Chapter 143 - Return
(MPOV)
I watched Sentinel for the remainder of the trip, forming myself and the flight deck into the trailer around him, and continuing to watch as my Optimus pulled us back to NEST.
Optimus was quiet until we were finally alone, striding to our quarters with Ironhide and Ratchet close behind us.
"We weren't the first to find him," I stated flatly, the second the doors closed behind us.
"The crash vault was sealed," Ratchet stated with a frown.
"Sealed on the moon for sixty years, the ark was still burning when it crashed through sand. And you're going to tell me the crash vault opened that easily after every last system was torn from it? Somebody got into the ship, and welded it back together again when they were finished. There's no way that many Decepticons are in hiding up there without reason."
"How many?" Ironhide growled softly.
"I don't know," I murmured softly. "More than I wanted breathing down our necks. I couldn't risk a full scan."
Ironhide crossed his arms with a frown, already in deep thought.
"Two thoughts," he grumbled. "Either we managed to sneak Sentinel out from under their servos."
"Or they let us go," I growled softly. My uncle and I were scowling into the middle distance together, there were too many variables at the moment.
"All we can do is hope we managed to sneak him out of there," Ironhide finally sighed. "I can't think of any reason they'd let us have Sentinel back."
I could. I just didn't want to say it.
"When are you re-activating him?" I asked patiently, looking at my mate.
"Tonight," Optimus rumbled.
"Let's get going then," I stated quietly, continuing to frown.
"He is a good auto-bot, a good leader," Optimus repeated himself.
I looked at my Optimus for a long time.
"Alright," I said finally. "Do you want to use the matrix, or did you want me to do it?"
Optimus smiled at me.
"I will use the matrix," he rumbled placidly, turning and leading the way to the med-bay again. I glanced down to see Sam of all people walking through the corridors with Will, a pretty girl close behind him.
"Sam, how have you been?" I asked calmly.
"Mikaela!? You're an auto-bot!?" Sam squeaked, I smiled and onlined my holoform.
"I am now, anyway, what's happening?" I asked calmly.
"I got recognized," Sam stated quietly, "Even after all the stuff you taught me about staying hidden, I got recognized. Jerry Wang, he gave me these before a Decepticon threw him out the window of his own office." I looked at the papers with a frown, scanning the information with narrowed eyes.
"Who's this!?" Director Mearing demanded.
"Are we going to go through this again, Director?" I asked irritably. "Director Mearing, Sam Witwicky and... I'm sorry dear, I didn't catch your name." I smiled at the pretty blonde.
"Carly Spencer," she smiled at me.
"Taking good care of Sam?" I asked carefully, searching out her identity. Ah, the embassy girl.
"I try," she smiled.
"Good," I nodded, "It's nice to meet you Carly, military family, I shall vouch for her, Director," I added patiently, looking at the annoying woman.
I glanced at my Optimus as he touched my shoulder and nodded, handing Sam his papers back with my holoform.
"I'm going to give you my phone number," I stated quietly, below Mearing's earshot. "The both of you. I'm sorry Carly, I may wind up stealing your man for a short period of time, he can still move in circles I no longer have access to. I promise I shall not take his affections."
"How'd you wind up as a bot?" Sam asked curiously.
"That's a long story," I laughed softly. "The three of us will get together for drinks once the chaos has calmed though, catch up, alright?" I asked with a smile, looking at Carly. Her body language relaxed immensely as I refused to exclude her.
"I'd like that," she smiled at me.
"Good. I'm sorry, if you'll excuse me, it's go time." I smiled.
"Let us begin," Optimus rumbled calmly, nodding to the soldiers on the catwalks.
I stood and watched with narrowed eyes as Optimus pulled the matrix from his chest. I glanced up and took note of everyone's positions, Sam and Carly were on the staircase, Lennox with Mearing in the box.
"That's the Great Matrix of Leadership," Lennox murmured. "He holds the only thing in the universe that can re-power a transformer's spark."
Well, one of them.
"This is incredible," Carly whispered.
"Sentinel Prime, we bid you return," my Optimus rumbled, he thrust the Matrix into Sentinel's spark chamber. I winced slightly. That'd be one hell of a morning wakeup kick.
The older prime began convulsing, shouting out in garbled common before his optics onlined fully. In battle mode.
Optimus was thrown backwards, and Sentinel had his blade in hand, following him down.
