Chapter Text
[Later, we see Noah and Mirage driving on the way to the museum.]
Noah: So y'all are robots that transform into cars, even though you're from way out in space. But now there's a key that opens a portal back to your home? Oh, and you know this because there's a beacon light in the sky that I can't see because I'm human.
Mirage: You say that like it's weird.
Noah: It's super weird.
Mirage: You know what's weird? Marky Mark is leaving the Funky Bunch! I heard he's just gonna pursue acting now. That's crazy!
Noah: What? How does that even--
Mirage: What a world.
"Wha-what am I even saying?" Mirage gaped at the screen, perplexed, as Jazz broke into a fit of laughter behind him.
"Who's Marky Mark?" Prowl muttered, optics narrowing in confusion.
"And what's a 'funky bunch'?" Skywarp snickered.
Optimus hummed, giving Mirage a reassuring pat. "No worries, Mirage. I have no clue what that is either."
"That...that's not exactly the problem, Optimus."
Noah: Whatever, man. I'm just trying to collect this money and get your angry-ass boss off Earth before he blows a gasket.
Mirage: Don't take it personal. He just missed home. And I think he blames himself for us getting stuck here. Earth was supposed to be a pit stop, you know? A place for us to regroup and rejoin the war back home. Prime feels like it's his fault we've been stranded here, like he has to fix it all on his own.
Optimus's optics dimmed, feeling a pang of sadness in his spark. These Autobots were stuck on another planet, far from friends and family, all because of him. He knew they were different, different universes and different personalities, but he will admit, the thought has snuck up on him, late at night when he was laying in his berth. He was responsible for all his Autobots, but he was also responsible for the safety of those on Earth.
Some would probably judge him for his compassion towards organic beings, but it was just how he was.
"I wouldn't blame you, if were stuck forever on Earth." Bumblebee whispered, startling the Prime, and he glanced down at the minibot, who just gave him a big, reassuring grin, and Optimus felt his spark warm.
"Thank you, Bumblebee."
Arcee: All right, team, heads up. There's security up ahead.
Mirage: Nice! This is going to be fun, man.
Noah: No, bro, you need to switch it up. You need to turn into a helicopter or a speedboat or something.
Mirage: I got something way better than that.
[Cut to show Mirage as a dump truck gaining entry to Ellis Island.]
Noah: Good call.
Mirage wrinkled his nose, staring at his current alt-mode in disdain. "A garbage truck? Seriously? Out of everything I could have turned into?"
"I mean...certainly not stylish but it got the job done, right?" Jazz chirped, playfully poking the Autobot spy in the back of his helm, to which the other grumpily swatted his servo away.
"I guess, but...ugh, a garbage truck of all things." Mirage muttered.
[On the other Autobots...]
Optimus Prime: I do not like this plan.
Arcee: Yeah, Mirage isn't really known for being quiet.
Optimus Prime: At least Mirage is one of us. We should not be relying on a human.
"What?! I'm plenty quiet! I'm a spy for a reason! I can literally turn invisible!" Mirage growled, scowling at the pink femme onscreen.
"Did you seriously have to announce that while every Decepticon is also here?" Ironhide groaned, and Mirage felt his face plate heating up.
"W-well...it's true!"
"At least this Prime seems logical enough not to go blindly trusting those pests." Megatron growled, glaring at Optimus, who ignored the Decepticon leader with a quiet, tired huff.
Bumblebee: (via radio) They are my friends.
Optimus Prime: I know one was good to you, Bee, but this is not our world. The humans will always protect what is theirs. We can only trust our own kind.
Bumblebee: (audio clip from A Few Good Men) You can't handle the truth!
Optimus Prime: I do not want you going to that drive-in theater anymore.
[Bumblebee chirps sadly. Meanwhile, the Terrocons have landed on Earth.]
Scourge: Nightbird, search the island. Finally, the hunt draws to a close.
Optimus frowned, confusion and sympathy warring in his spark. What...has happened to him? He knows he shouldn't be surprised, this universe was far different from his own, but couldn't this Optimus see that working together with the humans would bring more good than bad? The Autobots had practically been welcomed with open arms when they first arrived, unless, like this Prime, the humans here were jaded as well.
"Well, this doesn't look good." Jazz muttered, optics narrowing at the sight of the Terrocons.
"How in Primus's name are none of the humans seeing that? Are they blind?" Hook sputtered, gesturing at these...these creatures swimming under the large bridge. "I mean...come on! Large red lights cannot be normal to them!"
"They're inferior to us in every way, I wouldn't be surprised." Megatron sneered.
