It wasn't long after Predaking went off to avenge his brethren that Optimus and his crew found their way to the flight deck, where Verdant then prompted opened a groundbridge beneath their pedes and tossed them into the base sideways.
"Whoops," she giggled. "I'm kidding, that was definitely on purpose."
"Are you taking the Nemesis down?" Optimus questioned, ignoring her remark and standing up.
Verdant switched the monitor to show a feed of the Nemesis falling out of the sky, aimed for the Atlantic Ocean.
"There are no humans there?" Optimus asked.
"It's an ocean."
"And?"
Verdant rolled her optics and looked at the screen, where the Nemesis was just now hitting the water, multiple vehicons—and maybe that was Starscream—managing to fly off just in time. "Too late to check now."
He glared.
She sunk back. "I'm sure it was empty, Boss Bot, don't worry about it."
Optimus frowned and turned away. "Ratchet, what happened?"
"All that matters is that Shockwave has nearly completed the formula for synthetic energon," Ratchet told them. "The omega lock will have been damaged in the fall, but it's only a m..."
Verdant's helm tilted to the side and she zoned out of whatever Ratchet was saying.
"You're in my systems," Soundwave's voice whispered into her processor. "Allow me to return the favor."
"Oh, scrap," Verdant jumped up and yanked her tentacles out of the computer.
Her optics swerved around before spotting the groundbridge. She pulled her blaster off her hip and repeatedly shot at the tube full of wires connecting it to the mainframe.
That's the worst possible thing Soundwave could screw up if he'd infiltrate their systems.
"Verdant, what's going on?" Optimus demanded.
"Soundwa—"
Something blew up outside.
Verdant's optics widened. "My ship!"
This was very, very not good.
She took off running through the room, trying to get outside. How the frag did Soundwave even manage to get inside her ship!? It wasn't connected to the Autobots' mainframe!
Verdant threw open the door, her team behind her, and gaped at the ship staring right at them. The cameras along the sides gave Soundwave a crystal clear view of everything in sight; that was the least they had to worry about though. There were heat sensors, blasters, and gear galore, some of which Wheeljack had personally advanced.
And he got to use it before her. She couldn't decide whether or be jealous or terrified.
He started firing.
Terrified it is.
"Get down!" Wheeljack tackled her to the ground and fired at the ship.
"Verdant, deactivate the ship!" Ultra Magnus yelled, his own blasters already firing at it.
"I can't do scrap without my transmitter!"
Bulkhead yanked them inside. "Where is the transmitter?"
"Inside the ship!"
Optimus fired up his jetpacks. "Cover me and I will use my machine gun to destroy the engine."
"The engine?" Verdant tried not to whine. "Good idea..."
She unlatched her blaster and joined the others in firing at the ship while Optimus tried to fly around the area and approach from behind.
"Why don't you have servos that transform into blasters?" Wheeljack looked at her puny, mobile blaster and frowned. "Seems unconvenient."
"Well, for one, only combatants are allowed integrated long-range weaponry," Verdant glared when Wheeljack rolled his optics, "and two, my servos aren't compatible. My feelers would melt."
"So you're stuck being a loser," he nodded. "Makes sense."
"I should shoot you and blame it on Soundwave."
Arcee scoffed. "And let Soundwave get the credit for relieving us of our burden?"
"Arcee, I am wounded," Wheeljack grinned.
"Here's Optimus!" Bumblebee called out.
Everyone focused their attention on the ship again, shooting at it with renewed determination. Optimus was able to get just close enough to aim for the engine room before Soundwave blasted at him. Optimus's jetpack sparked and he went spiraling out of the sky.
But so did the ship.
Right toward them.
"Move!" multiple Autobots cried out, grabbing each other and rushing out from behind cover.
They didn't make it far before the ship rammed into the base and blew up, sending all of them falling forward. Verdant landed on Wheeljack's chassis with a small grunt.
"Well, hello there," Wheeljack groaned. "I think I landed on a human."
"Nope," Verdant got off of him. "That's a jet."
"Ugh, that's worse."
She frowned, but held out her servo to him. Wheeljack moaned again before letting her help him up and rubbing his back. She took a quick glance at it before deciding he was just a whiner.
