A/N: So, this is the beginning of the end, dear readers. Hope you're still holding on!

Thanks to reviewers Steelcode and Reader Anon, and all you ninja readers out there! You know who you are :)

Mattie woke to the sound of alarm klaxons, the bright red light accompanying them throwing the hangar into stark black and red relief. She sat bolt upright.

"What's going on?"

Bumblebee was already up. He threw her a set of clothes, and she pulled them on hurriedly. "'Con attack," he grunted, "or at least, that's what the signal says. Let's hope it's that benign. Come on, we're wanted at the main hangar."

Mattie nodded, and held out her hands so Bee could pick her up easily. He cradled her to his chest – for once, not nuzzling at her hair as he did so – and flat out ran from the hangar.

The icy rain peltering her as she came outside soaked her to the skin almost instantly, even with Bee moving as fast as he could through the storm.

"Figure they would choose to attack in this weather."

Bee's engine rumbled under her hands. "Dumbaft Decepticons. Then again, it's perfect weather for surprise attacks. Just before dawn, too, perfect time."

"Don't talk like we've lost this already, Bee," Mattie implored him. "It's scary enough as it is."

"Sorry, angel." One finger run down her back distractedly. "I'm on the comm with Prime and the others as well, two conversations at once is tricky."

"Don't mind me, then," she said, pressing a kiss to his spark chamber. "Talk to them." Even though I'm going to be scared out of my mind without you talking to me. She didn't voice that thought out loud.

The main hangar was crowded – every bot on his peds were there, as well as the human soldiers. Bumblebee put Mattie down next to Viviane and Cade, and Hound soon deposited Izabella alongside them. Mattie took the younger girl's hand, and Izabella clung to it tightly.

Lennox walked up on the walkway in the centre of the large hall. Silence fell instantly.

"At approximately 0300 hours, the Cheyenne mountain complex was levelled," the colonel said loudly. "Human casualties number in the hundreds. Every artefact in there was removed by the attackers. Most have been recovered just outside the base – dropped, destroyed. Unneeded. The one artefact stored there that has not yet been recovered," he turned, looking straight at Viviane, "is the staff of Merlin."

An uneasy murmur went around the room at that. Izabella suddenly clung onto Mattie's entire arm. That's right, she realized. Most of these guys didn't know that that was where the staff was.

"We have to assume," Lennox continued, "that Quintessa is behind this. And if she has the staff, she's going to use it. We need to find her, and stop her, before she can go through with it."

From the corner of her eye, Mattie saw Viviane lean in and kiss Cade's cheek, murmuring something as she did, before turning towards Lennox. "Will," she called. "That's not all of it." She beckoned to Crosshairs, standing behind them, and he obligingly picked her up and put her on the walkway next to Lennox.

The commander turned and looked at her. "Viviane?"

Mattie could see Viviane taking a deep breath, steeling herself. She looked at Lennox, then at Optimus. "The staff stored at Cheyenne mountain was a copy," she said simply.

The silence was deafening.

Lennox blinked. "Say what?"

"We thought it would be an extra level of security," Cade explained, as Crosshairs put him too down on the walkway. "So we built a copy right before it was put in storage, and gave you the copy instead of the real one."

Lennox raised his hand, pinching at the bridge of his nose. "And you didn't tell me this before now because…?"

"That was also an extra layer of security," Viviane replied. "We thought if no one knew, then no one could tell anyone."

"Which turned out to be a good thing," Cade put in. "Since she actually found the copy."

"It was meant to buy us more time," Viviane added. "To figure out how to fight her."

"Do not try to convince me that the fact that over one hundred and thirty soldiers and civilians just died to protect a fake is a good thing!" Lennox snarled. "Damn it, Cade. You can't keep me out of the loop on things like this!"

Mattie turned, looked at Bee. He nodded and picked her up – along with Izabella, who didn't seem to want to let go. They were both deposited on the walkway.

Mattie turned to Lennox. "How did they find the complex?"

He sighed, ran a hand through his hair. "General Morshower was cycling the defense troops. Bringing more experienced soldiers in, transferring the rookies out. Somehow she must have caught on to it."

"So she has a way to track your troop movement," Drift said.

"Or a way to trace your radio communication," Bumblebee added.

"Both are possible," Lennox conceded. "But we knew that. That's why we were going about it carefully."

Mattie turned to Viviane. "Where is the real staff?"

The older woman hesitated.

Lennox turned to her. "We need to know, Viviane. Or we can't defend it."

Viviane sighed. "I suppose you're right. All right, then. The staff," she drew a deep breath, "is onboard the HMS Alliance."

"WHAT?" Lennox's enraged scream shot through several octaves, but it was almost drowned out by the furious rumbling of the Prime's engine.

"I see," Optimus growled. "Viviane, where is the Alliance?"

Another deep breath. "Here."

