"We're in big trouble." Bulkhead said as he and the others continued to make their way to get out of the fire that was growing.
"Yeah, I guess it wasn't such a good idea." Wheeljack said as the grenade and fire was clearly his fault.
"We have to get out of here." Smokescreen said worriedly as he and Bumblebee helped Optimus walk.
Back at the base, everyone was getting very worried and wondered what was going on in the factory.
"What's going on out there? Is there a fire or something?" Agent Fowler asked as Miko gave him a look.
"Are you trying to stress us here?" Miko remarked.
"I'm just speculating, young lady." Agent Fowler said while raising both of his hands.
"What's going on out there? Somebody better answer me." Ratchet said as they could clearly hear what sounds like fire crackling in the background.
"I'm here, Ratchet." Smokescreen finally answered much to their relief.
"Smokescreen. Thank Primus you're okay. What's going on?" Ratchet asked worriedly.
"Four words. Grenade, oil, explosion and fire." Smokescreen said and everyone became shocked.
"By fire, he means a big one." Wheeljack said just as they heard another explosion somewhere in the background.
"We need immediate evac!" Smokescreen exclaimed in worry.
"What are you waiting for, doc?! Get them out of there now!" Fowler said as they turned to Ratchet.
"I can't. The storm in the area is preventing me from getting their coordinates." Ratchet said as he wasn't able to get the location of the team.
"Use the Coordinates Register. Tell Raf to use my code, he knows it." Emily told him as Raf quickly got to work.
"I'm on it." He said as he typed away on his laptop.
Raf soon entered Emily's code to track her current coordinates and to open a ground bridge before the Autobots got burned or worse.
"I got the coordinates. Sending now." Raf said and the ground bridge controls got the coordinates.
"Coordinates received. Activating the ground bridge now." Ratchet said as he quickly activated the ground bridge.
The portal back to Siberia opened up so that the others can come back safely before they get hurt.
"There's our way out." Wheeljack said.
"Come on, Optimus. We'll get you out first." Smokescreen said as the Prime just nodded as both rookie and scout entered the portal whilst helping Optimus through.
They were the first to get out and return to base and when they got back to base, Ratchet immediately ran to help Optimus walk as he noticed the state the Prime was in.
"Optimus. What in the name of Primus happened to you?" Ratchet asked in extreme worry as Optimus groaned as pain from his injury flared up.
"Airachnid... gah!" Optimus groaned in pain.
"She hurt him badly." Smokescreen said as Bumblebee whirred worriedly if Optimus is going to be okay.
"He'll be fine." Ratchet said as he helped Smokescreen to the medical area and helped him to sit down so he could start treating him and to avoid any loss of Energon.
Raf approached Bumblebee who had little scorch marks but he was worried.
"You okay, Bee?" He asked worriedly as Bumblebee looked at him and whirred reassuringly that he is since he's back at base.
"Good thing we got out when we could." Smokescreen said but Miko, Jack and Fowler noticed that the others hadn't come through the portal.
"Where's Bulkhead?" Miko asked.
"Where are the others?" Jack asked in concern.
"And what about that special guest?" Fowler questioned while looking at the rookie who sighed.
"She got away." He said as Jack raised an eyebrow.
"She?" He asked but dreaded the answer.
"That eight legged con." Smokescreen said as Jack clenched his fist.
"Airachnid. She must've been the one who knocked out Arcee." Jack said angrily.
"Right now, we have more important matters to do. We have to get back to the others and fast." Ratchet said urgently.
Back in Siberia, the fire was spreading fast and the factory was falling apart due to the fire.
"This place is coming down!" Bulkhead exclaimed over the roar of the fire.
"We better leave! Come on!" Wheeljack said as he quickly ran and entered the portal with Bulkhead not far behind.
"Hurry, guys, we can't stay long!" Cliffjumper called Emily, Arcee and Tailgate.
"We're coming!" Emily called back as Cliffjumper entered the portal.
Emily was about to go in next but she stopped to tell Arcee to hurry up as she turn to where the femme and Tailgate are.
"Arcee, hurry! We have to get out!" Emily exclaimed and her eyes widened.
Emily saw what kept Arcee from leaving. She was trying to get Tailgate to move but for some reason he didn't hear her talk to him.
"Tailgate, come on! We can't stay here! Tailgate, Tailgate!" Arcee told him urgently as she noticed the glazed look in his optics.
Tailgate didn't pay any attention. For he was seeing other memory flashes in his mind. He saw Cybertron burning into flames and it's as if the fire around him reminded him of how his world was destroyed. Ravaged by the war. Suddenly he heard Arcee's voice echoing and that's when he came back to reality.
"Tailgate, wake up! We have to move now!" Arcee told him.
When Tailgate got out of his thoughts realized that they had to leave the place. He shook his head and started running alongside Arcee, trying to reach the portal where Emily was waiting for them.
"Hurry, guys! You're almost there!" Emily encourages them.
Both were almost at the portal when suddenly Tailgate saw part of the roof coming down. It was gonna hit both of them.
"Look out!" He exclaimed as reflexes took over.
He quickly pushed Arcee out of the way so that she wouldn't get hurt and poor Tailgate didn't move in time and got stuck in the rubbles as Arcee stared in horror.
"Tailgate!" Arcee cried out in shock.
