Chapter Fifteen: Clashing Wills

There was a tense standoff by the time Lennox and his team had regrouped with Santos, and he grimaced. It could only end in a bloodbath, he knew; the Autobots would rather fight than be captured. He had known them for so long that he could read their body language in an instant.

Bumblebee's battle mask was lowered, pointing his plasma cannon this way and that, a familiar scene to Lennox, and one that brought back so many memories—memories that made this situation so much harder for him to stomach.

Drift, though injured, stood on his feet, his katana ready. Lennox had worked with the bot for only a year before the former President terminated the alliance and the Autobots had to leave, but he recognized that calm demeanor and the glint in his eyes as they focused on the Sentinels.

There were six new additions to the team, mostly built like medieval knights in armor, and the TRF had a basic profile on the tallest and largest from the Hong Kong skirmish. Wait, shouldn't there be three others? Where were they? No matter. He was definitely the greatest threat among them. However, Lennox could not detect any sign of hostility from him, for whatever reason.

Or perhaps the knightly mech did not see them as a threat. Lennox did not know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. As for the other five, their drawn weapons were proof enough of their intention, especially the green-and-gold one with the giant greatsword.

"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded with a growl. "We saved this city and this is how you will repay us?"

Lennox steeled himself and continued his approach, flanked by his team. Cade, escorted by two guards, strode next to him. Lennox had hoped to keep the fugitive away and out of sight, but he knew it would only provoke the Autobots if they thought Cade was dead. He discarded the idea immediately.

His arrival drew Santos's attention, who stood near one of the SUVs, and the commander teared his gaze away from Bumblebee for a moment, scowling. "You're late. Had fun with your boyfriend?" He glared at Cade.

Lennox would have ignored the insult, but Cade stepped forward. "I thought only girls have their time of the month," he said, returning the glare.

Santos's expression hardened, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the handle of his assault rifle tightly. Lennox moved in between them at once. Bumblebee was staring at them, and he did not like the way the scout's cannon swiveled in their direction.

"That's enough," he said calmly. Cade backed down at once, but it took Santos a minute to follow the example, retreating near five of his men and returning his attention back to the Autobots.

Releasing a sigh, Lennox placed a hand gently at Cade's shoulder before proceeding forward, passing Santos, and coming to a stop in front of Bumblebee. The men watched him, their weapons aimed at the Autobots, and theirs in return. One wrong move on either side, and Lennox knew they would be burying more bodies today.

Bumblebee met his gaze, but it was impossible to know his expression behind that mask. In some way, Lennox was glad for that. He did not want to see another of his friends giving him an accusing glare filled with contempt.

"It doesn't have to end this way, Bee," he said softly. He gestured at the TRF soldiers forming a wide circle around them, more than three hundred strong. "Lower your weapons. We already have you surrounded. Please."

Bumblebee made a growl-like sound. Lennox shook his head, understanding the meaning. "You don't have to keep resisting, to keep hiding. Come with us, and we'll treat you fairly. We'll give you a proper place, somewhere where no one will harm you."

"You mean a prison," Drift commented, looking at him coolly.

Lennox winced. There was no other word for fortified compounds surrounded by thick walls and guarded by a full brigade of soldiers at all times. He had seen some of them, and he would say that humans treated their own criminals better, even if they were mass murderers. It was not a surprise that some of the Decepticon prisoners went crazy, which was saying a lot.

Shame and guilt bubbled within Lennox. He shouldn't even be doing this, but he had no choice on the matter. It was the only way he could save the Autobots. He shook his head. "It won't be a prison, not for you guys," he said, his tone almost pleading.

"And what assurance do we have?" one of the new ones asked, a tall mech in black and white, possessing the alternate mode of a police cruiser judging by his armor.

"We saved this city," the red one said. "Don't you think it's kinda unfair that we are the ones getting arrested?" He shook his head, his horns glinting with sunlight. "And I thought Praxus's laws are bad."

"What's unfair is that you guys are turning our planet into your personal warzone," Santos snapped, earning him several glares from the knightly Autobots. "Why can't you just leave us alone?"

There were murmurs of assent from many of the soldiers, and Lennox saw a few of them tightening their hold on their guns. But the largest knight spoke for the first time, forcing Lennox to look up at him. He looked like a flyer, if the folded wings on his back were any indication.

"Excuse me," he said gently, "but isn't it your people's job to protect civilians?"

Santos scoffed. "Of course. What else do you think we are doing?"

The knight hummed, crossing his arms. "Indeed, you are trying to protect them. But you are also trying to harm them by arresting the protectors."

"So you think you are protecting us?" Santos growled. "After what you did in Chicago? Egypt? Mission City? You call that protecting us?"

"Mmm, none of those cities are familiar to me," the knight admitted. "And you have my sympathy for all the damages and casualties our war had inflicted on your kind. Of course, you are taking out on us because you feel that we are responsible."

