A/N: The questions raised in the previous chapter are partially answered here. This chapter is dedicated to koh4711, particularly for a certain scene involving certain humans. XD XD

Reunions - Part Ten

Rumble caught on to Trailbreaker's trap a half second before the force field reversed and closed around him. By then the area was surrounded by police, fire fighters, and numerous members of the local National Guard. More were en route with the known effective weaponry.

Keller had convinced them to not target Trailbreaker. He stayed by the Autobot to prove a point -- one, that he was safe, and two, that humans and Autobots should fight together against a common foe. Not that Keller was able to do much to damage Rumble, but it was the appearance that counted. What America would see would be a giant alien defending one of the VIPs of the government. When it was over -- and it would be very shortly -- was going to be another matter.

The Decepticon was doing his best to rupture the entire street. One water main had already flooded part of the road, small lakes forming where the concrete had been broken up. Keller prayed that the gas lines would hold out and that Trailbreaker's forcefield would do the job of keeping Rumble contained and halt the damage. The Autobot was now directing the field to form under the pile drivers. The continuing unblocked vibrations were keeping it from engulfing the Decepticon completely, and Rumble knew it. Despite an increasing amount of steam from his shoulder vents he kept pounding at the ground to disrupt the forcefield.

Trailbreaker frowned. He had the presence of mind to speak calmly, falling in with appearance. "I might be able to hold out if he overloads his heat sinks, but I can't guarantee it."

"My boys are ready to take up the fight," Keller called, signaling the National Guard to prepare themselves.

It was then that he saw a small metal figure slip out of the back of Rumble's left foot and disappear into one of the holes in the street. He couldn't get a real good look at it because Rumble's pile drivers went into overdrive. Trailbreaker could see the metal heating and the vents were clearly no longer keeping up with the Decepticon's systems. "Get down!!" he shouted, waving a hand horizontally at the emergency teams. They obeyed, taking shelter where it was available.

The amount of yellow energy flowing across the shield increased, nearly obscuring Rumble's form. What wasn't covered by yellow abruptly became bright white light. The sound was only slightly muffled while the vibration of the explosion was felt through the ground. Trailbreaker held the shield for several more minutes to be sure of no additional detonations. He slowly brought it down once he saw that there weren't any pieces left that could be big enough to provide another explosion. The concrete had melted, making the street look like it had come from Mercury.

Trailbreaker dropped to one knee, hands falling to the ground, his own intakes working to bring in cooler air. Keller gestured to a nearby policeman who held a megaphone. "May I?" He held his hand out and the policeman gave him the megaphone. "Thank you." He cleared his throat as he moved to where the most people could see him. He felt the calm that his station dictated but at the same time his heart was pounding in fear of the choice he had been forced to make. "Ladies and gentlemen -- people of America and the world. May I introduce Trailbreaker. His is an Autobot, part of a race of intelligent robotic organisms. He and his allies have taken refuge on Earth. Trailbreaker has been under my personal supervision and is serving as ambassador here in Washington D.C. for the Autobots. They have chosen to reside in the United States because this is where they first made contact with humans. As you witnessed, they are here to protect us. The Autobots will not harm humans and are educated in working within our planet's environment."

Keller knew he did not have to worry about the crowd that was there in person. It was everyone else, watching the amateur videos he knew were being shot that moment, and the inevitable tide of professional media that would probably be on the scene soon enough. He prayed that the rest of the government was mobilizing to help with the situation. Now if he could only choose the best explanation for the Decepticons that would not cause panic. Or rather, the least amount of panic.

"Due to the events you have just seen, I will prepare a full explanation of how the Autobots came to be here. For the time being it would be appreciated if you would respect the fact that these allies have suffered a great loss, and have come here in need of our understanding."

Trailbreaker bowed his head slowly and hoped he would not undermine Keller's efforts by saying something. In the gentlest tone he could process, he said, "As Defense Secretary Keller said, we appreciate the generosity of all of you and we also appreciate your understanding. The Autobots have no wish to disturb you, we merely intend to rest and recover." He decided it would be better to remain on his knees to appear as non-threatening as possible.

As Keller had predicted, a group of reporters arrived and overwhelmed the police, swarming around him. Immediately one woman called out, "Mister Secretary! What do you have to say about the incident in East Oakland?"

Keller went cold. He managed to keep it out of his voice. "I have no further comments until the official statement. Please return to the side. We need to clean up here so the residents can return to their homes and businesses."