Arcee ran to help Tailgate and so did Emily but when they tried to reach him, a huge explosion was heading for them. Arcee quickly grabbed Emily on her servos so she could protect her from the blast. The blast entered the portal.
Back at the base, everyone was waiting for Arcee and Emily to come back with Tailgate but they were all getting worried.
"They should've been here by now." Cliffjumper said worriedly.
"Come on, Arcee." Jack muttered as they all watched the portal intently.
While everyone was waiting for Arcee and Emily's return, a static was heard through the comm-link causing everyone to turn to the comm-links. It was Emily and she was trying to say something but the static made it harder to hear what she was trying to say while she was coughing.
"Ratchet,... close the..." The static was making it hard for everyone to hear as they heard her cough.
"Is that you, Emily? Try to speak up. I can't understand you." Ratchet said as Emily quickly exclaimed.
"Close the portal!" She exclaimed through the comms.
"They want us to close the portal? Why?" Smokescreen asked in confusion.
Wheeljack quickly sensed the approaching heat as he turned quickly to the portal and his optics widened.
"I guess it's because of that huge blast coming right at us!" He exclaimed.
Wheeljack points out the huge blast of fire that was heading their way.
"Ratchet, close the portal! Quickly!" Optimus ordered urgently.
"Get down!" Fowler exclaimed as he led the kids to duck down.
Bulkhead and Bumblebee got in front of them so that they would both protect them from the blast but luckily Ratchet closed the portal on time as they all let out a small breath.
"That was a close one." Smokescreen said.
"But Arcee and Emily. They're still out there. And so is Tailgate." Cliffjumper said in worry.
"I'll try contacting them." Ratchet said.
Back at Siberia, Arcee started opening her servos to check on Emily who was coughing.
"Are you okay?" Arcee asked her in concern.
"I'm fine..." Emily said but started to cough again.
"Just give me a moment." Emily said and quickly activated her battle mask so she won't breathe in anymore smoke.
"Ah, finally some air. What do we do now? The portal is closed and there's no way out of this fire." Emily said as she looked at Arcee.
"We'll figure that out later. Right now, we have to help Tailgate." Arcee said.
"Right." Emily nodded.
Arcee started running to where Tailgate was. She gently dropped Emily on the floor so that she could try to take the rubbles of Tailgate who was stuck. Emily starts hearing Ratchet calling her on her comm-link.
"Emily, do you read me?" Ratchet asked.
"Ratchet? Is that you? Boy, am I glad to hear you. We're in huge trouble. Tailgate got stuck in some rubble that fell into him. Arcee is trying to free him but the fire is spreading too fast." Emily said in relief but she couldn't relax as she saw that the fire was spreading around them. She wiped sweat from her forehead from the growing heat.
Back at the base, everyone grew worried.
"There's no way out. I repeat. There's no way out." Emily said.
"We have to get them out of there before they get roasted." Agent Fowler said.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's just open up a portal to bring them back." Miko said urgently.
"It's not that simple. With Tailgate stuck and the fire spreading, they won't be able to get back on time." Bulkhead said.
"What if someone gets there to help them? I'll go." Smokescreen said but Cliffjumper stopped him.
"No, I will." Cliffjumper said as everyone turned to him.
"Cliffjumper, this mission is too risky and you know it." Ratchet told him as Cliffjumper turned to him.
"Well, it's better to sit here and do nothing. And in case you didn't figure it out. I'm done with sitting and doing nothing. Will you open the ground bridge or not?" Cliffjumper said as Ratchet didn't protest at this.
After thinking it through, he believes that even if it's dangerous it's the only way they can bring Arcee, Emily and Tailgate back to the base safe and sound. He turns to Optimus to see what he has to say.
"Optimus, this is your call. What do you say?" Ratchet asked and Optimus looked at Ratchet as the medic could see that he agreed with Cliffjumper.
"Do it." He said with a firm nod.
"Thanks, Prime." Cliffjumper said with a smile.
"Emily, get ready. Help is on the way." Ratchet said as he turned back to the commlink.
"Okay once Cliff gets here, you'll have to close the portal right away. We can't take any more risks. I'll contact you when we are ready to leave." Emily said.
"Alright then. Be careful. Activating the ground bridge now." Ratchet said and activated the ground bridge.
"Hang on, guys. I'm coming." Cliffjumper said and quickly transformed and drove through the portal at full speed to get there on time.
"Good luck." Jack muttered as all they can only do now is wait.
Back at Siberia Arcee was trying to clear the rubbles to find Tailgate with Emily trying to help as best as she can. The portal appeared and as soon as Cliffjumper came out he transformed back to his robot mode as the portal closed behind him.
"Where's Tailgate?" Cliffjumper asked as he quickly approached them.
"He's under the rubble. He pushed Arcee out of the way so she wouldn't get hurt." Emily told him worriedly.
"So what do we do?" Cliffjumper asked as he became worried.
"You go help Arcee get Tailgate while I take care of this fire." Emily told him as she walked from them a bit and stood a few feet from the raging flames.
"You have the power to summon a huge amount of water because we might need some right now." Cliffjumper said as Emily looked at the fire, Cliffjumper and then her hands which were covered in rocks and glowing magma lines.
"I don't have water. But I have earth. I can use my earth abilities to avoid the fire from spreading. If it surrounds us, we won't make it out alive." Emily said.
