Hello again, my loves! Thank you as always to my reviewers–I'mfriendswiththemonster, The Eternal Spark (hope it lives up to expectations!), Teletraan-1 (Ultra Magnus is a hard-core badass), Counting Sinful Stars (thank you! I'm glad you got that out of the chapter because it was exactly what I was going for!), opalpendragon (hmm, yes, I do believe he thinks he's now found the most bestest thing in the history of bestest ever things ever), SoulGlitch, HeartsGuardianSol, Alice Gone Madd, Sunny Sides, ZabuzasGirl, Khalthar (you know, shockingly, Optimus is not real thrilled to be pulled out of his long-awaited and much-desired seclusion to deal with Decepticon bullshit… I know this stuns everyone), Muirgen79 (she won't be "house-bound" for long, promise!), Answerthecall, Bee4ever, and OptimusPrime12!

And now for the chapter with special guest appearance from Pissed-Offtimus Prime…

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The ground-bridge opened onto pure chaos.

They drove out of the glowing portal into the wide entrance hall to the Australian base, although it offered scant shelter. Only one of its reinforced gates still stood. The other was a shattered, crumpled mass on the ground a dozen yards away, and half the roof had collapsed, blocking any access to the rest of the base. Gunfire and explosions filled the air, along with the roar of jet engines and the chop of helicopter blades and the growl of every kind of engine.

Ratchet and Wheeljack instantly raced over to help First Aid with the wounded lined up against one wall. Ironhide transformed as soon as his wheels hit the dirt and his optics widened at his first glimpse of Ultra Magnus. The enormous warrior was badly scorched as though a bomb had gone off right in his face, and from the looks of him, that was just what had happened. He was missing both lower legs and everything from the elbow down on the right arm, but he continued issuing orders as calmly as if he were playing a strategy game instead of sitting propped up against the wall in a pool of his own Energon while First Aid frantically patched severed Energon lines.

"Everyone, gather over here!" Magnus shouted to the new arrivals as Ratchet popped open both cases and started helping First Aid without waiting to be asked. Magnus completely ignored both medics in favor of waving the newly arrived fighters over with his single remaining arm. "I will quickly brief you on our tactical strengths and weaknesses so we can form a coordinated plan of attack–"

Crosshairs, Hound, Ironhide, Skyfire, Sideswipe, and Smokescreen all transformed into their robot modes and rushed over. Optimus Prime, however, gave no indication he'd heard Magnus at all and sped in the opposite direction. The wounded commander stopped mid-sentence and stared in shock as his Prime completely disregarded protocol and every single bit of the battle-strategy he himself had taught Magnus to race toward the battle alone.

"Ah, hell," Ironhide swore as the semi roared straight through the open gate. "Prime, wait!"

Prime did not wait. In fact, he accelerated with a furious snarl of his engine.

"What's he doing?" Ultra Magnus demanded.

"We should've seen that coming," Crosshairs groaned, but Ironhide was already barking orders.

"Skyfire, get airborne and give him some cover fire–Crosshairs, find a sniper's nest and do the same," Ironhide commanded, already transforming back into his truck mode and inwardly cursing stubborn Primes who thought they could take on the entire Decepticon army single-handedly. "Hound, you're with me. Come on, get after him!"

But then again, Ironhide thought a few seconds later as he stared at the path of destruction left in Prime's path, maybe he could take them all.

Optimus had returned to his robot mode, sword in one hand, barrage cannon in the other, and a trail of dead or disabled Vehicon drones smoldered in his wake. Roaring with wordless fury, he threw himself into the thick of the battle and absolutely demolished any who dared stand before him.

Catching sight of the Prime alone and undefended, Barricade sped over and tackled him, knocking the sword out of his hand. Ironhide swore again and sped up as Optimus disappeared beneath the Decepticon police crusier and several Vehicons, but Optimus didn't stay down long. Two Vehicons went flying back and Barricade reappeared as Prime surged to his feet again, dragging the Decepticon–disarmed and billowing smoke from his damaged chest armor–up by his throat.

"Where is Starscream?" Optimus snarled in his face, holding him completely off the ground. The remaining Vehicon shot at him but Optimus merely slung Barricade into the gun's path, using him as a living shield. Bullets struck sparks off the Decepticon's armor. "Where is he?"

