Chapter 10

I felt my body being lifted up.  I opened my eyes to see a bright environment.  I felt hands around my arms and ankles.  I blinked a few times to get my vision back.

"She's coming!"  An echo said.

"Chick?"  The voices came in and out like a radio.

"Chick, can you hear me?  Chick?"

I looked up and saw Captain Lennox.  I looked at the ground.  We were still in the museum.  "Sam...  Where's-- where is Sam?  No.  I need to find him."  I stood up by myself and I looked around.  I saw the hole in roof.

"Chick, no.  You're arm is broken.  You need rest.  I have some of my team looking for him," Lennox said.

I shook my head.  "I need to find Sam!"  I shouted.  I ran towards the stairs Sam and I ran up.  I started jogging up them, skipping one step.  I looked up and I had like thirty more flights to climb.  I heard footsteps behind me.  I climbed all the way to the top, when I heard a robotic voice again.

It was Megatron.  He was still looking for Sam.  How long was I unconscious?

"Lennox?"  I asked.  "How long was I out?"

"About half an hour," Lennox replied.

"No.  Sam's been here a half hour?"  I said.

I opened the door to the roof.  There was a ladder I needed to climb.  I climbed up the ladder with my right hand only as I felt the pain from my left arm kick in now.  I jumped onto the roof and ran across it.  There was an opening and I saw Sam.

"Hey!"  He yelled.

"Sam!"  I shouted back.  "Sam!"

I ran over to him.  I hugged him tightly, not caring about any of my pain in my body.  I looked over his shoulder and saw helicopters.

"Megatron?"  Sam asked.

I shrugged.  "Wasn't there when I woke up."

"Light the flare!"  Lennox yelled.

Sam ran through clothing.  I followed him as he lit the flare, sparking it by a wall. 

"Chick, I gotta go.  My men are waiting," Lennox said.

"Who was with you?"  I asked.

"My medic.  Now go!  Go protect your brother!"  Lennox said, pushing me in his direction.

I turned around, feeling tears swell in my eyes.  I ran after Sam who was yelling at the helicopters.

"Hey!  We're over here!"  He said, waving the flare.  It was burning smoke in my face.

I ran after Sam like I always did.  I looked to my left and saw Megatron.  "Sam!  Bad idea!  Bad idea!"

"Yeah!  Bad idea!"  Sam repeated.  "There's a helicopter!"

Sam started to hand the military the Cube when Sam yelled, "Watch out!"

"Missile!"  The guy in the helicopter yelled to the pilot.

The missile hit the top of the helicopter, blowing out the propellers. 

Sam ducked down to the ground.  I followed his lead as soon as I saw the helicopter flying towards us.  Sam yelled.  "Ahhh!"

I screamed.  I crawled over to Sam with my broken arm.  Sam held the Cube in his arms, keeping it protected.

"Hang on, children!"  I heard another robotic voice yell.  I looked over the edge and saw Optimus Prime hurdling towards us.

"Sam!"  I said with a smile.  "Optimus!"

He chuckled happily.  "He will save us."

I nodded.  "Sam, we gotta give that thing to Optimus."

Sam stood up and started running to the ladder he pointed at.  "Come on!"

I followed him and sprinted towards the ladder.  I tried to climb it myself, but Sam turned around and pulled me up.

I looked backwards and saw Megatron crawling through the roof.  "Hide behind a pillar," he whispered.

I nodded.  I stood at the edge of the building, looking down.  I gulped, trying my hardest not to fall.  I held onto the indents on the statue.  I looked over at Sam.

"Is it fear or courage that compels you, fleshlings?"  Megatron asked.

Sam was hanging on so tight to the statue that his facd was pressed against it.  He held onto the Cube in his arm.

"Where do I go?"  He asked.

I saw him moving around the statue.  I just stood where I was.

"Give me the All Spark and you may live to be my pet," Megatron said.  He hand clamped down on the statue to my left.  Two away from Sam.

I heard him slip and scream.  "Oh, no, no, no, no."

Helicopters flew straight above me.

"I'm never giving you this All Spark!"  Sam yelled.

"Oh, so unwise," Megatron breathed.

I looked around the statue at the wrong time.  Megatron took his wrecking ball with spikes on it and hit the building between Sam and I, breaking the statues, we fell.

"Sam!"  I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Chick!"  He held on tight to the All Spark.

"No!"  I yelled in a high pitched voice.

Coldness enveloped my entire body.  I looked up and saw red and blue.

"I got you, children," Optimus Prime said, gripping us in his one hand.  "Hold on to the Cube!"

Optimus used to two buildings to slide down, jumping from one to the other, sliding down the sides of the buildings.

I screamed as Optimus went turning in the air.  Megatron had landed on him when we hit the ground.

Sam took my hand.  "You okay?"  He asked.

I nodded.  "My head hurts," I said.  "Everything hurts."

"Trust me, I know that feeling."

"Sam?"  Optimus asked.

Sam kneeled on Optimus Prime's hand.

"You risked your life to protect the Cube," Optimus said.

"No sacrifice, no victory," Sam said.

"If I cannot defeat Megatron, you must push the Cube into my chest.  I will sacrifice myself to destroy it," Optimus said.

I shook my head, my cheeks stained with an enormous amount of tears.  "No.  Optimus, I won't let you do that.  There has to be another way."

"Chick, this is the only way," Optimus replied.

"I can't lose you too.  Not after Jazz..."  I said.

"Get behind me," Optimus said.

Sam took my right hand and dragged me behind Optimus' head on the ground in a crevas.  "Chick, you have to be brave," he said.

I shook my head.  "I can't...  Not anymore," I said.

"Chick.  For me," Sam said.  "I can't lose YOU."

I nodded hesitantly.

