Two Years Later

Valerie glanced up as five comets streaked towards the Earth. Next to her, Optimus grinned and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Those are new Autobots, aren't they?" Valerie asked. Optimus nodded, and Valerie sighed. "Does nobody tell me anything?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Optimus replied, leaning closer and giving her a kiss. "That's why I brought you out here."

She smiled and kissed him back. "I knew that there was another reason for dragging me up here to the roof of the base," she said.

"Well, I would do this just to spend time with you," Optimus told her.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "What, you're not satisfied that I'm basically by your side all day?" she demanded.

Optimus scoffed. "We're both working then," he answered. "I hardly think that that's considered spending time with you." He stood up and held out his hand to her. "Do you want to meet the rest of the team?"

She took his hand, and he pulled her up. "Are they going to act like the other Autobots did?" she asked, remembering how Ratchet and Ironhide had ended up aiming their cannons at the new Autobots because they didn't trust her.

"Well, if they do, you can just control them and have them accept you, can't you?" Optimus replied, pulling her in for another kiss before heading back down to the main part of the base.

Valerie frowned as she followed him. "Optimus, I don't think that my powers are a joking matter," she said.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm joking, Valerie," he told her. "I know that you would never do that."

They made it into the main hangar, where Ratchet, Ironhide, Bee, and Sides were already waiting. Valerie climbed up onto the hood of Optimus's alt mode, and Optimus in holoform followed her.

"Hey, Val, are you up for some sparring?" Sides asked.

Valerie scoffed. "I don't think you want the new Autobots to think that you're weak because I beat you at sparring," she replied.

Sides rolled his eyes. "Please," he said. "You're not going to beat me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Optimus commented. "She's beaten you, what, the last seven times?"

Before Sides could retort, there was the doors of the hangar opened, and the five new Autobots drove in in alt mode. Valerie saw a red Ferrari, blue Mercedes-Benz, two Chevrolet Impalas, and a Hendrik Motorsports car. They instantly transformed into their Autobot forms, and Valerie turned to see that Optimus's holoform had disappeared. She was about to jump off of his hood, certain that he was going to transform, but he started transforming, resulting with her sitting on his shoulder.

"Dino, Wheeljack, Roadbuster, Leadfoot, Topspin," Optimus said. "Welcome to Earth."

The four Autobots nodded. "Good to be here, Prime," Wheeljack replied. Valerie noted his bushy blue hair that stuck out in all directions. "The journey was long, though."

Lennox entered the hangar, looking up at the five new Autobots. Valerie instantly wondered where Epps was before remembering that he had quit N.E.S.T. and, while still a soldier, wasn't working with them anymore. "Well, who are the newcomers?" Lennox asked.

"This is Dino, our spy," Optimus replied, gesturing to Dino. "Wheeljack, our engineer. Roadbuster, Topspin, and Leadfoot, our wreckers. Autobots, this is William Lennox, leader of the N.E.S.T. soldiers, who work with us here on Earth. And this is Valerie Hudson, a N.E.S.T. soldier."

Topspin frowned. "What's so special about her?" he asked. "She's a femme, and a human, no less. Why are we letting her fight with us?"

Valerie groaned. "This is almost exactly like before," she said. "What is the problem with you Autobots letting me fight with you guys?! Look, I can sense Transformium, and I have ownership of some. I also recently found out that I have the power to manipulate Transformer's brains to make them do as I want. Okay?"

Before Topspin or any of the other new Autobots could speak, Sides spoke up. "And you can't forget that she's dating the Prime," he commented.

Instantly, the new Autobots let out shouts of outrage and disbelief, causing the older Autobots to jump to defend Valerie. Valerie glared at Sides, who smirked. Optimus cleared his throat loudly, causing everyone to quiet down. "Valerie has proved herself worthy to hold such a position," he told the new Autobots coldly. "You will learn that soon enough."

"Are you sure, Prime?" Leadfoot asked. "How long have you known her? Has she proven her loyalty?"

