The next two weeks both flew by and dragged on for me. Keller got the orders from the president, Sector Seven was to be disbanded and its members watched until such time that they wouldn't be under suspicion. Banachek was kept around as an advisor to Keller, as was Simmons, but they held no official position.

Ratchet fixed Bumblebee's legs, and he was starting to get up and about. Coppertone was up before him, and had lifted me up in a hug the first time she saw me.

"Thank you," she'd said. "You have no idea how grateful I am."

I smiled and nodded. "I understand. Keep your spark safe." I don't know if she got what I meant, but I thought it was a good sentiment.

Mikaela had hung around Ratchet while he worked, and Ratchet had taken to explaining to her what he was doing, though he didn't let her help him. It'll come in time, I just know it.

One of the more eventful parts of the two weeks was when Mom and Dad were brought over from the place they'd been staying at. Mom had to be stopped from throwing something at the bots when they revealed themselves and Dad was speechless. After the explanation, they agreed to keep the secret, but only if they could stay on base with us. It was agreed and they got the room across from Mikaela and me. When we weren't with the bots or Keller, the four of us would spend time together.

There was a bit of politicking about in those weeks, which I was subject to as the Bearer of the AllSpark. I think that's my official title. Jazz calls me Lady AllSpark, or Little Lady, and I like those better than anything else. And as Bearer, I had to help figure out things.

There had been a visit from the President and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, boy was that fun. After explaining what had happened to start all this, Optimus formally requested sanctuary for himself and the Autobots. He also announced that I was to be the liaison between humanity and the bots. I mean, I kinda expected it, but it was still a little surprising. Well, negotiations were handled and the President issued an executive agreement of peace with the Autobots, which mandated the creation of an organization to assist the bots in whatever ways were needed, the members of which I was to select. Immediately, I chose Lennox, Epps and the rangers, Maggie, Glen, Keller, Simmons and Mikaela. I also gave Keller and Lennox the power to choose others to bring in, provided I approve of the resume .

After that, the president and FA Sec went back to DC and left the logistics of getting everything together to Keller and our group. Today, we were discussing where the bots' base should be. Diego Garcia had been suggested, but I pointed out how it'd be a hassle to fly the bots everywhere.

"How about we place it here?" I said, pointing to an old base on a map of Nevada. It was maybe an hour away from Tranquility, following the speed limit, and very isolated, no suburban ruins to deal with.

"Will that be big enough?" Maggie asked. She, Simmons, Will Lennox, Epps, Keller, Glen, Mikaela, myself and the bots were on this decision making counsel, because I could see it already; we were going to become the inner circle of the new Autobot-Human join organization, name pending.

"The base covers about five square miles," Epps read off a sheet about the base. A lot of the computers were still messed up, but paper records were readily available for us to peruse. "Got a lot of aircraft hangars, an airstrip and a couple barracks toward the front entrance."

"That sounds very suitable for us," Optimus said. "We do not require much more than room, and the base has that."

"And it's close to Tranquility," Mikaela pointed out. "Close enough we could visit."

I nodded. "Exactly. Much better than some island in the Caribbean."

"You still positive you don't want to stay with us, Little Lady?" Jazz asked. "You're way more than welcome."

I nodded. We'd discussed this at length the day before. "I still have to finish high school, and hell if I'm gonna up and leave everything, even for robots from outer space."

"I do wish you'd reconsider," Keller said. "You hold a great responsibility, and you'd be much safer under the protection of the Autobots."

"Bumblebee can protect me. I'll be perfectly fine."

"This base is in a good location," Will said. "It's away from major populations, and it's in Nevada; any sightings can be scraped up to alien nuts caught in the heat."

"Then we're all in agreement?" Keller asked, and upon our assent made it official in the record, then we moved on to other things.

At the end of the two weeks, when we'd taken a day off to relax, I asked permission for Mikaela, Bumblebee and I to go for a drive outside of base, and it was granted.

I had Bee drive us out about five miles out from base; close enough we could get back fast; far enough that we should be undisturbed. Once there, Mikaela turned to me. "Okay, what is it you need to tell us."

"Let's get out," I said, opening the door. "I want to do this face to face, to both of you."

Mikaela and I climbed out and Bumblebee transformed, kneeling while Mikaela and I sat on some rocks. I took a deep breath and started explaining.

"Well, Bumblebee, you know how I knew about you from pretty much the moment I bought you. And Mikaela, you know I knew what was going to happen up until I shoved the AllSpark into my chest. I told you that it was a vision I had. But that's not true. Do you guys know of the multiple universe theory?"

Mikaela tilted her head. "Is that where there's an unlimited number of universes that are all similar or different from each other?"

"Basically. In one universe, there's probably a version of all of us laying on the beach drinking margaritas while the Decepticons and Autobots are colonizing Mars." I chuckled a little at the mental image. "Well, there are some people who think that authors and creators have doors or something to those other universes in their head, which is where the ideas for their stories actually come from. I never really subscribed to that theory, until the day I met Bumblebee."

I took a deep breath. "I am not of this universe. I am from a world where you two, Optimus, Lennox and everyone else are fictional characters made for a movie series called Transformers. I have taken the place of the main character, Sam Witwicky, and I've changed the destiny of this universe, because I made a different choice."

They stared at me for a few moments, taking in what I'd said. Then Bumblebee played ~goin' off the rails on a crazy train.~

"I'm not crazy," I said. "I'm telling the truth."

