Disclaimer: I don't own transformers…blah, blah, blah…I own Jaime and the plot of Free Falling…yada, yada, yada…On to the story!

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Will's POV

Will sighed as he fiddled with his military vest. They'd been flying for hours. It had to be happening soon. The major ignored Galloway—who was sitting next to him reading something—and glanced over at Jaime. She had given Galloway the stink eye when he boarded and the man had stayed as far away from the girl as possible. She had noted with some satisfaction that the man's nose was still bandaged. Jaime had kept to herself, staying near Optimus. Will wondered what excuse he would tell Jaime about their diversion. She was smart enough to be suspicious that something was happening. But when he looked over, he was relieved to see that she was sleeping. Hopefully she'd stay that way. Will frowned when he noticed something.

Although he was relieved to see that she was getting some rest, he noticed that she'd been rather lethargic these last few days. He thought back and remembered her being tired and sleeping a lot after Jeong Jeong died, and—from what he'd heard from those who'd been on base—while he and his team were in Shanghai. She seemed to get sleepy whenever she was…stressed.

He tilted his head in thought. Was that how she handled it? He had to admit, she went through a lot of things a kid her age shouldn't. She shouldn't have to put up with all this. This was supposed to be her childhood. Will vowed from then on, that he would make more of an effort to do things with her that kids should be doing, something fun, like that soccer game they played on Jaime's birthday. They'd visit the farm after this. It had been too long since seeing Sarah and Annabelle three months ago. The speakers blared to life overhead.

"We've had an engine malfunction. We're gonna have to divert to SOCCENT. Flight master, let's lighten the load and prepare for bailout." Will allowed himself a few seconds to take in Galloway's startle look, hiding his delight of course.

"Bailout? Bailout?" the man squawked. "Bailout? Bailout?" Will mentally ordered himself to remain professional as he heaved himself into a standing position.

"All right, team," he yelled, "grab your chutes!"

"Bailout, like bailout?" Galloway continued to babble. Will turned to him.

"You familiar with the standard MC-4?"

"Of course not! I've never jumped out of a perfectly good airplane before!" Galloway snapped before anxiety began to cloud his face. "Wait a minute, is this really happening?" The man glanced around, taking in the sight of the other soldiers readying themselves.

"Yeah," Will replied, beginning to strap on the man's parachute. "All right, here we go." Will immediately bit the inside of his cheek when a preparing Epps rotated and 'accidentally' bumped Galloway from behind. The man stumbled forward a couple steps.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute," Galloway regained his balance and glanced at the sergeant suspiciously before pinning Will with a critical gaze. "You're behind this, aren't you?" Will made sure to keep his cool.

"What are you talking about?" Will asked, purposefully making his face look confused. "You heard the pilot. These guys don't mess around," He shook his head, never stopping in securing the parachute. "This is just standard procedure. I'm just following orders to the letter." Unable to suppress the somewhat childish urge to add emphasis to his words, Will tugged the straps a little harder than necessary causing some very sharp discomfort in Galloway's lower extremities. "Isn't that what you said?" Will asked, struggling not to smirk at the man's hilarious pained look.

"You," Galloway growled, teeth still clenched in pain, "just signed a death warrant on your career, Major." All of a sudden, the plane tilted precariously to the side and they all struggled to maintain their balance. As soon as the plane had righted itself, Galloway had completely forgotten his anger and was nearly clinging to the major. "What was that?" he asked in a fearful tone. "What was that?" Will suppressed the desire to roll his eyes. Of course, Ricky was having way too much time as the copilot and faking an engine malfunction. He had to admit though, he had asked for it.

"You want me to fake an engine malfunction?" Ricky asked in a dubious tone. "With Galloway onboard?"

"Yup," Will nodded, clapping a hand on the man's shoulder. "You can handle that, right?"

"How am I supposed to fake an engine malfunction without actually making the engine malfunction?" he asked with a frown.

