Author's Note

So, this chapter has a lot of movie stuff. A lot of changes, too, and meshing together. I have to say, it was rather difficult and I hope it turned out okay.

But I keep a promise this chapter. A certain birdy is coming into play.

Now, go onward and enjoy!


How Could They?

They make it to Chicago by mid-morning the next day, hiding out in an abandoned church while Sunstreaker goes ahead to scout out the coordinates. When he makes it back, he transforms, faceplates creased in confusion.

"What did you find?" Optimus asks, him and the others transforming as well.

"It's some kind of tech company called Kinetic Solutions Incorporated," Sunstreaker answers, optics shining down in the air in front of them to show blueprints from when he scanned the building.

Ari stiffens at the name. "I know that company. Galloway tried to talk me into adding KSI to my list of companies to consider for the tech sharing project."

"Why'd you pass them up?" Will asks.

"They mostly make technology for the consumer market but they also hold several military contracts. No company with military contracts made it on my list. Couldn't trust them not to make weapons."

"Well, if Galloway wanted them for the tech project, then they're doing something for Hydra." Steve studies the blueprints closely, like he's trying to burn the image into his brain. "Sunstreaker, were you able to find out anything else?"

"Yeah, they're letting in cars back here." Sunstreaker points to a security gate at the back of the building. "Not car parts, but actual finished cars."

"What for?"

"Not sure. Something called scanning."

"Why would a tech company want cars?" Jane asks curiously.

"They shouldn't," Ari says, rubbing at the back of her neck. "They don't even make cars."

"Were they going in on trucks?" Steve asks, eyes twinkling with ideas.

Sunstreaker nods. "Yeah, and individually. Everyone going through the security gate gets their KSI I.D. scanned before being let in. The cars then get driven into one of the research buildings."

Steve nods decisively. "Then that's our way in. One of us goes in with the photostatic veil and an Autobot posing as one of the people taking in cars. Once inside, you poke around to find out what they're up to."

Bucky snorts. "Hydra is definitely not just interested in cars. They've gotta be using them for something. Maybe smuggling?"

"But smuggling what?" Tony wonders, brow furrowed in confusion. "What could they possibly want that they can't get in and out of the country the old-fashioned way?"

"It can't be drugs or money or anything typical like that," Natasha agrees. "But that's if they're using these cars to smuggle anything at all. This could be about something else."

"And there's still that Cybertronian siding with them," Will adds. "It could have something to do with him."

Ari hums thoughtfully, something tickling at the back of her head but when she looks at the AllSpark door she's still not allowed to look. "That sounds more right. Maybe they're gathering alt modes for him."

"For just one mech?" Ironhide asks dubiously.

"He may not be alone. He could have others with him who stayed out of the war. Though what they could possibly want, I have no idea."

"Only one way to find out," Rob says, clapping his hands and rubbing them together excitedly. "So who's gonna go infiltrate, huh?"

The AllSpark niggles at the back of Ari's head, insistent, leading her to speak before anyone else can, "I'll go."

Bucky huffs in irritation. "Again? Really?"

"Hey, I am more than qualified," Ari protests, folding her arms in front of her chest. "And I have nothing tracking me now so they won't know it's me. I'll even use a different face on the veil if it makes you feel any better."

"I still don't like it," Will says, taking a firm stance next to Bucky. "You'd be going into the wolf's den, kiddo, and there's no guarantee we can get you out in time if something goes wrong."

"But I need to do this," she insists, brushing her hand along her marks meaningfully.

He throws his head back, groaning deeply. "This is an AllSpark thing, isn't it."

Bucky grimaces. "AllSpark thing?"

"Sometimes, the AllSpark wants her to do or see things," Trent explains, shrugging a shoulder casually. "It'll help point her in the right direction and it's usually the right thing to do."

"So we're just gonna listen to some alien mumbo jumbo?"

Ari nods firmly. "There's something in there I'm supposed to see. I don't know what, but I get the feeling it's the key to figuring all of this out."

"And it's not like she'll be alone," Sideswipe points out, kneeling down behind her and brushing a finger along the side of her arm. "I'll be with her."

"You'll need to change your alt mode," Will warns, like that's some sort of deterrent, but Sideswipe just snorts.

"I'm not letting her go in there without me," Sideswipe says stubbornly. "I don't care if I have to turn into a piece of junk. I'm still going with her."