"They're like us in more ways than you think, Megatron." Optimus murmured, though it only made the Decepticon leader bare his denta before glancing back up at the screen.
Thundercracker, however, was more focused on another thing. "Drive-in theater?" He questioned.
Bumblebee perked up. "Oh yeah! Kind of like what we're watching right now, but humans just park their cars in like...a clearing and watch the movie there! Spike and I went to go see one together!" He chirped.
The blue seeker hummed, helm tilted curiously. "Interesting..."
Starscream gave him a bewildered glare. "Those weird bots from outer space are here and you're focused on a fragging theater?!" He hissed.
"Well, they are going against the Autobots, so uh, if we haven't been able to beat them since we landed on Earth, I doubt these newbies would." Skywarp crowed, wings flared proudly.
Elena: Hello? Fudge!
Noah: Are you okay? Shit!
Elena: Back up! Back up! Back up, back up, back up!
Noah: Yo, you okay? I didn't think anyone was in here! That's it...
Elena: Who are you? Hm?
Noah: I'm a... janitor.
"Answer: weak." Soundwave droned, unimpressed with the human's skill in lying. Though what could they expect from a species inferior to Cybertronians.
"Yeah...not his best." Jazz agreed lightly, seeming to be entertained by the interaction.
Elena: Security!
Noah: No, no, no, no, no, no, you don't have to do that. It's not what it looks like.
Elena: It looks like you're trying to steal museum property.
Noah: Okay, it's a little what it looks like.
[Elena runs and Noah block the door.]
Noah: Hey, hey, hey, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo! It doesn't belong to you anyway! Just stop, just-- Hey, hey, relax, relax! Let me explain, it belongs to, to these, these giant robots from space.
"Primus..." Mirage groaned, burying his face plate into his servos, which he found himself doing a lot. It wasn't even him that was on screen, but technically it was his counterpart's human companion, so anything Noah did reflected on him, so obviously it was bad!
"Just kill the human and get the key, it's simple." Starscream scoffed, leaning back in his seat impatiently.
"You...do realize that's a crime, right?" Spike muttered slowly.
"Yes, and?"
"...never mind."
Elena: Really?
Noah: Look, I'm gonna need that.
Elena: Stop! Damn!
Night Guard: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! What's going on here? Don't move!
Elena: Man, it's about time you showed up!
"Honestly, the guard should have shown up ages ago. What if there was real danger in the museum?" Prowl muttered, arms crossed over his chassis.
"I'm sure Noah wouldn't have even been able to get on the premises if you were there." Jazz reassured his fellow Autobot with a grin, giving Prowl a pat on the shoulder, who just huffed in response.
However, the light mood was soon ruined.
[The key's beacon of light vanishes.]
Optimus Prime: The key...
[Noah & Elena look outside & see the Terrocons.]
Elena: You were telling the truth.
Noah: Yeah. But those ones aren't with me.
Scourge: Rip the flesh from their bones and bring me the key.
"Time to stop gawking and run!" Mirage yelped, trying to keep his composure despite feeling an anxious pulse in his spark. Something about these new enemies felt wrong somehow, different than when they fought Decepticons. More...dangerous.
"I-is the security guard okay?!" Bumblebee explained, tiny door wings fluttering frantically at the explosion.
Spike winced, digging his fingers into his seat. "I don't think the human body could survive that." He whispered.
[Elena hands the Transwarp Key to Noah.]
Elena: It's yours.
[As they flee, Mirage lets everyone know of the presence of new enemies.]
Mirage: Guys, we got company!
Optimus Prime: Autobots, protect the key!
Battletrap: Catch!
Bumblebee: (via radio) Not so fast!
Mirage: Oh, they're flying now? Who the hell are these guys?!
"You're acting as if you've never fought seekers before." Starscream hissed, seeming offended. "Not as if those baffoons could even come close to our standards, though."
"Did you see that? My counterpart looked so cool!" Bumblebee cheered, practically bouncing on his seat, much to the other Autobots' amusement.
Optimus chuckled softly at the yellow minibot's antics, though found himself slumping in his seat, worried optics staring up at the screen. Would this universe's Prime really put a key above the lives of other beings? He knew this Prime was desperate to get his fellow Autobots home, but the lives of others should always be put first, no matter what. "I don't have a good feeling about this..." He murmured. The Matrix seemed to agree, seeming to send anxious pulses within him.
Optimus Prime: Impossible!
Scourge: I enjoy that look of confusion, when an inferior being meets a higher power.
Megatron growled, glaring at the screen. What in Primus's name is this? Optimus Prime was supposed to be his enemy! Who did this garbage looking Decepticon-wannabe think he is? And where was he and his Decepticons?
