The past two weeks

The Decepticons had suffered a horrid defeat at the hands of only 5 Autobots. Of the four remaining Decepticons on the earth had gathered near Flagstaff, Arizona just over 200 miles from Hoover dam. With the Allspark gone and so few of them left on earth they hid for the time being listening do the communications channels and monitoring news and other earth communications on the internet. They didn't know what was going to happen now that their leader was gone.

Starscream made an immediate vie for power. With no one else Barricade and Frenzy decided to follow him for the time being. Barricade was more of a grunt than a brain and Starscream was second in command. Scorpnock was still somewhere in the desert in the Middle East wounded and unable to cross the Atlantic to get to them. They would leave him there for now. Rumors flew all over the internet about what happened in Mission City that day. The government did a good job of covering up their battle as they soon saw on the internet as they ruckus died down quickly.

An interesting communication that had been intercepted by the Decepticons via the internet was an email that had been sent to an officer in tranquility. He was an officer at the Tranquility police station that Barricade had intercepted communications at to find the Witwicky boy. This had been a strange thing indeed considering it was from the Secretary of Homeland Security. It was coated in pleasantries that seemed out of place in the letter but there was nothing definable in the email. However since Barricade had heard the two talk via phone earlier that week he began to concentrate his search for a lead on the Autobots through the officer. He hacked the phone networks and internet connections at the police station carefully but it was a rather simple process considering the primitive technology. He monitored all his communications and hit pay dirt.

On a private disposable cell phone the man was contacted by the Secretary of Homeland Security contacted him. The conversation was brief and much of it was in code but Barricade was able to glean enough information from the conversation that the man worked for the Secretary and he was a spy of sorts on the events surrounding the battle they had in Mission City. That means he knew that Sam was involved. And where Sam was that good for nothing scrap heap Autobot would be there too. He also figured out that they had a sort of group going that was trying to get rid of the transformers that they knew about which at the moment were the Autobots and not them. He knew this could be an advantage.

Humans were so stupid. Their technology was so pitifully designed he didn't even have to think about moving into Officer Jones' home computer and find what he was looking for. A vague reference to their group called threat neutralization gave him an organization to hunt down and the fact it was run by the Secretary of Homeland Security made it all the more worthwhile to pursue. Someone in the Cabinet would know about the Autobots and their whereabouts. The best part is that the idiot was threatened by the do gooder Autobots and he wanted them dead. Barricade knew that they would never be able to develop any type of technology to destroy the Autobots on their own and that's when a plan started to form. He began to discuss it with Starscream.

The plan was to actually help the humans with getting what they needed from the Autobots to destroy them. A Decepticon could not infiltrate their new base but a human from the organization could. He assumed that they had already started this process considering a human in the government knew enough people to pull together a secret organization with spies everywhere. As Starscream and Barricade discussed his idea they put together a plan along with Frenzy since he was the hacker mastermind. They first needed to know what the group needed and how they planned on getting into the base before they knew what to make and why. So the first step was to contact the Officer.

The first point of contact was successful. They basically told the police officer that they knew who he worked for and why and they were a group of people who wanted to work toward the common goal of riding the earth of "those" transformers. He introduced himself and Barry and that he was the liaison for a group of scientist who had technology that might be of some help to them and that he would contact him again. And then he hung up. He didn't need to give him a number since he had no need of one. The human, rattled and frightened did just what the Decepticon counted on; he called the head man himself. As he monitored this call the Secretary was angry at first at being exposed but was then interested about their technology. He told Jones to wait for their call and three way him the minute they called.

Barricade called back the next day. He was three wayed with the Roberts. The meeting was very fruitful. Barricade laid out the terms of any exchange of technology that it was to be used and not tampered with or looked at or there would be serious consequences to their group. The Secretary was amenable to this and let them have their secrets as long as he could count on their aid. He updated them that he had a woman who would probably be going to go be the teacher of the children the Autobot's had practically adopted and that they couldn't be separated form certain Autobots because they had been bonded to them through mysterious powers. The human didn't understand any more than that. He had a limited understanding of technology any how. So this was a very interesting revelation that the Decepticons were informed of as well as the incoming Autobots later that week. Barricade could have spit energon he was so mad. But he kept his voice interested but not too much so. The Secretary was told to contact the officer should he have need of anything and then they would be ready to help them. The plan was ingenious. They had now infiltrated the very human group that sought to destroy all transformers, the good ones especially. The irony did not escape the Decepticons as they laughed at their fortunate findings.

