In which Alison gets some advice, reveals her secrets, and gains an inner circle
After taking a few minutes to wallow and stew, I pushed myself to try and get my work done for the day. Thankfully, it wasn't anything complicated, nor was there much of it, meaning it didn't suffer too much from me taking breaks as my brain circled back to freaking out about loving my best friend.
~Did you have any idea about this?~ I asked the AllSpark during one of those moments.
~I did. I am a mother, after all. I've seen relationship tangles like you have never imagined. This one at least is simple.~
I snorted. ~Simple, right. So, any advice?~
~Make an effort, and things will work out.~
Oh was that all? ~Thanks, AllSpark.~
~You're welcome.~ I could feel Her smirk at my sarcasm, and then She retreated.
Still, even with that on my mind, I managed to get through my work well before lunch. Ella had flown out to New York that morning for a meeting with the stockbroker who was helping us manage our stocks for COTA, and when I commed Optimus about potentially doing our lesson early, he informed me he was still finishing his own work, so I was at loose ends. Part of me wanted to go check on Barricade, but Mikaela would likely still be in the medbay, and I couldn't face her right now. The same thought kept me from seeking out Bee, and Miles would still be shadowing Epps. That left either visiting the Nursery, or finding Asami and training. I knew I needed a distraction, and while the hatchlings and base brats were sweet, they would not provide the kind that I needed.
Mind made up, I went looking for Asami. It took a little hunting, but I ended up spotting her walking into the garages. A slight jog caught me up to her as she was setting a small duffle bag in her car's trunk.
"Hey, Asami?"
She shut the trunk, then turned and smiled. "Hey, Alison. I didn't hear you come up behind me. What's up?"
"Could we do some sparring?" I asked. "I feel the need to practice."
She gave a slight odd look for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. I'm free 'til lunch."
It was still rainy outside, though not as bad as Monday, so we went to the practice room in the gym, which was empty for the time being. I ended up being very glad for that, cause while the spar helped take the edge off my thoughts, my dilemma was still churning in the back of my mind, with thoughts occasionally spilling to the forefront, catching me off guard. After the tenth time it happened resulted in Asami throwing me, she gave a deep sigh. "Okay, what's wrong, Alison?"
"What do you mean?" I asked as I picked myself off the mat, rubbing the shoulder I'd landed on. That throw was a little harder than I was expecting.
She gave me a pointed look. "You're obviously focusing on something other than me with that distant look you keep getting. And usually if you're free at this time of the day, you're tracking down Mikaela and Bumblebee, not me. So what's wrong?"
"Oh. Well…." I bit my lip, glancing around. "Can we sit?"
"Of course." Asami led me over towards the bench along the wall where we had left our water bottles. As we sat down, she asked, "So, what's wrong?"
I took a deep breath. "Well, you know Barricade woke up this morning. After he told us about his attack, Ratchet kicked us out to examine him, and Miles asked if he could get some advice from me."
"I'm assuming about his feelings for Barricade?" Asami asked.
"Yeah. He was a bit worked up about it. I told him to just talk with Barricade, and see how it turns out, which he agreed to, though he thinks he's gonna get his heart smashed. But then he turned the conversation around on me and said that Bumblebee loved me."
"Really?" Asami got a thoughtful look. "I didn't think about it before but he is very affectionate with you and Mikaela. And it's bothering you about his unrequited love?"
I began wringing my hands, as I hesitantly started my answer. "That's just it... it's not unrequited. I didn't realize it until Miles pointed it out, but I do love him. Like, a lot more than as a friend or a brother. But I still love Mikaela too, she's the love of my life and I couldn't imagine being without her, but I don't think I'll be able to keep my feelings for Bee bottled up either, and I don't want to hurt either of them, and I'm not sure what to do!" The last of my words came out in a tumble as I buried my head in my hands.
"Ah," Asami said. "I see why you are so distracted." She thought a moment before continuing. "Honestly, my best advice is what you told Miles. Just talk with both Bee and Mikaela about how you feel and go from there."
"But… with Miles it was different. It's just him telling Barricade how he feels. Neither one is in a relationship. With me, if I say anything, it could ruin my relationship with both of them."
