ATE: I'm so glad that I finally got this done when I did. I even stayed up until almost 3 in the morning where I'm at just to finish writing this chapter. I'd like to thank Crystalmaiden62, Azura Soul Reaver, Sailor Shinzo, SeekerLuna, Bumblebeecamaro38, DarkButterfly128, Diamond White, and Sally for their reviews of the last chapter. This chapter will cover the events of episode 39 (Crisis) from Transformers Armada. So for those who have seen this episode, you know what's coming.
Declaimer: I don't own Transformers or Transformers Armada. I only own my OC Valerie.
Chapter 16: Crisis
I just stood there with my friends as we all stared up at the sky. This was so unbelievable! After the comet had exploded the sky had turned green and orange. The sky…I didn't like the way it looked. It made me feel like something bad was about to happen.
"What do you think, Alexis?" Rad asked.
"No clue." Alexis answered.
"I'll bet you anything it was Megatron who was behind that comet exploding."
"You think he had something to do with this?" I asked.
Alexis sighed quietly.
"Well duh, a comet just doesn't explode by itself in mid-air." Carlos stated.
"You wait." Alexis said, causing all of us to look at her. "I'll bet we haven't seen the last of the Decepticons' handy work by a long shot."
"Yeah, I think you're right." Billy agreed. "We're talking Megatron here. I've got a feeling this is only the start of his fireworks."
"So, what do you think he's doing?" Fred asked as he turned to Carlos.
"I wish I knew." Carlos replied as he looked over his shoulder at Fred. Suddenly he turned around seeming completely excited. "Hey! Hang on, guys! I betcha it's something even bigger!" Then he seemed confused. "But, exactly what, I don't know."
"Hey! What if he's planning on blowing up the Earth?"
My eyes widened at this. Megatron would blow up the Earth? I felt myself starting to shake slightly from this. We all turned to Rad.
"Well, whatddya think, Rad?" Carlos grabbed his head in frustration. "Awww, man! That's gotta be it! Megatron's gonna blow up Earth and everyone on it!"
"What if Fred is right? Do we tell anybody?" Billy asked. "And if we did, do you really think anybody would believe us?"
"We make them believe us, Billy, because if we don't, we're toast!" Fred said while looking at his friend.
"Not an option." We turned to Alexis and I couldn't help feeling slightly confused when I saw the sad look on her face. "We promised the Autobots we'd never tell. And a promise is a promise, guys. And besides, they'd just be taken into laboratories and taken apart for science experiments. I'd never let that happen to my friends." Alexis turned to look away from us. "And I hope you guys feel the same way I do."
I suddenly felt sad as well when I realized what Alexis was saying. I couldn't help the mental image that came into my mind of Jetfire and the rest of the Autobots being taken apart by scientist, the way their faces or optics expressed their anguish as they cried out in pain. I cringed, shutting my eyes tightly as I tried desperately to forget that mental image, but…it wasn't going away any time soon. I suddenly felt comfort flood through my mind as I felt myself slowly start to relax.
"She's right." Carlos said, glancing up at the sky. "We keep this a secret, right?"
"Yeah, I guess I have to agree." Fred said.
"Yeah, but what if Optimus has to battle in front of a crowd or something?" Billy asked.
"I really think he's a lot smarter than that. And I'm sure he can handle himself out there. You know, he's been around for a long time." Rad told us. "But here's my plan, we stay out of their way and let them take care of their own battles. I'm sure that's what Optimus would want."
"All right, I'm with you all the way, Rad!"
"But Rad, we can't stay around and not say anything while the whole stinkin' planet blows up into smithereens." Carlos complained.
"Hmm." Rad looked away humming before turning back to face us with a sympathetic look. "There's nothing we can do, Carlos. We're just gonna have to wait and see."
"No! We have to do something!"
I turned away to look up at the green and orange sky, holding a hand over my heart as I did so. I knew that my sparkmate was up there since I could faintly feel him through our connection.
'Jetfire…' I thought. 'Please be careful.'
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Up in space was Jetfire in his shuttle form. He smiled inwardly when he had heard his sparkmate and sent her comfort and reassure through the connection.
'Don't worry, Skydancer. I will.' He told her.
As he continued to fly towards the moon he ended up spotting something.
"What's that?" Jetfire thought out loud. He grinned when he spotted a space ship. "Ah! There it is." He then turned on his comm link "This is Jetfire. I've found the Decepticon ship."
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On the Decepticon ship everyone could see the familiar space shuttle flying towards them.
"Megatron! I've locked onto Jetfire!" Demolishor told his leader.
"Ignore him, Demolishor." Megatron said casually. He grinned in amusement. "He is but a harmless bug that I can squash at any time I please."
"Yes, we must remain focused on aligning ourselves with the Autobots' base to make a direct hit." Thrust added.
"Do as the Squidhead says, men."
"Squidhead?!" Thrust turned to face Megatron, his pink optics wide in shock. "Even you, Megatron?"
