It was tense that night. Everyone was on the edge of their seat.

Optimus stood with his hands resting on his hips, watching as Ratchet worked. He turned his head a bit to be able to see Adelaide who was still resting on his shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Optimus spoke lowly.

"Other than every muscle in my body being sore, I'm alright," Addie replied as she looked at him with a lopsided smile.

"I am very sorry that I was not there in your time of need," he said, a look of guilt filling his features.

She frowned and shook her head. "Don't apologize. You were in a situation of your own. And I'm okay, right? No sweat."

Optimus gave a slow nod. Even with her reassurance, it still pained him to know that he wasn't there when she needed him. He hadn't protected her like he had promised.

"Optimus," Addie spoke, drawing his attention once more. "Get out of your head. Everyone is okay. We're safe. What more could you ask for in this moment? You are gonna stop Megatron, you and the others. Then you can come back and I'll be right back on your shoulder. Okay?"

The Prime felt his spark swell. "I would want nothing more."

-

"Optimus," Ratchet spoke up. "I've pinpointed the location of Megatron's space bridge- high in earth's orbit."

"Out of our reach," Optimus said as he looked at the monitor in thought.

"Okay, so you guys don't fly. But can't you just groundbridge there?" Miko suggested.

Ratchet looked at the human girl with a grimace. "The groundbridge has limited range. Stretched all the way into earth's orbit, its vortex could snap, scattering us to the stars."

"Do you have much of a choice, though?" Adelaide pointed out.

Optimus nodded in agreement. "Since Megatron is likely already in transit, I'm afraid we must take that risk. Reaching the spacebridge first is our only means of stopping him."

Just then, the sound of Arcee's motor came towards them from the entrance to the base.

Jack took his helmet off as he looked at everyone sheepishly. "Hey. Guess who's back?"

"Autobots, prepare for departure," Optimus spoke as he allowed Adelaide to get into his palm.

"Where to?" Arcee asked after reassuming her bipedal form.

"The final frontier," Miko answered.

"Space?" Jack questioned. "I thought they didn't have any way to get there."

Raf walked towards Jack with a small smile, glad his friend had decided to return. "They don't, really."

Jack then looked up at Arcee. "Be seeing you?"

Optimus gently set Adelaide onto the platform. Before he could fully pull his hand away, she grabbed onto one of his digits.

"Promise me that you'll come back, okay? I kinda like having you around," Adelaide joked lightly, but Optimus could see that she was worried.

The Prime gently stroked her hair and gave a nod. "We will all come back, Miss Adelaide. I promise."

She gave a smile and watched as he walked towards the groundbridge.

"Optimus, if you leave me stranded on a planet teeming with humans, I will never forgive you," Ratchet said as the others got ready to roll.

Optimus couldn't help the small smile that tugged at him before he activated his battle mask. "Until we meet again, old friend."

The groundbridge activated and everyone released an anxious breath.

"Autobots, roll out!"

The team transformed and sped through the bridge, giving themselves an extra boost too send them flying through the vaccuum of space that awaited them.

Once through the bridge, the space bridge came into view as he floated in earth's orbit.

"Autobots, transform and gravitize," Optimus ordered.

The Autobots transformed and allowed their bodies to land on the spacebridge, gravatizing as to not float off into space.

Optimus turned towards the earth and saw the Decepticon warship, the Nemesis, making its way towards them.

"So, Megatron is packing enough dark energon to raise Cybertron's dead?" Arcee spoke as she watched the Nemesis carefully.

Optimus gave a confirming nod. "And since we don't possess ready means of disabling the spacebridge, nothing gets in or out."

The Autobots proceeded to bring forth their weapons, prepared to take on the Decepticons forces.

Everyone stood, not moving, for a few minutes before Arcee spoke.

"Well? What are they waiting for?"

Optimus took a moment and focused in on the Nemesis, seeing the damage to the satellite. "It appears the Decepticons have sustained serious damage to their interstellar navigation system."

"Ah, that's my handiwork," Bulkhead claimed as he remembered breaking off the satellite during his scuffle with the Decepticons.

"Great work, Bulkhead," Optimus praised. "Without the dish, Megatron will be unable to aim the space bridge at Cybertron."

Back at base, the others listened over the comm line.

"Don't the Decepticons know where their own planet is?" Rafael questioned.

Ratchet turned to the boy with a nod. "Naturally. But Cybertron is many lightyears away. To reach their target their aim must be astronomically precise."

"But why would the Cons go to the spacebridge if they were unable to use it?" Adelaide spoke, looking up at the monitor and then back at Ratchet.

"Megatron must have an alternate targeting system," Optimus explained. "A remote one."

Ratchet scoffed at the notion. "From what I know of Earth's technology, I doubt there exists a single radio telescope dish on this planet powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron."

"What about a whole bunch of linked radio telescope dishes?" Rafael said as he jumped onto Adelaide's computer.

"The giant size array in Texas!" Addie said as she rushed to the boys side. Raf nodded in agreement.

"This is not child's play," Ratchet scolded as he rolled his optics.

"Good thinking, Raf," Optimus contradicted over the line. "Ratchet, have Agent Fowler alert the array staff to the security hazard."

"You, Soldier!" Fowler babbled from his cot. "You're out of uniform! Put on some pants!"

"That may be a challenge," Ratchet informed.

"Don't worry, Optimus. I'll make a few calls," Adelaide said quickly as she whipped out her phone.

"Thank you, Adelaide."