"Frag you, Autobot," Barricade gritted through that punishing grip. He kicked out desperately as he grabbed at Prime's arm, trying to take the pressure off the Energon lines in his neck.

Optimus growled with rage and tightened his grip, and even from this distance, Ironhide heard the screech of metal pushed past its limits. The Decepticon's defiance died in a scream of pain. "Buy your life with his," Prime growled. "Give him to me!"

Barricade looked like he would genuinely love to do that. "I can't–he is in hiding!" he choked out desperately.

That was not the answer Optimus clearly wanted. Snarling, he slammed Barricade down and stomped on his chest to hold him still. Ironhide heard one final squawk as Optimus punched straight down, and then he straightened with a still-glowing spark chamber in his fist.

And squeezed.

Optimus flung Barricade's crushed spark chamber aside and plunged back into the battle, sword flashing, gun blazing. Ironhide finally managed to shake off his shock and glanced at Hound. "Better not get too close, Hound. He's throwin' some serious pain around and he don't look too bothered about where it lands."

Hound was also staring with his mouth hanging open as Optimus grabbed a Vehicon, lifted it off the ground, and literally ripped the drone in half. "Don't you worry, 'Hide, I ain't getting anywhere near that," he promised as Optimus used one of the halves as a club, caving in another Vehicon's roof as it frantically tried to retreat in speedster mode.

The two warriors rushed through the chaos to reach their Prime. Ironhide saw Slipstream zero in on Optimus and raised his weapon, but before he could line up a shot, the jet's near engine erupted in flames. ::Holy Primus, is anyone else seeing this?:: Crosshairs commed them as he fired again, this time hitting one of the Seeker's control flaps and forcing him to spin off without getting a shot off at Optimus, who had impaled a Vehicon on his Energon sword and hadn't even shaken the deactivated husk off before slicing the next nearly in half.

::Right up close and personal, yeah,:: Hound replied, his minigun chewing up a fresh wave of Vehicons that were trying to flank Prime from behind. Optimus ignored them in favor of chasing after Motormaster and Breakdown, who were doing their damndest to put as much distance between themselves and the enraged Prime as possible. Ironhide hoped the rest of the Stunticons weren't there–he truly did not want to have to deal with Menasor. ::Not sure the rest of us even needed to come along. Guess that's what happens when you–::

::Secure that chatter!:: Ironhide snapped. Hound shut up instantly and Ironhide caught a glimpse of the chagrined look on his face. The last thing they needed was to spill any classified information over what might be unsecured airwaves. ::Yeah, Prime's pissed as frag but we all already knew that, we can be impressed later but right now we got a job to do, understood?::

::Understood,:: Hound and Crosshairs replied, all business now.

Ironhide's cannons laid down a barrage to Prime's left and he actually growled with frustration at being denied more prey. The weapons specialist had rarely seen Optimus like this–he usually tried his best to wound or disable only, and now he wasn't even trying not to kill his enemies. Ironhide watched as Prime ducked an attack from Ramjet, then tore one of the deactivated Vehicons off his sword, whirled, and flung it after the Seeker, who barely avoided it. Whirl also swerved to miss it but Blackout wasn't so lucky and slammed straight into the drone's corpse. His rear rotors all but exploded. He nearly crashed before he managed to land hard and transform back into his robot mode.

Ironhide scanned the skies and saw Ramjet, Thrust, and Skywarp converging for another attack run as Blackout turned and strode through the battle toward Optimus. ::Crosshairs, Skyfire, get those Seekers contained!:: he ordered, raising his cannons and firing off round after round of cover fire. ::Whirl, keep Blackout busy and off Prime's neck, will you?::

::With pleasure,:: the ex-Wrecker replied, diving down to attack the much larger helicopter without the slightest trace of fear.

::On it, 'Hide:: Crosshairs replied, and an instant later, the Seekers were being peppered with devastatingly accurate shots from the sniper. Skyfire lined up against Ramjet, his lasers blazing as the Seeker sped straight at him. The Autobot scientist barely dodged in time, then both jets wheeled around for another run.

Ironhide couldn't watch the dogfight, though. Hound had managed to get within a dozen meters of Optimus and didn't seem eager to get any closer as he continued to decimate any Decepticon foolish enough to get within reach, but Ironhide was still at least a hundred meters away and the distance was growing. And alone was not a good thing to be in a battle this hot.

