Thank you all for the follow/favorites and reviews! Thank you so much for all 1000 of you that have visited! I'm so happy right now :D
Merry (early) Christmas ya filthy animals!
... and a happy New Year.
(Home Alone Reference to ask those who don't know lol)
TVfan: A fair point, my friend. However, I believe Silas has a plan for that ;)
Megatron's wicked form cut through the dark sky, rumbling ominously with thunder, flashing with forks of lightning every few nano-kliks. It another odd thing about the wet, muddy planet Earth. Yet he couldn't deny that it matched his foul mood in the moment.
For such a primitive and foreign planet, he could not deny its peculiar charm and beauty. His home world had been a place of gleaming metal, beautiful in its own way, but devoid of the living organic growth that Earth possessed.
He grudgingly admitted—if only to himself—that Earth's sunsets were a spectacle worthy of admiration. The vivid swirls of fiery orange, soft pink, and deep purple painted the sky in ways Cybertron never could.
Even the rest of the world had its own quaint allure. Its forest, thick and teeming with life, seemed endless; the oceans, vast and deep, were worlds of their own. It was a beauty that nothing on Cybertron could replicate, if it were even alive.
Curse Optimus Prime to the Pit, he thought. It's his fault that Cybertron is a lifeless husk.
The warlord looked down vast expanse of greens and browns sprawled out beneath him, passing in a blur as he approached his destination—the abandoned mine. The dark maw of the mine yawed open before him, showing nothing but a dark abyss that not even his optics could pierce.
He expertly maneuvered through the gaping jaws of the abandoned energon mine, flying down past the rim of the cave and transformed mid-air, landing gracefully on the ground. The floor underneath splintered under the force of his weight as armor and gears locked back into place.
His olfactory receptors picked up the scent of something... revolting. It was familiar, one that he had not smelled in a long time, yet he couldn't place a digit on it. Megatron walked forward, optics searching the cave for signs of the treacherous bug.
Desertion was the highest treason within the Decepticon ranks and the dictator did not tolerate it. But Airachnid was useful to him back on Cybertron, and he only kept her because of those skills. That, and she had vowed her loyalty back for her life. Watching her misery under constant supervision was an additional bonus, one that he had enjoyed immensely.
However, the Insecticon tried to take over his ship and desert Earth, in an attempt to flee the wrath of Unicron. Soundwave, ever loyal, had prevented this and humiliated her, throwing her in the brig after her display. He had allowed her back out, but only to serve him once again. But her time was limited, and she knew that.
That is why he had sent out Dreadwing and Breakdown to take care of it. Yet both mechs had returned empty-handed, their incompetence allowing Airachnid to escape her inevitable fate. Being challenged by the huntress, he had answered and decided to finish the job himself, since he seemed to be the only competent one the Nemesis, excluding Soundwave.
Megatron looked up at the sound pedes, seeing Airachnid crawling out of her nest, dropping gracefully to the rock below.
"You don't waste time, Airachnid purred, her malicious magenta optics glinting evilly.
"Your stay of execution has come to an end," the tyrant announced, raising his fusion cannon. It hummed readily, prepared to fire at the traitor and extinguish her spark once and for all.
Only he didn't.
A shriek from above assaulted his audial receptors, and something hostile slammed into him, physically and field-wise. He grunted as he was sent tumbling to the ground, sharp edges of armor digging into his plating and protoform underneath.
Instincts kicked in and he flipped to his pedes, grabbing the mass clawing at him and throwing it in the direction of Airachnid, hearing the protesting shrieks follow it. She merely jumped out of the way, onto the wall nearby, watching the spectacle with hungry optics.
Megatron's optics went wide when he saw his assaulter. An Insecticon.
Insecticons had been brought into the Decepticon's fold toward the middle of the war by Shockwave. They were scavengers, vermin, that lived by the core of Cybertron, leeching off of its energon. Yet they were useful. Not only for their strength, but their numbers.
When both Autobots and Decepticons had started to send their spoils into the far reaches of space, Megatron had sent the most fearsome of the Insecticons with their energon, to defend it along with the Predacons.
He had not expected for them to survive, unlike the other beasts.
"I will leave you two to get acquainted," Airachnid said, hopping off of her perch onto a ledge that was a safe distance from her beast and the warlord.
"Bow before Megatron, your lord and master," the warlord commanded.
