Disclaimer: I do not own any Transformers' characters or storylines. Fanfiction: Based on Transformers Movies Bayverse. This is completed and there will be no sequels.
The 3 Sentries of Earth
Chapter 1
Any number can seem significant if seen a mysterious or meaningful amount of times. Megan was sitting at her computer at home finishing her errands for the day. She sent a birthday gift and made sure all her bills were paid. When she glanced at the clock on the computer it said 3:33 PM so she knew she still had time before she was supposed to meet her date at the movies. She glanced down at her black slacks and blue long sleeved blouse and decided to go pick out an outfit when suddenly she wasn't in her house any longer.
Shannon pulled on ripped jeans, a band t-shirt over her long-sleeved black undershirt and black boots. She wasn't thrilled about going to the concert considering she didn't really care for the music, but she was going to support Dylan who was the singer in the band. She really doubted that one more face in the crowd would actually mean something, but she hoped Dylan would appreciate it because she found him kind of cute. She walked out of the apartment catching a glimpse of the apartment door across the way slamming shut. The 333 of the apartment number glinted in the light. As she turned to look down the hall, she was greeted with an unexpected sight and she let out a yelp of surprise.
Kathryn had only rolled out of bed around 2:30pm as she'd been up late last night watching an anime series, but she was off today so she still had time to recover before going back to work the next day. She was in her black sweats with her messy hair piled up on top of her head. After a breakfast of Poptarts, she plopped down in front of the TV and turned it back on. She pulled her wallet from her pocket intending to call the delivery service to drop off her lunch and dinner. As the phone came awake, the date read March 3, 3:00 PM, but suddenly she was distracted when she heard a startled human voice from behind her.
It was slightly cool out and the first rays of the morning sun were peaking over the horizon. Kathyrn was sitting on the ground and Shannon and Megan were standing on the sidewalk in a residential neighborhood with street lamps that illuminated the grayness. All three took in their surroundings in surprise and then looked at each other.
"What happened?" asked Shannon. "The last thing I remember is walking down the hallway of my apartment building and now I'm here."
"I was at home as well and then suddenly here," said Megan.
"Me too," said Kathryn getting to her feet. "Otherwise, I'd be dressed to go out. I haven't even brushed my hair. If my feet hadn't been cold, I wouldn't even be wearing my shoes. I got lucky on that."
"Either we were drugged and kidnapped or something unusual happened to get us here," said Megan. "My name is Megan. I live in Florida and it was around 3PM where I was before I ended up here. It looks closer to 3AM here judging by the sunrise."
"I'm Shannon and I don't react well to anesthetics," said Shannon. "If I was given those, I would be sick right now. It was around 6pm and I was in Chicago before I came here."
"I'm Kathryn," said Kathryn. "Call me Kat. I'm from Cincinnati." She looked down at her phone. "You won't believe this," she said smiling excitedly waving her phone. "According to my phone, it's 2007." She looked up to see the unhappy faces of the others. "I'm sorry, I'm really into fantasy and anime and sci-fi so I get really excited when unexplained things happen. Oh, and we're in California according to my map app."
"So if we rule out kidnapping," said Megan. "If you're from the same year as I am, then apparently we did some sort of space time travel without the use of a portal and ended up 13 years in the past in California."
"Right," said Kat. "I've seen it in movies with portals and without. It's also possible the portal was invisible or we could have been sent here by someone."
"For what reason?" asked Shannon. "I don't really remember what happened in 2007."
"Yea," agreed Shannon pushing a hand through her messy locks. "It would be nice if we had a guide or something."
"Do either of you have an online presence?" asked Megan suddenly.
"I don't have my phone with me, but I have several accounts," said Shannon.
"Kat, look her up," said Megan.
Kat handed her phone to Shannon so she could check. "I just realized that I have an iPhone that doesn't exist yet," she said chuckling. "The first iPhone came out in 2007 so I better not lose this one."
"I'm not there," said Shannon worriedly. "I can't find my profile anywhere."
Megan took the phone from her and typed in her address. There were several addresses that were similar, but none that matched her home address. "My home doesn't exist either," she said. "I know for a fact that it was built in 1992." She handed the phone back to Kat.
"Parallel world," said Kat her eyes going wide. "It makes sense. We wouldn't exist here."
"That's not true," protested Shannon. "I've seen flicks where the person exists in the other dimension, but they're only slightly different."
"Before we get into an argument over parallel dimensions," said Megan. "We should figure out what we're going to do. For now, let's stick together and find a place like a coffee shop to talk."
They had a long way to walk until they found a small local diner. They went in and ordered some food. Megan didn't have her wallet, but luckily Shannon had $1200 left from her paycheck and Kat had $300. They sat there as they watched the morning news on one of the TV's on the wall. It both confirmed the time and year.
"I'm glad you have cash because even if I had my purse, I only carry credit cards," said Megan. "I bet they wouldn't work here anyway."
"My Mom always told me to use cash," said Shannon sadly. "To think that it would take this kind of situation to actually prove her right."
"So back to the parallel world thing," said Kat. "I read a lot of fanfictions about the main characters often being transported into their favorite series so it could be a situation like that."
Shannon scoffed.
"It could happen," said Kat defensively. "Though it probably isn't an animated or cartoon series considering we look real. It would have to be live action."
"As long as there aren't zombies," said Shannon. "If there are, I'll be too scared to survive."
"Do you know of any series that began in California in 2007?" asked Megan humoring her.
"It sounds familiar," said Kat. "I'm trying to remember which."
Behind her, a breaking news report about an attack on Qatar suddenly began on the television. Megan and Shannon's eyes riveted to the monitor and Kat turned around to see it.
"It can't be," said Shannon.
"I truly hope not," said Megan.
"That's what it was," said Kat snapping her fingers. "Transformers." She turned back around to see the other two with expressions of dismay on their faces. "What? Isn't this great? We can help them."
"Kat," said Megan sharply. "Did you see all the movies?"
Kat nodded her head enthusiastically.
"Then you know that this Earth holds Unicron," said Megan. "If we don't allow things to progress as normal, then Unicron could rise killing us all. If we do interfere, we will have to remain with them until the end to make sure things go right. This may not be our Earth, but billions of lives are in our hands."
"It could also be our end. Did you forget all the allies that die fighting the Cons," added Shannon. "I only saw the first three movies, but now we're in danger as well. We don't exist here and if they find out we have information from their future we are so screwed. That's if they believe us and don't lock us up beforehand."
"We have a choice to make," said Megan. "It will be hard, but we can get new identities and start over here and let things happen following the movies or we can track down Sam and see where it goes."
"I'm all for helping," said Kat folding her arms.
"As much as I want to say no and run and hide, I really want to save Jazz," said Shannon begrudgingly.
"Then I will help too," said Megan evenly.
Kat smiled in victory.
"But there are some rules," said Megan. "Rule 1, don't use any of their terminology because you never know who's listening." She glared at Kat.
"Okay, I got it," she said raising her hands defensively.
"Rule 2, never say you're from another dimension or the future," said Megan. "I will not back you up and that will only complicate things. It isn't necessary because there are other ways to get information to them without claiming this. Rule 3, even if you're partial to a Con, never approach or try to befriend one."
"I'd never do that," said Shannon shivering. "I'll admit I like some of them, but I saw how they treated humans in the movie. I don't want to turn into a pile of ash."
"Rule 4, don't get attached to the bots," she said sighing. "If things go wrong, we may have to watch them die."
"Not if I can help it," said Kat crossly.
"Rule 5, do not talk to any official unless all three of us are present," said Megan. "This is the most important rule. All three of us need to have the same story. If they threaten to torture you, keep talking until they think you're crazy. There is no need to tell them a truth they don't know is truth."
"Okay," said Shannon.
"Kat?" asked Megan.
"I got it," she said waving a hand dismissively. "Keep my mouth shut unless all three of us are present or I get caught. Stay with the allies to protect them and avoid the enemy."
"Well then, Kat," said Megan. "Use that phone of yours and find Sam. The Qatar news just occurred and I remember he saw it in the movie. So we only have one chance to intervene before things go to hell."
"So you are a fan," said Kat accusingly.
"I never said I wasn't, but I'm obviously nowhere near your level," she replied.
Chapter 2
After finding Sam's address and catching a cab, they found themselves camped outside the Witwicky's house. They knew that Judy and Ron were home because they had seen Ron go outside to check on his lawn. Bumblebee wasn't in the driveway so he must either be with Sam or chasing Sam. They were hoping for the latter. It would be easier if he came home searching for the glasses rather than them having to wait another day. Megan was still, but Kat was bouncing with excitable energy.
