Optimus and Arcee were the last to exit the underground bridge and found themselves in a large hangar. They were all happy when they were momentarily interrupted by a man's voice.
"How?...Who are you?" Optimus walked past the others and as he reached Agent Fowler he saw Jack, Miko, and Raf begin to walk between them. He got in front of Agent Fowler and behind him he saw June who was staring blankly trying to comprehend the large group of people standing in front of them.
"Agent Fowler" Optimus addressed him and he chuckled to himself that he was still taller than the man in front of him. Agent Fowler looked at him.
"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Agent Fowler asked, eyeing Optimus suspiciously as if he had just killed someone. Standing a meter away from Optimus, Megatron snorted.
"We're Autobots and Decepticons, and after using the relic we turned into humans. Well, I guess since you're our point of contact with your leaders, I should know your name," Optimus replied.
Fowler was silent for a moment and that was probably the worst thing a human could do for Optimus. Look at him silently and say nothing. Fowler then looked from Optimus to Megatron and on to the group. "Well, this is going to be interesting to explain," he muttered as he turned on his heel and went to his office to think about what he had just seen and if it was just some stupid dream of his.
Optimus, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave and Ultra Magnus looked at him curiously when June caught their attention. "So you're all here?" June asked cautiously as she saw the eyes shift to her she continued "I mean Autobots and Decepticons" June said and Megatron snorted at the nervousness she couldn't keep out of her voice.
"So be it, we were convinced that we wouldn't survive without a connection with the Autobots" Megatron said with a smile and Optimus rolled his eyes. June was about to answer that when three children ran up to him, the most excited of which was Miko.
"That's great, you're all human and we know who you are by the pendants around your neck, although in Arcee's case we know by sight" Miko said and June saw the named woman standing meters in front of her and saw her roll her eyes. Someone just didn't like the emphasis being placed on her being the only woman. June then looked at the necks of the men in front of her and saw that those standing on the left side who were mostly wearing dark clothing had silver necklaces with small Decepticon badges around their necks and now she noticed a small boy as well. She then looked to the right where people were wearing more colorful clothing and saw the same silver necklaces, except their badges were not Decepticon but Autobot.
A Smokescreen finally broke the silence. "Um…June, I don't want to say anything, but what does it mean when our bodies make some noises and an uncomfortable feeling in our stomachs? Smokescreen asked, and this interested more than just Smokescreen. The children and June were smiling.
"That means you're hungry," Raf said as he and Jack stood up to June.
"And that means the first lesson. How to act like a proper human being," June said and the kids smiled, quite curious how it would go, dining with much more intelligent beings from a planet several million light years away. But mostly they were looking forward to seeing how Ratchet was doing.
The Autobots and Decepticons gave each other nervous glances, except for a few who thought they could make it through without a problem, and among them was Ratchet as usual.
"I doubt it will be anything complicated. It sounds easy and I bet it will be easy" Megatron said confidently and the kids shrugged, not yet knowing what was in store for them.
June motioned for them and the children to follow her out onto a platform large enough to hold such a large group and sit wherever they saw fit. June, who knows where she got her pencils from, and most people didn't understand. She placed one in each hand and they gave her puzzled looks.
"What are we supposed to do about it?" Ratchet asked and June smiled.
"Now find out which hand holds your pencil better and then we can move on to cutlery" June said and they all started playing with their pencils and Miko and Jack started laughing as they saw a group of adults playing with their pencils like little kids . After a few minutes, they stopped playing and held their pencils in the hand that held them better, and when they looked at it, they were surprised.
"All kinds of research says that only 25% of the entire population on Earth is left-handed, how come there are so many in one place," Miko said, pointing to the group. The lefties were Ratchet, Soundwave, Arcee, Starscream, Wheeljack, Laserbeak, Bumblebee and two Decepticon soldiers. And the right hand were Megatron, Optimus, Shockwave, Ultra Magnus, Knockout, Bulkhead, Smokescreen and two other soldiers.
"Does it matter who is right-handed and who is left-handed?" Bumblebee asked and June looked surprised since he had a voice and didn't make any sounds.
"Not at all, it's just a fact on Earth that righties make up a much larger percentage on Earth," Raf replied. While the Autobots and Decepticons were figuring out if they were right-handed or left-handed, June went to Fowler and they ordered some food, but definitely nothing unhealthy.
The kids were still talking to the Autobots and Decepticons when June called for their help before bringing 21 small white boxes back to the platform and placing one in front of each one along with the cutlery.
"And lesson number two begins" Miko said before they all opened the box and looked at its contents, but some wanted to start right away because it smelled fantastic, but there was a problem. They couldn't eat, so June drew everyone's attention to her.
"Now that you know which hand holds your pencil better, you also know which hand will hold your cutlery. And now the basics of how to eat. You take a piece of cutlery, put it in your mouth, chew and swallow, and that's it, " June said and Miko showed them exactly how to do it.
They all began to do as June told them and after minutes they settled in and were eating normally and not like they came from the hospital and didn't know who they were. As they ate they started talking to each other and even though June told them not to talk while eating or with food in their mouths because they might choke, no one listened and continued talking.
While they were talking, a question was also asked that most Autobots were interested in.
