Optimus was the first to wake, and when he did, he looked down at Vesper and felt a small smile appear on his face as he took in her sleeping form. He looked back on the events and shook his head, disbelieving that it had ever happened. Yet, in his spark, he knew that it was no dream. He sighed and sat up, removing his arms from around Vesper, then looked over at the weapon part that both of them had completely forgotten about last night, which made the Prime remember their purpose for actually coming to the Grand Canyon.
"Optimus…?" Vesper sleepily murmured, finally opening her cyan optics and gazing up at him. He smiled down at her and gently touched her cheek with a finger. "Is it… morning already?" she yawned, her eyes closing as she fell asleep yet again. This caused Optimus to chuckle, stand, and walk over to collect the weapon part, before he returned to his sleeping femme, knelt down, and gently shook her.
"Come on, we must begin our search for the last part of this," he said, holding up the weapon base as Vesper yet again opened her eyes. This time she fully came around, and she yawned and stretched as she sat up. "And we must move, quickly," he said, frowning as he looked at the mouth of the cave. Judging from how low the sun was in the sky – it was only now just beginning to peer over the horizon – Optimus could tell that no humans would be at the canyon for a few hours yet. That would give them a bit of time to actually go into the chasm and start their search for the weapon part.
Vesper sighed as she stood, then took the base of the weapon from Optimus and looked at it. Then she shook her head, turned to the Prime and said, "Let us go, then," before turning on her heel and walking out of the cave. Optimus noticed that she seemed to have a very slight, almost unnoticeable limp, and he frowned but said nothing as he followed her. The sunlight was blinding, and he had to blink a few times, but his optics quickly adjusted. Vesper seemed a little more stunned, but she too rapidly adjusted and walked over to the edge of the canyon before peering down.
"Careful," Optimus warned, walking over and looking down. Being much taller than her, he didn't have to lean over to look down the giant chasm, which made him feel more than slightly worried about Vesper, who was leaning over and almost standing on the very points of her pedes. "If you fall, you will hurt yourself."
Vesper nodded. "I am aware of that, Optimus," she said, leaning back and frowning. "I do, however, want to know how to get down there." She peered over the edge again, before sighing and looking back at Optimus. "Do you have a suggestion?"
Optimus shrugged. "Perhaps we can climb?" he asked.
Vesper shook her head. "And what if we fall?" she asked, her voice worried, as she bit her lip. "We will damage something, and if it is a backstrut… we are absolutely going to offline!" She shook her head. "I insist we find another way."
Optimus shook his head. "We have no other alternative, Vesper." He crossed his arms and started to tap one of his pedes. "We have no access to a Ground Bridge, and we cannot fly."
This revelation seemed to frustrate and worry Vesper, who looked away and shook her head. "I… absolutely cannot do it."
"Vesper," Optimus said, walking over and putting his servo on her shoulder, squeezing gently in an attempt to comfort the femme, "I know that you are afraid, but we have no other way." He frowned then; he knew of only one way to convince her to climb down the sheer cliff, but he also knew that it would be seen as guilt-tripping, and he had been hoping to avoid that. However, he knew that he really had no other option anymore, so with a heaving sigh he said, "You do not want the Decepticons to get their hands on it, do you?"
Vesper stiffened, and Optimus knew that his plan had worked. It was painful for him to do that, but he knew that it had to be so much worse for her. She hated the mere mention of the weapon, the very thought of it, but she hated the fact that the Decepticons wanted the weapon so much worse. She hugged the base of the weapon to her chest and lowered her head, making Optimus' spark hurt. "You knew that that would work, did you not?" she asked, her voice strained, and Optimus hesitated.
"Unfortunately, I will have to admit that I knew," he said, his voice soft. "But I do regret saying that."
Vesper sighed. "Fine. I will scale the cliff." It was incredibly difficult for her to say that, but somehow she managed to force her voice-box to get the words out. But then she looked up at Optimus. "But if I fall, I—"
"You will not fall," Optimus mused, a small smile appearing on his face. "I will not let you." Then he removed his servo from her shoulder and walked closer to the edge. He stopped and looked back at her, motioning for her to follow, then began his descent. Vesper, after steeling herself for a few minutes, followed the Prime's example, putting the weapon in her personal subspace before doing so.
