Reunions - Part Five

Keller reviewed each file Trailbreaker brought up on his dashboard computer. While being the sole Autobot with his own link to the government network and having his own password, Keller's password granted even higher and quicker access. The current set of files held the constantly updating positions of the personnel, former or enlisted, who were involved with the N.B.E. incident. All of them were voluntarily carrying a card that transmitted a signal. It was a device provided by the Autobots as a precaution in case exposure to the Allspark proved to have side effects. Now it was serving another purpose. It wouldn't be so easily hacked as a regular database. Keller had been assured that one of the latest Autobot arrivals could help make the government network also hacker-proof and Decepticon-proof.

He hoped so, because he and Trailbreaker noticed a few discrepancies in other data as they went along, which were sent off to the labs to be picked apart. This new group of Decepticons was being more subtle. It was both a relief and worrying. The network had been accessed without authorization, but the data that had been accessed did not point to mortal harm coming to anyone. He prayed it would remain that way. The hack job was disturbing enough. He sent orders for those involved who were on duty to be pulled from the field and sent to the nearest defensible location, radar and plain visual set to the highest priority.

Then he sent an alert to the ones who were off duty or civilian that they needed to check in. At the end of the list was Reginald Simmons, his card signal inactive. The man had agreed to carry the card but rarely had it on. It seemed about the only time it was on was when he went to the grocery store. Keller didn't understand why, and he still held the belief that Reggie needed psychiatric evaluation.

"I'll send someone to check Simmons' regular haunts. He's logged off again."

"No surprise," Trailbreaker replied with a short and dry chuckle. "Foolish of him. Being high up in Sector Seven would make him a prime target."

"What do you think they're after? Frenzy hacked straight down to Sector Seven, and they were above Classified. What could Lennox know that we don't have buried under twenty-five layers of encryption?"

"Something of ours. I have no idea what."

Keller frowned, taking up the keyboard again to issue orders for a search to begin. The parameters would be ever-increasing, but the starting point was already confirmed. There would be yet another response team close to Lennox.

The click of the keyboard was the only sound in the Buick for several minutes, although soon after that a low, digitized murmur filtered through the radio. Keller did not pause as he asked, "Care to share what you're mumbling about?"

"I would like to, yes." Trailbreaker paused long enough to make Keller glance questioningly at the tiny camera at the top of the monitor's frame. "John, I...think it is time to reveal us to the public. I understand that it will be a daunting task, especially with what is happening right now, but I think because of what is happening, the rest of the world needs to know. I understand the cover up was meant to stop the public from panicking and we handled informing the world governments as best we could, but there will be a time when sneaking in amongst regular meteors will be a moot point."

Keller sighed. "I agree. But I admit, I have no idea where to start..."

"Let me see if Optimus will send Rattlelatch over so we can do something about the system's security. I know Prime wanted each new mech to stay at Autobase for a week before being assigned anywhere, but as you humans say, desperate times call for desperate measures. Chromia did not even remain at Autobase an entire day before being sent out."

"But that's a cross-country trip. I don't suppose this Rattlelatch took the form of an aircraft?"

"No...he is a car. Mundane vehicles will hopefully be less alarming to people."

"Because Ironhide isn't the slightest bit intimidating."

Trailbreaker laughed. "Well, all right, I'll give you that one. The rest of us are trying to appear harmless."

"Given your interstellar travels, I can see why you think that. But human beings are rarely reasonable when it comes to the unknown."

"One more similarity between our races. Given enough time, we will all adjust."

"Your optimism is refreshing, and I mean that with all possible sincerity." Keller gave a tight smile.

"There is no sense in not looking on the bright side. Your government has been willing to allow us to stay, and despite it being our nature to blend in, some of us hope to encourage friendship with more humans."

"I am praying it can come true, but I'll be honest and say I won't hold my breath. Now then, please connect me to Prime so we can start discussing Rattlelatch's transfer."

"Certainly, sir." The files disappeared from the screen and a red Autobot symbol took their place, a status bar below it tracking the signal time.