"Otherwise, now that the Decepticons are at the base and know where the base is, does that mean the war between you is over?" Raf asked innocently. The Autobots looked from Raph to Megatron as the Decepticons looked to their leader. Optimus didn't know what to say, they hadn't talked about it during the whole trip from point A to point B.
"Well…" Optimus didn't know what to say and just like the others he looked at Megatron who wasn't feeling his best under so many stares. Of course he had a bigger audience, but that was when he was fighting.
Megatron swallowed what was in his mouth and looked into Optimus' cold blue eyes. "Well...um, I guess if we stay in these bodies we have no reason to fight anymore and all we have to do is adjust to a new body and life," Megatron said, not directly saying that the war between them was over.
"Come on, say it normally and don't talk around it. Is it over?" Miko asked earning a few looks Just don't piss him off, he's still Megatron.
"When you want to hear it, as you normally would. Yes, the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons is over," Megatron said before a few happy shouts ran through the hangar and everyone had a smile on their face.
"This calls for a celebration," Wheeljack said and Bulkhead and Miko nodded in agreement as did the two scouts and the Decepticon soldiers.
After they finished eating, they moved closer to their current body, but the learning didn't last long as they became bored and some began to feel tired. Because according to what the children told them, they were bridged from Europe back to America and that was a time difference of plus or minus 12 hours. After a little arguing, they divided the hangar. On the right side, where there was an underground bridge and other Cybertronian technology, were the Autobots, and on the left side, where there was no such thing, were the Decepticons.
Agent Fowler took care of the beds and also told them not to leave the hangar yet, or at least not show themselves to the soldiers since they didn't know about them yet. Agent Fowler left and when the kids and June were supposed to leave, they just didn't want to leave.
"June, half an hour more" Miko pleaded and June nodded her head, this sentence Miko told her half an hour ago.
"No, Raf's parents and your host aren't happy about you spending so much time away from home and it's way past curfew" June said and Miko snorted in defeat as she looked back at the Autobots who were either standing behind them or sitting further away and They were talking.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said before the three kids got into June's car and they too drove off to Jasper Nevada.
After they moved to their beds, they sat for a few more minutes. Everyone was asleep in no time, or at least most of them were.
Optimus was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. He thought he would fall asleep right away, but he couldn't find peace, so he tossed from side to side for a while before getting out of bed, putting on his shoes, and stepping out into the warm evening air. Something he didn't notice as he left the hangar was that someone was following him.
Following Fowler's warning, he stayed out of sight as he left the military base and reached a small hill overlooking the base. He sat on the ground, raised his head to the sky and admired the stars.
He was interrupted from his reverie when he heard rustling in the bushes and then a thin silhouette. "Optimus" heard a soft female voice that he recognized as that of his TIC. Arcee came out of the darkness of the forest and looked at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she came over and sat down next to him.
"I'll think about it," he replied, trying to look away from his TIC.
"And if I may know about what?" she asked and Optimus smiled.
"Over what's happened in the last two days," he paused, and when he looked into her face, she signaled for him to continue and that she was listening. "We've been turned into humans and probably will be forever, at least that's how it looks so far. And after millennia, a war that brought many casualties on both sides is over," Optimus said with a hint of melancholy, but as he looked at Arcee he also saw a certain sadness in her face. Everyone lost someone in that war, but maybe something will help heal the wounds. "And you. What are you doing so late?" Optimus asked.
"I can tell I couldn't sleep or someone woke me up a bit when they were leaving the hangar," Arcee said with a touch of humor, not accusation.
"I'm sorry" I apologize to Optimus and Arcee smiled as she moved closer to him and leaned on his arm.
"Don't apologize, it's normal when you can't sleep and you go clear your head in the evening air or look at the stars," Arcee said. Optimus smiled and he didn't mind being so close to him, he was glad. Just two days ago, they certainly didn't talk like this, so relaxed. There was still a war two days ago. There was and is an Ultra Magnus who would immediately recite Prime Law as to why he can't talk to his sub a femme like that, even though now that they are human there is a possibility that they could have such a relationship. Then the difference in height and size, just two days ago a tall and robust moss and she a small, thin and short woman. And the only thing they talked about for the past months, or at least since they discovered their first base and Ultra Magnus joined them, was battle tactics.
Optimus noticed that Arcee looked up at the sky. "Do you know any constellations?" she asked quietly and Optimus looked up to get a good look at the sky. He raised one free hand and pointed to the sky.
The "Big and Little Chariot" stopped as he pointed to another place. "Gemini sign, every month a different constellation appears in the sky" he paused again as he looked for one more that he knew but it wasn't in the sky. "I know one more constellation, but it's not in the sky," Optimus said as he placed his hand on the ground.
"And what's the next one you know?" Arcee asked with childish curiosity and Optimus couldn't help but smile wider.
"Orion Hunter," Optimus replied.
They talked for a few more minutes as Arcee started giving short answers or just humming in agreement and then he felt himself drifting off to sleep. He sat on the ground for a moment when he stood up with her in his arms. To be honest, he expected her to be a little heavier, but she was light.
He walked back towards the base and enjoyed the view of the landscape around him, or at least tried to admire the landscape. His gaze was still on the woman with brown and pink hair. Arriving at the hangar, he carefully placed Arcee on the bed and covered her with the blanket before walking over to his bed.
He laid down in bed and a smile appeared on his lips as if he had won the jackpot. With that smile, he fell asleep within minutes.