"Hahahahahahaha!" It didn't help that Cyclonus started to laugh insanely, making Thrust angry.
"Stop laughing, this is serious!" Thrust clenched his servos into fists. "Don't you realize that once the Hydra Cannon is fired, it takes its time to recharge. That means that while we are waiting, we are sitting ducks!"
"There is no need to get yourself all worked up, Thrust." Megatron stated.
"Well, no one seems to listen to me." Thrust muttered.
"You must excuse my men's conduct. They're just a little giddy over the prospect of returning home to Cybertron over the next few days. And we must keep up the morale of the men, Thrust. I'm a little giddy myself, Squidhead."
"My name is THRUST!" He yelled. "T-H-R-U-S-T, is that so difficult to remember?!"
"What's that? You don't enjoy my Earthly humor?" Megatron's frowned. "Buck up, soldier, or you'll be looking at a demotion."
"I understand, sir." Thrust bowed.
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Jetfire continued flying towards the Decepticons' ship slowly. He found it strange that they hadn't done anything yet.
"I'm sure the Decepticons have a lock on my position, but for some reason, they're just ignoring me. Or maybe they're a whole lot dumber than I thought." Jetfire then activated his boosters. "I'm GOING in!"
Jetfire used the power of his boosters to charge at the ship ahead of them. This was going to be easy! He'd be in and out in no time at all. But what happened next wasn't something he expected at all.
"Yargh!" Jetfire yelled when he suddenly got shocked by a strong current of electricity. He had to fly away. "Transform!" Jetfire transformed and could see why he had been shocked. So it would seem that the Decepticon ship was surrounded by a force field. He had to activate his boosters in order to slow himself down. "Ugh. Sure wasn't expecting that."
"Jetfire! What's going on?" Optimus asked over the comm link.
"Oh, nothin'. Except touching a six thousand gigawatt force field." Jetfire joked.
"Man, he almost gets his circuits fried and he's making jokes." He heard Hot Shot say on the other end.
"I'm gonna give it another shot." Jetfire pulled out his blaster from subspace. "Just hope this time, it won't melt my entire mainframe." He aimed his blaster at ship, holding his legs out as he prepared for the recoil from his weapon. He shoots his blaster, but the blast reflects back at him and sends him. "Yaaahh!" He fired his blaster at the ship, but then the blast was reflected back at him, on pushed him away from the ship itself.
"Are you all right, Jetfire?" Optimus asked.
"Yeah... But it looks like they've got a force field around their whole ship." Jetfire told him. "I dunno if I can penetrate it. I'll give it a shot!"
"Return to base, Jetfire. Do you copy?"
"Roger that. I'm on my way. Transform!"
Jetfire transformed back into his shuttle form before flying back to the base. He knew Valerie was going to be worried about him now.
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The Decepticons had witnessed the Autobot's Vice Commander fly away, possibly because Optimus ordered him to.
"Ha, ha." Megatron laughed. "Don't you just love watching those miserable mechanical morons attempting to attack me, Squidhead?"
"I wish he wouldn't call me that anymore!" Thrust complained quietly to himself. "How'd he like to be called 'Flathead'? Heh, hehehehe!" He had to hold a servo over his face mask to contain his laughter.
"So why don't you share your little joke with everyone?"
"Heh, heh…" Thrust had to stop laughing before turning to face Megatron. "I wasn't, uh, laughing, sir!" He turned back around and lowered his voice. "Flathead! Boy, I can really dish it out! Hehehehe, hahaha!"
"You... are a freak." Megatron said quietly.
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From where my friends and I stood in the doorway of the command center we watched as the Autobots watched the footage from when Jetfire had been in space.
"Right there." Red Alert stated, showing everyone the footage of when Jetfire hit the force field that was around the Decepticon ship. "There's the point of contact, Optimus-sir."
"Interesting." Optimus said."
What's that thing in the middle of the screen?" Hot Shot asked.
"It appears to be some kind of extreme weapon." Scavenger answered.
"It could be." Blurr said, turning to Scavenger. "I wonder if they're planning to attack Earth with it."
I couldn't help the dreadful feeling I had in the pit of my stomach from what Blurr said. The more I heard about it the more I believed that the Decepticons were really going to destroy Earth with it.
"What we always thought of as a children's story must be true." Optimus said. "When the three weapons are linked together, they form the ultimate weapon, the Hydra Cannon."
Hydra Cannon? Was that what the Decepticons used to destroy the comet? Was it possible that that was why they wanted the three weapons?
"Huh?" Hot Shot turned to Optimus. "You think that might be it?"
"My analysis reveals it is definitely some kind of weapon, sir." Red Alert said.
"Yeah, I'd say a Decepticon weapon of mass destruction." Hoist agreed.
"I say we go up there and destroy that monstrosity before it destroys this entire planet, Optimus-sir." Sideswipe suggested.
"We must do something. But we won't destroy it." Optimus told him.
"If that is the same weapon that destroyed the comet, then one shot would destroy a third of the Earth." Red Alert stated.
