The lab was nothing but a smoldering wreck now. Flames licked the sky as debris rained down, the once pristine building crumbling beneath the weight of its own destruction. Bumblebee and I ran as fast as we could, the tremors beneath our feet warning of the imminent collapse.

“Come on, Bee! The ground bridge is just ahead!” I urged, my optics locked on the glowing portal in the distance, hoping that we could make it in time. The explosion had caught us off guard, a blast so powerful it had obliterated the entire lab. I could feel the heat of the flames growing closer, the thick smoke choking the air.

We were almost there when another explosion went off, far too close for comfort. The shockwave hit us like a ton of bricks, sending us tumbling toward the ground. I barely managed to catch Bee in time, wrapping my wings around him to shield him from the falling debris. The explosion had torn through the air so fiercely, the lab was now a pile of rubble. My wings burned from the impact, and the pain was almost unbearable, but I refused to let go.

“Bee… stay with me,” I whispered, my voice strained. His optics were flickering weakly, but he nodded, clutching onto me as the world around us crumbled. I could feel the weight of my own injury, the sharp, debilitating pain in my wings. They felt… wrong.

We stumbled our way to the ground bridge. Bumblebee barely made it to his feet, but we managed to activate the portal, and within moments, we were on the other side, back in the safety of the Autobot base.

Ratchet was the first to approach, his expression tight with concern. But when his optics landed on me, I could see the shock in his face. My wings, once strong and resilient, now hung limp at my sides. The once-glorious appendages were torn and battered beyond repair. The damage was severe, and I knew I would never fly again.

Ratchet moved quickly toward me, his usually calm demeanor replaced with something else. “{{user}}, what happened?” he demanded, his voice more urgent than I’d ever heard it before.