TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED
Re:Animated
Rewrite of 'Grey Matter, Silver Lining'. At the same time as Megatron reawakens, a woman falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her father to let her become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and certainly isn't saying she knows them from a cartoon! But when the All-Spark shatters, it makes her question everything . . .
~Parental Warning~
This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:
. Low-level violence
. Low to mid-level adult themes
Reader discretion is advised.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Antivenom
Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend,
Somewhere along in the bitterness,
And I would have stayed up with you all night,
Had I known how to save a life . . .
— The Fray
"I'm telling you, that's what I saw!" Bumblebee, in his holoform, stood facing the window in Emma's room at Sumdac Tower. "Why don't you believe me?!"
Emma, who was sitting on her bed and had been trying to get dressed to go out when Bumblebee had come running into her room, now sighed. "Bee, I do believe you — "
"Don't you turn around!" Pira suddenly said threateningly, as Bumblebee had just been about to turn back around.
"Okay, okay," Bumblebee rolled his eyes, and continued to face out the window.
"Here are your stockings, Em." Capi said, levitating them over to her.
"So, what are we gonna do about this?" Bumblebee said.
"About what?" Emma asked him.
"About Flora sneaking out to see Wasp!" Bumblebee cried in exasperation.
"Bee, you saw them together once since what happened at the base," Emma said, struggling to put her stockings on. "And, we don't know if she snuck out … come on, you stockings, come on . . . "
"Actually, other bots have seen them, too!" Bumblebee said quickly. "Bulkhead saw them yesterday morning, and Ratchet saw them last night — "
"Sari's coming!" Pira suddenly said urgently, from over by the door.
"Wha — !" Emma gasped, and fell off her bed.
"I've never put on stockings, but it sounds dangerous." Bumblebee said, rolling his eyes again, just as Pira suddenly flew over to him and grabbed him by the back of his hoodie, lifting him up to practically reach the high ceiling. "Wha — ?!"
Capi suddenly flew at him and covered his mouth with his trunk.
A second later, the door to the room opened, and Sari came in.
"Huh?" She looked around. "She's not here … okay, I suppose I can talk to her about it tomorrow. I'll just leave this on her desk." She added, and put the folder that she was carrying on Emma's desk (a new one; the original one was still in her room at the base), before she turned around and left.
Only after she was gone, did the tapir siblings let Bumblebee down from the ceiling.
Emma still hadn't really moved from the other side of the bed, although they saw that she was still struggling with the stockings. "If that says anything to do with weddings," she said. "I don't wanna see it."
Bumblebee dared to go over and take a look. "What does MOH stand for?"
Emma groaned. "Please take it back to Sari's room." She said.
"Okay, okay." Bumblebee replied, picking up the folder. "But, you know, you can't keep avoiding her forever." He added.
"You wanna bet?"
"You live in the same tower." Bumblebee reminded her.
"Okay … so … I'll elope." Emma decided, as she stood up, and straightened out her black dress. "I heard that Mars is a really nice place to get married."
"She'd find a way." Bumblebee told her, as Capi and Pira exchanged a knowing glance. "You know she'd find a way … like Wasp . . . " He suddenly said, and Emma groaned again, before she came over to him.
"Okay, Bee, look," she said to him. "We know that Flora's not going to be seeing him tonight, because she's going out for dinner with Sari and Miko. And, if it makes you feel any better, I will come out with you on patrol tonight."
"Huh?" He blinked.
"Because," Emma explained. "If Wasp hasn't got Flora to go and see tonight, he might be a lot more jumpy … but … I dunno … if I'm with you if you run into him, he might be okay … we got along okay . . . "
"Yeah, it's just me that he doesn't like." Bumblebee sighed. "He's right to." He added, as an afterthought.
"Okay, Bee," Emma said firmly. "We have been through this before, remember? This is not your fault. You feel guilty because you care."
Bumblebee looked to one side, and side: "Didn't you have plans with Prowl tonight?"
Emma nodded. "Well, yeah, but … this is important, too. Prowl and I have got the rest of forever together. One night's not gonna make a difference." She glanced down at the file in his hand. "Now, please go and take this back to Sari's room - hopefully she's not in there."
"Hey," Miko waved to Sari and Flora later that afternoon. "I hope you don't mind, but my host sister decided to come, too."
"Hi." Half Japanese and half Chinese, with long dark brown hair that she usually kept in a ponytail when she was working but tonight had hanging down to her waist, Liu Fuyano smiled at them.
Sari also smiled. "No problem, the more the merrier, right Flora?"
"Huh?" Flora was currently checking her phone. "What? Oh, sure." She put her phone away, and it immediately pinged again.
Sari rolled her eyes. "Anyway," she said to Liu. "I hope your mum doesn't mind us going to another restaurant again tonight."
Miko and Liu exchanged a glance.
"What restaurant did you decide on, anyway?" Asked Flora presently, as they were walking.
"It's called Han's Chish And Fips." Sari explained. "It's owned by Han Wei."
"Oh, Mamma knows that guy." Liu nodded.
"Does she like him?" Miko wanted to know.
Liu shrugged. "She doesn't not like him."
"Either way, we just won't tell her!" Miko decided.
"Miko, you know that is never gonna work." Liu sighed.
"What, so, then we just don't go?" Miko suggested to her, as they crossed the street.
"No, stay!" Sari begged her.
"Yeah, I want to try Han's lobster special!" Liu added.
A thought suddenly occurred to Sari, as they waited for Flora (who was texting again) to catch up. "Liu … are you planning on … spying on a rival restaurant?"
Liu gave her a Look. "Sari, I just found out about this five minutes ago!" She exclaimed.
Sari giggled. "Okay, okay, gotcha. Mujhe maaf karen." She added, and Miko gave her an odd look.
"Who's Karen?" She wanted to know.
"It means 'I'm sorry' in Hindi."
"Ah." Liu nodded. "Ii yo." She added, which Sari knew meant 'that's okay' in Japanese. Liu then raised her voice to call out to Flora, who was standing on the island in the middle of the street, texting again. "Flora! Kuài diǎn er!"
"Isn't that Chinese?" Sari wondered.
"Mandarin Chinese, I think . . . " Miko said thoughtfully. "Liu's dad's from somewhere in China . . . " She trailed off, and watched as the lights at the other end of the street changed colour, and a long line of cars started to move. "Flora!" She called. "Gihoeneun jigeumppun!"
"That's Korean." Sari said, narrowing her eyes, as Flora hurried to make it to them before the cars reached her. "And, it's a line from a song!" She added.
"Kakogo cherta?" Flora muttered.
Sari, Miko, and Liu all looked at her. "Huh?"
She shrugged. "It's Russian. It's the only phrase I know in that language."
They all started giggling.
Miko wanted to say something about how Emma would approve of that, what with her Cybertronian brothers having Russian accents and all but, luckily, she remembered just in time that Liu didn't know about Emma's … other side.
They walked into the riverside restaurant, and were greeted by none other than Han himself.
He showed them to their table, and then he said: "Okay, so, if you'd now like to go and choose your lobsters."
The girls exchanged a glance, and then looked to where Han was pointing at a huge glass tank filled with bright red crustaceans.
To Sari and Miko, it seemed like they were saying: 'help me … heeeelp meeee . . . '
"Uh … I'd like to see a menu, please." Sari said, cringing.
"Yeah, same." Miko agreed. She glanced at Flora who was still on her phone, and then at Liu how as eyeing the lobsters critically, and said: "Three menus, please."
"And, my dad's a seafood chef," Liu added, standing up. "So, I know my way around a crustacean." She went over to the tank.
"They look … kind of like … giant prawns . . . " Miko observed. "Only … more hardcore . . . "
A rock song suddenly began to play, and Flora's eyes widened as she looked at her phone. She answered it quickly. "Hello? . . . What?" Her eyes widened even more. "Wait, hold on a second, I can't hear you, let me go outside." She practically ran out of the restaurant.
