I. – Kansas, one state from Sam and Bumblebee…

A bump jostled Mikaela awake. She looked up from the smooth shadow of the dashboard to see that Optimus had taken a different route and now they were headed for a truck stop in some spigot of town surrounded by farmland, the woman questioned the Autobot why.

"Rest stop," he said.

"When does Bumblebee come on?" She asked solemnly.

"A few minutes, but we can't tell Optimus. His spark can't take much more. Just let him get supplies for the child and we'll be good to go. Do you need anything, young lady?"

Mikaela leered at him and then watched the Peterbilt roll into the parking lot. Sideswipe was headed off in the other direction, as if expecting Dino to follow: he didn't. Mikaela slowly started getting suspicious, and then catching on. This was where Optimus and his "comrades" had planned to make off with Mikyle while ditching Mikaela somewhere in another town or something. It was a little sad, to think that the Autobots were battling trust issues. But then, Mikaela was growing pissed at Optimus; Dino followed the bot.

Optimus's right side view mirror switched back and examined the Autobot's disloyalty.

"Wait don't." the woman suddenly said. She felt horrible for doing this.

Why? Mikaela wasn't sure why. Maybe she cared for the alien robots after all.

"It's too late," Dino spoke, but deftly swerved out of the way before he was spotted.

"No, it's not." Mikaela felt torn as she reached for the door and amazingly found that Dino was allowing her out. "We can't betray Optimus like this. What's wrong? What happened in Chicago that would make you afraid of him? He's a kind guy. My God, I know he's not perfect but he's Optimus Prime. I trust him with my child's life Dino."

"He killed an Autobot." The car said.

Mikaela was removed from the superficial attention she and the Ferrari attracted.

…

The image of a trucker flickered to life beside a barely rousing Mikyle.

"Stay here," he ordered as the truck door flung open of it's own accord and a brown-haired, brown-bearded man in blue overalls climbed out into the night. His image was perfect, with only the occasional ripple. He didn't look back as Mikyle rose to his feet.

"Opnus," the boy said in recognition. He blinked once and smiled. "Spark-spark."

"Excuse me, sir."

An edgy-looking young man was gripping the store's counter. "Uh, yeah?"

"I require provisions for a seventeen-month-old child." The image commanded.

"Uh… you mean like diapers?"

"Sustenance. Food. Water, if you will."

"In the back…" The man pointed, shaking.

"Are you all right?" Image Optimus asked as he held out his hand and projected a soft red and white bag that said Pampers – diapers read underneath it – and then did this as well with a bag of trail mix and a small packet of bottled water. "You seem rather dazed son."

"Well, truthfully, I've been having a rough last day or so. You see, my friend agreed to let me take his place here, because, well, there's a police investigation. The robot virus thing is really getting out of hand and-and my boss panicked when he found out that one of the things destroyed his shop. So, so now I'm going to really struggle to get by and, God…"

"You sound like myself." Optimus made no mention of the items tractor beaming over his imaged hands, floating in thin air before the stunned man. "Uncertain. Troubled. I do not wish you anymore harm, nor do I wish to break human law. Please allow me to leave in-,"

"A hurry." Mikaela suddenly burst through the door, moved through the projected image and caused it and the tractor beam to fluctuate. She picked up the dropped items, pulled out a wad of fives and plopped three down on the counter. "No need to call the police."

The man nodded slowly, his eyes wide.

"They're not all bad, you know." She swiped the trail mix for a chocolate bar. "Give the alien robots a chance, they may surprise you." With that, Mikaela strode away from him.

Optimus was gone, however, when she returned to the truck stop.

Dino was alone, abandoned, sitting dejectedly with a crowd of admirers around him.

"It's not over yet," Mikaela muttered to herself and hurried back to the Ferrari.

II.

The announcement, Columbia Missouri…

"Bee? Bee!" Sam frantically shook the arm of his despondent friend.

Panels opened from paint-scraped parts on his body and cables leaked out to combine and hack into the radio channel's capabilities. The On-Air sign clicked to life and the hum of the generators keeping the electricity going went silent in the background. Sam watched with mounting anxiety as all the lights on the system turned on and a familiar voice said,

"Sam." It was Mikaela. After two years, it was really her. The man moved the mike up.

