Disclaimer:I do not own anything pertaining to Transformers, or anything else related to this material of which I written about. All rights are reserved by the original owners.

Author's Note: Sorry for the slight delay in posting this chapter. This chapter is pretty self-explanatory… which reminds me. Does this story need chapter titles? Would you like to see chapter titles? I've been wondering about this for a while. I'm also stressing out about Mikaela & Lennox – please tell me there's some chemistry there… Yes, I'm feeling a little insecure :( Please direct your thoughts to the review button.

Chapter 3

Screaming. Lennox clearly heard feminine screams resounding through the deserted village. It had to be Mikaela, and she was in trouble. He'd never heard screams like that before; they were the sound of absolute terror. Will was about to talk out a plan of action with his two fellow soldiers when Autobot Sideswipe sped around a corner almost noiselessly. They all looked at each other and nodded.

He didn't really need to say it, but tersely whispered it anyways; "Go!"

Standing over the small human, Decepticon Ravage was so engrossed with his prey that he didn't see the charging Autobot and NEST troops until they were virtually right beside him. He leapt up and onto the side of a building just before Sideswipe was able to cut him apart. The large, barbed tail of the cat-like beast nearly succeeded in dealing the young woman a fatal blow when it dug into the sand next to her as he jumped.

Lennox sprinted over to Mikaela and carried her out of the way behind a low wall. He kept himself in front of her in a protective stance. She was sobbing uncontrollably, having been so close to death. "Mikaela, it's ok, we're here now. Are you alright?"

There were the cries of "Fall back!" a moment before a barrage of energy bolts scorched the ground and surrounding buildings. The Decepticon's retractable cannon had sent the other two soldiers ducking for cover, leaving Sideswipe to deal with the foe. Ravage had already climbed to the rooftop, gaining the higher ground; however, the Cybertronian warrior had already hustled around back. Using his momentum, he launched himself up onto the top of the building, surprising Ravage.

Instead of fleeing, the 'Con chose to attack; the multitude of sharp spikes all over his body coming in handy. Locked into fierce melee combat, the Cybertronians' battle spilled off the rooftops and onto adjacent buildings and streets. With twin Cybertanium blades and superior skill, Sideswipe soon proved the victor. After drilling one sword through Ravage's core, he neatly bisected the rest of the Decepticon in one swift maneuver.

Once the creature had been dispatched the soldiers tentatively stood from their hiding places. Mikaela had also calmed down by this point and was attempting to dry her face using the backs of her wrists, which were slightly less dirty. Her body was trembling from the enormous rush of adrenaline and her hands shook slightly.

"You're bleeding!" Will exclaimed when he caught sight of Mikaela's arm. "That's a bad cut. I don't even have anything I could tie it up with."

She put her hand over it to apply some pressure. "It'll be fine. We can't do anything about it here."

He had to admire her courage; any other girl would have been completely overcome by the circumstances. An alert came through the radio clipped onto Will's uniform. "Lennox here. We've got the civilian. Over."

"Great. Now get out of there, we've got an air strike coming in less than five minutes," Epps told him.

"On our way. Over and out." Will looked at his small team. "Ok, you heard him, let's move." He turned to Mikaela. "Are you ok to run?" She nodded and he took her hand.

Sideswipe hovered around the humans as they ran, trying to watch for a possible attack either in front of them or from behind. When the sand started shooting skyward like a riptide current in rough waters, both Lennox and the Autobot instantly turned to look find the source of the disturbance. While the latter had the alien advantage, Will had never forgotten his experience in Qatar, which had also taken place in the desert and not too far from this part of the world.

Scorponok blasted through the sand with both of his cannons blazing. The humans threw themselves behind a building, and even Sideswipe leapt out of the way. Not only was this Decepticon was in his element but he had some formidable weaponry. All at once Lennox remembered that battle and the type of firepower they had needed to damage this 'Con. The air force would probably be able to take it out for good this time, but that still left them in the middle of it all.

Their Autobot counterpart must have been thinking the same things, since he transformed into his sleek, Corvette Stingray alt-mode. "This is going to be tight – get in!" he urged them.

The first two men jumped in, one taking the driver's seat and the other straddling the control console separating the seats. Lennox and Mikaela dove in just before Scorponok rounded the corner, and Sideswipe's powerful engine propelled them away. He hadn't exaggerated that there wouldn't be much room. Sideswipe's alt-mode was all about speed, just like he was. Cramming four people into two seats in a very low vehicle was something that never should have been attempted, unless in extreme situations – such as this one.

If it weren't for the fact that they were racing for their lives to avoid both an impending air strike and a pursuing Decepticon, Mikaela would have felt exceedingly embarrassed. She was wearing a very low-cut shirt and the velocity pressed her tightly into Lennox's body, his combat uniform not making the position any more comfortable. One of his arms was braced against the ceiling of the car while the other was wrapped around her waist to hold onto her. They hadn't the time or the space to put on seatbelts. The other two soldiers clung to whatever they could and maintained a grim silence as Sideswipe veered around oncoming obstacles.

A voice seemed to come through the car radio that Lennox recognized as Ratchet's. "I can see you, Sideswipe. The pillars are still clear."

"I'm carrying all the humans – can you do something about that 'Con on my tail?"

"Right away. Bumblebee is moving in to assist you."

