Kup half-listened to the conversation between the science 'bots and Earth. Hot Rod was far more entertaining, even if he was what the humans called a ghost.

"And, you know, you won't have to be so old once you're here," he was saying.

Kup smirked at him. He used his "soft voice" – just a few decibels – when talking with those who had already gone into the Well. Otherwise, 'bots tended to call him cracked. "Who are you calling old, youngling?"

"Just saying, Kup. You won't have rusted knees unless you choose to."

Kup snorted in amusement and then changed the subject. "Thanks for the tip about looking toward Earth's star."

"Naw, that was Jazz. I was just the messenger on that one."

In the background, Wheeljack's image on the view-screen said, "The Cybertronian components of BINDS could handle most solar storms. The human-built parts are quite a bit more fragile. They were designed to handle what Earth has typically seen in the way of solar storms, but that's a short window of time. Something on the level of the Carrington Event would probably take them down."

"What's the Carrington Event?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"It's the most intense solar storm documented in Earth's history," Wheeljack explained.

"Though there's prehistoric evidence for significantly stronger ones," Beachcomber added.

"Right," Wheeljack agreed. "But the Carrington Event happened in 1859, when the most advanced technology on the planet was the telegraph. The bombardment was intense enough that telegraph operators got zapped and telegraph wires actually caught fire during the solar storm, so you can imagine what something like that could do to your average North American home now."

"And what something on that scale would do to BINDS and other Earth satellites," Roadbuster added.

Ignoring them, Kup said to Hot Rod, "It's too bad Shockwave snuffed ya, you know. I told Ultra Magnus he should have gone after the 'con himself, but he decided to send you instead. I can't help but think that in another universe…"

"We've gone over that a thousand times. It's no good thinking like that," Hot Rod interrupted.

"I suppose not. When'd you get so wise, youngling?"

He huffed with that cocky grin of his. "No reason to insult me like that, old timer."

"But the angle's all wrong," Beachcomber protested in the background. "If the probe were to impact Sol and trigger a solar flare on its current trajectory, the resulting solar storm would be more likely to hit Mars."

"And that's assuming it's even designed to trigger a solar flare," Ratchet's face on the view-screen added. "We have no idea what this thing's supposed to do."

"We have some idea," Lancer corrected. "Prowl, I'm coming up with a better-than-80% probability that this is the first volley in the attack we've been anticipating."

"I concur," he said, standing next to Ratchet. "I'm 89.24% confident that this is the beginning of their assault."

Optimus' image on the screen had a field of stars behind him, but his comm voice came through. /Return to Earth, Iron Will. Get under BINDS./

"Respectfully, Prime," Lancer answered, "whatever this probe is going to do, the end result will be the neutralizing of BINDS. Strategically, it's what has to happen for the Decepticons to even have a fighting chance against you, and Megatron knows it. I really don't care about the probe's mechanics at this point, because the next thing coming through that space-bridge will be an army. BINDS isn't going to protect us or Earth-base for much longer."

"They should listen to her," Hot Rod observed.

"Are you the one who thinks that or Jazz?" Kup asked him.

"Both."

"For what it's worth," Kup said more loudly, "I think Lancer's right."

"Permission to leave the safe zone, Prime," Ultra Magnus said. "We're almost as close to Mars as we are to Earth at this point."

/Prowl?/ Prime asked.

"Lancer's logic is sound. It's you who should be returning to Earth."

"This is just a lunar ferry," Beachcomber pointed out. "What can we even do if Lancer's right?"

Ultra Magnus jutted out his chin. "It's an armed lunar ferry, and we'll stand in the breach. Prime, permission to break protocol and leave the safe zone?"

It was Prowl who answered, though. "Earth-base to Iron Will, you have permission. Go, and may fate favor you."

"Windbreaker," Ultra Magnus ordered, "ahead full to the space-bridge."

To Hot Rod, Kup muttered, "Let's just hope this bucket of rust can get us there in time!"

…

Twenty-five Earth-hours after the probe entered the solar system, it adjusted course.

"Earth-base to Iron Will," Prowl said, his face appearing on the screen again just seconds later, "Did you see that?"

"Yes, looks like the probe has moved into an orbit around Earth's sun," Beachcomber responded.

Prowl was dispassionate as always. "You also have company; the space-bridge opened. Can you confirm twelve Cybertronians have come through?"

"Slagging Megatron," Hot Rod muttered.

"I confirm twelve mechs," Firestar said. "Including visual confirmation of Megatron in the lead with Starscream at his side. They're headed straight at us."

