Tiny

by inkdragon13

Wheeljack brings one of his new inventions to the base and Optimus finds out the hard way that they have the habit of blowing up in his face. Who knew the Autobot leader was so tiny as a sparkling...

23. Claws

...Been a long time, don't you think?

Sorry about the unbelievably long wait, and I want to thank you all for your patience. I've started college, and schoolwork is taking up quite a bit of time.

The wait for this chapter has been too long, so I'm gonna jump right into it. This chapter is going to be a long one. This starts in Megatron's POV, aboard the Nemesis, inside of his personal quarters, and Ratchet is still in dreamland, trying to save Optimus. A lot of time and thought went into this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!

I sat at my carved, black ore desk in my room, attempting to read a datapad. Unable to focus on the glowing words that normally entertain me, I bared my teeth and glanced out the window to the right of me, watching the pale clouds in an annoyed manner.

Our medic was Bridged out of my warship not long ago, in order to aid the recovery of the little runt. He had better, otherwise that vain mech will have to answer to me.

While he is there, I must consider how I will address my crew's mutiny. They all know that they had no business being out there in field with us. They were not to even know of what was occurring! One of them undoubtedly overheard the conversation regarding what happened to the runt before we left my warship, and their actions resulted in a riot, behavior I do not tolerate.

I have yet to identify who spread the word, and the Vehicons are not reporting to me about the individual, much to my surprise. Not that I am very concerned about the task. I will just punish all of them.

...Although, I must take into consideration the support they provided out in the forest, taking Faultline's vessel down. Even I must admit that they played a crucial role. I suppose that I will be more lenient.

The Vehicons have been clamoring nonstop about those mechs we have in custody over the past two solar cycles. No one on this ship is surprised in the least that Starscream would plot something like this. He has proven more than once to me personally that he is perfectly capable of doing such a thing. That fact, however, dampens no one's anger towards him.

That Seeker will be punished accordingly.

The Vehicons are angrier with that other mech, Faultline. It is expected, because of this mech's direct acts against the sparkling. Even as the leader of the Decepticons and an enemy of the Autobots, I find what he did to be nothing short of deplorable. Two of my strongest and most loyal jailors are stationed just outside of that mech's cell door, unfortunately for his protection, rather than keeping him trapped in. Even after I made it very clear that no one is to do anything to Faultline while he is in custody, there are some that have still attempted to kill him. Because of that, I've made sure that the mech's energon is carefully analyzed to be sure that it had not been tampered with. He will indeed be punished, but I will be the only one to do it.

But before he is punished, I will see to it that Faultline is... interviewed. I shall entertain the crews in finding a few of the answers they hunger for. I may even invite the Autobots for the special occasion.

I would love to hear what this mech has to say.

...Wheeljack's POV: Autobot Outpost Omega One – Personal Quarters...

Bee put us out.

And he stayed back there with those three Decepticons. I don't like that all of 'em are in our base, but they have a legit reason to be here. Plus, that isn't our call. It's Bee's.

Bulkhead and I talked out in the hall for a bit about what happened to the dog out there in the field. It was a pretty sad attempt to distract ourselves from the operation that was going on.

I shook my helm as I talked with my friend, remembering the sight of the poor girl falling and disappearing into the stormy clouds.

Now, if there's one thing that I know for sure, it's that cyberdogs ain't that easy to kill. The fact that the 'Cons bred wardogs back on Cybertron and used 'em on the frontlines proves it. But a fall like that just may be what it takes to do it.

After a while I thought it was a good idea for us to head back towards our rooms. Maybe some rest'll help us ease our nerves.

Now I'm back here in my room, sitting at my workbench, staring at this thing in my hand.

You know, I've been done with this for a week now. I've finally managed to get the repair nanites to stabilize and function properly with the required amount of energy. I've figured out a safe way to get Optimus back to his adult form.

For a long while I considered stopping my work on the reversal device, since it looked like the kid was a lot happier the way he was. Everyone else seemed to be gettin' along better too. And after I completed the thing, I thought about just gettin' rid of it all together. Stuff was going good then. Now it's not, and I'm glad I didn't get rid of my work.

If that spark power siphoning thing doesn't work, this might be what we need to save the kid's life. It'll send an energy charge into his CPU and put his repair system into hyperactivity, restoring him back to his adult frame. I don't know how Ratchet would handle that, his son not bein' a kid anymore, but at least Optimus would be alive.

While I was thinking to myself, I heard a real small, nervous sounding knock on my door. I put the device in my hand down on my workbench and turned out the lamp light. I stood and cycled air through my systems, wondering who it was. I know that Bee wasn't gonna leave the front room for anything unless it was real important, and even then, he'd call me on the comm. Bulkhead's in his quarters getting some rest... What am I standin' here for? Only one way to find out who's out there.

I walked across the room and opened the door. After seeing who it was, I smiled.

"Hey, Cinder," I said, looking down at the light purple femme. After Bee sent us back to the base a couple days ago, I got her a room to stay in. Her room isn't too far from mine, and after I showed her around the base, I told her that if she needs anything, she knows where to find me.

I'm bothered by the fact that she hardly left her room in the time she's been here, but I see now she's gotten the courage to come to me.

I stepped back, allowing her room to come in. She only stood at the door and gave me a look that said she wasn't going inside before speaking in that little accented voice of hers.

"Well, I heard people talking in the front room and I was wondering what was happening..." She talked like she was afraid to complete that sentence, looking slightly down behind her black visor. I just gave her another smile and answered her.

"Well, ya know the kid wasn't doing too hot for a while after we got back, and all the stuff that we were doing just wasn't cuttin' it. So, we called in some help from the Decepticons." I couldn't help but notice that she tensed up at the last word. I pretended I didn't see it and kept going.

"Their medics and communications officer are in there helping out with an operation to help the kid get better." Cinder nodded slightly and stayed quiet.

"You don't need to worry 'bout any of that, 'kay? It's all gonna be alright." I didn't think that she needed to know about the details of what all was goin' on in the front room. Knowing the high stakes involved in this operation of theirs is stressful enough for the rest of us. Somethin' like that might cause a lot of anxiety for her, and keeping in mind the nightmare she lived through, I'm not sure how well she can handle that.

She made eye contact with me as she stood in the doorway, making the hard light from the hall glint off her black visor. Somehow, I got the feeling that she had a good idea of what was at risk here.

"Are you sure it will be alright?" It was an easy enough question, but as soon as I opened my mouth, I realized that I wasn't so sure.

I just put on a brave face and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Now that she had brought it up, I realized just how unsure I was about how successful that operation is going to be.

...Ratchet's POV...

It did not take me long to find a way over the massive stronghold's wall, despite its height. I had fired off the engines on my back and flown over it. Once I landed softly on my pedes, I glanced around and immediately raced for cover behind a pile of stone, staying as quiet as Cybertronicly possible.

Behind this wall, there were zombies everywhere.

Cycling air through my systems, I stood slightly, peeking out over the rocks at them. Thankfully none of them noticed my presence. The glowing creatures wandered aimlessly between my hiding place and the massive structure, and there were far too many of them to waste my time attempting to count them. But if I were to guess, I would say there were tens of thousands surrounding the building.

I noted in the back of my mind that I did not see any of the slave labor and shouting commanders, yet I still clearly heard them. It seemed like that sound moved inside of the coliseum-like stronghold.

One of them started to come in my direction, and I instantly ducked back down. Hearing no reaction from that particular one, I looked back over again, my curiosity getting the better of me. I carefully watched it as it stumbled near my pile of stones, studying it.

Now that I have a closer look at it, I noticed that this Terrorcon differed from the ones that Megatron resurrected with Dark Energon. Of course, they all had the noxious substance flowing through them - that was evident in the glowing purple seams along their rusted and damaged frames and the thick, purple liquid dripping from their mouths. Their optics did not glow; they were nothing but dark pits, surrounded by strange patterns. After staring at this particular zombie for a moment longer, I saw that these patterns were the unmistakable black marks of the Cybonic Plague.

