"Optimus!" Jack shouted in warning as he grabbed Mika and held her for protection, making sure to guard her head as rock began crumbling from the incline of the cliff they hid in. Miko was across the way, protecting Raf like he was Mika, while she shouted cybertronian profanities at Knockout who was trying to get to her.
The Autobot leader turned just in time to deflect a punch that his foe, Megatron, sent. Letting out a low growl he sent a few blasts at Megatron before following up with a good punch to the face. Megatron roared in anger when he went back, his optics switching over to Mika and then Miko. "Don't even think about it Megatron!" Otpimus shouted as he tackled the mech away.
"We have to help!" Mika shouted from Jacks arms.
Jack looked down at her before looking around, "What can we do?"
Mika peered over Jacks arm, eyes looking for anything before spotting a large boulder. "There!"
"You think you can knock it down?"
"I can try." She said before glancing back to the struggling Optimus.
Earlier that day Miko had snuck out with the bots and the other kids ran after her to stop her from doing anything stupid. However when they got there Optimus learned it was all a trap set up by Megatron to capture him or one of the other bots. The cons would then use that prisoner to negotiate for one of the Nakadai twins in exchange for their Autobot ally. Some how Megatron and Kockout were able to lure Optimus into a small canyon away from the rest of the Autobots and away from help. The kids just so happened to be in the canyon at the time and while Megatron dealt with Optimus, Knockout was ordered to get the children.
Mika closed her eye's and concentrated, not being used to using her abilities for anything large, she began to glow.
Jack watched as the familiar purple glow surrounded Mika and once he was sure she had a handle on things he shouted out for Optimus to retreat. Said bot had taken one look back and saw Mika's glow before he jumped out of the way, snagging Miko and Raf while Jack waited to bolt with Mika, as the rock came tumbling down, smashing over the decepticon leader.
"Retreat!" Optimus called, not wanting anyone else to come to harm and upset with the humans for following them.
...
...
...
After a long scolding from Optimus, and the children promising to be more careful in the future, the four children now sat in a circle while Raf checked the computer's for any unusual 'alien' sightings and made sure to cover them up.
Jack scoffed at one particular picture, "Kid in a costume." He muttered as they looked through picture after picture. "Whoa wait go back."
Raf went back a photo and spotted Bee. "Camera sure loves Bee." Raf murmured.
"What can you do?" Miko started.
"When your a superstar your paparazzi bait." Mika finished. The twins ignoring Jacks muttering of their talking at once being creepy.
"They should love me more." Sunstreaker griped. "I'm better looking."
"Yeah yeah." Mika waved him off causing Sideswipe to laugh his aft off.
"Is that Bumblebee?" Prowl, who rarely was around and preferred to be scouting/patrolling and learning of the earth ways in his police alt mode, frowned disapprovingly to the sheepish Bumblebee.
"What?" Ratchet blinked up from his work, peering over.
"A conspiracy site." Raf started. "Where User's post evidence of close encounters, but don't worry we have it under control Ratchet." Raf continued tinkering with his laptop. "We just drag this here and replace Bee with-"
"Merow! Mars cat says 'take me to your feeder!" A video of an alien like Kitty popped up.
"Ha!" Ratchet laughed before freezing when the base went silent and stared at him. He grumbled to himself, and if he were human he would be blushing at Mika's stare at him.
Jack quickly looked over to Optimus. "Uh, Optimus! Wan't to see Something funny?"
Said bot who had just walked into the room paused, staring at Jack before responding with a short and simple, "No."
"Don't take it personally." Arcee started. "Primes are built that way,"
"Never seen him laugh, cry or lose his cool." Bulk supplied next.
"While Optimus certainly keeps his emotions in check." Ratchet started in a scolding way, "i've known him far longer than any of you, and he was different before he was made prime."
"He wasn't always a Prime?" Raf asked curiously.
"On Cybertron one is not born into greatness, rather one must earn it."
"Different how?" Mika tilted her head.
"We talking party animal?" Miko asked.
"No, no he was more like...." Ratchet paused in thought, " Like Jack."
While they were all talking the alert in the base began blaring loudly. "PRIME!" Folwers voice started.
Mika turned to Fowler, staring at him for a moment but not paying attention to what he was saying until Raf pulled up the next picture.
Soundwave.
'Oppi.' Mika gasped, feeling her heart twinge in pain. She hated it there with the Decepticons, being away from Miko and Ratchet... but She loved being around Soundwave. She didn't want to admit it, but with how much time she spent around him she felt wanted, accepted... needed... She felt it, even if it was for the briefest of moments.
Soundwave was a very lonely mech, with her around he began feeling complete.
She felt a desire to see him but she shoved it down. It was impossible right now.
"Soundwave." Jack glared at the picture.
"Raf can swap that out with a cat." Miko waved her hand uncaring.
Bored.
