Nahko's POV

With Jazz awake we continue our talk about Optimus as I sit on Jazz's shoulder. "He lost himself" Ratchet states.

"That doesn't follow. Optimus knew Megatron" Arcee states.

"They were like BFFs!" Bulkhead adds.

"They used to be, before Optimus became a Prime" Jazz tells them.

"If Optimus did not know his own name, perhaps it is because the title of Prime hasn't yet been granted to him" Ratchet suggests. Everyone looks at him confused aside from me. "With the power of the Matrix no longer within him, it would stand to reason that Optimus has reverted to his pre-Prime state: the historical archivist, Orion Pax" he explains.

"Who knew Megatron as a friend" I state. "But didn't know any of you, except Jazz and Ratchet. But Ratchet was here and Jazz was unconscious" I explain.

"Yeah that grinds my gears. Had I been awake, I could of stopped him from leaving" Jazz states.

"No one blames you Jazz" I assure him.

"Are you telling me Prime thinks he is some kind of librarian? And a Decepticon?!" Fowler demands.

"Being a Decepticon is a choice, Agent Fowler. One I have a hard time believing Optimus would make at any point in his life" Ratchet tells him.

"So, if he's riding with the 'Cons..." Bulkhead starts.

"It's because Megatron is working some kind of voodoo" Arcee finishes.

"Orion Pax may not currently be an Autobot up here, but I must believe, he will never stop being one in here" Ratchet says pointing to his chest.

"I agree" Jazz states.

"Then we must find him and bring him home" I tell them.

"We need to locate him first" Ratchet states.

"Hold up. I have a chip lodged in my behind that let's Uncle Sam know when I stop for donuts. Are you telling me you can't just track Prime?" Fowler asks.

"Optimus's signal has not reappeared since he embarked for Earth's core. But we must get to work finding him. If we have any hope of initiating his contingency plan" Ratchet states and I take out the key.

"Contingency plan?" Arcee asks.

"Is that even a word?" Miko asks.

"It is Miko" I tell her. "He is talking about this key card, it will grant access to Vector Sigma" I state.

"So it is real" Jazz states.

"What's Vector Sigma?" Jack asks.

"Vector Sigma, the repository of the wisdom of the Primes" Ratchet states.

"Is that some sort of supercomputer?" Raf asks as I pocket the key card.

"So, we can just download Optimus's memories back into him? Great! Which one is the big V?
Over here? Somewhere in back?" Jack asks.

"It's not that simple Jack, I wish it was" I tell him. "Vector Sigma is on Cybertron" I add.

"Jackson Darby! You will NOT be travelling to another planet" his mum snaps.

"I'm in" Miko cheers.

"You're not going either, Miko" Nurse Darby tells her. "Not when one of you can" she adds looking at the bots.

"June's right. Why send a boy or a girl to do a bot's job?" Fowler asks.

"Because only a Prime can access Vector Sigma. Or one chosen by a Prime" Ratchet states.

"I was given this task by Primus himself and I am a future Prime. It's my duty to help Optimus" I state. "And he gave Jack the key along with me" I add.

"It is now imprinted with his and her unique bio-signature" Ratchet states.

"So, you mean Jack's like some kinda honorary Prime?" Miko asks.

"Let's just say Jack and Nahko are the only ones who can return Optimus to the Autobot we knew" Ratchet states.

"But why would Optimus willfully endanger a human? A child?" Nurse Darby asks.

"I'm not a child, Mom" Jack complains.

"I maybe young Nurse Darby, but I am a techno-organic and future Prime. And I will do my part" I tell her.

"Since when we were you on board with being a Prime?" Jazz asks me.

"Tell you later" I assure him.

"Maybe Optimus believes there's more to Jack than meets the eye" Arcee tells Nurse Darby.

"All of which is moot. The Key-card is useless to us without the means of reaching Cybertron, which we at present do not possess" Ratchet reminds us.

"Dude. What about that?" Miko asks pointing to the ground bridge.

"Miko, the Ground bridge barely got them into Earth orbit, remember?" Raf asks her.

