Chapter 32

The next morning I was on Optimus' shoulder as he walked around the base looking at the mountains. Sentinel was with us. "So majestic and peaceful, this planet. Unlike the final days of Cybertron."

"I've wondered what might have been, if you had fought the final battle, instead of me," Optimus said. I leaned into Optimus, trying to be comforting.

Sentinel turned to look at him, "Never morn the past, young warrior. Thanks to you our race survives." His voice was gravelly, like an old man who smoked. Being around him made me nervous, I wasn't sure how Optimus was feeling about this.

Optimus got down on one knee in a bow and took out the matrix. "Optimus what are you doing?" I asked in a whisper.

"You were our leader, Sentinel. It is you right to lead us again," Optimus said moving the matrix toward him.

Sentinel let the matrix hover above his palm. "In a world I do not know, I am no longer your teacher Optimus. You are mine," Sentinel said sending the matrix back to Optimus. Sentinel was playing his part well, but I still didn't trust him. His alt mode was some kind of what appeared to be a fire truck. Lennox had it brought in late last night after I had gone to bed. Bee had gone home with Sam.

I went back into the base for a training session with Ironhide. Some self-defense skills, I had to keep in training. Ironhide was fun to work with and train with. Four hours later the PA system kicked on, "We have an Energon Alert. Currently tracking three black suburban."

I looked at Ironhide, "Let's go!" I said soaked in sweat.

"You are crazy femme," he replied handing me some weapons.

"I know, let's go kick some Decepticon ass!"

The PA system kicked on again, "Ironhide and Sideswipe to the front doors." Ironhide took on his alt mode and I jumped in the bed of his truck. Ironhide rushed forward. As Ironhide rushed out the front door Dino was coming in.

"Dino, I got him!" Ironhide said as the two rushed past each other. Ironhide collided with both deceptions and transformed. I jumped into the air and did several flips before landing on Ironhide's shoulders with my canon out. Sides was on his way to join us; between the two Decepticons facing Ironhide. "Is there a problem?" Ironhide asked.

Sides who had just joined us spun on his wheeled feet so that he was facing Ironhide, "whoa, little Mexican stood-off we got here."

"Weapons down," I said as I pointed my gun from con to con while Ironhide and Sides each had a gun out, one on each con.

"And we'll let you escape with dignity," Sides said. One of the cons grumbled something that I couldn't quite understand.

"Drop them," Ironhide ordered. Both cons dropped their weapons, but loaded some on their back. Ironhide and Sides also dropped theirs. I lowered mine as it was attached to my arm.

"That's good," Sides said. The cons pulled the weapons off their backs and threw them.

"Ironhide watch out!" Sides and I yelled at the same time as one pf the poles with the barbs on it dug into Ironhide's shoulder. Ironhide pulled it out and threw it back at the cons.

"Ironhide! Catch!" Sides called kicking Ironhide a gun with his wheel by running into it and bumping it. I raised my gun back up as Ironhide twisted to catch the gun.

"Behind you!" I yelled as a con was coming up behind Sides and Ironhide. Ironhide beat the crap out of one and threw him on to an old classic restored car, completely totally it.

"Decepticon punk," Ironhide growled kicking the car through a large window. "Class dismissed," he said putting his guns back behind his back. We drove back to base just as Sam was arriving. Lennox was yelling orders at everyone.

"Inside, let's go! Move! Quick move it!"

"Lennox!" I called.

"Go, go, go, go," Lennox yelled.

"We got Decepticons everywhere," Sam said climbing out of Bee. Bee, Dino, and Sentinel had come back.

"I got my whole team out looking for them. Ironhide!" Lennox called as Ironhide shifted back to his bipedal mode. "Protect Sentinel, get him locked up inside."

"Consider it done," Ironhide said standing.

"You gotta guard him, because he's the key to the whole thing," Sam said using hand gestures standing next to Lennox.

"Indeed I am," Sentinel said standing up, having shifted from his alt mode. "What you must realize my Auto bot brothers, is that we were never going to win the war. For the sake of out planet's survival a deal had to be made, with Megatron." With that he spun around and fired his cannon into Ironhide's chest, twice. I quickly returned fire still standing on Ironhide. I shot the Allspark through my feet healing Ironhide as he started to rust.

"Get back!" Lennox yelled upon learning that Sentinel was in fact in league with Decepticons.

"What have you done?" Ironhide asked. His voice came out strained as he was starting to die. I pushed the Allspark harder and faster to save Ironhide.

"I hereby discharge you from duty," Sentinel said readying his weapon again. I fired at Sentinel and right into his cannon.

"As long as I'm here Sentinel you will not kill any of the Auto bots," I growled. His cannon was now disabled for the moment.

"What can a pathetic insect like you do against someone like me?" he growled.

"You're no better than Megatron! You know that Sentinel! You're a coward; you fled the fight on your planet to save your technology! You should have stood and fought! With your brothers!" I may have been a meager 5'2 but I was no coward and I was not afraid of the Auto bots or the Decepticons. Sentinel then fled.

"Get back; bring all the NEST forces back to the base. Come on move!" Lennox yelled pulling Sam inside the base.

I knelt on Ironhide's chest; he was now back with us. "Come on, let's go kick some butt," I said.

"Thank you sweetspark," Ironhide said getting to his feet.

"Anything for you big guy," I replied.

As we entered the building I heard Lennox yelling more orders and Sentinel tearing the place apart. "Get them in, get them here. We don't have men. Do not engage Sentinel."

I then heard Mearing. This was not good. "Just go to the back gate. Director down." She was pissed.

"Let's slide, let's slide," Lennox said running to her.

"Go, follow me. Start firing," Mearing ordered. Some of the soldiers listened to her.

"Wait don't! Get out!" Lennox yelled at her. He tried to pull her back, but to no avail.

"Hey, Sentinel what is going on? What do you think you're doing?"

Sentinel blocked a blast from a gun using a shield, "I am a Prime. I do not take orders from you."

Lennox was now trying to Mearing away from the room and to the exit as Sentinel started to damage everything within sight. "Director Mearing come on. We can't fight him, let's go. We have to go."

"Now, return what belongs to me," Sentinel yelled. He was knocking things from the ceiling and upsetting objects in the room.

"Oh my god," Mearing said as she realized exactly what the Auto bots were capable of and how powerless we were to stop them.

"Everybody out, everybody out. Everybody stay calm!" Lennox yelled as Sentinel fled. About five minutes later Optimus arrived. Mearing immediately started yelling at him as soon as he shifted from his alt mode.

"Yeah take a look Optimus, this is all on you!"

"Sentinel hit the vault, took the pillars," one of the soldiers said to Lennox. Lennox kicked the railing next to him.

"Come on, let's go. Notify the 101st airborne. We have to hunt this thing down," Lennox said.

"He's not a thing!" I yelled at Lennox and then I rounded on Mearing, "and this isn't all on Optimus." I didn't stop Optimus, this was my fault.