An End in Sight

by KayleeChiara

From Mission City to Cybertron, this story blends the lives of humans and Cybertronians as they deal with life, politics, friendships and romance as they struggle to end the war, work together, and seek a way to restore Cybertron and the AllSpark. G1/Bayverse (sans AoE). This is not a fast-paced action piece, more like a day in the life, but give it shot anyways? No Slash. Thx!

36. Earth - Part 34

Le Legal Stuff: Transformers is not mine, just my OCs. An 04/14 article 'Jagex Transformers Universe Character' has a Decepticon femme called Duststorm. Any similarity is purely accidental and not intended to infringe on any legal rights.

A/N: Thank you to 2211Nighthawk, Cosmic Sky, Bee4ever, enmused, and LittleEnglishLass for reviewing! You guys are awesome for taking the time out to write comments, ask questions, pointing out things.

*A special thank you goes out to ksnatureart, Anduren, Crystal-a-b, lalunaticscribe and Marcus S. Lazarus for listing this story on either their favorites or alerts lists. As to those who've favorite this story, I'll do my best to continue to write a story that earns that place on your list!

And I lost one, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to keep your interest!

A/N: Prowl: No one seems to know why Prowl is characterized as being Vulcan/emotionless. I'm guessing TFA? Anyway I scanned a few G1 eps and they fit my memories, I hope that answers why he's different here than in other FFs. Rumors: Michael Bell might do a voice in Season 3 of Rescue Bots! Can't wait! On a side note, I finally learned where jet judo and glitch mice came from. HA! If you wish to comment, please do! Reviews are cool or PM! Thanks!

A/N: Dino/Mirage and Bay, just like what he did with Que/Wheeljack, my only response was… huh? I like Mirage and Dino as separate characters so here's my explanation of 'why' – apologies if you don't like my spin. Oh, did you know G1's Mirage was voiced by Frank Welker (wow, that man is amazingly talented!). Anyways in my 'verse this chapter tries to explain why.

I'm sorry this chapter took too long to post. I've discovered it's difficult to write when your kid is home on summer vacation and she's bored, bored, bored. Thanks for hanging with me! And to those who haven't reviewed but are still reading, thank you too!

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Cybertronian/Earth Time Reference:
Astrosecond/about .273 seconds
Breem / about 8 minutes
Groon/about 1 Earth hour
Orn/about 1 Earth day
Quartex/1 Earth month
Orbital Cycle/about 1 Earth year
Vorn/about 83 Earth years

Chapter 3 – Earth Campaign (Part 34) – Day 6 after the Liberation of Chicago

— Washington D.C., HHS Building - NEST Facility, 4:00 p.m. EST—

Dino wended his way slowly through heavy D.C. traffic until he finally reached the HHS/NEST gate eager to be back. During the ride from the Capitol, Sam and Carly unintentionally ignored the Autobot as they discussed Charlotte's performance in the hearings, how to pitch the new arrivals to the world, how was it possible for a senator to learn of the new Autobots and what that might mean going forward, and on a less critical note how best to deal with Sam's mother's overly-enthusiastic wedding plan ideas.

Normally the mech wouldn't mind being left out of the conversation especially when it involved discussing Sam's parents as it was not a topic he considered worth his time or effort. Today however felt different for the mech, for some reason being parked so long today seemed to increase his boredom and frustration. Usually, the hours he pretended to be a normal car were mitigated by listening in and participating with Sam and Carly during their meetings attended via the commlink in their phones or datapads.

The Capitol hearings were different. They had all agreed his participation via comms would raise far too many uncomfortable questions regarding their technology and create additional concerns about the probable implications to their national security. The U.S. government was phobic enough without giving them any more ideas. So to balance Sam's desire to keep the Cybertronians in the loop and his own nervousness of 'going it alone', he risked opening comms. To avoid complications Dino remained silent.

Dino soon learned that keeping silent was not an easy task given the tone the politicians took regarding his people. In human parlance, he was seeing red. He was actually grateful the parking lot was full and not occupied of humans so that no one would hear his grumbles and complaints. A part of him acknowledged had he participated he would've been much more professional. Still he was sure he would've been hard pressed to maintain an appropriate diplomatic demeanor in the face of such utter condescending pomposity. Even he had limits.

What surprised him more than the human leaders' pretentiousness was Director Mearing's reaction to them. Despite his initial misgivings, which stemmed from the way she initially handled NEST and the Autobots prior to the Sentinel situation, she skillfully maneuvered through each political battle like a frontline warrior, calm and cooly efficient.

At NEST Mearing was normally acerbic, abrasive, blunt and to his processor completely irritating when it came to the day-to-day management of operations. He had naturally expected she would take that tact into these hearings. She hadn't. Instead of rudely pointing out the senators' blatant and intentional misunderstandings she surprised him by navigating each meeting like a skilled diplomat. As much as he would not like to admit it, he approved of her performance. She had proved to him that she was not only intelligent but was adaptable and cunning. In effect, his opinion of her changed from that of being an annoyance to a respected ally.

Still being forced to be a silent observer in hearings that would shape the future of his people on Earth was infuriating. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in Sam and Carly or now even Director Mearing, although admittedly how could he put the fate of his people into the hands of beings he considered nothing more than children. Unfortunately they had no other choice as they were constricted by the situation itself.

Which circled his thoughts back to Prime, how was it possible for their leader to remain so calm and composed when everything seemed to be spinning wildly out of control? If the Prime had faith in these children, was it wise to doubt him? Realistically, Optimus had never failed his people, only circumstances had. In essence, Optimus's career seemed to be nothing more than an endless Kobayashi Maru, no-win scenarios. Sentinel's reaction was madness, Optimus simply forged onward doing his best to keep them alive and despite the continual cycle of tragedy and defeat, managed to give them courage and hope.

That was why Dino continued to follow the example of his Prime and volunteered for this mission. It took patience working with humans but he realized doing so was essential for the human population to eventually accept that the Autobots were different than the Decepticons. Then there was the physical reality to contend with. The size difference made access to human facilities nearly impossible so diplomatic missions were impeded simply because they couldn't attend.

True, some facilities could hold their vehicular modes but for some reason humans seemed to consider a talking car less intelligent than if they spoke to the bot directly. He complained of that once to one of the soldiers who had gratefully taken the time to explain a few of the vagaries of human stereotyping. Such as if a human wore glasses or went to college they were considered smarter but if they spoke with a Southern accent, were in the military, or even had blond hair were considered less intelligent. Glasses? Why would a device for optic adjustment indicate an increase in intelligence? Oddly enough the explanation helped, even Cybertronians had biases. He had a few of his own which had made his integration into the Autobots a challenge.

The mech shuddered as he thought about what those biases had done to their world. When he had been known as Mirage, sparked before the war into one of the nobler castes. He had enjoyed his life and thought of those times wistfully, missing only the innocence he possessed. In ignorance he had ignored the bots below him as they slaved to keep his life one of comfort and leisure, simply because he was trained to believe it their purpose, their lot in life to do so. Form was function, that was how he'd was brought up to believe, the caste was the order proscribed by Primus himself to keep their world running smoothly.

When the rebellion turned into war, it tossed everything they had known into question and their world fell into chaos. Like many within the noble castes, he joined the Autobots seeing them as the faction adhering to the will of Primus and he wanted to fight against the Decepticons.

When it became apparent Optimus was against the caste and refused to uphold those ancient laws, many of the nobles resigned, fled, or worse joined the Decepticons. They refused to fight under the banner of a Prime who seemed 'off the rails' and going against the will of Primus. Mirage had chosen to stay and if asked he couldn't say why he did, he just did.

That did not mean life was easy for him, it wasn't. Many of the lower castes within the Autobot ranks made things difficult for him simply because he was nobility and because of what they called the 'noble defection'. Others did not trust him and suspected him of aiding the Decepticons because he possessed technology that rendered him invisible. They blamed many of their defeats on him believing he leaked information to the 'Cons. Despite all those personal challenges he remained and learned to live with the jibes, insults, and sometimes physical confrontations which occurred. Then he met Dino.

Dino too was from the noble castes but unlike Mirage, was fierce and chose to fight as a front-line warrior. His prowess, courage, and temper garnered him enough respect that no one questioned his loyalty. When Mirage had been assigned to his unit, many thought Dino would off-line him because of the rumors. Surprising many, instead of killing a mech many assumed was a spy, Dino befriended him. He'd understood Mirage in a way the others hadn't and like Optimus, accepted him. From that point on, whenever Mirage was accosted or accused Dino would step in. It wasn't that he believed Mirage was incapable of defending himself it was simply Dino's lack of patience that got in the way.

Facing defeat, the remaining Autobot forces retreated to Iacon the last Autobot stronghold. During the evacuation their unit was sent to guard to the space port perimeter to hold back Decepticon forces, to prevent them from overrunning the port, so their people could escape.

War is a brutal occupation but the attacks against Iacon brought out the worst of the worst. Many good bots fell that day trying to keep the others alive and Mirage believed deep within his spark he would be one of them. Despite his fears, he used all at his disposal to combat the advancing enemy. Dino, on the other hand, simply flung himself into battle with his usual vigor seemingly unconcerned with his own survival. The shipyards were the most heavily defended Autobot installation remaining on Cybertron and they had managed to protect many of the fleeing ships, including the one they were hoping to board.

A stray shot hit Dino in the back and the mech fell to his knees severely wounded. Mirage had rushed to his side and stood over him fighting off several Decepticons who'd smelled an easy kill. Instead of boarding they were forced to continue to defend the ship. Fighting was intense and they were forced to retreat step by step towards the ship.

The bots on board helped too as they leaned out of the open air lock to fire into the Decepticons and shouted for the two mechs to board. Mirage, fearing the ship would be destroyed turned to yell at them to leave and in his distraction failed to dodge a Decepticon punch. The next thing he knew he was coming on-line in the crowded hold surrounded by a defeated and dispirited army. He checked the bots around him frantically searching for Dino. When he didn't see the red mech amongst the others around him he opened comms. When he didn't receive a response he asked those around him where Dino was. He learned the truth when many refused to meet his optics and his spark sunk. Unfortunately he wasn't given a chance to grieve.

As the ship reached Cybertronian orbit it was caught by a small Decepticon corvette. As the Decepticons boarded and attacked the demoralized troops, Mirage's grief turned into fury. He leapt into the fray as if possessed. It was that change in fighting style which encouraged the others and somehow they managed to turn the tables. They defeated their Decepticon boarders and then took the corvette, a boon, given their own vessel had been badly damaged.

It was at that point Mirage learned how vital front-liners were for their survival and out of respect for Dino and to avoid the complications that naturally surrounded him, he assumed his friend's identity. To all intents and purposes it was 'Mirage' who had off-lined that day, not Dino. Those who knew the truth said nothing, respecting the mech and after a vorn, many simply forgot.

So for 'Dino' an active front-line combat veteran to be forced to remain parked performing the part of a bit player, an observer, was the epitome of torture. Too many centuries had passed for him to resume the skill-sets he'd employed as Mirage. Even thinking about Dino's loss brought his spark low but not enough to kill the hope that maybe he was still alive out there, somewhere. For now, he would be Dino and that was all that mattered.

