In which Alison has a birthday, meets some kids, and gives a speech


After that weekend, things quieted down for the next couple weeks. Bee, Mikaela, Miles, Barricade and I returned to Tranquility, where we resumed our usual schedule, with the addition of an exercise routine Asami gave to us, saying she would know if we didn't follow it. And I definitely believed her with that, just for the fact that if she put us through the same routine as Sunday, we'd be half-dead a second time. Bee was an encouragement, blasting the Rocky theme or "Eye of the Tiger" or the top one hundred pop station while we worked out. Barricade played the part of the mocking coach, keeping us going by commenting how he'd seen faster petro-rabbits or stronger glitchmice. With that, plus school, homework, and lessons from Optimus, life had resumed a sort of normalcy, only momentarily interrupted by Halloween, which was celebrated at base on Saturday with a costume party and monster movie marathon.

The quiet ended with the opening ceremony of COTA. Well, technically, it ended the weekend before that. As there was plenty of last minute paperwork to be done, I went to base with Bee on Thursday night, having gotten permission to skip school the next day. But it turned out that was not the only reason I was brought in early.

My Friday morning went by as normal; PT with Asami, breakfast, working on paperwork and writing my speech for the opening ceremony with Ella. But walking into the mess hall at lunch, I was surprised to walk in to applause, the whole mess hall clapping for me. At the end of the room where I usually sat, a banner was strung up, saying "Happy 17th Birthday", and at the table under it, Mikaela, Miles, the Bots' holos and my parents were standing waiting for me. Hot dogs, burgers and sides sat on platters, and a cake and small pile of gifts were on one end of the table.

Ella smiled from where she was standing at my side. "Happy Birthday, Alison."

Holy shit. I was so busy I had lost track of the days. November 2, my birthday.

I smiled and gave a curtain call bow to the troops, then made my way over to the table.

Mom reached me first and pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. "Happy birthday, sweetie."

I hugged her back. "Thanks, Mom." I hugged Dad, then moved over to Mikaela and Bee. "Did you guys plan this?"

"Yup. We wanted to surprise you, especially since it looked like you forgot it." Mikaela kissed my cheek and poked me in the side. "You never once mentioned your birthday was coming up."

"Really?" I blushed a bit. "Yeah, I guess I did forget."

"Well, we won't let you anymore," Jazz said. "The creation day of the Bearer of the AllSpark - if we were back on Cybertron, there'd be at least a festival in Simfur, if not planet-wide."

"Wouldn't the day I became Bearer make more sense?" I asked.

"Yeah, that'd get celebrated too, but if you hadn't been created, you wouldn't have been able to become Bearer to begin with," Bee said. "Most cities had festivals to celebrate the creation days and appointment anniversaries of their leaders, and of course the whole planet celebrated Optimus and Megatron's."

"Wow."

"Well, lets not let the food get cold," Mom said, grabbing a plate and loading it with what she knew I liked. "Eat up, everyone."

My birthday lunch was awesome. The food was great, fresh off the grill practically, and I inhaled three hot dogs and a burger (both with ketchup and mustard and sliced pickles and cheese on the burger). The white cake was homemade by Mom, with a bag of vanilla pudding mix thrown into the batter to make it super rich, with funfetti icing on it, and neopolitan ice cream was on the side. After we finished eating, I was moved to open my presents.

The first box was marked from Ratchet, Coppertone and Jazz, and inside were three metal cubes, each carved with different designs and glyphs, which in turn were painted. The one with yellow carvings was of a spikier variety, and the gylphs were all the word for 'healer'. The orange one had more curves and swirls, and the glyphs said 'creator' and 'mother'. The silver-blue one was blockier, and the gylphs meant 'diplomat', 'ambassador' and 'leader'.

"They're position cubes," Jazz explained. "It was tradition that when someone had a change of circumstance, a friend would make one of those to represent it. They're usually displayed in an office or home, but you can do what you want with them."

"You can probably guess who made which," Coppertone said.

I smiled. "I can. Thank you, guys. I think they'll go perfect in the office." I picked up the next box, which was from Ironhide. It was heavy, and I was very curious as to what was inside.

It was a bunch of small metal spheres, each with a cap on one side held down by a latch. And from that, and the look on Ratchet and Optimus's faces when I pulled one out, I figured they were some kind of bomb. I gently set that one back in the box.