I felt Optimus shift above me.  I held on to Sam as I started to fall.

"It's you and me, Megatron," Optimus Prime said.

"No!  It's just me Prime!"  Megatron yelled.  He picked Optimus up by the leg and threw him against the nearest building.  Rocks and debris flew into the hole we were standing in.  Sam hunched over me and protected my body from getting hit.

"Fighter jets in 60 seconds," I heard my radio talk.

"We got friendlies mixed with bad guys.  Targets will be marked," Epps said.

"Alright, let's kill these things," Lennox said.  "Remember, aim low.  Armor's weak under the chest."

"Sam...  I've got communication," I said.

"F-22s, we're still waiting," Epps said.  "Move out!"

There was a loud boom and a crash.  "Sam!"  I yelled.  "There's another one."

"Chick," Sam said.  He heard what I was hearing.  Optimus and Megatron were still fighting.

Sam took my right arm.  He pulled my up over the edge of the road.  He ducked us behind a car.  I looked through the window and saw Optimus crawling towards us, when Megatron kicked his head back.

Sam stood up, starting to run.

"Sam!"  I yelled, trying to grab onto his clothing.

I looked up and saw a missile.  I pulled down on Sam's arm, making him and I both fall to the ground, sliding forward

Megatron was being pelted by missiles.  The military planes finally got here.

Megatron was staggering back towards us.  I looked up and about sixty feet away was Lennox and my team.  I waved and told them not to shoot.

Sam stood up, running by a fallen down Megatron and a tired Optimus.  Megatron started after Sam and the Cube.  Optimus reached his arm out, making Megatron trip over it and fall down.

Sam fell from the impact.  He scrambled backwards away from Megatron who was crawling towards Sam.

"I'll kill you!"  Megatron said.  "Mine!  All Spark!"

Optimus was starting to get up.  I stood up and tripped.  I half fell and started running towards Sam.

"Sam!"  I was twenty feet away from Megatron.  I had my hand on my gun.  I pulled it out and aimed at Megatron's chest.

"Sam!  Put the Cube in my chest!  Now!"  Optimus said.

"Prime!  Stop!"  I shouted.

Sam stood up.

"Sam!"  Optimus said.

Sam reached up and shoved the Cube into Megatron's chest.

"No, Sam!"  Optimus yelled.

I looked forward.  I saw the Cube merging with Megatron's chest.  Megatron was yelling.  The Cube was disappearing in the orange and blue metal.

Megatron pulled away from Sam and straightened when the Cube was gone.  Megatron clawed at his chest.  He was malfunctioning and he fell on his knees, then his head smashed into the ground.

Sam looked surprised.  He had killed Megatron.  He backed away from the gigantic robot.  I put my gun in my holster.

"Sam!"  I yelled happily.  He looked over at me as I ran over to him.  I wrapped my arm around his waist as his wrapped around my neck.  "You did it!"

"No.  We did it," he said.  He hugged me tightly.

Optimus stood up and walked forward.

"Hold up," Lennox said.

"You left me no choice, brother," Optimus said to Megatron.

I pulled away from Sam.  "Brother?"  I asked loudly so Optimus could hear me.  "What do you mean, 'brother?'"

"Megatron was also a Prime.  My brother," Optimus said.

I looked around and saw Epps standing across from me.  Ironhide stood behind him with two pieces of metal in his hands.

"Is that him?"  I had asked Ironhide.  I felt tears in my eyes.

"I'm afraid it is," Ironhide replied.

"Chick, you must hear me," Ratchet entered.  "After I left you and Sam, I raced back to Jazz to try and save him.  But by the time I got there, the comrade's spark had already faded."

"We could not save your guardian, Chick," Ironhide finished.

I shook my head, too saddened to say anything.  I looked at Optimus.

"Sam, Chick.  I owe you my life.  We are in your debt," Optimus said.

I heard a car pull up.  I turned around and saw Mikaela getting out of the tow truck with Bumblebee attached to the back.  She ran to the side of Bumblebee.

"Prime, we couldn't save him," Ironhide said, handing Jazz's remains to Optimus.

I turned around and put my head in my hands.  I felt someone's arms snake around me.  I didn't care who it was.  I just cried into their shoulder.

"Aww, Jazz..."  Optimus said.  "We lost a great comrade but gained new ones.  We'll miss you, Blues."

"His name was Jazz, Prime," Ratchet said.

"Whatever," Optimus replied.  "Thank you, all of you.  You honor us with your bravery."

"Permission to speak, sir?"  I heard almost like a broken radio ask.

I pulled away from the person's arms who turned out to be Lennox, and looked at Bumblebee.

"Permission granted, old friend," Optimus said.

Sam looked back at Bee too.  "You speak now?"  Sam asked.

"I wish to stay with the boy," Bee said.

"If that is his choice," Optimus said.

I looked at Sam and nodded slightly.  Sam looked at Mikaela who quickly agreed.

"Yes," Sam said.  Sam smiled at Bumblebee.

Optimus knelt beside Megatron.  He pulled something out of his chest and grasped it in his hand.  "Autobots, roll out," he said.

"We be rolling," I said loud enough for everyone to hear.  "Tribute to Jazz.  Our fallen soldier.  I love you, mate."

"I told you, Ratchet, he was in love with her," Ironhide said.

"Yeah, yeah," Ratchet said, shrugging it off.

The Autobots changed into car form.  I looked at Sam, then to Lennox.

"I'll give you a few days to decide if you want to come with us," Lennox said.

"What do you mean?"  I asked.

"We have another job to do," Lennox said.

"I'll let you know, Captain," I said.

"You were brave today, Chick.  Keep it up," Lennox said.  He clapped me on my shoulder and turned around to his team.  "Let's go!"

Today was the worst and the best day of my life.

***