They do not appear to be able to see... but at the same time I know that they have some idea of at least their immediate surroundings. That same zombie I was watching walked past me and crawled over a mound of mined ore. I could see that it was coordinated enough to actually maneuver over the rock, rather than blindly fall over it.

Another feature of these zombies that I noticed is that they make a strange croaking sound. I've witnessed quite a few of them jerk their heads around as they make that unnerving, sickly sound, as if to get the most of the environment in a short period of time. Seeing that they are blind, I believe that it is safe to assume that they are using sound to see.

It is also safe to assume that it's not a wise idea to allow these things to get close to me simply because they can't see. I have no idea how these things behave since there is no one here to command or provoke them, but I'm going to assume that they will swarm me if they are notified of my location.

I don't know what will happen to me if I am attacked in this place, to be honest. I hope that this place will behave the same way that Megatron's mind did with Bumblebee. The young scout could not be harmed in the warlord's mind. However, only Bumblebee's mind was connected to Megatron's. My spark is connected to my son's at this moment, so I have no way of knowing if I can be hurt.

One thing I do know is that I won't allow myself to find out.

I looked away from the zombie stumbling past and looked toward the massive and foreboding fortress. The red circuit boards pulsed ominously as the building stood strong. Black clouds circled overhead, lightning flashing within them. The freezing wind picked up again, and I shuddered at the burst of Arctic air. I could feel another layer of ice forming on my wings.

Despite the harsh conditions and the blind threats around me, I must find a way to get in that building. Nothing will stand in my way of getting to my son.

I adjusted my crouching position behind my rock mound and silently placed my hands on top of it, peeking over. Glaring, I looked past hundreds of Terrorcons and scanned the side of the fortress that was facing me. At first all I could see was the rough, jagged armor of the towering building. But upon closer examination, I saw an opening between the metal plates that leads into the building. It looks barely large enough for me to squeeze through, but at this point I will have to make it work. I see where I need to go and I must get over there.

Now I have to clear a path in these zombies. Attempting to kill them is completely out of the question - they would undoubtedly swarm me. If that happens, I will never get inside. Since they echolocate, I could be able to use that to my advantage. The only way that I can be certain is to run a test.

I looked down around my pedes, searching for something to throw. I reached down and took a fist sized chunk of ore. I drew my arm back and threw the rock as hard as I could to the far left.

I watched the stone strike one of the zombies hard in the head. The sound of it connecting echoed off the building as the injured creature hissed and screamed, flailing its arms around in anger. Quite a few of the other zombies in close proximity to the one I hit screeched along with the zombie and ran over to where the rock hit the ground. They were screaming and croaking, apparently attempting to locate the source of the sound they heard previously.

So my initial estimates were correct. I can lure them to another location using an object. I just need to be very precise in where I throw the rocks.

I reached down, took several chunks of ore and placed them in my subspace. There are plenty of ore piles near the fences, but as you draw closer to building, the mounds become smaller and scarcer. The same applies for the stones that I can easily throw. I will have to run from one pile to another while they are distracted elsewhere.

I looked at the stone I had in my hand and quietly cycled air through my systems. I must be quick about this. I don't know what's beyond that crack in the side that building, but at this moment, I don't particularly care. I found an opening and I must get to it in a timely manner.

I looked up over my mound and located the next one. It was a short distance away from my position, but I could see four of the zombies closely surrounding it. I will go over there, but I have to lure them away - they are too close for my own peace of mind.

Turning the stone over in my servo, I searched for the ideal place to throw it. To the right of my next hiding place seems to be best, as it will be easier for me to crouch and hide my presence on the left side.

I tossed the stone and they did exactly as I had anticipated. All four of them, plus a few others close to them screeched and ran over to where the rock had landed. While they were attempting to locate the source of the sound, I sprinted as quietly as my frame would allow over to the left side of the new pile. Tense, I looked around to make sure that there were not any close to where I now crouched, and to my very slight relief, they were still investigating the rock I threw.

Quickly reaching back into my subspace and keeping a close optic on other zombies that were wandering around, I prepared to repeat my newfound strategy. I ceased all intakes through my ventilation system, fearing that they would be able to hear even that seemingly insignificant sound. I'm not certain exactly how sound this decidedly primitive strategy is, but I will not risk it. Given my prior experience with zombies, I know for a fact that they can easily overwhelm one bot and have the strength to inflict serious damage. And those were just the sluggish, slow moving sort. These things are capable of moving very quickly, telling me that they would be on me in a flash should any one of them find me. Also seeing the reaction the one of them had to merely being struck on the head with a rock suggests to me that there is a possibility that they will become highly aggressive if provoked.

I tensed up again and searched for another place to run, ignoring the icy wind that picked up. I will have to do this about six to eight more times, throwing rocks, running and hiding. Each time I get past one place, I know that getting to the next one will prove to be more difficult to reach. The zombies increase in number and density the closer I go to the stronghold.

I paused, waiting for my sparkrate to calm down. If I remain calm, I will get through this. As soon as I start to panic, I am as good as dead with these Terrorcons around. And that means that I will never get to my son.

Furrowing my optic ridges, I threw the next rock, listened for the zombies to run over, and sprinted to my next location. I felt much like a mouse.

...

I finally made it to the opening I spotted, despite it taking even longer than I expected. I couldn't see inside of the tear in the metal plating - it was far too dark. But right now that is a secondary concern. I need to get out of the open quickly. I have the feeling that these zombies know that something is amiss. They all seem to have become more mobile, as well as croaking more often. I need to hurry. They are steadily getting closer to me.

Not only were they becoming a larger problem, I saw something that's possibly of greater concern. The opening that I am standing in front of is not large enough for me to fit through!

Turning back around, I saw that dozens of the blind zombies that I evaded were coming my way, many of them screeching, hissing, and swinging around their claws.

My sparkrate picked up again as I quickly turned back around to face the opening. I don't have time to find another way in! I'll have to make this one larger.

I tried using my servos to peel back the plating, but it only gave a very small amount. At this rate, I won't be able to get inside. Just from pulling at the metal on the side of the building, I could immediately tell that it was too thick for me to cut through using my surgical blades, assuming that I still have them in this dream world.

I could hear those zombies getting closer.

Frantically looking around, I found a crooked metal rod lying on the ground. Snatching it up, I jammed the rod inside of the opening and pushed hard against the plating with it. I growled loudly as I pushed, feeling the thick metal resisting against me. I was putting all that I had in it, but progress was agonizingly slow.

The zombies behind me heard my efforts and started to run towards me, screaming even louder than before. I didn't look behind me, but I knew that they were getting much closer. I focused most of my attention on pushing at this metal rod. That's all I can do to keep from panicking.

Then after what seemed like hours, the opening was finally big enough for my frame to fit through. I threw the rod down and rushed inside. I had to go in sideways, the metal pressing tightly against both my wings and my chest. I would have moved through slowly in order to reduce damage to my frame, but the zombies coming towards me was sufficient encouragement to move quickly.

I was halfway through the dark hole when the zombies reached me. One of them reached through the hole, clawing at my arm and hissing. I had just enough space in this tight crevice to turn my helm and look back at the creature clawing viciously at me.

Even though I have been close to the zombies before, but I had not gotten this close to one of their faces.

Just as I had seen before, the zombie trying to get at me had dark pits in place of their optics. I didn't notice before just how diseased the area around the dark pits was. The Cybonic Plague was so severe in that area that metal underneath was beginning to turn brittle and break off, leaving the zombie's face badly scarred and disfigured.

The zombie started snapping ferociously at me while the others crowded around it, all of them trying to reach in and grab me as I moved further in. The zombie had sharp, malformed teeth, and its mouth dripped with Dark Energon. It was set on reaching me, and it started to come through after me. I, on the other hand, was already inside the building.

It was pitch black further inside, but I could see just well enough from the light of outside to make out the outline of the immediate area. Quickly snapping my helm around, I searched for a way to block the entrance. I cannot let those things follow after me.

