"And then Smokescreen was just...gone, like he turned to dust." Arcee said as she sat down and told Team Prime about Smokescreen's demise. She then hung her helm down in shame. She's failed her partner again.

"Arcee, it could have easily have been you." Ratchet said.

"Maybe it should've been me." Arcee said.

"Poor kid." Bulkhead said.

:Poor Eve.: Bumblebee said.

Bulkhead shook his helm. "She's goanna be crushed." He said.

"Arcee, please, do not blame yourself. Smokescreen's sacrifice should not be in vain." Ratchet said. Then he and Arcee's helms snapped up as they heard the sounds of servos transforming into blasters.

"Well I say we do just that and go claim a piece of Megatron's miserable metal hide." Bulkhead said and he stormed off, blaster ready.

Bumblebee whirred in agreement with his own blasters ready.

"No." Optimus said stopping them in their tracks.

"But Optimus, he-" Bulkhead tried to argue but Optimus stopped him.

"Would going on a rampage of vengeance make us any different from Megatron himself?" Optimus asked.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee stopped. "Do you....want me to call the children, Optimus?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus nodded reluctantly. "They deserve to know."

Soon the groundbridge opened up and Jack, Miko, Raf and Evelyn stumbled out. They had evidently just woken up.

Miko and Evelyn's hair was let down and Miko was clutching a pillow; Raf's glasses were askew and Jack's shirt was rumpled.

"Mornin' guys." Miko said with a yawn, she had just gotten dressed into a Heavy Metal t-shirt and shorts.

"Why are you lot calling us here so early?" Evelyn asked as she tied her hair up, she was wearing nothing other than a blue sweatshirt and red shorts. Then she noticed the absence of her guardian. "Where's Smokes?"

Had they been more awake and alert, they would've notice Arcee wince.

"Don't tell me he already ran off without saying goodbye. Let me guess, he's out cracking joke to a tree for practice?" Evelyn joked then she noticed the solemn looks on their faceplates. "Okay, seriously, what's wrong? Why are you calling us here so early? Where's Smokes?"

Arcee got up to tell her and clenched her fist as she realized she couldn't bring herself to. Optimus decided to spare her the pain.

"Eve, yesterday Arcee and Smokescreen went to retrieve an Omega Key we located." Optimus began slowly, carefully choosing his words.

"And?" Evelyn asked.

"I'm afraid Megatron also discovered the coordinates for the relic and he went there as well. Smokescreen and Arcee fought him and.....I'm afraid Smokescreen is now one with the AllSpark." Optimus said.

Evelyn stared at him in shock; eyes as wide as saucers as the news hit her like a punch to the gut. Beside her, Miko gasped and dropped the pillow she held and Raf and Jack stared at Optimus in just as much shock.

"No......" Jack breathed out and shook his head as though to deny what he just heard.

"Y-you're joking, right? This is just some sick prank Smokes asked you to do...right? Well this isn't funny." Evelyn said her voice quivering.

"I wish that was the case, Eve." Optimus said ad gazed at her sadly. "I'm sorry."

Evelyn just stared at him then looked at the others. They were all looking down sadly too.

"No....." Evelyn breathed and she took a step back. 'This is a dream. This has to be some sick nightmare.' She told herself. 'I'll wake up soon, I'm going to wake up in Jack's house and realize this is all just a goddamn dream!' she squeezed her eyes shut and oh so desperately prayed this was all a sick nightmare but she opened them and found herself standing in the same spot.

"He....he's dead?" she asked.

Optimus nodded sadly. Evelyn's hands covered her mouth and she, god she tried to stay strong but as the news settled in...she broke.

A choked sob escaped her throat and she went dropped to her knees. Miko, Jack and Raf ran over to her. They said nothing.....there was nothing they could say to ever ease her pain. Soon she was bawling her eyes out.

Miko hugged her cousin while Jack rubbed circles on her back and Raf held her hand to let her know he was there.

The base was filled with an ugly silence...the only sound that filled the air were Evelyn's sobs.

She cried and boy did she cry. Evelyn can't remember the last time she cried so hard. The last time she ever cried so hard is during her grandfather's passing. She cried and cried and probably cried at least an ocean's worth of tears.

Evelyn just knelt there, her entire body racking with sobs as tears rolled down her cheeks. It hurt...it hurt so much, it hurt harder than any kick she received in sparring, and it hurt harder than any crushing Decepticon servo.

"He-he can't be gone....he promised....he promised he wouldn't leave me.... *sniff* he promised.....he promised." Evelyn choked through her sobs.

"I......I'm so sorry, Eve." Arcee said.

