Primes Don't Take Sick Days—a G1 TF story

Summary: Optimus Prime stubbornly refuses to rest while feeling under the weather. When he finally does, he becomes the only one who can save his team from Megatron's wrath.

G1 Transformers © Hasbro

~Primes Don't Take Sick Days~

Another long day was coming to an end. After many hours of searching for and battling with the Decepticons, the Autobots were lucky to finish the day with a good night's recharge. Spike and Sparkplug even decided to stay over, since their house was getting a few renovations, and they thought it would be nice to hang out with their robot pals.

As day faded into dusk, the bots retired to their berths, Spike going with Bumblebee to tell him a few ghost stories to see how brave he was, and Sparkplug decided to sleep on a cot he brought with him. As he began setting it up, he still noticed the light from Teletraan-1's screen coming from around the corner. Checking to see what was up, he saw Optimus still at work, running more scans and looking for updates of any kind.

"Not heading to bed just yet, Prime?" he asked, stepping into the control room.

The Autobot leader turned to him, giving him a light, hearty chuckle. "Not quite yet," he answered. "I just want to check a few more things before I retire to recharge." With that, he faced the computer again.

"Alright. Well, I don't mean to parent you, but don't stay up too late. Ratchet says you've been doing that for the past few days."

"I won't," Optimus said absentmindedly, almost as if he was only half-listening.

Sparkplug rolled his eyes with a crooked smile, getting a familiar vibe he often felt with his son. But he let the Prime be and headed to bed, obnoxiously yawning and collapsing onto his cot, out like a light practically in minutes.

A few hours later, late in the night, Spike had awoken, feeling the urge to use the bathroom. Since he knew the Ark didn't possess a bathroom for humans, he knew going outside would be his best bet. He carefully slipped out from under Bumblebee's hand, who had gotten a bit too scared from Spike's stories, and left the room. He crept by his dad, who was snoring loudly, and headed down the hall. As he headed for the exit, he saw a light coming from the command center. Losing his need to go, he decided to see why someone would be up this late. As he entered the command center, he saw that Teletraan-1 was still online, and so was a certain Autobot.

"Optimus?" Spike said, rubbing his eye.

This startled the Prime, causing him to turn, wobbling as he regained balance. "Oh, Spike, it's just you," he said with relief. "Did I wake you?"

"No. But, why are you still up? You got to be tired."

"I appreciate your concern, Spike, I do. But I must always put the well-being of my friends before my own, even if it means losing a few cycles of recharge," Optimus explained, while secretly refraining himself from yawning.

"Whenever I stay up late for too many days, I usually end up coming down with something pretty nasty," Spike said. "Not only did I lose sleep and gain stress, I also had to stay home from school. Just a fair warning so you know what you're in for."

"Thank you, Spike. I will keep that in mind. Now, you should get back to bed."

"I will, I just got to take care of, err…some business first." Spike hurried outside and went about his ways, feeling instant relief by the time he finished. As he made his way back to Bumblebee's private quarters, he saw Optimus still at work. He sighed, shaking his head. He knew he couldn't sway the big guy from turning in for the night any more than he had already tried, so he just moved on and went back to sleep.

By the time it was nearing 5 in the morning, Optimus finally decided to quit when he began to feel a processor-ache. Once Teletraan-1 was offline, he unsteadily headed for his private quarters. He opened the door, becoming even more exhausted in the pitch-blackness, and was sinking into recharge before he collapsed onto his berth.

A few hours after the sun had risen, Autobots and humans were up and about, but were wondering where their leader was.

"It's not like Prime to sleep in," said Bumblebee.

"Well, he was up really late last night," Spike said. "I saw him in the command center when I went to go relieve myself."

"Agh, I should have known," Ratchet grumbled. "I should have dragged him to his berth by his antenna and strapped him down to it."

"I'll go get him up," said Ironhide. He headed for Optimus's private quarters with the other bots behind him. He knocked on the door. "Prime! Up an' at 'em!" he exclaimed. "You're being a very late bird today! Everyone's up but you!"

"Can he even hear us?" asked Spike.