"Hold your fire!" Lennox bellowed.
"Stop Sentinel!" Optimus shouted, fighting off the older.
Sentinel continued to struggle for a moment, trying to hurt my mate. The voice of command bubbled out of me before I could stop it.
"Sentinel Prime! Stand down!" I commanded tersely. The entire hangar froze for a moment.
"It is I, Optimus Prime," Optimus rumbled as Sentinel froze above him for a moment. "It is alright, you are safe."
I tried to relax as my mate did, watching Sentinel rise.
"There's nothing to fear," Ratchet called out calmly.
"We are here," Optimus continued. "You are home, Sentinel."
"The war," he rumbled worriedly, "The war!"
"The war was lost," Optimus rumbled softly. "Cybertron is now but a barren wasteland. We have taken refuge here on planet earth. It's human race is our ally."
"My ship, we came under fire," Sentinel rasped. "The pillars, where are the pillars?"
"You saved five of them," Optimus rumbled. "Including the control pillar."
"Only five! We once had hundreds!" Sentinel growled. I froze, denying myself the automatic response. Hundreds in the ship. The Decepticons had them now.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," Director Mearing called out. "May I ask, what is this technology you are looking for?"
"It is the ability to re-shape the universe. Together the pillars form a space bridge, I designed and I alone can control it. It defies your laws of physics to transport matter through time and space." He stated calmly.
"You're talking about a teleportation device, aren't you?"
"Yes, for resources, for refugees," Optimus rumbled.
"Refugees, or troops of soldiers, weapons, maybe bombs! A means of an instant strike! That's it's military function, isn't it!"
"It is our technology and it must be returned." Sentinel stated in a warning tone.
"Yes, if humans say so," Mearing stated firmly. "you can't just bring weapons of mass destruction into our atmosphere. You kinda have to clear customs first! A little formality called paperwork, kinda, separates us from the animals."
"I will overlook your condescending tone if you heed the gravity of mine. The Decepticons must never know the space bridge is here, for in their hands it would mean the end of your world." Sentinel growled.
I narrowed my optics, fighting and almost losing the battle against my protective circuits for my battle-mask to cover my face. Optimus turned sharply to look at me, Sentinel doing the same.
::. Don't tell him I'm a Prime.:: I sent tersely to my Optimus over our private channel.
"Archangel?" my Optimus rumbled worriedly.
"Who, are you," Sentinel growled.
"A moment," I stated calmly. "Colonel Lennox, you are probably going to want to get Sam's statements, Bumblebee, are you alright to be Sam's guardian again?"
∂Yes Ma'am!∂Bumblebee grinned at me, throwing a cheerful salute.
"Ma'am?" Sentinel asked in a tone that left warning bells ringing in my processors.
"Quit calling me ma'am little brother," I forced through a grin, lightly whacking at Bee.
"You're my sister, I'm gonna call you whatever I want," he grinned at me, but obviously catching the message.
"Sentinel, my first lieutenant, Designation Archangel," Optimus rumbled.
I stood stock still, watching the older mech with narrowed eyes. My human instincts were screaming at me. I could hear a tone from his spark, subtle, quiet, the after-tones of treachery. Sentinel eyed me right back.
"That's our cue to leave," Will murmured, his voice echoed throughout the midges in the soldier's ears.
"But..." Mearing started.
"No seriously, this is our time to leave," Will growled softly. "Collateral damage."
I nodded to Jacobs as he threw a quick salute to me, walking toward the exit, closely followed by the rest of the soldiers.
"Shall we adjourn to central?" I asked my Optimus calmly, still eyeing Sentinel.
"Yes," Optimus nodded firmly, lightly touching the small of my back. I looked up at him ::. He is a good leader, a good auto-bot.:: he rumbled worriedly on the primary.
"Your first lieutenant does not trust me," Sentinel growled.
∂Trust is not freely given∂ I stated coldly, ∂it is earned. If you wish to argue about it, I would suggest we remove ourselves to the privacy of the central.∂
"Kae," Optimus rumbled softly, looking at me with mute appeal in his optics as Sentinel stared between the two of us. I reached up and gently cupped his cheek in my hand.
~I do not doubt you, my Optimus~ I whispered to his spark. ~But I cannot deny my own instincts, something is wrong, the Decepticons know of the pillar's whereabouts~
I turned and gestured to the exit, walking toward it the next second.