Five seconds later a silver face with red detailing came on screen. "Trailbreaker! 'Sup, man? Prime'll be on in a sec, he's dealin' with Huffer's whiny af-- oh! Hey there, Mister Secretary'a Defense. I'm Broadcast, the new comms officer. I coordinate all signals comin' in an' check the priority, an' all that stuff. How's it goin'?"

Keller repeated the words to himself to decipher them, having gotten used to the way the previous Autobots spoke. Quietly, meaning only for Trailbreaker to hear, he said, "I see what you mean by wanting to interact with humans."

He really wasn't surprised when Broadcast responded. "Oh yeah, culture shock, Ratch said that'd be a problem. Hmm. I apologize, John Keller. I have been absorbing a great amount of casual culture and have integrated it into my vocal and personality processes."

Trailbreaker chuckled. "Now you sound strange."

Broadcast grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment. So, how are things in your area? I haven't heard from Chromia yet so I assume things are okay there. Nothing new from Windcharger or Gears since that last report about the fight's outcome."

Keller took it upon himself to reply. "I've sent warnings to our bases and am now waiting on confirmation from those not on active duty. At the moment I would like to request, at Trailbreaker's suggestion, that Rattlelatch be sent over to inspect our equipment and begin fortifying the network."

Broadcast nodded. "We'll have to see if we can pry him away from Ratchet. Big Green is gettin' spoiled havin' more help in his department."

"I think we can reason with him." Trailbreaker chuckled again.

"Boss bot's on line number two. I'll patch you through." Broadcast's face disappeared from the screen, replaced by that of Optimus Prime.

"Broadcast has informed me of your progress and request. I must agree with him on the point about Ratchet, but I have relayed the order and I am sure he will comply. I am concerned about the time frame involved while we have Decepticons loose, but it may be worth it to set that plan in motion right away."

Keller nodded. "Is there anything I can do to alleviate this situation?"

"Until we confirm their motivation, I think you have already made the best decision in protecting possible targets. This is not like the previous encounter with them. We knew they wanted the Allspark and knew we had to beat them to it. William Lennox does not know anything in particular about us that we have not told you, which would be in the network they have already infiltrated. I would authenticate this with William again, myself, but he is currently out of direct contact with Gears due to accompanying Tom Banachek."

It took only a split second for the Autobot's words to sink in. "What if it isn't really Lennox they're after, but Banachek? All that ex-Sector Seven data and exhibits... They might have something the Decepticons are interested in. Six months later and S-Seven is still pulling things out of a hat for the rest of the government to document. Banachek's new department was approved just to get the catalog straightened out. Even he said the records were a mess from all the secrecy and redundant encryption. He already drafted a couple of men who fought during the N.B.E. incident. Maybe these new Decepticons think Lennox knows a location of something still hidden, by default of association, if they hadn't been able to go after Banachek himself."

"Possible. We must contact Banachek. I will have Windchargers and Gears adjust their focus to extended search."

"I have another request," Keller said quietly. "Again, credit to Trailbreaker for voicing what I was uncertain of before, but his counsel led me to see it is necessary. If one of your group has the PR skills, it is time to start negotiating how to introduce the Cybertronians to the general public. You are welcome to remain hidden as you see fit, but the more times the Decepticons surface, the better it is that the public knows to be aware."

Optimus bowed his head. He had hoped to have at least an Earth year's worth of time to consider the question. "I have had a subroutine running that very scenario for three months, and I believe it is far too soon to rush to judgment on it. I feel that more time is necessary for both the human race and my own. I know a few Autobots here, now, are not ready. I understand, however, about alerting the public to be wary."

Trailbreaker was running the personnel windows in the background, bringing up both Banachek's and Lennox's tracking cards. He added Simmons for good measure. The same files appeared at Prime's end. "Given the discussion, Reginald Simmons could be a target, as well. The deactivated signal concerns me."

Keller shook his head. "It's usually deactivated."

" 'Usually'?" Prime asked, "For how long has it been that way?"