"Sorry," said Megan looking at Shannon in pity. "You look the youngest and can pass as high school age." Megan patted her shoulder comfortingly and Shannon took a deep breath and headed for the front door of the house. Judy answered the door after she rung the bell.
"Hi, Mrs. Witwicky," said Shannon quickly. "I'm Terra. I'm a classmate of Sam's from school and he said he lend me a prop for my history project."
"My, you're pretty," said Judy smiling. "Well, I'm sorry, but Sam isn't home right now."
"He said he left it in his backpack in the kitchen," she said. "Is it possible to get it?"
Judy invited her in and they made small talk about school while she located the bag. Shannon turned down her invitation for a drink after retrieving the glasses and finally was able to escape. She joined the other two with her mission successfully accomplished. Judy stepped back outside and they could hear the conversation as Ron asked who had stopped by.
"Oh, a friend of Sam's," said Judy. "She was pretty, but her name was kind of weird."
They left the neighborhood and headed to a local fast food place on foot where they would wait until it got darker. After an hour or so, Kat got up and got into a conversation with one of the male employees. He had to be barely out of high school and despite Kat's messy appearance; he was definitely enjoying the attention. Kat came back over an hour later and motioned for the others to follow her outside. They did and she discretely displayed her prize. It was a car key.
"I got us a ride," she said.
"Which one is it?" asked Megan.
Kat walked over to a silver Mazda and the key went in. They all piled in and Kat drove off quickly.
"Hopefully he won't notice till his shift ends," she said. "See I've got skills too and look the gas tanks full."
"His keys were clipped to his pants," said Shannon. "All you had to do was distract him."
"Yea, but try seducing someone while wearing sweats with no makeup," said Kat.
"A hormonal teenager isn't that hard," argued Shannon.
Chapter 3
They had staked out the Witwicky's once again and finally the Autobot caravan pulled up, but before Sam could exit Bumblebee, Kat pulled up right next to him. Megan rolled down the window motioning for him to do the same. The other Autobots behind Bumblebee remained still and inactive. Bumblebee lowered his window and Sam looked at her obviously confused.
"Can I help you?" he asked nervously.
"First, we have what you want," said Megan waving the glasses at him. "Second, if you want it back and intact, throw your girlfriend's bag out the window and do it now. Leave it behind."
Sam quickly looked at Mikaela and she promptly threw the bag out the window onto the lawn.
"Now follow us," said Megan. "All of you. There isn't much time."
Kat stepped on the gas heading out while Megan watched all the Autobots start after them. Shannon directed her as she read from the directions they had managed to take before Kat's phone had died. She didn't have her charger and the one specific to her model didn't exist yet.
They finally stopped on a remote stretch of road where the Autobots could transform if they felt like it. All three of them got out of the car as Bumblebee drove up and parked near them. Sam and Mikaela got out of the car as well. They stood at a distance both confused and highly suspicious.
"Sorry about the drama," said Megan "We already know about the Autobots and Decepticons. The Decepticons already have a hold on certain people on this planet so we had to be careful. The reason why I made you leave your bag was because Frenzy replaced your phone. I am surprised that the Autobots didn't pick up on it."
That admission convinced Optimus to transform and the others followed suit. Suddenly Kat started to wobble and Megan helped her sit on the ground while Shannon facepalmed.
"Is she alright?" asked Optimus.
"She's overwhelmed and a tiny bit overexcited," said Megan. "She'll be fine." She stepped forward offering the glasses to Optimus. He bent down to retrieve them and then straightened.
"I'm not sure what those glasses say," said Shannon. "But the Cube was moved at one point. It's currently hidden in the Hoover Dam."
"That's not all that's there," said Kat regaining her feet. "Megatron is there as well albeit in a frozen state. The Decepticons don't know that yet, but they'll find out soon."
The Autobots shifted uneasily.
"You still have time to get there first," said Megan reassuringly. "But do you have a way to get the Cube off this planet? It won't be safe otherwise."
"Who are you three exactly?" asked Ironhide cannons activating.
"Yea, you seem to know a lot about us," said Jazz.
"I'm Shannon, that's Kat and that's Megan," said Shannon gesturing to her companions.
"We don't exist anymore," said Megan. "We escaped the Decepticon's control and as punishment, we were completely erased. No loved ones, no work, no bank account and no life. I guess they expected us to just give up and die, but humans are resilient. You should remember that."
"Look, you don't have to trust us, but you need to take your relics and get off our planet," said Kat dramatically. "You'll all die otherwise."
"What relics?" asked Optimus. "What else is on Earth besides the Cube?"
"The Cube, the Matrix of Leadership and some mystical staff that doesn't have a name," said Kat scratching her head. "I don't think I'm forgetting any of them."
"They are all here?" asked Optimus.
"Yes and we know where they are," said Shannon.
"What threat are we facing other than the Decepticons?" asked Jazz suspiciously.
"Humans with money and power that have been under the Decepticon's control for decades," explained Megan. "Sector 7, a secret government agency dealing with extraterrestrials, powerful companies that want to exploit your technology even at its basest level and our planet itself."
"Unicron is our planet's core," said Kat staring at the ground beneath her feet. The resulting silence was thick.
"What's Unicron?" asked Sam breaking the silence.
"Well from what I've heard," said Kat glancing at the Autobots for some type of confirmation. "Primus was their creator. Kind of like God for humans, but he was also literally the core of their planet. Unicron was his brother. He was a destroyer and the complete opposite of Primus. He was also called the Chaos Bringer."
"So like the Devil to keep it simple," said Shannon. "And he's sleeping inside our planet."
"Okay," said Sam.
"It's all fine unless someone wakes him up," said Kat. "So no worries."
"I've got it," said Megan suddenly. "Jetfire! That's how they can get off this planet."
"Right," said Kat. "I'm such an idiot. He has spacebridge technology."
Shannon looked up at the confused expressions coming from both the humans and the Autobots. "Explain," she said elbowing Kat.
"Right," said Kat. "Jetfire was one of the original seekers looking for the Matrix. He's currently offline or in stasis at the Smithsonian Museum. All you have to do is get the Cube and revive him with it. He can then transport you to the Matrix and to the man that knows where the staff is. Then you can leave before getting mixed up with our government or the others."
"A word of warning," said Megan. "Jetfire was a Decepticon, but he's now on the Autobot's side."
"And you would know this how?" asked Jazz.
"We were told," said Megan. "By a Cybertronian with no name. Don't think he had a faction, but he knew a lot."
"We should be going," said Shannon looking at her watch. "We need to get a jump on Sector 7 before they arrive at the Dam."
"That and the military," added Kat.
"We'll lead you there," said Megan. "Once you have the Cube, you can go off on your own if you choose, but for now, we might come in handy as a diversion."
They all quickly piled back into the car.
"Oh, can you guys jam police radar?" called Kat sticking her head out the window. "We stole this car so we'd rather not get pulled over."
Kat pulled back onto the road and cranked it. She was relieved to see the Autobots falling in behind her.
"I'm so excited," she said practically bouncing. "It's them. It's actually them!"
"Are you okay to drive?" asked Shannon nervously from the backseat.
"Yea, that was nothing earlier," said Kat.
"They're a lot taller than I thought they'd be," said Shannon. "You don't quite get the size through the film. Even though they're Autobots, they are still so intimidating. I can't imagine facing a Decepticon."
"All those parts that shift," said Megan. "It makes them seem so alien. No wonder the characters found it hard to relate to them. To be honest I think I preferred the animated version."
Chapter 4
"Prime, are we really trusting them?" asked Ironhide over the com-link as he drove behind Optimus.
"When I scanned the glasses, the location coincided to the general area where they said the Cube would be," he replied. "We are currently headed to the same location anyway."
"What about the information they know?" asked Jazz.
"While I do not know where they obtained that information," said Optimus. "If what they said is true, we will have to proceed very cautiously."
"From the information I downloaded from the Internet that details the signs of lying in humans," said Ratchet. "I believe they only partially lied when they explained who they were and who they heard the information from. Part of what they said was truth however. Everything else was the truth."
"Even Unicron?" asked Bumblebee.
"I'm afraid so," said Ratchet. "At least they believe it."
"We will deal with that later," said Optimus. "The Cube is our current priority."
