Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"No, Starscream! Don't!"

"RAUGH! RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH! UGH!"

ZZZZZAAAAAPPPPP!

"IT'S TIME TO FINISH THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL! ACTIVATE PROTON CANNON! YOU'RE ALL MINE, UNICRON!"

BBBBBAAAAAMMMMM!

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

"No, Starscream! Don't do this to yourself! Wait!"

ZAP! BBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!

"HHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

SNAP!

"STARSCREEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAM!"

With a throaty gasp, she sprang up and reached out for him. But she couldn't see him anymore, only dark oblivion. At first, she stared dumbly into the abyss, unable to comprehend what had just happened or whatever was happening now or even where she was at.

Then, once her senses began to catch up to her surroundings, Alexis Thi Dang knew where she was.

Her chest throbbed with a heavy, mournful weight. She sighed, shifted uncomfortably in her covers, and rubbed her face in her palms. She rubbed carefully but insistently, almost like she was cleaning herself of the immature grief that she knew was twisting her countenance.

"Ugh... It was just a dream..."

"Good morning, Ms. Thi Dang."

The automated yet autonomous voice spoke resolutely, yet Alexis was unmoved. She kept her face buried in her palms, but she parted her fingers by centimeters so she could peer through them.

"It is seven o'clock A.M. The date is Friday, August 23, 2025. The weather in Science City is 72 degrees Fahrenheit, 22 degrees Celsius, with scattered clouds and fair breezes."

Light and color flooded the bedroom almost immediately, consuming the pitch-black darkness. Alexis winced at the sudden intrusion, but once her vision was adjusted enough, she faced the window to remind herself of where she was.

"Traffic conditions are estimated to be heavy from now until nine o'clock A.M.," the voice continued, its advisal empty yet omnipresent around the room. "Do you wish for me to calculate the fastest route to Alterenergy City, Ms. Thi Dang?"

"Yes, please," Alexis replied. "Thank you, Teletraan. That will be all."

The voice didn't respond, and she took advantage of the newfound solitude to close her eyes and sigh. Then, she opened them again and stared out the window, fully taking stock of what was outside.

It was a forest of skyscrapers, all of a singular design that she could never have conceived as possible in her childhood. Most of them were around the same height as her room, allowing her to see their spire-tipped rooftops and upper floors, while a couple of other buildings mightily towered above her. Despite the commanding urban presence, the skyscrapers were scattered enough to allow her a good view of the ocean. It was blue, rippling, and sparkling under the morning light, beckoning distant, nostalgic memories.

And straight ahead, she could see it on the horizon: a metal island of a city, with one gargantuan tower as its centerpiece and smaller buildings below, surrounded by a fortified wall and connected to the mainland by a single bridge.

Science City, California, United States
Fifteen years after the Unicron Battles

After yawning and stretching her arms, Alexis got out of the bed, letting her pink nightrobe flow down her body in the process. With one last stretch of her legs, she took the remote from the bedside table and used it to turn on the TV. Upon entering the main menu, she selected one of the TV's apps and scrolled through dozens of featured videos and channels with the remote.

After a couple of minutes, Alexis noticed one video that piqued her interest. She instantly selected it, and it began to play music that flowed through the room.

As soon as she let the melodic music play, Alexis first strolled across the small yet spacious room. She approached the nearby sink; grabbed a baggie, a water pitcher, and a ceramic cup; and tore the baggie open, filling her nostrils with a caffeinated scent. Then, she poured the baggie's contents, a powdered brown mix, into the cup, followed by some water from the pitcher, creating a thick, foamy drink. Finally, she placed the cup into the microwave above her head and set the appliance for three minutes.

"And I feel all the faint morning light, filled with hope 'cause you're here in my life, and we've gone from the edge of our souls, made it back to a place we call home."

While the microwave buzzed and droned to life and began heating the cup inside, Alexis entered the adjacent bathroom next. She closed the door behind her and turned on the shower, setting the water to its warmest capacity.

While waiting for the shower water to warm, Alexis stared at herself in the built-in mirror with a deep sigh. She may have seen her own reflection thousands upon thousands of times, at least once a day for every year in her life. Even so, Alexis couldn't help but realize how much she had changed since she was a child, even if the changes were surface-level and so insignificant in design.

"You see me through. I was alone in the dark, and the fear was my truth."

Eventually, Alexis became so lost in her thoughts that the glass panel started to fog over, fading out her reflection. With another deep breath, she disrobed and stepped inside the running shower.

"Yeeeaaah! All the things that you are, beautifully broken, alive in my heart! And knooow, that you are everything! Let your heart sing and tonight, we'll light up the staaaaars! All that you aaaaare!"

Her body immediately rejoiced under the baptism of the shower water. The warmth ebbed away her remaining drowsiness, allowing all five of her senses to fully sharpen. It was like becoming a new person again for the day.

Even so, as she began applying bodywash and scrubbing away at her skin, Alexis continued to vacantly stare ahead. Her movements were lifeless and automated in how rehearsed they were.

"I feel wrong, I'm so human and flawed. I'll break down even though I'm still strong, and time will make fools of us all, build us up and then laughs when we faaaaall."

Once she was done with her shower, Alexis stepped out of the shower and dried herself off with a white towel. In a subconscious choice, she glid a hand across the mirror, wiping it of the condensation that coated it and leaving a stripe of clarity that allowed her to stare at her reflection again.

As she did, she could smell the familiar scent of the coffee that she was making. After another moment of silent contemplation, she wrapped herself in the towel and grabbed a smaller towel to continue wiping her hair with. She stepped out of the bathroom and returned to the microwave as it filled the room with a rhythmic beeping noise. She opened the appliance, silencing the beeping, then retrieved the steaming cup and set it on the countertop next to the sink.

"You pull me through when I'm alone in the dark and the fear is my truth."

Next, Alexis wrapped the smaller towel around her hair and strolled over to the closet. It was already open, displaying a few sets of clothes inside. With a blank visage, she took the rightmost hanger, from which a formal periwinkle dress shirt and a white undershirt dangled.

"Yeeeaaah! All the things that you are, beautifully broken, alive in my heart! And knooow, that you are everything! Let your heart sing and tonight, you'll light up the staaaaars! All that you aaaaare!"

Over the next few minutes, Alexis got herself completely dried off and dressed up in the dress shirt and undershirt, along with an equally periwinkle skirt. Once she was done, she sat by the modest table that her room offered her, taking the time to drink her coffee, eat a hand-wrapped sandwich, and scroll through her cellphone to monitor the latest news reports.

The frontpage report stood out to her in an instant: another attack by the so-called Stunticons, this time on a 2PF convoy. Alexis sighed in disappointment, just as a text notification flooded her screen. A query from her colleague asking for confirmation about their appointment. She quickly texted in the affirmative and then finished the last of her sandwich.

After tidying up and reorganizing her room, Alexis opened a drawer on her bedside table and took the only thing that was inside: a pendant carrying a green gem. Once the morning light shone upon it, the gem's polished yet cracked surface began to gleam and glitter at her.

"You're the sound of redemption, the faith that I've lost, the answers I'm seeking no matter the cost. You opened the window. Now I can see, and you taught me forgiveness by giving your love back to meeeeeeeeee!"

With her first true smile of the day, Alexis put the pendant on, stuffed it down her undershirt, and applied its last button, obscuring it from view. Then, she grabbed the ID card resting on the bedside table and clipped it to her breast pocket. Next, she strolled back to the table and grabbed the purse lying on it. After a cursory inventory check, the nicely dressed woman turned off the TV, put on her white loafers, and departed from the room.

One elevator ride later, Alexis promenaded into the lobby, where she found her chauffeur waiting amidst a sea of business and other upper-class travelers. He escorted her outside, where there was a line of cars sequentially driving up along the curb of the doorway to pick people up. It didn't take long for Alexis's ride to arrive: a luxury sedan that stood out even from all the other high-class vehicles with how it seemed to be last relevant ten to fifteen years ago.

Even so, Alexis barely blinked while the chauffeur opened the rear passenger-side door for her and she got inside.

"Yeeeaaah! All the things that you are, beautifully broken, alive in my heart! And knooow, that you are everything! Let your heart sing and toniiiiiiiiiight!"

In the blink of an eye, the car was on the road. It almost soared majestically from block to block, a car amongst many as they all drove in the same general directions on Science City's arterial roadways. Alexis didn't talk to her driver, nor the driver to her. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on her phone screen again; this time, she was reviewing her work emails.

Her attention was not piqued by the occasional yet startling sight of Cybertronians mingling with humans. Some of them were working together on various labors, while others were selling each other all sorts of futuristic products, and a few of them even strolled alongside one another like lifelong friends.

"Yeeeaaah! All the things that you are, beautifully broken, alive in my heart! And knooow, that you are everything! Let your heart sing and toniiiiiiiiiight! Let your heart sing and tonight, you'll light up the staaaaars! All that you aaaaare!"

Eventually, Alexis did break her eyes away from the phone and focus them through the passenger window. The first thing that she saw was a modest-sized rally of protesters on the curb. All of them were animatedly chanting the phrase that showed up time and time again on their simplistic cardboard signs.