"That won't *sniff* bring him back now...will it?" Evelyn said harsher than she intended.

Optimus turned away. "We will give you space to mourn." He said before they all walked off.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere more comfy." Jack said and they led her to the couch on the rec-centre.

They sat her down and Evelyn was grateful for their support. Miko held her hand and used the other to rub soothing circles on her back, Jack laid a hand on her knee and Raf gave her a box of tissues that she took with a small 'thank you'.

She didn't know how long they sat there and how long she cried. Minutes? Hours? She didn't know...or care. She just kept crying and crying until her throat became hoarse and her eyes ached from all the weeping.

"Why.....why did it have to be him?" she sniffed.

"He died a hero, Eve. He would've wanted that." Jack said.

"He could've still died as one at another time." Evelyn said.

She sniffled and was surprised that she still had tears to shed. She took another tissue and dabbed the tears away before blowing her nose.

"Thanks mates, sorry you have to deal with this mess." She said gesturing to herself.

"It's okay, Eve. We're here for you." Miko said and hugged her.

"We always will be." Raf said and soon he and Jack joined in on the group hug.

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

After another three phone calls, Miko, Jack and Raf managed to convince their parents to let them stay at the Autobot's base overnight again.

At some point, they called the other bots in, Evelyn told them to just ignore her.

"You have bigger fish to fry. Don't let some angsty teen's mourning get in the way of that." She told them.

"Poor kid." Bulkhead muttered as he looked at the devastated Evelyn.

Bumblebee nodded. Bulkhead looked at the scout and saw that he was barely holding it together too. He couldn't blame him. First Megatron took his voice box, now he took his friend, his brother-figure too.

Miko, Jack, Raf and Evelyn were still sitting at the rec-centre. Evelyn had a blanket draped around her and Raf gave her a cup of water which she sipped from. A mountain of tissues was in the trash bin. Miko still held onto Evelyn's hand and rubbed circles on her back, telling her that they were there for her while Jack grasped the other hand. Raf laid a hand on her knee. They were small gestures but they were more than enough to provide an ample amount of support.

Ratchet glanced over and saw just how much of a wreck Evelyn was.

Her warm brown eyes were now red and puffy, there were tear stains on her cheeks, her low ponytail was even messier and her clothes were rumpled. Evelyn was just barely back together, it was like using poor cheap cellophane tape to piece a shattered window back together.

Evelyn appreciated all this. Miko, Jack and Raf were her rock at the moment, the only things keeping her anchored. She gripped their hands like a lifeline.

"What now?" Ratchet asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Miko said stomping over to the edge of the railing, gripping it to prevent herself from falling off, she leaned forward to glare at them. "What are you guys doing laying your hides around here?! Go out there! Find Buckethead and give him a piece of your minds!" she emphasis the point with a swing of her fist.

"If only it were that simple." Ratchet mumbled.

"What do you mean 'if only it were that simple'?! You guys got the frickin Star Sabre that slashed a mountain in a single blow! Can't that do the same to Buckethead?" Miko said.

"Miko, Megatron has his own version of the Star Sabre now." Arcee said.

"But wasn't there only one?" Jack asked.

"And can't it only be wielded by the hand of a Prime?" Raf asked.

"The *sniff* bastard made another version of his own, didn't he?" Evelyn asked.

"That's the most likely answer." Ratchet said.

"But how could he create such a powerful weapon?" Raf asked.

"Who cares where he got his new toy?! Right now you guys have to go out there and get that key back from him! He gave you guys a challenge, didn't he? Are you going to shy away from him now?!" Miko said.

"Miko's right, sittin' around here mourning ain't goanna bring the kid back and it won't bring the key to us either." Bulkhead said taking the lead.

:Then let's go get him.: Bumblebee said ready to avenge his friend who had become a brother-figure to him.

"And be obliterated into dust like Smokescreen?!" Ratchet snapped.

Evelyn imagined just that and another small sob came out of her throat as another stray tear dripped down her cheek. Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Arcee, Miko, Jack and Raf looked at her in alarm then they all turned around and glared accusingly at Ratchet.

"Sorry." He mumbled. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"It's okay, doc. I just *sniff* miss him. I never even got to say goodbye." She whispered the last part sadly and it tore at Ratchet's spark.

"But Miko's right. If Buckethead wants a fight, I say we give it to him." Bulkhead said again.

"No." Optimus said firmly. "We have already loss another one of our own today, I will not risk more lives." He said and walked forward with a new determined spark in his optics. Jack, Miko, Raf and Evelyn watched him in anticipation.