Just next to it I found a block that looked like a rectangular prism. It was one and one half times my height - more than enough to cover that opening.

I raced to one side of the black prism and started to shove it as hard as I could. The blockade was much heavier than it appeared to be. My limbs quickly started to become tired, and my pedes started to slide across the floor, going nowhere. I knew that at this rate, the zombies would flood through if I didn't do something to speed this process up.

Suddenly, I remembered the alternate mode that I had. Of course! I can make use of my alt mode.

Lifting my wings, I uncovered the twin engines on my back. Firing them off, I found myself making much more progress. The engines on my back roared as I was lifted slightly off the ground by the power they provided.

Before I know it, I tipped it over. Coming back down to the ground and stumbling, I instantly grew concerned that it would fall to the floor and wouldn't be able to effectively cover the hole in the wall. Thankfully it stopped at an angle with a loud boom, keeping the hissing zombies out. I assume that it stopped on something on the wall, but it was too dark to be sure.

I could still hear the zombies scratching and screaming just beyond the blockade, angry that they couldn't reach their target. Even though it appeared to be thoroughly blocked off, I still backed away. I am not sure how long that will hold, but it seems to be alright as of now. However, it's best that I keep moving.

I stood back and looked at the prism I used. Then I realized that it was not a mere prism. It was what looked like a bookshelf. Coming closer to it, I could see even in the dim light that the bookshelf was badly damaged, covered in cracks and dents. Placing my servo on one of the shelves, I felt what had to be shattered datapads. It was odd that this was even here, in this dark room. A damaged bookshelf with shattered datapads...

But I have no time to think about that. I've gotten past one threat, now I need to be alert for any other threats in this place.

It didn't take me long to find the door out of this dark, empty room. It was easily opened, as the keypad did not require a code, and soon I was out in the hall, walking carefully.

I am finally inside this wretched place. Now I need to find him. I need to find my son.

The wide hallway that I walked down was lit only well enough to see the outline of the doors and the great length of the hallway itself. This place seemed to be very old and neglected, but just like the dead city beyond this coliseum-like place, I could tell that it was once a very nice place. I could see corroded pieces of art hanging precariously on the walls. I could also see worn, ancient Cybertronian glyphs carved into the wall, close to the ceiling. There was also the occasional ornate table bolted down to floor, as often seen in the more lavish of ships. On the dark grey walls I could clearly see the rust spots even in this darkness - they appeared to be even darker than the surrounding wall, and after running my digits along the wall, I was certain that the spots were indeed rust. The cracked light fixtures on the ceiling were dim, emitting only a minimal amount of slightly flickering light. Some were altogether broken.

While I looked down the dark hall, I heard noises similar to the ones I heard outside. I could still hear the slaves work and the commanders snapping at them. I could also still hear the crowd roaring in excitement as they watched some sort of battle. The disembodied sounds themselves were not unusual to me anymore (though perhaps they should be), it was what the sounds were doing. It seemed like they were moving around my helm off in the distance, making it very difficult to pinpoint their exact locations. It was as if the gladiatorial arena was floating around when I knew for sure that the arena was in the very center of the complex.

...Now that I think more about it, I shouldn't be sure of anything in this place. This entire world is a manifestation of Optimus's mind. There's no telling what in this place can change. If it can, it could change in the blink of an eye.

Having come to that conclusion, I started to become more anxious than I already was. Since this place is a physical manifestation of my son's mind, anything can change at any moment. This also means that whatever room that my son is in could materialize in different locations periodically, making my search for him much more difficult than I already anticipated.

i shook my head, and glowered at the wall, causing my blood-red optics to glint. Regardless of that revelation, I know I have to reach my son. I know for sure that he is trapped in here. I can't let thoughts like that hinder my progress. The very thought of my little sparkling trapped deep in this nightmarish place shook me to my core.

I shuddered as another cold wind struck me, catching me off guard. I snarled and squinted, shielding my optics with my servo. The heat from the twin engines on my back melted the ice on my wings from outside, but the wind now added a new, thin layer of ice. I do not understand how, but it is just as cold in here as it is outside. Possibly colder. I have yet to figure out exactly where this cold wind is coming from, but I sense that it is important.

Aside from the cold in this hallway, I could also hear something moving around nearby. I would compare the sound with rats skittering about, as I have often heard in the silo, but this sound is different. To my annoyance I couldn't pinpoint at least one of the sounds so that I could identify what it was.

Placing my attention back on where I was going, I noticed that there are many other hallways branching off the one that I am walking down now. The only difference between them is that they are far darker. As I walked past one, I could only see a few feet down before it gave way to blackness.

Just walking down this old hallway was not proactive enough in my search for my son. I will have to check these rooms. Any one of them could have Optimus. The next door I came to on the left side, I pushed a button on the dusty keypad, only half expecting it to open. The small device was damaged, but was functional enough to tell me in bold red Cybertronian letters that my attempt at access was denied.

I chuckled slightly, rolling my shoulders and taking a step back. It'll have to do more than that to keep me out.

I charged forward, ramming the door with my shoulder. The rusted door was much weaker than it appeared to be and went sailing into the room. It landed on the floor with a loud clang.

I placed a servo on the door frame and peered in, slightly unwilling to move inside. Beyond the door there was nothing but blackness. But I knew better than just to believe that there was nothing to be concerned about if I could not see anything with what little light the hallway could give.

Knowing that I had to brave the unknown in order to see if anything was here, I took one very cautious step past the threshold. Thus far I could hear nothing moving inside of the room, but I couldn't be certain. I remained tense, prepared to fight if anything decided to attempt a surprise attack.

Allowing my optics to adjust, I gazed at my surroundings as I stood near the center of the room. There was nothing in the room, only rusted and cracked walls. There didn't seem to be anything unusual about the room beyond its considerable size.

A very faint and fleeting sense of relief came over me, and I turned away from the room, glancing back at the door. I certainly hope that there are not many rooms like this, but given the sheer size of the strange building, there is a very high chance that there are. This increases the likelihood of my finding him merely by chance. If only I had some notion of where my son is...

Disgruntled, I moved to leave when I heard something fall from the ceiling.

I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned around. It sounded like metal flakes hitting the ground, which leads me to believe that there is something more in here that it appears.

I slowly looked up, and had to fight with everything that I had to remain calm and resist the powerful urge to scream.

The entire ceiling was covered in thousands of scraplets.

They all hung from the ceiling, tiny bodies pressed against each other. All of the ones that I could see had their optics closed, as though they were recharging.

Standing there, memories flashed before me as I stared wide eyed at the creatures clinging the the ceiling directly above my helm. The infestation had become a memory in the back of my mind. Now it all rushed back at me, and I remembered the instantaneous fear I felt as soon as I saw the first one. I heard Bumblebee's panicked screams and I saw Bulkhead's fighting and thrashing. I remember the searing heat of my own frame as the frightening creatures gnawed at my plating.

Every instinct I had screamed at me to run from the room, but I fought as hard as I could to stay in one place. I know from dealing with these things before that the one thing you should never do is panic.

I stood there, wings tense, waiting on them to move. Thinking back to a few moments ago, I instantly regret making the decision to take the door off this room. Even in this place of fear and terror, there seems to have been some effort made to keep these creatures in. In the back of my mind I wondered how come they didn't swarm me as soon as I stepped in.

Now that this place has no door, there is no way for me to block the way and keep them from getting out and killing me. All I can hope for is that they remain in their recharging state as I leave the room.

Making sure that I stayed quiet, I took a small step towards the dim light of the hall. I stared at the ceiling. None of them moved, at least not in a way that meant they were aware of my presence. The closer I looked at them the more I realized that the vast majority of them were not even facing my direction. Their positioning suggested that they were indeed recharging. I also saw that they were much larger than any scraplets I had ever seen.

I continued on, almost tiptoeing in the darkness. The entire time I slowly worked my way over to the doorway I watched the ceiling, hoping that none of them would notice and preparing myself for if they did.