Kup muttered to Hot Rod, "You weren't kidding."

"Nope. Wish I were," he said.

"Not at us," Lancer softly said. "They're flying straight at Earth. I doubt we're part of their plans."

"You promise my knees won't be rusty anymore?" Kup asked.

Hot Rod grinned. "Like I said, only if you want 'em to be."

"Kup," Ultra Magnus ordered, "You and Bulkhead track those two squads of Decepticons. Firestar, and Inferno, you keep tracking that probe."

They kept a sharp optic on the probe as it circled the sun, gaining even greater speed as it did. Relative to its orbit around Sol, the probe overshot Earth's position, but Kup didn't think that put the minds of the science 'bots at ease much.

After several hours, the probe changed course again, turning in a right angle into a collision course with Sol. The Decepticons continued their flight straight toward the Iron Will and Earth.

Wheeljack, Ratchet, Firestar, Chromia and Roadbuster (again from the engine room at the rear of the ship) checked and re-checked their calculations. If the probe was going to trigger a solar flare – and that was still far from certain – they found that Earth could potentially pass through the resulting solar storm. It could also miss the storm by several days. There were too many variables to know for sure. But Beachcomber's hunch was a distinct possibility.

And they were due to cross paths with the Decepticons in less than half an hour.

"Helm, forcefields up and steady as we go," Ultra Magnus said. "Weapons, give me a status update."

"All four missile turrets are armed and ready," Bulkhead said, "with Brawn, Blurr, Kup, and Cliffjumper on standby to reload."

Ultra Magnus nodded, and Kup said to Hot Rod, "Considering we came here with nothing, that ain't too bad."

Magnus opened an intercom. "Engine room, status."

Roadbuster answered, "Engines are running as hard as I dare to push them, commander, if our goal is still to get to the space-bridge. The worst thing we could do right now is overheat them, since that would mean a system cool-down and restart."

"Understood. Reduce propulsion by half and prepare for evasive maneuvers. If we can stop Megatron and the others here, we'll want that speed for a victory lap instead on our way home."

"Yes, sir."

"Communications, hail Earth-base."

"Yes, sir," Blaster said.

The view on the screen changed. "Prime here."

Magnus sat straighter in the captain's chair. "Optimus, we're about to engage Megatron. I'm leaving the comm channel open in case you're able to glean anything from it."

"Understood."

Steady as ever, Magnus then gave the order, "Communications, hail Megatron."

After a tense few seconds, Blaster said, "We're not getting a response."

"Then open a broadcast frequency."

"Ready, sir."

"Decepticon invaders, you have entered a system under Autobot protection. Turn around now."

The only response they got was a broadcast comm in return. /Ultra Magnus,/ Megatron sneered. /We're just tourists, here to watch Earth burn, along with all the technology those maggots stole from me. Won't you grant us safe passage?/

"Stand down, Megatron!"

Laughter boomed across the line before it cut.

"Give me a visual on the Decepticons, Blaster," Magnus ordered.

They'd taken up a widening circle formation – and the Iron Will was dead center as the Seekers and Megatron bore down on them.

"Shields at maximum!"

Megatron fired, strafing the ship.

"Return fire!" Magnus ordered, and the Iron Will launched a full barrage of missiles. Several Seekers were hit, and one missile even struck Megatron, but the Decepticons continued on, the circle closing again as they moved beyond the Iron Will.

"After them," Ultra Magnus ordered.

"Commander," Lancer urgently said, "they're just the advance party. The scouts. You heard Megatron – they're here to make sure the probe does what they intend it to. The main body of the Decepticons has yet to come through the space-bridge."

Ultra Magnus looked at her sharply. "You're sure about that, lieutenant?"

"Positive, sir. They've been amassing troops for years. This attack will absolutely involve more than just a dozen Decepticons. They wouldn't leave us as an unchallenged threat on their flank unless they anticipated reinforcements who would take us out. This is just a scouting party."

"Helm, take us about," Ultra Magnus said. "We've got to stop those reinforcements from coming through. Get us to the space-bridge as quickly as you can. Earth-base, did you catch that?"

"Yes, Iron Will," Optimus replied. "Stay your course. We'll take care of Megatron and the others."

"Commander?" Lancer tentatively said.

"Yes, lieutenant?"

"We need a more-definite plan than 'stand in the breach.' Permission to…"

"Granted," Magnus said before she could even finish.