Traveling at speeds that would have definitely gotten them arrested they finally reached the Dam. Luckily, it was still night. Kat parked the car and the others got out.
"Can you download the schematics for the Dam?" asked Megan looking at the closest Autobot, which happened to be Jazz. "Megatron and the Cube are probably in the biggest chambers next to each other." She looked over at Kat for confirmation and she nodded.
"Jazz or Bumblebee should be able to fit inside," said Kat. "But we have to do this fast. We need to be in and gone before they realize because they do have an arms room and this place is Sector 7's headquarters."
"Right, so take out the cameras if you can," said Megan. "And then simply bust in."
"You could take down the power generators too," said Shannon. "But you risk releasing Megatron."
The Autobots so far hadn't responded to anything they said and they weren't sure if they were investigating or ignoring them.
"You're wasting time," said Kat impatiently gesturing toward the Dam.
"They're being cautious," said Megan. "If someone came up to you and said that the key to saving a world was in a bank and only you can break into it, what would you do?"
"I'd break into it," said Kat.
"In reality, they only told you that in order to break into the bank," said Megan.
"But this is a Dam not a bank," protested Kat. "I don't want anything in there."
"Let's settle this like we discussed earlier," said Shannon. "No more talking."
Kat nodded her head in agreement and they all climbed back into their car. Kat then pulled up next to Bumblebee.
"We're going to create a distraction," said Kat to Mikaela. "Maybe you can talk some sense into these bots. Once we pull the attention of the guards, that'll be their only chance to get in and get the Cube without it becoming a battle. If you and Sam tagalong with them, you can negotiate on their behalf if things go sour, but keep in mind that Sector 7 shoots first and asks questions later."
Kat drove off gunning the engine. She stopped the car against the entrance fence to the employee parking lot and then pushed on the gas forcing the car forward and the gate open. Once she was in the parking lot, she came to a stop right outside the front door. Shannon pulled out the lighter she had found with a pack of smokes in the glove compartment earlier. It seems the owner was a smoker so she felt bad for him, but only a little. She lit the backseat of the car on fire as everyone exited. Megan made sure her window was cracked so that oxygen could still get in to feed the fire. Megan and Shannon hightailed it out of the parking lot while Kat ran to the front doors. The front glass doors were badge protected so Kat used the tire iron she had taken from the car trunk to smash the door. The alarm went off and security came running. She quickly tossed the tire iron into the bushes.
"Help!" screamed Kat acting hysterically. "The car is on fire!"
The security guard radioed for help and retrieved a fire extinguisher and rushed outside. Shannon had left the backseat down so the fire quickly spread to the trunk.
"It's going to explode!" yelled Kat running off into the parking lot.
The security guard retreated back into the building for his own safety. Other late night workers that had been drawn by the commotion retreated from the entrance.
Down at the larger bay doors, the doors were open and Jazz and Bumblebee were already inside the Dam. The remaining Autobots were a short distance away watching and waiting.
"I don't like this Prime," said Ironhide over the com-link. "We can't get any signals from within there."
"Steady Ironhide," said Optimus.
Suddenly there was an explosion from the direction that the human women had gone.
"What was that?" asked Ironhide inching forward.
"I'm detecting the human females Megan and Shannon fleeing on foot in the opposite direction," said Ratchet. "Kat is not far behind them."
Ironhide snorted. "They did say they were going to cause a distraction."
"They've already picked up your habit of blowing things up it seems," retorted Ratchet.
Suddenly Jazz and Bumblebee emerged from the Dam.
"Mission accomplished," said Jazz. "Bumblebee has the Cube and they were right about Megatron being in there. I couldn't do anything about that because we encountered some resistance and had to retreat."
"Autobots roll out," said Optimus. "Someone collect our human friends please."
"Do you trust them now Prime?" asked Jazz.
"That remains to be seen, but the information they carry would be a boon in Decepticon hands."
Ratchet pulled up next to Kat and opened his door. She eagerly got in. Bumblebee pulled up to Shannon. She hesitated, but then got into the back with the Cube. Jazz picked up Megan and she tentatively sat in his seat before relaxing back.
"Where are we going?" asked Megan immediately. "Smithsonian?"
"That's up to Prime," said Jazz smoothly. "Just relax little lady."
"If you say so," said Megan not at all convinced these bots knew what they were doing.
Inside Bumblebee, Shannon was looking at the Cube with an expression of unease. "You don't think this thing is going to give me radiation poisoning, do you?" she asked.
"I have no idea," said Sam in response.
"Hello," Shannon said to the Cube. "Can you talk?" When she got no response. "Guess not."
Mikaela and Sam exchanged a glance and then looked at her like she was insane.
"Just testing a rumor," said Shannon.
"Okay," said Mikaela.
"So did you guys get shot at?" asked Shannon. "You went in, right?"
"No, nobody shot at us," said Mikaela. "Most of the people we ran into didn't have guns. Plus Bumblebee was in car mode the entire time. It's not like they could stop us. Jazz only transformed to get the Cube."
"That was unbelievable," said Sam gesturing. "It was huge and it suddenly shrunk to this size."
"Well hopefully we can get it to safety this time," said Shannon.
"This time?" asked Bumblebee.
"Whoa, you can talk now?" asked Sam.
"The Cube repaired me," he responded. "What do you mean this time?"
"Nothing," said Shannon quickly. "Sorry, I'm tired and I don't know what I'm saying." She looked into one of the plastic bags she had brought with her. "I have some water and protein bars if you want some," she offered. "It's not much, but all we have between the three of us is a grand left."
Mikaela and Sam took what she offered.
"I guess we're all in the same boat," said Shannon. "Even though the Autobots have the Cube now, none of us can return to our normal lives yet."
"What do you mean?" asked Mikaela.
"If they let you go home right now, the Decepticons would be knocking at your door over the glasses or any information you had on the Autobots. You wouldn't survive their interrogations. Your other option is the government, but I don't know how long they'd keep you before releasing you."
"What about my parents?" asked Sam panicking. "Wouldn't they be in danger?"
"No worries," said Shannon. "Sector 7 picked them up not long after we left. That's why we had to get to you first because we knew they were coming."
"We have a home to return to eventually," said Mikaela. "What will you do?"
"If I survive whatever happens," said Shannon leaning back against Bumblebee's seat. "I guess I have to apply for welfare until I get back on my feet. New name new start."
Ratchet was starting to regret picking up Kat. At first she'd been quiet, but now an endless stream of questions kept coming.
"Have you ever considered changing your colors to red and white?" asked Kat. "I think you'd look good in those colors. What kind of weapons do you have? How exactly does the Cube restore your planet? Does your planet have an atmosphere? Do you think a human could survive there?"
Ratchet tried to deflect her questions with one of his own. "What happened to your vehicle?" he asked.
"We lit it on fire and the gas tank eventually exploded," she said. "We didn't quite mean for that, but it was still a useful distraction. It wasn't our car anyway and the insurance will replace it for the owner. Hopefully, I don't ever get caught because before all of this, all I ever got was a parking ticket. Now they'll get me on theft, arson and breaking and entering."
Eventually, the need for sleep kicked in and Kat slumped over in her seat asleep.
"Finally," said Ratchet over the com-link. "Next time we stop someone else is taking her."
"Did you learn anything?" asked Optimus.
"Only that she's too inquisitive about us for her own good," retorted Ratchet. "She's been asking questions for hours. At some points she seems to know too much, but there's always this undertone like she's not sure if her information is reliable."
"Well that's more than I got out of mine," said Jazz. "She clammed up ten minutes after we left and hasn't uttered a word since."
"I didn't get much," said Bumblebee. "Except for this." He played a recording of Shannon saying that they could get the Cube to safety this time."
"What the slag does that mean?" asked Ironhide.
"It's possible that another group tried to reclaim the Cube before us," said Optimus. "They obviously weren't successful."
"Other Autobots?" asked Ironhide.
"Not necessarily," said Optimus. "Though it was unlikely that it was the Decepticons as they would have simply destroyed the Dam to free their leader. It may have been Neutrals and the human females may have been involved with them."
"That would give validity to their claim," said Ratchet. "The amount of information they know could be accounted for that way as well."
"Unless we ask them directly," said Jazz. "We won't know."
"After we reach the Smithsonian and prove their claim on Jetfire," said Optimus. "Only then will we demand the truth. I do not wish to prematurely lose the location of the other relics."
