Rock Bottom

"Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes my Lord."

"Then get back to your post."

"Right away Lord Megatron."

"Remember drone, fail me, and you die."

...

"Oh, come on Optimus!"

"I am sorry Shadow, but I cannot relieve your grounded status."

The femme sighed and stormed off towards the humans.

"You coming or what?"

"You heard Optimus, Miko."

"I know. I was asking about the rock concert afterward."

"About that..."

"Bulkhead and I are going to tear it up! Did you know this is the only American date Slash-monkey will preform?"

"Come on Miko, quit pestering her."

"Who asked you Raf?"

"I think I'll just stay here."

"Fine, be lame and do that."

Arcee and Jack drove into the compound. Miko turned to her guardian.

"Bulkhead, we ready to rumble?"

Miko ran off.

"Staying here isn't lame. Don't let her get to you."

I watched the ground bridge open briefly, before closing behind Arcee, Bulkhead, Jack, and Miko.

"It's not fair."

"It's a scouting mission."

"So? I want to go. I don't want to be pent up here. You know I used to actually be a scout? I could have been useful."

"You can still be useful. Ratchet and I were going to run some diagnostics on our system. You could help."

"The entire system?"

"No. Mainly radio."

"Oh, so like scanner stuff?"

"I don't exactly know. Let's ask Ratchet."

We walked over to the doctor. He was talking to Optimus. We waited. Optimus called over to Bumblebee. The two left out of the main entrance. Ratchet acknowledged us.

"Rafael, are you ready to run the system checks?"

"Yeah, I've configured my computer and everything. Could Shadow also help?"

"We always need help on the Decepticon tracking system. Shadow, you can stand over there," he pointed to the NAV system hardware, "and work on that. If you have any questions, you can bother us over here."

I nodded and moved.

"Ratchet, that's not very nice," Raf said behind me.

I paid them no mind. I worked. I saw that Bulkhead and Arcee's beacons went offline. I knew it was the cave systems. I had witnessed similar during the war. I toyed around with the system. I was checking new frequencies and to summarize the boredom: imagine playing a game of battle ship in which your opponent's ships are constantly moving. I got two consecutive hits. Each was scrambled, probably high level Cons. I looked more into their reflecting signals. I noted that one was more covert than the other. I ran diagnostics on the secretive one. His beacon was not transmitting out. Not to anyone- not even to the Nemesis. I tried to crack the signals, but could not. I walked over to Raf and Ratchet.

"Hey Raf, could you help me out?"

"Sure, what is it Shadow?"

"Long story short, I need you to scramble codes on these two Decepticons."

"Need?" Ratchet interjected.

"It's more of a want. But, it could be promising."

"Of course I'll help."

We all walked back to my station. Raf started to crack the codes.

Ratchet started, "So then, it seems we have time."

"For the explanation," I said.

"Exactly—"

"Ratchet, stop it."

"It's fine Raf. Basically I was throwing shots into the dark- trying to uncover hidden signals- Then, I found these. One of them is not transmitting to the Nemesis. The other is..."

"I got it. So here are the cons. Megatron and Starscream."

"Wow. This could actually be useful. You two stay here, I'm going to go contact Optimus."

Ratchet left.

Raf said, "So, it seems that Starscream's beacon was turned off. I don't think he knows."

"Oh, okay then."

"What is it?"

"It seems Megatron plans on executing Starscream."

"How do you know?"

"I'd seen it on Cybertron. Usually to address insubordination during the war."

"Their signals just disappeared."

"They entered the cave systems."

"But, that's where our teammates are!"

"They'll be fine."

"Really?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to go out there and help."

"I'm grounded."

"They're under ground. We can't hear from them. If they needed help, we wouldn't be able to tell."

"You go and inform Ratchet. It can't come from me..."

"Got it!"

"You know what? I'll go find Striker. If the others need help, we should have an option."

Raf ran over to the medic. I stared at the NAV system. Starscream's signal reappeared. His was the only one that did. Then, it disappeared again. I moved my feet and forced myself back to the room-lined hallway. Striker wasn't in hers. I considered going back to the 'command center'. But what would the point of that been? Leave myself as the only option? Selfish: Possible, but selfish. I checked the training room.

