Evelyn and Miko kept glancing towards the doors nervously. They were waiting for either one of these two options.

Option A- Megatron walks in and takes them to the designated coordinates for the trade.

Option B- the Autobots storm through the doors and rescue them.

They were really hoping Option B would happen.

Evelyn didn't know how long it's been since she sent the message and their location, nor did she know if the message even got through.

'What if it didn't? What if the message got intercepted? What if the cons found out about it?' she asked herself.

"Don't worry, Eve. The bots will come through for us." Miko said. She was also trying to convince herself at the same time. 'C'mon Bulk, where are you?' she asked as she chewed her lip nervously.

"I know." Evelyn said. 'When they'll come is what I'm worried about.' She thought. She wished she had a watch to know how long it's been and how much time is left until they were taken to make the trade.

'Stop that, do you really think Smokes will let you down like that?' Evelyn told herself.

She looked over at Miko and they both nodded with a steely resolve in their eyes and a strong faith in them.

Their guardians will come for them. They were sure of it.

**************************************************

Optimus, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Smokescreen drove through the groundbridge and in seconds, they were standing in one of the hallways on the Nemesis.

Instantly, the lingering vehicons froze at their sudden appearance. Before they could react, Optimus had already shot their helms off.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of vehicons had surrounded them.

"Move it glitch-heads!" Smokescreen said as he flipped over a con and grabbed him by the helm. Gripping the sides, Smokescreen threw him over his body and the vehicon crashed into three other cons.

"Smokescreen go find the girls!" Optimus ordered as he thrusted his sword through a vehicon's spark chamber.

"Already on it!" Smokescreen said using the Phase Shifter, he easily phased through the cons and ran ahead.

"Be careful, they might try to use the girls as a shield!" Bulkhead called after him.

"Noted. Don't worry I'll get Miko back for ya." Smokescreen shouted back.

"I'm holding you onto that!" Bulkhead replied.

"What's going on out there?" Knockout asked noticing the commotion outside the med-bay. He turned on the screen and saw the surveillance. Knockout's optics widened when he realized it was the Autobots.

But Miko and Evelyn's hopes soared. "The Autobots!" Evelyn gasped as she pressed her hands against the glass. "They're here."

"Oh you buggers are screwed now." Miko said as she grinned.

They heard a crash. They slowly turned towards the door....

Outside, Smokescreen was almost at the doors....until a con jumped in front of him.

"Out of the way!" Smokescreen yelled. He tackled the vehicon and while he smoothly phased through the doors, he released the vehicon leaving him trapped in the wall.

Smokescreen flipped over the con and landed smoothly. He looked up and saw that he was in the med-bay. His training kicked in as he took in his surroundings.

"Smokes!" he heard it. He heard a voice he thought he wouldn't hear again. His optics immediately zeroed in on the two jars where Miko and Evelyn were being kept.

A smile spread across his faceplate but it was gone the moment he saw Knockout nearby standing guard.

"Once again the knight arrives to save his precious princess, it's cute, really." The red con mocked as he stood in front of the two jars with his energon prod ready.

"Give them back and I won't scratch the paint." Smokescreen growled. He was not in the mood for this. He didn't come all this way to be stopped by Knockout of all cons.

"Then catch!" he said before picking up Miko and hurling her away.

Smokescreen's optics widened. He lunged forward and caught Miko's jar just before it hit the ground. He used the Phase Shifter and took her out. "You okay?" he asked.

"Forget about me, he's still got Eve!" Miko said.

"Scrap." Smokescreen hissed. He put Miko down. "Stay clear till I give the okay. This won't take long."

Miko scampered off and hid beside the doors.

"Give Eve back now, Knockout." Smokescreen said as he activated his blade. He'd taken off the brace Ratchet had given him to allow more freedom of movement. The dull numbness in his right servo was barely noticeable.

"Want her so bad? Come and get her~" Knockout taunted and held Evelyn out.

Smokescreen roared and charged forwards. The two fought, Smokescreen's blade and Knockout's energon prod clashed sending sparks flying.

Smokescreen knocked the energon prod away and moved in to finish Knockout but at the last moment, Knockout held the jar containing Evelyn in front of him as a shield.

Smokescreen barely stopped himself in time. Knockout grinned and slammed his energon prod into Smokescreen's stomach. Smokescreen grunted in pain.

"Smokes! Look out!" Evelyn warned.

Smokescreen leaned back and dodged Knockout's buzzsaw that would've taken his helm off.

As he leaned back, he brought his pedes up. As he back flipped to avoid the buzzsaw, he felt his pedes slam against Knockout's jaw.

He activated his blaster to finish Knockout off but the medic had drawn his as well, except it wasn't aimed at him.

