Reunions - Part Four

Lennox had scrambled backward when the cougar leapt out of the high grass and tried to pin him like a mouse. It did a fairly good impression of the big cat compared to previous encounters with animal-like mechanoids, but he saw -- from an uncomfortably close view -- the irregular shape and size of its teeth. They snapped shut less than two inches from his face, giving him a very good view of them. His hands automatically began pulling the rest of his body backward with an assist from his feet. His mind, meanwhile, was reeling. These smaller Decepticons were just as terrifying as the big ones.

The day had been uneventful until the evening. That afternoon his wife had taken Windcharger to the grocery store, a learning experience for her since she had rarely ridden in an Autobot before but had enjoyed the conversation, and even Annabelle seemed to like their new car. In the meantime, Will had attempted to have a conversation with Gears that didn't devolve into the mech grousing about something related to the topic by a six degree separation.

It was after dinner when Lennox went for a short walk to think things over by himself. The thought that repeatedly came to him was that if the Decepticons wanted only him, he would be better off going to Autobase One to avoid any trouble for bystanders, who the Decepticons were, he prayed, unaware of. The thought of those monsters taking his wife and daughter hostage made his blood run cold. If it was true that there were more of them, he would ask the Secretary of Defense himself to put together a team to hunt them down first.

It was shortly after that when the open field to his left exploded into flying, snarling mountain cat of doom.

He had to hand it to Windcharger and Gears -- they were fast to respond. Somewhere during fleeing to keep his backside from being shredded they both transformed and dove to intervene. Gears had plowed his shoulder into the cat, sending it flying, but in keeping with its organic counterparts it landed on its feet. Its side panels then shifted around to allow a pair of missile launchers to deploy. Windcharger tackled the cat next as the projectiles were fired, then Gears moved in again. It appeared that his only weapon was his own brute strength. Lennox was fine with that as long as the Decepticon was the only one getting hurt, and also if it kept the cat busy so he could decide the best course of action.

Windcharger ran to the edge of the field. "Gears! Pull!"

The other Autobot got a solid two-handed grasp on the cougar and tossed it skyward. Windcharger concentrated his magnetic ability on the Decepticon and threw his hands downward. The cat abruptly switched directions and slammed into the ground with the force of a meteor impact. Gears dusted his hands off and walked over to peer into the resulting crater. "Nice form, Windcharger."

Before Windcharger could reply, a shout from Lennox grabbed their attention. The two Autobots spun around to see a hawk-like form carrying the human off into the air. Windcharger clenched his fists. "Squawktalk! I cannot use the same trick as with Ravage without endangering Will!"

"Target me," Gears said, then dashed after the gliding robotic bird. Something hissed within both of his lower legs, panels shifting as he ran. With a great burst of air pressure and a leap, he was in the air, angling toward the Decepticon's flightpath. He couldn't remain completely on target, but that was where Windcharger came in. He carefully homed his powers in on Gears and succeeded in directing him close enough to grab hold of Squawktalk and begin to weigh him down. The Decepticon screeched and tried to roll over to dislodge his uninvited passenger but Gears' weight forced the bird to remain upright. Lennox attempted to wriggle free of the foot that had loosened when Gears grabbed hold. Squawktalk was too busy protesting to notice his captive escape. Lennox climbed along the limb, grateful for the overlapping plates that offered handholds. He made it to a close enough range to make a leap for Gears' arm. The Autobot quickly shifted to give the human a better shot and moved his arm so that Lennox actually slid under an armor plate. Then Gears let go of Squawktalk.

Will grasped a cable and held on for dear life, hoping an incidental shift of armor wouldn't cause him to be crushed. But nothing of the sort happened; in fact, there was a distinct lack of a dropping sensation. He couldn't see from the angle he was laying at, but there seemed to be a sound of air hissing from somewhere below him. He didn't know how, but something was buffering their descent.

