A/N: Hey, I made a switch in Chapter Thirty-Four (my Thirty-Four, not the site's listing). It's a location change for the final battle. We are not going to Hong Kong, we are going to Colombia! For good reason, since I need to integrate a new Autobot and a new human ally, whom will be a central character in the sequel.

Also: I am officially looking for some talented individuals to do some artwork for me! Mira and Merrick are in some dire need of visualization, and I am not—note the NOT—artistic. Wondering if there's anyone you know or if you are artistically inclined and want to give Mira and Merrick a whirl. Let me know please, and you'll get tons of cyber-hugs and a shout out here in the AN!

Thirty-Eight

Lockdown watched the thick red fluid slip down the internal walls of the vial. A part of him raged at the idea that he was actually taking a human into orbit—forever, he told himself. He'd have to put up with her until she died, which in Cybertronian aspect was not a long time-span, but would feel like eternity with her big mouth. He tapped the vial with a fingertip and chuckled—this blood, so seemingly worthless, but so essential to human life forms. This particular blood had the power to change history—to power to make him the richest and most powerful mech alive.

He replaced the vial of Miriam Lennox's blood back into the compartment on his forearm—the very same compartment not days earlier he had stored the Autobot medic's own spark, which he had since disposed of. This blood was vital for his research—he could study so much with just this sample it was almost unbelievable. One day he'd return to this planet, with cures and medicines and medical revolution which he'd sell the human population—which, in turn, would result in their undying devotion and servitude to him.

This is where Megatron did not understand leadership. To lead such organics and rule over them required knowledge of what laid at the heart of any organic species: biological fear. The diseases which gripped the species in fear; diseases like AIDS, HIV, Hepatitis, Diabetes, are what humanity was controlled by. It set the standard for how people lived. And, to revolutionize such an industry where a promised cure was up for sale, for a price seemingly low enough for humanity to give, would ensure the planet's servitude and control unto him. Megatron had failed to see that conquering and chaos were not what drove a planet to its knees—especially a planet where tyranny and control had fueled independence and rebellion. It was promise; hope which had the power to deceive a people and control them.

Lockdown understood this. He would use this woman's blood to revolutionize the world she lived in. She, the "hero" of the United States, the one to change the world, would soon hand it over to him. She would be the traitor, the scapegoat—the one to shoulder all the hatred of the people. He would sit on the throne of the spoils of war, her even on his leash—just when she would think she was as low as she would be, he'd thrust her into a pit even darker and deeper.

She was his.

The crash site was a mess.

The Autobots had been infamous for destruction—especially in flightships, since they didn't seem to know how to properly fly them. Mira had witnessed their capacity for collateral damage; she'd covered for them more than once to the president and the public, yes. Cities literally came crashing down around them, from all directions. Destruction wasn't unusual with them; one gets used of it after awhile Mira always said. So, seeing the flightship crashed into the field, having taken down power lines with it and upturned pavement on impact was not a surprise.

They'd been there for a while, that was for sure. Hound was busy cleaning his guns and counting ammo, mumbling like a senile old war hero that time forgot. He flicked empty brass and his "cigar" bobbed in the corner of his mouth as he muttered. Drift was sitting on top a stopped train-car, running his fingertip along the blade of one of his swords, the other positioned in his back armor plating just so. He was silent, but his eyes were deep and full of thought, ever the wise artist, the last of his kind—a rarity. As Crosshairs and Bumblebee came to a screeching halt, Mira stepped out of the Corvette and looked across the road, the breeze catching her hair and perhaps her thoughts.

Optimus was across the road, standing with his back to them. He had his eyes on the sky, lost in thought. His arms were crossed over his chest, and Mira could only imagine what was running through his mind. She closed the door to the Corvette, and hurried across the street. Stopping just behind him, she crossed her arms.

"A bit lonely over here by yourself, aren't you?" She asked cheekily, "That's no way to greet a returning friend, Optimus Prime." He shifted to look over his shoulder at her, a stern look not only painted on his face, but a hard emotion in his optics. It knocked her to her knees, metaphorically, and she looked down, "I'm glad you're in one piece."

"And yet I am still thanking Primus you're alive," he said sternly, "Lockdown would have destroyed you, and all I would have done is sit by and watch."

Mira was quick to a rebuttal, "What's done is done. Let's not revisit the past. " she said with a shrug. "I have confidence that you'd protect me no matter the circumstance," she gave him a soft smile. He returned it before looking away.