"Who else would it be?" Santos demanded. "You came here to Earth and brought your war on our world."

"Your world is already ravaged by conflict, even before ours came," another knight, a green one without horns, said. "I have studied your planet's history, human. And though the war between our kind lasted for eons, your petty conflicts will soon doom Earth just as it did to Cybertron, for less time than ours."

"And yet no one is doing anything," the tallest one added, his expression somber. "Worse, you are putting the blame on others. You arrest your own defenders, your own heroes, simply because you don't want to understand them. You presume that you can protect the world without them, when recent years have proven that your kind cannot face threats greater than them. Now tell me: are you really trying to preserve the lives of the innocents, or are you merely trying to preserve your own pride?"

The last word rang inside Lennox's mind, and he clenched his hands, nails digging into his palm. Pride. It was a hammer blow to him, and he could not deny the truth in that. Perhaps it was really pride that made him accept the offer to join the TRF, thinking that he could protect his friends from within. But now that he could finally think about it, he had done absolutely nothing to save them.

He glanced at Santos. The commander was frozen, his face a shade of red. His hands trembled, fingers twitching over the trigger of his assault rifle. Lennox instinctively reached for his sidearm, but the sound of approaching vehicles disrupted his thoughts and drew everyone's gaze.

Along the road drove a line of British Army vehicles. Most were troop transports and support vehicles, though Lennox counted a dozen Challenger tanks. His blood ran cold. It was an entire battalion, maybe two. Enough to take down the Autobots.

There was a growl. The green-and-gold horned knight stared at the reinforcements, and he took an aggressive step toward Santos. But the blue one who looked so much like him placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. The other one backed down at once, though his glare remained.

Santos had a smug look. No one moved as the army drew near, but Lennox felt the tension rising. Even the largest knight looked concerned, and Cade had a scowl on his face. The rest of the Autobots tensed.

At last the vanguard stopped, forming a line beside the TRF Sentinels. Santos turned with a smile as a man stepped out of one of the trucks and the other soldiers exited the transports. Buzz-cut hair, perhaps early thirties. He was a Lieutenant Colonel judging by his uniform and badge, and he had a polite expression as he strode forward.

He passed Santos and didn't even spare him a glance, then stopped in front of Lennox. "You are Colonel William Lennox?" he asked.

Not trusting himself to speak, Lennox nodded. The man smiled and looked up at the towering Autobots. "Which one of you is Master Strafe?"

They all blinked, before slowly turning their gazes at the tallest knight. "Ah, that would be me. Who's asking?" the knight said.

And then the man did something that Lennoix, and Santos by extension, did not expect. He saluted. "Lieutenant Colonel Davies, sir. We are to escort you to Brize Norton."

Strafe blinked. "And who might be this Brize Norton?"

"It's the name of the RAF's largest base, sir. Your other comrades are en route there as we speak."

"Ah." Strafe nodded, but Lennox could still see the confusion in his face. "Is that where we are to be detained?"

"Detained?" Davies frowned. "No, sir. Why would we detain you?"

There was dead silence. Lennox looked around. The TRF soldiers glanced at each other uncertainly, while the British troops stood in silence and with determined expressions. As his gaze passed over them, Lennox noticed an elderly man leaning on a cane at the front of the British line, flanked by a dozen men in black suits. There was a dark-skinned man too, and a woman with a strange-looking watch.

The Autobots shifted uncomfortably, their weapons still raised. The police one spoke, "My name is Prowl, Chief Strategist of the Autobots. Lieutenant Colonel Davies, may I ask why you are taking us to Brize Norton?"

"Why, to ship you back home, of course," Davies answered with genuine sincerity. At least as far as Lennox could tell. "We received orders to get you back on US soil safely."

"Hey, what's the meaning of this?" Santos hurried forward with a scowl. "This is TRF jurisdiction, not the British Army."

"Who are you?" Davies asked in annoyance. And for the first time since Lennox joined the TRF, he saw a dumbstruck Santos sputtering in indignation.

"I'm Captain Santos of TRF's First Unit! You are intervening on a legitimate operation!" Santos growled. "Who's your commanding officer, soldier? I want to talk to him."

Davies stared at him long and hard. Lennox wanted to give props to the man. He remained calm despite Santos's tirade, merely clasping his hands across his back and standing there with a stoic expression.

"I cannot entertain that request, sir. I'm under strict orders not to entertain such orders from a non-British element."

"We are a paramilitary organization formed by the UN," Santos shouted, the veins in his neck bulging. "We've been given unrestricted authority over these matters! Now you take me to your commanding officer or else I will personally contact the Prime Minister!"

Davies smiled thinly in response. "It was the Prime Minister who released the order."

"What?" Lennox and Santos said at the same time. Why would the British PM go against the UN mandate regarding Cybertronians? Lennox rubbed his temple. This day was beginning to go crazy, and it was not even over yet.

