All was quiet in the Autobot base, save for the occasional conversation between Optimus and Ratchet as they attempted to form a plan in order to rescue Bumblebee and Arcee. The kids were playing video games, but they soon quit and just sat on the couch in silence. Bulkhead was standing near them, silently observing and listening.
Vesper, however, was no longer in the same room as the others. She had returned to her own quarters and had crawled onto her berth before curling up into a ball and wishing that she was offline. She had hated telling Optimus and the others about the weapon, but she knew that she'd had no choice if they wanted to save their two kidnapped comrades. Of course, now she was paying dearly for it. She felt absolutely horrible, like she'd betrayed the Autobots.
Suddenly a knock came at her door. As she sat up, the door opened to reveal Optimus, who looked at her with concern. He walked in, the door closing behind him, and knelt down in front of the femme, who forced a smile. "Hello, sir," she said, desperately attempting to conceal the misery from her voice, but she failed miserably. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, looking deep into the Prime's optics. She could get lost in their clear, pure depths, and that was all she wanted to do, although she knew that it would probably be wiser to exert some self-control.
"Vesper," Optimus said, his tone very soft, "Are you sad?" He looked into her eyes, feeling his spark beginning to race. He wanted so badly to hold her in his arms, to comfort her and tell her that everything would be alright, but he believed that there was absolutely no way that the femme would like him in that way.
Vesper swallowed nervously, then looked away. "I… feel as if the kidnapping of your friends is my doing." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I am so, so sorry, sir!" she sobbed, burying her face in her servos. "I cannot do anything—"
Optimus silenced her when he gently removed her servos from her face and gently touched her cheek with one of his own. Vesper's spark skipped quite a number of beats as Optimus' optics met her own. Her breath caught as she gazed into his eyes, so tender and loving. "Vesper, please do not blame yourself," he said, a sad yet strangely comforting smile on his face. "You did what you believed to be right." Vesper closed her eyes for a few minutes, then opened her eyes and went to speak… and was stunned into silence when Optimus pressed his lips gently against hers. She gasped as her spark almost stopped, feeling like she was dreaming.
Abruptly Optimus pulled away, looking utterly mortified, and then he hastily stood and walked to the other side of the room. Vesper looked after him, feeling a myriad of emotions; hurt, longing, confusion. Optimus' optics were squeezed shut, and his servos were clenched. He could not believe that he'd just done that, and cursed himself for it.
The silence in the room was awkward, for a time, but eventually Optimus turned around and managed to choke out, "I… I am sorry." He looked down at his feet, feeling both embarrassed and angry with himself for slipping up on his self-control. "I… should not have done that. Please do not be angry."
Vesper smiled. "I have no reason to be angry," she breathed, her voice so quiet that Optimus did not completely hear. He cocked his head to the side as Vesper stood and walked over. She stopped in front of him and gently placed her servo on his chest, which made the Prime's spark skip a beat. She smiled up at him. "That was… good," she admitted, blushing and looking away.
Optimus' eyes widened. "R-Really?" he asked breathlessly. Without turning to look at him, the femme nodded, and Optimus felt as if his spark would burst. He exhaled, then put his servo over Vesper's, which was still on his chest. His servo was so much larger than hers, so he was gentle when he wrapped his fingers around it and gently pulled it off. Then he hesitantly released her hand and gently touched the femme's face. "Vesper," he breathed, his voice quivering, "Look at me."
Vesper turned her head slowly, then her eyes met with Optimus'. "Yes?" she breathed, her voice also quivering.
Optimus said nothing more. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her, a bit harder this time. Vesper gasped as his lips touched hers, then returned the kiss with the exact same amount of passion. The Prime moved his servo from Vesper's face, then put both servos gently on her back, sending a tingle through the femme. Her own servos immediately started to trail up Optimus' torso, making him shiver in anticipation and pleasure.
