• Trembling hands reached out, brushed against the charred plating, then pulled away slowly.

    "Optimus?"

    Her voice was just over a whisper, trembling just as her hands were, hoping to get a response. Any type of reply would do. Even if it wasn't vocal. A twitch of the hand, anything.

    She just hoped he was still with her.

    This whole thing shouldn't have happened in the first place. It was her fault. She had disobeyed his order, she had made him get distracted by just standing within his range of sight.

    "Please, do something."

    She was more or less knelt on his chest plate, staring into the once glowing blue orbs that used to make up the Autobot leader's eyes. They were dark now, almost like a light bulb that had either simply been shut off, or burned out. Speaking of burned out, there was a gaping hole in the Autobot's chest, big and deep enough to have destroyed part of his Spark. However, it still glowed just slightly, straining to keep itself lit and alive, but the efforts were pointless.

    "Even the slightest bit of damage to one's Spark can put them offline." He had warned her just a short time ago, when they had first met.

    She looked into the quickly fading orb, and a strange feeling came over her. Her chest felt strange, as if her heart was straining to beat. Feeling for her pulse, it was drastically beginning to slow, and with that she felt weak

    Was I hit by a stray bullet, or something?

    She checked herself for any blood, but there was none. Maybe...No, that was crazy. She couldn't possibly be dying, could she? Especially without there being any wounds...
    As if on cue her breathing became labored and vision blurred, heart rate rising though becoming more pained.
    Were they linked in more ways than just being able to see his memories? Was she dying now because he is too?

    Frantic for any way to stop this, something almost instinctual in the back of her mind told her to reach out towards his Spark. Not knowing why, she complied with what her muscles were telling her, and brushed her fingers over it.

    Other than a slight static sensation, nothing else happened, and everything went black.

    ----------

    "Quickly Ratchet, this way."

    The weapon specialist said, gruff yet full of concern as he lead the medic through the debris filled streets.

    Primus, I hope we're not too late.

    Ratchet thought as they neared his patient. The Topkick and Rescue Hummer rounded a corner, and Ratchet hesitated for a moment once he caught sight of their fallen leader.

    Electricity crackled off a power line that lay near the motionless heap, and for a second he believed it was from Optimus. Perhaps a cluster of sliced wiring still showing signs of life. But his scanners told him otherwise.

    He did not dare ask Ironhide what had happened, he felt guilty enough for having allowed the human to get away from him at the shop. Knowing how Optimus had fallen would only make it worse.

    Almost reluctantly, the two transformed in a roar of shifting parts, and Ratchet approached.

    His spark lurched, and he froze in mid-step. Just like his sensors had told him, no signs of life were coming from Optimus, but they did not tell him of the gaping hole in his chest, or of the girl that was knelt on it,one hand reached out towards his spark and the empty haze of death in her eyes.