A/N: So since I don't know TOO much about the living areas of Washington DC, I'm going to be setting where the (soon) Autobot base is closest to near a fictional DC Suburb, and a few fictional areas in the town to make it easier. I figure this is workable, after all, we never did learn where exactly it was settled or what was near it, so just gonna use my imagination here.

And remember how I said Leo was coming soon? Well here he is! Introducing him a bit earlier than the ROTF arc because I want to do some different things with his character. So ready or not, here he comes!

Thanks to my awesome beta, TFPKOFANGIRL yet again for her awesome work on this chapter!

...

CHAPTER 47
Enter: Leo Spitz

Washington DC was a truly sprawling place, to say the least. And to go a step further, it was probably one of the coolest places that Trevor had seen. They had hit up a couple of the monuments, taking in the sights and discovering a great deal of history. Trevor had heard a lot of this during American History at Tranquility High School, and mostly marveled at the monuments themselves. But Jazz seemed to really enjoy learning more and more about Earth culture, and furthermore Earth history for that matter. As a result, Trevor allowed him to ask as many questions as he wanted as he and his holoform walked through each monument, talking about as much as he knew and throwing his two cents in.

But after a while, both were worn out from these, and decided to check out the area they'd be in itself. Trevor noticed that, only forty minutes from their possibly new base, there was a group of suburbs. They weren't glamorous but they were nice, a lot nicer than Tranquility for that matter. They passed what would (he guessed) be either of his new schools. One was tall, new, and state of the art, with a lot of security. As far as private school's went though, Trevor supposed that it wasn't so bad, though he had a feeling he still wouldn't like the uniforms.

On the other hand, the public school, which was about a block down, was different. To his surprise, the smaller size to it, and older architecture made him feel a little homesick. It didn't quite have the same "charm" that a place like Tranquility High School had, but it none-the-less reminded him of it between the somewhat-chipping paint, and overall mundane look. Trevor had to shake himself out of those thoughts though, why on Earth would he even think to miss a place like Tranquility High School, after all?

And so, Jazz had driven them to a local burger joint, which Trevor didn't complain about. After the long flight, and even longer morning of sight-seeing, he had worked up a great deal of appetite, and in general he could have wolfed down a horse. So he'd sent Jazz's holoform to get a table within viewing distance and taken a line in the 60s-themed "sock hop" type burger joint, waiting rather impatiently given how crowded the place seemed to be. It was in that moment that, though he didn't know it, he was about to meet one of the most important friends he was going to make in his life. Even if later on, it would seem ironic, especially under the circumstances they were about to meet.

It started with a hand clasping his shoulder. At first, Trevor had expected to turn to see Jazz, but instead he was looking into the eyes of a young latino boy his age. He was a little taller than him, his hair frizzy and messed up in many directions, and his dark eyes were wide. "Dude, you gotta help me out here. Like legit, please," Trevor blinked slightly. "Turn around, turn around. And start talking to me about anything. Like anything, I don't care what it is, tell me your life story if you have to," He added.

Trevor blinked slightly, and was about to ask what was going on. But the look in the boy's eyes screamed desperation, and he simply looked forward like he asked. Allowing the boy to slide in beside him, not that it mattered much, there was no one in line behind him. "What have you gotten yourself into?" Trevor asked.

The boy looked at him, pursing his lips slightly. "If I told you that three meathead jocks are probably going to come storming in here... Possibly looking for the guy that keyed their cars after they so unceremoniously stuffed him in a locker..." The boy paused a moment. "Would you freak out?"

Trevor was about to ask what he was getting at when the door flew open. Of course, the question wasn't hypothetical, not even a little. Instead, he could see three jocks, all taller, and stronger looking than anyone in Tranquility storming inside. Of course, Trevor figured, it was always him that got into these kinds of situations, he figured. "That was a pretty stupid move. If you're going to do something like that do it when they're not looking," Trevor turned to the guy. "No one's going to let that go if they saw you did it. And given the look on their face you got caught red-handed," He added.

The boy quietly cursed in Spanish, grumbling, and keeping his head down. "Thanks, man, that advice helps me so much," He added with a moan. "And will you stop looking at them? Seriously, you're going to get them looking this way," He whispered quietly.