So Dino wrote off his current irritation to inactivity as his engine growled through the HHS gate and down the ramp eager to be back to base. As he motored into the hangar he contemplated options to shake his mood, like challenging Sideswipe to hand-to-hand or sword work and of course, there was always the possibility of allowing the twins to antagonize him into a fight. That might be fun.

As the red Ferrari glided to a smooth stop, he sniffed in annoyance when neither passenger noticed the care he'd taken in driving them here. In fact, neither human said anything as they exited. He felt his temper rise even higher at essentially being dismissed, as if he was nothing more than a servant or worse, an ordinary car. His transformation protocols hissed angrily as he transformed into his bi-pedal form to glare contemptuously at Sam and Carly as they ascended the stairs that led up to the elevated command center. As they continued up the staircase oblivious to his ire, his optics flared almost white as he clenched his fists.

One soldier on the elevated walkway paused in his work when he noticed the warrior's demeanor and asked fearfully if he was okay. To that Dino turned a baleful optic on him, an action which made the soldier take an unconscious step backwards. The move helped cool Dino's temper slightly, especially when he noted the elevated readings from the soldier that indicated fear. He forced himself to calm and replied gently, although his faux Italian accent was heavier than usual, "I'ma fine. I'ma justa tired of pretending to be an inanimate object."

Dino's optics strayed to Sam as he reached the top of the walkway and glanced back at the concerned soldier, "I am not a beautiful car, I am much, much more than that." Dino's blue optics was quite chilly when he arched a brow at Sam who at least had the decency to flush with embarrassment. The warrior nodded, content that Sam finally understood the rebuke for what it was. Then the proud warrior turned and strode away into the hangar.

Sam looked at Carly as he scrubbed his face in frustration, "Awww, damn it! I blew it with Dino, some ambassador I am."

Carly regarded the back of the retreating Autobot and then whispered to Sam, "Don't worry, let me handle this." She moved over to the railing and leaned over to call out softly to the retreating Autobot knowing what excellent hearing the Cybertronians possessed, "Dino, excuse me please, could you spare me a minute of your time?"

Dino heard the request and paused as he tried to decide on the right course of action. True, by his way of thinking, he had been greatly insulted and was well within his rights to leave but was that the right action to take? He raised his helm as he fought between injured pride, dignity, and reason. He glanced back over at the walkway and noted many of the humans there displayed various signs of tension and distress, no doubt in fear of his pending response or in the case of Sam and Carly shame because of their error.

It didn't take much for the former noble to realize yet again how inexperienced these younglings were and realistically, if he were to use a human colloquialism Sam and Carly had literally been tossed into the deep end. It was natural for the inexperienced to be thrown off balance by circumstances outside of their training. Should he be offended by inexperience and allow his temper to rule or would they be better served if he turned this into a teaching moment? He quickly came to a decision and with his helm held high and expression distant he returned to the walkway. However, that didn't mean he would let them off lightly as he asked aloofly, "Yes, signorina?"

Carly motioned for everyone to step away so they could converse privately. Once those on the walkway obliged, she motioned for Dino to come closer, "Dino, we wanted to apologize to you. I assumed you listened in on the feed from the hearings today?"

"I did," Dino responded cooly.

Carly smiled weakly and accepted he wasn't going to go easy on her, them, "Sam and I… we… hadn't expected anyone in the government to know about the new arrivals. We were caught off guard and underestimated what they're capable of. We can't keep making mistakes like these and it's rather driven us to distraction. Ignoring you was unintentional but not acceptable. I'm not expecting you to forgive us and I hope you will give us the opportunity to show you that we sincerely respect you and need your help."

She continued on, her soft tones soothing and sincere, "We need you and if you're still willing, despite our mistake today, we'd like to include you in our discussions with Optimus. We're meeting with him later tonight to talk about what happened and how to put a good spin on things. Would you attend?"

Dino's optics moved from Carly to Sam and noted that both were very sincere. Even as Sam's head which bobbed up and down, a tad too enthusiastically for his taste conveyed the emotional truth of his real feelings. Surprisingly, the display was a balm to his wounded pride and he lowered his helm graciously, "If the Prime wishes, I shall be there." The mech lowered his helm again by way of a bow as he signaled the end of the conversation and strode away from the ramp.

Sam walked up to Carly and whispered gratefully, "You are awesome. Thank you for saving my butt… again." Had Sam realized, like Carly, that Dino was fully capable of hearing their conversation he might've waited until the mech had disappeared from sight but Sam was too overwhelmed to think clearly as he moaned to his fiancée, "I swear Carly, how am I supposed to be an ambassador to them if I can't even treat them right?"

Dino smiled and relaxed as he headed down the ramp to the lower level. Sam's impassioned words affirmed his genuine desire to treat them properly and whatever damage had been caused earlier was forgiven.

Carly caught the subtle movement from the red mech and knew her efforts had not been in vain. She turned to Sam as she looped an arm through his and gently tugged him towards the door, "Why don't we get something to eat before we meet with Optimus. Oh, speaking of, text him will you to include Dino?"

As they walked, she considered the faux pas with Dino, "And Sam, if it makes you feel any better I think we're both inadequate for this task."

Sam looked down at Carly with an annoyed frown and muttered sarcastically, "Gee thanks. So you wanna explain how's that supposed to help me feel better?"

Carly shook her head realizing she'd made things worse. The move caused a lock of blond hair to finally succumb to gravity as it floated down from her carefully styled French twist to rest against her cheek. When she looked up at him she was completely unaware of the alluring picture she made. Sam wasn't and it utterly distracted him.

Carly was more concerned with soothing Sam's wounded ego to notice and was trying to apologize, "I'm sorry Sam, that's not what I meant. I just wanted you to reassure you that I feel the same way. I want us to be honest with one another, even if it means pointing out things we need to do better."

She pulled him to a stop as she looked at him pleadingly, "Politics and diplomacy is all about telling someone what you want them to hear to get what you want. Doing that in a relationship is selfish and I don't want our jobs to affect us in that way. So if I make a mistake I'd rather you tell me, do you see?"

When Sam answered with a distracted hum she blinked realizing the nature of his expression and she chided, "Really, Samuel! Now is not the time for that. Focus!"

She nodded when her abrupt words had the desired effect and he looked away sheepishly as he muttered, "Sue me for having a beautiful fiancée."

Slightly mollified she tugged on his arm gently, "Thank you and as much as I appreciate your feelings, we really should concentrate." She looked away to compose her thoughts carefully, "We were talking about your concerns as to why you were chosen to be an ambassador, remember?"

Sam closed his eyes and wondered how it was possible for such a beautiful woman to sound like his mother and answered boyishly, "Yes…." At least he had enough sense to not say mom but it was a one close though.

Sam thought he recovered nicely but hadn', instead of responding to that she focused on addressing his obvious lack of confidence, "What you need to understand is why. Why are you here? Why would Optimus choose you?"

She stopped to face him, "Think about who Optimus is for a moment. He's a leader both militarily and politically and he's certainly not a novice to either. He has enough experience to avoid making mistakes, don't you think? Which means your selection is not a mistake. I believe he chose you because he places value in trust, friendship, and loyalty more than experience alone. Look at the bots that surround him, they all have heart and loyalty. Think about Bumblebee, your friend." She puffed out air and added finally, "And if you're still worried, why not ask him?"

"I know that Carly but," Sam paused and lowered his voice so no one else could hear, "but I failed him. I let him down when he needed me the most. What if I do it again?" Sam sighed in frustration as he turned to walk towards the door in an effort to end the conversation. The doorway led into the interior of the section of the building mostly dedicated to military offices belonging to NEST and that of the Director.

Carly waited as he held open the door and entered the building. She turned to wait for him to join her but stopped him with a gentle hand on his chest as the door closed behind them, "Sam, it's about time you forgive yourself. Optimus has and you don't know for certain if you had accepted Optimus's first offer it would've prevented his death."

Sam shrugged as they walked down the hall toward the elevator, "I just keep seeing him die over and over again in my head…."

"I know," Carly looked up at him sadly, "horrific images always seem to have a way of doing that whether we like it or not. I still have nightmares about Soundwave and I can't imagine what you've gone through after being forced to endure so much."

She sighed as they came to a stop beside the elevator and leaned her head on his shoulder to whisper, "I just try to off-set my worst moments with the good things I've experienced."

She turned to face him so she could pulled his head down to hers and said lovingly, "Sam, don't you realize what an exceptional man you are? You're brave, courageous, who else would walk straight into occupied Chicago when trained military men wouldn't? Just for me?! It tells me a lot about the man I'm about to marry. It means he's brave, dedicated, and willing to do everything in his power for those he loves."

Sam looked away with embarrassment forcing Carly to change tact again as she gently turned his face back to her, "That's how I feel about you. How do you think the bots feel? Think about it Sam, you've earned their respect! They're veteran military soldiers who've been fighting a campaign that's gone on for millions of years and they respect you. You fought for them, saved them, almost died for them, they're more than allies they're your friends and family."

Sam shrugged as he reached out to select a level, "Yeah, I suppose."

Carly sighed softly in frustration, "That's why you're here! I know you don't feel you are the right man for this job but who else is there that can show humanity that the Cybertronians are more than machines. True we may not always be glib or trained politically but that's not what's important to them. Don't you see?"

The elevator chimed making Carly turn around and as the doors opened stepped inside. She turned to face Sam as he stepped in as well. Once he pushed the button for a lower level, he stepped back beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She could still feel the tension in his lean body as she snuggled into him and wondered whether she should say more or simply leave things as they were.

Sam used the reflective surface of the elevator door to look at her as he revealed his deeper fear, "Carly? What if I screw things up so badly they're asked to leave again?"

Carly sighed, "Sam, if that happens I doubt it will be because of anything we did. Look, all we can do is to do our best, that's all he's asking of us."

Sam sighed as the elevator door opened and the smell of food which wafted in made his stomach rumble embarrassingly loud. Not wishing to speak of his fears further he muttered, "Okay, okay, I get it. It's just hard to deal with at times. Man I'm hungry."

Carly shrugged as they walked forward, "At least we're not in this alone. Optimus, Bumblebee, even Dino are willing to do their best to help us." She sniffed the air delicately as she reached over and rubbed Sam's stomach and grinned to change the subject, "Hmmm, I wonder what sort of mystery meal is on today's menu."

"Well," Sam smiled, grateful of Carly's quick change in topic as well as the affectionate touch, "whatever it is, it's gotta be better than my cooking."

Carly delicately looked away and nodded as she lined up behind soldiers already queued up. Sam snorted at that, "What, you're not even going to say anything to defend my cooking?"

Carly turned and pulled him down to kiss him on the cheek, "There are many things I love about you Sam but cooking is not one of them. Come, let's hurry we don't want to miss our meeting with Optimus."

"Ouch! Nobody appreciates my cooking," he grumbled as he picked up a tray and followed behind his fiancée through the line.

Once they'd loaded their trays with food that despite vaunted jokes about military cooking being inedible was actually the opposite. Director Mearing knew if you wanted the best out of your people you treated them that way. Even the quality of the food attested to that belief and was deeply appreciated.

As the couple sat down, Sam activated his tablet to send a text to Optimus about Dino and to advise him they were eating a brief evening meal before the meeting. Once that task was done, Optimus's response was immediate and in agreement. If Director Mearing was annoyed at the inclusion of the fiery frontliner, Sam didn't care. Fences needed to be mended first and foremost. Once that was accomplished they talked about the upcoming meeting and how to be well prepared for the next hurdles to come.

