Author's Note

Disclaimer: I own nothing Transformers or Marvel related.

I have returned! Sorry I've been gone for so long. I never meant for my hiatus to be more than a few months, but, well. Stuff happened. Including the death of a family member, which hit kind of hard. Honestly, the will to write at all was kind of difficult to find, though I did try to write other things for a bit. But now I have returned to Transformers and Move Along!

For the final chapter.

That's right. This will be the end. The final book of this story that turned out far more massive than I ever thought it would when I started all those years ago. It feels so long ago, writing bit by bit in my dorm room, posting chapters whenever I could. I've gained more readers than I ever thought possible and all of you have been following me so faithfully on this crazy ride.

So go onward with me, for the start of the last time.

Final Warning

Hydra left a lot of mess behind. A lot to clean up, to fix, so much that it sometimes seemed impossible.

Hydra destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D., butchering the leadership and putting into question the loyalties of everyone working for the organization. Agents were lost. Police. Government officials. Almost everywhere Ari looked, she found Hydra's rot, in almost every form of leadership and every level of government.

The president checked out. Thank Primus. Though he needs a new Vice President.

Then there's the mess Hydra created—Galvatron. Megatron reborn, returned to cause chaos and lead the Decepticons once again. He left a mess behind, too. Half the Triskelion destroyed, not to mention a good portion of Washington D.C. thanks to the Transformers he took control of. Lockdown certainly didn't help either.

Lives were lost. Homes destroyed. Megatron got away, but the Autobots, N.E.S.T., and the Avengers put an end to the Transformers, Lockdown, and Hydra. The world was kept from ending once again.

For once, the public didn't call for the Autobots' blood. This was an entirely human mess. One everyone has been working to rectify.

Five years.

It's taken five years to clean up what they did. But Ari finally has everything how she likes it. Maybe not the best place, but a good place. A place that has a chance of doing some real good.

Ari shifts around on the couch, trying to get more comfortable as her fingers dance across the tablet in her lap. Another report to send to the New Council on the latest batch of missions. Though, technically, they're not called the New Council. They're the International Leaders Committee. Which is a long, boring name for something that has the same basic function as the old World Security Council. They're a group of the world's leaders—set in a yearly rotation to keep things fair—and they tell their new organization what they can and can't do.

Ari scans the mission briefs, tagging a few for further perusal, sending two off for Coulson, and then outright dismissing the rest. The New Council likes to try to push for things, just like the old one did, but Ari managed to keep quite a bit of the power for herself.

At the cost of telling all the world's leaders she's the AllSpark. But the leverage she wields as a result of people knowing what she is—what she's capable of—has been more than worth it.

It's allowed her to root out the last of Hydra's taint.

It's allowed her the knowledge of who to trust while they rebuild.

It's allowed her to push the world's leaders into working with her when they would rather try to push her around.

Her knowledge mark has been very handy the past few years. And now they have a two-pronged organization, dedicated to protecting the world from any threats too...big...for normal authorities.

There's the S.H.I.E.L.D. side, basically the same as it once was, just without any possibility of Hydra. Phil runs it, now with Fury retired, handling the human side of things. The terrorists and the dictators and the spies who want to see the world burn.

Then there's S.W.O.R.D.—Sentient World Observation and Response Department. The replacement for N.E.S.T. and taking on more responsibilities than just Decepticons. They handle anything extraterrestrial, from unexpected visitors just stopping by Earth out of curiosity, to diplomatic missions, to the invasion-level hostiles. S.W.O.R.D. has two directors, Elita-One stepping in for the Autobot side in place of Optimus, and Will for the human side, officially retiring from combat to take on a more leadership role and allowing him to spend more time with his family.

The Avengers act as a special task force, going into action for the truly world-ending events. Which, thankfully, don't happen often. Though they do happen more often than Ari ever thought they did before she became privy to absolutely everything S.H.I.E.L.D. gets up to. When the world isn't ending, the Avengers keep busy, dismantling any traces of Hydra from around the world to make sure they can't secretly grow back from the ashes again.

And Ari. She isn't Autobot Ambassador anymore. At least, not only. She's in charge of it all, filtering through missions ordered down from the Council to hand off to the appropriate divisions, reporting back to the United Nations when needed, and keeping things running as smoothly as possible.

Director of International Security is what they call her, though technically she doesn't exist. The U.N. knows everything, of course, but the rest of the world has no clue about S.H.I.E.L.D. or S.W.O.R.D. or her. Not anymore. The world believes S.H.I.E.L.D. destroyed, for their own peace of mind after everything Hydra did. And Ari has faded into the shadows, no longer directly speaking to the public. She has a press team for that now. The U.N. thought it better this way considering she doesn't age anymore.