"Then take me to him," Santos snarled. Davies shook his head.

"That's not my call, sir. If you wish to talk with the Prime Minister, you'll have to—"

"I do not care about who I am supposed to be talking to," Santos bellowed, silencing Davies. "All I care about is doing my damn job!"

"And so do I," the Lieutenant Colonel retorted, his expression calm.

Santos gnashed his teeth. "Fine! If you can't bring me to the Prime Minister, I'll contact the Secretary of Defense. And you will answer to this mess when this is all over." He jabbed a finger in Davies's chest.

Lennox could no longer stand by and watch as Santos made a fool of himself. "That's enough." He stepped between them, pushing them off gently from each other.

"Stay out of this, Colonel," Santos growled, his voice dangerously low. But Lennox had had enough. There was a limitation to how much they could brandish their authority, and though they operated under UN jurisdiction, they could not just bypass a country's laws.

"No, you stay out of this." Lennox's voice was laced with authority. In a lower tone, he added, "We are treading on international soil. We may be TRF, but many of us here are still US personnel. We can't cause trouble. Do you understand?" Louder he repeated, "Do you understand, Captain?"

Santos glanced at Davies, then back at Lennox. He scoffed. "So this is it, huh? You people are showing your true colors." He spat at the ground. "Traitors! You will protect these abominations just because they saved your asses? You will just roll over and show your belly to them because they acted like they care?"

"That's enough," Lennox hissed. Santos shoved him in response.

"Ever since you joined the TRF, our operations kept failing!" he shouted. "And now this! You don't deserve that uniform, or those medals you've got. You're a traitor to your own people and your own country!"

The blood rushed to Lennox's ears and roared. Before he could even begin to process what he was doing, he already had Santos on the ground, pummeling his face. It felt good when his knuckles connected, even though it hurt like hell. But Santos was a good fighter. He grabbed Lennox's wrist and bashed his forehead against his, then pushed him away.

Lennox tumbled, but he recovered and was about to engage him again when at least three people grabbed him, shouting as they hauled him away. It took nearly twice that number to do the same with Santos, who kicked and roared in fury.

"When this is over, I'm going to put a knife between your ribs!"

Lennox shook his head and allowed himself to be taken to a different SUV, where a medic checked his bleeding hand. Murmurs sprang up from the soldiers, and even among the Autobots.

"I knew there was something wrong about that guy when I first saw him," the red one said, shaking his head.

"I've never seen Lennox lose control before," Drift commented, concerned.

His knuckles were bruised, but Lennox felt a different kind of hollow pain in his chest. He had attacked a fellow member of his unit, and even if it was done due to insubordination, the punishment would still be severe. At most he could expect a demotion. And that was if he was lucky. What if they court martialed him?

"Let me go," he heard Santos scream in the opposite direction. Lennox sighed. He knew it, of course. But he never thought that Santos would hate Transformers so much that he would actually cause a scene. Then again, it was definitely the reason why he got accepted in the TRF.

Amidst Santos's rage came several voices, one of them belonging to Davies. Lennox glanced at the medic, who nodded in satisfaction after cleaning the wound and bandaging his hand. After the medic stepped back, Lennox rose to his feet and approached the small crowd that had gathered around Santos. He had to settle the issue soon before things escalated further.

When he arrived, Santos was arguing with Davies. His cheeks were purple with bruises. "If you hadn't not intervene, none of this would have happened," he was saying while two of his men held him back. Surprisingly, Davies's expression was impassive.

"I'm just following orders, Captain," said Davies.

"Screw those orders!" Santos clenched his teeth. Then he saw Lennox. "You," he hissed.

"That's enough, Captain," Lennox said wearily, the circle parting to let him through. He turned to Davies. "I'm really sorry for this. I just want to know. What is the Prime Minister planning? We were ordered to assist in defending London, and we're just doing our job. But we can't do that if the PM is intervening with our protocol."

Davies shook his head. "Unfortunately, I'm not privy to that information. All we were told was that we have to take the Autobots to safety."

"Who can we talk to about this?" Lennox asked. "Because as far as I know, the Prime Minister was one of the first people who signed the Chicago Accords."

"I understand perfectly, sir." Davies shrugged. "But I'm just a soldier. If you want, I can take you to General Thompson. He'll make sure to get you in touch with the PM."

"Ah, I think that would be unnecessary," a voice said.

When they all turned to look, Lennox saw the same smiling old man from earlier. His cane clacked on the pavement as he approached. He had a phone in one hand. "I have the Prime Minister on the other line," he said cheerfully.

Lennox stared at him in shock. Who was this guy? He looked well-mannered and refined, and Lennox assumed he was some kind of lord judging by his bearings. But how could he have contacted the Prime Minister so quickly? Before he could formulate a response, Santos had already snatched the phone.