The beast did not heed his words. Instead lunging at him, mandibles clicking together.
Raising his fusion cannon, the dictator ordered once again, "I said bow—" The warlord was cut off when the vermin gripped his helm and flipped over him, tossing him into the wall. Megatron flipped and landed on one knee, skidding backward.
His lips curled into a snarl as he growled, fields flaring furiously at the beast. The creature threw itself at him with a shriek, pinning his arms against the stone, pressing its weight against him, holding him in place. The warlord struggled in the Insecticon's hold, squirming and tilting his chin to prevent the vermin's mandibles from getting anywhere near vital fuel lines.
His gaze found Airachnid, whose fangs were twisted into a pleased smile at his predicament. He was going to tear—
Megatron roared as the Insecticon's clawed mandibles found their way to his neck, slashing the sensitive cables there. He slammed his helm against the beast's, temporarily stunning it, and raised his fusion cannon, slamming a blast of heated dark energon at it, sending it tumbling to the ground.
It didn't last long, however, and halfway through its second tumble, it transformed into a monstrous bestial mode. It was reminiscent of Earth's beetles, but far more deadly with spikes all over its alternate form and sharp horns protruding from its helm, ready to spear anything in its path.
Wings carried it quickly to him, and he attempted to fire at it. Only for Airachnid to web his fusion cannon. Twice! He growled, looking up at her smirking faceplates. The brief distraction cost him, and the vermin slammed him into the stone. Horns slipped underneath him, and before he could react, he was flipped into the wall, twice.
His processor spun, fragmented lines of code swirling around in his neural net and messages flitting across his HUD, warnings and errors. Again, he felt himself being lifted, but this time, he was tossed into the air.
There was nothing he could do as his opponent followed him up with the fluttering of wings, and he howled in pain as sharp horns sliced across his neck cables, almost in the exact same area as earlier, sending sparks and energon into the air. The vermin twisted in the air, firing red superheated energon at him.
Multiple bolts struck him, digging into his thick plating. Gravity took hold and its cruel claws dragged him back to the ground, sending debris into the air, rocks pelting back down on him. He groaned as he shakily got to his pedes, venting heavily, trying to cool down his overheated frame.
As he pushed aside the error messages, the dictator become vaguely aware of laughter echoing above him.
The warlord wasn't given long of a respite, barely wiping the energon from the corner of his intake, when the beast charged at him, only to receive a powerful backhand that sent it flying into the stone. It wailed as it peeled off the wall, bringing stones down on it, temporarily stunned.
Airachnid looked displeased, staring down at her beast, claws flexing nervously as her gaze flitted between the pair.
"You and your beast would do well to remember—" he unsheathed his sword, prepared to finish off the pest, "—I honed my skills IN THE PITS OF KAON!" he proclaimed loudly, as if addressing a crowd, smirking at the huntress' crestfallen features.
The screech of the Insecticon diverted his attention to it, where he saw the beast lunging at him. He charged at it, sword at the ready, prepared to slash down on it, only to meet two claw-like appendages extending from its sides.
It hissed, mandibles clicking, swiping at him with its claws, only to meet his broad sword. The vermin jumped over him, swiping its wicked claws at him, but he merely sidestepped the strike, retaliating with an attack of his own. The Insecticon barely managed to move out of the way, the tip of the sword grazing its optics.
It reared back, visor flaring brilliantly as it evaded his next attack, and jumped, claws digging into the wall. Megatron barely had time to turn around when it pounced on top of him, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The Champion growled as the vermin placed all its weight atop of him, pinning him once again. Enough of this!
"FINISH HIM!" Airachnid bellowed from above, watching with greedy optics.
Sharp denta flashed and prepared to sink into the vulnerable seams of his armor, where his protoform lay beneath, exposed. He clamped down the armor as he thrashed, bringing his arms up to protect himself. It was a costly mistake.
Megatron roared in agony as fangs sunk into the inner circuitry of his fusion cannon, raking down onto his arm, and sinking deeply into the thick armor, puncturing one of his fuel lines. Warnings lit up his visor as he hissed like a feral cat, punching its helm hard enough to crack its visor. It had ridiculously thick armor!
It was enough to get the vermin to loosen its hold on him. He scrambled to all fours, optics furiously boring into the beast. It was time to finish this fight. Somewhere above him, he vaguely heard a shout of anger and metal clashing against metal.
