Disclaimer: We do not own Transformers Prime or its canon charas. We do however own our OCs. Dream'sRealm owns Darkstorm, Skybreak, Drift, Shiv, Jolt, Air Raid, Blackout, Caliber, Speedway, and Jetfire. Blondie-moyashi owns Skye Shelsher.

Theme Song: To My Surprise by Eowyn

Darkstorm and Skye turned towards the entrance of the mine curiously as more familiar vehicles approached. One green, the other white.

"Could it be?" Darkstorm muttered as she stood up and made her way outside.

Upon seeing her, the vehicles stopped. As soon as they did, a crazy-haired Asian girl jumped out of the green vehicle and ran towards where the others were. She hugged Skye tightly. "Skye! 'Storm! I've missed you guys so much!"

Skye's voice was strained from the tight hug and couldn't help but smile. "The feeling was mutual, Miko."

Bulkhead chuckled when Darkstorm embraced him. "It's good to see ya, 'Storm."

"Same here," Wheeljack said with a slight smile.

"Is there any news of the others?" Darkstorm asked. "Of 'Bee?"

Bulkhead vented and shook his helm. "None. Me and Jackie were hoping to set off some explosives in the mine so the others could find us."

"Have you glitched?" Blackout demanded. "You'll alert Megatron himself to our location!"

Wheeljack glared at the Vehicon before turning to Darkstorm. "Friend of yours?"

"Yes. . . all the Vehicons and miners here wish to join us in the fight against Megatron," Darkstorm replied.

Bulkhead stared at the Vehicons and miners in disbelief. "This true?"

"Yes, it's true. And the last thing we need is you Wreckers to make a loud bang and alert the whole cosmos where your friends have been hiding."

"I don't think I like your tone, tiny," Wheeljack glared.

"If you start a fight, you better be willing to finish it," Blackout glared back defiantly.

Dreadwing stepped in between them. "We are not here to fight each other. Our business is with Megatron. Conserve your strength for the real enemy."

Meanwhile, Darkstorm stared up at the sky, optics wide.

"What's wrong, 'Storm?" Skybreak asked before he too saw what Darkstorm was seeing. "Oh, slag."

"Is that. . . a dragon?" Skye asked.

"I do not know but I do know that now we have more important matters to deal with. Blackout, can you have the mines evacuated?" Darkstorm turned to the Vehicon. Blackout nodded before running towards the mine. Darkstorm then looked down at Skye. "Skye, lead Miko to safety."

"What's safe from a dragon?"

"Anywhere away from us," Darkstorm replied. "Now go!"

Skye sighed as she turned to look at their surroundings before grabbing Miko's arm. The girls ran for a group of boulders directly behind them. Vehicons and miners streamed out of the cavern as the dragon neared them.

It was a robotic dragon with red and gold armor. It's wing-span was large, almost as large as the span of a football field. It stared at the Autobots with large yellow optics and opened up its mandibled jaw. A glow began at its chassis, working its way up to its throat tubing.

Darkstorm's optics widened and she pushed her brother aside as the dragon fired. Flames licked the air just above them.

"What the frag is that?!" Skybreak yelled.

"I-I. . . don't know," Darkstorm replied, fear engulfing her spark.

Wheeljack ran towards the dragon, swords drawn, but was thrown aside by its tail. Dreadwing began firing at it with his cannon but was thrown backwards with a blast of fire.

"Dre'wan!" Darkstorm yelled.

The dragon was stalled as Shiv, Drift, and Jolt joined with their fellow Vehicons and miners but they too were no match for it.

While it was distracted, Darkstorm ran over to Wheeljack. "Wheeljack, do you have any explosives with you?"

"Of course I do. Never leave home without 'em," he smirked.

"Do you think we could lure it into the mine and detonate your explosives then?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," the Wrecker replied before transforming and racing towards the mine.

"Skybreak, Dreadwing, lead him over to the mine!" Darkstorm ordered.

The two Seekers complied as they began walking backwards in the general direction of the mine, firing at the dragon as they went. The dragon snarled at both of them and began to fire at them again.

The two narrowly missed the flames. Once the fire had subsided, Dreadwing and Skybreak raced towards the mine. The dragon roared and followed.

A tense silence followed as the dragon travelled further into the mine. A few moments passed before Skybreak, Dreadwing, and Wheeljack could be seen exiting the cave at high speed. The others ran away from the mine just as Wheeljack's explosives detonated.

