Chapter 18

Autobot base…

"AND YOU HELPED HIM BRIDGE OUT OF HERE?!" roared Arcee.

The three guardians had hastily returned back to base after Optimus had reported that Alex had 'departed.' Ratchet and Smokescreen, upon returning to the main silo, had not dared to say anything despite their shock at Optimus's actions. However the same could not be said for the other three autobots, Arcee and Bulkhead in particular.

"He needed to go somewhere." Optimus said calmly to the two-wheeler.

Arcee took a step back and threw up her arms. "Oh, and that was okay then?! Optimus, he indirectly threatened the kid's lives."

"He did no such thing." Optimus replied. "I was given Alex's assurance after you left that the children were in no danger whatsoever. In response to your accusation earlier, I can assure you that Alex is not in league with the decepticons."

"And how exactly can you be sure of that?" Bulkhead snapped.

"Foremost, when I first encountered Alex, he was being attacked by Megatron. Secondly, if Alex were in league with the opposition, he wouldn't have wasted time in revealing the location of our base to Megatron. Finally, it is my understanding that Alex has had to be very careful in his actions over the past period. Megatron apparently went to great lengths to exploit the knowledge he carries, knowledge which will benefit us in the near future."

Bumblebee made a few beeps and whirs. Optimus looked at the scout.

"That is true, Bumblebee." He said. "But upon Alex's return to the base he has promised to provide a full explanation as to who he is. I have his word on that."

"That is if he ever returns." Arcee interjected. She looked to her leader. "So what do we do now?"

"We continue with our objectives as usual." Optimus replied. "As far as we know, Starscream is in possession of the omega keys. The fate of Cybertron's resoration now lies with him."

And that was that.

But to Arcee it wasn't. She was furious that Optimus had helped Alex escape from the base. She couldn't help but think he was putting the entire team at risk. The other autobots were returning to their attentions to their duties in hand, considering that while Alex was indeed a cause for concern, the kids had been alright and there was no damage done by his departure. However there was a growing distrust between them and their leader, but they all kept this to themselves.

Little did they know how Optimus's secrecy extended way past Alex's existence.

Arcee thought deeply as she slipped into recharge. Alex had known something that hadn't been disclosed.

Was he some sort of psychic?

Did he know the future?

Either way, it didn't matter. If Alex wasn't able to provide an explanation when they met up next, Arcee had every impulse and reason to shoot him then.

For the safety of Jack and the others.

Meanwhile…

Alex huddled for warmth. He had been sitting in the dark for a while now and he was feeling fed up with himself. How clumsy he had been to mention Knock Out's predicament out loud. He had presumed that Smokescreen had told everybody about that, considering his character. But no, he had decided to keep it to himself.

He wasn't happy to spend time in this place, but he knew that it was strategically viable. The autobots would eventually come here, and he would be able to hitch a ride with them out of here. But it wasn't that simple. He couldn't reveal his face to them immediately, for he knew he wouldn't have backup to deal with Arcee and the other guardians. He was certain that even with his power, he would have difficulty defending himself from them.

This chain of events was not unfolding in his favor.

He needed to come up with a plan.

On the plus side he had plenty of time now to come up with one.

But there was another factor to consider.

Megatron.

He settled back on the cold uncomfortable floor. There was now some productive thinking to be done now…

The next day in Jasper…

"What do think happened to Alex?" asked Raf sitting on the school steps.

"Agent Fowler said that he had been re-assigned somewhere else." Replied Jack next to him, a slight accusative tone in his voice.

"You don't believe that do you." Said Miko as she stood on the ledge.

Jack just looked at her.

The three of them had been waiting outside the school for an hour and a half now and there had been no sign of the autobots. They had phoned base to see what was happening but they had been cut off by Ratchet, much to Miko's annoyance. The kids had been feeling left out of Autobot action this whole week and they were starting to feel fed up. And this whole thing with Alex's disappearance only added to it.

"He knew things." Said Jack. "Things which he couldn't possibly have known."

"What sort of things?" asked Raf.

