Work Text:
“Prime!” A rough voice boomed through the base, shaking the yellow rails Fowler and June grasped onto.
“Megatron.” He stared up at the open channel, seeing Megatron’s icon and voice waves flicker. “Why are you calling?”
“I’ve come to offer a relic if you can prove you’re worthy of such an object.” A metallic click could be heard as he slowly tapped the relic in his claws. “It has no use to me.”
“Optimus,” Ratchet stepped forward and lightly brushed the Prime away from the monitor. “This is obviously a trick. You can’t really think he’d give away a relic, do you?” He pointed an accusatory finger toward the voice and grumbled as the mic cracked again in a deep chuckle.
“You think lowly of me, medic. Please believe while I have no use for this… particular relic, I would relish at the idea that I didn’t give Optimus Prime,” Megatron gleefully roared before taking a vent and dropping into a guttural whisper. “A chance to take this useless piece of technology.”
Ratchet whipped his head back, pleading for their leader not to fall. It had to be a trap. “Listen to reason, Optimus. This,” sputtering over his words, he just threw his servos towards the screen and scoffed. “This blasphemy isn’t worth it!”
Optimus’s optic ridges pressed together, contemplating the risks and advantages before walking over to the monitor and muting their side of the conversation. “This could be useful for us. While he may not know the meaning - nor may Soundwave, as knowledgeable as he is- we can rest knowing they may never get the chance to find out.”
“Ok ok.” Fowler butted in, leaning over the rails and staring at Megatron’s icon. “Buckethead isn’t all that trustworthy, is he.” Not leaving room for Prime’s usual defense, he kept going. “We all know he wouldn’t give an opportunity like this. Think Prime. Use all that godforsaken data in that computer brain of yours.”
Optimus’s mouth barely twitched before he turned to look at his team. Bulk nodded in agreement while Acree just watched Megatron’s icon before speaking low and soft. “He’s taken so much already. Just, can’t we take the chance of losing one relic over the chance of losing one more of…?”
The base reeked of grief and quiet understanding. Another rock pile on the roof is the last thing they need.
“Well, Optimus? While I am a fortunate bot, I don’t have all cycle.” The sneer on Megatron was felt throughout the base. Even Miko groaned in disgust before curling back on the couch.
“I understand the risks, but we need an advantage. Perhaps Soundwave really hasn’t found a use nor has Megatron figured out its intended purpose. This is a risk I’m willing to take. No relic is truly useless, the way it’s used is what proves its purpose.” Optimus sighed, feeling worry, anxiety, and irritation fluctuate throughout the fields surrounding him.
“Please understand.” He turned to see Ratchet holding his armor close, digging his servos into his arms. “Old friend, believe me. I know I can trust my spark in your hands,” He turned to look back at his team. “All of your servos.”
“Yeah well… don’t get too overconfident with that ideal.” Cold yet boiling over the edge, Ratchet brought his EM field into his frame and unmuted their mics. “Send the coordinates. We’ll send Optimus and another soldier with him. No tricks and no, NO, lies. A fair fight.” Ratchet gripped the metal bars, bending them under his weight before stepping back and groaning. “If fair is even in your processor anymore.”
“Very well. We’ll see you soon.” Megatron clicked and chimed off, leaving the base in silence. Bumblebee was the first to move, trotting up to Optimus’s side.
: I’ll go! If anything, you could use a speedy bot like me. : His optics cycled in stubbornness and his door wings flared.
“I’ll be glad to have you with me. Just, be careful.” He nodded and watched as Bee squealed and trotted alongside him. Ratchet anxiously watched the two before turning to the groundbridge lever.
Arcee brought her guns out and pointed them towards the entrance as the monitor chimed and Bulkhead threw his wreaking ball out. He slightly swung it in front of the stairs where Miko would no doubt try to race down, getting a 'come on, really?' as the teen stomped back up to the TV with Raf. He turned and huffed, aching from his wounds and not being too thrilled about this mission, he wasn't afraid to at least stop one person from making a mistake.