A loud boom resounded as the cavern imploded on itself. Fire as well as shrapnel and rock filled the air. Once the smoke had cleared, the Autobots searched for any sign of the mysterious dragon.

There seemed to be none.

"Is it dead?" Miko asked her guardian.

"Hopefully," he answered.

"What the pit did we just fight?" Jolt asked.

"I don't know but the Decepticons have a lot of explaining to do, because that certainly wasn't on our side," Skybreak crossed his arms over his chassis.

Blackout turned to Air Raid. "Is everyone accounted for?"

"Everyone," Air Raid nodded, still shaken up from his encounter.

"Good. N-"

The others' attentions were diverted as they heard rustling from the mine. They activated their weapon systems again once they saw the dragon struggle to claw through the rubble.

"Oh, we're so fragged," Skybreak muttered.

The others prepared for the worst but before the robotic dragon could reach them, it was deterred by cannon fire. . . though it did not come from any of those in Darkstorm's company. Everyone looked at the sky and saw a Cybertronian ship firing at their assailant.

It landed once it was in close range and the hatch opened. A rose and violet femme with an elegant head adornment normally seen in those of the noble castes beckoned for them to come inside. "Hurry! We don't have much time!"

Everyone began to rush into the ship but Darkstorm faltered. She turned to Blackout. "That ship is not large enough to fit all of us. Where will you-?"

"I'll be just fine. Now go before it gets back up!" Blackout barked.

". . . I will transmit our new location as soon as I can," Darkstorm placed a servo on the Vehicon's shoulder plating before running inside the ship.

The hatch closed and the ship ascended just as the dragon broke free of its prison. It paid those on the ground no heed as it pursued the Autobot ship. A tall, blue Autobot was at the helm of the ship, steering it away from the dragon. Another Autobot, a red femme, operated the ship's weapons systems.

Besides the rose and violet femme, there was another with them. She was turquoise and looked to be quite young, mostly due to her full buccal plates. Besides them, Arcee and Jack were also among their company.

Miko and Skye ran to greet Jack while Bulkhead turned to Arcee. "So, how'd you find us?"

"I didn't," the two wheeler smiled. "Ultra Magnus and Elita were the ones that found us and then led us to you."

"Wait a minute," Bulkhead said in disbelief, gazing at the rose and violet femme. "You mean-?"

"It's been a long time, Bulkhead," Elita One chuckled before smiling. "And a pleasure I must say, to be among my Autobot brothers and sisters once more." She smiled more widely once she spied the others. "And I see we have gained more support."

Darkstorm was about to speak before the ship rocked dangerously. "You'll have time to chat later!" the red femme yelled. "Right now, we need to focus on getting this thing off the ship."

The ship rocked again and this time tilted as the dragon latched onto the ship. "The Predacon has latched onto the vessel," Ultra Magnus informed. "I will try to dislodge it."

Darkstorm held onto her brother as the ship rocked back and forth. Both of them nearly fell over however as they entered a large canyon and the ship scraped against the rock wall as Ultra Magnus piloted it, hoping to dislodge the Predacon. The ship rocked several more times as the Predacon fought to hang on.

Eventually however, it lost its grip. A screech could be heard outside as it fell to the canyon below. The ship levelled out as it exited the canyon.

"Ski'ri! Are you alright?" Darkstorm called out.

Skye picked herself up off the ground with Jack's help. "Couldn't be better. You?"

"Just. . . fine," Darkstorm chuckled.

"Forgive Magnus' piloting," Elita One giggled. "Now, I think introductions are due." She smiled. "I am Elita One, and this is Moonracer" She pointed to the turquoise femme. "Flareup-" She gestured to the fierce-looking red femme. "And you already know Ultra Magnus."

"I am Darkstorm," Darkstorm smiled. "And these are my companions: Skye, Shiv, Drift, Jolt, Skybreak, and Dreadwing."

"And I'm Miko!" Miko grinned. "Nice to meet you."

Elita One smiled widely. "An honor, truly." She turned to Wheeljack and Bulkhead. "And I already know you two. How could I forget some of the most valiant Wreckers on Cybertron?"

Wheeljack and Bulkhead seemed to glow with pride. "Eh, just doing our job, Elita," Wheeljack said.

"You certainly know quite a few Autobots," Darkstorm remarked.

"But, of course. I am their leader's sparkmate. It comes with the job."

All the former Decepticons besides Dreadwing stared at the femme in disbelief. Optimus. . . had a sparkmate?

"The boss bot never told us he had a sparkmate," Shiv said.