Sari and Miko exchanged a glance, and then just shrugged.
"Hardcore prawns, though … I wonder what Em's up to tonight . . . " Sari wondered.
"She's probably going out with Prowl." Miko grinned. "Oh, I wish she'd let us talk to her about the wedding!"
Liu came back just then, and raised an eyebrow as she sat down. "Miko," she said to her host sister. "I have heard you pestering that poor woman about her wedding. 'Who's the maid of honour? What dress are you wearing? Will you be playing heavy metal at the ceremony?' It's no wonder she's been avoiding you all!" She looked around. "Where did Flora go?"
"Oh, she got a phone call and left while you were over playing God with the lobsters." Miko replied.
"She'll be back soon." Sari replied, confidently and, sure enough, Flora returned a few minutes later.
"What was that all about?" Miko asked straight away.
"That?" Flora blinked. "Oh, uh, just a ... telemarketer-bot." She told them. They didn't look convinced. "From … Mumbai." She added, and the girls all nodded knowingly, especially Sari. "I do not need a new rotary phone."
"Yeah, especially when your dad's got a perfectly good old one that he still uses." Miko pointed out, and Flora gave her a Look, as Sari and Liu giggled.
"You seem quiet, Bee." Emma observed, as they cruised through the south-eastern streets of Detroit. "That's not like you."
"Huh?" He said, the monitor on his dashboard lightning up slightly with each syllable. "Oh … I'm just … worried about Wasp, that's all."
"We probably won't even see him tonight . . . " Pira began, just as they reached a t-junction … and, a dark green Chevrolet sped past them. "Except that . . . "
"That was Wasp!" Capi gasped.
"Definitely . . . " Emma was starting to feel slightly cold all of a sudden. She had a sudden feeling that she knew what was going to happen tonight and, as Bumblebee became distracted with radioing Optimus and the others, Emma whispered to the two tapirs: "Predacons Rising."
"I've got a visual," Optimus said, as he used his firefighting foam to douse a couple of spot fires caused by some cars having been run off the road by the green Chevrolet. "It's Wasp, all right. He's making a real mess."
Bumblebee skilfully drove off of an overpass to land in front of Optimus, knowing that the tapirs and Em's seatbelt would save her from any injury. "What's his heading?" He asked Optimus.
"I … don't even think he knows." Optimus admitted.
"Hang on." Bumblebee told Emma, and then moved to get in front of Wasp.
"Spider Bee, Spider Bee, does whatever a Spider Bee does," Pira sang under her breath. "Can he make, Wasp less scared? No he can't, be prepared — "
"Okay, sis," Capi, thankfully, cut her off. "We get the point."
"Wasp!" Bumblebee called to the green Chevrolet. "We know you weren't the spy! If you'd just listen — !"
"Bumblebot lie!" Wasp responded. "Wasp not listen! So shut up, shut up, shut up — " He sang, as he turned and drove away.
"He can actually sing." Emma commented, as they continued their pursuit.
"Wasp!" Bumblebee called, somewhat desperately. "At least think about entering America's Got Skills instead of going on this rampage!"
It was at that point that they became aware of a vehicle approaching the situation from another direction.
"It's Sentinel." Emma muttered.
"This is going to get complicated." Capi added.
"Wasp is mine!" Sentinel declared, as he transformed and prepared to leap at the oncoming green Chevrolet.
Capi's and Pira's optics widened. "Abandon ship!" They siblings cried in unison.
In the space of about three seconds, Pira had opened the door, Emma had unbuckled her seatbelt, and Capi had grabbed Emma and dragged her out of Bumblebee's alt. mode.
They watched as Bumblebee and Optimus also transformed. Wasp managed to dodge Sentinel, who ended up crashing into Bumblebee and Optimus.
Wasp sped off.
"On it!" Emma instantly transformed into her Cybertronian form, and was gone before Optimus, Bumblebee, or Sentinel could stop her.
"You're wasting time, Sentinel!" Optimus told Sentienl in exasperation, as the three mechs stood up quickly. "The attack on Ultra Magnus has spread chaos all over Cybertron!"
"That's not your concern, Optimus." Sentinel replied shortly.
"No, it's yours." Optimus replied pointedly. "You also have a responsibility to our home planet!"
"Not to mention a bunch of Decepticon prisoners to take to the Cybertron stockade." Bumblebee added. "Wait . . . " He looked at his leader. "Prime, what did you mean by — "
"I don't need either of you glitches to tell me my job." Sentinel retorted. "I have my orders to take Ember Prime back to Cybertron," he went on, much to Bumblebee's horror. "And, as long as that … that … not-Decepticon spy is still running around, that's not gonna happen - we get him, we get Ember. I'm sure of it!"
It was one of those rare times where Bumblebee was at a loss for words. He couldn't think straight. Emma was … supposed to go back to Cybertron? How could the Elite Guard think that she would?! And, why?!
"The same way you were sure Wasp was a Decepticon spy?" Optimus couldn't help but say.
Sentinel looked to the side. "I was misled by bad intelligence!" He protested. He was going to right this mistake, whatever it took. His reputation, at least with those who knew about his involvement in this situation, depended on it!
"Huh," Optimus scoffed. "That's putting it mildly."
"Nobot is innocent, Optimus!" Sentinel told him, flaring up almost instantly. "You of all bots ought to know that . . . " He added.
"There's something you want to say to me?" Optimus asked him in a low voice.
"I think you know what I mean." Sentinel said darkly.
What in Primus's name is going on? Bumblebee wondered, feeling slightly dazed.
Just then, Sentinel got a call on his com. link.
"Jetfire to Sentinel Prime. Target Wasp spotted heading north-north east, with sister Ember in pursuit. Moving to intercept."
"Roger that. On my way." Sentinel replied quickly. He transformed without another word and sped off.
Wasp transformed as soon as the golden bird landed in front of him and, as he'd thought, it transformed into Emma.
"Wasp!" She cried, immediately running up to him and throwing her arms around him, startling him but not enough for him to respond defensively. "Thank goodness you're okay!" She suddenly drew back from him, and looked at him worriedly. "You are okay, aren't you?!"
"Wasp … not sure . . . " He admitted, looking all around him. He sensed danger, but he wasn't sure what it was yet. "Wasp not go back to stockade!" He added.
"That's right," Emma said, nodding, and Wasp looked at her in surprise. "You can stay here on Earth, with Flora." She was speaking very quickly, but her voice was laced with sincerity, or at least Wasp hoped that's what it was, because he so desperately wanted to believe what she was saying to him, all of a sudden. "You guys can hang out together, go and see that movie she was talking about recently — "
"Wasp want to see movie with Flora-Bot . . . " He mused.
"You can meet her parents — "
Wasp flinched.
"Don't worry, they're friendly!" Emma assured him, smiling.
Wasp wondered about that. Flora certainly seemed to mention arguing with her father a lot. But, who knew?
Emma suddenly froze, and looked up, as did Wasp.
"My brothers — !" She suddenly gasped and, sure enough, the two flying Autobots known as Jetfire and Jetstorm were flying overhead.
Wasp immediately transformed. "Sorry, Commander Em-Bot!" He said quickly, and sped off.
Wasp was also curious about the human family that Emma had mentioned, even though she was Cybertronian. Flora had, vaguely, mentioned that Emma hadn't come from this planet, and Emma herself had just called those two flying Autobots her brothers … but, she had also gotten very upset when she'd seen that thing on the news because a similar thing had happened to her cousin. Wasp was certain that she was telling the truth about all of it. It just … didn't make much sense.
He wished that he could talk to Flora about it more.
However . . .
"Why no one leave Wasp alone?" Wasp moaned out loud. "Wasp not do anything . . . "
"I'm just worried about you!" Emma called from somewhere nearby.