"And if you don't, it will," Asami said with an abrupt sharpness to her tone. The change to her usual calming voice made me look up at her slightly shocked. Her gaze was intense, but softened again as she continued. "I'm not saying it will be an easy thing to talk about, but you need to. Sooner rather than later. The longer you wait, the more it's going to eat at you and the more you'll start avoiding them or treating them different because of it. Then the more strained your relationship with both of them will become until it either comes to an explosive head between all of you or you just drift entirely apart. And they won't know the reason why it happened."
"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," I blurted out without thinking. I instantly saw the change in her expression at my words. A slight sadness in her eyes, one seeming a mix of heartache and regret, before she looked away from me.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"It's okay, Alison. It's just…." She got quiet for a moment before continuing. "I've never talked about him to anyone."
I looked at her questioningly, but bit my tongue. I already struck a chord with my comment and I wasn't wanting to dig deeper at it.
"He was a superior officer," Asami said. "Well before I joined S7, I was assigned to an escort detail and he was a member of it. I started crushing on him almost immediately, despite the fact that he was a fair bit older than me, not to mention the whole superior rank thing. But I couldn't help falling for him the more time I spent around him, even though I never intended on telling him."
I didn't want to interrupt, but I shifted so I faced her, ears perked to catch everything.
She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and gave a small smile at my attentiveness. "But then, there was some big holiday party off base we both went to and I drank a little more than I really should have. Afterwards, while we were both headed back and just casually talking, I ended up spilling how I felt about him. I thought he'd either laugh at me or even reprimand me, but instead he told me that he felt the same way. So we started dating each other in secret. When we were in public, we had to act like we were just soldier and superior. But when we could slip away and it was just the two of us, he was so sweet and romantic. He would even sing to me sometimes." She gave a fond smile as she recalled the memory, though it faded after a few moments with a soft sigh.
"But after a while, things began to change. He… started becoming more distant when we were together and his attention was elsewhere. At first I assumed he was just under a lot of stress, then I began to wonder if he'd simply grown tired of me or if there was someone else. When I tried to talk to him about it, he would only avoid my questions or sometimes argue with me. I still cared about him. I truly loved him. But we couldn't really be together like that and our relationship just… sort of ended. We still worked together for a time but it wasn't the same anymore. Eventually, we both moved to different posts and we lost contact. I haven't heard from him in years."
Asami sighed deeply, still seeming lost in memory for a few moments, then she turned her head to look back to me, gaze unwavering. "My relationship may not have worked out because he wouldn't talk to me, but I know for a fact you would not want to put Mikaela or Bumblebee through something like that. So be honest with them and tell them the truth. Then you can sort what to do from there together."
I held her gaze a moment, then sighed and nodded. "Alright. I'll try to talk with them this week. And… thank you… for sharing about that. You didn't have to."
"I know. Honestly, it feels good to finally be able to talk to someone about all that. And it only seems only fair to share with you one of my secrets when you're planning on sharing one of yours." She cocked her head. "Speaking of which, when do you plan on having that meeting?"
"Tomorrow, if possible, Thursday at the latest, depends which night Arcee is able to get Ratchet out of medbay." I gave her a small relieved smile. "And again, thank you, Asami."
She returned the smile. "So now, if you're back in focus, do you want to try sparring some more?"
I thought of my aching shoulder, and the other little aches and bruises I'd gotten in the spars. "I think I'm good for now. I'll probably see about a hot shower."
"Well, in that case, I'm going to see about getting something to eat. Throwing you around made me hungry." Asami smiled cheekily and I couldn't help giggling a little at her comment. Then she put her hand on my non-aching shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze, before she stood up and headed towards the mess hall.
I got up too, a little slower and stiffer, and headed towards a hot shower, hoping I could get through the day with minimal fretting about the now two life-changing reveals I had to make.
One wasn't for much longer, as we were able to have the meeting the next evening. Arcee convinced Ratchet she would be able to handle the medbay for a night, and he and Wheeljack needed to spend time together, before the scientist started blowing himself up just to see his mate.
Miles, Mikaela, Bee and I headed to medbay right after dinner. Arcee was taking some readings from Barricade when we came in, and nodded when she saw us. "I've already threatened both sets of twins that any self-inflicted injuries will be left until morning, so hopefully we'll be undisturbed," she said. "Course, that's expecting the best from them, so a watch might be a good idea."
