Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers what's so ever
Summary – Sam is taken on an incredible journey; and when he gets back things are not quite the way he left them.
Strength of the Autobots
Chapter 1
Sam sighed softly, watching his friends' sleeping forms in the moonlight. Just a few weeks ago, they had the biggest battle any of them had ever seen, let alone been in, all for the fate of the world. Chicago was pretty much destroyed, several places in D.C. not that much better. Thanks to some strings pulled by Lennox and Mearing, the Autobots were now back in the base at the capitol, though several government officials put up a fit about it. Sam had been tempted, even in pain and exhausted himself, to beat the crap out of them all. Lennox though had put the weasels in their places, temporarily anyway, but Sam was sure that they haven't heard the last of them.
His gaze grew sad at a stray memory, turning to watch the moon peak through some clouds, lost in thought. Carly had pulled him aside after one of the meetings. When she started to cry, he knew what she wanted to say and just pulled her into a hug, saying it was alright and he understood. She just couldn't stand being with someone involved in the same military that took her brother away. Before she left, she gave him a soft kiss and said that she hoped for happiness for him. Sam smiled and wished her luck on finding the one guy who would treat her like the goddess she was. He hadn't seen her since that day.
The brunette glanced around from his vantage point on a balcony. For the past two weeks, Ratchet had been working furiously, fixing up all the Autobots. The medic worked miracle after miracle, they all looked brand new, even Optimus did, despite having his arm torn off. And now he was taking a well-deserved recharge along with everyone else. From being in pointless and boring meetings, to scouring the country for any remaining Decepticons, the Autobots and their human allies NEST, were just plain exhausted. Sam had pretty much ordered them all, and gotten a kick out of it, for them to take the day off and rest. He was very surprised when they all did it. They must have been dog-tired if they listened to any orders from him.
He let a small smile grace his face as he watched their sleeping forms twitch every once in a while. Even with their busy schedule, they had made sure that at least one Autobot was with Sam the whole time (he hated this though, when it was Optimus' turn and he had to sit through a boring ass meeting). When he asked why they did this, the reply was the same, no matter which Autobot he had asked. 'You mean more to us than you realize, we almost lost you. We're not going to make the same mistake again.' Even the new arrivals, Prowl, Sunstreaker, Hound, Trailbreaker and Kup took their turns happily and without any complaint.
Sam shook his head at the memory, still unable to grasp the fact that he meant that much. A silly little human that occasionally came in handy, but more often than not a burden, mean something like that to the Autobots? He cared a great deal about them all to the point of seeing them as family, but he honestly didn't think that they cared like that in return, maybe except Bumblebee. But that was more as best friend than anything.
Sam's gaze grew sad though at the absence of several Autobots. He gave a mental growl at the now deceased Sentinel at the death of Ironhide and at Soundwave for the death of Wheeljack. Sam frowned again when he remembered Arcee, Flare-up and Chromia, and before them Jazz. Though they didn't often show emotion around humans, Sam was different. He saw, more than once, each Autobot pause in whatever they were doing and get a far-off lost look. The same kind of look someone gets when they're just overwhelmed by memories of something or someone. He wished he could do something for his friends.
The human was startled out of his reverie at a sudden, blue light. Thinking one of the Bots had woken up, he looked around to see which one it was, to better prepare for his excuse (it never hurt to be prepared around Ratchet. That Bot had been on his case since day one of all this about his health). He was surprised to see the glow come from Optimus' chest plates, which opened gently, not even stirring the sleeping Prime. The glow slowly floated up and then started towards him. As it got closer, Sam saw it was the Matrix of Leadership.
Sam stared at the delicate Cybertronian artifact for a moment, while it just glowed serenely, like it had all the time in the world. He hadn't touched it since he slammed it into Optimus' spark at the Battle of Egypt, and was afraid it would turn to dust like the last time he grabbed it. The Matrix seemed to sense his hesitation and floated closer, glowing a little brighter. A feeling of calm and peace filled Sam, who sighed good-naturedly. He should have figured, if something alien wants something from him, it will find a way to get it. He grabbed the Matrix out of the air; it glowed brighter at his touch. He was surprised when he wasn't transported into the realm of the Dynasty of Primes, like he expected. Sam stared at the Matrix, which gave off a feeling of content, like it was where it wanted to be.