— Chicago, Illinois - Accuretta Systems —

An unmarked helicopter landed carefully atop the Accuretta Building in Chicago's business district. Its massive structure survived the occupation, unlike others in the area, and was already open for business. It wasn't completely unscathed however as the scaffolding slowly creeping up its exterior attested, except that these repairs were purely cosmetic. To the elderly gentleman it mattered not as his focus was on more important matters. Once he spotted the elevator, he quickly stepped down out of the helicopter and bent over to dash to the sheltered alcove. He was not alone as a younger and even more harried-looking male assistant followed him.

Several minutes later, the temporary CEO of Accuretta Systems office desk phone buzzed. With an impatient click the line opened and the secretary blandly reported, "Mr. Brumel? I'm sorry to bother you sir but Senator Conrad is here to see you. Are you available?"

A man somewhere in his mid-30's leaned back in his seat and frowned at the phone distastefully. Rue was considered by many working here to be an adequately fine replacement for the former CEO Dylan Gould, who was considered quite a handsome man. At 6', Rue was taller and slightly more muscular than his precedessor and like Dylan, he too possessed cold blue eyes that made many shrink back in fear. As he activated the intercom he said tired annoyance, "Fine. Send him in."

Rue glanced up at a mirror which had been carefully positioned so that whoever sat at the desk could check his reflection without being obvious. He quickly smoothed his jet black hair into place before the office door opened to allow his secretary and the harried senator inside. Despite his true feelings on the senator's surprise visit, he rose from his seat with a smile and his hand outstretched, "Why Senator Conrad! I'm surprised but pleased to see you today. I thought you were supposed to be attending hearings at the Capitol?"

The senator strode up to the desk and clasped hands. Rue glanced over the senator's shoulder and watched as his secretary forcibly shoved the senator's aid out and shut the door in his face. When the door clicked she turned and her annoyed expression vanished once her eyes fell upon the CEO. With a nod she asked warmly, "Mr. Brumel, would you like me to get anything for you and the senator?"

Rue shook his head, "No thank you Carrie it's not necessary. Oh and no interruptions please."

The woman bobbed her head and tried to exit the room, unfortunately for her the senator's aid was quite determined and another quiet tussle ensued. Carrie looked back at her boss with a pleading expression and in answer he shook his head slightly. Armed with confidence the secretary turned on the aid and again pushed him none-to-gently out of the office. The CEO watched the scene passively until the noise of the encounter was silenced by the click of the closed door. He sat back in his chair and asked the senator appraisingly, "So, Ted, how can I help you today?"

The senator frowned at the informal use of his name but instead of rebuking a much needed contributor, he brushed aside his annoyance to remark, "I thought you told me I was the only one who had access to that information but Mearing knew! How is that possible unless you were…."

"Really," Rue tried his best not to sound sarcastic and by the senator's reaction knew he'd failed. Instead of amending his behavior he chided the senator humorously, "She's not only the Director of National Intelligence, she's in charge of the aliens, it was easy to assume she'd find out. Did you really come all this way to ask me that when a phone call would've sufficed?"

Senator Conrad's face reddened with anger offended at Rue's cavalier attitude but before he could rebuke him, Rue explained, "Going forward all this means is we don't underestimate the director in acquiring intelligence. As to the aliens… we can't underestimate them either. I think they must've known our technology would've spotted the new arrivals and no doubt covered their butts… if they even have butts." Rue chuckled slightly at his juvenile humor but quickly went on noting the senator was unamused by it, "So they're probably spinning these new arrivals as, I don't know, maybe adding more safety or what-have-you for our planet. The thing is, we know otherwise don't we Senator Conrad?"

The gentleman blinked and frowned, "Well, of course, yes but…."

"So, all we need to keep in mind is that these robots are very sneaky. We need to be ready for whatever they throw next at us. I think it would better for our country if you returned to Washington and worked on garnering more support against them. We have to convince people these robots are a threat. My teams here will do our best to continue to track them. If there is any change or new information we discover, I will contact you."

Senator Conrad quickly changed tactics realizing that it might not do to upset a lucrative donor, "You're right, I must admit her lack of surprise gave me concern."

Rue shrugged and smiled, "It's understandable but I wouldn't worry about it. I believe revealing what you knew was necessary to flush them out and prove to the world exactly what we're dealing with. It won't take long for public sentiment to turn completely against them. I mean, what do they expect we'd do with them massing an army on the moon?"

Rue leaned forward encouragingly, "Senator Conrad, you're our only hope in keeping the aliens from finding a safe haven here on earth."

The CEO rose to his feet and motioned for the senator to rise, "Your absence may raise too many questions and detract from our purpose here. Accuretta Systems provides military defense technology and they might mistake your presence here as that of being more of a war mongerer than a defender of our world. You should have a ready explanation as to why you needed to take a quick jaunt to Chicago."

Rue paused mid-way to the door to wait for the senator to join him.

Ted rose to his feet and stared out of the window for a moment. There wasn't much of a view as that window was covered in scaffolding but that wasn't why he paused. He was used to power and demanded respect, even from those who funded him. It wouldn't do for those who contributed to his campaign to believe they had power over him.

He turned to the younger man and said with composed dignity, "Mr. Brumel, I'm no junior senator. All was in place prior to my arrival. It is well known that there are several individuals and businesses funding my campaign here in Chicago and since elections are coming up, it would make sense to come calling. Speaking of, do I assume I can still rely upon you and the Accuretta Corporation to contribute towards my reelection?"

Rue nodded as he plastered a smile on his face, "Of course, Senator Conrad," as he lifted his hand to shake the senator's. "You will have my vote as well as a healthy, but very legal, donation to add to your war chest."

"Thank you Mr. Brumel and congratulations by the way. Mr. Gould's absence as CEO was no doubt a shock and he will be sorely missed. However, I believe the company will benefit greatly under your management, let us hope the board will soon make your temporary position here as CEO, permanent."

"It is my hope as well, we shall see how the vote goes," Rue answered honestly as the senator nodded. Rue opened door, "Thank you Ted. Carrie? Please see the Senator out." Both men nodded as the senator strode confidently out of the office.

Rue overheard the senator's aid complaining softly as they walked away, "I'm sorry sir, I tried to join you but his secretary wouldn't let me in." Rue didn't wait to hear the senator's answer as he shut the door and returned to his desk.

A hissing sound emitted from a small stereo system on the bookshelf beside the desk, "It's a stupid name."

Rue looked up, "What? His or mine?"

"Yours. You do realize you picked a femme's name didn't you?"

"I… What? No, I picked Rue as in 'rue the day'," Rue argued.

"It's still a femme's name," the stereo laughed tauntingly.

Rue flushed with embarrassment, "Oh just shut up, will you? I was in a hurry." Rue grumbled quietly to himself as he walked back to his desk and slumped into his seat.

"Well, you'd better be more careful than that cause we can't afford the Autoscum to sniff us out," the hissing stereo quickly transformed into Buzzsaw, one of Soundwave's mini-cassettes.

"How? Soundwave's gone, so they'll probably assume we're off-lined too. Besides, they're too busy trying to save their own afts then try to waste time trying to track us down," Rue muttered and then he stiffened when the door opened a crack. Buzzsaw silently transformed back into a stereo as Carrie entered the office timidly.

"Uh, excuse me, Mr. Brumel? I'm sorry to disturb you but I wanted to let you know that Senator Conrad and his aid have left. If you don't need me for anything else, it's 4:30…," the young woman looked at her new boss hopefully.

'Rue' was about to bark snidely at her, 'yeah, how about jumping off the roof while you're at it' instead he answered gently, "Thank you Carrie. There's nothing left today that requires your immediate attention. Why don't you go on home and enjoy your weekend. By the way, you've been a great help this week."

The assistant's eyes sparkled and she flushed at the complement, "Oh, thank you sir. Well, uhm, have a good night and have a nice weekend." She shut the door behind her. Rue and Buzzsaw waited until the cassette indicated she'd left the floor.

The stereo transformed and then glided to land on top of the large desk. He eyed Rue with distaste, "She was flirting with you and you… you encouraged it? That's disgusting."

Rue barked, "Hey, I do what I have to, to make this work. I don't see you trying to run this ant hill wearing slag like this, do I?"

The dark-haired man regarded the computer screen before him as he paged through data, "You know Soundwave was much better at this stuff than any of us were, so stop bugging me. It's bad enough he's gone but adapting to pretender code to survive?!" He shuddered and bared his teeth as he stared at his upraised hand and hissed, "Disgusting is right."

Finally Rue straightened and turned a calculating optic at his fellow mini-cassette, "So, Buzzsaw, you're gonna to adjust to a new mode too buddy."

Buzzsaw's optics widened in horror as he hopped backwards to the edge of the large desk, "Rumble, don't you even think about making me take a human form!"

Rumble leaned back in his seat and smirked as he pulled up a screenshot of a bird-like surveillance drone. It had a streamlined head and arched metal struts bent in the shape of wings, "It's that or this."

Buzzsaw hopped tentatively closer and then looked at the screen. His small angled helm swung back to Rumble as he scoffed, "That?! Are you serious?! What for?"

Rumble shrugged, "Face it, without the boss to protect us we have to have better disguises. If you're not gonna use a pretender mode like me then you need a mode that doesn't attract attention or can be recognized by the Autoscum. They knew Lazerbeak's mode so it won't be that much of a stretch for those bolts for brains to put two and two together."

Rumble paged through several images on his desktop, "This is actually one of several different prototype designs Accuretta Systems was working on for the government. It'll be easy to explain because several other defense contractors are pitching the same idea, the concept being if it 'looks like a bird' it will be easily overlooked in the field. So, we set you up with one these prototype modes and I can explain your presence as field testing."

"Of course," Rumble regarded his cohort suggestively as he flicked another image up onto the screen. It was the image of a beautiful human woman, "You could keep suspicions at bay by becoming my femme, whaddya say?"

It didn't take long before the mini-cassette quickly transformed into the first piece of art, a metal raptor. His angular black head and yellow optics gleamed as he snapped his silvery beak at Rumble making the pretender laugh, "Yeah, it was too much to ask for. Hey, yellow looks good on you buddy."

"I'd rather kiss an Autobot's aft," Buzzsaw growled.

Rumble laughed, "I'd love to see that!" Buzzsaw hopped back onto the bookshelf as he tried to get used to his mode. With silvery pedes he hopped and turned around to transform back into the stereo as he muttered a stream of curse words in Cybertronian.

The little mech finally stopped complaining and the office fell into silence as Rumble worked on his desktop. With a small punch to the desk Rumble grumbled, "I'm not wired to handle this! Why'd Soundwave let that fragging mini-bot slag his aft?!"

"Yeah, I miss the boss too," the stereo answered sorrowfully. "Rumble? You know he'd be proud of you for picking up where he left off."

"I hope so," Rumble scratched his chin. "With so many of us gone we didn't have much of a choice. First Frenzy, then Ravage, now Laserbeak and Soundwave? All that's left is you and me."

"You forgot Ratbat," the stereo hissed.

"Oh no I didn't," Rumble growled.

"He's still our brother. Don't you think we contact him, I know he's better at this stuff than either of us."