"Ironhide, what made you think it was a good idea to give Alison plasma shells?" Ratchet asked.

"She needs to be able to defend herself," Ironhide said. "This way, she doesn't have to rely solely on her powers."

"Wouldn't this break the ban on sharing weapons tech?" Ella asked.

"I'm not giving out schematics, and Alison is as good as a cybertronian in our eyes, so doesn't quite count."

"Maybe it's better to keep these at base," I said. "At least until I get some training on how to properly use them."

Ironhide looked a little grumpy at that, but looked to Asami, who had just walked up to the table with Will, Epps and Lindsey while we were speaking. "Get with me to clear a time to give these kids some live fire training."

"Of course, sir," Asami said, then turned to me, holding out a box out. "Happy Birthday, Alison."

"Thank you, Asami. You didn't have to get me anything." I lifted the lid from the box, and found there were some bandanas and wrist bands inside, along with a fitness watch. "For PT, I suppose?"

"Partly. The bandanas are for accessorizing, I figured they would be more useful than a scarf or something."

"You're right there, I'm not a scarf girl."

Will handed me his gift next. "From me, Sarah and Annie. They're looking forward to meeting you next week."

"Thanks Will." His gift was a set of earrings, small red teardrops on silver chains. "These are gorgeous. I love them."

"You're welcome, Alison."

Lindsey got me a book about famous leaders and their successes and failures, which I knew came from a conversation we had had a few weeks before, when we walked to lunch together. Ella's was a daily planner and a bracelet, silver chain with blue gems. Mom and Dad got me a tablet, a very recent model, though it was still a dinosaur compared to what I had before the Jump. Miles gave me the pre-order receipt for Mass Effect, which made me extremely happy, as I'd been looking forward to playing it (again) for ages.

Bee's gift was the third to last I opened, and inside was a cute white sundress, printed with clusters of red, yellow and blue flowers. I recognized it from a catalog Mikaela and I had looked through a couple weeks before, and it had been one of the ones I commented on really liking, but not worth the price tag. "You remembered this. Thank you, Bee." I turned and gave him a big hug.

He hugged me back. "You're welcome, Alison. I thought you deserved something pretty."

"Oh, so I'm not pretty now?" I leaned back and gave my best "unimpressed" look.

"You're gorgeous," he said, almost too quickly. He pulled away and rubbed the back of his head. "Just, you know-" he trailed off as I laughed and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Bee. I love it." I turned back to the table, just in time for Mikaela hand me my next gift.

"That's from me."

I pulled off the paper and found it was a light brown leather journal, thick but small enough to slip in my purse, with my name stamped across the top left corner in gold leaf and a strap with a small lock to keep it closed. Inside was blank, except for a note from Mikaela on the inside cover. "For tracking all your thoughts and plans."

"I figured you'd want something more secure than that notebook in your purse," she said, and I knew exactly what she was talking about. A safe place to store all my thoughts and plans for saving this universe, as well as the general transformers information that was floating in my head.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "Thank you, Mikaela. It's perfect." I made a promise to thank her more thoroughly later.

Once I pulled away from Mikaela, Optimus stepped up and handed me my last gift, a little box with a ribbon wrapped around it. "This is honestly a little overdue, but it took some time to get the stamp ready for it."

Now that got my curiosity up, and I quickly pulled the ribbon away and took the lid off. What was inside actually took my breath away for a moment before I pulled it out. It was a set of dog tags, but instead of the usual army info, they said "Alison Witwicky: Director of COTA" with the glyph for AllSpark in Primal Vernacular. They were like the ones the Autobots had, only theirs had the Autobot symbol.

"Just our way of showing you are part of our people, as well as Earth," Optimus explained.

I felt tears start to well up, and I quickly slipped the chain over my head. The tags rested right over my heart, and it felt completely natural for them to be there. I smiled up at Optimus. "Thank you, Optimus. It's a wonderful gift."

"You're welcome, Alison." Optimus smiled back.

My birthday was the last lazy day, the rest of the weekend was busy, busy, busy. On Saturday, Ella took Mikaela, Miles and I to town, where we had a second meeting with some tailors who had previously measured us for the COTA dress uniforms, and other future outfits that would be needed because of my station. Now we were trying them on, making sure any last minute adjustments could be made. When we got back, it was in time to see two moving vans leaving, and we knew the families had arrived.