"Okay, kid. Be careful, try not to get burned." Cliffjumper said as Emily gave him one last look and nodded.
"I will. Now go. We don't have much time." Emily said as Cliffjumper nodded and started running to where Arcee was. She was clearing out the rubble to try and free Tailgate as she was getting worried.
"Hold on, Tailgate. I'm getting you out of this." Arcee said as she pushed some rubble off.
"Need a hand?" Cliffjumper asked as he approached. Arcee turned to him and was relieved.
"Cliff." Arcee said in relief.
"There's no time to lose. Come on." Cliffjumper said and started to clear the rubble with Arcee.
Meanwhile, Emily was using her Earth element to keep the fire away. She started using the cement on the floor to try and create a huge wall. She used all her strength to make the wall taller. After it was tall enough, she stopped for a moment.
"This ought to do the job. Now it's time to put this fire out." Emily muttered before using both of her hands to make the wall go down and put out most of the fire.
She then moved each of her hands in different directions simultaneously, making the wall that was down get divided in two. Her hands moved each separate part of the wall to move and took out the fire. She was able to take down most of it but it wasn't enough. Since the factory had some areas with holes, the air from the storm outside got in and made the fire grow more intense as she sweated slightly.
"Some water powers would surely come in handy." Emily muttered worriedly.
Even though taking out the fire wasn't going well, Emily knew that giving up was not an option and that she had to keep going.
Meanwhile both Cliffjumper and Arcee were still trying to get Tailgate off the rubble.
"I hope he's alright." Cliffjumper muttered worriedly.
"He is." Arcee reassured him.
"How do you know?" He asked as he looked at her.
"I just know. Instead of talking, you can try and help me out with this." Arcee told him.
"What's it look like I'm doing?" Cliffjumper remarked as they continued to get Tailgate out from under the rubble.
While Arcee and Cliffjumper were trying to get Tailgate out of the rubbles, Emily was still fighting the fire. Even though she was giving it her all and her battle mask prevented her from suffocating due to the smoke, the heat was starting to get to her. The more the fire grew, the weaker she was getting as her vision started to become blurry but she shook her head to clear her vision.
"The heat... it's getting to me..." Emily pants heavily as she starts to sweat profusely and could practically feel her heart hammering against her chest.
"My heart is... pulsating..." Emily said between small coughs as she tested her hands against her knees and pants heavily.
When she thought things couldn't get any worse, her holo-computer started to beep in alarm, indicating that the level of oxygen in her suit was dropping at a significant rate. Since the suit didn't have any protection against fire, she only had at least one more minute left of oxygen before she would start suffocating. But given the fact that the heat was making her weak, she would probably faint first and won't even feel like she's suffocating.
"One minute left of oxygen... Better make it count." Emily said as she shook her head to clear her vision and stood back up.
Even if the heat and the low oxygen were weakening her, Emily still had at least one minute before she ran low on air or faints because of the heat, so she decided to keep going for her sake and the sake of others.
"Come on, Emily. Don't give up now." Emily said with determination in her eyes.
After saying those words Emily started using her earth powers to continue fighting the fire.
While she kept the flames at bay, both Arcee and Cliffjumper were still trying to clear the rubble to get to Tailgate.
"Come on. I already lost my brother once, I'm not going to lose him again." Cliffjumper said and Arcee noticed the white paintjob of Tailgate.
"Keep going. We're almost through." Arcee said as they started to double their speed to get to him.
"Hey, guys,... You have to work a bit faster... the heat... I can't take it." Emily said as she turned to them while panting heavily.
When Emily was just telling both Arcee and Cliffjumper so they can work faster, some rubbles was about to fall on them and much to her shock.
"LOOK OUT!!!" Emily quickly exclaimed.
Arcee and Cliffjumper looked up and saw that the rubble was about to fall on them. Cliffjumper started to cover Arcee however Emily used her earth powers to create a wall above them as she fell to her knees.
"Are we dead?" Cliffjumper asked as he opened his optics.
"Don't think so. Look." Arcee said as she suddenly noticed the rock done above them.
Suddenly the wall fell down and they all saw that it was thanks to Emily they're still in one piece.
"We have to hurry. This place will come down at any second." Emily said as she tried to stand up but her arm and legs were shaking as she panted heavily.
Emily started to feel more weak as she could barely stand and Arcee noticed it and grew worried.
"Oh no Emily. She's not feeling well. It must be the fire." Arcee said in concern.
"I'm okay, guys. I still have 30 seconds left of oxygen." Emily said as she stood back up.
"Wait, you what? Why didn't you say anything?" Arcee asked in concern and alarm.
"Because I didn't want to be a burden for you." Emily told her as she looked at the fire.
"You have to get back to base, kid." Cliffjumper said. Emily might be part Cybertronian but she's still half human and humans can't survive being surrounded by fire.
"I can't... there's no way I'm leaving you guys here on your own... Just get Tailgate out of there." Emily told them before she went back to position to try and put out the roaring flames.
"Wait, kid! She's a hard headed one." Cliffjumper tried to stop her but let out a sigh with a mixture of a groan.
"She picked that from you." Arcee said jokingly with a small smirk.
"Funny I was gonna say the same thing right back at you." Cliffjumper said as they knew that Emily got her stubbornness from them.
Both kept on clearing the rubble and finally they had found Tailgate's servo coming out.
"I found him!" Arcee said as she quickened her pace.