"Way ahead of you, Arcee," Bee said, his holo popping to life by the door. "Alison's already stressed out over the meeting's secrecy."
"You mean stressed?" Barricade asked.
"No, stressed out."
"Thanks, Bee," I said flatly.
"Are you feeling alright?" Miles asked. He was as close to Cade as the catwalk allowed, leaning over the railing a bit.
"A little sore, but it's fine." Cade held his good servo out to Miles. "Pretty good for a briefly dead mech."
"Really good." Miles smile was a little wobbly, but he held it as he reached out to touch the servo. When Cade moved it closer still, he vaulted over the railing onto it, then moved to Cade's shoulder. He briefly touched Cade's face, and I could sense a softening to his EMF. I looked away from the scene, but couldn't stop a small smile from forming as I just picked up Miles whisper, asking if they could talk after the meeting.
As we waited for Asami and Simmons to show up, I felt a familiar nervousness rising in me again. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the railing, my hands gripping the bar behind me as I fought the urge to pace like I had before COTA's opening. In a way, this might be even more important than that was. I was taking a huge risk here, and while I was certain I could trust the people I was telling, that niggling worm of doubt loved to stress me out.
~Breathe,~ The AllSpark finally said, after I stewed for a few minutes.
~But-~
~Breathe!~ I did, in for four counts, hold three, out four, repeated a couple times. ~You have picked good people, Alison. Just explain everything the best you can, and they will trust you in return.~
~Can we be sure?~
~Never one hundred percent, but here, I am ninety-nine point nine.~
I smiled slightly. ~Thanks.~
~You're welcome.~
"Alison?"
I opened my eyes and looked to my right to find Bee there, fairly close. I stiffened, then tried to relax again. "Yeah?"
I could feel Bee's puzzlement in his EMF, and mentally cursed myself for my reaction, but he didn't address it. "Asami and Simmons are on their way. You ready?"
"Thanks Bee. Yeah, I'm ready." I pushed off the railing and went to greet the former S7s.
Arcee had moved up some chairs for us, so Asami, Mikaela and Simmons were all sitting along the railing by Barricade's berth. With Miles on his shoulder and Arcee and Bee at the foot of the berth, they all were looking at me as I stood in the middle of the catwalk, my locked journal in hand.
"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath. "Before we begin, I'm going to need you all to swear to me, on the AllSpark, you will not reveal anything I tell you tonight to anyone, not even Optimus."
That caused some shocked looks. "You want us to keep secrets from Prime?" Barricade asked.
"Do you know how hard that is?" Arcee asked. "He's got this look, it guilts out everyone except Elita."
Oh I knew that look pretty well after last week. "I know, but this information is too dangerous. If Optimus, or, God forbid, a Decepticon got this information, it could literally mean the end of the world."
"Okay, you left that part out of our explanation," Mikaela said.
"You know what Alison wants to tell us?" Asami asked.
Mikaela nodded. "She told Bee and I right after Mission City, though before it she gave me a hint cause I questioned how she could remain so calm about everything happening."
"It's going to sound crazy," Bee added, "But it'll also explain a lot."
The rest looked amongst themselves, then Asami was the first to speak. "Alison, I don't know what you're going to tell us, but whatever it is, I swear no one will hear of it from me."
"Same here," Miles said. "Best friends' honor."
Barricade glanced at Miles, then looked at me and shrugged the shoulder without a person on it. "You have my Vow, part of that is protecting your secrets."
"You have my silence," Arcee said, tapping her chestplate thrice in a line over her spark - what I had learned was called the Tessa Cross.
"And mine," Simmons said.
"Thank you," I said, then held up my journal. "You all know Mikaela got me this for my birthday, but it wasn't so I could have a secret diary. It was so that I could write down all the information of a future that I have diverted us from."
"One that led to the end of the world?" Miles asked.