Optimus's eyes narrowed. "If I were you, I wouldn't question my judgment on this, Leadfoot," he said coldly. "Valerie has been fighting side by side with us for near five years now. She helped us find the Cube, defended me from Megatron in Mission City, protected the shard, and fought to bring me back to life. She is one of us."

Leadfoot nodded, still looking apprehensive. "If you say so," he told Optimus. "Would someone mind giving us a tour of the base?"

"I will," Lennox volunteered. "This way." The five Autobots and Lennox left the hangar, and once the door closed, everyone relaxed. Valerie hadn't noticed how worried everyone had been about how this meeting would go until now.

Ironhide turned his cannons back into hands. "That happens every time," he muttered. "If we get more Autobots and they do something like this, I'm going to blast them out of here."

"Easy, Ironhide," Optimus said. "They'll learn to accept her. Sideswipe and the others did."

Valerie sighed. "It's fine," she told them. "Just give them a few weeks and they'll be acting like I'm their best friend."

XXX

The Autobots, N.E.S.T. soldiers, and the Ukranian man named Voshkod pulled up at a decommissioned facility called Chernobyl. Lennox had had a meeting with Voshkod a few days before, in which Voshkod told him of a possible alien discovery there. Valerie and the rest of N.E.S.T. were particularly excited about the op because it was the first time in three years that they had actually had even a hint of a Decepticon's presence. The last three years had been spent solving American conflicts.

Valerie climbed out of Optimus's cab and joined Lennox and Voshkod. "How long do we have on the ground?" she asked.

"You're not going in," Lennox told her. "It's too dangerous. The radiation levels... It's a bad idea."

Valerie's jaw dropped open. "What?!" she demanded indignantly. "I'm not going in! Uncle Will, I'm your best soldier, and I'm the only one who can sense Transformium here. You need me here!"

Lennox shook his head. "You heard me," he said. "Go and stay with Optimus. And when I say stay, I mean stay. Don't leave his sight, you understand?"

"Uncle Will!" Valerie whined, but he shook his head. She let out a huff. "Fine," she snapped, and she stormed back to Optimus. "Uncle Will's not letting me go in with the rest of them."

Optimus activated his holoform and stood next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "He's right," he told her. "It's not safe in there. The radiation levels are too high for your kind."

Valerie gestured to the protective suit that she was wearing. "I'm protected!" she protested. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the rest of the N.E.S.T. soldiers and Voshkod enter the building. It was just her, Optimus, and a handful of other soldiers left. "Look, Voshkod's not wearing any protective gear, and he's going in!"

He didn't reply, and Valerie sighed. She then started pacing back and forth, aggravated; she wasn't used to being left behind during an op. A few minutes later, voices came from her earpiece. "Okay, right here. I think I found it," a N.E.S.T. soldier said.

"Optimus, we got a visual. Looks like the object's clamped in some kind of a metal harness," Lennox reported.

Another soldier spoke. "What's this?" he asked. "Guys! Why does this thing have Soviet space program markings on it?"

Valerie frowned. "Sputnik?" she inquired through the radio. She let out a groan. "I hate being left behind!" She then felt a big chunk of Transformium moving to the position of the soldiers. "Guys, there's something big coming towards your position... and fast."

Suddenly, there was the sound of an explosion, and soldiers let out a shout. "Contact, contact!" a soldier yelled. Then he let out a shout, and there was static from the other side.

Valerie started pacing even faster. "What the hell is going on there?!" she demanded. "Uncle Will, anyone! What's going on!"

Optimus placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's move," he said. "We can help fight." Valerie nodded and hopped into his cab. Optimus deactivated his holoform and drove as fast as he could to another side of the building.

Suddenly, Valerie saw a strange snake-like thing breaking through there ceiling, and it broke through the wall, right in front of them. Optimus slammed on the brakes and transformed. His trailer transformed, as well, and turned into an arch-like structure that Valerie knew held his sword and shield. Sure enough, Optimus pulled out his sword and shield.

