Chapter 21

Author's Note:

Um... Hi.

I believe an explanation for my absence is needed before you begin reading. Now, I could sit here and write some excuses about how I didn't have time or how the amount of research and dedication towards writing this series stressed me out, but truthfully those were only minor excuses. The reason I've been gone for so long is simply because I lost interest in this series as a whole. In fact, I had gotten into a completely different genre which has made coming back to this one all the more difficult.

To be honest, I never really planned on coming back, but every once in a while I'd getting this wave of guilt when I receive an email of a new follower or a new favourite on my stories, and it really got me thinking. Then one day I found this incomplete chapter hidden in some files on my laptop so I touched it up a bit and here it is.

I really do want to continue this series of mine and hopefully finish it, but there are many complications with that hope. For one, I've almost everything I initially planned, as well as the general Transformers Prime television series, and without the aid of an organizer, I'm pretty much writing as a blank slate. Furthermore, my free time is far more limited than it was back when I first started writing so updates would be not be as frequent as most would hope.

So really, this chapter is simply just a trial run to see how it goes. I hate it when writers leave incomplete stories and I desperately do not want to be one of them. It'll really depend on what kind of feedback I get from you guys to see if I continue or not. Along with that, if you're an old follower or friend of mine and you've been patiently waiting for this update, I thank you dearly. I've probably disappointed a lot of you but if you've stuck around for this long, then maybe, just maybe… I'll have the motivation to continue.

Sincerely,

~ PieGuy

"Ratchet, how is he?"

The medic bot sensed the two-wheeler's concern and raised his hands, trying to calm her down.

"There is no need to panic Arcee. Sideswipe's been injured pretty badly but he'll survive. My biggest issue is that multiple internal systems have been disabled on account of the wires that have been ripped through under his shoulder. Right now, he's in an immense amount of pain and he is unable to use his right arm for the time being. I would consider shutting off his pain receptors but that could rupture his entire nerves system."

Arcee's face saddened. She was glad that her partner was going to survive his injuries, but the thought of him suffering on the medical berth made her feel like she was at fault. After all, she was commanding the raid on the energon mine. If she had just checked her surroundings before letting her guard down, maybe Sideswipe wouldn't be in the medical room right now.

The two-wheeler felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Optimus looking at her with a facial expression that said "this is not your fault". She nodded her head, not wanting to start anything, but still blamed herself sub-consciously.

"To what extent are Sideswipe's injuries?" The Prime asked.

"No need to worry Optimus. The majority of his injuries should recover properly after I operate on him, however for Sideswipe to make a full recovery he will need to stay in the medical room for a few days as I monitor his progress."

Optimus nodded. "I trust in your abilities, old friend. Sideswipe is in good hands." He knew he didn't necessarily need to say that to Ratchet, as the medical bot had made countless surgeries before, but he felt as though a certain two-wheeler needed to hear it more.

Arcee shuffled her feet, looking the medical bot in the optics. "Can I see him?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, of course" Ratchet responded, turning to the rest of the Autobots. "All of you should. Once I start the operation, he will be put into stasis for a period of time."

Ratchet stepped out of the way of the doors, unblocking the pathway and allowing the Autobots to go through.

Arcee walked through first, immediately spotting her partner lying on the medical berth on the side. As soon as she stepped in, Sideswipe flashed a weak smile, although she could see that he was in an immense amount of pain. She glanced at his arm, elevated in the air and connected to his body by a large piece of metal Ratchet had temporarily wielded on to stop the energon from dripping. It was an uncomfortable position and Arcee knew from experience just how agonizing it was.

"How you holding up partner?" she asked, walking right up to his berth.

"Oh you know… can't feel my arm, extreme pain; the usual." Sideswipe joked, although it was ruined by the fact that he was practically gritting his teeth as he said it.

Arcee sighed, gently resting her small hand against his cheek. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I should have seen the sniper up there. I… I failed you."

"Don't say that Cee, none of this is your fault. It was Sideways who had done most of the damage anyways."

The red bot peered and Arcee, seeing that she was still blaming herself. He was about to say something else when the pain caught up to him. He winced, failing back onto the berth, and trying his best not to move to avoid any further pain.

"You'll be alright Swipe" Jazz said to his friend as the rest of the Autobots walked in. "Once Ratchet patches you up, you'll be up on your feet in no time."