"Keep going!" Cliffjumper said as they started working fast.
And in a matter of seconds, they find Tailgate and they take him out of the rubble and notice that he was unconscious.
"Tailgate." Arcee muttered softly.
"Is he?" Cliffjumper asked worriedly.
Arcee starts checking if Tailgate is still alive and felt a small pulse from his spark which relieved her.
"It's okay. He's still alive. Something hit him in the head." Arcee reassured him as he sighed in relief.
"He's okay. That's the only thing that matters." Cliffjumper said with a small smile as she smiled back.
While finding Tailgate was a good thing and it made Arcee and Cliffjumper feel a bit better but the situation they were in was getting worse as the fire had spread and they were surrounded by it.
Emily, who was still fighting it, started receiving an alert saying that she had no more oxygen that was coming from her suit as her vision was slowly getting blurry.
"No more... oxygen..." Emily rasped out heavily and was forced to kneel down as she gasped softly for any form of oxygen.
The heat made it harder for her to stand up and keep the fire away as Arcee and Cliffjumper were both carrying Tailgate and saw how Emily was getting weaker.
"Hey, kid, come over here. We need to get some cover." Cliffjumper called but Emily refused as she tried to stand but couldn't.
"No..." She rasped out.
"Emily, don't be foolish. You have to come now. Hurry!" Arcee tried to urge her and was getting worried.
"No... I can't stop... I can't let my friends... die..." Emily rasped out but the black spots dancing around her vision worsened and she fell on her side and fainted on the spot.
Both Arcee and Cliffjumper were shocked by what just happened.
"Emily!" Arcee exclaimed in worry and shock.
"We have to get out of here. Contact Ratchet and ask for an immediate evacuation." Cliffjumper told her as she quickly did that.
"I'm on it." Arcee said as she turned on her commlink to contact base.
"Arcee to base, do you read?" Arcee started.
Back at the base, everyone was holding its breath while waiting for the others to come back when suddenly they heard Arcee's voice through the comm-link.
"Ratchet. This is Arcee, we need..." Arcee said but her voice was breaking down due to too much static.
"Arcee, repeat that." Ratchet said to get her to speak up.
"We need you to..." Arcee said but the static interfered more and the communication was cut off abruptly as Ratchet lost contact with Arcee.
"Arcee? Arcee! Scrap! I lost contact with her." Ratchet said as he slammed his clenched servos on the console in frustration.
"There's no need to panic, doc. Use the coordinates." Agent Fowler said before Raf spoke up when he tried to do so.
"Uh, we have a problem." He spoke up nervously.
"What is it?" Miko asked as she turned to him.
"There's something going on with the Coordinates Register. Arcee's and Emily's aren't transmitting their coordinates." Raf told them in worry.
"Must be a bug or something." Wheeljack said but he was also worried.
"It can't be a bug. We both worked on it too hard. There's no way the system can have a bug." Raf said as he tried to get their coordinates again.
"You mean you lost them?" Jack asked him in concern. If something happens to his partner and friends, he won't get over it.
"I didn't lose them. But something is interfering with their signal." Raf said as he kept trying.
"It must be the heat from the fire." Smokescreen said in realization.
"It must be." Raf said. It might be that.
"Do we really need that Coordinates Register thingy?" Miko asked curiously.
"Yes, without it, I can't pick up Arcee's or Emily's last known coordinates." Raf told her.
"Yeah but Ratchet could use the previous coordinates." Jack said in hopes that it would work.
"I can't. It's too risky. The fire almost hit the base. Do you want us to get carbonized and turn into molten metal?!" Jack said as Miko gave a dumbfounded look and whispered to Raf.
"Uh, he does know that we're not made of metal right?" Miko whispered as Raf shrugged.
"Ratchet, I understand your concern. But we cannot leave our comrades to their fates." Optimus said as he can't allow his friends and Emily to their fates.
Bulkhead then perked up when he had an idea.
"I got an idea. How about we use some plaques that will stop the fire?" Bulkhead suggested and Wheeljack thought that it was a good idea. It would help a lot so they could get to their friends before it's too late.
"We could build a wall." Wheeljack said.
"How about the plaque thing you used to paint the Synthetic Energon Formula?" Smokescreen suggested as he pointed to it but Ratchet gave him a warning glare.
"Out of the question! We can't afford to lose that formula." Ratchet told him but everyone gave him a pointed look.
"Do we have to remind you what happened last time?" Smokescreen asked as Ratchet hesitated before giving in. That was one incident that he did not want to be reminded of.
"Ugh, fine. Make the wall while I open the ground bridge." Ratchet finally agreed as he went to the ground bridge controls.
"Alright then, let's get to work, guys." Smokescreen said with Bumblebee whirring in agreement.
Then everyone starts running to pile up the plaque that Bulkhead once used. While the others made the wall, Ratchet was opening the ground bridge.
Back at Siberia the portal appeared a few yards from the remaining team.
"Look, there's the portal." Cliffjumper pointed.
"That's Ratchet for sure." Arcee said in relief.
"You go get the kid. I'll take care of Tailgate while trying to reach the portal." Cliffjumper told her.
"Way ahead of you." Arcee said as she let Tailgate go and ran to Emily who was down after she fainted.
"Hey, Emily. Emily, you okay?" Arcee asked and started to check if she was and was relieved to see her chest raising up and down.