Rumble shook his head, "No way! I never trusted him and I know for a fact Soundwave didn't either. Why do you think he refused to take Ratbat back after the council fell? Ratbat disobeyed orders and that almost cost Soundwave his life. He's lucky his punishment was to work for Shockwave."

Buzzsaw asked clearly confused, "That doesn't make any sense why didn't Soundwave just kill him?"

Rumble looked up and shrugged, "Don't know. Soundwave never said. Maybe he thought Ratbat was still his and hoped Shockwave might knock some sense into him? Or maybe he hoped Shockwave would kill him. I dunno, you know Soundwave he was never one to share a lot with any of us, not after Ratbat betrayed him."

Buzzsaw transformed and glided back onto the desk, "True. So, what are we gonna do Rumble? What happens if the humans who served Soundwave turn on us? Or worse let the Autoscum know we're here?"

Rumble looked up looking utterly defeated and alone, "I don't know. I guess we just try to survive. Somehow."

Buzzsaw angled his newly redesigned helm, "And the Decepticons?"

Rumble snorted as he voiced his lack of confidence, "What about 'em? Like they've ever done anything for us when Soundwave wasn't around to bash in their helms? I say we play it safe and see who takes over. Our first priority is to stay alive."

Buzzsaw nodded, "And the Autobots? You know Optimus always went on and on about peace. Maybe they might protect us."

Rumble growled, "Really? You'd put your spark in the servos of the mechs who killed Soundwave? Look, the only reason I'd join the Autobots would be to get close enough to Bumblebee to off-line him." The human pretender clenched his fists, "But what chance do I have in taking out the bot that killed Soundwave?"

The hawk-like cassette shocked his comrade, "Rumble, face facts, we were at war and we had to go where Soundwave told us. It's not likely the Decepticons will ever recover, not without Megatron and if that's the case then the war is over. Do you really want us to spend the rest of our lives on the run?"

The simulacrum regarded his companion with a sneer, "That slagging Autobot killed Frenzy, Ravage, Laserbeak AND Soundwave! Would you really let all that slide just to save your own aft? Really?! I never realized what a coward you were!"

Buzzsaw shook his angled helm and seemed to sink onto his tiny pedes, "I'm not. I'm just being realistic, practical. Think about it, what did revenge ever do for Megatron? It destroyed our world and billions of our people. Did it help our cause? No. Megatron's insanity killed more of us than the Autobots ever did. I don't wanna watch you die simply because you want revenge on a stupid mech like Bumblebee. Face facts. He's bigger than either of us and even if we worked together we'd still end up being slagged just like the rest. So, no, I don't want to lose you and if that makes me a coward, well then… frag you!"

With that the little metal bird of prey turned its back on Rumble and hopped back over to his perch on the bookshelf and transformed.

Rumble ran his hands through his hair in frustration and embarrassment, "I uh, never knew you cared. I always thought it was just you and Beaky and the rest of us could go frag ourselves."

The stereo mumbled, "Well, what did you expect? You and Frenzy always treated us like we were stupid and worthless."

Rumble would've been horrified at how expressive human faces were as his inner-most emotions streaked across his face. Confusion followed by shame and then regret, "Yeah, I guess we were pretty obnoxious. All that time spent fighting a war so bots would take us for what we were at spark and we don't even give you two the same respect. Slag, Buzzsaw, for what it's worth? I'm sorry."

Silence descended over the room as the stereo transformed back into a raptor and glided back down to the desk. When the human refused to look up, Buzzsaw hopped closer and nudged the human with his beak, "What's past is past. Unlike Starscream, we learn from our mistakes, right brother?"

Rumble looked up and ran a hand over the metal wing gently stroking the streamlined appendage feeling warmth within his spark as he swallowed, "Yeah, you got it brother."

Buzzsaw looked up into Rumble's blue eyes, "You're all that's left so I don't want you to be reckless. We have to assume the humans know Soundwave's gone and will challenge us because they'll think we're weaker without him and they're right. We just have to be smarter than they are. All I'm suggesting is we consider all options, even the Autobots…."

"But Bumblebee," Rumble started to argue.

"Is just one lucky fragger is all I'm saying," Buzzsaw interrupted, "and we could use a little of that kind of luck, don't you think? I'm not saying we run to the Autobots now but if comes down to survival we consider it as an option. There's a human saying, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer' right? So if our 'friends' try to slag us, we go to the Autobots. Like you said, it's all about survival."

"I've been such an aft, you're a smart slagger, you know that," Rumble shook his head as a dawning respect grew in his spark.

"Yeah but you're still my brother," Buzzsaw chuckled. "There are just some things you learn to put up with."

Rumble vented heavily, "Tell me about it. Frenzy wasn't the easiest bot to get along with either but yeah, what you say makes sense. Okay. We salvage what we can of Soundwave's enterprise and if that fails… we go to the Autobots."

Rumble returned to look at his computer and then looked up at the metallic raptor with a calculating gleam in his eyes, "And, since you're smarter than I gave you credit for, you can help me with this slag."

Buzzsaw drew back and batted his wings to retreat, "Oh no, I never said I was that smart."

Rumble looked at his brother affectionately, "Coward."

Buzzsaw hopped off the desk to fly back to his perch on the shelf and gave him a beaky smile, "When it comes to paperwork, you bet I'm a coward!"

Rumble simply shook his head and laughed as he turned back to his computer to make sense of Soundwave's empire.

— Washington, D.C., Warehouse District —

A limousine entered a large fenced-in parking lot which surrounded a decrepit looking warehouse covered in gang territorial markings. Weeds and cracked pavement added to the shabbiness of the ancient looking building. Despite its ramshackle appearance, a black streamlined vehicle drove up to and around the building back to where the loading docks were located.

If one were to examine the building carefully they might note cleverly disguised and weathered security cameras that tracked the limousine from quadrant to quadrant. When the sleek car pulled to a stop in front of one of the loading bay doors it went up quickly, decrying the apparent age of the portal pausing only long enough to allow the sedan to pull inside before it quickly lowered back into place.

Had anyone noticed the oddity of a limousine pulling into an obviously abandoned building they might've raised a few questions. There were no observers because the warehouse's location made it less than accessible, banked by a canal and tucked into a cul-de-sac in one of the more abused sections of Washington D.C. Between the location and the intentionally placed gang artwork it was enough of a deterrent to keep the curious at bay.

Had someone truly wished to brave that and force their way inside, they would have been met with state of the art security and security forces, not that that had ever happened. The team which set up this location was exceptionally shrewd and with suitable financial arrangement, said gang allowed the facility to continue to do business unimpeded. It was a mutually satisfactory arrangement, for now.

Director Theodore Galloway stepped out of his car feeling every inch a man in control and power. The only change in his expression came when he noticed a gaggle of scientists huddled around the back of the semi which supposedly contained the last surviving prototype. His expression grew dark when he noted both agitation and fear as several of them tried to halt his progress, assaulted by a babble of noise as each lab coated specialist tried to explain what happened.

Annoyed beyond endurance he barked, "Will you shut up and let me through? NOW!"

Several timidly stepped aside, as he passed through the pseudo-barricade he noted the trailer door was open and the driver was pinned up against the side of it with security pointing their weapons at him.

Galloway closed his eyes for a moment realizing quickly what had transpired. He chided himself for not taking better precautions but he hadn't expected Director Mearing or the Autobots to go against a Presidential order. He should've known better.

He walked over to the trailer and looked inside. He surprised those around him by easily pulling himself up into the opening. Many were not expecting the director to be as athletic as he was and a part of him smirked until he saw the bits and pieces on the wooden floor. He looked up as one of the scientists who bravely stepped forward and asked, even though he knew what the answer would be, "Where's the rest of it?"

The scientist met the cold fury of the director placidly, believing he had the Director's respect, "That's all that was loaded into the trailer. They had it in their possession for at least 5 days, maybe longer. Did you honestly expect them to return it to us as is without tampering with it or removing their technology?"

Galloway met the placid look and shocked those in attendance, "Truthfully? Yes. I'd hoped Mearing would have more respect for Presidential decrees but I should've realized that doesn't include aliens."

Theodore knelt and picked up random pieces but couldn't tell if they were damaged. He rose to his feet and ordered tiredly, "Alright. I want you to analyze what's left but first check for trackers. Then I want a list of our tech that's missing. Let's see if there's anything we can salvage from this disaster."

The director ignored a soldier who held his hand out to help him out of the trailer. With a graceful leap he landed onto the pavement and walked over to where the driver stood.

"You," one of the security guards turned and nodded as Galloway jerked his head, "bring him to security, we're going to have a talk."

The driver Sideswipe had humorously nicknamed 'Skippy' was in reality Sergeant Mike Dobson. He swallowed at the threat in Galloway's voice as perspiration continued to darken his armpits. He stayed pinned against the trailer and wondered what sort of questions the director was going to ask. Not that there was much he could answer, he hadn't abandoned the trailer when the cargo was loaded. So, whatever had happened must've been done prior to loading.

It made more sense now that he thought about it. He had wondered at the time why Sideswipe had offered him a chance to join NEST and why there had been an edge to the alien's tone. At first he wrote it off as the robot simply being 'alien'. Now he understood. Sideswipe had known there would trouble with the load and as a result Mike would be made to suffer for it. He didn't know whether to be furious or grateful at the Corvette.

If he survived this, he thought as he stared at the weapons pointed at his chest. Presidential Cabinet members were rumored to be both swift and vindictive in retaliation, but to murdering soldiers? If he was lucky to leave this facility alive, would Galloway kill his career instead? He'd read the news. Several high-ranking officers who bucked against the administration were now were paying the price; forced to retire and at a lower rank.

Still, this was only theory, he thought as he waited for the security to allow him to move. He wasn't fresh out of boot and had planned on being career military. He was trained to handle difficult situations, just not ones that came from his own government.

He jumped slightly when one of the security detail yelled unnecessarily at him, "Put your hands behind your head!" The other barely waited for Mike's hands to secure behind him when he was roughly grabbed and pushed toward the interior offices.

As he marched forward to where he hoped was the security office, he thought about the media covering the aliens. It didn't take a genius to determine that whatever he picked up probably had something to do with them. Sideswipe, as an alien, seemed to be pretty cool but the media portrayed them as nothing more than either violent terrorists or warring factions that brought their conflict to an unsuspecting Earth.

The damage sustained was undeniable but did that prove they were violent killers? There were far too many examples in humanity's own history which proved that when diplomacy failed the conflict that ensued, right or wrong, resulted in destruction of some type. He believed he was a reasonable man and was careful when he made decisions. Sometimes, right and wrong was easy to discern but this? He'd seen the news reports and also the interviews with the new alien ambassadors. The way Sideswipe treated him? All raised enough doubt in his mind to keep him from leaping to conclusions and until he had more information it was safer to keep his head down and hope for the best. What else could he do?

The small armed contingent marched to the side of the building where the hard-walled security offices were located. Galloway strode ahead and entered a corridor and then opened the first door that led to a room that would've done a Hollywood police drama justice. Without fanfare, Director Galloway took a seat at a plain grey table and motioned to the chair opposite him. The walls were either a faded white or a very pale grey. One wall sported a giant mirror which was obviously one-way glass, definitely a room designed for questioning. Mike only had one question, why would they need a room like this? What sort of program had he stumbled into?

