Virus

"…I'm not going to change your mind, am I?"

"…no. If my death means I can keep my family safe…then so be it."

"…very well."

"It has been an honor, Primus."

"No, Fixit. The honor was mine."

Fixit hissed in pain, clutching at the stump of her right arm. She had injected the specialized nanites to slow the rust's progression down, but knew from the start it wouldn't be able to stop it from consuming her spark. And Primus himself had said that even he couldn't keep the rust from obliterating a spark. There would be no going to the Well again for her.

Primus and I made several plans where I didn't get hit, but…ultimately, I knew I was probably going to get hit. And not saving Ironhide wasn't an option- Optimus depends on him to help keep him sane. He's a grumpy, trigger-happy bastard, but the Autobots definitely need him. And the humans- and ultimately, my family- need the Autobots in order to survive.

I just wish we could've found a way to save him that wasn't likely to end with me getting shot…

…I wish I could've found a way back home.

The Eradicon perched unnoticed up on the roof of a building as the Autobots and the Decepticons fought it out below her, the Forge of Solus Prime- now her primary weapon- slung over her back. She was just glad the changes she had made meant Sam (and Mikaela, who he was still dating) were far away from here, having stayed behind when NEST attacked.

Hearing Starscream drawing close to her position, Fixit slunk back into the shadows, scarlet optics narrowed. He landed on the roof next to her, shooting at the Autobots below.

Glancing around, the Eradicon rumbled softly as she caught sight of this universe's Soundwave. Oh, how she hated him! Stupid fragger, she wanted her Wave back!

Fixit flinched, letting out a grunt of pain and grabbing at her shoulder as the rust started in on a new system. At the rate it was going, she probably had 2-3 more hours to live…

…better make the most of it, then.

She leapt out from cover, pulling the Forge into her one remaining servo, and swatted Starscream off the roof and into the opposite building. Before the dazed Seeker could react- or anyone else, for that matter- the winged medic leapt off the building and flattened Soundwave, the weight of the massive hammer easily crushing his helm and spark. Especially since she was perched on the top of it.

Bastard. How dare he be her Wave's counterpart?

She darted away easily almost immediately. The Decepticons around her were only just starting to react by the time she disappeared back into the depths of Chicago.

Attentive scarlet optics watched from the shadows as Optimus used Shockwave's cannon to blast the Control Pillar.

Wait for it…

There!

Stealthily, she slipped out of the shadows and ghosted across the battlefield easily.

The Eradicon crept up behind Dylan Gould silently as he reactivated the Control Pillar. He finished, and turned around…only to freeze at the menacing figure standing over him. The winged cybertronian was covered in energon, wielding an absolutely massive battle-hammer in its only remaining servo. Its stance was wide and steady despite its missing arm and partially-destroyed wing. A blank face with furious scarlet optics glared down at him ominously before raising its pede…

Gould broke and ran.

Fixit huffed irritably, immediately dismissing his existence in favor of propping the Forge against the Pillar. Her servo danced over the controls, busy bringing up and activating the virus she had embedded in the base coding of every Pillar years ago. Immediately, the half-transported Cybertron began returning to whence it came.

Locking her overrides in place, she grabbed the Forge and retreated to hide behind the Pillar in order to prevent anyone from destroying it. After all, now that Soundwave was deactivated, there was no one nearby that could hack her programs.

Fixit smirked darkly as the traps she set up earlier prevented the Autobots from getting to the Pillar to destroy it.

…and then she nearly collapsed in pain as the rust reached one of her main energon lines.

The Eradicon hissed in pain, clutching at her chestplates. She barely noticed Optimus and Sentinel fighting nearby, but jerked when she realized Optimus was starting to lose.

Clawing her way up the Pillar, she accessed it again, and had it broadcast the signal. All over Chicago, Decepticons began seizing up, writhing in pain as their systems began to shut down one by one. The very, very few that were not affected began to panic. Fleeing for their lives was looking more and more tempting.

(In the corner of her vision, she noted Megatron also collapsed on the ground. Good, he ended up being affected.)

Fixit stumbled her way out into the open, towards the collapsed figure of Sentinel and the confused-yet-wary Optimus.

"'Sup, OP?" she called weakly, whimpering softly as another streak of agony shot through her frame, causing her to stumble.

Optimus barely caught her in time. He lowered her to the ground carefully, making sure to keep an optic on the now-still frame of Sentinel.

"Dun worry abou' i'," Fixit slurred, resting her aching helm against his shoulder and shuttering her dulled scarlet optics. "'e's offline b'now."

"What do you mean? Fixit, just hold on, I need you to tell me what happened," Optimus said sternly, masking his worry at the horrible state the femme was in even as he commed Ratchet urgently.

