Chapter 18
I do not own any part of the Transformers franchise.
The battle with Thunderwing did not last long. When they arrived at the abandoned human warehouse, Optimus caught on right away his weak area was the hip as sparks were coming through it. Optimus did not know if the water had affected his circuits in any way, but if it did that would have been a great advantage.
Thunderwing had been so caught up in his mate that his surprise was palpable when he spotted the Autobots approach.
All transformed at the same time and surrounded the Decepticon.
"Give up now Thunderwing, "Optimus ordered, though he just wanted to kill him right then and there.
Thunderwing laughed and threw his mate back down to the ground hard. Optimus secretly cringed at the gesture. He was evil, pure evil.
"First, where is Gabrielle?" Ironhide growled viciously through his faceplates.
Thunderwing laughed again, and said, "Probably eaten by an Earth creature by now."
Optimus knew Thunderwing would probably say cruel things about Gabby, and though he tried it still shook him to his robotic core.
His spark began to pulsate quickly, and though he tried to recover he started to waiver.
Ratchet noticed and said, "Don't listen to him Optimus."
"Dead!" Thunderwing mocked through his fangs.
Optimus was done with this. He would let Deserae live for now, and she would tell him where Gabby was.
Optimus did another quick area scan, and thought he picked up a human life form about a mile into the wooded area.
Thunderwing towered over every Autobot in that was ready to attack. His helmet glinted off the sun as he moved towards them.
"I bet the Earth creature thought she was very tasty," he mocked again.
He had enough. Optimus could feel his spark about ready to explode in vengeance.
"Enough!" Ratchet yelled.
"Where is she?" Sides asked. They were awaiting Optimus's orders.
Finally, Optimus cocked his gun and said, "Shoot, till he is dead."
Every single one of the Autobots began to shoot at Thunderwing. Though most shots were missing or ricocheting off the Decepticon, there was still a surprise by him that Optimus knew they had the advantage.
"Aim for his leg area!" Optimus yelled to his soldiers.
Lennox and his men were arriving at that moment, and the shooting commenced with even more firepower.
Thunderwing gasped as a few shots managed to hit each hip area and circuits began to fly.
He then discharged his cannons and began firing.
Bee flew back injured in the shoulder. Ironhide was hit in the face, but it was minor.
Jazz managed to get a shot through Thunderwing's mouth. Which actually worked because the Decepticon flew back and hit the ground with a huge mix of a thud and metal upon metal clashing.
The Decepticon twitched and stopped moving.
Optimus raised his hand to cease-fire. He waived his hand to approach only with caution. He told Ratchet to tend to the injured femme who was slowly trying to crawl away from the battle.
"Father…"
Optimus stopped cold. The voice had come through his processors. It was female, and he looked around confused as to where it had come from.
He blinked his optics for moment thinking he was hit, and some of his circuits were blown.
"Prime? Are you alright?" Jazz asked beside him.
"Yes," Optimus answered and waived his hand to move again.
"Don't father! He still lives!"
Optimus shook his head, and waivered for a moment. What was that!?
"He will ambush you."
Optimus looked over at the other Autobots and soldiers in confusion. It wasn't the femme lying on the ground.
Optimus had to make a judgment call. The voice warned him about an ambush by Thunderwing.
As much as he wanted to pounce on Thunderwing himself, and make him suffer for taking Gabby he knew the Decepticon was more powerful than him. Once, he had almost successfully taken the Creation Matrix from Optimus.
So, what did he do now?
He put up his hand again to stop the other Autobots from approaching until he could think of how to handle it.
That voice had called him father. Could it be? No, it couldn't, could it. She was still in the womb for Primus sake, even a sparkling couldn't communicate that fast.
The others looked on at their leader in confusion. Ratchet was now tending to the injured femme.
The human soldiers also awaited orders to commence shooting the Decepticon.
Optimus could not help himself. He thought of Gabby, and what she must have endured this past month, and she was still missing! Every single feeling, every emotion, every night he would look for his human mate, every time he failed to find her came rushing back to him in one instant. The sad look on Barricade's face as he died because he could not help Gabby overcame his thoughts.
He was done. He didn't care at that moment what the others thought of him.
He dropped his gun, and jumped on top of Thunderwing. He began to punch him as hard as he could to penetrate that damn shell.
The other Autobots looked on in shock, but recovered quickly, and began approaching their leader.
Thunderwing looked up at the Autobot commander and laughed, as Optimus knew he was not making any headway with injuring him.
Optimus's frustration over came his circuits, and he growled, "Where is she?"
Optimus was now straddled on him. He grabbed Thunderwing's neck, and realized something something, there was an opening in the shell there too.
He began to squeeze, and Thunderwing's eyes widened in the realization of what Optimus had discovered. He began flailing his hands trying to reach the Autobot leader, but other Autobots were grabbing at his arms to hold him down.
Optimus lifted up his head and banged it into the ground.
"Where is she!?"