One of the security guards none-to-gently pushed Mike into a chair as the other stepped back. The driver looked over at his guards and noted that the only reason for that kindness was so he could level his weapon at Mike's head. Nice.

Mike blinked and swallowed as he turned his head to look at the director who'd just cleared his throat in annoyance. Galloway leaned over to get a better look at the driver's name tag, "So, I take it you're Dobson? Correct? I want you to tell me what your orders were and then give me a step by step explanation of what happened today until you pulled into this building."

Sergeant Dobson nodded and leaned back to sit up straight in the chair, "Yes sir. I received orders today from the motor pool officer to pick up a load from the HHS Facility, the NEST alien compound specifically. No other information was given. I was to retrieve the 'undefined' material, make sure it was securely loaded and drive it here. I was not authorized to make any stops once I picked up the material. Because of the unusual requirements, I made sure the truck was fueled and had passed its most recent maintenance check to avoid any mechanical failures."

With another breath, the sergeant continued, "I drove straight to HHS and entered the NEST alien compound and was met by human security and two aliens. Once I passed security, one of the trailer's tires was flat. I waited for NEST's maintenance to come and replace it. Once that was done, I was escorted inside the building, to the robot area where two robots placed materials I could not identify into the trailer. I secured the materials as best I could and locked it. I left the facility and made no stops other obeying appropriate traffic laws until I pulled into this facility. That is all, sir."

Director Galloway nodded, "I see. Was anything said to you?"

Dobson met Galloway's stare as he did his DI's in basic and as calmly as possible reported, "Nothing of import other than a basic maintenance conversation."

Galloway's eyes narrowed and Dobson wondered if Galloway figured out he'd left out information, "I assume, being the professional soldier that you are, you thoroughly checked out the vehicle before driving it to NEST, including the tires?"

Dobson answered, "Yes sir. As I said, I inspected the vehicle. The cab and trailer passed maintenance. The tires were not new but that's not unusual and they appeared to be in good condition. It's likely I picked up a nail on the way."

Galloway's response was overly sarcastic, "A nail? Really? Do you have the tire with you?"

Dobson blinked confused for a moment and then realized the bureaucrat probably didn't know regulations, "No sir. Maintenance won't repair damaged tires because they're considered a safety risk so they were destroyed. Maintenance was following standard military procedure."

Galloway's eyes to narrowed, "I'm sure they did. Okay, I've heard enough. Take your truck and get the hell out of here." With an annoyed jerk of his head Galloway looked up at the security obviously indicating to them they should escort the sergeant out.

Mike didn't take much encouragement as he rose and saluted, "Yes sir!" With calm strides he left the security area encircled by his escort until he reached his vehicle. Once he make sure the trailer was empty, he closed the large doors and returned to the cab. With a rumble and snort of engine and air compression systems he drove as quickly as he could out of the building. He would wait and see what sort of reception he would receive from the motor pool's OIC.

Back inside the building, Director Galloway rose to his feet and paced the interrogation room as he dialed a number on his phone, "Janice? This is Ted. Please advise the President the device was tampered with and disassembled, it worthless and we're going to have to start again."

He disconnected that line and dialed another, waited and then growled into the device, "Mearing? This is Galloway, we need to talk."

— HHS/NEST Facility (4:30 p.m.) —

Charlotte leaned back in her chair with a groan as she dropped her phone and then her glasses onto the desk. She rubbed her face tiredly and asked in a loud voice, "Frankie? You still here?"

The director grinned slightly when she heard a small groan from her assistant from the other side of the wall. Her voice was slightly muffled and then grew in strength as Francine walked into Charlotte's office, "Yes, Director Mearing. How can I help you?"

With her head back and eyes still closed Charlotte mumbled, "You don't happen to possess any magical talents I'm aware of? Or know any ancient Chinese secrets I could use?"

Francine frowned as she glanced quickly over the top of Charlotte's desk to make sure the director hadn't been drinking. When the desk sported nothing other than the usual she quipped, "Just because I'm Asian doesn't mean I'm great at Kung-Fu, excel at math, or spout wisdom to equal Confucius."

"Ah," Charlotte popped up in her seat and waved her hand as if to scrub away the comment, "I didn't mean to cause offense, I received another call from Galloway…."

"Oh," Francine quickly interrupted with understanding, "well in that case, I wish I did."

Charlotte rubbed her forehead feeling a headache starting to form, "Yeah, me too. Galloway's putting up a fuss about his returned equipment. I expect he's called or will be calling the White House so expect calls from them shortly." Francine nodded and waited for the director to continue.

Charlotte rubbed her face again, if there had been any makeup, it would've been wiped off or smudged beyond repair, regardless Francine winced at the abuse. Charlotte arched a brow knowing exactly what her assistant was thinking, "Frankie, there are no face creams this planet has that can fix my wrinkles so why bother."

"Now, back to business," Charlotte frowned thoughtfully, "I'll probably be meeting with Optimus when the POTUS calls. Let him know I'm talking with the Prime about matter and discussing the terms and finer points of the treaty definitions regarding 'weapons' to see if it's possible to retrieve Galloway's technology…."

"Really," Francine let slip before she realized it and then flushed at the mistake.

"Of course not," Charlotte glanced at her watch, frowned, then picked up her glasses and put them back on. She checked her watch again and grunted as she began to quickly gather up her things for her meeting with Optimus.

When she'd stuffed her paperwork into a briefcase she looked up, "I saw the device. It was a kludge of mostly Cybertronian tech with a little of ours thrown in. It was garbage. Seriously, I can't see how anyone could call that our technology with a straight face. Anyway, Optimus isn't the type to violate our agreement without due cause or at the very least stretching it to the point of breaking. Honestly, I've never met a more honest but cunning, very cunning, politician in my life."

"Unfortunately for us the White House is caught between a rock and a hard place. A small segment of public sentiment, thanks to Sam and Carly, is starting to turn slightly in the bot's favor. The President is trying to dance a fine line between that and safety. Our job is to help him do that."

As soon as Charlotte had all of her things stowed in her briefcase her stomach rumbled loudly making the director curse, "Aw, I forgot to eat."

At that Francine smiled and left the director's office. Several seconds later she returned with a brown paper sack and a large bottle of water. Charlotte's brows rose as the lovely fragrance of a French dip sandwich brushed her nostrils, "Oh I love you!"

At Francine's sour expression Charlotte amended, "Figure of speech! Sheesh woman lighten up or this job's gonna kill you!"

Francine blinked and retorted, "That's why I stay. If I die the life insurance policy the government provides is enough to set my parents up for life."

Charlotte snorted in surprise, "Good one."

Francine shrugged, still on a roll, "And it certainly doesn't hurt that I work on a base full of fit men in uniform."

Charlotte laughed as she adjusted her load, plucked the bag from Francine's hands and then settled her water into place, "I'm glad to see you're finally feeling relaxed around me." Then Charlotte's expression chilled, "Don't do it again."

The shock and worry that crossed Francine's face caused Charlotte to laugh, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. But seriously, don't do that around officials or they'll lose all kinds of respect and fear of me."

"Understood, Director Mearing," Francine responded professionally.

With a brisk nod Charlotte swept out of the office leaving a sagging assistant behind.

And then the phone rang.

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Maggie and Hui, along with Hui's security detail ambled their way to the dining hall, "So, when are you gonna tell me about this Romero guy?"

Hui flushed slightly, "He was assigned as a guard and would make sure I made it to and from my apartment without incident. He was also assigned to drive the truck should we need to evacuate the assembly facility.

Maggie smirked, "So he was good at multi-tasking hm? Is he good at pashing too?" Hui simply stared at the taller woman blankly who immediately amended, "Kissing."

The smaller woman flushed brightly which made Maggie burst out in laughter. The sound attracted a lot of attention as they stood in line which added to Hui's embarrassment. It took Maggie a few more snorts before she could calm herself enough speak, "Oh! You've gotta see the look on your face. You need to take jokes better than that, especially around here."

The smaller woman looked away as she ran her fingers through her shoulder-length hair tidying it to compose herself, "You are… an interesting woman Maggie."

Maggie shrugged, "Eh, we aren't a bunch of stiffs around here, that's for sure. You need to learn to relax." The blond passed her a tray and then picked up one for herself.

Hui shook her head as she set her tray besides Maggie's on the support bars attached to the counter, "Would you allow me a little more time? I've only been here a day and I'm not used to working with such flamboyant personalities."

Maggie smiled, "Flamboyant? Me? Not in the least but alright, I'll give you a day or two." There were several nearby who chuckled and several sent Hui a few considering looks, some appraising, some simply of understanding.

Hui's almond eyes darted around the room feeling embarrassed and conspicuous as she asked her companion softly, "Do you always talk this loudly in public?"

Maggie paused and turned, clearly considering the statement and then asked innocently, "Oh? I was talking loudly?" That question unfortunately provoked more chuckles from the soldiers in line to which Maggie shrugged and then winked at Hui, "Come on, ignore 'em. Let's go get a table… where I can talk more softly."

With their trays full, Hui turned to face a rather large and intimidating dining area. She flushed when she realized nearly every male in the room seemed to be staring at them. She swallowed and then looked up gratefully when Maggie nudged her, "Hey, I think I see a table over there!"

For some reason in this odd environment any confidence she had seemed to evaporate. She reminded herself of her accomplishments and straightened as she looked at Maggie's back to avoid the stares. As she did, it amused her a bit at the mental image they no doubt provoked.

As if viewing them from afar she saw Maggie, a long-legged blond beauty being trailed by a petite rather non-descript Chinese woman. It wasn't that Hui was being hard on herself, she wasn't. It was simply a different perspective, in China she blended in. On the Chinese scale of appeal she was considered average, not too plain but not a beauty either.

As they walked to an open table, she took furtive looks at the men around her and realized with a start that not all of them were looking at Maggie. It was becoming quite clear to her that in America, at least at this facility, things would be completely different for her.

She had been told the Western eye regarded Asian women differently and perhaps that was the case. Was it possible that in America she was considered beautiful? She snorted softly, as if that really mattered. In the sciences it was not the beauty of one's face but the beauty of one's mind that was important. With her priorities firmly in place, her confidence returned as she set her tray down across from Maggie. That was until a familiar figure entered the room.

Maggie turned in her seat when she noticed Hui's frozen expression and tried to see what the cause was. She smiled when she saw a rather tall Hispanic soldier who paused in line. Maggie turned in her seat with a smirk on her face and cleared her throat to get the woman's attention. Hui quickly sat down and picked up her napkin to hide her discomfort.

Maggie leaned over and lowered her voice in an attempt to be sensitive and asked, "So, is that him? Is that the guard you were telling me about?"

Hui's complexion flushed again as she nodded, "Yes, that's him, Sergeant Cordero."

Maggie glanced over her shoulder as the soldier made his way through the buffet line and whistled slightly, "Wow, you've got good taste there mate! Nice one he is!"

"Please," Hui begged making Maggie turn, "I…."

Maggie waved her hand, "No worries, I get ya, change in topic then?"

"I would be most grateful," Hui answered as her gaze flicked up again to track the movement of the guard.

Maggie nodded and grinned lopsidedly, "So. You mentioned earlier when you bolted Chicago you never got a chance to get your things. I guess that means that's all you've got to wear, what you've got on I mean, right?"

