Starlit's View:
Jazz and I sat in awe as we watched Prowl use his processor over matter technique. I'd seen him do it before with leaves, but this was much cooler.
"Master Yoketron had it pegged. You're the real deal, Prowl. So, how come you never wrapped up your cyber ninja training?" Jazz asked him. Just before Prowl could answer Bee and Bulkhead came crashing in, obviously excited about something. Prowl lost focus and dropped the barrel. The three of us gasped and jumped out of the way as they both lost control in the oil. Bulkhead crashed into Bee, but luckily neither were hurt.
"I just picked up a signal from Omega Supreme and they're…" Bulkhead started, but Bee interrupted.
"They're on the moon, Earth's moon!" That meant...Megatron had rejoined his troops.
Back at the monitors, Prime noticed the energy signature hasn't moved since its detection.
"That just confirms Megatron has got control over Omega Supreme. I say we go rescue him and Arcee! We need to use the Magnus Hammer." Ratchet held out the weapon to Optimus. It was explained to me that this hammer was very powerful and only a true Magnus could wheld it. Optimus paused before giving his answer.
"I...we can't use that." Optimus said firmly.
"Then how are we supposed to take on Megatron?" Bulkhead asked.
"We gotta even the odds somehow…" Jazz sighed.
"We will, but not with this. I had an idea. An upgrade, something so I could keep up with Megatron."
"Are you out of you fragging mind?" Ratchet yelled. "Autobots don't fly!"
"What about Jetfire and Jetstorm?" Bulkhead defended.
"And Prowl's sidecar jet pack thing? Or Starlit's boosters?" Bee asked.
"Heck, even I have a jetpack." Sari smirked.
"You can take my armor and study its boosters." Prowl offered.
"And I know my dad would love to help. He's a wiz and reverse engineering." Sari said.
"And I can help as…"
"No, you sit this one out." Ratchet stopped me.
"What?"
"You've been through too much. I don't need you crashing and causing another problem on top of this." I was getting fed up always being side lined.
"I'm fine. I want to help in any way I can."
"Why couldn't she? She, Ratchet, my dad and I would be the best team for this!" Sari interjected. At least she got it.
"I ought to have my processor examined…" Ratchet shook his head. That was his way of giving in.
"Meanwhile, we'll need to find out what Megatron is up too." Optimus interjected.
"I'll transwarp to the moon and…" Prowl started.
"And take five on you cyber ninja training? No dice. You're close to a real break through. And I gotta vibe we're gonna need every advantage we can get our servos on." Jazz told everyone then looked directly at me. "That includes you. You're coming wit' me and Prowl. I know, you wanna help, but I think you'd benefit from a trainin' session with us." I was going to interject, but he gave me a look that said there was absolutely no room to argue. My skills were best here, but he was right. We needed everyone to fight and right now, I was the weakest.
"Agreed, we'll send someone else." Prime said.
"Who'd be crazy enough to volunteer for that job?" Bee joked. I noticed just before he did that everyone was looking at him. "Why is everyone looking at me? Why is everyone always looking at me?!" he panicked. I felt bad that he had to go. I also worried about the fact he'd be in Decepticon territory with no back up.
Prowl suggested we go to the forest to train. It was quiet and no one was ever around. On the way there, there was this tense feeling in the air. Something bad was going to happen, but I couldn't say what it was.
"Deep intakes Sta'." Jazz came up behind me. "I know things are tense right now, but things are gonna be ok." His words were only slightly reassuring.
"Something just doesn't feel right…" I admitted. I'd felt this way since Bee was volunteered to go to the moon.
"If this is about Bumblebee, he'll be fine. He may act reckless, but he's actually quite good at sneaking around." Prowl came up from behind Jazz. It wasn't just about Bumblebee though, it was like it was in the air...like everything around me was closing in. I felt it coming but didn't have time to catch myself as other memory broke through. Someone caught me as I veered off the road
"Calm down...it's ok…" A femme's voice said softly as she hummed softly. I must have been a sparkling. She was carrying me in her arms and rocking me as she sang.
"Starlit, you ok?" Prowl asked as he helped me steady myself back on the road.
"So, what's going on?" Jazz asked, coming up behind us. "Did somethin' happen while I was away?"
"I meant to talk to you about this." Prowl sighed as Jazz waited for one of us to explain.
"Sideways messed up my memory core…" I said sullenly and started to drive again. Prowl rushed to my side and stayed there the rest of the way.