The Champion slashed at the Insecticon, batting away its clawed appendages and punching it once again in the face, drawing out another screech from it. It quickly retaliated with a brutal uppercut, sending Megatron back a few paces, but he charged forward, acrobatically hitting the creature with an agility and speed that belied his frame.
It groaned, lifting its helm weakly before it collapsed onto the ground. The tyrant's gaze was drawn upward to where he saw a lack of Airachnid. Where had that pest gone? The sound of stones falling from the walls drew his attention and he looked up to see his mortal enemy staring down at him. Optimus Prime and his Autobots.
"So many surprises today," he remarked, displeased. The warlord didn't fail to notice the Insecticon crawling along the wall, and he turned around just in time to swipe at it with his sword, leaving a deep groove in its thick armor.
It stumbled back, and the Champion did not allow it to get away. He pulled at its extra appendages, hearing the metal tearing until they were only held by thin strands of wires. The beast whined loudly, clawing at him in an attempt to remove him.
Megatron was unrelenting. He firmly planted his pede against the Insecticon's chassis and pushed. The vermin screeched in agony as its arms were torn away, sparking with electricity as drops of energon dripped from the severed limbs.
The tyrant tossed them to the side and charged at the creature, who was still struggling to recover, and severed its helm. The Insecticon's frame stood upright for a nano-klik before it fell down, next to the head that had bounced a few feet away, visor turning black.
He had won.
Finally!
Arcee would kill Airachnid. She was going to finish that wretched femme and prevent her from taking any more of her partners. It would be justice for Tailgate. Justice for Jack, who had nearly been killed in the forest, and justice for June, who had also come to a near death experience with the spider-bot. And for all those who had been killed by her claws.
She vowed this would be the last time that the spider-bot would ever run into her again as she stepped out of the light of the GroundBridge, looking down into the dark hole of the mine, where she could vaguely hear the screech of metal against metal.
The femme athletically hopped down from one rock to another, flipping and twisting in a way few Cybertronians could. She landed on a ledge overlooking quite a scene. The Decepticon leader was battling an Insecticon, Airachnid's puppet, much to her surprise—Team Prime's surprise.
So Airachnid hadn't been lying about one thing: the Insecticon. However, she hadn't mentioned anything about Megatron being here. Only that she was planning to use her pet to find their pets, or some other humans and kill them. They had only come because she was threatening to endanger humanity.
It dawned on Arcee that the huntress had orchestrated all of this in hopes that all of her enemies would kill each other. The other Autobots, who had quietly climbed down and were watching the fight, seemed to have come to the same conclusion.
Arcee spotted Airachnid, and Optimus seemed to notice where she was looking.
"Arcee, no—!"
The femme didn't listen to her leader, instead yelling, "AIRACHNID!" She transformed into vehicle mode, riding down the slope, gaining speed before flying of the ledge, right into Airachnid, who looked up to see a transforming femme slamming into her.
They grunted as they fell into a tangle of limbs, clawing and hissing at each other like cats, each trying to get an advantage over the other. Arcee managed to latch onto Airachnid's plating, causing the huntress to hiss in pain, and threw her into the wall nearby.
The Insecticon quickly recovered, scratched and dented with small streams of energon dripping off her plating, rising on her extra limbs. Her sharp denta bared into a mockery of smile as she purred, "Arcee. I see that you got my transmission." She chuckled darkly, moving to the side. "How's my Jack?"
Arcee snarled, extending her side blades. With a battle cry, she threw herself at the femme, cutting a deep groove in the black plating, drawing a hiss. Airachnid retailed with a swipe of her claws and a ball of webbing sent her way.
Arcee athletically dodged her attacks, swiping at her archnemesis. The Insecticon gave a fanged smile, jumping onto the ceiling as she fired balls of web, scuttling across the stone as she attempted to escape. She wouldn't allow it!
The femme transformed her servos into blasters, firing at the escaping bot furiously. She dodged another web and activated one of her side blades, slashing at the Insecticon, who gracefully hopped to the side. Arcee growled, firing at the bug.
One of her shots clipped the huntress' optics, eliciting a howl of pain from her as she clutched the scorched lenses. Derma pulled back into a snarl and her palms glowed menacingly as she fired superheated energon at her, forcing the femme to dodge the side.