Before long, I had made it safely to the doorway. Thanking Primus I didn't wake them, I placed a servo on the rusty door frame and rested for a moment, attempting to relax my tense wings. Just as I was about to leave, I glanced back and looked up at the scraplet covered ceiling. Like knocking down that door, I regret making that decision.

All of the scraplets had their glistening eyes wide open, and all of them were facing me.

At that point I gave up attempting to sneak out. I clenched my fists and slipped into a fighting stance, preparing to fight them off if need be. As I had begun to snarl at them, I could feel a strange heat building up in my knuckles. Ignoring it, I flared my wings, challenging them to attack.

After a moment of standing there, none of them moved. They all simply gave me an unnerving stare.

Calming down slightly, I saw that they didn't seem interested in moving, let alone attacking me. Making use of this revelation I backed my way out of that room. Once I was back in the dim light of the hallway, I watched the doorway to make sure none of them were coming out for me.

After hearing nothing but silence, I furrowed my optic ridges. Now I know for certain that scraplets would have come after me once my back was turned. There is something wrong here…

Cautiously, I looked inside the room again. To see that they all were gone scared me more than seeing them in the first place.

Quickly pulling back out of there, I shook my head and took a moment to breathe. Those scraplets aren't the main concern here. My main concern is getting to my son as soon as I possibly can. I can worry about those missing scraplets later.

I need to keep going.

...

Shuddering at the cold wind blowing at me, I looked down the hall with squinted optics. Of all the progress I've made, it seems like I've only walked in a circle. These hallways look exactly the same. There are the same branching hallways which I have taken more times than I care to remember. These walls are still rusted and I still see degraded artwork occasionally hanging on the walls. And despite the pleasant surprise I found in the first room I looked in, I have yet to find anything else in the rooms that I have searched.

I'm not getting anywhere like this. This random search is not aiding my progress. I'll have to consider a place that my son may be.

I stopped walking and stood off the the side of the hall, placing a fist on the rusted wall as I thought. If I were to follow even a thread of logic, this place could possibly be set up as a prison, since my son is trapped here. And in large complexes such as this, the cells with heavier security are underground. I know for a fact that this is true with Cybertronian prisons, as well as some human prisons.

Deciding that following a thin thread is better than nothing at all, I pushed off the wall and walked on, looked for some way down, deeper into this place. An elevator, a staircase, even a pit in the ground, something - anything - that goes down.

After turning down a particularly dark hallway, I found the last suggestion.

I came to a dead end, to my initial surprise. This end was wider than the hallway, and could have passed for its own room were there a door.

But what was most notable about this place was the fact there was no floor.

I leaned forward slightly, staring down into the inky blackness of the pit. All of the skittering and the distant crowd seemed to have stopped once I stared down, and all I could hear was my own ventilations. I couldn't see the bottom and I had no idea how deep it was. I had nothing to throw down there to determine depth, not even the wrenches I always carry. Because of that, I certainly wouldn't want to fall. That could prove deadly.

As I stared down, I felt an intensely cold gust of air rush up from the black pit. Completely unprepared, I snarled and whirled away from the pit, feeling the cold sting my faceplates.

Turning my back on the pit, I allowed myself to recover as I thought. So this is where the cold is coming from. And not only that, this hole is a way deeper into this place. This could be my opportunity to come closer to finding my little child.

Turning to face the pit once more, I stood at the edge and glared, preparing myself to leap. I haven't a clue what is down there, other than the possibility that my son trapped below here. Given the strange logic of this place, the chance that he truly is down there seems rather slim, but it is a chance that I am willing to take.

That cold wind came again, only this time it was not the sort of cold that is felt physically. There was something that almost sounded like a voice on the wind, though I could not discern what was being said if anything was being said at all. Nevertheless, it unnerved me very much so.

As I gazed down, my foot caused a bit of the floor to crumble and fall. As the metal was swallowed in the darkness, the pit seemed to stretch downwards, making it appear even deeper than it already is. I didn't hear the metal make contact with the bottom of the pit.

The gust from the pit sounded like a harsh whisper, and I could just barely hear it. Unable to understand it, I felt an icy chill run up my spine. This chill was the sort that silenced and paralyzed those who experienced it.

There was something truly evil down there.

Continuing to glare, I stared down hard into the ominous pit that made up the floor of this dead end. Whatever it was, I felt it in my spark that my son is further down there, and this is the way I must take to reach him.

Well, I can't waste any time standing around here. Looking around this dead end again, I saw that this room was in fact circular, and the walls were actually glass panels. Though the fact that these are the first windows I have seen in this wretched place is far stranger than my inability to see what was beyond their darkness.

Focusing again and knowing that I am completely unaware of exactly how far down this pit goes, I took a few steps back and braced myself. Then I jumped down.

It instantly grew even darker than the rusted hallway I was in before, and I resisted the urge to look up at what little light was disappearing above me. I fell, and it seemed far faster than even Cybertronian gravity should allow. Alarmingly fast.

The light from the opening above me barely illuminated the walls, but I could clearly tell that the walls raced past me, blurring all features together into a sort of dark grey. Were I to touch the walls if I became closer, there is the very real possibility that I could suffer serious damage.

As I fell, I opened my wings as far as I could in an attempt to slow my descent, turning them to make them parallel to the ground (that I hoped to reach soon). Thankfully they had the desired effect. As soon as I opened them, I felt myself being instantly pulled back. Had I continued to fall, I would have fired off my engines to slow my descent.

Now falling at a much slower rate, I allowed myself to gaze around the tunnel, only partially expecting to see something outside of darkness.

To my surprise, I could see windows forming rings around the walls of the tunnel. I had already passed three… including the one that was at the very top of the tunnel. Thus far I couldn't see anything inside of of them as I fell past them, but I could tell that they were glass because of the red reflection of my optics flashing by.

As I fell, I could only wonder what exactly was on the other side of the shiny panels. There was a good chance for to be nothing there, even with the presence of the glass, but I had a very strong sense that there was something behind there.

I looked back down and saw the next, fifth, ring, and this window circle was different. As they flew by me, I could see that there was something glowing behind the glass. I could see a shadowy creature with blood-red eyes, glaring angrily at me. The glass in front of it was marred with deep scratches, each in sets of three. It was only a fleeting glance at whatever that creature was, but it unnerved me to the core. I couldn't help but notice the glowing thing's eyes looked exactly like mine.

Shaking my helm, and drawing my attention back down, these window rings were becoming further apart from the moment I passed the second. As soon as I realized that, I felt as if I had been falling for even longer.

I approached the seventh window circle and I could clearly see through these. At this point, my descent was slow enough for me to be able to perceive the walls of the tunnel clearly, rather than seeing a incomprehensible blur.

Peering in as I drifted down, I realized that I was looking at something that I had been hearing for a while now.

I could tell that my view was very high, as I could see thousands of bots in the stands. It was the coliseum I had been hearing. Inside it was bright, as if the sun were out, and the bots all stood in front of their seats. I could tell they were cheering as loud as they possibly could. It was strange that I couldn't hear them now that I can finally see them.

In my short time looking in, I could see that every seat in the coliseum was taken, the stands shook from the stomping of the audience, and all of the people in attendance paid no attention to me, their focus drawn elsewhere. Many rows down, I could see the source of all their excitement.

In silence, I glimpsed two warriors' battle. The ground around them was littered the parts of other bots who did not make it to the final round. The smaller warrior raced around the much larger one in alt mode, I suppose in attempt to disorient their opponent. Both of them were drenched in energon, much like the arena around them.

I resisted the urge to fire off the engines on my back to hover and remain at the seventh level to see more. I have more important things to concern myself with.

Looking back down once again, I searched the darkness for the ground. After a few more moments, I started to question if a floor even existed in this pit.

After the thought sunk in that I could have jumped down into infinity, I must admit that I panicked slightly. My next action was firing off my engines, slowing my descent down close to a stop. The sides of the tunnel turned a hot white as I prepared to fly back up the top.

