"In every end, there is always a beginning."

~Libba Bray

>>•<<

"Ratchet?" June Darby called as she got out of her car, slamming the door shut and running toward the Groundbridge that had been left open. The swirling green portal hummed rhythmically, its hum only broken when the Autobot medic walked through.

"Nurse Darby." He says urgently. "I need you to get out of my way!"

A hand flew up to her mouth as she saw what he had cradled in his hands. Blue armor was singed almost to the point of unrecognizeable, smoke curling off exposed wiring. A pink headcrest shone dully in the light, the only thing that helped June tell where Arcee's head even was.

"Oh no . . ." She stood frozen in shock, Ratchet running past her and setting Arcee on a medical berth. But he didn't stop there, instead turning around and running straight through the portal again. June came to a horrible conclusion, tears springing to her eyes.

The Autobots had been ambushed, and she could only imagine that the kids were caught in the crossfire.

Blue fire suddenly streaked into the base, billowing and menacing as it turned black and smokey and knocked June off her feet. She fell with a hard thump, coughing as the smoke took away her oxygen and her eyes stinging.

Energon explosion.

That was the only explanation. And seeing the state Arcee was in, June began to cry harder. If all the Autobots were like that, there was no way the kids could have survived. Her heart ripped in two at the though of Jack lying somewhere on the ground, burnt to nothing. A hysterical sob escapes her, and she curls into a small ball and cries as hard as she wished, despite the fact it made her cough even harder. Three children, one of which her son and two she considered family, were just ripped from her hands.

She heard the footsteps of someone walking into the base, but when her eyes cracked open, all there was was black, stinging smoke. Her throat was raw, but she didn't know if it was from her crying or the smoke.

"Nurse Darby!" Ratchet called out. "Where are you?"

"H-here." Was all she could say, her voice weak and disturbed by coughs, which was the only thing Ratchet could hear to even know she was in the base. Piercing blue light suddenly penetrated the smoke, landing on her for a moment before a large orange and white hand scooped her up carefully. She cotinued to cough and tremble, the smoke slowly dissipated as it floated up towards the top of the base.

Ratchet gave a soft grunt as he shifted the weight of something heavy on his shoulder, his chest plates opening up just enough so he could slip June in, but that hesitation was just enough for her to see the next Autobot victim.

Bumblebee was as black as his racing stripes, a doorwing torn halfway off and bright blue energon leaking from it. One of his arms look absolutely decimated, and he lay just as still as Arcee did.

"I'll provide some ventilation for you." Ratchet began talking to June as he set Bumblebee on another berth, his fans kicking on just as promised and giving June clean, clear air. "But I need you to remain silent."

As if my talking will change anything. June wanted to snap, but she still felt broken on the inside. So she simply curled up in his chest compartment and coughed as quietly as possible, her body jerking with the effort.

The sound of roaring fires rang in June's ears as Ratchet stepped back into the death trap, another explosion shaking him violently and threatening to destroy the cavern.

"Optimus!" Rather shouted, the smoke not bothering him. "Bulkhead! Ultra Magnus! . . . Rafael!"

"Ratchet, over here!" The voice that answered sounded too strong to be from any injured Autobot, but it was distinguishable enough for Ratchet to figure out who it was.

"Smokescreen, thank the Allspark." Ratchet's voice vibrated his entire chest cavity, June's body shaking at the sensation. It made it difficult for her to try and stand, but she latched on to a small opening in his chest plates, peeking out to see what was going on.

Smokescreen had a little grin on his face, which occasionally morphed into a pained expression every once in a while. He was standing up just fine, and the only thing that seemed wrong was the soot that covered his face.

"I managed to activate the Phase Shifter before the mine blew." The rookie explains. "But when I tried to clear this rubble off of Ultra Magnus, I had to turn it off; and then more rubble came and smashed my arm!"

"I've got a Groundbridge at the ready not far from here." Ratchet grunts as he and Smokescreen work together to free the latter. "Have you seen the children?"

Smokescreen shook his head. "They were with Arcee, the last time I saw them."

June lost her grip and crumbled to Ratchet's floormats, her worst fear confirmed. Her baby was dead, and there was most likely nothing left.

I didn't even get to say goodbye. The thought stabbed her in the heart and twisted it, making her cry out and the tears start anew. There won't be a body to bury at the funeral, just a headstone to even say that he was here.

She tried to tell herself to stop it, but the thoughts were poisoning, intoxicating things that sounded terribly true. There was no stopping the fact that she replayed every stupid argument in her head, and she felt harsh now for worrying so much over Jack.

"Please, just let him be okay." She spoke to no one in particular. "I just want him to be okay . . ."

"The Groundbridge is over there." Ratchet points in the direction he came from. "Do me a favor and air out the smoke in there. Agent Fowler nor Nurse Darby will be able to breathe in there."

"Sure thing, doc." Smokescreen's light footsteps could be heard running away, Ratchet grunting as he began to move the rubble that supposedly trapped Ultra Magnus. After a few harrowing minutes, he saw the second-in-command's pede sticking out a little ways from where he was digging.