Neither of them realised that they'd moved over to Vesper's berth until Optimus gently pushed her down onto it, still kissing her and trailing his servos over her. Both Vesper and Optimus could feel their sparks beating crazily, especially as both of them explored the other's body with their servos.
Optimus touched Vesper on the inside of one of her thighs, and she gasped in pleasure. However, it stopped there when the door opened, and Ratchet said, "Hey, Optimus, are you—" before stopping dead. Both Vesper and Optimus quickly stood and blushed deeply as Ratchet panicked, spluttered, "I-I'm so-sorry!" and ran out, the door closing behind him.
Optimus and Vesper shared a mortified look before both following the medic. When they walked out, everyone looked at them in confusion and curiosity, and Optimus noticed that Ratchet was silently tapping away on one of the many monitors. His expression was blank, but deep within his eyes Optimus could see that the medic was horrified and embarrassed at what he'd accidently walked in on.
"Old friend," Optimus said quietly as he approached the medic. Ratchet stiffened then turned slowly to Optimus, saying nothing. Optimus sighed. "I… I am sorry that you, uh, saw that," he said, and Ratchet stiffly nodded before turning back to his work. It was clear that the medic was absolutely traumatised and probably was wishing that his processor could be erased. Optimus scratched his head, then looked back at the humans and the other two bots, who were having a quiet conversation, although they kept looking over at Optimus and Ratchet with confused – and in Vesper's case, knowing – expressions on their faces. "Please do not tell the others," Optimus begged, putting his hand tentatively on Ratchet's shoulder.
The medic flinched and eyed Optimus' servo before looking up at his face and stiffly choking out, "Rest assured, Optimus, my lips are sealed." Then he stiffly went back to his work, and Optimus sighed as he removed his hand from his old friend's shoulder.
"Thank you," he said, and Ratchet nodded briskly. Then, in a louder voice, "So, what is the plan for rescuing Arcee and Bumblebee?" He turned to face Bulkhead and the humans, trying not to make Ratchet any more uncomfortable than he already was. In his processor he highly doubted that Ratchet could be in any more distress, but he didn't give voice to that thought. He didn't want the others to know about what had traumatised Ratchet so much; it was already embarrassing enough for Ratchet to have even walked in and seen that.
Bulkhead nodded. "The Nemesis appears to have landed, because Ratchet detected it earlier," the former Wrecker said, and Optimus nodded. Suddenly Ratchet sighed and opened the Ground Bridge. Everybody turned and cocked their heads to the side, but Ratchet remained absolutely wordless. This drew an exasperated sigh from Bulkhead before the bot said, "Man, something's got him all worked up." Vesper and Optimus both stiffened slightly but said absolutely nothing. "In any case, let's go kick some Decepticon aft!" he proclaimed, looking over at Optimus.
The Autobot leader nodded. "Autobots," he said, his voice strong and clear, "Transform and roll out!"
Vesper smiled at the Prime's catchphrase as she transformed into her altmode, following the example of the others, and driving off. She noticed that Ratchet stayed behind with the kids, who were watching silently as the Autobot group entered the Ground Bridge… and then appeared on the other side, right in front of the Nemesis. Vesper stiffened, remembering the torture that she'd been put through during her time on board, and she prayed to the Allspark that Bumblebee and Arcee were still alive.
"Alright," Optimus said, his faceplate sliding over and covering his face. "We need to sneak on board, find and rescue our two companions." He looked at both Vesper and Bulkhead, who both nodded in complete agreement, then the three turned to the ship. Optimus' eyes narrowed as he observed the Vehicons that were doing their patrols. Optimus, after a bit more scanning, soon found a part of the area that the Vehicons (stupidly) were not patrolling, and he quickly directed his two fellow bots over to it.
After a bit more sneaking around, the three Autobots finally found themselves on board the Decepticon ship, and Vesper was unnerved by how quiet it seemed. To Bulkhead and Optimus, the silence was more than unnerving; it was a warning. It meant that they only had a small amount of time before they got discovered.