The two Cybertronians descended the cliff quickly, and before they even realised it, their pedes were on the ground. Optimus looked over at Vesper just as the femme said, "I must apologise for doubting you, it seems," as she looked over at him, and the Prime merely chuckled.
"Do not worry about it," he said, then looked around as his face became deadly serious. "We must locate the weapon part soon." His tone was grim, which made Vesper wonder if there were Decepticons coming for them. She shivered at that very thought, and decided that Optimus was correct.
The two immediately began their search, with Vesper leading the way, until they came to a part of the chasm that looked a bit different to the rest of it… at least, to the femme, in any case. When Vesper noted this to Optimus, he merely questioned how she could actually tell, mainly because he could see absolutely no difference. So when she launched into a tangent about how the rocks were slightly discoloured, Optimus found himself completely lost and confused.
Suddenly they heard the sound of footsteps, and Vesper fell silent as both she and her companion turned around to see something that they'd prayed to Primus that they wouldn't see. A group of Decepticons were staring at them, having just rounded the corner, and both Autobots could tell that they were tremendously outnumbered.
Thankfully for the both of them, the Decepticons before them were mere Vehicons, quite possibly acting under orders. Optimus' face-plate immediately slid over his mouth, and his turquoise eyes immediately became icy cold as he changed his servos into blasters. Vesper, although she wanted to help, knew that she was going to be more of a hindrance than a helping servo, so she backed off and transformed her right servo into her blaster in the event that she would need to use it.
Optimus, noticing the change from servo to weapon on her end, hoped that she would not be forced into a combat role. He glared at the Vehicons, almost daring them to try and get her and the weapon that both factions sought, but none of them moved. Each 'Con had their blasters raised, however, and they were all pointed at the Prime, who stood his ground and refused to move.
"Optimus," Vesper whimpered, "What are we going to do?"
Optimus was about to speak, but something deep within his spark warned him not to, and he soon found out why. Contrary to what he and Vesper had believed, the Decepticons before them did not just consist of Vehicons. At the very back, there was a Decepticon that Optimus could not believe was still alive. His red eyes and silver paint job were not the most precise giveaway, but the wings – emblazoned with the Decepticon symbol – and the thin body of the 'Con were the details that Optimus could recognise.
"Starscream," he noted, his voice low and dangerous. He did not notice that, behind him, Vesper stiffened. Thoughts started to race through her head, and she shivered. Hearing Starscream's name made her extremely glad that she had hidden the base of the weapon in her personal subspace.
"Ah, Optimus Prime," Starscream mused, his voice slick and evil, "What brings you to such a… remote location?" His red optics bored into the Prime's blue ones.
"I am under no jurisdiction to tell you that," Optimus said, keeping his voice even.
"Really now?" Starscream said, looking slyly at Vesper, who stiffened even more and stumbled backwards, trying to get as far away from the Decepticon as she possibly could. Of course, as her back touched the rocky wall of the canyon, she knew that she couldn't get any further away unless she started to climb… and that was not something she could do anymore. She had absolutely no idea if humans were around, and she understood that the Autobots were trying to keep hidden as much as they could.
"Leave, Starscream, or I will be forced to take action," Optimus threatened, but his threat only served to make the stiletto-heeled Decepticon laugh.
"I am not going anywhere… not without her," he hissed, pointing a thin finger at the cowering Vesper. Optimus' eyes flashed dangerously as he looked back at her, then back at Starscream. "Lord Megatron… demands it."
"Do not listen to him," Vesper choked. "He does not want to take me to Megatron."
"I would not allow you to fall into Decepticon hands," Optimus growled, glaring at Starscream. Suddenly something whizzed overhead, and Optimus looked up just as Megatron himself landed directly behind his minion. If Optimus believed that his current situation had been bad before, he now knew that it had gotten so much worse.
Megatron regarded the Prime with cold, calculating eyes, before his gaze trailed towards Vesper. A nasty smile appeared on his face and his eyes blazed with some sort of horrible intention. "Well, it seems as if you have played directly into my hands, Optimus Prime," the Decepticon warlord snarled, his eyes flicking over to Optimus.
Optimus stiffened. "I… do not follow," he admitted, his voice still neutral.