"Prime's not usually a heavy sleeper," said Prowl. "The sound of a pin dropping could wake him up."

After a moment, the door slid open, and everyone's humored expression quickly became concerned. Optimus looked awful. His optics were dimmed, and his colors were dulled. He rattled like he was shivering, and he looked exhausted beyond description. Despite what everyone clearly saw, he tried to play it off.

"Eh, sorry for worrying you, everyone," he said, a faint rasp in his vocal processor. "I know I don't usually oversleep, but…"

"Gee, you don't look so good, Optimus," said Spike.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just haven't…fully woken up yet."

"Oh! This ought to help!" Jazz said. Then he began blaring loud rock music.

Optimus exclaimed and covered his audio receptors, kneeling down. "TURN IT OFF!" he shouted over the music, and everyone else echoed his demand to Jazz. Soon the music stopped, and the others looked to Optimus. He panted and shook, his shuddering clearly audible with each breath. He even struggled to stand fully straight.

Ratchet gave him a scan and checked the results. He glowered and grumbled. "Just as I thought. Your systems have weakened due to lack of sleep and stressing yourself out."

"So, he's sick?" Sparkplug asked.

"Yes."

"I am not sick," Optimus denied. "Really, I am fine. You do not need to…" He attempted to walk by them, but suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled. Ironhide and Hound caught him before he could faceplant.

"Ah-ah, you're not going to talk your way out of this," Ratchet said. "You are coming with me." He took Optimus by the arm and literally dragged him to the medical bay.

"R-Ratchet, this is really, unnecessary," Optimus tried to say, but had started to cough.

"Don't talk. Sit." Ratchet forced him harshly on the berth. "Don't move. Don't even try to get up. I won't hesitate to strap you down." Optimus sighed, shivering from the cold temperature of the berth's surface. He hugged himself while Ratchet ran more tests. "Dulled optics…dull colors…overheating…irritation in ventilation systems…" He looked to Optimus. "No doubt about it. All that staying up and worrying yourself five ways to Sunday has overworked and weakened most of your systems."

Optimus lowered his gaze. "I know you are worried about me, but I can manage this," he said. "I still have to do my duty as leader of the Autobots and protect the humans and this planet from Megatron."

"Oh? Says the bot who nearly hit the floor walking a few feet. And what if you do that, suddenly collapse from exhaustion, and leave yourself vulnerable to attack? I can see how that will easily lead to your death and Megatron's victory. No sir, you are doing nothing at all today except RESTING. You know that in these situations my orders are superior to yours."

"But-"

"Zip it! We can't take any risks, Optimus! We need you here, and to get healthy again so you can lead us. The more you cooperate and do as you're told, the sooner you can get back to work, and hopefully learn from this and be a bit wiser from then on."

Optimus knew he couldn't argue with Ratchet. He didn't feel like it anymore. He just wanted to be somewhere warm and comfortable. "F-Fine…" he stuttered, shuddering from overheating. "If you insist."

"Oh, you bet I do. If I catch you getting out of this bed, I will ram the nearest object I can reach and shove it so far up your—!"

"How is he?" Ratchet turned to see the other bots in the doorway.

Ratchet cleared his throat. "Well, he is under the weather, and will need plenty of rest in order to regain full health again."

"That's good," said Bee. "He really doesn't look so good."

"He probably feels worse than he looks," joked Jazz.

"Ha, ha," Optimus laughed sarcastically. "Go ahead, mock me for getting myself into this predicament."

"They'll have to save it for later," Ratchet said. "He needs all the peace and quiet he can get."

Optimus softly sighed as he laid down on his medical berth. "You know…a bit of sleep actually does sound a bit nice."

"That's just what I want to hear," the medic huffed. "Alright, everyone, scoot on out while Prime rests."

"Get well soon, big guy!" Spike said as they were ushered out.

"Thanks, Spike," Optimus said tiredly.

Sparkplug chuckled. "Poor guy. He's going to feel a lot worse before he gets better."

"Is that usually the case with you humans?" asked Huffer.

"Pretty much," Spike nodded. "It's all part of the process of getting well."