It continued until Arcee managed to clip the wretches' extra limb, drawing energon. Airachnid snarled, hitting her in the chassis with a direct shot. The femme groaned as she was thrown back into the wall from the force of the blast.
Arcee shot up to her pedes, wincing as pain raked through her frame, hearing the sounds of drilling. She looked up to see Airachnid burrowing away from their fight. The femme snarled curses under her breath and converted her servos into blasters, peppering the Insecticon with energon blasts as she disappeared into the void.
The Autobot knew it wasn't wise to follow Airachnid, yet she couldn't allow her to get away. She climbed into the hole, crawling on all fours as she followed the tunnel that the wretch had created, keeping her winglets low so as to not scrape against the ceiling.
Arcee was warry of the small, cramped tunnels, constantly craning her neck to see behind her. She didn't trust the 'Con, and expected to be attacked from anywhere, especially her sides where the Insecticon could burrow in and hurt her. Even if she could hear the attack, she didn't have any breathing room.
The femme nearly tumbled down the steep slope that had suddenly appeared but caught herself in time and positioned herself to slide down properly. The moment she reached the bottom; she pointed her blasters at the darkness. When she received no attack, she continued to crawl.
Only to hit something sticky not even a few seconds later.
Arcee's optics widened as she lifted her servo, then the other, seeing webbing attached to them. Oh no—
"Scrap!"
She yelped when she was abruptly suffocated by something sticky, yanked up harshly in a disorienting motion, making the world spin around her. Arcee focused her optics, seeing that she was above ground in a forest.
Strange scents tickled her olfactory sensors. Animals, greenery and... Insecticon. Arcee jerked her helm, looking up to see Airachnid above her, spinning her cocoon, much like an organic spider, but more horrifying.
Arcee grunted, struggling against her prison with all her might. She couldn't die here! Two pincer-like claws gripped her helm tightly, almost painfully, forcing her to look into the only sick magenta optic that remained from their fight and a twisted smile.
Claws slid across her helm as Airachnid adjusted her position, hovering inches from her faceplate. "Arcee... you still didn't answer my question. How's my Jack? I've been meaning to pay him a visit."
The femme struggled, snapping at her captor. "He's not... yours!"
Deceptively gentle claws trailed along her faceplate, mapping out the contours of the delicate metal. She hissed, disgusted that the wretch was even touching her. Her chin was seized by claws, digging painfully into her plating. A horrible smile twisted across the Insecticon's face. "Oh, whatever happened?" she drawled, mockingly. "Did you lose your pet?"
Arcee stiffened, and that gave the sadist the answer she needed.
"Lost another partner already?" she purred, looking all too pleased. "Honestly, Arcee, I expected more. But then again, you seem to have a knack for losing your partners. At some point, you really need to ask yourself, 'Is it them or is it me?"
The Autobot felt something hot course through her fuel lines, coming from her spark itself. She was going to kill the bug! She had taken enough from her! She wouldn't allow her to hurt her, or Jack or anybody anymore! Airachnid had to die, and she would kill her the moment she escaped this... webbing.
Airachnid's faceplates twisted into something cruel, then a smile crossed her face again as they were illuminated red. "I'm going to kill you!"
"You really should control your emotions more, my sweet." She tapped on the sensitive lenses of her optic, scratching it as she raked down. "Though I don't doubt your rather... bold claim. When you extinguish my spark, make it hurt. You know I would extend the courtesy to you."
"I'm nothing like you!" Arcee refused, renewing her struggles.
There was a hiss and one of Airachnid's appendages snapped up, the razor-sharp ends opening. "Very well then. This might not be the solar cycle I take Megatron's spark, but it is the solar cycle I remove yours."
The Insecticon wailed as something slammed into her with a deafening explosion. Arcee swung back and forth, processor spinning as she tried to make sense of what just happened. Her optics went wide when she saw who was responsible.
Starscream was pointing his missile at the downed femme, grinning wickedly."How right you were, Airachnid." The Seeker slid down the rock, drawing closer to the Insecticon as he raised his other arm with a missile, grin widening as he fired his last weapon with a click. "Payback is sweet."
The missile hit the ground, shaking the earth as Arcee heard sounds of burrowing from behind her. Nooo! Airachnid was escaping! The Autobot craned her neck to see the last peeks of the wretch escaping underground. When she turned around, she saw the Seeker approaching her, servos clasped behind his back.