Once again, Sideswipe tried to answer but all he could stifle was a groan. He closed his optics, hoping it would ease the pain that in his arm, wishing Ratchet would hurry up and put him in stasis already.

The medical bot, experienced with all sorts of patients, could tell what Sideswipe wanted. He stepped towards the control panel against the wall, entering in some commands. He slid his servo across the screen, shutting down all of Sideswipe's internal systems and putting him into a temporary form of stasis.

"I've put him into stasis and have all the materials to start the operation." Ratchet said to the Autobots, although there was something he wanted to talk to them about before he started.

He turned to the two-wheeler who was still standing by the medical berth, holding onto Sideswipe's uninjured arm. It was clear she has fallen into her emotional phase again.

"Arcee" he said, getting her attention. "May you please grab my box of medical supplies in the storage vault? I will require the tools inside for the procedure."

Wheeljack, having just healed from his injury perked up. "What? Didn't you just say-"

Ratchet shot him a glare, stopping him before he could say anymore. He turned to Arcee again and gave his best comforting smile. The two-wheeler looked up at him and nodded her head, slowly trudging out of the medical room towards the storage vault.

Once he knew she was out of ear-shot distance, Ratchet quickly typed something into the scanner on his arm and a screen popped up on the large medical screen. It was an image of a radar with small blue dots as well as red X's. The Autobots peered at the screen, puzzled at what the medic was showing them.

"Uh, what are we looking at Ratch?" Bulkhead asked, scratching his head.

"This," Ratchet started, waving his hands at the image, "is a screenshot of a radar view of the recent energon mission after Arcee had contacted me. The blue dots represent Autobot signatures while the red X's represent the off-lined Decepticons."

The Autobots looked at the image and sure enough, four blue dots could be seen, all gather together in a close area. Furthermore, dozens of red X's littered the ground, showing the Vehicons they had taken out during the fight.

"Ok, we scrapped a couple 'cons and you're able to track that. That's cool and all, but you're still not telling us why you're showing us this" Smokescreen stated. Bumblebee beeped in agreement.

Ratchet groaned in annoyance, muttering under his breath. Something about "young 'bots", but his mutter was too quiet for anyone to here.

"I am showing you this, because of this spot right here," the medic stated, pointing at an area off to the side. The Autobots looked closely and were even more puzzled. Ratchet was pointing at nothing. Literally, nothing.

"I think the doc's lost his mind" Wheeljack whispered, earning a chuckle from everyone except Optimus and Ultra Magnus.

"Hey! My gears may be rusty but my hearing is as sharp as ever!"

Wheeljack smirked, having been caught but knowing the medic wouldn't do anything.

"Carry on Ratchet," Ultra Magnus said, sending a quick glare at the wrecker.

The medic pinched the bridge of his nose but continued. "Anyways, this is the exact spot in which Air Raid reported the unknown sniper to be, am I correct?"

The Aerialbot scratched his chin. "Yeah, that looks about right. He was perched up against mountain side behind a large bush and a thick tree."

Ratchet nodded. "Yes, yes. Well, remember that this radar scan was done after Arcee had said that the area was clear, meaning that all visible Decepticons would have been terminated, and our mystery shooter would have still been alive. However, this is not the case."

Most of the Autobots still couldn't put two and two together and Ratchet sighed at the intelligence level in the room. The only ones who did figure it out were Optimus and Ultra Magnus, and both commanders stood with widened optics.

"If you still have not figured it out, allow me to explain it to you," Ratchet continued. "When I had scanned the area, the energon signature of the unknown sniper should have shown up on the radar. However, as you can see, that did not happen. Air Raid can vouch that this is indeed the spot of the mystery shooter, yet no matter how many diagnostics I run, the scan cannot pick up any signature that was around that area."

"Maybe you're using a faulty system," Jazz mentioned.

"That is a possibility, however, very unlikely. Recently I had run tests for this new radar and it had flawlessly passed every test by 110%," Ratchet answered, turning and looking every single Autobot in the optics before continuing. "For the past few hours, I have carefully thought of every possibility for this phenomenon. Either A: there had been no shot at all and Air Raid was only imaging the unknown groundbridge, however Sideswipe's injury proves otherwise. B: the Decepticons have learned how to hide their energy signatures from our scanners, but then the question arises of why the other Vehicons had exposed signatures. That leads me to option C…"

"…our unknown sniper is not of Cybertronian origin," Optimus finished, staring at the medical bot with wide optics.