Chapter 5
Driving interrupted by only two short pit stops, they managed to reach the Smithsonian 22 hours later. The Autobots used some creative driving coupled with transforming and climbing over a mountain instead of driving around it in order to shave much time off their trip. That had been an interesting ordeal for the humans who were either held by an Autobot or left to cling to their armor as they climbed.
At the Smithsonian, they determined that only the night guard was on the premises. The Autobots circled around the back breaking the fence that encased the outside planes in order to get in. Jazz swiftly opened the lock on the back hanger door of the museum and Ironhide and Optimus pulled the doors apart.
"He's the Blackbird," said Kat pointing.
Optimus took the Cube and approached the plane. He set the Cube against the plane and energy flowed over the body and wings of the plane restoring it much like it did to Frenzy in the movie. The plane suddenly rippled and parts started to move while Optimus reclaimed possession of the Cube. The transformation was fluid this time with no stuck parts or unexpected explosions. Jetfire stretched.
"I haven't felt this good in ages," he said looking around. "Where am I?"
Optimus stepped forward. "I'm Optimus Prime," he said. "You are currently on Planet Earth."
Jetfire stepped back. "Well I'll be, a real living Prime. You must be a great descendent of the originals."
"I've been told that you've switched sides in this war," said Prime.
"What do you mean switched sides?" asked Sam from Bumblebee's shoulder.
"That's right," said Jetfire. "I was originally sent by the Fallen to search for an artifact that was buried on this planet. He abandoned all those who were not successful leaving us to rust and offline. Besides, he was all about doom and gloom and no one wants to live a life so full of negativity. That's why I switched sides to the Autobots."
"I am glad to have you as an ally," said Optimus reaching out a hand to which Jetfire clasped immediately.
"I'm honored," he said.
"We should head outside quietly," said Megan appearing from the front of the museum. "It seems we haven't alerted security yet. He's got the television set pretty loudly."
Everyone headed outside and Ironhide shut the doors to the hanger to buy them time.
"Okay," called Kat from the ground. "Can you generate a spacebridge to Egypt or Jordan? We need to get to the Mountains of Petra. That's where your map was leading you and that's where we'll find the Matrix of Leadership."
Jetfire looked to Optimus and Optimus inclined his head. Energy started to build around the group and suddenly they were in Egypt. With Jetfire's systems restored, the landing wasn't as bad as in the movie. Everyone did get tossed into the sand, but they were all together and none of the humans got harmed.
"Great," said Ironhide shaking the sand from his cannons.
"A really fast history lesson," said Kat. "The Fallen was one of the original thirteen Primes. They set out into the universe to harvest energon by blowing up suns. The only rule was that they couldn't blow up a sun that supported a planet with life. Am I right so far?"
"That's correct," said Jetfire. "When they landed here and life was discovered, the Fallen wanted to claim this sun regardless. That was when he became forever known as the Fallen. The other twelve Primes fought him, but they were weaker so all they could do was steal the Matrix and hide it in a hidden tomb made of their own bodies. Only a Prime can defeat the Fallen so we are lucky that Optimus exists."
"What's the Matrix?" asked Mikaela.
"It's the key to turn on the sun harvester," said Jetfire. "It is also a source of incredible power."
"Right," said Kat looking at the other Autobots. "Three things you didn't know. The Fallen is still alive and with the Decepticons though in a weakened state. As long as Optimus lives, he won't regain all his strength. The sun harvester is in one of the Egyptian pyramids and as much as I wish we had time to destroy it, we don't. The Matrix is in the Mountains of Petra and we need to retrieve it. If Optimus dies or the Fallen retrieves the Matrix and uses the machine, all life on this planet will die. So no pressure."
"Jetfire, can the Cons track you?" asked Megan. "I don't know anything about energy signatures or identifiers that mark Cybertronians, but if they can't be disabled, we'll need to regroup with you after a certain time."
Jetfire and Optimus conferred and Jetfire agreed to return at an estimated time.
"I think I'll fly around and mess with their scanners for a bit," he said as he transformed and took off.
The others transformed and drove off as well. Bumblebee was only carrying Mikaela and Sam while Jazz took Kat and Shannon. Megan was surprised when Optimus requested that she accompany him.
"Megan," said Optimus.
Megan jumped not expecting his deep voice to cut through the silence.
"Is there anything you haven't told us?" he asked. "We are grateful for the information you've provided and so far all the claims you've made have proven truthful. Will you not tell me who you really are and how you came about this information?"
Megan squirmed for a minute.
"I can't answer that I'm afraid," she said. "The reason is because I don't know how we got involved because it's beyond human comprehension how we ended up here in the first place. You may certainly ask the others, but they will only be able to give you their best guess. As to who we are, we are simply three civilians that were pulled into a situation and chose to help. We all have are own reasons for that choice, but I promise that we mean you and yours no harm."
Optimus remained silent.
"I do have some further information about our current situation," said Megan. "But you won't like it."
"Tell me," said Optimus.
"Sentinel Prime's ship crashed on our moon," said Megan. "The US and Russian government investigated it, but locked the information away as confidential. Sentinel is the lone survivor of his crew and is locked in the ship's crash vault with five control pillars of the spacebridge."
"This is good news," said Optimus.
"Sorry, it's really not," said Megan. "Sentinel made a deal with Megatron to use the spacebridge to transport Cybertron here so the enslaved human race could rebuild it. He will give up the Autobots to see his home restored."
"That cannot be," said Optimus.
"The Decepticons would have already done so, but they need the Cube to reactivate Sentinel before the plan can progress. The framework for their plan is already laid out. Dillian Gold and several of his rich counterparts under Decepticon control have continued what their fathers started," said Megan. "They've been hiding the truth of why we can't go back to the moon. It's not as expensive as they make it seem. In actuality, on the dark side of the moon is a legion of Decepticon reinforcements waiting to attack. The five control pillars are with Sentinel because only he can use them. Decepticons will spread the hundreds of other pillars that make up the bridge around the globe in order to activate it. They plan to annihilate Chicago as a show of force in order to make the humans submit to their will."
"What you say is dire indeed," said Optimus.
"It's an unfortunate reality," said Megan. "But perhaps Sentinel's mind can be changed if he knows that you have all the relics, however, retrieving him should be a last resort because that will set their plan in motion. This is why Jetfire's ability is so critically important. Take the relics to Cybertron and restore your planet before its rebuilding destroys mine."
Instead of driving through the checkpoints and risking identification, the Autobots transformed and walked around them.
"I can't wait to get out of this powdered rock," said Ratchet grumbling. "Having to clean this stuff out of our joints is going to be a pain."
Chapter 6
It was early morning when they finally arrived at the Mountains of Petra. Optimus, Jazz and Bumblebee entered the temple while Ratchet and Ironhide stood guard.
"There," said Shannon pointing at the painting "It's behind there."
The humans braced themselves as Bumblebee shot out a hole in the wall. Behind it they could see the remains of the first twelve Primes.
"Take this," said Shannon handing two empty bags to Sam. "Put it under the Matrix before you try moving it."
"What's it look like?" asked Sam.
"You'll know it when you see it," said Kat.
Sam and Mikaela entered the tomb.
"You ladies aren't going in?" asked Jazz.
"Sorry, it feels too disrespectful," said Shannon.
"They don't need any help," said Kat. "Like I said, it's not hard to find."
"Won't make any difference if we do," said Megan. She had edged away from Optimus and was leaning on the entranceway. While she was perceptive, she couldn't completely tell if Optimus had recovered from what she told him yet. She knew he had a lot of respect for his mentor so breaking that trust would either leave him distraught or angry. Going by his silence, she was betting angry.
Mikaela emerged first and her eyes were moist. Sam came out after and he held the two bags full of dust.
"It disintegrated when I touched it," he said hefting the bags. "This is all that remains."
Optimus knelt down and put a hand next to the bags. Suddenly the sand came back together and the Matrix reformed much to Sam's amazement. Mikaela smiled blinking back her tears. Optimus held the Matrix up examining it and then placed it into his chest.
Sam handed the now empty bags to Shannon as they headed to the door.
"Wait," he said. "You knew it was going to fall apart. That's why you gave me the bags."
"The Matrix isn't found, but earned," said Shannon glancing over at Optimus. "And there's only one here that's earned it."
They were waiting on Jetfire to arrive so they were discussing their next move.
"You're skipping the fourth," said Kat irately.
"The timeline doesn't match up so it's negligible," said Megan.
"Don't look at me," said Shannon. "I never got that far."