"And of course there's no cure fo that…" Jazz's said in sorrow. "Slag I'm sorry kid."
"There's still hope. Her training with processor over matter has slowed the purges. Ratchet has also noticed that the damage has stopped spreading." That was true, the crack in my memory core has stopped expanding and possibly had healed a tiny bit.
"Well then let's get on it! How much longer till we're there?" Jazz smiled.
"We're here." Prowl stopped and transformed. "We'll walk from here."
"Get with it guys. The Allspark ain't just in your circuits, dig? It's groovin' all around us. Reach out, and hook yourself into it." Jazz spoke as we meditated in the woods.
"I feel it…" Prowl said suddenly. I opened my optics when I saw a light through my closed optics. Small lights were floating around us and into the center of the three of us. Jazz and I watched in silence as the lights floated closer to Prowl and started to take shape.
"An Allspark fragment? Crazy…"Jazz said in awe.
"You forget, on this planet, the Allspark is literally grooving all around us." Prowl teased as he held his hand out to catch the fragment.
"How did you do that?" I asked as he held it up for us to see.
"When ya focus and clear your mind, you can move the energy around you. In this case, the energy was Allspark energy and was able to manifest itself." Jazz said.
"Since the Allspark was shattered, its energy is in the air on this planet. There are shards spread across town as well, but some turned into small particles." Prowl helped Jazz explain why the Allspark fragment formed.
"Do you think we could pull together more?" I asked.
"It's possible, but not from here. We'd need a higher advantage point to draw them all in." Prowl put the fragment into his subspace.
Just then we all got a ping from Bulkhead.
"Guys, we got trouble. Megatron has Arcee's recognition code." He said.
"Prime! We can't wait any longer! We have to rescue them now!" Ratchet yelled into the coms.
"We should get back." Jazz said to us.
"And fast." Prowl said as he stood. "Let's move."
Once back at the plant, we found Ratchet repairing Optimus.
"Ow, ow hey, easy!" Prime said as he welded his shoulder joint.
"Serves you right for going out half cocked like that. I told you we need the Magnus Hammer." Ratchet chided him. By this point, everyone had arrived back to the plant. From Sari's account at what happened, a lot of the dents Prime had were from the first test flight. I could have told them they should have added stabilizers in the first place…
"I-I just don't feel that using it is in my programming…" Optimus admitted.
"Sometimes fate makes its own programming." Prowl commented. Prime spaced off again for a moment. Bulkhead broke him out of it by calling us to the monitors.
"I'm picking up another signature from the moon. Actually...it's three new signals. That can't be right. There must be interference from sun spots." He said as he tapped on the screen. I walked over to see he was right, but there wasn't any interference.
"I not so sure…" I said looking over the equipment.
"Woah...maybe they aren't sunspots!" Bulkhead cried over me. "They're heading this way!"
I quickly joined the others as we ran outside to see what was coming. Optimus was the last out and was carrying the hammer.
"Think you can still reason with Omega Supreme?" He asked Ratchet.
It was hard to tell what was coming for us, but from the streaks in the sky, there were pretty big. Ratchet was using his medical scope to zoom in. Whatever he saw, it wasn't good.
"Not anymore…" He sighed. "We're gonna need that hammer…" As he said this, three huge purple and green bots flew low enough for us to see.
"What in the name of the Allspark are those?!" Bumblebee asked.
"Megatron must have used Starscream's cloning technology to make clones of Omega Supreme." Ratchet growled.
"So...why aren't they attacking?" Bulkhead asked.
"Maybe the full code wasn't downloaded?" I questioned. "It's possible they're being controlled in a different way. Like...a manual bypass."
"It could be…" Ratchet started but was interrupted as the three of them shot at Sumdac Tower.
"The tower! My dad's in there!" Sari cried.
"The force field will protect him. We have to get the clones away and protect the rest of the city!" Optimus commanded.
"The only hope is an aerial assault with the hammer." Ratchet told him.
"Aren't you forgetting what happened the last time I tried to fly?" Prime scowled at the medic. "I couldn't take out Starscream's fembot clone, how can I take out three Omega Supremes?"
Prowl activated his jump boosters. "Because I'll be there by your side." I had jump jets too, but mine weren't as powerful and I couldn't do more than keep myself aloft. "Starlit, you stay with Jazz."