"Make it convincing," Will smirked.

Yup, he'd totally asked for it. At least Galloway seemed completely convinced now.

"That's not good," said Will, pretending to look around nervously. He had to play his part for this to work. He should be getting a damn Oscar for his performance. "Come on," he grabbed Galloway by the arm. "Right this way!" The back of the plane opened up and Will led the now panicking man to the back near the door.

"I can't jump out of an airplane!" Galloway nearly screeched. "I have an ulcer! No, no." He dug his heels into the ground. As if that would slow Will down. He could carry Galloway over his shoulder no problem. But if he just threw Galloway out of the plane, their ruse would be discovered. Not to mention, the major didn't exactly trust Galloway to remember to pull the cord, judging by the terrorized look in his eyes. Despite his extreme dislike for the man, he didn't really want the man to end up becoming a red smear on the ground thousands of feet before. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"Come on. It's okay," Will coaxed, dragging him closer to the opening.

"I really can't do this! What are you doing—"

"Come here! Come here."

"Why aren't you wearing your chute?" Galloway suddenly asked. Was he seriously just noticing that now?

"Because I have to secure the VIPs first!" Will shouted—the wind was noisy this close to the opening—and Galloway seemed to accept his answer. "Okay, I want you to listen very carefully and memorize everything that I say." Will continued to shout, but he kept his voice low enough so the man was straining to hear what he was saying. Galloway leaned forward with a frown, struggling to hear his overly complex instructions. "Each chute has a GPS tracker so you can be found by Search and Rescue. Right next to that's a fabric webbing called a bridle, which holds the pin that keeps the main container closed. Okay," Will paused. No doubt the special terms were muddling the man's terror-struck mind and only causing more panic, which was Will's intent. Galloway's eyes had glazed over. "Are you listening?" Will shouted, feigning impatience.

"I can't hear what," he was furiously shaking his head and his hand failing as emphasis.

"Stop that!" Will slapped the man. He didn't have time for this. He needed to hurry up and get rid of Galloway before Jaime woke up.

"All right. All right," Galloway seemed to stifle a sob, which was just too hilarious. Here was a man who took great pleasure in other people's unhappiness. And later, here was the same man looking like he was about to pee his pants…If he hadn't already. Justice was being served. Do not laugh, remain professional. Do not laugh, remain professional. Do not laugh, remain professional. Will repeated the mantra in his head after seeing Galloway's panic-stricken expression.

"All right," Will continued. "When the pilot chute inflates into the air, it pulls the pin and opens the main. Red's your backup, blue's your primary." Will gestured. "I want you to pull the blue." This part was crucial. "I need you to pull it really hard!" He stressed it again. Predictably, Galloway pulled the blue, just as Will was hoping for. "Not now, we're on the plane, you dumb-ass!" For a split second, Galloway stared at Will and understanding lit his features, no doubt Will's twitching mouth corners had been a dead giveaway. But before he could even considering ranting at Will, a gust of wind caught the parachute and yanked the man out of the plane, who was now screaming bloody murder. Will finally allowed himself a grin of satisfaction and walked back towards the front, the back doors closing. He glanced at Jaime and was relieved to see that she was still asleep. He stopped next to his buddy Epps.

"He say good-bye?" the sergeant asked conversationally. Will glanced over and spotted the gleam in his eye.

"Naw, he didn't even say good-bye," Will answered, his smirk stretching even wider.

The girl had woken up when the atmosphere of the plane changed. They seemed to be nearing their destination, judging by the other soldier's preparations. Jaime frowned in confusion. That seemed awfully fast, she mused. Her attention turned to Epps and Ricky, who seemed to be really enjoying themselves as they strapped their equipment on. Epps just could not stop laughing, and if Ricky's grin stretched any further Jaime was sure that his cheeks were sure to explode. Will caught her eye and strode over to her. She patted Optimus' shoulder plate one last time and slid off his frame to meet the major.

