Forever A Team: Transformers Animated

Chapter XXX

Julie had been in stasis for days, as they sat in the base. To their luck, Ultra Magnus gave the ok on Julie still being with the team, but that didn't stop him from worrying about the sparkling. Apparently the team had been getting onto him about how grumpy he has been since she helped not only stop the trap from the Decepticons, but apparently Unicron had been corrupting Ultra Magnus's hammer in the process.

He couldn't help thinking about how she had been acting ever since the Elite Guard had showed up on the planet, that ever since she had been acting subtly different, getting weaker easily as she thought about it. Deep in his spark he was worried that she wouldn't wake up. When he looked at her, he noticed how her skin was looking pretty white, and at the same time her spark seemed to be acting up, abnormally in the process.

"Ratchet, are you okay?" Optimus asked as he approached me. "You seem different."

"You think I am okay? Julie hasn't woken up in days and everything I have done to help her has turned out to be a waste of time. She's deteriorating. The only thing I can possibly think of to help rid her of this condition would be another fragment, but I cannot promise it will bring out any good." Ratchet cried as he turned to Optimus. "I've done everything else and yet she hasn't woken up."

"Do you truly think she needs more of the Allspark energy?" Optimus asked. "I want her to recover too, but what happens if she has too much?"

"I don't know what else to do. Ever since the incident with Ultra Magnus's hammer, I worry that Unicron has messed her up.

Prowl came running into the mainroom, distracting Optimus and him in the process as they looked up at him. "Julie's awake, but she won't look or speak to me." Prowl spoke as he looked at them.

"What do you mean, she is awake isn't she?" Ratchet asked. "Surely she would have said something."

"Guys, you need to get into the medbay." Bumblebee cried on the comlink. "She's acting funny."

Turning toward the medbay, he took off running down the hall to find Julie sitting frozen still like a statue.

"Julie?" He asked as he looked at her, only she wouldn't look at him. She sat there looking at a corner of the room, staring at it as they stood at the entrance.

"Julie, you're awake." Sari cried, running between their pedes, for the medical bed.

"Sari, wait." Ratchet cried, but the girl didn't listen. Running toward the medical bed, Bumblebee walked over and helped Sari up onto the bed against his protests, but he merely sat there and watched.

"Julie, are you okay?" Sari asked as the human girl approached her. Though the second the girl stood in range of Julie's view, Julie twitched and looked down at her own servos as though she was in pain.

"Julie?" Ratchet cried, but Optimus blocked him as they watched Sari work her own magic on the girl.

"Sari, I don't deserve your kindness." Julie spoke, making his spark go still. "I'm a demon. A monster."

"Are you kidding? You revealed that Unicron was living inside the Magnus hammer." Bumblebee cried, making Julie shiver and shake as she turned away from them even more. He hit Bee on the side of the head, mad that she was terrified with them, as she started to shake and sob in front of them.

"Julie?" Sari asked as the girl sat in front of Julie.

"I have learned of where my destined battle will take me." Julie spoke up as she turned and faced them. "In half of a year, I will leave your world, but not before I find myself having to face Unicron's spirit that has now tainted my own spark." She cried as she looked away from them and at her servos. "Not even Primus was able to help me much more than temporarily. He said eventually I would have to fight him off myself, as far as how, I have no idea."

"Julie?" Ratchet whispered as he walked toward her, but the girl merely curled up in a ball and avoided his gaze. "Julie, look at me." Ratchet cried as he approached her near the med. "Just as you have said, time and time again, you're the Descendent of Primus. Surely with all the powers and everything else that makes you who you are, he would not leave you defenseless against this dark enemy."

"How can I be brave enough to face this, though? I'm terrified. I never asked for any of this to happen to me. I was merely a child before I learned I had powers like my ancestors, and now here I am finding myself destined to save world after world and eventually face Unicron himself. The very enemy that has been killing my ancestors for millions of years."

"Maybe that is why Primus chose you, because you're the only one who would probably be willing enough to take on Unicron." Optimus spoke, gaining her attention as Julie turned and finally looked at them.

"I'm not willing, though. Yes I want him to be stopped for killing my ancestors, but at the same time I am terrified. Is that wrong of me, to admit I am terrified of the idea?" Julie asked as she turned and looked at them. "I saw Primus speaking to me, but soon he was replaced by Unicron and there was nothing I could do against him. He sat there taunting me and showing me things that I was going to end up doing, which in honest truth, I truly am afraid will end up happening. I saw him using me against my will, to kill Primus and not just Primus, but all the life that Primus had created."

"Julie...Julie, we will fight to keep you safe and with us. You are a member of this team and I know in your heart that you wouldn't wish ill upon anyone." Ratchet cried as he looked at her. "You need to have more faith in yourself, as well as in us as a group. You're not alone in this."

"Ratchet is right, you are a true autobot at heart. I know you said Primus doesn't choose sides, but I know you are a true autobot, either way." Optimus replied. As he turned and looked at Optimus that was when he realized, he truly cared for her. He could see it in the bot's optics.

"Optimus, can I talk to you for a second?" He asked.

Surprised for the sudden suggestion, Opitmus turned to him and eventually nodded. Walking out of the room ahead of him. As Ratchet followed him to the main room, Optimus turned to him and sighed. "Is something wrong?"

"Do you have feelings for Julie?" Ratchet asked, deciding to be blunt. "I noticed that you have been acting a little odd recently, and I also have noticed you panicking more everytime she has been gone or injured."

"Not much different from yourself, when you also tend to panick for her, as well as insisting she sleeps in your alt mode because of her allergy." Optimus replied.

"That is not what I mean, I mean, do you love her?" Ratchet cried as he looked at Optimus. "If you do, I am not gonna complain, but I do want you to consider the fact that like she once said, she holds more title then a Magnus."

"Do you truly believe I can't have a chance to give her love?" Opitmus asked. "It is obvious she struggles to even know what love is."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes I love her! If I could kiss her right now I would. Do you really believe I wouldn't?" Opitmus cried. "She is beautiful, she is brave and strong, even if she doesn't acknowledge herself for her successes. Now that she is saying that Unicron is wanting to attack and harm her, of course I am worried, but how am I to stand a chance against Unicron when she doesn't?"

"I ask you to be careful. I care for the girl too, but the last thing she needs is you to hurt her in the end. If you hurt her, I promise you I will refrain from being a member of this team." Ratchet exclaimed.