"No!" Optimus cried and they dashed towards the Decepticon groundbridge as fast as they could......

But they were too late.

The groundbridge disappeared....along with Smokescreen.

And one of the Omega Keys.

Optimus clenched his fists in frustration and gritted his denta (A/N: I'm changing dental plates to denta, it's shorter and easier.) behind his mask.

Arcee released a cry of frustration.

Optimus composed himself. It wouldn't do any good to lose his cool. "Ratchet, prepare the groundbridge." He said, his tone more stiff and robotic than ever. It's a reflex of sorts, gained from millenniums of warfare, sacrifices, loss and grief.

He wasn't cold or sparkless/heartless like Megatron, no, he simply can't allow his emotions to get the better of him for the sake of others.

"Wait, where's Eve?" Bulkhead asked. Instantly, their optics darted around the rocky sandy terrain of Jasper, Nevada in search of the British girl.

"Eve? Eve! It's us! Eve?!" Bulkhead called. Panic began to increase. 'Oh no, don't tell me the cons got her too!' Bulkhead worried.

"Bulkhead?" a British cockney voice they were all too familiar with called out.

They turned towards the source and saw Evelyn walking out of a small cave. She saw them and instantly ran over, nearly tripping in the process.

"Eve, are you alright? Have you any injuries?" Optimus asked.

Evelyn shook her head. "I'm fine." She croaked out. "Shaken but fine." Her hair was a mess and there was a small bruise on her elbow from the rough driving but she was otherwise unharmed.

She looked around and her heart dropped when she couldn't spot her guardian. Evelyn bit her lip and clenched her eyes shut. She tried her best to will the tears away as she realized what just happened.

Evelyn actually knew, she already saw the blast knock Smokescreen out but she had clung onto that slim chance that maybe, just maybe the others would've been able to save him in time.

But......now he was....he was.....

"The cons got him, didn't they." She said. It was a statement more than a question.

Optimus nodded. "I deeply apologize, Eve for my failure." He said.

Evelyn blinked away the tears. "It's not your fault, Optimus. It's not....." she said. "Ca-can one of you give me a lift home?" she asked.

"Sure, kid." Bulkhead said and transformed.

Evelyn walked towards him. Arcee felt a pang of sympathy for her. She could only imagine how torn Evelyn was at seeing her partner taken away. Arcee knew what that felt like all too well. But she had to admire how Evelyn managed to find it in herself to not lash out at Optimus and keep it together.....but she could tell she was just barely holding it together.

But it was like Smokescreen's 'death' at the hands of the Dark Star Sabre all over again. Only this time, Arcee wasn't sure what the cons might do to Smokescreen. He was alive but there was no telling how long that would last.

"Eve." Arcee called. Evelyn turned back to look at her and Arcee could see the tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. Arcee knelt down in front of her. "I won't lie to you Eve. I won't say you'll be okay, I know you're anything but okay. But if you need to talk, if you need someone to understand, I'm here." She said.

Evelyn sniffed. "Thanks, Arcee. I'll...see you guys tomorrow." She said before climbing into Smokescreen.

The ride back was silent. Bulkhead adjusted his mirror and saw Evelyn gazing out the window, her head sideways hiding her expression. But that didn't mean he missed the tear that dripped down her cheek.

Evelyn was torn. It was like hearing about Smokescreen's 'demise' when he had gone to look for the key in Egypt all over again. Except this time she knew he was still alive. How long he'll stay that way is what she's worried about.

She felt so many emotions. It was like when she first found out about the Autobots' existence, except back then she had also felt a sense of excitement and happiness and adventure at what awaited her after that discovery. Now? She only felt dread.

She was angry. Angry at the cons for kidnapping her partner; Angry at the Autobots for not arriving sooner to help but what's more, she was also angry that she had been totally helpless in the situation.

She was sad, who wouldn't be? She just had to see Smokescreen, the bot who meant the world to her get kidnapped right before her eyes.

Disappointment, rage, fear, anger, worry, the list could go on and on.

But none of them would bring Smokescreen back.

Yet, she knew that she would never be able to find it in herself to be angry at the Autobots, how could she blame them? They were titans, yes. But they weren't gods.

They were anything but that. They may be made out of metal and circuits but they were humane. They had flaws, they made mistakes, they have emotions, they aren't perfect and sometimes they fail.

No, if anyone was at fault, it were the Decepticons.