Ari smiles, brushing his presence with her own along the bond, promising to make it up to him later. And that she'll find him another Stingray as soon as this is over.

They're all quiet for a few moments, a stand-off as they struggle with the decision even though it's an obvious one. She's the most logical choice, just like before. She's the only one with the right kind of training thanks to Natasha and who can wear the veil without still being recognizable.

And she needs to go. Doing what the AllSpark wants her to do is always the right choice, just like Trent said.

"We stay in constant communication," Will finally relents, pointing a finger at her seriously. "You wear an ear comm and keep us up to date on everything going on. If you go silent for longer than five minutes without warning, we're going in to get you. Got it?"

She nods eagerly. "Yeah, got it."

"And Loki is going with you."

"But we only have the one photostatic veil," Evie points out.

"I do not need one," Loki says, a shimmer of magic moving across his form like a mirage as he morphs before their eyes. His features change, long black hair and slender build transforming into a shorter, stockier body with short brown hair and a slight stubble dusting his chin. The smirk is the only thing that looks familiar. "Will this suffice?" he asks, voice not as deep as before and with a distinct American accent.

Ari grins. "Fantastic. Now all we need is one of those I.D. cards."

"If we can get a scan of one I can make a copy in a pinch," Sunstreaker says.

John frowns. "How are we supposed to scan one without being seen and without anyone noticing?"

"I could do it," Tony volunteers with an enthusiastic grin.

Bruce rolls his eyes. "Tony, you fly around in a red and gold suit. That's the opposite of not getting noticed. You can't go anywhere without being noticed."

"Fine, then what about Loki? He can magic himself a new face and steal one."

"Nope, won't work," Natasha says, crossing her arms with one hip popped out. "We need to copy the card information exactly so that it'll work at the security checkpoints. If we stole one from someone, that person will probably report it stolen and then security will be looking out with anyone using his card. And then there's the problem of two people with the same card information being in the building at the same time. That'll put up red flags."

"So, what, you're suggesting we steal a card and the person it's attached to and sit on them for a while?" Rob asks incredulously.

Natasha shrugs helplessly. "It's the only way to ensure they don't get caught. And we'll need two, one for Ari and Loki each."

"Uh, aren't we supposed to not be doing illegal stuff?" Darcy asks, voice small.

"Sometimes to keep the world going, you have to bend the rules a little. They'll be fine. We'll just put them to sleep for a little while. By the time they wake up, we'll be long gone."

"They will not be harmed, Darcy," Optimus ensures her. "You have my word."

Will sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright. So how do we snatch two KSI employees off the streets without anyone noticing?"

"I could fly in with my hammer and snatch them up," Thor offers happily.

"But it's the same problem with Tony," Jane reminds him. "You're too recognizable. Someone with the veil or Loki would have to do it, and then they need to get them out of there fast."

A slow, devious smile spreads across Steve's face. "I think I know someone who can help."


Steve got stationed by S.H.I.E.L.D. in Chicago for a few weeks a while back. A local weapon's dealer "acquired" a whole slew of Chitauri tech and was selling it off to the highest bidder. Steve and Natasha were sent to take the operation down and track any alien tech for retrieval.

During that time, Steve met Sam Wilson while out on his daily morning jog. The two hit it off and became fast friends. Sam's a paratrooper vet, working at the local V.A. as a counselor. Ari can imagine how the two could have become friends—Steve, the slowly recovering soldier with enough trauma for an entire army, and Sam, a man who knows what it's like to serve his country but born in the modern era with enough patience to help Steve ease his way into this new world.

They kept in touch after Steve returned to S.H.I.E.L.D., meeting up whenever they could. Ari suspects Sam is the first friend Steve has ever made outside of work.

And now Sam is getting dragged into this mess. She can understand the need, but it's still kind of sad.

It's not like Sam is really getting dragged, anyway. Tony provides Steve with a burner phone to call Sam up, with the Autobots making sure it's completely untraceable without anyone able to hear the call. Steve gives Sam the lowdown of what's going on, and, before Steve can even properly ask, Sam signs up.

It is hard to say no to Captain America, after all, but he sounds a bit more eager than that. It makes Ari wonder if he's been waiting for the opportunity to serve again.