Honestly, Ari feels relieved for the chance to regain her anonymity. People no longer recognize her just by walking down the street. Or, at least, it happens less often. In just a few more years, she'll fade into obscurity completely.

Yay, no more public speaking in front of cameras and massive crowds that make her skin crawl.

An email notification pings on her tablet and Ari taps on it, shifting again to tuck a leg underneath her.

"Stop fidgeting," Sideswipe mutters from where his holoform sits behind her on the couch, tugging lightly on a lock of her auburn hair in warning.

She sighs dramatically, trying not to lean in as his fingers work through her hair. "But you've been at it for forever."

"I'm almost done."

"You said that five minutes ago."

He leans forward, lips brushing slowly against the side of her face until they reach the shell of her ear. "Just read your email."

His breath ghosts along the side of her face, hot and chilling and sending a shiver down her spine. She contemplates ignoring him. Turning around and suggest taking a break for an hour or so. Especially after last night. And the last several nights before that.

The nightmares returned. Nightmares she thought she left behind a long time ago. Instead, they returned with a vengeance, leading to very little sleep lately. She's tried to get her mind off of it by focusing on work, but work only gets her so far.

She taps her finger against the side of her tablet. This email could probably wait. Probably.

Before she can decide, Sideswipe pulls back, fingers continuing to wrangle her hair like he isn't being completely distracting at all.

Amusement trickles along the bond like silent laughter.

No, he knows exactly what he's doing. Infuriating mech.

"I heard that," he says over their bond, fingers expertly weaving her hair into an intricate braid.

"Good," she replies."Then you know you're going to pay for this later."

"Looking forward to it."

She snorts lightly, eyes skimming over the email absently. Her mouth downturns and she sighs, tossing the tablet down the couch in weariness.

"What was it?" Sideswipe asks, tying her braid off with a hair tie.

She turns around to face him, leaning an elbow against the back of the couch to prop her head up with her hand. "It was from Phil, suggesting that I take over extraterrestrial meetings. Again."

Sideswipe takes her free hand, tangling their fingers together. "You have to admit, it's a good idea. With the AllSpark, you'd be able to understand the language of any alien species we might come in contact with."

"I'm already in charge of two secret government organizations. When am I supposed to have time to play world ambassador? Besides," she looks down at their hands, playing with the tips of his fingers, "I promised my dad a long time ago that I wouldn't do missions. I don't plan on breaking that promise now."

She made that promise when asking to do N.E.S.T. training. That was part of the deal. Her dad would let her train if she promised not to go on missions. She doesn't need to go looking for even more danger. It finds her enough as it is.

"Ari, these aren't exactly combat missions we're talking about. Like you said, you'd be an ambassador. A translator. Where's the danger in that?"

"When the aliens turn out to be hostile and try to shoot at us."

He shakes his head with a rueful smile, slipping a hand behind her neck. "Seriously. Sweetspark." He pulls her forward, placing a kiss to her temple. "Must you always go to the worst-case scenario?"

She smirks. "Of course. It's my job."

His smile slips away, face going thoughtful, almost hesitant. "What if it wasn't anymore?"

Ari pulls back abruptly, brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I just mean...is this really what you want to do with the rest of your life? Stuck behind a desk reading reports and mission files and dealing with politics?"

Ari's mouth gapes like a fish, trying to come up with an answer. And figure out where this is coming from. He's never been against her career choices before. Not Autobot Ambassador or what she does now. She's never imagined doing anything other than trying to keep the Autobots safe from the rest of the world. Sideswipe has always been supportive of her following this path, because this is where she feels she can do the most good. Despite her failings.

And she certainly feels like she's failed a lot. Some days, she doesn't even know if she's the best person for this job. But Primus and the AllSpark wanted her here. She accepts that and has embraced her role wholeheartedly.

But because of her bond with Sideswipe, being any kind of large distance from each other feels almost impossible. Like a weight getting heavier and heavier on her chest with each passing mile. They do it, when they absolutely have to, but for the most part—if she is here, then so is Sideswipe. Ratchet says it'll get better with time, as the bond grows and hardens and strengthens. They'll be able to be away from each other without discomfort. One day, decades from now.

But in the meantime, Sideswipe is stuck here, helping out around base whenever and however he can, usually by helping Ironhide train new recruits. Because this is where she is. It's never bothered him before, but...

