Who Guards the Guardians? (TFP/Bayverse crossover)

Recurrence

"The situation is out of our hands, Optimus." Agent Fowler's voice rang through the base, and the Prime was gazing at the screen with his faceplates unreadable. "We were able to track her movements until she left this state. It was almost as if-"

"She vanished..."

Ratchets voice makes Optimus turn, and Fowler nods on the screen. He was seated in his jet, eyes scanning the horizon. "Exactly. No energon readings have been found, and the sun is about to rise. I have to land for fuel soon, but we can't do anything else now." His eyes turn towards the bots, as if he was looking directly at them. "It's up to you to find them, Prime." With that, the feed cuts, and the Autobots are left on their own. Bulkhead had taken Miko home, and Smokescreen accompanied Raf. Sam and Bumblebee were out searching with Will and Ironhide. Sideswipe, furious, had raced out, being the first to take action and he hadn't commed in since. Optimus takes a step back, and he feels his legs start to give. 

Ratchet is at his side in a nanosecond, wrapping his leader's arm over his shoulders. "Easy Optimus..." The Prime only nods his helm, and the yellow medic shakes his head. "Over here..." He says while slowly leading Optimus to a large berth near the computers. The Prime doesn't argue, his processor elsewhere. Ratchet only grunts and returns to the computers, digits typing furiously. This does catch the blue and red mech's attention. "Ratchet?"

"Did you ever think the reason she 'vanished' was because she was out of energon?" Optimus' optics widen as Ratchet continues. "I had hoped my study over it would stay strictly experimental, but now I am glad I decided to delve deeper into dark energon." Filled with a new strength, the Prime is quick to the medical officer's side. "Are you able to pinpoint her location?" Ratchet doesn't say anything, focused on the screens. A map of the globe emerges, and the United States is highlighted. It zooms in, then sections off the central area of the states.

"I've almost got her.... I'm detecting dark energon in Colorado. Narrowing the search to known predacon deposits." This causes Optimus to lift his helm a bit in surprise. Ratchet only grunts. "Ever since we learned of the bone fragment in her spine, I have been searching for their signatures and found a few, very weak, as if they were hidden underground. On certain occasions, I had the team scout a few in hopes that we could find the people responsible for the desecration to Jazz." Optimus lays a servo on Ratchet's shoulder, causing the medical officer to slightly slump. "He would be grateful."

Suddenly, a purple signal lights up, and before Ratchet can say anything, Sideswipes icon pops up on screen next to the signal. "Hey, doc? Anyway anyone still at base?" Ratchet growls, but lets out a vent before answering. "No, the rest are out searching as well." Ratchet glares at the Prime, as if daring him to try to say otherwise, but Optimus stays silent. A grunt is heard through the comm, and Ratchet turns back to the screen. "Sideswipe?"

Another grunt, then a crash echoes through. Ratchet feels Optimus stiffen behind him, but the medical officer simply stares at the screens, watching Sideswipes icon and-

"By the Allspark! Sideswipe, fall back!" Ratchet cries out. 

A pained shout replies as the purple signal seems to crash into Sideswipes icon, sending it flying a good few feet. "No can do, doc. I was supposed to protect her.... I'll bring her back, so help my spark." The link is then severed, despite Ratchet yelling into it. "That dim witted, glitching, useless, microchip processor-"

The ground bridge suddenly swirls to life.

"Ah-Ah-Absolutely not!" Ratchet whirls, finding Optimus standing at the foot of the bridge. "Ratchet, you and I both know that Sideswipe will not last on his own-"

"You will not be any help either in that state!"

"That is why you will accompany me."

Ratchet sputters in shock. He starts to form a new protest, then Optimus turns towards him. The sight shocks Ratchet to his spark. The Prime was no longer hiding his emotions, and his optics held worry, brokenness, and regret. Fighting back his medical expertise, Ratchet opens a comm and sets the ground bridge up to switch destinations to Arcee and Cliffjumper. "Arcee, stay where you are. A ground bridge will arrive in three minutes. Return to base and set the ground bridge to the coordinates provided. We have located Rachel in the Elk Mountains in Colorado."