Nova was on the gurney due to the dark energon spreading on her body. She did best to endure the pain that was pulsing her. Campy didn't head back to her room instead it was hiding. It came out of hiding spot after Megatron left. He couldn't leave her master in pain as he was on gurney beside her. Nova was thinking about what she said back there.

Sire.

That word came out of her mouth, she had no idea why she said that but for some reason it felt strangely right to call that to Optimus. However, she felt a strange feeling when OPtimus left the base. She doesn't know what it was but it felt the same like how Dr. Login left her lab. She wondered why it felt the same? There was also another questioned that need answers as well; Why did Unicron called her the Herald? What did mean when he felt the taint of primus within her? He mentioned her power cannot be surfaced which she was curious what he meant? So many questions keep coming to her mind and none of that has the answers.

"How are you holding up?" Raf asked which snapped out her train of thought.

"Not very well," Nova stated. "But I could be worse."

"Here's some water, NOva." He said, giving the bottle to her. Nova take it and replied, "Thanks." before drinking it. Miko tentatively asked just to passed the time, "So, how was the fight?" Nova turned towards her and look at her with a neutral expression, "Intense."

"Okay, I know that you have... powers," June started as she looks at her. "But I can't believe it."

"No kidding. But for some reason I am not really surprised." Fowler admits. "You have a pretty strong punch." He said as he rubs his ear. Nova try not to smirk at the memory.

"It is difficult to digest this information." Nova said to everyone. "But it is true." She then feel the familiar heat of her fingertips and put them in front of her. Purple electric currents are dancing between them and spreading to her arms and eventually to her whole body. Everyone backed away a bit just to prevent from being shock.

"I-I can see what you are doing, but- this is so surreal." June huffs as Jack went next to her and pat her back comfortingly.

"Like giant alien robots are not surreal enough for you?" Jack humors lightly. June just lightly smacks his shoulder. Nova chuckled before she felt a singe of pained in her chest. She shudder and hugged herself. 'Ugh....this dark energon inside me is getting painful than I thought. It felt like it's ripping me apart.'

"What's wrong?" Jack asked worriedly.

"I'm feeling.....weird." Nova said bluntly as she shudder again, but this time more intense. "I'm going to rest for a while." before lying down on the gurney.

Later

"More than 60 volcanoes are erupting worldwide, and downtown Honolulu is under six inches of snow. Scientist continue to devise theories connecting these unprecedented natural disasters to the planetary alignment which..." The news was cut off.

"So, who wants to play a game?" June asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Everyone just gave her a look. "That tears it!" Fowler said as he stormed over to the elevator.

"Where are you going?"

"I can't just sit on my hands while the world spins out of control."

"And what exactly is that that you intend to do?" Ratchet asked sharply.

'And how do you intend to get anywhere with this crazy weather either?' Nova mentally added, glancing at the high natural ceiling like she could see the storm outside. 'I bet that a lot of communications are down thanks to this crazy global catastrophe.'

Anything!" the man nearly shouted, frustration evident in his features. "Hook up with my boys at the Pentagon, figure out a way to bury that monster for good!"

"In the event Optimus can't?" Ratchet retorted.

"Don't you mean Optimus and Megatron?" He growled right back.

"No one here is thrilled about this arrangement, Agent Fowler, Myself included. But with Optimus and Megatron together again -"

Jack frowned, "Wait, again?"

Nova questioned, trying to sit up, "Woah....Were they friends before the war started?"

Raf said, "Megatron was an Autobot?"

Miko flailed her hand, "Optimus was a 'con?"

"Puh-leeze I highly doubt that Optimus and Megatron switched roles like that," Nova said to her. "Nova is right." Ratchet said before closing his eyes as he remembered everything.