While Sam takes a roundabout path through the city towards their hideout to make sure he isn't followed, Natasha pays a visit to a military fort not far from here to "acquire" a piece of tech of their own, something Sam used during his paratrooper days.

When Natasha brings it back with a victorious smile, Ari stares down at it in confusion before turning to Steve. "I thought you said he was a piolet."

"I never said pilot," Steve says smugly. "So do you think it'll work?"

"Yeah," Ari chuckles. "Yeah, that'll do nicely."

"Knock, knock!"

They all turn at the voice to see a man standing in their crumbling doorway, dressed in a t-shirt, jeans, and boots with a backpack slung over one shoulder. His skin is dark like chocolate with a thin layer of black hair on his shaved head and a goatee around his mouth.

His eyes dance around the room, taking in the giant aliens and their merry band of fugitives in stride. "I gotta admit, Cap, you've got some pretty big friends."

Tony grins brightly. "Why thank you!"

Sam smirks. "I was talking about Thor."

Thor laughs boisterously as Tony pouts. "He was not talking about your head, my friend." Thor approaches Sam first, holding out his hand to clasp arms with him in a vigorous warrior's shake. Thor really is easily the biggest person in the room, other than the Autobots. "You must be Sam. I am Thor, son of Odin and prince of Asgard."

"I know who you are," Sam replies, equal parts bemused and nervous as his eyes cast around the room again. "I know who most of you are. You know the media is painting the Autobots as alien threats to the planet, right?"

Ari stiffens, leaning back against Sideswipe's leg like she can physically shield him from their accusations. "We know," she replies darkly. "But those are lies told by Hydra. We need your help to set things right."

"Well, I'm all yours. Just tell me what you need me to do."

"I appreciate it, Sam," Steve says, clasping his friend on the shoulder. "Really. And as soon as your part's done, you can go back home and pretend you never saw us."

"Hey, it's the end of the world as we know it." Sam shrugs. "I'm not about to sit this one out. If I'm in, I'm in all the way. I just need-"

"This?" Natasha holds up the tech she recently liberated, handing it to him.

Sam grins, looking down at the device fondly as he slips off his backpack. "Awesome. I feel like I haven't seen this in ages."

"It's an impressive piece of tech," Tony says, meandering around Sam as he watches him put the pack on. "I can make a better one though. Remind me to put it on my list of things to do when the world isn't ending."

"Man, I'm just happy to be flying this one again."

He buckles the straps across his chest, securing the pack in place. It looks almost like a metal backpack. That is, until Sam activates it. The machine powers to life, small engines coming online as giant metal wings shoot out of the pack, ready to take him to the sky.

He takes the goggles Steve holds out to him, securing them in place over his eyes.

No wonder his codename is Falcon. He looks just like a predator bird, capable of swooping out of the air to catch his prey before they can so much as gasp in surprise.

And that's just what they have Sam do. Ari and Loki work together to lure two KSI members into an alley on their way home from work, one by one. Sam then swoops in, hits them with an I.C.E.R. to knock them out, and then carries them off. They get scans of the cards and then dump the men in two separate dumpsters on opposite ends of town. Safely out of sight and drugged enough to keep them out for at least a day. They won't have any idea what happened to them.

It's almost dark by the time they get back, just in time to find Darcy distributing paper bowls filled with the soup she has cooking over a fire. Where she got the huge pot to pour the cans of soup in, Ari doesn't know. She probably doesn't want to know considering the dump they're in right now.

John looks down at his paper bowl dubiously, glancing at the metal pot like it's going to bite him.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Darcy scolds him. "I had Ratchet sanitize it, I swear. You're not going to get tetanus or something."

"That's not how that works, Darcy," Bruce says, hiding his smile behind his plastic spoon.

Darcy rolls her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "This is the thanks I get for trying to be helpful? Next time, you guys can get your own food."

"I think the food's just fine, doll," Bucky says as he takes the next bowl from her, throwing her a wink. "And it is very appreciated."

Darcy grins brightly, red dusting her cheeks that has nothing to do with the roaring fire right next to her. "Thanks, handsome."

Ari chuckles, leaning back in Sideswipe's arms as she watches her friends and family. "I'm glad they're staying in such high spirits," she says, only loud enough for him to hear.

He tightens his arms around her, the heat from his warm metal keeping the chill of the drafty church at bay. "Things aren't looking too good right now. It's either break down or keep going."