She nodded sharply. "Earth-base, I need Prowl, Wheeljack, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Chromia on the comm with us." Then looking around the bridge, she said, "And everyone present is granted permission to speak freely, too, including you, Roadbuster. We need to put our helms together. Earth still has two days at least before the Decepticons' advance party arrives, but we'll be at the space-bridge in less than fifteen hours. One way or another, we need to destroy it."

Though she hadn't presumed to invite him, Optimus said, "According to the information in Jetfire's databases, the space-bridge portals are built to withstand just about anything short of a supernova. Even all of Earth's nuclear warheads combined couldn't destroy the one orbiting Mars."

"Do those databases include any schematics of the space-bridges, Prime?" Lancer asked.

"They do. Transmitting now."

The science 'bots poured over the space-bridge's design for more than two hours, tossing ideas back and forth without coming to any satisfactory conclusions for how they could disable or destroy the portal's frame or processor.

"Commander?" Firestar said from the science station. "The space-bridge just opened again."

"Who is it this time?" Ultra Magnus demanded.

"A dozen Seekers. I haven't identified all of them, but I know Acid Storm and Octane by sight."

Ultra Magnus turned to Lancer. "Is this the main army?"

She hesitated for a few astroseconds, considering. "Unlikely, sir, if this isn't immediately followed by another wave. The contingent is too small. Our presence here is an unknown in the equation, a monkey-wrench, as the humans say. This is most likely a task force sent to eliminate us before the main army comes through."

"Firestar, what's their ETA?" Magnus asked.

"Approximately 3 hours."

"It's time to come up with some answers here," Magnus said. "Forget finesse. Give me Wrecker-logic, not theoretical physics. I just need better-than-even odds."

"But we can't break it," Roadbuster protested.

"So what are our other options?" Magnus pressed.

"We can't destroy it," Firestar said, "but can we disable it from the outside somehow?"

"You mean mess it up?" Cliffjumper asked.

"Mess it up just enough," Lancer confirmed with a slight smile.

"Misdirect the wormhole?" Brawn asked.

"Or destabilize it," Blaster added, "like with comm-canceling tech?"

"Maybe," Wheeljack mused, "with a big enough detonation inside the wormhole, you could temporarily destabilize it. But again, we're talking about some pretty significant munitions, and the effect would probably only be temporary."

Roadbuster huffed over the intercom. "We're outfitted to battle Seekers, not annihilate planets."

"You're a Wrecker," Chromia said. "Get creative."

"With what? We don't have anything like that aboard. We emptied our subspace pockets before leaving Earth and we even left our mining equipment behind."

Inferno asked, "What about the engine of the Iron Will?"

"Maybe. It's just a lunar ferry, though," Wheeljack said.

"I need better than 50-50 odds," Magnus reminded him.

Roadbuster was unconvinced, though. "By itself, I doubt the engine would get you better-than-even odds."

For the first time in this conversation, Beachcomber piped up. "I hate to say it, but...what about energon? Raw energon, barely processed. Thirteen 'bots worth."

Both Kup and Hot Rod turned to stare at the pacifist. "Not even Jazz saw that one coming," Hot Rod confided to Kup.

They weren't the only ones staring in shock, and Beachcomber said, "We can't let Earth become another Cybertron. We have to protect it and the humans."

"Not that kind of creative!" Inferno burst out. "You're talking about all thirteen of us killing ourselves to create an explosion. You of all mechs!"

Roadbuster was thoughtful, though. "We could inject the energon into the engine's reaction chamber."

Bulkhead tilted his helm. "That would do it, wouldn't it, Wheeljack?"

Wheeljack bowed his helm and raised his battle mask – raising battle protocols against what he was being asked to calculate.

After several long minutes, Bulkhead repeated, "Wheeljack?"

Magnus ground his gears. "There are a dozen Decepticons headed your way and another dozen bearing down on us. I need an answer now, Wheeljack."

"Yes," Wheeljack said, his shoulders hunched and his voice stricken through the battle mask. "If that much energon was dumped into the engine's reaction chamber as you were crossing the event horizon of the space-bridge...yes, that would get you better-than-even odds. Much better."

"Magnus…" Optimus began, but Ultra Magnus cut him off.

"No sacrifice, no victory. The Autobots need their Primes and everything you're going to build together. This is why we're here, Optimus."

Like Wheeljack, Optimus bowed his helm and the line lapsed into silence for several long seconds. Finally lifting his gaze, he said, "Understood, brother. You and your entire crew honor us with your courage and sacrifice. Until all are one."