"Of one world. The reason I knew this future is because I saw it, on a TV screen in my home, between the years 2007 and 2014." I pressed forward before anyone could ask questions. "I am not the Alison of this world, though I have her memories. I am from a world where Cybertron, the War, even the people in this room, were all fictional, part of a movie series called Transformers, based off a toyline of the same name. In that series, there was a lot of bad things that happened, leading to the near extinction of the cybertronian race, so when I woke up here on the morning of the day I met Bumblebee, I knew I had to change things, hopefully for the better."
Everyone except Mikaela and Bee looked at me like I was crazy, but then the AllSpark stepped forth. "~What Alison says is true. I have seen her memories, and I too wish to avoid that path, which is why I showed her how to bond with me.~"
"Oh, that was the reason," I said. "I'd wondered why nothing of the sort happened to Sam."
"Sam? Like your cousin?" Arcee asked.
"Yeah, in the movies as I watched them, he was the main character. And a major wimp too, honestly. Like, the first half of the second movie is him rejecting the call to adventure, even when OP practically laid it out for him on a platter, then suddenly in the third film he wants to work with them, but we're subjected to fifty minutes of him working a crappy office job." I shook my head. "He's better off in Oregon, trust me."
"How many movies were there," Asami asked.
"Four, with plans for three others, though I got brought here before I could learn anything about them, except the sixth one was supposed to focus on Bumblebee."
"I got a solo film?" Bee asked, his doorwings fluttering a bit.
I shrugged. "Maybe, I have no idea what's happened with the series. Could have been awesome, or the whole thing could have been cancelled. In any case, my goal is to prevent the events of the last two movies, cause they were terrible."
"As in being bad movies, or as in the events were horrible?" Miles asked.
"Both, honestly." I sat in my chair, loosely crossing my arms and crossing one leg over the other. "The events of the first movie have passed, that was the SOCCNET attack all the way up to Mission City. The second movie was set in the fall of next year, the third about three or four years later, and the fourth was five years after that. And each just had the Bots' situation going from okay, to bad, to worse."
"Leading to near extinction," Asami finished for me.
I pointed. "Exactly."
"What are the events that led to that?" Barricade asked. "You wouldn't tell us unless there was something that could be done to prevent them."
"Oh, it's a lot, but I'll try to break it down." I tapped my cheek as I thought of the best place to start. "Well, I guess the best place to start with Mission City. As the AllSpark said, She only communed with me on seeing my memories. Sam didn't have that, so when OP said shoving the Cube into his chest would kill him, Sam turned that around and shoved it into Megatron's instead. This resulted in Megs dying and the battle ending, but because all that was left of the Cube were two shards, there was no healing to be done. Oh, and Coppertone wasn't at the battle either, so Jazz was actually torn in half by Megatron and died."
"Slag," Arcee vented.
I nodded. "Yeah. The government covered up the attack and formed the Nonbiological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty, or NEST, which was based out of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. There were a couple tie-in comics that explained the events between the first and second movies, but because Starscream was the only confirmed survivor of Mission City, they were very different. The most notable thing I recall from them is Starscream damaged Bee's vocal chords again so they could keep up his gimmick of only talking through the radio."
Bee raised his servo to his neck and grimaced. "Let's not go back to those days. It wasn't as fun as it looked."
"Agreed. So, two years passed, and 'Con attacks slowly increased, with the second movie opening on one on Shanghai. By that time, Arcee, Elita, Chromia, Jolt, Skids, Mudflap and Sideswipe showed up, but Wheeljack, Prowl and Sunstreaker were nowhere to be seen. The third movie also retconned that three Wreckers showed up, but spent all their time guarding the Bots' spaceship at Cape Canaveral, supposedly cause they're assholes."
"That is true," Barricade said. "Only met two who weren't, and they were the odd ones out."
"And that's why Magnus was in charge of them," Arcee said. "He's the only one who could corral them all."
"Regardless," I said, "the battle of Shanghai ended with a message to Optimus from one of the 'Cons; 'The Fallen shall rise again'."
"The Fallen?" Simmons asked.
"One of the original Primes," Arcee answered. "Story goes he was the youngest of the Seven, and he rebelled against his older siblings when he wanted to harvest the star of a lifebearing system to power the AllSpark, and they all died to seal him away for all eternity." Her optics brightened as realization hit her. "You mean-?"