"Are we at Diego Garcia already?" she asked, her sleepiness fading. Will shook his head.

"We're making a quick stop," he said.

"Where?" she asked.

"Egypt." Jaime frowned. Egypt? What was in Egypt? Before she could ask him, he was already speaking to her again.

"I want you to stay here on the plane with the pilots, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because I want you to remain safe," Will placed a hand on her shoulder. Safe?

"Are you expecting some kind of confrontation?" the girl asked. Something was off. There was some piece of the puzzle she wasn't seeing.

"…We should be fine," he gave her a small smile, but it seemed a bit strained. Before she could ask any more questions, the back of the plane was opening. They're airdropping, Jaime realized. Men started to jump out. With a start, Jaime realized that the Prime's frame was sliding towards the opening.

"Will!" Jaime gasped, pointing at Optimus. Will glanced at where she was pointing, but didn't seem concerned.

"It's okay," he soothed. "We're gonna, um, borrow him for a bit." Jaime glanced up at him. He was acting really strange.

"But I need to stay with him," Jaime protested. She couldn't leave Optimus. Not now. She needed to make sure—

"No," Will frowned, his tone serious. "You're staying here." The Autobot leader's body slid the rest of the way out and disappeared from view. Jaime's throat closed up. "I'll see you soon." The major turned around and strode towards the opening.

"Will," Jaime pleaded. The man faced her one last time.

"Stay. Here," he ordered in his commander voice, before jumping into the open sky. As soon as he had leapt out of the plane, the door slowly slammed shut. Jaime sighed, staring at the metal for a few moments, before settling on a nearby seat.

Will's POV

The wind tore at his uniform as he plunged towards the earth. He forced his thoughts to focus on the matter at hand and banish the image of Jaime's forlorn face from his mind. Jaime would be fine. The pilots were going to stop at a nearby naval base. She would be out of harm's way and protected. Will yanked the cord of his parachute, slowing his descent. Moments later, he was on the ground and shrugging off the harness, his surrounding men mirroring his actions.

"Go!" He ordered as soon as he was ready to push ahead. "Let's move it." Men secured their weapons and equipment, quickly invading the small village. "Remember, they're friendlies," Will called out. The villagers were not their main concern. No, Will had only two concerns. Find Sam, and avoid Decepticon detection. Will heard Ironhide and Ratchet's engines roaring somewhere to his right. Will lead a group of soldiers to Optimus. Some locals were studying the large foreign object, some going as far as poking him with sticks. However, they quickly retreated upon their approach.

"Cover Optimus!" Ricky called out from behind. Good, they didn't want to attract any more attention. A dead giant alien robot seemed to attract just as much as a live one. Will flinched at the harsh thought and busied himself by taking in his surroundings.

"Secure the village!" he continued to shout orders. "Get those cases down here. I need snipers and Stingers up high!"

"So, we just dropped off 10 tons of dead robot in the middle of nowhere," said Epps, gazing through his rifle scope. Will stood next to his long time buddy. "I hope this kid knows what he's doing." Will didn't blame the sergeant for his unusually harsh words towards Sam. They were all on edge. They were disobeying direct orders and could get in a heap of trouble for this. But if they could bring Optimus back, the consequences wouldn't be nearly as bad, he hoped.

"Yeah, me too," Will muttered. Minutes seemed to drag by as all the soldiers were on lookout. Everyone waited for some sign of the boy who apparently had some miraculous plan to bring the big guy back.

"Got a visual!" Ricky called from a rooftop a few yards away. "Yellow team! Four clicks!" Relief was the first thing Will felt. So the boy was nearby. The major brought his hands to his eyes to shade them from the glaring sun. He strained to see any sign of Bumblebee or the twins, but they were still too far away. And if he couldn't see them, Sam might not be able to see them. They needed to signal the teen to their position.