Thankfully, that wasn't necessary.

My foot made contact with the ground, and instantly the majority of my fear faded away. The other pede came down as I turned my engines back off, causing me to stumble forward a few steps.

After regaining my footing, I straightened and looked around. This floor has a window ring as well, but I couldn't see much beyond it. There was fog beyond the window panes, yes, but nothing truly substantial. The thick, grey clouds shifted around and seemed to take shape of familiar objects, but as soon as I recognized the cloud as a specific shape, it would change and become unrecognizable again. It was strangely unsettling. I started to get the feeling that looking at this more will start to play with my mind.

Pulling my attention away from the panes, I searched for a way out. Soon enough, I saw that there was a window missing from the ring and in place of it was a simple black wall.

There being nothing else to do outside of flying back up, I carefully walked over to the wall in order to inspect it. To my shock, it was actually a door, and it slid open. A warm yellow light leaked in from the hallway, as if to pleasantly invite me in.

At first I allowed for a small sigh of relief, since it wasn't anything dangerous on the other side. However, I couldn't help but be distrustful of the warm atmosphere coming from the hall. This is the first place to look appealing and safe, and I didn't like the sight of it at all.

However, I have no choice but to continue on. Going back up would most likely do me no good, and there is no way but this way down here.

It was decided. Squaring my shoulders and bracing myself for whatever should come next, I stepped through the threshold and into the yellow light.

…

The more I walk through this place, the more perturbed I become. These hallways looked well taken care of; walls painted and polished, floors waxed, and the occasional, beautifully carved table stood at the side of the hall. There was no rust or cracks in the walls, and light warm yellow light being emitted from the fixtures on the ceiling was on the same level in brightness as a comfortable home. The doors here were not locked - in fact, they did not even have locks on them. It almost seemed far-fetched to think a sparkling was being held hostage here. I decided to search one of the rooms, and of all things to see in there, I saw a bath tub.

The tub was fixed to the floor and stood alone. It was of a slight oval shape, appeared to made of gold colored metal and was enormous. It was higher at the head and curved gently down to the foot. Optimus in his full sized frame would have been able to bathe comfortably.

The room looked very appealing; the walls were painted royal red and the ceiling was carved in ancient Cybertronian symbols, spiraling around the crystal shaped, light yellow light fixture in the center. The room was well furnished, the sides of the rooms bearing chairs, and tables covered in a large variety of personal care supplies. I could see brushes, polishing supplies, bottle of paints, and fragrances of all sorts.

I could immediately tell that the tub was filled with warm oil, as I could see the reflective liquid in it. It seems as if someone of a very high caste prepared a long relaxing bath for themselves and was briefly called away, leaving the bath unattended. If I were a less cautious person, I would indulge in this while I could. But I couldn't help but grin at scent of the fragrances. They all smelled heavenly.

I looked up on the back wall and noticed a massive painting. On the wall was a very famous oil painting done by the Unknown Artist of the first Prime, Prima, that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. He stood with a stern expression on his face, holding the legendary Star Saber with both servos, blade pointing towards the ground. The Matrix of Leadership glowed brightly as the sword's hilt. Standing alongside the divine, white mech was his obedient cyberdog. Both looked away in the same direction, a sense of determination about them. It was certainly a beautiful piece, and as what happens every time, I was captivated by it.

At this point, I had wandered into the bathroom, gazing at the massive painting on the back wall. As soon as I set a servo on the edge of the enormous tub, the light from the crystal fixture on the ceiling flickered. Instinctively I looked up at the crystal. I waited for it to flicker again, and I felt a cold breeze. There appeared to be nothing wrong with the light fixture, so I looked back down at the painting.

What I saw made me freeze.

Prima was no longer in the painting. The mech in the painting now was red and blue, and lying on the ground. All I could see was the mech's legs and some of the mech's upper body. He was riddled with cuts and energon smeared the floor underneath the mech. He was bound at the ankles by thick, heavy chains as he lie on the grey, filthy floor. Beside him in the dark painting was the battered and bloody corpse of a cyberdog.

I could feel my spark almost stop at the sight of such a painting. As I looked deeper into it I could feel the breeze come again, this time much stronger and colder as it whipped around me. My wings shuddered as I stared in shock at the portrait on the wall. In the upper left hand corner, practically wrapped around the chained mech's leg was a shadowy, almost serpentine creature. My blood ran cold at the sight of it.

Gripping the side of the golden bathtub, I forced myself to look away as I shook. I need to find him. I need to find my son.

Regaining my composure, I looked back up and saw that the painting was the way it was before. It had changed back to the painting of Prima and his trusted cyberdog as if nothing had ever happened.

Unsettled, I turned and quickly left the room. I would much rather be in the hallway than in there. The room seemed very welcoming, but now I'm questioning the sincerity of this place even more than I thought possible.

Back in the hallway once more, I continued walking, much more carefully than before. After seeing that painting change, I became much more nervous. I can only wonder what else is on the eighth level.

About a minute passed and I noticed that the floor started to incline downwards. It wasn't a significant change, but the angle was steep enough to notice. The air seemed to get much cooler as I walked, and my wings started to shudder. I snarled slightly, annoyed, as I felt cables beginning to stiffen again. I won't let mere cold slow my progress.

I've already passed numerous branching hallways and I resisted the temptation to search those halls. I could sense that I was going in the right direction already by going down this main ramp, even with the possibility that this place can change at any moment, and I don't want to lose my way.

I came upon another well lit hall and I fully intended to walk past it when something made me stop. I heard something coming from down there, making me stare down the hallway.

For a moment there was nothing but silence, but I knew I heard something. It was small, but it was distinct. Boosting power to my audio receptors, I listened, waiting for the sound to come again. And it did, to my surprise.

"Ratchet? Is that you?"

My optics widened as I instantly recognized the voice. It was Rafael! I immediately grew concerned as I heard the obvious fear in the little boy's voice.

"I-If you're out there, w-we're trapped and we can't find a way out."

The concerned expression on my face deepened as I turned to face the hallway that branched off the main one I currently stood in. Rafael said 'we', so I can only guess that the other children are with him.

I took a step down the hall, worried. This walkway was different from the others. There were the same doors and art pieces hanging on the walls, but the difference was that I couldn't see all the way to the end. The light fixtures on the ceiling on the back half of the hall stopped working, and there was nothing but darkness at the end.

I tensed when I heard another voice come. " Raf, I think I hear someone coming." This voice was much steadier and instantly recognizable. It was Jack, and though he was much calmer than the younger human, I could still tell that he was frightened.

I also had the distinct feeling that Jack was not talking about me.

"Ratchet? If you can hear me, please come help us!"

I moved further down the hallway, recognizing that different, shaky voice as Miko's. They all sounded like they were in distress, and from what Raf told me, they were trapped. I could hear that all of them were coming from the end of the hall and I felt like I needed to get there soon. They said they were trapped - they might be harmed, and I don't want that to happen.

The darkness came closer as I walked, feeling very concerned for the kids' safety. I could hear their voices, the fear building up. They kept saying that they heard someone coming, that they were afraid and they were trapped. I could also faintly hear birds flapping around in the same direction of where I could hear the children, but that wasn't my main concern. I must get them out of there!

At my last thought, I stopped in my tracks, staring at the darkness ahead of me. I must get them out of there…

What am I truly here for?

The yellow light above my helm flickered and dimmed significantly as a cool breeze washed over me. I rested a fist against the wall and leaned slightly against it, still staring down the hallway.

That's… That's right. What am I truly down here for? I'm here to find my son, Optimus. I know for sure that he is trapped down here, though I am unaware of how urgent the need is to find him. I certainly know that the children are in very urgent need of help.