Both Kup and Hot Rod echoed with the rest of the crew, "Until all are one."

"But we're not done yet," Bulkhead said. "To get in position, we've got to fight our way through a dozen Seekers first."

"And we need a mechanical set-up likely to actually work for injecting the energon into the reaction chamber," Roadbuster pointed out. "It's not designed for anything like that."

Ultra Magnus nodded. "You've got two hours until those Seekers are on us, Roadbuster. Who do you need?"

"Beachcomber for the math, Brawn for the ingenuity, and Blurr for a quick set of hands."

"Done," Magnus said, meeting Beachcomber's gaze and jerking his helm toward the engine room.

Then he turned his attention to the helmsmech. "Windcharger? We're looking at a ten-hour running battle in a race to the space-bridge. What do you need to get us there?"

He tilted his helm, considering for an astrosecond. "Turn off artificial gravity, and we can just magnetize to the floor. It'll free up more engine power and will give us 'bots better reaction times since we won't also be fighting G-forces."

"Will that hinder you, Roadbuster?" Magnus asked.

But it was Brawn who answered over the intercom. "No, we can work around that."

"Do it," Ultra Magnus ordered.

"We should probably also knock a few holes in the hull," Bulkhead added. "We'll keep those turrets loaded with missiles as long as we can, but it'll come down to personal firearms before we make it to that space-bridge. We'll need gunholes."

"Fine," Roadbuster's voice came over the intercom, "but make it strategic. External force fields will only do us so much good."

"Just pull a few of Sanchez' rivets," Inferno said. "That should do it."

Within half an hour, Roadbuster's team had a plan, and since Bulkhead's team had already provided some gunholes in the hull, they had now lost both an atmosphere and artificial gravity.

Roadbuster used a public comm instead of the ship's now-useless audio system. /Since we won't need the main hatch again, we're going to drain the hydraulic fluid system and repurpose the pump to flood the engine's reaction chamber with energon. We figure we can have it done in about an hour. Maybe a little more./

/Elegant in its simplicity,/ Lancer said with approval.

/Get it ready,/ Ultra Magnus ordered, /and let us know if you need any extra help. Logistically, how do you recommend we…donate energon without gravity?/

/Inferno will need to figure that out,/ Roadbuster crisply said. /Engine room out./

Ultra Magnus looked at Inferno, who heavily sighed. /It's easy enough to set up a siphon with an inline pump on a mech's energon line./

/Do we have what we need for that?/

/I've still got four siphons with inline pumps in my subspace./

/How much time will we need to fill the pump's reservoir?/

/Depends on the size of the 'bot, the width of the siphon and the strength of the pull from that hydraulic fluid reservoir. The first 'bots to donate energon will bleed out the quickest./

/Prep those siphons and have them on standby,/ Ultra Magnus ordered. After a couple seconds of hesitation, he added, /And Inferno, thank you. This isn't easy, especially with your mate present, but I wouldn't ask this of any of you if it wasn't absolutely necessary./

Inferno's optics brightened slightly. /I know./

Over a private comm, Kup asked, /Magnus, what's the plan for the endgame?/

Ultra Magnus glanced his way curiously and then looked straight ahead at the view-screen again. /Still finalizing the details on that. I'll go last, since that will make energon donation go quicker for the rest of you. I'll set the ship on a course through the space-bridge portal with a countdown so I know when we're close. When I'm critically low on energon, I'll go back to the engine room and activate the pump as the Iron Will backs into the space-bridge engine-first./

"I've got a better idea," Hot Rod said to Kup. "It'll mean you'll be the last mech standing."

Kup could already think of several reasons why that might be better. /Let me do it, commander. You need to be with Lancer and the others./

Magnus looked sharply at him.

Kup smirked. /I might be old but I ain't blind, lad. You belong at her side for this./

Magnus vented a heavy sigh. /I'm asking the impossible of this crew. I have a duty to them to see this through to the end./

/Commander, let me do it,/ Kup repeated. /This is how I earn my place at the table./

Hot Rod gave him a nod of approval.

Magnus frowned thoughtfully.

/And yours is the biggest frame here – your tanks hold the most energon./

/When you put it that way…/ Shifting to a public comm, Ultra Magnus said, /When we get to the space-bridge, Windcharger, position us to enter it engine-first and set us on a collision course. Make sure you set a countdown, too. Once all the rest of us have donated energon, Kup will trigger the energon pump as we cross into the space-bridge. Kup, talk to Roadbuster to learn what you need to know to make this a success./

/Yes, commander,/ Kup said and headed toward the engine room.