"Can they keep it up though?"

"They're strong."

"But are they strong enough?" Optimus rumbles over to them, sitting down next to Sideswipe. "The world is about to change, no matter what happens in the next few days."

"What, you mean if we lose?"

"And if we win."

"It's all going to come down, Sideswipe," Ari says, turning in Sideswipe's arms so she can look up at him properly. "We're going to lose at least half of S.H.I.E.L.D. and who knows how many government officials around the world. It's all corrupted, diseased. There's no saving it."

Sideswipe's brow furrows. "But S.H.I.E.L.D. still does a lot of good. There's a lot of bad that they've stopped, that would have kept going if not for them. What's going to happen, if they're not there to fight the bad guys in the shadows that the rest of the world doesn't see?"

"I don't know." Ari worries her lip between her teeth, looking at the others and then at Optimus. "We can't keep what we have, not without risking keeping some remnant of Hydra. We need to pull it all out from the roots and start new."

Optimus nods. "It's the only way to be sure. But what shall take its place?"


The next day, they find Sideswipe a new alt mode along the way to KSI, a classic Corvette about fifty years old. It's sleek, like a lot of Corvette's tend to be, with a nice red paint job that reminds Ari of what Sideswipe looked like when she first met him, but in a lot better condition. More vintage than junkyard. Nice enough to get them inside.

She's going to fragging miss his Stingray though. He is, too, but if all goes well today, he'll get it back soon.

They drive up to the back security gate at KSI, Ari with her photostatic veil making her look vaguely Asian and Loki magically wearing his disguise. They hold their breaths as the guard scans their I.D.s but after just a moment they get waved through.

She discreetly presses a finger to her ear comm. "We're in."

They're directed to a warehouse at one end of the research facility, driving right inside where a lot of other cars are parked. At least fifty or more. The thought of that many hostile Cybertronians being on Earth turns Ari's stomach sour. That's the worse-case scenario.

She tries not to think about it. Nothing is true until proven and all that.

They keep driving since no one really tells them where to park and they want to keep looking around anyway. The next room over is some kind of showroom, big and round with schematics on the walls and T.V.s playing some kind of demo on a loop. It's completely empty. Well, sort of.

Sideswipe comes to an abrupt halt. Right in front of a Cybertronian standing in full bipedal form in the center of the room. Along with another one in alt mode that looks like it might be the other one's twin since they both have the same pink and black coloring.

At least, they look like Cybertronians. Ari and Loki get out of Sideswipe's alt mode slowly, approaching the still forms with caution. They haven't moved or reacted to their presence at all, still as statues.

"Are they…alive?" Loki asks, nearly a whisper.

Ari tilts her head, staring at them closely, and then glancing at the screens and schematics around the room. Schematics of the Cybertronians. And then the words of the spokeswoman in the video demo truly start to register.

"We took old, alien technology and made it better in every way," she says with a proud smile. "Introducing Stinger. KSI. We make the world."

"They're not Cybertronian," Ari says with dawning horror. "They made them."

"What do you mean, made them?" Loki asks warily.

"KSI. I don't know how but…they managed to make their own Cybertronians."

Ari isn't sure what she was expecting. But it definitely wasn't this.

"But they can't!" Sideswipe says through his speakers. "They can't give them sparks, their souls. They should just be lifeless husks."

"Not exactly. Not if they're given a brain," Ari says, approaching one of the schematics and tapping at the diagram of the Stinger's head. "Says here they're calling them Transformers. They've mimicked the Cybertronian processor and put some kind of artificial intelligence inside. They mimic life but are controlled by KSI."

"You mean by Hydra," Loki corrects darkly.

"Exactly. This is how Galloway convinced the World Security Council that the Autobots and N.E.S.T. aren't needed to fight the Decepticons anymore. They've got these Transformers that will obey their every command now."

Voices filter down a hallway, a large group of people entering the room led by a man that looks vaguely familiar.

Along with Theodore Galloway himself. What is he doing here?

"The factory doesn't have enough Transformium for production because you haven't kept your promise to supply it," Galloway says in frustration, fists clenching sporadically where they're clasped at the small of his back.

What the frag is Transformium?

"Will you relax?" the man huffs, adjusting the glasses perched on his nose. "Everything will work itself out. We just need more time."