I didn't get a chance to meet any of them until just before dinner, when I saw them drive up to the mess hall in a big van. I already had a feeling that would soon be labelled the Bus, if it hadn't already been.

Sarah and Annabelle Lennox looked just like they did in the movie, though for the busy day Sarah had tied her hair up into a braided bun. Monique Epps was a little taller than me, dark skin a few shades lighter than her husband's, with bright dark brown eyes and black sausage roll curls cut to her chin. Lizzie Burke was the shortest and stockiest of the wives, with red curls piled into a very messy bun, and brown eyes to die for. All were dressed in work clothes, and were currently trying to corral the children as they climbed out of the van.

I smiled as I walked over. "Need some help?"

Before any of the moms could answer, a red blur charged at me. Curls like that, she was obviously Meghan Burke, and she practically bounced as she spoke. "Are you Alison? Daddy and Coppertone were telling us all about you. Did you really stab yourself? Did it leave a scar? Are you a cyborg now? Show me some of your powers!"

"Meghan!" Lizzie scolded, coming over to get her daughter. "I'm sorry, she's been excited to meet you for weeks."

I laughed and waved away the concern. "It's quite alright, I was expecting a bit of mobbing." I knelt down in front of Meghan and undid the top two buttons of my plaid shirt, showing her the sunburst over the edge of my tank top. "I did stab myself with the AllSpark, and She burned me on my chest and arms, but it and all my other injuries healed instantly, so all I have is the white skin." I motioned to the white patch on my cheek, then pulled my sleeve up to show the marks on my arms. "I'm not a cyborg, but I'm something similar, called a technorganic. My powers are only to be used in an emergency, but if you would like, I can introduce you to the AllSpark."

"But, the AllSpark was a cube, wasn't it?" One of the Epps girls asked, as they and their brother came over. The older three girls looked between eight and eleven, and took after their mom, though each had differences. Their hair was all in braids to at least their shoulders, but one had hers in cornrows to a ponytail, another had hers all braided to one side of her head, with red extensions added in, and the third had lots of normal braids, but currently they were pulled back into one long braid down her back. She also had a birthmark peeking out from under her chin and was the tallest, while the first sister had a bunch of freckles across her cheeks and nose. The youngest Epps girl had her hair natural, currently pulled into two little puffs at the back of her head, and also freckles. Fred Epps looked just like a little version of his daddy, especially in his mini Air Force uniform, though he still had some of his baby fat.

The sister with the ponytail was the one to ask about the AllSpark. "How can you introduce us?"

"Well you see, the cube was just the AllSpark's vessel," I explained. "So, when the cube was destroyed, She needed to find a different one. And because of what I did during the Battle of Mission City, She chose me. Watch."

I closed my eyes, and the AllSpark stepped forward before opening them. She smiled at the stunned look on the kids' faces, and sweetly said, "~Hello, little ones. I am the AllSpark, Mother of the cybertronian race. It is wonderful to meet you all.~"

"Whoa," was all the girls had to say, while Fred was more adventurous.

"Your eyes are pretty," he said, taking a couple steps forward before his sister stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"~Thank you, Fred.~" She looked to his sisters. "~And might I have your names?~"

"I'm Shareeka," the girl with the ponytail said.

"Shaniqua," the girl with red said.

"Shaleeka," the last sister said. "And this is Mozembiqua." She picked up her little sister, who waved before tucking her face into Shaleeka's neck.

"I'm Meghan," Meghan said, bouncing again. "Can I give you a hug?"

"~I would love a hug, Meghan,~" the AllSpark said, and we were promptly tackled by the little girl. The AllSpark looked to her mother. "~I can see you have your hands full with this one.~"

"Don't I know it," Lizzie said. "I don't know how you can handle all five of yours, Monique."

"Lots of practice with my nieces, nephews and baby siblings," Monique said, coming over with Sarah holding Annabelle. "It's good to meet you, Alison, and... The AllSpark?"