Dinner had become a very tense event at the Witwicky household. Only Judy's fast reflexes saved her husband's plate from hitting the floor. Even then, she held the plate and continued to stare at the television screen. Sam had crept in from the kitchen, the portable phone in his hand. "M-Mikaela?" he stuttered into the receiver, "If you can, turn on channel four right now."

He spun as he heard a noise from the back window. Bumblebee had crawled under the patio roof and was staring forlornly at the newscast from D.C.. He uttered a sigh that ended in a disappointed whimper.

"I know, Bumblebee," Judy called sympathetically. "This is a set back. Do you want a hug?"

"Mom..." Sam buried his face in his arm.

Bumblebee, having become used to the woman's behavior, replied politely, "Perhaps later, Mrs Witwicky. I must contact Optimus to find out what I should do."

She smiled brightly toward the window and waved one hand downward. "I keep telling you, call me Judy! It's fine!"

"Sorry, Judy," the Autobot apologized. "Protocols, and all."

"You are always such a polite young man! Why must those rotten Decepticons keep being pests?!"

Bumblebee decided to not correct her on the comment of him being 'young', and tuned her out as he opened a connection to Autobase. Static filled the line. He sighed and opened a connection directly to Optimus.

Unbeknownst to Bumblebee -- and Optimus -- the communications hub was being unintentionally disrupted by Broadcast. He had pushed his sensors to the limit directing Rhythm and Blues without being in the same place as them, keeping them on target while focusing on the energy signature he had been able to tag as Scorponok's. Scorponok was created to remain below the radar, so Broadcast had been surprised, but glad, even stretched to the limit as he was. Then something had overwhelmed him and the next thing he knew, he was feeling a strange surge of energy from Rhythm. He vaguely wondered if the minimech was holding the key, which might have supplied the surge.

He had to find out. He groggily pushed himself off the floor. He had to manually lower his antennae array into place against his head. As he did so he turned and saw Perceptor still lying immobile several feet away. Broadcast dashed over, pulling one of the cables from the back of his head. He gently prodded around the back of Perceptor's head to find an intact I/O port. He found one after another few seconds and plugged into it, hoping the automatic defense programming had gone into effect and locked up important databases. He sighed with relief when he was able to access Perceptor's personal comm frequency. He quickly contacted Ratchet. "Hate to tell ya, but this room ain't as secure as we'd hoped. Scorponok got in an' trashed Perceptor's noggin to get the key. I think I got it back -- through Rhythm -- but Perceptor's in stasis lock right now. Any news topside that could mean you can help the poor guy?"

"Let me get back to you on that," Ratchet replied. "Patch into the media lines and see if anyone is making our situation into the evening news."

Broadcast did so, and uttered a discordant noise when he picked up what was on the news at that moment. "Not us, but there's a situation in D.C.. Trailbreaker's cover was blown an' John Keller is currently tryin' to get the media off his back. I wouldn't want to be in his position right now."

"Better than if the situation was reversed. I would prefer to not have the death of a government official on our hands, especially one willing to advocate in our favor."

"Well, then, tell me what's goin' on out there. I gotta clear up my connections to the external cameras." Having found that the base's hub was suffering with him, Broadcast hurried to wipe the lines of interference. He found a delayed notice that Bumblebee tried to comm in. "Look who's watchin' TV." Broadcast chuckled. It was noted that Bumblebee had gone on to contact Prime.

"We have a new arrival who helped turn the tide. Do you remember Powerglide from covert ops?"

"Sure do."

"He came to Earth before we or Starscream's party did. He went into hiding and is a World War II veteran."

"Fancy that. Why didn't he signal us?"

"I have not had a chance to ask. He dropped off Will and Tom Banachek then went right back into the fray. We--" He cut himself off. "Broadcast," he continued sharply, "Get those external cameras up now and make sure the tower ones are set to orbital range. Focus on coordinates two-eight-one apex forty-seven. And don't tell me it is what I think it is."

"Ratch, we're runnin' outta 'the other shoe's to drop, as the humans say."

"We can borrow some from the Decepticons. They like multi-legged forms."

"Har-har. Yeah, well, they're the ones droppin' 'em, ain't they?" Broadcast tapped into the camera monitoring system and adjusted the uppermost cameras to the specified angle. His LED screen flashed red. "Um, Ratchet..." He patched the images through to the medic. "Tell me that ain't what I think it is..."