"Mikaela?" His voice was small.

"There's something I have to tell you." She said with partial emotion, partial reasoning.

"I'm here." He responded.

"Sam, I lied." The man sat completely still as recognition failed to penetrate his brain at her words. "I never… got an abortion. It was a lie, an absolute lie to break up with you and give my child a normal life. Sam," Mikaela sounded stung, something that had never happened before. "Sam, you have a child." she said abruptly. This made him sit up, erect.

He opened his mouth but his vocal ability still eluded him.

…

The old radio dial in the Peterbilt clicked on and through a CB radio Mikaela spoke the words Optimus had waited for. "Sam, you have a child." Observing Mikyle, he saw that there was no spark in his eyes at Sam's name. There was no emotion on his round face.

"Mikyle… this is your father. I'm taking you to him. He can help us."

"Mama," He said, more alert now.

"Yes. And your father, Sam."

"Dada…"

"Yes." Optimus confirmed, he was thoroughly pleased with this outcome.

The Autobot leader knew Bumblebee was doing this. He knew he had gone against him.

Yet, in this moment, the Autobot was just so happy that the family could be united.

"Opnus," Mikyle turned to look at the wheel that kept the vehicle at a constant speed and direction. "Dada." There was silence on both sides. Optimus realized Sam could hear him.

"Sam! You must interact with the boy. It's important, if Viralvox is presented a chance he will harness Mikyle for energon. This child… you don't understand. We scanned him back at our home, he will possibly be safe with you, cleansed of the energon that merged inside his small body during our battle against the Fallen. We need you, Sam. Call to your boy."

"Sam, he's right." Mikaela's breathy voice came back on. "Mikyle's like some kind of new AllSpark shit, it's like the cubes been reborn in the form of our son. Sam, please, help us."

"Sam…" Mikyle said through the speakers.

It reverberated.

…

"Sa-a-am." The child's voice rang like a ghost in Sam's ears.

He reclined back in his chair next to a stationary Bumblebee.

"Son," the word came out of his mouth. "Bee's warning…" Instant realization hit Sam.

Grabbing for the mike, Sam spat out his warning without thinking. "Listen to me, I know you can hear me! All of you, the world. My name's…well, it's not important. I'll tell you what is important. Technology is going to come back on, the Decepticon virus got what he wanted, he got a fix on my and my young son's location. Do not turn on any of your

electronics. Do you hear me! You cannot, repeat, not do this. Your life is in danger, my son's life is in danger…" Sam suddenly cut off, choked off. "My son's life is in danger."

The world resumed their old ways, even the people who had their radios on. Some did follow Sam's pleas and rants, most did not. Bumblebee had accessed the world's global radio network and counter hacked Viralvox. He had sacrificed himself and his voice to deliver a final attack in the very end. The worst part was, Sam now knew that this was what his friend had planned. This plan was a suicide mission and he would not be back.

With trembling arms and legs, the man left his lifeless friend behind.

III.

The borderline of Missouri…

Optimus drove toward the rising sun in the eastern horizon. It came up in a haze of soft crimson, engulfing the arid-turned parts of Kansas into a red-skied desert. Mikyle stirred slowly and seemed perfectly at home with the lack of vegetation. They would hit green foliage when they arrived in the first town of Missouri. A static loomed on the air, causing the Autobot leader to grow wary. Even the child seemed to pick up on the subtle friction.

"Opnus?" He questioned.

The Peterbilt rolled to a stop and Optimus transformed back.

"Hmm…" His blue eyes roamed the growth-free terrain.

Shadowy figures appeared in the distance.

Optimus squinted his optics and saw the impossible – Decepticons. It was what he had feared when human technology was reactivated. The strange thing was, these were not living cons, their feet dragged and their arms wove absently around their bodies. Now Bumblebee was gone and his efforts had been for naught, to his and Mikyle's far left a total number of five zombieifed Decepticons were headed their way. This was the next wave of attack the last living Decepticon had planned. He looked down at Sam's child.

Mikyle looked up at him.

"I'm afraid you must be hidden." The Autobot said.

If Mikyle was fused with Optimus, just as the AllSpark had been with Megatron, then Viralvox would have all the power he needed to bring on his next plan; whatever it be.

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~