The Officer was contacted the next week just after the Decepticons had received a message of their own form a comrade outside the solar systems waiting for others to come with him in case the Decepticons needed back up. At present they didn't and were told to stay out of radar range to keep the Autobots from guessing their plans. The request from the human group was for a device to infiltrate the Autobots computer to get and download all the information about the children and any incoming Autobots they knew of. They relayed there plan that they wanted to get Gretta in on the next landing which was the next Monday when 3 more were coming in. This seemed an easy request as Frenzy put together something that looked like a USB port accessible memory stick. There was a phone call to Jones the next day to deliver the package. It was resting on Jones' door step the next morning. The Secretary sent Gretta to retrieve the device. It was simple enough she could guess what to do. It was just a plug in and it would take care of itself. The instructions that Barricade gave to Gretta on the phone were basically what she had assumed. The Autobot computer was human technology compatible for the kids and other pod's sakes so they could interface with the computer with theirs and it would take care of the rest just plug in, give it a minute and leave immediately, those were her orders and she intended to carry them out.

The Monday after the tests had made the children sick Gretta had been called by the Autobot leader himself and asked her to come early that day for the children's lessons. She had noticed the different atmosphere in the base since the children had been attacked. She was unsure of how much she would be able to hear first hand now since the bumbling idiots had practically set the alarms off in the whole base that some was out to get them. After their lessons were half over and Sam had nearly turned white and she had encouraged him to see a doctor, she watched them leave. She turned back to her desk and put her wallet on the desk and she left.

The same night the Autobots were attacked at the crash site

Gretta went home and waited to hear from her supervisor that the Autobots were sufficiently occupied. It seemed that a rogue robot had decided to attack some incoming ones on their dissention and he was trying to kill them. She knew that there had been some plan by the her group to do another test that night that would have had all the other Autobots out there to combat the thing hurting the children except this turned out to be a much better advantage. She took the opportunity to drive quickly to the Autobot base and flash her pass badge and smile and drive up to the base and open the human door with her pass code. As she entered all the lights were on but it was very quiet. Except for what seemed like a small tapping noise and some unintelligible mumbling it was very deserted. She smiled and walked through like she had just come to retrieve her left possessions and passed Wheeljack's laboratory. He looked up at the woman.

"Gretta is it?" he asked as he looked at her. She could have cursed up a blue streak she hoped they had all gone but apparently they weren't all that stupid.

"Why hello Wheeljack it's quite quiet tonight." When Optimus gave an order EVERYONE followed it including the absentminded Wheeljack to the letter. He could not be baited by this woman even though he had no clue he was being baited.

"Why are you here? You should have been gone hours ago." Wheeljack said in confusion.

"Well when I got home, I realized I didn't have any milk. So I went to the store and I couldn't find my wallet. I tore my house and my car up looking fo rit." Wheeljack looked at her funny.

"You ruined your place of residence to find a lost item?" he asked incredulously.

"No, no dear you really do take everything literally don't you? I mean I looked for it very well, in and under everything. But my point was that I came back to look for it here. It was the only other place I was today." Wheeljack finally had a look of understanding on his face plates.

"I see. Well I hope you do find it then. But do hurry we have matters to attend to tonight." Wheeljack turned from her with out another thought and back to his invention in her was working on. She walked casually into her classroom and retrieved her wallet she had purposely placed there earlier. She then put it in her bag and walked quietly to the main computer room where teletran-1 was located. When she looked at it she didn't know how she was going to find a USB port. It was so huge. But after a second she found a table at one end and there was a laptop on it that must have belonged to one of the children. She looked behind it and found the hookup into the machine and hoped it didn't set off all the security measures she was sure that protected it.

