Transformers Prime: Shattered Glass (Completed)

Chapter Seventeen

As quickly as the Earthquake had come, it had ended.

'What...what was that?" Arcee asked, making herself stand upright after holding onto the railing for support. Ratchet had shielded some of the monitors that were crucially needed for some of his projects, and nobody dared to say anything about it. Bee warbled something in reply to Arcee as he set a servo to his helm. He wasn't near a support when it started and was jostled around quite a bit.

"You think the kids are okay?" Bulkhead asked. Bee shook his helm to clear it and beeped urgently before transforming and driving off. Arcee and Bulkhead exchanged a glance before looking back over toward Ratchet and Optimus, who had been standing next to him.

"You guys alright?" Breakdown asked, looking at the Autobots with concern. Bulkhead nodded in reply.

"Optimus...the earthquake seems to be the last of it. All the abnormal occurrences or disasters...are gone," Ratchet reported, turning back to his leader. Optimus frowned slightly and he and Megatron exchanged a glance.

"If this was Megatron and the other Optimus' grand plan...it was very short-lived," Arcee muttered.

"I do not think this is the end of their plan...merely the beginning," Optimus replied. A grim atmosphere entered the room and left the team speechless.

"Optimus, with all due respect...our Optimus and your Megatron seem to be targeting your world...and I cannot simply stay here and let you face them alone," Megatron stated, giving the Prime a look that meant "what ever you say won't change my mind".

Optimus looked at him for a few seconds and nodded.

"Understood, Megatron...Ratchet, prepare the GroundBridge."

Ratchet looked at Optimus, but didn't say anything and turned back over to his console and started typing. The GroundBridge started to hum a little before it went quiet, and he finally walked over to the controls and pulled the lever. The whoosh sound of the GroundBridge was heard on both their side and the computers, and Soundwave reluctantly used Laserbeak as a test. He safely arrived through, flying around above the Autobots' helms, and Arcee and Bulkhead had to fight their first instinct to shoot it down. Soon the rest of the team appeared, save for Soundwave, who'd stay with the base to manage it. Laserbeak only rested on a raft above. Soundwave apparently had given him the directive of staying with the others. Optimus and Megatron clasped servos briefly in remembrance and in a greeting. Megatron was still taller.

"What if they launch a sudden surprise attack on your side?" Bulkhead asked, looking over at the others.

"Then we just bridge back." Starscream shrugged. Arcee shrugged. It was simple enough.

"Alright then...what's the plan? What do we do now?" Knockout asked.

A ping sounded from the computer, and Ratchet glanced at the message accompanying it.

"It's...a call from the Nemesis."

All optics were on Optimus, who had a small frown on his faceplate. He looked over at Ratchet and nodded, and the call was accepted.

"Optimus," Megatron greeted. He looked slightly taken aback to see his counterpart with him, but any surprise he had expressed was gone in a second. Optimus' mask slid over his faceplate when he caught sight of his own counterpart, who was messing with something in the background.

"Megatron, what do you want?" Optimus demanded.

"I simply wanted to show you a new collection I'm starting," he replied, and the camera-which had to be Soundwave-shifted over to what Optimus was looking at, which were a near-unconscious Jack, a recuperating Miko, and a scared-to-death Rafael. Optimus seemed to have particular fun with him.

"We need to tell Bee that he's too late," Arcee muttered, reaching a servo up to her helm.

"No," Megatron replied, and Optimus stepped aside to reveal a lifeless Bee. "He was right on time."

*

"Are you sure you remember how to do it?"

"Um, yes," Arcee replied, glaring at Starscream. "It was my idea."

"Which is...?"

"The bomb, obviously," she hissed. "Triggered to blow at a certain height. If the bomb doesn't finish the job, the fall will."

"You forget, one of them has wings."

"Well, then hopefully luck is on our side."

"You're too casual about this. I thought Optimus would have your spark for this if you didn't have his first."

"He can't fly."

"But he's Optimus Prime. Even in your dimension, that has to mean something."

Arcee frowned and looked around the dimly lit room before looking back at Starscream.

"You have a point."

Yet she didn't make an effort to resolve his concerns and walked over to the large war pod Optimus used for transportation, since he didn't have wings. She typed a code into the keypad before hiding the bomb in between two pieces of plating, hardly noticeable unless someone was looking. Starscream frowned but didn't say anything. It was her spark to waste, he didn't have to claim he was a part of anything.

~~~

Ah-HA!

Things are happening now! *evil laugh*

(And for those of you concerned that half of the chapter was deleted or something, no. It hasn't been.)

Technically, chapter 18 is written...but...when to publish it...? 😇