"Lockdown, the Seed, the Creators, KSI and Cemetery Wind are a big problem," stated Kat emphatically.
"One that may not happen considering," said Megan.
"What is going on with you lot now?" asked Ironhide looking down at the group.
"More bad news?" asked Optimus stepping closer.
Megan noticeably stiffened.
"There is a bounty hunter by the name of Lockdown," said Kat. "He works for a mechanical being that calls herself the Creator. Others know her as the Great Deceiver and it's rumored that she's tried to take over Cybertron in the past and may be trying again. I think her race was called Quintessans."
"Wasn't Quintessa her name?" asked Megan in confusion.
"Regardless," said Kat. "Lockdown is in possession of a Seed. The Seed when dropped on a planet terraforms everything it touches into your base metal. It also acts as a beacon for Quintessa. He's not here yet, but rumor says that Lockdown is looking for you Optimus on orders of Quintessa. So when you leave, you need to be vigilant. If you do get captured, try to free the Legendary Warriors that he keeps on his ship. They should be able to help with a little convincing."
"Legendary Warriors?" asked Mikaela.
"Yea, they look like dinosaurs when they transform," said Kat. "They're so cool!"
"No way," said Shannon. "There were dinobots and I missed it!"
"That's what you'll have to eventually face if you leave," said Megan her eyes sweeping to Ratchet and back. "If you stay on Earth, you'll have to deal with KSI which is run by Joshua Joyce. Joyce is a brilliant businessman. He's so brilliant that if he can hack our genetic code, he can hack yours. If you're okay with being exploited, destroyed and replaced, feel free to stay here. The only reason he hasn't started yet is because you're still a secret."
"There's also Cemetery Wind," said Kat shuddering. "They're a CIA black ops group that is run by Harold Attinger. That bastard would probably even team up with Lockdown to eradicate all the bots on this planet."
"Those are only warnings," said Megan. "What we need to do now is go to England to see a man by the name of Burton who is part of a secret society."
"Sir Burton," said Kat. "Not only are there more allies there though a few might need to be repaired by the Cube because they've been here for a very long time, but he knows the woman Viviane who's genetic code is tied to the control function of the staff. Be aware that Quintessa can also wield the staff, as it was hers originally. Once you have Viviane, you need to find the HMS Alliance in order to get to the underwater ship. The staff will activate the ship, which you might be able to use to go home. I don't know what condition it will be in though."
"Once Viviane has the staff, the Guardians on board will activate to protect the staff," said Megan. "Maybe you can figure out a way to get her to pass the staff to you. Either way, I recommend destroying it."
"What does the staff do exactly?" asked Optimus.
"Plug it into Stonehenge and it sucks the life from our planet," said Kat. "Quintessa will use it to restore Cybertron, but she'll have to bring the planet here to do that. If she does, Unicron will wake up to defend himself. Either way the human race is toast."
"You do seem to be good at getting yourselves into trouble," commented Jazz.
"True," admitted Kat. "But if you find all the relics, restore Cybertron with them and throw Quintessa off your planet, it'll be fine. Probably."
"That's reassuring," said Ratchet sarcastically.
"It's the best we can do," said Shannon shrugging.
"The Guardians exist to keep Unicron asleep and the staff is the only means for them to kill him if he wakes up. So you may be able to convince them to help you fight Quintessa since she's trying to wake him up," said Megan. "But they may be reluctant to destroy the staff. Tell them that Merlin's bloodline is likely to end with Viviane and that they must reassign the staff over to another's control. At the very least, getting the staff off our planet will help."
"Merlin," said Sam. "Like the wizard Merlin?"
"Yep, he was real," said Kat. "But he didn't have any real magic. He just used the staff and the Guardians formed into a dragon to fight off his enemies."
"I would have loved to see that," said Shannon.
"This keeps getting stranger and stranger," said Sam shaking his head.
The sound of a jet approaching caught everyone's attention. The Autobots tensed, but then relaxed when they confirmed that it was Jetfire. The humans sighed in relief.
Chapter 7
Jetfire spacebridged them to England and luckily they ended up in the countryside.
"Vehicles over here look different than in the US," said Kat apologetically. "You'll probably need to scan new altmodes. They also drive on the left not the right."
"I'm off to find myself a new mode then," said Jetfire. "I'll meet up with you at the human's residence. It seems he has quite a large amount of land so even I can park there."
Optimus gave his okay and Jetfire left again. The others started down the road. Every now and then, one of the Autobots would find a vehicle they found acceptable and would scan it. Kat was riding with Jazz and she physically cringed as she saw Ratchet transform into a yellow ambulance. Just then she saw another with yellow and green plaid stripes.
"Ok, that could have been worse," she admitted.
Suddenly Jazz shifted around her slightly and she let out a yell of surprise.
"No way," said Kat. "Is this a Jaguar?"
"Yes it is," said Jazz. "Does it suit me?"
"I see you did a color change as well," she said eyeing his black hood. "You're totally hot!"
Bumblebee retained his yellow color by scanning a McLaren sports car. Sam and Mikaela were impressed.
Optimus simply changed to all red instead of the red and blue. None of the spectators could see any real difference to his exterior.
Megan and Shannon were with Ironhide and they were jostled suddenly when he shifted into a black Range Rover.
"This will definitely work," he said.
They all followed Optimus inconspicuously toward Burton's residence.
"Well that's three places off my bucket list," said Kat. "England, Jordan and Egypt. Oh, and California for that matter. I always wanted to go traveling, but doing it the normal way is too expensive."
"I see you're having fun," said Jazz.
"No offense, but you all are the single most exciting thing that's ever happened in my life," said Kat laughing. "No matter the outcome I won't regret being here."
She glanced in the side mirror to check out Bumblebee's altmode.
"You know if you get bored and have some free time," started Kat. "You can always go online and cause some trouble for Attinger and Joyce. Transfer some money into shady accounts. Put red flags in his file. Anything to cause them trouble."
"Err, sorry I don't think the boss would be happy with that," said Jazz.
"It's okay Jazz," said Kat sighing. "I was just being an opportunist. We'll deal with them somehow ourselves. Though there is one favor I'd like to ask of you."
"What's that?" he asked.
"That your people call our planet Earth instead of Unicron," said Kat. "Earth means so much to so many and I don't want that diminished. Even if it's only known as Unicron's prison, I don't want the name to be lost especially to him."
"That's something I can do," said Jazz. "I promise."
"Thanks Jazz," said Kat. "You're the best."
"And you know it," he replied.
"So what will we do after they get the staff?" asked Shannon. "That's the endgame for us."
"What do you want to do?" asked Megan.
"I'm not really sure," she replied.
"Can you speak any other language other than English?" asked Megan.
"No," said Shannon.
"Then you only have a choice of staying in English speaking countries unless you'd like to try and learn a new language. We could stay here. Maybe Sir Burton would assist us," said Megan. "We have to start over somewhere."
"Back to work and a normal life," said Shannon. "It's hard to think that only three days ago everything was normal and now nothing will ever be normal again."
"It will be," Megan reassured her. "But it will be a new normal."
"Well once we get these guys settled," said Shannon. "I want a hot meal, a hot shower and a change of clothes."
"So what do think of the girls Bee?" asked Sam. "How do they know all this information about you guys?"
"I'm not sure," said Bumblebee. "They said the human we're going to see is part of a secret society so maybe they are too."
"But it's weird," said Sam. "They seem to know what's going to happen before it does. Like Sector 7 coming for us or the fact that the Matrix was going to disintegrate."
"I have to agree," said Mikaela. "None of them have phones or any other electronic devices so they can't be getting information from anyone. There's no normal explanation."
"Nothing that's happened has been normal exactly," Sam pointed out.
"Fine," said Mikaela huffing. "So they know the future. Are they clairvoyant or are they following prophecies?"
"Are they even human?" asked Sam.
"They are as human as you," said Bumblebee. "Ratchet scanned them to make sure."
"Maybe you should ask them?" said Sam looking at Mikaela.
"Why do I have to?" she asked.
"Well you're a girl too so maybe they'll tell you," said Sam.
Mikaela raised her eyebrows. "I'll think about it."
They pulled onto Burton's estate and followed the long winding road toward the castle. There was a tank sitting next to the castle and it suddenly fired, but the shot went wide. The Autobots still scattered making themselves a running target. Cogman walked out of the castle yelling at the tank and Optimus approached him cautiously. The others watched as they had a brief conversation before Optimus waved the others in.
