Revenge of the Swapped:

I LIVE! Yes I actually didn't die but I do apologize for not updating in a while. Things have been nuts with school and the holiday season. Junior year has not been kind. But either way the chapter is now up; consider this your New Year's present! I hope you like it and I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much, review, and enjoy! - Rin HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND GOD BLESS!

Chapter 9-

Cari's POV-

"So you're telling me that you and your friend are back from your freaky dimension and have no way of getting back? And to make it worse both the US government and the leader of the psycho alien species are after you?" Simmons asked as he merged onto the highway, his hands tapping nervously against the steering wheel.

"Pretty much," I responded and lazily looked out the window at the barren, dusty, landscape.

I wanted to get to Sam and the Autobots as soon as possible but at the same time I knew that the sooner we got to the end of the movie, the sooner it would end. I was not looking forward to that. It was like the nerd in me was having a shouting match against the realistic me inside my head.

'DON'T FINISH THE MOVIE! You'll never end up seeing the Transformers again!'

'What about Sam? What about your family? She doesn't want to stay here forever and your parents will miss you.'

'Who cares!? this is better than your old boring life!'

'That's a horrible thing to say. You have a life outside of Transformers!'

"Do you really think that going to a government facility is the best idea then?" Simmons glanced over at me, his question jolting me out of my mental argument.

I thought for a moment, but then just shrugged.

"Won't make a difference if Sam is there. She'll be able to get me to the bots, and once I get the last remaining All Spark shard we can resurrect an ancient robot that's sleeping at the Smithsonian."

Simmons' face was priceless, but he smartly returned his eyes to the road before he almost sideswiped an SUV.

"There's a robot at the Smithsonian?!"

I grinned. "Yeah, but he's ancient. He's the only one that knows where the Matrix of leadership is, so we need him." I explained but only got another crazy look.

"Uh...you'll understand once we get there. It's too complicated to explain without you seeing it. But we can't let the Leader of the Decepticons get the Matrix or else he'll destroy our sun."

Simmons glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and gave a sigh, "If you say so."

Sam's POV-

"Absolutely not! I will not have giant robots going tromping around, even if it is for some mystical alien relic! " Director Galloway growled at me, though he looking past me at the three giant robots.

Ratchet was patching Optimus's damaged chest while Ironhide resisted the urge to kick the Director through the wall of the warehouse.

"But what if it can get rid of the Decepticons?!" I shouted back, my voice cracking slightly from lack of sleep.

"What if it can't?" Galloway shot back, a vein becoming visible in his forehead. Silently I hoped it popped.

Getting ready to shout a reply, I took a deep breath. A shadow fell over us and caused my head to shoot up. Optimus had stood up from where he was sitting on the floor. Waving the grumbling Ratchet away, he approached the fuming Director calmly.

"Director Galloway, if what Sam is saying is correct, the Decepticons won't stop until they find the relic. It is paramount that we find it first." Optimus said; his voice quiet but demanding everyone's attention.

Galloway stared up at the Prime, his face hard and his gaze unwavering.

"Are you sure that you can do that? Are you sure that this relic will stop the leader of the Decepticons?"

At this I tried not to hesitate. To be totally honest, I didn't know what the Matrix thingy would do, but I knew that the Decepticons wanted it and that was good enough reason to get it before them.

"Yes." I said finally, barely able to meet Galloway's gaze.

He stared at me for a moment but then finally fixed his gaze on Optimus.

"Where is this relic supposed to be anyway?"

I stiffened, "Um...Egypt..."

Galloway rolled his eyes, "So, in conclusion you are telling me that I need to send you and giant robots from America to an already war-torn country?'

I grumbled a reply that was a mix of curses and the word 'yes'.

The Director sighed once more and folded his arms over his chest; I could almost see the gears turning in his head while he battled over his decision.

"Alright..."

I did a mental fist pump and was about to go running off to tell the others to saddle up when the Director held up a single finger. I swore I could see the word but tattooed across it.

"I'll give you and the girl three days to find this relic thing. Only you and the girl."

I frowned. The other Autobots would be needed if a group of Cons decided to show up. It was suicide to send a just resurrected robot and a nineteen-year-old out, but before I could argue Optimus nodded.

"Then it is agreed."

Galloway turned and started talking to the soldiers, "We will escort these two to the air base and from there they will be taken to Egypt and..." I rolled my eyes and made a very loud, very fake sounding cough.

"Director Galloway, we are not going to need a babysitter. The last thing we need is to be followed around by a big parade of trigger happy dimwits. That's exactly what the Decepticons will be looking for."

The soldier's behind the director started muttering and Galloway whipped around to give me a very mean look.

"And how are you supposed to defend yourselves without an escort?"

There was a loud whoosh and the sound of multiple clicks and clangs: turning, I saw that Optimus had transformed his right arm into a blaster and his left into a glowing blade.

"Will these suffice Director Galloway?"

The soldier's muttering stopped abruptly and Galloway paled slightly, "Ah...well...yes. Yes, those should be fine."

Cari's POV-

"So, I have a question. If Diego Garcia is an island, how are we getting there?" I asked as I counted what seemed like the hundredth tumbleweed go by the window.

