"Dawn!" Arcee stopped me as I was driving out of base.

"Yes, Arcee?" I asked rolling down the window of my pickup.

"Where are you going?" she crossed her arms.

"Into town. I need some new strings for my violin. Don't worry, I have the Sun Saber with me. It's in my subspace." I replied putting my truck back in drive and leaving base.

     I relished in the freedom I had at the moment. When I got to town, I activated the holocover that made my metals look and feel like flesh. My optics were still white though, so I had to keep my visor on. As I was passing the school, I saw the kids and realized that even I hadn't heard from the bots in a while. Since I was on my way back anyhow. The roar of my trusty vehicle caught the kids attentions and they grabbed their things running over to me.

"We thought you were with the bots." Jack said buckling into the front passenger seat.

"No. I had the day off, so I took care of some needed shopping." I pointed to the bags of things in the back.

"Do you know where the bots went?" Miko asked.

"They're not at base?" I gave her a confused look.

"No. Ratchet told us to go home." Raf said. I sighed and then remembered that the Decepticons had the Omega Keys.

"I think it would be best for you three to go home." I started for Raf's house when jet engines sounded above. "F-16 Raptor. Those aren't supposed to fly this close to civilian housing."

"Uh oh." Miko pulled her head into the truck. "We have Screamer and Soundwave after us."

"Hold tight." I ordered slamming my ped on the gas. My old truck lurched forwards with a growl. Blaster fire rained on us as I tried to swerve out of the way.

"Everyone have their seatbelts on?" I shouted drifting around a turn out of town. They all nodded. "Ratchet, We need an assist. See if you can't have Grimlock switch with Bulkhead or Bee on whatever mission their on."

Static.

"Shit." I looked out the rearview mirror and saw a signal jammer on Soundwave. "This is gonna get Fast and Furious."

"What do you mean by THAT!" Jack screamed the last part as I jumped my over a ravine. It landed heavily on its wheels before I sped off for the canyons. Before I could reach the narrow entrance, an explosion sent my vehicle flying.

It rolled, bounced, and finally settled on popped tires.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked pushing the air bag out of my face.

"Yeah, we are. Just a little banged up." Raf coughed fanning away dust. I cut all our seatbelts and tried to open one of the doors.

"Scrap." Miko groaned as heavy thuds sounded outside.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the pets of the Autobots. And the Rising Sun. How fortunate we are." Screamer sneered as drones ripped the roof of my truck off. The kids screamed when they were tossed into glass containers.

"Let them go!" I snarled jumping out of my truck and transforming my arm into my cannon.

"What can a minicon do to a much larger mech like me?" Screamer cackled before clawing me. His sharp digits cut through my soft metals and forced my holocover to shut off.

"DAWN!" The kids shouted. I was unceremoniously dumped into a container.

"I'm... fine." I winced holding a particularly deep claw mark closed. Black dots filled my vision as I slumped against the glass.

When I came too, I heard the kids talking about sacrificing themselves for Cybertron.

"Perhaps, we should oblige them." Megatron motioned at us. I stood up on shaky legs and realized that Megatron was holding my container.

"If my decision dooms the Autobot cause on Cybertron, then so be it. But I will never forsake our human allies." Optimus stabbed the Star Saber into the ground and backed away. Grimlock growled when he saw me, but I motioned for him to shut up.

"Prime, get your ass back here and fight like the Warrior you are!" I shouted inching my servo into my subspace. "Or, I'll do it myself."

"How can you possibly defeat me when you are at your weakest?" Megatron laughed.

"Subspaces are wondrous things." I snarled grabbing the Sun Saber and pulling it out as I grew, shattering the pod and kicking Megatron away.

"GO DAWN!" Miko cheered. Megatron wiped away energon that was leaking from his mouth before manically laughing.

"You forget that I still have your human pets." Megatron reminded me.

"I know. I'm not stupid." I got low to the ground, but the Autobots sighed and threw their relics down.

"It's no use, Dawn." Smokescreen said.

"Listen to your allies. Like the pathetic waste of life that you are." Starscream purred. I looked at Team Prime with wide optics. "They only kept you around for your relics."

"Lies." I clenched my free servo into a fist as the bots and cons traded the keys for the kids. Soon a groundbridge opened up and we were all surrounded. Because I stood away from the rest of Team Prime, I was restrained. But they didn't take the Sun Saber.

"Tell me, Rising Sun. Are you a Prime, or an imposter of one who tricked the relic in your servo?" Megatron came up to me and grabbed my chin.

"A Prime." I snarled jerking my face free.

"You will be perfect for a mate." Megatron forced his lip plates onto mine. Grimlock roared and I heard shifting metal.

"My Liege, the Dinobot..." Knockout blanched. I brought my leg up and kneed the Decepticon Warlord in the gut. He reared back and slapped me.

"Grimlock, mind giving me a hand?" I asked him. The drones instead released me as they and Megatron backed away from the giant Cybertronian.

"It cannot be..." Screamer screamed. "An ancient Knight of Cybertron!"

"Go Dawn and Grimlock!" Miko cheered as I backed towards the team.