Windcharger walked up as they landed. "I think we have more than enough evidence now. I sent recordings to the base."

Gears nodded as he set Lennox on the ground. "I was sending mine real time. Now we need to collect Ravage and we will have--"

Squawktalk swooped by overhead and dove toward the crater. Neither Autobot could move in time to stop the bird from grabbing Ravage and flying off. Gears growled, "Nothing."

Lennox collapsed to the ground, scrubbing his hair in a stressful fashion. "So they are after me. What about my family? If I leave, will they come after my wife and kid?"

Windcharger glanced over at him, looking sympathetic. "I think it would be good for them to relocate for the time being, but you need to go somewhere you would be better protected, and where we could coordinate an ambush to capture one of that brood and find out what is occurring here."

"From what I gather," Will replied, "They could be after me to get information, since I'm one of your closest allies and I discuss just about everything with Ironhide on a regular basis."

"Is he not using a dampening field each time?" Gears asked.

"He said he was, but he doesn't have anything to make him invisible, so if they found me and had a spy set up..." Lennox shook his head. "I was careless. I figured we would have more time. Megatron didn't strike me as the type to send a distress signal -- because why else would it have taken so long for the other Decepticons to find him?" Windcharger nodded thoughtfully.

"Well," Gears said, "It was unlikely that they were searching for Megatron but more for the Cube -- especially with Starscream at the helm."

"The jet," Lennox reconfirmed.

"Yes. He and Megatron had a history of disagreeing, but Megatron kept him as his second in command regardless. We knew Starscream's tactics well, so when Megatron disappeared, we thought we would have a better chance at recovery. But Starscream managed to get the Decepticons organized enough to begin their own search for the Cube."

"Hmm," Lennox mumbled, running his hand through his hair again. He knew that remaining at the house was not an option, but he couldn't take Sarah and Annabelle to the Autobot base. He had to tell someone, and soon. He wanted to get up and go in the house, but his mind kept jumping from one option to another. This wasn't like being in a chopper on its way to a destination in a foreign land with his family safe thousands of miles away. This was pretty much literally in his own backyard.

Windcharger lowered himself beside the human. "You appear disoriented, Will. Are you functioning properly?"

Lennox shook his head. "To be honest, I'm not. Too much to think about at once. I can't switch modes right now."

At that moment the bots transformed, hastily arranging themselves as cars parked on the side of the road. "Very funny," Lennox muttered as he picked himself up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. Neither responded. A moment later a black van pulled up across the street from them. A second van stopped a little farther up. Lennox surreptitiously watched them from the corner of his eyes. He realized he was going to be paranoid about every vehicle that came within fifteen feet of him for the next few days.

But the driver's side door of the near van opened and someone who was familiar stepped out. "Will, good to see you again -- especially seein' you safe," Tom Banachek said, stretching out a hand to greet Lennox. Will complied and shook his hand, Banachek adding another hand on top then letting go. "Especially alive," he repeated.

"Glad we established that," Lennox said with slight sarcasm. He had developed a dislike for any former Sector Seven agent, and a former Sector Seven agent who showed up not just driving a van but with an extra one in tow had to be up to something. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to ensure your family's safety and make you an offer, if you're interested." Banachek looked at him hopefully.

"Who is 'we'?" Will pressed. Whatever organization Banachek was running this time, he wasn't interested -- and resented being approached, nevermind the question of how he knew Lennox was in trouble. "And why are you here at all?"

Tom stepped back. "I'm sorry, I'm gettin' ahead of myself. I'm leadin' a small but dedicated government-funded operation intended to learn more about our friends from Cybertron, with their consent, to help with integratin' 'em into our society. We hope to develop relations to the point where their presence can be revealed to the general public. Seein' as it's inevitable, we may as well try to do it right. We're also a response team to investigate any trouble. I'm sorry we learned too late you were a target or we woulda been here sooner."

"So...you were spying on me, too?" Lennox asked vehemently.