Upon my opening the door, a hunk of metal slid to the floor. Striker had just cut it in half.

"You gonna stand there Con, lover?" She asked me, "Or have you come to fight?"

...

Snowstorm's POV

"Soundwave?"

The communications officer turned away from his post and faced me.

"Why did Megatron leave with Starscream?"

No response.

I peered over his shoulder. Soundwave was overseeing our communications. He monitored Megatron, but not Starscream.

He sidestepped, blocking my line of sight.

"Is he going to die?"

Soundwave turned back to his work.

I turned away. I did not like this. I understood Starscream has made some mistakes, but didn't everyone?

I waited in silence. Megatron entered through the main doors. He was followed by a weak and damaged looking Starscream. I was glad that my teammate still lived.

...

Shadow's POV

Everyone was rejoicing in the main area.

Arcee retold, "Megatron was about to end Starscream—"

"Was about to?" I questioned. "Why didn't he?"

"Calm down Shadow, or you'll miss the rest of our adventure."

"Yeah, you'll miss the part where Bulkhead heroically—"

I sighed and turned away. "He deserved to die."

Prime walked over to me. "How can you say that?"

"You have no idea anything of what he's done."

"Then tell me."

"He has had multiple attempts to extinguish Megatron's spark."

"And? Isn't that a good thing?"

"You don't understand."

"Then make me understand."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

I stared into Optimus's optics.

"We have a difference in experience Optimus. I could speak for an hour, but there would still be know way of knowing if you, or any Autobot who hasn't had the same undergoing of events, would be able to fully comprehend the interlocking ends that form my opinion."

He tried to kill Megatron.

"Does that mean you won't even try?"

"Trying wouldn't matter. You're too different to understand."

I didn't want Megatron to die.

"No, I am not."

"Now you're just being stubborn."

"You're being close-minded."

"Fine, I'll submit. I'll use the most transferable description possible."

He tried to kill Megatron.

"As long as you're trying."

"Starscream is annoying. He is arrogant, power-hungry, manipulative, condescending, relentless, unremorseful, dangerous, and constantly sacrifices the lives of others to further his own goals –and- he tried to kill Megatron."

"How is any of that worse than Megatron?"

I knew you wouldn't understand.

"Megatron attempts to minimalize casualties and heirs on the side of caution. He wouldn't slaughter millions on a whim."

"And Starscream would?"

"I have stopped him on multiple occasions from doing just that."

"Stopped him from wiping out the east coast."

"Stopped him from doing much worse than that."

"Really? I never saw Starscream as capable of such action."

"You should never underestimate Decepticons. They will always do their best to deceive you. It's in their name."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Never mind... As Agent Fowler says, I lost my train of thought."

You're lying.

I smiled. He used a human phrase.

He's being Orion. Avoiding confrontation, being nice, and using a human term.

"Well then, I could help you look for it."

"It is an expression, Shadow. The train does not exist."

I laughed, "I know Optimus. Trust me, I know."

Miko called over to me, "Hey Shadow! We're about to head out for the concert. Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Yes, I'm sure. You guys have fun."

"We could have fun," Optimus whispered.

I turned back to the Prime, "What was that Optimus? I couldn't hear you."

"I said that we could have fun."

"What did you have in mind?"

"... A movie?"

I laughed.

"We don't have to if—"

"No Optimus, I wasn't laughing at the suggestion. I was laughing at your delivery. You paused, and then asked it as a question. That's not you. That's usually how I would say something like that."

"That's why you laughed?"

"That is correct Prime. Now... what movie should we watch?"

"It can be your choice. I do not know of many movies, I have just heard that they are fun to watch in pairs."

"In pairs? Hmmm..."

"What is it?"

"Never mind. So, you honestly don't care what type of movie?"

"As I said before, it is your choice."

"Fairy Tale."

...

Ghost

"Your watcher is not here."

"My watcher... you mean the vehicon? I'm giving him a rest."

"He's not at his post."

"He's also not the thing that brought you here? Is it another assignment? Test? New experimental surgery?"

"Shut up traitor."

I am not a traitor.

"Tarn would be ashamed."

...

"You had the chance, the ability to carry out orders, and you decided not to."

