Russel couldn't take his Dad's snoring anymore so Denny built him a small trailer that contained a room just for him. Paige couldn't help but think he was lucky since she still had to share the trailer with Denny. If she was unable to sleep because of the noise, she could always sleep in during the day after Denny got up, but then she ran the risk of missing a key event. So she resigned herself to not getting a full undisturbed night's sleep. She felt like she couldn't complain because even though she had provided Denny with the ring as payment for her stay here, she was still hesitant to ask for anything that she didn't absolutely need. She knew that she couldn't be selfish since her presence here was unexpected and she had to rely on Denny for everything she needed. There was also the fact that once she got to a certain height she would be forced to leave. She'd already consciously started to distance herself from both the bots and the humans in the scrapyard lately because the dark cloud of that reality hung over her future and she knew that everyday it got a little closer.
Sideswipe arrived back at the scrapyard with the Autobot, Windblade, accompanying him. Paige was glad they now had a new ally and one that could fly at that. Windblade knew how to handle the mechs, but Strongarm came into conflict with her at first. Paige knew they would work their issues out so she let them be.
Bumblebee wanted to show his team the beauty of Earth and took them on a trip to the wild west, but nothing of note happened around the scrapyard until Sideswipe and Strongarm were captured and the rest of the Autobots left to rescue them.
Paige was inside the trailer when she heard a commotion and looked out the window to see Fracture and his mini-cons trying to capture Denny, Russel and Fix-it. The three of them rushed out of the diner in a surprise attack, but Fracture and his mini-cons were already on the ground unconscious and Optimus Prime stood over them with his sword. Paige quickly left the trailer while the others stared up at him in awe.
"Whoa," said Russel.
Optimus knelt down. "You are Denny and Russel," said Optimus.
"I've heard that voice before," said Russel.
"He's Optimus Prime," called Paige as she walked over to stand next to the group.
Optimus jolted at seeing her. He obviously recognized her.
"You look a lot different," said Russel examining Optimus' armor.
"I need to speak with Bumblebee," said Optimus.
"He went to rescue Sideswipe and Strongarm from Steeljaw's pack," said Denny.
"I can pinpoint their location," said Fix-it looking at his handheld. "They're near Crown City by the waterfront."
"They'll all end up at the base of the statue where Filch took us," said Paige. "That's where we need to go."
"Understood," said Fix-it heading toward the command center.
"There is little time," said Paige nodding toward the unconscious Cons. "We need to put these three in stasis and go. Optimus, we can run interference with the local authorities while you attempt to stop Megatronus. The Autobots are still in disguise here."
Optimus inclined his head in agreement and rose to his feet.
Optimus brought Denny, Russel and Paige to the bridge that led into Crown City and then used his boosters to fly over the water to help engage the Decepticons. Paige was thrilled that he could still fly. She had forgotten about that small detail.
A wave of energy washed over the lake as Optimus destroyed the bridge that Steeljaw had used to bring Megatronus back to this dimension. Paige merely sat on one side of the lower bridge railing while Denny and Russel tried to convince the cop on the other side to shut down the bridge because movie robotics were malfunctioning. Paige stood to get a better view when a driver that had seen her swerved and crashed into the railing a few feet from her. The bridge support wavered from the shock, but Paige had a tight enough grip to avoid falling over and into the water. The driver of the car was moving around so they must have been okay. They were also on the phone and gesturing toward her frantically. She quickly realized that they must have thought she was going to jump and she was still small enough to be mistaken for a child. Paige chuckled to herself as she jumped down from the railing onto the bridge. It had been accidental, but the crashed car was now blocking all other cars from entering the bridge from this side so it was a useful coincidence. She heard someone call after her as she walked away, but she didn't even glance back and she kept walking.