"Well, if there's one thing I despise nearly as much as eight-leggers," Starscream drawled, circling her like a predator its prey, "it's two-wheelers."
Stopping in front of her, he didn't do anything for a long moment, seemingly enthralled by her optics. He was rudely snapped out of his daze when she spat,"Go on. Get it over with."
"As I recollect, in a similar predicament, you once allowed me to live," he mused, raising his claws that glinted evilly in the moonlight. Arcee closed her optics, bracing herself for the end. She couldn't believe this was how she was going—
She grunted when she abruptly hit the ground with a clang. Opening her optics, she looked up to see Starscream waving a servo as looked down at her with unreadable eyes. Wha—
"Consider us even."
The Decepticon -former Decepticon?- started to walk away when voice rang out through the woods. "Step away from the femme, Screamer."
Arcee looked to the side as the Seeker's helm jerked up at the sound, both seeing a familiar face. Wheeljack. The mech had stayed temporarily with Team Prime after his ship was damaged in the fight with Dreadwing, and because he noticed that Bulkhead was down, really down with the loss of his partner. He came out of the forest, katanas in hand, battle mask sliding in place as he prepared to fight.
"No!" the femme called out, struggling against the webbing. "Wheeljack, leave him alone!"
The mech's optics narrowed as he looked at her, confusion and shock warring in the cerulean light."Did you blow a gasket?!"
"Starscream saved my life," she snapped, begrudgingly thankful to the Seeker, who smirked at the comment. Closing her optics briefly, she ex-vented. "Let him go."
The Wrecker didn't move at first, his grip tightening on his weapons as he stared Starscream down coldly. The air grew tense as both parties sized each other up, both injecting dominance into their fields, though the Seeker's was failing miserably. Then, Wheeljack sheathed his swords, glaring at the mech as he scurried off.
Wheeljack made his way over to her, kneeling next to the webbing and pulling out one of his swords to cut it. "Screamer saved your pretty aft, eh?"
Arcee glared at the Wrecker for the audacity of his statement. "Not a word about this. Ever."
Wheeljack smirked.
"It would seem that I am unarmed and at your mercy."
Optimus Prime stared down at the fallen warlord, whose stabilizers had failed him after the long and intense fight with the Insecticon. Megatron's frame trembled, though he tried to mask his weakness.
"So, tell me, Optimus,"the warlord grunted, looking up at him with burning vermillion optics."Do you intend to take me alive? Or end this here and now?"
A heavy silence filled the air, charged with tense fields that crackled in the air. Bulkhead and Bumblebee exchanged wary glances, their gazes shifting between their leader and the Decepticon tyrant. Optimus remained motionless, optics boring into Megatron's, searching for something—anything—that might remind him of the mech he once called brother.
But there was nothing left.
The atrocities Megatron had committed should've have sealed his fate long ago. He had poisoned Rafael with dark energon, in pursuit of some twisted prophecy that the warlord had convinced himself was his destiny. He had plunged Cybertron into an endless war, stripping it of life. He had turned his sights to other worlds, spreading destruction. Earth was no different.
The tyrant didn't stop there. He had taken close allies and twisted their minds, broken them. He had stolen the sparks of others, hurting not only him but thousands of others. Megatron had taken Elita-1 from him. He had betrayed him.
The Guardian Knight had held onto hope for so long, clinging to the belief that the mech he once called his brother could be saved. But he knew, as he had always deep down, that hope was a relic of the past. The mech lying before him was not the one he had once known. Megatron's madness had consumed him entirely.
This chaos had to end.
For Jack. For Miko. For Raf.
And for all those that had suffered by the warlord's servo.
Optimus transformed his servo into a double-barreled cannon. The weapon hummed as he aimed it squarely at Megatron's helm. The other Autobots tensed, optics darting nervously between their leader and the fallen warlord. Even Megatron seemed momentarily taken aback, optics narrowing as he took in his expression.
But then—
A distant rumble cut through the suffocating silence. It was faint and indistinct, like the low growl of an approaching storm. Then it grew. The sound swelled, growing louder and louder, until it became a deafening roar.
All optics turned upward, scanning the cavern's opening as the ground beneath them trembled.
Without warning, crimson streaks began to rain from the sky. Superheated energon peppered across the chasm, scorching the stone. Optimus didn't waver, transforming his other servo into a weapon as the sound of transformation echoed around the mine, accompanied by the sound of thunderous crashes.
