Additional Disclaimer: The poem "Fire and Ice" was written by Robert Frost.

Chapter 008: Claims

Lennox strode down the line of vehicles with a great sense of purpose. Everything had been planned out, and now all that was left was to get on the road. Sam Witwicky, his girlfriend, and the Cybertronian known as Bumblebee would head one direction with a military escort along with the Cybertronians Jazz and Ironhide. The military team going with them would be commanded by Epps.

He, however, was going to lead the second group of military, and along with Arcee, Optimus Prime, and Ratchet would be heading the other way. The Allspark would be going with one of the teams and the other would have a decoy. Prime banked on the idea that the Decepticons would think that he had it and that the boy was being escorted to safety. That was why Lennox held a decoy Allspark under his arm.

Sam had the real thing.

Lennox was just ruminating again on the possibility that this plan of action was not a good one when a flash of yellow and movement drew his eye to the gap between Ironhide-Handler and Bumblebee-Handler. The sight that met his eyes temporarily threw him for a loop.

Bumblebee-Companion was standing in Ironhide-Companion's arms, his face buried in the older man's shoulder. Bee-Companion's hands were clutching Ironhide-Companion's biceps, and everything about their body language screamed intimacy - and tenderness.

Lennox averted his gaze and started walking, wishing to give them a little bit of privacy. As he made his way towards Optimus-Handler, he realized that someone was watching him. He looked up to find Optimus-Companion regarding him with a curious look. He had the feeling that Prime knew what he'd seen, and was observing his reaction. When he reached the alien man, he waited for the question that he knew was coming even though Lennox wasn't entirely sure what that question would be.

Optimus was silent a moment before he spoke. "I understand that homosexual relationships have mixed receptions in your society," he began slowly, "But you seem to be taking what you just saw well."

Lennox glanced over his shoulder at the black truck and yellow car. The two Companions were silently watching him. "Look, I'm more of a live and let live kinda guy. They way I see it, they aren't hurting anyone with what they're doing, so they can go ahead and do it. It's not my place to judge."

Optimus was silent again, and Lennox decided that some humor may be called for. "And anyway, they make a cute couple."

Optimus-Companion answered with a smile. "We're put at ease then. We had all hoped you would be receptive to the fact that our culture is significantly different from yours when it comes to things such as intimate relationships."

Lennox realized after a moment that Optimus wasn't talking about his two halves, even though that was Lennox's first befuddled thought. Optimus was talking about at the very least himself, Ironhide, and Bumblebee, but something in his tone made Lennox think he meant the entire Autobot team. When Lennox glanced over his shoulder, he realized that Ratchet, Arcee, and Jazz were also watching his conversation with Optimus. "It's nothing," Lennox answered.

"When you're a stranger in a strange land, friends are more precious than quartz," Optimus returned. His Companion turned and got into the cab of Optimus-Handler.

Lennox followed suit, and settled into the passenger seat as he stored the decoy cube in the back bench. He turned back to Optimus-Companion as the truck roared to life. The two men in the cab were silent as they pulled out of the hanger and then out onto the open road. Lennox glanced out the window at the speeding motorcycle positioned nearly underneath his window. Arcee rode with confidence and a natural grace that Lennox admired.

"Arcee is a pretty damn good rider," he said, trying to make conversation. It looked like it was going to be a long ride. "It has to be a little disorienting to be both machine and rider."

"She is, and we're used to it," Optimus replied. "No matter if we're walking or rolling, we are usually our own form of transportation."

"Okay," Lennox said. "Out of curiosity, is there anything going on between you and the little lady down there?"

"No, I do not share any feelings with Arcee. Why do you ask?"

"Just the way she acts around you," Lennox said. "And the way she talks about you. She gets this sparkle in her eye, and I recognize it. It's the sparkle my wife gets when she's talking about me or my daughter."

Optimus was silent for a moment. "You have a mate and child?"