"But that's insane!" Hot Shot exclaimed, optics wide. "We can't let that happen to Earth!"
"Hey! We're dealing with an insane dictator." Scavenger said, causing Hot Shot to turn to him.
"There's gotta be something we can do!" Blurr said.
"If we destroy the weapon, we destroy the Mini-Cons. And our job is to protect them, Blurr." Red Alert said.
"So what's your problem, Sideswipe?" Hoist asked, facing Sideswipe who I noticed was clenching his hands into fists as he trembled.
"Uh... I love this planet so much, Hoist. It's like my home away from home. I've met new friends here. They're like family to me." Sideswipe said, seeming a little emotional. "And I don't know how to say it, but we've gotta save this planet. We've just gotta!"
"I know what you mean, Sideswipe. And I think all of us here feel the same way as you do." Blurr told him, understanding how the younger Autobot felt.
I couldn't help but feel slightly touched that Sideswipe and Blurr felt that way about Earth and us, and I couldn't help but wonder if any of the others felt the same way.
"Hmmm." Optimus agreed, nodding his head. "But for now we'll wait until Jetfire gets back and fills us in."
"It's because of him! Because of Starscream." Hot Shot suddenly said. "We let him join us and he stabbed us in the back! He stole the Skyboom Shield that let the Decepticons build the Hydra Cannon. I knew it was a mistake!" The yellow Autobot turned to Optimus, looking so angry as he started yelling. "Optimus! What were you thinking, huh?! You allowed him to join our ranks! Why?!" It was quiet as Optimus stared at Hot Shot before walking away to leave the command center. "Opti- sir!"
Hot Shot tried to go after Optimus, but Scavenger got in his way to stop him.
"That is enough, Hot Shot." Scavenger told him.
"Yeah. We're a team for good, not for evil." Hoist added.
"Yeah, that's right! I understand that we're all responsible. But why did he have to let a Decepticon join us?" Hot Shot got on the ground on his knees. "Why?! WHY?! He then slammed his fist in the ground, causing it to dent the mental floor. "Errgh! What reason did Starscream have to deceive us all? What did we ever do to him to deserve this? I will destroy him! He will PAY!"
"Don't worry, Hot Shot." Blurr told him calmly. "Starscream will get what he deserves."
I couldn't help but feel sorry for Hot Shot after seeing the whole thing with my friends.
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Jetfire eventually arrived at the coordinates that the warp gate would appear and as luck would have it he came just in time as it opened before him. He could make out Optimus standing in the launching dock as he flew in, moving to the side to allow the shuttle mech to land.
"Transform." Jetfire said before transforming into his bi-pedal mode and standing up to face Optimus. "No doubt about it. They're planning to hit our base, sir." Jetfire saluted.
"Good work." Optimus praised.
"Thank you, sir." Jetfire lowered his servo so that it hung at his side.
"I just have one question, Jetfire. Why didn't they fire on you? I'm sure they had you locked on their radar."
"I had the same thought, sir. But maybe they thought the shield barrier was enough." Jetfire thought back on the whole thing as well. "I guess our real dilemma is breaking through that barrier and getting to Megatron. But we have to do that before they fire that weapon."
Jetfire noticed the sound of the door hissing open and his optics saw that everyone (including the kids) had entered the launching dock. He felt his spark swell with happiness when he spotted Valerie, but then there was a slight sinking feeling when he saw the expression on her face. He didn't have to hear her thoughts to know that she was aware of the situation at hand. Jetfire hadn't wanted her to know about it-he would've kept it a secret from her if he could-but she knew that the Earth was in danger. He could see the fear and dread in Valerie's eyes, something he didn't like to see her express.
"We, uh, just thought we'd welcome ya back, Jetfire." Carlos said sheepishly, both hands in his pockets.
"I've got a quick question about the Cybertron ship." Billy said, raising his right hand in the air.
"Yeah!" Fred added. "We were wondering if we could go after the Decepticons in it!"
"I'm really sorry to disappoint you boys, but the ship isn't quite finished yet." Red Alert told them as the three boys looked up at him.
"Aw, that bites." Carlos, Billy, and Fred said at the same time with disappointed looks.
"Hot Shot, listen to me." Optimus said, turning to the yellow mech. "I know you might not believe this, but having Starscream join the Autobots was not a complete failure. I realize what I'm saying at this point in time may not make sense. However, I know things will work out. I hope you can understand that."
"So what are you gonna do about it!? Optimus-sir?!" Hot Shot asked.
"Yeah! I mean, how are we gonna get revenge when we can't even get near them?" Carlos asked.
"Don't worry. I have a plan." Optimus said.
Optimus turned to look at Jetfire and he got the message.
"All right." Jetfire said, holding his right servos up with his thumb sticking out.
"This could be the final battle, so I want to ensure that it does not involve any humans. And trust me everyone, the Decepticons won't know what hit them. When the time comes, you'll all be briefed."
"We're with ya, Optimus."
"Hey, you're forgetting about me!" Hot Shot complained.