Galloway pauses in his fast gait, turning to face the man fully with growing ire. "Our entire factory is up and running-"

"Hang on, hang on." The man boldly cuts Galloway off with a wave of his hand, noticing Ari and Loki standing in the middle of the room watching them. Ari freezes, suddenly glad she's with the God of Lies. They weren't exactly told they were allowed to be here.

And she's afraid of saying something that will tip Galloway off. She wants nothing more than to strangle the man, but now is not the time.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" the man demands, stalking over to them. "What's with this vintage crap? We're not scanning collector car junk."

Ari bristles, only held back by Loki's gentle hand on her shoulder.

Sideswipe is not a piece of junk.

"What do you think it is that we make here?" he asks in exasperation, looking between the two of them like an impatient teacher waiting for the right answer. "Hmm? We make poetry. We're poets. Alright? You work for me, you get one mistake. One. Understood?"

Work for him? So this must be the head of KSI. Joshua Joyce, if she remembers correctly.

"Of course, sir," Loki replies smoothly. "It won't happen again."

"It certainly won't. So let's get this pathetic thing out of here. And you, too." He turns on his heel to return to his group, utterly dismissing them.

Ari's eyes flit over to Galloway where he stands impatiently waiting, but there's no indication he thinks anything is amiss.

The silence echoes once they three of them are alone again, filled with relief that they aren't getting hauled off right now, along with tension because they can't leave yet. They're not done.

But Sideswipe sticks out like a sore thumb.

"Sides, you gotta go," Ari says carefully, already prepared for the rebuttal.

And she's not disappointed. His fury is as potent along the bond as smoke clogging her lungs.

"No way," he says vehemently. "No fragging way. I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Sides." She places her hands on his hood, staring at his windshield like she's staring at his face. "We still have sneaking around to do and you can't come with us. Not now that you're expected to be gone."

"There isn't anything else to do! We've found out what Hydra's up to. Let's just go."

"No. There's got to be more than just this. Hydra has to have a plan for these things." She glances at Stinger out of the corner of her eye, finding it really creepy how it just stands there, like a corpse that could turn into a zombie at any moment. "They're not making these things to fight Decepticons, not Hydra. There's more to it than that and we have to find out what it is before it's too late."

"But you said we fight together," he says, hurt piercing the bond into her very soul. "We both promised."

The backs of her eyes sting and she blinks rapidly, looking up at the ceiling for a second before looking at him again. "I know, Sides. But if we want to keep fighting, we have to do this. It's the only way."

"What if I got another alt mode? There are all those cars in the other room."

"Do you really think you can do that without anyone noticing? There are guards crawling all over the place."

He wilts on his wheels a little, mind still frantically grasping at straws.

"I will keep her safe for you," Loki promises solemnly. "You have my word. And you know she is a formidable warrior on her own."

His stubbornness starts to break down a little, like dried paint flaking off a wall. She pushes a little more, "Just go regroup with the others, Sides. If things go wrong, all of you can come in to get us in a heartbeat." She strokes her hand across his hood, trying to give any comfort she can. "I'll be okay, Sides. I promise."

He chuckles brokenly. "I thought you said you weren't going to make any more promises about your personal safety?"

"I know," she smirks, "but if the AllSpark wants me to go in there, then I have to trust it'll get me back out."

That finally pushes the sigh out of him, reluctant acceptance taking the place of his anger. "Then I guess I'll just have to trust it, too."

Leaving him in that room is one of the hardest things Ari's ever had to do. But she does it, allowing the AllSpark to lead her and Loki through the research facility to the place they're supposed to go.

A couple rooms in, they find some lab coats hanging on a coat rack, slipping them on when no one's watching. From there, they walk confidently through the halls, running into more and more people who all seem to mostly be scientists. These must be the people who helped design Stinger, but how did they even do it? How did they figure out how Cybertronians work?

Being able to go from a robot to a car and vice versa isn't exactly easy, or something easy to figure out. It's far more advanced than anything being developed right now, not to mention, regular metal can't exactly cut it. It can't move the right way. They had to have had some sort of help. Maybe from their Cybertronian friend?

And, again, what the frag is Transformium?