The rubble began to move underneath him, and he gave a shout as, as if from the grave, a Vehicon rose up to look at him. They both stared at one another for what seemed like a long time, the red light menacing and only added to Ratchet's pounding spark's energy.

Tilting its head, the Vehicon looks at Ratchet curiously. Then it raised its gun.

"Shoot in here and we both die!" Ratchet yelled hysterically, holding up his hands in surrender. "This whole cave is about to collapse on top of us! Do you really want to quicken the process?"

The Decepticon lackey paused for a second. "I have orders to shoot any Autobot on sight." It said monotonously.

"Well, do those orders really matter here?" Ratchet demands. "You're going to die, along with me, if you shoot that thing!"

"I am nothing more than a foot soldier." The Vehicon sounded like it was reading lines from a script. "To be off-lined is my fate, regardless of what I do."

"Isn't it everybody's?" Ratchet flinches as another explosion goes off. "Don't you Vehicons want to make a name for yourself? Isn't that a lifelong dream of yours?" He was playing on the Vehicon's desire, he actually felt no sympathy for the drone and whatever fate it had.

But his questions got the Vehicon to stop and think. "How do I make a name for myself?"

"Help me!" Ratchet snaps slowly lowering his hands and grabbing chunks of stone, rolling it off of Ultra Magnus. "You can call yourself Shovel for all I care, just help me dig!"

"Shovel." Ratchet could not believe it. The Vehicon was testing out the name. "I like that. Shoooooovel. Shovel."

"Don't wear it out." Ratchet snaps grumpily. "Help me!"

The Vehicon got up with barely a scratch to his frame, his helm was dented and parts of wiring was exposed on his leg, but other than that he looked- as the humans would say -as healthy as a horse. Immediately, he set to work tossing rubble out of the way, occasionally grunting with effort. Fire scorched at the two of them, but Rather wasn't going to leave without the rest of the Autobots- and apparently the Vehicon wasn't either.

"I found something." The Vehicon says as it tosses aside another chunk of rock, one bright blue optic looking back at him dully. "I think it's a face."

"Ultra Magnus!" Ratchet kneels down next to the mech, moving rubble off if the rest of his helm. "Can you hear me? Can you move?"

"My . . . legs." The second-in-command groans. "I can't . . . feel them."

"Help me clear the rest if this out." Ratchet commands, the Vehicon complying and the two of them heave, a surprisingly large boulder rolling off of Ultra Magnus and coming to a stop a few feet from their digging spot. The entirety of the mech's body was revealed, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

"I think I'm going to throw up." The Vehicon- Ratchet refused to think of it as Shovel -took a step back, the medic huffing.

"No you're not." He growls, ignoring Ultra Magnus' twisted spinal cable and instead focusing on his face. One optic was off-lined, and energon leaked from the corner of his mouth. "Carefully pick up his legs. We're moving him back to base."

The Vehicon ex-vented slowly, doing as he was told while Ratchet carefully supported Ultra Magnus' head and arms, the medic walking backwards toward the hum of the Groundbridge.

"June, are you all right?" He asks, remembering the human was still in his chest compartment. He had felt her fall a few minutes earlier, and hadn't even thought to check on her.

"I'm fine." Came a quiet reply, almost lost in the roar of the flames. "I'm going to be fine."

The children. She was thinking of the children. Ratchet suppressed the dreadful feeling in his spark, remembering his objective was to rescue the Autobots. Once he got them out, he would go back one last time to look for the children.

But aren't the children also a part of the Autobots? He recollects to himself. You should have looked for them the moment you stepped out of that Groundbridge.

Focus Ratchet. He snaps to himself as he walks through the Groundbridge. If you find them, you find them. If you don't . . .

The Autobot base was much more clear this time, Smokescreen grimacing as he let his bad arm dangle at his side, the mech walking back and forth to check up on Arcee and Bumblebee. His helm snapped up at the sound of Ratchet walking through.

"Ultra Magnus!" He says with relief. "And . . . who is this guy?"

"My name's Shovel." The Vehicon replies helpfully, setting Ultra Magnus down on a medical berth. "I got my na-"

"Save the introductions for later." Ratchet growls, grabbing the Vehicon's arm and dragging him towards the Groundbridge. "Optimus and Bulkhead are still in there!"

Smokescreen watched with raised optic ridges as the Vehicon waved to him before disappearing into the Groundbridge, the rookie beginning to check up on Ultra Magnus like he did Arcee and Bumblebee.

"Optimus!" Ratchet bellowed the moment the two of them were back in the burning mine. "Bulkhead!"

"Ratchet, old friend." Came a strangled gasp, Ratchet whirling toward the voice and running blindly through the smoke.

"Optimus!" He yells. "Optimus, continue to talk to me!"

"I'm fine." By the tone of his voice, he didn't sound fine. "Bulkhead is in need of assistance."

The odd pair of medic and foot soldier found Optimus leaning against a wall for support, his left pede struts bent out of shape. Like the Vehicon, he didn't seem to have gotten the brunt of the explosion. The only problem he had was the twisted metal that had been his pede.