Trevor frowned, but knew that he couldn't leave the guy high and dry. Staring at him, then at the boys, he carefully stepped out of his place in line. Instead, taking a step behind the boy, and then turning to the jocks. He hoped that, given they were directly behind him now, they wouldn't even notice the kid. "Hey, you looking for that little punk that came in here freaking out a minute ago?" He asked as the jocks turned their head, lord, Trevor hoped this worked, or he didn't even want to know what would happen. "He took off out the side door. If you run now you can probably catch him, he wasn't moving too fast."

For a moment, from the look on the leader's face, he would swear they were caught. But finally, the lead jock nodded, and grinned. "Thanks, c'mon boys, Spitz is so out of shape. The little prick couldn't have gotten far!"

Trevor could hear the deep sigh of relief that came out of "Spitz" directly in front of him. They both quietly watched as the boy's ran for the clearly visible side door, and right out it. "Thank God those morons aren't smart," Spitz looked over at him with a smile. "Thanks bro, I really appreciate it. Like you have no idea, Porter and his goons would eat me alive!" He stepped aside so that Trevor could take his place back in line before holding out his hand. "Leonardo Ponce De Leon Spitz, at your service," He added.

"That's a mouth full," Trevor joked.

"Most people call me Leo. Me, I just like my full name, what can I say?" The newly dubbed "Leo" said with a chuckle. "What about you new guy. You are new, right? I know practically everyone my age that comes here after school. And I sure as heck haven't seen you around, muchacho," He teased back.

Trevor nodded a little, though he wasn't sure how to respond to the question. Did that many people even go hunting for homes in this part of the city? He wasn't sure, but then again, what else could he say without looking weird? "Not exactly, my family and I are house hunting," Trevor explained. "We're thinking of moving here, and I've been doing sight-seeing with my friend. We were just stopping for food," He then added rather calmly. "I'm Trevor by the way, Trevor Prime."

"Aw wow, house hunting in my neck of DC, huh?" Leo asked with a small smirk. "Well you couldn't have picked a more boring side really. But maybe I feel that way just because I was born here. But literally nothing happens here," He added. "So where are you coming from, new guy?"

Trevor thought over how to respond to that. Telling him about a rather secret military base at a place like Diego Garcia, obviously, would backfire right in his face. He put his hands in his pockets, and looked at Jazz as if he could help. But the mech wasn't paying much attention, in fact, by the looks of it he was on the comm at the moment. Though he couldn't blame him, in close quarters he'd know if Trevor was in trouble, and he hardly got time like this to relax. "Overseas," Trevor told him, finding it best to keep it vague. "My entire family is actually doing it. We lived over there for a while but it was kind of a group decision to come back here," He added. "I don't think we liked it much."

Leo looked at him with a cocked eyebrow and look of confusion. "Your whole family's just planning to pack up and move?" He asked as if he had just told him they were a family of cannibals, or at least something even more unusual. "Wow, dude, that is something else. Seriously, where did you live: London, Paris?" He asked curiously.

"On an island, no need to tell you about it. You've probably never heard of it," It wasn't a lie, Trevor figured, few people had ever heard about Diego Garcia. "But it was kinda boring around there too. They didn't even really have a school so I had to be homeschooled," He explained. "I'm looking forward to coming back to-."

"Hold that thought."

Trevor peered over in confusion as there was a loud beep. Leo had pulled out his phone, and grimaced slightly, cursing under his breath. Trevor peered over his shoulder, noticing what appeared to be a blog titled: "THE REAL EFFIN' DEAL". And what was on the screen nearly made his blood run cold. Mission City, and blurred figures of what Trevor immediately recognized as the Autobots. "Oh snap man, this is sweet," Leo commented. "A group of construction vehicles in Texas, but when you just look closely. Yeah... That looks like a head," He stated as Trevor watched what he was guessing was a home video (by phone) of a Decepticon mid-way into transformation. "Aw man, I gotta upload this."

"What... Exactly am I looking at?" Trevor asked.