"Pop flare!" he ordered. Seconds later, a flare shot up into the sky. Now we wait, thought Will. They did their part. They'd brought Optimus. They'd shown their position. Now Sam just had to get here and he could bring Optimus back. The major frowned when his ears picked up on a roaring jet engine.

"That thing's got alien tattoos all over it," said Epps, looking through a pair of binoculars. Will glanced up to see a jet rocketing through the sky, an F22 if his guess was correct. "That ain't Air Force," the sergeant muttered. Wait a minute…F22? Wasn't there a—Will's thought process was interrupted when a strange foreign sound cut through the air.

"What the hell was that?" Will asked no one in particular.

"Anyone copy?" Epps tapped his earpiece

"Anyone there? Who's up?" Will spoke into his comm.

"Copy?" Epps tried again. Will let out a disgusted growl and yanked out his now useless earpiece.

"Radio's down," a soldier called.

"It's dead," Will grunted, a frown marring his face. "Comms are down."

"EMP burst," Epps muttered as an explanation. It must have been that damn jet, Will thought sullenly. "I see how this day is going in this godforsaken desert," Epps added, his usual sarcasm surfacing. Time seemed to drag by.

Will's POV

"Nothing," Epps spoke from his perch, above Will's sight range.

"Right," the major sighed before turning to a nearby soldier. "Go burn an SOS. Let the eye in the sky know we need some help."

"Yes, sir." Will shifted on his feet, growing impatient.

"Okay, boys, old school time. Pop some more flares so the kid can find us," he ordered. The boy should be here by now. He was only four clicks away. And he had both Bumblebee and the twins with him. They must be having a difficult time finding them. He didn't want to consider the other possible reason for Sam's delay. Although that jet from before sure wasn't helping.

All of a sudden, roaring filled the sky. Will and the rest of his soldiers as gazed up, hoping to see reinforcements. Will's stomach plummeted. No, they shouldn't be here. They…they were supposed to be headed towards the naval base. What were they doing here? Why were they back? His question was soon answered when he realized that the alien jet from before was pursuing the cargo plane. It was the bigger one. He had a sinking feeling what had happened to the smaller one. The jet was tailing the one that had been holding Optimus. The one that was holding Jaime. The jet closed in and fired a missile at the cargo plane.

"No," he whispered, unaware that Epps was beside him sharing a similar reaction. The cargo plane was big and cumbersome. It wasn't meant for quick evasive maneuvers. It didn't even have a chance of dodging the projectile. The missile struck the plane. The following explosion lit up the sky, flames licked the air in a giant show of combustion.

"JAIME!" Will bellowed to the sky. An enraged Sideswipe opened fire on the jet. But it was too far away. The jet easily evaded the enemy fire and turned tail. No, this couldn't be happening. She was supposed to be safe. He…he'd made sure of it. He'd specifically told the pilots to head straight to the naval base and keep her protected at all costs! A huge wave of despair engulfed the poor man. There was no way she—or anyone—could've survived such an explosion.

Burning leftover parts of the plane fell from the sky. No, no one could've survived that. Will clutched his rifle as his breathing became ragged. He was only distantly aware of his surroundings. The man struggled to reign in the overwhelming emotions. He couldn't lose control. Not here. He had a job to do and he had people looking to him for reassurance. He needed to—

Oh God, she was gone. Gone! He didn't want to believe it, but he'd witnessed it himself. How could she be...She was just a kid!...His kid…What was the last thing he'd said to her? He hadn't even thought to tell her how much he'd loved her. She knew that right? He'd always tried to make that clear in the past. But sometimes he got so busy…He'd assumed he'd be coming back. If either one of them were to severely injured he'd expect it to happen to him. He was the one going into a possible combat zone. Oh God…she was gone! And it was all his fault…

"We've got incoming!" Someone shouted.

"Will," someone shook him. "Snap outta it man." Will's gaze cleared and he saw that it was Epps who had grabbed him. "We got a whole lot of fight coming our way," the sergeant continued, a silent question shining in his eyes. His soldiers needed his direction. They needed his presence.