"Thank Primus you're still alive. Whatever you do, you better not die on me." Arcee said before picking her up and ran to the portal.
She was about to enter it but instead she went back to help Cliffjumper carry Tailgate back to base while holding Emily in her servo.
"What are you doing?" Cliffjumper asked in surprise.
"I'm helping you out." Arcee told him.
"You can't. You have to take the kid out of here before she gets worse." Cliffjumper told her urgently.
"No way I'm leaving you out here. Now come on. Let's bring Tailgate back home." Arcee said. Cliffjumper hesitated but knew there was no changing Arcee's mind.
"I thought you'd never asked. Is the kid okay?" Cliffjumper said before asking as he saw Emily breathing slowly under the battle mask.
"She's a tough one. She'll get over it. You'll see." Arcee reassured him.
"We're almost there. Try and contact the base. Tell Ratchet to prepare his medical equipment." Cliffjumper told her as they saw that they were almost at the portal.
"Right. I just hope this time it works." Arcee said as she started to contact the base.
Back at the base, the rest of Team Prime was building the wall to prevent the base from getting burned in case the fire got through the ground bridge.
"Let's hurry up, guys. Arcee and Cliffjumper are gonna be here any minute." Smokescreen said.
"No need to hurry, kid. Building stuff is my thing. So back off and let the master handle this." Bulkhead told him in a reassuring tone.
"You sure you're not too rusty for that, maestro?" Wheeljack asked him as he placed another plaque down.
"It takes more for an old constructor like me to get rusty. Now let's make it well. Chop chop." Bulkhead said as he started packing up the plaques to build the wall.
Suddenly Arcee's voice was heard through the comm-links.
"Ratchet, if you can hear me. We're about to come back to the base." Arcee said as Ratchet quickly answered back.
"Arcee, thanks Primus you're okay. What's your current status?" Ratchet asked her. He and the others were relieved to hear that she was okay.
"Tailgate is down. And so is Emily. Don't worry they're both fine. We need you to prepare the proper medical equipment." Arcee said and this worried the others.
They were relieved that they were okay but hearing that both Emily and Tailgate were down was worrisome.
"Emily is down?" Raf almost squeaked out in concern and shock.
"You think she's okay?" Miko asked worriedly.
"Perhaps It's best not to say anything. Wouldn't wanna jinx it or anything." Jack said but joked on the list part which kinda made Miko a bit mad but Fowler was quick to calm her down.
"You ain't gotta worry. Emily is the toughest girl. She'll be back." Agent Fowler reassured her.
From how Emily saved him from the fall back at the Harbinger and how she was able to carry him all the way to the top. He just knows that Emily will be back. She's tougher than she looks.
Back in Siberia, Arcee and Cliffjumper were getting closer to the portal and in any second now, they would get back to the safety of the base.
"We're almost there." Cliffjumper said in relief.
"Yeah." Arcee nodded in agreement before she heard a strange sound which worried her.
"What was that?" Arcee asked in alert.
"I think it's coming from the roof." Cliffjumper said in worry.
When they both started looking at the roof, they saw a huge pile of metal coming down their way.
"I think we should move!" Cliffjumper exclaimed in alarm.
Cliffjumper quickly grabbed Arcee and pulled her away. They manage to avoid the rubbles while protecting both Tailgate and Emily.
"You okay?" Cliffjumper asked as she shook her head but nodded.
"I'm fine. So is Emily. Oh no... The portal." Arcee reassured him but her optics widened in shock when she saw what happened.
"What about it?" Cliffjumper asked her.
When Cliffjumper looked at what she was pointing at, he saw that the ground bridge portal was blocked by the rubbles that just fell from the roof as his optics widened in shock.
"No..." Cliffjumper said as he set Tailgate down beside Arcee and ran towards the rubble to try and get it out of the way.
"No, no, no, no!" Cliffjumper exclaimed in worry and fear. They were so close!
When he reached the rubbles, he started to try and clear the path so they could get out. Unknown to them was that there was a puddle of oil that was getting closer to the fire. The puddle came from a barrel that fell over possibly due to some rubble that fell on it. The barrel was close to some other ones that didn't fall over and were full of oil. In any moment the puddle would get in contact with the flames and would create a huge explosion that would possibly kill them.
"Ratchet, if you read me, we have a big problem." Arcee said in worry.
Back at the base, Ratchet just watched the team but answered.
"Well, I don't think that your problems can be compared to mine right now." Ratchet told her grumpily.
"Does rubble that fell in front of the portal count?" Arcee questioned him and this caused everyone to freeze.
When everyone heard that the portal in Siberia was blocked by rubble they were shocked and started to get nervous and worried.
"What happened?" Ratchet asked in worry.
"Some rubble from the roof fell. It's blocking our only way out." Arcee told him.
"There has to be a way for you to get out." Ratchet told her. There's gotta be another way out.
Back in Siberia, Arcee started looking around for a possible way out while Ratchet was talking.
"Arcee, do you read me? You must find a way to get out of the fire." Ratchet told her.
Arcee heard Ratchet's voice talking to her. But unfortunately the fire gained too much strength and blocked any possible getaway. Even worse, she saw that a barrel of oil had dripped some oil that was heading for the fire. She saw that the barrel was extremely close to another pile of oil barrels. She had deduced that when the oil and the fire would get in contact, the flames would head for the barrel creating an explosion that would make the pile of barrels explode and possibly end them.