"But, there was a time - back on Cybertron - in the twilight hours of the Golden Age, where Optimus and Megatron were not sworn enemies." he said and began to explain them a tale, "Do you recall when I mentioned that Optimus wasn't always a Prime? Well, he wasn't always Optimus either. He was once a clerk in the Iacon Hall of Records named Orion Pax. But as he learned more about Cybertron's past, he grew increasingly concerned about the present corruption in high places and inequality among the masses. Orion became inspired by the words and ideas of the gladiator, one who had named himself after one of the thirteen original Primes - Megatronus. Megatronus vowed to challenge Cybertron's leadership and demanded that all Cybertronians be treated as equals. The gladiator turned revolutionary rapidly gained a loyal following. Soundwave, chief among them. Orion began corresponding with Megatronus, who came to be something of a mentor to him. As Megatronus left the gladiatorial ring for the political, he saw fit to shorten his name. Before long, Megatron appeared before the High Council to propose his vision for a just society. And it was here that he began to reveal his true colors. Proclaiming to overthrow the old guard with force and arrogantly demanding to be named the next Prime. But Orion did not believe in violence as a means of achieving justice. The sparks and minds of the Council were moved by Orion's words. Here... for the first time since Cybertron's Golden Age...stood someone worthy of being a Prime. But that honor could only be achieved by earning the legendary Matrix of Leadership. His ambitions thwarted, Megatron spitefully severed all ties with Orion and the Council, and came to wage war on all who opposed him through his growing army of followers which he named Decepticons. He vowed to claim the Matrix for himself wherever it may lie. In time, warfare consumed Cybertron, poisoning the planet to its core. Orion journeyed there, hoping to reverse the ill effects and found himself before the very spark of our life giver, Primus himself. The ailing Primus sensed the innate ability within Orion and bestowed the Matrix upon him. It was thus that a surprised and humbled Orion Pax came to be Optimus, the last of the Primes."

After Ratchet finished, A small chuckle escaped from Nova, finding some irony in the story. "'Today a reader, tomorrow a leader'," Nova quoted, causing the medic to snort a little too, having been the only one who caught her words.

It was quiet after that as everybody processed what they had been told. However, sparing a glance at each of them, a newfound respect could be seen shining in their eyes for a Prime

Unconsciously, Nova straightened a little in pride at that, glad that Optimus was her guardian. Eventually, Miko asked, "So, Optimus got a Matrix from Cybertron's core, and now he's gonna give it to Earth's?"

"What's to stop Megatron from just claiming the Matrix for himself this time around?" Jack piped in, still sounding subdued like the rest.

"Only his greater desire to save this planet so that he may in turn conquer it!" Ratchet scoffed, adding sardonically, "As he so compellingly argued, provided the Lord of the Decepticons can ever be fully trusted."

Nova noted,"Just like how Megatron wouldn't stay in his dreams where he easily killed Optimus. He needed to kill Optimus, himself, in person."

Ratchet nodded. "The reasonings of a mad 'con."

As Nova was about to say something when the purple in her chest flared dangerously, the pull growing stronger. Nova moaned in pain as June and Ratchet returned to her. Her hood fall off only to see her the purple glow and dark skin etched it's way into more of her veins, clouding through her face, closer to her left eye.

Agent Fowler and the kids looked away again as Nova's shirt was pulled up, the two of them observing the growing sensation.

"It's spreading.." June observed.

Looking down, Nova confirmed her observation. She noticed it was spreading further and her skin darkened. It took part of her chest and trailing down to her abdomen. Ratchet then takes the moment to bend down close to their level and scans her again. "Dark energon is taking over your system, but it seems to be intermingling with your own system." He stated grimly.

She asked in disbelief. "Wouldn't that be killing me?"

"Frankly, it should have." Ratchet announces with a winced. "But it is partially due to the fact you are part Cybertronian that you don't share the same effect as Rafael however your organic part on the other hand had an opposite effect and in all honesty I hope that it is not killing you. I- we wouldn't want that to happen."

Nova said thoughtfully, "I hope not...." Campy nuzzled her hand before she petted him on his helm. 

As the minutes flew by, and the world was still erupting in chaos. Nova was beside the computers, staring at the screen and hoping that her guardian might be alright, even the pulsing in her chest still wasn't helping. Ratchet tried to locate anyone from the team before looking back at the others. "Communication links are down, as expected. But we've lost their signal."

