Author's Note: So I may have watched ROTB again tonight, and I loved it even more. When I watched it opening day, I thought it seemed too fast-paced; however, the second time, I noticed many more details and appreciated the crafting of the story. Applause all around - this will definitely be one of my favorite in the series!

Thank you to jynkx for your review - I am extremely glad you are enjoying the story so far! And thank you to the new followers who have joined this adventure. Welcome to Chapter 4.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Transformers. Electro is my own creation.

IV

The Autobots and their human charges returned the following solar cycle. To Ratchet's chagrin, the children retained the same level of energy they possessed yesterday: Miko bouncing from bot to bot, rapid-firing questions about their "coolest" abilities and battles; Raf shyly inquiring about their technology, particularly probing Electro about the groundbridge; and Jack absorbing his surroundings, speaking only when necessary and wrangling Miko when she pestered the irritable doctor. Electro found the humans to be a curious species. She had never truly interacted with the lifeforms prior to the children. When she entered street races, she rarely spoke to the contenders, and she was forced to depart from the scene soon after a race—even if she won. Now, she found herself explaining terms and calculations about bridge technology to a young boy, who listened with rapt attention. If he had been Cybertronian, she imagined he would have been of the scientific class.

While discussing her latest theories with Raf, she caught Miko leaning over the railing to snatch the attention of Optimus, who had entered the hangar. She smirked, watching Prime's optics widen at the sudden barrage of questions; but, admirably, he regained his composure and engaged her. Electro could not detect their words, but Miko's expressions—ranging from excited to confused to bored—told an interesting story. Eventually, Miko pointed at Electro and spoke, and Optimus canted his helm. What could she be asking? Electro mused. Optimus began to answer, but suddenly, the monitors began beeping and flashing.

Ratchet muttered a few curses, growling, "Blasted earth tech!"

Electro and Raf exchanged a glance, and she shrugged. She stepped toward the medic and asked, "Something I can fix?"

"No," Ratchet mumbled, digits moving quickly over the keypad. Behind them, the team was beginning to gather, curious about the alert. Electro scanned the monitors—and her spark stuttered. A life signal had appeared. To confirm her suspicions, Ratchet heaved a sigh and said, "Cliffjumper's signal popped back online."

A stunned silence settled upon the team. Electro stared at the blipping dot on the monitor, Cliffjumper's image glowing beside it. Cliffjumper's life signal had disappeared three cycles ago. If it was resurfacing now, then that insinuated his signal had been masked. Arcee may have been correct: Cliffjumper could have been held captive on the Decepticon warship.

And we abandoned him, Electro thought darkly.

Miko broke the silence, asking, "Who's Cliffjumper?"

Before anyone could answer her, Optimus stepped toward the monitors, asking, "How is that possible?"

Ratchet shook his helm. "It isn't. Another bug! The system's chock full of them."

"Should we not investigate the signal, though?" Electro asked carefully, looking at Optimus.

He met her gaze, unspoken emotions warring behind his optics. He, along with the rest of the Autobots, desperately hoped that Cliffjumper was alive; however, they also risked entering a Decepticon ploy. They had already encountered three Decepticon attacks. They could be luring them into another trap.

Nevertheless, Arcee rallied with Electro. "If there's any chance Cliff's alive, we have to help him."

Electro never broke her gaze with Optimus. "We have to be certain," she agreed—an encouragement.

All optics focused on Optimus. Finally, he nodded and said, "Ratchet, prepare sickbay." His face shield slid into place. "We may need it."

The team began to gather around the groundbridge when Miko rushed toward the railing, waving her arms at Optimus. "Hey!" she shouted. Optimus blinked down at her. "What can we do?"

"Remain with Ratchet," Optimus commanded, striding away.

Her and Ratchet groaned simultaneously.

Optimus positioned himself beside Electro. "Be alert," he said. "We do not know what awaits us on the other side."