"Sir? This is Captain Santos of the TRF. I believe we have some sort of misunders—" Santos paused briefly, his brows furrowing. "Yes, sir… Yes, he's here. I, uh…" He glanced at Lennox with a mixture of confusion and cold anger, then handed the phone to him. "The Prime Minister wants to speak with you," he said curtly. "He also wanted everyone to hear the conversation."

Lennox's eyebrows shot upward at that. Blinking, he took the phone, put it on speaker mode for all to hear, and pressed the receiver to his ear. "Lennox here."

The voice that came from the other was a familiar one Lennox had heard on the news quite a few times—powerful, commanding, with a slight baritone that reminded Lennox of Optimus, though a touch less compassionate. It was definitely the Prime Minister.

"Colonel William Lennox. I was told there was a problem," the Prime Minister began, voice oozing with displeasure.

Swallowing dryly, Lennox couldn't help but nod despite not seeing the man. "Yes, sir. We have orders to capture any and all hostiles in this city."

"That order no longer stands. All hostiles have been dealt with. I'm sure you are aware of that."

"Well, yes, sir. But the Autobots are still here."

"Are the Autobots hostile?"

Lennox felt a bead of sweat trickle down his brow. He looked at Santos, who merely scowled, then at the elderly man smiling in amusement. The TRF soldiers were waiting with bated breaths, while the British Army stood behind them silently, observing the proceedings warily. The Autobots had not yet lowered their weapons, but they were curious.

His gaze swept around, searching for something, anything, that could help him control the slight shaking of his hands. Talking with the Prime Minister was said to be terrifying, what with his imposing presence and voice. Lennox chalked it up as an exaggeration before.

Now he was not so sure.

With a sigh, he finally answered, "No, sir. They are not doing anything that could qualify as hostile." He looked at them to be sure.

Slowly, reluctantly, the bots lowered their weapons.

The Prime Minister grunted. "Then I don't see any more reason why you and your team are still tarrying in there. Leave the cleanup to our nation's army. I'll contact the President and explain the situation to him. In the meantime, I want you and your men out of British soil by midnight."

Lennox felt like he had to ask, so he gathered all his courage and said, "Sir, what about the Chicago Accords? Your country signed—"

"As of this moment, the United Kingdom is officially withdrawing from the Chicago Accords. That's all you need to know for now." There was a click, and the line went dead.

For several heartbeats, the only sound was that of a fluttering paper bag being carried by the wind blowing over the city. Every pair of eyes stared at Lennox, many with confusion, others with silent wariness. The Autobots gazed at him with less hostility than before, no doubt due to his action.

It was too much, so Lennox lowered the phone and walked over to the old man, offering it back to him. There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but the first one that escaped his lips was: "Who are you?"

The old man smiled as he accepted. "Edmund Burton. I have known Charles since we were little, so I have his private number."

Lennox nodded. He had expected as much. "And them?" He gestured behind him where the Autobots stood.

"I'm a friend of all Cybertronians," he said. Edmund had a contemplative expression and added, "Actually, I believe we have much to talk about regarding the situation. Why don't I explain it to you when we get to Brize Norton? Maybe it will help you and your friends understand the Prime Minister's decision."

Santos came in with a growl. "We don't need to understand anything, old man. What we understand is that these things are–"

It was unexpected and too fast to see, so Lennox was not prepared when Burton's cane rose and fell on Santos's head with a satisfying crack.

"Ow!" the commander yelped. "What was that for?"

"That's how I treat people who use that kind of tone against me," Burton replied with a grin, twirling his cane once.

Santos clutched his head, glowering. Thankfully, he behaved this time. Lennox did not want any more incidents that might cause serious diplomatic repercussions. They had enough of those for one day already.

Burton pressed on. "Now I believe we've stayed here for too long. Shall we?" He gestured behind him at the lines of waiting British soldiers. From their expressions alone, Lennox could tell that the TRF had overstayed their welcome here.

"Wait, what about Cade?" a woman said, pushing through the crowd. Cade stood beside her, his expression troubled. There was also that dark-skinned man lurking just behind them.

"Cade Yeager is a fugitive," Santos said, glaring at Cade. "And he's a US citizen, so there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it." He snorted, his earlier smugness returning.

"But he helped save London," the woman protested. "Surely, the President can—"

"Viviane, it's fine," Cade interrupted her with a sigh. "I'll face whatever charges they'll throw at me."

"We can also bust you out of prison if things go badly," the red Autobot offered, earning him a light bop in the head from Prowl.

"Perhaps a compromise could be arranged?" Drift suggested.

Lennox shook his head. He wanted to help them, he really did. But unlike the Autobots, Cade fell under the jurisdiction of a country. "Article 3, Clause A of the Chicago Accords states that any human who is found guilty of helping a Cybertronian is accountable by his home country." He stared at the woman with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, ma'am. This is how everything runs now."

She sent Cade a worried look, and he returned it with a reassuring nod. Lennox wondered what their relationship was. As far as he could tell, the woman was British. And she seemed to know Burton. Cade had not traveled abroad until now, so they probably met only recently.