There were more flares of bright light as the Autobots battled the Decepticons and the sounds of destruction could be heard all the way over here. Paige finally reached the other side and opened the unlocked police car. Apparently the owner didn't expect anyone to be gutsy enough to break into his car. She popped the trunk and removed a few emergency signs and cones. She set them up on this side of the bridge effectively blocking the incoming traffic and finally made her way to Denny and Russel. She dramatically told the police officer about the crash on the other side of the bridge exaggerating it to make him think it was bigger than it was. The officer hurried off to investigate the crash while Paige told Denny and Russel that the bridge had successfully been blocked off on both sides. Paige, Denny and Russel stood watching the show across the lake and Paige shivered suddenly. There was an odd vibration in her hand that seemed to spread through her body. The air around them seemed to become charged as if a storm was approaching. A few tears escaped and slipped down her face.
"What's wrong?" asked Denny in concern.
"It's Unicron," said Paige wiping her face with the hand that hadn't gone as numb. "I can feel him."
"What's Unicron?" asked Russel curiously.
"One of the very first Transformers," said Paige. "Older than even the Earth. History says he and his brother had planets as alt modes."
"If that's the case and he's here," said Denny. "Why can't we see him?"
"Megatronus pulled his spark or soul from his body," said Paige. "Megatronus intends to put Unicron's spark and his brother's spark together. They're supposed to be polar opposites so by joining them, it will create an explosion that will consume this galaxy and those around it."
Both Denny and Russel looked panicked at her words.
"Don't worry," said Paige reassuringly. "Bumblebee and the others will save us." Paige felt a change in the atmosphere as dark clouds bloomed over the island that the bots were currently on. A gateway opened and a bright light descended from the sky. More tears fell down Paige's cheeks. "I guess they really are connected," she said more to herself than her audience. "I can feel Primus too and I've never come into contact with him." She took a deep shaky breath. She had never felt something so beautiful and so terrifying at the same time. She looked over at Denny and Russel. "It'll be over soon," said Paige. "We should go warn them to leave before the authorities show up."
Megatronus was finally destroyed through the combined efforts of Optimus, Strongarm, Sideswipe and Bumblebee. The bots returned to the scrapyard with their prisoners. They were all congratulating each other on a job well done and they all decided to stay at the scrapyard to continue the hunt for the Cons. Optimus agreed to stay as well. It was a given considering that not all of the escaped Cons had been captured yet and Paige knew that this story was still not over.
"Paige, you all right?" asked Bumblebee as she passed him. She'd been uncharacteristically quiet since the battle.
Paige rubbed her arm. She gave him a small smile that did not reach her eyes. "It's just old wounds aching," she said. "Now that he's sleeping again. It's slowly going away."
Bumblebee cringed and nodded his head in understanding. As she started to walk away, he called behind her, "You were sure we would win this time, weren't you?"
Paige turned to face him. "The future is a delicate thing and I won't mess with a guaranteed outcome. I only interfere in things that will give you a slighter edge," explained Paige.
"I think you take too much on your shoulders. You can't know everything," said Bumblebee.
"Some things are certain even without me here. Your victory in the war was certain. I just made getting there slightly less painful," she replied. "I don't have the luxury of doubts when I know how things will happen." She looked up meeting Bumblebee's optics. "I apologize," she said sincerely.
"For what?" asked Bumblebee in confusion.
"For only knowing so far into your future," said Paige. "One day not far in the future I will no longer be able to help." She paused for a moment. "You'll be fine though because you're Bumblebee after all." She gave him a genuine smile and walked away.
Optimus walked up behind Bumblebee. "When did she arrive?" he asked curiously.
"Not very long after we arrived on Earth," said Bumblebee turning to face him. "Did Micronus say anything about her?"
"He did not," said Optimus as his optics trailed after her. "He is keeping his secrets or he may not know she is even involved. It seems Ratchet was not successful in his attempts to figure out her condition as she has continued to shrink."
"No," said Bumblebee shaking his head. "You misunderstand. She's growing not shrinking."
Optimus looked at him in confusion.
"Not long after you left us, she shrank so small that she disappeared entirely," explained Bumblebee. "The human scientists hypothesized that she simple ceased to exist, but when she appeared here, she was barely the size of an Earth insect. She also hadn't aged any since the last time I saw her."
"She somehow transcended time," said Optimus.
"I wouldn't put it past her," said Bumblebee looking at him pointedly. "All sorts of unbelievable things have been occurring lately."
"Indeed," agreed Optimus.
