War Without End (Book 2 in "War" Series)

One~The

"When I get angry, I feel weak, and hear these voices in my head...

***

Autobot Outpost Omega One
Time: 22:54 PM
Date: The 23rd solar cycle of quartex 4
Status:
Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobot faction, has become one with the AllSpark. Our medical officer, Ratchet, has become distant since. The event took place on the 18th solar cycle of quartex four. He has refused to leave his quarters, to speak to anyone. No one has seen him this upset before and the remaining Autobots, myself included, worry what effect Optimus' demise might have had on him, and perhaps even on his...sanity.

Great going, Arcee. You've made Ratchet sound insane.

The two-wheeler sighed. How else was she supposed to word it? Ratchet probably hadn't even refueled. The death of Optimus had hit him harder than anyone had expected. Bumblebee was at his door most of the time, trying to get Ratchet to come out. The poor scout was doing everything he could, but Arcee could tell Bee was suffering in silence. Optimus had been a father figure to the young scout. He'd impacted every member of Team Prime in some way. Even the kids weren't the same. It scared Arcee, though she wouldn't admit it. Miko wasn't her lively self, Raf hardly spoke, and Jack...seemed sort of lifeless. Now that Arcee thought of it, they were all just lifeless. June had come in yesterday to see what the Autobots might have done to the kids and was devastated at the news. Nobody had told Fowler yet. They knew they needed to, but nobody knew how. The only reason why she was writing anything was because she knew Ratchet kept up regular status updates, until the 18th of April, anyway.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when Agent Fowler stormed in.

"PR-"

"Don't!" Arcee shouted before she thought. Agent Fowler blinked and stared at her in surprise.

"Don't...don't waste your breath..." Arcee finished, looking away as she hugged herself. "Optimus is gone."

"Gone how?" Agent Fowler asked, and Arcee gestured for him to follow. She didn't expect to do this right now and she didn't trust herself to speak. She led him to the medical bay where Optimus' frame still lay on a berth and gestured to it. Agent Fowler's jaw practically dropped to the floor in shock and horror, and for the first time, Arcee saw Agent Fowler genuinely scared to the point where he was frozen to the floor, face pale.

"Oh..." was all he could reply.

***

::Ratchet, please. I'll shoot down this door if you don't answer. You need energon,:: Bumblebee warbled on the other side. The room was dark, save for the single glow of a datapad, which glowed onto the armor of a white and orange paint job. Ratchet heard Bumblebee outside the door, but refused to listen to what he had to say. He knew he was low on energon, he was constantly reminded of it. However he wouldn't be doing anything that would cause him to refuel immediately within the next few megacycles. Bumblebee warbled again but he didn't pay attention. He stared at the datapad that glowed brightly in the dark room, cybertronian characters written on it in the Autobot dialect. He knew what they said-he wrote them.

But it was leading him nowhere. He couldn't find a way to help Optimus. Not now. He was just grasping at anything, but Optimus was nothing more than just an empty husk. One with the AllSpark.

And, though this wasn't devastating enough, Megatron had what he wanted; the Matrix of Leadership. And only Primus knew what he had in store for it.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard rapid fire coming from his door, before a loud BANG , and the door flew off its hinge and skid on the floor before stopping in front of Ratchet's berth. The room became immediately brighter from the light in the hallway, and Ratchet's frame could be seen leaning against the wall, staring at the datapad in defeat. Bee stood at the door, his big blue optics filled with worry as he walked in, his blasters retracting and his armor sliding over them again before sitting down next to him.

::Ratchet...:: he warbled, and the medic didn't even do so much as glance his way, or even yell his famous "I NEEDED THAT!". Arcee and Bulkhead had walked over to see what had happened and they were visible in the doorway, where Agent Fowler appeared a minute later. Ratchet finally responded, glancing over at Bumblebee blankly, but there was a hint of pain in his optics. Bumblebee couldn't help it; he set down the energon cube and pulled Ratchet into a tight hug. Arcee briefly wondered if that was to try and console Ratchet, or himself. They walked away after a minute, Arcee quietly asking why Fowler had come, and that seemed to snap the agent back into reality.

"The 'cons found energon near a populated city. I thought you would have known and taken care of that, but when you didn't..." he trailed off, and Arcee and Bulkhead went quiet.

"How's the situation now?" Bulkhead asked after a minute.

"The immediate residents nearby the area have been evacuated. It's been taken care of, just...when you get a chance, take care of it," Fowler muttered, walking up the steps and over to the lift. "Keep in touch. General Bryce is going to...for lack of a better term...lose it."

The two Autobots were quiet as they watched Agent Fowler go up the lift and then looked at each other.

"We need to talk," Arcee muttered. "To everyone."

She left the room and walked in the direction of Ratchet's quarters, stopping as she saw Bee still hugging an unresponsive and comatose-looking Ratchet. She sighed and left again, going to Ratchet's medbay and taking a syringe-type instrument, taking a vial of already-processed energon and walking back over to Ratchet, placing the energon in the syringe and injecting it, raising his levels again.

"Hopefully this will help," she muttered, sighing again. Bee eventually let go and Bulkhead hesitantly stepped inside.

"We...I mean, I know that we're all upset over what happened...and how it happened, but we need to move on. Optimus...Optimus is gone. He meant something to all of us. But Earth still isn't safe. The war-"

"With the Matrix in the wrong servos, the war is as good as over!"

Everyone was silent. Those were the first words Ratchet had said after that day.

"Ratchet, we have to try. We cannot let another world fall because of Megatron's reign! Think of the kids!"

Ratchet didn't respond and Arcee sighed. "We need to continue on. The war isn't over yet. I refuse to let the circumstances end like this. I will fight this war alone if I have to."

"Except, you don't," Bulkhead replied, and Bee warbled in agreement. Arcee smiled a little. Ratchet still didn't say anything.

::There is no one else Ratchet. Just us. Just the team.::

Ratchet didn't reply for the longest time before he sighed.

"Alright. For Optimus, if nothing else."

***

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Book Two of the "War" miniseries is now out! Officially!

Also I'm off school for two weeks which is a (very big) plus so yay hopefully I can write more stuff since y'all are waiting for Shattered Glass

Also! I have another idea for a story in my head that has reached the "what would the plot exactly be" stage! (Basically the third stage). It's based solely on OC's of mine, that I've taken time to create and now I want to use them for something more than a roleplay (though thank you Arya_Skye for letting me use them :> ). What do you think?

Yes I just advertised an idea on a new book I'm sorry I'm excited.

ANYWAY

What do you think of War Without End so far? What do you think the chapters are going to say this time?? ;)

lol ok bye guys