"Come on, Prime, where is your honor? Your courage? Fight back!" He spat, furious optics glancing over to his own Prime, who seemed more worried than angry.
[Back inside the museum.]
Noah: What the hell are those things? Are you o-?
Mirage recoiled back, disgusted at those...those tiny creatures. "What are those things? They're certainly not cassetticons." He growled.
"Can confirm: not cassetticons." Soundwave agreed, scanning over the brief appearance.
"Yeah, we ain't that ugly." Rumble muttered, arms crossed indignantly. "Well, maybe Rumble is."
"What? I'm Frenzy! You're the ugly one!" 'Frenzy' retorted.
"Am not!"
"Am too!"
"Am not!"
Megatron growled, barely refraining himself from shouting at the two cassettes to shut up.
Elena: Hey, stop following me!
Noah: I'm not following you, I'm just escaping in the same direction!
[The Terrocon Sweeps starts looking around the museum.]
Prowl groaned, rubbing a servo against his helm. "These humans need to stop abandoning each other! Don't they know survival is more likely when they're together?" He muttered.
"How does the human not even see it? Why did they stop in the first place?" Skywarp complained, shuddering at the sight of the tiny creatures. Primus, they were ugly.
"Humans don't uh, have great eyesight when it comes to the dark. Like...we're almost blind in dark settings." Spike explained, making the purple seeker grumble about 'weird human bodies'.
Elena: (sings to herself) We're moving on, keeping strong. Don't let them steer you wrong. It's a groove thang. We're gonna give you what you want just as long... Um...
Noah: Run! Go, go! Run! Go, go, go, go, go!
Elena: Watch out, watch out! [closes the door on Sweeps]
Noah: Thanks.
Bumblebee yelped, shuffling closer to Optimus at the jump scare. "They're like spiders!" He squeaked, shivering.
Optimus hugged the yellow minibot close, optics narrowing at the screen. "It certainly does seem like that. We should be grateful we've never encountered them." The yet remained in his processor, for Optimus had no idea if these creatures lived in their universe or not, though he prayed for the latter.
[The two humans head outside as the battle rages on. Battletrap spots them leaving with the Transwarp Key]
Battletrap: Scourge, I have eyes on the key.
Mirage: Prime, I don't think we can hold these guys--
[Suddenly, he is ambushed by Nightbird, who flies him around.]
Mirage: Oh, no! Oh, my god! Put me down!
Mirage felt his face plate heat up as the seekers burst into cackles, wishing to Primus that he wasn't there. Why...why did his counterpart have to be so embarrassing? In front of Decepticons, no less!
"We have got to try that when we get out of here!" Starscream grinned, a wicked gleam in his optics.
"Think he'll squeal just like this universe's Mirage did?" Skywarp laughed, and Mirage felt like covering his face and never looking at another bot for the rest of his life. "He squeals like a sparkling!"
"I do not!" Mirage hissed, trying to sit up straight in his seat, glaring at the purple seeker, who just stuck his glossa out at him.
"You totally do!"
"Do not!"
"Calm yourself, Mirage." Optimus murmured, placing a warm servo on his shoulder, and Mirage tensed, realizing he was acting like a sparkling.
"Sorry, sir." He muttered, slumping back in his seat, though grateful that Optimus did not move his servo away, keeping it there as a comforting presence.
[Nightbird drops him onto the ground near Noah and Elena.]
Mirage: Whoa, that was so scary. Oh, cool, you're still alive!
[As he continues fighting Optimus Prime, Scourge sees the humans.]
Scourge: Get the key!
[A few more Freezers appear.]
Mirage: Noah, get out of here!
[They run off while the Freezers leap onto Mirage.]
Mirage: Get off me! I hate spiders!
Mirage shuddered, glad he's never had to deal with any 'spiders' yet. The thought of their tiny pedes crawling all over his frame...ugh! Just thinking about it gives him the creeps. He's seen how even strong mechs like Ironhide and Prowl stumble whenever Soundwave's cassettes jump them. "Though seriously... 'oh cool, you're still alive'? Was that all he had to say?" He muttered, then yelped as he watched his-the humans get fired at, knowing the other Autobots were just as tense.
[Battletrap fires his turret at the humans as they flee throughout the battlefield.]
Noah: Go, go, go, go, go!
Elena: Don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die!
[Arcee arrives to fend off the attackers.]
Go! Get out of here!
[While Arcee fires at the Terrorcons, Nightbird sees the humans about to leave.]
Nightbird: Uh-uh-uh. Leaving so soon?