They were almost out of the village. The yellow Autobot was behind one of the two massive, stone pillars, waiting to ambush Scorponok. As soon as Sideswipe sped past, Bumblebee launched himself at the Decepticon, wrestling the scorpion-like beast.

Racing up the sandy incline to the area that the NEST troops held as a staging area, Sideswipe skid to a halt and both car doors opened rapidly. The occupants stumbled out onto the sand, and the Autobot transformed back to his taller form.

"I've got someone to finish," he muttered and went back to help Bee.

Will helped Mikaela to her feet. "Go behind these tanks, the shockwave from the air strike is going to be intense."

She followed his instructions and found Sam and his parents already there.

"Mikaela!" he shouted and ran over to embrace her. "You're ok – I was so worried about you."

"I'm alright. What about Optimus, did it work?"

"Yes. He's up on that pyramid, this huge Decepticon teleported in; he's their leader or something."

Overhead several military planes roared past, dropping their rockets onto the village. The resulting explosions were near-deafening and fire mushroomed into the sky. Whatever Decepticons were in there had finally been destroyed for good.

After an intense one-on-one clash between Optimus Prime and the Decepticon leader known as the Fallen, the battle was finally over. They had lost several good men and most of the Autobots had sustained some damage. The area was a complete disaster zone, with all manner of debris strewn about, some of it still burning.

Mikaela sat at the small medical station that had been temporarily set up to treat the multitude of injuries. Although sand had gotten into her cut, making it sting even more, her wound wasn't as bad as what others had, and she felt a little guilty for being there. "It's not that bad," she was insisting to the medic. "Let someone else go before me, I can wait."

"Not with a cut like this, it's already really dirty; infection is the last thing you need."

"I agree," Lennox said as he entered the tent. "Don't argue with your doctor." He smiled at Mikaela and sat down beside her. "How are you holding up?"

"Pretty well I guess." She winced as the medic washed her arm thoroughly.

"This is going to sting," the woman warned her before dousing the cut in alcohol.

Mikaela bit back a scream. Will saw her face suddenly flush red and reached out to grasp her hand. She held on tightly for several moments before her grip loosened a bit.

"This is almost more painful than actually getting slashed," she remarked, trying to sound casual about it.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner."

Looking into his face she was a little surprised to find an expression indicating his deep regret. "You came, that's the main thing," she told him. Mikaela sighed and looked away. "I know that Sam had to get to Optimus, but… I still feel a little hurt that he didn't stay to look for me. But he knows that I can usually take care of myself, so he must have thought I'd make it out fine."

"Miss," the medic spoke up, "you're going to need a few stitches."

That was not what she wanted to hear. "Can't you just glue it or something?"

"The gash is too long; it could re-open. I'll have to put in several stitches to keep it closed, as well as some tape over that. I've got some local anesthetic that should dull the pain."

Lennox held the young woman's hand in both of his own. He had seen people get stitched up before, but this time was different; her slender arms and soft skin seemed too fragile to be putting a needle and thread through. She tried to glance over while the medic worked and Will gave her hand a gentle squeeze to get her attention. "Hey, don't watch, look at me." A couple tears slid down her face, she was obviously nervous and emotionally drained. He started talking to distract her; "I'm probably going to be in a lot of trouble once I get back to base, maybe even before that."

"Why?" Mikaela couldn't imagine why he of all people should be facing heat from his superiors.

"Well, I kinda helped the Secretary of Defense out of the plane we were in… as it was flying. He had a parachute on though."

"How did that happen?"

"My team was getting sent back to the NEST base on Diego Garcia – our department was already in hot water due to the Decepticon threat these past few days. So, coming here with Optimus wasn't in the plans."

"But everything worked out!" she insisted. "The Decepticons are destroyed and Optimus is alive."

"Yes, but I don't think that everyone will see it that way. I did ignore Director Galloway's orders to do this, and by extension the president. The general should help plead my case; if it weren't for his trust in me, we wouldn't have been successful here today."

"You've proved before that you can handle tough situations. That's probably inspired lots of confidence in you."

Lennox smiled at the comment.

"Okay, we're almost finished," the medic announced. "I'll just bandage your arm and you'll be good to go."

"Thanks for sitting here with me," Mikaela said.

"It's the least I can do." Will gazed at her; it took him a moment to realize that he was still holding her hand.

As soon as the whole battlefield was locked down, the NEST soldiers began making their way to the Aqaba Airport where the C-17s had landed after the airdrop. Bumblebee would be driving Sam and his parents there, and Sam asked if Mikaela would ride with them. She turned down the offer. As much as she liked being around Bee, the thought being in an enclosed space with not only her ex-boyfriend but also his parents was far too awkward. In the end, Leo went along – he would probably talk the entire trip.

The Autobots were willing to take passengers, even though they were all exhausted from the fight. Lennox and some of the soldiers rode with Ironhide, and Simmons decided to stay with Skids. Mikaela didn't really know any of the other people too well, and she just wanted some peace and quiet.

"Are you in need of transportation?" a voice asked.

She looked up at Optimus Prime as he approached. "Yes, please."

Optimus transformed into his alt-mode and the door popped open.

"I'm actually really tired, would you mind if I just took a nap in the sleeping compartment back here?" Mikaela asked him.

"Go ahead; I would like a quiet drive myself."

She had never been inside of the Prime's truck form, and felt a little strange being driven around by the Autobot leader himself. There weren't any blankets, but Optimus heated the interior to make her feel comfortable. She was asleep in moments.