[Rachel POV]

"Ratchet!" I shout, as the machine I have been working on finally powers on...

And stays on for more than five seconds.

The yellow medic races over, and I swing my tail happily. "I think I finally got it to work!" I look up and see the joy and pride in his optics, and I blush as he gently taps one digit on my back. "Well done, Rachel. This will definitely help us greatly." Before either can say anything else, a siren blares, and Wheeljack, who was standing at the computers, shouts. "We got a problem, doc!"

Ratchet grumbles, but quickly moves to the wrecker. "What seems to be the issue n-By the Allspark...." Rachel feels her energon run cold, and Jazz's spark sinks. 'It's never good when the doc says that....' Rachel only nods, feeling Broadwing walk in from the subconsciousness. He says nothing as Rachel carefully flies up onto the platform near the computers. "What's going on?" My voice gives away my worry, and Ratchet gestures to the screens. "Optimus took Smokescreen and Bumblebee on a scouting mission near a large, exposed piece of energon.... And it seems it was a trap...."

My eyes widen as I turn to face the screen, spotting several purple Decepticon symbols surrounding the three Autobot symbols. I swiftly rush over and bring up their vitals. Smoke and Bee were fine, but Optimus....

His vitals were barely noticeable.

I gasp, and shove the stats on the larger screens. "Ratch! Grab the med kit. Wheeljack, with me." I rip my watch off and slam it on the side of my head. Turning, I launch off the platform as Wheeljack rushes towards the back, most likely finding a suitable weapon while I contact the others. "Arcee! Do you read me?" My panic seems to affect her as she instantly reply. "Arcee here. What's going on?" 

"Optimus is in danger of getting snuffed out, and I need backup. Where are you?" Arcee grunts, and I hear a familiar voice behind her. "With Jack scouting as well. Can you bridge us back quickly?" Ratchet cuts in now, saying, "Already sending a bridge!" I hear the ground bridge roar to life, but I'm racing back to my berthroom. I had to grab my rifle. I tap on the com again, contacting Bulkhead. "Yo, Rach! What's th-"

"No time, Miko. I need Bulkhead back here now!"

"Woah, woah! Easy, there. What's going on?" She asks, her worry starting to show. I try to refrain from shouting while removing my rifle from the rack. "Optimus is in danger! Send Bulkhead back now!" I hear Miko gasp, and Bulkhead's engine roars in the background. "Groundbridge." He says, and I hear it power on again. Quickly, I make my way back, my wings folded against my back to allow me to move faster. "Ratchet! Is everyone here?"

The doc-bot nods, and I look around. Wheeljack had returned with a relic we had recently retrieved, the Immobilizer, and the others were switching their servos to weapons already. I gaze around, spotting Jack and Miko on the platform. I fly up to them, worry on my face. "Where's Raf?" Jack looks over to Miko, who looks back at him. "We thought he was here! With...."

My energon freezes.

I turn back around, gazing at the faceplates of the bots around me. They were all now fear stricken even more. I needed to come up with a plan... and fast!

Think Rachel, think! We need more firepower.... but how can we get that from so far...

Wait, that's it!

"Jack! Contact Agent Fowler. As soon as we go through the groundbridge, bridge him here once he confirms the army is ready with as much firepower as they can procure." Jack looks at me, perplexed, and I quickly push him to a computer. "Just do it! I will explain in a minute!" He nods, and quickly gets ahold of the man. I turn to Miko. "Listen, Ratchet is coming with us in case Optimus is in that bad of shape. I need you to man the sats. Do you remember how?" Her face hardens, and she nods in determination. "I'm on it, R-Girl."

I smirk, then turn back to the bots. My eyes drop down to the device below me, and I hear Ratchet exhale. "I would normally advise against using something so knew without first testing it, but we don't have that much time..." I smirk as I dive down to it. It was still running, Good.

I begin typing rapidly on the keypad on the side. As I finish, it beeps and flashes one small object protruding from the top blue. Carefully, I take the small remote-like object for a port on the top. I return to Jack and hand it to him. "Give this to Fowler, and tell him when he's ready, point this towards an area that is ten yards in front of him, then press this button. The coordinates for Optimus' position are already locked in to it." He nods, a question in his eyes, but he knows better.

Finally, I turn to the others, who were patiently waiting on me. I feel the pressure start to weigh on my back, but Broadwing swipes it away by saying, 'Don't worry, young one. Your plan is well-crafted. It will work.'

I take a deep breath and nod.

"Alright team, listen up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[3rd POV]

A blast echoes through the area, and a white and blue figure is flown backwards. The bot flips over, and slides to a stop on one knee by two other mechs, energon leaking from his mouth and other injuries. His optics glare before him as a tall, silver mech glares back. Megatron slowly walks up to the three severely wounded mechs laying in the center of his army. A yellow bot, one optic shut in pain, was barely standing, and behind both of them was their beloved leader, barely clinging on to life. His body was riddled with multiple cuts, slashes, and burns. A massive gash was across his chest, which was faintly moving. He opens one optic painfully, staring past his soldiers and landing on his arch enemy...

His old friend...

Brother....