"When Bulkhead got hurt, he sounded as if he knew Bulkhead was going to get better."

"Hey!" exclaimed Miko. "Bulk was always going to get better."

"I know, Miko." Said Jack. "But Alex was talking as if he knew it for sure."

"Are you saying…" begun Raf. "He knew the future?"

Jack said nothing.

"Oh please!" Miko cut in. "That's a stupid idea. Nobody knows the future." She hopped off her wall. "Can we get back to calling our bots for pickup?"

Jack and Raf exchanged glances. Jack opened his mouth to say something but was then interrupted by the roar of an approaching engine.

"Ah! At last!" Miko said as she grabbed her bag from the steps. The three kids walked down to the pavement with looks of anticipation and relief on their faces.

The looks turned to horror as a red exotic with yellow decals came screaming round the corner towards them. Screeching to a halt and transforming in front of them they were greeted by the burning red optics of Knock Out.

"Ah. Just who I was looking for." He sneered as he advanced towards them…

Cybertron…

"Perhaps we should oblige your pets, Optimus…" taunted Megatron after the kids had made their standing clear.

It was a stand-off like no other. Autobots on one side, holding the devices capable of restoring their home planet. Optimus and Megatron in the middle conversing, and the three decepticons on the other side, holding their three human captives in air tight containers. They were valiantly attempting to put on brave faces, but they were to no avail. Optimus had already made his mind up.

"If my decision dooms the future of the Autobot cause, so be it. But I will never forsake our human allies." He stated. He swung his arms and with almighty slicing sound he buried the star sabre into the ground in front of him. He took several steps back to be with his team. They were all looking at him.

Arcee groaned. She hit the chest unit of the Apex armor and a second later it had minimized itself back into her hand. She flung it and it landed at Megatron's feet. He raised an eyebrow expectantly. A moment later the rest of the Iacon relics landed at his feet. The humans bowed their heads in sadness.

Megatron then laughed. "Well, this has certainly turned in the decepticons favor." He chuckled. "I wonder if leaving the specimen alone all this time was a wise move."

"Specimen?" frowned Optimus.

"The human you originally rescued from me. Tell me, did he actually tell you anything useful? Not that any of it would be relevant."

"Alex?" Arcee asked. "What does this have to with him?"

Megatron raised both his eyebrows in surprise. He looked at the prime. "Did you even know what knowledge he carried?"

Optimus said nothing. However looks of confusion had appeared on all of the other autobots faces. Megatron saw this and realized.

"You knew, and you didn't inform your own team?!" He started laughing. "Oh, my dear Optimus! Always so keen to preserve the order of battle!"

"Optimus, what is so special about Alex?" pressed Arcee.

Optimus opened his mouth to speak but Megatron beat him to it.

"The human you were providing sanctuary comes from another reality." He explained with a certain triumph. "A reality whose inhabitants are aware of our conflict and have knowledge of how it will finally end. I succeeded in bringing here in the hope of exploiting his knowledge. A success only rivaled by its pointlessness, as the fact that by involving him I apparently altered the course of the future. But now, it seems the effort has paid off." Megatron faltered for a moment. "I will admit, I was unable to terminate him when he bridged aboard my ship, this being due to his newfound 'ability,' but nevertheless…" Megatron gave the grin to end all grins. "The odds are now in my favor, Optimus."

Optimus remained quiet, staring daggers at his opponent.

But with his team, the first penny had dropped. They were looking at each other in complete shock, amazed at how Optimus had kept this from them. Feelings of distrust and betrayal raked through their bodies. For the kids, it was just plain surprising, but that surprise was currently being overshadowed by their sense of hopelessness.

Arcee turned to her comrades. "That's how he knew everything. How Bulkhead would eventually recover and about Smokescreen's encounter with Knock Out. He knew what was going to happen ever since he arrived at base." The other Autobots nodded in agreement.

That was when on the other side of the standoff, the second penny dropped.

The grin vanished immediately from Megatron's face. "What?" he whispered.