The dust cleared, revealing dozens upon dozens of Vehicons, crimson visors balefully staring down at them, weapons primed and ready to fire if given the command. Behind his master stood Dreadwing, a Seeker captain from Cybertron and Skyquake's brother, his massive cannon aimed directly at Optimus Prime.
"Deliver Megatron to us," Dreadwing growled, coldly glaring at the Prime."And I will allow you to live."
The Guardian Knight did not falter. His cannon remained trained on Megatron, unwavering, while his other weapon was aimed at a nearby Eradicon. His glare met the Seeker's head-on.
"Never trust a 'Con!" Bulkhead barked, turning his weapon toward Dreadwing."Kick Buckethead's bucket already!"
The Autobots and Decepticons stared each other down intensely as the silence stretched to a breaking point. Finally, Optimus broke the silence. "Dreadwing, do I have your word?"
More tense silence followed as the Seeker captain's optics narrowed. Everybody's gaze was on Dreadwing now, except for Megatron, who still looked up at Optimus with an inscrutable expression, though his smoldering optics were slightly narrowed.
Then, Dreadwing slowly lowered his cannon, holstering the weapon that neatly folded on his back. It was the signal that the Eradicons needed, and they deactivated their own weapons, relaxing ever so slightly as they awaited further orders.
Seeing this, the Guardian Knight gestured to his own soldiers. Bulkhead hesitated, optics narrowing as he glanced between Optimus and the surrounding Decepticons. Finally, with a reluctant grumble, he lowered his cannons and headed back to his leader's side, Bumblebee following suit.
Dreadwing helped Megatron up, who visibly tried to pull away but couldn't. The warlord would've collapsed back to the ground, if it weren't for his faithful servant catching him by the chassis, awkwardly helping him balance on his pedes.
"Dreadwing may have his word, but I did not," Megatron growled, pointing at the Autobots as Dreadwing wisely moved out of range of his lord's EM fields. "DESTROY THEM!"
At that command, all the Decepticons in the room started to fire at them while Megatron and Dreadwing took their leave, transforming into their alt-modes, flying out of the massive cavern, engines roaring. The Autobots immediately returned fire, taking out the Decepticons one by one.
They grouped together, watching as each Vehicon fell to the ground, lifeless and smoking until there was none of Megatron's foot soldiers left. Optimus, concerned for Arcee, who had recklessly gone after Airachnid in her rage, raised two fingers to his audial receptor, contacting her commlink.
"Arcee, what is your status?"
The femme's response came quickly. |"Alive and heading back with Wheeljack."|
Optimus frowned slightly at the mention of Wheeljack. The Wrecker had insisted he couldn't participate in this mission due to repairs on his ship, but it seemed he'd resolved that issue."Understood," the Autobot leader responded, filing that thought away for later.
Switching channels, he addressed another ally. "Ratchet, we need a GroundBridge."
Ratchet stared at his monitor, optics scanning the readouts that had remained relatively the same for the past few days. His servos moved automatically, running yet another scan, far more invasive than the former, for the children's trackers—the third in the past fifteen minutes.
In the background, a deeper, more thorough algorithm ran continuously, but Ratchet's desperation refused to let him rely on just that. He kept running quicker ones, obsessively checking and rechecking for any sign of their location. He needed answers, and he needed them now.
The children had been missing for three solar cycles.
Three solar cycles—days in human words. Three agonizing days since MECH had taken Jack, Miko, and Rafael. The silence in the base was suffocating, devoid of the life that the children had brought. Ratchet had always been proud of his love for peace and quiet, but now... he hated it.
His gaze drifted to the couch across from the console on the other side of the catwalk. Jack and Miko had practically claimed that area as their own, often huddled together over one of their strange, hand-held... controllers, he believed they were called, engaged in loud, competitive 'video game' sessions.
Their laughter, their banter, even their inevitable squabbles—he missed all of it. He could almost hear Miko's triumphant shout when she won, followed by Jack's groan of frustration, or vice versa. And, of course, the part where Ratchet would yell at them to quiet down, only to receive a scoff or a cheeky remark in return. He'd grumble and pretend to be annoyed, but deep down, he had always found their antics endearing.