Hui regarded her friend and nodded, "Yes, unfortunately the warehouse and Chicago were attacked at the same time. Romero felt it was more prudent to escape the city. We were afraid we were next."

Maggie hummed as she watched Hui's eyes flick up again, "That must've been pretty scary. Well, you're safe now and the 'Con's are in hiding, so why don't we go to your apartment tonight. See if it's still standing and pick up your stuff?"

Hui looked at Maggie hopefully, "Really," and then her face fell, "what about my security escort?"

Maggie smiled, "Oh, I don't think we'll have to worry about that much longer."

As Maggie finished her sentence a green form appeared at her shoulder and a deep voice asked politely, "May we sit here?"

Hui looked up and flushed again slightly, "Uh…."

Maggie turned in her seat and looked up at Romero and then saw Jake standing next to him regarding her hopefully, "Hey Jake how ya doin mate? Yeah, sure why not!"

With a none-to-subtle nudge Jake pushed Romero over to Hui's side of the table as he rushed to place his tray next to Maggie's, "Hey! I'm good! I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been?"

Maggie shook her head and regarded the man seated beside her, "True enough, Jake. I've been good. So, who's your mate?" Maggie didn't wait as she turned to Romero and made a point of examining him severely.

Romero met the woman's gaze impassively as he nodded, "Romero Cordero."

Maggie shorted, "Oh your ma must've hated you to give you a name like that!"

"Maggie," Hui chided and regarded the woman with a slightly mortified expression.

Romero shook his head as he smiled down at Hui, "No, that's alright, I got worse in school." Then he looked up at Maggie, "Unfortunately for me. my mother loved Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliette' and my father was too much in love to care. You get used to it."

Maggie nodded, "Yeah, parents. Gotta love 'em. So, Jake? You and Cordy here got plans this evening?"

Jake grinned, "Cordy… hmmm not bad! Much better than the one I came up with huh, Rome-eo?"

Romero ignored him and started to eat so he could covertly examine his companion. He noticed she was still wearing the same clothes she'd worn when they fled. He stabbed a few green beans with his fork in frustration. He caught her looking at him and smiled. What bothered him most was how tired she looked.

Jake tried to act calm but inside he felt like his heart was hammering loud enough for Maggie to hear it as he answered hopefully, "No, our shift is over. And the answer is no, why?"

"Oh, well, my mate here bolted without a stitch except what she's got on," Maggie explained as she waved her fork over at Hui who looked up at Jake. "I was thinkin' we could go by her place and pick up her things and if not, go do some emergency shopping. I doubt the director'd mind."

Jake frowned, his personality visibly changed into that of the professional soldier he was, "You're probably right but we should still ask. As soon as we're done eating I'll head up to the command center. If the director isn't here we can check with the OIC."

"Great!" Maggie said happily and then turned to Hui, "But if they say no, you could give me your keys and I can pick up your things…."

"No!" Romero sharp order initerrupted and startled the entire table, "Visiting her apartment without clearing it is not safe for any of us. We don't know who attacked the facility and whoever did had to have been following staff to find the location and that includes Hui. My guess is that whoever is responsible is still be watching her place. I think we should send in a team to clear it before anyone goes there."

"Oh wow, paranoid much," Maggie scoffed and pulled back when Romero glared at her.

"Someone warned us right before the attack. That's how we managed to get clear in time. If we hadn't, we'd be dead. Advanced warning means someone," he held up a finger, "'a' had to know what was going on and 'b' found out about the attack ahead of time. That type of intelligence doesn't come cheaply and isn't random. It suggests someone was not only monitoring us but monitoring them too. Until we have a better idea of who or what we're dealing with I'd rather keep Hui… ahem, Dr. Chen safe."

Jake leaned back in his seat and hummed thoughtfully. Finally he nodded, "I'll let the colonel know and as for the doctor here. Why don't we skip the apartment and use the company card to buy her what she needs."

Jake noticed the woman seated beside Romero seemed to shrink. It saddened him to see a woman afraid and decided to change the tone of the conversation. With a mischievous quirk of a smile he grinned at Maggie, "Hey Maggs, look at Cordy will ya? Does he look more like a Cordy or a Rome-eo?"

Maggie was busy considering the larger picture when Jake's question nudged her back into the conversation, "Hmm?"

Jake shook his head, "Which is a better nickname Cordy or Rome-eo?"

"Ah," she said and then turned to look at Romero thoughtfully, "well, he's a looker I'll give you that." Romero sighed and looked down to cut the slice of meat on his plate and froze when Maggie turned to Hui to ask, "I dunno, what do you think Hui?"

Hui picked up her beverage and regarded the pair seated before her. It was not hard to see they were both trying to lighten the conversation and sadly Romero was their current target. She turned to look at her companion and noticed for the first time he had a slight flush to his cheeks and demurred, "I was never good at giving people nicknames."

He swallowed and retorted dryly, "I didn't realize I had a choice in the matter." When Maggie and Jake shook their heads grinning he muttered, "I figured as much. Since neither of you seem interested in my opinion, I would say to Dr. Chen that I prefer Cordero."

Maggie yelled out, "Hah! Cordy it is then."

Cordero groaned and continued to pay more attention to his plate as Jake leaned slightly over to Maggie, "Fine, you win. This time…."

Maggie shoved him back, "Easy there big guy, that wasn't an invitation. So," then she smacked herself against the head with her hand, "I bet that means Cordy here hasn't got any clothes either! Looks like we're gonna be a shopping foursome."

Jake smiled, "Yeah, I like the sound of that."

"Good," Maggie grinned, "because you'll take Cordy and I'll take Hui." Maggie laughed when Jake's face fell, "Oh man you're too easy ya know that, right?"

Romero snorted, "Don't tell him that, you'll only encourage him. But it's true I do need some fresh clothes."

Hui lowered her head slightly as she daintily pushed at her food. She placed her fork down, appetite gone after considering the how they'd gotten into this situation in the first place, "I agree with Romero. I do need clean clothing as well as many other personal items. I've even lost my purse and computer in all the chaos so I have no money, driver's license…."

Maggie looked over at Hui's plate, "Ah, don't worry about that, hun. Just try to eat a little something and then we'll go see the officer in charge. No point in discussing things further until we know what our options are."

With nods of assent the group resumed eating except for Hui who took a few sips of bottled tea. Romero nudged her gently, "You should try to eat."

Hui sighed as she picked up her fork, "It's what you said. I hadn't thought about the implications of what happened."

Jake and Maggie listened quietly as they ate their meal and observed the couple seated before them both out of curiosity and as a part of their assigned duties. It wasn't an unusual procedure, simply one NEST had established to verify all new personnel.

"Don't worry," Romero said softly to Hui, "we'll just take this one step at a time."

Hui took in a deep breath and nodded as she looked down at her food and tried to eat.

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

On the other side of the dining facility a couple rose from their seat and headed towards the bot section of the base soon joined by Director Mearing. Nothing was said as the three humans headed towards Optimus's office.

Once they were all seated at the Prime's desk, a smaller table set on top provided for meetings such like these, Director Mearing glared at the red front-liner and turned towards Prime to snip, "Care to explain why he's here?"

Optimus seated himself and then placed his arms on the table to strike a comfortable pose hoping the action might relax the director, "As you know Dino is quite accomplished in the area of politics and diplomacy which is why he was assigned to work with Sam and Carly. They have been relying upon him for advice and it makes sense to include him given most of what we are discussing is of a political nature."

Charlotte turned to stare at the frontliner thoughtfully. With an abrupt nod of her head she sat down, "Works for me. Shall we begin? I'm expecting calls from the White House about your little escapade with their toy.…"

Optimus hummed in silent acknowledgment, "Why don't we focus on those areas which require your immediate attention. Sam and Carly shall remain afterwards so we can go over ideas for diplomatic strategies and improving media coverage."

Dino leaned back in his seat to watch the discussion passively, reading into the unvoiced dialog a subtle tension between the two leaders. He knew Prime would discuss whatever it was with him later if it was something he should be concerned with.

Sam and Carly, on the other hand simply gathered their things as they prepared for the meeting.

Director Mearing opened the discussion, "Senator Ted Conrad appears to have access to intelligence reports that are not 'on the books'. Which means he has an outside source, I'll look into that. We can't afford any more leaks."

Optimus nodded allowing Charlotte to continue to drive the meeting, "It seems your suggestion about a base in Nevada is strongly being considered. When I hear more, I'll let you know. The rest of the hearings were standard, nothing new other than Conrad knowing something about the new bots. Speaking of, I'm going to assume you're going to want approval for them to land?"

Optimus nodded, "It is my hope."

"Well, that's going to present a challenge," Charlotte grumbled sarcastically. "I'm already running into national security concerns about the lot of you here. That doesn't even cover the complaints about the additional cost of supporting all of you…."

"I realize this requests poses an additional burden but I cannot leave my people up there without defense or supplies," Optimus countered.

Charlotte's eyes narrowed, "How many bots and ships are we talking, again?"

Optimus blinked, "1 ship, 1 shuttle sized Autobot, 7 femmes, and 13 mechs. That doesn't include the Ark which they are trying to repair."

Charlotte heaved a heavy sigh, "With 15 here that totals 36. That's not going to fly, especially when one of the crews are Wreckers and it'll make for a quite a squeeze down here." Charlotte continued darkly, "And quite an impressive fighting force."

"In human terms, yes," Optimus acknowledged, "it could easily be perceived as such…."

Charlotte's face grew stony, "Is it?" Sam and Carly watched the interplay between the two leaders entranced and clearly intimidated.

"Not to you or your people," Optimus's voice was reassuring in his response, "but they are all warriors by necessity."

"That's not much to work with or very reassuring and believe me Optimus, leadership will require much by way of reassurance," Charlotte countered.

Optimus nodded, "I understand. Many of the bots stationed on the moon are femmes and scientists, separating them from us will delay fulfilling your government's request for technology. If the Nevada base is approved, I can split my teams. I'll move the Wreckers except for Perceptor, a scientist, the younger twins and a medic to the Nevada base. Sky Lynx will be based there but act as additional transport between our two sites. That leaves 26 bots here but most would be comprised of femmes and science teams."

Optimus leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed, "Which is essential for fulfilling the technological request your government has made. Separating my science teams will slow down the process."

Charlotte smirked, "I'm not sure if that's going to be enough of an inducement given the numbers we're talking about but moving the Wreckers away from D.C. certainly would make me feel safer… And you said the younger twins?"

Optimus nodded, "Sideswipe's brother is on the moon."

"I see," Charlotte sighed as her phone chimed and she looked at the text. As expected the White House had called, repeatedly. She rose to her feet, "Optimus, I'm going to have to take care of these calls, the President is understandably concerned. We'll deal with the rest of this later."

She hurriedly picked up her things, including the dinner she hadn't had a chance to eat yet. Then she stepped onto Optimus's offered servo as he lowered her to the floor she glared at him, "And we will discuss this later."

Optimus shook his helm, "Of course, Director Mearing, just let me know when you're available. Goodnight."

With the director spun on her heels and stormed out of the office. Everyone in the room waited patiently until Dino remarked quietly, "She's clear."

Optimus nodded, "Sam, I appreciate you opening comms but take care you don't place yourself in jeopardy or break any of this nation's laws. I'm not sure what the legal ramifications would be or whether I can protect you if you break them."

Sam sighed and sunk slightly, "I know. I just felt it was important for you to hear directly."