"Do we ever?" she asked, optic ridges raised. She flicked her digits, electricity sparking. "But if Cliffjumper is alive, we need to bring him home."

"We will."

As Ratchet activated the groundbridge, they all entered their alternative forms, speeding through the swirling vortex. Emerging on the other side, the team found themselves in an energon mine, raw energon crystals illuminating the cavern. They transformed, weapons replacing their servos as they surveyed the area. No Decepticons greeted them, though, and no gunfire rained upon them. Cliffjumper was also absent. Electro tampered the electricity pulsing along her forearms, and the others lowered their weapons.

Bulkhead noted, "Energon mine."

Optimus observed the large deposits and the grooves along the cavern walls. "Judging by its scale," he said, "the Decepticons have been tunneling here for quite some time."

Electro stared at the crystals, tempted to chip off a few slivers. Energon was difficult to locate and harvest on Earth; and knowing that the Deceptions had managed to commandeer one for so long aggravated her. Why are the 'Cons always one step ahead? she thought bitterly.

Optimus led them through the tunnel system, the glow of the energon lighting their path and giving their armor an iridescent shine. As they traveled, the grinding of drills began to echo around them. Eventually, they reached a cavernous room filled with Vehicons mining, refining, and collecting energon. The team crouched behind an outcropping of rocks. Electro tallied the miners, frowning at the overwhelming number of Vehicons and the explosive potential of the energon surrounding them. She also could not locate Cliffjumper's telltale red armor amongst the purple congregation.

"So," Electro said, "what's the plan?"

Optimus analyzed the scene, optic ridges furrowed. Finally, straightening, he said, "Let's find Cliffjumper."

Electro vented. Diving into battle was not her ideal strategy; but, then again, she was not an Autobot commander.

As Optimus led them toward the miners, the Vehicons caught sight of them and activated their weapons. Soon, a barrage of red blaster shots sailed toward them, and the team branched across the battlefield. Blasts sang past Electro from both directions as she trailed behind Bulkhead, both of them charging toward a pack of drills rolling their way.

"Bulkhead, give me a lift!" Electro shouted.

The Wrecker extended a servo, and Electro stepped into it. Bulkhead launched her up and forward, and she soared toward the lead driller. She crashed, shoulder first, into the Vehicons, knocking him from his perch. She then gripped the controls of the drill and sent an electric pulse, frying its systems. Bulkhead smashed the drill on her right, so she leapt to the one on her left, landing a swift kick to the miner's helm before disengaging that drill, too. Dropping down, she transformed and swerved around the pedes of baffled Vehicons, crashing into their legs to trip them. Blaster shots followed after her, incapacitating the Vehicons.

She saw a Vehicon charging toward an unaware Arcee, so she darted forward, transformed, and grasped the armor of the miner, sending a wave of electricity through his frame. He seized and collapsed, and Electro released him. Arcee spun around, noted the fallen Decepticon, and nodded her appreciation.

Another drill whirled toward them, but Optimus interceded, ducking beneath the grinder and lifting the machine up. He shot two blasts into the engine and smoke poured forth. He tossed aside the useless drill, glanced at Electro and Arcee, then looked beyond them, optics narrowed. Electro peered over her shoulder to see another wave of Vehicons approaching.

Optimus disengaged his gun. "Autobots, roll out!" he commanded before transforming and barreling toward the incoming reinforcements.

Electro and Arcee trailed behind him, followed closely by Bumblebee and Bulkhead. Optimus's heavy-duty alternative mode smashed into Vehicons and drills alike, knocking them to the side. Arcee—in her smaller form—swerved to avoid the wreckage and chaos, and Electro followed her form, sending small pulses of electricity through the ground when a Vehicon or drill drew too close to her. In her rearview mirror, she saw Bulkhead and Bumblebee sweeping through any stragglers.