"Alison, even with all the crap we've been through the past few weeks, it's hard to believe," Mikaela said.

"I can prove it," I said. "You dad's parole is in six months, and he's in Lovelock. The first time he took you with him on a jacking was when you were four, after your mom left. You've not seen her since, which is why your aunt takes care of you."

Mikaela's eyes widened. "I've never told that to anyone. How did you know that?"

"Because it's in your backstory on the character page on the official website about Transformers." I turned to Bee. "You can fact check it if you want, but I'm telling the truth."

"I don't need to," Bumblebee said. "I believe you. How else would you know I was an alien five minutes after meeting me?"

"But how'd you get here, then? Why do the Witwicky's think you're their daughter?" Mikaela asked.

"I don't know how I got here. I just woke up to Mojo jumping on my chest, and everything felt natural, that I belonged there. As for Mom and Dad – Ron and Judy – I think whatever brought me here replaced their memories of Sam with me. Or maybe this is an alternate universe from the movies and there always was an Alison Witwicky, and I've taken over her body. I honestly don't know." I threw my arms up in exasperation a little, then dropped them with a sigh. "I just had to tell you guys."

"Why us, specifically? Why not Optimus?" Bumblebee asked.

"Cause if Optimus knows, it's going to cause more problems than it would solve. Besides, there's a lot of crap that happened in the movies that I want to prevent, and it'll be much easier if I can predict how he's going to react."

"What kind of crap?" Mikaela asked.

"Oh, you know," I tried to be nonchalant. "Cybertronian demigods trying to snuff out the sun, old friends being revealed to be traitors, Chicago gets wrecked, humanity turns on the Cybertronians while trying to make their own Transformers, and the supposed creators of the Cybertronians trying to capture Optimus for stupid reasons. Also, Dinobots."

"Dinobots?" Bumblebee asked. "Who came up with that?"

"Well, in G1, it was Ratchet and Wheeljack, in Prime it was Shockwave, but I don't know here."

"G1? Prime?" Mikaela asked.

"Oh, right. I didn't mention that. The movies are only one of numerous continuities in the Transformers franchise. G1 was the original, a cartoon in the eighties, and Prime was the second newest show. Prime was my favorite, but I know parts of the other ones."

"Are we in those universes?"

"You, Mikaela, no. Bumblebee was in both." I turned to the bot. "In G1, you were a Volkswagen beetle and a minibot, and in Prime, you were a soldier baby that turned into a sports car. Like, think you now, but younger, and you spoke in beeps instead of the radio."

Bumblebee raised a brow. "How'd anyone understand me?"

"The bots understood fine, then there was this little kid named Raf who also could understand you, cause he was this super tech genius prodigy." I smiled. "He was so cute, I almost wish he'd be here."

"But why are you telling us, Alison?" Mikaela asked. "You could have kept this secret, or kept up the vision thing with me. Why tell us."

"Cause I don't want this-" I gestured between us "- to start off in a lie, especially if you don't really feel the same as I do and it's the movie's influence on you."

"Influence?"

I sighed. "In the first movie, you and Sam got together and dated for about three years, though the second one. Then the director and actress playing you had a falling out, so the scriptwriters made it that you'd broken up with him and he started dating this chick called Carly in the third movie. But anyway, I don't want to date you if it's just my main character status making it the hot female lead gets with me."

Mikaela blushed a little at my compliment, but stayed focused on me. "So that's what that was about? Do you like me just because of you being in Sam's place?"

I shook my head. "I was in love with you before I even came in here. It took me forever to see the third movie because you weren't in it. It's you having feelings for me that I'm worried about." I quickly went on. "I don't want you to be mind-controlled to care about me because I'm the main character and you're the love interest. If we get together, I want it genuine."

"You think I'm being mind-controlled?" Mikaela asked.

"I don't know. I just think it's a possibility, and, like I said, I don't want it to influence our relationship."

~That's some pickle~ Bee played.

"You've got that right, Bee." Mikaela said, running a hand through her hair. "What do you want to do about us?"

"For now, nothing," I said. "We just keep acting like we've been for the past couple weeks. We'll be friends and I won't push for anything more. You set the pace here, I'm content to wait." I held my hand out for hers.

Mikaela thought for a few moments, then took my hand. "Alright, we'll do this. Any more secrets you're gonna spill today?"

"None that I can think of," I said, looking to Bumblebee. "You got any secrets for us, Bee?"

"Nothing important." He transformed to alt mode and opened his doors. "Are we ready to head back to base?"

Mikaela and I exchanged a look. "Let's take the scenic route, Bee," I said, running to sit in the driver's seat. Once Mikaela and I buckled in, Bee gunned his engine, turned the radio to a station playing "Shut Up and Drive" and we took off, leaving a cloud of dust behind us. Mikaela and I looked at each other and started singing along, and it was the greatest I'd felt in the whole time I've been here. It seemed my life was starting to become great.


I'M SORRY! I've been so busy the last two weeks, I kept forgetting to upload the next chapters. Okay, so, from now on, uploads will be on Mondays, so I can remember. Also, I have about two more chapters for the weekly update, then the pre-written and beta'd chapters are out. I'm still writing, no fear, but I have to wait for my beta to get back to me, which she does about once a month or so. So expect that kind of updating schedule in the future. The chapters here will still come out on Mondays, so you can look for them then. Or you can check the story over on AO3 (same name, same author/penname), which will update once I get a chapter back from my beta. Thank you for being patient with me, and I'll try and be punctual from now on (no promises).