I nodded. "Sol was that star, and Earth was the lifebearing world. That message was left deliberately to try and get Optimus to investigate, which led to a weird conversation about how the AllSpark was the sole record of cybertronian history, like OP hadn't studied ancient history or other archives never existed. That's when Galloway showed up, as the brand new presidentially appointed liaison, and decided to run an 'as you know' by the leadership, including Moreshower over video conference, for the movie audience's benefit. Unfortunately, Soundwave had hacked into the satellite they were bouncing the transmission off, so he learned all the info he needed, namely that one of the two AllSpark shards was housed in Diego Garcia, and that Megatron and the other Mission City 'Cons were sunk into the Laurentian Abyss, guarded by a submarine. That night, the shard was stolen and Megatron revived by it."
"Where was the other shard?" Asami asked.
"Sam. It got caught in the hoodie he wore at Mission City, and he kept it in a box in his closet cause, as he put it, it was his 'super bowl jersey, he bled in the thing'. He was packing stuff for college when he found it and gave it to Mikaela for safe keeping. However, when he first touched it, it activated briefly, and he started having odd visions and sketching cybertronian symbols everywhere, kinda like Grandpa Archibald. It turned out the symbols were a map, of a sort, to the Matrix of Leadership."
"The Matrix!" Bee's optics whirled and he actually beeped his horn from the surprise.
"Whoa, quiet down there, Bee," Arcee said, casting a half glance to the door to make sure no one had heard.
"What's the Matrix?" Miles asked.
Bee answered before I could, his doorwings fluttering with excitement. "When the original Primes were created, they each got a gift or weapon from Primus to fight the Quintessons. Prima, the oldest of them, was given the Matrix of Leadership, which was used both as a sign of his authority, and was also imbued with Primus's power. The Quintessons couldn't stand the sight of it, and even being near it weakened their resolve, making battles easier, which helped end the War. He kept it with him always from then on, so it was lost when-" His wings stiffened and drooped. "When they came here."
"Okay, that's a bit different than what the movies said," I said, gesturing vaguely in the air. "In the movie, the Matrix was just the Key to the Star Harvester, which is the device the Primes used to, well, harvest stars. The Primes took it from the Fallen, so he hunted after them, killing most of them and their Seekers, but the rest managed to seal him in a sarcophagus, before sacrificing themselves to seal the Matrix away, so the Fallen's Seekers couldn't find it and finish the job."
"Sarcophagus…," Barricade half muttered, then looked to Arcee. "Weren't you on that expedition that found all those weird relics that had a sarcophagus with them?"
She tilted her head, thinking, then nodded. "Yeah, me, Optimus, and some others of the science division. We couldn't figure it out exactly, but Optimus found a marking that matched ones found on tombs of the Primes, so he had it taken to Simfur until he could pin down who it was. Then the Malcontents started acting out, and he never got the chance."
"That was the Fallen," I said. "I don't know if he was awake in there the whole time, or if proximity to the AllSpark woke him up, but he had not given up on his plans. And he found a perfect pawn in Megatron."
"Pawn?" Simmons asked, leaning forward slightly. "You mean, Megatron has been working under the Fallen's orders this whole time?"
"Actually, it might be worse than that." I rested my hand on my chin briefly, curled in a loose fist. "The comics stated that Megatron spent a lot of time with the sarcophagus, and the Fallen manipulated him into being hateful and distrustful of Optimus. But a portion of the fandom believed it was deeper than that. They theorised that the Fallen was actually using mind control on him."
"Mind control." Asami frowned. "How could that happen?"
"The most prevalent theory was that the Fallen was somehow acting on slave coding leftover from the Quintessons. The other was just that the Fallen was that powerful, and influenced him similar to the Reaper indoctrination of my Mass Effect game. Slowly implanting thoughts and ideas in his head until he believed them to be his own."
Arcee's EMF turned cold and she actually hugged herself. "That… makes too much sense. Megatron is only Optimus's half brother, and their carrier's sire would always boast about how his ancestors fought against the Quintessons when he was too deep in his high grade. And Megatron changed really quickly. Originally he was just after the Malcontents for Petrus's murder, then one day he turned on everyone. It never made sense, especially to Optimus."
"But the sarcophagus was stuffed on a ship and sent away at the start of the War," Barricade said. "Why didn't he turn back to normal once that thing was gone?"