"Sentinel," Optimus rumbled behind me.
"Your Prime has not given you permission to leave," Sentinel barked behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, raising a brow ridge incredulously.
"Yes, I have," Optimus rumbled softly. "Come, we have much to discuss."
"'S good to see you again, Sentinel," Ironhide rasped as the bots followed me. "You should be proud of your pupil, he's a good leader."
(OPOV)
Optimus listened to his spark-bonded's emotions, even as she blocked them slightly from him, if only so he wouldn't have to feel them as well.
Mistrust, worry, suspicion.
He watched her walk out of the bay and made to follow.
"Sentinel," he rumbled softly, reaching out to lightly touch his mentor's elbow.
"Your Prime has not given you permission to leave!" Sentinel barked at her. Optimus watched in amusement as she glanced over her shoulder incredulously.
"Yes, I have," Optimus rumbled quietly, "Come, we have much to discuss."
"S good to see you again, Sentinel," Ironhide rasped, he and Ratchet following close behind. "You should be proud of your pupil, he's a good leader."
"I was already proud of Optimus," Sentinel stated calmly. "But I wonder of you, young warrior, why do you allow that young femme such freedom to disrespect you?"
Ironhide snorted in amusement behind him.
"You may as well tell him right off the bat," Ratchet chuckled. "Save him the shock later. A proper introduction wouldn't hurt."
"Indeed," Optimus rumbled with a snort. He smiled at his Kae as she stood in the central, waiting for him before taking her seat.
"You outrank me, beloved Kae," he rumbled in amusement. "You are allowed to take your seat to wait."
Kae glared at him.
"Kae," Optimus rumbled gently, reaching out and touching her elbow. She sighed.
"But if I take my seat, I waste energon making my holoform pace," she shot back at him with her own, wry little smile.
"Proper introductions," Optimus rumbled with a smile. "Sentinel Prime, may I introduce you to Mikaela Archangel Leanne Banes, Predator, All-spark healer and Prime." He watched her proudly as she automatically offered her left arm in salute.
"YOU outrank us?" Sentinel growled.
"Not by choice," Mikaela growled right back at him. "Optimus is my chosen Prime, gladly do I respect and give my deference to him."
"And yet you still do not trust me," Sentinel growled, linking his left arm with her own.
"Gladly would I defer to you, but I do not give deference to those who have not earned my trust. Forgive me, Sentinel, it is a survival mechanism which has served me well."
"You cannot trust a bot who takes your arm?" Sentinel growled.
"I am a watcher," Kae growled softly, moving forward slightly and looking Sentinel in the optics. "I trust what I can see, yet in you I do not see the mentor Optimus has spoken so highly of."
"You dare accuse me!" Sentinel snarled, stepping back from her.
"I dare ask," Kae snarled, "Speak the truth, do I have any reason to trust you?"
Optimus watched in horror as his Mentor charged his bonded, he stood shocked alongside his unit. The Sentinel he remembered had had far more patience, especially with the young.
His spark gave a small wrench as his Kae's instincts proved correct, Sentinel's weapons came online, but she had Sentinel on his back in moments. He was staring at her in shock, struggling against her submission.
"Release me at once!" he commanded. Kae drew a sword from her wings and lightly touched Sentinel's helm with the tip.
"I will obey your order when you heed mine," she snarled, Ωnow speak the truth, do I have any reason to trust you, Sentinel?Ω
"You do," Sentinel growled.
Optimus' spark flared in pain. He hadn't said it in the language of the primes, the language that defied lying.
"Then why do you stink of treachery?" Kae snarled, shoving him against the floor somewhat more. "Show me your spark!" she commanded.
Optimus felt his spark flare in agony as his mentor sagged against the floor, no longer fighting against Kae as his spark chamber bared itself. So open, anyone could hear his resonations of defeat. She touched it lightly, sending a gentle surge of energon to his spark. Sentinel's optics offlined as he rebooted.
Silence.
"He's been driven mad," Kae stated quietly, looking at Ratchet.
"His need to protect Cybertron," Ratchet murmured sadly, reading her scans. "The Guardian's madness."
"I had to," Sentinel rasped. "We were never going to win the war, I had to save her, I had to protect Cybertron. I have failed." he looked up at Kae with grief in his optics. "Kill me, young warrior, I do not deserve life."