"Maybe you and Smoke can go roughhouse when he's back with Jack." Grumbling, he kept 'guarding' as Miko glared daggering into his helm.
“Make sure you have everything.” Ratchet turned around and put in a set of coords. The machine landed in what one would guess could be the forest of Washington, hopefully unpopulated. “It’s going to be crowded.”
Optimus only nodded and switched his battle mask on, ion blasters ready, and had every possible outcome running throughout his processor.
The groundbridge sparked to life and embraced the two bots in a mix of green and purple sparks before they disappeared.
“Optimus!” Megatron’s violet frame glowed in the shadows, surrounded by spruce trees and the stars that shined above. “How nice of you to join.” It was a shock that Megatron’s large frame was able to squeeze through the pines.
“Megatron, we’re only here for the relic.” He pointed his ion blaster at the warlord, taking note of the movement around him. The distant sway of the ferns and the brush of the bushes. “And only the relic. This is between you and me, but I am not afraid to make it more.”
Megatron only hummed and extended his blade. “It’s going to be an honest fight, as your lap dog suggested.” He glanced over at Bumblebee, who had his back against Optimus’s and kept his guns locked on the shadows, twitching at every movement. “You brought the sparkling. Rather risky, even for you, Prime.”
Optimus only glared and kept watch on the silver bot, watching him stalk the two as he slowly circled them.
“Such a young frame as well. I never had the chance to simply observe this close.” He extended a claw and brought to close to Bee’s helm. “Of course, there was that one time.” He dragged his claw down and lightly tapped his covered mouth. “After you shot off the Well and doomed our beloved planet. To think bots still follow you.”
Optimus turned, gripping hold of Bee while the scout only growled and swatted the claw away as he could. “He is none of your concern. Not any more and he never will be. Show the existence of this relic you deem useless.” He continued to face Megatron, who only smirked and offered his claw out into the darkness. A familiar… glint shined from the shadows before disappearing as if never there.
“Ah yes. Right. I am wasting your valuable time, aren’t I?” He turned his back towards the Autobots, playing with a disk before he glanced over his shoulder. Optimus stiffed and aimed his blasters at Megatron’s helm, prepared. Something sprinted in the shadows next to him. It caught his attention before Megatron came closer, putting the spotlight back on him.
“You see,” He only got closer, holding something behind him while his shadow swallowed Bee whole. Something, again, ran around in the bushes. It got closer and closer. Bee shifted and aimed for the forest as more ferns moved.
“No. I don’t.”
Megatron groaned. “Maybe you should listen to your medic more often. And work on that sense of humor!” Starscream, Dreadwing, and a dozen Vechicons launched from the shadows. Their claws and servos dragged the scout down to his peds and clawed at his chassis.
“Bumblebee!” Optimus whipped around, grabbing a flailing servo of his scout before he was ripped away, having Energon follow his path. No doubt Starscream dug his digits into the once-yellow paint. He looked back at Megatron before sprinting after his sparkling. Squeals and panicked chirps could be heard from the depths before phaser fire and the smell of burning Energon shortly followed. Sparks of blue fire and the flashing Energon blaster bursts lit the distant battlefield.
“He always was a tough one. Not much of a talker when I got to him but he’d always put up a fight.” Megatron called from the opening, showing the Apex Armor in claws. It shined crystal blue and cloud gray. “But he always wanted to prove himself a little too much, it would seem.” More screams and fire erupted from behind Optimus as he turned and stared with wide optics.
“The Apex armor…”
“Indeed! Good job, Orion!” Megatron cheered as he flex his claws and grinned with a sick expression. “No way back home. No channels to call. No sparkling to rely on and no medic to patch you up.” He tilted his head and look at the relic. “Well, at least not when I’m done with you.” Megatron grinned as Optimus ran over, the force of his bounds shaking the ground. His servos barely touched the relic before Megatron kicked him down and slammed the relic on his chest.