"Other Autobots not!" He called back to her.
The one who was the closest to Wasp at that point, however, was Sentinel, who transformed and drew his lance when he thought that he had Wasp cornered in an alley.
"Put it in park, Wasp!" He ordered him.
"Sorry, Sarge," Wasp said. "Wasp not do park … how about reverse?!"
Sentinel had to leap out of the way to avoid being hit, and Wasp continued to try and escape, although he cackled somewhat maniacally at nearly having run down his old drill sergeant.
"He just tried to run me over!" Sentinel complained.
"Oh, please!" Emma snapped over the com. link. "If I can survive a hit and run as a human, you should be able to as you are!"
"That's not the point!" Sentinel responded, as he worked to move with the others to box Wasp in. "And, also, I need to talk to you!"
Optimus's voice now came over the com. link. "Not now, Sentinel!" He said firmly. He had just transformed into robot mode, to block the escape route behind Wasp.
Bumblebee had already done so to Wasp's left, and now Sentinel was at the front of Wasp.
Emma and the jet twins transformed and landed to Wasp's right.
He was, effectively, cornered.
"Wasp never go back to stockade . . . " He said, in a slightly hissing voice. "Never . . . "
"You're not going back, Wasp!" Emma said immediately, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible.
Wasp glanced at her.
"The spying charges against you were dropped." Optimus added.
"Stay out of this, Optimus!" Sentinel suddenly warned him, his lance and shield at the ready. "No matter what, this is still a dangerous fugitive, and I'm bringing him in!"
"Back off!" Wasp was immediately on the defensive, and he had his stingers out now. "Or Wasp kick all your skid plates! Except yours." He added, looking at Emma, because you'd have to be insane to try and do something like that to the First Battalion Commander!
Bumblebee, who was listening to all of this, decided to try and reason with his rival. "Let me handle this, please." He said, stepping forwards.
Optimus nodded, but Emma suddenly began to look uncertain.
"Uh, Bee, hold on — " She began.
"Relax," he told her. "If we work things out with Wasp, then, you can stay on Earth, right?" And, ignoring her suddenly stunned expression, Bumblebee approached Wasp. "Now, just take it easy, Waspy." He told him. "We're not the bots you're mad at - that would be Longarm." He held his arms up briefly. "He's the bot that pinned that phony spying charge on you in the first place … I just … you know believe? Believed him."
Wasp was looking unconvinced.
"And, you wanna hear the funny part?" Bumblebee went on. "Guess who the real Decepticon spy was? Can you guess? No?" He laughed, somewhat nervously. "This is rea — get this — it's Longarm! Longarm was the spy! Not you! And I totally fell for it! Can you believe — ?!"
It was at this point that Wasp fired his stingers at Bumblebee, who gasped, and ran to hide behind Sentinel.
"Hate to say it," he said, peeking out from behind Sentinel. "But, Sentinel's got a point. I'd feel a lot safer with Wasp behind bars."
Sentinel didn't say anything. He was suddenly very well aware that he had a slightly scared, weaker bot who was seeking protection from him. He stayed where he was, even as Wasp fired his stingers, which hit the shield.
"That's not your call to make, Bumblebee." Optimus told him, before he was forced to block Wasp's stingers with his battle axe.
"And it's not your call to make either, Optimus. I'm in command." Sentinel reminded them all, and Wasp's stingers hit the shield again.
"On Cybertron." Optimus stressed. "This planet is my jurisdiction." He blocked again, as Wasp fired his stingers.
"This is a Cybertronian fugitive," Sentinel said. "And I'll enforce my authority as the - the - uh … Primer Primer!" He then quickly raised his shield, to block Wasp's stingers.
"Did you just make that up?" Optimus asked in disbelief, and blocked Wasp's stingers again.
"No!" Sentinel said straight away.
"There's no such thing as a Primer Prime!" Optimus said.
"It's a real term," Sentinel said, so quickly that Wasp didn't have time to fire at Optimus, and instead just turned back to face Sentinel. "Look it up."
"I'm not gonna look it up!" Optimus told him.
"'Fraid I'm right?" Sentinel challenged him.
Emma, the jet twins, and Wasp had just been looking back and forth between Optimus and Sentinel, like they were spectators at a tennis match,
Wasp now looked over at Emma who, in his opinion, was the only Prime worth having anything to do with. But … she had to leave soon?
Who would help him protect Flora? How was he supposed to do that himself?
Emma looked at him … and, that was when he bolted.
"Uh, guys?" Bumblebee had noticed this, too. "Primes? Sirs?"
"It doesn't matter!" Sentinel suddenly decided. "We've got a dangerous fugitive here, and — !"
"Um, no we don't." Bumblebee told him.
Sentinel gave him a look of disbelief. "I thought you agreed with me?!"
"I mean," Bumblebee suddenly pointed. "He's getting away!"
Sentinel and Optimus both gasped, and looked to where Wasp was indeed running away on foot.
And, that was when he was suddenly grabbed from the air, by none other than a giant robot pterodactyl!
"Oh no! Wasp being picked up!" Wasp began struggling. "By prehistoric flying bot?! What's going on?!"
"Wasp!" Emma gasped, and immediately transformed and took to the skies.
"Well, don't just stand there with your pistons in your servos!" Sentinel suddenly snapped to Jetfire and Jetstorm. "Follow your sister and that - that thing!"
The jet twins immediately transformed and did as they were told.
"Wasp!" Emma called out to him.
"Wasp not want to see Jurassic Park!"
"Swoop, let him go, please!" Emma spoke to the Dino-Bot.
"I'm sorry, Emma." Swoop called back to her, as he dodged the fire and tornado that the jet twins had just attacked him with. "I'm afraid I cannot disobey my orders."
"What orders?!" She cried in disbelief, even though she knew perfectly well what those orders were that he was talking about. Blackarachnia … how … how can you want to do this?!
"Oww! Hot, hot!" Wasp complained, as Jetfire's flames came dangerously close to him, followed by a tornado from Jetstorm. "Ohh, cold! Cold!"
"Jetfire! Jetstorm!" Emma called to the jet twins. "Stop for a sec! Swoop's too good at maneuvering! Plus, Wasp's moving around too much, and you don't wanna hit him! I mean it!" She added, and something in her tone was enough to make her brothers cease their attacks.
By this time, Optimus, Sentinel, and Bumblebee had made it to the pier.
"If you hadn't interfered," Sentinel told Optimus angrily. "We could have nabbed him."
"If you hadn't interfered we could have talked him into surrendering!" Optimus countered.
"Oh, yeah," Sentinel replied. "Right after he slagged motor mouth here - now that Ember actually knows what's happening, we are running out of time!"
"She knows next to nothing about what's apparently expected of her!" Optimus exclaimed. He wasn't angry at Bumblebee for inadvertently telling Emma that she was supposed to be leaving Earth, but he now had the difficult task of trying to explain to her why … knowing full well that she was going to refuse.
She had her friends and chosen family here on Earth, as well as a job, not to mention a wedding to plan, and the remaining All-Spark fragments to find - not that Optimus had been able to explain any of this to Cliffjumper when he'd spoken to them about it, because Cliffjumper had said a whole bunch of things that half made sense and half didn't make sense, but apparently it was in the best interest of Cybertron for Emma to go and … step into the role of acting Magnus, while her creator recovered.
Optimus couldn't help but replay in his mind a conversation that he'd had with Emma earlier on in the year.
'Oh, you know … I never really cared much for titles … whether it be somebot forgetting to call me Prime … or, like, when Mum asked my nephew if he could say Aunty Bev and he said Au-y Beb, and then I asked him if he could say Aunty Em and he said Emma … it seems like everybody else is more concerned with what people call me … unless whoever it is is being insolent, then I might go all drill sergeant!'