"Given what Arcee's witnessed, it stands to reason Megatron now possesses might to equal the Star Sabre which means only I stand a chance of recovering the Omega Key." Optimus said.

"The fate of Cybertron rests on its retrieval." Ratchet said.

Optimus nodded and grabbed the Star Sabre. "Ratchet, triangulate Megatron's location and bridge me there." He said.

Ratchet nodded and activated the groundbridge. Before Optimus walked through, Evelyn stopped him.

"Optimus, before you leave, promise me something." Evelyn said standing up, her voice now firm and mature.

"Promise me....you'll come back here alive with that key and that you won't make Smokes sacrifice be in vain." She said.

Optimus nodded. "I promise." He said and he was determined to keep it.

Evelyn gazed into his blue optics and saw that he was being sincere and not making an empty promise. "Good luck." She said.

"Kick Buckethead's tailpipe." Miko said.

Optimus nodded one more time before walking through the groundbridge.

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

Optimus walked through the groundbridge and found himself enveloped by the chilly night winds of Egypt. The Sphinx lied there regally as though it were a silent guard dog of the barren sandy terrain.

He walked over to the ancient crumbling site and saw the Omega Key half buried into the sand a few feet in front of him.

"Claim your prize Optimus, if you can." He looked up and saw Megatron walking towards him. However as he came closer, Optimus's optics widened slightly in surprise, it was not at the presence of Megatron as he had long known about it already but rather, the surprise was directed at Megatron's new appendage.

"By the AllSpark, Megatron. What have you done?" he asked his tone rising ever so slightly with a slight hint of rage exposed. Optimus recognized the arm-it was the arm of a Prime.

"This?" Megatron asked bringing up his new appendage. "I find it affords me certain...advantages. Such as the use of the Forge of Solus Prime." He said.

"But how could he create such a powerful weapon?" Raf asked

Optimus was beginning to deduce the answer to Raf's earlier question and it was confirmed when Megatron brandished the Dark Star Sabre.

"My first creation fashioned from the blood of Unicron." He said ad admired his own handiwork proudly. "I call it the Dark Star Sabre, slayer of Primes if you will." He said.

With a battle cry, he charged towards Optimus. Optimus activated his mouthguard. Grasping the Star Sabre, he charged into battle and face off against his arch-nemesis.

Megatron released a wave of dark energy which Optimus leaped over to dodge.

Optimus retaliated with an energy wave of his own. Megatron raised the Dark Star Sabre high above his helm and brought it, slashing the energy wave apart, dispelling it.

Wave after wave of energy was unleashes from both sides, each dodging or dispelling the other. Optimus leaped up and brought the Star Sabre down on Megatron who parried it with his own.

The two clashed. Good against bad. Darkness against light. Their blades clashing and unleashing spirals of energy that blew debris away. The night was alight with wispy light rays of blue and purple energy as two titans battled it out.

Smokescreen's p.o.v

As I slowly came to and my senses returned, I became aware of something. I was lying down on something....rough and grainy, sand? I groggily opened my optics and blinked, why was it so dark?

I rubbed my optics but that didn't change anything. Oh Primus no, I wasn't blind now was I?! I activated my headlights and was relieved to see I could still see.

I slowly sat up and groaned in pain, clutching my chest. Slag, it hurts. It felt like I got hit by a wrecking ball. Wait a minute.

"Where am I? How'd I get here?" I asked myself. I slowly stood up and shone my light around. Then it came back to me.

Arcee and I going to look for the Omega Key.

Finding it and getting out seeing Megatron.

Megatron with a darker evil version of the Star Sabre.

Getting hit by said sabre.

"Am I dead?" I whispered to myself. This place was cramped and humid and musty...not at all what I expected the AllSpark to be like. I leaned against the wall to balance myself and damn, that energy wave hit me harder than I thought.

Then my light shone onto the wall and I saw the Egyptian blocks. I stood up and looked around. Then I smiled in relief. I wasn't dead yet! I was back in the underground ruins in Egypt.

"Wait, how am I still online?" I asked myself. Then my optics trailed down to the now activated Phase Shifter.

I smacked myself on the helm. Of course, the impact of the blast must've activated the Phase Shifter. Phew, thank Primus.

Then the ground trembled. I strained my audio receptors and sure enough, I heard some kind of fight raging on outside. And that brought another question.

How long was I out? Minutes? Hours? Days?

I shook my helm. I had to focus. With any luck I wasn't out for long and Arcee called for backup in time. The others might be fighting the cons right now which means the key might still be here!

I activated the Phase Shifter and walked out.

I guess it's time to find out.

Meanwhile back outside......