"Is there an echo in here? Unfortunately for both of us -- and many, many others -- it is."

"You sure?" Broadcast asked hopefully. "I mean, maybe it's a weather balloon."

"I helped Wheeljack design it, so yes, I am sure."

"I'm glad he ain't here to see another creation go up in flames."

"Down in flames, rather."

"That, too. I'm gonna try to get Trailbreaker on the horn. I think the Prez is gonna want a head's up on this."

Ratchet's only response was a weary sigh.

Outside, Motormaster let out a roar that shook the base's outer walls. He batted Powerglide out of the air, the old plane spiraling toward the ground but able to pull out of it and make a rough landing. Huffer ran over to catch the plane by the nose and help him stop.

Meanwhile, Menasor turned into a flurry of metal. Two cars dropped off the frame followed by the two others, and before long the car carrier was kicking up enough dirt to block them from view. When it settled, the five Decepticons were gone. "Arcee," Optimus called, "see if you can follow them. Bumblebee is en route to back you up. Track them but do not engage. Ratchet, see to Perceptor and Broadcast." Ratchet nodded, knowing the comms officer had reported everything to Prime. "The rest of you, roll out. We're headed north. I only hope we can get there in time." He paused, turning to Powerglide.

The smaller mech saluted. "As much as I'm not ready to take up the badge again, there is no doubt in my processor that I must aid you."

Banachek calmly strolled over. Optimus looked down at him questioningly. "He's my ride. I'm comin', too." Prime nodded.

Arcee transformed and sped off while Optimus led the others to the junkyard's north gate. Ratchet quickly transformed and zipped in front to act as escort since there was still the concern about humans trying to watch. The street turned out to be empty -- it was likely everyone had returned home once news of the D.C. incident spread, and such things always spread fast. Ratchet pulled over and silently wished everyone luck. He would need some himself, for he had the responsibility of fixing the only option for stopping the tragedy soon to come.

He pulled up to the garage just as Lennox came around the corner, Rhythm slung over his back and Blues cradled in his arms with a blinking object balanced on the minimech's lower torso. Ratchet opened his rear door. "Put them both inside, quickly." A set of forceps reached from the left side to pluck the Autobot emblem off of Blues, other tools descending from the ceiling carrying various wires and some sporting sparking ends that were pressed to the edges of the emblem.

Lennox shut the door and dashed to the passenger side. "Hurry," he whispered as he belted in.

"Hmm?" Ratchet drove into the garage and sped down the ramp. He continued his work in the back without pause. "Did you touch it, William?"

"Not directly."

"But you held it."

"Yes."

"So you know."

"I...can't say. What is it, Ratchet?"

"It is the key to the Ark, which is the space ship that our team used to traverse outer space. This key is not like a car key. The Ark can run without it, which is why we have used the ship as a way station. The Ark contains the collected data of our fleet -- all information on planets, aliens races, and our own outposts that every ship inputs becomes part of the Ark's database. It has vast storage and receiving capabilities. With it, the Decepticons would know every existing Autobot post, the races allied with us, and planets with potential for resource mining. As it appears to me, they took hold of the Ark and then tried to get the key. A failed attempt would mean we would have absolutely impenetrable guard over the key against further attempts, rendering the Ark useless to them. I assume the key was damaged when you found it."

Will started to gesture toward the back, but hit his hand on the roof and seemed to lose his focus for a moment. "O-One of the little guys went to get it from Scorponok after I nailed him. He dropped it, and it looked totally cooked, but a few seconds after I picked it up it started to fix itself."

"Hmm...The Ark would react to the key going offline. The Decepticons might have only caught that part, and gave up right away. So, they have knocked the ship out of its stationary orbit and have sent it toward Earth."

That snapped Lennox out of his trance. "WHAT? When did that happen?!"

"I am partially tuned to the ship's proximity, which did not extend to Earth from the moon, but when it suddenly entered the range, I thought I had a glitch, but then our cameras confirmed it."

Lennox swallowed uncomfortably. "Big guys, big ship. Are we talking a nuclear winter here?"

"No. The ship is in its condensed form -- well, did you not expect our transports to transform as well? We had whole cities that transformed on Cybertron. The ship will hit with the force of a large meteor unless we can gain control of it, or at least adjust its trajectory."