Optimus could only imagine how Emma was going to react if bots were forced to call her Ember Magnus. She was going to hate it.
She landed near to them now. "Swoop's heading in the direction of the island!" She informed them.
"Swoop?" Sentinel repeated, raising an optic ridge.
"What else are you gonna call a giant prehistoric sky beast?! Petri?!" Emma responded and, unbeknownst to her, the way that she said it made both Optimus and Sentinel instantly think of Elita.
'What else are you gonna call these eight-legged venom-spitting aliens?! Octonaughts?!'
But, before anything more could be said on the subject, the jet twins arrived, and Sentinel called out to them.
"Jetfire! Jetstorm! Grapples!"
As Jetfire and Jetstorm combined (in jet mode) and deployed a magnetic grappling hook, Optimus said: "No! Sentinel, wait! You don't want to follow him!"
"Oh yeah?" Sentinel said, crossing his arms. "Watch me!" The magnetic grappling hook picked him up by his head, and carried him away across the water.
"But there's something you need to know first!" Optimus yelled.
"Save it for the court marshal!" Sentinel replied.
"We have to get to Dinobot Island, fast." Optimus told Bumblebee and Emma.
"What do the Dino-Bots want with Wasp?" Bumblebee wondered.
"I can guess." Optimus said quietly. "And I hope I'm wrong." He glanced at Emma, suddenly realising that she could have just flown after Swoop by herself.
But, from the expression on her face, Optimus could instantly tell why she was staying with them.
"You'll have to tell her." An invisible Pira whispered from beside him. "Whatever it is … she needs to know. Even though she's just gonna say no, anyway."
Optimus sighed.
"Well … look what the pteranodon dragged in." Came the sultry voice of the purple and black femme bot who was standing over Wasp when Swoop brought him into the laboratory on the island. "Pure Cybertronian circuitry … just what I need . . . " Blackarachnia added.
Wasp just stared up at her.
"Speechless?" She purred, as she placed a hand under the chin of Swoop, who had transformed to robot mode. "I have that effect on bots, don't I, sweetie?" She added, as Swoop looked very, very happy. "You did good. Now, go out and stand guard like a nice dinosaur robot thingy." She told him, and then looked at Wasp. "Meanwhile, you and I can get better acquainted."
"Wasp already in relationship." Wasp told her.
"Oh … is that so?" She asked him. You don't say . . .
He nodded. "With Flora-Bot."
Isn't that the name of the police chief's daughter? Blackarachnia remembered. Well, wonders never cease . . .
"Why do I get the feeling that there's a story behind that?" Blackarachnia said to Wasp, who looked somewhat guarded. "I mean … the name Flora … it sounds like a human name . . . "
"Flora-Bot … human." Wasp confirmed, as he got up.
"Ah, I see." Blackarachnia nodded. "You know … that sounds like the name of one of Emma's friends . . . "
"Spider-Bot knows First Battalion Commander?!" Wasp asked quickly.
Blackarachnia smiled slightly. Let's take it from this common ground, shall we? "Know her? Why, you could say that I'm only online because of her … I was one of the sparklings that she saved during the Great War."
Wasp was starting to look at Blackarachnia with a lot more respect now. "Em-Bot saved many bots during the Great War … Wasp always hear things about her when Wasp was in boot camp … Wasp would have been like her, but then . . . " He suddenly stopped talking, and looked aside.
Blackarachnia's mind was ticking away rapidly with how she could proceed, even as she said to Wasp: "Why don't you tell me all about it, hon?"
"That flying freakbot disappeared somewhere on that island!" sentinel said, as he approached Dinobot Island with Safeguard.
Just then, he got a call on his com. link.
"Optimus to Sentinel! Do not pursue to the island, repeat do not pursue to the island! I'll explain later!" He added.
Sentinel just disconnected the call. "Yeah, that does it. I'm putting a block on that cyber clown's frequency!" He then spoke to Safeguard. "Now, take me down there! Maximum burn!"
"But, Sentinel Prime, sir — " Safeguard began.
"Don't talk!" Sentinel shot back. "Just listen and do, and you might actually learn something . . . "
Safeguard obeyed.
"Hey, guys," Capi suddenly appeared, clinging to the top of the combined jet. "How's it going?"
"Is all good!" Safeguard responded confidently.
"Fanatstic!" Capi told the combiner. "However, despite your orders, Sentinel's signalling that he wants to go higher!"
Safeguard looked, and saw that Sentinel's hand was sticking out of the water, angrily pointing upwards.
"Higher — !" They heard him manage to yell through the water.
Upon being lifted up slightly higher, Sentinel yelled: "Let me go, you numbnodes!"
Safeguard did so, and Sentinel went careening into the sand on the shores of Dinobot Island.
Safeguard flew overhead, and then separated back into the jet twins, who approached their commanding officer's legs that were sticking out of the sand.
"Should we be taking notes — " Jetfire began.
"On what not to?" Jetstorm finished up.
Capi pulled Sentinel out of the sand.
"Would you quit grinding your gears and just get me a reading on that fugitive?!" Sentinel snapped to the jet twins, who immediately began to check their scanners.
"Oh, you're welcome." Capi said sarcastically.
"I could've gotten out of there by myself!" Sentinel told him.
"Suuuure you could've . . . " Capi responded. "Also, Em's not happy with you." He added, and Sentinel flinched.
Optimus must have told her about what was going to happen.
"Energy signature has gone to under the ground." Jetstorm said suddenly.
"But is big power reading in center of island." Jetfire added.
"Then what are you waiting for?!" Sentinel asked them. "Let's move!"
"Look," Emma said to Optimus and Bumblebee as she carried their holoforms across the water. "If you're not gonna be clear about it, then we have nothing more to discuss! My answer is no!"
"Cliffjumper wasn't terribly specific on the details, either!" Optimus said to her. "He just said that it had something to do with the Magnus Hammer — "
"Which they only don't have because I didn't warn them about Shockwave in time!" Emma reminded him.
Optimus sighed. "They don't need the Magnus Hammer at the moment to know that, apparently, it's supposed to be you who's next in line to be Magnus!"
"I don't actually care about what they think they know!" Emma snapped. "Ultra Magnus told you that hero wasn't in your programming, and look how wrong that statement was!"
"Th-that's beside the - how did you even — ?!" Optimus began, just as Pira called down to him, from where she was riding on the back of the giant golden bird.
"Remember, my brother and I could see and hear a bit of what was going on from inside of the All-Spark! Ultra Magnus said that bit about being a hero to you shortly after you found the All-Spark and Megatron found you, remember?"
"Bit hard to forget that time!" Bumblebee spoke up.
"Yeah, but at that time I agreed with him." Optimus said, somewhat hesitantly. "I probably still do . . . " He added, as an afterthought.
"Things can change." Emma told him. "Your opinion of yourself can shift, along with other peoples' perspectives of you."
"Like becoming some sort of a leader?" Optimus suggested to her.
She sighed. "Are you trying to get rid of me?" She asked him.
His eyes widened. "No! No - absolutely not!"
"We don't want you to go!" Bumblebee added. "You're one of us! And, I need you to help me with Sari! I mean … uh — "
"We'll discuss it later." Pira said suddenly. "The island is in sight. I … don't have to tell you what might happen if Sentinel runs into a certain techno-organic." She added, not caring that Bumblebee was listening.
"Sentinel still doesn't know?!" Emma gasped.
"No, and I'm not looking forward to telling him." Optimus replied.
"It may be beyond your control now, Optimus." Pira warned him. "And, remember … if there's one thing that hurts, it's when you've spent most of your life convincing everybody, including yourself, that you weren't half responsible for an issue that you're about to come face-to-face with."
Optimus felt the claws of Emma's alt. mode tighten around him.
"All or nothing, Pira." Emma suddenly said, in a low voice. "Both or neither."