She waved the thought of the ship off by stepping off the road and down into the grass with him. He looked down at her and then back to the horizon, her joining him there. "So, now what?"

"There is much to discuss," he said with a sigh, "I am afraid we have bigger problems than Cemetery Wind at the moment."

She wrinkled her brow, "What do you mean?" Optimus cast her a stare from the corner of his optic, and suddenly she knew. It hit her like a ton of bricks. She swallowed thickly and reached up to the Shield, running her thumb across the now smooth, plexi-glass like surface. "You think KSI has something to do with Lockdown?"

"I do not think. I know." He turned and gestured for her to go first, and Mira did. They began walking side by side, the wind whipping the smell of wheat and corn across Mira's senses. It tousled her fallen curls around her face, and she reached up to push her glasses up farther on her nose. They stopped once across the street, where a lively conversation between Hound and Cade was undergoing—one about leaving Earth for good. This struck Mira's gut like lightning and she immediately jumped into the conversation.

"What said anything about leaving?" She asked sternly.

"We got a ship now, and we're out of here the minute Optimus gives the word," Hound shot her a halfway sorry look and then gave one to Optimus, "Right, boss?" Optimus gave him a look, and Mira whipped around to look up at him. Cade, Bryce, and Tessa had all climbed up a pile of what appeared to be a mixture of coal and rubble. Mira joined them and motioned with her hands.

"What do you mean, "leaving"? You can't just leave us here, after everything!" she exclaimed, pointing at Optimus, "You think that's the best idea? Really?"

"Mira," Bryce reached out to touch her shoulder, "Control yourself—"

"—no, Bryce!" she tossed his hand off her shoulder with a violent shrug. "You all cannot be serious!"

"Mira," Optimus began, stepping forward. He looked down, as if ashamed at his decision. Mira's heart was racing, causing her to pant, as sweat dripped down her temple. Her hands began to tremble just slightly—the idea of them…leaving—again—was almost too much for her.

"Don't 'Mira' me, Optimus! You can't possibly leave, not after everything we've gone through! The government will understand—" Her voice cracked. She realized the weakness of her argument.

The Autobots did not have to stay. They were illegals here now; hiding out from forces that were trying to kill the remains of a dying race. Really, they were endangered on Earth. They owed nothing to anyone anymore—they'd fought their battles, protected Earth and its people, and now they'd come to the end of their time here. The thought shattered her heart as if it were broken glass within her chest, slicing a pathway of raw pain through her body. She felt overwhelmed and panicked. Her heart began throbbing and her eyes began watering, until they spilled over onto her cheeks. The Autobots just stared at her, expressionless emotion on their faces—well, expressionless save for Optimus, who looked like he was losing part of himself. The grief in his eyes was almost as severe as the grief in his voice.

"Listen to me, Mira," Optimus said, gently, "After all we have done for you and you're kind, after all the men I have lost…" he looked away from her and then back to her, "You really have no idea what your kind has wrought upon themselves, do you?"

She began to cry now, "No, Optimus! No, I don't! I don't have this unforeseen gift of leadership you seem to have, I'm sorry!" She slipped forward slightly as her foot caught on loose debris, and she went sliding down the pile until she stopped at his feet, stumbling forward. He stepped back half a step and looked down at her. "What? What's wrong now?" she said, irritated, "Something else to add to the list of offenses?" She was bitterly exclaiming now, heat rushing through her veins. Cade and Bryce hurried down the pile of debris to follow after her, Mira charging forward, still crying. She felt like an enraged civilian presenting her case before a king, angrily demanding answers and action as she stood there, neck craned back and assertively addressing her Commander—her Guardian. He just stared at her a moment before continuing and Mira had to pause to collect her breath, using a shaky hand to wipe at her eyes.

"Miriam," He stated calmly, "The time has come that your people understand now the consequences of war, a war much bigger than they would've realized. They have initiated a game that I, having vowed not to harm humans, am not willing to play." He gestured behind him to his men, "My Autobots have sacrificed much, and to what end? To be brutally awakened to a reality that we ourselves refused to see: your people do not want us here, and they never have." He turned back to her and reached up, resting a hand on crane that had been previously laying track for the stopped train. He gripped the iron with a fist.