Ratchet looked around and one by one, pairs of optics began widening as the others began catching on. Soon after, Ratchet was being stared at by 9 sets of separate optics.

"You think the sniper could have been…" Bulkhead started.

"…Jack?" Wheeljack whispered, understanding why Ratchet wanted Arcee to leave the room.

Bumblebee beeped and turned to Smokescreen who had a shocked look on his face.

"It can't be… can it?"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on," Ratchet said, gesturing wildly for the Autobots to both calm down, and lower their voices. "Yes, Bumblebee, logically, Jack would be the most likely candidate for the unknown identity of the sniper, however I still find it very unlikely. There are too many questions that follow if Jack is indeed the sniper, which is why I believe it could be someone else. Perhaps MECH has arisen once more, and managed to gain access to groundbridge technology. Or perhaps another individual has learned of our species. Regardless, it is not proven that our new ally is indeed Jack and it is important we learn of their identity sooner than later."

Ironhide stepped forward. "Ally? How can you call the shooter an ally after what he's done to Sideswipe?" The red wrecker gestured towards the bot lying on the berth in stasis mode.

"Excellent remark Ironhide, that leads me to my next point." Ratchet said, pressing a button on his scanner as the screen split in two, the screenshot of the scanner moving to the right side while a new screenshot appeared on the left side. Location wise, they were completely identical. The only difference was that the blue dots were in a different spot, there were no red X's, and dozens of red dots grouped up across the Autobot signatures.

"This is a screenshot of the radar view of the energon mission before you had engaged the enemy," Ratchet explained. "I have mentioned the red X's, which was a new upgrade I had installed into the system just recently, track the location of off-lined Decepticons. I had come up with the idea of this after I realized that using the same technology to track your energon signatures, I can track who you have off-lined during our missions. For example, a large number of the Vehicon who have been disabled were killed by Arcee."

Ratchet pushed another button on his arm and the red X's became colour coded. Blue; meaning killed by Arcee, red; by Sideswipe, yellow; by Smokescreen, and white; by Air Raid. The Autobots looked and saw that the screen was indeed filled with blue coloured X's with white ones coming in second and yellow ones with one or two.

Jazz whistled. "Primus, that two-wheeler went off today."

"Hey Smoke, where are you on the board?" Wheeljack joked, elbowing the rookie in the lower torso.

"I was, uh, watching Arcee's back," Smokescreen stammered. "If Ratchet's system had an assist counter, you'd see that I'd have more points than anyone."

"Can you two pay attention up here?" Ratchet scolded the two, earning a sheepish face from the rookie and a stuck-out tongue from Wheeljack. He groaned, turning back to the screen. "My program tracks every Decepticon killed by an Autobot, however, I've noticed a strange trend lately. Look at the two screens and tell me what is different."

"Oh, I love this game," Bulkhead said. "Miko and I play Spot the Difference all the time."

The large green wrecker clambered forward, looking carefully at the two screens. He first looked at the location, making sure it was the same place and not a trick question. Then he looked at the blue dots, then the red ones. Not seeing a difference, he began counting the little pointers and that's when he found it.

"Aha! There are more red dots than there are red X's!"

"Yes Bulkhead, that's correct," Ratchet said, genuinely impressed by the green wrecker. He wouldn't exactly say Bulkhead lacks a brain, but it's no secret that he isn't the brightest 'bot around. "As you can see, there are 29 red dots in the first screenshot, but there are only 16 X's in the next. We need to count Sideways as one of the red dots even though he had escaped, but that still leaves 12 missing red X's that should have appeared on the radar. The most plausible reasoning for this is that our mystery sniper had off-lined a large number of Vehicons before he critically injured Sideswipe."

"So none of you have gotten the most kills," Ironhide pointed out, specifically talking to Smokescreen. The rookie mumbled something and Wheeljack chuckled at his loss of words.

Bumblebee began beeping loudly and Ratchet put a servo up to his lips and hushed him.