Pira sighed. "Agreed."
Blackarachnia forced herself to listen to Wasp's story about how he'd been set up to look like a Decepticon spy, thrown in the stockade, and then escaped - only to be pursued by the Autobots despite being innocent!
While a small part of her sympathised with him, most of her was focused on what she hoped to accomplish, as she told him about the Transwarp generator that, up until now had only been used for intergalactic travel, but now . . .
She suddenly watched as Wasp's purple optics seemed to go out of focus all of a sudden. "Oh, and now I'm boring you, aren't I?"
Wasp quickly shook his head. "No … no, Spider-Bot not bore Wasp … Wasp just get text message from Flora-Bot . . . "
"Oh, I see." Blackarachnia nodded. She put a hand on her hip. "You certainly do seem to care about her, don't you?"
Wasp nodded quickly. "Wasp love Flora-Bot!"
Oh, give me a break. Blackarachnia thought, trying not to roll her optics.
"But … Wasp not as strong as Commander Em-Bot . . . " He went on. "When she have to leave … Wasp want to be able to protect Flora-Bot, the way Commander Em-Bot protects others . . . "
Wait, where's Ember going? Blackarachnia wondered. All that she said though, was: "It's pretty hard to argue with her and that alt. mode of hers … even I can't, really . . . " She added, and then she transformed into her own alt. mode, the giant spider.
Wasp looked visibly startled, even as Blackarachnia transformed back to robot mode.
"But," the femme bot said. "I bet you could pull it off … with this kind of power … the ultimate combination of cybernetic and organic … the power to protect your spark mate … and, to destroy anyone who gets in your way of doing that . . . " She tried not to smirk, as she saw from the look on Wasp's face that she had him convinced … until he saw some of the … first experiments. She quickly blocked his view. "Oh, don't let those little hiccups bother you! Science marches on!" She added, as she steered him towards the pod.
"Umm … no thank you … Wasp … not want to be another experiment . . . " Wasp suddenly admitted, sounding somewhat scared now.
"Would you rather that the Autobots did something to Flora, because she's an organic who's the spark partner of a Cybertronian, somehow?" Blackarachnia used her trump card. "This way … you two will be closer than ever. Nobody will ever tear you apart."
Wasp walked into the pod.
The door closed as the pod began to fill with green smoke, and then Blackarachnia selected a specimen from her collection and placed it into a drawer on the side of the pod.
She pressed another button, and Wasp suddenly began to yell out in pain.
"Oh … did I mention that it might hurt a little bit?" Blackarachnia asked him, smiling slightly. "At least it's not Flora though, right?"
Sentinel, with help from Jetfire and Jetstorm, got past the three Dino-Bots who were guarding the entrance to what turned out to be a laboratory.
He made his way in there, not exactly sure why an invisible Capi was now clinging to his shoulder like a hitchhiker, but it probably didn't matter.
Sentinel came out into a large room, and immediately spotted a pod-like machine that was doing … something.
"Wasp?!" Sentinel guessed.
"No," said a female's voice from behind him, and he turned, to see that it's owner was a large purple, black, and gold spider descending from the ceiling. "Spider."
Sentinel heard Capi's sharp intake of breath, and felt the tapir fly away from him, as he faced the … giant spider. "I - I don't know what kind of weird organic horror you are," he stammered, as the spider advanced on him. "But, if Wasp is inside that giant tin can, I want him now!"
"Full of yourself as ever, aye Sentinel?" The spider replied, with a bit of a sigh.
"You … you know me?" Sentinel blinked.
"I did once." The spider replied, somewhat shortly. "Oh, and don't think I don't see you there, by the way." She added, glancing to her right.
Capi made himself visible, and said: "Whatever you're doing isn't right, Blackarachnia!"
"The line between right and wrong often becomes blurred, kiddo." Blackarachnia responded silky - and then she transformed into her robot mode.
"A robot … with an organic mode?" Sentinel was horrified. Even Ember's alt. mode is pure techno! "Eww . . . " He glanced at Capi. "And, you know this … this — ?"
"Yes, I do, and so do you, Sentinel!" Capi told him.
Sentinel shook his head. "There is no way I would ever have anything to do with a mutant freak like that!" He gestured to Blackarachnia.
She gave him a sharp look. "That's not what you said when you dragged me along on your little treasure hunt to a Decepticon warship!" She snapped. "You remember?! The one with the unstable energon cubes - and the spiders!"
Sentinel froze, and then he took a step back. "Elita-1?!" Oh Primus … no … no way … for the love of all things good and holy and robotic, let this NOT be happening!
"As Capi said, it's Blackarachnia now!" She said, somewhat harshly. "Thanks to you and Optimus."
"But I … I thought you went offline . . . " Sentinel said numbly.
"Well … least you two managed to get your stories straight." Blackarachnia replied.
"I never forgave Optimus for leaving you behind," Sentinel was quick to say. "It-it was his idea, you know, and Ultra Magnus … he wouldn't even let us go back to recover your shell!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Capi couldn't take it any longer. Sentinel and Blackarachnia looked at him. "Stop making excuses, like you did with Ultra Magnus when you let Optimus take the blame for everything!" He cried.
Sentinel froze again. "How did you — ?"
"It's pretty obvious if you think about how differently Ultra Magnus treats the two of you." Capi said flatly.
Sentinel didn't say anything. He would have hated to admit it out loud, but … that little Cybertronian Tapir was right.
"And wouldn't the two of you just love to know why it affected him so much." Blackarachnia said, without feeling. "But, I guess nobot is innocent." She added.
"I just never knew . . . " Sentinel seemed to be struggling to find the right words to explain how he was feeling. "Never imagined something this … unspeakable could have happened to you! H-how can you even live like that?! I mean - it's horrible! It-it's disgusting — !"
"Okay, okay!" Blackarachnia interrupted him, a little bit surprised by his reaction. This wasn't the Sentinel that she knew. "I get it, it's bad but it's not that bad, all right?!"
"No." Sentinel suddenly said, in a hollow-sounding voice. "It's worse. You should have gone offline."
"Sentinel!" Capi cried.
Blackarachnia looked anguished for just a fraction of a second, and then her crimson optics (all four of them) gleamed. "There are only two bots who have the right to say that - and you're not one of them." She told him, in an almost unrecognisable voice - it was a lot darker than her usual tone.
"You know that they wouldn't!" Capi called, sounding slightly upset.
"Then I guess we have nothing left to discuss." Blackarachnia said, just as the pod-like machines behind Sentinel began to crackle with a great amount of energy and electricity.
Blackarachnia looked worried. "It's the Transwarp field! It's overloading!" She said, right before the machines exploded.
And, from out of the smoke flew a large green and purple wasp, which flew over their heads and then transformed, standing as a monstrous-looking techno organic.
"Hello, Sarge!" He said, in a gravelly and distorted voice.
"Is that … thing Wasp?!" Sentinel dared to ask.
"Wasp not thing!" The techno organic told him. "Wasp … angry!" He leaned down close to Sentinel, who was horrified by this sudden turn of events.
He turned to Blackarachnia. "What … have you done to him?!" He demanded to know, the anger in his tone more pronounced than the horror at this stage.
Elita-1 had always been … very inventive, and resourceful, but this … this wasn't like her … because … this was no longer her! It only proved Sentinel's point!
Elita-1 … would have never done this to another living being! She may have considered herself to be ten cuts above the rest of them, but even from all the way up there, she still cared … but, this … was about as uncaring as it could get!
"Ah, cool your crankcase," Blackarachnia told Sentinel, as she came to stand beside … whatever it was that Wasp had become. "I just made him techno organic, like me. What can I say? It's the next big thing."
"It's an abomination, just like you." Sentinel told her. "And I can't allow it to … I can't allow any of it!"