Ratchet was about to blow a gasket. "That is the second groundbridge the Decepticons have blown up!"
"The kids!" Arcee gasped, grabbing Bumblebee's arm and running toward the chaos. "JACK! MIKO!? RAF!?"
"Oh no," Verdant shared a quick horrified look with Wheeljack before chasing after her.
Bulkhead shoved them out of his way and burst into te hallway, headed straight for his room, where Miko had been bunking with him. Verdant and the two wreckers stepped inside, optics wide.
"MIKO!?" Bulkhead looked around. "Where are you!?"
"Ughhnnnn," Miko raised her little hand. "Whatttt?"
Bulkhead rushed over to his nightstand, where Miko was laying in a small, squishy bed. "Are you okay?"
"After you ruined my dream?" Miko sat up. "Why did my headphones disconnect from the wifi? I can't sleep without heavy metal."
Bulkhead sighed in relief.
Miko frowned at Verdant. "Can you fix the wifi?"
"Verdant, get to Hanger C, we need your medical assistance," Ratchet ordered.
"Coming," she nodded to the others. "Someone is hurt."
Bulkhead scooped up Miko, who incessantly questioned him about what was going on and giving him no time to explain. Verdant tried to ignore the annoying, squeaky voice, and ran over to Hangar C, which seemed to be fitted as a human medical building. There was a line of small cots that had been hastily pushed away to make room.
"Stay here, it's cramped," Verdant told them before going it.
At the end of the line of cots, Verdant found Ratchet and Arcee, along with Nurse Darby and a team of doctors standing over a solitary cot with a small human inside.
Jack.
"I need you to take care of Arcee," Ratchet told her. "These doctors are the best equipped to help Jack."
Verdant nodded and walked over to the other femme, who was staring at Jack, a mixture of horror and guilt seeping through her optics. She looked as if she was watching something and she already knew how it ended.
"Arcee," Verdant knelt in front of her. "Checkup?"
"Me?" Arcee blinked back lubricant. "I'm not the one who is sporting burns all over my back."
"Not physical ones," Verdant held her servo out. "Need a servo to crush?"
Arcee stared at her for a moment before nodding and taking the servo, holding it tightly. "Thank you."
Verdant nodded silently.
After a moment of staring at Jack, Arcee spoke again, her voice thick with emotion. "It's always my partners who get killed."
"He's not dead yet," Verdant told her. "Stay strong for him."
"He won't know if I'm weak if he's dead."
"He's not dead yet," she repeated.
Arcee looked down. "He might as well be. Everyone always gets terminated eventually... right in front of me, when I have no way of helping."
Verdant squeezed Arcee's servo. "He wouldn't blame you. You shouldn't blame yourself."
Arcee was quiet.
"I'm sorry," Arcee whispered brokenly. "I really thought you were a tratior."
"That's not important right now," Verdant told her. "Just focus on Jack, and focus on yourself. We can't have him worrying about your PTSD when he wakes up."
"If he wakes up."
"He will," Verdant didn't know his condition well enough to say that, but she was hoping for the best. "You just have to have faith."
"Faith," Arcee laughed biterly. "Faith never helped anyone."
Verdant pursed her derma. "It helped the Autobots keep from becoming Decepticons even as we repeatedly proved ourselves to have the low ground. Our cause is built on faith. It's what keeps us going."
"Maybe I'm running low."
"No," Verdant pulled Arcee's servo and forced the femme to look at her. "Never say that. You are a warrior. I've seen you, I've seen your determination, and your spirit. I've also seen the relationship you have with Jack. He would never allow himself to submit to a death when he knows there is so much left for the both of you to live for."
"The choice is out of his hands."
Verdant gave her a stern look. "You can't give up until there is nothing let to give up. Jack is still here. You can't give up on him."
Arcee said nothing more and the two of them sat in silence. After a while, Verdant followed Arcee's gaze and watched as numerous doctors provided surgery on the beloved human child.
"I won't give up on him," Arcee decided, standing up. "But that doesn't mean I'll be waiting at his side if he wakes up."
"When," Verdant corrected.
"When he wakes up," Arcee nodded. "So how are we goi go to finish the Decepticons off."
Agent Fowler raised his voice. "I might have an idea for that."