Banachek was startled by Will's anger. "Oh, no...but we have considered approachin' you before about joinin', and we also have a partial news feed from the Autobase to have some information on the latest planetfalls. Optimus Prime hadn't agreed to givin' us access until today."

Lennox continued to be unhappy with the whole thing. While Banachek had seemed honest during the N.B.E. incident, Will didn't like the idea that he could have been filming the latest battle and conveniently showed up after it was over. He turned away, tapping his knuckles across Windcharger's trunk as he moved. "I take it you want me to join right away? What about my military duties? I'm still on leave now, but I haven't been fully discharged."

"You get a full transfer. We could really use your tactical expertise."

"I'm not convinced." Lennox folded his arms while casually leaning against Gears' front bumper.

Banachek glanced toward the first van. The sound of a sliding door came from the far side, then a caucasian man in a suit came around the back. He looked sharp -- and vastly different from the last time Lennox had seen him. The battle at Mission City had left him covered in dirt and the other effects of a long, difficult fight against impossible odds.

"Breckstein! Man, is it good to see you!" Lennox dropped his cold attitude and went to shake hands with one of the surviving members of his Qatar team, next clasping him in a fraternal hug -- which doubled as a means to whisper to him, "In on this, huh? Better not be a bunch of malarkey."

"I made sure, myself," Eugene Breckstein whispered back. "It's all legit."

"Hmm," Lennox acknowledged, but the look he gave Banachek as Eugene stepped back was still not pleased.

Tom knew it, too. "Would you at least be willin' to find out a little more? You have absolutely no obligation to join. You will have to come to our headquarters to get the full story..." he trailed off at yet another disapproving glance. "Look, I can only tell you so much without visual aid. I'll leave that entire van full of trained interceptors to guard your family." He nodded to the second van.

After remaining silent during everything, Windcharger spoke up. "We will both stay to fulfill our duty, William."

Banachek and Breckstein stared at the sedan, the former in an unphased manner and the latter with a raised eyebrow. "Windcharger and Gears," Lennox said by way of introduction. The 4x4 waved its radio antennae.

Banachek nodded. "Gentle..mechs, it's an honor."

"Sure," Gears chirped. It was unclear whether he was being friendly or disparaging.

"So..." Tom looked once more to Lennox. "Interested?"

Will glanced at Eugene, who gave a small but encouraging nod and smile. Will sighed. "As long as it isn't as exciting as the last time I got involved with your guys..."

Banachek grinned. "I don't think you have to worry about that." Lennox shook his head in doubt but followed Tom toward the first van, then derailed toward his house.

Breckstein, left in command of the team, glanced over the two Autobots thoughtfully, then reached for Gears' driver side door. All the doors immediately locked. "Cease that particular thought process."

"Sorry, didn't mean any offense." Eugene laughed awkwardly and turned toward the second van.

Gears opened a private line to Windcharger. "I am not certain of this. Perhaps one of us should go with them."

Windcharger hesitated. "I...agree. But it is obvious that Will would prefer that we remain here. His wife and offspring are only civilians."

"Eh, I am going to contact Prime. I will track them for now, and if he thinks I should follow, I will be able to find them."


Optimus Prime was not happy and it was no one's fault but his own. Even before he received the battle report from Windcharger he realized he had miscalculated. While he knew Ironhide and Chromia were an excellent fighting team, he should not have split up Ironhide and Ratchet. They had been working together for so long that it was practically hardwired into their processors to rely on each other to know what the other was thinking. Prime realized he should have sent Ratchet, Ironhide, and Chromia to Lennox's -- where there had been a proven threat. He had thought sending them to an ally not assaulted yet would prevent attacks elsewhere. He had not expected the threat toward Lennox to double.

Yet at least he had been correct about sending fresh warriors. Ironhide had been damaged, after all, and Ratchet seemed to be online every minute of the day working on either Broadcast or Perceptor. The latter had yet to take an alternate mode but Ratchet had mentioned a plan that the head scientist had apparently agreed to. Optimus was still waiting for the medic to burn out.