Worse, his isolation had been noticed, and he was now getting nearly as much Decepticon attention as Optimus. Much as he hated to admit it, he was almost as much of a target as his Prime–he'd certainly taken down enough Decepticons to earn a high place on their hit list, and his long friendship with Optimus meant that he was a valuable hostage, too. He ducked and rolled, cannons glowing with heat as he blasted Vehicon after Vehicon to scrap, and more kept on coming. "Vector Sigma, how many of you sparkless bastards are there?" he snarled as four jumped him, burying him under their weight.

Suddenly a bright yellow foot stomped down right in front of his face, and an instant later, two of the Vehicons were thrown off him. Ironhide pressed both cannons against the ground and fired, pushing himself up and dislodging the other two. They were caught off-guard just long enough for two more cannon blasts to leave them in a smoking heap. He spun around to take on the other two just in time to see Bumblebee smash their heads together hard enough to tangle the metal, then take both of them out with one perfectly aimed rocket.

Then the scout gave him a cheeky wave and played a line from That Awkward Moment as he raised his battle-visor to wink at him. "Getting old looks so tiring."

"I'll get you for that later, kid," Ironhide growled, but Bee laughed and he cuffed the scout on the shoulder gratefully. "Good timing, though, I'll give ya that."

Bee snapped his battle-visor back down. "Come on, Flip, you ain't done. You ain't even fight good yet," he snarked, this time quoting Million-Dollar Baby, and Ironhide gave him the finger before turning back to the battle.

Optimus was even further away now, but Ironhide was relieved to see that Hound was stuck right to his side, and Prowl had shown up to cover his other flank. "C'mon, Bee, we gotta get to Prime. He's lettin' his temper drive right now and that kind of fight don't usually end well," he told the scout, and Bee nodded with a wordless but determined hoot.

But before the two of them could take more than three steps toward their Prime, Optimus stopped dead in his tracks. "Megatron!" he roared, and Ironhide followed Prime's gaze to see the Decepticon leader and Soundwave standing on a stone outcrop, observing and directing the battle. "Get down here and face me!"

"Ah, frag," Ironhide groaned, putting on a burst of speed as Megatron turned to meet his challenge. He knew how bad Optimus wanted to get his hands on Megatron–he fully understood that the only reason Optimus hadn't issued a Primal Decree claiming the Lord High Protector's life was that it was already understood by all that his spark was Prime's to take. But if Optimus was going to fight the Decepticon leader, he needed his head clear, and right now that was clearly not the case. This was the closest to a berserker rage that Ironhide had ever seen from Optimus.

If Optimus fought Megatron with his mind so clouded by emotion, Ironhide was terribly afraid that Megatron would take him apart.

"Bee, we can't let this go down!" he shouted to the scout sprinting at his side, knowing that Optimus would be furious at their interference but willing to take his friend's anger in order to spare his life. Bee nodded and they both aimed everything they had at the Decepticon leader. "Fire!" Ironhide roared.

The unexpected attack drove Megatron back. He dove to the side and rolled off the outcrop, then transformed into his gun mode. Soundwave caught him and took aim. Ironhide and Bee leapt in opposite directions just before the ground exploded where they'd been standing. ::Crosshairs, Skyfire, everyone, concentrate fire on Megatron!:: Ironhide ordered as he rolled and returned fire. ::Keep him away from Optimus!::

Optimus was fighting to get to Megatron, but apparently a similar order had gone out to the Decepticons. Vehicons were converging on Optimus, and no matter how fast he tore through them, more just kept appearing. "Megatron!" Optimus roared in frustration, blasting the drones with everything he had but still being driven back by their sheer numbers. "Fight me, coward!"

Soundwave aimed Megatron at Optimus and a new wave of ordinance from the Autobots kept him from firing. Then he aimed at Ironhide again and this time Ironhide had nowhere to dodge. He jerked his cannons forward, knowing he was going to be too late, but the devastating shot never came. Megatron screamed as Crosshairs sent a blast from his sniper rifle straight down his barrel just as Soundwave pulled Megatron's trigger. The explosion of the two shots colliding sent Soundwave flying and knocked every Transformer within twenty meters flat.