I heard a fearful shout coming from the end of the hall, and I couldn't resist taking another step towards the back of the walkway. This appeared to be just enough to allow the darkness to fade. At the very end of the hall I could see a door facing me. This door was different from the rest. It appeared to be much more durable and thicker in comparison to the other doors I've seen. The door had a small window near eye level, but it was barred. I could see large bolts along the edges as well as a massive lock. This Is the sort of door one would see in a prison, and it looks very out of place.

I hear the children… but…

I jolted when I heard a high-pitched screech come from the thick door. It was Miko! Immediately after, I could hear Jack beginning to call for help. I was so unsettled by their cries that I felt my plating crawling. I could feel myself being pulled towards them. I could barely resist wondering what was scaring the children so much…

But, I reminded myself why I was here. I reminded myself why I went through all of this to get down to the eighth level of this fortress. I am here for my son.

At this point, I could hear all of them screaming in pain. I was vaguely surprised that it was so difficult for me to listen to their pain without rushing towards that door and breaking it down. Underneath their screaming, I could hear the unmistakable sound of bones snapping. Even as a robotic being, I found the sound very hard to listen to.

I clenched my fists as I resisted the urge to charge the door. The heat in my knuckles returned, stronger than before, but once again, I ignored it.

Standing up straight and facing the door, I glared. I cannot get off track. I'm here for one reason.

I turned my back on the door - on the children - and moved back towards the main hallway.

I'm here for one reason, and that is my son.

I will find my son... even if that means leaving the children behind.

The children's screams intensified as I walked away, but I ignored them. I can't allow myself to be distracted, even if the children are trapped. Even as I heard more bones snapping, I decided that they will have to go without me. I have more important matters to attend to.

"Ratchet, where-" Rafael's cry was suddenly cut short, along with any other sound from the other children, making me stop and turn back.

I stared down into the darkness as I heard a loud click. It sounded very similar to a door unlocking. I heard the door creak open slowly and bang ominously against the wall beside it. I could feel the cold rush at me from the pitch black doorway, and this time I could feel the very beginnings of ice forming on my cockpit hood.

Then, a single light started to shine from deep inside of the dark room. This light was not comforting and inviting like the light from the hallway. It was a bright red light with a threatening and dead aura. It seemed to pierce me, much like a single red eye.

I instantly thought of Shockwave.

I tensed up, waiting for something to happen as I stared back at the red light. I didn't have to wait for long, as I heard the flapping of birds again, this time much louder.

Suddenly, a flock of birds black as night rushed out of the open door at me, screeching loudly. They flew past me and the sound of their metal wings filled my audio receptors. They shrieked, their razor sharp talons aimed at my eyes, and their own eyes glowing bright red. I immediately brought my arms up to guard my head and face, allowing the birds to attack me as they flew past.

As they shot past me, I could hear something that sounded like screaming voices coming from them, but I couldn't quite identify what exactly it was.

Arms still being clawed and guarding my face, I turned slightly to look and see where the birds were going. They all seemed to be flying in the same direction - the way that I had come.

In a few seconds, I got the opportunity to closely look at one of the birds that had come out of that prison door. This black bird slowed down long enough for me to look directly at it, and was almost ghost-like in appearance. It had a long flowing tail, the bird's massive wingspan nearly touched the walls on each side of the hallway and there was a surprising amount of power in every wing beat. Among all of the other birds, this one looked like nothing more than part of a swift, gloomy cloud.

These birds looked exactly like the ones that I saw flying away towards the golden city some time ago, only these looked warped and angular, somehow unnatural.

The last one had flown away, and though I was still tense, I lowered my arms from my face. I could hear them all flapping in the distance, so I thought it somewhat safe to assume that they were not going to return. Those ghastly creatures reminded me of one of Shockwave's militarized animals. More accurately, one of his more effective and disconcerting experiments, his birds. The Decepticon scientist was known for his beyond unethical experiments on fellow Cybertronians as well as on Cybertronian wildlife. His Driller bot was his most famous one, as it caused the most devastation for us Autobots.

I am not certain that those creatures were truly one of Shockwave's experiments, but it is not much of a stretch to simply believe that they are.

Those things could have been what was creating those voices. I'm impressed that they fooled me for as long as they did.

Now that I've overcome their influence, I fully turned around and went back into the yellow lit hallway. At this point, I doubt that anything will be able to keep me from finding my son, especially after experiencing the black birds. I felt guilty for turning my back on the children's distressed voices, but I had to remind myself that their voices were nothing more than a clever act of mimicry.

I had to remind myself that I needed to continue on my trek deeper into this stronghold.

…

It took quite a while, but I was able to reach the end of the hallway. The hallway remained the same for the most part in appearance, but I could feel the air becoming significantly colder as I reached this point. The light fixtures had stopped working about a few doors ago, but there was enough yellow light being emitted from the fixtures further down the hall for me to be able to see as a reasonable distance.

At the very end the hall, there was a door and a small table just to the left of it. This door was very similar to the many other doors in the hallway, but this one had a lock on it. I could feel freezing air coming out from under the door And on top of that, it was an extremely simple lock, one made by the humans. From the keyhole I could immediately tell that the lock was going to require a skeleton key to open the door.

This lock can't be overridden with technology, which is probably the reason it is here, but it can be broken. I smiled slightly, bracing my shoulders. The last time I bashed down a door I found a horde of scraplets hanging from the ceiling, but now I can sense that I am close to him. If there is that horde of scraplets from before waiting for me beyond this door, so be it.

I took a few steps back and raced towards the door, ramming into it with my shoulder. Contrary to what I expected, the door did not give at the force of my frame against it. All it did was send an echo down the hallway as I stumbled back, nearly falling.

I looked at the door in shock. This door appeared to be one someone would find in the average home. Those doors are decidedly easy to break down. This door, despite its innocent appearance, felt like it was far stronger than titanium alloys. I highly doubt I would be able to penetrate this barrier with any of the medical tools I have. I gave an annoyed look. I will have to play by the rules, then.

I looked around at the area nearby, searching for a key. Thankfully, the skeleton key was sitting on top of the table next to the door. The metal piece was simple like its respective lock and was solid black. I reached over to take it, but as soon as I touched it, the key disappeared.

The expression of shock quickly shifted into bewilderment as it fully registered that it did indeed disappear. I had to look at my hand again, took a step back and looked down at floor to see if it reappeared on the floor near my pedes. Though this area was darker than the rest of the hallway, I would be able to easily see that black key.

I could feel the aggravation building. I have dodged Dark Energon infected zombies, confronted a massive horde of scraplets, and guarded myself against the talons of vicious, militarized birds. None of those things have kept me from moving on, as I am determined to find my son. I refuse to believe that a trick a simple as a disappearing act is what is going to keep me from getting to him!

After a short while of searching in a confused manner, I looked up at the door, to see if it reappeared there. And it was there, to my surprise, along with something else.

There was my son's stuffed tiger on the door at eye level, impaled in the chest by a black hook. I could see stuffing coming out in several tears on the toy's body and it was covered in dust. I could also see tear stains on the tiger's head. There was a very ominous aura coming from it as I looked on.

I took the black key that was tied around the stuffed tiger's paw and unlocked the door, avoiding the sight of the toy on the hook. As soon as the key completed its purpose, it disappeared again, this time I assume for good. I stood cautiously as the door slowly creaked open to reveal a dark room with nothing but a single window at the back. As the red light of my optics reflected off the glass, I noted that the window looked as if it belonged to a window ring that I had seen on the walls of the pit. I could see that the glass was heavily frosted over.

This must be it. I could tell that this is the deepest part of the fortress - the ninth level. My son has to be here. The evil sensation that I felt at the top of the pit earlier is stronger than ever before here before this open door. I've gone too far. This has to be it.

Prepared for whatever chose to reveal itself, I stepped through the doorway.

…

This place was very different from what I've seen of this stronghold. I could see ice thickly lining the walls and massive icicles hung from the high ceiling. These halls are undoubtedly the source of the cold that I felt throughout this stronghold. This entire place seemed frozen, but I paid no mind to it. The cold doesn't bother me anymore. At least, not as much.