"Alright," Optimus said as the three hid in a room that seemed neglected. "We need to search the ship thoroughly."
Bulkhead grunted. "I'll go on my own," he said. His words were polite, unknowing, but it still made Optimus frown. Vesper looked down at the ground, praying to the Allspark that she wasn't blushing. "Uh… is there something wrong?" Bulkhead questioned suddenly, and Optimus had to refrain from shaking his head too fast.
"No. That is a good plan," he said, although in reality he didn't want to be alone with Vesper, for he was fearful that he might divert all of his attention from the mission at hand. He did not mention this, however, and Bulkhead went his separate way from the two Autobots, who headed in the opposite direction to where Bulkhead was going. They said nothing as they snuck through. They focused only on finding Arcee and Bumblebee, hoping that that would be enough to distract them from their… other thoughts.
It was Vesper who found Arcee, and she summoned Optimus over as she checked the other femme for any signs of life. Arcee was still online, and Vesper breathed a sigh of relief before Optimus picked her up. He did not, however, contact Bulkhead, and Vesper understood why; he did not want the Decepticons to intercept the signal and realise that they were on board. Not that it mattered.
They'd already been discovered.
Optimus turned to leave, and his optics widened as he saw Soundwave standing there. The silent Decepticon's visor stared ominously back, and Vesper cursed as she stepped backwards.
Optimus set the unconscious Arcee down before stepping over her and facing Soundwave. It was impossible to tell what the Decepticon was thinking, due to his expression being concealed, but that didn't matter so much to Optimus. What did matter is that they'd been compromised, and now had to try and get out with their lives.
"Vesper," Optimus said, his voice low. The femme looked up at him, her cyan optics wide with fear. "Do not get involved in this fight," he ordered. Vesper was more than willing to follow that command, so she simply ducked out and dragged Arcee to where she herself was hiding.
Optimus turned back to Soundwave just as the silent Decepticon leapt at the Prime. Optimus leapt backwards and away from Vesper and Arcee, then turned both of his servos into blasters and fired repeatedly at Soundwave. The Decepticon immediately retaliated, reaching for Optimus with his long, thin fingers. Optimus dodged the blow, although he didn't entirely avoid getting harmed; Soundwave inflicted a long, thin scratch on Optimus' cheek.
The fight continued, and Vesper found herself looking down at Arcee with a sad expression on her face. It was because of her that Arcee and Bumblebee had been captured, and since they'd only found Arcee, Vesper didn't know if Bumblebee was alive… and she didn't know how Bulkhead was faring either. She could only hope that he was alive, as was Bumblebee…
Suddenly, Optimus crashed into the wall above her head, and she screamed in terror as she cowered, covering Arcee's body with her own. The Autobot leader slumped to the ground, grunting in agony, and struggled to get up. Soundwave stalked ever closer, and Vesper watched in fear as the Decepticon enclosed his thin fingers around Optimus's neck, then started to drag him across the floor. After all, Optimus was far larger than Soundwave, so it was impossible for the Decepticon to pick him up. But the Decepticon could certainly deal with the Prime, and that scared Vesper.
It also made her decide to do something before Optimus was taken offline.
"Let him go!" Vesper yelled, revealing her blade and leaping over at Soundwave, who turned around a little too slowly. She slashed at him, slicing partially through his visor and causing him to stumble backwards. He dropped Optimus due to this, but didn't attack again immediately. Instead, he reached up and touched his damaged visor, then looked up just as Vesper slashed at him again. He dodged, but the femme still managed to cut right through Laserbeak's wing. Immediately the little symbiotic creature cried out and tried to fly away, but he only managed to detach from Soundwave and fall pathetically to the ground.
Soundwave and Vesper stood their ground, staring each other down. Optimus, by this time, had managed to struggle to his feet, but Laserbeak's injury was enough for Soundwave. His tentacles gathered his little 'pet' up, and he transformed and flew away.
