Optimus Prime's unusual Charge

Shadows Revealed

Not very long after Agent Fowler called for them, the air ambulance arrived. The kids were loaded up and together with him and Nurse Darby, they were flown to the military medical center for more advanced care. Ratchet was left alone in the base. He hasn't heard from his team, and was growing more nervous by the second. He decided to call Optimus to check if they were alright.

As Ratchet's worry mounted, he reached for his comlink and dialed Optimus's frequency. The line buzzed for a moment before finally connecting.

"Optimus, it's Ratchet," he said, his voice tense with concern. "I haven't heard from the team. Are you all right?"

There was a brief pause before Optimus's voice crackled over the comlink. "Ratchet, we are still engaged in battle, but we are holding our own. Zucky's intervention has proven invaluable. We have Megatron contained for the time being."

Relief flooded through Ratchet at the news, though he couldn't shake the lingering worry for his teammates. "Thank Primus," he muttered, his optics dimming with exhaustion. "Please, stay safe."

Optimus's voice held a note of reassurance. "We will, Ratchet.  We'll regroup as soon as we can, but for now, focus on the children. We will handle things here."

With a nod, Ratchet ended the communication, his thoughts turning back to the young humans under his care. As he prepared to wait for news of their condition, a sense of determination filled him. 

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Megatron snarled. "You think you're safe? As soon as your pet lets go of those controls, no one will be safe!" He continued trying to brute force his way out of the restraints. Hearing these words sent an icy shiver down Zucky's spine. She wracked her brain for a solution to get off this ship.

She was so focused on keeping Megatron under wraps, that she failed to notice the door to the room opening. A bot silently made his way into the room, slowly but surely sneaking up on her. It was Makeshift. His featureless facade, akin to that of a shadow with lit up eyes, loomed ever closer to the dragon.

Zucky suddenly felt as if she was being watched, but before she could turn her head to see, the bot took on the appearance of Starscream. The dragon almost screamed her head off, but remembered that Starscream, with his amnesia was on her side, believing her to be his friend. " goodness, Starscream...you scared me..." She panted while trying to calm her heart. 

As Zucky attempted to calm her racing heart, Starscream, or rather Makeshift disguised as him, approached with an unsettling smoothness. His optic sensors glowed with an eerie intensity, reflecting the dim light of the control room.

"Apologies, my dear Zucky," Makeshift said with a voice that mimicked Starscream's tone almost perfectly. "I did not mean to startle you."

Zucky forced herself to take deep breaths, trying to steady her nerves. She couldn't afford to let fear cloud her judgment, especially not now when Megatron's fury still raged unabated. But something about how Starscream spoke did not sit right with her. 

A while ago, he spoke almost like a child. Innocent, often clueless and more interested in playing fun games. This Starscream spoke as if he's reverted back to his normal self. Did he get knocked around hard enough that his amnesia was suddenly cured? Her breath caught in her throat when she noticed something was off, but she tried to act as if all was normal.

"It's... it's all right," Zucky replied, her voice trembling slightly despite her efforts to sound composed. "What brings you here?"

The Makeshift's lips curled into a sinister smile, his guise of friendliness belying the danger that lurked beneath the surface. "Oh, just checking in on our little operation," he said smoothly, his gaze flickering towards Megatron's restrained form. "I must say, you've done quite a commendable job keeping the warlord at bay."