"I don't know, Prime! She ran when she pulled the sprinkler system," Thunderwing said.
Optimus believed him, so he would ask the femme in a moment.
Optimus came close to Thunderwing's listening devices or ear in human terms.
"Then you die now," he said lowly.
Optimus activated his ax for the kill shot when the voice came again, and distracted.
"Father! Mother is going into labor!"
Optimus looked up in surprise for just a second, but it was a second too long.
He felt the punch hit his face, and he fell back to the ground.
He tried to recover quickly from it, but it was too long.
He could see Thunderwing shake off the other Autobots. He began to shoot around him, and before Optimus could get back to his feet and shoot him, Thunderwing transformed into his jet mode and took off into the sky.
Optimus could immediately hear Lennox get on his radio, and say, "Fighters follow the enemy! Shoot to kill!"
Optimus shook his head at the departing Thunderwing. He was so close. So very close.
He cursed the voice that interrupted him, and would have to have his processors checked by Ratchet.
"Prime? Are you alright?" Ironhide asked even though part of his face was blown off.
"Yes, I am sorry everyone. I don't know what came over me," Optimus said shaking his head in defeat.
"He took your mate, so it is understandable," Jazz said smiling.
"Optimus!" Lennox yelled.
Optimus turned to Lennox in question.
"The Decepticon has left the lower atmosphere," he said.
Optimus cursed himself again. It would not be long till he returned. He would be hell bent on revenge now. Thunderwing was an obsessive Decepticon. He would not stop until his job was done.
"Optimus!" This time that was Ratchet.
Optimus walked over and bent down to the injured femme.
Ratchet looked up to him and said, "She will live. She knows where Gabby went."
Gabby! Now he had to find her. If the voice was right she could be giving birth in the middle of the woods!
"Where is she?" Optimus asked. He was in no mood to play nice with the femme who helped kidnap his mate.
Deserae looked on in fear at the leader, but answered, "She ran east into the woods. I told her to run to the town until you arrived."
Deserae twitched in pain as Ratchet welded her wound closed.
"Is she in labor?" He asked looking around. He would have to go into holoform though he just wanted to ram through the woods.
"She could be. She started to dilate when I last scanned her," Deserae said.
Optimus was incredulous at the information. "And you just let her go like that?"
Optimus wanted to just shoot her at that moment, but held back. He could feel his anger rising over his processors.
Deserae looked up at Optimus sadly. He was technically her uncle and she had betrayed him and his mate for her own petty revenge of a father she never knew.
"I'm sorry! Thunderwing was going to kill her and your sparkling. I had no other choice. I was going to take her to the town myself, but Thunderwing was too fast," she said.
Ratchet looked up at Optimus with a worried expression on his face.
"Patch her up, and we will take her as prisoner, then figure out her punishment later," he said standing.
"I want everyone to stay here and watch for Thunderwing, I am going to go find my mate," Optimus said.
"Do you want me to help you Optimus? I can cover more ground fast," Wheelie asked.
Optimus smiled down at his little helper. "No, my little friend. I can cover just as much ground by holoform."
The others agreed, and took their marks.
"Optimus I will be ready for Gabby when you return with her," Ratchet said now patching up Ironhide.
The human soldiers guarded a still injured Deserae who laid there quiet now.
"We will keep track of Thunderwing to see if he enters the atmosphere again," Lennox said.
Optimus nodded and transformed to vehicle mode to activate his holoform.
"The path she should have took is right behind the warhouse," Deserae suddenly spoke up.
Optimus looked around and broke out into a run down the path. He barged through the brush and twigs. He could see some twigs broken already and brush moved aside.
He was practically frantic as he began to gain ground further into the forest.
He scanned the area and was relieved to see a human presence up ahead.
"Father! Hurry!"
He did falter a little as the female voice raced through his processors once more.
He immediately spotted blonde hair, and a heavily pregnant form against a tree.
He was relieved she was standing, and what a sight she was to see!
He would never forget the moment she opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
"Where have you been?" She asked smiling and trying to hide a pout jokingly.
Only Gabby, he sighed feeling more elated than he ever had before.
His spark practically jumped from his chest when he put his hands on her shoulders, and then he pulled her into his arms. The relief was indescribable at that moment.
He was then even more frantic as he spotted the heavy wet spot around her thighs, and she confirmed her water broke.
"Optimus! Slow down!" Gabby said smiling as he scooped her up and they made their way back to the others.
Her face cringed in pain as a contraction hit her.
He looked down at her dirty face in amusement, and said, "How far apart are they? Have you counted?"
He had to admit she finally had the pregnancy glow he had heard about in humans so many times, despite her messy appearance. It seemed the sparkling was now self-sustaining, but he still worried about the actual birth.
Gabby let out a slow breath. "I counted six minutes."
Optimus sighed and went even faster.
Gabby gave him another dirty look, but didn't say anything. She was just happy to be back in her mate's arms.
Still a lot more to go everyone!