"No Bumblebee, as I've said, there is no evidence pointing towards Jack being the mystery sniper. The only way we can clarify this person's identity is if we keep a close eye out during the next mission. Our friend seems to know exactly where and when our battles take place so I would not be surprised if he decides to aid us again."

"Wait, I'm confused," Air Raid said. "I know that we are only speculating the shooter to be Jack but why can't we tell Arcee about it? Wouldn't it be a good thing? I thought you guys have been looking for him."

Ratchet opened his mouth to answer but he was beat by Optimus. The Prime placed a hand on the Aerialbot's shoulder, getting his attention.

"You are correct, old friend, that we have been searching for Jack for quite some time now, however it may not be the best course of action to notify Arcee of our speculation. As you may know already, Arcee and Jack have held an exceptionally close relationship which is why the timing as of right now is not when we should inform her. For now, she is expressing her pain through her new found relationship with Sideswipe and I believe it is best that we allow it to continue. At least until Arcee finds peace within herself, and understands what she truly wants in her life."

Optimus looked towards the doorway Arcee had left through and he truly hoped from deep down in is spark, that Arcee would understand soon.

…

Hours have passed since Ratchet had told the Autobots about the mystery sniper. In that time, Ratchet had finished his operation on Sideswipe and Arcee had been informed to look out for any unknown shooters during her next mission. Of course, they had left out the part where they had discussed the possibility of Jack being the sniper. It was pretty clear to everyone that Arcee was not ready for that news.

Right now, all of Team Prime sat in the control center, with their human partners with them as well. The day had winded down and night was soon to come. The kids have returned from school, having had a restless day and were happy to finally chill and hang out with their Autobot friends. Everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves as they held what now became a weekly video game tournament. Today's game was Halo, and teams were made to compete against each other. Right now, it was the team of Jazz, Ironhide, and Air Raid against Miko and Bulkhead, the latter having a hefty lead as they have had more experience playing the game than the three newest members of Team Prime who have only recently been introduced to the concept of "video games".

"Scrap it! Ironhide, it's all yours," Jazz said in a frustrating tone as he handed Ironhide the controller. He pointed a servo at the Japanese girl who was laughing her head off on the couch cross from him. "I thought we said no screen peaking."

Miko laughed even harder. "I wasn't screen peaking. You realize you were walking around backwards right? You were practically begging me to knife you."

Jazz sighed and put his head down while the others laughed at his antics. They continued to play their tournament, laughing and joking around as if they were all one big family.

Ultra Magnus sat on the side, watching the others play. He, along with Ratchet, Optimus, and Arcee, chose not to participate in the kid's games, although he rarely did anyways. He was content with sitting off to the side watching. Human culture was still a mystery to him and though he found the smaller, more primitive beings to be disturbing at first, slowly, he began taking an interest into the species. Recently, he's been studying the games the children play on their consoles, learning strategy and ways to beat the opponent in any fashion the game permits. He had to admit, it was something he wanted to try out in the near future.

Meanwhile, the other three Autobots not taking part of the Halo tournament each had their own priorities. Optimus was hard at work, trying to crack the next code in the Iacon database. Either because of recent issues that have arisen or he had lost his touch, it had been a while since they have had an alert to another relic and Optimus worried that the Decepticons have already beat him to them.

Next to the Prime was Ratchet, having just finished his operation, was busy running diagnostics on the Star Saber. Since its recovery, neither he nor Optimus have been able to get a crack at the ancient Prime relic, although the Prime didn't seem too bothered by it. Every time the medic brought it up, Optimus would respond the exact same way every time:

"Have faith in the power of the Primes and the Star Saber will be activated in time."

Ratchet never argued against Optimus' judgement, but this is the one time where he had his doubts. It's not the trust in him and the Primes that preceded him that was his problem. It's the risk of losing the Star Saber's power, and the upper hand they had on the Decepticons. For so long had they been fighting an unbalanced war, and now that they had possession of a weapon that could even out that playing field, Ratchet was determined to keep it that way.

As the two wiser 'bots worked diligently, a lonesome two-wheeler sat in the corner of the room, back turned to the others and staring towards the hallway that leads to the medical bay. The sole two-wheeler sighed, holding her legs up against her body. She knew he was going to be alright. Ratchet had said so. And even more, she wanted to be there for when he woke up, but something prevented her from being next to his side while he recovered. There was only one person she had always been with from the start, never leaving his side as he did with her. That person was Jack: her former partner, ex-boyfriend, and once love of her life.