"You have to realize, Princess, this isn't our world," Hound interjected, "We have to play by your rules—"

"—no, no you don't!" She pointed a finger up at him, "When have you ever played by the rules? You haven't! This has always been defying the odds and defending even when there is no one to defend—for a new Cybertron, remember? A Cybertron and an Earth that will unite and live peaceably in the shadow of what we do here!" She was crying now, Merrick and Tessa and the two men looking at her strangely, if not sympathetically. She whipped about to face Optimus, "You're willing to just throw that all away? After everything? To just leave us here?" She sniffled, "To just leave and be manipulated by fear? War? To…surrender?"

Optimus gave her a stern look, "Miriam, you do not know who is manipulating who in this instance. Before it was necessity that kept our people together—it always has been. The foundation of our treaty has never been trust, nor has it ever been friendship. My personal desire was to see Earth and Cybertron unite and live in the shadow of the other—to learn and cohabitate and teach, to thrive. That cannot happen when you're people are willing to look to the other side of our war to find peace."

Bryce stepped up beside Mira, and wrapped an arm around her trembling shoulder. She was sobbing now, her body shaking and every nerve within her a searing white-hot position of pain, agony, and heartbreak. She felt like her heart had been ripped out, yet again, by this realization. It was slowly dawning on her, though, but she refused to relinquish control. Bryce made a statement, "What do you mean, look to the other side?"

Optimus sighed, "I believe your kind has initiated a deal with Lockdown, in the way they have so willingly sacrificed their own. They have been willing to kill all of you to get what they want, and they have disregarded the value of life. They have fallen prey to darkness—to tyranny, all because tyranny so easily decorates itself with prosperity and hope.

KSI has created something they are not yet willing to understand—they have mixed themselves into a war they cannot understand. For, within that man-made prototype I fought I sense the presence of Megatron." There was quiet now, on the breeze, and Mira's breath hitched. She stepped forward and tucked a loose curl from behind her ear. "If you're people are willing to sacrifice their own, disregard life, and ally themselves with my enemy, then we cannot stay here, Mira. It would be exponentially dangerous for us and for you as well." Optimus then released the crane and took a knee before her, hands sinking into the debris of the crash, optics tender with remorse. She locked eyes with him, "I hope you understand that it is not my desire to leave you here. If I could I would take you and your family with me."

She nodded, "It…it isn't your fault. Like you said, this is the choice of the people." She swallowed thickly.

Cade spoke now, "You think the Decepticon who started the Chicago War is in that Galvatron thing? How is that even possible?"

"I'll tell ya how!" The group turned to introduce a new face into their conversation, one that Mira had thought was dead long ago in Chicago. She was surprised to see him hobbling on one leg with a cane-type rod, still functioning and as wild as ever. He slid down Hound's arm until he rested in the mech's hand, pointing his cane at Mira. "You tellin' me you actually think KSI built those bots by themselves? You're all so technologically retarded it's scary, man! You're math isn't even advanced enough! You're computers—pfft, slag, they couldn't even calculate the proper density of Energon molecules!"

Mira's brows rose, "Glad to see you're still alive," she quipped, "But are you saying Lockdown helped build the prototypes?"

Brains laughed, "Pffft! Honey, you got a heckuva fantasy if you think Lockdown got his nasty fingers into that mess—no, we ain't talking Lockdown, we're talking Megatron! KSI get themselves a mess of Decepticon heads and those heads weren't as dead as they thought!"

Mira looked over her shoulder at Optimus, then back at Brains, "So…you were…."

"Yeah, I was autopsy duty!" He shuddered, "No union, benefits—nothing! They hooked me up to the devil himself and oooooohhhhh…..that mind was as alive as it has ever been, honey!" Hound set him on the ground and he hobbled over to the train, the entire group watching, "Megatron fed them the science, specks, math—everythin', all so they could give him his dream body! Everything about that Galvatron is just Megatron reincarnated—and fifty times more powerful too!"

"And you didn't say anything?" Cade interjected. Tessa and Merrick came up beside them, and Cade wrapped his arm around Tessa's shoulder. Her eyes were red and swollen, and Merrick was yawning and stretching his arms above his head. Cade ruffled the boys hair as Brains continued.

"You can go to a dark place when you on death row, man. But, Galvatron's possessed that protoform as much as he can, yeah—it ain't even Galvatron. It's Megatron! He did it all so he can manipulate KSI into goin' after that Seed." He shuddered again.

"Seed?" Mira questioned.