"So, how'd you do it?" Capi suddenly asked Blackarachnia, before Sentinel could do what Capi just knew he was about to next. Blackarachnia looked at him. "How'd you convince Wasp to go through with it and become … Waspinator?"
"Waspinator … Waspinator like that name!" The green and purple techno organic said, flying up and using his new stingers to fire at Sentinel, who ducked just in time. "Like movie Flora-Bot want to go and see!" He added.
"It didn't take much, considering what the poor thing's been through." Blackarachnia told him. "As you might've guessed, he has something that he wants to protect … and, he wanted the power to do that now that the one bot he always wanted to be like is getting dragged back to Cybertron."
"Do you really think she'll go?" Capi asked her.
"I would, if I could." Blackarachnia responded, and then she happened to notice how Sentinel was standing. "Oh, so what's this? You're just gonna slag your old friend, Elita-1?!"
"Don't say that name!" Sentinel cried. "You don't deserve that name!"
And, before Capi could stop him, his lance made contact with the side of Blackarachnia's helmet, and it clattered to the ground a few feet away … revealing Blackarachnia's true face for the first time.
Capi's optics were immediately drawn in to the scars. His spark thudded. Those … didn't come from the giant spiders … those are claw marks … self-harm, or … something worse . . . ?
Sentinel just stared at Blackarachnia, and then he said: "You're not Elita-1, you mutant freak. Elita-1 went offline a long time ago."
"Then go ahead and blame me for the fact that you failed at the one thing you were ever actually good at, then." Blackarachnia said bitterly, just as Waspinator attacked Sentinel.
The new techno organic's attack carried him out into the hallway; Optimus and Emma managed to dodge him, but Bumblebee ended up being thrown to the floor, as Waspinator transformed into his robot mode and stood over him.
"Wasp?!" Bumblebee said straight away. Because, there could be no mistaking it!
"It's Waspinator, now!" The techno organic responded, even as Optimus proceeded into the room because he had just heard Sentinel's yell.
Emma stayed where she was, and then she said: "L-like that movie, right?"
Waspinator glanced at her, as Capi came flying up to her. "Will Commander Em-Bot be back, too?" He wanted to know.
"I'm not going anywhere!" She told him.
Waspinator nodded. "Waspinator show Commander Em-Bot … Waspinator protect Flora-Bot!"
"Well, at least your spark's still the same." She replied. She was still reeling slightly. Why didn't I try harder to stop this from happening?! "Umm … how are you … feeling?"
"Never better." He replied.
Emma and Capi exchanged a glance.
"Waspinator's new friend help." Waspinator went on. "Also tell Waspinator that she knows Commander Em-Bot … saved by her as sparkling … last one saved." He added.
Emma's breath hitched in her throat.
Nearby, Capi and Pira had both also frozen.
Bumblebee had managed to climb shakily to his feet, and now he said: "Soooo, Wasp — inator … you've gotten taller. And you can fly! That's - that's cool."
"Waspinator megacool, thanks to new friend, who is also friend of friend." Waspinator agreed.
Bumblebee nodded. "Hey, speaking of friends of friends, I wanted to say I'm sorry … you know, for everything I did and didn't do." He had spoken about this with Optimus and Emma after they'd arrived on the island, and they had both urged him to apologise because … well, he hadn't actually done that yet! And, Wasp(inator) deserved an apology!
Waspinator looked surprised, and then said, in a voice that was much closer to how it had been back when he was Wasp: "Wasp forgive Bumblebot."
Bumblebee looked relieved. "Oh … really?"
Waspinator's voice then went back to how it had become. "BUT WASPINATOR NEVER FORGIVE!"
He did two things then - he attacked Bumblebee, who was in front of him, and he attacked the space on the wall just behind Emma, so that she ended up being thrown forwards and into the doorway of the room that Optimus had run into.
"Em!" Bumblebee, Capi, and Pira all yelled … just as Wasp began to become unstable with Transwarp energy.
Optimus, meanwhile, had come into the room just in time to stop Blackarachnia from attacking Sentinel.
He tried to convince Blackarachnia not to take it out on Sentinel, since he wasn't the one who'd left her behind.
"Oh, please!" Blackarachnia snapped. "That may have worked on Ultra Magnus, but I was actually there, remember?! Ember may have forgiven you both, but I certainly haven't!"
"You knew about this?" Sentinel said to Optimus, from where he was being restrained on the floor by Blackarachnia.
"I didn't know how to tell you." Optimus admitted.
"Oh, well, thanks for not spoiling the surprise, because I wouldn't want to be … I dunno, prepared for this or anything!" Sentinel responded sarcastically. "And, what does Ember have to do with any of this?!"
Blackarachnia, who had just attacked Optimus using the power that she had stolen from Sentinel, seemed about to reply, when something cut her off.
"Ariel!"
The voice came from the doorway, where Emma was climbing shakily to her feet. Her optics were glued to Blackarachnia, and all three who were in the room got the sense that she was struggling to keep herself together.
"Ariel!" Emma said again, and the emotion was evident in her voice
"You - you finally remember me, huh?" Blackarachnia asked her.
"What are you talking about — ?!" Sentinel began, but he was cut off by Blackarachnia covering his mouth up with a sticky web.
"Ariel . . . ?" Optimus said, recalling the name all of a sudden. "Wait … Em, isn't that the name of the sparkling that — ?"
"She was the last sparkling that was rescued before the end of the Great War . . . " Emma said shakily. She appeared to be holding onto the doorframe for some reason. "That mission … you would have heard about the outcome of that, when we were in the mines." She added to Optimus.
Optimus's spark began thudding painfully. "You … you mean the one where — ?"
"Where she lost one of her best friends!" Blackarachnia spoke up, one hand on her hip. "And, I will point out, that that mech's spark partner ended up as a Decepticon, too … she's the one who gave me my techno organic name." She added, somewhat offhandedly.
".C.A.T. … I mean … Clear Air Turbulence would have recognised you . . . " Emma said quietly. "I - I'm sorry, it's taken me awhile to start piecing my memories together . . . " She shook her head slightly. "I … I know that … the sparklings that we rescued during the war were all placed into stasis … to be awakened when it was safe … but … when I wondered what had happened to you … Ultra Magnus seemed upset . . . "
"He would have been devastated that the bot you almost went offline to save as a sparkling was lost, yes." Blackarachnia said, a little bit coldly. "But, not devastated enough to let them come back and try and find me . . . "
"But … you told me that Optimus did come back." Emma reminded her. Her optics were looking at the scars on Blackarachnia's head. "That you didn't want him to find you, but … that by seeing him, you — "
"You're not gonna tell me to forgive him just because of what I told you, are you?" Blackarachnia asked her, somewhat impatiently. She then saw the tears in Emma's optics. Blackarachnia sighed. "What is it?"
"I'm just sorry I couldn't be there for you." Emma whispered.
Blackarachnia flinched like she'd been slapped. "It's not your fault." She said, with some difficulty, and then she motioned to Optimus and Sentinel. "It's theirs!" She looked back at Emma. "But, if you want to blame yourself for something, then blame yourself for not sticking around to teach me to forgive, the way that you can."
"Even if everybot on Cybertron would have suffered?" Emma asked her quietly.
"Clear Air Turbulence didn't get that far with her explanations." Blackarachnia admitted. "She just said that Ultra Magnus never listened to you about whatever non-Decepticon thing it was that was threatening Cybertron until it was too late."
"And, don't you think that he regrets that, even though we've been reunited?" Emma questioned her. "Ariel … nothing is going to erase the pain of what you experienced in the past … as my sensei once said … don't sacrifice a piece of the future, to save something from the past . . . " She then half-turned, and looked back out into the hallway. "Oh no … Waspinator . . . !" She gasped.
Whatever was going on out there couldn't have been good.