"~That is my proper name, yes. But you can drop the article, if it's easier for you.~" She stood up, holding Meghan on our hip. "~You should all be very proud of your husbands. They are very brave men, both for their service before the Decepticons attacked, and since.~"

"Thank you," Sarah said. "I for one am still wrapping my head around everything. This all seems like sci-fi, not reality."

"Oh, preaching to the choir, Sarah," Monique said.

"Amen," Lizzie said, reaching out to take Meghan back from the AllSpark. "This little one has taken it much better than me."

That apparently reminded Meghan of something cause she started looking around. "Where's Coppertone? She said she'd be here, but I haven't seen her all day!"

"I believe Coppertone is watching my own children currently," the AllSpark said. "I can ask someone to take over so she can come visit."

"Children?" Monique gave us a questioning look, and it looked like a bit of sympathy behind it. She was probably getting the wrong idea.

"Not mine, technically," I said, breaking through the AllSpark's control. "Just before the AllSpark and I merged, She created four cybertronian hatchlings, who we recently recovered. They live in the Bot's quarters, and everyone takes turns watching them, though Copper takes the most shifts with it."

"Whoa!" Shaniqua said, staring at me. "Your eyes just-" she made a big circle with her hands, then shrunk it. "How do you do that?"

"~It's a sign of my influence,~" the AllSpark said. "~It easily lets others know which of us they are dealing with, though Alison sees and knows all that I do. But, unless I hold onto command, Alison can push me back or aside, like you just saw. We are a partnership, symbiotic and generally equal.~"

"So, Alison lets you live in her head, and in return, you give her superpowers?" Shaleeka asked.

"And you can make baby 'Bots?" Shareeka asked.

"~More or less. I cannot make any more hatchlings now, it takes more power than Alison can use right now. It's also too dangerous, the hatchlings could get sick or hurt, and the Autobots would have to focus on protecting them instead of protecting your fathers and their comrades. So until the War ends, Escapade, Rascal, X-Cat and Dispensor will be my last children.~"

"So, you're the mom of all the Autobots?" Shaniqua asked. "Does that make Alison their stepmom?"

"~It is a little more complicated than that, but you could say that. Though for some like Optimus or Coppertone, I am more like their grandmother, as they had parents who raised them.~"

"Do you tell him to go to his room if he does something bad?" Fred asked. "Grandma does that to Daddy sometimes."

The AllSpark laughed, a full, shoulder-shaking chuckle. "~Oh, I have been tempted, but he's usually good, so I don't get to.~" She glanced at Sarah's watch. "~I must leave you now. It's almost dinner and Alison is eager to talk to you too. It has been wonderful to meet you all.~" With that, She retreated and I smiled and shifted into a more relaxed stance. I had noticed the AllSpark held herself much taller and straighter than I typically did, which probably made an interesting sight when we transitioned.

"Hi, kids," I said, giving them a small wave. "You know, I think I saw a notice saying there would be ice cream available with dinner."

The kids collectively gasped, and turned to head into the Mess, Shareeka picking up Fred while Shaniqua grabbed her mom's hand to drag her along. Meghan wiggled to be let down, but grabbed my hand instead of Lizzie's. "Come on!"

I smiled and let her pull me along. Hopefully, meeting the 'Bots will go over just as well, if not better.

Sunday was a major set up day, getting HQ ready for the opening ceremony. General Moreshower and Secretary Keller showed up at lunch to join us for a rehearsal run, and I think I managed to get through it okay, but it seemed every second that ticked down made me more and more nervous about the whole thing.

The troops were scheduled to arrive at ten in the morning on Monday, with four hours to get settled in the barracks, eat lunch, and change into dress uniform for the ceremony at two. Will and Epps were helping Miles get ready, while Ella took charge of Mikaela and I.

The COTA dress uniform was something designed by Optimus, Jazz and Ella sometime in the last two months, basing it on a mix of the army and marine uniforms, with some notes from older styles as well. The uniform consisted of a high collared dress shirt with an asymmetrical cut, buttoning up on the left side of the chest, with a red trim on all hems, and a pair of slacks and black dress shoes. This was underneath a suit jacket that buttoned on the right side. There was a pocket on the left breast as well as two on the hips, and it too had a red trim along the hem, as well as over the center and top of the pocket. Red lapels, gold buttons and a red belt with a gold buckle, and then finished with the COTA patch on the left shoulder. However, my and Mikaela's uniforms differed, because we technically fell under different divisions. Mikaela's uniform was white, to represent the medical and science corps, while mine was dark blue, for command. We also had armbands on our left arm, which represented our standing within our corp. Mikaela's band was red, showing she was more or less an ordinary medic, without leave to go into the field yet. My band was also red, but had the gylph for "AllSpark" stitched into it in light blue.