"So be it," one of the knights said, the green one without the horns. "But if something happens to Cade, you will have us to answer to."

Lennox knew the threat was sound, so he nodded. "We'll treat him fairly." He turned to Santos. "Let's go."

The commander grunted, but said nothing as he ordered their forces to disperse. Lennox personally led Cade to a waiting SUV where he sat at the rear passenger's seat, flanked by his guards while Lennox took the front one. He wanted to give Cade some credit; the man looked only slightly worried, almost as if he had already accepted his fate.

Outside the window, Lennox could see the Autobots transforming and driving alongside the British Army, surrounded protectively by APCs and troop carriers. When the last carrier was at least a hundred meters ahead, Lennox sent the signal for his unit to proceed. Even though their destination was the same, he knew it would be best if they remained as far away from the Autobots as possible.

As they drove away, Lennox had the feeling that things would only get complicated.

###

The drive to RAF Brize Norton air base was uneventful, and yet Cade could not stop his stomach from squirming in anticipation. It was a far cry from the strong front he had shown Viviane earlier, which he soon realized was really his way to ignore the fear clawing at his heart.

Because he was afraid, Cade did not doubt that. Not for his life, but for his friends and family. For Tessa.

He had already prepared himself for this situation, so long ago when he had found Optimus rusting away in a dilapidated cinema. When he started rescuing Autobot refugees, he knew that this day would come. After all, they could not run and hide forever.

Cade thought he was ready, and yet now, when he was facing the thing he feared at last, he could not stop his heart from hammering no matter how much he tried. The fact that two burly guards who held assault rifles sat on either side of him did little to ease his anxiety. And they had confiscated the phone that Burton had given him for the mission, so he could not even call them. They tried to take the Apex Armor too, but unsurprisingly, it had seemingly stuck itself in Cade's shoulder, much to the confusion of Lennox and the TRF.

That, and the fact that they had support from the British, were the only things that were keeping him from freaking out. It was enough to ease his mind, knowing that they have a lot of allies. And he was glad that some people still do care about the Autobots. Even if he was imprisoned for his crimes, the bots would still have people to protect them. And Cade would see to it that Tessa was taken care of.

As they drew near the base, he began to relax. In the dying rays of the sun, Brize Norton glowed with a multitude of lights. Cade saw an entire fleet of transport aircrafts arrayed on one side of the field, parked next to hangars that contained many more. British personnel moved about, and amidst them, standing impassively like silent guardians, were three Cybertonians whom Cade had seen during the battle in Hong Kong.

It was Strafe who landed first, followed by Steelbane and his fellow knights. Up close, Cade could see just how massive the Grandmasters were. They towered over anything else, and in a small corner of his mind, he was glad that the beastial knights were on their side.

The British Army convoy soon pulled to a stop, with the TRF not far behind, parking alongside them. Lennox clambered out of the SUV, glancing around. Cade and his two guards joined him, and together they made their way toward the Autobots.

Cade was a little surprised. He thought he was going to be taken into a holding cell immediately, but there was nothing to complain about. At least he could say goodbye to his friends before the TRF escorted him to somewhere else.

Along the way, Burton intercepted them with a smile. "Colonel Lennox."

"Mr. Burton." Lennox nodded, stopping in his tracks. He dismissed Cade's guards, who left rather reluctantly, before turning to the historian. "So what is this about?"

"As I've said earlier, we have much to discuss." Burton gestured at Davies waiting nearby. "Lieutenant Colonel, would you please take us to the others?"

"Of course, Mr. Burton. Please follow me."

Cade felt the watchful gazes of the Knights and Autobots as Davies led them. He waved at the bots, hoping that his action would alleviate their concerns. And some of them waved back in response, Bumblebee in particular, though Cade could tell that they were still worried.

It was a maze of corridors and hallways in Brize Norton. Thankfully, Davies knew the way. They passed several personnel, who glanced at them briefly before continuing on their way. Cade ignored the curious stares directed at him, keeping his focus on Davies's back.

At last they entered a conference room located somewhere at the rear wing of the building, well away from most of the troops and prying ears. Fowler and Viviane were already seated around the table, both with worried looks. Santos sat as far away as possible with a hard expression, his gaze fixed on the wall.

The group's footsteps drew their attention. Burton smiled and took a seat at the end of the table while Cade sat next to Fowler. Lennox grabbed a chair and placed it directly opposite Burton, sitting down with a weary sigh.

"I'll be standing outside if you need anything," Davies said before exiting the room.

Without further ado, Lennox asked Burton, "Mind telling us what is going on?" His voice bore no trace of hostility, unlike Santos's earlier tone, but Cade could sense the exhaustion in it.

Burton placed his cane on the table. "Of course, Colonel. But first, an introduction is in order. I'm Edmund Burton, a historian. This is William Fowler."