…

The Seekers thought they were in for an easy kill and all but strutted up to the Iron Will. Two of them were offlined in the first barrage of missiles.

Windcharger had reflexes even faster than a Seeker's, now that he was topped off with energon, and he handled the ship masterfully. And Roadbuster, when he wasn't cussing the engine into submission, took great delight in firing his rifle through the gunholes he'd grudgingly allowed Bulkhead to make in the hull of the engine room.

Bulkhead and his team kept the missiles coming, and while it took another hour for them to offline another Seeker, the remaining nine were in at least as rough shape as the Iron Will.

The ship continued to limp along, running mostly on the heat of Roadbuster's fury, while missiles continued to whizz back and forth. Thanks to Windcharger's excellent flying, another two of the Decepticons were taken out by their own friendly fire within the next hour. After that, the 'cons were a bit more wary. (Seekers usually aren't the sharpest tool in the box. Starscream was very much the exception.)

The Iron Will and the Seekers continued to exchange fire, but from a bit more of a distance. Still, one of the ship's maneuvering thrusters was completely blown off, and the majority of the landing gear was slagged beyond use by the time they were halfway to the space-bridge.

As intense as the battle was, the higher energon levels of the Autobots gave their personal firearms greater range and accuracy, and it showed. By the sixth hour, another Seeker was offlined and Octane lost a thruster and was as good as an asteroid himself.

By the seventh hour, the Iron Will had run out of missiles and its crew were down to personal arms. Kup was relieved when Bulkhead pointed out that the Seekers weren't using missiles anymore either. Between Ultra Magnus, Firestar, and Roadbuster, the Iron Will was more heavily armed now than the 'cons. Before the seventh hour was up, another Seeker was critically wounded and out of the fight.

When they were close enough that they could see the space-bridge portal through the gunholes, there were only four Seekers still harrying the Iron Will. Magnus ordered, /Inferno, get those siphons started!/

/I guess…I'll go first,/ Cliffjumper said, walking toward the station where Inferno had set up the siphon tubes so they drained directly into the empty hydraulic-fluid reservoir. Cliffjumper peeled back the plating on his forearm, exposing a major energon line.

Face expressionless, Inferno inserted the siphon into the line.

/I'm next,/ Beachcomber said, extending his arm with a tiny smile. Meeting Inferno's gaze, he added, /It's more reassuring than I expected, the thought that this is my last battle./

Blurr was next, sticking out his arm before Inferno even finished with Beachcomber. /Just make it quick./

/Got another Seeker!/ Roadbuster crowed.

Blaster maneuvered in between them, arm extended. With his smaller frame, he emptied out quickest. His optics flickering, he asked over a public comm, /Hey Kup, think Jazz'll be there for me?/

Kup looked to Hot Rod. "Octave will be his anchor, but Jazz knows he's coming and will be next in line."

Kup gave Blaster a reassuring smile. /Octave is the first mech you'll meet, since he was your creator and will anchor you. But Jazz'll be the second mech you meet in the Well./

/Sounds nice. Hope it's true,/ he answered and then collapsed, his optics going dark.

Inferno withdrew the siphon and Kup pulled Blaster's frame to the far wall. Brawn took his place, while Magnus, Lancer, Bulkhead, and Roadbuster continued to engage the Seekers. Windcharger programmed the Nav computer with destination coordinates directly on the other side of the space-bridge and set a countdown to the distance. Once their approach was being announced over the comm, he hurried over to Inferno, taking Cliffjumper's place as soon as Kup moved his shell out of the way.

After moving Blurr's frame aside, Firestar stepped up to the open spot next to Windcharger and extended her arm. Inferno's plating flattened against his frame in dismay as she opened her wrist armor. With her other hand, she caressed Inferno's faceplates. /See you on the other side, brave spark. Meet me under the Quicksilver Falls of Treptifal, just like that orn so very long ago./

His engine choked, but he commed, /Kup, you paying attention so you'll be able to do this?/

/Mech, I knew how to start an emergency energon siphon before your spark was forged./

/Fair enough,/ he said, and started Firestar's siphon.

Beachcomber collapsed, optics going dark, and Inferno withdrew the siphon to insert it into his own energon line. When Kup stepped closer to move Beachcomber aside, Inferno met his gaze. /Lay my frame next to Firestar's?/

Kup solemnly nodded. /I'll look after you all./

When Brawn's empty shell collapsed, Kup gently moved him aside, comming to the remaining 'bots, /Fight's over, lads and lass. Time to donate energon./

Firestar collapsed, and Inferno dropped to his knees, keening with flickering optics.