Once dressed, Ella applied our makeup, light and natural, and helped with our hair. Mikaela's was pulled back into a simple bun, but again, me being Director meant I had to do something special with mine. Ella put a braided crown going back around my head from a center part, then coiled both sides into a bun at the nape of my neck. The last touch was my dog tags, which were hanging under my jacket.

Once we were done, we were hustled off to HQ, doing some last minute checks of everything. The leadership ate lunch in the conference room at noon, and I managed to clear my plate, though I didn't know how. As the seconds ticked down, I started feeling a cold pit in my stomach, while the world seemed to get a bit wider apart. I knew this was a bad nervous reaction, and I begged off to my office, wanting a few minutes of solitude to try and collect myself.

However, as I sat at my desk, my thoughts went into a spiral. What was I even doing? These were soldiers and agents, most of them have seen combat of one form or another, or had been otherwise involved in a standard military operation. And they were to just accept that a teenager was leading them? A girl who literally just turned seventeen? I had the AllSpark, but how many of them would truly believe I was Her Bearer? It was crazy, I couldn't do this. But I had to, it was much too late to chicken out. Oh why, why did I accept Optimus's offer?

A knock at the door jolted me from my thoughts and I looked up. "Come in!" I said automatically, only just noticing how my hands had gripped the fabric of my slacks.

Optimus opened the door as I smoothed out any wrinkles. His holoform was wearing the same uniform as me, with two differences. His armband had the primal vernacular glyph for "Prime", same as was on his root mode's cheek, and he, like the rest of the bots, had the Autobot symbol on his right shoulder. "It's an hour till, are you ready?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, totally." I pushed myself out of my seat.

Optimus frowned slightly, and stepped in, closing the door behind him. "Are you alright, Alison?"

Part of me wanted to assure him I was fine, but seeing the concern on his face, I just collapsed back in my seat. "No, not really." I took a deep breath and bent forward, resting the heels of my hands against my brow. "I just… How can I do this? I'm learning fast from you and Ella, but there's a difference between doing paperwork and leading an entire organization! I'm not ready, I'm seventeen, just a kid. The people out there, they're used to following orders, but why should they listen to me? I'm just a kid, I should be in class right now, reading Shakespeare or taking a Trig test. I just- I don't know." My hands flexed, my instinct being to run them through my hair, but that would ruin Ella's hard work.

Optimus had come closer during my rant, bringing Ella's chair around the desk, and sat next to me. He turned my chair to face him, then gently took my hands in his and held them over our touching knees. "I understand perfectly, Alison. I felt the same, when I first took command."

I looked up. "But, weren't you already full grown when you and Megatron became the Prime and Lord Protector? And trained for that since you were teens?"

Optimus patted my hand. "That's just it. My first command wasn't being Prime, it was leading a squad during the Unification. In the Alphias, the most I had ever considered leading was an artifact expedition, in the hopes of recovering relics of the Primes. Then suddenly, Sentinel wakes up and it's almost immediately decided that we're going to unite the clans. At first, it seemed not much different than an expedition, even my speech to Beta seemed natural. Then we came across our first adversary, a small but vicious clan of insecticons, who refused to negotiate. While we had fighters, the Tessa could only give up so much of their leadership, especially with their Commander being one of the ones leading. So, Megatron and I were placed in charge of a squad, and asked to guard a certain point, unlikely to be attacked, but a threat if it was overrun. Megatron was confident, but he had always been more military minded than me, and I was the one officially in charge.

"One of the mecha in our squad was Calvary, a femme from Tessa, who saw how nervous I was on the eve of the battle. She took me a ways from the camp, sat me down, and told me of her own failure the one time she tried to lead a group. She had been quiet and a bit standoffish, and hadn't instilled a lot of confidence about her leadership abilities, so some thought they should follow another member of the party, more brash and confident. They were attacked by a driller, and only as they were bleeding out, one already dead and two almost in the Well, did they listen when she told them what would be necessary to get back. The guilt of not preventing the tragedy had her refusing to even lead scouting parties, so she made sure I had one of my nearest and dearest lessons."