Something rose up in her throat as she tried her hardest to keep it together in front of everyone else. As much as she wanted to deny it, Jack was still the love of her life. She missed him, even more than any of her previous partners, and though she hid it in front of the others, every so often, she would go up top and think about him. Sometimes, she would bring one of her memories with her to remind her of the moments she had with him. Other times, she would let the evening breeze speak for itself. Regardless, deep down, she knew that she still had feelings for him, feelings that she would never lose because she knew that they had come from the heart.

"What am I doing?" she cried softly, bringing her wrists to her eyes. "He left me, I…I cheated on him…how can I…"

The two-wheeler's thoughts were pierced by a sudden alert going off in the room. She quickly wiped her eyes clear of any tears and turned around, keeping her sadness shrouded within her outside face.

"What is it Ratchet?" Optimus asked, turning from his work station. The group near the couches joined them as well.

"I-I don't know," the medic stammered, raising his shoulders. "I had been running tests on the Star Saber when suddenly the alert went off."

The group turned and were amazed to see the Star Saber lying on Ratchet's diagnostic table, glowing and pulsating an array of blue aura. The alert had not come from the equipment, but rather the sword itself, as if it were calling out to someone using an unseen method of communication.

"Wow, is it supposed to do that?" Smokescreen asked in awe and wonder.

Ratchet blinked and scratched his chin, leaning in to get a better look at the glowing artifact. "I'm not sure. Perhaps if I…"

A hand on his shoulder stopped him from reaching any further as he turned around to see Optimus looking at him.

"Old friend, I believe it would be best if I looked into the sudden activation of the Star Saber."

"Yes, yes, of course Optimus."

Ratchet moved out of the way, allowing the Prime to step forward, staring at the Star Saber as he neared. Slowly and gently, Optimus began lifting the sword, both hands gripping onto the handle as the blue aura being emitted from the sword engulfed his body. He raised the Star Saber up, feeling the power rush through his body as it had before. The sword was reacting with his touch once again, but this time, there was something else.

"Wow," Miko commented and Bumblebee beeped in his own astonishment.

"Look at his eyes," Wheeljack noted, noticing the glow in the Prime's optics. "It looks like when he had tapped into the Matrix of Leadership when we were human."

"You're right Jackie, it does," Bulkhead agreed.

The three newer members of Team Prime turned to the two wreckers with a confused face.

"Hold on, did you say you were human?" Jazz asked, bewildered at the thought.

"A story for another time," Ratchet cut in, directing the attention back to the glowing sword that was engulfing their leader in a strange blue aura. "Optimus, speak to me."

Optimus did not respond, his eyes being locked onto the glowing blade.

"Optimus!"

The second call did the trick and the Prime slowly turned his head, his bright blue optics landing on his medic.

"I am receiving a message," he stated broadly.

"From who?"

Optimus blinked.

"Alpha Trion."

A sudden light shot out from the glowing blade, blinding the room with a blue brightness.

…

When Optimus opened his eyes, he was no longer in the command center. Looking around him, no Autobot nor human could be seen. He recognized the place, but only through the Matrix of Leadership. It was a place between time and space, between essence and reality. It was a place which he has only visited minimal times in his life time:

The Realm of the Primes.

All of a sudden, another light flashed in front of him, forcing him to raise his arm to protect his eyes from another blinding. As he blinked and regained his focus, he was shocked to see Alpha Trion standing in front of him.

"Alpha Trion," Optimus awed.

"Hello Optimus Prime," the ancient Prime greeted. "I take solace that you now possess the Star Saber."

"How are you able to communicate with me? Smokescreen had remarked that you had perished in the attack of Iacon."

"Optimus, the power of the Primes extends far deeper than death. It is through the power entrusted to us by Primus that I am able to communicate with you through the Star Saber."

"Do I have the ability to make this communication as well?"

"In time Optimus, however there is a far more dire matter that must be prioritized. I am certain you have deduced how these Cybertronian relics and Decepticon weapons came to be found on such a remote world. Indeed, I transported them there, not so much to keep them far from Megatron's hands, but to ensure they reach yours."