“No!” He pulled himself back up and chimed in for base, only getting static in return. “Megatron, even this is too much for you! The Autobots won’t stop at my death.” He faced the towering warlord, recollecting his experience with Starscream. “This is nothing but a futile attempt.” He grounded himself, feeling dirt and stones grind against his metal before Dreadwing walked out from the shadows, brushing blue off his digits. He gave a single nod and transformed, shooting up into the sky.
“Where is Bumblebee?” Optimus threw himself back as Megatron swung, crushing a tree with such force that would’ve been in his chassis.
“Your beloved scout is getting a most-needed makeover by our dear doctor.”
Optimus vented, thick smoke burning out of his smoke stacks as he dodged another attack.
“Optimus to base! Do you read?”
Static.
“Ratc-!” He called and wheezed as his frame was crushed below falling pine trees. “Ratchet respond!”
“There are no channels to call, Optimus! Perhaps they left you alone, seeing how foolish of a choice this was.” Megatron looked up and his deranged cackle filled the sky.
“Megatron, this is madness.” He held himself up as he watched the heightened frame stomp over.
“Is it? Is it madness if I’m just using my resources?” Roaring, he swung again, throwing Optimus further into the forest, sending chips of bark into the air as logs crashed onto the Prime’s legs. “Isn’t that just what you Autobots do?”
Optimus remained silent and slowly pushed log off after log. His armor only groaned as more trees slowly fell from above.
“My dear Orion, I’m not going to kill you.” Megatron kneeled down, pressing his helm close to the Apex’s glass. “I’m not even going to leave you out to leak energon. No… no. That’s too good. I’m going to,” He chuckled and grabbed the Prime’s arms, pulling him forward. “Make you suffer in ways a War bot like yourself can only fear.” He smiled, fangs clinking together before Optimus headbutted his helm away, barely even cracking the glass.
“What do you have in mind?” Quiet yet stern, Optimus’s optics cycled and restarted before Megatron slowly bent his red armor, hearing it grind against its layers. He only stared up as warnings flashed on his HUD.
Frame damage, He's going to rip it off...
“I’m going to strip you of your dignity. Of your... authority and its stature. To show those fools who follow you who you really are.” He moved up before growling as Optimus swiftly twisted out of his grip. His red armor screeched as it twisted and left a spike of chipping red. "Nothing but a weak, spoiled archivist!"
“You are doing nothing of the sort. I have nothing to hide regardless of my past caste and past decisions.” He fired more blasts before a sharp pain spiked through his inner knee. Warm energon flowed as he crumbled to the ground, knees snapping and cutting off any connection to his lower legs.
Starscream stood, towering over the groaning bot before Megatron and his armor came into view. “You will not.” He bit the inside of his mouth as more energon flowed down his legs and the pain just didn’t go away.
“Oh, but I will. No one is here to protect you.” He grinned as he threw his servo into the air. Soundwave dropped, transforming mere inches from the Prime before another groundbridge lit the forest up. Now it was just the four of them. No one dared to linger in the shadows.
“Grab him.” Starscream whined at the command before struggling to lift the Prime up. Optimus shook his shoulders and wasn't against smacking a seeker's helm every now and again. One painful clank later, he was harshly dropped and shoved into the ground. “Nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide where we’re going. Why put up a fight when we just got started.” Megatron sneered and walked through with Starscream, having Soundwave follow shortly after with the Prime's crushed arm in one of his servos.
An energon burning shriek followed from behind the closing bridge. He didn’t get a chance to look back before his world was white.
The frigid breeze chilled his helm as his chassis was pushing and collecting snow under his windshields, piling on top the glass. “Everyone got it activated?” Megatron commanded as Soundwave transformed, tossing the Prime into the snow, and Starscream nodded. The spy flew off into the fog, circling them and no doubt blocking any communications signals while Megatron loomed over the injured Prime.