"HUMANS COME FIRST! BOTS ARE THE WORST! HUMANS COME FIRST! BOTS ARE THE WORST! HUMANS COME FIRST! BOTS ARE THE WORST!"

With another disappointed exhale, she refocused on her phone. The moment her eyes met the screen, she saw that she received a new text message from...

"Simon?"

She opened the text and read it.

...

What should've taken seconds to read took minutes to digest. Eventually, Alexis laid her head against the leathery headrest without as much as a sound. Her eyesight was glossy now. She could barely comprehend the dazzling sight of the ocean that was calling out to her in her peripheral vision.

"Oh, I feel all the faint morning light. Still, there's hope, 'cause you're here in my liiiiife."

Alterenergy City Front Gate

"Dude. I can hear your staring. It ain't gonna make her arrive any faster, ya know."

With a sigh, Bradley "Rad" White averted his gaze from the bridge in front of him and focused on his companion. Carlos Lopez was coolly leaning against the yellow third-generation Aston Martin Vanquish, vibrantly typing away on his cellphone with focus and a silly smile. The dirty-blond man scowled at the sight but didn't budge.

"I know, Carlos," he said. "It's just, well...it's been years since all five of us got to hang out. Don't blame me for being a little nostalgic."

"Whaddaya mean 'all five', man?" asked Carlos. Finally, he got done typing, lowered his phone, and laid his eyes on his friend with a flat countenance. "Last time I checked, Billy and Fred's asses are still stuck in the RCC. Their ability to make is T.B.D."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"'Sides..." Carlos's lips curled into a mischievous grin, and he gently propelled himself from the Aston Martin and into an upright position. "I'm pretty sure 'nostalgic' isn't the right word to use, Rad. At least not for you."

Rad frowned unhappily, sensing where the conversation was being steered into. "Uh-huh. Well, I think I'm gonna invoke my right to remain silent now."

"Mm-hm." The Hispanic man continued to smirk with some sort of condescending foreknowledge. "Yeah. You do that, Rad. You do that."

"Don't you have your girlfriends to text? How many are there for this week? Three? Four?"

Carlos's smirk instantly disappeared into a scowl. "It's one, for your information. And might I add that this one's been going on for a lot longer than a week!"

"Oh yeah, it's been going on for two weeks." Rad rolled his eyes with his own smirk. "I forgot. My bad."

He only got a grumble of annoyance from his friend.

"Heh. Even after all these years, you kids continue to astound me."

The Aston Martin's headlights independently blinked on and off, synchronized with every syllable spoken by the robotic yet lively new voice. Yet, the new presence did not startle Rad and Carlos even in the slightest.

"Transform!"

Almost immediately, the sports car transformed into a robot over fifteen feet tall. The two young men looked up at him with wistful smiles.

"Sarcasm isn't an emotion logged by the average Cybertronian thought processor," the robot continued to comment, "but it is certainly interesting to see it in action..." Then, he used a plated finger to scratch his equally plated cheek. "Even if I'm still unable to figure out the context..."

"Ehhh, don't worry about it, Hot Shot," Carlos replied with a halfhearted shrug. "Rad's just in a lil' denial, that's all."

Rad rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Ugh, here we go again with that scrap."

With a chuckle, Hot Shot then focused on the road ahead. "But I do agree with Rad's assessment, though. It's been a few stellar cycles since I've seen Alexis without needing a monitor. It's certainly cause for excitement."

"Excitement? Bleh."

Rad, Carlos, and Hot Shot turned towards the new speaker, a green-and-gray robot stationed by a security checkpoint a few feet ahead. He stood under the shadow of the arch that marked the boundary between Alterenergy City and the bridge to the mainland. Even so, they could easily recognize who it was as he leaned uncomfortably against the arch with his arms crossed.

"I think I'd rather eat molten scrap-metal than see you overgrown maggots mingling together once again," the robot spat. His voice was low to sound more like a mutter to himself, though all three knew better than that.

"You can keep up the attitude, Demolishor," Hot Shot sternly replied, "but it's not gonna do you any favors. Optimus is still not happy about that stunt you pulled in the last lunar phase."

"Of course he didn't." Demolishor stubbornly looked away with a huff. "I'm a former Decepticon, after all. Never mind the Autobot simpletons who were lugging that slab of Energon-"

"Hey, no label-pulling! We're all on the same side now! Or has your memory processor short-circuited?"

"Ohhhhh, trust me."

Demolishor's voice was dripping with sarcasm. This time, Hot Shot understood the context completely.

"I haven't forgotten. I mean, how could I forget all the short sticks that you made me and my pals draw?"

"Glad to see you haven't changed a bit, Demolishor," Carlos mumbled audibly.

Rad could only take a deep breath and shake his head in disapproval.

As for Hot Shot, the former Autobot suppressed an irritated growl, then he crossed his arms. "You know, I hope you haven't been giving that unpleasant attitude to any new visitors and threatening them into silence, Demolishor. Because if Alexis reports to us that you pointed your fingers in her face, then I'll see to it that-!"

"HHHHHEEEEEYYYYY, YOU GUUUUUYYYYYSSSSS!"

Rad, Carlos, and Hot Shot turned around to see a familiar metallic-blue dirtbike pedaling towards them at top speed. Riding it was a teenage girl with deep-orange hair and elated eyes as green as emeralds. She was followed by a grayish-blue and silver hoverboard and an orange four-wheel ATV, but neither of them had any riders and were instead moving on their own. Rad couldn't help but crack a grin of amusement, which only grew once the girl skidded to a stop a few feet in front of him, leaving a billowing cloud of dust in her wake.

With a great, toothy grin, the girl hopped off the dirtbike, which transformed into a diminutive robot a mere millisecond after. The autonomous hoverboard and ATV followed suit, and once the transformations were done, the trio of robots joined Carlos's sides.

"Hey, Grindor!" Carlos greeted. "High Wire, Sureshock! How's Energon Refinement been treating ya guys?"

The three Mini-Cons simply beeped at him in affirmation.

As for the new girl, she almost shouldered past Rad while looking around in frantic enthusiasm.

"Is Alexis here?!" she exclaimed. "Did she get past Demolishor?! I mean, she definitely would; only she can bypass that grumpy wannabe-"

"I'm standing right here, you know!" Demolishor snapped. Then, he growled and muttered irritably, "Primus-damn talkative little bug, I'd show her a grumpy wannabe if I could..."

"No, Sally," Rad replied with a small laugh, "Alexis is still on her way."

"Huuuuuh?!" The lively and bubbly posture was squeezed out of the girl in an instant, and she checked her wristwatch. "But...she's almost running late! She never runs late!"

"Well, she texted me a couple ago, said she got held up in some traffic." The dirty-blond man passed by her, giving her shoulder a sympathetic pat as he went. "She'll be here, Sally."

"Oh, yeah," Carlos remarked, his eyes lighting up in remembrance. "Wasn't there supposed to be another one of those Humans First rallies over in Science City? They're probably the ones holdin' her up."

"I don't get those humans at all," Hot Shot grumbled.

High Wire, Grindor, and Sureshock beeped rhythmically in agreement.

Then, Rad stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Hey, speaking of running late, are your dad and Optimus still stuck with all the preparations? This is a pretty important VIP visit, after all."

"Yeah, they're stuck, alright," Sally replied, still somewhat deflated. With puffed cheeks of indignation, she held her chin high. "If there's one thing that my dad loves more than anything in this world, it's listening to himself talk about Energon and all of its wonderful capabilities."

Carlos couldn't help but snicker. "Heh heh heh. Yeah, that sounds like Dr. Jones, all right."

"Carlos!" Rad chided. "Don't talk about him like that! It's inappropriate, given all we've been through with him!"

Sally blinked in awe at the reference. "Ohhhhh, yeah. I forgot that it's been almost fourteen years..." She suddenly started to ogle Rad in a not-so-subtle way, with glittering, glassy eyes. "Time sure flies by quickly..."

Unbeknownst to her, her expression was completely and utterly transparent to Rad, Carlos, Hot Shot, and even Demolishor. Rad could only smile nervously, while Carlos shook his head not at her, but at his longtime friend. Hot Shot and Demolishor both looked away, the former in amusement and the other with disgust; meanwhile, High Wire, Grindor, and Sureshock continued to observe.

"Adolescents and their hormones," Hot Shot commented to himself. "Such a fascinating phenomenon."

"Ugh," Demolishor vocalized. "Humans and their Primus-damn primordial behaviors. It shakes me to the Spark sometimes..."

The three Mini-Cons beeped again.

Penthouse Floor 2, Central Tower

"The 01 Source. Or Energon, as the Cybertronians prefer to call it."

The middle-aged man's face was dashing and flawless, even as he focused on combing his brown hair in front of the large mirror. He stood alone in his personal study, dressed in a black, wool turtleneck and tan slacks. All around him, the office was decorated with thriving houseplants and various furniture of imported leather and polished wood. Propped behind his desk was a large bookshelf stuffed to the brim with books, all revolving around the same general subject.

