Alias

I've Got You

Optimus strode to Wheeljack’s lab, fists tight with rage. How could they have let something like this happen? Knowing that Starscream hadn’t gotten a good enough look at Alias to realize that she was no he was only a little comfort–he had never wanted her to be anywhere near the Decepticons ever again, and his Autobots had let her get close enough to actually attack Starscream! 

He turned the final corner and glared when he saw Crosshairs and Ironhide waiting for him outside the lab. “Prime, wait,” Crosshairs said, holding up his hands.

“You are the last Autobot who should speak to me right now, Crosshairs,” Prime cut him off.

“I know, you’re right, but if you’ll just wait one second–”

“Get out of my way,” Optimus snarled, not even pausing his approach.

“Calm down and we will,” Ironhide said, stepping in front of Crosshairs to block the door, and he didn’t move even when Optimus got right up in his face.

“Why are you both out here instead of in there?” Prime demanded. He shot Crosshairs a furious glare when they still didn’t move. “You have already failed to protect her once–”

“I promise you, she’s absolutely safe,” Crosshairs said quickly.

“She shut herself down, Prime,” Ironhide confirmed. “All right? Now just calm down a little and we’ll let you go in.”

Prime kept seeing Starscream throwing punches at Alias in an endless, terrible loop in his mind. It wasn’t conducive to calming down. “I don’t need you to let me go anywhere, Ironhide.”

“Yeah, I know it well,” Ironhide agreed. “And if you need to kick my ass again until you feel better, have at it. Just don’t take this in there. I promise you, right now is not the time. You’ll regret it. Unload on us, not her.”

The idea that Ironhide thought he would vent his temper on Anna was enough to finally pierce Prime’s haze of anger and worry. He stepped back and forced his emotions down until his face shield retracted–he hadn’t even realized he was still in battle-mode until that moment. Optimus closed his eyes and forced the memory of Starscream laying hands on Alias out of his mind, refusing to allow it to return until he finally found his center again. Only then did he manage to process what they’d just told him. “You say that she shut herself down?”

Both of them nodded. “That wasn’t the kind of thing that happened with the Dinobots or Spike. She knew the bastard,” Crosshairs said, and Optimus realized that the worry on the Autobot’s face was for Anna, not over whatever Optimus would do to him for this security lapse. “She was absolutely fine until Teletraan reported who you’d captured, and then she just… lost it.” 

“If she’s not actually in shock right now, she’s close,” Ironhide added. “It’s not good, Prime. Right now, you really need to be the calm one.” And then he and Crosshairs finally stepped aside to let him through.

Optimus entered the lab to find Wheeljack, Perceptor, Bumblebee and Skyfire all gathered so tightly around the central tables that he couldn’t see past them at all. Wheeljack was speaking too softly for him to make out the words, but the gentle, reassuring tone carried and Optimus could tell that he was trying to calm her down.

But no matter what he said, Anna made no sound at all.

Bee looked up at the sound of the door opening and saw Prime. He nudged Perceptor and Skyfire and they all turned apprehensively to face him, letting him see past them for the first time. Alias was crouched on the floor right beside the link machine, completely still and obviously powered-down, but both tables were empty. “Where is Anna?” Optimus asked when he had scanned the entire lab without locating her.