Megatron simply laughs. "My, my Optimus.... I didn't think you would fall for something so small as exposed energon. You must be very desperate for supplies." The Autobot leader growls, but stops with a groan of pain. This makes the warlord smirk, and Smokescreen growls. He steps between his leader and Megatron, lifting his servos up, blasters charged. "Back off...." He is barely able to say, and Bumblebee whirs something.

"Oh, I hope they do!" Bee makes a confused noise, and Smoke narrows his optics. He shifts back a bit as Megatron steps forward. "What do you mean?" He questions, and Megatron snickers before turning to walk around the three. "Do you not get it yet? I'm not after you... or even you, Optimus..." His violet gaze falls on Optimus again, malice filling it. "Shockwave has found something.... unusual out about your esteemed human ally."

This makes Optimus go rigid, the other two mechs stiffening as well. Megatron continues, stopping his stroll a bit off to the side. "You see, what she holds inside of her is something we can greatly use. Once I rule this planet, I can control this fleshy race by..... transforming them.... with a little help, of course."

Smokescreen growls, and Bee buzzes angrily. They knew who he was talking about, of course, and that was surprising. "Didn't know you'd get chummy with humans, Megatron." Smoke retorts, and the warlord lets out a single laugh. "Let's just say, his ideals are very similar... and his methods are.... intriguing."

Suddenly, Smokescreen feels something slam into his side. Before he can react, electricity fills him and he roars in pain. The same thing happens to Bumblebee, and both fall to their knees as MECH goons appear from behind the drones that formed a barrier around the three fallen Autobots. As they walk closer, another man appears between them all. His hair is white, and two scars are on his face: one across his nose, the other on his jaw line. He stands tall, with his hands clasped behind his back. "The perfect meld of man and machine... and you think you can hide her from us." He says, his voice darkening at the end.

Smoke sputters out, "Y-You'll n-never win!" The soldier electrocuting him ups the voltage, and Smokescreen shouts in agony before collapsing completely on the ground. Bumblebee buzzes, but the same happens to him, and he falls as well, optics flickering off.

Megatron grins, but when his optics fall on the man, the grin falters. Smokescreen was right. The warlord did not like teaming up with humans, no matter their beliefs, but this was the best option for getting rid of that pesky techno-organic that was constantly ruining his plans. However...

His patience was wearing thin. 

"Well... I don't think we need all three of you alive....." Megatron muses, releasing his sword from its place beneath his canon. He makes his way over towards Optimus Prime's side, and glares down at him. The Prime gazes back, optics flickering. Oh how he wish this would have ended another way. How he wished he would have said something to her before he left....

How he wished he told her the truth....

His sweetspark....

Megatron chuckles darkly as he raises his sword. "I cannot wait to see the look in her eyes when she finds your corpse...." As his arm stops, a blinding light floods their vision, forcing Megatron to raise his other arm in reflex. Once he regains himself, he spots a groundbridge open only a few feet away, and suddenly-

"GET AWAY FROM OPTIMUS, MEGATRON!" The warlord has no time to react as something small collides with the side of his face. However, the power behind it sends him flying backwards, nearly crushing the humans that had attacked Smokescreen. Said bot gazes up in time to see Rachel softly land on Optimus, wings still slightly up. Her back was towards their leader's face, and she was growling. Her eyes were burning green. Smoke smirks, carefully attempting to push himself up.

Rachel gazes at him, worry in her eyes, and he huffs out, "What took you so long?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Rachel POV]

I felt my spark rate increase at the sight of Megatron over Optimus. The plan wasn't for us to merge this soon, but it wasn't a problem. We could make it still. The ground bridge stays open behind me, and I feel Optimus shudder beneath me. I needed to make this quick, and yet stall long enough for Fowler to get here with backup.

"Ah! Rachel...."

That voice makes my energon run cold. 

I gaze down, spotting the man himself standing at the helm of Bumblebee. I snarl out his name, venom lacing my words. "Silas..." The man smirks, and walks closer to Optimus' peds. "You were just the person we wanted here.... Come back with us, and we will let them go..." His face was unemotional, but determined. However, I wasn't an idiot. He would never let them go...

And I already knew he would ask that.

"Do you think me so dull as to fall for that?" I say, mocking an insulted tone. I hear Megatron regaining his footing, and I fight back the panic rising. They still hadn't contacted me yet. 'Come on, guys.... any minute n-' 

"Rachel!"

I barely move my wings to guard my front as a purple blast collides with them. I grunt, feeling myself slide back a bit against Optimus' chest, and he groans in pain. I fly up a touch, hoping to relieve some of the pain...

And another shot collides with his chest.

I feel my spark stop and pain radiates over my body. Anger floods me, and I hold back a scream of agony as I fall back onto Optimus. The moment my feet touch his chest, I collapse onto my knees and crawl towards his faceplates, hoping and praying I was wrong.

But when I get there, his optics are off, and no air is coming from the vents near his shoulders.

No more energon was leaking from his wounds.

I couldn't feel the gentle thrum of his spark against my own as I laid on him, screaming.

The ache in my chest was consuming. 

This wasn't part of the plan.

I was supposed to save him....

I was supposed to save him....

I failed....