Will clutched his head, overwhelmed and yet still trying to think of a strategy. When Ratchet stopped at an elevator, Lennox was quick to jump out. "Remove the two small ones, please. You will have to carry them again." With Rhythm resting over Will's shoulder and Blues in his arms again, Ratchet began to transform, keeping the extended forceps holding the key out of the way of his change until he stood upright. By that point the forceps were sticking over his shoulder. He carefully grasped the emblem. The forceps folded away behind him. He immediately grunted, the key sliding from his fingers. Lennox thought it would fall, but it stuck to Ratchet's palm, seeming to burrow into it. Will grimaced.

"Why didn't it do that to the little guy here who picked it up? Or to Scorponok?"

They boarded the elevator as Ratchet explained, "It is tuned to Autobot signatures. Otherwise..." He winced. "It seeks out the living energy of a spark. These two do not have sparks. It was formerly installed in a mech who was modified to support its symbiotic nature."

The elevator reached the bottom and Ratchet ran out, not waiting for Lennox. The medic came into the back chamber with tools extending. Broadcast dove out of the way. "He's still stable, doc, but I need a nap." Ratchet didn't reply, already sorting and wielding inside Perceptor's head. "Oh, hey!" Broadcast called as Lennox walked in. "You got my buds. Thanks!"

Will kept clear of Ratchet as he found a spot to put the minimechs down. Broadcast stood over Blues for a moment, then moved to Rhythm once he was on the ground. He uttered a thoughtful, "Hmm..." Will remained crouched as he stared at Broadcast, a new level of fascination coming over him. He had only seen the diagrams of Frenzy after the Decepticon had been disposed of, and while Broadcast was reminiscent of the design, he was much more...musical-looking. The form was appropriate, whereas Frenzy had only been freaky.

"You must be Will," Broadcast suddenly said, grinning at him. "Nice to meetcha. I'm Broadcast, these're Rhythm an' Blues. Seriously, thanks for bringin' 'em in for me. I can't get my link to 'em back up or else I'd give you a proper introduction."

"No worries there," Lennox said, casting a glance at Ratchet. "I know we have bigger problems."

Broadcast shrugged. "At least the Stunticons took off so we could get goin' on the ish. Unless they show up again where the Ark's gonna hit."

Will braced one hand on the floor. "You seem...calm about it."

Broadcast slung an arm around Lennox's shoulders. "After ev'rythin' that's happened in the last forty-eight hours, I learned I gotta keep my head. I'm now lookin' at it this way: Prime's got a team mobilized. My job's to make sure signals get where they're supposed to. When I'm needed, I'll step up. Till then, nothin' much I can do except stay outta Ratchet's way. Besides, he's got our backs."

"No pressure," the medic muttered. Will blinked at the number of repair tools Ratchet had stored in his arms, several darting in and out of Perceptor's head at once. "Broadcast, I need to borrow Blues. Make sure he is completely shut down."

The comms officer did so and then carried Blues over, following Ratchet's instructions. Lennox watched Rhythm in the meantime.

A more subdued Broadcast came back over several minutes later. Will raised his head, pointing with his chin toward Perceptor and asked quietly, "I haven't met him before, either. Obviously a proper introduction must wait again, but could you fill me in?"

"That there's the greatest scientific mind among the Autobots, Perceptor. Master of long-winded -- I mean, detailed -- explanations an' wielder of every big word in the galaxy. The perfect guy to hold the key. Still don't know how the 'Cons figured it out, since even I didn't know he had it, an' I was his team leader before we arrived here. Ratchet's l'il secret."

"Broadcast, perhaps you should go with William to the repair bay and startlooking for a possible explanation for how the Decepticons found out. If my medical ward is bugged, I want to know about it yesterday."

"As long as you don't need us, chief, we'll be glad to look." Broadcast eyed Blues, then Rhythm.

"The greater need is our security leak. Go, but keep your lines open. We never know what will happen next."

"Personally, I'd like if Chromia an' Ironhide checked in. Much as it would suck to lose the ship, I bet they could blast it outta the sky before it became a threat." Broadcast started for the exit but stopped when he realized Will was laughing. Ratchet gave the human an odd look, yet not pausing his work.

"Sorry. I didn't expect you to speak like that." Will hastily made for the door and sighed when he reached it. "I needed that. C'mon, let's get hunting."