"Insubordinate? You've come all the way down here, to call me, that?"

"I graced you with a visit..."

Because?

"To question why you did not extinguish the spark of... Starscream."

"I was tired."

"Before then. You knew about the dark energon. You had witnessed how far he was willing to go for power."

"I didn't have enough evidence."

"Not enough evidence? He was willing to raise an undead army!"

"Ambition is hard to decipher. Whether it was for his good, or yours—"

"Mine?"

"It could have been for you."

"To extinguish my spark."

"To vanquish your enemies."

"You are blind."

"Then why are you asking me what I saw?"

"Humor me, what did you see? What saving qualities could Starscream possibly possess?"

"Loyalty for one. To the Decepticon cause. If you were to leave us, not that I would want you to My Lord, but if you were, he would ensure the cause would continue."

"And you know this how?"

"Ambition. Power-hungry. Arrogant. Brilliant. Cowardly. He has that special concoction that seeks success, and wouldn't let us fail. He'd lost that way. You can't be successful without an army. He knows that."

"He was trying to raise one. Right from under me. He was trying to raise one."

"Insubordination is difficult. Resentment, jealousy, pure unadulterated rage, all could be absent, or the thing that gives one their rank. Survival. This is a war, right?"

"And you are my soldier. Not Starscream's. Mine. You are a failure from your creator's spark. You let him live."

"Some part of me just couldn't let him die. Maybe it was the powerlessness... He didn't seem capable of it. I-I didn't want to kill a Con, unjustified. You can't take that back. A death is a death. And if I was wrong? That would have been a mistake I could never rectify."

"You're the mistake that needs to be rectified. Follow orders. Don't give me reason to visit you again."

"Yes, Lord Megatron."

...

Shadow

Optimus and I were sitting down on a large couch in a lounge, used usually when the humans weren't around.

"That was a good movie," Optimus said.

"See? Too bad Ratchet and Arcee didn't want to watch it with us."

"They misjudged it."

"Exactly Optimus. Exactly."

"Shadow, I have a question."

"What is it Optimus?"

I looked into his Optics.

"Well, it's less of a question and more of a weirdly placed observance."

"Go ahead and shoot. That was a human expression that means 'say it'."

"The humans fell in love in nature."

"That is correct. Actually, yeah, that happens a lot in fairy tales."

"Does it ever happen outside of fairy tales?"

"Maybe. It must have at some point for it to happen in every fairy tale."

"Every fairy tale?"

"Pretty much."

I got up and started to walk back to my room. I turned around to face Optimus. He hadn't moved. He was still staring blankly at the screen.

"You should go to sleep Prime. You need to lead tomorrow."

"I will. I just need a moment."

"Good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night Shadow."

I walked to my room and slept. When I woke up, I returned to the main area. Everyone was already up and standing around. I stood still on the outskirts of the room and watched. Miko was complaining to Bulkhead. Raf was plugging in his electronic devices, and Bee was motioning for the kid to leave them. Jack was hiding behind Arcee, he kept looking out from behind her at... Why were both agent Fowler and Ms. Darby here? They were talking to each other. Ratchet was gathering supplies. The supplies looked human. Optimus was... where was he? I couldn't find him. Was this a search and rescue mission? I did not want to join the group. So, I stayed where I was and watched. I thought of the different places Optimus could have been. Maybe with Striker. Hopefully not that.

Ratchet opened a ground bridge. Optimus drove out of it. So, this wasn't a rescue mission? Then, what was it?

Ratchet called, "Optimus, we are all set on this end."

"Thank you old friend. The site is clear."

Okay. What was going on? I pensively grabbed my chin with my servo and thought. There must have been a good reason for all of this. Arcee walked up to me.

"Are you ready?"

"For what?"

"A camping trip. Jack's mom and Fowler will be chaperoning the kids."

"Oh... I guess that makes sense. Thanks Arcee."

"Don't mention it. Us girls have to look out for one another."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Say, whose idea was this?"

"Optimus. He said that we shouldn't take this planet for granted, and enjoy all it has to offer."

In nature. I –mentally- was swept into a state of ecstasy and amusement.

"Cool. So, when are we leaving?"