Then came one of the sweetest sounds Ironhide had ever heard. "Decepticons, retreat!" Megatron cried as Soundwave leapt into the air and soared away, the Decepticon leader's gun mode somehow still in his grip. Ironhide kept shooting, less to try to destroy them–he knew better–than to make sure Megatron didn't change his mind and come back. The Decepticon ground-bridge opened in a blaze of blue light and the Decepticons sped through it, and for one terrible moment Ironhide feared that Optimus was going to try to do the same, but his Prime wasn't that far gone. He watched them go, shaking with fury, but he didn't attempt to follow.

Then the battle was over and the Autobots were finally able to take stock. Ironhide hurried over to Optimus, who was still staring at the place the ground-bridge had been. Ultra Magnus came over the com, ordering the Autobots to report in and search for wounded. Ironhide arrived at Prime's side and waved Hound and Prowl away.

::Ironhide reporting, uninjured. I'm with Prime,:: he reported to Magnus, then turned down his com and focused on his friend and commander when the others were out of hearing range. "Prime, what was that?" he demanded, gesturing angrily at the destruction surrounding them. "What the frag was that?"

Optimus didn't answer. In fact, he didn't even look at him. Ironhide grabbed his arm and pulled him around, refusing to let him avoid his gaze. "Don't you give me the silent treatment, Optimus Prime. Don't you slagging dare," he growled, his Energon running hot with battle-fever and in no mood to be ignored even if the presence of so many Decepticons that might not really be deactivated forced him to choose his words more carefully than he normally would've. "I am your bodyguard and you left me behind! Charging off alone like that was a stupid move and you damn well know it. You'd have any other Autobot who did something like that confined to base! What the hell were you thinking?"

Optimus was silent for a moment more, but then he finally answered. "You know exactly what I was thinking about," he gritted out, and Ironhide had to fight the urge to strangle him. "I have the right to protect–"

Ironhide didn't even let him finish. "Bullshit. That wasn't you protecting anyone, that was you gunning for revenge. What, you think that's anything she would've wanted? If you think the Decepticons did a number on her, it's nothing compared to what it would've done to see us come back hauling your grey corpse," Ironhide said flatly. Optimus flinched and Ironhide saw the weakness and pressed the attack as directly as he dared out here in the open. "This is not the way to honor the sacrifices she made for you, Optimus. Do you really think she would want them dead more than she'd want you alive?"

Optimus winced again, but he was still staring at the place where Megatron had vanished and clenching his fists. At last he turned away and sighed, the tension in his shoulders melting away. "You're right, Ironhide," he finally admitted. "I was wrong to let my emotions dictate my actions. I… should not have left you behind. It will not happen again."

Ironhide made an effort and throttled his anger back. His grip on Prime's arm gentled. "Optimus, I understand. I really do," he said in a much quieter voice. "But you just can't do slag like that, all right? You're our Prime, dammit! I'll be your stand-in any time you need it, but for Primus' sake, I'm not you. You better not think I ever want to try to fill your shoes full-time. None of us do. We all need you, Optimus." Optimus met his gaze at last and nodded, and Ironhide punched his shoulder a little harder than really qualified as friendly. "You scare me like that again, I'm gonna shoot your ass myself, you got that?"

Optimus snorted. "You really that eager to get locked up?"

"I bet I know someone who would give me permission, and I doubt you'd lock that one up with me," Ironhide shot back, and Optimus snorted again.

"Seems like you've got a new favorite threat," he said dryly. "That's the second time you've threatened to rat me out. I thought you had more pride than to tattle."

"Pride hell, I'll do whatever works," Ironhide told him, but then he belatedly noticed that his hand was dripping Energon. He ran a quick self-scan and found only minor wounds. He raised his hand and frowned at it. "The hell?" he muttered, and then he remembered that he'd just hit Optimus with that fist. He grabbed his Prime and spun him around, and sure enough, his shoulder was torn all to hell and leaking Energon. In fact, at least half of his armor was dented, his battle-mask was cracked, and one helm finial was broken almost completely off.

Ironhide didn't even bother asking, just grabbed Optimus by his good arm and started dragging him back toward the base. "What?" Prime asked as Ironhide towed him across the battlefield.