"Ever since its discovery almost fourteen years ago," the man continued, "Energon has been employed for the benefit of all of humanity. Our reliance on the dwindling fossil fuels is now a relic of the past, and clean alternative energy is no longer a vision of the future. Thanks to Energon and all of its wonderful capabilities, the future is today. And here at Alterenergy, we give you the future today."

Once he was done combing his hair, the man gave his goatee one last look. With pursed lips, he gave the tuft of chin hair one last pinch to straighten it out.

"Now, you might be asking yourselves, 'What is Alterenergy doing to give you the future today...when the future is already today?' Well, the answer is simple. Energon has limitless applications. Now that the human race has completed its transition from fossil fuels to Energon, we at Alterenergy believe it is time to broaden our horizons."

Satisfied with his visual presentation, the man then approached a coat rack, from which a few coats hung. He took the rightmost one, a lab-coat, and put it on with an exaggerated, flowing gusto. The edge of his coat billowed with the air by design, looking like some sort of cape.

"Alterenergy City is the first step towards that broadened horizon. Energon and Cybertronian technology may have been used to augment our cities and countries, but it has never been used in full to build a settlement for ourselves. And that is where Alterenergy City comes in. It is the city of tomorrow, employing Cybertronian city planning but with us humans in mind. A city of Cybertron for humans and Cybertronians alike. And perhaps, in a future where humanity and the Transformers no longer see a need for symbiosis, a city of Earth for-"

"Honey."

The man felt his breath get caught in his throat, and he almost stumbled in his overdramatic posturing. After recovering, he glared at the doorway, which he noticed was open for the first time. There, a beautiful blonde woman stood, wearing a plain, buttoned-up dress of baby-blue that matched her eyes.

"Ugh..." The man clutched his forehead in relief. "You know better than to interrupt me in the middle of my rehearsals, Miranda."

"And you know better than to not let those rehearsals interfere with your schedule, Brian," the woman replied with a soft, calm smile.

"Well, that's exactly why I'm rehearsing, sweetie. In case you forgot, Minister Morrow is on her way to tour the city, and I-" The totality of his wife's words finally sunk in, and he became as alert as a meerkat in the savanna. "Wait, interfere with my schedule?"

Cheekily despite her motherly demeanor, Miranda pointed over his shoulder. Brian twirled around with a gasp and saw the digital clock taking up an entire corner of the wall, boasting the current time.

"CRAP!"

Brian reseated himself behind the desk and opened his laptop. In a blur, he finished his email draft, sent it to its intended recipients, and shut down the laptop. All the while, he was muttering to himself in a panic. Once the laptop was fully shut down, Brian downed his cup of coffee, grabbed his handbag, shot up from his chair, and hurried out of the office.

"Wish me luck, honey, see you in the evening!" he exclaimed in one breath.

"One moment, Brian," Miranda said, grabbing her husband's arm to stop him.

"Huh?" Brian glared at her in incredulity. "Honey, I'm already running late; I need to get g-"

With another cheeky smile, Miranda flashed the ID card in his face. Brian blinked at the picture of himself, then he smiled sheepishly and took it from her.

"What on God's green Earth am I gonna do without you?" he asked as he clipped it onto his breast pocket.

"Continue to raise Kicker and Sally as their father, for starters."

An awkward grimace glimmered in his expression. But it faded just as quickly as it came, and he gave his wife a cheerful smile.

"Trust me, honey," he said, "with the way things are going, Sally's the one raising me. And Kicker, well..." There was another shadow of a grimace. "He's Kicker. He always finds a way to get by. Now..." He swiftly glanced at his wristwatch. "I gotta get going, or we're gonna hear Morrow's voice across these halls any moment now."

Brian gave Miranda a parting kiss on the cheek, which she accepted.

"Well, go give them the future, Dr. Jones," Miranda said. Though she spoke with a hint of playfulness, it sounded forced and stilted.

Even so, Jones nodded proudly, turned on his heel, and ran down the adjacent hallway. His handbag bobbed to and fro with every step, threatening to spill out its contents. Miranda watched him go, waving modestly after him.

Once he turned around a corner and disappeared, Miranda leaned against the door and heaved out a glum sigh.

"IT'S AN AMBUSH!"

The squadron of Cybertronians halted in their tracks and looked around. In every direction, dozens of smaller robots emerged from the thick darkness with stealth that was almost unmatched. They predatorily stared the squadron down while holding their ground, as if waiting for them to make the first move. These smaller robots took on the forms of several Earth-based animals: some were birds of prey, others were canines and felines, and even some were insectoids and arachnids. But the soldiers were not fazed and instead trained their weapons on their opponents.

"Remember the objective, everyone!" yelled the Cybertronian in the front, a green-and-purple robot with a gray face and treads for arms. "We cannot let the enemy get its hands on the Mini-Cons! Understood?!"

"YES, SCAVENGER SIR!" the five Cybertronians chorused behind him.

Scavenger cocked his rifle. "I will lay down suppressive fire. Camshaft, Arcee, you two join me."

"Yes, sir!" a silver-and-blue-striped robot and a hot-pink robot replied simultaneously.

"Octane, Sandstorm, you cover Ironhide."

"Affirmative, sir," replied a gruff, larger robot with a jungle camouflage-style color scheme.

"As you command, Scavenger sir," added a saluting smaller robot colored in various shades of brown.

Scavenger nodded without looking. "And Ironhide, for the love of Primus, don't let go of those Mini-Cons even if it's the last thing you do!"

Amidst the other robots, a red-and-yellow robot with blue shoulders, wrist-guards, and legs groaned in exasperation. He cast an irritated glance down at the three Mini-Cons in his arms; one was red, another was blue, and the third was yellow. They could do nothing but look back up and beep helplessly at him.

"Awww, come on, sir!" The sixth Cybertronian indignantly stomped his foot, startling his wards. "Do I really have to-?!"

"No talkback, Ironhide!" Scavenger interrupted with a bark. "They're scared and don't know what to do! They're gonna run off the moment you're not paying attention!"

"But why can't Octane take them?! His refueling tanker plane mode is more than enough to fit them-"

Scavenger silenced him with an upraised finger of metal. "Rule number one of the battlefield, kid! You don't get to choose your assignment in a life-or-death situation! The assignment comes to you! Now, LET'S MOOOOOVE!"

The bestial robots lunged at the crew of six. Scavenger, Camshaft, and Arcee deployed their best weapons and used them to counter their attackers. As for Octane and Sandstorm, the former shot off into the air, luring dozens of the winged attackers away, while the latter transformed into a dune buggy with the Cybertronian invocation and raced off, leaving a thick cloud of dust in his wake.

Meanwhile, Ironhide grunted again. "Aw, MAN! I hate being the damn runner!" Then, he looked down again at the Mini-Cons, all of whom watched him expectantly. "You don't get to choose your assignment? The assignment comes to you? What the molten hell does that even mean?! UGH!"

The Mini-Cons could only beep at him. With an ungrateful scowl, the young Cybertronian began running across the terrain as fast as he could, keeping the Mini-Cons tucked safely in his arms all the while. Scavenger, Camshaft, and Arcee trailed behind him, constantly engaging the enemy every time they tried to close in on Ironhide. The airborne Octane kept the winged robots occupied, while Sandstorm raced through the area in his dune buggy mode, firing his weapons and ramming any enemies that evaded the gunfire.

After several minutes, Ironhide took shelter behind a rock, barely avoiding a laser-beam in the process. He panted in panic and stared ahead at his objective: a stone wall engraved with the Autobot symbol.

"Almost there..." he whispered to himself. "Almost to the flag..." He couldn't help but crack a grin. "Hm. This seems like a piece of Energon today."

He promptly got out of the rock's shadow and took a single step. A millisecond later, he was shot down straight away by another laser-beam.

"AUGH!"

Ironhide crashed to the ground, and the Mini-Cons flew out of his grasp in the process. They momentarily bounced on the ground like discarded toys. Then, they sprang up to their feet and started fleeing.

"NO, WAIT! COME BACK!"

Ironhide tried to reach out to them, only for a pair of unfamiliar-looking arms to sweep them off their feet. With a stunned gasp, the young soldier realized that he was now under a completely different shadow. He slowly craned his gaze upward and was met by a familiar faceplate and yellow eyes.

"You just lost the Mini-Cons, Ironhide," Optimus Prime said. "Not to mention you were just taken offline. Mission failed."

Cybertronian Training Grounds, Alterenergy City

Ironhide eyed the Mini-Cons in Optimus's arms as they rejoiced in the cradle of his arms. All of a sudden, the remaining enemy robots deactivated at the same time. Their heads lowered lifelessly, while the airborne ones automatically descended and landed on the closest surfaces before going offline as well. Scavenger, Camshaft, Arcee, and Octane all paused and looked around, while Sandstorm stopped shooting and ramming enemy robots.

"Transform!" The dune buggy promptly transformed back into his robot mode and kicked at the ground in frustration. "Oh, come ON! Are you serious right now, Ironhide?!"

"Did Ironhide cost us a training exercise again?" asked an exasperated Camshaft. "Oh, for the love of all that is Primus..."