Hound began, "Lissen up, Princess," he cleared his throat, "way back in the beginning of Cybertron—" Optimus stopped him there, Hound shooting him a harsh and somewhat hurt look. Optimus continued the thought and stood to full height,

"—thousands of planets were Cyberformed with Seeds, including Earth. My mentor and close friend, Alpha Trion, had documented that event in Covenant of Primus, our oldest document which contains the history of Cybertron and the colonial planets. Our Creators destroyed your organic life," he sighed and looked away from her to his men, "to create us."

Mira's brow wrinkled, but Brains continued, "And that's exactly what Galvatron wants to happen again! He wants that Seed, so he can detonate it in the biggest city, to show the world, 'Baby I'm back'." He plucked a flower from a nearby patch of grass and began plucking off the petals, "Shame too, 'cause this was startin' to feel like home."

Optimus was solemn, "The blast wave will incinerate that city into a tomb of molten metal, and it will kill millions. He will have enough to build and entirely new, massive army and annialate your people." He frowned and furrowed his optic ridges. Brains snorted from his place and continued hobbling on, mumbling.

"You greedy meatbags just brought extinction on yourselves, but I'm good with that! Ain't my problem! Whole thing worked out good for me, I'm out!" He then disappeared behind the train rotars and was gone, mumbling and hobbling. Mira watched him go with as much amazement as she'd watched him come, and shook her head, trying to process all the information.

"Well then," Mira sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "We'd better get that Seed before Galvatron does," she sighed and looked down the incredibly long line of train-cars, realizing all of them were industry carrying cars and not passenger ones. They could bed down for the night in a passenger car and perhaps find some food, and then get on their way tomorrow—they needed to intercept Joshua before he went under the radar, which he would most likely do. She could sense the subject of them leaving still rattling through the air, so she addressed it, "…and we'll talk about everything else later. In the meantime," she walked by Merrick and quickly picked up the boy, realizing her body was far more sore than she would've realized, "I say we get some rest. We'll go and see if there's a car we can bed down in and get something to eat. We'll talk in the morning."

"We've got encrypted communications that Joshua is headed to his factory in Bogota, Colombia," Drift said softly, looking away and replacing his blade, "Not an incredibly long flight."

Cade shrugged, "Well, I've never been to Colombia," he snorted, slugging Tessa's shoulder playfully, "You ready for a vacation, Tess?" She rolled her eyes, "Cause we've got the best agency in the business."

His attempt at humor just left Tessa rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, "Yeah, because God knows this has been the best time I've ever had."

Hound chuckled at that, "No one ever said we were boring, babe."

Bumblebee snickered, then played a clip, "We're a heckuva crowd, that's for sure!"

Mira looked up at Optimus and smiled at him, before Bryce came over and took Merrick from her. "Laney still lives on the outskits of Bogota," she referred to her best girlfriend since her preteen years, Elaina Rutledge. "I bet she's willing to help us if I give her a call."

Optimus gave her a look, "I do not wish to drag anyone else into this that doesn't already have enough troubles. Elaina has escaped the government and Cemetery Wind by keeping low and staying uninvolved, and that is how it should be."

Mira sighed, "But, she may be useful in helping us get in touch with Sideswipe, Prime. We last received communication from him in Bogota—there's a good chance he may still be around."

That ended the conversation, as did the fact that Merrick had yawned again, "Momma," he whimpered quietly, "I'm tired." Mira looked to him, planted a kiss on his cheek. The poor kid had already started to doze off, and Mira noted that Drift watched him carefully as Bryce and Tessa began walking the empty set of tracks towards the end of the train. She gave Optimus a half smile and then blew a kiss up to him, then the others, "Good night, everyone. Sleep well."

"Rest well, Mira," Optimus said slowly. The others began their transformation down, and he did as well. The cab door to the semi popped open and his holoform stepped out. He approached her, Cade having joined the others, and grabbed the Shield around her neck and fingered it. He then looked up to her and gave her a gentle smile, "I didn't have a doubt."

She chuckled and stepped towards him, and then stood on her tip-toes. She took his face in her hands and smiled, "I'm glad you have so much confidence in me, then." Then, she kissed the side of his cheek tenderly and stepped away from him, his smell of diesel, Energon, sparks, and fuel all too much for her senses. She felt her eyes begin to water again at the thought of him leaving, and she had to quickly turn on her heel.

"I'll see you all in the morning." She rapped her knuckle's on Bumblebee's hood playfully, and stepped into the train tracks, watching as Tessa and Bryce hauled themselves up into a train car at the end of the row of cars.