"What we find changes who we become."

~Peter Morville

>>•<<

Arcee felt a sharp jolt of pain each time she fired her guns, the burnt and slow-healing armor and wiring there sensitive to her own energon blasts.

And she loved it.

The femme was no sadist, but the pain let her know that she was still alive, that she had survived the Decepticon ambush, and was now able to exact her revenge on them. They took away her partner, and so she was going to take him back. No matter the condition he was in, she would always want to have Jack back.

Her guns quickly turned into swords the moment she got close enough to use them, slicing at the Vehicons that got in her way, not hesitating even though they reminded her of Shovel. She wouldn't let such a thought get her hurt, or killed.

Bumblebee fought alongside her, occasionally beeping obscenities at the Decepticons as they continued to come in waves, his blasters able to find their marks better than the enemy's. And that was a good thing, too; it made surviving all the more easier.

::Bulkhead, go and search the cell blocks.:: Optimus Prime commanded. ::Arcee and Bumblebee, scout out the laboratories on this ship. I am going to the bridge.::

::I'm on it!:: Bulkhead replied, Arcee unable to refrain from protesting.

::Optimus, the Decepticons can easily trap you on the bridge. Don't let yourself get caught up in that!::

::Going to the bridge will ensure that Megatron, our biggest threat, is contained. Once you find Jack, Miko, and Rafael, I will retreat.:: His tone indicated that there was no room for argument. It frustrated Arcee to no end, how their commander would always put himself in the worst of positions, but given that he outraged her, she had to yield.

::Understood. Scouting the labs now with Bee.:: Cutting the connection, she huffed with frustration before refocusing on the Vehicon's coming her way.

Come and get it, Decepticon scrap.

>>•<<

Bulkhead charged down the halls of the Nemesis, beating back any Vehicon that got in his way, a force to be reckoned with as shots hit him but did little damage. His armor was tough enough to withstand several blows.

The first several cells he had checked were empty, not showing any trace of humans- or Cybertronian. It hadn't escaped the Wrecker's mind that Wheeljack could be on this ship, if what June had told Jack was true. He also recalled, however, how she had lied to her son, saying that the Autobots had all been killed. According to Optimus, the warlord had figured out that it was quite the opposite, and it was obvious. The Vehicons seemed unfazed that Autobots were infiltrating the ship.

So, in conclusion, the human woman could have been lying about Wheeljack as well. But his kind and big spark wanted to give June the benefit of the doubt.

"Miko . . .?" Bulkhead whispers quietly as he opens the next cell door. "Jackie?"

There was no answer, and the big mech almost decided to skip the rest of the cell blocks. It was eerily silent, no sounds of a struggle or anything else in that area with him. A small but of logic told him to keep going, to be thorough, and so he did.

The first two doors were empty, and again he thought his search fruitless. But then when he opened the third door, a rush of relief, horror, and shock ran through him.

"Jackie!!"

Wheeljack looked close to death, a pool of energon collecting below him as he hung by chains, a gaping hole in the middle of his chest, optics dull and body unresponsive.

Transforming his wrecking balls back into hands, Bulkhead ran up to his friend, looking at each chain that held him in place. Face screwing up into a determined look, he then transformed his servos into guns and shot at each link, hitting them at their bases and dropping Wheeljack to the ground with a loud and terrible thud.

"Sorry buddy." Bulkhead grunted as he picked up the limp Wrecker and charged out the door. ::I found Wheeljack, but I need a Groundbridge now! He's dying!::

As the transmission came in June put a hand over her mouth. Wheeljack was alive. Barely, but he had somehow made it, survived the explosion and ended up on the Decepticon ship. A prisoner, more than likely.

Ratchet began smashing buttons as fast as possible, practically yelling over his comlink. ::I can only Groundbridge at the Nemesis coordinates, so I don't know where it's going to end up! You need to find a way to take down the Nemesis shields so I can get one to you directly!::

::I'm on it!!:: Bulkhead had no idea how to take down the shields. ::Uh, how do I do that?::

Ratchet let out a breath. Oh boy. ::Find a console, anything that will give you access to the Nemesis computers.::

Bulkhead looked around frantically, eventually finding one, setting Wheeljack down against the wall. So far, the hallway was devoid of any Decepticons, but that could change in an instant. ::Alright, I'm there.::

::Are you in?::

Bulkhead stared at the screen for a long time. ::I think so? It's got options and stuff that I can select.::

::Well then, what are your options?:: Ratchet was already incredibly impatient, he had an injured soldier he had to attend to! And the fact that it was Bulkhead who he had to somehow direct to operate a very difficult computer system only made things worse.

As Bulkhead listed them off, Ratchet attempted to infer what each option meant. He was flying blind with a copilot who didn't know how to fly, and could only describe the different buttons to him.