She proceeded to get in contact with the head of security at the array site, getting all active personel to evacuate.

Rafael quickly typed away on the keyboard in front of him. "I can't get past the array's firewalls. They're too thick."

"You actually think you could keep the Decepticons out?" Ratchet asked in almost a mocking tone.

"Maybe," Raf confirmed with a nod. "If I could get in."

"Wait," Jack spoke up as he walked towards the younger boy. "Raf, what if we could get you all the way in? Like inside the building in?"

"I could log into their internal network on the other side of the firewall," Rafael said as he looked at Jack.

Adelaide hung up her phone and walked back over. "I could get us in, no issues."

"The risk is too great. The Decepticons will already be there," Optimus warned. "Perhaps even on site. And Adelaide, you are still recovering. You should not be in the field."

"Optimus, with all do respect, you said it yourself. This is bigger than the safety of four humans," Jack argued as he looked up to the monitor.

Miko nodded quickly. "Yeah. If we let the Decepticons win, we're fragged along with everyone else on our planet."

"And there's not a single chance that I'm allowing these three to go unaccompanied. I'll be fine," Adelaide added.

Optimus was silent for a moment. "Raf?"

Rafael gave a firm nod. "I wanna give it a shot."

"I'll ready the groundbridge," Ratchet spoke as he moved to the groundbridge controls.

-

The four stepped onto the firm grass, the kids groaning as their stomachs turned.

"That'll take some getting used to," Jackk grumbled as he clutched his stomach.

Adelaide laughed as she nodded. "Give it another jump or two and you'll be good. Now, let's move."

They ran towards the facility and Jack tried to open the door.

"It's locked," the teen gruffed.

"I got it." Adelaide waved them away from the door before using all her strength to kick the door in.

Miko's jaw dropped as she looked at Adelaide. "You are literally the coolest person I've ever met."

"Thanks," Addie grinned as she threw her braid over her her shoulder, her ego puffing up a bit.

They made their way through the array facility before slipping into the first control room they came across.

"Raf, you're up," Jack said as he looked at the younger boy.

Raf quickly sat down and began working his magic. "I'm in. And so are the Decepticons."

"What?" Jack leaned in closer.

Miko looked at him in surprise. "How can you tell?"

"Schematics, with the same alien math we saw on their ship. But this time, I can download it," Raf gloated as he whipped out his thrumbdrive.

"So, it's gotta be the spacebridge," Miko mumbled.

"The Decepticons are syncing it to their dishes, but I can sync to them," Rafael explained as he worked.

"Will they know?" Jack asked with concern laced in his tone.

"Even if the Decepticon's see that I'm in the system, they'll have no idea I'm in the house," Raf brushed it off quickly.

Adelaide couldn't relax though, drawing her pistol. She kept it low, but she was ready.

"They're locked on to Cybertron," Raf mumbled as he watched the the screen in front of him. "Not for long."

Adelaide turned her gaze to watch the boy take the aim off of the far away planet.

The good news was very short lived as the dishes returned to their target.

"The dishes are heading back to Cybertron. I'll just undo that again," Raf gruffed as his fingers flew across the keys in front of him.

"What happens when the Cons realize they're being punked?" Jack asked as he watched carefully.

"The Decepticons aren't dumb. Raf moved the dishes once. They already know," Adelaide said.

"Yeah, but it's only virtual combat. You know, like online gaming."

Miko gave a light laugh. "Yeah, Jack. What are the Cons gonna do? They're probably like a thousand miles away."

The hairs on Adelaide's neck stood up and she turned before letting out a gasp, drawing the attention of the kids.

A robotic tentacle looking thing whipped at Adelaide as she shot at it quickly.

Addie watched helplessly as each of the bullets did no damage. "This thing is useless!"

In a moment of pure adrenaline, the agent threw herself at the tentacle and clung onto it, only for it to slam her against the wall.

"Addie!" Jack cried before the tentacle went for him and Miko, throwing them against the wall as well.

"Raf!" Adelaide croaked as she pushed herself up a bit.

"I won't let them lock on again," the boy rushed as he worked faster than he ever had in his life.

The tentacle swung at Rafael and he jumped to the side, ripping his thumbdrive out of the port.

Miko grabbed the fireaxe from the wall and ran at the limb, swinging her newfound weapon at the robot.

Se was quickly swatted away and the tentacle grabbed the axe.

"You handed it an axe?!" Jack cried out.

"Not good," Raf whimpered.

Adelaide grabbed onto Raf, shielding him with her body as the tentacle threatened to slice at the boy who had messed with the dishes.

At the last second, the limb pulled back, leaving the room quickly.

"What the?" Adelaide mumbled as she stood up.

Miko was the first one to chase the robotic limb out of the room, the others quickly following her.

Jack forged ahead and pushed open the door to the hardware room and they all looked up.

A Decepticon with no percievable face stood atop the broken glass ceiling and looked down at the four humans.

Miko, without hesitation, whipped out her phone and snapped a photo before the Con flew off.

Raf looked at the axe that had cut through the hard lines. He bent next to it and dropped his head. "He cut the hard lines. The dishes are locked onto Cybertron. For good."

"Raf, you tried your best. That's all anyone can ask for," Adelaide said as she ruffled his hair.

He looked up and gave her a small smile.

"Are you okay, though, Adelaide?" Jaack asked as Addie and Raf stood back up.

"Compared to what I felt before, that was nothing. What about you two? You aren't hurt, right?"

"We're tougher than we look," Miko boasted.

"Alright. I'm gonna call Ratchet."