Chapter 3

Dear readers, I'm very sorry for my 1 week absence! The truth is, I spent all of it just to write this chapter. At 3,000 words, this is the longest chapter I have ever written. It even broke the record of my latest "Pacific Rim 2" update! As such, to those waiting for the next part of my other stories, you will have to wait a bit longer than usual. As usual, answers to your reviews are at the end.

WARNING!

Major character deaths! Stop reading now if you can't handle it! (Or bring lots of tissues)

N.E.S.T. Headquarters, Washington D.C.

"What do you mean we can't take the Autobots with us?" Lt. Col. Will Lennox frowned as he listened to a CIA agent over the phone.

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't say anything else. The information is too classified to talk about it on a phone. It's better if you and your team come there personally for the complete briefing." The man replied.

Rubbing his temples, Lennox sighed. "Fine. We'll be there in 8 hours." He confirmed before hanging up. Sighing once more, he exited his office and head towards the training area where most of the soldiers were training. As he was walking along the huge hallway, he saw Crosshairs at the other side.

"Crosshairs!" He called to the Autobot paratrooper.

The green mech looked around briefly for the source of his voice before he saw him approaching.

"What is it?" He asked.

Rubbing the back of his neck slightly, he spoke. "If you see Ratchet, tell him that me and most of the team are being deployed in Middle East to investigate an intel report regarding some stolen Cybertronian tech."

"Wait. You're not going to take any of us?" Crosshairs said with surprise. Every time a mission involves their race, an Autobot was usually a part of the team that is to be sent. That's the prootocol ever since they arrived on Earth.

"That's just it," Lennox sighed, "We were told not to bring you guys."

"Odd. If it concerns our technology, someone should accompany you." Crosshairs rubbed his head thoughtfully.

"I know." Lennox agreed. "Anyway, I just came here to say that. I'll go and prepare the team now. If we find something, we'll call you up." He finally said before walking away.

"Will?" The mech called, prompting the soldier to look back.

"Yes?"

Looking at him straight in the eyes, Crosshairs replied.

"Be careful."

===LINEBREAK===

Lennox dialed his house' number and waited for Sarah to pick up.

"*beep*Lennox Residence here. Sorry, but no one is available to pick up the phone right now. Please just leave your message. Bye!*beep*" He heard the recorded voice of his wife say.

"Hey hon, it's me. Listen, I won't be able to go home for our dinner tonight. We were suddenly called for a mission in Middle East." He paused briefly before he continued. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. I promise to be there for Annabelle's school play next week. Tell her to be a good girl, okay? You both take care of yourself." Then he smiled.

"I love you."

U.S. Air Base, Somewhere in Afghanistan

"Lt. Col. William Lennox, Major Robert Epps, glad you could make it." Greeted General Hudson, commanding officer of the airbase.

"It's no problem, General. When it comes to these things, we are quick to help." Lennox said as they shook hands.

"Please, have a seat." The general gestured around the conference room.

The three soldiers sat down before Epps spoke.

"So, what's this about?" He asked.

Nodding to both of them, General Hudson produced a thick folder and started to explain. "Just last week, CIA informed us that a convoy of trucks traveling in the desert at night are carrying stolen alien weapons. Two nights ago, our spy drones picked up some unusual movements near one of the abandoned villages here." He placed in front them a set of photos, taken from the air. "We took a closer look, and we found this." He handed them another shot, which showed a group of armed people inside a small village, unloading what looks like large weapons from a group of vehicles.

"MECH." Lennox said.

Ever since the discovery of mechanical alien lifeforms, various terrorist organizations have tried to steal Cybertronian technology and use it for their own purposes. Most are now eradicated thanks to the combined efforts of the Autobots and N.E.S.T. However, some are so elusive and organized that they always escape capture. One such group is MECH.

Not much is known about this organization, except that they emerged just a few months after the battle of Chicago. Proclaiming that they will usher in a new era of peace through the use of advance technology, this secretive sect have caused numerous worldwide damage via their hackings and "weapon testings", which usually involves leveling a small town. In some cases, they are so bold as to broadcast a live footage of them executing a hostage using their prototype weapons, an act both condemned by humans and Autobots alike.