At that same moment, Emily started to wake up slightly. She was a bit weak and her vision was a bit blurry but she saw that the fire had grown and that the portal was opened but blocked by rubble.
"Don't worry, Arcee. I'll get us out of here." Cliffjumper said as he was desperately trying to clear the rubble.
She heard how Cliffjumper desperately said that they would get out while he tried to clear the rubble. But she knew that they wouldn't be able to get out on time.
"Ratchet, I need you to listen to me now." Arcee said.
Back at the base, everyone watched commlink as Arcee spoke up.
"I want you to close the ground bridge now." Arcee told him as what Arcee said had shocked everyone to the core.
"Have you lost your mind?! I can't do that!" Ratchet exclaimed to her through the comm-link.
"I know. But please listen to me." Arcee said as her voice pleaded for him to listen.
Back at Siberia, Arcee stayed put while talking to Ratchet with a heavy feeling in her spark.
"There's no way out and the whole place is about to blow up. You have to close the portal or else you and the others will get hurt. Think of the kids. Think of Jack." Arcee told him before hearing Jack speak in the comm link.
"Arcee, if this is about me, don't do this. I knew what the risk was when I first met you. I don't care what happens to me. All I want is you to come back. If something happened to you, I would never get over it. So please come back. You'll find a way out. I know you can." Jack told her.
Back at base, Jack can't lose Arcee or any of his friends. He won't be able to get over it if they are gone.
"Jack,... I'm sorry. But this time there's no way out." Arcee apologized sadly.
"Don't say that, Arcee! There's always a way out." Ratchet told her. He can't lose four members of the team. He can't.
"Maybe you can open another portal." Miko suggested but she was also desperate for them to get back to safety.
"We can't. The storm is interfering with their signal. And the Coordinates Register doesn't work either. I rebooted it a dozen times already. It's not working. Nothing I do is working." Raf told them as he took off his glasses and started to sniff and cry softly.
"I can't do anything." Raf said as his voice cracked while tears started to fall.
Miko was about to cry at the thought of losing Emily, Arcee, Cliffjumper and Tailgate. She can't lose them like this.
"If Arcee and Cliffjumper don't come back,... then this means..." Miko said as she tried to stop the tears but they started to fall as she tried to stop a sob from escaping.
"No... I won't let this happen. Now you listen to me, Arcee, and you better listen. You'll find a way to come back right now or so help me I'll... Gah! I don't know what I'll do but one thing is sure. You're not going to like it!" Agent Fowler told her sternly but he also can't stop the sadness that was building up in him.
"You know what? Building this wall won't cut it. I say we go and help them." Smokescreen said. They have to help them now.
"Smokescreen is right. All we're doing right now is just trying to keep our tailpipes safe. I feel like we're letting down our guys. And I'm not having it." Wheeljack said.
"Me neither. Let's go help them now. I'll clear that rubble with one punch." Bulkhead agreed while punching his fists together as Bumblebee agreed with them
But Arcee's voice stopped them.
"No, guys. There's nothing for you to do." Arcee told them before the next voice spoke up.
"Arcee's right..." Emily agreed with Arcee.
"That's Emily." Miko said as they noticed how her voice sounded.
Back in Siberia, Emily was able to sit up and turn on her holo-computer.
"There's nothing left to do... except this. I'm sorry..." Emily said before she used her holo-computer and activated something.
Whatever she did, had forced the portal on both sides to close. Cliffjumper got shocked when the portal was closed.
"No! The portal!" Cliffjumper exclaimed in shock. That was their only way out...
Back at the base, something started to appear in the main computer. Something that said "Emergency Lockdown Initiated". Everyone saw how the portal just closed up on its own much to their shock.
"The portal. It closed. Did you do that, Ratchet?" Smokescreen said in shock and Ratchet tried to turn it on but it didn't let him
"I didn't do anything." Ratchet told him.
"Then how come the portal closed on itself?" Wheeljack questioned.
"And what's with the message on the screen?" Bulkhead asked.
"I have no idea." Ratchet said. He was also confused. He didn't press anything.
"It's Emily... She... initiated the Emergency Lockdown protocol." Raf spoke up meekly yet his voice held sadness as everyone turned to him in shock.
"The, what now?" Wheeljack asked in shock.
"It's an emergency protocol to prevent the Decepticons from getting to the base... in case it happens." Raf told them as he looked down and sniffed.
"You mean she invented a security measure without any of us knowing?" Ratchet asked him in shock. Emily invented it and she didn't even tell them?
"She was gonna tell you, I swear." Raf said as he struggled not to cry. Bumblebee whirred in concern of his charge.
"It's okay, guys... At least you're safe now. That's all that matters." Emily reassured them.
"And you expect us to sit here while you die?" Ratchet questioned her as he looked at the commlink in disbelief and sadness.
"I know it's crazy but I can assure that everything is gonna be alright. I can feel it... In my spark..." Emily said softly through the comm link.
"This can't be happening. Optimus, there must be something we can do." Smokescreen said as he looked at Optimus who had stared at the commlink in silence just gave them a grave look.
"The only thing left to do... is to trust in our friend..." Optimus said. He was also feeling shocked after what just happened. He can't afford losing Emily. He just can't lose any of his friends and Emily to the fire.
