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Cade and I ran toward Optimus, a heaviness weighing down on us. We saw Lockdown drop from his ship, causing a mess of things before he even landed. By the time we reached where Lockdown had landed, he and Optimus were already fighting. Cade had his gun ready; I made sure I was fully loaded, both of us waiting for the right moment.
Lockdown's fighting skills were brutal, ruthless. He was easily able to knock Optimus's sword out of his hand, kicking and punching, elbowing and kneeing Optimus; practically knocking Optimus onto his hands and knees. The only form of protection the Prime had was a shield, and Lockdown still managed to land some hits on him. Cade and I didn't even get a moment to find an opening before someone opened fire on us. We tried shielding ourselves from the bullets (thankfully we didn't get hit), before Attinger showed up.
The older, gun wielding man was only a little bloodied, not too beat up. He marched over and held his gun inches from us, a look of hatred on his face.
"You see, it takes patience to make a man," he said, trying to maintain an even voice. "The patience to watch and wait, to protect all of us quietly - for God and country without any recognition at all!"
The sound of the two Cybertronians fighting behind us halted for a moment before Optimus called out to us.
"There are no good aliens or bad aliens!" Attinger exclaimed. "It's just us and them." He looked at me, almost disgustedly. I knew he had some deep rooted hatred for the Autobots and the Decepticons; but I felt like when he saw me, he felt something deeper than hatred, something that couldn't be expressed in words. "And you both chose them."
Before Attinger had a chance to pull the trigger, a loud boom caused the delusional man to fly back. Cade tried protecting me from the blast, the dust that flew in our faces.
We looked at Attinger's body. Optimus had shot him at a relatively close range, so it wouldn't take much to know the man was dead. He was dirtied, bloodied. I swallowed down the sickening feeling bubbling in my stomach. Optimus Prime had killed a human. Though Attinger greatly deserved it. Lockdown and Optimus resumed their fighting. The Cybertronian bounty hunter jumped on Optimus, pinning him to a wall and shoving the Prime's sword through his chest. The sword didn't hit Optimus's Spark, but it pinned him to the building behind him.
"You save the humans instead of saving yourself," Lockdown snarled. "You bring shame upon us all."
Cade picked up his gun, both of us sneaking over to where Lockdown was holding Optimus. Cade started firing off, I shot the beams of energy. A few times our shots hit Lockdown. Optimus used that opportunity, where the bounty hunter was distracted by us, to kick Lockdown's feet from under him. Not even that stopped him from shooting at us. Cade and I took refuge behind a fallen brick wall, using the chances we had to shoot at the enemy.
As we took a moment to get ourselves securely hidden, we saw Bee speed past. I felt my stomach drop. Tessa and Shane came out of the car; Saoirse and Eden were in their arms.
"She never listens," Cade said. "Never."
Bee sped over to where Lockdown and Optimus were, Optimus saying something to his soldier as he quickly transformed. Fighting Lockdown, to protect Optimus from further damage, Bee tried his best to take down the enemy.
Using Bee as a distraction, Cade and I rushed out, shooting at Lockdown. Bee prevented the bounty hunter from shooting at us; instead, he used his cannon and shot Lockdown off his feet.
Cade yelled something at Tessa and Shane, before continuing his onslaught of Lockdown. The metal where I'd hit him was being eaten away; the shots from where Cade hit him had some metal being blown off. Lockdown finally had his attention on us, glowering at the two humans who dared try and attack him. We heard Optimus's cries behind us, yelling at us to leave. I could hear the panic in his voice, feel that knot of panic in my stomach. Even though we didn't have a moment of peace (and I had been a total bitch to him for the longest time), I would always be his Sparkmate, and if I died trying to protect him, it would be downhill from there.
Whether or not Optimus would leave would be up to him. If Cade and I didn't make it out of the fight alive, Optimus would still have Saoirse and Eden. Tessa and Shane would be alive; Joyce would have done one good deed since we encountered him.
"It's my fight now," Lockdown barked. He picked up Bee and threw him on the ground. "You're all going to die!"
The bounty hunter kept firing at us. We kept firing back. His metal was being eaten away by the All Spark's energy; chunks of it blown off by Cade and Bee firing at him; but that didn't stop him from attacking us. Optimus struggled to get his sword out of him.
In the midst of the fighting, a tow truck sped by, the wire wrapping around Lockdown's legs and yanking him to the ground. Cade and I moved out of the way.