"You stay put, Hot Shot. Optimus and I have a little party to attend to." Jetfire told the yellow mech.
"No fair. I'm as much a part of this battle as you."
Jetfire placed his servos on his hips before leaning towards Hot Shot.
"But can you Powerlink with any other Autobot like Optimus and me?" Jetfire couldn't help but smirk when Hot Shot didn't say anything. His silence told him everything. "Iiii didn't think so."
"Come on, you guys!"
"You stay put here and watch the base."
Jetfire turned around to face the warp gate as he and Optimus walked over to it.
"Hey, there's no way you're taking off without me!" Hot Shot yelled. "I'm going on this mission and that's that!"
Jetfire could hear Hot Shot's footsteps as he came up to them from behind.
"Hot Shot." Optimus said.
From out of the corner of his optic Jetfire could see Optimus opening his chest compartment and pulling something out. He turned around and his optics widened in surprise when he realized what it was.
The Matrix of Leadership!
"Huh?!" Hot Shot said as Optimus turned to him while holding the Matrix. "What's that?"
"It's a gift from the original Transformers. It's called the Matrix. It stores all the data from previous commanders who have served." Optimus explained. "I want you to hold onto it for me."
Hot Shot sighed before turning away.
"I can't…" Hot Shot said, turning his back to face them both. "I can't accept that from you, Optimus."
"I understand. It's your choice, Hot Shot." Optimus placed the Matrix back in his chest compartment, gently closing it shut. He then turned to face him. "Let's go, Jetfire."
"I'm right behind ya, Optimus!" Jetfire said, grinning behind his face mask.
"Good luck!" He heard all the Autobots say.
Jetfire could feel Valerie's emotions through their connection and he couldn't help but be reminded of the look he saw in her eyes. She was scared for both him and Optimus, yet she was sad that she had to watch him leave again. She had hoped to spend some time with him before this happened, but with the Decepticons threatening to destroy the planet she stood on he had no choice but to go and stop them. And she knew this.
'I have to do this, Skydancer.' Jetfire told her softly, trying to comfort her through their connection. He could feel her desperately clinging to him as if he was her lifeline. 'You know I'd do anything to keep you safe from any kind of harm.'
{…I know.} She replied. {It's just…! Please come back safely! I know you always tell me that you'll be careful but-}
'Just have faith in me. You know I've always come back to you, injured or not. This time won't be any different than all the others.' Jetfire hugged her mentally, letting her know that he understood. 'I'll be back soon and I'll be able to hold you for as long as you need me to. So until then be strong for me.'
With that both Jetfire and Optimus went through the warp gate, leaving everyone behind.
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From where he stood Starscream stared at the image of the Earth, the very planet Megatron wished to destroy just to be rid of the Autobots for good.
'And now, what am I gonna do?' Starscream thought. 'What if I'm the one chosen to destroy planet Earth?'
"Is there anything the matter, Starscream?" Megatron asked.
"Huh?" Starscream looked over his shoulder at Megatron, who still sat upon his throne.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have reservations about the destruction of Earth. So I ask you, would you be willing to pull the trigger on the Hydra Cannon? You have betrayed my trust on more than one occasion, Starscream. But you always seem to return to the Decepticon fold when it really mattered. So, can I trust you this time? Well, Starscream?"
"Huh?!"
"I will ask you again!" Megatron yelled. "Are you willing to pull the trigger and destroy all of planet Earth?!"
"Starscream! Please, you must agree to be the triggerman or you'll never earn back Megatron's trust!" Thrust whispered to him. Starscream growled quietly at this. "He'll destroy you if you don't agree with him!"
"Target is locked on! And we're now within range." Demolishor suddenly said. Starscream looked up, and just as Demolishor had said they were locked on to Earth. His time was running out and fast. Demolishor looked at Megatron over his shoulder. "Hydra Cannon locked and loaded, sir!"
"Oh goodie! That means we're going home to Cybertron! Ohohoh, I can hardly wait to get outta here!" Cyclonus said excitedly from where he was.
"Energy level nearing optimum. Disengage electro-shield." Thrust ordered.
"Shield disengaged." Wheeljack said.
"Ha, ha, ha. Victory is at hand. Starscream, prepare to fire the Hydra Cannon!" Megatron ordered.
Starscream hesitated slightly as his finger hovered over the button that would fire the Hydra Cannon. He didn't want to do this, but he had no choice.
'If you're even listening to me, Primus, please intervene somehow.' Starscream pleaded. He had never really believed in Primus before, but now, of all times, he found himself begging the Cybertronian deity.
"Sayonara, Optimus Prime! It looks like I win! Aah!"
The whole ship started shaking violently all of a sudden, taking them all by surprised. Starscream looked on the monitor and his optics widened when he saw who was on it.
"Aaah! Aah. It's Optimus!"
Starscream watched as Optimus was shooting at their ship. He couldn't believe it! Had Primus actually heard him? Starscream wasn't sure if he should be relieved or terrified that Optimus had come just when he was about to fire the Hydra Cannon.