Eventually, they broke through the reinforcements and followed another tunnel leading to a pickup station. Scaffolding had been installed along the cavern walls, extending upwards toward an opening in the earth. Hints of blue sky and wispy clouds peeked through, but it was mostly obscured by the Decepticon warship, hovering a few hundred feet above. An elevator dropped down from the warship to the mines below, allowing the Vehicons to transport processed energon cubes.

The team transformed and ducked behind some silver containers. Bulkhead whistled. "Quite the operation."

Electro grimaced. She wondered if Cliffjumper was hidden somewhere in the mines, or if he was still captive inside the warship. If the latter, they had a Pittish battle to win. There would be legions of troops patrolling the ship—and they would be more experienced in combat than the miners.

They did not have time to strategize. The Vehicons must have been alerted to their presence, for blaster fire began hurtling toward them, roaring past their armor and sparking against the containers. The team responded appropriately, engaging their guns and returning fire.

Electro was not outfitted with blasters; rather, she relied upon her electrical abilities and close-combat training. With the amount of firepower raining down on them, however, she would be fortunate to survive a dozen feet. Therefore, reluctantly, she slid a panel from her left forearm and removed a small cube. It was the same storage material used to contain energon. Electro had repurposed an empty cube and made smaller units, trapping bursts of her electrical energy in each one. Ideally, if she threw these cubes at her enemies, they would crack and explode with an electric burst, hopefully incapacitating anyone within a twenty-foot radius. Unfortunately, most of her trial experiments with the cubes had been unsuccessful. Once, the explosion only caused a little firecracker pop; another time, she had electrocuted herself—or, rather, absorbed the energy, but it still stung. Her recent trials had been promising, though—if a little temperamental.

Hopefully this works, she prayed.

She emerged from her cover and hurled one of the cubes. It landed amidst three Vehicons, who did not notice the small projectile. The casing cracked upon impact, and a bright burst of energy erupted. Arcs of electricity struck the Vehicons. They shook, joints locking and blasters powering down as their systems resorted to stasis. As the final pops of energy dissipated, they collapsed.

"Yes!" she whispered to herself.

Bumblebee ducked down and glanced at her. He whirred, "New trick?"

"Sure, let's call it that."

Electro was fumbling for another cube when Arcee shouted, "It's Cliff! I have a visual."

"We'll cover you," Optimus said. "Go!"

Arcee darted into the fray while the team shot down any enemies impeding her path. Electro bounced another cube in her palm, analyzing Arcee's path. A cluster of Vehicons were gathered on the first platform. She quickly ran the calculations in her head—arc, speed, trajectory—then threw the cube. It did not land in the center of the platform, but struck the outer edge and burst. A few Vehicons were caught in the arcing electricity, frightening their comrades. Arcee seized the advantage, leaping past the Vehicons and scaling the platforms.

Electro attempted to track her movements, but suddenly, a driller crashed into the container unit beside her and plowed forward. She gasped, bracing herself against the container as it scooted across the dirt. She would have sent her electricity through the container, but she collided with Optimus a klik later. Optimus reacted quickly, disarming his gun and bracing against the container, his pedes digging into the dirt. This may have been romantic—their faces inches apart, servos on either side of her shoulders—if not for the sharp screech of the drill against metal and the approaching cavern wall.

"Move!" she shouted. When he hesitated, she said, "Trust me!"

He released the container and rolled out of the way. Electro slammed her servos against the container and released a burst of electricity. Fuses popped, and the miner cried out in alarm. Abruptly, Electro stopped moving, her pedes inches away from the wall. She vented in relief.

Rising, she reevaluated the scene. Blaster shots still ricocheted around her, but her optics were drawn to the splash of red armor dangling high above on the third platform. Cliffjumper? she thought, spark spinning. Arcee held his servo, saving him from a deadly plunge. However, something strange was happening. Cliffjumper rocked violently; and, amidst the roar of gunfire, Electro thought her audials detected a snarl. Then, suddenly, Cliffjumper fell. Electro gasped as the Autobot plunged down the elevator shaft and collided with the energon crystals below. Shock swept through the team, halting their gunfire. Optimus's servo—which had been extended, as if he could catch Cliffjumper—slowly dropped to his side. Up above, Arcee hid her face with her servos.