::Alright, try-:: There was suddenly static on the other side. ::Bulkhead! Focus!::

::I can't! Soundwave is trying to stop me!!:: Bulkhead shot back at his adversary who had just come onto the scene, likely because he detected the opening of a cell door that wasn't supposed to be open. Silent stalking towards the problem, his tentacles came out and threatened to shock the massive Autobot.

Bulkhead let out a loud war cry and charged, knocking back the tentacles and attempting to smash the lithe Decepticon, his wrecking balls barely scraping by as Soundwave dodged and used his momentum against him, knee hitting his round gut and sending him toppling away.

The Wrecker was not so easily discouraged, getting up slowly but not about to back down as he saw the communications officer stalk toward his friend.

"Oh no you don't!" Bulkhead attacked Soundwave from behind, landing a blow to his back that sent the Decepticon flying. Picking up Wheeljack, Bulkhead high-tailed it toward the other end of the hallway. Soundwave watched them, his mask lighting up and indicating to a spot just in front of Bulkhead, where a Groundbridge opened and swallowed the two Wreckers.

"Gah!" Bulkhead found himself falling, falling away from the Nemesis, hurtling towards Earth as the ship became smaller and smaller, the ground vehicle helpless to do anything as his unconscious friend flailed like a rag doll against him. As he closed his optics and braced for impact, a Groundbridge opened up beneath him again, and transported him elsewhere.

>>•<<

"Optimus Prime, so good to see you." Megatron drawled as his long-time enemy ran through the bridge doors and came to a stop, his mask out and showing only his blazing blue optics, giving Megatron a look that he only reserved for him. A glare of determination.

Vehicons were behind the warlord, their weapons out and pointed at him while three pairs of blue optics shone out from their ranks, the Cybertronians they guards unrecognizable to the Prime.

"Megatron, who . . ."

"Ah, you have noticed our guests. Well, while you were busy fooling me into thinking you were dead, I took the liberty of using you human pets as . . . Experiments. Shockwave did a good job, did he not? I must say, his work has impressed me for a long time, and he never ceases to amaze me." Megatron stepped aside, gesturing to the three Cybertronians that gave Optimus and increasingly sinking feeling.

Three Cybertronians. Three humans. An experiment . . .

"Jack, Miko, Rafael." He spoke finally, his stance slacking and straightening as his horror intensified.

Megatron laughed, the bridge echoing as he took utter delight in the Prime's terrified expression, his mask sliding out of place to show that his mouth was partially hanging open, optics wide as he took in their new bodies.

"That's not possible!" He demanded.

"Is it really, Prime?" Megatron turned his gaze to the tallest of the Cybertronians, teeth bared as he grinned. "Go on, Jack. Tell Optimus if it is truly possible."

"It is." The voice, the expression, and the stance all screamed Jack Darby. "They did something to us, Optimus. They took us out of our bodies and into these." He looked down at his hands and flexed them. "I don't know how."

"Neuron refractor." Rafael squeaked. "They transported our consciousness into these bodies. Like when Knock Out put you on that human once, Optimus. But this time reversed."

Optimus remembered that incident quite clearly, and for Rafael to know verified their claims. If the Decepticons could do this, then they had seven billion "experiments" at their disposal.

::Arcee, Bumblebee. You must find the neuron refractor and destroy it.:: The Prime commanded.

Megatron laughed again. "Oh, if you think we're going to use it again, Prime, you are mistaken. We only wanted your humans, because it was incredibly convenient for you to keep them so they may be at our disposal. Why risk being in the open, revealing ourselves to the other humans, when we could simply just take yours?"

::What? Optimus, what are you talking about? Optimus?!:: Arcee replied, but by then Optimus had ignored her and instead stared at his adversary. Megatron only had one thing to gain from this, and that was Optimus' misery. He truly was a sadistic and vile creature.

"Now, moving on to what I really want." Megatron stepped back in front of the kids, taking Optimus' optics off of them. "Your head, Optimus, for the children to safely return to the rest of your Autobots." The Decepticon leader had already noticed the slight limp Optimus carried when he walked, and how he favored one pede over the other. If it came down to a fight, he knew exactly where to weaken him.

"No! Don't do it, Optimus!" Jack immediately shouted.

"Yeah, we're not humans anymore! We can deal with these guys!" Miko added, her servos curled into fists and body crouched in a "fight-ready" position. It pained the Prime's spark to see how the kids had been so perfectly preserved in their new bodies, how nothing about them had changed.

It touched him, honestly, to see such strong individuals.

The third laugh from Megatron redirected his attention back to him.

"How noble they are, even as Cybertronians." He mused. "But I must ask you this, Optimus Prime. What would June think if you left her son here to preserve your own life? Or the other children? I, personally, would think you a coward."

Optimus grit his denta. "I will not give myself up so easily, Megatron."

"Ah, so it is a fight you want?" The long sword that had preserved the Decepticon through many battles slide out smoothly, gleaming dangerously in the light. "Fine, then. Winner take all!"