Their leader, who goes by the name Silas, was said to be a former military official who was discharged for selling high-grade equipment. Gathering a group of like-minded soldiers, Silas founded MECH and they immediately grew into a highly disciplined terrorist organization.

"We believed so." General Hudson nodded in agreement. "After all, they are the only ones left that is interested in such weaponries."

Setting down the files, Lennox asked him.

"If that's the case, why can't we bring some of the bots in this mission? If it's MECH, they are sure to have some advance weapons that they will use against us. I don't think our team can handle that alone without back up."

The general shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "We were told by the informer not to let you bring any of the Autobots. He said the group is always on high alert. If they recognize the cars, they will definitely leave the village quickly."

Epps raised an eyebrow at this. "Are you sure about this? For all we know, that "informer" might be setting us up into a trap. After all, we already had our fair share of humans who would want us dead."

Hudson spread his hands helplessly. "What do you want me to do? I can't risk those weapons falling into the wrong hands. If they manage to escape and sell it on the local rebels, it would do a lot more damage. That's why I called you. You're the experts here."

"The Autobots are the experts." Lennox corrected him. "Not us. It's their technology, after all."

"But there's no time left. Even if you call them, it will take another 6-8 hours. The convoy might have already left by then. We need to intercept them before that happens." Hudson reasoned with them desperately.

Lennox glanced at Epps, asking him a silent question. Should we?

"You're call." The dark-skinned man muttered.

Sighing in defeat, Will Lennox turned back towards General Hudson.

"Fine."

===LINEBREAK===

N.E.S.T. Command Tent

"Alright boys, here's the plan." Lennox said to his entire team gathered around him.

"The village has two gates; one in the north, one in the south-east." He circled both on the map. "The settlement has a wall surrounding it and it's quite high at 35 feet, so expect some sentries patrolling it." He showed them a photo of a large abandoned building near the center. "This is our target." He circled it. "Intel reports says that the cargo was moved there last night but there seems to be no sign of anyone leaving the area, so we have to assume they are guarding it. We'll do this in four groups. Team Alpha, you will secure the north gate. Team Bravo, you take the south. Take out the guards and patrols in the walls first before moving in." He marked the two entrances as both team leaders nodded. "Epps, you take Team Charlie and sweep the area first. We don't want any ambushes taking us by surprise."

"Of course." Epps nodded.

"Good. That leaves me with Team Delta. We go straight to the target after the sweepers have done their job. Once they do, they will rendezvouz with us and both will enter the building. Our objective is to secure the weapon caches and wait for General Hudson to send an extraction team. We will do this by night so prepare night vision goggles. Remember, we need to be quick or else they might leave the village early. We don't want that to happen." He looked around at his team. "Any questions?"

"No sir." They murmured.

"Good. We move out at 2100 hours."

Unnamed village, 50 kilometers west of the airbase

"How many?" Lennox whispered to Epps beside him. They were currently 700 yards away from the entrance, crouching upon the ground to avoid detection.

Looking at the village through his binoculars, he started to count.

"Five... Six... Ten... Fourteen sentries, at least three watchtowers and about two patrol groups of three men each." He answered.

Lennox nodded before whispering to his earpiece.

"What about you guys in the south?"

The comm link crackled after a minute. "At least ten sentries, about two watchtowers and one patrol group." Bravo Leader replied.

"That means there are at least thirty guards in the perimeter." Lennox said. "Any movements on the target building?"

"None." Epps shook his head.

Lennox nodded. "We proceed then. Snipers, ta-" But he was cut off by him.

"Aren't we rushing things a bit?" His friend asked with worry.

"Well..." He scratched his head. "Hudson said we need to hurry, so..." He trailed off.

"I know what he said. But we could've just intercept them on the move, right?" Epps pointed out. Then he sighed. "It's about Sarah and Annabelle, right?"

Lennox shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. I just want to finish this as soon as possible." He answered after a few moments.

"You really love them, don't you?" Epps said softly.

"I would lay down my life for them, if needed." Lennox said while looking straight at his eyes.

His long time friend and comrade patted him on the shoulder. "Let's get this over with, then."