And indeed, as Sparkplug anticipated, Optimus did begin to feel worse as the day dragged on. His "fever" often spiked, he coughed heavily, sounding like he had water stuck in his throat; his optics were nearly grey and became sensitive to bright lights; and if he sneezed hard enough, his horn would sound and jets of steam would shoot out of his smoke stacks. Sometimes his face mask would loosen, and he'd hurry and readjust it in an embarrassed fashion. The poor bot looked, sounded, and felt awful. The others wished there was something they could do to help, but only time was the current solution.

"Well, whenever Spike was sick, I always made him chicken soup from my mother's recipe," said Sparkplug.

"Oh, yeah!" Spike added. "That always made me feel better. And tasted delicious."

"Sorry, but we can't consume human food," said Prowl.

"Well, what if you guys made him some…I don't know, Energon soup, or something?" the boy asked.

"We don't even know if such a thing exists, Spike," Ironhide mentioned.

"But, we could at least try, right?" Bumblebee pleaded. "We got to do something. I hate seeing Optimus so weak and helpless."

"You're not alone there, kid," Hound sighed.

"Alright, alright, we'll give it a shot," said Ratchet. "Right now, Prime is snoozing and I don't think waking him up at this time is the best option. I'll do a bit of Cybertronian medicinal research while he sleeps, and if I find something, I'll give it to him when he is online."

"Thanks, Ratchet," said Bumblebee.

Little Roller had also got wind of Optimus being unwell. The small drone worried for his master; Optimus always looked after him and made sure he was alright. Roller remembered well the incident with the ruby mines where Optimus was so concerned for his well-being, being as selfless as ever. The least he could do was return the favor however he could.

Roller strolled out of Optimus's trailer, creeping by the other Autobots to avoid being seen, and slid into the medical bay. He found Optimus sprawled out on his medical berth, snoring stuffily, a thermal blanket draped over him. Roller faintly chirped and beeped, inching closer to the berth. He backed up when he noticed Optimus beginning to stir.

The Prime sat up a bit, yawning loudly. He heard bleeping coming from beside him and looked to see Roller sitting curiously and cautiously nearby. He gave a crooked smile behind his mask. "Hey, there, Roller," he said hoarsely. He reached a hand down and petted Roller's back. "Are you worried about me? I'll be alright. I'll get better soon, as long as I rest. But, I will admit, it is rather hard. Several times, I have wanted to get up and do my job, but I feel too weak to move too much, and I am a bit afraid of Ratchet's wrath. I also don't want to be a burden to anyone…" He sighed sadly as he laid back down.

Roller buzzed sadly; he didn't like seeing his larger friend unhappy. He felt the need to do something to cheer Optimus up. When he had an idea, he chirped loudly to get Prime's attention. Once he did, Roller began doing tricks, balancing on his front and back tires, flipping, and making funny sounds.

Optimus felt his spark lighten, seeing Roller trying to make him feel better. He even managed a laugh, which turned into bouts of laughter as Roller's tricks became more amusing. But it all came to a stop when his laughter transformed into a coughing fit. Roller chirped in a panicked manner, backing up and accelerating sharply.

"N-No, no, I'm fine…" Optimus panted once he finished, clearing his throat. "Heh, guess I laughed a bit too much, didn't I?" He petted Roller again. "Thank you for trying to help me feel better. It really means a lot." Roller returned his thanks with soft purring.

Then, Ratchet rushed in. "What happened? What's wrong? Roller! How did you get in here?! Did you wake Optimus up?!"

"Ratchet, it's fine," Optimus said. "He was only trying to cheer me up, honest." Roller beeped nervously as he hid under Optimus's medical berth.

Ratchet grumbled something undetectable, sighed, and regained a calm complexion. "Well, then. Anyway, I have something for you, Optimus," he said, "that may help you recover quick."

"What is it?" Optimus asked, both out of curiosity and worry. Anything medical for illness was usually something terrible, so he had reason to be concerned.

"Oh, calm down," Ratchet said, seeing that familiar expression he saw whenever the bots entered his medical bay. "It's not that bad. I actually did a bit of research on other treatments for the sick and injured, and stumbled upon something that's similar to an Earthly remedy."