"Oh, so you're going to offline and leave us the mess to clean up?" Kae snarled at him, sheathing her blade again. She rose from the older Mech's chest and stood, walking to her place and sitting down. "No, if anything, you're going to stick around to help clean it up. The Decepticons have the pillars, which I doubt you are ignorant of. Not with that many ships and fighters biding their time hiding out on our moon."
"Why!?" Optimus snarled at them, his spark felt torn, his mentor... his friend... Sentinel rolled carefully to his knees.
"Who controls the pillars," Mikaela asked calmly, looking at Sentinel. "More promptly, who but you or I could revive Sentinel? You are under orders to rendezvous with the Decepticons." She didn't make it a question.
"I am," Sentinel rasped in a heavy tone. Mikaela reached up and rubbed her face.
"Which is why they let us go," she sighed. "It would have been the perfect trap, using Sentinel as the bait. But they need him online."
Optimus walked over and sat down heavily beside his Kae, she reached out and laid a gentle hand on his own. He was a fool.
"I'm sorry," he choked.
"Hush my love," Kae murmured gently, reaching up and cupping his cheek. "The game begins."
Jazz settled down and grinned at her. Trust the saboteur to know what his mate was talking about.
"Ol Megsy don't know tha' we now know that Sentinel defectuhed." Jazz smirked at him. "We've got th' upper servo now."
Oh.
His beloved Kae looked around seriously before catching Sentinel's gaze, Optimus felt his spark flare in shock as his Kae's spark began to resonate compassion. She rose and knelt in front of Sentinel.
"You are a good bot, a good Prime," she stated gently, extending a binder cable to the Prime's spark again. "Cybertron is not lost, Sentinel. We will heal her again, I will heal your home, but please understand, I must see to the safety of my own home planet. I cannot allow Decepticons to pillage the earth, as they have Cybertron. The war continues, we have our duty."
Optimus watched as Sentinel stared at his femme, shock and understanding resonated from his spark.
Shock, understanding and acceptance.
"We need a plan," Ironhide growled, taking his place in the central beside Ratchet.
"We need reconnah'sance, info'mashun," Jazz added firmly.
"Come," Kae murmured, gently pulling Sentinel to his feet and guiding him to settle into the collective.
Optimus onlined his optics in his Kae's mindspace. Ratchet, Ironhide, Jazz and Sentinel immediately settled in beside him. Spark to spark, anyone could feel the pain of madness slowly healing in the oldest spark.
"We need a plan," Ironhide growled again. Bumblebee settled down beside his sister, her spark reached out and hugged him gently.
"Right, so I'll take the human angle," Bee stated calmly. "Follow the conspiracies, like you said Kae. I'll take Wheelie and Brains with me, stay with Sam. He's got good instincts."
Optimus nodded, looking at his Kae.
"Before we split, let's look at the information we already have," she stated firmly, bringing up the information she'd scanned in, and reading the chips from the dead bots.
"The ark has been modified," Ironhide rasped immediately, looking at her scans.
"That's what I thought," Kae nodded firmly, flicking through the information. The bots watched in shock as she brought up her scans of the moon's surface. "Precise pinpoint unavailable, I didn't want to risk that many knowing that we know they're there." she stated gravely.
"Primus, they've got carriers with them," Sideswipe growled. "Warships, twenty fliers to a carrier, we're outnumbered."
"We're gonna have ta make them come ta us," Jazz frowned, looking at the scans.
"The plan, is to bring Cybertron here, using the pillars," Sentinel stated quietly. "They wish to make the human race a slave race to rebuild our home. We are outnumbered, but they are outmatched."
"I will not allow my people to become slaves," Kae stated sternly.
"If you can promise me, that you will save our home, I will swear to you to protect your people," Sentinel stated quietly, looking at Kae.
"I will promise you three things," Kae stated, catching and holding Sentinel's optics. "I promise you, that once the threat to Cybertron is removed, she will live and breathe once more. I promise you that I will protect my people. And I swear to you, if you fire upon my unit, my family, I will ensure that you will not offline until you have felt every ounce of pain that they have endured."
"She's not bluffing," Bumblebee whispered beside his sister. He was staring at her in shock, Ironhide and Ratchet looked back and forth between the two of them worriedly.
"So be it," Sentinel nodded sternly.
"We need a plan," Optimus rumbled.
"Sentinel must carry through as though we are ignorant of his actions." Kae stated quietly. "We must retrieve the pillars."