"Any minute now. Striker, the lucky fool, is already there. Hunting down a 'wolverine' I bet. She won't stop pestering me about it. 'I want a rival just like wolverine' she says. What a card." Silence. "I should go back and check on Jack. He's been a little anxious today."

...

"Is it Fowler and Darby?"

"Seems likely."

"Thanks again Arcee."

"No problem."

She's nice. I'm glad I'm an Autobot.

Arcee walked back to Jack. She -along with the others- transformed. I did the same and drove over to the group.

Ratchet announced, "I'm putting the ground bridge on a timer. We have a minute to get through. So, everyone should just leave already."

Bee revved his engine. Arcee sped out, Jack and Ms. Darby riding on her seat. Bee raced after her, Raf in his back seat. Bulkhead followed, Miko in his passenger seat. I drove out after him. The portal took us to a wooded area. Once we arrived, the humans got out and everyone transformed. Striker greeted us. She had blood on her foot.

Fowler opened up Prime's trailer. He and Arcee started to unload it. Everyone spread the objects around the large, flat, site.

Ratchet was looking at the small supply of simple items he and the humans had packed. He complained, "I still don't see why we have to be so far from basic technology."

"Come on Ratchet, if I can do it, so can you," Raf said back.

Miko had put her bag down in the dirt before she went to help. When she returned to it to pick it up, a large centipede crawled up it and surprised her. She kicked her bag across the site and screamed, "Ah! Bugs, spiders, I hate nature!"

Bulkhead dusted off his human friend's bag and brought it to her, "Come on Miko, Nature isn't so bad. Just look at that squirrel, isn't it cute?"

"Cute? That thing could tear my eyes out! Bulk, I want you to destroy everything! That tree, that other tree, you know what, why don't we just burn the entire forest down!"

Striker laughed, "Hah, that'd be too easy. Nature's not much of a challenge."

Optimus walked over to the trio and said, "Starting a forest fire would be irresponsible. The many living creatures that live here depend on this ecosystem. Burning down this forest could endanger all of them."

"Ugh! You are such a boy scout!"

"Boy scout?" Jack ran over, "Did someone say boy scout?"

"I did you lame-o."

"Miko, I would just like you to know that I used to be a boy scout. My training has prepared me, well, for any scenario that we might face here, today."

Miko rolled her eyes, "Great. This is exactly how I wanted to spend my day. Sandwiched between nature lovers."

Striker laughed.

"Come on Miko," Bulkhead said, "why don't you want to give nature a chance?"

"I grew up in Tokyo, Bulk. It's not the most nature-y place."

"City beats forest," Striker said. "Not the best match-up, I'll admit."

I cut in, "Well, I hate to break up this conversation, but I believe we still have work to do or something? Right?"

"Yay. Work. How fun."

By now, everyone was gathered around this group.

Optimus ignored Miko, "Yes, right. The humans need to retrieve food and we must finish setting up the campsite."

Agent Fowler put his arm around Jack's shoulders and said, "I can take the boys here on a good ol' fashion fishing trip."

June said, "That sounds great! Jack has never gone fishing before. That should be fun for you honey."

"I don't know about that Mom. Shouldn't us men help set up camp and do the heavy lifting around here?"

Miko defensively said, "What? You don't think us girls can do some hard work around here? We can set up the camp."

"Would you two stop your yapping?" Ratchet said, "I think it's decided that the males should go fish and the females should set up the camp. Isn't that right Optimus?"

Optimus looked down at the ground. His mouth fell on the ends, as if he were frowning. His eyebrows furrowed, and his optics dimmed.

"But... Fine Ratchet," he didn't argue. "Let's split up the groups and complete the tasks. We should reunite as soon as they are done."

I patted Optimus's back, "Sounds good, divide and conquer. The work'll be done before we know it."

Fowler grabbed fishing poles and had the mechs carry other things out of the site. As they left I heard Fowler ask, "So Prime, have you ever gone fishing before?"

Once they were out of sight, I turned my attention back to our group. June took charge, "Okay team, Miko, you help me with the tents. Striker: you make whatever sleeping-places robots have. Arcee: you make the campfire area. Shadow: you make the eating area. Once those jobs are done, we can assign the rest of the jobs. Alright, break!"