"Yeah," Lennox pulled a photo from his pocket. He handed it to Optimus-Companion, and tried not to feel panic when he realized that his driver's attention was completely on the picture, not the road.

Optimus-Companion examined the flimsy piece of paper, and gently touched the faces of the woman and baby. "They are both beautiful."

Lennox nodded. "Yeah, they're my ladies. You want children of your own Prime?"

Optimus-Companion smiled. "I would love to have offspring, but I cannot risk their lives until this war is over. Any children of mine - and their mother for that matter - would be easy targets."

Lennox cocked an eyebrow. "Somehow I don't think so. Granted I haven't known you long, but you seem to be the kind of guy who'd go through hell and back to keep your baby safe. And I bet if you got together with a lady like Arcee your mate would be right there with you."

"You could be correct," Optimus conceded, "But I will still not risk my children's lives. There will be time after the war ends."

"How do you know you'll see the end of it? You admitted that it's been at a stalemate for thousands of years."

"All things must end Captain Lennox," Optimus said. "And I promised my men that I would see the end of the war with them. I do not break my promises."

Lennox nodded. "I believe you. And I'll do my damnedest to help you kick the Decepticons' cans to ends of the universe."

"Thank you," Optimus said with a grin.

"No problem," Lennox replied. "You're one of the good guys. You deserve to be able to sit back and have a herd of kids with a sweet woman like Arcee."

Optimus threw him a look. "You continually harp on Arcee. I wonder why."

Lennox grinned. "Because Optimus, you lie like hell."

"How is it a lie when I have not said that I feel anything other than casual affection for her?" Optimus shot back.

"It's a lie by omission," Lennox retorted. He settled deeper in the seat with a grin. "The two of you are crazy for each other."


Sam sat tensely in the passenger seat, wondering what the hell they were going to do if the plan failed. He glanced out his window at Jazz riding along beside him. He and Epps appeared to be talking about something, and the two were smiling and not looking very tense at all.

"Sam, you're not doing any good freaking out," Mikaela said.

He turned to look her in the eye. She was still dirty, disheveled, and generally looked like she'd just spent the night running from evil alien robots. "It's just . . . Two days ago my biggest problem was figuring out how to impress a girl like you. Now, my biggest problem is saving the world. I just can't seem to . . . Deal with it all."

She smiled gently and placed a hand on his arm. "I know. I'm having some trouble with that too."

Bumblebee-Companion glanced over, and he gestured at Sam. The boy looked up and met Bee's eyes. "We're all in this together," the radio murmured.

Sam smiled. "Yeah, I guess we are."

The two human teens stared out the windows at their escort of armored vehicles, the black truck, and the silver sports car. "Our lives are never going to be the same aren't they?" Mikaela finally asked with a quiet voice. "We're always going to be looking over our shoulders for another Decepticon."

Bumblebee-Companion's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Well! Not if I have anything to say about it!" a woman's voice snapped over the radio.

Sam smiled. "No, we're never going to have normal lives again, but we're not going to let the Decepticons win."

Bumblebee smiled inwardly at that. Sam had some grit in him, Bee would give him that. He glanced over at Jazz while he relayed a digital message to both of his fellow Autobots. :The boy is courageous. He may just survive this and become stronger.:

:I hope so Bee. I hope so. He's so young . . . Just a baby,: Jazz replied.

:An infant by our standards, yeah,: Ironhide added. :But by Earth time he's almost a man. Judging by the way he eyes the young femme, he's not a baby in his mind either.:

Bumblebee-Companion had to hide his grin. :They do make a cute little couple don't they?:

:Almost as cute as you and Hide there Bee.: Jazz's laughter was vocalized rather than digital.

:Well let's hope he takes a page from Hide's book and goes after her quickly,: Bumblebee said. :She's beautiful enough to attract attention from other males. She's likely to be snapped up quickly once this is over if he has not tried to stake a claim.:


Maggie was in a state of sheer panic. The plan was starting to go to pieces, and there was nothing she could do. An EMP burst had rendered all communications to the outside world useless, and outside help was what they needed most. The power was failing to the research facility in the Dam, and she could already see the man in the pod stirring to life.