"Prowl, I…"
"You'll be ok. I promise, it'll be alright." He said through our bond.
"I'm going too!" Sari called out.
"Sari…" Prime started.
"I know, I know, it's too dangerous. It's always too dangerous."
"I was going to say you should protect your father and fellow humans." Prime said shortly.
"Oh...right. Sorry." Sari apologised.
"The rest of you go with Sari. Transform and roll out!" Optimus called.
I watched in my rearview mirrors as Prime and Prowl engaged the first big bot.
"Come on Sta'. We gotta job to do." Jazz told me as he came up beside me.
"I know…" I still had that bad feeling, but now it was intensified. "Jazz…"
"It's gonna be ok." He said with a smile. I couldn't see it in car mode but I could hear it in his voice. That's when we heard the screams of terror and quickly stopped. The Omega clones were shooting now, missing Prime and Prowl, but causing buildings and things to come crashing down. Ratchet just barely saved a woman from being crushed as we all transformed.
"Jazz, Starlit! Get these humans to Sumdac tower!" Ratchet ordered. "Right now, it's the safest place in the city."
"You heard the bot! Let's move it and groove it!" Jazz said to the humans. We split off from the others and lead them towards the tower, catching debreese and making sure no one was left behind. Before we left, I heard Ratchet call Optimus about severing the connection by going back to the moon.
As the humans were running, I watched the fight above while looking out for falling objects. I saw Prowl back off and Optimus hold up the hammer.
"Jazz!" I called and hurried some humans along. "Optimus is about to use the hammer thing!"
"We'll be ok as long as he's got good aim…"Jazz sounded worried as he looked up. A tornado started to form and we watched as it hit the three clones. The force pushed them towards the lake and they disappeared over the tall buildings. "Hopefully that'll give us time to get ever'one out of here." I nodded, hoping that the force took at least one of them down.
Optimus commed everyone to say one was down and the other two lost their flight capability. Ratchet, Bulkhead and Bee were about to transport to the moon to sever the connection. That left Jazz and me as the last defense.
"Stay with me Sta'." Jazz said and put a hand on my shoulder. "They're two left. Prowl and OP can do this, dig?" But I wasn't so sure.
"Isn't there anything else we can do?" I asked, feeling helpless and useless. That's when the two giants stomped into the city.
"I think you got yer wish…" Jazz said as Optimus hit one with lightning.
"Prime look out!" I heard Prowl call as a plane came from behind them. The plane transformed into Megatron
"Get away from my weapons of mass destruction." He growled at us.
Jazz and I couldn't do anything but watch as Prowl and Optimus fought Megatron. I balled my fists up, frustrated that we couldn't help. They were too far away again to hear, but soon Prowl was flying back towards the clones. He must have said something to Jazz over their bond, because he suddenly got this look on his face. It was worry and something else.
"Come on Sta'! We gotta stop those clones!" Jazz transformed and started to drive towards them. I quickly did the same.
Prowl was already there before us, attacking the back of one of the clones.
"You startin' this shindig without us?" Jazz said as he transformed and attacked the others foot. I squealed to a halt but didn't transform.
"Their armor is too thick! You'll never get through that way." I told them. "We'd have to attack from the inside."
"Prime! It's a bad scene down here!" I heard Jazz as I dove away from the clones foot. "These jacked up robos are still firing on all cylinders!" He was right...why weren't they shut down yet? Shouldn't the others be on the moon by now?
"The only thing strong enough to stop those clones is the Allspark. But it's scattered everywhere!" Optimus said over all our comms. That gave me an idea.
"Jazz, Prowl! You thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked them.
"Perhaps Jazz and I could use our processor over matter to bring the Allspark together!" Prowl understood.
"You really think you can do that?" Optimus asked.
"Do we have a choice?" Prowl flew low and grabbed Jazz's hand and flew off towards the tower.
"H-hey! Wait up!" I cried and speed towards them, avoiding the clones ped falls. Just as I avoided one, the two stopped moving. I drove a good distance away before transforming and looking towards them. "Optimus, they've stopped moving."
"Lugnut!" I heard Megatron cry out but couldn't hear the rest.
"Get out of there Starlit!" Optimus told me. I looked up as I heard a transformation noise and saw their faces change. I quickly complied and drove down a ditch to take cover.
"Greetings Megatron!" I heard a voice echo through the city. It was muted from my position. "..I've decided to give your clones a bit of an upgrade." I gasped as the chest plates pulled back and bombs were revealed.