"Which is…?"

"Soup."

Optimus blinked and was silent for the moment. "Err, Ratchet? We cannot consume—"

"I know that!" Ratchet snapped, making Optimus jump. "Would I really give you something that would cause more harm than good?! Geez!"

"Alright, Alright," Optimus groaned, rubbing his head. "Just stop shouting, please…"

Ratchet cleared his throat. "Anyways, it's a medicinal soup consisting of Energon, along with other Cybertronian metals and resources used to aid the body."

"Is it appetizing?" Optimus winced.

"Apparently, it varies with each individual who tries it," Ratchet answered. "Some bots are willing to stomach it, and others consider it poison; an obvious exaggeration, of course. How are you feeling right now?"

Optimus put a hand over his growling fuel tank. He could hardly remember the last time he had refueled. "I, uh, suppose I could give it a try, just so I have something in my fuel tanks."

"That's a smart choice," Ratchet said with a smile. "But in all honesty, I would have forced you to eat it anyway."

"Right. How long does it take to make?"

"Oh, I have a batch already prepared. I began to make it after getting the information I needed. I will be back in a moment."

Optimus watched Ratchet leave, then looked to Roller. The drone gave questionable beeps and chirps. "No matter what he says," he replied, "I am still terrified."

Ratchet then returned with a large cube filled with an orange-shaded Energon, rather than the original bright pink hue. Upon first glance, Optimus shifted uncomfortably. "Now, I know it doesn't look too good," Ratchet said, "but it'll do the job, as long as you continue to rest. Heck, you may even like it."

"I think my tank will be the judge of that," Optimus sighed as he was handed the cube. There was no horrendous odor—then again, it could be because his olfactory sensors are not working properly—and it was warm to the touch. Optimus sighed and removed his mask, only feeling comfortable removing it in front of Ratchet because he had seen him without it before, and took a swig of the 'Energon soup'. It didn't taste anything like the Energon he was used to consuming, but it wasn't too bad, either.

Ratchet smiled to see him drink more of it. "Well, that's a good sign. But I wouldn't drink it all at once. Take breaks every so often, Optimus."

Optimus sat down the cube and wiped his mouth before putting his mask back on. "Alright, Ratchet," he said, clearing his throat a bit.

Ratchet nodded and started to leave. "Oh, and one more thing," he added. "I slipped a little something in the soup. Just to help you sleep. Should take effect in about half an hour."

"Oh, uh…" Before Optimus could say anything, Ratchet left. He just looked at Roller, then back at the door. Sighing and shaking his head, he swallowed a few more gulps of the soup, eventually finishing it. He should have known Ratchet would do something like this. But Optimus knew it was for his own good, and he didn't feel like arguing about it.

Over the course of the half-hour, the other Autobots and the Witwicky's came by periodically to check up on him, even giving him a few get-well cards which he was grateful for. The Dinobots also visited, but were on strict orders not to stay too long or be rambunctious. As the time also progressed, Optimus could slowly feel the sleeping agent take effect. His mind felt foggy and he could hardly hold his head up. He would occasionally yawn obnoxiously and shift around on the berth to get into a comfortable position.

His body trembled with chills from overheating, and every coughing fit weakened him and strained at the inner wires of his neck. He honestly began to wish the medicine would take effect sooner so he could try to sleep it off. Before he tried dozing off, Ratchet popped in again.

"Hey there, Prime. How you doing?" he asked. Prime's answer was huge yawn, followed by a few coughs. Ratchet chuckled. "I see the sleeping agent is starting to kick in. That's good. You certainly look like you could use the rest. How have you been feeling so far?"

It took Optimus a moment to answer; he felt himself sinking. "Like…Grimlock trampled me while Jazz and…Blaster played that cursed music, directly in…my audio receptor."

Ratchet laughed again. "Is that so? Well, hopefully with rest you'll be doing better." Optimus absentmindedly nodded in agreement, or he was nodding off as he fell asleep. Ratchet could tell he was hardly listening and was more interested in resting. "Well, I won't keep you. Get plenty of sleep, sir." The response he got was soft snoring; he smiled softly, then left the room quietly and rejoined the others in the command center.