Third Person's p.o.v

The peaceful still Egyptian night was still being disrupted by the clash among Optimus and Megatron. The quiet night air was filled with not only the howling winds but the sound of blades clashing against one another, steel ringing against steel.

The Star Sabre and its evil counterpart slashed against one another. Soon Optimus and Megatron's blades were locked, both sides pushing against the other with all their might.

They both grunted from the effort. Megatron looked up and looked at Optimus- the bot he once called a brother, straight in the optic.

"At last we take our rightful places Optimus, as gods wielding the power of the cosmos." He said. Then he wrapped one of his servos around Optimus's throat and slammed him harshly against a piece of debris.

"I am but a soldier, Megatron. And you? Are a prisoner of your own twisted delusions." Optimus spat at him before using the Star Sabre to knock him off.

Megatron got back up and unleashed a wave of dark energy. Optimus leaped aside and dodged it.

He charged forward and they clashed. One would strike and the other would parry. But then one of Megatron's slashes went over Optimus's blade and striked the Autobot leader on the shoulder.

Optimus groaned a bit. He looked down and saw a black gash on his shoulder, standing out among the red plating.

"My Dark Star had tasted one spark tonight; it still thirsts for one of a Prime." Megatron said.

Their blades clash, but the injury on Optimus's shoulder stung making it just slightly weaker. That small gap was all Megatron needed. He raised one servo and backhanded Optimus, sending him crashing.

Optimus got up just in time to parry another strike. However, the blades clashed....and time slowed.

The sound of steel shattering disrupted the still night air as the Star Sabre's blade shattered into a hundred pieces. Optimus's optics widened as Megatron's blade smashes straight through it.

The shattered pieces dropped onto the sand where they disintegrated into nothingness. The only remainder of its existence being the now broken sword Optimus wielded.

The attack sent him to his knees, his helm hung in defeat. 'No.....' Optimus thought. Megatron laid the blade beside Optimus's helm.

"And so it ends, just as I envisioned. With your head beside my new trophy." Megatron said and raised the Dark Star Sabre up for the killing blow, ready to put an end to his arch-nemesis once and for all.

'Eve, forgive me.' Optimus thought and hoped that the girl would someday forgive him for failing to fulfill her promise.

But the blow ever came as a voice spoke up, interrupting them.

"Oh, you mean this?" their helms snapped towards the direction of the voice.....a voice Optimus thought he'd never hear again.

Standing there in all his glory with the Omega Key in servo was none other than Smokescreen.

"Finders keepers." Smokescreen said with a smirk and waved the key at Megatron tauntingly.

"You....!" Megatron said shocked at how the Autobot rookie could possibly be alive. Optimus saw he was distracted and took this opportunity to renew his assault.

He knocked Megatron away. Using one servo, he gripped Megatron's servo to keep the Dark Star Sabre away and used his other with the broken Star Sabre and slammed it against Megatron's faceplate.

Though broken it could still be used. Optimus reared it back and slashed it against Megatron's faceplate again.

Smokescreen charged forwards to help. "Smokescreen, fall back!" Optimus ordered.

A wave of dark energy was released in the struggle and Smokescreen was thrown to the side. He looked at the blast. 'Yup, I do not want to be on the end of that again.' He thought.

Optimus pushed Megatron and pinned him down. The two grunted and pushed against one another, trying to overpower the other. But Megatron freed one servo from under the pin and punched Optimus in the faceplate before throwing him off.

Megatron sent a wave towards him to finish Optimus off. With the Star Sabre destroyed, Optimus had no way to defend himself.....until Smokescreen threw himself at Optimus. With the Phase Shifter, the dark energy wave phased through them harmlessly.

"Ratchet, groundbridge!" Optimus commed.

"No!" Megatron said. Not now, not when he was so close.

"Missed us. Later Buckethead." Smokescreen said with a two digit salute before him and Optimus turned around and ran towards the groundbridge.

Megatron roared and chased after them. He released another wave of dark energy but he was too slow.

Optimus and Smokescreen had disappeared through the groundbridge.

The Megatron laughed as he realized something. "Hahaha hahaha! Run Optimus, run! Your little trinkets from Iacon will not save you, not when I now possess the power to tear this world apart!" he said and brandished the Dark Star Sabre high above his helm.

Purple electricity crackled from it and wisps of dark energy erupted from it, showing off its power.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey readers! FP here with another chapter. Now that mid-terms are over, I finally have time to update this as much as I want! 

Anyways, if you want to see the fight in more detail you can watch the video below since I pretty much copied, hope you aren't offended Hasbro.

https://youtu.be/SAUNSWja8LI

That is all I have to say. FP over and out. Peace!