Maybe it's starting to?

It's the only plausible explanation her tired mind can come up with. She tries to think of something to say—an apology or explanation or something, though none of that feels right—but a knock quickly raps on the door.

Lina pokes her head in, pausing when she senses the sudden tension in the room. "Uhh...," her eyes flit between them as she tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear, "I can come back?"

Ari hesitates, glancing up at Sideswipe through her bangs, but he just shakes his head."Later," he tells her, squeezing her hand.

"We're good, right?" she asks, sounding soft even across the bond, like the words themselves don't want to be heard.

"Yeah, of course." He presses a kiss to her lips, slow and soft."This isn't anything bad, Ari. Just a thought I had."

Lina gags from the doorway. "Yeah, okay, I'll come back."

Ari chuckles, shifting to sit properly on the couch next to Sideswipe. "It's okay, Lina, you can come in.

"No funny business while I'm here," Lina says sternly, plopping down on a cushy chair next to the couch. She sighs, crossing one leg over the other and picking imaginary lint off her slacks. "Not sure I can deal with lovey-dovey right now."

Sideswipe shakes his head. "Sunny still avoiding you?"

"Yeah." Lina's face screws up, long-held frustration brimming in her eyes. "The stick is still shoved firmly up his aft and he isn't letting me catch him so I can yank it out. And beat some sense into him with it."

"He's just scared."

"He's scared? This is my life we're talking about!"

"Lina, you want to do S.H.I.E.L.D. training," Ari says gently. "That's kind of a big decision."

"But it's my decision to make. I mean, what did he expect?" She spreads her hands out at Ari's office, the renovated top floor of the Triskelion filled with secrets the world knows nothing about. "Look at the world we live in. We're surrounded by spies and fragging aliens. We're friends with some of the most powerful people in the entire universe and we deal with terrorists on a weekly basis."

Lina propels herself to her feet, pacing back and forth along the carpet as she loosens her suit tie. "I've already been in several end-of-the-world scenarios, and I'm already a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I'm already part of all this. I've come to terms with the danger and the crazy. Why can't he?"

"You're a hacker, working remotely at a desk from here." Ari leans back tiredly, Sideswipe's arm draping across the back of the couch behind her. This is a conversation they've had several times already. So has Sunny. Repeatedly and loudly, but Lina's still determined despite the risks. "You're safe. Away from the bullets and the madmen."

"But the people I hack for are right in the thick of it." Lina yanks her tie off the rest of the way, wringing it in her hands. "I help agents get through locked doors or download encrypted files from secure systems while they're just sitting ducks, hoping I get done in time before they're caught. A lot of what I do could get done a lot faster if I was right there with them instead of having to do it remotely."

"Becoming a field agent is a big step. You shouldn't make it lightly. You need to think about how this will affect everyone."

That's what Ari had to do. Yes, it was about her and it was her decision to do N.E.S.T. training, but she had to think about how it would affect Sideswipe, the Autobots, her dad and the rest of her family. It wasn't something she chose on a lark.

Lina rounds on her with eyes of brimstone. "The only person this affects is me."

"That's where you're wrong," Sideswipe replies calmly, stoic as stone. "You and Sunny are sparkmates. You have a bond, right there, waiting to be formed. If you got killed while out in the field, what do you think would happen to him?"

Lina's jaw tenses, fists clenched at her sides. She holds his gaze for a few seconds in stubborn defiance. Then her eyes lower, shoulders slumping. "He could find a femme to spend his life with. He'll be fine without me. Gonna have to do it eventually anyway."

"You know that's not what he wants."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't really matter what we want," she sighs, sinking back down into her seat, staring at her hands as she plays with her tie. "I'm going to die way before him. That's just the way it is."

"But you're meant to be together," Ari says. They have the bond. Right there, waiting, just like Sideswipe said. It's not a maybe, it's a fact. But even without that...Ari can't imagine not being with Sideswipe. "Bond or no bond, you guys belong together. Why keep yourselves from that?"

Lina shrugs, draping her tie around her neck. "Hey, I told him I'm all for a relationship, even if we never do complete the sparkbond. It's Sunstreaker that keeps getting the hang-ups. I'm not about to let him dictate what I do with my life. I get that he's scared for me, if something happens. But he still goes out on missions from time to time. How does he think that makes me feel, knowing he could get offlined on any one of them? What he does is a lot more dangerous than what I'm asking to do."

"Just answer me one question," Sideswipe says, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees to stare intently up at Lina. "Do you love him?"

