37

We camped out near the pyramid; in an old construction hut. Sam and Mikaela were talking; I sat off against the wall, praying to whoever was up there that the Matrix could bring Optimus back to life. My mind had been so distracted lately that I didn't think about Optimus once; when Jetfire said the Matrix was a power unlike any other, I wanted to believe that meant Optimus could get brought back, that it could revive Autobots instead of turning on that machine.

"Hey." I saw Leo sit down next to me. He gave me a small smile and I returned it. "You feeling OK?"

I nodded. "I have a lot on my mind, that's all."

Leo nodded. "You're Sam's sister right?"

"Yeah," I said. "His foster sister."

"I thought...I dunno. You didn't look like you could be related to him," he said with a shrug. "You look different compared to him."

I gave a chuckle. "I never got a chance to say thank you. You've been a real help, Leo."

He gave a sheepish smile. "It's nothing. I've been too busy complaining this whole time to be actual help."

"You told us about Simmons," I said. "I didn't realize how much we needed his help."

"I can't believe you know him," Leo said, exasperated. "You and Sam must've had, like, some adventure before."

I shrugged. "The Autobots needed Sam's help. You heard about Mission City?" He nodded. "It all started over Sam's great-grandfather's glasses and the All Spark."

Leo gave a hum in response. "What's the All Spark?"

I smiled slightly. "It was a cube - this giant, ancient cube that used to be on the Autobots' and Decepticon's home-planet Cybertron. Optimus said the All Spark was really powerful and the war started over who got possession of it. The All Spark got lost in space, came to earth; Megatron crash landed trying to retrieve it; and Sam's great-grandfather got the cube's location on his glasses."

"On his glasses?" Leo looked at me with his eyebrows up.

"Some weird imprinting," I said lamely. We didn't talk for a few minutes.

"Optimus meant a lot to you, didn't he?"

The question caught me off guard. Leo had never met Optimus but he knew how much the Prime meant to me. I nodded.

"He was one of those...Autobots?" Leo looked at me uncertainly.

"Their leader," I said solemnly. "He was - is - the most compassionate, loving, caring being ever. That's why I need this Matrix to bring him back to life; not just for me, but for the whole planet." I felt the backs of my eyes sting. "He and I had a relationship; we had been together for two years and we had just told each other 'I love you.' "

Leo put a comforting arm around my shoulders. "I may not understand everything that's happening, but I think you're really strong."

I fought the tears back and smiled up at Leo. "Thanks. You're a really amazing friend."

Simmons had called Leo to help him with surveillance. With a goodbye he went to help the older male. I stood up and went outside; Sam and Mikaela had dozed off near the hut's entrance. I stood at the entrance and looked at the stars. I sighed. I never understood how people could see constellations; they just looked like a bunch of glowing dots. Optimus had tried explaining constellations to me; from his own knowledge from space, but I hardly understood him. My gaze went over to the pyramid, and three of the stars were glowing brighter than the rest.

They were in a row. Like they were pointing somewhere...

"When dawn alights the Dagger's Tip," I muttered, "Three Kings will reveal the doorway." Three Kings will reveal the doorway... I looked at the stars. A sudden realization hit me. I ran back into the hut and woke Sam and Mikaela. "C'mon." They followed me to where Leo and Simmons were - both asleep and Leo leaning against Simmons - and I woke them up.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Look at the sky," I said, pointing to the sky. The nighttime sky turned a dark gray with the rising sun. "You see those three stars?" It took them a minute but they nodded. "You see the last one touching the horizon? That's Orion's Belt. Optimus showed this to me once and he tried explaining it me but I didn't understand it - that doesn't matter now, but! That is the Three Kings! When dawn alights the Dagger's Tip, Three Kings will reveal the doorway. That's the doorway."

I saw the impressed looks on everyone's faces.

"This is where we need to go," I said excitedly. "We need to follow Orion's Belt!"

"They all point due east," Simmons said, "towards Jordan. The mountains of Petra."

By mid morning we were already on the road. I shifted restlessly in my seat. We needed to get to the Matrix. I felt fear and determination constricting my chest.

"That was amazing, what you did back there," Sam said. "Good job, Desiree."

I smiled at him. "Thanks. Lennox should be landing about now, don't you think?"

"Give them some time," Simmons said. "We'll know when they show up."

I bit my thumbnail; trying to calm my restless nerves. I took calming breaths and tried to get comfortable. I bit my bottom lip nervously.

After about an hour of driving, and Simmons giving directions, Bee and the Twins stopped a couple miles from the road and we continued on foot. We climbed some rocky mounds and followed a narrow path.

"It should be around here somewhere," Simmons muttered.

"There," I said breathlessly. What looked almost like the entrance to an ancient castle or temple - if that's what you want to call it - was carved in the highest rock mound. I quickly jumped off the narrow path and walked up towards the entrance. The openings were huge; I felt my heart speed up at the sight of it.

Bee and the Twins had found their own way of catching up to us; and they all gathered around the entrance.

I ran in and looked around. "It's around here somewhere," I said.

"Looks like archaeologists have already been here," Leo said.

I felt panic and anxiety lurch in my stomach. I looked around desperately. Where was it? I felt tears prickle in my eyes. My breathing became shaky.

"It's here." I tried keeping my voice steady but it cracked anyway. "I know it is."

Simmons and Leo started arguing; Mikaela watched in irritation and Sam just rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"It can't be over," I said shakily.

"It's over," Simmons said harshly.

"Why should we even listen to yo punk ass?" Mudflap exclaimed.

The Twins started arguing; pushing and punching, I tried to ignore all the noise and negativity. I didn't need that kind of circulation. I buried my face in my hands; quickly drying my tears.

Skids threw Mudflap against the wall behind me, I dodged out of their way. In no time, Bee picked them up and threw them both to the ground, stopping the fight. I looked at the wall; I giant crack was where Mudflap had come in contact. I pealed away some of the broken pieces and a giant metal hand decorated in Cybertronian was on the other side. There was no way to enter; I looked up at Bee.

"Bee?" He gave a chirp in response and activated his cannon. Aiming, he shot an opening for us. I felt a wary smile spread across my face. I gave Bee a thank you and crawled into the opening. It was big enough for the rest of us to crawl in; Bee standing guard near the entrance. The tomb was eerie. The faces of the dead Primes seemed to follow you; their hands extended and their fingers curled. It smelled like dust and metal; it was cold and it gave a groaning sound, as if it were to collapse.

Sam and Mikaela had borrowed flashlights from Simmons and led the way. I looked around in amazement.

"The tomb of the Primes," Simmons said quietly.

"Desiree," Sam said. I quickly walked up to him. His flashlight pointed at a delicate looking curved device. I looked at the palm of my hand. It matched.

"It's the Matrix," I said breathlessly. I knelt down. My hands were shaking; my stomach knotted and my heart sped up. I brought my hands forward to pick it up - as carefully as I could. The center glowed blue for a split second.

Then it turned to dust in my hands.