"Since about two weeks after it was given to him. One time I asked him why and he claimed he was better off without it. It has been on when he goes grocery shopping." Keller gave a shrug and an amused smile.

The humor was lost on Optimus, for he peered closer at the file, finding the list of dates and times Simmons' signal had been recorded. "Have you reconned the grocery store?"

"Not regularly, but someone is on the way now to look for him."

Prime nodded, still analyzing the listings. "Trailbreaker?"

"Yes, Prime?"

"Verify pattern alpha-deca-syne."

Trailbreaker brought Simmons' file to the fore front and highlighted select data as he scrolled through it. "Verified, Prime. What do you conclude the objective to be?"

Keller cleared his throat. "Pardon the interruption, but may I ask what that pattern means to begin with?"

"It is something he would have gotten off of the Cube," Trailbreaker replied. "But I do not see how it relates to nutrition supplies."

Optimus muttered, "He is doing it wrong." Then he made a sound similar to the one Keller made to clear his throat. "I would appreciate if Banachek and Simmons were located and brought to where we could pick them up. I must discuss these matters with them."

"You and me both," Keller said, eying Simmons' photo.

Will couldn't believe his eyes as he entered the underground aircraft hangar. It and the small chambers surrounding it were hidden under nothing more intricate than an overgrown field surrounded by a wire fence, littered with a few purposely corroded vents and one derelect shack adrift in the left side of the grass.

The main hangar was huge and had several vintage aircraft in it. The one he was staring at now was a genuine Douglas A-20 Havoc in pristine condition with an army green and white paint scheme. Banachek smiled and gestured around. "These are the things we need men like you to find and protect."

Lennox was still looking the plane over as he replied, "Does this count as an anomaly because it doesn't have a scratch on it and normally we'd be hard pressed to find one like this outside of a museum?"

"No," Tom answered, clasping his hands behind his back. "Look closer."

Lennox scaled the ladder to inspect the wings then looked over the nose art. There was no identifying phrase or image, but along with three dozen bombs and a swastika were five faded Decepticon symbols. Will gaped and pointed, staring at Banachek in disbelief. "Does this mean we had 'Cons here before Starscream's company sneaked in, and our boys already knew about them, or--"

The plane began to shift. Lennox had his answer. He jumped down and watched the old plane rearrange itself into a robot with a head shaped similar to a WWII-era pilot's helmet, goggles and all. Amber optics shown from a face the color of fire-scarred metal, an equally damaged battlemask covering the bottom half. "To answer your question, other than Megatron there were no Decepticons on Earth during the war against the Axis. Those others are my kills from when I escaped the Mektrol System. After that I wandered into this solar system and hid here on Earth. My name's Powerglide. I am a Neutral ...although I don't mind taking down a Decepticon or two. Sector Seven found me through rumors of a haunted plane but that was all they ever knew about me. I was just a spooky story, like most of these wrecks." He gestured at the other aircraft around them. "Until the Allspark incident when I inadvertently revealed myself to the agents guarding this facility. They respected my wish to remain a ghost story."

"Pleased to meet you," Lennox said, a bit numb, his head tilted back to meet the bot's gaze. Sluggishly the suggestion of air support came to his mind but the word Neutral stopped him from saying it out loud. He picked up on the bittersweet tone of the mech's voice on the last part of his story.

Powerglide withdrew the battlemask into the sides of his helmet and smiled with pock-marked mouth plates. "I can guess your thoughts from your eyes. I respect the Autobots but I do not wish to join them at this time."

Lennox nodded. "Not my place to suggest that a veteran return to the field."

Powerglide responded with a crisp airman's salute. Lennox gave one of his own, then turned to Banachek and blew out a breath. "Just tell me now if you have any more of these guys hanging out anywhere."

Tom gave a tight smile. "He's it."

Powerglide smirked down at the former agent. "And they already grilled me about the Allspark, so don't try to ask."