"Oh man, are you a conspiracy nut?" Trevor shook his head, but Leo gave him a serious look. "Dude it's all over the internet, ever since Mission City. You know? That thing that happened almost a year ago? You heard gas leak right?" Trevor nodded, knowing anything else would lead to trouble. "Bullcrap. At least half the people that survived that say they saw these giant robots - aliens. But the government keeps trying to shut us down. This video will probably be off Youtube in like a couple of hours. But the screencaps will be everywhere," He explained. "And my site, yeah, this is it... I get the word out first man, because the public needs to know. They gotta be informed in case it's some Terminator Judgement Day shit going on."

Trevor tried his best to keep his composure, but could feel his heart beating faster. There was a conspiracy theory surrounding the Auotobots? How many of these videos existed? How many images taken from them were on the internet. "You don't actually believe that, do you?" Trevor laughed. "I mean, that could have so easily been edited by some film major," He added.

"Alright bro, yeah. There are that many film majors in the world," Leo laughed, smacking him on the back lightly. "You're funny, dude, I like you. We should totally hang out sometime if you move here. Or before you do even," He added. "I can get you all up to speed on the situation."

Before Trevor could say anything, Leo had grabbed a napkin from the table beside him, and a pen from his backpack. He scribbled something down quickly, Trevor was guessing his phone number, and then handed it over. "Those are my digits. And legit, hit me up, we'll chill. I can even introduce you to a few of the guys at the local high school," He added as it was finally Trevor's turn to order. "Text me your number and I'll totally link you to my site too. Some eye opening stuff on there," He added.

"I bet," Trevor stated, having completed his order, and taking his receipt/number rather quickly. "If I get some time away from my family, I will totally call you," He remarked. "Nice meeting to you, Leo," He added.

"Likewise, Trevor."

If Trevor could have without looking suspicious he would have sprinted to Jazz. But instead, he simply casually made his way over, and slid in to the booth he'd grabbed. Immediately, Jazz's eyes were on him, clearly noticing his tension. "Anything ah should worry about?" He asked.

"Maybe," Trevor swallowed.

One thing was for sure, he hoped he wouldn't run into Leo again. Even as cool as the guy had seemed, this would end badly, if it wasn't already. But of course, unknown to him, things weren't fated to work that way again. And though he wouldn't run into the hacker again that trip, he would again, very, very soon.

...

"Of course we know about the videos," Conner stated over dinner that night. "Do you have any idea about the number of government secrets that leak online? Too many, and we try our best to nip them in the bud. But some things do fall through the cracks," He then added. "And a teen working on it through high school is far from a threat. If he was, we would have totally shut him down by now."

Trevor relaxed at that, as well as Optimus's indifference to it when he talked to him earlier. Knowing that, at the very least, he could push that fear out of his mind. After all, if the government seemingly had it under control, he probably had no reason to freak out, at least he hoped. "Thank God, when this guy approached me about that I was practically crapping myself," He chuckled somewhat. "I mean he didn't have that much. But he had enough that it had me worried," He added. "I barely kept my cool."

"All the same, perhaps it is time we take down this site," Conner nodded. "The Real Effin' Deal you said?" Trevor nodded. "We'll take a look at what he has and shut him down. That'll put him on a watch list and keep him from continuing," He added. "Thanks for the help, Trevor."

Trevor did feel a bit bad about that, after all the boy did seem proud of his work. But then again, what could he do? One day, one of his users may discover something they couldn't take away. And at that point, well, they were in real trouble. "No problem, sir," Trevor replied, biting into his steak calmly, as he leaned back in his seat. "I just wanted to make sure that the secret stays a secret, y'know? The way I see it, things could get really bad if it got out," He finished.

Optimus, whose holoform had joined them, along with Elita, nodded in agreement with his grandson. Indeed, they had enough complications both during and post-Mission City. The last thing they needed was a global realization that they existed. Which would inevitably change everything, for that matter. "That is true," He spoke calmly, putting an arm around Trevor, who was beside him on the right. "Revealing ourselves is not something that we want to do. Your species is not fully ready for the ramifications," He commented. "But trust me, youngling, when I say we have a handle on the issue more than you think," He added.

Trevor nodded his head, trusting his grandfather's word without an argument. After all, Optimus would know better than anyone, even the president himself. And thus, he decided to drop the subject from any other talk, after all, what was the point? "Other than that though, it sounds like you had a nice tour of the city," Conner commented. "Did you see the school? What did you think."