"Nooooo!"
"He must have slipped through when we disengaged the electro-shield!" Thrust exclaimed. Optimus was still shooting at the ship and landed before heading off in the direction the Hydra Cannon was located. "Oh no! The Hydra Cannon!"
"Prime is destroying my plan! Annihilate him!" Megatron ordered.
"Yessir!" Cyclonus replied.
"Roger." Demolishor replied as well.
"Thrust, is the cannon ready to fire?" Megatron asked.
"Give me two minutes, sir." Thrust said as he bowed.
"Starscream, get out there and get rid of Optimus Prime before I get rid of you!" Megatron bellowed, his red optics glaring at him to obey. "Ugh! Prove your loyalty!"
"Yessir!" Starscream complied before leaving.
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Despite being Powerlinked with Optimus, Jetfire could see Cyclonus and Demolishor coming out of the Decepticon ship.
"Hahahahaha! Whooohahaha! Let's party!" Cyclonus yelled insanely while he and Demolishor fired at them. Optimus was forced to block using his arms.
"Jetfire! Time to split up!" Optimus ordered.
And that was what they did. Both Optimus and Jetfire separated from each other since there really wouldn't be a need now they were on the Decepticon ship. Optimus landed on the ship while Jetfire stayed in the air.
"I'll cover your back and keep these clowns busy while you go in and recover the Star Saber and the Mini-Cons!" Jetfire told Optimus. As soon as his leader ran off he started flying at Demolishor with his blaster in his servo. "It's time to get busy!" He shot at Demolishor and he couldn't help but grin behind his face mask as the Decepticon slammed into the side of the ship. "One down."
"Hahahahaha!" Jetfire heard Cyclonus' insane laughter and without thinking twice he fired at him. "Oh no! Aaahh!"
"Urgh!" Suddenly Jetfire was under fire and was forced to use his arms to block the attack. His gold optics widened when he saw who was firing at him. "Wheeljack!" The last time Jetfire ever saw Wheeljack was before he went on that mission with Hot Shot back on Cybertron, so of course he was surprised to see him now fighting as a Decepticon. He then noticed something in his peripheral vision, his optics narrowing in angry at who he saw. "Starscream." He growled quietly.
Jetfire starting firing at Wheeljack who was taking cover behind a part of the ship. He landed as well to get a better vantage point, but his head shot in the direction he heard Optimus' cries of pain and saw that Tidal Wave was firing at him.
"Optimus!" Jetfire cried Wave ended up pinning Optimus down underneath him.
"Jetfire, don't turn your back on me! I'm your enemy!" He suddenly heard Starscream yelling at him.
"Huh?"
Jetfire turned around in time to see Starscream charging at him with his sword. As soon as he came close to him and was about to swing his weapon Jetfire managed to quickly grab Starscream's arm before flinging the Decepticon over his shoulder. The shuttle mech turned around to see that the traitor slammed into Tidal Wave. Suddenly the bigger Decepticon fell backwards and Starscream ended up being pinned underneath him.
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"What are you doing, you idiot?!" Megatron yelled. On the monitor the Decepticon leader could see Optimus Prime getting up, causing him to grit his teeth in fury as he turned to his strategist. "THHHHRRRRRUUUUUSSSTTT!"
"It's almost ready, sir! I'm just boosting the energy level!" Thrust exclaimed.
Megatron stood up from his throne, knowing what he had to do.
"You fire the Hydra Cannon, Thrust, while I finish off Optimus."
With that Megatron left.
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From where Optimus stood he noticed that there was a part of the Decepticon ship that was sparking and an idea came to him.
"I could recharge off the Decepticons' electro-force field." He said out loud.
"No freeloading, Prime!"
Upon hearing the all too familiar voice Optimus turned around to see Megatron coming out of the ship.
"Megatron!" He narrowed his optics at the Decepticon leader. "Let's do this!"
"Full Blast Mode!"
Megatron combined with his Mini-Con, Leader 1, and started firing at Optimus.
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Jetfire had witness what was happening between Optimus and Megatron and he knew that he had to help.
"Hang on, Optimus!" Jetfire yelled.
Jetfire made to fly off to aid his leader, but suddenly something grabbed his legs and causing him to fall to the ground.
"You're all mine." He heard Demolishor say from behind him.
Jetfire turned around with his blaster aiming at the Decepticon. He was about to fire at him, only to be taken by surprise when his weapon was shot out of his servo.
"Why you!" Jetfire growled angrily, turning to whoever disarmed him and found Wheeljack laughing at him "You're next, Wheeljack."
Suddenly a shadow appeared over him and Jetfire looked up to see Cyclonus falling from above.
"It's payback time! Heh, heh!" Cyclonus declared.
Before he knew it Jetfire found himself crying out in felt extreme pain when Cyclonus came slamming down on his back, and it didn't help that one of his feet hit the area close to where his left wing connected to his back He started struggling to get free of the Decepticons restraining him, but then Wheeljack took Demolishor's place in pinning down his legs, while the latter came up and pinned down his left arm. No matter how hard he struggled Jetfire was unable to get free and he was forced to watch Optimus continued to be fired upon by Megatron.