Cade and I took that moment to shoot at Lockdown while he was trying to comprehend what had just happened. As he tried to get up, a giant knife in his hand, Cade and I shot at his legs. We were easily overpowered by him; his knife would have killed Cade if he hadn't used his gun as a means of protection. It might have been small, but the gun was strong and was able to deflect Lockdown's stab attempt.
Lockdown swung his arm over our heads, almost wildly. We shot at him the best we could, trying to get him away from us.
"You see my face, your life is done!" Lockdown exclaimed, holding his cannon inches from us. Cade's gun had been knocked from his hands. We had been so busy trying to fight off Lockdown, we didn't notice that Optimus had been freed. He jumped on Lockdown's back, his sword over his head, and shoved the blade through the bounty hunter's Spark.
Oil spilled from Lockdown's mouth as the blade went completely through him, before slicing up and cutting Lockdown in half from the chest up. The dead bounty hunter's body was tossed aside, Optimus standing over us, looking stoic.
The Prime's optics flickered to where Cade and I laid on the ground. Something flickered in his optics, but I knew it wasn't the right time to discuss it.
"Honor, to the end," he rumbled.
Even though Lockdown had been killed, there were still prototypes who managed to survive. They shot at Lockdown's ship; Optimus protected us, shielding us from the prototype's shooting.
"I'm setting off Lockdown's grenade," Optimus rumbled. He shoved the grenade into a nearby building before putting his free arm over us. "Hold tight."
I held Saoirse and Eden close to me. I was grateful Shane kept his promise, though Cade and I didn't die (which I was also thankful for), at least Shane, and Tessa, made an attempt to keep my babies safe.
Right before the grenade went off, Optimus had activated some rockets and we took off.
When we landed, there were police cars and military vehicles surrounding us. Optimus put us down. He stood at his full height, observing us carefully.
Cade and Tessa embraced; but my focus went to my girls. I knelt down and hugged them both fiercely. They returned it. I tried holding back the tears that stung my eyes; I didn't want to look weak. Five years of trying to be strong, and crying was something I hadn't done the entire time. I kissed the tops of their heads, thanking my lucky stars and whoever was up there that Saoirse, Eden, and Optimus were safe.
"I love you both so much," I said softly. "So, so much."
Pulling back from the embrace, I looked at them. They were dirty, but didn't look harmed otherwise. I gently kissed them on their foreheads, giving them my best smile.
"Mama, we were really scared," Saoirse said, her eyes tearing up.
I fought back my tears. I nodded wordlessly.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through this," I said, my voice thick from the tears that wanted to fall. "But it's over now. We're safe. We're OK. Right?" Saoirse nodded. I looked at Eden. She sniffled, nodding. "That's right," I said. I gave them a quick hug.
Standing up, I held them both close to me. I saw Cade give Shane a manly hug, a big smile lighting his face.
I gave a small smile.
Cade looked back at me, motioning me over. Reluctantly, I walked over to where the family was. Joyce, who was given a ride to where we were, got out and walked toward us.
He put his arm around my shoulder, giving me an awkward hug. I chuckled.
"We don't have a home, dad," Tessa said. "It blew up."
"I might be able to help with that," I said sheepishly. They looked at me. "I have some friends...back when I was in the military. They might be able to pull some strings. And I have some money saved up, too."
The rest of the Autobots showed up, even the dinosaur robots in a different form.
"Brave warriors, you are free!" Optimus exclaimed. The robo-dinosaurs transformed into their prehistoric forms and ran off. Where they planned on going, we didn't know, but they were free to do what they pleased.
Looking around the group, I was so relieved to see Ironhide and the others; safe and alive. I knew they wanted to leave, but seeing them all together, one last time, made me smile.
"This Seed belongs to our Creators," Optimus said. "Whoever they are, there remains a price on my head. I endanger you all if I stay. I shall take it where it shall never be found."
I felt tears swell in my eyes. I tried my damned hardest to keep myself calm, holding those tears back. I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to contain the sobs.
"Will we ever see you again?" Cade asked.
"Cade Yeager, I do not know," he answered. "But whenever you look to the stars, think of one of them as my soul. Defend this family, Autobots." Optimus's optics flickered to me. "Defend my family. As they have you. Defend all they can be."
Optimus walked over to me, kneeling down. His finger ran over my hair in that familiar gesture. I tried my best to smile, holding back those tears that were so eager to fall.
"I love you," I said, my voice cracking. "Optimus Prime, I will always love you."
The Prime leaned forward, giving me an awkward kiss on the head. I closed my eyes, biting my bottom lip. I faintly tasted blood.
"I will always love you, Desirée Witwicky," he rumbled. His finger gently stroked Saoirse and Eden. "I will always love you and our Sparklings. I'm honored to have such a beautiful family."