"How is he?" Bumblebee asked.

"Finally sleeping," the medic replied. "And just to make sure he stays asleep, I don't want anyone walking by the medical bay. Is that clear?" Everyone agreed.

They all jumped when the alarm suddenly went off. Ironhide quickly ran to Teletraan-1 to shut it off as to not disturb Prime, and to see what the emergency was.

"What's going on, Hide?" Sparkplug asked.

"Whaddaya think? Megatron's at it again," Ironhide answered.

Prowl stepped up. "Teletraan-1, give us a visual." Then, the screen showed the Decepticons attacking a power grid, using it to make Energon. "If they steal all that power, the whole city could go into a blackout for who knows how long."

"We've got to stop them!" said Bumblebee.

"How?" Huffer protested. "Prime is sick and can't lead us! We can't fight without him leading the charge!"

"Well, Optimus wouldn't want us sitting around doing nothing either," said Sideswipe. "I say we get going and kick some Decepticon tailpipe!"

"I'm with you!" said Cliffjumper.

"Since Prime is out of commission for now," said Ironhide, "I will be taking temporary command of the Autobots."

"Let's get going!" said Spike.

"I'll stay here," said Ratchet. "Someone's got to keep an eye on Optimus."

"Autobots!—" Ratchet harshly shushed Ironhide, gesturing to the medical bay. "Alright, alright," Ironhide grumbled, then ordered softly, "Autobots, transform and roll out!" After transforming, Spike and Sparkplug hopped into Bumblebee and they all sped out of the base, headed straight for the power grid.

Meanwhile, the evil Decepticon leader Megatron and his second-in-command Starscream stood by and watched the others suck the energy from the grid into Energon cubes. Nearby was a blaster cannon, ready to be filled with energy and do some heavy damage.

"Faster, you fools!" Megatron demanded. "We need to drain the energy from this power grid dry before the Autobots arrive!"

"Hmph!" Starscream scoffed. "If I were in charge, we would already be done and on our way by now! That's why I should be the new leader of the Decepticons!"

"You couldn't lead the Decepticons across the street!" Megatron countered. "Soundwave, how much longer!?"

"94 percent of the energy has been conserved, Lord Megatron," Soundwave replied.

"Excellent! At this rate, we will have enough energy for ourselves to defeat Optimus Prime and his Autobots!"

"I am surprised they haven't showed up yet," said Rumble as he stacked another cube. "Usually they're on our tails right about now."

"The jig is up, Mega-crum!" The Decepticons looked up to see the Autobots pull up, a cloud of dirt settling behind them. Spike and Sparkplug went for cover.

"Way to go, dummy!" Frenzy groaned. "You jinxed it!"

"Wait," said Thundercracker, "where's Optimus?"

Megatron noticed that his arch rival was nowhere in sight. "Where is Optimus Prime, Autobots?"

"Aw, are we not good enough for you?" said Ironhide. "My feelings are hurt."

Megatron laughed. "It doesn't matter. With or without Optimus Prime, we will still destroy you!"

"100 percent of energy has been conserved, Megatron!" Soundwave reported.

"Excellent, excellent!" Megatron grinned. Then, the power nearby shut down, and the grid went offline with a low hum. "You are too late, Autobots! Decepticons, load the Energon into the blaster cannon!" His men did so, and the cannon powered up with a loud whir. He went to the controls and got ready to attack. "Now, prepare to be obliterated!"

"Autobots, attack!" Ironhide ordered.

But, before they could advance, Megatron fired the cannon and a powerful blast knocked the Autobots to the ground. No one was hit by the blast, but were shaken up by the strength of the blast.

"Well, that packed a punch," Bumblebee groaned.

"Are you guys okay?" asked Spike.

"We're fine, you two stay back," Mirage ordered. "That thing could easily destroy you."

"Guys!" exclaimed Sunstreaker. "He's firing it up again!"

"Watch out!"

