Transformers Prime: Sparkbeat {Completed}

Chapter 16: Chased Out

Emma's POV:

I crush the computer in my jaws and fling it around. Why am I doing this? Eh. Ratchet told me to.

"Autobots, retreat!" Ratchet calls out from somewhere in the fight. Retreat?

Mmmkay lets roll. I help Everence onto my back, and make my way over to Ratchet and Optimus.

"Emma, can you carry them both?" Ratchet asks me, Optimus weakly leaning on him.

I nod and get low for Optimus to climb on. Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead gather, while Ultra Malachite runs for Mithra. We're really leaving...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Optimus lays back on the rocky ground, Ratchet mending his wounds with swift and careful servos. We had retreated and found a depressingly lonely cave out in the canyons where we had fled; my legs are aching from both carrying the femme and the Prime all this way. The sun is setting and the clouds are stretching across the sky with light pink and orange colors, streaking across the sky with beauty.

Mithra looks confused, and sits in Malachite's arms, looking around with round optics. Bumblebee had wounded his left arm, a simple wound, nothing to that of Everence, who Ratchet turns to when he finishes with Optimus; Arcee has just gotten a cut on her leg, and surprisingly Bulkhead is unhurt, as well as Malachite.

"Thanks Ratchet." Everence smiles gratefully when the doc successfully patches up her wound.

The medic nods and stands up, and I'll be darned Optimus and Everence pass out in exhaustion.

Ultra Malachite hands Mithra to Ratchet, and she lets out a squeal of laughter and hugs him tightly, and that makes him smile, and my heart warms with affection.

Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead find a place to sit down; as do Ratchet and Malachite, side by side.

Mmmkay I want in. I trot over to Optimus and curl up at his legs, as a dog would.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A gentle servo stroking my shoulder wakes me, it's maybe about four in the morning, the dark sky clouded with grey and dark blue, and it's soothingly cool out. Optimus is stroking me, and I realize he must have been awake for a while.

"Can't sleep, huh big boy?" I lift my head and gently growl, not menacing, but welcoming.

He can't understand me, but he does sigh and say, "we've lost the base; we have nothing now, no means of contacting anyone else, or bridging to a safer place."

This makes me sigh as well. Everything we know is taken, and the Decepticons have won. And Miko, Jack and Raf... Months ago when Optimus, Ratchet and Arcee were captured, we had to tell them to find different rides home and be away from the base until we got our bots back. I miss them, no one is ever going to be that comforting.

Optimus's servo is gentle, and I make a slight purring noise. Except for this.

A giggling sound makes Optimus and I jump, but we both chill out when we see Mithra has just crawled away from Ratchet and was making her way over to us. She laughs, her little optics shining bright. Optimus smiles and lifts her into his lap. Mithra giggles excitedly and hugs him, and I just have to wag my tail a bit. Mithra seems to find it interesting, because she starts grabbing my tail and fiddling with it.

"Megatron thinks she's mine." Optimus murmurs, watching her closely. "What if she gets hurt?"

"We're not gonna let that happen." I shake my head and wiggle my tail for her to try to catch. She waves around and tries to grab it, laughing the whole time. Nothing will ever happen to her. I tell myself.