They sat in complete silence for what felt like a small eternity. So many things were racing through Ratchet's processor. The pain of their leader's perceived demise had destroyed them all, in a way, and to know there might be a chance to see him again, to save him... or potentially lose him a second time... the thought made his tanks churn. The emotions were almost too many to sift through. Fear, hope, worry, guilt. He had survived so long under Megatron's barbaric treatment, enduring Primus knows what. Why had he never considered the thought that Optimus was still alive? It almost made sense that Megatron's twisted hubris would prevent him from finishing off his oldest foe...

Arcee watched the myriad expressions passing across her old friend's faceplate. So many of them were familiar. She tilted his helm down toward hers minutely, bringing him back to this moment.

"We need to save him, Ratchet. Megatron has him in stasis, barely alive, but I don't know how much longer we have. He'll know, by now, that I found him. It's the reason I ran... I had to get away... to find someone who could save him. Soundwave will see it, and they'll know that I told you. They'll know we're planning to attempt a rescue! He might decide it isn't worth the risk to keep him alive."

"I don't know if we need to assume the worst just yet."

Both of them turned at the deep utterance. Coming back to his senses, Ratchet asked, "What do you mean, Magnus?"

The tall blue mech stepped through the doorway, moving closer as he explained, "Ironhide was able to disable their main security array before they even realized we were in, including surveillance. It's likely Megatron has no idea what you've uncovered."

This new information was enough to bolster the medic's hope a little, and he schooled his features with a tight nod. "We will need to move fast, then, and make adjustments to our plans."

"You were already planning to go back?" Arcee asked, bewildered.

Ultra Magnus turned to the two wheeler and replied, "We stand the best chance against them now, while they're operating blind. In addition, a down security system means they will have no signal blockers in place. We can use our own ground bridges to move in and out until they repair things. It's now or never."

"Best gather everyone up to debrief," Ratchet recommended.

Magnus nodded in agreement, turning and exiting as suddenly as he'd arrived. Arcee thought to herself that he was just as she'd remembered him all those stellar cycles ago ago, austere and lacking the ability to read social cues, but a good commander nonetheless. Yet, despite the faith she had in both his and Ratchet's ability to lead, it didn't stop the worry from creeping in. Expression pinched in concern, she looked at the white and orange mech and told him, "We need to be careful. Megatron's followers continue to arrive... his army has grown well beyond anything we faced during our time here on Earth.

For the first time in a long time – since before the fall of Optimus and their tragic separation – she watched her old friend smile. He looked at her with a strange glint in his optics.

"Let's take a little walk, shall we? There's something I think you should see."

He helped her slide off the berth and get her pedes under her, her frame tingling in embarrassment. She was grateful for the steadying servo, but it was humiliating to feel so vulnerable in front of him like this. They walked in relative silence out of the room and down a long corridor, passing by many other medical bays and several closed doors. She wondered to herself where they had managed to find this place... a bunker, of sorts, not unlike the one they had utilized prior to Megatron's uprising. Only this one was considerably larger.

There was a ruckus ahead, she noted suddenly, the sound of voices growing louder as they neared the end of the hall. It sounded... jovial?

Ratchet lead her through the final doorway on the right and into a massive room, and she squinted at the shift in lighting. Magnus was just ahead on a raised platform. They moved to stand behind him, and as she ascended Arcee caught sight of the cause of all that noise.

Autobots... so many. More than she recognized, more than she could count at a glance. They had amassed a small army of their own, it seemed, and seeing all of them together filled her with something akin to awe. She could hear murmurs of Optimus' return, excited proclamations of their assured victory should their leader return to them. Word certainly did travel fast.

"Arcee!"

The loud, familiar baritone practically echoed in the spacious room, paired shortly after by a series of excited whirs and beeps.

Bulkhead nearly trampled a few other bots in his eagerness to get to their long lost comrade, Bee following closely behind him. The wrecker was fully prepared to rush up to her and pull her into a crushing embrace when the look Ratchet gave him made him pause. He looked down at her and saw the uneasy expression she wore. The sight of it sent a sharp lance of pain through his spark, but he made sure not to let it show on his face.

"Thank Primus you're alright! I could've throttled Ratchet for making us wait to see you."

Bumblebee gave an affirming chirp, stepping a little closer than Bulkhead dared and resting a servo on her shoulder. Slowly, tentatively, she reached up and covered it with her own, offering him a smile that didn't quite reach her optics.

"It's so glad you're online," she told them, voice shaky.

The large green mech wasted no time in asking the question that was on all of their minds. "Is it true? Is Optimus... alive?"

She nodded once, a sharp tip of her helm.

"Ho-ho! The Cons are done for now!"

"It's far too early to celebrate," Ultra Magnus reminded him sternly, having kept his distance from their reunion but still having overheard. "Only fools toast to a victory not yet won."

Bulk shrugged off the pessimistic remark. "We've got everything we need to trounce those creeps!" he insisted. "This is a chance we never thought we would get... and it's all because of you, Arcee."

Frowning, the slight blue femme made to tell him he was exaggerating, but paused when she noticed the sudden and deafening silence that overtook the room at that last comment. She realized with a start that the optics of every bot in attendance was suddenly on her. All of them looked at her with gratitude etched into their expressions, and panic surged in her lines. No... their feelings of thanks were misplaced. She was no hero.

She shook her helm. "N-no, I just-"

"Gave us hope."

It was Fixit who had interrupted her, though several others murmured and nodded in agreement.

She didn't know what to say, what to do. Accepting the praise felt wrong... any of them would have done the same had they been in her place. Not that any of them would have allowed themselves to be reduced to a pathetic little house pet in the first place. Their stares felt heavy... and she just wanted to disappear.

'They'll see what I really am... they'll know...'

Seeing her slowly shrink away from them, Ratchet cleared his vocalizer. "We have a lot of things to discuss before we set the second phase of our plan into motion."

Turning to look at Fixit, he suggested, "She likely needs some more rest. Now might be a good time to do that check up."

The jovial bot gave a nod of agreement and moved to help the two wheeler back to the med bay. She glanced at Ratchet as she passed him, sending an appreciative look his way.

"Magnus and I will come see you soon, after we've had time to make the necessary adjustments. We will need your intel to finalize everything."

Arcee returned to the room she'd previously occupied with a heavy spark. Even now, far from Megatron's oily talons, she felt his mark on her. Would she ever be free of the shame? The thought was a bleak one. Even now, with the discovery of Optimus a fresh memory in her processor, she should have been elated... but all her thoughts kept drifting back to the notion that this brittle facade would only last so long. They would all start asking questions at one point or another, piece it together. What happened during her captivity? How had she survived? She imagined their optics wouldn't be very kind then... they would be filled with disdain, disgust... maybe eve hate. Would she even be welcome here anymore after that?

"Here we go," Fixit hummed as she settled into the berth again, deftly connecting the necessary wiring to perform his scan. She looked so... listless. His brow ridges beetled. He, better than any of them, knew just how much she had suffered at the servos of their enemies, having worked hard to erase all traces of the adjustments they'd made to her frame. And as he watched her move and interact with others he could see just how deep of a psychological impact they'd had on her. The road to recovery from something like this was a long and hard one... but he promised himself they would help her get there.

"Why don't you lay back and try to relax?" he suggested, keeping his tone light. "This will only take a few minutes. Once you've met with Ratchet and Ultra Magnus you can get some more much needed recharge."

She only nodded and did as he recommended, staring up at the ceiling. Fixit gave a discouraged vent before focusing on the task at hand.

'Time... she just needs time.'