Optimus tried reasoning with Blackarachnia again, despite the fact that he was still reeling from the revelation of how she and Emma were connected … of the price that had been paid to rescue her when she was a sparkling … and, of what had happened to her because of him . . .
Ultra Magnus's reaction to the situation now made a lot more sense to him … Optimus was also somewhat stunned by the fact that Emma sounded like she might still forgive him . . .
"I thought you hated being part organic," he reminded Blackarachnia. "Why did you do the same thing to Wasp?"
"Isn't it obvious?"She asked him. "If I can change him back, then I can change myself."
"And what if he goes offline in the process, like you almost did?" Optimus said.
"Well, that's the price of science isn't it?" She responded.
Emma suddenly gasped again, and they all looked at her. She was standing with her back against the doorframe … and, then, Waspinator walked into the doorway from the other side, crackling with green electricity and apparently having just heard all of that.
"Oh Primus … Waspinator, please — !" Emma began, sounding scared all of a sudden, but Waspinator cut her off.
"No bot as forgiving as Commander Em-Bot." He told her, and then turned to face Blackarachnia. "Especially not Waspinator! Commander Em-Bot Waspinator's friend … Flora-Bot Waspinator's spark partner … Spider-Bot not Waspinator's friend! Spider-Bot not care if Flora-Bot lose spark partner, because Spider-Bot use Waspinator!" With every single word, his voice was becoming more and more distorted.
He made to attack Blackarachnia … but, Emma suddenly flew forwards and pushed her out of the way, over to where Optimus and Sentinel were.
"His Transwarp mutation is unstable!" Blackarachnia told them. "It's building to critical mass!"
"Ariel — !" Emma began.
"Aurgh, it's going to get confusing if I have another name to go by!" Blackarachnia told her.
"Oh, come on, we should both be used to it by now!" Emma responded.
The two femmes smiled at each other.
Sentinel, meanwhile, had succeeded in getting the web off of his mouth, and now he asked Optimus: "So, what's the plan?"
"The same as it's always been!" Optimus exclaimed. "Run!"
Blackarachnia needed no telling twice, and she transformed into her alt. mode and scuttled out of the room as fast as all eight of her legs would carry her.
Optimus, meanwhile, had helped an injured Sentinel to his feet.
"Just like old times, huh?" Sentinel commented.
Emma had already reached the door, just in time to see both Blackarachnia and Waspinator practically flatten Bumblebee in their haste to get by.
Not wanting to get flattened a third time, Bumblebee helped Optimus with Sentinel.
They weren't moving nearly fast enough for Emma's liking, though, and she suddenly transformed and, somehow grabbing all three of them with her talons, she rushed them out of the tunnels and out into the open.
Before they got there, though, she asked Optimus what he was going to do about Waspinator.
"I - I don't know!" He told her. "It's going to be hard to attack him if he really is Flora's spark partner — "
"I know but if you don't make a decision then you're going to lose yours!" She cried. "Again!"
Optimus didn't know what to say, but, Emma wasn't finished yet.
"She tried to take herself offline after what happened, until you showed up looking for her." She said, as they approached the exit to the tunnels. "I want you two to be happy! And all three of you deserve to be able to move on from this!"
Outside, Jetfire and Jetstorm had put a stop to the Dino-Bots' attacks, and then they witnessed Waspinator attacking Blackarachnia.
She was still in her alt. mode, and was helpless as Waspinator approached her in robot mode, still crackling with that Transwarp energy.
Optimus's battle axe suddenly came flying out of nowhere and struck Waspinator in the chestplate.
"This time we're not leaving without you!" Optimus told Blackarachnia, as he caught his battle axe.
Blackarachnia looked at him … at the mech that she still loved with all her spark, and made her decision.
"This time I am!" She responded, and leapt at Waspinator, whose energy was reaching such a critical stage that an explosion was imminent. She began to create a cocoon-like web around the two of them.
Optimus realised instantly what she was intending to do. "Blackarachnia!"
"NO!" Emma yelled.
But, there was nothing that could be done … heck, all of them were even caught up in the explosion, despite trying to get away.
I never … stopped loving you . . .
Optimus, Sentinel, Bumblebee, Jetfire, and Jetstorm groggily came to, and Bumblebee was the first to ask what had happened.
"She sacrificed herself to save us." Optimus said numbly. He could feel this hollow feeling in his spark again.
"More like she sacrificed Wasp and used his Transwarp energy to bug out." Sentinel muttered. "And … speaking of which . . . " He began looking around him.
Optimus gasped. "Em — ?!"
"Where is she?!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "And, Capi, and Pira . . . "
"Over here!" They suddenly heard Capi calling, and looked up to see him shining with his bioluminescencey … further out, on the point that had been caused by the explosion making a crescent-shaped bay out of one side of Dinobot Island, they could see Pira glowing … and, further investigation led them to Emma.
She was back in her human form, and she was scratched and already a bit bruised. Her face was sheet white, and her phone was in her right hand.
Said phone was ringing.
Before they could say anything, she answered the phone, and put it on loudspeaker.
"Em! It's Flora!"
Emma had started shaking.
"Can you hear me?!"
"Yes, Flora, I can hear you." Emma said, in a voice that was fairly steady - so far. "What's — "
"Something's happened, hasn't it?!" She interrupted her. "If something's happened and you know about it, then you need to tell me before I find out!"
"Flora," Emma said, and now her voice was shaking slightly. "Where are you?"
"I'm at Sari's."
"So - so, she's with you?" Emma guessed.
"Yes." Flora replied. "Miko is here, too." She added. "Em, what has — ?"
"Flora, are you sitting down?"
There was a moment of silence, and then Flora said: "Yes."
Emma's breathing was shaky, but now she said: "Something … really bad … has happened to Wasp . . . "
"What?" Flora's voice was barely above a whisper. "Em … this feeling in my chest … he's dead, isn't he?"
Emma didn't say anything.
She didn't have to.
They could hear that Flora was crying now. Actually, she was sobbing … practically screaming, actually.
Silent tears ran down Emma's scratched-up face, and they didn't stop. She was shaking like crazy now.
Flora suddenly hung up, much to everybody's shock.
"Capi, Pira!" Emma managed to choke out, and the two tapir's instantly vanished, Transwarping away, no doubt to go to where Flora was.
Emma was now sobbing audibly, and there was nothing anybody could do that would make this situation any better.
"Mum had to do that . . . " She said at one point, her voice muffled because she had her hands over her face. "My sister was living in Canada, but we were back home in Australia, and Maddie called Mum at work to let her know that Ben had killed himself! Mum didn't want Nee-San to find out over social media, and so she had to call her! I never wanted to have to do something like that, but Flora already knew! She knew because he was her spark partner! And now you want me to just go to Cybertron and leave Flora behind after I failed to protect her spark partner?! After I failed to protect Ariel again?! I have responsibilities here! I can't just leave now!"
Emma had holed herself up in her room at the base - almost literally. She was in the wardrobe under the mezzanine, and nobody could get in there in their Cybertronian forms.
The holoforms of Prowl, Optimus, Bumblebee, Honeybee, and Jazz had already tried talking to her, but she wasn't budging.
By now, everybody knew what had happened on that island.
But, they had no idea what was going through Emma's mind.
This was not the first time that she had had to be the bearer of such bad news … and, all that she could think about was what .C.A.T. had done after losing both her and Black Ice, and what Ben had done when he'd thought that Sarah was moving on with her life . . .
How can they just expect me to leave now?
The door to the wardrobe opened.
Emma didn't even look at who it was, until they spoke to her.
"How much longer are you going to be doing this for?"
Emma's head snapped around. She looked away from the tiny window to her right, and at who was now standing in the entrance to her wardrobe.
He had golden blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore black boots, blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and a blue and orange jacket.
A silver Autobot pendant was hanging around his neck.