Before anyone could react, a familiar laugh echoed around the chamber. Electro glanced further up, past Arcee, and saw Starscream, the Decepticon SIC, looming over them all. She had not seen the Seeker since Cybertron, and a roiling anger coiled through her as he leered at them. He held an unidentifiable device in his hand.

"Prime," Starscream called. "I'd stick around, but…I'm squeamish."

Starscream held out the device, which began beeping, and dropped it. Electro's spark stuttered.

"Bomb!" she shouted.

Optimus responded instantaneously to her cry. "Autobots, retreat!"

Arcee leapt down from the platform to rejoin them. They transformed, retracing their path through the tunnels. Electro assumed the lead, the others falling behind her. Within a handful of kliks, an earth-rocking rumble shook the tunnels, and the smell of exploding energon overwhelmed the caverns. In her rearview mirror, she saw a fiery, blue plume billowing toward them.

Optimus called over the comms, "Ratchet, bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates—now!"

Immediately, a vortex opened ahead of them, and they charged through it. They entered the base full-speed. Electro transformed and skidded, thudding into the concrete supports alongside the others. Once Optimus entered the base, Ratchet closed the groundbridge. Puffs of smoke filled the hangar. Electro collapsed, venting harshly. She heard the children utter astonished sounds—and she wondered what part of danger they did not understand.

Ratchet, on his part, commented, "Cutting it a bit close."

Electro glared at him. "Do you think we chose to blow an energon deposit?"

Bumblebee whirred in agreement, dusting off his armor.

Ratchet almost responded, but upon searching the team again, he asked slowly, "How about Cliffjumper?"

Everyone quieted. Electro's processor could only replay Cliffjumper's deadly fall. Even if he had survived the crash, the bomb assured that he was gone. How could they have failed him twice? She shuttered her optics against the onslaught of emotions burning in her spark.

Miko's voice punctured the air–an explosion of its own. "What was that explosion? Was there a fight? Can I come with next time?"

Anger radiated off Arcee. "Look—"

"Hey! Hey, Miko! Let's…go see what the bots hide in their sock drawers," Jack said, steering away Miko, who mumbled seriously in disbelief.

With the humans distracted, attention returned to the immediate situation. Unfortunately, all optics settled on Arcee, whose anger deflated to grief. Her entire frame seemed to cave inward, protecting her.

Delicately, Optimus asked, "Arcee, what did you see?"

Arcee hugged herself. Electro, who was the closest to her, laid a hand on her shoulder. Arcee tensed, but did not step away. "Not Cliff," she finally said. "At least…not anymore." Her vocals stuttered. "He was mutated. Butchered. Like something from those 'con experiments during the war…"

Suddenly, Arcee collapsed, and Electro caught her. "Woah, Arcee. What's wrong?" Electro gasped. She helped Arcee to sit on a container unit and sat beside her.

Bumblebee whined, expressing his mutual concern.

"I'm fine, both of you," Arcee said, though her voice sounded strained. "Just…dizzy."

Ratchet stepped forward and gently waved Electro away. Electro squeezed Arcee's arm before rising and standing beside Optimus. She and Prime exchanged concerned looks.

Ratchet performed a medical scan on Arcee. He hummed to himself, evaluating the readings. Then he stilled. "What is this?" he murmured, examining Arcee's servo.

"Don't know," Arcee said. "Cliff was covered in it—leaking it."

Ratchet produced a scalpel and scraped off a purple liquid from Arcee's servo. Although Electro was too distant to examine the substance closely, it was not immediately recognizable. "Go take a decontamination bath. Now," he ordered.

Bumblebee helped Arcee to the med bay, and Ratchet walked away with his sample, deep in thought. Behind Electro and Optimus, Jack spoke.