"Remind me to pour soap in my mouth, when we get back." I spat wiping my mouth of the feeling of that mongrel's lips away. "I already have a boyfriend."

"Very well then. Bear witness as a new era dawns on Cybertron." Megatron inserted one of the keys into the lock. The others followed their leader and the ancient machine lit up. "Behold! The Age of the Decepticons!"

"You have what you want, Megatron. This fight is between Autobots and Decepticons." Optimus said to the Warlord. "Allow me to return the humans to Earth."

"Oh, I wouldn't recommend it. They are far safer here." Megatron turned to us. My optics widened. It was happening all over again. A spacebridge opened overhead and Megatron sent a beam from the Lock into it.

"NO!" I screamed watching in horror. "It can't be like it was in my world!"

"What should I call my new domain? New Kaon? How about Gilded Earth." Megatron cackled.

     Optimus activated his swords and I lifted the Sun Saber. Together we knocked back some drones as Prime ran for the Star Saber. When he grabbed it, blue light was flung out, knocking back some Vehicons. Megatron charged Optimus; the latter cutting off the Warlord's arm. Together, Optimus and I raced towards the Omega lock and destroyed it with the Sabers. An explosion knocked us back, but luckily Grimlock caught us and transformed so we were on his back. Guilt weighed heavily on my spark as I saw the destruction we had wrought on the only way to revive the planet. Optimus called for a bridge, and the team ran through it. The three of us more powerful bots were last through and Ratchet glared at us.

"Optimus and Dawn... destroyed the Omega Lock." Bulkhead looked away in shame. I hugged my torso after placing the Sun Saber on my back.

"What?!" Ratchet looked at us in disbelief. "You did what..."

"What was necessary." Optimus placed a servo on my shoulder. I ruined another world's chance a recreation. "There was no time for another prolonged battle. Not with Earth in immanent danger."

"So you two destroyed the only device in every universe capable of restoring our home. Optimus, Dawn we needed that." Ratchet said. I couldn't handle it anymore and I ran to my quarters where I began throwing all of my things into my subspace.

"Avalon. You're needed on the roof." Optimus stood in my doorway. I didn't look at him as I walked with him to the lift. Bee placed a servo on my arm, and I patted his helm.

"What's going on?" I asked when we reached the outside, all the air left me. "Oh God. Primus don't tell me they found the base."

A giant citadel.

"Megatron has completed the first task in his conquest of Earth. The building of his fortress." Optimus stated. Grimlock nudged me.

"In Jasper, Nevada. I don't get it. I already have the town evacuated." Agent Fowler looked at us confused. Bee whirred and pointed towards the tower. The Nemesis lowered from the clouds.

"Because the Decepticons have found the location of our base." Optimus didn't take his optics off the warship. Grimlock nudged me again when the Seeker Armada attacked up.

"Stay here and help the others." I ordered the Dinobot. My optics landed on a crashed FA-18 Navy fighter jet. "You'll do."

     I scanned the jet and took off into the air. My bright colors made me easy to discern from the Decepticons. Once I figured out the basics, I opened fire on the seekers. Optimus called everyone back in so I transformed and fell through the closing lift doors. I panted and archived the aerial alt-mode for later use and pulled my truck alt-mode schematics forward. Once I was back to normal venting, I noticed I was shaking.

"What is going on out there?!" Ratchet demanded.

"The Decepticons have invaded Jasper." Optimus replied.

"Fowler thinks he can hold them off." Bulkhead said.

"He's a brave soldier. He'll survive." I looked to the ceiling. Wheeljack made an appearance and it brightened everyone up just a tiny bit.

"Ratchet, prepare to bridge everyone out of here." Optimus ordered.

"What?!" I looked at Optimus.

"We're abandoning the base?" Ratchet gasped.

"Wheeljack and Agent Fowler can only buy us so much time." Optimus looked at everyone. "Bumblebee, Rafael. You will be leaving first."

Bee whirred.

"You're splitting us up?" The twelve year old looked hurt. The kids tried to convince him otherwise.

"We must disperse to prevent capture until we can regroup and launch a counter attack." Optimus looked at all of us. "Survival is our only priority now."

"Bye guys." I gave the children gently hugs before they joined their respective guardians. First Bee and Raf left, then Bulkhead and Miko, Arcee and Jack, Smokescreen saluted us before driving off.

"What about you, Dawn, and Grimlock?" Ratchet turned to us.

"I will ensure that the Decepticons do not follow. Dawn, Grimlock. Prepare for departure." Optimus gave me a sad and loving look.

"Optimus." I choked on a sob and I hugged him. He hugged back and tilted my face towards his. I wasted no time kissing him. "I love you."

His optics widened. "And I you. Grimlock, keep her safe. She will be the last hope of defense and Autobot leader should I fail to escape."

"Don't say that." I wiped energon tears away as I was placed on Grimlock's back. Carefully, I pulled out a small dagger made from a piece of my armor that had fallen off during a battle and gave it to him. "Please don't leave me."

"Farewell, Avalon Prime." Optimus kissed my servo before Grim ran through the groundbridge and out onto an abandoned Naval base.