"Yeah," Octane rumbled from above. "I can see him lying on his stupid chassis once again."

"Gentlemen, please keep it together," Scavenger replied harshly. "We need to report to Prime now."

The quintet of robots made their way towards Optimus, with Camshaft and Octane giving the still-fallen Ironhide nasty glances while passing by. Sandstorm took the moment to stop and loom over him with a scowl.

"You know, Ironhide," the dune buggy remarked, "you need to get your wires checked. I mean, you talk a great deal about becoming the next Hot Shot, but the way I see it, you're on your way to becoming the next scrapheap. Especially with that attitude of yours. You dishonor bots like Hot Shot with that sort of combat acumen."

Ironhide trembled and growled savagely at his fellow soldier's taunt. But before Sandstorm could continue, Arcee approached them both with crossed arms.

"And maybe you should check your engine for sand," the female robot said flatly, "because you sound short-circuited somewhere, Sandstorm. Now move along."

Sandstorm glowered at her for a moment before stomping away. After taking one last, careful glance at the retreating robot, Arcee stood over Ironhide and held out a hand towards him.

"I'm sure Hot Shot's made mistakes like this before," she said encouragingly. "Don't let Sandstorm get to you."

Ironhide eyed Arcee's outstretched hand, stunned by the gesture. Then, he lowered his head, frowned, and swatted her away. Without saying a word, he stood up on his own and loyally marched to Optimus's position. He could feel Arcee's eyes of concern on him even as she started to follow him.

Once all six Cybertronians gathered around their leader, Optimus spoke in his thunderous yet fatherly voice.

"Outside of that outcome, you all performed admirably this morning. You followed Scavenger's orders to the last detail, even if there was some dissent."

Four pairs of robotic eyes briefly glared at Ironhide, who could only feel himself shriveling under the scornful attention.

As if sensing how the youngest soldier was being singled out, Optimus continued, "But some dissent is good. Every soldier is going to need clarification on their role in the battlefield, or their commander's tactics may genuinely be ill-advised. Deferring to the chain of command is an imperfect system, especially when it comes to split-second decisions that could affect one's chances. The soldier needs to know if their role in the battlefield is a secure one and vital to victory."

Ironhide felt his chest swell while Camshaft, Octane, and Sandstorm started to look utterly deflated.

"But."

The single word piqued the shared attention of all five trainees.

"Does anyone know what Ironhide did wrong in this exercise?"

"He didn't check the rock for any enemies," Camshaft, Arcee, Octane, and Sandstorm recited at the same time.

"Right." Optimus glanced at the befuddled Ironhide next. "I was hiding on top of that rock the entire time, Ironhide. I had a tactical advantage, but it could've been foiled if you had spotted me before taking cover."

"But I was running for my life, sir!" Ironhide stammered. "And that of the Mini-Cons too! How was I supposed to notice you?!"

"Your Spark can be ended at any second on the battlefield. If you wish to avoid that, then you need to always be aware of your surroundings. It doesn't matter if you're running for your life. And you can't expect the enemy to hold your hand all the time. A soldier is expected to do multiple things and anticipate multiple things at the same time. It's the only way to survive the battlefield, and more importantly, it's how to win the battle."

Optimus approached Ironhide and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The young soldier looked at it, momentarily stunned by the gesture.

"Do you understand, soldier?" the former Autobot leader asked.

Then, Ironhide lowered his head in shame. "Yeah... I understand..."

"Good." Optimus removed his hand, but he continued to stare at his underling with glowing eyes. "Don't dull your Spark's glow over this, Ironhide. There will come a time when you find this lesson to be very valuable and very formative."

The young soldier just looked away. At that moment, a large screen activated itself on the side of the training grounds. Optimus and the others turned their attention towards it and were greeted with a familiar face.

"Optimus," the newcomer greeted. "Apologies for the intrusion."

"You're not intruding at all, Red Alert," Optimus replied leisurely. He set the Mini-Cons on the ground and stood upright again. "Report."

"Our eight o'clock appointment is about to begin. The S.A.M. is due to arrive any moment now."

"Ah, yes. My meeting with the 2PF representatives. Thank you, Red Alert. Is Jetfire aware?"

"Yes. He and the Seekers are en route as we speak."

"Then I shall be en route as well." Optimus then turned towards Scavenger and the trainees. "Alright, training session is over. Everyone, dismissed. Thank you for supervising their training, Scavenger."

Scavenger loyally saluted. "Anything for the next generation of Auto- er, Cybertronian warriors."

The five trainees saluted, with the distracted Ironhide being delayed by a second. "Thank you for the session, Prime sir!"

Optimus saluted back before marching past them, his presence punctuated by mighty mechanical stomps. The Mini-Cons beeped at him in farewell. Ironhide watched the commander go, then he lowered his arm and morosely hung his head. He could hear his fellow trainees and the Mini-Cons follow Scavenger out of the arena, but he couldn't muster the willpower to follow them.

"Wow, Prime himself has been giving us high marks lately!" Camshaft exclaimed excitedly. "Imagine that!"

"Yeah!" replied Sandstorm. "With him backing us, it won't be long till we graduate and officially join the fold!"

"We just need to pass the last few tests," Octane boomed, his footsteps louder than those of his comrades. "Then we'll be in the clear."

Ironhide could literally hear Camshaft and Sandstorm roll their optics.

"Let's hope Ironhide doesn't drag us down while we're so close to the finish line," Sandstorm commented.

Camshaft scoffed derisively. "Yeah, the bot's gotta have a vital part rusted somewhere if he's messing up like this. I mean, how many low marks does this make now?! He's a literal anchor on our chances!"

"How in Primus's name are we supposed to depend on a bot like that on the battlefield?!"

"Hey!" Arcee barked suddenly, startling the other trainees. "You soldiers do know that talking about one of your own behind their back like this isn't very professional, right? If Optimus and Commander Scavenger find out about this, then they could dock important points from your scores. Now, do you want that?"

By that point, the group had gotten too far for Ironhide to hear the rest of the conversation. Uncaringly, he clenched his fists so tightly that they trembled and he could hear his metal parts creaking. Then, with an overwhelmed yell, the young soldier punched the rock closest to him, causing it to break down and collapse into a pile of smaller rocks.

...

Finally, the pain caught up to his sensors. Ironhide yowled and clutched his dented knuckles. All the while, he could feel shame and embarrassment racing through his circuitry. He was immensely glad that his fellow trainees weren't there to witness his pathetic display.

"You know, Ironhide, you need to get your wires checked."

"I don't need to get my wires checked," he thought.

"I mean, you talk a great deal about becoming the next Hot Shot, but the way I see it, you're on your way to becoming the next scrapheap."

Ironhide gritted his metallic teeth. "Guh! What does Sandstorm know about Hot Shot?"

"You dishonor bots like Hot Shot with that sort of combat acumen."

"I don't dishonor Hot Shot. I won't! I...I just need to get better. I need to focus and hone myself. I need to prove that I can be a reliable bot on the field! I swear to Primus, I will become a great and noble warrior like Hot Shot in no time! I swear to it!"

"HHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

The young soldier's roar of furious defiance echoed across the training grounds, shaking any nearby glass panes and trembling pebbles on the ground, but unheard by all.

Alterenergy City Front Gate

"You have arrived at Alterenergy City, Ms. Thi Dang."

With a sullen blink, Alexis finished her text message to Simon and reread it. But she was already satisfied. She tapped 'Send' with finality and then lifted her head, just in time to see the luxury sedan slowing to a crawl in front of a familiar arch. An ominous shadow loomed over the vehicle, but she recognized the green-and-purple color scheme almost immediately.

"Identification, please," Demolishor's familiar voice boomed halfheartedly.

The chauffeur prepared to reach into his pocket, but Alexis was quicker.

"No need, Jarvis," she said. "Please open the roof for me."

The older gentleman complied and pressed a button on the dashboard. A panel on the roof autonomously slid open, leaving a hole in its place. Demolishor peered into the vehicle in curiosity, but he grimaced upon seeing Alexis's face. She smirked, letting the former Decepticon's familiar chassis shove her thoughts about Simon to the back of her mind.

"I can see that no ID is needed for me, huh Demolishor?" she asked.

"Ugh, fine." With a trembling arm, the security guard reluctantly saluted. "You're clear to enter!"

Jarvis drove forth once again, shutting the roof in the process. Alexis couldn't help but look over her shoulder and condescendingly wave at him. Judging by the twitch that snapped through his body, she knew that he saw it.

"Ms. Thi Dang," Teletraan's voice announced, professionally yet dispassionately, "I am pleased to report that you are only three minutes off-schedule. And fortunately, my analysis of Science City traffic patterns from the airport indicates that Ms. Morrow and her entourage will be approximately five additional minutes off-schedule."

"Gee, thanks for the analysis, Teletraan," Alexis replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Do you wish for me to inform Mr. White, Mr. Lopez, and Ms. Jones of your arrival?"

"No, I already told them ahead of time. Thank you, Teletraan." She peered out of the window and already saw the front parking lot, just as Jarvis found a spot. "They should already be h-"

"ALEEEEEXIIIIISSSSS!"