Trevor felt awkward having this talk at the table. Both the president's wife, Melanie, and his daughter, Cassandra were at the table. And he knew, from what had been said earlier, that the latter actually went to the private school. Which Trevor hated to say, still wasn't too appealing to him with the high walls or the rich feeling it gave off. "They looked nice," Trevor decided on, swallowing a little. "The private school looked really nice, actually. And the public school reminded me of my school back home. So I could get used to either one really," He added.

"If I were you and I had the option," Cassandra stated, flipping her brown hair from her face a little. "I'd go nowhere near my school. I mean, it's cool and all, but it's not much fun. The teachers are stuffy, and it kind of feels like a pri-," She was stopped mid-sentence by the look that her father gave her at that. "Well point is, the public school is really cool. It's older but my friends have a better time," She added.

Trevor looked at Optimus, though he didn't want to dig into things. He didn't know what talks had gone on following his and Jazz's leave from the potential base. But by the looks of things, Optimus and Elita both seemed to like it there. At least, it was the impression he got after they walked inside. And something in the pit of his stomach gave him the distinct feeling this would soon be home. "The public school did look more... Me," Trevor admitted calmly. "But I could get used to private school too. I had to get used to tutoring, and really that wasn't so hard..."

He could tell Optimus was reading through him like a book. But it didn't matter much, it was up to them where he went to school. And whatever decision they made, he would just have to make the best of it. "I think we're going to talk it over as a family," Elita spoke up, looking at Melanie. "I think your carrier would agree, Cassandra, that despite how bad "private school" may seem... It is what keeps you safest, especially in a city of political figure heads like this one," She explained.

"Oh without a doubt," Melanie nodded in agreement. "The one thing you'll learn when you come here is that in a crowded place like this," She addressed Trevor. "Things can get more dangerous. So for your own safety, I'd go to the private school, but that's just me."

Trevor wasn't going to argue with that logic, the last thing he wanted was to be captured by Decepticons again. It was a thought he mulled over silently as he finished up the last of his helping of steak silently. "I guess I just have to get used to that," Trevor explained. "Growing up in poverty like I did doesn't exactly give me a lot of experience, y'know?" He asked. "But I'd like to think I'm getting better."

"I can't imagine going from poverty to this," Cassandra commented honestly, looking at him. "You've got guts to even begin to put up with it. If I could I wouldn't have picked this life-." The glare from the president quieted her again.

But Trevor smirked a bit, he liked Cassandra and her honesty. And in a way, it was a reminder that he probably wasn't the only kid in this status that was struggling with what it meant. But, clearly looking for an out to the conversation, Conner cleared his throat. "You know, now that you two are finished with dinner. I can imagine Trevor is tired from the long day," He commented. "Cassie, would you mind showing him to his bedroom? I think this will be an opportune time for Optimus, Elita, your mother, and I to talk more business," He added.

Trevor wouldn't argue with that logic, he was tired, and admittedly a little uncomfortable. "Sure, dad," The eighteen year old nodded, standing to her feet. "Come on, robot boy. It's kinda a ways to walk, so we should go now," She added.

"Thanks for dinner Mr. President... Mrs. Conner," Trevor nodded his head, then stood, and gave both of his grandparents a parting hug. "Goodnight, grandpa, grandma," He added.

"Sleep well, young one." Optimus called out.

"Goodnight Trevor, sweet dreams." He heard Elita's soft voice reply.

Once they were outside the dining room, Trevor breathed a sigh of relief. Cassie seemed to react the same way, crossing her arms, and staring at him. For a moment, Trevor was worried she was annoyed with him. But instead, she laughed. "Sorry about how awkward that was," She told him. "Sometimes my parents don't really get subtlety," She commented. "But it's okay, give them a few hours in there and it'll be forgotten in the morning," She softly added.

Trevor hoped she was right, but all the same quietly followed her through the halls. He could feel his body already starting to give way, but all the same kept up a steady pace. "Yeah, well, it happens," Trevor shrugged. "They seem nice though, your parents I mean. Especially when I met your father earlier today," He added. "But either way, it's cool. My grandparents don't mind I'm sure. They're cool."

Cassie's brow furrowed, probably still getting used to someone calling robots grandparents. But Trevor didn't mind, he was still getting used to that himself as it was. "Well, they seemed cool too. I just hope they're not up all night talking," Cassie replied, shaking her head. "Sometimes when we have company, dad forgets he's president and then he's exhausted in the morning. You should have seem him when we met George Clooney, it was funny," Trevor laughed slightly at that.