Back in Siberia, Arcee just looked at Emily in shock.
"Why did you do this, Emily?" Arcee asked in shock and disbelief.
"Because... I couldn't bear the thought... of my friends... getting hurt." Emily told her as she just looked at her with a small yet sad smile.
Cliffjumper ran back to where Arcee was standing while she took care of Emily and Tailgate.
"What do we do now?" Cliffjumper asked them desperately.
Arcee looked at Cliffjumper with a look that said that maybe that was it for them. Even though it was hard, Cliffjumper accepted it as he kneeled down beside her.
Back at base, everyone was still processing all of this before Arcee spoke up again.
"Jack, I just want you to know. That to me, you were more than a partner. You were a friend. The best one I could ever ask for. You've matured so much. And I hope I can see you grow after I join the Allspark." Arcee told him. He could feel that she was giving a reassuring smile.
Arcee's words felt like a knife had stapled deep inside Jack's heart. He tried to resist but even he wasn't strong enough to not shed a tear as he tried to stop his tears from falling.
"Arcee..." Jack whispered sadly before Cliffjumper spoke up.
"Hey, guys. If this is it, make sure you take down some cons for me." Cliffjumper said as Smokescreen just nodded.
"We will." Smokescreen said as he tried to smile but couldn't.
"You can count on us." Bulkhead said with a sad smile.
"We'll take some down in your name." Wheeljack said heavily as Bumblebee whirred sadly but agreed nonetheless.
"I have something to say too. It's something I've never dared to say... Optimus,... I... I..." Emily started as Optimus looked at the screen with slightly wide optics. Is she...? No, she couldn't be, could she?
Before Emily could finish what she wanted to say, the communication cut off. A huge moment took place in the entire base as everyone just stared at the screen.
Meanwhile back at Siberia Arcee, Cliffjumper and Emily were getting ready in case they would perish in the fire.
"So... I guess this is it." Cliffjumper said as he was sitting next to Arcee who was holding Emily in one servo and had her other servo on Tailgate.
"It looks like it. It's funny, to think I once lost you and Tailgate. And today, I get to die with three of the most important people of my life." Arcee said as she gave a small yet pained smile as Cliffjumper tried to smile back but couldn't.
"We won't die... I know that in some way... we'll get over it..." Emily said slowly as she looked at them but her vision was getting blurry again.
"Hate to break it to you, Ems. But I don't see how we will get out of this one." Cliffjumper said and Emily knew he was right but she can feel that they will get out somehow.
"Me neither... and yet I feel like... everything... is going... fine..." Emily whispered before she passed out from lack of oxygen and fatigue.
"Kid, are you...?" Cliffjumper asked in concern. Arcee looked at Emily and saw that she was okay but was only tired.
"She's fine, just a bit weak. This is all my fault. Had I known that Tailgate was still alive and that Airachnid told he was dead just to get to me, I would've searched the whole galaxy to bring him back." Arcee said as she clenched her optics shut.
She should have tried to search for Tailgate when she found out that he was alive but she already found him.
"It's my fault too, you know. If I had done my duty as a soldier, none of this would've happened. I let my personal feelings get the best of me. Because of that, both of you were captured. And I wasn't able to stop it." Cliffjumper admitted as he clenched his servos tightly. It was all his fault and he won't be able to take back what we're said in the past.
Arcee held Cliffjumper's servo to comfort on her own as she looked at him with gentle optics.
"Don't blame yourself. We both have our share of guilt." Arcee told him gently.
"Well, at least we gave it our best. I have no regrets about being an Autobot. I fought for my world alongside my friends. Kicking some serious Decepticon tailpipes. In fact, I think I've set a record." Cliffjumper said with a small bitter laugh.
"I'm gonna miss your blabbering." Arcee said with a small chuckle.
"And I'm gonna miss you and your hurtful comments." Cliffjumper said with a small grin.
"Silly. Just so you know, I don't regret joining the Autobots either. Despite everything we've been through." Arcee said as she looked at him.
"Do you have any regrets? As a regular bot?" Cliffjumper asked gently.
"Maybe. What about you?" Arcee asked back as he let out a sigh.
"I do." He admitted as Arcee turned to him curiously. What did he regret?
"What is it?" She asked curiously.
"Well... you probably don't want to hear this. But if there's one thing that I regret, it was not doing one last thing before joining the Allspark. Spend the rest of my life with a special person." Cliffjumper said as Arcee almost blushed at this. Was he...?
"Cliff..." Arcee muttered.
"To think I could've left everything just to spend one moment with that special person. But knowing her, she would've held a grudge against me." Cliffjumper said as he covered his optics with one servo to stop the lubricant that threatened to fall. His words made Arcee's spark flutter in joy and happiness.
"Cliff..."
"I know that she and I agreed that because of the war, we couldn't let our personal feelings get in the way. But I couldn't help it. She meant everything to me." Cliffjumper continued.
"Cliff..." Arcee tried again.
"So that's it. That's my biggest regret. Even though she wouldn't want to hear it now. I had to be honest." Cliffjumper said. Arcee scooted closer to him until she was practically beside him as she leaned against him.
"Cliff,... what if she... wanted you to say it?" Arcee muttered softly as his optics widened slightly and looked down at her.
"What?" He asked in surprise.
