Disclaimer: … If I have to say it, I'd probably cry. I now want a yellow Camero.. I think y'all know why!!

In many universes and on a collection of planets, Optimus Prime was considered a king, the last Prime, invincible and courageous. On Earth, he was beginning to get the reputation as a smart politician and quick to reason for the Autobots on Earth. But all he wanted was to be able to recharge and have his knee joint looked at by Ratchet. There was always two needs. The need of the Primes, urging his spark to keep going, fight the good fight. Then there was Orion Pax, the civilian who was pulled into the mess because of indecision and fear, that side was the one that needed the recharge.

"Optimus, we need to go over these criteria." Being stuck in one of many human meetings, (oh humans do love their meetings!) But it was during that meeting that haunted him the most.

::Optimus:: Ratchet's voice came through the linked com. ::It's Sam, he's been hurt.::

It was time like these that Optimus loathed almost as much as he loathed Megatron. Getting out of the meeting was difficult. After another hour of pleasantries and discussion, Optimus politely excused himself from the meeting that had lost its relevance.

Quickly transforming into his multi-coloured semi alt mode he hit the ground 0-60.

Sam who had believed in the cause so much that he had risked his life, not once, but hundreds of times. Sam still risked his life, after Egypt, Optimus had urged the boy to move on base, but the firm happiness couldn't have been breached. Promising that he would keep Bumblebee with him and keep a low profile, Optimus had no other option than to agree.

But the disaster that he found upon arriving in New Jersey was horrifying. Mikaela and Leo were huddled under a silvery blanket, both looked sedated but lucid, Bumblebee and Ratchet were off in the distant, both in alt mode. Optimus couldn't see the boy from where he was parked, and with all the civilians around, he couldn't transform into alt mode.

::Where is Sam:: Optimus' sensor's scanned the fiery building, but only detected a few humanoids, none of them Sam.

::They sent him to the Hospital. Leo had just gotten out of the building, and Mikaela had been on her way up.:: Ratchet's voice came over their internal com link. ::He's in really bad shape Optimus, they wouldn't let Mikaela or Leo in the ambulance, due to the severity of the burns.::

::Do they know what started it?:: Optimus' mind was drifting, already processed which hospital they had sent him to and which route would be fastest.

::Microwave bomb in the room above Sam.. The child in that room sustained no injuries as the blast went down, Sam was right beneath it. In the entire building, he sustained the worst injuries.:: Ratchet went on to explain the burns and how they affect human skin, but he wasn't paying 100% attention. Pulling up to Mikaela and Leo, he projected his Holo and hopped out of the cab. The nanotechnology they had created years ago formed an image of his desire, as solid as any humans body, the steel toed boots, worn blue jeans and red t-shirt was an image he once scanned at a truck stop outside of Diego Garcia. Needless to say the image stuck.

He walked over to where Mikaela and Leo were huddled and crouched down.

"Mikaela, I'm heading over to the hospital. Would you like to come with me?"

"Op-ti-miss?" she slurred, her heavy gaze looked up at the clear blue eyes and mud brown hair. His image was unremarkable, forgettable, but his voice was the pure sound of leadership, control, and the weight of many millennia's rang clear through the unforgettable tones. She stumbled and attempted to stand until Optimus lifted her up and half-carried her to the truck.

"Hey - You! You with the girl!." A police man ran towards them and Optimus paused, turning around. "Where do you think your going with her?"

"I'm taking her to the hospital to have her burns seen to and to check on the medical status of Samuel James Witwicky." Optimus stated very bluntly. The officer stalled and looked confused. Mikaela was slightly more coherent now and had an arm

slung around Optimus' neck.

"Do you know this man, miss?" He was faltering for and excuse now and Mikaela was becoming irritated with the distrust.

"He's my guardian." she garbled faintly. "Please, let us go. Sam-" A tear ran down her cheek and Optimus spun around and put her in the passenger seat. After buckling her in, he hurried around to the other side and melded into the seat. Too high up for human eyes to see no one driving, and with the tint over the window, other drivers couldn't see through to the cab.

The ride was quiet, Mikaela becoming more coherent. Realisation was hitting her as they approached the hospital. Optimus dropped her off and the holo followed her as the truck parked itself in the falling dusk.

"I'm here to see Sam Witwicky." She asked the receptionist, "I'm his girlfriend." the women behind the counter eyed her and Optimus up and sneered. "Wives and Parents only. Sorry miss." Optimus winked at Mikaela and stepped forward.

"I'm his guardian, now tell us the room, ma'am" glaring her down, the lady scrambled under the scrutiny. "1026 floor 4, burn unit."

Optimus gave her a glowing smile, "thank you."

* * *

Optimus knew humans were fragile. But the thought that Sam, the proverbial son, his assumed ward. Taking a certain interest to the boy after Mission City, Optimus allowed Bumblebee his 'elbow room' as humans called it, but he never aloud them to be farther than a few hours away.

And so, walking down the hall in his holo form, he was still able to sense all around him from his body outside. He could sense Sam's motionless body, his heartbeat faint and weak, his brain activity was low and his overall body temperature was slightly evaluated. He heard a mousy squeak and a muffled sob from beside him when he allowed his sensors back to human mode. Looking through the glass he saw a charred Sam lying on the bed. Multiple human medicines hooked up to him intravenously, and other archaic machines to measure what the human eyes couldn't see and their ears couldn't hear.