"And that is?" I was listening intently, and I could almost see the scene in my mind (I wondered a moment if that was the AllSpark). Young Optimus, standing under Cybertron's stars, while a red femme told him the story.

Optimus smiled. "'Even if you do not believe in yourself, project that image to everyone around you, and they will believe in you. Or, I believe you humans have the much shorter 'Fake it 'til you make it'."

The advice was so simple and so common I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out. "Fake it 'til I make it. That's all?"

"That's all. I thought about her words half the night, then I got up and asked for her advice on mine and Megatron's defense plan. The next morning, I stood tall, led my squad to our position, and clearly and confidently gave out my orders. A couple mecha tried to question me, but I assured them I had thought it all carefully, and they did as they were told. We only encountered a very small squad of Insecticons, but we managed to destroy them without any major injuries. And after that, I started to gain the confidence I was expressing, until it wasn't an act, but truth. And then I always had Elita and Megatron to make sure I did not become overly so, so it did not cripple me on the opposite side."

"Fake it 'til I make it, but not so much I get a big head, and keep people around who will deflate it if I do." I took a deep breath, and silently repeated it. I found myself smiling as I looked back up at Optimus. "Thank you. Any last minute advice?"

"First, go out there and show them your confidence in your leadership. After, use your best judgement, but don't be afraid to take advice when needed. Most of all, don't waver in your course. Change direction, if needed, but never waver. And remember, you have the support of myself, the Autobots, and your family. People have gone further with much less."

We stood and I wrapped Optimus in a hug of gratitude, before we both went back to join the others.

The plan for the ceremony was simple. A raised stage was temporarily erected on the far end of the main hall, with a podium and chairs on it. Behind it, the Autobots sat in their alt modes, while their holos would sit on one side of the stage. Keller, Moreshower, Will, Ella, Lindsey and I would sit on the other. The Eppses, Lennoxes, Burkes and my parents had seats of their own on the communications catwalk, out of the way but still able to see. Once the soldiers settled in their seats, all of us on the stage would enter from the offices and take our seats. Lennox would speak first, introducing the organization and such. Then Keller would give a brief summary of how we came to be here, and introduce Optimus. Optimus would introduce the 'Bots, who would transform to root mode briefly before returning to alt mode. Finally, it would be my turn, and I was so glad there was a teleprompter for me, cause I was certain I'd completely forget my speech the moment I got up there.

Bee and Copper were waiting in the hall for us. Copper wore the OD green uniform of the general military branch of the Autobots, with a red armband. Ironhide would have the same except his band would be blue. Bumblebee had the black Special Operations uniform, with a band matching mine. Jazz's was the same, but also with a blue band.

As we came up, Bee immediately gave me a hug. "You'll do great Alison."

I hugged him back. "Thanks, Bee. Hopefully they'll all think the same."

"If they don't, they're idiots." Copper clapped my shoulder. "You're going to be the best boss they've ever known, and they will be grateful."

I smiled. "Here's hoping."

The office doors had windows in them, so as we congregated there, I could look out and see the soldiers walking in. All were dressed according to the branch of service they came from, with the former Sector Seven personnel in black suits. I thought I spotted Mikaela's white once, but the crowd shifted before I could be certain.

Finally, after what seemed like too long and too short a time, everyone was settled, and we took our line up. Keller led the way, followed by Moreshower, Will, Lindsey, Ella, then me, Bumblebee, Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide, Jazz and Coppertone. I resolutely kept my gaze ahead, not looking at the crowd until I got to my seat. Once there, I could see they had placed the rangers from Mission City and the COTA members who had been on base in the front rows. By chance or design, Mikaela, Miles, Asami and Simmons were practically right in front of me. They all gave me reassuring smiles and it eased my nerves slightly, that I at least seemed outwardly relaxed as the crowd sat back down and Will took the stand.