"Uh…Optimus? I hate to bug right now, but…" He held up his cellphone. "No bars."

"A security precaution," Optimus explained. "The silo walls isolate all radio waves."

Electro crossed her arms. "Don't want the Decepticons tracking us to home base." She caught the way Optimus's shoulders tensed, and she amended, "Or any unwanted guests."

"Well, if I don't call my mom like now, I'm pretty sure the cops will be out looking for me."

Optimus leaned down to Jack's level. "Have you broken the law?"

"Well, curfew is 10pm. So…illegal to my mom," Jack said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah…" Raf added. "I better get home too, or I'll be grounded for a year."

"Earth customs. I hadn't considered," Optimus mused, straightening. "Bulkhead and Bumblebee will resume their guardianship. Arcee—"

Electro interrupted, "I can accompany Jack. Give Arcee the break."

"Are you certain?" Optimus asked softly.

She patted his shoulder. "Sure. Unless you'll miss me too much?"

"Ugh, gross," Miko groaned. "Can you stop acting like an old married couple for five minutes?"

Electro had to process the words a moment before she realized the human implications of marriage. She spark spun once, sadly, and she waved a servo dismissively. She noted Optimus's lingering stare, his own sadness reflecting his optics. The day had been difficult, and the reminder of a postponed bonding felt bitter. Electro stepped away without comment and transformed, propping open her door.

"Let's go, Jack."

"So," Jack said as they drove to his residence, finally breaking the silence, "will Arcee be okay?"

Electro slowed to a stop at a red light. "She will be." She scanned the streets, observing the other late-night drivers. None of the vehicles demonstrated Decepticon signatures–only humans fogged by exhaustion or enjoying the beat of a bass. "She is the most resilient bot I know. But it will never be easy to lose a partner. Her and Cliffjumper were incredibly close."

"Like you and Optimus?"

The light flashed green, and Electro eased forward, contemplating. She did not know how to explain the intertwining relationships of the team, or their previous connections on Cybertron–ranging from the Golden Age to the dredges of war. Jack was of a species different from her own; and, worse, he did not seem eager to learn more about them. While Miko and Raf plagued them with questions, Jack hovered on the sidelines, listening but never raising his own voice. How did she broach such difficult topics with the boy?

"Arcee and Cliffjumper were partners on the battlefield. I do not know their history on Cybertron, but I remember they arrived on Earth together through the last viable spacebridge on our planet, escaping a high-profile Decepticon scientist." She unintentionally made a sharp turn, jostling Jack. The memory of Shockwave, however, boiled her energon. A disgraceful scientist. "I do not believe their relationship extended beyond friendship. Although, Cliffjumper did make Arcee…"

When she struggled to find the words, Jack inserted, "Less intimidating?"

Electro snorted. "Certainly not. But she lowered her walls around him, I suppose."

Jack stared at the empty driver's seat. After a long pause, he said, "I'm sorry he's gone."

"Me too," she murmured.

She had arrived at the coordinates Jack had given her, and she slowed to a stop in front of a one-story home. No other vehicles were parked at the residence, and Jack seemed visibly relieved.

He opened the door. "Thanks for the ride, Electro." He scratched the back of his head. "Umm…I can't exactly let you in the garage. My mom already freaked after seeing Arcee."

"No hard feelings. I hate small spaces anyway. I'll be a safe distance away."

Jack nodded, then hopped out of her alternative form. Electro pulled away, performed a u-turn, and parked on the opposite side of the street, settling into a comfortable position. Roughly a breem later, a brown car parked in Jack's driveway, and Electro watched a woman in a medical uniform exit and approach the front door. Must be the parental unit, she thought. She noted the mother's brief glance in Electro's direction, but she did not seem overly alarmed by a mysterious green sports car in the road. She eventually disappeared inside the house.

An hour into her nightwatch, her comms pinged. She sleepily checked the signature, then answered, "So you miss me."

Optimus hummed. "I was confirming your status. And Arcee wanted me to share her gratitude."