The familiar voice penetrated the sedan's windowpanes. With a delighted chuckle, Alexis waited for the car to slow down so that she could unbuckle her seatbelt and harmlessly get out. Jarvis saw this through his rearview mirror and sputtered in disbelief.

"Wha?!" Then, before he could bump into something amidst his distraction, the chauffeur forced himself to refocus on the parking spot that he was slotting the sedan into. "M-Ms. Thi Dang!"

Outside, Alexis could already see the teenage redhead running towards him. "Sally!"

Before she knew it, the girl almost tackled her in a tight hug. "I could see you at the front gate! I knew you could get past Demolishor, but I didn't think you'd be able to get past him that quickly!"

"Ah, all I had to do was appeal to his Spark," Alexis replied with a smirk. Then, she gave Sally a once-over once they parted. "Wow, look at you, Sally! You're so grown up! When was the last time we saw each other again?"

Sally tucked her hands behind her back and held her chin up high. "Four years, nine months, two weeks, and five days."

The woman blinked incredulously. "You've been counting?"

"Well, duh! It's total Boresville here in Alterenergy City whenever you're not around! Misha's always off doing something in Energon Applications or smooching my brother. And it's not like you can hang out with friends in online school, unless their name's Teletraan."

"Well, at least you're getting your money's worth in education," Alexis replied encouragingly. "Intergalactic politics is still a new field, after all." Then, she furrowed her brow and looked around. "Hey, uh, by the way, Sally, where are Rad and Carlos? I thought they'd be-"

A pair of hands clasped themselves over her eyes, interrupting her.

"Guess who, Alexis?" the newcomer asked.

She couldn't restrain her smile. "I dunno, but I have a yellow belt in Vovinam, so you've got a lot of cajónes to sneak up on me like that, Carlos."

A snicker later, the hands removed themselves, and Alexis turned around to see her childhood friend.

"Typical Thi Dang," he commented with his familiar accent. "Always standing high and mighty for yourself."

Even so, she smiled, and the two of them hugged, with Carlos avidly clapping her on the back.

"I've been meaning to ask," she said, "how was your Mars mission? Hope the atmospheric pressure didn't inflate your head." She teasingly smirked. "God knows it's big enough already."

"Yeah, well..." Carlos lightly rapped his knuckles into his own temple. "You know what they say! Big heads mean thick skulls! Plus, I snagged the numbers of a couple of those Martian lady scientists! Heh heh heh! Methinks Carlos Lopez is gonna boldly go where no man has gone before, if you know what I mean..."

He wagged his eyebrows, lasciviously yet confidently. But for once in her life, Alexis didn't feel her face fall flat at that. Instead, she broadened her smirk and gave her friend a light shove on the shoulder.

"Okay, Han Solo. You go get 'em. Now where's...?"

She saw who she was looking for, and her voice melted into the atmosphere. Rad smiled and gave her a stilted wave, which she reciprocated with another smile.

"Rad," she greeted.

"Alexis..." he greeted back, speaking as if he was speaking from a further distance.

"It's been a while. I mean, if you don't count our calls and teleconferences."

"It certainly has." Rad started strolling up to her. "How's the 2PF been treating you?"

She confidently put a hand on her hip. "Well, keeping the peace between two whole planets and their civilizations is a pretty tall order, but you know me. I can handle anything they throw my way for the sake of worldwide peace."

"I know you can."

By that point, Alexis realized that Rad was already well within her personal space. Without warning, he wrapped her in a hug so tight and passionate that he lifted her off her feet.

"WhaaAAAUUUGGGHHH!" After catching her breath, the woman returned the hug and patted Rad's back with a nervous chuckle. "S-Someone's definitely excited to see me..."

"Oh, sorry!" Rad let her go with a growing blush, and he began speaking frantically. "I'm really sorry, Alexis! It's just, well, it's been a while since we were all together, and well..." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, and he spoke more from a subconscious level. "You look good, Alexis."

Alexis blinked at him, dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Rad caught himself again and yelped in one breath, "Oh, I mean, you look good f-for a 2PF ambassador, Alexis! Not that you guys don't look good! It's just that you're definitely a trendsetter for them! When it comes to looks, I mean. No, I mean-"

She cut him off with a giggle. "Ohhh, Rad. Even after all these years, you can still be the same ole doofus from middle school."

Ignoring Rad's increasingly florid expression, Alexis looked over his shoulder and saw the three Mini-Cons behind him.

"Hi, guys!" She sidestepped her childhood friend and ran up to the trio, having to bend over slightly so that she could be at eye-level with them. "Sureshock, High Wire, and of course Grindor! I hope they're treating you all well here at Alterenergy."

The Mini-Cons beeped and nodded at her. Even so, she wrapped them in another hug, which they returned in kind. As she did, another voice spoke up.

"What, you've got no special greeting for your old Autobot pal Hot Shot?"

With a smile and a giggle, Alexis turned around and saw Hot Shot towering over them all. He gave her a toothy smile and a thumbs-up. In return, she sprung forward and hugged his robotic leg.

"It's great to see you again as well, Hot Shot," she said. Then, she parted from him and quickly assessed his new appearance. "Huh, but you look different. When'd I last see you in person? Couple of years ago?"

"That sounds about right." The former Autobot soldier looked down at himself. "And yeah, I know. To tell you the truth, Alexis, I decided to lose the Audi TT."

"What?!" Alexis looked genuinely hurt, but she restrained herself. "No way! I liked that car!"

"Well, I heard it was going out of style nowadays, and now that I'm commander of Alterenergy Base, I thought a makeover would be appropriate."

Alexis beamed at him in remembrance. "Oh yeah, Teletraan told me you got your commission last year. Congratulations, Hot Shot."

Hot Shot smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Alexis. But trust me, being base commander isn't all that it's cracked up to be, as you humans like to say." He gave Rad and Carlos a beseeching glance. "I, uh, I said that correctly, did I?"

Carlos just gave his robotic friend a thumbs-up of affirmation.

As for Rad, he continued to stare and smile at Alexis. "Everyone's been busy, as you could imagine. Billy and Fred couldn't even make it here; they told us they're still doing repairs and systems checks at the RCC. But I'm sure you'll see them during the tour. And the old Autobot team isn't even together."

"Yeah," Alexis replied sadly. "I heard Hoist, Blurr, and Sideswipe all got reassigned to different places. Sideswipe was on the Asteroid Belt mission, last I heard. Dunno about Hoist and Blurr anymore. Are you guys at least keeping in touch?"

"Yep," said Hot Shot. "They call in every other month or so, don't worry. But they haven't been Earthside in years."

"And Scavenger's retired?"

"Mm-hm." Carlos pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "But he's been keepin' himself busy by training the new bots on-base. Speaking of which, we have a class of trainees about to graduate next Tuesday."

"Think you'll be available to go to the commencement ceremony?" Rad asked with alight eyes. "It's pretty amazing, seeing Transformer customs in action!"

At that, Alexis sighed and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Rad, but I'm gonna have to take a raincheck on that. The 2PF is gonna have an important conference next Tuesday. The Energon drilling stations are still unpopular with Egypt and Mexico, and I need to be with my mediation team. It could turn into a whole geopolitical mess if we don't play our cards right."

Without the need for an X-ray, she could practically see Rad's heart falling in disappointment. At first, she frowned, and her forehead was creased with concern. Then, she did what came naturally to her.

She leaned right into Rad's face, startling him, and exclaimed, "So for the last time, the answer's NO!"

Rad fell over on his posterior in nervousness and embarrassment, eliciting snickers from Carlos and Sally and a playfully innocuous smile from Alexis. Even Hot Shot laughed and the Mini-Cons beeped in a rhythmic way that suggested amusement.

"Oh, how I missed these interactions, kids," Hot Shot commented jovially once his laughter died down. "To this day, you three are teaching me more about your race than any other human I've ever met."

"Ugh, gee," Rad grumbled, rubbing his behind as he stood up. "Glad you're having a top-tier firsthand experience, Hot Shot."

"Ah, and speaking of the 2PF, where are the rest of your colleagues? I thought they'd be with you for this meeting, Alexis."

Alexis's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, yeah! Teletraan said they'd be delayed by traffic. But they should be here any-"

"Alright, you're clear to enter!"

Demolishor's voice broke through the atmosphere, interrupting the reunion. Everyone glanced back at the front gate, where they saw a convoy of government vehicles, similar to Alexis's luxury sedan, driving into the parking lot. Despite their varying makes and models, all of them had the same circular symbol on their sides: one half of Earth on the left side and one half of Cybertron on the right, with both halves united by the Roman numerals II and having the words 'Planet Federation' encircling them. They parked themselves alongside the lot's passenger loading zone, allowing several government agents in black suits to get out in orderly fashion.

But the new arrivals didn't hold their attention for long. A new noise started to become audible, distant but approaching. Before long, everyone's eyes were lifted towards the sky, where they could see a helicopter flying towards them. As it started to near its destination, the aerial vehicle slowed down and turned to face rightward, in the process displaying the same two-planet insignia on its side.

