Autobot base

Unknown location

"So, how are Sarah and the kids?"

"Oh, you know same ol' same ol'. How's Monique? Is she still mad at you for forgetting the anniversary?"

"Yep, she is still mad as hell."

"Have you tried to apologize to her?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And, it didn't work."

"Epps…., Will… wait for us!" a male voice shouted out, drawing the NEST soldiers' attention.

The two soldiers turned and saw Sam, Mikaela, Cade, Tessa and Shane walking up the stairs towards them.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Will asked, with a big smile on his face as he stretched out his right hand in greeting toward Sam.

"Bee called us," Sam replied, shaking his hand firmly.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I see," Will said.

"So is it true? Are the Autobots really going to try to revive Ratchet?" Tessa asked.

"How do you know about that?" Epps asked shocked, turning his head toward Tessa.

"We ran into Crosshairs a couple of minutes ago and he told us," the young blond replied.

"That guy just cannot keep his mouth shut," Epps mumbled under his breath, shaking his head. "They will try."

"Wait, is that possible? To bring a dead Transformer back to life?" Shane asked.

"It is; we already have seen that a couple of times," Will said.

"Really? When?"

"Ten years ago an Autobot named Jazz was killed in Mission City; he was later revived when Ratchet pierced a shard of the AllSpark into his spark. And when Megatron stabbed and then shot Optimus through his spark Sam used the Matrix of leadership to bring Optimus back."

"Don't forget Sentinel" Epps added.

"Sentinel wasn't dead; he was in stasis lock from lack of energon," Will corrected him.

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

"Stasis lock?" Cade repeated, with a confused look.

"You never heard of it?" Epps asked.

"No, but I also never heard of the Matrix of leadership."

"Stasis lock is a sort of coma that allows a Transformer to stay alive, running at the lowest level of power" Will began, "and the Matrix of leadership is a Cybertronian artifact of great power that can revive dead Transformer; it is passed down to new leaders of the Autobots. The matrix contains the wisdom of all the Primes who were before Optimus," he explained.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Lockdown ripped Ratchet's spark out and took it with him when he refused to reveal Optimus' location?"

"He did."

"Then how will they bring him back if his spark is missing?"

"So you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"When Optimus sent the Dinobots aboard Lockdown's ship to destroy it, they stumbled upon spark containers which were hidden in one of Lockdown's secret rooms; the spark containers contained the sparks of all Transformers that Lockdown have killed. And in one of those containers they found Ratchet's spark. They took all the spark containers with them before they destroyed the ship."

"That's great" Tessa said, rapturously. "Now they can bring back all those Autobots that Lockdown and Cemetery Wind have killed."

Will shook his head sadly.

"Unfortunately no; most of the bodies were melted by KSI scientists, only Ratchet's body was preserved enough to bring him back."

"Major Lennox…." one of the soldiers called him.

"Yes?" he said, turning.

"The Autobots are ready, and they are waiting for you."

"Tell them we are coming."

"Yes Sir," the soldier said, before turning around and walking away.

"Come on we should get going."