"The clones are rigged with explosives!" I quickly commed everyone as the crazy bot finished his speech. I watched as even Megatron tried to stop them before turning back on Optimus. I transformed and sped towards the tower once more, only to see the force field was down. I transformed midway there, not knowing what to do.
"Oh no…" The building was still locked down at least but the two clones were gaining on me. I was about to stand off with them when I saw a light blue light fly by my helm and towards the top of the building. I looked up and saw more lights being pulled towards a glow on the roof. I smirked and looked at the clones. "You're toast now!"
Prowl's View:
Jazz and I made it to the top of the tower to find Professor Sumdac working on the force field.
"Does this place have a bomb shelter?" I asked him.
"Yes, but why?" He asked. Our response was looking towards the approaching clones. "Oh...never mind." He quickly ran off to get everyone inside down to the shelter.
I turned to Jazz and we quickly got to work on pulling the shards together. Right off the bat, we got some, but it wasn't enough. As more time passed, I realised there was no way we could pull all of them together in time.
"Jazz...what if we can't do it in time." I told him through our bond.
"We can. Just keep going." He replied. He was just as worried as I was. I had to do something. That's when I came up with an idea.
"I love you." I told Jazz before giving in to the pull of the Allspark.
"No Prowl! We'll find another way!" I heard my love call. I turned to him and gave him a sad smile.
"I'm sorry...but it's the only way. We...we can't pull it together without more power." I had to give up my spark to save him, our sparkling and everyone else.
"Prowl please…" Jazz's plea broke my spark, but I couldn't go back now. If I did, everything I loved would be gone.
"Give Starlit my holo-projector…I lo...love..." Was all I could get out before I lost my thoughts. I was starting to fade, becoming one with the Allspark.
Starlit's View:
A new ship came out of the sky and flew towards the clones. It had to be this Omega Supreme they were talking about! Ignoring a feeling that I needed to stay at the tower, I sped off towards the ship, hoping I could be more useful there than here.
I transformed and watched from a nearby bridge as Omega started beating the slag out of the clones. He took one down but the other got behind him and blasted them.
"Hey! My friends are in there!" I called, gaining the attention of both large bots.
"Autobot in danger." Omega looked at me and turned back to the clone. "Please get away from here." I couldn't. There was nowhere to go. The clone grabbed his foot and started swinging him around, toppling buildings around me. I dodged falling debris and somehow made it to a clear space.
I slowly got up and watched in horror as the last clone was getting ready to go off and had a red glow around them. I cried out and ducked down as a bright white light engulfed the clone and a good portion of the buildings near it. I was just outside of the field and watched as Optimus and Megatron was pulled in.
"Optimus!" I called but it was too late. I watched as Megatron pin him to the side of the barrier when a pain surged through my spark. I fell to my knees, not knowing what was going on.
"Prowl? Prowl where are you?" But I got static back and a weird feeling of emptiness. I started to panic and didn't see the explosion. I only saw the aftermath and saw Optimus on the ground.
"Optimus!" I called and ran towards him. The others came up behind us a moment later.
"Prime! The seal worked!" Ratchet cried happily.
"The Starscream Supreme's are history! And everybody is ok!" Bee cheered.
"Not everybody…" Jazz's sad voice sounded from over the ridge. As he came up to us, it took me a click to recognize what he was carrying.
"Prowl…" Sari said sadly.
There in Jazz's arms was the offline form of my brother. I spark skipped a beat and my processor stalled.
"He gave up his spark to save us…" Jazz looked like he had been crying, but was able to keep it together for now.
"No…" Optimus started towards them but was blasted away, throwing me back into Bulkhead.
"Oof…" I cried out as I hit him. This was the final straw for my processor apparently and I was thrown into fragmented conversations with Prowl. I flicked in and out of reality, being held by Bulkhead one second and Bee another. Bee was frantically trying to get me to hear him, but I couldn't. I remember seeing Megatron fly towards us, then Prime had him on the ground in stasis cuffs.
"Starlit! Star, can you hear me?!" I blinked and looked up into Bee's worried faceplate. When did I sit on the ground? I nodded as he slowly helped me up.
"Let's load up and get them to Cybertron." Optimus said and looked towards Omega. I glitched again and don't remember when we got onto the ship.
