I. – On a highway somewhere in Utah…

Sam sat in stony silence as Bumblebee drove the extremely fast car at the normal speed limit; through the night and tinted windows Sam believed he saw sixty-five. The radio in the car that was normally lit up with life and music was just as mute as he was. If Bee'd ever been more angered with him, the man could not recount it. Sam took a deep breath.

"Bee," He made sure to sit as far back as he could. "I need something to drink."

The car didn't answer him.

"Look, I know what I did. I know I didn't tell you face-to-face like several years ago, I left a note with Carly…" A tension at that name flared. "I know she's not Mikaela, but humor me. She's a good woman and I really trusted her with telling you. But, Bee, all I want you to know is… that I'm really, really thirsty!" He left out what he really meant.

Carly was never going to speak to him again.

The McLaren made a quick decision and sped off the freeway near a small gas station.

"Thank you. Thank you for coming to your senses…" Sam tried to pull the silver handle open; it wouldn't budge. "This is the part where you let me out and wait till I get done."

With reluctance, the door gave way.

"You're not the boss of me, Bee." The man told him, stomping out and staring down at the shiny hood of his car. "And when I get back, you and I are going to have a serious-,"

He stopped short at a lanky man with a trucker's cap staring at them.

"Look, do you mind?"

"Whoa…" Sam realized then that the man wasn't paying attention to his ranting.

More obviously, Sam's ranting to his car.

"Yeah, yeah. Just leave it alone." He turned to give Bumblebee a firm look and went into the shop. A guy in his early-to-mid thirties was reading a magazine behind the big counter.

"Can I help you?" His eyes didn't look up.

"Yeah, hi, um… you got a bathroom in this place?"

"First door on the right." He pointed absently.

"Yeah, see…" Sam looked anxiously at the awaiting car behind a carousal of Utah knick-knacks. "If you could just hold onto this…" He slipped the man two thousand dollar bills. "And I'll just take these." he pit pocketed the man; something he'd learned from Mikaela three years ago – and took off with the clerk's keys even as he shouted for Sam to return.

The engine of the yellow McLaren roared to life and charged right into the store without hesitation, Sam looked back at the plowed down merchandise and vaguely registered that it appeared to be something out of a movie. He clutched onto the bulbous door knob and flung the metal framed rectangle open. His breaths staggered in and out heavily as he left Bumblebee behind. Sam ran up to an old rusted black car, gave the key a firm jab and had the door open as his friend smashed through the shop's roof. With one final intake of air, the man turned to face Bumblebee under the star-filled sky – talking was now inevitable.

Sam exhaled calmly. "What do you want me to say?" he asked.

II. Back in Nevada…

A holographic screen inside the cubed castle showed different types of viruses.

"This is pointless," Leadfoot complained as Ratchet viewed legends and old accounts. He turned to the approaching Bulkhead back from his duty. "Your pals here can't keep it up."

"Ratchet and Eelshock." He informed the Wrecker leader.

"Whatever. She won't have it running by tomorrow." Leadfoot indicated a row of cables.

The somewhat stouter automaton folded his arms. "Well, it's not like it took all that long."

"Did you follow the route Ratchet calculated for you?"

"It was a rough guesstimation! This isn't the internet he's on, it's a limited amount of more or less archaic knowledge of Decepticon viral infections. There's no cures on it, there's no possible ways to track or even find out how the virus arrived here." Bulkhead told his ally.

The word 'friends' didn't quite describe the twos' feelings towards each other.

Ratchet remained glued to his screen.

"You know I already lost three of my friends before arriving here," the green and tan alien reminded Leadfoot. "Meanwhile, most of your team hasn't even reached this blue marble."

"Hey, at least I know how to treat my friends. You're lucky you still have a leader here."

Ratchet finally took notice; the screen blinked off. Bulkhead saw the brief shadow of lost fall over his face. Eelshock transformed into her slender figure. The Autobot knew all at once what she was thinking; Arcee, her sisters and Eelshock had been friends long ago.

"Make that six," Bulkhead pounded his fist into his hand.

"Seven," Ratchet lamented. "Bumblebee has left us… Sorry, eight, if you count Sam."

He and Eelshock came to stand behind the hefty Autobot.

Topspin and Roadbuster instantly appeared, flanking their own rotund leader.

"Enough!" Optimus's stern voice kept them at bay.

"Sir," Bulkhead turned to his leader. "Where's Bumblebee? I haven't seen him in ages."

The Prime did not address that question, instead he looked at the Autobots as a whole.

"The time for separate thinking is over," He took them all in slow back and forth motion. "If we're to have any chance to decipher this viral mystery, only unity will aid us. We've lost many…" His blue eyes pierced into each of theirs. "But together we can find a way."

"I forgot how motivational he was," Bulkhead whispered to Leadfoot.

"What I don't get is why are we wasting our time on Sam's Gary Stu God baby?"

The others looked at him.

"I'm just sayin', this kid better not have superpowers or I'm done."

"We do believe the child may have fragments of the AllSpark inside of him based on one of Ratchet's theories, which he'll disclose to you all at the proper time." Optimus looked to Leadfoot and Bulkhead especially now. "I'll need you to procure the child's mother as well as the child after they've been sterilized, we don't need any foreign contaminates on

the energon." He looked to the awaiting Autobots. "You four, try to get along. Ratchet."

"Yes, sir."

"That applies to you too."

The medic looked away. "Humph."

"There's no telling how scared the child must be, let's try our best not to frighten him."

… Outside the Autobot's home…

Mikyle burst out into a stream of giggles as an epoxy of special chemicals layered him and his mother. Mikaela kept her eyes on the ceiling of the temporary housing barracks. From the outside white half-circles made long rows as NEST, global communication specialists, a few other key organizations and whoever else worked together to uncover the truth of the worldwide technology virus; and to get everyone back to their huge cyber existences.

Mikaela herself was less then thrilled to be immersed back into a social situation.

"Hi," A familiar voice accosted her.

The woman turned to see Lennox for the first time since she had broken up with Sam.

"Hi." She smiled wryly, turning so a chemical specialist could coat her backside.

"I understand this is your son," he looked down at the prancing little boy inside the clear but audible duct. "He looks a lot like someone…" His eyes roved up. The man had on a white lab coat, unlike his usual camouflage attire, but this was a 'laboratory' setting too.

"Let's not go into that," Mikaela flashed the man coating her with a classic smoldering look and he backed off. Picking up her son in her bare arms, the woman made sure that there was an air of distant, sexual appeal as she took long-legged strides to exit – It was for intimidation, of course, and it always worked. "So, what'd you want?" she inquired.

Lennox wasn't intimidated.

"Optimus requested that you enter the Autobot's home alone… and with the boy."

"Mikyle." Her flippant attitude dissolved as she struck him with an intent look.

The man watched as Mikaela and her son were handed their sanitized clothes.

"Be safe," he told her.

"We'll see," She said.

The truth was, Mikaela could never tell anyone how very unsafe she felt.

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~