"Mind control is not a flip of a switch, especially if it was coding he was playing on," I said. "It's possible he left something with Megatron to help hold his control. Or he's just that powerful, to reach across the cosmos to influence him. I mean, he killed the others of the Seven practically by himself, and in the movie he states himself that the only one who could possibly defeat him is another Prime. It's why he had Optimus killed."
"What!?"
I winced slightly at the noise level as everyone called out. "Yeah. That's why the Fallen let the message be given to Optimus. He somehow figured out the AllSpark has transferred Her knowledge into Sam's head, thus he would have the location of the Matrix. He also knew Optimus would come out to defend Sam, so he sent Megatron and Starscream to attack him. The fight was pretty brutal, and Optimus held his own, but the other 'Bots were too far away to help him, and Megatron killed him. Sam escaped, and the Fallen decided to reveal the existence of cybertronians to the world, attacking several cities and a US battleship. He then took over the internet and TV briefly, sending the message that if Sam was found and turned over to him, he would spare the planet."
"Because the aliens who take over the internet to send a message like that always keep their promises," Miles said, rolling his eyes.
"Yup." I popped the "P". "Sam ended up getting a small group together, including Simmons, who was working in his mom's deli cause no S7 agents were brought into NEST, and a Decepticon minicon turned good by Mikaela burning out his optic. They helped him find one of the Fallen's Seekers, who defected to the bots and interpreted Sam's scribbles to reveal the map, then took them to find the Matrix. They succeeded, revived Optimus, and he killed the Fallen and destroyed the Star Harvester, while the 'Cons fled, with Megatron having suffered helm damage from his fight with Optimus."
"The Seeker was already on Earth?" Simmons asked, thinking a moment, then snapping his fingers. "NBE 2!"
I nodded. "His name's Jetfire, he's probably the oldest not-a-Prime cybertronian alive these days, and all he wants is to be left to sleep, so I'd rather not bother him unless it's necessary."
"So if the Fallen was defeated, how did the 'Bots and 'Cons almost get wiped out?" Miles asked.
"That was the third movie's plot. You see, the Fallen was still sealed in his sarcophagus until about a decade ago. He only escaped because Soundwave gave him a gift; a space bridge pillar."
"A pillar?" Arcee asked. "You don't mean the ones Sentinel had on the Ark?"
"The very same. They weren't a weapon, they were a bridge to be used to transport materials from one planet back to Cybertron to restore it. It was part of a deal he made in secret with Megatron."
"He- he betrayed Optimus?" Bee asked. "But, he was like a son to him!"
"Cybertron itself has always been Sentinel's top priority. He fought an entire planet to bring you out of your dark ages, this was little different. Optimus wasn't making hard decisions, so Sentinel felt he had to. He went to Megatron in secret, and they made the plan to use the pillars. For some reason, Earth was picked, maybe cause Megs thought by the time Sentinel got there, the Fallen would have already used the Harvester, so the materials would be free to take, and if not, we could be a slave labor force. However, Starscream attacked the launch, and it set off the pillars. The explosion that seemed to completely destroy the ship? It was the bridge activating and sending the Ark II bouncing through space-time."
"So, wait…" Bee paused in thought. "Shortly after Elita's squad split from the other Ark, we had a fight with some 'Cons when this image of the Ark II appeared, sucked up about half of the 'Cons, then vanished. Could that have actually been the real thing?"
"Copper told me about that. I can't confirm if it was, but most likely, yeah. The only reason it stopped jinking around was because it crashed into The Fallen's ship, which damaged both ships badly. The Fallen crashed on some moon, while the Ark II had just enough power to make one last jump. The Fallen sent Soundwave and the other 'Cons after it before the bridge closed, and they saw where the Ark II crashed; the dark side of the moon, in 1961." Roll credits, I inwardly thought.
"Please tell me S7 was not clueless to the giant alien ship on the moon," Simmons said, clasping his hands together.