He was watching him now across the conference table, talking animatedly to Arcee, who was filling in for Ironhide for the weapons division. No sign of burning out, but Prime still wondered where he was getting so much energy from. Optimus also missed having his advisory team together, but without Jazz it would be forever incomplete. He had not decided who to appoint in his place. Ratchet and Ironhide were fine with their current positions. Chromia's arrival was timely. If she agreed, she would be a good choice. He nodded to himself, then focused on the table itself. A few typed commands to the keyboard in front of him brought up a three dimensional light map of the United States.

"The team lead by Chromia is twenty-eight minutes from the dwelling of Robert Epps. Ninety-eight seconds ago I received a request from Gears to follow William Lennox to an unknown location that is under the command of Tom Banachek, leaving Windcharger and a group of unknown agents that arrived with Banachek. Lennox knew one of them, however, and this man was involved in the battle for Mission City."

"I want your opinions," Optimus continued. "Shall we entrust the safety of William to Banachek, or should Gears follow, with Windcharger and these agents left to guard Sarah and Annabelle Lennox?"

Broadcast, perched on Ratchet's left shoulder, raised a hand. "I'm wonderin' what it is that Lennox has got that the 'Cons want, an' if he didn't tell his family, they might not be in danger."

Ratchet leaned his head forward to see around the small mech and address Prime. "I had assumed they would use Lennox as a hostage to get to us, but since they did not attack his dwelling and capture his entire family as hostages, I agree with Broadcast. Lennox or one of the other soldiers may have information the Decepticons have been unable to gain through other means."

Arcee rapped her knuckle joints on the table in thought. "I wonder how many Decepticons are here and how they evaded detection for so long."

Optimus waved a hand for silence. "An oversight on my part. We should have swept for traces of others, rather than assuming the group Starscream led was the only team to find Earth simply because we know where that particular group gained the hint to find this planet. There was no guarantee any others would drop their cover, even with Megatron in peril."

"Agendas on top of agendas," Ratchet grumbled.

Broadcast frowned. "So...are we sayin' someone other than Starscream coulda been plannin' t' overthrow Megatron? But it don't fit if we're goin' off the evidence of those miscreant misfits that went after Lennox. Their boss is insanely loyal to Megatron." As an afterthought, he added, "If he's even still functional. I gave him a good beatdown last time we met. It could be someone else commandin' 'em."

"Could they be after the location of the trench, to retrieve Megatron?" Arcee suggested.

"Nah," Broadcast answered, "That's easy to pull from the Pentagon network."

Ratchet steepled his hands. "Ironhide would not have told William anything we deemed classified without having permission first." He glanced to Optimus, who shook his head.

"No information of that type has been relayed." Prime looked at the map, watching the dots designated as Chromia's team wind their way through urban streets.

"Puts us back where we started," Broadcast said. "Is it a military secret? Or maybe they think he knows somethin'!" The small mech snapped his fingers, producing a few sparks. "I bet that's it. That's why there ain't been major harm to Lennox himself or his family. They might'a learned to ask before resortin' to destroyin' -- even if kidnappin' ain't exactly nice, either." He rubbed his chin. "Seein' as so far it's been the goon squad only, that supports someone else orderin' 'em around."

"Also why they are being sloppy about it," Arcee added.

"Good point." Broadcast emphasized by pointing at her.

Optimus looked around at them. "So we agree that Lennox himself is in the most danger. I will have Gears follow him." The others nodded, and he issued the command over a secure frequency.

Broadcast hopped down from Ratchet's shoulder and began pacing the length of the table, passing through the map as he went. The medic, meanwhile, was scowling as he stared down at the table top. "We need to alert Chromia of the possibility of the humans being wanted for secret information. Robert Epps would also be a likely target due to his involvement with communications."