"I wasn't going to," Lennox assured him. Of course, he couldn't help wondering if Powerglide had known the Allspark was on Earth, and if he had sensed its presence at any time. Perhaps he would be willing to indulge just one question later. Will looked to Banachek again. "So, what else is on the tour?"

"A few mutated dinosaur skeletons, the remains of half of a metallic manta ray, some tablets from Atlantis, an amulet from the Incan Empire, three pennies found buried near Washington's headquarters."

"Don't forget to ask about the tank on the lower level," Powerglide put in helpfully. "And bring some rotten eggs."

Will shot a puzzled look at Tom, who waved a dismissive hand. Lennox considered the situation. "Powerglide here is the coup de grace to convince me to join."

"Oh, no," protested the aircraft. "I'm just part of the scenery." He transformed and taxied backward into his original spot.

Lennox fought the urge to smile. He peered around the hangar again, his gaze falling on an old Bell telephone displayed in the corner. Slowly, he turned to Banachek again. "Do you have defense gear strong enough to protect guys like him?"

"A little, with more in development. Why that, in particular?"

Lennox looked over at Powerglide. "Because I want to make sure the next team I join has the same defense capabilities as the one I leave."

Rattlelatch was out the door and headed for the highways not long after Prime gave him his new assignment. He had begun to feel like a stalled vehicle cooped up in the base all the time. He was also glad that Prime hadn't assigned anyone to go with him. The SkySpy disguised as a bird flying overhead was the only company he would have. It wasn't just cabin fever with this whole country ahead of him to explore. It was also claustrophobia, and trying to adjust to another command structure. He was still waiting for Broadcast to take a leadership role as he had done with their team. When Broadcast was down from his injuries, Tracks had taken charge. Perceptor had put aside his scientific distancing and picked up a canon to fill in the gap left by another downed warrior. Rattlelatch had become scout, infiltrator, and general special ops, able to use his skills in whichever way he saw fit.

Now he was Ratchet's lackey. While he respected the medic, he felt he had lost a measure of freedom. He knew the engineering team's efforts were important, especially right now, but he missed the independence of his team.

He chastised himself; that team had been and always would be a part of the Autobot whole. Their goal had been reached, albeit not in the expected way, and it was time to settle back into their previously structured lives.

Except, for some reason, things didn't feel anything like they did before. ...The organic planet aside.

He continued to analyze the conclusion as he turned onto I-15. Three hours and a few hundred miles north and eastward found him still weighing factors. It was a good way to pass the time and the scenery on I-40 wasn't very interesting. After another hour or so, however, he noticed something was extremely interesting. Two more bird shadows had joined the SkySpy's, veering left and right as it moved in a programmed pattern so regular motorists wouldn't wonder why the green car was being precisely trailed by a bird. He entertained the thought that some buzzards had mistaken the SkySpy for real food. He accessed his Internet link to look up the particulars on the hunters.

No, something else was hunting. Vultures were scavengers and these shadows were too big to be hawks. Rattlelatch sped up, dismayed that the next rest stop wasn't for another fifty miles. He directed his scanners upward. They weren't hunting birds, at least not of the organic type. He couldn't identify who exactly they were, but he had a good idea. He opened a link to Autobase but the line was full of static. He tested his control link with the SkySpy. That was still intact, so he directed it to swoop around and hopefully get a view of the hunters.

Condors, almost identical, and the SkySpy confirmed their makeup as metal and electronics. He tried again to contact Autobase, resorting to a time-delayed message. "Rattlelatch reporting. Passing Mojave Desert at the following coordinates at the time of this message. Transmissions are jammed, do not know if you will receive SkySpy images. Currently tailed by Laserbeak and Buzzsaw. Will attempt to lead them away from human-populated area and engage. Not going to wait for backup."

He veered off the road suddenly, his struts protesting the change from solid pavement. The SkySpy followed and the two Decepticons were on its fake tail feathers. Rattlelatch was partway to a rock outcropping when he transformed. His feet fared little better than his tires. He opened a compartment in his upper left arm and directed the SkySpy to land inside. From the lower part of his arm formed a small laser pistol. He had to protect the SkySpy, for it held some of their newly developed technology in it. He had begun to suspect it was what the Decepticons were after. Unfortunately, long range combat was not one of his strengths, and the two condors could fly and shoot with the gun barrels mounted atop their heads at the same time without problems.