"Ratchet, see to our friend Bulldog," said Optimus gesturing to the tank. He passed Ratchet the Cube. "Spitfire is back behind the house with Hot Rod. Jetfire is already here so they were expecting us."
The humans had already exited their transport so Ironhide and Bumblebee transformed and stayed with Ratchet. Jazz and Optimus went around to the side parlor window while Cogman showed the humans inside. They arrived in a parlor where a man with gray hair was sitting.
"Well I was certainly not expecting guests today," he said. "My name is Sir Edmund Burton. May I know why you are here?"
Optimus introduced himself and then Kat very quickly explained how the Autobots had come here looking for the Cube to restore their planet and how they met Sam. She then explained that they needed to take the Guardians and the ship back with them in order to overcome Quintessa. She included the explanation that planet Earth harbored Unicron and that Quintessa intended to use the staff to drain the life from Earth thereby restoring Cybertron.
"Sir Burton, Cybertron needs to be restored as quickly as possible," said Megan. "That will alleviate the danger to Earth in a myriad of ways."
"While I certainly understand, that Mr. Witwicky deserves a place in the Order of Witwiccans," said Burton. "I was under the impression that I was the last remaining member. How is it that you know of the Guardians?"
"Don't look at me," said Shannon. "Only these two know what's going on."
"We're a contingency plan," said Megan quickly.
"One made by the former members?" he inquired.
"I never said it was a human," said Megan cryptically.
"We need Viviane to activate the staff to bring the ship to the surface," said Kat.
"We would appreciate your help in this matter," said Optimus.
"While I can agree to help you," said Burton. "I disagree with removing the staff from this planet. If the Guardians were so desperate to keep Unicron from waking, then removing the only thing that can kill him would be folly. You'd essentially be taking it straight back into Quintessa's hands."
"That's a possibility that we can only pray does not happen," said Megan. "Quintessa has to be defeated. Even with Cybertron restored, it is likely that she'll try and destroy Unicron. Also the Guardians may not allow us to keep the staff. If they do, where would we hide it? This planet is currently crawling with Decepticons."
"I can find a place where no one will accidently discover it," said Burton.
"You'll need to leave the location with someone as well," said Megan. "A lost staff would cause problems if it was suddenly needed. Perhaps it's time to introduce more members to your order."
"I'll consider it," said Burton. "I can have Miss Wembly brought here immediately if that's what you wish."
"Optimus," said Megan in warning. "Once the staff is activated, Quintessa may know which means you have to be ready to leave immediately."
"I understand," said Optimus. "Sir Burton, I request that Miss Wembly be brought here in two days. That will give my soldiers time to heal and prepare."
"Understood," said Burton.
"Town?" asked Shannon elbowing Megan.
"If you don't mind," said Megan. "Could you please call us a cab? We can meet it at the end of your drive. We'll also need directions for the nearest currency exchange. I'm afraid we weren't really prepared when we arrived here."
"Of course," said Burton. "May I inquire why you need a cab though? Could one of your friends not assist you?"
"I don't want them to leave the premises," said Megan. "The longer they are kept undercover the better. It's a precaution, but if the Decepticons locate them, who knows what will happen."
The five of them walked out of the front door. Ratchet was off to the side explaining the conditions of the other bots to Optimus. Apparently they were all repaired, but while Bulldog was fully functional again, he had suffered some permanent memory loss.
Megan ran over to inform Optimus that they were leaving for a short time.
"So tell me who they are," said Shannon pulling on Kat's sleeve.
"Cogman was the bot serving as the butler," said Kat. "He's slightly psychotic and kind of scares me. Bulldog is the tank, Spitfire is the plane and Hot Rod is a sports car, but he'll change his form on a whim. He's also the one with a French accent."
"I can see Jetfire," said Megan returning. "Looks like he's a gray jet now."
"There's only one more bot that I know of other than the Guardians," said Kat. "The HMS Alliance, but it was rumored that it had no other form. If they use the Cube on it, I wonder if it will transform."
By the time they reached the end of the driveway, the cab was just pulling up. After they exchanged their currency, the cab took them to a retail area with restaurants and stores. They had a meal and picked up some new clothing. They rented a hotel room for the morning and each of them took a long shower.
"This is the most normal I've felt in days," said Shannon lounging on the bed.
"I agree," said Mikaela plopping down next to her. "I didn't think I'd ever get all the sand off."
"The chafing was getting pretty bad," admitted Kat sitting next to them. "This bed is so much more comfy than an Autobot."
They all laughed as Megan came back into the room.
"I raided the maid's cart" she said holding out toothbrushes and toothpaste.
"Thank God," said Shannon grabbing a set.
Sam came out of the bathroom to see the girls lounging on the bed. Shannon went inside to brush her teeth and Megan passed a toothbrush to Sam.
"Are you trying to tell me something?" he asked.
Kat laughed.
"Now that my teeth are clean," Shannon said emerging. "I feel like some ice cream. Can we splurge?"
"I could go for some coffee," said Kat.
"There's a place around the corner," said Shannon.
"I'm going to try and find some protein bars and more water," said Megan. "I'll meet you there after checking us out."
Sam, Mikaela, Shannon and Kat headed toward the shop. Shannon was lagging drawn to one of the dresses in a store window. Suddenly the reflection of a women walking by caught her attention. There was no doubt in her mind it was the Pretender from the second movie. She needed to confirm it so she turned and started to follow the woman. The woman disappeared down an alley and around the back of a building. Shannon followed slowing as she neared the exit to the alley when she was suddenly grabbed and yanked out of it by a long tongue that had wrapped around her arm. She shrieked and batted at the Pretender trying to break free. She heard the sound of transformation and looked in horror as an old abandoned Microbus transformed into a towering Decepticon. The Decepticon hissed something at the Pretender who responded even with their tongue currently still wrapped around Shannon's arm. The Decepticon didn't like the answer because he suddenly swung his blade at the Pretender. Shannon managed to drop to the ground and avoid the giant blade that penetrated the Pretender and smashed it into the wall. As the Pretender went offline, its tongue relaxed its grip and Shannon scrambled away. She escaped running as quickly as possible down the alley. All she could hear was the Decepticon's weapon powering up behind her and her own pounding heartbeat.
Megan, loaded down with bags, was headed down the sidewalk toward the café when a bright flash from the alley caught her attention. She looked down the alley just in time to see a Transformer finishing its transformation. She continued on down the sidewalk pretending as if she hadn't seen anything. She entered the café to find Sam, Mikaela and Kat waiting.
"Where's Shannon?" she asked keeping her eyes on the traffic outside.
"She disappeared a while ago," said Kat taking a sip of her coffee. "Maybe she found someplace else that has ice cream. She knows where we are though so all we can do is wait."
Suddenly a rusty Microbus drove by and headed down the street.
"Watch the bags," said Megan. "I'll be right back."
Megan left the shop and went to the alley. Among the debris on the ground were a few fragments of bone and a scrap of cloth that was the same color as Shannon's new shirt. Something else caught her eye at the end of the alley and she bent over to pick up the familiar blue wallet Shannon had carried. She cautiously peered behind the building and jumped when she saw a crumpled mass of what used to be a small Decepticon. Fluids were still dripping down the wall and forming a puddle around the body. Megan quickly retreated pocketing the wallet and hailing a cab. She then entered the café in a hurry.
"We're leaving now," she said. "No arguments."
She escorted her companions into the cab.
"What about Shannon?" asked Kat.
"I'll tell you when we get there," said Megan tapping her fingers on the cab window in agitation.
The cab dropped them off at the beginning of Burton's estate and Megan let them get halfway to the house before she stopped them.
"A Volkswagen Microbus," said Megan looking at Kat. "Completely rusted. Do you know which Decepticon that is?"
"Is that why you freaked and rushed us back here?" she asked. "I think that was Dreadbot's altmode. I remember him because he robbed a bank and killed a lot of people and didn't even take the money. He kills for the fun of it. Did you see him?"
"Yes," said Megan nodding.
"What about Shannon?" asked Mikaela in concern. "We just left her behind."
Megan licked her dry lips. "I found a dead Pretender behind the building not far from the café. I saw the tongue so I'm sure. This may have been why Shannon went missing. I found her wallet at the end of the alley not far from the Pretender."
"Shannon couldn't have taken on a Pretender by herself," said Kat.
"When I was walking by the alley earlier, I saw a flash of light and when I looked over I saw the Volkswagen finishing its transformation."
"So Dreadbot killed one of his own," said Kat. "That sounds like something he'd do."