"Former Army Ranger, now a CIA agent," Fowler supplied.

Burton continued, "And the lovely lady here is Viviane Wembly, also a historian." He glanced at Viviane and motioned for her bag.

Cade stared at him sharply, realizing what he was doing. "Wait. You are going to show it to them?"

Fowler looked uncomfortable, and Viviane clutched her bag nervously. Burton shrugged. "It's the only way we can explain things to them, Cade," the elderly Custodian said gently. "And before you ask, yes, I have permission from the others."

Cade didn't like it one bit. He could trust Lennox, at least in this matter. After all, he knew that the Colonel still harbored some concern for the Autobots. But that Santos guy was different. His outburst proved that he had some loose screws in his head.

But then there was really no other way, as far as he could tell. If they wanted more allies, they had to divulge the information they knew. Though he hated giving the TRF an advantage, Cade could not deny that they would need their help with the battles to come. Whether he liked it or not.

"Fine," Cade finally relented. Burton smiled again, and at a simple gesture from him, Viviane pulled out the Omega Key out of her bag. Lennox and Santos immediately straightened up in their seats, slack-jawed and wide-eyed in wonder as Viviane gingerly laid it at the table.

"What the hell is that?" Santos pointed at the relic as if it was a radioactive material.

Cade suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Seriously?

"An Omega Key, Captain," Burton answered. "Combined with three others, and they will unlock the power to recreate or destroy a planet."

Lennox jolted like he had been struck by lightning. "That's the thing Simmons told us about!"

"You're conniving with that fugitive?" Santos demanded, shocked.

"Not conniving," Lennox snapped. "General Morshower received an email from Simmons warning us about this thing." He furrowed his brow. "He said we need Cade and the Autobots or else there will be a mass-extinction event."

Simmons. Cade racked his brain. The name was familiar, and it took him a minute to remember where he had heard it before. "That's the guy who helped you in Egypt?"

Lennox nodded. "Also one of the first people who made contact with Optimus and his team."

"I've read his book and saw some of his interviews," Viviane commented. "He's… a little eccentric."

"He is. But he has helped us on more than one occasion," Lennox said with a shrug.

Santos sneered at Cade. "And now he is a fugitive along with some of your Autobot friends."

"What else did he say?" Burton asked, his hands clasped before him.

"Not much else," Lennox admitted. "To be honest, he just received the warning himself, and he sent it to us. The file was heavily encrypted, so we couldn't trace it to the source."

"Could it be one of the Knights?" Viviane asked in a hopeful tone. Cade knew that a part of her wished it was Windstorm, and he gazed at her with a little sadness.

Burton shook his head. "I doubt it. The Knights would not talk to someone outside our circle."

"Then that means someone knows about us," Fowler said. "It's not Optimus, right?"

Lennox nodded. "We've disregarded that idea at once. It's too subtle for him."

"It could be the Decepticons," Fowler suggested. "A trap to lure us out."

"Which explains the attack in London," Viviane concluded. "But why send it to an ally of the Autobots? And through him, the TRF."

"Because they knew the TRF would find us eventually." Cade regarded Lennox with a stoic expression. "You knew where we were hiding before, didn't you?

Lennox dipped his chin. "We did. Unfortunately, the Decepticons got to you first."

Fowler grunted. "That explains it then. The only thing I want to know is how they found out about us."

"You act as if you're some kind of secret organization," Santos said with a snort.

"Because we are, Captain Santos." Burton's eyes gleamed as he spoke. "We are the Custodians, guardians and caretakers of powerful Cybertronian relics. We've been tasked to keep these treasures safe from anyone, and anything, who might use them for nefarious purposes. And rest assured, we've always been an ally of humanity."

Silence descended in the room. Santos was quiet, thoughtful even. Cade could tell that Burton's words had an effect on the commander this time, and he hoped it was enough to tighten his loose screws. There was still that suspicious gaze, tempered by his hatred of all Cybertronians. But Cade noticed how Santos was less tense than earlier.

Maybe there was still hope left for him.

"So what do we do now?" Lennox said at last, breaking the silence. "You said you're keeping these relics. If you're really willing to help us, the TRF needs to know what exactly these keys are supposed to unlock. You said it's some kind of power."

Fowler spoke. "A device to be exact. An Omega Lock, hidden on Earth after the War of the Primes." His broad shoulders rose and fell. "Unfortunately, only the Knights of Cybertron know of its location."

Santos frowned. "You mean those guys outside? Will they tell us?"

"Maybe. If you ask nicely," Cade said, his lips twitching as he resisted the urge to smile.

The TRF commander glowered at him. To Cade's surprise, there was no outburst from Santos.

Lennox rose from his chair. "Then let's ask them nicely."

Burton smiled as he followed suit. "I'm glad you understand, Colonel." He picked up his cane while Viviane grabbed the Omega Key from the table and placed it back inside her bag. The rest of them stood and filed out of the door, where they found Davies waiting patiently.