"I will send the warning to Chromia. Broadcast, I want you to focus on the military lines, see if there is any sign of the government locking up information. Check for anomalies, and please do so from the comm center." Optimus glanced at Ratchet, who straightened in his seat and nodded at the silent reprimand. "Ratchet, have your teams finish the SkySpies. This would be the perfect situation to deploy them."

"We need only one more test flight, then all I need are specific coordinates. The modifications proposed by Rattlelatch and Perceptor integrated with the SkySpy functions without errors."

Prime nodded. "Arcee, I want you and Moonracer to watch the perimeter and be ready in case of...anything. I expect the Decepticons will show up here any time now."

"Yes, Prime."

"Thank you, everyone. Dismissed." Optimus nodded to them, then looked over the map, noting that the dot for Gears had made good time catching up to Lennox.

Broadcast made a leap for Ratchet's shoulder as the medic stood to leave. "Mind if I hitch a ride to the comm center?"

"Yes, I do mind, but I suppose I have little choice until I can reconfigure your speakers into skates. Or perhaps I will have Rattlelatch build a rocket pack for you."

"That would ROCK!"

Arcee shook her head as she followed them out.


Chromia stopped just past the driveway of a brickface three story apartment, leaving room for Tracks to pull into the driveway itself while Ironhide stopped behind Chromia. Unbeknownst to them she was answering a call from Optimus. Ironhide scanned the area for anything that might serve as a hiding spot for a Decepticon, carefully checking each vehicle on the street. Tracks, meanwhile, was scanning the three humans at the other end of the driveway who stood below a basketball hoop, the tallest of them fidgeting with the ball as he regarded the blue sports car.

Nathaniel Epps, fourteen, looked up at his uncle. "You know that guy?"

"Nope, but I know the truck behind him. Stay here." Robert Epps tossed the basketball to the teen then jogged down the driveway, past the Corvette and peered right into the Topkick. Ironhide rolled down the window, his holographic driver in place. " 'Sup, Arcstorm. I take it you didn't stop by just to introduce the fancy ride."

"His name is Tracks. Don't bother talking to him." The driver gestured to the SUV in front of him. "May I introduce my lady, Chromia, a fellow weapons aficionado. We are here to check your status and protect you. There has been Decepticon activity centered on Lennox and we suspect they might target others who were involved at Mission City. We came here to make certain we would be ready before they struck."

Epps looked the three over and casually folded his hands behind his head. "Y'all need to learn to use a telephone. I don't got anywhere to hide you, and you can't stay here like this."

"Not even one of us?"

"Nope. Although if Tracks would give my nephew a ride home maybe he could stay with my brother." Epps grinned.

"That punk is not leaving my sight."

"So why haven't I heard of this attack before? Would have made sense to spread the word. None of those mechanical freaks will get away with harming one of us."

"We have alerted the Secretary of Defense and await his input."

"Great. So, how many are we up against this time, and did you bring the Sabot rounds?"

On the dark side of the moon, in synchronized orbit with the gray planetoid, a lenticular-shaped spaceship waited with enough systems running to serve as a way station for the incoming bots who had received Optimus Prime's message. The main airlock needed a code to be opened but it was a simple guess for any Autobot. Which was fortunate for the bot who approached, already weighed down with a burden. He opened the airlock, pulling another mech in with him. When the outer door closed, the inner opened to a short corridor, turning right, into a larger passageway.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Bluestreak looked both ways down the passageway, his black chestplate heaving from the strain of the past hour's travel. The rest of his light gray armor reflected the dim lights that indicated the ship's power saver mode. He thought maybe there would be an alert to let anyone aboard know when an airlock was opened.

Unless there was no one on board.

He went back to the airlock and placed an arm around the other mech to help him stand, taking most of the weight onto himself to move into the corridor and toward the bridge. "Hang in there, Thundercracker. I will find assistance..."

To Be Continued