There was nothing on the walls, no doors or light fixtures. There was hardly any light but I could see relatively well down this dark hallway. However, I couldn't see the end of the hallway. There was nothing but darkness.

I could see no indication of something else being in this place, but I could certainly feel it. Perhaps it was the tightness in the air. I could feel something terrible down here. This time, that sensation is much more tangible. I could almost identify it as its own presence. But 'almost' was not a definite answer, so I could not be entirely sure.

But instead of worrying about that, I'll remain on the look out for my son. I know he is trapped in here, and I absolutely have to find him. Optimus's mind would not last long without the ruler of it in control. At this very moment, Optimus's body and mind are at great risk. The bots outside of this strange world are working to save his body, but it is solely up to me to save his mind.

I clenched my fist. This is a mission that I simply cannot fail.

...I initially thought that I would be walking for an extended period of time, as I was for the other place I've been through, but that does not seem to be the case for the ninth level. Before I knew it, I could see the metal bars of a prison cell.

I broke into a run, racing my way to the cell bars. This could be it. This could be what I've fought through this stronghold for! This could be where my son is being trapped!

As soon as I reached the bars, I gasped at the sight inside.

I could see piles of limbs, heads and other body parts organized in a relatively neat manner. In the back of my mind, I vaguely noted that the prison cell appeared to be exactly like the room Wheeljack said that he found Optimus in on Faultline's ship.

At the center of the dark cell, I could see my little boy lying curled up on the icy floor, whimpering and crying. The sound of his fear felt like a icy dagger through my heart.

Before I could move to get my son out, I realized that he was not alone. I could see a much larger figure lying just next the sobbing sparkling. They were shrouded in shadow as they were closer to the back of the cell, but I could see from the dim light coming in from the hallway that this person was badly damaged. I could see scars and jagged lacerations along this person's plating. Energon smeared the floor underneath them. They looked liked they had been through a terrible battle and was left in here to bleed to death.

The shadowy figure shifted slightly and groaned painfully on the floor. My optics widened as I instantly recognized that baritone voice. It was the older version of my son! There were two different versions of Optimus in the cell. How is that…?

Forcing back the questions rising in my mind, I called out to both of them. Neither of them seemed to have heard my shout, so I grabbed the bars with the intention to bend them. I shook them as hard as my frame would allow and they barely made a sound. The bars were far too strong for me to move manually, like that door with disappearing key. I whipped my helm around frantically, searching for a lock to pick or break and finding none.

Looking back inside the cell, I could see something black reaching out of the farthest, darkest corner of the cell, towards the eldest one's leg. The shadow seemed to form a thick tentacle as it reached towards his pede. The sparkling saw it and squeaked in fear as he tried to shake the elder awake.

Horrified, I tightened my grip and struggled as hard as I could against the bars. Almost immediately I snatched my hands off, my palms burning as I hissed in pain. I stumbled back, holding my damaged hands close to my frame and glared at the place where my hands were. I saw that the bars had turned white hot.

"No!" I shouted angrily as the black tendril got closer and closer to my 'sons'. I rammed my shoulder repeatedly against the bars, and the only thing I accomplished was putting dents into my armor. Not even a minimal amount of stress was put on the metal bars after all of my efforts.

My son's crying turned to screaming as it came within feet of him. He pushed himself as far as he could away from the shadowy tentacle, pressing closely to the elder's prone frame. The scared child looked up at me, and I could see the terror in his round eyes as the tears streamed freely down his face. I stared back, far beyond infuriated that I unable to find a way inside.

It was at that very moment that feel something inside of me run out. I couldn't handle seeing the fear in my little sparkling's eyes. I had witnessed him be mortally wounded before... That wound is what lead us here. I can't take seeing my son in danger again. I won't let him be hurt again...

I WON'T let him be hurt!

An animalistic snarl tore out of my throat as my red optics brightened and the heat in my knuckles flared up again, hotter than ever before. The black tendril started to coil around the older mech's leg, causing my sparkling son's screams to become piercing shrieks, and my blood to become fire.

I released a loud roar as burning pain sliced through my knuckles. I glanced down at my left servo and saw that three white-hot claws as long as my forearm that curved down at the tip had ripped through the plating on my knuckles. I looked at my right hand and saw three claws identical to the ones on my left fist.

Barely questioning the claws' existence, I rushed forward and slashed easily through the bars. As I shot past, the shredded bars clattered to the floor and turned to black dust. Snarling again, I crouched and brought my right arm down as hard as I could, impaling the tendril wrapped around the older version of my son's leg into the ground.

The creature released an earsplitting screech and reared up, trying to get away from my claws. In its panic, it struck the ceiling, bringing down pieces of stone and ice. In the process, it tore its own tentacle to pieces pulling away from my claws.

I growled menacingly as I swiftly pulled my claws out of the ground and brought my new weapons up, standing beside both versions of my son. I watched that dark corner, daring the black tentacles to try and ensnare my sons again.

Then, I saw a small hand reach out of the dark corner. I could feel myself freeze as I watched a small sparkling crawl out of the blackness. It was a little Seeker, from the underdeveloped wings on his back, and I could see time weathered, orange paint on his frame. The sparkling moved slowly as though his joints were stiff, paint flaking off with almost every movement, and I could clearly see the dried tear stains streaking down his little face.

I could already tell that there was something very wrong with that sparkling.

The sparkling moved towards my son, the child version, and grabbed his foot. Tense and caught off guard, I watched as I stood next to the prone adult version of my son, hot claws ready should I need to used them.

The pale orange sparkling sobbed and spoke in a ghostly, chilling voice, "No… Please… It's so c-cold… Stay with... me."

My sparkling son instantly reacted in fear and whimpered as he tried with all his strength to yank his ankle from the orange sparkling's grip. White frost started to crawl up my sparkling's leg from the orange sparkling's servo. My son's already large optics widened in horror as he realized that he couldn't loosen its grip. The orange sparkling started to sob and cry as he reached with the other arm, attempting to take Optimus's free, kicking leg.

The fury I felt a few moments before rose back up in me and I could feel the anger surge through me. I flared my wings aggressively and clenched my claw bearing fists. This was an attempt to keep my son trapped here and freeze him in the ice! I don't care what is trying to take him; I won't allow it!

I took a single step forward and growled as I stomped hard on the orange child's head, nearly shaking the entire cell. The sparkling's wails were promptly cut short as his cranial chamber shattered underneath my pede.

After giving the corpse one more powerful stomp to make sure that it didn't rise again, the body crumbled down to black dust and faded away. Cycling air through my systems in a vain attempt to calm down, I turned back to my son. The child version had turned away, covering his optics with his servos as he pressed into the side of the unconscious, adult version. I wasn't sure if it was because of what I did or simply fear of his situation that made him attempt to hide. At this very moment, it was not that important. I needed to get both of them out of here before something worse than a ghostly sparkling materializes.

Glaring up, I stared at the ceiling. The area that was struck by the black tendril from earlier was weakened - I could tell that even in this dark cell. There was a thin sliver of light coming in from between the cracked, black stones. I distantly questioned how light from outside was coming through to this place, considering that this is the deepest part of the fortress. But like my claws, I did not question it much. It is a way out, something that I desperately need.

I retracted my claws, reached down and took my sparkling. With the other arm, I reached under adult Optimus's waist and heaved him over my shoulder, makings sure that there was room for me to open my wings. I was mildly surprised at my own strength in the back of my mind, since adult Optimus weighs much more than I do. Then again, I tend to gain a great amount of physical strength when I… lose my relatively calm demeanor.

But because he is so heavy, I won't be able to last long in the air. I will have to be fast while I am getting the two of them out.

Glaring up at the ceiling of the cell and securing my sparkling son to my chest, I opened my wings and fired off the engines on my back. I made sure to hold the adult version of Optimus away from the heat of my engines in order to avoid inflicting any more damage.

I lowered my head and shot towards the ceiling, right towards the crack that the tendril caused. Shutting my eyes to protect them, I used my body to ram through the rock ceiling.