"Yeah, but Ratchet built it. Can't he just turbo-charge the thing?" she asks.

"Even if he could, I don't think we have enough energon for the power required" I tell her sadly. "But we will find a way, Optimus needs us" I state. "It's been a long day and us kids need to get home, I am sure our families are worried after the resist crisis" I add. So we all go home. I tell Jazz about what Raf said about why I could of been chosen to be a Prime. "If me being a Prime can show all Cybertronians are equal and help bring an end to this war. How can I say no?" I ask Jazz as he drives me home.

"That's a fair point, but Optimus would not want you to feel pressured to become a Prime. Nor would any of us, we like you for who you are" he states.

"Thanks Jazz" I say with a grateful smile. "Hey, if we figure out a way to get to Cybertron. You still gonna help me with my mission?" I ask him.

"Like you have to ask" he tells me. "I'm with you until the end, we ride together we die together" he states. I chuckle as we arrive at my house. "See you in the morning gorgeous" he tells me and I nod my head in agreement.  When Miko and I got inside we were hugged to death by our host parents, then called our parents and spent a good hour on the phone convincing them to let us stay in Jasper and not to visit. Before we called it a night.

(Time skip)

Still no sign of Optimus and Ratchet has been tinkering with the ground bridge. But no luck boosting it's range yet. And the decepticons are causing mischief again. They have broken into a military place they had broken into two months ago. They must be building another space bridge. Ratchet sent the others to stop them and they failed.

Arcee ended up on the decepticon ship. But was unable to determine it's location or find Optimus. Fowler appears on screen. "Ratchet! What happened out there? Reports indicate at least a dozen wounded. The hits on me to provide some explanation. You bots better get your act together or the Pentagon will make me shut down your base" he states and ends the call.

"But... where would you go?" Raf asks.

"Who knows. Maybe they'll ship us out to some island or fire us into space! Wouldn't that be a welcome relief" Ratchet rants.

"I don't blame Fowler! Optimus would have evacuated all humans in the area before engaging the 'Cons" Arcee states.

"True, but we're not Optimus" Jazz states.

"We don't actually know what Optimus would have done because he's not here!" Bulkhead exclaims.

"Ok, that's enough!" I snap glaring at them. "If we want to get Optimus back, we need to work together. And not fight" I state.

"Nahko is right" Jack states. "Besides, aren't we overlooking one positive?" he asks them. "Nobody's talking about what the 'Cons just got their claws on" he states.

"Yes, we managed to allow them to finally acquire a power source for their space bridge!" Ratchet snaps.

"And how exactly that would be a positive?" Arcee and Jazz ask.

"Because we are gonna let them finish it" I state seeing where Jack is going with them. "Then commandeer it" I add.

"And use it to see Nahko and I to Cybertron" Jack finishes and we high five.

"Woah. That's a pretty good idea" Miko states.

"Oh well. If Miko thinks it's a good idea..." Arcee starts to say.

"Nobody saying it will be easy but you've seized the Space-bridge before" Jack states.

"We blew one up. That's a whole lot different than seizing and holding one" Bulkhead states.

"Besides we have to find it first" Bee buzzes.

"Bee's right. We have to find that thing first" Arce states.

"And we will" Jazz says confidently.

"Hellooo! If it's a space bridge, isn't it?" Miko asks pointing up.

"The term "space" refers to its transport range, not its physical location. And we've been monitoring Earth's orbit since the last one, we'd know if it were there" Ratchet explains.

"So, the Bridge could be somewhere right here on Earth?" Jack asks.

"Or on the decepticon war ship" I add.

"Like trying to find a servo at a scrapyard" Bulkhead mutters.

"Then maybe we better start looking" Arcee states.

"I agree" Jazz adds.

"But the fact remains: We don't know what the Decepticons have in store for Optimus. Or if he's truly safe from harm" Ratchet states.

"We can't lose hope guys" I tell them. "Start searching places with no humans around and maybe decepticon mines. We will get Optimus back" I state. They all get to work looking for the space bridge.

A/N

Picture above of the key to Vector Sigma.