" Sam." Mikaela sobbed, her hand resting on the glass, her body slouching against the white wall. The doctors inside all looked up at the noise and one moved to the door.

Optimus looked to the entry way when he entered. He measured the doctor to be mid-forties and slightly fatigued.

"Hello I'm Dr. Reid. Head of the burns unit here. I'm assuming you're the boy's family?" The man had a open face, humans would call it a kind face, but to Optimus, he just wanted answers, and hoped the honest looking doctors could answer them.

"Yes, you are correct. I'm Orion and this is Mikaela, Sam's parents are on the west coast, we will be his proxy for the time being. What is the extent of his injuries."

The good doctor wasted no time. "He has 3rd degree burns on 76% of his body, many hairline fractures along his left arm and shoulder where I presume he was blown into something, he has a concussion and some internal injuries."

"How possible would it be to move him." Optimus wanted nothing more than to get the boy out of the butcher shop the humans called a medical faculty. Ratchet would be able to do more in an hour than the humans could in months.

"Move him!! Are you crazy! The boy is lucky to be alive. It's fate and luck that he's still alive, do you want to risk that by the bacteria that could get into the burned flesh?" The doctor was flabbergasted. But a cough from behind made them all turn. A average looking nurse in pink scrubs with little Tweetie images all over winced. "So sorry to interrupt sirs, but it can be done. Safely."

"How." Optimus asked quietly, he was all for any logical avenue.

"Well. Maybe not 100% safe, but at least 80%." One look from Optimus urged her to continue. "When I was doing my clinical's as a student I was working in medical transfers. Now the ideal transfer would be clinic to clinic, 0 risk situations, but once we had to transport a burn victim in a glass chamber. We would have to pump Oxygen in and be ready to restart his heart should the worst happen. But theoretically, it should work again. Mind you it will be expensive-"

"Money is not an issue," Optimus thought of the millions of dollars the government supplied them with to help save the world. Now at least it would be put to good use. "Doctor? Is it sound."

"Well, if the conditions the container could be transported were just as clean, yes, it's theoretically sound. But no EMS driver would take that on."

"Oh I may know of one." Optimus smirked. Ratchet was approving the plan soon as he heard it. "Have it ready by the end of the week, and the hospital can have all the funding they want." The doctor's eyebrows reached the roof as Optimus gathered the silent Mikaela and left.

* * *

Sam was heavily sedated for the transfer. Ratchet and the base team of medical doctors were all loaded in the back of Ratchet's alt EMS truck form. The glass container that would be used for Sam's transport was scrubbed out with nitrogen and oxygen scrubbers, and sealed.

:We're ready Optimus: Ratchet sent the message out. The process went smoothly, and within the hour, Sam was en route to the base. The three hour drive was uneventful, until the worst that could happen, did happen.

"He's lost his heart beat.-"

"Charging-"

"We can't get him-"

"Charging-"

"Keep trying-" And is almost ended. Again. Right there until-

"We got a heartbeat. It's weak." A collective sigh left from the back of Ratchet's EMS form. Ratchet sped up and made the rest of the journey at breakneck speeds.

* * *

Optimus fretted. He didn't know he could 'fret' until Ratchet had gone in with the charred body of Sam. Optimus hadn't realised how bad it actually had been until he could go over the boy with his own sensors. So much pain. So much damage.

Sam had come to grips with having alien friends so quickly, loved so deeply. Scanning the base, he found Bee doing laps. The young Bot hadn't been able to forgive himself, and hadn't seen Sam since they had taken him away. The course NEST had set up for the Autobots was circular race track with various elements in the center for them (or just Ironhide) to blast.

Motoring over Optimus sent a request to the yellow camaro speeding around the track at blurring speeds.

::Yes Prime?::

::Sam is in with Ratchet.::

::I know.::

::Did you want to hear-::

::No, leave. Please.:: Bumblebee squealed his tires, and before Prime could refute his demand, Bee spun around and sped across base.

::You can run, Yongling, but I swear on the spark of Primus, it won't make it better. Ratchet gave me the file, there was nothing you could have done.:: Pause, silence, ::Sparkling, it wasn't your fault.::

::I'm fully mature, don't call me sparkling.:: The monotone crackled over the com. Optimus tried to send a reply, but found a firewall in place. Don'..it-Don'..it-Don'..it reverberated off his message.

Sometimes the youngest acted just that. Like a broken hearted child, thinking he was the only one to be hurt but Sam's injuries. Only one to feel guilty. Had Sam been on base like Optimus requested, he never would have sustained the injuries, and had Optimus pursued the matter further, Sam would have relented. The sister base in New Jersey could be adapted to hold the key Autobots, but it was a relatively small base, one where Sam could have driven back and forth to classes. But the child wanted his freedom.

And that freedom had him now lying in stasis lock.

::There's nothing you can do here Prime, and you have to get back to D.C, the President want's you to continue with the meetings you ran out of.:: Ratchet sent him, his tone was apologetic, Ratchet understood and yet, still urged him to his duty. With one more scan of the child, Optimus left.

The guilt was crowding all around. The civilian in him wanted nothing more than to stay with the boy that had become such an integral part of his existence on earth, that brave boy who saved him time and time again. And then there was the prime side, the matrix urging his spark to fulfill his duties that were bestowed upon him, trusting him to do all he could.

With one last scan, the reluctant Optimus transformed and drove out.