Megatron fired the blaster again, and the Autobots scurried to avoid being annihilated. Large chunks of rock went flying everywhere; the bots shielded themselves from the debris, as well as protecting Spike and Sparkplug.

"Oh, man, this isn't good," said Spike. "Even if we had Optimus here, I don't think they can stop Megatron."

"Not with that new gadget, they can," Sparkplug added.

"Come on, guys! We got to do something!" Cliffjumper stated. "We can't just give up! It'd be a disgrace to our cause!"

"He's right," said Hound.

"I say we divide and conquer!" said Sideswipe.

"Okay!" Ironhide shouted. "Prowl, you take half of us and take the right flank! The rest of you, come with me!"

The Autobots divided into two squadrons and charged to attack. Megatron aimed the blaster at Ironhide's group and fired, causing them to scatter. Prowl's group took on the Decepticons in hand-to-hand combat. The Seekers took to the air and bombarded the Autobots with blasts. For a short while the battle was stagnant, until Megatron fired the cannon blaster again.

The blast took down both Cliffjumper and Hound, striking them in the side and leg. Their wounds were charred and smoldering. Jazz, Bluestreak, and Wheeljack rushed over. "Are you guys alright?!" asked Jazz.

"Do we look alright?!" Cliffjumper griped.

Wheeljack examined the extent of their wounds. "This is bad. They need Ratchet."

"Let's take them back to base," suggested Bluestreak.

"No, we can't move them. It will only worsen their injuries."

"But, can we really call Ratchet here? I doubt he'd be willing to leave Optimus alone," winced Hound.

"You guys don't worry about it," Wheeljack told him, then messaged back to base. :: Wheeljack to Ratchet. Wheeljack to Ratchet, come in please! ::

Back at the Ark, Ratchet was tinkering a little in his lab when he received a call. He sat down his tools and answered. :: Ratchet here. Go ahead, Wheeljack. ::

:: Ratchet! Megatron has this new blaster cannon powered by the energy from the power grid, and now Cliff and Hound have been seriously injured! They need you A.S.A.P.! ::

Ratchet's optics widened. He began to pace around the room. :: I hear you, Wheeljack, but I can't just leave Optimus here by himself! ::

:: And we can't move them back to base, Ratchet! You have to come here! ::

Ratchet grumbled. He quietly hurried to the medical bay to check in on Optimus. Slowly sliding open the door, he saw Optimus was still asleep, with Roller powered down under the berth. The big guy appeared to be resting soundly. Perhaps Ratchet could patch up the others before Optimus ever woke up…

:: Alright, give me a minute :: he replied to Wheeljack.

:: We don't have a minute! Bumblebee's down, too! You got to get here qui—AAUGH! ::

The line went dead, all Ratchet could hear was static. "Wheeljack? Wheeljack!" He began to worry for the others. He wondered if Optimus was better and out there fighting that this wouldn't happen. Not that he was blaming Optimus; he just felt this situation was quite unfortunate. He quickly gathered his medical kit, checked on Optimus one last time, then took off from the base towards the battle.

By the time he got there, two other bots were down for the count due to Megatron's latest weapon. He tended to those who were more critically wounded, patching up the best he can.

"The medic?!" Megatron roared. "Where is Optimus Prime?! I want him to feel the wrath of my blaster cannon!"

"Ratchet, be careful," Bumblebee winced as Ratchet fixed up his shoulder. "His cannon really pack a punch."

"Don't you worry about me," Ratchet replied.

"Ratchet, how's Optimus doing?" softly asked Sideswipe as he looked out for his wounded twin.

"He's fine, still resting," Ratchet answered, "no doubt from the medicine I gave him in his soup. I'm hoping he'll still be sleeping by the time I get back."

Shortly after Ratchet left, Optimus began to stir. He thought he heard someone talking, which is what roused him from sleep. He yawned, sat up slowly and stretched. While he still felt tired and a bit nauseous, he felt a little better. He also noticed how quiet the base was. Part of him figured it was so he could get the rest he needed, but something told him that this didn't feel normal.