When she slipped the device into the port it made the computer screen bring p the security protocols and proceeded to bypass them all. No alarms sounded and non one came running so she assumed that the data stick had done its job. Now that it was downloading Megabytes of information she began to get a little edgy. Just when it seemed to be taking too long she went to reach for it to retrieve it a light came on, on the end of the device which signaled it was done. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and took it out and slipped it into her bag. She retreated from the room as quietly as she had entered and walked down the hall. When she passed the lab again she poked her head into speak to the distracted transformer.

"Well what do you know it was in my classroom all this time!" she exclaimed.

"I am glad you retrieved your item. Can you show yourself out? I am working with something volatile at the moment." She nodded at his request.

"Oh, yes. I'll be fine thank you! Good luck with that." He nodded already moving on to the next thing.

She left the way she came and didn't look back. She knew she would never be coming back and that they would eventually find out there was a computer breech. They would probably link it to her. They were a smart bunch she had to give them that. However she was never happier to get done with an assignment before. She had faced a lot of dangerous situations, and infiltrated many dangerous organizations and households. They had all been human but more importantly they had all been the bad guys. She had a sneaking feeling that she was on the wrong side this time since thy seemed so genuine and good. No one could keep u an act that long (except maybe her). She knew too that this time might pay for it with her life. If this all turned out to be true she would try to make amends some how even if it killed her.

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As the transformers walked back carrying Arcee and the two children they talked amongst themselves about the attack that had just happened. The Decepticons were a rash and ambitious bunch of scrap metal but not this stupid to come and attack them as their numbers were gathering. Starscream knew he would have been outnumbered and that they would have sent someone to the landing site to help the new arrivals. The more they talked about it the less they like it. Red Alert and Prowl were deep in a discussion trying to figure out what Starscream could have been up to. Optimus looked at them darkly all the sudden.

"It was a diversion…." He said. "Quickly, Prowl, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe get to the base I only left Wheeljack there!" The three literally dove toward the ground to get into their vehicle forms. They changed peeling out and racing toward the highway and then turning onto the now backed up highway and hauled aft toward the base. Optimus radioed Ironhide to tell him what had happened and Ratchet radioed Wheeljack to see if he was in one piece.

In the quiet base a loud transmission burst out of his speaker into the room. He dropped the compound he had been holding that shattered on the floor in its beaker and began to eat a whole in the steel. He sighed. Yes, Ratchet. I am fine. NO there is no one here but me and No Decepticons. Ratchet let out a bit of exhaust of relief. The attack was a diversion we don't know what for but we all think that the Decepticons are up to something. Wheeljack now understood the urgency of his transmission. I understand Ratch but it has been quiet here. Only that woman that teaches the sparklings came to retrieve something she had forgotten in her classroom. That didn't seem overly suspicious the woman was very pleasant if not a slight bit flighty. They all dismissed the seemingly impertinent information for the time being.

Optimus to Prowl come in their leader radioed the party. Prowl here he answered. There is no emergency the base is not under attack Prowl was relieved. Well since Wheeljack's alright then you might want to bring Red Alert and Hot Rod to the interstate. When Arcee broke the interstate up it created a back up. There are plenty of alt forms to choose from. Prime was glad for his friend, he was always thinking We will do that Optimus out. The Autobot leader told the two to go with Ratchet back toward the interstate to see if they could find a suitable alt mode. As they walked carefully near the road they all looked on trying to find something that they could comfortably transform into. Hot Rod immediately caught sight of a red Chrysler Firepower with orange flames that fit his personality perfectly. It was sleek, new, and fast. The younger Autobot loved those things. Red Alert saw a fire rescue vehicle, a Chevy Malibu that was marked for the fire department including lights and sirens. They scanned their chose vehicles and turned into their new alt modes, drove onto the highway followed by Ratchet and headed for home. Jazz, Optimus, and Bumblebee walked far out of sight of the highway so they would not be seen. They only had a few more miles to go to get back to the base. Arcee still rested peacefully in stasis as did Sam and Mikaela. Optimus once again thought back to what the Decepticons were trying to distract them from if it wasn't an attack on the base. He didn't know yet but he figured they would soon find out.