“Have you processed your fate yet, dear Orion?”
Optimus only pulled his own body up and looked around. The Arctic. He slowly turned to look at the armor, his own reflection staring back. “This is quite a risk.”
“No. It’s rather the opposite. Soundwave and his genius, along with Knockout and his Cybertrionion knowledge, gave us an advantage.” He paused, venting and breathing in the air before warmth filled the armor, fogging parts of the glass. “It is you who is under the risky conditions of this freezing trash heap.”
Optimus pulled his legs up, stuck to just kneeling before he saw Starscream smirk, his claws dragging against Optimus’s shoulder pads. Sauntering over to his master, he dug a digit into his red paint, scratching it off in one clean line. “Master, are you sure we can’t just....?” His wings fluttered; in anxiety or excitement, Optimus couldn’t tell. His claws clinked together as the Prime’s energon started to freeze and chip off.
“Yes!” Megatron roared and stomped closer. “He doesn’t deserve a quick death! Suffering over and over is what this war criminal deserves.” He knelt down, still towering over the prime as his servo reached for his shoulder.
“This doesn’t have to be silent. I’ve always wondered what would finally make you snap. I’ve gotten bored of Ratchet and I’s arguments.” He dug into the armor, slowly, crushing it inch by inch until Energon slowly started to drip “How much your stoic persona can take before you,” he messily ripped Optmus’s shoulder pad off, exposing wires and joints. “SNAP!” Energon immediately filled the area as Optimus’s swift wheezes and laboring vents mixed with the breeze.
“It doesn’t feel good when something of yours is ripped away, does it?” He whispered before moving down, grabbing behind the Prime’s forearm armor.
“I…” Hitched breathing filled the area as Optimus only looked with an unbothered face. “I did nothing of the sort.”
Megatron’s digits dug deeper and deeper until Optimus grimaced in pain. “Oh, but you did.” He pulled back and slowly ripped the top forearm armor off, feeling the energon start to dip and stain his Apex armor’s digits. “You took the Primacy away from me after all my hard work!” Roaring, he ripped the armor off and flung it out into the foggy distance. “You used our brotherhood!” He messily ravaged the bottom half off, taking soft under metal along with it and exposing more wires and structural beams.
Optimus’s optics contracted and shook in pain as his HUD blarred in more warnings. The Matrix threw dominating commands in last attempts to save his frame, digging away harder at his processor while Megatron only watched.
“You used me," He snapped. "It hurts… doesn’t it.” He loomed down as Optimus’s bare arm spasmed and tried to fix the bent or ripped-off soft metal that usually lay under his armor. What used to be gray now was covered in light blue creeks. Megatron stayed put, watching as the breeze chilled the Prime more and brought nothing but discomfort, burning sensations, and hidden shaking limbs.
“What’s on your mind now, Optimus?” He slowly circled back, lightly brushing the armor’s servos against the bleeding shoulder blade, and clung onto the next shoulder. “Any regrets?”
“I have none.” Trying to hold onto his composure, he looked up at the fog and bit his mouth hidden under the battle mask.
“Now I doubt that. What about Bumbleebee?” He tilted his head and stared with red optics, watching the Prime's antennae twitch. “You just let him get taken.”
He watched in confusion before another shoulder pad, and the soft metal under it, was severed off. Only a pained scream ripped through his vocalizer.
“No regrets about that?” Murrmering, he dragged his servo down, leading the pooling energon into his forearms once again.
“No.” Optimus stared at the snow before transforming his servo into a blade. With a quiet turn and a push of all his body weight, he shoved it toward the closest joint he could reach.
It merely scratched the paint and forced Optimus back into the snow.