"They knew, that was the true reason for the space race. Russia managed to get at least one probe up there and bring back a piece of machinery. America had the moon landing, and staged a twenty minute broadcast blackout to investigate. Soundwave managed to land and started investigating, but something kept him from interfering with Apollo 11 until it was too late, so instead he just had human agents work to make it fiscally impossible to fund any more missions. At the same time, he had most of the pillars removed from the Ark, before he had to return to the Fallen, which took him almost two decades. The thing I don't know though, is whether he knew Sentinel was still alive in the crash vault with a couple of the pillars."
"I thought you knew all of S7's big missions?" Barricade asked Simmons.
"Something as big as that? It would be covered up completely," Asami said. "Probably 'Director's Eyes Only' clearance, excepting those actually involved with the mission itself, and who knows if it made it through the shift from paper to digital."
"So I'm guessing the third movie was about those pillars," Mikaela said. "Someone tipped the 'Bots off about the Ark and they brought Sentinel to Earth."
"Pretty much." I felt the need to move and started pacing. "I gave Bee and Mikaela the bare bones before, but basically Sam figured out Sentinel was key to the plot, but was too late to stop his betrayal. Sentinel killed Ironhide, Skids and Mudflap, as well as probably a dozen NEST troops, stole back the pillars, and joined with Megatron. He then announced to the world the Autobots were to be sent away, or humanity would face punishment. The UN agreed, and the 'Bots had to fake their demise when 'Cons attacked their ship mid-launch. However, this gave the 'Cons time to activate the spacebridge. But instead of just leaving it open to send materials back, they decided it'd be easier to bring Cybertron to Sol."
Arcee's servo went to her mouth, before she started waving them in front of her in agitation. "That could have destroyed this entire system!" Arcee almost yelled. "The safe zone for introducing any new planetary body without throwing the other orbits out of whack would be incredibly small, let alone one of Cybertron's size, and you'd need precise timing to get it properly in place without sending it into the sun."
"Exactly." I felt my throat start to constrict, but I swallowed past it and took a deep breath. "The 'Cons set up their base in Chicago, at a tower owned by one of Soundwave's agents. With the government too terrified of reprisal to do anything, the 'Cons ran freely doing whatever they wished. The devastation…." I shuddered and hugged myself. From within, the AllSpark sent a comforting wave, and I wrapped it around me as I spoke again. "It was horrible even before the battle started. It was hard fought, and in truth, the only reason they even won was because Sam's girlfriend had been taken as a hostage and managed to convince Megatron, who was never fully repaired of a head wound from Egypt, that Sentinel would betray him too. He and Optimus worked together to kill Sentinel, then Optimus killed him, while Starscream, Soundwave and Shockwave all died in battle, leaving the 'Cons leaderless. But while that fight happened, Sam confronted Soundwave's agent, and killed him by shoving him into the control pillar of the bridge, causing it to malfunction and shutdown. Cybertron was lost."
Everyone looked shaken at that, the 'Bots especially. Arcee tapped her chest again, while Bee's doorwings stuck straight from his back as he vented, "Primus below." Barricade, for probably the first time since I met him, looked truly shaken. Miles was pale, leaning closer to 'Cade with a hand gripping the plating he was on. Simmons looked like he couldn't comprehend that thought, and Asami seemed to lock up with a frozen look of shock and horror.
Mikaela sprang from her seat and wrapped me in a hug. I clung to her, shaking. I had thought about Chicago and the third movie occasionally in the past seven months, but it had always been in mostly vague terms, and I never concentrated on it. But now, having explained it, it was flashed past my eyes, sights, sounds, smells vivid as if I was there. Sentinel ordering the city sealed. Dropships and fighters destroying buildings. People screaming as they were chased through the streets, hunted, turned to little more than ash, cloth and bone. Almost worse, those who had given up, sitting or standing still, waiting for their fate. The brutal fights between few 'Bots and countless 'Cons. Drillers hunting, destroying. Que's execution. Soundwave, Starscream, Shockwave's deaths. Gould's electrocution. Sentinel, dying at the hands of his sons. Megatron, killed by his brother.
The AllSpark stepped forward and gently pushed out of Mikaela's arms. "~After that, the human governments did not trust any cybertronian, Autobot or Decepticon. NEST was disbanded, and a group called Cemetery Wind was founded to track down and kill the remaining Decepticons. Instead, they hunted all my children, and the ones they found were murdered, their frames sold and melted down for their protometal. Of those currently on Earth, only Optimus and Bumblebee remained surviving, and my Prime had lost his hope. That is the world Alison knew, and that is the one we will stop from coming about.~"
Everyone was quiet for several moments, then Asami spoke. "What do you need us to do?"