"Yeah, hopefully. I'm supposed to go out with my grandparents tomorrow," Trevor commented. "Part of me coming on this trip was actually to get to know them better, so," He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we'll both just have to see in the morning."

Cassie stopped in front of a door after they had walked a good fifteen minutes. She smiled slightly, and pointed at it with a nod. "Well, this is where you get off. Your bags are in the sitting room I think," She told him with a nod. "Oh and don't get freaked out, but I hear it's haunted. We're kinda the most haunted place in America. So if you wake up to ole Honest Abe, don't go screaming too loud," She teased.

Trevor had to laugh at that, especially since he didn't believe in ghosts. "Yeah, right," He told her. "Thanks, Cassie. Goodnight."

He heard a quiet reply, but felt too tired to pay much attention. It had been a long day, and he had a feeling tomorrow would be even longer. But all the same, he was excited to go out and hang with his granparents if nothing else. As he carefully entered the bedroom portion of his suite, he wasted no time climbing into the bed even fully clothed as he was. Feeling the thoughts of Leo and his website creeping back into his mind, he did his best to push that away. And, at least for the moment, push away his school problem.

With any luck, after all, that would be resolved when the time came. Or at least, he hoped so. And as if feeling his stress (and maybe he did), he could hear his phone ringing from his pocket. It took only a moment to register that the screen read "DAD", and smiled brightly, answering. "Hey, you caught me just in time, I was about to head to bed," He commented into the phone.

...

Bumblebee sighed in relief at the words that Trevor spoke, seating himself at his station for the day. It may have seemed silly, but the scout had needed to hear Trevor's voice at the moment. Perhaps it was because he'd gotten word that Michael Field hadn't quit bothering the Witwicky's yet. Or maybe he was simply feeling the separation anxiety after the Barricade incident already. But either way, he felt no shame in wanting to speak to his son before the day over in America was over. "Sorry to call you so late, bud. This whole separate time zones slag is gonna be hard," He commented. "So I'll keep this short. How did things go today?"

:Better than I thought,: Trevor spoke over the com tiredly. :I met this guy named Leo. Turned out he was running some conspiracy site that almost gave me a heart attack,: Bumblebee chuckled, imagining he'd need to get the whole story there later. :The base is great, dad. I got a good feeling about this, and I think you're going to like it.:

Bumblebee wanted to believe that, but with Michael being the way he was. He couldn't deny, without a doubt, that he was even the slightest bit scared of bringing Trevor stateside right now. Yet all the same, he tried to keep his calm. Even as he thought through what to say next. "Yeah, about you being stateside," Bumblebee commented. "You haven't... I know this will sound weird, but bare with me a minute. You haven't heard from Michael lately, have you?"

There was silence on the other end, and Bumblebee held his breath. He didn't want to upset Trevor, that was the furthest from his intention, but he had a feeling he might have. :Dad, it won't be a repeat of Tranquility,: He replied finally, not catching on at all, much to Bumblebee's relief. :No, he hasn't shown up, and there hasn't been any calls either.: He half-mumbled into the com. :Look, dad. Can I call you tomorrow? I'm so tired, I can barely keep my eyes open.:

Bumblebee chuckled slightly, relief swelling over him. At least for the moment, he could relax about Michael Field to an extend. And what's more, he could go to work assured that he was not going to try anything that night. "Alright, kiddo, go to sleep. Miss you already," He added. "I love you, Trevor."

:Love you too, dad.:

The transmission ended like that and Bumblebee sighed quietly, leaning back in his seat. Even though in a way he could relax, he knew no matter how much Trevor assured him, he never fully would. This would bother him too much, the very idea that Michael Field could rear his ugly head again. And until Trevor got back from the mainland, he knew that fear would never go away. "Bumblebee!" He heard Lennox shout, and turned his head. "We've got recruit training in five minutes, let's go!"

"Coming," Bumblebee nodded his head.

He knew he could use the distraction right now.

...

A/N: Woo! Longest chapter I've written for this site. Hopefully it turned out good. Needed to get Bee and how he's doing in there this chapter too. ;)