She laughed weakly, a thin trail of energon leaking from her mouth. "Ah happened…Ah go' t' virus frum t' Fallen's spark, only 'stead o' i' makin' 'em crasy Ah made i' shu' off they systems…an' since i' ge's inna even t' spark, it'll shu' tha' off too…"

He just stared at her in slightly appalled horror, processing the ramifications of her actions. "Fixit…did you know this was coming?"

"Yep," she confirmed softly, even as she winced in pain. "Ah've 'nuwn fur years. I' pissed meh off…Ah had t' safe Hide, bu' pretta much everythin' we came up wih ended in meh getting' hi' by t' stupid rus' cannon, which means na Well fur meh…"

Optimus froze. "…what?"

"T' rus' des'oys t' spark, i' obiltarates i'…even Primus can' ge' t' spark back, so na goin' t' da Well fur meh…oh! Tha' reminds meh…"

The last Prime jumped as the fading Eradicon pulled a datapad out of subspace, clumsily slapping it against his chest.

"'Ere! Tha's t' contro' codes t' duh Pilla's, plus coordina'es t' a place where yah can brin' Cyber'on t'...don' share 'em wih na one 'cep Prowl an' Jazzy, 'kay?"

He gaped at her in shock. "…what?"

She snickered weakly, coughing up more energon as she did so. "Yer like a broke' record…cheer up, Op. Da yah no' wan' Cyber'on back?"

"…n-no, I do, it's just…" he trailed off, staring at her in absolute confusion. "…why?"

"'cause meh job 'ere was t' fix i'! Heh, ge' i'? Fix i'…Ah like puns…bu', yah know, even if tha' wasn' meh job, Ah would've given yah da chance t' fix yur Cyber'on anyways…Ah've los' meh home twice now, i' sucks…bu' yah haf ta keep meh family safe, 'kay? Ah di' all 'is fur 'em, 'ey need…s'ay…safe…"

"Fixit! Slaggit, femme, stay with me!" Optimus cursed worriedly, telling Ratchet to hurry up!

"Ke'p 'em…safe…please…" she begged softly, weakly clutching his chestplates.

"…Fixit…"

"…plee…"

"…I will keep them safe. I promise."

A tiny smile flickered onto her rusting face. "…'ank…oo…"

Optimus bowed his helm in grief as Fixit slipped away. Off to the side, still lightly clutched in the Eradicon's lifeless frame, the Forge of Solus Prime flashed slightly before disappearing.

"…it is good to see you again, Fixit."

"…Primus? But…what…the rust…"

"Surely you didn't think I'd be willing to just give up on you so easily, youngling?"

"…"

"…"

"…um…"

"…you know what? Don't answer that."

"Probably for the best, yeah. So…how?"

"…suffice to say it was extremely complicated, and I was lucky it worked at all. Actually, there was no way for it to work unless you were holding Solus' Forge at the time of your deactivation."

"…I was holding the Forge?"

"…yes, youngling. You were."

"…oh. Okay. Um, thanks for saving me, I guess."

"You are quite welcome, youngling."

"…"

"…"

"…so…what now?"

"Now…I take you home."

Fixit clawed her way groggily towards consciousness, blearily onlining her optics to an empty room.

Oh, oooooooowwwwwwwwwww. Fraggin' Sentinel and his fraggin' rust…wait. This doesn't look like…

She sat up slowly, grunting as her parts screeched and scraped together. That…sounded like parts that hadn't been used in a while, and…where the frag were all her modifications!? This looked like her…old…body…

The Eradicon shot up, disconnecting the monitoring systems attached to her as she practically flew over to the small console in the corner. She hacked it rapidly, pulling up information…

I'm back, she thought in awe.

I'm home.

A/N: The third movie is over, and Fixit has returned home. She's caught up to the epilogue of Fixit, now.

And haha! I saved Cybertron as well! Everything's just gettin' saved today!

Also, here's Fixit's dying words:

"Don't worry about it, he's offline by now."

"I happened...I got the virus from the Fallen's spark, only instead of making them crazy I made it shut off their sysytems...and since it gets into even the spark, it'll shut that off too..."

"Yep. I've known for years...it pissed me off, I had to save Hide, but pretty much everything we came up with ended in me getting hit by the stupid Rust Cannon, which means no Well for me..."

The rust destroys the spark, it obliterates it...even Primus can't get the spark back, so no going to the Well for me...oh! That reminds me!"

"That's the control codes to the Pillars, plus the coordinates to a place where you can bring Cybertron to...don't share them with anyone except Jazz and Prowl, okay?"

"You're like a broken record...cheer up, Op. Do you not want Cybertron back?"

"Because my job here was to Fixit! Heh, get it? Fix it...I like puns...but, you know, even if it wasn't my job, I still would've given you the chance to fix your Cybertron anyways...I've lost my home twice now, it sucks...but you have to keep my family safe, okay? All this is for them, they need...stay...safe..."

"Keep them safe...please..."

"...please..."

"...thank...you..."

Oh, and the sequel to this, 'Mastermind's Farewell,' is up. Enjoy!