"Ye-he-he-he-essss... Here's a little trivia, Optimus. The Hydra Cannon was originally designed to destroy you!" Jetfire could hear Megatron say before he jumped in front of Optimus. "But I have chosen to destroy the Autobots' base on planet Earth first." Suddenly he grabbed Optimus' head with his servo and forced him to look at the Earth below. "Now, watch your moronic minions be blown into a million pieces. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
"Ooppttiimmuuss!" Jetfire screamed as he watched his leader.
Jetfire started to struggle again, desperately this time and giving Demolishor, Cyclonus, and Wheeljack a hard time in keeping him restrained. So they had been right! The Decepticons were going to destroy the Earth after all!
"Thrust! Fire the cannon!"
Jetfire couldn't help the immense fear he suddenly felt knowing that the Hydra Cannon was so close to firing at the Earth. He felt so useless for not doing anything to stop Megatron despite the fact that he was still struggling desperately to get free at the moment. He failed!
'VALERIE!' He cried out.
This wasn't how it was supposed to end for him! He shouldn't be the one forced to watch as the Earth was destroyed before his very optics! He shouldn't be forced to have to feel the agonizing pain he knew his spark would feel when his sparkmate's life was extinguished! He couldn't help the memories that appeared in his processor, all of them being of Valerie and all the times he spent with her. All the happy ones, the sad ones, even the bad ones; he remembered them all. And he was going to lose her; the last thing that brought him happiness was going to be taken away from him because of the Decepticons! Through their connection he held onto her tightly, wanting to be able to feel her for the last time before Earth was destroyed. He knew it would only make the pain he was going to feel worse, but he wanted her to know just how much he truly loved her. Jetfire felt her holding onto him as well, only making this harder for himself.
'I'm sorry, Valerie! I failed you! I wasn't able to protect you in the end like I was supposed to, like I promised to!' He told her.
{You tried, Jetfire. I know you tried your best to protect me. You've always done your best to keep me safe.} She told him, her voice sounding so strangely calm and loving despite what was going to happen soon. {I can never thank you enough for all the times we shared together. They were the most happiest times for me to experience. I wish…it didn't have to end this way.}
Jetfire's optics widened in surprise as he realized what she was trying to tell him. No! Not again! This was just like before when his mother was offlined! How could his own sparkmate accept the fact that she was going to die soon?! Valerie had always been scared of dying, she had even told him once before. Yet at this moment he couldn't even feel her fear. Was this…all because he told her to be strong for him before he left?
'Stop! Don't say it! Please don't say it!'He begged, not wanting her to finish what she was going to say.
{Thank you for everything you've done for me. Even when I'm gone, I'll always love you, Jetfire. I'll never stop loving you.}
'Valerie!'
But then the most unexpected thing happened. Optimus suddenly started to glow with a golden light and managed to get free of Megatron's hold on him. He then started floating away and Jetfire's optics widened when he saw that he got in front of the Hydra Cannon just in time to block the blast from the weapon.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He could hear Optimus scream out in pain all the way from where he was.
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I stood with everyone watching what was happening on the monitor in the command center. My eyes widened when I suddenly felt my heart clench as I felt desperation and fear flood my mind, along with the sense of failure.
{VALERIE!}
I gasped quietly upon hearing Jetfire's voice before feeling him holding onto me tightly through our connection. His emotions only seemed to intensify and I looked up at the monitor to see that the Hydra Cannon, weapon the Decepticons had used to blow up the comet, was preparing to fire at the Earth, making me realize why he felt the way he did. I felt tears start to form in my eyes as I realized this would be the last time I would feel Jetfire through our connection and I desperately held onto him as well, wanting him to know that I was going to stay with him until the end. It was only a matter of minutes, maybe even seconds before the end would come.
{I'm sorry, Valerie! I failed you! I wasn't able to protect you in the end like I was supposed to, like I promised you!} He told me, his voice filled with so much remorse.
I felt my throat tighten slightly from all the emotions I was feeling at the moment. I wanted so much as to actually be with him physically at the moment, but I wouldn't be able to.
'You tried, Jetfire. I know you tried your best to protect me. You've always done your best to keep me safe.' A tear fell, and I noticed how painful this was for me. 'I can never thank you enough for all the times we shared together. They were the most happiest times for me to experience. I wish…it didn't have to end this way.'
{Stop! Don't say it! Please don't say it!} He begged.
'Thank you for everything you've done for me. Even when I'm gone, I'll always love you, Jetfire. I'll never stop loving you.'
{Valerie!}
"Oh no!" Rad exclaimed.
All the other Autobots all said something along the same lines as well. And I realized why as soon as I saw that something seemed to be blocking the blast from the Hydra Cannon.