Elita One's normally cheerful gaze faltered somewhat. "Perhaps. . . dearest Orion wanted it that way. After that battle. . . he must have thought me offline. And, rather than risk more lives, he left." Her gaze became far away as she shook her helm. "Of course. . . time and distance has weakened our bond."

Just as quickly as it came however, the moment left and she looked optimistic once more. "But, that can be remedied. Now, tell me. Where is Orion?"

"He. . ." Bulkhead vented.

"We don't know," Arcee interrupted. "He must be shielded since we aren't picking up his life signal. . . and because of Decepticon activity, we can't even scour frequencies to locate him."

"Well. . . I am sure we will discover his whereabouts soon enough," Elita One said softly.

Soon enough, the ship landed and everyone filed out. It was near the old Decepticon ship, the Harbinger. Darkstorm's brow furrowed as she wondered why on earth they were there before she saw a welcomed sight.

She broke out into a run once she saw him. His paint job was different but oh. . . it was him! It was truly him!

"Storm!"

"Bee!" Darkstorm grinned and threw her arms around his neck. Not caring who saw, she unlatched Bumblebee's mask around his mask and kissed him.

"Oh, it is so good to see that our young scout has found himself a sparkmate at last," Elita One smiled.

"Soon to be sparkmates," Skye smiled.

"Aren't they just adorable?" Miko grinned.

"Oh, definitely," Moonracer giggled.

Flareup crossed her arms over her chassis and muttered with disgust written across her facial plating, "Give me a break."

The two eventually broke away. "Oh, my beloved scout. . . I have missed you so much."

"Me too, 'Storm," Bumblebee smiled. "I. . . I thought I'd never see you again."

"Well, I am here now. . ." Darkstorm whispered as she caressed his facial plating. "And I am never leaving your side again." She smiled as she saw Raf staring up at her. "And, my dear youngling, how could I forget about you?"

"It's good to see you again, 'Storm," Raf smiled.

"Now that we have been introduced, I do believe explanations are also due," Dreadwing addressed Elita One. "You called our assailant a. . . Predacon. Please, explain."

"It's a long story, really," Elita One vented and began. "It was back on Cybertron after the Exodus. Me and my team were. . . alone. Or so it seemed. We witnessed a small colony of Predacons, an ancient race that used to thrive on Cybertron. After the great cataclysm, they were thought to be extinct. We thought so too until we witnessed the Decepticons attempt to capture them. The battle was long and hard and nearly all the Predacons lost their lives. . . all except one. Only a sparkling at the time. We did not know what the Decepticons planned to do with him until one cycle when we raided one of Shockwave's laboratories for energon. The sparkling was held captive in a chamber, most likely subject to Shockwave's experiments."

Darkstorm gasped. "How terrible. . ."

"Wait just a nano-klick," Skybreak said. "You're telling me that a Predacon sparkling turned into that? The Exodus was only eight or so joors ago. I mean, I know Cybertronians mature fast, but that's ridiculous!"

Elita shook her helm. "Who knows what sort of things Shockwave gave the poor dear. . ."

Flareup scoffed. "Poor? That monster deserves to be offlined. It wouldn't hesitate to offline us. Why should we grant it mercy?"

"Flare-" Moonracer began.

Flareup fiercely glared at her before turning to the others. "And there will be more of those fraggers coming so don't be lecturing about mercy or how they're the victims. We should deal with them before they have the chance of taking any lives," she said before walking off. Moonracer moved to follow her but Elita placed a servo on her shoulder plating, holding her back, as a silent look passed between them.

"Charming, isn't she?" Arcee smiled wryly and asked once the fiery femme was out of hearing range.

Elita One vented before turning to the others. "Flareup has had to deal with much due to the war. She lashes out because she is in pain. . . so do not be angry at her for her actions. You would act the same if put in her position."

"And what position is she in?" Darkstorm asked softly.

Elita half smiled. "That is for her to tell."

Inside the Harbinger, Ratchet turned to address the team. "I've done it. The Harbinger's ground bridge is fully functional."

Elita smiled and placed a servo on his shoulder plating. "Thank you, old friend." Ratchet smiled in return.

"Is there still no signs of Smokescreen?" Skye asked. "Or Optimus?"

"None. Their signals are still cloaked and I have tried every frequency. . . but I cannot reach them."

Elita's spark ached but still, she stubbornly held onto the hope that he was still online. He had to be. She did not wait nine joors and travel millions of miles to Earth to just learn that her beloved Orion Pax was offline. He was out there somewhere. She knew it.