Roadbuster burst out swearing, and Bulkhead demanded, /What?/

/The space-bridge! It has to be active for this to work! All this will be for nothing if the Seekers don't open that fragging space-bridge!/

Kup looked at Hot Rod. "Don't suppose you could help with that?"

"Let me see what I can do. I'll be right back."

/We're committed now,/ Kup said to the others. /May as well./

/Not as long as I've got Seekers taking pot-shots at my ship!/ Roadbuster snarled back. /There! I knew I'd winged Sunstorm earlier. Now he's out of this fight./

With a flare of stark, white light, the space-bridge opened.

Kup grinned when Hot Rod returned. "Good work, lad."

"Wasn't my doing," he admitted. "It was Roadbuster's. They're sending reinforcements since you reduced their task force to less than one trine."

/Hurry up!/ Kup called, dragging Inferno's frame over to lay him out next to Firestar's.

/Bulkhead, Roadbuster, go!/ Magnus ordered, firing at the Seekers that were still harrying them.

/That's not how we win this, Magnus,/ Kup said. /You and Lancer get down here, too./

One of his shots singed a Seeker, and Magnus fired two more in quick succession.

/Magnus?/ Lancer asked as she also continued to return fire.

Grinding his gears, Magnus turned and ran the few steps to where Kup was holding a waiting siphon for him and inserted it. Lancer got off one more shot and then followed him.

As Kup started draining her energon, she said over a public comm, /It's been an honor serving with you, commander./

And Kup thought it was the strangest thing that – in that moment – Ultra Magnus smiled. /The honor has been mine, keen spark./

Her optics dimmed a little, and with a wan smile, she nodded even as the ship rocked with Seeker-fire.

She emptied out at the same time as Roadbuster. Since Kup had his hands full with the Wrecker's frame, Ultra Magnus caught Lancer and watched as the last light left her optics.

Gently setting her aside, he turned to Kup and held out his unencumbered wrist, the smile gone and something far more grim on his faceplates. /Give me her line, too. The sooner I join her, the better./

Kup complied and then picked up Roadbuster's line for his own wrist. /Don't be like that, lad./

/Her spark was brighter and keener than any star, and now she's extinguished,/ he softly said. /What a waste! A horrific waste. Millions of times over./

"Go ahead and tell him!" Hot Rod said.

But before Kup could, he was interrupted by a comm from Prowl. /Enjoy your place at the table, Kup./

Surprised, he replied, /Thanks./

/You and all the crew of the Iron Will have earned it. And...please give my regards to Jazz./

Kup smiled grimly to himself. /Will do. Though you'll be able to do it yourself before too much longer. Until all are one, Prowl./

/Until all are one./

By then Ultra Magnus was already collapsing – the result of the double siphon.

"Too late," Kup said to Hot Rod. The ship rocked again, this time with a missile impact that blew away half the view-screen and ended the countdown. "Looks like those reinforcements are coming through," Kup added. He pulled the siphon from his arm and staggered to the engine room, his wrist still leaking energon.

Hot Rod followed a pace or two behind him. "Jazz says it'll be worth your time to turn on all those human-protecting systems."

"He does tend to give good advice," Kup grimly smirked and hit the button to activate those systems first. Then he punched in the sequence to activate the pump and flood the engine's reaction chamber with energon.

A series of missiles struck the Iron Will, blasting through the hold and breaking the ship in half. Kup was thrown to the deck, and he watched as the front half of the ship tumbled off into space, the empty shells of his friends still magnetized to the deck of the hold.

The overheating engine made the plating beneath Kup uncomfortably warm, and Hot Rod took a knee beside him. "Well, you've got a story that will definitely earn you a place at the table. We've been eagerly waiting to hear it." Extending his servo, he asked, "Ready to come tell us the tale?"

The old mech smiled and grasped the other's servo, allowing Hot Rod to pull him up. "I reckon so."

Author's Endnote: I don't write tear-jerkers, but this chapter is probably as close as I'll ever come. These events have been in the back of my mind for more than a decade and are even referred to in Chapter 3 of my fic Introductions: Annabelle Lennox. It's been a hard chapter to write, but this is a necessary story to tell, especially in light of some future storylines. I am genuinely attached to these characters, and if you grieve them in this chapter, you grieve with me.