Megatron, leader of the Decepticons and all around harbinger of doom was waking up.

She tried to shrink into the crawl space underneath the desk more, but the thing was nearly useless for even a hiding place. Moments before, gigantic explosions had rocked the surface of the Dam, also causing internal damage. Maggie had been the unfortunate soul trapped in the hangar that housed Megatron when the first concrete had come raining down from the ceiling. However, she was still the lucky one. Tom Banachek had been right in front of her, and she'd watched as he'd been buried in the rubble.

A splintering crash caused her to curl into a tight ball. Oh God, Megatron was awake. She could hear his rumbling snarl and his curses as he tried to get his body to cooperate with his commands. Maggie prayed for God's protection as she listened to what she was sure was the sound of her doom. In her deep prayer, she didn't process the sound of his approach.

"What is this?" a deep voice asked. The menace inherent in his tone made her shiver in fright. Strong hands lifted her from the floor, and she found herself cradled in his arms. Dispassionate red eyes studied her.

Megatron regarded this strange Companion with an air of curiosity. So this was what this retched mudball's inhabitants looked like. Aesthetically pleasing, but lacking in the beauty of a Cybertronian femme. Her eyes did not have the provocative slant and her clenched teeth looked pathetic without a Cybertronian's strong canines to provide character. He even kissed her to see if she tasted any good.

Maggie was reeling from the quick kiss when he finally said something else. "Passing. Perhaps I will allow human females to live. Not as pleasing as a Cybertronian femme, but good enough. By Unicron's maw, I'd probably prefer you to Starscream."

She was at once infuriated and afraid. His muttered sentiments were at once sinister and insulting. Passing? She was a damned good kisser! Both of her last two boyfriends had had no complaints on that score! However, she was old enough to recognize prudence before pride. She kept her mouth shut to avoid pissing him off and forcing his hand.

Megatron observed her emotions with a certain amusement. She would be an entertaining pet. His Companion gently set her on her feet while retaining one of her hands. She gave him a puzzled look when he smiled at her. He decided that a little marking of his territory was in order.

God he looked like a shark. Maggie was rightly terrified. She watched helplessly as he bit his lip, and she gasped when blood ran down his chin. He lifted her hand to his mouth, and in a parody of a courtly gesture, he bit the knuckle of her middle finger. She choked in pain and horror as his blood mingled with hers. He kept her knuckle in his mouth for a moment, and then he licked it clean. To Maggie's further horror, her small wound closed over rapidly.

"What did you do?" she breathed.

He smiled at her. "I made you mine. Stay here and you will be safe. I have already informed my rash second that he is to cease fire on the Dam. I will return for you once the battle is over." He caressed her cheek with a deceptive gentleness. "Be safe little one."

Maggie watched in numb horror as his Handler blasted away the wall of rubble blocking the entrance of the hangar, but not before he knelt and his menacing claws lightly stroked her entire body. She slowly sat on the ground as she watched him walking away.

Sluggishly her mind returned as she replayed his awakening. Megatron-Handler had been an ugly, evil looking robot of towering silver. His very face looked like something out of a nightmare. His Companion had been coldly handsome with golden skin, a wide, sensual mouth, and hard, crimson eyes. Long black hair had been pulled from his face and formed a topknot secured by a silver band. He had handled her gently, almost gallantly, but Maggie had felt the coldness that seemed to radiate from his very core.

In contrast she remembered the flames painted all over Optimus Prime's chassis, and the warmth that had seemed to shine from his inner strength. Optimus was a creature of light, of life, of fire. Megatron was a monster of darkness. Death. Ice.

Some say the world will end in fire . . . Some say in ice . . .

As silent tears streaked her face and she cradled her scarred hand to her chest, Maggie wondered if Frost had seen the coming of this war before anyone else. If anything, his poem seemed appropriate.