Ratchet was glad they had left in a timely manner so they wouldn't have to witness the last of his repair work. He brought out the forceps again and also a laser scalpel. He held up the palm with the key and grasped the edge with the forceps and began to pull. He braced himself then used the scalpel to slice beneath it, cutting into his own hand. The key did not appreciate being severed from a live spark feed. "Aagghhh!"

Ratchet gasped when it finally came free, watching as the plating from his hand that was attached to it turned dull and crumbled away as the key absorbed its nanotech. He hastily inserted it back in its balanced place within Perceptor's head. A few more wire replacements and a patch of armor taken from Blues later, Perceptor was whole and online again.

"Ratchet! The key! I...I am sorry. I could not guard it as I should have."

"You can apologize later," the medic said while welding on his own hand. "Right now I need you to drive."

"But I cannot fit--"

"The Ark. I need you to drive the Ark. From here if possible, and if not, we need to grab Broadcast and run. The ship is coming down and while I know we can't stop it, we could at least let it crash where it won't kill anything."

Perceptor got to his feet and headed for the door. "I must argue against that possibility. There are over a billion species on this planet and every portion of it contains an ecosystem with some form of life."

Ratchet shot him a disparaging look. "You are dashing my hopes of sparing us more criticism than we have already accumulated." He stood, retracting all of his tools, and ushered the scientist into the hallway toward the elevator. "Start thinking of going west and we will proceed from there."

"Do we know its trajectory?"

"Too close to land for comfort. I would prefer that it go down in the ocean, both to spare the humans and the ship. Without it, we are completely stranded here and also lose one of our extremely few remaining resources. Better if we have to salvage part of it than have all of it decimate the Mid-West." They boarded the elevator. Ratchet impatiently tapped his uninjured hand against his arm. As soon as the doors opened he ran out and transformed. "Hop on."

Perceptor hesitated, then took hold of the rescue vehicle's roof rack and braced his feet on the back bumper. Ratchet sped off as fast as his engine allowed. He turned on his siren to let Broadcast and Lennox know he was coming.

They were waiting when Ratchet pulled up and stopped just long enough for them to get in. Broadcast held something small and wiggling between two fingers. He slid across the front seat to sit behind the wheel. "Found your bug. Literally." A panel opened in the dashboard and a tray slid forward with a small container on it. Lennox opened it and held it out for Broadcast to drop the mechanical insect inside.

"Analysis?" Ratchet queried.

"Didn't have time for a complete scan, but I know it's been sendin' signals out. I neutralized it."

"Good. Hang on to that container. I won't risk storing it inside myself." He exited the garage and skidded slightly as he turned toward the north gate and commed, "Do you have a connection yet, Perceptor?"

The scientist's answer came through the radio. "My unconventional position is making it difficult to concentrate."

"You do not have a choice!"

The others went still, shocked by the vehemence in Ratchet's voice. The rescue vehicle left the junkyard, turning on his lights and siren as if by reflex. Seeing as the giant robot clinging to the back of the vehicle would draw attention enough, the siren would at least make potential rubberneckers pull over and stop first.

Will finally dared to break the silence. "Ratchet, are you okay?"

"No, I am not. This is my fault. I was the one who suggested we leave the Ark partially functional. I was the one who decided we should take the key with us instead of hiding it elsewhere. I chose Jazz as the best candidate to carry it, then Perceptor, and both had the option to decline."

"Jazz had it before?" Lennox exclaimed, realizing a possible reason for why he had thought he had heard the fallen mech's voice.

"Given his love of new cultures, he was an excellent conduit for gathering information for the Ark's database. I...could almost feel the key's grief when I removed it from him. With Perceptor there was no hurry to find a form to blend in, and I had hoped to build up redundant defenses in him before he took a disguise. But I did not have enough time. When the key was safely installed, I chose to work on Rhythm and Blues instead. William, they were constructed from what was left of Jazz."

"I see," Lennox murmured.

Ratchet continued, "I feel I have made a grave miscalculation that could be terribly costly."

Broadcast let out a snort. "You wanna talk responsibility? How do you think I feel 'bout losin' track of 'Latch? I was his team leader, an' he saved my life. I shoulda said somethin' as soon as I found out he was goin' out alone. But I can't go back an' undo it, so all I can do is make sure things are okay here when he gets back. Now let's go take care of that ship, then go find 'im!"

"Right," Ratchet agreed with determination. "Find us a good radio tower, Broadcast. We are going to need a boost."

To Be Continued