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Jetfire couldn't believe his optics! Optimus was risking his life to protect the Earth from being destroyed! And he wasn't the only one who felt the same way since all the other Decepticons were shocked as well. There was no way that Optimus wasn't in any sort of pain at the moment as he started pushing the beam back towards the ship. Even a bit of the Decepticon ship was starting to crumble apart under the pressure as well. As much as he felt relieved, Jetfire couldn't help but feel like he was dreaming.
This was just…impossible!
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"Man, take a look at that!" Rad said in complete awe.
"What happened to Optimus, you guys?!" Fred asked.
"Don't worry, Fred. He told us he had a plan, remember?" Carlos stated.
"I sure - hope you're all right." Alexis said quietly.
"Or else we're in big trouble!" Billy added.
"C'mon!" Hot Shot said quietly.
Everyone was feeling anxious and I could practically feel it in the air. But then a bright white light suddenly appeared, causing us to be unsure of what was going on. The bright light started to disappear, allowing us to see Optimus still standing
"Optimus!" Rad cheered.
"All right!" Alexis said.
"Oh yeah!" Carlos added.
"Hahahaha…" Billy laughed excitedly.
"Optimus Prime comes through again! Heh. I knew he would!" Fred said as he hugged Billy.
"He's okay." I said quietly, a small smile on my face.
"Wait - just a minute!" Red Alert suddenly said.
"Now when Optimus and Jetfire Powerlink, there's nothing in the universe that could defeat them, right?" Hoist asked.
Wait! Optimus wasn't Powerlinked with Jetfire? I suddenly felt dread as I looked back at the screen, noticing for the first time that Optimus was completely white, as in coloration-wise. Then that meant-
My eyes widened and I gasped with everyone else when Optimus' body started to cracking before shattering into pieces! This…this wasn't happening!
"Nooooo!" Hot Shot cried out as he ran over to the monitor.
"Optimus!" We all yelled at once.
This…this wasn't happening! I couldn't believe this! I refuse to believe what I just saw, regardless of the evidence staring me in the face!
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"What the?!" Megatron exclaimed in complete shock after having witnessed Optimus Prime shattering into millions of pieces.
He couldn't believe it. His arch nemesis was…
"He's completely disintegrated into space dust. Opppttiimmuuuusss!" He yelling as if calling out Prime's name would bring him back.
This was not how he imagined things to end between himself and Optimus Prime.
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"NO! This can't be happening!" Jetfire was in complete shock as his widened gold optics stared at the spot Optimus had been.
Luckily Demolishor, Cyclonus, and Wheeljack were in too much shock to stop Jetfire from picking up his blaster and flying away from them, not sure if he should believe that the white space dust that he was seeing was really Optimus.
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Starscream struggled to move due to the pain he was still in from Tidal Wave crushing him. But when he looked up…
"Huh?!" Starscream was confused when he saw the familiar planet before him. "The Earth! It's still there!" Then that meant that everyone down there was alive. Even Alexis was alive.
"OPPPTTTIMMMUUUSSSSSS!" He suddenly heard Jetfire scream loudly.
'But how could that be?' Starscream thought.
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Despite the fact that the Decepticons had left in their ship not so long ago Jetfire kept searching through the area, trying to find some trace-any trace-of Optimus. He noticed a faint golden glow and he instantly knew what it was.
"No…!" Jetfire said quietly before flying over to the object he had seen, only to find his leader's Mini-Con, Sparkplug. "Optimus…"
He gasped quietly, sadness showing in his gold optics when he saw what Sparkplug was holding.
"And all that's left…is your Matrix."
He was gone. Optimus Prime, his leader and friend, was really gone. His spark filled with sadness. Jetfire suddenly remembered that Optimus had tried to give the Matrix to Hot Shot before they left. He knew something like this was going to happen! That's why he wanted to give Hot Shot the Matrix of Leadership!
"I'll never forget you, sir." Jetfire said, before throwing his head back to scream as loud as he could. "NEEVVVVEEERRR!"
And he wouldn't. In the moment that Jetfire had thought he was going to lose his sparkmate when the Hydra Cannon destroyed the Earth, Optimus had taken the greatest risk of all: he gave his very life to protect the planet that all the Autobots had come to consider as another home. He had saved so many lives just by sacrificing his own.
Optimus Prime…was a true friend and a true leader.
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I was in the launching dock alone, my hand placed over my heart as I waited for Jetfire to return. Ever since I saw Optimus shatter to piece I hadn't been able to feel Jetfire's emotions and I knew he was blocking them from me. Soon I saw the warp gate open and Jetfire flew into the room, landing on the floor and transformed into his robotic form. He only regarded me with a single glance before he started walking out of the room. That was when I noticed the familiar yellow Mini-Con that I knew was Optimus' partner, Sparkplug, and he was holding the gold object (the Matrix, I reminded myself) that the previous Autobot Leader had been trying to give Hot shot before he and Jetfire left.
"What happened?" I asked.
Sparkplug merely bleeped at me, but I frowned when I couldn't understand what he was saying at all.
"I wish I could understand what you and the other Mini-Cons were saying. I really do. But I don't think I'll ever be able to understand any of you."