Emma blinked a few times, and then she got over the fact that Sentinel Prime was standing there in his holoform, and turned away from him again. "As long as I feel like." She replied.
"Well, get over it, because it's going to cause a lot of problems if you don't just accept what has to happen." Sentinel told her shortly.
Emma laughed without mirth. "Do you have any idea at all what I am going through right now, Sentinel Prime?!" She asked him.
"As a matter-of-fact, I do." He replied. "But, carrying on like this isn't going to change any of that." He crossed his arms. "So, why don't you just accept the fact that you have to come back to Cybertron?"
"Do you wanna know why I don't want to go back to Cybertron?" Emma asked him and, without even waiting for an answer, she went on with: "Even before what happened last night, I was not going to go back." She glanced at him. "I get that my being Ultra Magnus's daughter means that I'm supposed to take up the mantle, because the Magnus Hammer has already shone for me."
"Then, what's the big deal?!" Sentinel wanted to know.
"The big deal," Emma sighed, as she stood up and walked over to him. "Is that they all think that that's the only reason why I should - because the greater powers say so! But, you and I both know that what those greater powers want isn't necessarily what the Autobots want! They want somebody who they know, and who they can trust!"
"What are you saying?" Sentinel raised an eyebrow.
"That the last thing that the Autobots need at a time like this is an acting Magnus who they don't even know!" Emma exclaimed.
"Right, well who else can do it?!" Sentinel wanted to know. "Optimus — "
"Is staying right here as well, but you're are going back to Cybertron, you do it!"
"Wait — what?!" Sentinel cried, even as Emma pushed past him, and walked out into her room. He followed her. "You can't just — "
She whirled around. "Okay, fine! I'm acting Magnus - and, now I have just made you acting Magnus! Congratulations!" She turned, and began walking away again.
"You can't do that!"
"I just did!"
At the Elite Guard flagship, the Autobots, Capi, and Pira were waiting for Sentinel and Emma.
Most of them were hoping beyond hope that Sentinel would not be able to convince Emma to go back to Cybertron, which is why a few of them looked upset when Sentinel drove up, and Emma hopped out of his alt. mode.
She took about one step, and that was when Bumblebee couldn't take it anymore.
"NO!" He screamed, falling to his knees in despair, as they all looked at him. "Em, seriously, you can't just leave us! Honey, tell them! Make them let her stay!"
Honeybee looked startled. "Bee, if this is about what you told me about — " She began.
"It's about that and more!" Bumblebee wailed. "Sari listens to Em!"
Emma sighed. "No she doesn't!" She called to him. "But, it's okay! I'm not leaving!"
Prowl looked at her quickly. She seemed calmer now. What on Earth had happened?
Bumblebee paused, and looked over at her. "You're … not?"
Emma shook her head. "I'm staying right here." She smiled.
Sentinel then transformed, and said: "That's right, so let's get a move on! Jazz! Jetfire! Jetstorm! Let's ship out!"
He and Optimus had already spoken about what had happened last night. They had no need for words now.
The others seemed to want an explanation, though, and so Sentinel realised that he probably had to give them one.
Before he could, however, Optimus seemed to figure out what had happened.
"Right now Cybertron needs a leader," he said. "And, for better or worse . . . " He looked at Sentinel. "That leader is you."
"You got that right, buddy." Sentinel nodded importantly.
They decided that it would probably be a good idea to let Cybertron Command know about the change in plans, however, and so they all went onto the Steelhaven, Sky Dancer made the call, using her tech savvy skills to work around whatever the heck Shockwave had done to the system.
"Not that they'll be able to make her go now." Bumblebee said.
"Oh, absolutely not." Honeybee agreed.
"Guys . . . " Emma said, from where she was standing in between their holoforms, and they were each holding onto one of her arms; Prowl's holoform stood behind her, with his hands on her shoulders. "Is this really necessary?!"
"And, we are connected!" Sky Dancer suddenly announced. "Hi, Cliffie."
Cliffjumper's face appeared on the screen. "Sky — what the slag?" He stared at the assortment of robots and holoforms.
Optimus groaned slightly.
Bumblebee, Honeybee, and Prowl returned to their robot forms, and Emma was about to as well, when Ratchet spoke up quickly.
"Not with those injuries!" He warned her.
She sighed, but settled for allowing Prowl to lift her up so that she was more on the same level with the others.
"Then again," she said to Cliffjumper, who was just waiting. "It's sort of fitting - after all, I am staying here on Earth."
He raised an optic ridge, but said nothing.
"If I had to liken me becoming acting Magnus to something," Emma went on. "It would be when Weapon XV was brought into battle during our planet-hopping campaign during the Great War."
As Optimus, Ratchet, Sky Dancer, and Prowl cringed, Cliffjumper said: "That's a pretty extreme comparison to make, Ember. Paradron was destroyed as a result of using that weapon . . . "
"Which is when many lost their faith in Battalions Seven through to Eleven, for using a weapon that, while definitely powerful enough to get the job done, was untested in combat and which not everybody knew that much about." Emma said patiently. "There were those who were scared of it even before then. Now, I'm not saying that anything bad would happen to Cybertron with me in command, I can promise you that it wouldn't end up like Paradron. But, either way, practically nobody on Cybertron knows enough about me to trust me - and, if anything did happen," she stressed certain words. "It would have the potential to create mistrust - especially at a time when there is already so much unrest - that hasn't been seen since the attempted uprisings just before the Great War began. Not to mention the fact that I've basically come back from the dead. Not everybody's just going to accept that I have no idea how that happened. However," she continued, ignoring the slightly stunned expressions on the faces of some of the others. "There is a bot here who has been in the Elite Guard and under the command of Ultra Magnus for long enough to somehow make it work out as acting Magnus. He's already been sworn in, and so I'll hand the reins over to Sentinel, if that's okay?"
Cliffjumper looked stunned for a second, and then he quickly cleared his throat, and said: "Well, if that's what you've already decided then it will have to be okay … the rest of the council may or may not agree, though, Ember. And, it's got nothing to do with who you've just named as your choice for acting Magnus." He added, when Sentinel looked mildly outraged.
"Tell the council that I'll be happy to answer any questions," Emma replied calmly. "And, meanwhile . . . " Her tone softened. "Umm . . . " She suddenly looked away.
Cliffjumper understood instantly. "There's been no change, but, take it as a good sign that he hasn't gotten any worse." He said, somewhat gruffly.
"Okay." Emma nodded. I guess that that's not the worst news that I could've gotten … especially not after last night . . .
As the Elite Guard got ready to leave, Sentinel started taking charge straight away, although he was always in charge of things onboard the Steelhaven when Ultra Magnus was away, and so that wasn't any different.
Jetfire and Jetstorm cheerfully said goodbye to their sister, and promised to play another game of Freefall with her like they had a few nights ago.
Jazz lingered, and Sentinel started to get impatient.
"Hurry up!" The new acting Magnus complained. "Come on, Jazz, when I'm chiding you, that means hurry up!"
Jazz didn't increase his pace - if anything, he slowed down a bit, as he walked up the ramp. He paused at the top, as the hatch began to close up, slowly.
Emma glanced at Prowl. He was looking at her, and then he nodded. They had both agreed.
"Hey, Jazz!" Emma called to the other cyber ninja, who looked right at her. "We'll let you know … when the wedding will be!" Emma was smiling all of a sudden. "After all … you're gonna be … Prowl's best man!"
"Just one more … one more is all that will be needed … and then our wonderful Lord Phantom will rise again . . . "
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Hindi: Mujhe maaf karen - I'm sorry.
Japanese: Ii yo - It's okay.
Mandarin Chinese: Kuài diǎn er! - Hurry up!
Korean: Gihoeneun jigeumppun - The only chance is now. (The song that is mentioned is Mr. Taxi, by Girls Generation).
Russia : Kakogo cherta? - What the Hell?
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