"It's here?" Lennox demanded. Crap, he sounds furious. This must be bad. "Viviane, the Alliance doesn't have shielding, and it's completely trackable!"

"It's in deep water," Cade protested. "The energy from the staff isn't detectable."

"You hope," Lennox growled. "And even if it isn't, the sub in itself can be tracked."

"The staff energy may not have been detectable up until now," Optimus agreed. "But now that Quintessa has a false staff in her possession, she will intensify her search for the real one. And she will not be stopped."

Crosshairs snickered. "She's going to be really pissed off when she realizes it's fake."

"How long has it been here?" Lennox asked, barely controlled fury in his voice.

"As long as we have," Viviane replied. "The Alliance follows me around, wherever I travel. She can always be found in the nearest deep water."

Mattie hadn't thought Lennox could get angrier. Apparently, she had been wrong. But instead of screaming louder, his voice descended into icy fury. "So not only is it here now, but it was outside the West Coast compound when you were there, and it's been lying just off the coast of England all summer."

"Yes." Viviane nodded. "In our defense, it seemed like the most sound plan."

"So the fact that the staff signal has been moving around alongside the signals from Frenzy, signals that the Decepticons have been tracking, just seemed like a good idea at the time," Lennox growled. "And while I've been trying to figure out how the hell they've been tracking us, there's been another signal to trace alongside our own the entire time!?"

"Yes," Viviane cut back, finally furious. "And still she hasn't found it, so the signal can't be very strong, can it? And in our defense, you didn't tell us about the Frenzy signals until we came here either!"

"Quarrelling solves nothing," Optimus interjected. "We need to make a new plan." He paused. "She knows someone's thwarting her, now. And she doesn't take kindly to that."

"How long before she finds us?" Izabella asked tremulously.

"She may not," Viviane said, reaching out and squeezing her hand.

"No, she will," Lennox said, looking at them. Izabella flinched. "I'm sorry if I'm scaring you, kiddo, but let's not kid ourselves here. She will find us. It's simply a question of time."

"How will she find us?" Mattie whispered. She wasn't sure if her voice carried, but apparently Lennox and the others heard her.

"If she can track troop movements and radio signals, it's not impossible. She can trace the military plane routes across the Indian Ocean," Lennox said.

"It'll take her forever, though," Cade replied. "Because let's agree, she doesn't know we're here. So she can't just trace the plane routes across the Indian Ocean, she has to trace all the plane routes and troop movements across the globe. And then try to find which one leads to us. She's looking for a needle in a haystack."

"That is such a strange idiom," Optimus mused. "One would merely use a strong magnet. But yes, it's true. Unless there is something else pulling her here, she will be searching for a while."

Mattie had been thinking while the others argued. There was something they were missing, something Lennox had said, and something Viviane had said… But she couldn't get a grasp on it, couldn't connect the dots.

"We'll need to set up a defensive plan," Lennox said, looking up at Optimus. "No matter how she finds us, she will find us at some point, we're her next target. We need to be prepared for that."

Suddenly, it hit her. Oh no. Oh, no. "Viviane," Mattie asked, her voice tremolous. "How did the Alliance follow you? How does it know where you are?"

Viviane stared at her, eyes widening. She lifted her arm up and pointed at a thin bracelet around her wrist. "She follows this one," Viviane breathed quietly. "It's another one of Tesla's coils, he called it a Theta cord. It resonates with another one just like it. The Alliance follows to where the resonance is strongest."

Mattie nodded, turned to Lennox. "How is the Alliance trackable?"

He chuckled mirthlessly, ran a hand through his hair. "With the kind of tech Quintessa possesses? Any way you like. Heat signature, radio waves, movement trackers, radar, sonar, hydrophonics, MAD… The Alliance's tech is outdated. Quintessa's is not."

"I see," Mattie said quietly. "So what you're saying is that if she figures out that she should track the Alliance, she can."

Lennox gave her a curt nod.

"What are you thinking, Mattie?" Optimus asked.

Mattie drew a deep breath. "First. The Decepticons tracked the Frenzy signals, and hit us several times using them. They know the last knight is with you, Optimus – Skywarp escaped to report that." She held up a finger, then raised a second one. "Then. There's been another set of signals, the staff signals, alongside the Frenzy signals. Too deep to track most of the time but certainly noticeable if you know what you're looking for. That one has been based around England. But during the first attack, it was outside the West Coast compound. Third." Another finger went up. "There's been a trackable submarine moving around with those signals."

"Oh, crap," Lennox said, staring at her.

"Theta cord," Optimus asked intently. "As in theta waves?"

"I think so," Viviane nodded, frowning. "Though they are weak in humans, this one apparently uses a different frequency."

"Yes," Optimus said. "When I know what to scan for, I can detect it."