"You were right. She wouldn't want to hear it under normal circumstances. But seeing how this was her last moment... maybe she wanted you to say it because... she cared too. And seeing that special person coming back in her life... made her realize that life is too short to not be true with what we feel inside." Arcee said as she looked up to him with a small smile to which he returned.
"I'm glad she said it. If I knew early that she felt something, I would have acted earlier." Cliffjumper said with a gentle and warm smile as she smiled back.
"Cliff..." Arcee started.
"Arcee..." Cliffjumper said as both of them were going to say something very important.
But deep down, they knew words were useless because they knew what they were about to say just by looking at each other.
Without realizing, a tiny wind entered the place. The wind started touching Emily. Meanwhile the fire had reached the oil and it was making its way to the barrel. When that first barrel exploded, it made the others explode and at that same moment, Emily's brooch started shining brightly.
Cliffjumper and Arcee didn't see it because they were holding each other. When they thought that the fire was about to touch them, they realized that they were being protected by a bright shield. And even weirder, Emily started floating in the air and Arcee saw that she wasn't in her hands anymore which caused her to panic.
"Where's Emily?" Arcee asked as she looked around.
"And where did that shield come from?" Cliffjumper said as he looked at the shield. It felt cold but it didn't feel cold when he touched it. Arcee noticed that something or someone was floating above them and her optics widened.
"Look." Arcee pointed and Cliffjumper was dumbstruck by what he was seeing.
"Kid, is that you?" Cliffjumper asked but didn't get an answer.
"Emily, are you okay?" Arcee asked but Emily didn't say anything.
And even stranger, her armour and her eyes were different. She was wearing a cape that had a hood that she put on for some unknown reason. Her eyes were glowing with a bright ice blue.
Whatever was going on with her, had saved Arcee, Tailgate, herself and Cliffjumper. When she started taking down the shield around them, she turned around and gave Arcee and Cliffjumper a hand motion, telling them to come and follow her.
"I think she wants us to follow her." Cliffjumper said.
"And go where?" Arcee asked in confusion.
"Dunno. But it's better than staying here." Cliffjumper said as he helped her up.
"Good point. Here, help me out with Tailgate." Arcee said as she kneeled to one side of Tailgate.
"You got it." Cliffjumper did the same.
Both Arcee and CliffJumper got back up while carrying Tailgate as they started following Emily who was floating in the air. She started using powers that she never had. It's as if she has gained the power to control the ice and with that power, she could fight the fire and create a way out.
"Check out her new powers." Cliffjumper said in awe.
"I see them. But for now, let's just focus on getting out while we still can." Arcee told him
Arcee and Cliffjumper are still advancing while Emily is using her ice powers to take down the fire and create a new way out. Even though her powers were giving her an advantage, the fire was gaining on them and at any moment, there would be another explosion that might blow them away.
"There's the exit." Arcee pointed.
"Great. This was getting too hot for me." Cliffjumper said as he smiled in relief.
"I can't believe I said I was gonna miss your constant blabbering." Arcee said with a shake of her head and smirked at him.
When Emily had reached the exit, she stopped before she pointed out her finger at the exit, telling Arcee and Cliffjumper to get out.
"Yes, I know it's the exit. Don't stop now. It's time to get out." Arcee said.
Even though Arcee told Emily to keep going, she wouldn't move as she just kept pointing at the exit.
"Come on, kid. We have to get out of here before this place blows up or worse." Cliffjumper told her but didn't get a response.
Emily floated closer to Arcee and Cliffjumper and by using the wind from the storm, she lifted them in the air along with Tailgate much to their shock.
"What the...?" Arcee questions in shock.
"We're flying? How?" Cliffjumper asked in shock and disbelief.
Emily started moving them right in front of the exit as they looked at her.
"What is she doing?" Cliffjumper asked in confusion.
Arcee quickly figured out what Emily was doing. She was taking them out of the factory while she stayed back to stop the fire.
"Emily, no! Don't do this!" Arcee pleaded but it didn't work as Emily had pushed them away from the factory and away from the explosion zone.
"No!" Arcee exclaimed.
Arcee and Cliffjumper along with a down Tailgate had landed in a pile of soft snow. Arcee quickly got up and her first instinct was to go back and save Emily.
"Stay here, Cliffjumper. I'm going back to get Emily back." Arcee said as she started to make a run for the factory but Cliffjumper grabbed her servo.
"No. If you go, you'll freeze up. And even if you get there, you might get killed." He told her.
"I'm not leaving her like that." Arcee told him as she tried to get him to let go.
"I think the kid knows what she's doing." Cliffjumper said and didn't let go. He doesn't know why but he just knows that Emily knows what she's doing.
"Let me go, Cliff!" Arcee pleaded but he wouldn't let Arcee go and get Emily who was still inside the factory.
Back at the factory, the fire grew with intensity and at any moment the whole place would explode. And when it did, the explosion was quickly heading to where Emily was. She then used her ice powers to create a huge blizzard that would push away the explosion. With all her strength, Emily used the blizzard and turned it into a huge sphere of pure cold wind, powerful enough to take down the fire. The sphere grew and when it blew up, the fire was out.
Arcee and Cliffjumper saw how Emily took down a single fire on her own and yet they could not believe what they saw. After the fire was out, Emily came back to them. When she reached them, she took her hood off and landed on the floor. Then she started to glow. When the light disappeared, her armor returned to her normal armor. The use of that stranger and powerful power had tired her out.