Very carefully, he wrapped himself up in the thermo-blanket and peeked out the door into the hallway. Optimus didn't hear anything. He entered the hall, using the wall for support, and headed for the command center.

"Hello?" he weakly called out. "Is there anyone here?" No one replied, confirming that the entire base was empty. "That's funny. Where is everyone?" Starting to worry, he headed for Teletraan-1. "Teletraan-1, please tell me where the others went."

Then, satellite imaging showed the battle scene, Megatron using a large blaster cannon, and the wounded Autobots. This shocked the Prime, seeing what was happening. "Six of them are down, and the others are struggling to fight back Megatron's forces…" He could see Spike and Sparkplug were still alright. But watching his friends suffer from Megatron's wrath without him there to help? It left a fiery pit in his spark. At that instant, he dropped his blanket, transformed, and sped off.

Back on the battlefield, Prowl's group strove to keep back the Decepticons, but were soon overpowered. The rest of the Autobots went to aid and protect the wounded. Megatron wickedly laughed as the fight went on.

"Look, Lord Megatron! We are winning!" Starscream exclaimed.

"You blasted fool!" Megatron scorned. "We are only close to victory when Optimus is defeated!"

"What if he's planning an ambush?" asked Thundercracker.

"He wouldn't wait this long while his men are being attacked," said Frenzy. "He would have acted ages ago."

"I don't know how much more we can take," said Huffer.

"Quit bein' so negative!" Ironhide barked. "We got to keep going!"

The Witwicky's watched the fight from behind the rocks, fearing for the safety of their friends. "Oh, this is terrible," Spike said worriedly. "We have to do something to help them, Dad."

"There's not much we can do, son," Sparkplug answered as he shook his head. "We'd only get in the way."

Then, Spike noticed a dust cloud rising in the distance. "Hey, what's that over there?"

Spike also turned and saw the same thing. "I don't know, but it's coming this way."

"Hey, guys! Look at that!"

The Autobots turned and also saw the approaching dust cloud. "Now who could that be?" grunted Cliffjumper. That question was answered as something sped by them, then screeched to a halt.

"Who goes there?!" demanded Megatron.

Then, as the dust settled, they all heard the sound of something transforming, and were shocked to see…

"Optimus Prime?!"

"What's he doing here?" Ratchet said. "There's no way he can fight in his condition…"

Optimus stood a little hunched over, trying to regain his breath. His spark pounded and his core temperature was sky-rocketing. He exerted a lot of energy just to get there, and he felt exhausted. But there was no way he was going to back down, not when his friends needed him. He clenched his fists, hoping Megatron wouldn't notice his illness.

"Ah, there you are, Optimus Prime!" Megatron said. "You're just in time to see the capabilities of my new favorite toy! You can see the effects of its power on your men there. And now, I will use it on you!"

"Optimus, get out of there!" shouted Ironhide.

But Optimus appeared unfazed by Megatron's threats. Instead, he began to charge head-on towards him.

"What's he doing?" Starscream asked.

"Is he nuts?" said Rumble.

Megatron laughed as he charged up the blaster. "So be it, Optimus Prime! Prepare to be annihilated!" He fired the weapon, but everyone was shocked to see Optimus avoid the blast by dodging. Megatron growled and recharged the weapon, then fired again. Optimus dodged the second blast, picking up the pace. Then he transformed his servo into a red-hot battle axe.

"No, no!" Megatron shouted. With a powerful swing, Optimus destroyed the blaster cannon with his axe, and the weapon went kaput. Some of the energy returned to the grid, powering up and sending electricity to where it needed to be.

"No! My cannon blaster! Curse you, Prime!" Megatron swore. He transformed his servo into a mace, and the two began to duel.

"I don't get it," said Bee. "Optimus is so sick, but he can still fight?"

With each swing, duck, and attack, Optimus felt his energy drain faster and faster. His vision blurred and his mind felt extremely cloudy, and all the dust and dirt around him made him want to cough his throat wires. But he had to keep going for as long as he could. He also had to be careful with how much damage he took. One wrong blow could take him out instantly, leaving him vulnerable.