Optimus nodded, unsure of what to make of this.

"As you have long suspected, the Covenant of Primus records events of the future as well as the past. The Covenants' pages foretold that you, Optimus Prime, would journey to the small, but significant planet, and there, would engage in a crucial chapter in the war against the Decepticons. You are to wield and embrace the full power of the Star Saber, and will be tasked to make the ultimate decision that will set in place centuries to come."

"I understand."

"No, Optimus, unfortunately you do not. Not as of yet. It is also foretold that a great evil will arise, one that you are not able to defeat alone. Through the ashes, a new warrior will awaken, darkness will prove an ally, and a new era will begin. The journey will be tough, and only through powers beyond that of the Primes will the light shine and guide you through. Be aware, Optimus Prime, that this will be your darkest hour."

"Who is this new warrior?" Optimus asked.

"There will be signs. You will meet the warrior in time. However, you have a greater task of utmost importance first. There are four final keys, the Omega Keys, and with them, you will be given hope for restoring Cybertron. You must retrieve these Iacon keys, scattered across the planet. A dark power has awakened and will battle for possession of these relics. It is of the utmost importance that you protect and retrieve these keys."

"Alpha Trion, where are the location of these keys?"

"Do not fear. You will uncover their secrets Optimus Prime. Use the Star Saber's power, for it has sensed the power of its counter-part."

As Alpha Trion said those words, his body began fading away in the blue light. Optimus reached forward but his hand just fazed through his disappearing mentor.

"Wait Alpha Trion, what power are you referring to? How am I to find the new warrior? Mentor, you must relieve more information."

"Hope Prime… Always believe in hope…"

And with that, Alpha Trion disappeared into the light.

Then, the room was blinded once more.

…

"Optimus! Optimus!"

Optimus' eyes shot open to find himself on the ground with the members of Team Prime looking over him with worried eyes. He blinked, regaining his senses as he felt someone help him up from behind.

"Thank Primus you're alive!" Ratchet exclaimed, helping the prime to his feet.

"You really gave us a scare there Optimus," Bulkhead commented.

"I apologise, everyone, but I am fine, thank you." He looked around and spotted the Star Saber lying on the ground a few feet away from him. Slowly, he picked it up and to everyone's amazement the sword activated to his touch.

"Wow,, it-it works!" Miko cheered and a few members of the team shared high-fives.

"Yes indeed, it does."

"Optimus, what did Alpha Trion say?" Ratchet questioned, remembering what the prime told them prior to falling unconscious.

Optimus looked up, thinking back to the strange encounter with his former mentor. "Alpha Trion has given us a mission of utmost importance; retrieving four Iacon relics: the Omega keys."

"Keys? To What?" Air Raid asked.

"To the regeneration of our home planet."

Everyone gasped, and looked at each other in disbelief.

"A-are you serious? You're saying these keys will restore Cybertron?"

"Yes, that is indeed the case Wheeljack. There are four keys scattered across Earth and we must locate them before they are discovered by the Decepticons. When all four keys are retrieved, there is hope that we may walk upon the grounds of Cybertron once more."

A cheer erupted within the group as everyone reveled at the thought of one day returning back to their home planet. Even Ratchet and Ultra Magnus joined in, and Arcee, though a little off to the side, managed to crack a smile. The only Autobot who remained quiet, however, was Optimus which didn't go unnoticed.

"Sir, is everything alright?" Ultra Magnus asked.

Optimus simply shook his head and everyone stopped their celebrations. "Unfortunately not old friend…"

"What? What happened? Did Alpha Trion mention me?" Smokescreen jumped in.

"No Smokescreen, however Alpha Trion has given us a warning of an imminent danger. Soon, a powerful darkness will arise and our darkest hour will fall upon us. Alone, we will not be able to defeat it; however we are to receive aid from a new ally, one that will be shrouded in darkness as well but will guide us through our darkest times."

"That is preposterous!" Ratchet commented. "Are you saying that a Decepticon will switch onto our side and aid us?"

"I am unsure of that Ratchet. All that has been revealed is that in time, a new warrior will rise with powers beyond that of the Primes and he or she will lead us all into a new era."

Optimus looked up, imagining this new and powerful warrior out there, somewhere, hoping that he or she will reveal themselves soon.

"A new warrior will arise…"

…