"You're getting seen by Ratchet right this minute and I don't want to hear a word of argument," Ironhide told him sternly. Optimus opened his mouth and Ironhide glared a warning. "I'm serious, Prime, not one slagging word. You better not have seriously damaged yourself with that stunt or I'm going to reconsider chucking you in the brig."

"I'm not sure you have that authority," Optimus told him, and Ironhide sent him a speaking look.

"Pretty sure Ratchet's gonna be on my side too, and I think two Acting Primes and you-know-who outrank one wounded Prime," he replied tartly. "I'm returning you in this condition, you think someone won't have something to say about it to all of us? So how about you behave and see the medic like a good Autobot and we try to minimize the fallout."

Optimus snorted and shook his head, but he didn't resist as Ironhide tugged him into the half-destroyed entrance hall and steered him toward the corner that held the wounded. "Ratchet, got a patient for you," Ironhide announced as he pushed Optimus toward an open place along the wall. Rather than fighting, Optimus sat, and Ironhide gave him an approving nod.

Ratchet was just finishing welding a mesh patch over a crack in Smokescreen's helm and he retracted the welder into his fingertip before turning to see who Ironhide was talking about. When his gaze fell on Optimus, his entire face darkened. Optimus held up both hands. "Ironhide has already yelled at me, Ratchet, you don't have to bother," he said wearily, but the medic wasn't about to be put off that easily.

"Forget yelling, Ironhide should've punched you right in the damn head," Ratchet growled, dragging one of his medical cases over and kneeling down beside Optimus. "Might've shaken your brain module back in place. And if he didn't, I just might. What the frag were you thinking? Look at the state of you!" he added, scowling at the damage he'd taken, then looked over at Ironhide. "You want to kick his ass a little before I fix him up, Ironhide? I hate to do the same job twice."

"How is Ultra Magnus?" Optimus asked, clearly wanting to derail the scolding.

Ratchet plugged a scanner into Prime's diagnostic ports and scowled at the damage reports, but after muttering a few unflattering things about damn fool Primes who should fragging well know better, he answered. "He's going to be fine. Anyone else would've been in shock but he's the toughest mech I've ever known. We stabilized him and gave him transfusions of repair nanites and Energon, and First Aid says he can rebuild his limbs when we've got everyone else taken care of. Right now he's resting in the med bay with the other stable wounded–Huffer's in there keeping an optic on them all," he added, seeing that Optimus was about to ask.

Ironhide glanced back at the collapsed ceiling and saw that Hoist and Brawn had cleared enough of the rubble to reopen access to the rest of the base, and Trailbreaker was holding a force field in the opening while the pair hastily constructed temporary supports to stabilize it. "I want to know how the hell they found this place," the warrior wondered aloud.

"Wheeljack is looking into that with Grapple," Ratchet replied as he dug in the case for supplies. "Grapple thought he found some kind of communication-tracking virus just before the attack. They're trying to isolate and trace it, but it's pretty clear that it was planted by the Decepticons. What they don't yet know is how."

"We need them to identify it so we can make sure Metroplex is protected," Optimus said, then grunted as Ratchet slapped a mesh patch over a wound on his side. He looked like he wanted to say something about the medic's roughness, but after a meaningful glare from Ratchet, he obviously decided that discretion was the better part of valor and didn't mention it. "Did we lose anyone?" he asked quietly instead, clearly dreading the answer.

But to Ironhide's surprise, Ratchet shook his head. "We've got some seriously wounded Autobots, but we were lucky," he said. Optimus sighed in relief and closed his optics, letting his head fall back against the wall. "Sideswipe in particular is going to need a nice long stay in the CR chamber, and Whirl went all kamikaze on Blackout and that didn't end that well for him, but no, we didn't lose anyone." He glanced up at Optimus. "As ill-advised as your decision to charge head-first into the thick of it was, you turned the tide of the battle just in time. Don't do it again, you hear me? I haven't kept your spark going all these years just to watch you throw yourself into the grinder like that."

"That's exactly what I told him," Ironhide said, and Optimus hung his head and submitted to the reprimands of his friends.

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You ever have someone you love scare the everlovin' shit out of you and then you're so glad they're okay that you don't know whether to hug them until they squeal for mercy or freaking beat the hell out of them until they squeal for mercy?

... yeah. That.