"As can I," Bumblebee said. "Though it's not a strong signal. I doubt it can be picked up from a distance."

"That's four," Mattie breathed. "Frenzy signals, staff energy signature, trackable submarine, theta waves. All leading to us, all being put out at the same time. She just needs to notice them." She smiled grimly, shaking her head. "All she has to do is connect the dots. And if I can do it, she most definitely can."

Bumblebee stared at her, optics wide. "I think you just found her magnet, angel."

As if on cue, the klaxons sounded again.

"Let's hope you didn't just kill us all," Lennox snarled at Cade and Viviane. Then he took off.

Viviane stared at Cade. She was still pale. "What did we do?" she whispered.

"What we could," Cade said firmly, pulling her into an embrace. "We forgot a few factors, true. But if we hadn't made a copy, she would have had the real staff now."

"What's going on now?" Mattie whispered, knowing Bumblebee would hear her.

"Those are the proximity alarms," came the reply. He picked her up and cradled her close, before following Lennox at a brisk pace – not quite running, but not far from it either. "It means that we have company."

Once outside the building, Bee took a hard left turn, transforming with her in his arms. Once she was safely – though dripping wet and borderline terrified – in the driver's seat, he took off again, much faster than anyone would recommend in such weather.

"Where are we going?" Mattie asked. In the rear view mirror, she could see Hound following on their trail.

"I'm putting/you/somewhere safe," Bee said. He took another hard turn before sliding to a sudden stop, opening the door for her. "Get in there."

She climbed out of his alt mode and turned to see where he wanted her to go.

It was a bunker. Low-slung, fading into the ground, a solid-built concrete structure with heavy iron doors, meant to withstand anything the world could throw at it.

Mattie turned to Bumblebee. "No."

He transformed, looking down at her. "No?"

"No!"

"But Mattie, you need to go inside! You'll be safe here."

"You think you can put me in there all by myself, while you and the others are fighting off whatever threat there is this time? That's not going to happen!" she growled.

"But-"

"No!" she cut him off. "I've had enough of being placed in a hole somewhere, not knowing what's going on with you, just waiting for the 'cons to find me, not knowing if I'm even going to be able to come out to find you or if the world's ended while I was in there! I'm not going to let you hide me away again, like hell! I'm going to be right where you are!"

"Mattie-"

"Like HELL!" she shouted shrilly. "You are NOT leaving me this time, Bumblebee!"

He dropped to his knees in front of her, deflating somehow.

"Angel…" His voice was quiet, subdued. "I just need to know that you're safe." He held out his arms towards her imploringly, blue optics begging her to see sense. "Please."

Without actually making a conscious decision to move, she was back in his arms. "Bee," she whimpered, "did it never occur to you that I need that too? I can't be locked away somewhere again not knowing what's happening to you, I just can't. If you're going to put me somewhere, at least put me somewhere where I can see you."

Hound walked up next to them, Izabella cradled in his arms. "Bee, this is the only safe place for them."

Izabella twisted in Hound's grip and kicked him. "You'll need to block the entrance if you want us to stay in there! We're not going willingly."

Hound ignored her. "Bumblebee."

Bumblebee didn't reply; he just pulled Mattie close, close enough that she couldn't move a muscle even if she'd tried, and her head was resting against the armor over his spark chamber. The hum of his spark was soothing.

Without a word, Bumblebee stood up and started walking back the way they'd come.

Hound followed. "Bumblebee…"

"She's right," Bee replied. "She's my mate, she should be where I am. Besides, if what's coming is what I think it is, I'd rather have her near me." His voice lowered. "And if it is who I think it is, it won't matter. I'd much rather have her near me in a place where she's aware of what's happening, than to have her emerge back out into a world where Quintessa's won and she's all alone here." His arms pulled Mattie even tighter, and she twisted to plant a kiss on his chest armor.

"So where are we going to put them?" Hound asked. Mattie twisted a bit to see that Izabella was grinning in triumph on her perch against Hound's chest.

"With Lennox, Viviane and Cade, I guess," Bee said. "Would that be okay, Mattie?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Maybe I can even be useful, instead of cowering in a corner."

"I don't want you in danger," he said, squeezing her impossibly tight. "I need you to stay with them and be safe."

"We're always in danger," she replied. "But don't worry about me." She grinned through her terror and pressed another kiss to his chest. "I'll be fine as long as I can see you."

Mattie had never been in the central control room before, there had never been any reason for her to go in there. Now, standing against the back wall with Izabella and trying to stay out of everyone's way, she felt out of place more than ever.

Lennox was standing at a console with several instruments on it, but he was staring grimly out the window. The rain was still falling, sheets of it covering the window and lessening the visibility. The instruments in front of Lennox were covered in blips and lines, but none of it made any sense to Mattie.