"I don't know." Lina smiles sadly, staring down at her hands in her lap. "I can definitely see myself heading that way, if we'd give it a chance."

"Then loving him is going to take some sacrifice."

She firmly shakes her head. "No, that's not how love works. I shouldn't have to give up on my own dreams just to make him happy. Love isn't sacrifice. It's compromise. There's a difference. And right now, Sunstreaker doesn't want to compromise. We should be working through this together to find a solution but he just wants to push until he gets his way. I am so not down with that."

Sideswipe smirks, sitting back again. "Good. You keep pushing right back. Eventually, he'll realize that his way isn't going to work this time and start actually thinking with that big head of his."

"You're twins," Lina chuckles with a sly smile. "You do realize that means your head is just as big as his, right?"

"Hey!" Sideswipe pouts, giving her a playful glare. "I give you advice and this is how you repay me? Such abuse!"

"That wasn't advice, that was you telling me to just keep doing what I'm doing."

"Fine, fine, be a smartaft." He rolls his eyes but then sobers all of a sudden, brow creasing as he stares at Lina. "Can you do me a favor though? Don't give up on my brother. He does care about you. This is just…pretty far out of his comfort zone."

Lina looks away but nods, biting her lip. "I'll try, Sides. I'll try."

Ari hears the but in that statement, and she can't really blame her for it. Lina can try, but a girl can't wait forever. Not when they don't have a lot of time to lose.

Lina takes in a deep breath, letting it out sharply with a pasted-on smile. "Right! Well, thanks for the pep talk, but that's not the only reason I came in here."

"Oh, so you come see us for more than just a little fun?" Ari teases as she sits up straighter, mentally switching back over to work mode.

"Unfortunately," Lina deadpans, reaching into her jacket pocket for her phone and pulling up something on it before handing the device over. "Something was just picked up on our satellites."

Ari studies the map, a blinking dot indicating something moving towards planet Earth at a high rate of speed. Her first thought is meteor, but the path arcs in a way that can't be natural. "An Autobot?"

"I don't think so. We've tried hailing them on all Autobot frequencies, but there's been no response."

Sideswipe stiffens beside her. "A Decepticon, then?"

"Not necessarily," Ari muses, handing the phone back. "We've been getting a lot of attention lately from all sorts of extraterrestrial life. It could be a new species of alien that we simply haven't met yet, so they don't know our language. Do we have an estimated landing point yet?"

"Chicago," Lina answers grimly.

That one word sends a chill down Ari's spine, all the doors of the AllSpark rattling inside her head. Chicago, ground zero for one of the biggest fights between Earth and the Decepticons to date. Something beats inside Ari's chest, chanting over and over that it's not a coincidence.

Sparks race down her left arm, AllSpark mark glowing a soft blue.

"Ari?" Sideswipe asks in alarm, leaning back slightly so the sparks don't touch him.

"Sorry, sorry, just…." She closes her eyes tightly, taking a deep breath as she concentrates on the power bubbling up inside her. Exhaling slowly, she pushes the energy back where it belongs, the doors in her head quieting again. She opens her eyes, looking down at her arm and the sparks are gone.

"You okay?" Lina asks worriedly, thumb hovering over her phone. "Do you need me to call Ratchet?"

"No, no, I'm okay," Ari breathes, running a shaky hand through her hair where it's already starting to fall out of its braid.

Sideswipe rubs a hand up and down her back and she leans against him. "Sweetspark, are you sure? You haven't lost control like that since you were first learning about your powers."

"I know, but I'm okay. Really."

Because that wasn't her losing control. That was a warning. Whatever is heading for Earth, it's big.

She stands, moving to the back wall behind her desk and placing her hand on a hidden scanner that just looks like another section of wall. A light runs over her palm and then beeps, a panel opening up to reveal a hidden storage compartment for all her gear—all her little toys from her favorite spies, her guns, and her battle uniform, laid out on a mannequin.

"Call my team together, Lina," Ari says, reaching for her gun and inserting a clip. "I'm going myself."

Author's Note

This story is going to move fairly quickly. It's the shortest of the series, and you know how I know that?

I have it all written already. :)

I wrote most of it during last year's NaNoWriMo, and all of this virus stuff has given me the time to finish it up. (Don't worry, I am fine and healthy and still, thankfully, working. I hope all of you are doing okay as well.)

I am going to do weekly updates, aiming for every Saturday. I will, of course, hold to tradition and post two chapters for the first day. So I'll be posting chapter 2 in a few minutes.

Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW, and see you all next time!