The hallway suddenly opens up into a large warehouse-like space filled with dozens of work stations partitioned off from one another. Scientists bustle about all over the place, heavy machinery buzzing and whirling, and someone over the intercom says something about dissection room seven.

Well, that doesn't bode well.

She glances at Loki and he shrugs, so they mill around the different little rooms, looking at all the activity and pretending they aren't lost, just trying to get a sense of what they're doing.

With each room they investigate, the angrier and sicker Ari gets.

There are body parts. Cybertronian body parts laid out on tables like pieces of meat in a butcher shop. A couple of heads lay among them. Most of them with red optics, now dim, lifeless. She sees Decepticons from Chicago, Egypt, even from the Battle of Mission City. These bodies were supposed to have been disposed of.

Instead Hydra managed to get them here. But it's not just Decepticons.

She sees heads with blue optics, too. Autobots they never even knew made it to Earth.

Loss rips through her, like someone's torn her apart from the inside out to join those lain out here like recycled junk. These people, they were her potential friends, her family. Now she'll never get to know them, their lives snuffed out by the people who were supposed to be their allies.

How did she not know they made it to Earth? How had N.E.S.T. missed this?

But, of course, it's S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites they've been using to detect potential arrivals coming from space. It would have been simple for Hydra to keep them from finding out.

::Ari?:: her ear comm crackles to life, Will's voice coming through. ::Is everything okay?::

"No," she whispers, voice hoarse as she tries to contain her grief and absolute fury at the meaningless massacre before her. "They…they've taken parts. Cybertronian parts."

::Decepticons?::

"Autobots, too." Her voice quavers, tears pressing insistently at her eyes. "Dad, they've killed them. Hydra killed them and I just…how could they?"

::I know it's hard, Ari.:: Natasha's voice flows over her like cool water. Calming. Comforting. ::It's not right, what they did. And you have every right to be upset, but be upset later. Right now, you have a mission to accomplish.::

Ari takes a big, centering breath, wiping at her eyes before anyone can see the tear tracks. "Right."

::Tell us what you see.::

Ari takes another deep breath, forcing herself to look around clearly. There're guys in full protective gear working on one of the heads nearby. Kind of like hazmat suits but it looks like more protection from the heat. Robot arms—like what Tony has in his workshop—work around them with attachments sort of like welding torches. They whiz around the head, turning it into fiery liquid that the scientists collect.

"They're melting everything down," Ari murmurs curiously. "They're salvaging the Cybertronian metal."

"It looks like they're collecting it," Loki says, staring into one of the many barrels around the room. Inside is a black, powder-like substance. Metal shavings, ready to be melted down and remolded into something else. "Is this what they mean by Transformium?"

"It must be what they call it. That's how they got the Transformers to work and change forms. They're using actual Cybertronian metal."

"But Hydra would want an entire army, correct? There can't be enough for that many here."

Ari hums in agreement, eyes spotting something big and shiny across the warehouse through one of the patrician doorways. She moves towards it, Loki following behind her. Only to run into her back as she stops suddenly, staring at the Transformer before her. It's taller than Stinger, with a gaping hole in its chassis where a spark chamber should be and faceplates that look a lot like those of the head on the table at its feet.

Megatron. But the scientists in the room call the Transformer Galvatron.

Wires connect to Megatron's head, feeding into a computer. She expects the data scrolling across the screen to be in Cybertronian but it's not. It's in English.

"They're using Megatron's head," she says, feeling ice cold. She never thought she'd see those optics again. They're dim now but...they still give her the creeps, worse than Stinger. Like they really will come back online at any moment. "They've unlocked the secrets to building their own Cybertronians using the information in Megatron's processor."

But something doesn't add up. Stinger looks fine. Normal. There's no gap where the spark chamber should be. So why is Galvatron different?

"Take a look at this," Loki says, shuffling through some papers on a nearby table. Ari joins him to look over his shoulder, trying to act like two scientists hard at work.

"What is it?" Ari whispers quietly, so no one will overhear them.

"They look like experiment logs. For making Galvatron." He looks up at the Transformer before them curiously. "This is not the first time they've tried to make him."

Ari reads over the information carefully. "It looks like the hole in the chassis isn't on purpose. They didn't even want Galvatron to resemble Megatron as much as it does. It just...keeps ending up that way. Something about a glitch in the rendering process based on some information they're getting from the head."