He turned his optics to the catwalk where Rafael used to sit. The boy had taken up residence at a smaller console near Ratchet's own, always eager to learn about Cybertronian technology, language, and biology. Ratchet had been surprised by the boy's intelligence and curiosity—something that he had quickly grown to appreciate—and even more so by how much he'd enjoyed their conversations.
Teaching Rafael about Cybertronian systems had become one of his rare pleasures, and in return, Raf had shared insights about human biology—something Ratchet had taken a keen interest in, especially after the dark energon incident.
The memory of Rafael lying unconscious on the human sized berth—gurney—infected with Megatron's poison, made his spark twist painfully. He had sworn to himself that solar cycle that he would learn more about their charges in order to better protect them. And now... now they were gone.
MECH's cruelty knew no bounds. Sending a video of Rafael's distress—of his pain—was nothing short of monstrous. Ratchet's spark burned with anger every time he thought about it. He hadn't recharged since the children had been taken. None of them had. He couldn't rest, not while they were out there, suffering. He had to find them.
The children weren't the only ones missing. Their absence had taken pieces of the Autobots with them, and everyone was feeling the loss in their own way.
Arcee had started to take long rides away from the base, returning with fresh dents and scratches that told stories of their own. Every time she returned, the medic tried to check her for injuries, but she refused his help. She didn't speak much, but the fire in her optics told him enough. She was hurting.
Bulkhead was another story entirely. The Wrecker was angrier than Ratchet had ever seen him, stomping around the base like a caged animal, looking for something to smash. And smash he did—he'd broken two of the medic's tools in the last day alone. It was an act that had earned a rant of frustration from him.
Bulkhead barely apologized, too preoccupied with his worry for Miko. The girl was his charge, and her absence was tearing him apart. The Wrecker's rage was a mask for his fear and helplessness, something that Ratchet had seen far too often in his lifetime.
The normally cheerful Bumblebee was quiet, barely speaking and hardly looking at anyone in the optics. He stayed away from everybody, often by the GroundBridge, staring at it as if waiting for the children to come running through at any moment.
And then there was Optimus.
Oh Optimus.
Ratchet had known the Prime for millennia, and in all that time, he could count on one servo the number of times he'd seen Optimus lose control. That was why it had been so shocking to witness his oldest friend punch a hole in the wall after watching the video of Rafael.
Since then, he had been quieter than ever, optics dim with guilt and grief. Ratchet knew part of that guilt stemmed from Optimus's time as Orion Pax, aiding the Decepticons in his amnesiac state. That burden, combined with the children's disappearance, was crushing him.
Then there was Wheeljack.
The Wrecker had stayed behind after the battle with Dreadwing, citing damage to his ship as the reason. Ratchet suspected there was more to it than that—Wheeljack seemed to sense Bulkhead's agitation and had decided to stick around. The medic wasn't particularly fond of the Wrecker's reckless nature, but even he had to admit they needed all the help they could get.
Wheeljack had been especially adamant about finding Miko, vowing to bring her back no matter the cost. Something that Ratchet feared could be problematic, though he admired the mech's loyalty to his friend.
|"Ratchet, we need a GroundBridge."|
"Understood," the medic replied, reading his old friend's coordinates and opening a bridge to them. "Opening one now."
The familiar hum of the GroundBridge filled the base as its swirling green vortex materialized, bathing that corner of the base in a soft light. Ratchet stared at it, spark heavy. They would find the children. They had to. They were out there somewhere, and Ratchet silently vowed that he wouldn't rest until they were safe again.
Writing in Ratchet's perspective was so sad. He misses the children so much, though his Cybertronian pride (curse it) won't let him admit it :(
All the Autobots are being affected by their absence, and it's sad, honestly.
As you can obviously tell, I changed a few things. Starscream wasn't the one who told the Autobots about Airachnid's plan, it was the Insecticon herself. I have a reason for that, since Starscream has yet another purpose to serve, for now. And Breakdown, I didn't kill him off as you can see in a brief line in Megatron's perspective toward the beginning.
His death was such a waste, in my opinion.
Yeah, and Wheeljack staying is new (and his broken ship). I like him a lot, so I'm like, why not bring him in earlier?
The 'Cons have no reason to speak in English, they hate humanity, so there's that. The Autobots, as explained Raf's POV a chapter or two ago, speak Cybertronian when the kids aren't around. The words like 'Jack' aren't italicized because they don't have those types of names in their language, which you'll probably see more of.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think :)