Then, the helicopter began to make a careful, methodical descent towards the parking lot, where a conveniently placed helipad waited underneath it. Alexis icily held onto her skirt with one hand and used the other to keep her hair from flying into her face. In contrast, Rad, Carlos, Sally, and even the Street Action Mini-Con Team had to hold up both of their arms to shield their faces from the blast of air from the helicopter's very presence.

"What's up with the welcomin' wagon?!" Carlos hollered over the howling of the winds.

"I think we're about to find out!" Rad yelled back.

"WHAT?!"

"I THINK WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT!"

"WHAT?!"

Fortunately, the helicopter made a safe landing on the helipad, and its passengers began to disembark immediately. First, there was a slightly stout, bespectacled Asian woman who was around Alexis's age and just as well dressed, except the color of her suit was navy-blue. Alexis smiled at her, but Rad, Carlos, and Sally all gawked at the half-dozen purses dangling from the hapless woman's arms and shoulders, each of a different size and design. She also clearly looked dizzy from the ride; her face was puckered and green, and she staggered in her step.

Then, another well-dressed woman stepped out, completely lacking in the first one's disorientation. She was a blonde, older Caucasian wearing a sophisticated suit of deep-purple and a pair of glasses with white, half-moon-shaped lenses and a black frame with blue highlights. However, despite her flashy style, she carried a razor-sharp stare and a ruthless scowl that Rad, Carlos, and Sally were sure would've intimidated Megatron into submission. This woman was still talking on her cellphone; her voice dripped with an authority so potent in its absoluteness that it could be its own snake venom.

"Look, I don't have time for this, Mr. Wicker," she said. Then, she abruptly stopped in her tracks. "Okay. Well, how's this for correspondence? The next time you decide to sidestep my authority and give the go-ahead for a schedule reshuffle, you might as well start preparing your resume for your next job at McRonald's. I don't care what the new Chancellor thinks; he needs to remember a special little word that I believe was called 'protocol'. You know, the thing that separates the rest of us from the animals."

The woman gave a quick glance and seemed to finally notice Alexis's presence. Under her gaze, Alexis stood tall and firm at attention. At that point, Rad and Carls noticed an entirely new disposition from their childhood friend for the first time. It was subdued, but it was noticeable to them nevertheless.

Despite Alexis's presentation, the older woman's visage didn't budge a centimeter, and she continued speaking on the phone.

"Okay, Mr. Wicker, my eight o'clock is here. I must go. Ah, no, no, no, when I say I must go, I must go. Oh, and if I find that you didn't relay my message to the Chancellor, then your great-great-grandkids are gonna feel what I've got in store for you."

She hung up and apathetically handed the phone, over her shoulder, to her purse-carrying aide. The frazzled Asian woman hurriedly took it and stuffed it into one of the purses. Then, as the blonde marched over to Alexis, she seemed to remember something and minutely leaned her head towards the aide.

"Oh, Keiko?" she asked.

"Yes, Ms. Morrow?" the aide replied, clearly out of breath.

"Remind me to fire my event planner. I can't believe we're..." The blonde took a cursory glance at her watch. "Six minutes and twenty-two seconds late for our eight o'clock. A goddamn travesty is what this trip has been so far."

The aide seemed to deflate. "R-Right, sir... W-Will do, sir..."

With that, Morrow finally reached Alexis, who maintained her posture and maintained a blank expression. She gave her a curt, almost dismissive nod.

"Ms. Thi Dang," she said.

"Welcome to Alterenergy, Ms. Minister," Alexis replied while gesturing to the city.

Morrow followed her colleague's gaze and judgmentally analyzed its exterior appearance. "Hm. Reminds me of my dad's old Camaro."

Hot Shot saluted at that. "Thank you, ma-"

She bitterly grimaced. "What a piece of crap that car was."

The young commander nearly keeled over in shock. "URK!"

But Alexis was unphased, and she calmly replied, "Ms. Minister, sir, we will begin your tour of the facilities momentarily. What Alterenergy is hoping to show you is how their work in this new settlement will revolutionize how we-"

Morrow suddenly held out a hand in front of Alexis's face, silencing her. "Respectfully, I must stop you right there, Ms. Thi Dang."

Alexis fought to suppress a stunned reaction. "Sir?"

"I had this tour scheduled at eight o'clock. Eight o'clock on the dot. I arrived seven minutes late, and now that I'm here seven minutes late, you're telling me that my tour of the facilities will begin 'momentarily'? Am I hearing that correctly?"

"...Yes, sir, yes."

"Hm. Momentarily..." Morrow looked around, feigning desperate curiosity in her search, while a crease emerged on her forehead. "May I ask what's the holdup?"

"We're waiting on Dr. Jones, sir. The head of Alterenergy." Alexis then turned towards Sally and mouthed to her, "Where's your dad?!"

Stunned, Sally could do nothing but shrug. Alexis struggled not to keel over in horror.

"Hmmm." The crease deepened above Morrow's brow. "So, we're waiting on the person who's supposed to make the future possible. I see."

Alexis whipped her attention back to the Minister and gave her a nervous smile. "Well, I'm sure making the future possible is a task that eats up much of his time, sir. But he said he'll be-"

"And I understand that I was to also have an audience with the leader of the Cybertronians? Optimal Primal?"

"It's Optimus Prime, ma'am," Rad corrected in an instant.

The color drained from Alexis's skin. She glared at Rad and subtly shook her head at him in warning; he failed to notice, but Carlos, Sally, Hot Shot, and even the Street Action Mini-Con Team did. Off to the side, Keiko sighed in soft dismay and hid her face with one of her purses.

Then, it was Morrow's turn to glare at Rad. His own skin paled under her stare, which seemed sharper and heavier than he anticipated. Without a word, she marched up to him, her pace punctuated by the taps of her leather loafers. Intimidated, Rad backed up, only to quickly bump against a parked car behind him. Morrow reached him in the blink of an eye, leaving him cornered and trapped like prey against a predator.

"Tell me, what's your name, young man?" she asked. Her voice still retained its professionalism, but now there was a veiled undercurrent of something ominous.

"R-R-Ra-Ra-Rad, ma'am," he replied. "R-Rad White."

Alexis slapped her palm into her face to muffle a consternated groan.

"Hm. Tell me, Mr. White, has anyone ever called you anything that you didn't like?"

Rad already started to sweat. "Ummmmm...I'm...I'm not sure...what you're getting at, ma'am..."

It was Keiko's turn to facepalm.

"Allow me to rephrase, Mr. White. Has anyone ever called you anything that you didn't like?"

Morrow spoke to him like one would speak to a five-year-old, yet in a condescending way that was authoritarian. The color was back in Rad's skin, and it brightened into a shade of red by the second.

"Ma'am, did-did I call you something that you didn't like?"

Carlos buried his face in both of his palms. "Nice knowing you, dude..." he commented in a muffled voice.

Morrow didn't blink as she replied, "What do you think, Mr. White?"

"...W-With all due respect, ma'am, I'm not following-"

"Stop with the 'ma'am'."

For the first time, Rad could barely comprehend that Morrow was a foot shorter than him, yet she still seemed like the size of Megatron.

"Enough with the 'ma'am'," Morrow continued venomously. "Do I look like a ma'am to you?"

"Ummmmm..."

"Hm?"

"Ummmmm..."

She stared intimidatingly at him from above her half-moon-shaped glasses. "Hm?"

Rad's eyes briefly flitted to Alexis, silently pleading her for help. He could only see her repeatedly mouthing "Sir" to him, like it was some sort of ritualistic mantra. To his surprise, she was joined by Keiko, while Carlos was petrified and Sally watched on with astoundment beside both women.

"Yes, sir." His terrified heart skipped a beat. "I-I mean, no, sir! No, sir, n-not at all, sir!"

Morrow blinked slowly at him, evaluating every inch of his face and the mortified expression that it wore. Behind her, unnoticed, Alexis was struggling to restrain a relieved sigh. Then, in apparent satisfaction, Morrow withdrew her head from his personal space. Rad inwardly rejoiced in the ever-growing space that stood between them.

"Good," she said. Then, as if the earlier exchange hadn't even happened, she refocused her attention on Alexis and bluntly asked, "Ms. Thi Dang, is the Cybertronian leader here or not?"

"Yes, Ms. Minister, I am."

Everyone's shared attention turned towards the gateway leading from the parking lot into Alterenergy City limits. The familiar long-nosed semitruck of red, white, and blue rumbled through the gate, slowly and steadily, bringing with it an air of grandeur that was both mighty and soothing at the same time. As it approached, five aerial vehicles shot out from Alterenergy City, leaving white trails of smoke behind them, and they each headed towards the same gathering point. The quintet consisted of a white-and-gray, futuristic space shuttle with a scarlet booster-rocket assembly; a yellow-and-silver F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighter jet with two red stripes on its wings; a red-and-gray A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft; a blue Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter jet with red highlights; and a black-and-red B-2 stealth bomber jet.