Suddenly I could feel a powerful, biting cold wind blowing around me, and I could feel pain building in my shoulders and neck. Ignoring the pain, I flew straight up into the cloudy sky carrying the adult and child version of my son and looked down as broken rock fell back to the ground. I furrowed my optic ridges. I've seen this area before...

I realized that I created a hole in the middle of a massive arena. Looking around at the stands of the enormous, oval shaped coliseum, I recognized the place as the same coliseum that I had seen in the pit from a while before. But it was strange that this place, which was the seventh level, was completely deserted. There was no crowd cheering; all I could hear was the sound of the wind. It was strange that once I finally get to the coliseum that I had been hearing for a long time and saw once briefly, I find that there is no one here. It was also strange that the coliseum was here, just above the deepest level of the fortress, when I know that there was a level between the seventh one and the deepest one.

I looked up and soared higher into the sky, towards the black, stormy clouds, working to gain some altitude. The adult version of Optimus was slowing me down significantly and it was becoming more difficult to keep him on my shoulder. Nevertheless, I pushed my engines towards their limit. We need to get as far away from this place as we possibly can-

Suddenly, a great screech tore through the sky, shaking the entire world. It was piercing, and felt like a blow from Megatron to the side of the head. My vision blurred as I struggled to remain in the air, my head throbbed painfully. I nearly dropped the sparkling in my arm, I was so badly caught off guard.

Through the pain, I looked down to find the source of the sound. There was no way that the sound was thunder. What I saw was something I certainly did not expect.

A black mass, almost as large as the stronghold itself, was racing after me! The mass from inside Optimus's cell had chased me out of the hole I made. And it was closing the distance between me and it, hellbent on catching us.

I grunted as I sharply leveled off and flew towards the perimeter of the fortress. There is no way that I can fight that now, not with my sons in tow. And if I slow down, there is no doubt that I will die. I glowered. This was the evil that I sensed throughout my time in the fortress. I could tell from the very beginning that the presence was powerful, but I was not prepared for this colossal manifestation of this evil.

The outer fence that I flew over a while ago grew closer and closer to me on the ground. Just as I was starting to think that I was going to make it past the wall, a gigantic shadow cast over me. Knowing exactly what was about to happen, I turned hard to the left. As soon as I flew out of the way, I could feel the very air shake as a black hand as long as a forty story building is high attempted to strike me out of the darkened sky. It passed mere inches from me, almost grazing the tip of my right wing. I could feel stinging ice crawling up my wing, weighing it down slightly.

The black mass slowed down slightly, likely preparing for another attempt to take me out, and I took that opportunity to put even more power into my thrusters. I could feel the sparkling version of my son clutching the plating on my chest for dear life as I soared through the air. The adult version of my son hung limply over my shoulder, unconscious.

I turned my head just enough to look at the shadowy mass coming after us. I wanted to see exactly what I was dealing with.

To say that I was dwarfed in comparison to the shadow would be putting it very lightly. The thing could have been larger than the entire coliseum stronghold itself - I couldn't see all of it, as it filled most of my field of view. The creature was constantly changing, even in the short time that I watched it. It seemed to slosh in and out of itself, forming almost indistinguishable shapes. But there were several forms that I did recognize.

The massive creature shifted from Starscream's grinning face to the psychotic, soft red optics of Faultline and back again. The form of Faultline did not remain nearly as long as the smirk on Starscream's face, but the sight of those eyes… The sound of my furious snarl was drowned out by the thunder crashing in the swirling clouds above us.

This evil… all of this destruction caused in my son's mind… was because of them.

Those two monsters...

I tore my gaze away from that sinister mass chasing after me and focused on what was ahead. I can't afford to slow down for anything. I put everything I had into the twin engines on my back and held on tightly to the two versions of son as I felt myself move even faster through the air. Glancing back again, I banked right and shot back towards the outer wall of the fortress. This time I had created some distance between myself and that gigantic shadow and I watched the wall flash by in a thin blur hundreds of feet below me.

I know for a fact that this creature is not going to simply give up because I passed the outer limits of the stronghold. I need to permanently deal with this creature myself.

Adjusting my flight, I descended slightly and veered off to the right, back towards the dead city. I will hide my sons there in one of the structures and confront that creature.

Even at this speed, I reached the dilapidated city in little time. More than a few times I nearly struck the grey, battle worn skyscrapers while I wove in and out of them. I can hardly maneuver while my sons are with me, and if I don't hide them somewhere soon, both myself and my sons will be taken into the darkness.

Glancing back periodically at the massive creature that remained in hot pursuit of me, I made sure to fly into the tighter spaces between the more damaged buildings to buy myself more time. Every fraction of a second mattered at this point.

I searched every building I passed, hoping to find a good place to leave my sons. It was not difficult, seeing that so many of the buildings bore holes created by small bombs. I chose the best place thus far and flew through a very high hole in the side of a leaning skyscraper near the far limits of the downtown area. It had to be hundreds of stories up, given that this was one of the slightly taller structures. I had to be fast, since I had evaded the creature enough times to give myself precisely four point three seconds to set my sons down and draw the shadowy creature away from my children's location.

Not even bothering to land until I was at the furthest corner of the room from where we came in, I quickly set down my sons. Standing straight again, I glared down, blood-red optics glinting, at my sparkling as he pressed close to the adult.

"Stay here and do not move," I growled before turning my back on them. I raced forward towards the edge of the hole and leaped out. Allowing myself to fall for a couple of seconds, I turned on my engines, flared my wings and rocketed back towards the shadow. Just as I saw it come around a particularly large building, I released my white-hot claws again and boosted the power to my engines. Flying straight for it, the buildings looked miniscule compared to the great size of the shadow.

Undeterred, I drew my arms back and bared my teeth, razor-sharp claws prepared for combat as I flew head first towards the shadow.

This creature… This shadow was taking the forms of the two mechs that caused the most pain for my little sparkling…

I've had so little control over what happened to my sparkling, I can hardly bear the thought of it. My son was left to fall out of the Nemesis by Starscream. When that failed, the cowardly wretch hired a true monster to take and kill him, and that monster nearly succeeded in doing it.

As soon as I realized that Starscream was the first one to try and kill my son, the anger started to rise inside of me. Even after I vented my frustration on him, I could still feel that anger. It was still there and was starting to build again. Then my son was taken from me. It was at that moment that the anger that had grown started to fester inside of me. I had my chance twice to try and quell that anger, but I did not.

Part of my job as a parent was to protect my child. And I... I couldn't do that.

Now is my chance to try again. Now is my chance to have my true revenge against the monsters that have not only tried to physically harm my son but have invaded my son's mind and nearly destroyed him from the inside. Lightning flashed brightly in the clouds above, a sign that a storm had just begun. Much appreciated power surged through me at the very thought of fighting back, and the searing heat from my claws was welcomed.

Just before the Shadow Wraith and I made contact in the sky, I grinned.

I don't need to hold back. Now is my chance to make it feel the pain my son has been forced to endure. Now I can tear the heart out of this monster and stomp it back into the dark hole it came from.

Let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore!

True to Elsa's words, Ratchet can't hold the anger back anymore. He's fought his way through to the heart of Mordor, and now he's going to fight his way out!

While writing this chapter I was inspired by the 2013 PS3 game, The Last of Us. It's an amazing game; right up there with the PS2 game Okami for me. Playing that game is an absolute must - it's too fantastic to pass up.

I was also inspired by the character Wolverine in numerous parts, the book The Divine Comedy, and many other things while writing this chapter.

I want to thank WingedWolfALari for helping me out with this and being patient with me in regards to my witing this chapter.

Till next time! :)

P.S. If you haven't done so already, go watch it now. Transformers: Age of Extinction was phenomenal! I saw it on premiere day (June 27th) in IMAX 3D, and that was one of the most action packed and heart racing films I've seen in a very long time. I loved it – this one might be one of Michael Bay's best films to date.