Shadowfire

Chapter 26

I could feel the energon pounding in my circuits, each pulse in time with the beat of the human's helicopters, escorting the convoy of alt forms to the air strip. I drove side by side with Ironhide, the Autobot commlink silent. There was nothing more to say.

'Hide's pace was slow, and the rest of the Autobots matched their pace to his. I could feel how every movement sent pain lancing through his chassis, but he pushed onwards. I fought to keep lubricant from leaking out my optics.

We delayed entering the spacecraft for as long as we could, waiting outside as we said our goodbyes to Sam and our human friends. 'Hide had drawn my dad aside and was saying his farewells.

Optimus bowed his head as he addressed Sam.
"What your leaders say is true, this is all my fault. I told them who to trust, I was so wrong. The Director was right, it was I who brought Sentinel here" I felt his guilt, the mirror image to my own, pulsing in my spark. If only I had made him listen to me about Sentinel. If only, if only-
"That doesn't make it your fault, it just makes you human for a change" Sam wiped at his eyes furiously, clutching at Bee "you have to be coming back" he said, voice breaking with emotion "you can't just let them do this to you"
"You are my friend Sam, you always will be, but your leaders have spoken- and we must respect that, or we are no different from the Decepticons"

I drew away, allowing Sam and Bee shared a few private words, my optics heating at the touching farewell between the human and his guardian. My crying uncle embraced my holoform before my dad pulled him away. I stood beside 'Hide on the ramp leading into the bowels of the shuttle.

"We can't just let them do this to us, we have to-"
"There's nothing we can do Shad" he put an arm on my shoulder and I felt the pain caused by the movement echo across my chassis. I turned to face him, reaching a hand out towards the patch of insidious rust defacing his chassis, he caught my joint just before my servo made contact.
"Don't" he said, vocal processor made rough with emotion "I don't want you touching it"
"'Hide-"
"It's going to kill me Shad, I don't want you touching it"
"Ironhide-" I didn't know what I was going to say, I didn't want 'Hide ashamed of any part of himself, malicious rust destroyed parts included, but whatever I might have said was cut off by Optimus, who interrupted us, placing a servo on my shoulder.
"We're loading up"

I nodded, and turned to wave a final goodbye to the only planet I had known as the rest of the 'Bots entered the spacecraft, I frowned- where was Wheelie? But I dismissed the though as I heard the engines engage and went to step inside the craft, I didn't know where I was going, but at least I would be with most of my family.

Optimus was blocking my way.
"What are you doing?" I asked "We're about to take off"

The leader of the Autobots looked at me with deep sadness in his optics.

"I'm sorry Shadowfire, but this is for your own good"
"What are you saying-"
"Earth is your home, and I would not leave it without one last protector"

"Optimus what-"

The spacecraft beneath me shuddered and the door began to close, I lunged forward, trying to get inside, but Optimus pushed me away, his firm shove sending me backwards, off the ramp, I collapsed onto the tarmac below with enough force to crack the pavement.

"Optimus!" I cried, reaching out as if to have him pull me up.
"Stay safe little one"

And then I was falling, collapsing backwards into a memory- he had said that same thing to me before, the image was hazy at best, nothing but blackness at worst, he had said that exact thing to me as he sent me away from Cybertron, towards the relative safety of Earth.

By the time I came back to myself the shuttle was high above me, streaking into the clear blue sky.

An energon alert was pinging rapidly, and I looked up, startled to see a Decepticon streaking towards the Autobot spacecraft.

"No!!" I screamed, reaching out with the commlink to warn them, but it was too late. Six high strength missiles connected with the shuttle, which exploded into pieces of shrapnel, falling back towards Earth.

Pain tore through my spark at the sight, they were gone, my family and, my spark gave a particularly painful pulse, my sparkmate- Ironhide.

I fell to my knees as I watched the wreckage fall to earth. No. No it couldn't be possible. Everywhere humans were running about, talking to each other in hurried tones. It was their fault, those slagging humans had turned on the Autobots and sent them to their deaths. If only I hadn't been damaged, if I hadn't been dragged into a corrupted memory, I would be known what was happening sooner, I could've warned them. It was my fault, this whole thing was my fault.

I forced myself to my pedes and transformed into my alt mode, tearing towards the command centre, where that woman was, a distance away from the launch site- the final request of my family who I had just seen murdered before my very optics. I arrived just as Mearing was climbing into an SUV.

"You. You did this" I accused, holoform advancing on the Director of National Intelligence.
"I understand you have suffered a tragic loss, but mind your words carefully Private Lennox"
"Are you threatening me?" I laughed, oh if she knew just what she was threatening.
"Leah!" Frag, I cursed, there was no way I could give this son of a glitch what she deserved with Epps and Lennox closing in.
"Take it however you will, but I am very busy and you're wasting my time" My dad and uncle reached us and placed restraining hands on my holoform.
"It's your fault! Don't you feel any remorse at all?!" I demanded, anger replacing despair.
"It was a tragic accident-"
"It was no accident! You let that happen, you sent them to their deaths!" I lunged at her, but Epps and Lennox held me back.

"You're going to be court maritaled for that Private. Get her out of here" the woman said dismissively, turning away from me and boarding the waiting vehicle.

As soon as she was gone I collapsed.
"I should've been with them" I sobbed into Lennox's chest "I should've been on that ship"