Alexis, Rad, Carlos, and Sally smiled widely at the newest arrivals; Hot Shot loyally gave them a salute; and Mearing, Keiko, and the government agents stood firmly in formation. At his station by the front gate, Demolishor also saluted, albeit with gnashed teeth. The semitruck continued onward until it stopped a couple of yards in front of Morrow.

"Transform!"

At the invocation, it transformed into a robot taller than both Hot Shot and Demolishor. Unlike Hot Shot's new appearance and Demolishor's altered color scheme, he was just as Alexis remembered from all her years of knowing him, and that simple fact brought a glittery quality to her stare. He towered over the humans and peered down at Morrow, who merely stood her ground and stared back up. As he did, the five aircraft closed in on the parking lot, and five robotic, disembodied voices echoed in the atmosphere.

"Transform!"

The quintet transformed in midair and landed one by one behind the red, white, and blue robot, with the space shuttle going first and the B-2 bomber last. As for the fully transformed semitruck, he gave Morrow a polite bow.

"Welcome, Ms. Minister," Optimus greeted. "My fellow Cybertronians and I are pleased to host you and your company on your tour of Alterenergy City."

"Jetfire and the Seekers at your assistance, sir," the space shuttle robot added. He saluted the 2PF entourage, a gesture closely mirrored by his four comrades. "We are responsible for security here at Alterenergy. If you have any questions about the city, please do not hesitate to inquire with us or any of the other residents, human and Cybertronian alike."

"We serve at the pleasure of humans, Ms. Minister!" Jetfire's companions chorused in synchronized harmony.

Morrow curtly nodded, before replying, "Greetings, Optimus Prime. I look forward to getting this tour started shortly."

"Now she gets it right..." an incensed Rad mumbled.

The Minister then looked around, irritation apparent despite her politesse. "If only we could be joined by Dr. Jones in a timely manner-"

"THAT'S ME!"

Everyone turned to the gate leading into Alterenergy City and saw a figure running towards them as fast as it could. The white lab-coat that it donned was unmistakable to the naked eye. Sally sighed and rubbed her face with a palm in chagrin.

"That's me!" Dr. Jones cried again, out of breath yet teeming with limitless vigor as he reached the group. "I'm so sorry for my tardiness, ladies and gentlemen." He shot Rad a sheepish smile. "I hope you've been keeping them entertained, dear ole assistant!"

"Uhhhhh, yeah..." A single bead of sweat dripped down Rad's temple at the trauma he endured mere moments ago. "Yeah, totally..."

The halfhearted answer flew over the doctor's head, and he smiled innocuously at Morrow. "And might I say it is such an honor to have the S.A.M. aboard! I'm ready to show you around, but I just wanna know if your papers were verified-"

"Just moments ago," Morrow interrupted callously, pulling out sheets of paperwork from somewhere under her dress shirt and nearly shoving them in his face. "Orders come straight from the new Chancellor, Doctor. I want to see what you're doing with the Federation's money right away. New brass, new rules." She stuffed the paperwork back inside her shirt. "And I expect my report to have the Council leaving the room with smiles on every last one of their faces."

Jones maintained his cheerful, almost airy demeanor. Even then, the bulge in his throat was distinct to Alexis, Rad, Carlos, and Sally.

"Yes, yes," the scientist replied. "Well, if you all would just follow me. Oh, and Rad?"

Rad stood at attention. "Yes, Dr. Jones?"

"You're in charge while I'm gone!"

"Y-Yes, Dr. Jones!"

Optimus, Jetfire, and the Seekers all stepped aside, allowing Jones to guide Morrow and her entourage of agents through the gateway leading straight into the city. Then, the six Cybertronians followed them, with none of them acknowledging Alexis, Rad, Carlos, or Sally first, not even Optimus. But the quartet didn't care in the slightest at the moment. With the Minister's attention fully on the tour, it gave Alexis an opportunity to slump over and release the heaviest sigh of elation that she had been holding back for some time.

"Jeez..." she wheezed.

"That's the Space Affairs Minister, Alexis?" Sally asked with a tilted head.

Alexis lifted her head to look after Morrow's distant form. "The one and only."

"Man, she's such a pain," Carlos remarked with a scowl.

"I'll say," spat Hot Shot. "I don't even see how she could get Optimus's name wrong the first time. She's spoken with him before!" A brief, awkward pause. "Albeit via teleconference, but still!"

The Mini-Cons beeped rhythmically in affinity.

"I can't believe you have to put up with her as your boss, Alexis," Rad said, his tone acrid.

"Unfortunately," a meek voice interjected, "the thing is her office pays really well..."

With another, quicker exhale, Alexis smiled and looked at Keiko. "That, it does. How're you doing, Keiko? The flight didn't seem to treat you well."

The last of Keiko's sickliness seemed to recede. "Yeah, well, it's nothing compared to the fact that Ms. Morrow just fired her event planner..."

"Oh, yeah. Who's her event planner again?"

...

Keiko's face was as red as a strawberry. "Me..."

"Oh."

"KEIKO! MS. THI DANG!"

The two Asian women yipped, startled. Morrow had stopped and was standing amidst her agent underlings, her arms crossed and her feet firmly planted on the concrete pathway.

"I suggest you two keep up with us, unless either of you are in the mood to lose your jobs," the Minister warned.

Both Alexis and Keiko stiffened their postures. "Coming, sir!"

But even as Keiko rushed off to rejoin her boss, Alexis lingered behind to give the others, especially Rad, a sorrowful look.

"I'm sorry, you guys," she said. "I would've loved for this reunion to last longer, but I gotta-"

"Aw, that's alright, Alexis," Sally interrupted encouragingly. "You've got tons of VIP work to do first. You go take care of that."

"I gotta get back to work anyway," Hot Shot added. "But hey, don't leave Alterenergy once you've finished your business, kiddo!"

"Yeah, we've saved the best for last!" Carlos exclaimed with a wink, while the Mini-Cons beeped in agreement. "So don't be late!"

Rad looked crestfallen, yet he gave Alexis a supportive thumbs-up and said, "Yeah. After the tour's over, we should have plenty of time to catch up. All of us. I especially wanna hear how Simon's doing. Haven't seen or talked to the guy in a while!"

Alexis's visage faltered for a split-second. "Y-Yeah! I'll fill you all in on the details later."

"Ms. Thi Daaaaang..." Morrow's voice called in warning.

"Coming, Ms. Minister!" Alexis gave them one last, longing look. "Gotta go, duty calls!"

She broke off from Rad's group without any hesitation or looking back and joined Morrow's entourage. Even so, she could imagine the looks on their faces as she left, particularly Rad's.

"Bye..."

Rad could do nothing but watch his childhood friend disappear amidst the faceless, nameless crowd. When he could no longer distinguish her from the others anymore, he heaved out a dejected exhale and slumped his shoulders.

"Rad."

His attention was piqued, and he gazed upward. Hot Shot was smiling in encouragement.

"Tell her how you feel," the former Autobot said.

Rad averted his gaze with an embarrassed blush. "I don't know what you're talking about, Hot Shot."

"Come on, bro," Carlos replied with a wry grin. "Everyone and their mom know all about how much you've been pining after Alexis. Not to mention how long."

Beside the Hispanic man, Sally grimaced and looked away with discomfort.

"Alexis and I are friends, guys. We've been friends since middle school. I just...haven't seen her in a while. I'm sorry if my excitement around her is giving you the wrong impression."

Hot Shot nodded, his smile still in place as his gaze followed Optimus and the 2PF entourage. "Right. So, when you say 'excitement around her', Rad, are you talking about the emotional kind of excitement in humans, or the physio-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Hot Shot." Then, Rad's visage fell. "Besides, she's already seeing someone. There's no way it's gonna work out for me even if I wanted to try."

Carlos scoffed. "Bro, Simon's, what, her sixth, seventh boyfriend since high school? I mean, he's a nice guy and all, but you gotta wonder how long that's gonna last."

"But Simon's been her boyfriend the longest, Carlos. They live together sometimes. He's happy with her...and she's happy with him." Rad took a deep breath and unconsciously swept a hand through his dirty-blond hair. "What kind of friend would I be if I did something as selfish as trying to win her heart?"

"Well, I'm not suggesting that, Rad," Hot Shot replied. "If there's one thing I've learned from human behavior over the past fifteen years, it's that keeping secrets damages your Spa- er, soul. And keeping a secret like that is bound to be the most volatile mixture out there. How can you expect to keep calling her a friend when you're keeping something like that from her?" He smiled again. "It wouldn't hurt to put it out there, Rad, even if it doesn't get you the results that you're looking for. I think it'll be good for the both of you, regardless. I'm just saying."

Rad didn't say anything. Instead, he focused his attention on the 2PF entourage, which was proceeding into Alterenergy City. He thought he could see Alexis's sleek brown hair amidst the crowd. But the visual disappeared just as quickly, and he could only take another deep breath.

Once she joined up with her colleagues, Alexis stared up at her remaining source of comfort available to her at the moment, Optimus. But her face fell when she found his attention currently on the tour. She could only conceal her melancholia and let passivity take over her entire posture as she listened to Jones's speech. The doctor spoke with bombastic grandeur, very much unlike Optimus's soft yet commanding tone, as he led everyone inside Alterenergy City. Even so, the rest of Morrow's group listened intently, with some even jotting down notes on their tablets.