"Regardless of their absences, we must launch an attack on Megatron's citadel," Ultra Magnus said. "We cannot afford to wait for them."

"Of course. . . But, first we must rest. The others need recharge and energon. Then, at the beginning of the next orbital cycle, we shall launch an attack on Darkmount," Elita said.

"I'll join you in a moment." Skye turned towards the exit, arms around her waist. "I need some fresh air."

Darkstorm looked down at her charge and frowned slightly but nodded. "Of course. . ." she said softly before moving towards the interior of the ship.

Once outside, Skye admired the sunset and encroaching darkness. She moved to a position where she could watch the moon rise while staying out of sight and close to the Harbinger. And let the emotions take over.

Ever since they made it out of the base, she'd been numb. First it started as being physically exhausted as well as emotionally, from the rough times they'd had before the Omega Lock incident. Then by the time she was rested again, she didn't feel anything. And now, the team was finally back together, with some new additions no less. Darkstorm had her scout back. But there were still two unaccounted for, one of which tugged at Skye's heart something fierce. And as she let the happiness and relief in from seeing the others, so came devastating sorrow.

She knew now this was what her dream was. This . . . what word could describe her situation? Calamity didn't even come close to explaining the emotions tearing at her heart. And it wasn't just for Smokescreen. In her dream, Optimus was . . . dead. Seeing his sparkmate and the hope she had that he was still alive . . . it about made Skye sick knowing that in her dream their leader was dead, and in reality he wasn't anywhere to be found.

She leaned her head back against the rock behind her, wiping the hair out of her tear-soaked face. Where are you, Smokescreen, she thought. Why can't we find you? Please, pleeaase come back to me.

Predaking landed on the metal platform of Darkmount gracefully, his wings folding comfortably on his back. The beings that ordered him to sniff out another's energon conversed amongst themselves while Predaking in turn observed them, trying to make out exactly what they were saying. Their language was nothing but alien to him.

"It's a pity the beast can't tell us what went wrong," Starscream sneered at Shockwave.

Even though Predaking could not comprehend the Seeker's words, he somehow knew that Starscream was degrading him. His helm lowered and he growled menacingly. He inwardly smirked when he saw fear enter his optics.

Yes, you are right to be afraid in my presence, he thought.

The beings conversed more before they eventually left, leaving him to his thoughts. In truth, Predaking was grateful. He had much to think about. . .

He could remember almost nothing before coming to this strange place. Nothing at all. How he wished to know the answers to all his questions. He was so certain that he had a life before all this. He could vaguely recall a large cavern. . . darkness, hunting, the warmth of another's spark. . . his carrier, perhaps? And he knew his name: Predaking, thus he also knew that he was royalty, destined to rule others of his kind.

But. . . where were they?

And why couldn't he remember anything else?

No other memories remained when he awakened from stasis and was brought here by the black and purple being called Shockwave in order to hunt.

Which led him to another conclusion.

There was a familiar scent on that strange metal vessel that he was previously chasing, and not from the one that he was sent to track. No. He had previous knowledge of it. . . as if he had been near it before.

He shook his helm frustratedly. If only he could remember. If only he could remember why he was here. . . and why he felt an ominous sense of deja vu during the hunt. Then perhaps. . . well, perhaps his spark would be at ease.

D/N: And the reunions start xD Plus, some new charas and the introduction of Predaking. We really served up some engrossing stuffs this time, kiddies.

Anywho, we are so glad to see that our lovely story is so well received. Not one bad review! *throws mini party* Yays! Energon goodies for all! *hands them out to everyone*

"The Lord is faithful in all His promises and loving toward all He has made" Psalm 145: 13

To Savvy Orion: Thank you for the energon goodies and Jetfire is a youngish mech. For the most part, there will be next to no Michael Bay references in this story (He ruined Transformers in my opinion) but as you saw in Chasm, Colonel Lennox might make a few appearances. But anyway, I will base him more on G1's Jetfire than anything else. Thank you so much for the compliments! We shall try not to disappoint you.

To Guest: Well, you shall have to keep reading to find out whether or not Smokes truly does become a Prime :3

Thank you to all those who have reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. We truly do appreciate all the support.

Until next time, Dream'sRealm

B/N: I have one word for this chapter: laaaaaaa \o/ just about every feel there is, new and beloved charas, and oo-hoohhhh lookie, energon goodies! What more could ya ask for?

May God bless all of you!