Don't worry, Optimus lives to fight another day. Do you have any ideas for a better name for a medic?

While you're thinking, here's an unrelated but equally as important scene.

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Csirac placed a hand upon the device propped up against the wall. "I'm sorry", he said quietly.

"For what?" asked Silverbolt, who seemed far too cheerful for someone who'd just lost a limb.

Csirac hadn't been directing his apology to him, but answered anyway. "Many things."

"Are you going to tell me what that thing does?" queried Silverbolt, looking at the device.

"Nothing, now", said Csirac. "Without the Protoforms it's useless." Csirac took a seat at the table as Silverbolt lay on the floor looking skyward.

"I'd give anything to be out there right now, flying circles around some ex-'Cons", said Silverbolt. Csirac only realized for the first time how cramped Silverbolt must have felt in this room.*"You said Venus was a pilot", Silverbolt continued. "I bet she's out there kicking some Pred exhaust. Those Maximal Fighters are-"

"Venus is dead", said Csirac, surprising even himself. "I killed her."

"What?" said Silverbolt, sitting up.

"She'd volunteered to be the test pilot for the Lexor. I couldn't dissuade her - she had complete faith in my work and it cost her everything", said Csirac, staring into nothing. "She died in the TransWarp explosion that consumed the ship. And it was my fault."

"You can't blame yourself for an accident - a tragedy", assured Silverbolt.

"I can if you can", said Csirac.

"That's different. I gave an order, they followed it and they were killed", said Silverbolt, sternly. "Their deaths are on my account."

"And hers is on mine", Csirac replied, finally looking at Silverbolt. "And I couldn't live with that. That's where the ..." Csirac gestured to the device, "thing, came in."

"What are you saying?" asked Silverbolt, concerned.

"TransWarp technology works, however it's far from efficient. The firing cell tears a hole in the fabric of Time, leading to what we've named 'TransWarp Space', but in reality, is something much more. TransWarp Space is home to the many who are of the one. We'd touched the very edge of the Allspark."

"Incredible", said Silverbolt, captivated.

"The device is a... Laser Core Amplifier", said Csirac, "allowing me to stretch the link between Spark and core consciousness. Utilizing a *wave of Trans-Ions, I'd travel through the tear, find her Spark and bring it back. But now I'll never know if it would have worked."

Silverbolt's face fell with the realization. "The fourth pod. It's for her."

Csirac nodded. "The tear. That was the flaw in the plan."

"You need another ship to fire a cell", said Silverbolt, now comprehending the sheer scale of Csirac's plan. "But that could still happen! They could be doing it right now!" he added, excitedly.

"But I'm in here, how would I know for sure?", said Csirac, bursting Silverbolt's bubble. "That part was always in the hands of Primus."

The door of the chamber unlocked and opened. A Predacon rushed in and dumped four Protopods on the floor. "With compliments of Razorclaw. Something to help take your mind off the death of your friends", he said with a sneer across his face. He turned and ran to join his comrades.

"Maybe Primus is listening", said Silverbolt with a smile.

"Maybe he is", agreed Csirac, unable to believe what he had just seen.