Vesper breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to kill someone, especially not another Decepticon. Killing one had been tough enough, and she wasn't completely sure that she could ever pull it off again.
"Vesper," Optimus said, his voice both filled with pride… and with disappointment. "I ordered you not to get involved."
Vesper sighed as she turned her blade back into a servo. "I am sorry," she said, "But I could not idly sit by while I could do something!"
Optimus smiled as he walked over and picked Arcee up. "Apology accepted. Now," he said, looking around and frowning, "We need to leave before we are found by Megatron."
Vesper frowned as they mobilised. "Soundwave would inform him of our presence, would he—ah!" The femme found herself cut off as she walked out the door, mainly because she had to duck to narrowly avoid a blast from Megatron's Fusion Cannon.
Optimus hissed in shock as he looked at Megatron, who was accompanied by Soundwave. The Decepticon warlord looked unimpressed… not to mention absolutely furious. "You Autobots are a pest that I should have long since exterminated," he hissed, his eyes red and blazing as they narrowed.
Optimus' own turquoise optics narrowed, but he said nothing. Instead, he noticed something moving behind Megatron and Soundwave, but made sure not to draw too much attention to it. Thus, Megatron and Soundwave only realised that another Autobot was on board when the both of them got smashed in the back of the head; Megatron got hit with a wrecking ball, Soundwave with a fist. Both of them collapsed, unconscious, but Soundwave got up almost immediately. Megatron was a little slower, but by that time, Bulkhead had already managed to knock Soundwave completely out, and soon took care of Megatron.
"Bulkhead," Optimus said, his faceplate finally retracting. "Have you located Bumblebee?"
Bulkhead nodded and grinned. "He's already back at base."
Optimus and Vesper looked at each other, their optics wide. Then Optimus looked back at the former Wrecker and said, "Then why did you return?" His eyes hardened.
Bulkhead sighed. "Because I had a feeling you guys were in trouble," he said.
Optimus sighed, but said nothing else on the matter. Instead the group mobilised, Optimus carrying Arcee, Vesper and Bulkhead acting as defence, which turned out not to be needed. Bulkhead had taken out many – if not most – of the Vehicons, so their way was trouble-free, and they soon found themselves back at base. Bumblebee was awake and sitting on the edge of the medical table, chirping and beeping at Ratchet, who was nodding along and listening to whatever Bumblebee was talking about.
Bumblebee fell silent as soon as he laid eyes upon Arcee, and he stood and stumbled away from the table as Optimus walked over and lay their female comrade down. Ratchet sucked in air and immediately scanned her, looking quite relieved when he discovered that she was still online.
"Well," Ratchet said, his relief hidden, "At least they're both alive."
Optimus nodded in agreement. "Indeed, old friend," he said. Then he realised that the kids were nowhere to be found, and he cocked his head to the side. "Where are the children?"
Ratchet shook his head. "They returned home. As did I," he said, his voice softening as he spoke. A small smile appeared on Optimus' face; he knew exactly where Ratchet had been, although the last time he'd mentioned it, he'd almost had one of his optics taken out by a blow torch.
Instead, Optimus nodded, then yawned. "I might go recharge," he said before turning on his heel and walking off. As he passed her, the Prime gave Vesper a small yet warm smile, which she returned. Bulkhead decided to follow Optimus' example and, after saying goodnight to everyone, also departed for his room. Bumblebee waited up for at least twenty more minutes, then Ratchet went to bed, although the latter ensured that Arcee was in stasis before he departed. That only left Vesper, who sighed and walked down the hallway, turning off the lights as she did so. She was about to head to her room, but she stopped before she opened her door and looked behind her at Optimus'.
A small smile appeared on her face as her door opened, and she whispered a soft, "Goodnight, Optimus," before heading to bed, the door closing after her.