“Maybe next time.” Megatron tisked with a disgusted look before ripping the forearm armor off once more, feeling the Prime’s arm shake under his crushing grip. Optimus looked beside him while his vision broke into white flashes and spikes. The snow was slowly melting into watery mush while Starscream circled him like a predator.
“You know, Master,” His high voice echoed and banged against his helm. “I’m starting to recognize an archivist!”
“He’s slowly showing his true self.” Megatron hummed, dropping the ruined armor into the snow as he admired his work. Optimus struggled to stay up, silently pleading to get away from the cold as it nipped and tore into his internal wiring. Freezing metals until they felt like they could snap while liquid energon froze into ice crystals on his arms.
“And yet, he still wears his lies.” Kneeling down, he pulled Optimus up out of the snow and tapped his chassis. “You hold something dear to me. Something I want. It’s selfish to keep it so hidden.”
He stared back, feeling the onset of energon loss as everything started to get foggy. He pushed past the spots flickering in his HUD and the fog consuming the corners while only a tired bot stare back from the glass. He could feel the control of his arms fade to phantoms while his legs were painfully unusable. A reflection shouldn’t hurt as much as it did. When did he get so tired? Or, well, when did he not?
Cycling back to reality, he looked past his reflection and into the holder of the armor. How long have they been here? Had his sensor gone off when he didn’t notice it or was he still safe from freezing? Before he could even answer the rapid-fire questions, another pair of servos dug into his windshields, shattering the glass on impact. The snow fell between the two, making a small pile before Megatron's ped crushed it into nothing. Another servo dug into the metal frame that still held some glass before ripping it off.
Optimus flinched as the connections sparked and died out. It wasn't much, but it was enough for a trained eye to notice.
Megatron noticed.
A sick grin spread on his face as he dropped the Prime into the snow and waited. The freezing ground started to feel... comforting as frost gathered on his arms, blue and sickening to look at.
“Call Soundwave down,” Megatron ordered before he picked the disoriented Prime off the ground and slowly took apart the armor one by one. It was all the top, where his windshields once stood, down to the long segments of red metal that spanned to his sides. As Megatron flung another piece of armor out into the distance, Soundwave circled back and landed, shooting powder snow up into the air before it was carried off.
“Keep him awake while you complete your mission.” Megatron ripped the first long piece off, watching energon fly into the air, before stepping back and muttering something within his protection. Soundwave’s cables extended and latched onto the Prime’s back, sending high-energy shocks that jolted Optimus’s frame back to life.
His optics shot open as he looked at the blurry, snowy terrain. A nearly white light sparked by the Spy before it came closer. Twirling like a snake, it latched onto his wounds.
Megatron turned back around, eying the soft metal and wires. “Fry them.”
Optimus’s optics contracted in panic before white pain bore through his voice box.
He woke up to a barely visible world. A mush of white, gray, purple, and light blue. A muted voice, one who he could only guess was Megatron, speeched on above him while the dark blob disappeared back into the sky.
He looked down, ignoring the voice, and watched the crispy blue spots bleed into the white blanket below. It was oddly comforting as his processor couldn’t wrap around what it really was. He stared and stared until another shock jolted his processor and he reset what he could. His optics, audio sensors, and scent sensors.
Burning.
Something was burning. He cycled his optics and saw another long piece of armor get thrown away into the fog. Was he on his back? Everything looked the same. Fog or snow, he couldn’t tell. His arms felt like they weren’t even there until he was able to turn and see toxic smoke rise and then dissipate into the sky above. His wires must've been fried and his metal was clearly dented.
He turned back towards the Apex armor, staring at the core of the relic and trying to come up with a concise plan when all he thought about was how he was burning inside.
If he could shoot it…
He tried to clench his servo into a fist but he just couldn't. It was null. Megatron, again, knelt down and observed Optimus process the pain and try to escape. He gripped and slowly pulled off another, smaller, piece of armor as Optimus’s optics contracted and tried to offline.