Soon Bulkhead pulled up in front of her house. "Here's your stop." He said. Evelyn blinked, it felt like the trip had only taken seconds.

"Thanks for the lift, Bulk." Evelyn said, her tone lacking the usual upbeat sassiness to it. "Goodnight." She said before getting out.

"Eve, we'll get him back." Bulkhead told her before she left. "The kid's stronger than he looks, we'll get him back." He said.

Evelyn looked at him and smiled, a small smile but a genuine one nonetheless. "I know, Bulk. I'll hold you onto that." She said before leaving.

'They'll get him back.' She knew they would, no way they would just abandon Smokescreen. 'But when?' that thought plagued her mind. And what the cons might do to Smokescreen, what they might be doing right now as she was thinking or before the Autobots could save him, terrified her.

Was he being tortured? Were they interrogating him for information? Were they playing some twisted mind game on him to break his will?

It's moments like these she wishes she could tone down her imagination.

She entered the house and had to bite back a groan when she saw her brother and aunt there, no doubt they had been waiting for her to return so they could question her. She wasn't in the mood for this and could only hope she doesn't snap at them or slip up.

Aunt Selina turned off the TV and turned around already with that familiar mischievous twinkle in her eyes but it was snuffed out when she laid eyes on her niece.

"Eve, what happened?" she asked in concern.

Evelyn blinked. Was she that much of a mess? She checked her nearby reflection and saw that the eyeliner she had applied had left black streaks on her cheeks, no doubt thanks to her tears and her eye shadow was beginning to run off too.

"I'm fine." Evelyn lied and took a tissue out to wipe the streaks away.

"Like he!l you are. What happened? Did the guy say something wrong? Did he reject you or something?" Edward asked.

Evelyn managed to muster up a bark of laughter. "I'm fine, silly. It's not his fault," 'It's the cons fault.' "and the date was amazing," 'No, it wasn't, it was anything but that.' "Still, he has horrible taste in movies." 'that's not true either, the movie itself was actually pretty good.'

"Oh, what movie did you watch?" Aunt Selina asked.

Evelyn was glad that her aunt bought it, though her brother looked a bit suspicious still. "Romeo and Juliet, told him I liked literature, I guess I should've been more specific about the genre." She said.

"Again?" Edward said. He recalled how he had gone to watch a play of said Shakespeare's work with his family and sister two years ago.

The play was honestly extremely well done. The effects, the costumes, the script if anything, it was so spot on his sister and mother had promptly burst into tears.

"On the bright side, I managed to not bawl my eyes out." Evelyn said. 'I'll probably be doing that tomorrow.....or later.' She thought grimly.

"Ok......." Edward said still not quite convinced. "C'mon, I have to show you something." He lied.

"Goodnight, Aunt Selina." Evelyn called as she went upstairs.

"Goodnight, Eve." Her aunt called back. As her niece's footsteps softened, she sighed. She wasn't stupid, she may have acted like she bought it but she didn't. Her niece was clearly distressed about something and she doubts it was an angsty movie of all things.

But if she tried to prod, that will just make the walls thicker. Better to ask when Evelyn's well-rested and in a better mood.

Edward closed the door to his room while Evelyn sat down on his bed. "Sooooo, what's up?" she asked.

'Good golly gosh! I am getting good at lying." Evelyn thought. She was surprised herself with how she managed to put on her usual cheerful facade despite how torn, how oh so torn and terrified she truly was on the inside.

"What's wrong, Evelyn? Tell me the truth." Edward said and crossed his arms over his chest and stood in front of her, his height towering over her.

'Crud, he called me Evelyn and he's using the stern-firm-I'm-not-kidding-be-serious tone.' Evelyn realized.

She sighed. "I already told you everything. Can we do this tomorrow? After I wipe the makeup off?" she asked.

Edward uncrossed his arms and sat beside her. "Evelyn, don't. I know you're trying to change the subject. I'm not stupid, let me remind you that. I know you're not telling me everything." He said.

Evelyn opened her mouth but Edward wasn't finished. "If anything, you haven't seem to be telling me everything these past few months. What's going on?" he asked.

Evelyn sighed. What was she supposed to do? Tell her brother the truth? As if! Where would she even begin?! Plus, she couldn't, it was too big a secret. It's bad enough Jack, Miko, Raf, herself and Miss Darby knew, she didn't need to drag another into this war.

Evelyn sighed. Maybe she can at least fabricate something around this. "We were coming back home when we got......attacked." she began.