Viviane walked slowly over to her. "We're waiting," the older woman murmured quietly. "Apparently, there's a ship approaching, but they haven't been able to determine if it's friendly or not, or even if it's the only one."

"Bumblebee, register on scan yet?" Lennox asked tersely.

"Negative, she's still too far out," came the reply from the console.

"Sound off positions, Hadley." Lennox turned to his second.

"Scattorshot covers the rise, Crosshairs has sniper's position, Drift, Hot Rod and Hound are positioned with the soldiers, Bumblebee is with Prime," the other man rattled off promptly. "Sabot rounds, explosives and incendiaries are at the ready."

"Good. Cade?"

"In position, waiting for the word," the console said. Lennox nodded.

Mattie hadn't realized that Cade wasn't with them until right then. She leaned over to Viviane. "Where's Cade?"

"On the other side of the island, preparing to raise the Alliance and retrieve the real staff when Lennox orders it," the older woman whispered back. "We can't leave it down there for her to just retrieve. But we need her committed here first, so she doesn't just whip around the island and get it without opposition."

Mattie nodded. It made sense.

"Incoming Decepticon-signal," the radio crackled abruptly.

"The ship?" Lennox replied, tense.

"Negative, the air," Bumblebee replied. Then, a moment later, "It's Skywarp. I wondered when he would reappear."

"Scattorshot, focus on Skywarp, but don't fire first," Lennox ordered. "Crosshairs, keep targeting the ship."

"Roger that."

In the tense silence that followed, Mattie could hear the sound of jet engines overhead. God, I wish I had a direct comm line to Bumblebee right now. She took hold of Viviane's hand, placing her other arm around Izzy's shoulders.

"Ship's in range," Bumblebee's voice came over the console. "Reading several Decepticon-signals, at least three. Possible Infernocons, too." He paused. "No humans, but something's – weird. There are signals I don't recognize."

"Megatron?" That was Prime's voice.

"Unknown."

"We have to assume it's her," Lennox said. "How far out is she?"

"ETA in approximately five minutes," Hadley replied, hands moving over his console. "She's still travelling at full speed, she'll need to slow down soon."

"Okay. Cade, you're a go."

"Roger that."

"Status on Skywarp?"

"Going back and forth like a boomerang," was the cheerful reply – Scattorshot, Mattie thought it had to be. "Aligning nicely with my sights, but not stopping to chat."

"Confirmed signals – Decepticon Brawl," Bumblebee said. "Decepticon Wildrider. Decepticon… Megatron. Crap."

"Doesn't change anything, people," Lennox said firmly. "Faced him before, beat him before, killed him before."

A wave of chatter broke out, about how 'fragged' Megatron had gotten in the past, or how certain Autobots had beaten certain Decepticons – the names made no impact on Mattie, and she didn't recognize them. But it was pleasant, for a handful of seconds, to let the banter flow around her and alleviate the severity of the situation.

"All right, clear the comms," Lennox chuckled after a few moments. "Status?"

"Skywarp is acting like a dick, but he's done nothing so far."

"Detect a total of seven infernocons, on top of already identified Decepticons."

"Ship's still in sights."

"Good. Cade?"

"Alliance is rising, needs a few more minutes."

"You won't have them," Hadley said suddenly, eyeing his console. "She's not slowing down. ETA in one minute, and she's coming in hard."

"Fall back from the docks!" Lennox commanded. "Prepare for impact!"

"She'll plow through the docks and onto the beach at this speed," Hadley grunted. He shot Lennox a sideways glance. "Pre-emptive attack?"

Lennox looked at his console, then nodded. "We can't let them get safely to shore. Go for incendiary or explosive rounds, we won't be able to stop her but we will slow her down."

"Roger that," Crosshairs said.

"Sir, additional signatures are human," Bumblebee interjected. "At least seventeen of them. But they're – strange."

"We're fighting for the survival of the planet here," Lennox replied. "The order stands."

"Plus, zey're on a boat wiz Megatron," Hot Rod said, his unwanted accent clear even over the comms. "I'm not willing to give zem zat much benefit of ze doubt."

"Clear comms," Lennox said. "Crosshairs, fire at will."

A moment later, the bright light of an explosion was visible through the windows.

"Hit," Crosshairs said. "Slowing her, but not stopping her."

"Again."

Another explosion.

"Incoming!" That was Scattorshot. "Skywarp's firing on Crosshairs' position!"

"I'm moving now."

"Scattorshot, fire at will! Status on the ship?"

"Slowing, but still coming," Hadley replied.

"All signatures still active," Bumblebee said.

"Got her again," Crosshairs said. "Ha! Broke her in half."

"Skywarp's coming in for another run," Scattorshot said. "Crap – brace for impact at command!"

Viviane pulled Mattie and Izabella down to the floor, and Mattie curled into a ball, arms around her head. She had time to see Lennox and Hadley dive for cover before the command center exploded.