But what kind of information? Why would the rendering process for Galvatron be different than for Stinger? It's the same information. The scientists should be able to take it and make any Transformer they want, however they want. The head shouldn't be changing the design so completely.

Unless...

"Uh, Ari?" Loki says, voice filled with alarm.

"What?"

"Your face is flickering."

Her brow furrows in confusion for a moment before something on her face sparks, hissing in pain as it singes her skin.

Her photostatic veil. It's malfunctioning. And a flickering face is hard to pass over.

"Hey!"

A guard storms towards them and they run, Ari yanking off the useless veil as they go. A recognizable face is still less noticeable than a flickering face, but it does them no good. Alarms blare. People shout. They run down hallways, weaving between the rooms and partitions into the main building, bouncing off walls and skidding around corners.

They still get caught, cornered in a hallway by a good dozen guards.

Ari puts her hands up, telling Loki to do the same. There's no way they'll make it out in one piece now, not with so many people between them and freedom. No matter how much Ari despises it—and she suspects Loki does as well based on his sneer as he holds up his hands—they'll have to get rescued.

She expects Sideswipe to tell her "I told you so" but he refrains. Barely.

The guards prod them down the hall, up an elevator, and into seats in a board room. The walls are completely made of glass, making it impossible to try something and sneak away quietly. Even without that, four guards stay in the room with them, one in each corner wearing full-body tactical gear complete with helmets covering their faces, bulletproof vests, and assault rifles.

Though when Galloway sits down across from her, she doesn't really want to go anywhere. At least, nowhere except straight forward, over the table, to deck Galloway right in the face again and again.

Galloway smirks, leaning back in his chair like it's a throne. "Hello, Ms. Lennox. How nice it is to see you again."

"Why?" Ari snarls, unable to get anything else out through the anger closing around her throat.

"I feel like I should be asking you that," he replies, turning his nose up snobbishly. "Why did you evade federal custody despite direct orders? The Autobots have been officially asked to leave the planet, and yet they've refused, despite the promise they made in the treaty that they would."

"You broke the treaty a long time ago. You've taken Cybertronian technology without permission and made weapons."

"Can you really blame us?" Galloway weaves his fingers together to rest his hands on his stomach, elbows on the armrests of his chair. "We need a way to protect ourselves. The Autobots are unreliable, constantly disobeying orders. We need something we can trust. Something we can control. Our Transformers are the only way to truly be safe from the Decepticons."

Loki tilts his head at Galloway, inspecting him up and down. "I almost believed that. You truly are a gifted liar. If we did not already know the truth, I probably wouldn't have suspected."

Galloway gives him a quizzical look. "And who are you? Their mechanic?"

"No, but he's not wrong," Ari answers before Loki can, not willing to give up the ace up their sleeves just yet. Things are sure to turn to chaos if Loki reveals himself now. "You can tell all the lies you want, Galloway, but we know the truth."

He stiffens, features going completely still, the only sign that he's nervous. "And what would that be?"

Ari places her hands on the table, getting up from her seat to lean over it, getting in his face as much as she's able. The guards aim their guns at her but she ignores them, whispering venomously, "I know you're a piece of Hydra trash, you fragging traitor. And we're going to take you all down."

There's a loud pop, pop, pop of guns going off, making Ari jerk back to fall in her seat in surprise. Galloway lets out a strangled cry as he's shot, slumping face first on the table. The two guards in the corners behind him go down as well before they can even raise their guns in defense.

Ari turns to face the remaining two guards, their weapons still raised from shooting everyone else in the room. Except for her and Loki.

"What the frag?"


Author's Note

Ah, my infamous cliffhangers. How I have missed them.

A lot of stuff went down in this chapter. Hydra is behind KSI, making Transformers. I always hated that humans called the Autobots Transformers in the movies. That's not what they're called. They're Cybertronians. That is the name of their species, and that's what I've stuck to throughout this series. But I figured the fake-Cybertronians can have the Transformer name.

Before anyone asks, yes, this is taking place of the Insight Carriers in the Winter Soldier movie. How everything else plays out, you'll just have to wait and see. ;)

Next chapter will be up in two weeks, on August 3rd. What all it will entail, exactly, I don't know. Because I've reached the section of my writing where I just kept writing without stopping for chapter breaks. I should probably get on that. XD

Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW, and see you all next time!