The AllSpark gave a small smile before retreating, and I kept it. "I need you to help me prepare. For now, until the Fallen makes a move, we're in a bit of a limbo. The Matrix is safe for now, but unless the Fallen can be drawn out, this war will continue. I have some plans, ideas and concepts mostly, but I recently realized that I do not have the needed experience to flesh them out. And me keeping the information so close to my chest was helping no one. My hope is to defeat the Fallen, let Megatron recover and potentially bring an end to the war, then awaken Sentinel and help make a different plan for Cybertron's restoration."
"That's a pretty tall order," Simmons said. "A lot of risk and variables."
"But the reward is all the greater."
Miles tapped 'Cade's shoulder, and the mech leaned over slightly so he could jump off onto the catwalk. He walked up and gave me a hug, keeping a hand on my arm when he pulled back. "I wish you'd told me sooner, but I get why, and I'm glad you brought me in. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'm with you Alison. Wherever you lead."
"I'm in too," Asami said, standing. "I'll do absolutely whatever's needed to help end this war."
"You've got my support," Arcee said, her holoavatar flickering to life next to us. "What comes next, I'll be there."
"You have me too," Simmons said, coming over. "Never let it be said a Simmons turned away from the good fight."
"About half my processor is telling me this whole thing is ridiculous and I shouldn't believe a word of it," Barricade said, his holo popping to life next to Miles. "But the other half is saying you're right, and even if you aren't, I'm going to follow. You've given me a chance, AliSpark, so I'll make sure you get yours."
I smiled at the declarations. "Thank you. All of you. You have no idea what this means to me."
Bee flickered his holo over to us, and held his hand into the center of our circle. "Come on, it's not a true team until we've done a hand stack."
Mikaela rolled her eyes, but placed her hand in. Miles practically dived in, Simmons right behind. Arcee and Asami placed their hands in, and with a resignation I'm sure was mostly faked, Barricade added his. I placed mine on top, lightly pushing down on the stack.
"As of now, we are the Inner Circle. And we are going to save the world." As my hand let up, Bee pushed up with his and the stack broke up.
So, Alison has spoken, and gathered her Inner Circle. I actually made a graphic for this chapter, which can be seen on my Tumblr (link will be in my profile). It's got chapter quotes and links, so if you have a Tumblr I'd love it if you'd reblog it.
So what'd you think of this chapter? Does the way Alison explains things make sense? What did you think of her talk with Asami? Let me know in the comments!
Guest Review Replies
Gerard DuGalle (CH 26): After some time, the story will soon reach two critical points. A big secret for a small company and trouble in lover's land. I sincerely want to believe that the fourth round or freezing will not take place. In any case, thank you for being with us for almost four years. I will try to write the next comment in December or earlier.
How'd you guess the title of chapter 28? And by "Fourth round" I presume you mean Age of Extinction, or if it's a reference to something else I'm not sure. But you'll just have to keep reading to see what's next. And thank you! I honestly hadn't realized it'd almost been that long since I started AllSpark (Dec 19, 2015 was when I posted the first chapter of the original draft of the fic, incredible). Alison, her story, and I myself have all grown a lot in that time, and I hope we keep growing in the future.
Gerard DuGalle (CH 26): Revised the first film again. The question arose about control lighting in the robot mode. Barricade is where things get weird. His lightbar and strobe lights in the headlights work, despite the fact that the rear lights and strobe lights in them don't. Is there an explanation for this inside or outside the universe?
Honestly, I haven't put much thought into it. In general, I HC that bots can control all their lighting external and internal, with the sometime exception of biolights (though those don't really appear in Bayverse), but most generally don't bother unless needed (like Ratchet and OP using their headlights to shine light into Sam's room). They could also be activated involuntarily by injury or surprise (like if the Twins spooked Prowl and his lights flashed and siren whooped), and you get some who do like to display their lights, but most keep them off.
I'll see you all next week, same 'Bot Time, same 'Bot Channel!