Megatron snorted. "I do not expect you to," he snarled, before leaping forward and slamming his shoulder into Optimus' chest. The Prime immediately flew backwards, narrowly missing a terrified Vesper, and slammed into the rocky wall of the cliff before slumping to the ground and groaning. He tried to stand, but found that he couldn't; Megatron had hit him hard enough to hurt him badly and it didn't help that the point of impact was directly above his spark chamber.
As Megatron strode over to Vesper, the femme's thoughts were racing. She didn't want to go on board the Nemesis and help with Megatron's twisted plans. She also feared being on board the same ship as Starscream, for reasons that she could never bring herself to mention.
"Now, my dear," Megatron said, his voice loud enough for Optimus to hear. The Prime, still struggling to get to his pedes, felt rage course through his body. "You will return with us, whether you like it or not."
"I will not," Vesper hissed, trying not to show her fear, "Help you with your twisted plan."
"You speak as though you have a choice," Megatron hissed, his servo abruptly snaking out and wrapping around the femme's neck. He squeezed gently, drawing a choked gasp of horror from her, then looked back at Optimus, who still could not get up. "I will let you live, Optimus… for now, in any case," he said, his red optics gleaming with satisfaction.
"Let… her… go!" Optimus snarled, finally managing to drag himself to his feet. However, he swayed and was clearly in no condition to try and fight against Megatron.
Megatron, realising this, grinned maliciously. "You are in no condition to tell me that," he said, his voice soft, yet filled with evil intent. Then he turned to his Vehicons and pointed at the segment of the canyon wall that Vesper had been standing in front of. "Break it open; I want the final weapon part."
"You… will never… activate it…," Vesper choked, and Megatron looked down at her before snorting and tightened his grip on her throat, drawing a choked squeak from her. The Vehicons, obeying their master's orders, shoved Optimus to the ground and went to complete their task, although a few did keep their weapons pointed at the almost-helpless Prime.
"I don't need you for that, my dear," he said, his voice low, and Vesper found her cyan optics widening. "I already have the activation codes."
Vesper squirmed in Megatron's grip. "H-How… did you… get them?" she choked out, and Megatron started laughing as the Vehicons got through the wall, and one of them entered the gaping hole that they'd made. The same one soon stepped out, holding what appeared to be the frame of a large cube, and Vesper's eyes widened as she realised that it was the final piece of the weapon; the part where the power source was to go.
Megatron smiled as the Vehicon walked over and handed him the final weapon part. "The damaged processor of your old mentor." Megatron looked down at his captive. "His memory banks… still hold the information that Soundwave needed to extract."
Vesper's optics widened. "Then… urk… why do… you need… me?" she gasped.
Megatron looked over at Optimus, who was again attempting to get up. Then, loud enough for the struggling Prime to hear, he said, "You will be our power source."
Optimus felt himself stiffen. "N-No…," he breathed.
Megatron's grin widened. "It helps that you carry the second piece of the weapon," he said, his voice soft. Then he turned away from Optimus and transformed into his altmode – a Cybertronian fighter jet – and, taking Vesper with him, zoomed off towards the Nemesis. The Vehicons and Starscream all transformed – although not before Starscream kicked Optimus in the side of the head, knocking him out – and headed off after their lord and master, leaving the Prime in the middle of the Grand Canyon.
And the rest of Team Prime was completely unaware of the fate of their leader and their new addition.
In New York, Ratchet and Alice were trying to stay hidden from prying Decepticon eyes, living at one of Alice's dad's many rentable apartments.
In Tokyo, Bulkhead and Miko were staying with Miko's parents' place, and spending most of their time driving around and listening to heavy metal music.
In Jasper, Bumblebee and Raf were staying at Raf's place, with Raf continuing his normal life as much as he could.
And on the move were Arcee – who had finally woken – and Jack, trying to avoid Decepticons. Bumblebee had told Arcee of the arrangements as soon as she had woken, but she had decided to just move on as soon as she could. June – Jack's mother – had been taken to Special Agent William Fowler and was now in his custody, which ensured her safety.
Each one of them was blissfully unaware that Vesper had been stolen and was soon to be used to power a weapon. Each one of them was blissfully unaware that Optimus was struggling to even move, and needed desperate medical attention due to his spark chamber being damaged.
And each one of them was blissfully unaware that their lives were about to turn upside down…