Nova's heart dropped to the floor. There was a new pain in her spark, it clenched on itself, rolling over and over, like taffy. "Doesn't ... that mean..."

"Normally, yes." Ratchet watched her closely. "A more likely explanation would be the severe interference caused by the electromagnetic anomalies."

"So..." Raf trailed off. "If we can't track them... and they can't call us..."

"How do we know when they're ready for pick up?" Miko finished.

The room fell silent as a small, quiet tapping echoed through the vast hangar. Nova watched as Ratchet's optics opened, staring at Jack as he tapped the thing that Optimus gave him against the metal.

"Where did you get that?"

"Optimus. Honestly, I don't know why he gave me the key to the ground bridge power supply," Jack said naively.

"Jack," Nova called, gaining his attention. "He lied."

"What?" Jack stared at her.

"There is no key to the ground bridge power supply," Ratchet told him sternly."

"Well, then what is this?"

"That is the key to Vector Sigma,"

"The what?" NOva asked, looking at him, grabbing at her chest.

"You are holding one of Cybertron's most important relics,"

"I shouldn't have this," Jack said dismissively, holding it to her.

It singed, glowing brightly as it was pushed close to Nova.The pain in her heart or....spark increased. Nova groaned in pain, her fist grabbing at her chest again. Jack looked between Nova and the key curiously and horrified.

"I .. think you,... should hold on to it."

"It must be reacting the dark energon," Ratchet concluded. "She's right. Optimus entrusted it to you."

"But that doesn't make any sense. Why?" Jack asked.

"Because he doesn't plan on coming back."

Nova felt her heart ache as she lowered her head. 'Optimus had planned this all along that he knew wouldn't be back. But why?' Nova mentally questioned herself.

It felt like an hour had passed by and there was no news from the others. All communications were still down and the earth was still in disarray. Then suddenly, the volcano outside erupts violently, and the ground enclosing the Autobot base begins to quake. The massive quake caught them off-guard and Ratchet tells the humans to take cover, and he moves to shield them from falling debris. It wasn't certain how long the earthquake lasted, but the volcano, along with all the Earth's other natural phenomena, subsidies back to normality. Ratchet and the humans watch as the monitors flicker online.

"Do you think?" Jack looked at Ratchet who intern replied. "I do."

The team's life signals appear on the screen and are all safely re-established.

"Yeah!" Miko shouted for joy and jumped.

"Sweet!" Jack cheered.

"Yes!" Fowler hugged June before letting go blushing, "Uh..."

Nova sighed in relief when she felt the pull on her chest lightened. Nova stood up as she examined her arm until she saw the purple veins were no longer there anymore. Miko was the first to notice and said, "Dude, your cured!!!"

Everyone turned to see that Nova's face was no longer covered in purple veins. Ratchet scanned her and said, "You still have dark energon in you, but your body is fighting it off. They are diminishing the numbers from your blood stream. It'll be matter of time until the dark energon is gone from your body."

Nova said relief, "Well that's good news for me." Campy jumped onto NOva happily that his master was healthy again.

Ratchet managed to find their coordinates and activated a ground-bridge, everyone gathering in front of it. Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee were the ones who entered but there were no signs of Optimus.

"Arcee!" Jack now stood in front of the two-wheeler who had a look of distraught of her face plates, yet she wasn't the only one. "I was worried, Bulk," Miko said in relief. "Y-you alright, bee?" Rafael asked with concern.

A deep frown was written on Nova's face. She clutched the railing with both hands and Campy who was on her left shoulder. Optimus wasn't present and this made her anxious. Ratchet too noticed this and proceeded to ask the others. "And Optimus is he..."

"Dead? no." Arcee shifted her gaze away from them. "But he looked right at us without recognizing us. Didn't even know his own name." Bulkhead added in which the humans, except for Nova, exchanged looks to one another.

Ratchet thought about it before responding, mostly to himself. "When Optimus surrendered the Matrix of Leadership he lost more than the collective wisdom of the Primes. He lost his own memories."

Unaware of the pair of dull eyes of unhappiness that fell at the words, Nova's heart seeming to shatter in her chest.

'No! This can't be happening.....Not again...'