Flatline ducked and Knockout had to block the blow aimed at his helm. "How did you get free?"

"Does it matter?" He swung the prod around testing for vulnerabilities. As a scientist Flatline hadn't seen as much time on the front line as he had and it showed. He landed two quick hits and then while the larger bot was off balance managed to shock him. The scientist dropped, Knockout stood over him for a moment considering offlining him completely.

"Knockout! We don't have time for that. Help Optimus."

"Why should I?"

"He saved your life!" June glared at him from her perch on the top of the table.

Knockout shook his head resisting the urge to roll his optics. Grabbing a device off the table he stepped over an Eradicon and approached Optimus. "How am I supposed to move him? He's unconscious?"

"You'll have to figure something out. Can you operate the ground bridge?"

He looked down at the remote control he'd appropriated from Starscream. "Yes, where are we going?"

He frowned as he feed the coordinates into the device. "You better not try to double cross me human or I'll offline Optimus permanently."

"Same goes for you."