Everyone looked at him. Hidden behind the mask, a small grin started to appear on Optimus's face.

Megatron's optics grew wider and wider at the realization of what Alex had done. "He…lied…to me." He hissed.

"That's why he went to see you." Arcee said, working out the situation. "In order to protect himself, he told you that he couldn't help you, that his information was worthless to you." She paused. "And you bought it."

Suddenly Smokescreen started to giggle quietly. When everybody turned to look at him, he raised both eyebrows while looking at Megatron.

"Sorry if I find it funny that the great and powerful Megatron was duped by a human teenager." He turned to his fellow autobots and shrugged again. "Gotta give the kid some credit for that."

Arcee still wasn't convinced though. She still felt betrayed by Optimus and angry at Alex for manipulating them all. The same went for the other two guardians.

There was not a force in the universe currently that could match Lord Megatron's building anger. In unparalleled anger and with a roar of fury he powered up his cannon and swung it to aim at the container containing Rafael. The boy immediately flinched and braced himself for the imminent shot. To this, a high pitch of distress erupted from Bumblebee and all the autobots braced themselves to charge forward.

Megatron's other hand went up to stop them, while his mind was in overdrive thinking how he could maintain control of the situation. He needed to stay on priority.

"I am well aware how you autobots and particularly the scout will react if I shot the young one." He lowered his weapon and continued "And there is still an exchange to take place." He calculated frown reappeared. "And be assured that when I rule Cybertron, I will make a personal trip to Earth to hunt down the specimen for his deception."

Smokescreen snickered again. "Deceived decepticons." He retorted. "That's new."

Megatron did not appreciate the last remark. "And now if you please, the Omega keys." He said as Knock Out stepped forward with Miko's container in hand.

"You first, big boy." Taunted the enemy doctor as he pointed a finger at Bulkhead.

Optimus remained calm this whole time. He knew he should fear for Alex's life if it came to Megatron hunting him, but the boy had shown that he was capable of controlling his power. But that was not the main concern currently. The first priority now was to secure the children's safety.

He turned to Bulkhead and nodded to him. Bulkhead returned the nod and walked over to Knock Out and his charge…

Darkmount, Nevada…

Megatron looked across the valley from his throne room. The grey clouds had blotted out any sunshine and the smoke coming from the still smoldering Autobot base was contributing. Jasper had also been reduced to rubble, as Starscream and his armada had made sure of that. The humans had just staged an attack on his fortress and with a single shot of the new fusion cannons positioned atop the tower, he had cleared the enemy from the battlefield. He had created New Kaon, and it stood tall and proud. Oh yes, he could conquer this world. To make up for Optimus Prime's 'treachery.'

But despite all of this, Megatron was not happy. Apart from the fact that no bodies had been recovered from the wreckage of the base, which stood to reason that the autobots had bridged out before the destruction had begun, he had been deceived. The specimen had succeeded in leading him to believe that he was of no value to the decepticon cause. And now because of his lies Megatron now feared for the damage the boy could do. He could choose to help the autobots, or to continue hiding. Megatron thought the latter as because of the revelations that had just taken place, he was doubtful that the autobots would be comfortable in his presence, especially since Optimus had kept secrets from them as well, on the specimen's request.

The boy was smart. Megatron realized that now. He had detailed of the future and he was effectively using it to his advantage. However while he had been able to position himself brilliantly, his secret was now out. If he wanted the future to remain confidential, he would keep quiet to the autobots. Long enough for Megatron to locate him.

"Soundwave." He ordered through his comm link. "Maintain global surveillance for the specimen's GPS signal. If detected, report it to me immediately." Megatron hadn't been exaggerating. If located, he would personally hunt the specimen down, have a small chat with him, and then kill him.

In the meantime, the hunt for the autobots was on.

To be continued…

Author's note: Okay, I lied. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. But seriously now, possibly apart from the next chapter for 'Titans on the Run,' I won't be back till after the 20th of August. In the meantime, I am entirely open for ideas from you guys, so please don't hesitate to send me some.

Look out America! Here I come!

SJSpilz3