A/N: As usual, your reviews are always appreciated. As I mentioned before, I will at least try to get to 50 chapters before the story ends. It will leave some loose ends that I will tie up in a sequel. It won't be as much action, but rather focusing on the characters' familial relationships.

Chapter 40

The Autobot base sat in silence as Optimus stood before the others, confusion etched on his face. He had just returned from his own mission to report his findings when he caught the air of cautiousness in the room. All eyes and optics were on him suspiciously, as if trying to determine whether he was friend of foe. This confused the Prime, "Is something wrong?"

"We were… just wondering where you've been," Arcee said, somewhat nervously.

"We haven't been able to reach you all night," Bulkhead said, as if trying to state something.

"I have been outside our communication range," he said as he reached around his back to grab something. Bulkhead and Bumblebee jumped and activated their weapons, while Fowler and Mizuki moved to shield the kids. "At an underground energon deposit," he finished, pulling out a large rock of energon. They all seemed to settle down as the Wrecker and scout switched off their weapons.

"Optimus," Jack called. "Can you transform for us again?" The Prime looked at the boy curiously, but complied, shifting back into vehicle mode. Jack jumped down form the railing to examine the semi, looking for anything in particular. He climbed onto the roof and looked it over, "It's him."

"How do you know?" Mizuki asked.

"When I encountered that semi on the bridge, I left a gash in its roof," he explained. "I doubt Optimus would have taken the time to repair the damage before returning. And he said that he outside of communications, so his signal wouldn't have appeared on screen, right?"

"Not to where we couldn't track him, but yes," Ratchet said.

"Then that means we would have known if he was the one attacking Fowler," he said as he got off the truck, allowing Optimus to return to his bipedal form. The Autobot leader looked at everyone curiously, obviously confused by what was going on.

Fowler stepped forward, "Sorry about the interrogation, Prime, but I had a run in with another semi tonight. One that looked eerily familiar."

ShadowStrike Rising

At Fort Brad, the soldiers on base were hard at work, training themselves to be the next generation in national defense. They readied themselves to move out on a moment's notice. They trained diligently for anything that might come their way, be they foreign or domestic. They were told they were the nation's elite and they strove to prove those claims true. Their usual training day was interrupted by something approaching from a distance.

The guards stationed at the entrance locked eyes on the approaching vehicle, now identified as a semi-truck. The tightened their grips on their rifles to look more professional and readied themselves to check the vehicle. As it came closer, they realized it didn't look like it was going to stop.

"Halt!" one of the guards shouted. His command fell on deaf ears as the truck sped forward, aiming straight for the gate. The other guard quickly jumped out of the way as it smashed through and entered the base. Wasting little time, they sounded the alarm and prepared for battle stations. It was rare that someone would ever try to attack a military base in the U.S., but it was the first time someone had used a truck.

The vehicle speared through anything in its path, taking any damage from whatever it hit. Ramming through walls, driving through airfields and cutting off airplane wings, and slamming into any jeeps and Humvees that got in its way. Finally pulling to a stop, the truck was surrounded by the entire base, choppers in the air to provide any support.

"This is your only warning!" a voice boomed over the loud speaker. "Step out of the vehicle and put your hands in the air!" The soldiers ran up to the truck, keeping their weapons tight, and surrounded it. Without another word, two men opened the door on the driver's side and aimed their weapons. To their shock, no one was present in the vehicle. Before anyone could react, the door slammed itself shut and the truck transformed.

The vehicle seemingly broke apart, but stayed together at the same time, its parts moving around. The back of the semi shifted to form a pair of legs, the wheels still present. The long nose of the truck flattened into a chest, its sides extending out into arms. The smoke stakes shifted to the back as a head shifted into view, staring down at all before it. While their weapons were still close to their chests, they looked on in awe as the machine stood.

"My name is Optimus Prime," it spoke, a deep, rumbling toned mixed with a filter of sorts. "Leader of the Autobots and I bring you this message." Without another word, his hand swiftly turned into a cannon of sorts and fired.

ShadowStrike Rising

As the Foot's newest project neared completion, the Shredder could only ponder on how long it would take him to get his most vital component. He knew that it wouldn't be easy to get, considering how well it was being guarded, but he was too close to let something so trivial stop him. He would destroy anyone who stood in his path to conquering the world. That included any allies who would slow his plans down in any way.

"Are the preparations ready, Stockman?" he turned to the scientist.

"The Cyber-Fiends are online," the man said proudly. He looked over the creatures with pride. Their claws were as long as that Seeker they had worked with some time ago. Their bodies were relatively skinny, but they were powerful nonetheless. Their limbs were thin, resembling skeletal figures. Their faces were long beaks, red eyes on the sides.

Along their bodies were electrical cords, energy running through them like clockwork. (For a better description, play Ninja Gaiden 3). Shredder grinned darkly as they prepared to enter the second stage in their evolution, which would prove to be more challenging for their foes. Soon enough, they would be ready to strike.

ShadowStrike Rising

At the Autobot base, Fowler had finished explaining his encounter with the truck that resembled Optimus Prime, the real one now in state of thought. The Autobot leader pondered what to about this new information as Fowler's phone rang.

"Fowler," he said, letting whoever was on the other line talk for a few moments. The special agent's face twisted in shock and confusion. "That's impossible," he began arguing with whoever was on the other line. "I'm telling you it's not him!" Everyone glanced at Optimus who watched the agent intently, his face as stoic as ever. "Because he's right here," the agent said, trying to convince the person on the other line that he was wrong.

With a final sigh, he hung up," Fort Brad military base is under attack… by Optimus Prime."

"The truck?" Jack asked.

"The 'Bot," Fowler answered, earning a shocked reaction from everyone save the Autobot in question.

ShadowStrike Rising

A/N: I know this one is short, so I'll try to make the next one longer. Next time: After a brief confrontation with his imposter, what revelation with the last of the Primes come to? Where did this second Optimus Prime come from and what is his goal? (Like you don't know;)