"Sorry to interrupt but speaking of 'we', you haven't told me the lad's name yet." Edward said suspiciously.

A human with the name Smokescreen didn't exactly sound common. Among Cybertronians? Sure. But as a human? Nope, better play it safe.

"Samuel, his name is Samuel....Peterson." she conjured up.

"Okay, what happened to you and Samuel?" he asked.

Evelyn realized she really was getting better at lying the more she did it. "We almost got robbed."

"What?!" Edward almost shouted. "And you left this detail out from Aunt Selina?!" he hissed in a lower tone to not alert their aunt.

"Let me finish." Evelyn snapped impatiently. She wasn't in the mood for this, she just wanted to stuff her fake story into her brother's face to shut him up and sleep. Evelyn just wanted to get this over with.

"They were just a bunch of bullies trying to act tough. We scared them away but....one of the guys suddenly came out and....I think he had some kind of weapon. He nearly hit me but....Samuel pushed me away in the nick of time." She said. 'That's more or less true.' She said recalling how Smokescreen had protected her.......ok, now she just felt worse. "Not sure what it was but it shook him pretty bad. He wasn't injured badly other than a bruise he waved off though." 'He was hit with a friggin sonic blast!'

"He got hurt trying to protect me, he had to save me like some damsel in distress and because of me he got hurt!" Evelyn said. "I hated it, not the fact that he saved me, I'm grateful for that." 'Oh you have no idea.' "But I hated the fact that I was utterly helpless to do anything but watch!" 'That's the harsh truth.'

Edward's gaze softened and he hugged his sister. Evelyn sniffed and hugged him back, her head resting on the crook of his neck. "It's not your fault, Eve. None of us are invulnerable." Edward said. "It doesn't matter how strong we are or how much we fight, at some point, we all will have a fight we can't always win."

"I know, just......what if it had something worse? What if it had been a knife?" Evelyn asked. 'What if he's already dead as we speak?' she asked herself in dread.

"What if, what if, that won't change anything now will it?" Edward said. He wasn't being harsh, he was merely stating a fact. "....let's look at it this way Eve, if he hadn't pushed you aside, what do you think would've happened?"

"I would've gotten hit instead." She said. 'Or kidnapped by the cons...again.' "I rather it be me than him." She muttered. 'Definitely.'

"Do you think Samuel would agree with that?" Edward asked.

"..........no." Evelyn admitted.

Edward spread his arms out. "So there, what's happened has already happen. You were kidnapped, that happened and you were brought back, that happened. We can't change what's already happened but....maybe if we try hard enough, we can change what's about to happen. Get what I'm saying?" he asked.

Evelyn slowly nodded as she thought about it and realized her brother was right. She couldn't go back in time to change the fact that Smokescreen had been captured, but she sure as he!l could do what she can to get him back.

Maybe it was just a hope, a dream of sorts....but that's where reality starts.

"When did you get all wise?" she joked at her brother then hugged him. "Thank you, Ed. I needed that." She realized she did.

It was funny, her brother didn't even know half of the full truth yet he managed to give her what she needed to move on. She kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Ed. I love you." She said before leaving.

Edward blinked surprised at the sudden affection. "Sweet dreams to you too." He told his sister before going back to work, he had an assignment to finish after all.

As Evelyn laid in bed that night, eyes wide awake with the only company being the crickets from outside and the howling desert winds, Evelyn's mind went into overdrive.

She thought of all the things her guardian could be going through, all the pain and fear and grief and she sniffed. She turned around and buried her face into the pillow as tears spilled out.

Then she sat up and smacked herself. "Stop it." She hissed at herself. "Pull yourself together." She scolded.

No, she won't just mope about and cry, absolutely not. Smokescreen wouldn't want that.

Maybe she couldn't do much, maybe she couldn't actually fight the cons head on like the others, or hack into their database like Raf and Ratchet, but she'll be damned if she just cried and did nothing.

'Maybe I can't change what happened, you're right about that Ed. But I can do what I can to change what's going to happen.' She thought.

What's going to happen is that Smokescreen is going to be saved. Maybe it really was just a slim hope, a dream anyone would conjure up to give them hope and keep them going.

'Then we'll just have to make that dream a reality.' She thought.

Evelyn tossed and turned most of the night, her imagination and mind still coming up with rather unpleasant scenarios that brought tears to her eyes but when she did sleep, she went to sleep with renewed determination.

'Hang on, mate.' she thought before finally, getting some sleep.