"I found several bone fragments in the alley and there was a scrap of clothing that matched the color of Shannon's shirt," said Megan.
"No, no, no," said Kat in denial. "Maybe they captured her."
"You know better than anyone what their cannon fire does to humans," said Megan. "Sam is someone they might recognize, but Shannon was an unknown. He had no reason to take her as a hostage. I'm sorry, but she's gone."
The group looked at her stunned and Kat sunk down in a crouch and hugged her knees.
"You two go on ahead," Megan said to Sam and Mikaela. "She needs to vent."
Tears starting to fall, the two headed back toward the house leaning against each other for comfort.
"This is wrong," said Kat. "Things shouldn't have turned out like this. She shouldn't have had to die."
"That was the risk we all took when we agreed to do this," said Megan. "This is a war remember and we all have to die someday. At least she accomplished what she wanted before it happened."
"This is our fault," said Kat. "If we hadn't interfered, this wouldn't have happened."
"Millions more would have died, humans and Cybertronians included," said Megan. "It's up to Optimus now, but he can still win this war. Our time is over all we can do is stay out of the way."
Kat just sat on the driveway and sobbed.
"Cry it out," said Megan. "I'll take the bags and you can take your time."
Up ahead of her, Megan could see Bumblebee attempting to comfort his charges. Megan headed up toward the house and was met by Optimus and Hot Rod. She explained what she suspected had happened. Hot Rod left to collect Kat.
"I am sorry for your loss," said Optimus.
"I appreciate it," said Megan. "I didn't know her long, but Shannon was a good person."
"I should have had one of us accompany you," said Optimus.
"Don't you dare try to take responsibility for what happened," said Megan sternly. "I know you try your hardest to prevent the Decepticons from harming the innocent, but you're not responsible for the crimes they commit even if you are the same species."
Optimus took a step back thoroughly chastised.
"Besides it would have turned into a very public brawl if one of you had come and your position would have been compromised," said Megan. "Shannon was simply unlucky and too curious for her own good. I've the supplies to allow us to remain here until you leave so there should be no more mishaps. It was only one Decepticon and Viviane will be arriving soon enough, but you can bring her here today if you're worried."
Optimus nodded his head and walked the remainder of the way with her to the house.
That night Sam and Mikaela slept with Bumblebee. Knowing that they were going to leave soon, Kat spent as much time as she could getting to know each bot. She even squeezed in a few moments with Cogman despite her reservations. Megan was thoroughly exhausted, but Ratchet managed to catch her before she could head in. Sir Burton had graciously extended the invitation for them to stay with him.
"I wanted to have a word with you," he said.
"Sure," said Megan looking up at him expectantly.
"It's about your companion Kat," said Ratchet. "Scans indicate that her normal body functions have been wildly disrupted and I think you should remove her from duty."
Megan laughed. "First of all, I'm not the leader of our group. I'm simply the oldest so I tend to look after the others. Second, she's grieving. For humans, that's a condition that can cause physical symptoms to manifest. So relax. It's rarely fatal. If we all died from grief, there'd be very few humans left on this planet. I can talk to her if you want if that will ease your mind. Where is she?"
Ratchet indicated the bot sitting not far from them and Megan located Kat's sleeping form in Hot Rod's passenger seat. She sighed.
"Maybe tomorrow then," she said. "She's with someone right now and that will do her a world of good." Megan headed toward the front door.
"What about you?" asked Ratchet from behind her.
Megan stopped, but didn't turn around. "Good night, Ratchet," she said starting for the door again and going inside.
Chapter 8
The sunrise peaked over the horizon and with it came trouble. The humans were inside barely awake having joined Sir Burton for an early breakfast. The sound of something hitting the ground hard caught their attention instantly. The glassware on the table rattled from the shock. While Sir Burton hurried into his study to retrieve something, the other humans ran outside just in time to see another meteor streak overhead and hit the ground not far away. The Autobots were already transformed and looked ready for a fight.
"It's the Decepticons," said Kat pointing. "Megatron's here."
"So is the Fallen," said Megan. "We need to hide. We can't do anything against them."
Sam and Mikaela followed Megan back inside while Kat ran out and around the side of the house. Sir Burton emerged from his study.
"We need to get Viviane," said Megan.
"No worries," said Burton. "More than one bot here knows her location. I daresay we won't be letting them wipe us all out." He continued for the front door with Cogman in tow.
Megan tried to find the most secure place in the house. "He's got to have a basement somewhere."
Suddenly one of the walls in the room gave way under the weight of two fighting bots and they ran for the door.
"Outside might be safer," said Mikaela.
"Go, go, go," yelled Sam.
They burst out of the castle and into a war zone. Explosions rang out and shots were flying left and right. Several bots were physically exchanging blows causing dirt and debris to fly into the air. Jetfire and Spitfire were engaging Starscream and Blackout in an air battle. The Fallen and Megatron had double-teamed Optimus, but he seemed to be holding his own. The Fallen took a bad hit and landed heavily on the ground. Megatron suddenly reached down and snatched something from the ground. It moved in his hand and only then did Megan and the others realize it was Kat. She was so covered in dirt the color of her clothes could barely be seen.
"Give us the Matrix and the Cube," said Megatron. "Or this one dies." He closed his hand slightly causing Kat to squeak in pain.
Megan couldn't see Optimus' face because his back was to them. She wondered what expression he was making.
"The Fallen, Sentinel, Quintessa and Unicron will always be your masters and you will always be the slave," spit Kat at Megatron.
"Silence fleshling," said Megatron shaking her.
"Optimus, the thing about leaders with compassion, it makes your soldiers want to die for you," said Kat looking at something beyond him. "And I'm no liability."
Suddenly a shot rang out and blood splattered on Megatron's face. Kat's lifeless body slumped in his hand.
"Disgusting," said Megatron tossing Kat to the ground. He reeled back when another two shots hit him in the optic and he promptly returned fire at Sir Burton who was flung by the resulting explosion.
Enraged, Optimus engaged them with renewed energy leaving Megatron injured and sparking and the Fallen dead. He turned swiftly to engage the other Decepticons. Cogman made his way over to his dying Master while Megan, Sam and Mikaela fled toward the back of the castle. They were forced to turn back when Blackout suddenly crashed in their way. Mikaela and Sam's scream attracted the attention of Dreadbot. He spotted them and smiled viciously.
"This is so not good," said Sam dragging Mikaela with him.
They began running in the opposite direction when Sam tripped. Mikaela stopped to pull him up and Megan glanced behind to see Dreadbot pull the rotor off of Blackout. Someone shot hit him, but he still managed to send the rotor flying at them. Megan only had time to push Mikaela down on Sam before she felt the impact and she went flying. She heard something crack and tumbled head over feet until she came to a stop on the hill on her back. She could hear the shouts, but she couldn't understand what they were saying over the explosions.
As quickly as it began, the battle ended. The explosions subsided and there was an eerie silence. Megan could hear the sound of approaching footsteps and she opened her eyes to see Optimus kneeling down beside her.
"How are the others?" asked Megan.
"Still online," said Optimus. "Cogman has placed the bodies of Sir Burton and Kat in the house and notified the authorities so they can be discovered."
"That's good," said Megan sighing. "You have no choice now. Using Jetfire or Viviane and the Guardians, you need to leave."
"I've sent Hot Rod to retrieve her," he said. "I am sorry."
"Don't be," said Megan softly. "The three of us accomplished what we set out to do. Now it's up to you. If you can save our planets, then it will be worth it, but if you can't, then we forgive you. At the very least there was someone brave enough to try."
"You honor me," said Optimus standing.
Mikaela suddenly slid next to her. Ratchet arrived as well kneeling on her other side.
"How are you feeling?" asked Mikaela shakily.
"Mikaela, it doesn't hurt because I can't feel my legs," said Megan. "I'm probably in shock."
"The force of the trauma severed your spinal cord in your lower back," said Ratchet scanning her. "You've got internal bleeding, but the damage to most of your internal organs is minimal."
Mikaela started crying.
"Thanks Ratchet," said Megan sarcastically. "I was trying to avoid the waterworks."
"You were lucky," said Ratchet. "If Ironhide hadn't shot him when he did, that rotor could have cut you in half."
"Did Dreadbot survive?" asked Megan.
"Jazz ended him," said Ratchet.
Megan smiled. "Tell him thanks."
Ratchet carefully maneuvered his hand under Megan and lifted her.
"So what's the plan?" asked Megan.