"Ever since its discovery almost fourteen years ago, Energon has been employed for the benefit of all of humanity. Our reliance on dwindling fossil fuels is now a relic of the past, and clean alternative energy is no longer a vision of the future. Thanks to Energon and all of its wonderful capabilities, the future is today. And here at Alterenergy, we give you the future today."

"Now, you might be asking yourselves, 'What is Alterenergy doing to give you the future today...when the future is already today?' Well, the answer to that question is simple..."

By that point, the entire group had entered the front courtyard of Alterenergy. It was expansive and half-moon-shaped, featuring grassy knolls, brick pathways, and a few trees and flowery bushes. Lampposts, benches, and a few food stands were scattered across the courtyard. In the distance, Alterenergy's buildings towered over them, a sharp contrast to the courtyard's natural theme.

Alexis observed Jetfire as he surreptitiously made his way to a Cybertronian with fighter jet attributes, who was busy mopping up a cordoned-off corner.

"Psst, Skywarp!" Jetfire whispered. "Would you mind stepping away from your post for a few moments? We've got some guests."

The Cybertronian janitor looked back and forth between the former Autobot second-in-command and the guests. Then, he wordlessly nodded, transformed into his vehicle mode, and quickly shot off into the air without any fanfare.

With a deep breath of nostalgia, Alexis turned her attention to the courtyard's centerpiece.

"And here," Jones announced, after concluding his latest spiel, "you can see a statue that the Cybertronians built in honor of their hero. The one who ended their Great War." He gestured towards it with a showman's zest. "Starscream, the original Seeker."

Jetfire and his Seeker comrades saluted in unison at the statue. "TILL ALL ARE ONE!" they chorused.

Alexis couldn't help herself. Unimpeded, she strolled over to the base of the statue as quickly as possible. It was a life-sized replica of Starscream, standing tall and valiant between two flowing, intricate fountains. A Star Saber facsimile was in one hand and a copy of his personal sword in the other, and his Proton Cannon was activated while he defiantly glared at the vast skies.

She didn't know if that was exactly how Starscream looked when he made the ultimate sacrifice. Even then, her heart gave her solace in knowing that it couldn't be recalled or imagined any other way, regardless of all the marble they had to use to do so.

"Ah yes, Starscream the Seeker," Morrow said, breaking Alexis's focus. "I've heard the stories." She looked up at the same marble statue as Alexis did, but her gaze was still razor-sharp as ever. "You're telling me that he fired at the Planet Eater Unicron from the surface of Cybertron? Am I recalling this correctly?"

"That, he did, Ms. Minister," Optimus replied sorrowfully.

"Hm." The blonde woman analyzed the statue's appearance. "I assume he transformed into a fighter jet?"

"Correct, Ms. Minister."

She dispassionately pursed her lips. "Hmmm. Then he should've transformed, fired at Unicron from a shorter distance, and retreated the moment Unicron fired back. Not get himself incinerated into nothing. Pretty ill-informed decision on his part, if you ask me."

Alexis tried to keep herself composed, but she could already feel her hands balling into quaking fists. At the corner of her eye, she could see Jetfire's Seeker companions reeling from the veiled insult, while Jetfire himself seemed ready to pull a weapon out on the Minister. But then, Optimus motioned to his second-in-command to halt.

Fortunately, Morrow didn't dwell any further on the matter, and neither did the rest of her entourage. The crowd broke away from Starscream as quickly as they came, leaving Alexis as the only human at the statue's base. She could hear some of the comments by the 2PF agents as they departed, and none of them mentioned anything about Starscream's story. They seemed more concerned about trivialities.

"I don't believe it," she thought morosely. "Does...Does anyone care about what Starscream did for all of us? I mean, it's not like Cybertron was the only planet in harm's way if Unicron was left to his own devices."

She sighed, and it sounded sadder than it should've been. Then, she looked back to the statue and soaked in its recreation of Starscream's final stand.

"But I still care, Starscream. I will always care. And I will keep paving the future that you sought out. A future for all. A bright future." Alexis subconsciously put a hand over her heart, where she knew her pendant was. "I just have to keep paving one day at a time. I'm not gonna let killjoys like Morrow shake my faith in you..."

Then, her gaze drifted towards the base of the statue. There, she could see a plaque plated before Starscream's feet, large enough for the engraved text to be legible to humans and Cybertronians alike.

STARSCREAM THE SEEKER

Neither an Autobot nor a Decepticon
But the best of all Cybertronians
Forever our beacon for a future for all
Forever in our hearts and our Sparks

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Alexis?"

The familiar fatherly voice pulled Alexis out of her reverie. She could feel the gigantic shadow loom beside her, but she didn't need to look. She only smiled fondly at the inscription.

"Yeah," she replied. "They did a great job sculpting this statue. Who did the work?"

"It was a collaborative effort," Optimus explained. "Autobots, Decepticons, Mini-Cons, and humans all pitched in. And we have this statue in the front courtyards of every Energon drilling station."

Alexis looked up at him with a quirked brow. "Really?"

"Starscream deserves the best." The former Autobot leader's gaze was soft upon the marble replica of his one-time soldier. "He and his example deserve to be remembered for all time."

"I agree, Optimus..." Alexis wistfully stared at the statue again. "I think there's a lot that people and Transformers can learn from him..."

"...I presume you're talking about the S.A.M.?"

Her face fell. "You know as well as I do on how big of a fan she is of you guys..."

Optimus looked after the departing 2PF group. "She has a right to her own opinion, Alexis. And I don't exactly blame her. To this day, my race is asking a lot from your world without offering anything in return."

"You're offering us your science and your technology. Is that not enough?"

Optimus sighed behind his faceplate. "You're a smart woman, Alexis. I know that you know what I'm actually talking about."

Alexis balled her fists again. "Your race has endured one war to last many lifetimes, Optimus. Earth has no right to get you guys involved in their petty little squabbles."

"An assessment that I concur with...but as long as Earth's Energon reserves continue to be plentiful and Cybertron's repairs continue, then..."

She could feel the leader's side-glance on her. A cold silence hung over them for a couple of seconds, but it felt like minutes to her.

"Well, this conversation can wait another time." Optimus turned to face her. "How are you, Alexis?"

Alexis shoved the earlier discussion to the back of her mind and widened her smile. "A whole lot better now that I'm here, Optimus. I'm surrounded by all the people and bots that I love. It's all a girl like me could ask for." She closed her eyes to bask in the warmth Alterenergy brought to her. "You have no idea how tough and tedious it's been, handling interplanetary affairs over at New York."

"Well, if anyone could handle that responsibility, it's you, Alexis. For as long as I've known you, you were the one who wanted to change the world for the better from the very start. And now look at you. A Two-Planet Federation ambassador, tasked with keeping the peace between Earth and Cybertron. And you've done splendidly, no matter what Minister Morrow or anyone else in New York says." Though no one could see it, Optimus was clearly smiling behind his faceplate. "Starscream would be proud, Alexis."

"No." She smiled at Starscream's towering image. "He shouldn't be the one that's proud. I'm prouder of him, for making all of this happen."

Her stare wandered back to the plaque, and that was when she noticed the additional text engraved at the bottom. She squinted her eyes and read it aloud.

"Till all are one..."

"Yes," Optimus replied, his voice heavy. "Those...were Starscream's final words. Before Unicron vanquished him."

Alexis blinked. For an infinitesimal moment, she did not question it. But then, the images of Starscream's death, the ones that appeared on occasion in her dreams, flashed through her mind. They seemed like images that her mind manufactured to fill in the blanks about her friend's demise. And yet, they also seemed like memories of something that happened without her presence. Whatever they were, the sight of Starscream's final stand seemed to set off something in the back of her mind.

Something that she couldn't quite place just yet.

So, she innocently asked, "Really?"

Optimus nodded in affirmation. "Since that day, I thought long and hard about those words. And what he meant by them. I...I think he knew, deep down in his Spark, that he would never prove the severity of Unicron's threat to Megatron, not without sacrificing himself."

"So those words were his final argument to Megatron," Alexis concluded. "To make sure everything could sink in."

"Yes. That's right, Alexis."

...

"Hm." The woman blinked. "That doesn't sound like something Starscream would say..."

Optimus's footing shifted by an inch. "You think so?"

"But...I wasn't there. And if that's what he said in his final moments..." She turned to face the old Autobot leader. "Then I trust you, Optimus."

For a moment, he was silent, allowing her faith in him to sink in. Then, he nodded imperceptibly.

"Good. I'm...I'm glad, Alexis. I'm glad. Now..." Optimus held out a hand. "Shall we get back to your group? We don't want to keep them waiting."

"Yeah, let's." Alexis boarded his palm right away. "I'd prefer to not have Ms. Morrow chew my head off today."

With that, Optimus walked away from Starscream's statue with Alexis in his hand. As they departed, Alexis took one last, longing look at the memorial, observing how valiantly it stood, just like Starscream himself should've been.

But her brow remained deeply furrowed.