"How do I know that you'll cause me grief in the near future?" Sam murmured to it, giving a wry grin. The Matrix just pulsed once. "Uh huh…and what am I supposed to do now?" Sam asked, feeling a little silly for talking to the dagger-like object he held.
A feeling deep in his heart, he guessed maybe even his soul, started to form, wanting him to leave the hanger. Rolling his eyes, Sam decided to follow it.
"If I get caught, I'm blaming you." Sam groused, the Matrix pulsed quickly yet softly. Sam guessed the Matrix was laughing at him. "You know you're crazy when inanimate objects start to laugh at you." Sam muttered to himself, walking outside the hanger. He didn't see a small camera flicker in the dim light as he walked by, nor did he hear the sounds of slowly waking Transformers.
Daybreak was close, if the lightening sky was anything to go by. Sam just walked down the empty pathways, not even seeing a guard on duty.
"Every sane person must be asleep." Sam reasoned, mock-glaring at the Matrix. "And I'm looking for what?" He asked it. In reply, the urge in his soul got stronger, pulling him to a certain spot.
A sad feeling filled Sam as he recognized the area he was now in, the same area where Ironhide fell. All that was left was a black and rust-colored stain on the ground, nothing else remained.
"Okay…I'm here. Now what?" Sam asked the Matrix in his hand. It started to glow a bright blue, just like the optics of the Autobots.
Knowledge filled Sam's head, making him gasp in shock and then grin in happiness. Nodding, Sam closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing his will into the Matrix. The intricate object gently floated from his hold to over several feet above him. It started to spin quickly, going fast and faster until it was no more than a sliver and blue blur. The wind picked up around Sam, who still held his hands in the air and had his eyes closed, focusing on nothing but his connection to the Matrix of Leadership. He didn't see several dust clouds condense and start to take shape, the dust itself coming from both near and far away. He didn't see them gain a form, gain color. Sam didn't see the rebirth of Jazz, Arcee, Chromia, Flare-up, Ironhide and Wheeljack, though he did feel it, inside of him.
"Now…" Sam breathed.
The Matrix paused in its spinning, before shooting blue lights into the chests of the Autobots. Sam heard their bodies start to work again, heard them waking up from being in the Well of Sparks. Sam opened his eyes and smiled softly, the Matrix once more in his hands, watching his formerly dead friends come back to the living.
"Boy, you're coming with us."
Sam whirled around, nearly jumping out of his skin in shock. Standing there were about two dozen men in black uniforms, one guy in front in just a plain business suit. Though to Sam he reeked of 'government power.' Sam watched warily as they surrounded him, paying no attention to the slowly waking Autobots.
'Too slowly if you ask me.' He mused to himself.
"We saw in that hanger before. Saw that dagger thing float to you and respond to what you were saying. And we saw what you just did. You have a strange power, one that we want to…'study'. You're going to come with us." The guy in front said.
His thugs brought out large looking guns, Sam saw that they were similar to the freezing gun S7 had used on Bumblebee when they caught him and took him to the Hoover Dam.
"Yeah? And what if I don't want to go?" Sam said, praying that the Bots would wake up in time.
They were almost there…
"Then we're authorized to do this. Get him!"
Several things happened in the span of a few seconds.
The thugs charged up their guns and fired a strange black energy wave at Sam.
Sam held his hands over his head to try to block against whatever was coming at him.
Several voices yelled his name; the Bots behind him had finally woken up while the rest had run out of the hanger towards him.
And finally, the Matrix glowed an angry blue light, before engulfing itself and Sam in said light.
When everything finally calmed down, everyone was looking at the spot where Sam stood.
In the dawn light of the new day, Samuel James Witwicky wasn't there.