Lennox smiled at this. "Alright snipers," He spoke via his earpiece, "Take out your targets."

At once, forty guards dropped dead. "Team Alpha and Bravo, secure the gates." He said. The two teams immediately ran to their designated position.

"North gate secured."

"South gate secured."

"Alright boys, that's our cue." Epps said to his team. They ran to the gates held by Alpha Team and started to sweep the area around the building. After 30 minutes, he spoke.

"Area clear. Team Delta, we're good to go."

"Copy that. Move to the target building." Lennox answered before he motioned to his team. Following their leader, they headed straight to Epps' location.

"This seems too easy." He said as they approached them.

"I know..." Lennox muttered. "But we're already here. Might as well check it."

"Right." Epps agreed.

Lennox patted him on the shoulder before speaking to his team. "Alright, here we are. This building has a basement and four stories. Charlie 1 and 2, you take the top floor. Charlie 3 and 4, go for the 3rd. Delta 3 and 4, search the second. The rest, we will sweep this area. Once you guys are finish, meet up with us and we will search the basement together. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" They chorused.

"Then let's move." Lennox said as they entered the building.

The inside was dark and full of dust, promting them to activate their night vision goggles. As they searched through the various rooms, it was clear that this was a warehouse of some sorts. Although most were empty, there were signs that something was moved away recently.

"It must be at the basement." Lennox concluded as they waited for the others to finish. Seeing nothing of importance on the remaining floors, the entire search team finally gathered in front of their leader.

"Alright, that just leaves the basement." He stated as he stood in front of a door leading underground.

"Now we don't want any surprises so I suggest we use our flashlights to illuminate our surroundings. It will also be easier for us to see the weapons." He said as all of them turned on their flashlights. "Good. Delta 4, you stay outside and guard the entrance. Delta 3, stay here at the door and wait for our return. Delta 1 and 2, you go ahead of us." Both squad leaders and Epps nodded to him.

"Alright, let's proceed." He said before opening the door and climbing down the stairs leading to the basement. After a long flight of steps, they came to a long concrete hallway with a steel door at the far side. As they stood in front of it, Lennox can't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. Dismissing it as a mere case of paranoia, he ordered one of the soldiers to open the door. As soon as they entered, they quickly shone their lights around the room to find it is larger than they expected.

"Man, it is big!" One soldier muttered as they saw that they were standing on a metal catwalk with railings surrounding the room with a flight of stairs leading below. There were three more doors inside. One directly in front of them across the far side and two more on the left and right side. Shining his lights around, Epps nudged Lennox on his shoulders.

"Looks like we found our weapon caches." He said as he pointed at a crate near the base of the stairs. Lennox nodded and spoke. "Good. We will secure the perimeter first before going down there." They walked along the catwalks, tried to open the doors only to find they were locked, before climbing down the stairs.

"Alright, let's see what we got." Lennox said as they started to inspect the crates. Opening one of them, they peered inside and saw the unmistakable form of a Cybertronian blaster.

"Looks like they were right. These guys stole them." Lennox said.

"You're right. But where are the guards?" Epps questioned.

"Errr... We just killed them outside the gates, right?" A soldier chuckled nervously.

"I know. But there should be more in here." Epps insisted. "The spy drones captured almost a hundred mem in its camera. Where are they now?" He looked at Lennox, whose eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"Team Alpha, Team Bravo, do you copy?" He said through his earpiece.

No reply.

"Team Alpha, Team Bravo, do you copy?" He repeated, panic starting to rise inside him.

Again, there was no reply, making the soldiers shifted nervously while their hands gripped their weapons tightly.

Cursing his stupidity, Lennox tried the other two teams he stationed outside. "Delta 3 and 4, do you read?" He asked with a trace of fear in his voice.

To his despair, no one replied.

Crying out in frustration, he threw his earpiece on the ground. "We need to get out!" He yelled to his comrades. At once, they ran to the exit. However, before they can even reach the stairs, the doors above them burst opened. A large group of armed men immediately surrounded them, guns pointed in their direction. As soon as this happened, they dropped on one knee and did the same.

Lt. Col. William Lennox and his team looked around in vain for an escape route. But they couldn't find one.