I took a shaky breath, nodding slowly.
"No matter the distance, our bond will never break," he rumbled. "Remember that, Desirée."
I nodded slowly, fighting the emotions that threatened to explode.
"Daddy..." Eden looked up at Optimus.
The Prime gently kissed his children. "Be good for your mother," he rumbled.
"Try and come back," I said quietly.
"Desirée, I think that's unwise," Optimus said.
I shook my head, looking at Optimus through blurry eyes. "You're Optimus Prime," I said, giving a shaky chuckle. "You can do anything."
Optimus looked at me for a moment, his facial plates lifting into a sad smile. I knew he wouldn't be able to promise me he'd return, but I was hoping he could at least try.
"I will see what I can do," he responded.
"Good," I said quietly.
Standing up, Optimus looked at everyone around him. Though Joyce got the Seed out of the city safely, and it stopped beeping, there was still the fact that it was on earth.
The rockets Optimus activated, and he took off. We all watched him go. I closed my eyes, holding Saoirse and Eden close to me.
I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. Looking, I saw Tessa, giving me a small, reassuring smile. I leaned slightly into her embrace.
"Joshua?" The man looked at me. "Do you have a cell phone I could use?"
"Yeah, why?" he asked.
"I need to call someone," I said, "someone I haven't seen in a long time." Slightly taken aback by how vague my answer was, Joshua handed me his cell phone. It took me a minute to remember the number. It's been over five years, I hadn't called anyone in that span of time. Once I remembered the number, I dialed it in and waited. I felt a flood of emotion wash over me when he answered. "Sam?"
QUICKY A/N:
HELLO! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE COMMENTS YOU GUYS LEFT FOR MY LAST UPDATE. WELL, THE AGE OF EXTINCTION ARC HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED. IT IS ABSOLUTELY SAD THAT PRIME LEFT. BUT I HAVE A FEW IDEAS ON WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN MY NEXT UPDATES.
THAT LAST UPDATE WAS THE LONGEST ONE I'VE EVER WRITTEN! OVER 3,000 WORDS! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS UPDATE. SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO PUT UP. I HAD A WHOLE BUNCH OF FEELINGS GOING OVER ME WHILE I WROTE THIS UPDATE. IT'S NOT FUN WRITING OPTIMUS LEAVING HIS FAMILY BEHIND, BUT THERE'S A SLIGHT POSSIBILITY HE'LL RETURN, THOUGH!
ANYWHO, THE REST OF THE AUTOBOTS ARE SAFE AND ALIVE. AND IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHERE ABBY AND THE OTHERS ARE, THEY'RE STILL ALIVE, THEY'RE STILL WHERE THE SPACESHIP IS LOCATED. IN THE NEXT UPDATE, EVERYONE WILL BE REUNITED, SO DON'T WORRY!
I'M SORRY FOR ALL THE LATE UPDATES, BUT I'VE BEEN STAYING AFTER SCHOOL ALL THIS WEEK BECAUSE OF STUDYING AND THIS WHOLE WEEK HAS BEEN CRAZY! MY SCHOOL'S BEEN ON TESTING SCHEDULE (STATE TESTING RETAKES FOR ANYONE WHO'S FAILED) AND THOSE TESTS ARE IMPORTANT IF ANYONE IN MY SCHOOL PLANS ON GRADUATING. AND I HAD TO RETAKE ONE OF THEM AND I'VE BEEN VERY STRESSED OUT LATELY.
BEFORE I FINISH MY POINTLESS RAMBLINGS, I'D LIKE TO GIVE AN ENORMOUS THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWER WHO SAID THAT I SHOULD BECOME AN AUTHOR. YOU, MY FRIEND, AND EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO'S COMMENTED AND WHATNOT ON THIS STORY, ARE THE REASON I STILL DO THIS. YOU'RE ALL WONDERFUL HUMAN BEINGS. THANK YOU FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE AND FUN AND EXPRESSIVE AND JUST AMAZING! I HOPE TO KEEP YOU ALL ENTERTAINED IN THE FUTURE.
OUT OF ALL THE FANFICS I'VE WRITTEN OVER THE YEARS, THIS HAS BEEN, BY FAR, VERY FUN TO WRITE. I HOPE YOU GUYS STICK WITH ME TILL THE VERY END.
THANK YOU, MY FRIENDS! THANK YOU, ONE AND ALL.
UNTIL I WRITE AGAIN, AND IT WILL BE SOON,
YOURS TRULY,
~SMITHY