"How many?" the major found himself asking.

"About 13 of them," said Ricky from his right. Will glanced over and watched the man load and prime his weapon, his movements were jerky. Will caught the pained look in the man's eyes before he turned away. His friend Epps was pacing.

"This ain't good. This ain't good," the man muttered before stopping in place. "We're about to get our asses whupped." Despite the situation, despite what had just happened, Will felt his mouth twitch into a smirk. Leave it to Epps to say just what he needed to hear to keep going. Will pushed the exploding cargo plane to the back of his mind. He'd deal with that later. He needed to be at one hundred percent if he and his men were going to get out of this. They would get out of this. The NEST soldiers and Autobots grouped together.

"All right, those Decepticons are searching for Sam," Will began. The teen had still not shown up. It was obvious now that he'd been confronted with complications. Hopefully his guardian would still be able to get him to safety, despite the overwhelming odds. "Whatever he has, he thinks it'll bring Optimus back to life, so our mission is to find him and get him to Optimus." Will's stressed mind was racing, forming a plan on the spot. "All right, we're gonna draw fire from the left flank. I need a scout team—"

"I'm leading," Ironhide announced, his tone daring anyone to say otherwise. Will could feel the killer intent roll off his frame in waves. He could tell what the weapons expert was thinking. The Decepticons would pay. Will only hesitated for a brief moment before continuing. "Go up through the middle with Arcee and Ironhide! All right, when you see the precious cargo, I want you to pop green smoke and come back through those pillars," Will pointed at said pillars. "We'll have the ambush set. All right. Let's go. Move out!" As the soldiers rose and moved as one, Will didn't even notice that an Autobot was missing. He had been too distracted by the recent events to realize that a certain saboteur had disappeared.

Galem: Yea, I'm so excited to reach this point! Because we got some surprises in store that you guys finally get to start seeing! :D

Ironhide: *Storms in* Where is she?

Prowl: Calm yourself Ironhide.

Ironhide: *Optic twitches* Calm myself? Do you realize how long it took her to update? And she still hasn't brought Optimus back!

Jazz: We know! But…

Prowl: *Sighs* The authoress has not been herself. I do not think it wise that you confront her at this time.

Ironhide: Why?

[In the adjacent room]

Hubero: ARGH! Supid! Stupid! Stupid! *Objects can be heard being thrown around half hazardly* Where IS it?

Ironhide: *Glances warily at the door* What's wrong with her.

Jazz: *Shrugs* Don' know. She won' tell us.

Prowl: She has been exhibited this strange behavior ever since we caught up with her.

Ironhide: *Cocks helm* Why is she no longer making any noise?

Hubero: …EEEEKKKK! I FOUND IT! OH HAPPY DAYS! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINALLY FOUND IT! YIPPEE! *Dashes out of the room and sees the gathered bots and confused readers* LOOK GUYS! I FOUND IT! *Proudly holds up a DVD case*

Prowl: *Reading the case* Transformers…Revenge of the…Fallen? *Immediately on guard* What is that?

Hubero: *Faces audience* Hi guys! I'm so sorry for the delay! I meant to get this posted sooner. But…I lost my Revenge of the Fallen DVD, which I use a lot when writing out the chapters to make sure I'm following the storyline as much as I possibly can. And I just couldn't continue without my research material T-T But I'm back! And ready to write more chapters! I'm so happy right now! Nothing could possibly ruin my mood! *Twirls in a happy circle clutching the DVD case*

Ironhide: *Smirks* Not even the fact that today is your check up with Ratchet?

Hubero: *Pauses*

Ironhide: And that you were supposed to be there 4 hours ago?

Hubero: …

Ironhide: *Smugly* He's looking for you.

Hubero: ...Dammit Hide! *Stomps off*

Prowl: *Frowns* Ironhide…

Ironhide: What? I thought she was issuing a challenge? *Crosses arms* Not my fault she couldn't handle it.