"I appreciate that," Optimus smiled. Then he grew serious, "The first thing we need to do is begin an active campaign to let the public know about my units on the Moon. Let's leave nothing to chance, anything we leave out whether intentional or by accident will be viewed with suspicion."

Optimus looked over at the mech, "Dino, as soon as Bumblebee clears medical, he'll be assisting you with the diplomatic work. Brains informed me the website for the embassy has received a significant amount of queries. While he's in med bay, he'll be answering those."

Dino nodded, "That will be helpful as his size is more convenient for public meetings but I question his political acumen."

Optimus nodded, "Which is why I'd like you to remain on the embassy staff in an advisory capacity unless you wish to continue as an ambassador. As to embassy issues, Sam, Carly, why don't you go back to the trailer and use tomorrow to come up with ideas, review the emails with Bumblebee to get a basic understanding of what most humans are curious of and then we can all meet again later, alright?"

The two humans quickly gathered their things, understanding the unspoken dismissal and said several pleasantries before Optimus set them on the ground. Optimus motioned for Dino to remain as he watched the two humans leave. When he was confident they'd cleared the area he reached up to his helm and opened comms, 'Sideswipe, my office. Now.'

Sideswipe's response made the Prime chuckle, 'Whatever it was? I didn't do it!'

:'I didn't say you that did but since you seem to be rather defensive… should I ask?'

:'Uh… no.'

:'No.'

Sideswipe walked into the office and took the other seat and smiled pleadingly, "Trust me?"

Optimus rubbed his face tiredly, "We'll deal with that matter later Sideswipe. The reason I wanted you both here has to do with our political economy. As long as we're dependent upon the human nations to finance us, we are at a disadvantage. Without funds we cannot afford fuel or supplies and that makes us vulnerable. A card Director Galloway is not above using against us. I plan on changing that…."

Sideswipe grinned cheekily, "You had me at Galloway."

Optimus blinked, "Focus, please." Then he leaned forward in his seat and rested his arms on the table, "I've tasked Duststorm to search the open territories for precious minerals or any other rare commodity we can acquire to sell. I'm going to have our Moon base teams do the same."

The Prime regarded the two mechs as he continued to explain, "Which means we need to learn the financial systems here, their networks, currency values, methods of storage, everything. We need to set up a legal, legitimate… are we clear Sideswipe? Legal accounts to hold our funds. When we've generated enough, I'd like you both to begin investing that money…."

Dino leaned back in his seat and nodded thoughtfully, "Interesting."

"Sounds like fun," Sideswipe grinned.

Optimus sighed tiredly, "Fun? No Sideswipe, no risk-taking until we are financially free and independent. We have to be able to purchase our own supplies, fuel, mines, businesses, whatever we need that the U.S. is currently providing to us. It must be legal."

"What about NEST," Dino asked.

Optimus nodded, "Good question. NEST is unique as it is a multi-national task force but most of its funding is derived from the U.S. I don't think we can offer funds without raising political alliance questions. The only way I could foreseeably mobilize a human task force is to privately fund it but that would raise concerns as well. If we had territories of our own that might make things easier but I'm not entirely certain about that. I would have to study the laws of various nations to determine legal precedence."

Dino shook his head, "Most of the lands on this planet are claimed and what's left is not exactly viable. Can you see us setting up a base in Antarctica? I certainly can't. The real question Optimus is are you really planning for us to stay here?"

Optimus vented softly, "For now. Although Cybertron wasn't destroyed it certainly isn't habitable at present either. We need a location to regroup and resupply. I am hoping to use Earth. If not, we will relocate to Earth's satellite and continue operations there."

"Speaking of, how soon before they can come down," Sideswipe asked hopefully.

"I'm not certain. It depends on the United States or any other nation willing to host us. Public sentiment isn't exactly supportive," Optimus answered. "Dino, do what you can to help Sam, Carly, and Bumblebee and if either of you can think of anything else we can do to help our embassy or our financial and political position, let me know. Until then, thank you. Dismissed."

Both frontliners rose and nodded, "Prime."

Optimus watched as they left his office and then he leaned back in his seat to groan softly with fatigue. His processor was overwhelmed and he needed to put order his thoughts.

He sat up straight and then clasped his digits together. He closed his optics and focused on the Matrix, there were no questions he had in mind he simply focused on the ancient relic to put his spark at ease and quiet his processor.

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Duststorm groaned, her engines struggling to keep her aloft as she flew towards D.C. Urgent comms to various control towers for clearance took time and she was running out of fuel. Finally, beyond endurance she snarled at the air traffic controller impatiently, "I'm running out of fuel and unless you want to deal with me crashing into something important, you'll clear me. I'm not asking this time, I'm telling you. You will clear me now!"

The officer in charge of NEST was hit with an onslaught of nasty phone calls and despite his patience barked, "Well, let her land then! It's not like she can pull over at a gas station! Sheesh!"

Several junior officers looked up worriedly making the OIC snippy, "What am I supposed to do? Duststorm's running on fumes and needs to land and they're just worried about clearance." With a flick of his hand he switched frequencies, "Duststorm this is NEST Command."

:'Go ahead,' she answered tiredly as she struggled to keep flying at a safe altitude.

"Relay status."

:'Uh, low on fuel and about to plummet to my death. Other than that, life is good.'

"Right," the commander said slowly. "Can you detect commercial aircraft and adjust to avoid contact?" At that query every soldier on duty froze at the unusual question.

The seeker groaned, 'Depends on what you mean by avoid but yes to commercial not so much with military.'

He took a deep breath and quickly accessed emergency frequencies to clear airspace for her. As soon as the last clearance was given he opened comms again, "You are cleared to land, repeat, you are cleared to land. Do you require emergency landing protocols?"

Duststorm watched her scanners keeping track of the various aircraft in relation to herself. The question gave her pause as she ran a separate scan to find out what airport emergency landing systems were. Once she understood the gist she answered, 'No. It's just not going to be very pretty…. You might want to have a medic ready though….'

When the comms ended in a groan it made the officer reach over and activate another line, "Prime, this is Ops Duststorm just commed, she may have difficulty landing. Estimate arrival in 10 minutes. I'm contacting Ratchet for medical, out."

With another flick of a switch he opened comms, "Ratchet, this is Ops. Duststorm may have a difficult landing, request a medic on standby. She'll be landing in 9 minutes. Out."

Once that was done, the officer rose to his feet, "Okay, you heard what's going down. I want you guys out on the tarmac and get ready for anything. MOVE!"

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Ratchet grumbled in his office as he rose to his pedes automatically assuming the duties as a medic when he stopped inside the med bay and stared at Jolt and muttered, "Huh, I'm not alone anymore am I."

Jolt looked up from his datapad and answered used to Ratchet's rather odd eccentricities from time to time, "No, you're not. Is there something you need?"

"Get the med bay ready. Duststorm might have trouble landing, don't have details. Have you worked on a seeker before?"

Jolt shook his head, "No sir."

Ratchet vented, "Ah, well, I guess we'll have to add that to your schedule since we have one now. Prep the med bay and I'll notify FirstAid."

Ratchet's servo reached up and activated the comms on his helm, 'FirstAid this is Ratchet, report to med bay. Duststorm reported possible trouble landing. She'll be…."

FirstAid burst into the med bay, "I'll meet her on the flightline…." and then shut the door.

Ratchet looked at Jolt who simply shrugged in response. The CMO blinked, "Well… uh… okay… I guess I'll…."

Jolt finished helpfully, "Go help FirstAid?"

Ratchet frowned at the younger medic, "I never thought we'd ever get to the point again where I didn't have to report to every single medical situation. It's… liberating."

"Which means you can't figure out what to do with yourself," Jolt added again with a small smile.

Ratchet expression darkened at Jolt's teasing, "What, you studying to be a psychological expert or just enjoying pushing my buttons?"

Jolt set down his pad to assemble a crashcart, "No to either, unless you think there's a need." The blue mech paused, "This is nice for a change isn't it?"

Ratchet nodded, "Yeah, almost, and then I get that tingle on the back of my neck feeling."

Jolt nodded, "Ah the one right before a sneak attack? Look, don't borrow trouble. I'll set up the bay and you help FirstAid."

Ratchet snorted, "In other words get going so you can get to work?"

Jolt paused and stared at the medic, "Well, there is that but isn't she due to land?"

"Oh slag," Ratchet barked as he bolted out of the bay.

Jolt shook his helm as he watched the medic leave, "Maybe studying psychology might not be a bad idea. Each of us suffers various forms of PTSD and if the war really is over, we'll to have to address that. Hmmm, something to think about."

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Duststorm saw the NEST airfield's landing lights and sighed with relief as she powered her engines and pointed her nose up. As she lowered in altitude she wondered which would be safer, landing in jet or bot mode.

Running quick calculations she decided her jet mode was more economical and continued onward as the landing strip drew closer.

Security vehicles were waiting nearby as well as the Prime and FirstAid who watched as the seeker approached the field. Ratchet's running pedes tempted many to turn but most were watching the flyer on approach.

With her wheels extended she lowered her flaps and hit the concrete a little harder than she wanted and let out an unexpected grunt as she reversed her engines to slow acceleration. What she hadn't expected was for the mechs run out onto the landing strip to chase her down. Prime on one side and FirstAid on the other as each grabbed a wing and helped her decelerate simply with their combined mass.

"I'm good," she groaned as she came to a stop and activated her transformation protocols. FirstAid reached out and grabbed her when she almost toppled over.

Ratchet joined them and demanded, "What's wrong?"

She looked down sheepishly, "A stupid first-timer's error. I didn't add the weight displacement of liquid mass nor how much fuel I'd expend circling various protected air spaces into my fuel calculations."

The medics looked at each other in confusion as the Prime nodded in understanding, "I see. I assume you were able to retrieve some useful material?"

She nodded as she tried to turn to the hangar. When it was obvious she was having trouble balancing, the two medics helped as she explained, "To avoid territorial disputes, I searched in international waters. I found gold, one of the minerals on the list, but I ran into a problem with extraction. I don't have a field generator to keep the liquid out when I transferred the mineral to my storage units. I assumed with the hold full it wouldn't be a problem, big mistake."

Optimus nodded, "Alright, I'll have to rethink our strategy…."

"No, no," Duststorm shook her head, "it was my fault. I miscalculated and it won't happen again."

As the four bots walked back to the hangar, NEST soldiers motored around and to the base clearly disappointed at the lack of excitement.

Optimus watched the human activity peripherally, "Only if you can insure you are not putting yourself at risk. I can't afford to have our only flyer down."

FirstAid looked at the Prime horrified at what he believed was a callous response. Optimus noted the medic's glance opened comms guessing at his feelings, 'Seekers are very proud, I don't want her to take this incident personally.'

FirstAid nodded, 'Ah, I see. I should've realized.'

Optimus shrugged as they walked past the elevated ops, 'Not at all, you're a medic and are basing your concerns on that. Just let me know if she overstressed her systems and isn't capable of flight. I don't want her to overtax her systems to prove she's capable.'

Optimus turned to Ops and stopped as the medics led the seeker onward, "Thank you for the notification and quick response."

"No problem," the officer started and then asked in a softer voice, "unless this happens again?"

"Unlikely," the Prime said confidently knowing that's what his people needed to hear, "I'll be in my office. Goodnight gentlemen."