"Nothing to report–unless you find tumbleweeds fascinating." As a precaution, she scanned the area again, searching for any Cybertronian signatures. Predictably, nothing appeared on her sensors. "And Arcee doesn't have to thank me. She's experienced a lot this week. I mean, all of us have, but I know her and Cliffjumper were close."

Optimus sighed. Electro could visualize him shuttering his optics–thinking, regretting. "Indeed." He waited a few kliks, then said, "The weapon that you used in the mines. What are those?"

Electro sunk down on her tires. She had hoped Bumblebee had been the only one to notice her new technology–which was ridiculous, since she had clearly lobbed two of them onto the battlefield. "Uh, electrical bombs." A long pause ensued, and Electro knew Optimus was waiting patiently for a more thorough explanation. She conceded. "I trapped some of my electrical power in energon casing. When it cracks–well, you saw the results. I've been engineering them for the past stellar cycle or so. They give me range; and, ideally, everyone else may use them, too."

"How dangerous are these?"

"Well, they have a range of–"

"For you, Electro."

"Minimal. Just a pain to create."

Creating the bombs–attempting to safely store her own energy–drained her. Her innate abilities, though useful, depleted her energon at concerning speeds, depending on the intensity of battle. Making the devices contributed to that expenditure, though in smaller doses. Furthermore, she carried them in a compartment in her arm, which had to be insulated with nonconductive material. If that compartment was damaged, though, she was unsure what would happen: if she would naturally absorb the energy, or if it would overload her systems. Optimus did not need to know these details, though.

"You can try one," she offered.

"I have no desire to weaponize you, Electro."

Her spark stilled. Before the war, her status as an outlier had been frowned upon–not that many Cybertronians were aware of her powers. She kept them tempered for much of her life, unwilling to expose herself. Otherwise, she would have been shunned, and her success as a spacebridge research assistant would have been uprooted. It was one of the secrets she had kept from Orion Pax; and it was not until he became Optimus Prime that he discovered her powers–as did many other bots. Her abilities could have been weaponized to great extents–perhaps deadly extents for her–but Optimus had forbidden the possibility. The benefits of being the beloved of a Prime, she supposed. It never felt right.

A period of tension had filtered between her and Optimus, revolving around the secret. Eventually, Optimus had asked her, Did you believe I would weaponize you? Or before the war, that I would report you? She had answered honestly, I had expected the same reaction from you as every other bot. Perhaps I was wrong, but do you blame me for protecting myself? He had said nothing initially; then, he had promised those exact words, I have no desire to weaponize you, Electro. Nor will I ever. He never forgot.

She realized she had been quiet for a while, so she said, "OP, I don't see this as weaponization. I lack range on the battlefield, so I found a solution. And if it gives us an advantage over the 'Cons, I will freely share it with the team."

Optimus's uneasiness radiated through the comm link. Finally, he said, "At least discuss these bombs' implications with Ratchet."

"I will," she said. Eventually, she thought. "Let me get back to my guardianship. Those tumbleweeds won't be stopped otherwise."

"There are times I will never understand your humor."

She smiled to herself. "A good mystery," she conceded. "My spark is with you, Optimus."

"And mine with yours," he rumbled.

The comm link clicked off, and Electro entered a suspended stasis. She would not be wholly recharging, which allowed her sensors to remain active in the event of Decepticon activity or emergency communications. However, there was a distinct loneliness to the streets. It vaguely reminded her of grueling cycles on the battlefield, lost amongst the wreckage, always alert to danger. She had also, admittedly, grown accustomed to resting beside Optimus for the past few stellar cycles. It made her spark fond of him; and, despite the lack of a bond, she felt the emptiness.

Grumbling against herself, she tapped into her comms.

A beat of silence greeted her. Then: "Are the tumbleweeds causing a problem?"

"Hardly," she quipped. Then, softly, she asked, "Stay on the comms with me for a bit?"

"Always."