“Oh no. No, no. You stay awake. You may not be dying but you’re not living after this.” Megatron hissed and pulled another piece off. As it ripped connections away, sending sparks to burn out in the snow, the last connections took sensitive soft metal with them. Bright blue light burst past the holes and basked the warlord in its ethereal presence. He’s done it.
He finally reached it.
“Soundwave, come down,” Megatron murmured as he set the armor down and stared at the Matrix. He vented and closed his optics, absorbing the light.
Optimus fell back down as Megatron disconnected from his world. The Matrix filled with snow, embracing the cold before Optimus offlined his optics. The snow was getting warm. It felt warm. Comforting… The new anchor to this world. The Matrix only shouted panicked, frigid commands that he had no strength to act on. He couldn’t feel anything but his helm, barely, and parts of his chassis and waist. As his body felt like it was leaving, he tried to open a channel.
One last chance for Primus sake…
Static filled his head before a panicked voice cried out.
“Optimus? Thank the All Spark! Where are you?”
He slowly gave his location to the voice before Megatron opened his optics, having them burn with blood-red fury. “You think a medic, worthless wreaker, and a weak two-wheeler can save you!?” He kicked Optimus on his stomach and growled as the armor’s digits crushed one of his smokestacks. The metal pipe creaked, threatening to break as the warlord lifted the Prime off the snow. With a swift haul, he was flung into the air while Megatron crushed what remained of the pipe in his palm. Optimus felt something within him snap as he crashed into the ground, wincing at the anticipated leak. Well, he felt a few things break inside as he rolled and got covered in snow.
“I don’t know… what you’re accusing me of…” Optimus slowly dripped out as Megatron sprinted over. “You’re… You’re acting like a sparkling… Irrationally, angry.” He droned before his chassis dropped and his optics offlined. He only heard a beast roar before the void swallowed him whole.
Maybe the cold got to him. Or maybe it was the energon loss. Perhaps… he’s finally free…
No…no. He still had a job to do.
The Matrix finally quieted down as faint clashing EM fields brushed against his awakening senors. He aimlessly lifted his helm but saw nothing.
As time passed, his frame flinched as an EM field holding enough wrath to kill a Constructicon stood above him. The fury pushed against his own static and moved away, only to stand right back over him.
Within minutes, his optics turned back on and his audio sensors soon followed. Megatron’s guttural roar echoed across the clearing as a small blue femme fired straight at the Apex’s core, avoiding the swings and smashes. Another bot, fast, white, and blue came up from behind and put all their strength into dragging the Armor back with his servos. It was unsuccessful from what he could tell but he couldn’t help but smile as Megatron stumbled and whipped around to see no one there. Another frame stood nearby. Golden and black. Light servos held his helm before gently setting him down and racing off into the battlefield.
“Bumblebee…?” His voicebox pushed out as the bot fired multiple shots into the smoking clearing.
Megatron kept stumbling and tripping over the small bots before he used what usually worked. Bruter force. The two-wheeler was tossed into the snow and the blue bot was shoved into the earth. Bumblebee didn’t get the chance to meet face to face before Starscream drove into the scout, who was kicked into the snow himself soon after.
“Traitor!” The warlord spat before thundering his way over. Powdered snow frothed behind him while the ground shook.
“That’s enough!” The furious field zipped off and rammed into the massive beast’s legs, holding on for dear spark. The two tumbled into the snow before the blue bot hurled out of the froth and slammed two fits down into the Apex’s glass, having them phase through the armor and crush into Megatron's helm. The warlord hurled himself up and tossed the orange bot off like they were nothing but a ragdoll toy.
In the distance, Starscream burst into the sky and circled around, observing as Soundwave joined from above. The other three surrounded him; Bumblebee pressed a ped down on the cracking glass, his guns pointed right at Megatron’s helm while Smokescreen, who Optimus could finally recognize, helped the orange bot hold Megatron down.