They were surrounded. Outnumbered. Outgunned.

Suddenly, they heard a cold laugh.

"Nice to finally meet you, William Lennox." The voice said.

"Who the fuck are you?" Lennox growled as he tried to locate the speaker.

The soldiers in front of the door they had entered parted as a man stepped forward.

"My name is Silas. And I'm the leader and founder of MECH."

Despite the lights coming from their guns, the room was still dark, preventing him from seeing Silas properly.

"What do you want from us?" Lennox snarled as him and Epps pointed their assault rifles towards the terrorist leader.

Silas leaned on the railings and chuckled. "I believe I should be the one to ask you that question, since you and your team were the ones who infiltrated our base."

"I knew there was something wrong the moment we stepped in here." Epps muttered beside him. However, before Lennox could reply, a phone rang.

"Ah, my apologies. I think that's my business partner calling. If you will excuse me." Silas smiled as he picked up his phone and answered the call.

"Silas here." He spoke.

"Any ideas?" Lennox whispered to Epps while the leader was busy talking on the phone, who was nodding his head every now and then.

The man furrowed his eyebrows. "None. All doors are blocked. And they are at least twice our numbers. They also have the height advantage. Our only hope is to use these crates here as cover. I'm pretty sure they don't want them to sustain any damages."

"At least, we got a chance." Lennox muttered before returning his gaze back to Silas, who nodded one more time.

"Of course. Nice doing business with you." He chuckled then hanged up. He smiled at Lennox, who was now giving him a death glare.

"I'm sorry for that long talk, William Lennox. My associate was just thanking me for my payment. After all, these weapons that you are seeing didn't came to us free of charge."

Lennox frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Why, we bought it of course! What, you thought you're leaders won't do a dirty thing or two for money?" He taunted. At this, the N.E.S.T. team cried in shock at what their government did.

"But they are not human-made! These are alien weapons! It can cause the deaths of thousands!" Epps yelled furiuosly.

Silas merely shrugged. "Who cares? They are all weapons, alien-made or not." Then he smiled. "I would like to with you guys more. But I'm afraid I have to go. Don't want to miss my meeting with another one of my suppliers. Have fun in the afterlife."

At this point, Lennox couldn't contain his anger anymore.

"YOU BASTARD!" He roared, signaling his team to open fire. Having anticipated this, Silas calmly grabbed one of his soldiers and thrust him forwards, using him as a shield in expense of his life. The rest of his men then fired back at N.E.S.T. while his bodyguards escorted him outside.

One by one, Lennox' team were mercilessly gunned down. He looked sadly at Epps, who shoved him away behind one of the crates to take the machinegun fire that was meant for him. Knowing his death is near, William Lennox emerged from cover and fired at the men who killed his friends.

Sarah. Annabelle. He thought sadly.

"I'm sorry my ladies..." He whispered moments before a grenade exploded in front of him.

Umm... Please don't kill me! xD

Anyway, here are my answers to your reviews for chapter 2!

TheGhost129: I hope you brought lots of tissues when you read that chapter. :)

Answerthecall: Good to hear you're loving this! I plan to bring more elements from both G1 and Aligned continuity. HOWEVER, since this is a sort of prequel to both TF4 and a second Transformers fic that I will write next month, I am not going to add them here. ;) By the way, part of my inspiration for this story came from your "A Matter Of Fate" when I noticed that you didn't explain how did Lennox and Epps were suddenly there. xD

Dances in the twilight: You're welcome! Yeah, I noticed there are few, almost nothing, stories regarding Sam's whereabouts so I decided to write this. Plus, most of what happened here will be use for my second Transformers fic.

hansenmakenzie: Yeah, I know. I kinda understand now why Bay didn't mentioned the rest in TF4. It would be too much for us! T_T Anyway, here's the chapter you're waiting for!

iiiii: Read the same answer I gave to twilight xD

SamN5: Thanks! I hope you'll enjoy this too. I'm still getting used to action sequence, so please bear with me if it's somewhat crappy. :D

And that's it! Please let me know your opinions through PMs and reviews! I really want to improve my writing skills, and I can't do it alone.

Until next time! :D