Striker finished first. I think she viewed this as a competition, just like everything else, I guess. I did my best setting up logs for the humans to sit at, and then attended to the small details of improving Arcee's fire pit. The work was fairly easy. We didn't talk much during it. Once we were done with our first task, we received our second, and third, all until the site was completed. It hadn't taken long for us to finish our work. The males wouldn't return 'till later, (because fishing apparently takes time), we decided to go on a nature hike. June and Miko led, (incase they came across other humans and could warn us), Striker drove off to find a road, I couldn't have guessed we were too far away from a road, since she drove off so quickly, which left Arcee and I to follow the humans, alone. We could hear them, due to our superior hearing, but we were too far back for them to hear us.

Arcee 'broke the ice', "So Shadow," she said, "I've noticed that you've been spending a lot of quality time with Optimus. Are you going to make a move?"

I felt giddy inside and blushed. I quickly calmed myself down enough to reply with a straight face.

"No, he isn't for me. Or, what I mean to say is that I am not for him. I don't really deserve him. He could do much better."

"Really? And how do you know that?"

"Arcee, I used to know Optimus back on Cybertron, before the war."

"You knew him?"

"We were great friends."

"What happened?"

"That's not really important. What is important: is that we were never meant to be together. Not then, not now."

"I think you're avoiding the question."

"What about you and Bulkhead?"

"What about us?"

"You guys have some good chemistry. I notice that you both finish each other's sentences a lot. That must be a good sign."

"You really think it would work out between us?"

"No doubt in my mind."

"Really? Because I was thinking—"

"Sorry Arcee." I stopped the femme, "But what does that look like to you, over there?" I pointed to a low cave with shimmering blue rocks.

"It looks like an energon deposit."

The humans had noticed we weren't moving. They made their way back to us.

"What is it?" June asked.

"Possibly dangerous." I replied.

"Ms. Darby, stay here with Miko. Shadow and I will be back soon."

Arcee and I made our way down to the cavern. The blue rocks had in fact been energon shards. Arcee scouted the area while I cut as many shards as I could carry. When Arcee returned, she said that she found some remnants of Decepticon activity. We decided that I should go bring what energon I had cut back to the base, and that she and the humans should continue on their walk. I didn't complain at this, rather, I took what little energon I had and left.

I walked on our path through the trees back to the site, put the energon down, and thought. I had decided to transform the energon shards into a delectable meal. I decided to this because there was more energon in the cave to take for other reasons. And on top of that, we still had a full supply back at our base. Or, at least I was told that it was full. Maybe I assumed it was full. Maybe, I know that my recent injury had taken a large sum of energon to fix. I upgraded the campfire to be able to cook the energon at a higher heat. I used some surrounding materials to create makeshift cooking pots that would be fit for human blacksmiths, and set the energon to fire. At some point in my past, cooking energon had just become muscle memory. I shifted the containers and did, I don't even remember what. But, what I did felt right, and so I did it. I knew from experience that I was making two separate dishes, one meant primarily for sustenance, and the other secondarily for... pleasure? Human terminology would translate these to dinner and dessert. Anyway, I was focused on perfecting this meal as I always did. Since this was some intense chemistry and a single mistake could ruin everything: I was a little preoccupied.

While I cooked: the females returned, Striker came back to ramble, the males returned, the females brought the males to the energon deposit, Fowler gutted the fish he caught, the group who had left for the energon deposit had returned to the campsite, Agent fowler started to cook his fish, the group talked about how they fought Decepticons and the mine blew up with all the remaining energon in it, and Agent Fowler finished cooking his fish.

I took my concoctions off the flame. I left the dessert cubes to cool and divvied the drink among seven cups for us. The humans ate: we drank. The Autobots commented on how the energon tasted amazing and how they wished they could eat the same way, all the time. Ms. Darby made s'mores with the humans. I gave each Autobot a dessert cube. The Autobots said that it was the best meal they had eaten all war. All but Optimus said it was the best thing they'd eaten in their entire life. What could I say? I had more rudimentary equipment than I was used to.

Once we were done eating, members of the group went to sleep. Optimus and I stargazed and had a meaningful conversation. We fell asleep next to each other. I wish I could have been in his arms.