The past hour and a half had been spent looking out the window, untying and retying my shoelaces, counting tumbleweeds, and getting a few minutes of sleep. So you could say that I was very bored and anxious to get to the Transformers.

Simmons gave a sudden burst of laughter that man me looked over at him, unsure why my question was so funny. I watched him carefully until he was able to respond, his answer slightly disconserting.

"Man, you don't think things through all the way huh?" he asked after his fit of laughter had subsided.

I just looked at him even more confused that before.

"We are not going to Diego Garcia, it is an island off the coast of India, and unless you plan on swimming, you are going nowhere near it," he chuckled and turned off the boring main road onto a very bumpy dirt one.

I felt a twinge of worry stick in my throat and sat bolt upright in my seat. "Where are you taking me!? You told me you'd take me to the Autobots!"

"Calm yourself there missy. I said that the robots would be taken to Diego Garcia: not when, though. There is a small military warehouse base that is used as an in between from D.C to Garcia. While you were snoozing, I used my handy military grade scanner to catch a message that said that the NEST operatives and their "special cargo" would be shipped out tomorrow. So since the only holding facility close enough to get to Garcia is here, that is where the robots are being held. Ya get all that?" he glanced in my direction and then back out at a small black square in the distance.

I blinked once as the information began to sink in and my worry started to dissipate. I silently sat back down in my seat and looked out the window at the now bigger square which became a roadblock with three well armed military personnel as we got closer. Slowly we approached and I felt very uneasy as the car came to a halt and the biggest of the three guards came to the driver side window.

Simmons calmly rolled down the window and whipped out a black wallet with a silver badge attached to it.

"Do you have authorization to be here sir?" the guy demanded, his dark eyes looking from Simmons to me and back.

I tried not to show my nervousness and wiped my now sweaty palms on my jeans. I prayed that Simmons knew what he was doing. At first the soldier and Simmons talked quietly and he showed him his badge and whatnot. Finally, after what felt like hours (but was in reality like five minutes), the soldier thanked Simmons and lifted the road block.

"So...what was that about?" I asked once the soldiers were a good ways behind the car.

"Old Sector Seven friend. Told him I wanted to show my intern niece where she'd be working." he gave a sly smile.

Sighing, I allowed myself a small grin and sat back in the car seat. Within just a few moments though, huge building were coming up fast. The warehouses were big enough to fit small aircrafts inside, almost big enough for a huge 747.

'No wonder they chose this spot to house the Autobots.' I thought as Simmons pulled his car up behind one of the first warehouses.

"Alright kid, where's Sam and your Transformers? It won't be long before these guys figure out we're not supposed to be here." Simmons asked, looking around carefully.

"I'm not sure. If they were holding them so they could ship tomorrow, then they'd probably all be held together in a warehouse near the airfield." I said and looked towards the biggest building near where they had a couple of fighter jets. I didn't see any sign of the Autobots but I guessed that Galloway wouldn't want them roaming around the base unguarded.

"Come on, this way." Simmons hissed and started down the alley between two of the warehouses.

For a couple minutes the old Sector Seven agent systematically led me in between the military buildings and past guards. I was surprisingly pleased at how smooth it was going...of course it had to end some time or another. We had just made it to the corner of the second to last warehouse when I felt a slight tingle and sniffed loudly. But it wasn't enough, 'cause I felt the sucker coming before I could stop it.

"ACHOO!" I sneezed the loudest possible sneeze ever and of course immediately an armed guard turned the corner; his side arm raised.

Simmons gave a slight grumble, but stepped forward.

"Who are you pointing that weapon at son?" he said in a nonchalant way.

"You do not have permission to be in this area. These warehouses have been set off limits except for Director Galloway and his men." the soldier said, not hesitating in the slightest.

"I was allowed in to show my niece her work station. She's a new intern that is going to be working with Major Lennox and his team in NEST." Simmons responded and I gave a guilty wave.

"Major Lennox and his team left half an hour ago for Diego Garcia. Director Galloway said that anyone looking for them should be directed to his office." the soldier said and then gave me another glance.

Immediately he touched the walkie-talkie at his waist and talked into it, "Sir, we have located the fugitive wanted by the special contact."

I froze, 'Fugitive!?'

The man frowned, "Yes sir, right away." and with that, put down his walkie-talkie and brought out a pair of hand cuffs.

"Miss, please step forward. You are hereby under arrest for being wanted by the US government for information on the contact for extraterrestrial beings." he said in a monotone.

I panicked and started to run when another soldier came from behind and shoved both Simmons and myself forward.

"Why?! What are you doing?" I yelled as the cuffs were jerked onto my wrist and snapped shut.

"Director Galloway said that if you were to be found, you were to be brought immediately to his office and taken into custody until needed." the soldier said pushing me forward into the open space between the rows of warehouses.

"Needed for what exactly?" I demanded, tugging my wrists to no avail.

"In negotiations with the extraterrestrial threat."

I felt my heart drop. In layman's terms that meant that I was going to either be the bait in some trap for the Cons or the payment for them to leave the earth alone. Neither one seemed to be a great choice at the moment; and I prayed that whatever Sam was doing was going to end this sooner rather than later.