"Mr. Secretary, General Moreshower, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the opening of the Cyber-Organic Treaty Association. Every one of you who sits before me today have been chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which I honestly did not believe would happen in my lifetime. Two months ago, we had our first official contact with an extraterrestrial species, one very different from us and yet, as I have learned over the past several weeks, quite similar as well. Our work here will be unprecedented, as we move towards a goal of peace between our species, while working together to defend our planet against those that would threaten it. To further explain how we will move to reach that goal, I give you Secretary of Defense, Mr. John Keller."

Everyone clapped as Keller stood and walked to the podium, shaking Will's hand before the major sat down and he turned to the audience. "Thank you, Major Lennox. Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to be here for this momentous occasion. However, many of you are likely curious as to how we came to be in this moment. I will do my best to explain concisely.

"Ten thousand years ago, an object of extraterrestrial origin known as the AllSpark landed in the bed of what is now known as the Colorado River. Some time later, Megatron, a member of the robotic species called cybertronians, to whom the AllSpark belonged, crashed into the Arctic and was frozen in the ice. He remained undisturbed there until 1897, when an explorer called Archibald Witwicky discovered him, only to trip a mechanism that rendered him blind and seemingly insane, rambling for the rest of his life of the 'metal devil' he found in the ice. Agents of the United States government believed him, and made a search for Megatron, finding him and designating him Non-Biological Extraterrestrial One. Shortly after this, the AllSpark was found and dubbed as the Cube. To protect and study them both, the Hoover Dam was built and an agency called Sector Seven was founded, reverse engineering much of modern technology from the two, while also watching and waiting for more of their kind to arrive.

"The time they waited for came this last year, starting when a cybertronian scout by name of Bumblebee arrived searching for the AllSpark to return it home. He was followed by others also searching, for far less benevolent reasons. These others, followers of Megatron called the Decepticons, attacked the SOCCNET in Qatar, and later Air Force One itself to find information Bumblebee had been investigating himself; the location of the AllSpark, inscribed on Archibald's glasses.

"These glasses were in the possession of his great-grandaughter, Alison Witwicky. Bumblebee installed himself as her guardian, defending her against Decepticons who attacked her, and introduced her to his leader, Optimus Prime, and his team of Autobots, who have been fighting against Megatron for millennia. After Alison handed over the glasses to him, she and Bumblebee were collected by Sector Seven, who brought them and the SOCCNET survivors to the Hoover Dam, only for the Decepticons to follow and attack. The Autobots, our soldiers, and Alison took the AllSpark to Mission City for extraction, leading to the battle that happened there. At the end of the battle, an extraordinary act of self sacrifice on the part of Alison saved the AllSpark from falling into Decepticon hands, and though Megatron survived and fled the battlefield, an alliance was forged between humanity and the Autobots.

"The Cyber-Organic Treaty Association is now the core and the face of that alliance, and it will be our duty to uphold it to the greatest degree. I understand these events are hard to believe; some days I myself wonder when I will wake up from this dream. But it is reality, and with that comes hard work and commitment. You have all been picked because you are some of the best of the best, and I am confident in your abilities to see us to our goal. I now would like to introduce you to Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots."

Everyone clapped again as Optimus went to the podium, though I could see a few people glancing at each other confused. "Thank you, Secretary Keller. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Before you get too confused, I assure you, I am as the Secretary described; a robotic extraterrestrial called a cybertronian." He flickered his holoform once, then stood there plainly as a mini-version of his mech form. "My people have a device that allows us to create a hard light projection, as a means of blending in. You need not fear, there are only a small number of cybertronians on the planet, so there is no worry that you have been working alongside a secret alien." A couple people chuckled at that, but most seemed a bit shocked or surprised.

"As Secretary Keller said, my Autobots and I fight against Megatron and his Decepticons. I will explain why that is. Once, Megatron and I ruled our planet Cybertron as brothers, until he turned against me. His allies became the Decepticons, while those loyal to me became the Autobots. For centuries, we battled over our planet, and at the end, over control of the AllSpark. The AllSpark is the mother of our planet, the source of all Cybertronian life. She was guarded by my Autobots for years but it was eventually decided to send Her off world for Her safety. She was launched into space, and eventually found Her way here to Earth. When Megatron pursued Her, we pursued him, scattering across the galaxy looking for both before it was too late. When my team discovered Earth was the planet we were looking for, I sent my scout Bumblebee ahead, to narrow down the search."

