Smokescreen stared off across the desert and sighed heavily. He sat there quietly with his knees drawn up to his chest plate. The rookie thought about what had happened to the others.

When the cons had retreated in a panic, Bulkhead and Optimus had been the only ones to come back through. Only two of the kids had followed them back. When he asked what happened, Miko burst into tears. Bulkhead helped Optimus to the berth as he explained. The kids retreated to the couch as Smokescreen and Bulkhead patched up the Prime, by following his instructions. Their leader had gone into stasis shortly after they were done, and he left to get some air.

The rookie looked at the horizon again and wondered where the others had gone. His com beeped and he was summoned to go back down. Bulkhead told him that Optimus had come back around. When he entered the main room he saw the Prime sitting on the edge of the berth as he stared at the floor.

"Optimus?" Smokescreen asked. The leader didn't respond or look up. The rookie looked over at the wrecker who shook his helm and cleared his throat.

"Don't worry.....I'm sure Rachet is working on a way to communicate with us now." Bulkhead said trying to mostly reassure himself.

The room was quite for a while, until they heard some sniffling. Smokescreen and Bulkhead looked up towards the children. Jack stood at the rail and looked over his shoulder at Miko. The girl was curled up on the couch as she hugged Rafs laptop close to her chest. She cried quietly as she lay there. Everyone knew she felt guilty for what happened. Optimus stood up slowly and walked over to the children. He stood next to the rail and watched Miko cry. The leader nudged her gently with his digit. She looked up and set the laptop down. The girl wiped her eyes as she sat up and faced them.

"I'm so sorry...." Miko muttered. Jack walked over and sat by her. "I didn't mean to get them.....killed." She started to sob and leaned into the older boy. Jack blushed bright red and put an arm around her.

"Miko." She looked up at the Autobot leader. "Rest assured that Raf is not dead. Neither are Rachet, Bee and Arcee." He said. The girl cried in relief and looked back up at him.

"What happened to them?" She asked as she sat up. Optimus walked to the computer and started typing.

"The relic has the power to transport others to different dimensions..... right?" Jack asked as he walked to the rail. The Prime looked at him and nodded once. He typed a little more and the Iacon files pulled up.

"I will attempt to search a little deeper and find a way to bring them back." He said as he started to read.

"Shouldn't we call Wheeljack to come help us while we're a few people short?" Jack asked hesitantly.

"I've already tried to contact him" Bulkhead answered as he rubbed his helm. "He isn't responding to our transmission." He mumbled.

"Bulkhead continue to try and contact Wheeljack. We may need his assistance." Optimus said as he typed. "Smokescreen I will need your assistance as we attempt to reach the others." He said without looking up. The two bots got to work, after a moment Bulkhead looked back at their leader.

"Optimus..." He said hesitantly. "Did Megatron..... travel to the other dimension with them?" He asked. All optics and eyes were on the Autobot leader. The Prime looked up and narrowed his optics.

"I fear that has become the case." He mumbled. "We must contact Rachet before the Decepticons can contact their leader." He looked back at the screen.

"Because, Megatron will just summon his army to him, and destroy that world." Jack said eyes growing wide. Optimus nodded once as the realization sank in for everyone else.

"So....it's a race against the cons." Miko muttered.

"Like always.... but this time if we lose the race..." Smokescreen trailed off. The room went quiet.

"We might not see the others ever again." Miko said softly. They looked at the floor.

"Hence the urgency of our task." Optimus said sternly without looking at them. The others snapped out of their thoughts and got to work.

As Optimus read the file he couldn't help but think about his team. He knew they were capable of defending themselves, but he feared Megatron would become overwhelming for the three of them.

He knew Arcee and Bumblebee would fight past their limits if someone they cared about was threatened. Rachet was a fierce warrior when he needed to be, having fought next to him in countless battles. Raf was the leaders main concern, he didn't know where they ended up and he was worried about the young boy. Optimus narrowed his optics and went back to work. He had to find them before the Decepticons did.

~~~

The Decepticons had gone back and retrieved the container the relic had been in. They laid it on its side as the communication specialist studied it. The drones stepped back and left the con alone. They knew if he wanted help he would let them know, otherwise, they we're told to stay out of his way.

Soundwave crouched down and scanned the inside of the container. He had a feeling there was more to the relic than they had previously thought. He knew from reading the Iacon database, that there was a way to communicate with the bearer of the relic. He also knew that one could summon another from the different dimensions.

Megatron had mentioned to him that he wanted to bring a Sparkeater into this world to destroy the Autobots. The leader would then send it back when it completed the task. The communication specialist scanned every inch of the cylinder like container, when he heard someone approaching.

Soundwave knew exactly who it was without looking. The con had been able to tell the difference between each ped step on the ship. It made it easier for him to know who was behind him before they spoke. He listened to the ped steps of Starscream as they came closer and stopped a few feet away.

"Any luck on finding a way to communicate with Megatron?" The con asked. Soundwave ignored him and continued scanning. After a moment he heard the con sigh in exasperation.

"Have you found anything useful?" He asked.

The communication specialist kept his back to him as he worked. He bent his helm and cocked it to the side as he examined a piece of metal that fell off the cylinder. A few more agonizing minutes passed by for Starscream as he waited for an answer. He growled in frustration.

"Answer your Master when he speaks to you!" The seeker demanded.

Soundwaves helm jerked up and he glared at the wall in front of him. Starscream felt a shiver run down his spine, and he stood up straighter. He felt as though he had crossed a line. Soundwave slowly stood and turned to face the seeker. He remained perfectly still as he watched the con squirm under his gaze.

Starscream tried to have an air of command as the communication specialist towered over him. Involuntarily he took a step back as the con shifted. He wasn't sure what to do or say as they stared at each other. The seeker cleared his throat.

"Ahem....have you found a way to locate Megatron?" He asked again. The other con remained perfectly still. Starscream felt as though he was testing him.

"Well....do you know how to communicate with him?" He asked his voice wavering slightly. He was growing uncomfortable under the cons gaze. Soundwave stood there unmoving and the seeker felt as though he was staring him down.

"Are you questioning my authority?" He seethed. The con remained quiet for a moment, then pointed at the door.

"Fine." He growled. "I'll send Knockout over to help you. He is an expert at taking things apart." He paused and looked at him.

The con nodded once in agreement and pointed at the door again. Starscream growled in annoyance and walked out of the room. When the seeker was around the corner he glared over his shoulder plate.

"He still gives me the creeps." He mumbled and he walked to the bridge.