“Let me go you bugs!” The armor shook as Megatron pulled his arms up and slammed them back down, shaking the bots off and backing up. He shot his helm up into the sky, optics twitching before snarling and backing up into a newly formed ground bridge. “You won’t escape my grasp.” Megatron stared past everyone but Optimus’s drifting optics, watching it cycle and sit in his words. The bridge closed behind him and left the Autobots alone.
Bumblebee walked back and gently lifted Optimus’s helm, brushing the snow off while the land calmed behind him. The two-wheeler only watched in horror before slowly turning and guarding him against whoever might come back. He turned, leaning into Bee’s servos before he spotted the two others. Smoke and Ratchet. They comforted each other, brushing the snow off themselves before racing back to the mix of dull blue and white that lay behind Bumblebee.
Comforting fields constantly surrounded him as Ratchet swiftly dropped to his knees and held him up off the snow. Blue light broke through the soft metal tears, still burning with the fire of the sun. It burned and embraced the surrounding bots, turning Ratchet’s orange into a somewhat visible olive green.
“Oh, Optimus…” He was pulled forward, draped over the medic's shoulders as Ratchet examined his exposed wounds. “I’m sorry.” Whispering apologies, Ratchet bent down and tried to comfort the freezing metal, using his own vents for warmth. He placed his forehelm on the freezing Prime’s as a shiver rippled across his field. “so very sorry…” A gentle servo circled on what remained of Optimus’s back armor, feeling nothing but wounds melting snow.
With a vent, Ratchet slowly pulled himself back up and looked at the rest of Team Prime. “Arcee and Bee, look for the armor. I don’t give a frag how damaged. If it’s red, bring it.” They nodded and ran into the fog, chirping and talking to each other before they were drowned up by the hum of the incoming storm.
“Ratchet to base. Prepare a ground bridge on my command. If I don’t respond in 5 minutes, call for Wheeljack.” He looked back and carefully lifted Optimus’s frozen frame off the ground. “I- Yes. Yes, Wheeljack I'm ok. I'm sure. I'm the medic here! Of course, I would know! Just… we don’t know about Optimus yet.”
“Ratchet…” His voice box was scratchy and clearly freezing, but it was functional. “You came.”
“Of course we did. Gosh. What, did you think we’d abandon you?” Ratchet gently held his back before the two tried to inch away from the scene. Optimus only heaved and crashed back onto the snow, feeling his exposed frame whimper. With a sigh, Ratchet sat back down next to him, watching Optimus cycle his optics and barely vent. He kept a steady hand on his torn back while they both processed what happens now.
Acree came speeding over, holding a relatively large pile of torn-apart armor before slowing down. Her field grew in acidic fear before Optimus groaned and tried to get back on his knees. “Ratchet… I uh, the armor.”
“Good. Get it to base.” He looked out in the fog as Bumblebee emerged with one of the shoulders and some parts of his forearm armor. “Bee, follow Arcee.” He swiftly vented before hauling Optimus up off the ground.
Smokescreen limped over, snatching the crumbling Prime by the arm before gently lifting him up. “Smokescreen..." Feeling like he was dripped under acid, he turned away and only faced the new bridge. "You’re a lifesaver. Thank you.” Ratchet muttered before inching forward, feeling the pride radiate off of the Youngling's field. Oh Primus... he's never living that down, is he?
“Ratchet…?” A gruff mumble dripped from the blue and gray frame, peds dragging in the snow as energon crystals locked his knees.
“Yes?” He huffed as his engine churned in the extra weight. Frozen metal was anything but light.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t even start.” He tossed the bot up on his shoulders more and looked over, seeing him drift back into a state of reality and rest. “You’re anything but in trouble. I owe Primus my spark. The fact that you were able to contact us in time was a blessing on its own. Don’t apologize.”
“... Thank you.” He muttered before offlining his optics and feeling the warmth of the bridge comfort him into rest.