Optimus instantly started fighting the giant snake-like Decepticon with his sword. Valerie jumped to her feet and grabbed her Transformium. After hesitating for a few seconds, she turned her Transformium into a sword that was similar to Optimus's and ran towards the Decepticon. Optimus, meanwhile, was chopping at the Decepticon, trying to find the arm that was holding what Lennox and the other soldiers had found in the building. Valerie dodged Optimus's giant feet and made it to the Decepticon, who didn't notice her. When one of his arms neared the ground, Valerie jumped on and grabbed it, nearly letting out a scream when the arm was jerked violently upwards the second she grabbed it.

Valerie started climbing up the arm, getting closer and closer to the center of the Decepticon. Once she was there, she could use her powers to figure out which of the Decepticon's hands had the object. After a lot of ducking and climbing (the Decepticon, who still hadn't noticed her there, was using that arm to fight Optimus. Optimus, who also hadn't realized she was there, was striking at the arm, and Valerie had to dodge his attacks) she made it to what seemed like the center.

"Stay behind me!" Valerie heard Optimus shout to the N.E.S.T. soldiers, who had just come out of the building through the hole that the Decepticon made. She made it to the point where all the arms met, and she closed her eyes, focusing her powers. It was hard for her to find such a small object of Transformium because she was surrounded by two giant chunks of Transformium, Optimus and the Decepticon.

Valerie let out a shout as the Decepticon moved to the side, and both he and Optimus seemed to finally realize where she was. "Get off... of my head!" the Decepticon growled, talking as he was fighting Optimus.

"Get out of there, Valerie!" Optimus warned. Valerie, however, ignored them both and sent out her powers once again. She felt the smallest piece of Transformium in the arm that was the farthest from her. Of course.

She instantly pulled out her sword and chopped off the arm. It fell off, and the Decepticon let out a shout of pain. The Decepticon started moving wildly, trying to shake Valerie off. He succeeded and sent Valerie flying in the air. Optimus launched himself in that direction, catching Valerie. However, his moment of distraction had caused the Decepticon to get away. He looked around panickedly, trying to find the Decepticon again.

"Taking our flank!" a N.E.S.T. soldier shouted. "It's taking our flank!"

Optimus turned towards that direction and saw the Decepticon by the soldiers. He shot at the Decepticon, causing it to fly backwards and away from the humans. Valerie swung out of his hand and climbed down his body as he walked towards the Decepticon.

Valerie, who had reached the ground, hurried forward again as Optimus drew the Decepticon's attention from her small body... a small body that he could so easily crush...

Concern instantly flooded through him, causing him to get sloppy. The Decepticon lunged forward, sending both of them falling to the ground, the Decepticon on top. However, there was a shout, and the Decepticon flinched away as Valerie struck it with her sword. Optimus clambered up and watched as the Decepticon backed away. The thing began to open up, and Valerie realized that they had been fighting a Decepticon that was in a machine.

The Decepticon that had been inside the machine stepped out, and Valerie instantly recognized him from the reports of the other Autobots. It was Shockwave. Valerie and Optimus readied their weapons, ready to fight him, but Shockwave left, apparently not wanting to fight any more after his advantage- the machine- had been destroyed.

Lennox and the other soldiers walked up to them. For a few seconds, nobody said anything, just watching the place where Shockwave had disappeared. Finally, Lennox broke the silence. "What the hell was that thing?" Lennox asked.

"That," Optimus answered, "is Shockwave."

The soldier frowned. "Why was he after this?" he wondered, crouching down to look at the thing that had been in the building. Valerie and Optimus knelt, too, and laid eyes on it for the first time.

"It's definitely Cybertronian," Valerie reported. "I'm able to feel it, but I don't know what it is." She looked up at Optimus. "What about you?" However, a strange expression had come over Optimus's face. It looked like he had seen a ghost. "Optimus? You okay?"

Optimus pointed a shaky finger at the device. "It's impossible," he said. "This is an engine part... from a long lost Autobot ship."