Bee was sitting with me in the med bay. Ratchet wasn't there right now but had been. The monitor hooked up to my arm told me that much.
"Where is he…?" I asked Bee softly. He looked at me with confusion at first.
"Jazz took him to the cargo bay. He's...Starlit…"
"I want to see him." I stopped him. "Please…" I felt the coolant in my optics starting to form.
"I...ok." He sighed. "I'll take you to him. Promise not to flip out on me?" I unplugged the monitor and gave him a playful push.
The grey form before me was surreal. I knew it was Prowl, but I couldn't accept it. My processor kept locking up and I had to override it every time to keep me from going into stasis lock.
"Looks like Jazz went to get some fuel..." Bee commented but I didn't really hear him, I was focused on my brother. Jazz had put him in an old protoform case. He looked peaceful, but I couldn't help myself from getting angry at him.
A memory flickered past my optics of Prowl telling me it was ok, that he would be there when I needed him.
"You lied…" I looked towards the floor and balled my hands up.
"Star…" Bee started but I ignored him.
"You lied to me!" I yelled at Prowl. "You promised everything was going to be ok! Well it's not!" I felt the tears on my cheeks but was too angry to care. I don't know when I lifted my hand, but Jazz caught it, spun me around and held me close to his chassis.
"Shh…" He cooed. I instantly wrapped my arms around him and cried. "I'm sorry…" Jazz's voice was broken too as he cried into my shoulder. "I tried to get him to back down...but he told me to trust him. I should have dragged him back down…" I tightened my hold on Jazz.
"It's not your fault…" I told him.
"Prowl always had the tendency to do his own thing." Bumblebee said from beside us. "And if he hadn't, none of us would be standing here right now. I-I don't know how it is losing a sibling or bond mate...but I know it hurts to lose a friend." I looked over and saw he too had tear streaks down his faceplate. Jazz motined for him to join us and he ran to us, holding us in his arms. "I'm sorry…"
"You got nothin' ta be sorry for." Jazz patted his back. "Thank ya Bee, for being here."
Once back on Cybertron, everyone cheered for us as we exited the ship. Prime had Megatron wheeled out on a dolly and the rest of the 'Cons were in stasis cuffs. Bee, Bulkhead, Ratchet and Jazz held Prowl up in the half a protoform case with me right behind them. The cheers of the crowd died for a moment while Omega transformed and then got even louder. We were heroes to them, but I didn't feel like a hero.
The crowd didn't die down until Sentinel Prime came up to us to make an announcement. I didn't hear any of what he said. I didn't really care too. He kind of made me sick.
The rest of the day was a blur. They took the 'Cons into custody and we all were to be awarded medals of honor for our bravery. I didn't care though. None of this would bring Prowl back. None of this was worth anything to me.
"Starlit, check it out." Bee said after the ceremony and showed me the metal he got. We all got identical ones, just different color bands. His happened to be red and gold while mine was silver and blue. I went outside before everyone else and sat on the steps. "Isn't it...Star?" He finally noticed I wasn't looking at him and had thrown mine down the steps of the council building.
"It's great…" I said, still looking down the steps.
"What's wrong?" He asked as he sat by me.
"Really?" I looked at him dead in the optic. "You're going to ask me what's wrong, after everything that happened today?" I could feel my anger rising. "Prowl is gone! And everyone is acting like nothing happened! For frag sake, even you're acting like he's not gone!" I was standing over him now, my furry focused on him.
"I…" he sighed and stood up. "I'm sorry. You're right, we should be mourning Prowl…" He pulled me into a hug and I hugged back. "The bots here on Cybertron don't get that. They're just excited Megatron is captured and...well, they wanted to celebrate."
"We aren't heroes…" I said and let him go. He still had his arms around me in a loose embrace.
"But we are, kind of. We stopped Megatron and his plan to destroy the Earth. "
"Then why don't I feel like we are...maybe you guys are, but I'm not." I looked away but he put his hand on my cheek to face him again.
"You helped save the humans. You got them to safety. Even if you don't feel like a hero, it doesn't mean you aren't one." He put our forhelms together. "I...I don't know the pain you're going through. I won't pretend to, but I'm here for you." I was crying again, but no sound came out. He kissed my cheek and pulled me close again. "I do know that it's hard...but maybe together we can get through this." He whispered to me.
I wasn't sure what would happen from here on, but at least I wasn't alone. I had Bee, Jazz and others from the Earth team...they were my new family.