"Where is Bulkhead?" Ratchet asks, Optimus turning just a little to show the medic that he was not, in fact, leaning against a wall but had an arm wrapped around an unconscious Bulkhead. The Prime had been slowly but surely dragging his comrade toward the Groundbridge.

"By the Allspark." Ratchet ran over as fast as he could and took up Bulkhead's other side. "You, Vehicon!"

"Shovel."

Ratchet sputters. "Shovel, whatever. Help me with Bulkhead!"

Optimus didn't even question the Vehicon's presence. "I can still help you." He stubbornly points out.

"Not with that leg, you can't." Ratchet's muscle cables were hot from strain, but he ignored them as he took most of Bulkhead's weight off of Optimus.

The Prime, however, persisted in helping by using his bad pede to walk, the metal groaning and the Prime's faceplates contorting to a pained expression. But he walked.

"Here." The Vehicon allowed Optimus to put his large hand on his shoulder, the four mechs slowly going along toward the Groundbridge.

Smokescreen watched with wide optics as they all walked slowly through the Groundbridge, another, larger explosion making the base tremble.

"We'll have to close the Groundbridge." Smokescreen says as he makes his way over to the controls. "If anymore explosions come through here, the whole place could be set on fire."

"No!" Ratchet snarls, warning the rookie to stay away from the controls. "Jack, Miko, and Rafael are still out there! I have to go back and get them!"

Optimus decided to collapse then, his hand sliding off of Shovel's shoulder and a loud clang vibrating the base as he rolled onto his back, groaning in pain.

Ratchet had no choice but to also let the unconscious Bulkhead rest on the floor was well, his arms trembling with effort but determination still written on his face.

"I'm going back. If I don't return in five minutes, close the Groundbridge."

"No." A crackled and strained voice interrupts them, June's head shooting up from inside of Ratchet as Arcee spoke, her blue and pink optics dull as she tried to focus on who she was speaking to. "They . . . aren't there." A heavy vent escapes her.

"What do you mean?" Ratchet demands. "Where are they?"

"He . . . he took them." Arcee's entire body fell limp as she uttered a few last words. "Megatron . . . he took . . . the kids."

>>•<<

Jack Darby and Rafael Esquivel knew it was absolutely useless to struggle. The energon bonds that held them were designed specifically for something of Cybertronian strength, and the three of them combined didn't have even a thousandth of that.

Miko Nakadai, on the other hand, could care less about how strong she was. She just wanted out, her grunts and growls of frustration permeating the silence as she tried to wiggle out of her bonds.

"Must you continue to uselessly try and break free?" The Decepticon medic, Knock Out, was supervising them at the moment, and his scowl indicated he was not pleased with the job. "Humans are so dense."

"Am not!" Miko retorts. "Once I'm outta here, I'm gonna show all of you! Bulkhead is coming you know, and once he does-"

"Your Autobot friends are . . . preoccupied, for the time being." The new voice and the words spoken made the Japanese girl still, a silent Jack and Rafael stiffening as a new presence was made known. Slow, calculated steps made their way across the laboratory, a silver body shining menacingly in the lights.

Jack tried to swallow his fear of the Decepticon, addressing the warlord directly and looking straight into his bright red optics. "What did you do to them, Megatron?!"

Something like amusement flickered in Megatron's optics. "You were there, Jackson." The way he said Jack's full name sent chills down the human's spine. "If the mine hasn't collapsed on them already, the Autobots are still burning from the explosion."

"No!" Miko screams. "Ratchet should've got them out by now! The Autobots are tough, they wouldn't die from a stupid little cave-in!"

Megatron tilts his helm at her. "If I recall correctly, your precious guardian was on the verge of collapse when Starscream found the two of you in the last mining accident that occurred." A sneer formed on his face. "I'll give him credit for lasting that long to protect you, but you aren't there now are you? In fact, none of you are."

"What are you saying?" Jack snaps, his cuffed hands balling into fists. "That without us there they're somehow going to just give up?"

"Simple psychology." Knock Out spoke up, waving a dismissive servo. "Without you there they have no one to protect but themselves. And it's much easier to give up when there's no one to depend on you."

"Lies!" Miko closes her eyes, a painful expression on her face as tears threaten to overflow her eyes. "They aren't dead! You're all liars!"

"We may all be Decepticons." Megatron notes with twisted amusement. "But we are not all liars. Let the Autobots think you're dead; they came up with the conclusion themselves. The better for us, because there will be no guaranteed interruptions in Shockwave's work."

>>•<<

No OCs she said. I don't plan on having any she said. Whelp, meet Shovel. Not Steve, Shovel. I didn't even realize they both started with an "s" until I wrote that down. >.<

So, that's chapter one. Good? Bad? Ok? I absolutely love your comments, so please feel free to drop a few in the comments section! Remember, keep criticism constructive and nice, and don't advertise your stories in my story's comment sections. Let's be corteous, shall we? ;)

♥♥♥

~Fanfic_Fanatic13

Scene: Ratchet telling Shovel "Don't wear it out." when the Vehicon tests his new name.