"Well, the humans have the five remaining locked away," Bee stated musingly.
"Your point?" Sentinel growled. Jazz was smirking again.
"Well, you could always throw one of your shit-fits, Sentinel, retrieve the pillahs, and meet up with ol' Megsy. The Decepticons will come tah Earth from the moon, which is dang'rous, but if they do that then we've picked Ah battleground." Jazz smirked.
"Our human allies are very quick to unite against a common enemy, even among themselves." Bumblebee added in counterpart.
Kae smiled at her brother.
"Sentinel," she stated with narrowed eyes. "If we created beacons, laid them out in a safe area, could you tie them to the pillars. Wherever the main battle is to take place, can you use the pillars to evacuate the civilians?"
"We can do that, you will need to be present, link the beacons to yourself, I will transfer the control of the pillars to you at the correct moment." Sentinel stated, Optimus looked at his mentor in shock as the light of battle began to flicker in his optics again. "We force their hand, we hem them in."
"Cut away the ground they stand upon," Kae continued for him. "We must proceed cautiously, gather evidence against them for the benefit of the humans."
"Mine!" Bee grinned beside her. Kae nodded.
"I must appear to betray you," Sentinel stated quietly. "I will send a message to your United Nations, it must appear that we have no plan. That you have no plan. They will never leave this planet." He turned to look at Optimus with narrowed optics.
"You have much to discuss," Kae murmured, reaching up and lightly kissing Optimus' jaw. "I have preparations to make, and beacons to build."
Optimus nodded and reached out, pressing a kiss to his Kae's forehead. She smiled at him and returned to her body.
"I thought I told you to be wary of whom you bind yourself to," Sentinel growled as Kae rose in the physical world.
"When she was still human," Bee stated defensively. "His mark etched itself into her skin above her spark. She chose him before her own mark was even chosen!"
"What of Elita?" Sentinel growled. "What of your bonded femme?"
"She denied me at the gates," Optimus growled. "Bonded me simply because I was Prime. I loved her as she refused to love me."
"And so you give your spark to another Femme," Sentinel stated coldly.
"We have all seen her spark, joined with her," Ironhide growled.
"My spark-daughter is everything you claimed to be, and more," Ratchet added stonily. "She outranks us all, and yet she denies her rank, she is my daughter."
"My niece," Ironhide added.
"My sister," Bee piped in strongly.
"Our sister," Arcee added, standing with the Femmes.
"She is one of us absolutely," Sideswipe stated coldly. "The spark-bonded of our Prime, a healing predator that we are proud to fight beside."
"She raised me to be her equal, even as I instructed her to take the dominant," Optimus rumbled quietly, looking at his mentor. "Gladly would I be her lieutenant. She refuses to take the leadership."
"She defers to Optimus, pit she was mildly pissed off when Optimus made her first lieutenant," Ironhide rumbled cheerfully. "Kept trying to get me to take the post as her senior."
Sentinel sat in silence, staring around himself.
"She has proven herself?" he rumbled finally. Bumblebee burst out laughing.
"How many did she kill in egypt again?" he grinned.
"Kill count!" Sideswipe called out with a snort.
"Scorponok, before we even got there," Ironhide started with a grin, holding up his hand.
"Fourteen kills on the field, multiple critical shots, she took out weapons systems." Ratchet reeled off quietly. "On record, she has maintained us regularly, cared for us. She has saved the lives of seven men, five auto-bots, and repaired major damage on ninety all told."
"And she's..." Sentinel whispered.
"Twenty-three annum." Optimus snorted.
"She took out the wolf pack on her first day after being cast," Ironhide snorted gleefully. "They were outflying the lot of us, she turned 'em around snappish and drove 'em to the ground so we could fire on 'em. A niece to be proud of."
"I'm gonna check status, take Sam and Carly home," Bee grinned.
"Be careful," Optimus rumbled calmly, nodding to his scout.
"Aye Sir," he grinned, winking back to his body.
"I'll take training so you lot can catch up on your stories," Sideswipe grinned unrepentantly at Ironhide.
"'preciate it Sides," Ironhide grinned.
"I should like to work alongside your mate," Sentinel stated formally, looking at Optimus. "If she is to use the pillars, we should work the glitches out whilst I am still here."
"Med bay," Ratchet stated cheerfully, winking into his own body and onlining his optics again.