Bee's holo stood up them, saluting the audience, then disappearing and he started shifting from his alt mode. The reactions were even stronger than when Optimus shifted, especially as Bee made his holo reappear on his shoulder, smiled and waved.

"Once he discovered Alison and the glasses, he signalled my team, and we came to retrieve them and introduce ourselves. My first lieutenant, Jazz." Jazz did the same actions as Bee, saluting and transforming, then clicking his glossa and pointing to the crowd. "Chief medical officer Ratchet." Ratchet crossed his his arms and nodded. "Weapons specialist, Ironhide." Ironhide cracked his knuckles and smirked to the crowd, which is probably as close to peaceful as he would get. "And frontline specialist Coppertone." Copper rested her weight on one leg, placing a servo on her opposite wheel-holster. "After following the coordinates to the AllSpark's resting place, we assisted in Her defense during the battle of Mission City. At the Battle's conclusion, the AllSpark's vessel was destroyed, but She lives on, in the body of a young woman who exemplifies the best of your kind. I present to you, Alison Witwicky, Bearer of the AllSpark, and Director of COTA."

Show time. I took a deep breath as I stood, head high and shoulders back as I walked to the podium. The 'Bots transformed back to altmode behind me, to not draw attention away from me. I shook Optimus's hand, then he walked back to his seat and I faced the crowd.

"Thank you, Optimus, for your kind words, and thank you, Secretary Keller and General Moreshower, for your trust and confidence in me. I am sure many of you are looking at me and wondering, 'What does the Bearer of the AllSpark mean?' I will explain quickly.

"As said by Optimus, the AllSpark is the mother of the cybertronian race. While She had an inanimate vessel as opposed to a mechanoid form, She was as living as you or I, and extremely powerful. During the Battle, She communicated to me a plan, to both keep Her out of Decepticon hands, and to ensure She lived on. She changed Her form to that of a stake, and I drove Her into my chest, where I had a pacemaker regulating my heartbeat due to a birth defect. This connection provided Her an entrance point, and Her power and consciousness entered my body. She resides in my mind, and in return for this, She lends me Her power and knowledge. This fact makes me a direct bridge between humanity and cybertronians, and as such, Optimus asked that I be appointed the Director of this organization."

I made a short pause to take a breath. "I know several of you are likely questioning that decision, based on my age. I am young, this is true. But I have excellent advisors and teachers, and I have a strong sense of duty. A duty to protect not just our world, and our people, but those who come to us for refuge and to defend us. I expect hard work and effort from us all, but none more so than myself. Only through that and cooperation can we expect our alliance to hold and friendship to grow between us. COTA's goal is peace. In advance, I thank you, for the efforts and sacrifices we will make to bring that about."

The crowd clapped for me, and I barely held back a sigh of relief. Okay, just get through the rest of the day without making a fool of myself, and I can relax.

Ella stepped up now, and shook my hand before taking the podium while I went back to my seat. "We will now have our tours of the base." A few of the Sector Seven agents who had been living on base stood and headed to the hanger doors. "When your assigned group is called, you may meet your guide at the doors." She started calling them out, and the assembled group on the stage gathered around me.

"You did well, Alison," Optimus said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I smiled. "Thanks, Optimus. I just hope it worked for all of them too."

"There will be a few hold outs," Moreshower told me. "There always is. After they see what you are capable of, they will come around, and in the meantime, they will follow orders like they've been trained to."

"Don't worry, Alison," Bumblebee said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Just give it a little time, and you'll have this whole base eating out of your hand."

"I doubt it would go that far, Bee. Just listening and respecting me would be enough." I shook my head and extended my hand to Keller. "Thank you again, for being here, and for your support."

"I would not have missed it for the world, Miss Witwicky," Keller said. "I am certain you will do well, do not worry yourself excessively."

"I will do my best." And that was a promise for everything. I would do my best.


AN: And COTA is officially open! I'm actually really proud of this chapter, especially the speeches, cause I put legit effort into them rather than half-assing them like I originally did. So what'd you think of Alison's B-Day gifts? What about the kids? OP's story? The ceremony? Got any theories? Let me know in the reviews!

Guest Review Replies

None this week, y'all were really quiet.

I'll see you all next week, same 'Bot Time, same 'Bot Channel!