Along the way back to the building's entrance, Lennox's cell phone rang. He stopped to pick it up, gesturing for them to continue. "Go on ahead. I won't take long." He moved to a nearby room, closing the door behind him.

The Knights and Autobots were deep in conversation when Cade and the others stepped outside into the evening. The sun had long since vanished on the horizon, and the base was aglow with artificial lights. Soldiers still hurried about, ignoring the towering guests in their midst.

The bots noticed them at once, their conversation halting. Steelbane stepped forward as they drew near, the relief plain to see in his face. "It went well, then?" He looked at each of them, his gaze hardening briefly when he saw Santos.

"We'll see," Burton said, looking toward the Grandmasters. "Our human friends have requested the location of the other Omega Keys. Will you accept?"

The largest of the Knights exchanged glances. There was a minute of silence, and then the leader spoke. But it was in a language they didn't know, full of strange and unpronounceable syllables. It took only a second for Cade to realize that it was Cybertronian.

"Translation, please?" Fowler asked politely.

"He said that even if we accept, we could not reveal all of their locations to anyone," the one with the whip answered, tapping his head. "When we were captured by that bounty hunter, we purged all data regarding the location of the Iacon relics and their guardian knights from our data banks."

Steelbane frowned. "Then how did you locate Dreadwing and Skyquake?"

Strafe raised a hand. "That would be on me. Since I possess a Groundbridge, my telemetry must have been scrambled during the transportation, depositing us on the closest coordinates it remembered."

"They basically landed on top of us," the green-and-gold knight grumbled. "Woke us out of stasis."

"Which proved fortunate for all of us," his blue twin said. "If that hadn't happened, who knows which part of Steelbane would have still remained intact?"

"Probably his head," one of the Grandmasters said with a smile. "It's the hardest part. Of course, it doesn't compare to yours, Grimlock." He tapped the leader of the Grandmasters on the head, which earned him a glare.

"Slag no better," Grimlock rumbled in English. The way he said it was crude and made him sound like a caveman.

Cade's eyebrows rose in surprise. He sent Strafe a puzzled look. "Does he usually speak like that?"

The flying Knight shook his head. "Only for this language. Grimlock's storage is nearly at full capacity, so there's not enough space left for him to learn how humans speak. This is the best he could do. Other than bash heads, of course."

Grimlock huffed in annoyance.

The Knights laughed, and even Cade managed a faint smile. Santos rolled his eyes, then said, "Right. This is all fun and all, but we're getting off topic. Does this mean you guys can't help us?"

"We didn't say that, did we?" Slag nodded to Skyquake. "Show your Omega Key, young one."

They watched as the Knight's chest compartment opened, revealing an object identical to the one in Viviane's bag. "I need the other one," Skyquake instructed.

With a nervous tip of her head, Viviane pulled out the Omega Key that her family had guarded for centuries. She stared at Skyquake expectantly. The Knight held out his palm, and Viviane lowered the Key into it. Almost at once, the Key expanded to its full size, shining brightly in the darkness as the lights reflected off its golden surface.

No, Cade started to realize upon further inspection as Skyquake brought the two Omega Keys together. They were both glowing. And as he and the others watched enraptured, the relics locked into each other crosswise, as if pulled like attracting magnets.

A beam of blue light shot out from each tip of the Keys, weaving in the air like flowing threads, forming shapes that Cade found familiar. There was Asia, Europe, America. Viviane gasped, and Fowler's eyes widened. Even the Autobots seemed impressed as the patterns were finished. It was the entire Earth, floating above the conjoined Omega Keys like a hologram.

And there was a flashing red dot in Japan.

"That's the location of the third Omega Key," Strafe confirmed.

"And the fourth?" Santos asked, crossing his arms. He had a thoughtful expression on his face.

Slag shook his massive head. "The Omega Keys work like a beacon. When one is activated, it will send a signal to another one; it's how we found ourselves here. And when two are joined, as you've just witnessed, it will form a map showing the location of the third. The same goes for the last one."

"I'm guessing that if all four are combined, they will point us to the Omega Lock," Cade said.

The Grandmaster nodded. "Correct."

Cade pursed his lips at that. They would need two trips maximum—three if they included the Omega Lock—if they were to finish this soon, and that's not counting all the attacks they might encounter during their search.

The map soon vanished, and the Omega Keys returned to their previous state. Skyquake handed back Viviane's, which shrank again to accommodate her size. The other one he placed back inside his chest compartment.

Burton faced Santos. "Does this satisfy you, Captain Santos?"

After considering him long and hard for a full minute, the TRF commander finally grunted. "Fine. But everything still depends on what my superiors will say. Especially regarding him." He jerked his chin in Cade's direction. Then he frowned and glanced around. "Where's Lennox anyway? He should have been here."

"Cade," Lennox shouted.