"One more step and I blow her to scrap." Knockout growled as he aimed his blaster at Evelyn.

Smokescreen faltered. Was Knockout serious?

"Don't listen to him, he's bluffing!" Evelyn said.

"He can't do it! If he does you both lose!" Miko shouted back.

"You really want to take that chance?" Knockout asked as his digits curled around the trigger.

Smokescreen was at a loss and he realized that back then, all he had to do was use the Phase Shifter and he could've avoid hurting Evelyn and finished off Knockout. Great.

But there's no point in crying over spilled milk.

"You touch her and I'll kill you." Smokescreen growled.

"You try that and I kill her." Knockout said tapping the jar with the muzzle of his blaster. "Lay down your weapons and I'll let her live."

Smokescreen looked at Evelyn who gazed back at him with those warm brown eyes of hers.

He saw trust and total faith in those eyes; they were a bit of fear and at the same time, trust. She trusted him; she believed in him, she had faith in him. There was also bravery, determination and no hesitation.

'It's okay.' She mouthed to him and smiled a bittersweet smile. Then suddenly, Evelyn turned around and glared at Knockout. "If you're going to shoot me then do it and get it over with already!" she snapped at him.

"Aren't you afraid that you'll die?" Knockout asked though deep down he was growing desperate. If Evelyn truly wasn't afraid, then he'll lose his only leverage.

"The Autobots were willing to sacrifice their lives to save me; I'll gladly do the same for them." Evelyn said. She had no fear in her voice, no hesitation, just a firm determination.

"By the way, lad, did you know that the Phase Shifter has massive jump scare potential?" Evelyn said as she smirked.

Knockout whipped his helm around and saw that Smokescreen was gone.

"Where'd he-" his unfinished question was answered as Smokescreen surged out of the ground with a roar and gave him an uppercut. 

Knockout's helm snapped back at the force of the punch.

His grip on the jar loosened completely as he flew back. Smokescreen lunged forward and caught the jar. He released a breath of relief and wasted no time in getting Evelyn out of the jar.

"You did it!" Evelyn cried in relief and surged forward to hug him. "You came, I knew you'd come." She whispered and she looked up at him with eyes filled with tears of relief.

Smokescreen smiled and hugged her against his chassis. "Was there ever any doubt?" he joked cockily though there was a rare emotional crack in it. He didn't care, he did it, Evelyn was here.

"Um...I hate to ruin the moment but can you guys do your reunion when we're back at base?" Miko asked. "Knockout's getting up!"

Smokescreen saw the Decepticon medic slowly and groggily getting up. "Time to knock Knockout out." Smokescreen said. He walked towards Knockout and reared his fist back.

"This is for Eve and Miko!" he exclaimed before slamming a devastating hook against Knockout's helm. His helm snapped sideways before he was knocked out cold.

"Knock Knockout out? Was that a tongue twister?" Evelyn joked.

"Hey! It was pretty cool and perfect!" Smokescreen said.

"That was the definition of satisfying." Miko said as she walked over to them.

"Agreed." They said.

Smokescreen pressed a digit at the side of his helm and commed the others. "I've got the girls. They're safe." Smokescreen said.

:Then let's get outta here!: Bumblebee beeped.

"Hang tight, girls." Smokescreen said.

"Wait! You have to grab something for me first." Evelyn said.

"Grab what?" he asked.

"My phone." Evelyn said.

"How can you care about your phone of all things right now?!? Smokescreen and Miko asked.

"Because all of my personal info is in it! The cons could find out all sorts of things." Evelyn shot back.

Smokescreen realized she was right. Her phone had all her contacts and the Autobot communication app Raf installed. The cons might use that to trace them back to base.

"Okay, where is it?" Smokescreen asked.

"There!" Miko and Evelyn said and pointed to where Evelyn's phone was on the table.

Smokescreen picked the phone up, handed it back to Evelyn and ran through the doors with the two girls in his servos.

He raced through cons and regrouped with the others.

"Bulk!" Miko cried, she instantly jumped off Smokescreen and Bulkhead caught her just in time.

"Miko! Thank Primus you're okay!" Bulkhead said relief flooding through his circuits and he hugged Miko to his chassis.

"Ratchet, we have Eve and Miko, activate the groundbridge." Optimus ordered.

The groundbridge appeared and the Autobots along with their two human allies sped through it.

"You did it! You saved us!" Evelyn cried out as tears of relief began to flow out.

"We knew you guys would come." Miko said as she hugged the dashboard inside Bulkhead.

Bulkhead and Smokescreen's sparks felt lighter than it had been before.

They'd done it, their human partners were saved.