Sparkplug bleeped at me again before holding out the Matrix to me. I was confused and I held out my hands to hold the slightly large object (I had to hold it with both hands due to its size and weight) before the yellow Mini-Con gently took a hold of my arm and started leading my towards the door.
"Hey! Where are you taking me?"
I didn't know what was going on, but what I did know was that Sparkplug was leading me in the direction that the command center was before we went into said room. Everyone turned to see us as both Sparkplug and I entered the room and everyone's eyes and optics (if applicable) widened when they saw the Matrix I held in both of my hands.
"The Matrix!" Hot Shot exclaimed.
I honestly didn't know what to do with it, but then Scavenger approached me, knelt down, and held his large hand out as if waiting for something to be placed in it. I realized that he wanted me to give him the Matrix and I went up to him, carefully placing it in his waiting hand. As soon as I did that Scavenger stood up before going back over to the others.
"Have any of you seen Jetfire?" I asked.
"None of us has seen him yet." Red Alert told me.
Then that meant that Jetfire hadn't come in here are all. I quickly left the command center and headed in the direction that Jetfire's quarters were, but when I went inside I didn't see him in there at all. I thought he would've been in here.
'Jetfire…' I thought. 'Where are you?'
He wasn't talking to me and I couldn't feel is emotions through our connection. Where else could he be? I felt confused and I started heading in the direction of the entrance to the base for some reason. But then I was surprised when I found Jetfire sitting near the ledge outside the base with his head hanging and his shoulders slouching slightly. Despite the fact that I couldn't feel his emotions I had a feeling that he was sad and hurt over the loss of Optimus. Even I felt sad about it as well. I hesitantly started making my way over to him, feeling unsure if I should approach him or not with him being in the state he was in, but so far he hasn't said or done anything to tell me otherwise. I soon stood by his side before placing my hand against the side of his left arm. I watched his face for any reaction, but Jetfire never even turned his head to face me. I didn't know what to do or say to him. I wasn't even sure how to make him feel slightly better. All I knew was that I needed to comfort him.
"He's gone…" Jetfire suddenly said quietly, taking me by surprise. My eyes softened when I heard the sad tone in his voice.
"Jetfire…" I whispered, unsure of what to say.
"I know I should be relieved that he saved this planet and everyone on it and I should be grateful. But I'm not! I could've done more if I hadn't been held back by those Decepticons!" I jumped out of the way when Jetfire suddenly slammed a clenched fist on the ground near me and I could feel the slight tremor caused by it. "I would've been able to help him! But I wasn't able to at all! If I had only been able to help him Optimus might still be alive!"
Jetfire started to tremble slightly as I heard him let out a shaky breath. I knew he was upset, not only over Optimus' death, but with himself as well. I slowly approached his left arm again before wrapping my arms around it in an attempt to hug him. I could feel tears forming in my eyes as I was able to understand how Jetfire felt, but I wanted him to be open with me. I wanted him to allow me to help him.
"Jetfire. I know you're upset. We're all upset. I know you're also hurting as well, despite the fact that you're blocking your emotions from me." I told him. "Share your pain with me. Share your sadness with me. I want your pain to be my pain. I want your sadness to be my sadness. I want to feel everything you're feeling right now so that we can mourn together."
Jetfire didn't say anything, but soon I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind before I was pulled into the form behind me. I turned around and wrapped my arms around Jetfire's holoform as he suddenly buried his face in my shoulder. His shoulders shook slightly as I felt my shirt starting to get wet, knowing that he was crying. I managed to have us both sit down on the ground and as I continued to hold Jetfire close I could feel him slowly start to unblock his end of our connection. I started crying myself when I felt all of Jetfire's raw emotions flood into my mind and he tightened his hold around me slightly, as if he were still a small child needing comfort from their mother after having experienced a horrible nightmare. He was in so much pain right now and I could feel my heart ache because of it. I started rubbing his back as I tried soothing him. I wanted him to know that I was here for him, that I would comfort him whenever he needed it. After knowing what he had gone through in his past I knew that he needed this more than anything. I started quietly humming the Cybertronian Lullaby to him, hoping that it would help him feel better if I did so. He seemed to calm down slightly. It seemed to work for the most part, but he still held onto me as he quietly cried. I looked up at the night sky above, seeing that there was a huge star shower over the base. Despite how beautiful it looked, it also seemed sad, almost like the sky or the universe was mourning Optimus' death.
ATE: And that concludes chapter 16. This took awhile for me to finish, but at least it didn't take me a whole month to finish it. I've actually uploaded two drawings I did on deviantart, one of them being a side view of Valerie I drew while the second one is a drawing I did of Jetfire's holoform. Here's the link (without the spaces):
Valerie (Side View)
http : / aerith -the- evenstar . deviantart . com /gallery/ #/ d4g oj 1z
Jetfire (Holoform)
http : / aerith -the- evenstar . deviantart . com / gallery /# / d4g za ki
That's it for now. Please remember to review! ;D