Soon, they switched from hand-to-hand combat and pulled out their blasters. Optimus fired multiple rounds from his blaster pistol, while Megatron fired from his arm cannon. Each sonic boom of the blasts rang in Optimus's audio receptors, which had become sensitive due to his illness. He groaned loudly and tried his hardest not to flinch.

"Not talkative today, are you, Prime?" Megatron said. "What's the matter? Ravage got your vocal processor?"

The other Autobots watched with concern. "I don't think Optimus can take much more," said Prowl. "I can see him shaking from here."

"This isn't good," said Bee. "Someone's got to do something."

"Hush a minute, boys," said Ironhide. "I'm comin' up with a plan."

Optimus struggled to maintain aim, but he felt too dizzy and could hardly think straight. He just tried to keep his pistol steady. However, he could feel himself rapidly deteriorating. He really did not feel good.

Megatron then blasted the ground near his feet, causing him to lose balance and fall flat on his back with a loud groan. The Decepticon tyrant laughed evilly as he approached his opponent. "Well, this is a first, Prime. I've never seen you this weak before. I almost feel sorry for you, but not sorry enough to spare you."

Optimus wanted to move, but his entire body felt like a weight was forcing him to stay down. He could barely lift his head. His spark pounded as Megatron aimed his arm cannon at Optimus Prime's chest, ready to destroy his spark chamber and end his life.

"Autobots, attack!"

Megatron looked up and saw the standing bots charge towards him. They blasted their own weapons, showing no sign of ceasing fire. Megatron used his arms to shield himself; while he was distracted, Optimus somehow managed to fight the heaviness he felt and kicked Megatron back onto the ground. He rolled over, got to his feet, and ran.

"Decepticons! Retreat! Retreat!" he demanded hastily, and they all took off into the air, disappearing from view within seconds.

The Autobots celebrated and cheered.

"Alright, we did it!" Bumblebee cheered.

"Optimus!" Spike exclaimed with worry, earning everyone's attention. They all gathered around their leader, hoping he was alright.

Ratchet checked him quickly. "He's blacked out, too much strain on his body. And he's overheating badly. We need to get him back to the medical bay, immediately!"

When Optimus eventually came to, his senses came online one at a time. He could hear the others and the sound of a monitor nearby; he became aware of the berth he laid on and the thermos-blanket draped over him; he noticed the familiar smell of the Ark; slowly, his optics came online, but took a moment to adjust. He could tell the lights were dimmed. He took in a deep, raspy breath, and exhaled loudly.

"Oh, he's waking up…" someone said quietly.

Optimus turned his head and saw that all of his friends surrounded his berth, all with relieved expressions on their faces.

"You gave us quite a scare," said Sparkplug. "We didn't think you'd wake up."

Optimus gave a hoarse chuckle. "Sorry to worry you…"

"Yeah, you'd better be sorry," Ratchet grouched. "What the heck were you thinking, coming to fight in your condition! You could have been killed!"

"I know…" Optimus winced. "But I…couldn't let you guys die…" As much as he tried to hide it, they all heard his vocal processor crack and noticed his optics beginning to flood with lubricant.

"Thanks for helping us," said Bumblebee, smiling warmly. "It was really brave of you to come save us when you feel this bad."

"We honestly thought you were crazy," said Cliffjumper, "but I guess not even sickness can stop you."

Optimus stuffily sniffled and coughed. "You're welcome…"

"Yeah, well just remember something," said Ironhide. "There's a thin line between being a hero, and being a memory."

This made Optimus laugh. "What, you intend to recite my own quotes against me?"

"That's right."

"And this time," Ratchet stated, "I am making sure you stay in this berth! Today, privacy does not exist!"

Optimus softly chuckled with a sigh. "I suppose I deserve that…" Then he had a thought. "Does that include the bathroom?"

Everyone turned and stared at Ratchet, who began to blush. He cleared his throat and grumbled, "O-Of course, not! I'm not that cruel!"

Optimus smiled at everyone's laughter; then after they left, he went right back to sleep, hoping to rest as long as he wanted. And he made a mental note to never take advantage of rest ever again.