[Nightbird fires a bomb that lands in the parking lot.]
Noah: Yo, look out!
[The bomb explodes, pushing the humans away and making them lose the key.]
"The key!" Megatron growled, barely keeping himself from leaping from his seat.
"The humans!" Optimus murmured, wanting nothing more than to reach out and hold them close, to protect them against any and all danger, and the Matrix pulsed in agreement. No key was worth the death of an innocent life.
Mirage jolted, optics widening as he watched his-the humans getting fired at, then they widened even more as the bomb exploded. "Primus above, let them be safe..." He whispered.
Arcee: The key!
[Arcee tries to get it, but Battletrap uses his mace to grab a car and swing it at her.]
Scourge: Enough of these games! I'll get it myself.
Bumblebee: (via radio) Not on my watch!
Optimus winced, hoping his counterpart wasn't feeling too much pain. Once more, the Matrix was screaming that something was wrong.
Megatron growled, digits digging into his seat. "What is this? How is he beating you so easily? Where is that strength and might of yours, Prime?" He snarled, glaring at the screen before glaring at his own Prime in the room.
"I don't know, Megatron. If he's with Unicron, maybe he's been granted super strength." Optimus replied wearily, wincing as he watched Bumblebee smash into a window.
"...if he beats you I'm disowning you as my enemy."
"Eh, so what if he has super strength? He ain't beating no Prime." Ironhide grunted, chassis puffing out confidently.
"Yeah, he's no match for you, Optimus!" Bumblebee cheered, jumping in his seat once more.
"You got this, OP." Jazz piped up with a grin, giving the Prime a lazy, two-digit salute. Soon enough, more Autobots voiced their agreement and encouragement, and Optimus felt his spark warm at their confidence. Well, technically confidence in his counterpart, but it was still spark-warming.
Nightbird: Oh, don't be frightened, humans. This'll all be over soon.
[As Nightbird grabs the key, Scourge steps on Prime's back.]
Scourge: And you call yourself a Prime? Primus would be ashamed.
[Scourge draws his blade and readies it for the killing blow. Bumblebee charges forward, taking Prime's axe from the ground and leaping towards Scourge. The Terrorcon whips around, stabbing the Autobot in the abdomen. Bumblebee whimpers, clearly in pain, and drops the axe. Scourge transforms the arm not holding Bumblebee into a cannon.]
Scourge: I'm tired of little things getting in my way!
Optimus Prime: Bee!
[Bumblebee retracts his facemask, fixing Optimus with one last look.]
Bumblebee: [audio clips from Dead Poets Society] O Captain, my Captin...
[Optimus retracts his facemask as well.]
Optimus Prime: No...!
[Scourge sends an EMP through Bumblebee's body before ripping the insignia off his head and casting him to the ground, right across from Optimus.]
Optimus Prime: Bee...
[The light in Bumblebee's eyes fade.]
Optimus hadn't realized he had stood until the screen paused, as if sensing his movements. He could only stare at the screen, feeling as if his spark has been ripped out.
No...
No no no no!
Yes, soldiers have died under Optimus's command, they were in a war, but it has been so long since one of them, a close friend at that, was murdered in cold blood. None of them had been successful at taking down soldiers permanently ever since they made it to Earth, and it had made Optimus forget about the perils of war. He had gotten too comfortable, and now the reminder washed over him like cold ice. Bumblebee had died, and Optimus had done nothing. He couldn't have done anything.
"-timus? Optimus, hey, I-I'm still here!" Bumblebee murmured, glancing up at his leader worriedly, rubbing their servos together. "It's alright!"
Optimus couldn't look Bumblebee in the optics, not after...not after that. If this universe's Optimus lost his Bumblebee, who's to say he wouldn't lose his? Optimus veered away from the seats, storming to the doors. He needed to get out, he needed out.
But the doors stayed locked. He had nowhere to go.
The theater was abnormally quiet as the Prime paced, servos subtly shaking, until Bumblebee stood up, making his way over to Optimus, and hugged him, stopping the Prime in his tracks.
"I'm here, Optimus. I'm alright." The yellow minibot murmured, nuzzling his face plate into Optimus's knees, and soon enough, Spike joined them, then Jazz and Ratchet, and soon enough, almost all his Autobots were cuddled up against him, forming a barrier around their leader, all murmuring words of comfort.
Optimus shivered, feeling their fields of warmth comfort love surround him, and he slowly began to feel grounded once more. He could tell they were rattled, and they needed him. Poor Spike's face was filled with that clear liquid, tears, the humans called them.
He knew, he had to be there for them. He could not lose himself over the death of a soldier that wasn't truly his.