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Ratchet looked at the seeker, "How much liquid do you think you're carrying?"

"A lot," she groaned as she focused on moving one pede after the other.

Ratchet gently tugged them away from the med bay, "If that's the case, wash racks."

FirstAid nodded as they made their way inside the racks stopped at the first and largest bay.

"You should get buckets," she groaned, "the size of some of the minerals is small enough to pass through the drain and it's all valuable."

"Like I care about that," Ratchet argued.

Duststorm shook her helm, "You should, its value to the humans will give Optimus the bargaining power he needs…." Ratchet snorted by way of reply but was saved answering when FirstAid returned with a bucket and the slow process of emptying the seeker's holds commenced.

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Duststorm sank to the bench FirstAid thoughtfully provided as Ratchet carefully poured the water out of the last bucket insuring the gold, which due to its weight, sank to the bottom and stayed there.

"I'm so ready to refuel and recharge," she muttered tiredly when both medics barked at her.

"NO!" She stiffened and looked at both in shock.

"Absolutely not," Ratchet finished as he motioned to a bucket containing dirt and various plant material. "Have you looked at this stuff?! You are not leaving here until you're thoroughly cleaned and then you're going to the med bay for an inspection. You do realize salt is corrosive and although we're a naturally tough species we aren't impervious!"

"Ratchet, my frame has been specially prepared to handle such materials," she started to argue until she caught the angry look from Ratchet as well as FirstAid's 'don't' gesture. "But I suppose an inspection wouldn't hurt." She looked at FirstAid and received an approving nod.

The CMO growled as he turned to FirstAid, "I'll comm the Wreckers to take this mess and sort through it for Prime. You get her to med bay when she's clear of obvious contaminants."

The pair watched as Ratchet left. Duststorm remarked dryly, "Well, he's a cranky one isn't he? And I thought Starscream was bad."

FirstAid shook his helm as he located a hose and started purging her holds, "What? That? That wasn't cranky but I will be if you do something stupid like this again!"

She looked at him tiredly, "I know, I know, a rookie mistake. I just wasn't expecting the Alaskan shelf to have this much of the mineral and it was so easily accessible. I got a little excited."

FirstAid helped her to her pedes, "Excited?"

She shrugged as they walked back to the med bay, "Sure, when you spend most of your time not finding anything when you do it's a rush. The combination of excitement and stress combined? You have to hurry and fill up your hold quickly to get it back to the carrier and return before somebody else finds your strike and mines it dry."

FirstAid nodded as he opened the door to the med bay and then closed it behind him and helped her to a medical berth, "I guess I never really looked at mining in that light before."

She smiled, "I wouldn't expect you would. You find your joy where you can, right?" She sighed clearly fatigued, "You know, I think I will to take Optimus's suggestion and rest tomorrow. I just hope I didn't burn out anything."

"Well, we shall see," FirstAid said as Jolt joined him with the cart of tools. "If not, we'll fix you up in no time."

She nodded and closed her optics quickly falling into recharge.

Jolt looked at the seeker and then at FirstAid, "Do you mind if I watch? I never got an opportunity to work on a seeker."

"Not at all," FirstAid said as he waved a servo, "I'm not sure what you remember about seeker anatomy but basically…."

—◊◊—◊◊—◊◊—

Ellie was in the kitchen making dinner and preparing a sandwich for Sam when the two ambassadors returned. She looked up from the cutting board as she was spreading a slice of bread with mayonnaise, "Oh, I wasn't expecting you two back so soon. Are you still hungry?"

Carly shook her head, "No…."

Sam quickly interrupted her, "Yes! Oh, here let me help." With a gentle shove he pushed Ellie away from the cutting board to add more condiments to the bread. Ellie looked over at Carly who simply rolled her eyes as she set their things on the dining room table.

"How'd it go?" Ellie asked as she turned to the stove to finish cooking.

"I'm not sure how much we can say," Carly answered as she too came into the kitchen. She filled up a kettle with water and set that on the stove next to Ellie's frying pan. Then she leaned against the counter, "I'm really sorry. I guess, given the situation keeping things secret doesn't make sense does it?"

Sam nodded as he crammed a section of his newly assembled creation into his mouth and made some sort of answer.

Carly arched a brow, "Sam, why don't you sit at the table and talk later."

Sam nodded, with his cheeks puffed out and attempted a grin but did as asked. He only stopped long enough at the refrigerator to grab a beer.

"It's late and we're going to be staying here tomorrow to talk about what happened and strategies. So, why don't we all relax," Carly said as she found a box of herbal tea and looked up, "would you like some?"

Ten minutes later the table was filled with food, snacks and herbal tea as the group chatted. When the meals were done and dishes put away, the Witwicky's retired to their section to rest leaving Ellie alone in the kitchen tidying up. She didn't mind, in fact she offered finding the task rather soothing.

Heading off to her room she had to shoo Brains and Wheelie out when Wheelie retorted, "I don't know why you're kicking us out. You're gonna go crash inside big yellow again."

Ellie stammered back, "What… what makes you say that?"

Wheelie snorted, "Seriously? It's obvious you gotta thing for the mute."

She snorted as she leaned over and pushed a finger into what she hoped was his chest, "He's a friend, and a giant robot, that's it."

Wheelie backed up and rolled back to her room again, "Yeah, uh huh."

She chased the two mechs out of her room and then fell onto her mattress and thought about what he said and then shook it off muttering, "First, not the same species, second… how would that even work?!"

After two hours of tossing and turning she finally got up with a pillow and blanket and passed the two tiny mechs and frowned, "Don't say a word, not one word. It's not what you think." Without allowing Wheelie a chance to retort, which he did, she shut the door in his face.

Bee's door was already open, "You heard what Wheelie said?"

Bumblebee didn't immediately answer as he thought about how to handle this situation. He knew, having listened to the mechs talk about femmes before that questions like these were tricky. He opted on truth, "Yes…."

"Well… it's not like that, okay," she said as she settled on the folded down trunk section and plopped her head down on the pillow. "I just… feel safer. I know I've gotta get over this and I'll try but for the time being, is it okay?"

Bee shifted, "Yeah, I don't mind the company. It's nice not being alone."

Ellie flipped over and smiled, "Thanks. It's just when I close my eyes, the first thing I think of is Gurmit and I'm terrified if I go to sleep he's going to find me and take me back. Stupid huh?"

"No," Bee said, "Sam had a lot of nightmares after Mission City. So I guess Gurmit's your Megatron. Give it time and eventually you'll feel safe."

"I hope so," she said sadly and then stuffed her face into her pillow, "I'm such a wimp!"

"No, just give yourself time," Bee said reassuring her and then chuckled when the answer was a soft snore.

— Moon Base Alpha —

Hot Rod leaned against the wall and looked carefully into the rec room to watch Springer as he chatted with Arcee. He was waiting for Springer to leave so he could go over and talk with the femme but it seemed like Springer was going to stay there until she left and that irritated the young mech.

Inside the rec room Springer leaned closer to Arcee, "He's still there, isn't he?"

She smiled, "Yep. Talk to him will you?"

The olive green mech shook his helm, "I'm not the mech's mentor."

Arcee tipped her helm up at the mech, "Really? I thought you Wreckers stuck together, was I mistaken?"

Springer vented out gustily, "Fine, fine." With that he rose to his pedes and headed over to Hot Rod's supposed 'hidden' location. The fiery mech was about to bolt when Springer shouted, "Hey, Hot Rod, I'm glad I ran into you! We need to talk."

Hot Rod froze in place and then turned his face composed, "Oh? What about?"

"Really?!" Springer asked and then burst out laughing, "Kid, everyone here on base knows you're interested in Arcee and so am I. So what's the big deal? Why are you hiding here?"

"Uh…"

"Look," Springer said as he hooked an arm through Hot Rod's and proceeded to drag him into the lounge, "the only way she's going to be able to choose between one of us or neither of us is to get to know us. So relax, be yourself and let what happens, happens."

Hot Rod pulled back clearly confused, "Is this some kind of prank?"

Springer pushed Hot Rod over to the bench, "No. See, Inferno isn't here."

Before the younger mech could retort Arcee grinned and patted the seat next to her, "Hey Hot Rod, we were wondering when you'd join us."

Hot Rod looked confused as he glanced between the two, "You were?"

She sighed tiredly, "Yes, we were."

"Oh," Hot Rod sat down, clearly confused.

Springer stood up, "High grade everybody?"

With a chorus of yes, the olive green mech left to retrieve the drinks as Arcee leaned forward, "I like both of you and I'm not the kind of femme to mess with a mech's mind so I'll always be straight up with you. Alright?"

Hot Rod smiled, "Good to know. Besides, Kup said I ought to get on your good side. He says you're the best at hand-to-hand around here and I need to improve."

Springer returned and placed cubes in front of each before he sat down across from Arcee, "And Kup would be right. You should train with all the femmes, even Elita. I know I will."

Kup leaned against the portal and smiled at the trio and then walked over to the dispenser to pick up his ration. He stared at the poor clarity of the liquid and frowned. With cube in hand he left the rec room and headed to the command center.

Elita and Ultra Magnus were looking over schematics of the Ark when Kup placed the cube in front of them, "Hate to tell you this but we're low."

Ultra Magnus turned, "I know. I was going to comm Optimus. We either need to resupply from Earth or locate another fuel source on our own."

Kup snorted, "Great… Reminds me of the time at Regulus…."

Elita quickly interrupted the officer gently, "Not now Kup…."

Kup smiled, "Problems?"

She rubbed a servo across her brow, "When aren't there problems?"

Kup shrugged, "Good point. Anything I can help you with?"

Elita leaned back and frowned thoughtfully, "How much trouble do you think we'll get Optimus into if we used the Updraft to raid Decepticon depots on Earth?"

Ultra Magnus shook his head, "Absolutely not."

Elita smiled more at his reaction and teased, "But…."

Kup took a small step backwards as the two commanders faced each other. As the mock argument progressed Kup took tiny steps to the door and just as he was about to swipe the entry button Elita turned on him, "Kup, I've got a task for you to do."

"Elita…," Ultra Magnus warned.

"We can at least look can't we? If there are Decepticon energon storage depots on Earth we need them. So I say we go in and take them. Cloaked ship in, out, none the wiser," Elita shrugged. "We've done it before."

Kup walked over to the scanning array and set the search pattern and waited for information as the commanders debated the wisdom of such a maneuver. When the results returned Kup interrupted them, "As much as I'd like to agree with Elita, there really isn't any energon on Earth. So I think we'd better look for an alternate source. There's a whole asteroid belt with various mineral compounds, I say we send out Sky Lynx and a small crew to search for us."

Ultra Magnus eyed Elita warily, "You wouldn't have done it right?"

Elita regarded the mech wisely, "Magnus, what good are we to Optimus without fuel? I would not make such a risky move unless there was no other choice. Now let's focus on finding other options. Somehow Optimus managed to survive on whatever energy sources Earth supplies them. Let's do the same."

---

A/N: I know this is a large chapter and rough in spots. I apologize for editing, again. I know my use of commas is horrific and I just don't get it at times. I'm sure there are other glaring errors but I'm tired and want to get this posted now. I hope you'll find this is a good chapter to read especially after noting the loss of a favorite but I guess that happens. Anyways, thanks!