"The con with no face." Fowler shouted. "Made off with a cutting edge phase conductor. Here a list of everything else stolen today."
"Pasha Integer, Neutron shield," Prowl read aloud, "Tesserat, there is only one thing missing if they are trying to build another space bridge."
"Megatrons building another bridge?"
...
...
...
"Grim lock!" Mika laughed as he ran around pulling her and Miko on skates.
Both whooping in joy at the fast speed.
Over time Grimlock started getting taller, which concerned Mika a bit as she knew she wouldnt be able to take him with her everywhere anymore.
As the twins raced around, laughing together much to the amusement and annoyance of some bots that remained at base *Optimus and a few having gone out on a mission* Optimus's voice rang through the Com, alarm filling his voice.
"Ratchet! Bridge us back NOW!"
Mika and Miko hopped off their skates, looking at each other worriedly. They'd never heard Optimus that upset sounding.
"We must have an Autobot down." Ratchet murmured before pulling the Lever to the bridge.
Arcee and Bee came through, the first of the two cradling something in her arms.
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"W-what do you have?"
Arcee looked forlornly as she revealed Rafael knocked out in her arms, pale and sickly looking.
"RAF!" Mika ran over, carefully taking him and setting him down with Jack beside her. She listened to his heart, which was slowing.
"What happened?" Ratchet ran over as well.
"Megatron..."
"Quickly to the Lab."
....
"He's not responding... We must run Diagnostics!" Ratchet turned to his tools before pausing. All his tools were meant for cybertronians. He gave a horrified shout. "WRONG! All my tools are useless."
"I have to call mom."
"Your mother may be a nurse Jack, but does she know anything about the effect of Energon on the human body?" Ratchet snapped a bit.
"Do YOU know anything about the human body?!" He snapped back. "Mom! It's urgent!"
"The weak will perish." Ratchet murmured.
"Don't say that!"
He looked down to the teary eye's of Mika, glaring up at him.
He felt a twinge in his spark at the look, his mind racing to his past failures. "Be strong Rafael." He murmured.
The ground bridge quickly activated as June Darby came racing in to see Raf, ordering Jack to get her bag before checking him.
"Measurement the exact absorption will lead to the course of treatment." Ratchet mumbled to himself.
"If I don't get him to the hospital now he will not leave this table alive." June started. "Do you understand?"
"He's dying?!" Mika's eyes widened, feeling Optimus's finger rub her back in a soothing way.
Bumblebee slammed his fist upon the floor, rage filling his optics as he sent out furious buzzing and whirs. The next thing he knew Arcee had him pinned against the wall. "Listen to me Bumblebee. You think I do not know how it feels to watch a partner harmed? Revenge will not help Raf right now, you need to keep your emotions in check."
"It's too soon to know." Ratchet spoke softly. "Optimus curse my Cybertronian pride! We accept these humans into our lives and yet I could not learn of their science or medical? I have grown to need them..."
"Jack help me get Raf to the car."
"Nurse Darby, your doctors will not be able to understand what is afflicting him, not without a decade of study." Ratchet started before June whirled on him.
"I don't have time to argue."
"The effect of an energon blast to an Autobot can be horrible but this is a human. I am not getting any reading how could we not see this before!" Ratchet suddenly widened his optics in realization. "Dark Energon."
"Dark energon?"
"If Dark energon is eating Raf from the inside out... we must kick it out and fast! The only possible way know is regular Energon."
"Hold on!" June interrupted. "You said Energon was devastating to humans."
"In normal circumstances, quite." Ratchet said. "But I am relying on the dark matter that is currently invading Rafael's body to meet it head on and cancel each other out."
Ratchet was quick to pull some energon from Bumblebee and ushered them to move Raf to the medical unit. He then placed a code in and applied the energon, pulling the lever.
"Pulse rate is stabilizing."
"Heart beats kicking back up."
"He's waking!"
"Bee?" Raf opened his eye's weakly.
"Raf!" Miko and Mika cried, hugging him.
"We did it." Ratchet sighed in relief.
He did it...
He didn't fail.
"Wait, where is Optimus?!" Jack looked around.
"You..." Ratchet turned to Bulkhead and Arcee. "You left him on his own to face Megatron?!"
"We didn't have a choice."
"No!" The twins whispered horrified.
"It could have been a trap... We need to get a fix on his location! I'll long onto Optimus's signa- Wait.. no... this is impossible!"
"What is it!?" Practically everyone shouted.
"We need to get to Optimus now! We need to get him out of there!"
'Optimus please be careful!' Mika sent a quick prayer as the bots raced through the ground bridge.
...
...
...
"At last." Megatron laughed, "This is the end Optimus Prime!"
Megatron rose his sword higher, the purple lightning glinted off his face reveiling a sinister smile as he brought his sword down.
Optimus could only lay there weakly as he awaited the final blow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DUN DUNN DUNN!!! CLIFF HANGER! I know I know, don't you love me?