They turned to see him sprinting toward them, his phone still clutched in his hand. A mixture of emotions were etched in his face: confusion, bewilderment, relief. Anticipation rose within Cade for some reason when Lennox slowed down, nodding at him.

"I got a call from General Morshower," Lennox began, sweeping his gaze around, lingering at the Autobots, until it returned to Cade. "The President will soon make an official announcement. The United States will be pulling out of the Chicago Accords."

"What?" Santos exclaimed, stunned. He was not the only one. Astonishment rippled among the Autobots and humans alike, and they glanced at one another.

But not Cade. He kept staring at Lennox, daring to hope. Does this mean…?

"Yes," Lennox said, as if he had read what was on his mind. "The Autobots and their human conspirators are no longer fugitives. But that's not all." He transferred his gaze to Santos, who remained frozen in his spot.

Lennox slowly smiled. "The TRF will be working with them to eliminate all Decepticons on this planet until further notice."


Boom.

There are lots and lots of things I want to say regarding this chapter, but I'd like to reserve that in the last part of this author's note. For now, let's have the usual Q&A segment.

In response to Autobot-Wolfsketch's review: there's no point in keeping it a secret, so I will say you are correct in your guess :)

In response to Julien Caeg's review: first, since I'm using the AOE and TLK films as basis for this fanfic, there's just four Dinobots here. Grimlock, Slag, Scorn, and Strafe. But there are three more, though they will not appear until the sequel. Second, rest assured that the Forge of Solus Prime will also appear. You will just have to see the plans I have for it. Third, Dropkick is very much alive. But I wanted to focus on Shatter since she is an interesting antagonist. Lastly, yes, Autobot Combiners will appear in some capacity.

In response to Wacko12's review: I don't want to spoil it, but Mirage is definitely alive here. And don't worry. Wingblade's appearance is drawing near along with a certain strict Autobot commander.

Now, about this chapter. I know I said this might not be released before Christmas, but here we are. It's a rainy December 24 noon here, so I'm posting this on Christmas Eve, depending on your time zone. Consider this as my gift to everyone who is reading this fanfic. :D

There are several things I'd like to point out in this chapter. First, the whole thing with Lennox and Santos. I feel like I haven't properly built up their confrontation, obviously because Lennox's POVs are scarce compared to Cade and the Autobots. Nevertheless, I'm really satisfied with how it turned out. Lennox has finally showed his real feelings regarding the situation, and it's clear that he acknowledged his mistakes. More will be revealed in later chapters, of course.

The Chicago Accords. I will admit, I got the idea from Captain America: Civil War's Sokovia Accords, and I'm very much satisfied with what I did. Does this mean they have a connection? Maaaybe. Or maybe not. ;)

Regarding the UK pulling out of that treaty, it's really similar to how Cuba was in the TLK film where they are tolerant of Cybertronians. The only difference is that in this fic, they aren't the only ones. And as you have read, not all people hated Transformers. It's also good that the Prime Minister is a very understanding individual.

Which brings me to the next point: Charles is NOT an original character. I'm going to spoil this a little, but he is the first character whom I will confirm that belongs to a totally different franchise. Remember when I said in an older chapter that I plan to create a massive crossover fanfic? Well, this is the start.

But who is he, and what franchise is he from? That, I can't spoil. The only clue I could give is that it's a popular series that is also crossovered with Transformers. In fact, there's a series of fanfics involving Transformers and this franchise. Of course, I do have to tweak Charles's backstory so he could fit into this fic, and you'll just have to find out what his role is in a later chapter, as well as another hint as to who he is.

About the Omega Keys, well, they are almost the same as the ones in Primeverse. I just added that bit where they will show the location of each other when two or more are combined.

This is by far the longest chapter I've written for this story, at 8k words. And the year is almost over, so I'm not sure if I can release an update before New Year. After all, I want to take a break for the rest of the holidays.

Since this may very well be the last chapter I will release for 2021, let me just say THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT! Honor to the End was published way back in 2017, and it was not until this year that I have really started getting into continuing this fanfic. At first, I only wrote this as a form of writing exercise. But as the years passed and I saw more movies, anime, and video games with exciting stories, I started to treat this as if it's an actual novel. However, this wouldn't be possible without all the support I got. Although I know that this is not the best TF story put there, I'm really flattered that you guys think it is.

Thank you to Julien Caeg for writing such amazing, albeit long, reviews. You're one of the few readers who keeps me going. Also to Wacko12 and Autobot-Wolfsketch. Despite there being only three of you who regularly follow this story, it is enough for me to continue.

What to expect from this fic? We have almost reached the halfway point, and by my guess, Honor to the End will be finished just in time for its 5th anniversary, which will be on June 25 next year. Barring any unforeseen circumstances and events. There will be plenty of things to come. A lot of action, many new and old characters, plot twists, betrayals, and deaths. Yes, there will be betrayals and deaths.

So with that, I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Bountiful New Year.

Please Read & Review! Until next time!