If you're reading this and haven't just read the last chapter go back and read that before proceeding. I posted two chapters today to get you guys all caught up.This is the ending to the first story arc of Transformers Movie 2006. How you've enjoyed it soe far, because it can only get better...

As Swoop descended into the Autobot camp Spike froze when he saw the battle worn Autobots and the presence of three other menacing looking, not to mention huge, Autobots. The few Autobots Spike recognized looked like hell. They stood absent and starring into space or sitting on the ground optics distant and meditative. When the gathered Autobots did catch sight of Swoop a few stood and cheered, others simply got up and/or moved to give Swoop enough room to safely land. When they landed the ground safely, Swoop bent down and placed Spike on his feet.

"Spike!" Bumblebee jogged up to his human friend and bent down to one knee to look Spike in the face. "Are you OK? You aren't hurt are you?"

Spike laughed in simple and blissful relief.

"I'm alive." Spike said patting himself down to make sure as if he just realized he really was alive; that he had really survived his ordeal.

"Ok, guys lets start heading back now." Ironhide said as he lifted himself from his seated position next to a large boulder.

"That wound looks nasty." Bumblebee pointed to Spike's temple.

Spike felt his forehead and looked at his fingers, red with his own sticky blood.

"I didn't notice that." Spike admitted as he groped his wound. He felt his legs turn to Jello and he sank to the ground as the reality of everything hit him. "Shit…"

"Spike?" Bumblebee asked worried. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Spike asked laughed; annoyance and fear in his voice. "What isn't wrong?

"Let's start with how many times I've almost been killed in the last week! I've got 5 so far; what've you got? My life is falling apart by the seems, Bumblebee and I can't do anything to stop it! My family doesn't care about me, the police are after me for charges of running away, add gang relative charges to it and that's probably up to 20 years in jail!" Spike hung his head in his hands and felt swell of tears in his eyes. "And you guys! Dammit…giant alien robots that turn into cars and shit? That's stuff from science fiction movies; not real life! All this crap is just…waaaay beyond me…

"This isn't what my Mom would've wanted! I'm…"

Spike stopped as the breaking in his voice was too much and he began to sob.

"..I'm a failure. A complete and utter failure…Dad was right. I had no business even being born."

Bumblebee stood to his full height. Spike wasn't making any sense at all. The human's body shook and trembled and his eyes were…leaking. Bumblebee looked down at the boy and was about to say something when Sunstreaker jetted in his own opinion.

"Oh! Just shut up already!" Sunstreaker snapped. "You have the nerve to say all that slag after we all fought so hard to save your sorry life? Optimus can't even walk on his own because of that bomb! He's injured because of you! He was trying to save you! And what about Ratchet? He was willing to give himself to the Decepticons for your safety! The Decepticons, kid! You've got no idea how fucking lucking you are you aren't in pieces lying on the ground!"

Spike starred at the enraged Sunstreaker, everything permeating his brain like a knife. But what he was saying didn't make the boy feel any better; if anything it simply made him feel like an asshole.

'Like father like son…' Spike thought bitterly.

"I…I didn't mean-"Spike muttered ashamedly.

"You didn't mean to what? Hurt our EPU's (emotion process unit)?" Sunstreaker snapped back dryly as he walked up to Spike. "I've been fighting this war, loosing comrades and friends, longer than your planet has even existed! If I ever hear you say something as stupid as that 'no right being born' slag I'll kill you myself!"

With that said, the yellow Autobot steamed off to sit by his brother and Hound.

"You were too tough on him, Sunstreaker." Hound told him as he sat down.

"No I wasn't." He replied tartly. "I was just telling him the truth. Prime did the same thing to us when we acted like that."

Hound chuckled.

"Yeah, but Spike's no Autobot." He replied. "And you make a rotten Optimus."

Sunstreaker smiled at the green Autobot.

Spike sat there, motionless. Sunstreaker's words marinated his mind as he starred distantly at his feet. He felt as though his whole mind, body, and soul had gone into shock. He had no urge to talk or move; he just wanted to sit there and soak. He starred at his tennis shoes that he had received as a birthday present from his Mom. The red fabric was torn and dirty from use. The inside of the shoe was ripped and Spike had replaced the padding several times. These shoes were nothing special, but for some reason Spike felt as though to keep his mother's memory in alive, he needed something physical to hold onto.

As he continued to watch his shoes he began to speak.

"Y'know…"Spike said as he began to pour his soul and clear his conscious. "You sound just like my Mom. She'd be telling me the same thing right now. She knew how to survive; how to live. Even though she was…she still did everything she could to get by.

"I hate to admit it, but if my Dad never came along and snapped her out of it…she'd still be out there with other runaway girls with no money. She'd still be out there selling herself for enough money just to survive. And I wouldn't exist. My Dad was married when he met my Mom. He even had a kid too. But for some reason he still met with her night after night. I always thought it was because he was having problems at home and just wanted to forget, like a lot of men do. They drink till they can't walk, do drugs, and sleep with prostitutes. Mom was smart though, so when she figured out she was pregnant with me…she didn't tell Dad till he figured it out himself. He was mad though. He didn't want another kid. He had Buster, the model son; the captain of the baseball team, Mr. Straight A, West Point graduate, youngest military officer to be transferred to the pentagon, working with Special foreign relations. The whole shebang!

"Then there was me; the bastard son of a retired married Vietnam veteran and a 31 year old prostitute. No money, no future, nothing. My mom tried so hard to give me a future…I was so happy that day when I got out of school and headed home…I was going to pass 10th grade! I was going to finish high school and go onto college like Mom wanted…but she never found out…"

"She was murdered." Bumblebee said flatly.

Startled, Spike looked up into Bumblebee's face.

"Prowl did a search on you and found an old article about it." Bumblebee explained careful to choose his words. "It must have been horrible…for you, I mean."

Spike looked back at his shoes again, but never replied back.

"No more talk!" Grimlock suddenly boomed. "Autobots go now! Decepticons retreated and we do same. Autobots go back to Ark now!"

Bumblebee scowled at Grimlock as he and the other all transformed.

The VW opened his door for Spike and the human climbed in.

"Human no go!" Grimlock announced. "Human go back to other humans now!"

"What?" Bumblebee and Spike cried.

"Me Grimlock leader and you follow leader!" Grimlock growled.

"You aren't my leader." Spike smirked.

"No," Grimlock agreed with a sneer." But me smash you if you no do what me say!"

Spike closed his mouth.

"I'll take him to the city then." Bumblebee offered.

"No way, Bumblebee." Ironhide replied. "You're still on inactive duty, remember?"

Bumblebee groaned.

"I'll take him." Ironhide replied and opened his passenger door. "C'mon kid."

Spike looked down at Bumblebee and with a guilt filled heart climbed out and walked over to Ironhide.

"Get in Spike." Ironhide urged. "Bumblebee has to take his punishment like a good soldier, just like anyone else. We aren't going to kill 'im or nothing'."

Spike nodded and got in.

"Bye, Bumblebee." Spike replied. "And thanks."

"You too Spike." Bumblebee replied bitter-sweetly.

"Autobots!" Grimlock roared. "Back to Ark!"

The convoy of Autobots and Dinobots headed down the dirt road to the Ark, while Ironhide and his passenger Spike headed the other way, the way back to the City; and the way back home.