Shoot they did, and he retreated toward the outcropping while taking potshots -- which were all easily dodged. He wished Tracks was there. He had no problem being a decoy when there was an experienced fighter around to take down the pursuers. Rattlelatch realized he should have come up with a real plan before leaving the highway.

He whirled around, leaning his pistol arm on his right hand and firing. He grazed one of Buzzsaw's wings, earning a screech from the Decepticon. Rattlelatch fired again, stepping backward while trying to keep the weapon leveled. He sent several shots toward Laserbeak, who swooped around all of them then bore down on the green mech. Rattlelatch resisted the urge to cower and cover his head. Instead he rearranged his right arm into the micro laser and forced it to charge up to torching strength. At the last moment he ducked while swinging his right arm up in an arc. The burst of light from the laser temporarily blinded Laserbeak, causing him to fly lower than intended. Rattlelatch moved his arm to try to shear off a wing but the metal was too thick, the micro laser inadequate for the task -- but it did leave a nasty burn and softened that section of panels.

Laserbeak was forced to land but he didn't waste a second before shooting at the Autobot again. Rattlelatch stumbled, yet turned the momentum toward transforming to car mode. He floored it and sped toward Laserbeak. The Decepticon couldn't move in time. He met grill and was sent involuntarily flying toward the out cropping's face.

Buzzsaw was on the Autobot in less than a second. Rattlelatch barely avoided having a tire shot out from under him. He headed farther into the desert, bouncing over rocks and scrub. He swerved left as Buzzsaw fired to the right. He attempted to transform as he drove, but his unfolding leg panels caught on a rock and sent him tumbling. His skidded up onto three limbs, pistol forming from the fourth, and he whipped it up to target Buzzsaw before the Decepticon got the next shot.

Steam hissed from several of his vents as Rattlelatch looked around. Buzzsaw was no where in sight. He scanned around for both Decepticons, wishing he hadn't been so eager to get away from Autobase.

Broadcast's hands flew over the comm center's main computer keyboard as he tried to connect with the SkySpy that had been tracking Rattlelatch's progress. The signal had glitched out ten minutes ago, and Ratchet was now trying to find out if there was faulty wiring, but the remote diagnostic program wasn't responding, either.

Broadcast gave up on the keyboard and reached for the back of his head, removing one end of a cable and plugging it into one of the I/O ports on the console. He shuffled through frequencies for a moment then stopped, adjusting the dial on the left side of his head. His optics flared and he opened three lines simultaneously.

"Prime! Rattlelatch has been attacked!"

"Rattlelatch, this is Broadcast, do you read?"

"TRACKS! 'Latch is in trouble! Stand by to take off and head southeast at top speed!"

The last was the only one to come out panicked. One of his men was miles to the north, another being attacked near the east border of the state, and the third rendered civilian due to something else Broadcast hadn't been privy to vote on. He wouldn't have sent Rattlelatch out alone, but now that wasn't his decision to make since he had fallen right in to answering to Prime.

He resisted opening a fourth line to check Perceptor's status.

A gray and silver mech sat calmly in front of a monitoring array in a room below an abandoned construction site. He noted the latest video from five different cameras, nodding to himself. "The Autobots are sufficiently separated. Phase Two initiated from Mars. Your next orders?"

The mech looming behind him leaned a heavy hand onto the top of his chair's backing. Soundwave ignored the attempt to intimidate him, not moving at all as the other mech said, "Initiate Phase Three. My unit is already in position and awaiting my arrival. You are capable of activating the next phase from here."

"Acknowledged." Soundwave brought up a sixth video link then waited for the door to hiss closed before he created a secure audio link to the source of that video. "Rumble: Activate. Prepare for Operation Earthquake."

To Be Continued