"Right now we're retreating to the countryside," said Ratchet. "Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Hot Rod and Cogman will be going down with the HMS Alliance to the ship. Viviane will probably be pretty confused so we sent Sam with Hot Rod to retrieve her. Mikaela will join them on the sub as well in order to put Viviane more at ease. The rest of us will wait until Jetfire receives a signal and then he'll spacebridge us in."
"None of you can stay behind so are you leaving me here?" asked Megan.
"And risk the surviving Decepticons coming back and finishing the job," he said. "Certainly not. You'll be coming with us. Cogman got me access to some medical supplies so you'll stay with me. I need you to remain still."
"It's not like I can move, Ratchet," said Megan.
Suddenly Ratchet shifted around her, parts and mechanisms twisting and fitting together in a dizzying display. Finally it stopped and she found herself lying on the bed in the back of the ambulance.
"That was terrifying in case you didn't know," she said.
Ratchet chuckled and followed the other Autobots as they left the Burton estate.
Chapter 9
The condition of Megan's body forced her to sleep for a while, but she was woken abruptly when she was sent sprawling. She opened her eyes to see she was somewhere distinctly alien.
"Whoa," said Jazz stepping away from the edge of the platform. "Man, Jefire you have to be more careful about where you land us."
"That's spacebridge technology for you," he replied. "It's not the most reliable."
"At least we made it on the ship," said Spitfire.
Ratchet quickly made his way over to where Megan lay.
"That was a rude awakening," she said.
"Apologies," said Ratchet scanning her. "The spacebridge reacts better with our normal forms rather than our altmodes."
He gently picked her up and she looked over to see Optimus talking with one of the Guardians. He must have been able to reason with them since they weren't actively battling. The ship shook slightly.
"Are we rising?" asked Megan.
"We sure are," said a bot Megan had never seen before. It was possibly the HMS Alliance since the Guardians were so much bigger. She looked over to see Viviane standing in the middle of the floor holding the staff.
Optimus turned to the humans and other Autobots. "The Guardians will not allow the staff to be taken from this ship," he said. "Nor will they let us destroy it as Unicron is too big a threat. They will however help us combat Quintessa, but the person in control of the staff must come with."
"Viviane is human," said Megan loudly. "Do they even have the capabilities to transport such a fragile creature to Cybertron?"
One of the Guardians brought forth a large silver capsule and Ratchet scanned it.
"It's a stasis pod for organics," said Ratchet. "Normally used to preserve live specimens for transport back to the lab."
Viviane looked horrified. "I came with you to activate the staff," she said. "No one said bloody anything about having to go to another planet."
"Can control of the staff be transferred?" asked Megan.
"They will not allow us to transfer it to another Cybertronian," said Optimus.
"I'll do it," said Sam suddenly.
"What," said Mikaela gripping his arm.
"This isn't about one fight," said Sam. "This is about the fate of our world. No sacrifice no victory."
"Sam, as selfless as your offer is," said Megan. "This war may take centuries to finish. This isn't a day trip. If you survive and return, everything you've ever known will be gone. Family and friends all gone and everything you've ever known changed. Schools will have advanced so much you'll have to take high school over again."
Sam cringed at that.
"I guess there was a reason I survived in the end," said Megan. "I don't have a place here and I've nothing in this world to return to. Not a single thing."
"That's not true," said Mikaela sadly. "You could still make a life."
"Truthfully Mikaela, this isn't even my world," said Megan. "I come from Earth, but my Earth does not contain Unicron and Cybertronians are only a fantasy story."
"Then why have you tried so hard to save us?" asked Mikaela.
"Because even if they are only stories, the Autobots bring hope that good will prevail over evil and that is something that the people in my world desperately need," said Megan. "I think the people on this world need it too."
The Guardians made their choice by picking up Viviane and bringing her level with Megan. Viviane handed her the staff and energy crackled around the both of them.
"I hope you know what you're doing," said Viviane. "And thank you."
"Optimus," said Megan clutching the staff to her chest. "See that they get home, but remember that leaving any bot behind is essentially a death sentence. Humans are more resilient than you believe. They can take care of themselves."
"I'm starting to see that," said Optimus.
The Guardian lifted the now open stasis pod and Ratchet placed Megan carefully inside with the staff. As the door to the pod started to shut Megan suddenly said, "Till all are one." Only the bots near her heard and then all was darkness.
Chapter 10
Megan became aware of light coming from above her. The ceiling was too high above her to be the stasis pod and looked distinctively alien. She could hear the steady thrum of power through the walls and nearby equipment. She raised a hand to her face, but halted when she caught sight of it. Her right hand was metal and not just covered in metal, but metal with joints and parts similar to what Cogman had. She raised her left hand to see that it matched.
"I see you're awake little one," said a voice that sounded remarkably like Ratchet's.
She looked over to see a bot that was completely alien to her. "Ratchet?" she asked.
"Yes, it's me," he said.
"Trying a new look?" she asked.
He laughed. "A more original one you might say."
"I think even Kat would approve of this one," she said. "Where are we?"
"A special section of med bay," said Ratchet.
Megan continued to stare at him. "Where is med bay?"
"We're in Lacon on Cybertron," said Ratchet.
"It was restored then," said Megan. "I'm glad. Ratchet, what happened since I've been out?"
"We arrived on Cybertron shortly after we left Earth and the Guardians and Optimus confronted Quintessa and defeated her. We took down Lockdown as well freeing his prisoners. Using the Cube, we were able to completely revitalize Cybertron, but doing so completely drained it of its power. It's simply a powerless relic now. Optimus put out the call for all Autobots to return home so it's fully defended and the rebuilding process has steadily continued. As for Earth, we destroyed the Decepticons on the Moon and recovered Sentinel Prime and his spacebridge. That fool saw the folly of his ways and we used the spacebridge to travel to other planets for additional resources or to fight pockets of Decepticons that were left. We made numerous trips back to Earth to remove as much of our technology as we could and the bodies of our fallen Primes. We destroyed the sun harvester, but the Matrix still exists. Optimus has used it more than once to reactivate a fallen comrade. We made a treaty with the U.N. to help hunt down any remaining Decepticons, but we don't stay on the planet as a precaution. Instead we have a temporary base on the moon that we share with the humans. The Decepticons that were left on Earth had a lot of trouble with Cemetery Wind, KSI and TRF, but we managed to regain most of their bodies or what was left of them."
"Sam, Mikaela and Viviane?" she asked.
"Viviane didn't have any descendants, but both Sam and Mikaela did. Their lines continue to this day. It's been seven centuries since you were first placed in that stasis pod."
"What happened to me?" asked Megan lifting her arm.
"Galvatron," said Ratchet. "Under Unicron's control, he tried to steal and destroy the staff. Since it was with you in the pod, you were badly damaged as well. He was stopped and Optimus broke Unicron's hold on him, but Galvatron is still out there somewhere."
"The staff?" she asked.
"The Guardians still guard it deep within this planet," he replied. "As for your current state, your body was badly damaged and we couldn't save it. We were only able to extract your memories and put them in your current body. Your spark came from the Well since you didn't have one.
"So Megan died," said Megan. "And I only carry her memories."
"Not exactly," said Ratchet. "That should have been the case, but for some reason even though you are not organic, you are still tied to the staff so something of Megan still exists in you. I am unable to explain it."
Megan was so shocked by the revelation that she was rendered speechless.
"Caring for yourself just got a lot easier," said Ratchet trying to lighten the mood.
"It's a lot to take in, but thank you Ratchet," said Megan. "I truly did not expect to survive."
"We weren't losing you if I could help it," said Ratchet gently picking her up. "The last remaining Sentry of Earth."
"Wait, what?" said Megan. "Who gave us that name?"
"I did," said a deep booming voice.
"I should have figured," said Megan peering over Ratchet's shoulder. "Jeez and you had to make it seem so regal when we were simply three interfering fans. It's been a long time Optimus or so I'm told. I'm glad to see you made it."
"Likewise," said Optimus. "I'd like to thank you for all the warnings you provided. You and the others saved many lives."
"Coming from the one who did all the work," said Megan. "The victory belongs solely to you and your people."
"So will you finally tell us where you came from and who sent you?" asked Optimus. "None of what you said before you were put in the stasis pod was a lie."
"Sure, if you have time for a fairytale," she replied.
"After that, we need to work on teaching you how to walk," said Ratchet.
"Sure," said Megan. "I think I'm ready to take that first step."