Diego Garcia, Autobot base.
Security on the island was far tighter than most civilians could ever picture. Sam had to pass through one checkpoint after another before finally reaching the final screening gate.
"Hey! Careful with that! It's a copper pin in my knuckle! Are you planning to slice my finger open to inspect it?"
Sam stood on an inspection scanner, waving his right hand in frustration.
After hours of transit aboard the military transport Lennox had dispatched, he, Carly, and Bumblebee had touched down smoothly at the island facility.
A copper stud was embedded in the middle knuckle of Sam's right hand—a permanent reminder of his role in surviving two planetary crises, serving as both a badge of honor and a lingering battle scar.
Carly stood nearby as the scanners chimed around her. "That's just my anklet and toe ring," she explained smoothly. "Do I need to take those off as well?"
"No need, miss. We just have to confirm there's no hazardous material."
Carly received far friendlier treatment than Sam. A charming smile and striking poise always smoothed the way with sentries.
By now, Carly understood the weight of the evening, as Sam had laid out the essentials during the flight over.
Once the security checks cleared, Sam took Carly's hand and led her through the blast doors into the Autobot staging area.
"Sorry about that, Carly. They can be rough around the edges."
"It's fine, Sam—"
"Hey, Sam!"
Before Carly could finish reassuring him, a man in utility uniform walked out to meet them, unarmed and smiling.
"Lennox! Finally!" Sam called out, his relief evident. "You wouldn't believe my morning. I got ambushed at work by an assassin that transformed out of an office machine. Absolute nightmare!"
"Good to see you, Sam," Lennox said, stepping up to pull him into a firm, friendly hug.
He then paused, his eyes shifting toward Carly.
Stunning was an understatement.
With her poised confidence and striking looks, Lennox wondered how an ordinary kid like Sam had managed to win her over. He felt an immediate professional obligation to figure out who she was and make sure she was clean.
"Lennox," Sam cleared his throat, suddenly feeling a little awkward. "This... this is my girlfriend, Carly."
"Hello, Colonel. Sam talks about you often," Carly said with a polite smile, extending her right hand.
"A pleasure," Lennox shook her hand. His memory of Sam's personal life was still anchored to Mikaela, but he was tactful enough not to bring that up.
Talks about me? What would the kid even have to say about me?
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Lennox gestured toward the main compound. "Let's head inside. Optimus and the strike team just returned."
"That's great news!"
Lennox led Sam and Carly toward the central hangar where the Autobots gathered off-duty. Along the corridor, Sam couldn't stop talking.
"First thing this morning, a guy at the office cornered me. He tried to warn me about something, kept rambling about the dark side of the Moon, and then he fell out a sixty-fourth-floor window..."
Lennox stopped in his tracks. "Wait. Did you say the Moon?"
"Yeah. The dark side of the Moon."
"Then Optimus was right all along. It's a relief we moved as quickly as we did."
"Moved on what? What did you do?"
"You'll see in a second..."
Carly glanced between them, cutting in quietly. "I still don't completely understand why the Decepticons would hunt down human workers. I thought their war was strictly with the Autobots."
"Hard to say," Lennox replied grimly. "When Decepticons start moving, logic rarely applies..."
"Well, look who made it!"
"Our hero is back! You here to roll out with us again, Sam?"
"How are you holding up, Sam?"
"Good to see you, kid!"
The moment Sam walked into the hangar, the Autobots gave him a warm reception. Even Director Mearing, who was reviewing documents with her staff across the floor, glanced over sharply.
"Who is that young man? And the woman with him?"
Though Sam now wore corporate clothes, the youthful edge of an intern was impossible to miss.
"Not sure, Director," an aide replied.
"He looks familiar. Come with me."
Flanked by her security detail, Mearing intercepted Sam's group just as they finished greeting the Autobots. "Excuse me, Colonel Lennox..."
"Director," Lennox stepped in smoothly before she could press. "This is Sam Witwicky. A... well, a civilian."
"I know who he is, Colonel," Mearing said, her tone cold as recognition clicked. "My question is: who authorized him inside a restricted installation?"
"Who authorized me?" Sam blinked, then offered a dry shrug. "If anyone brought me into this circle, it was Optimus Prime. Back when he parked in my front yard and followed me home."
"This is Director Mearing, head of National Intelligence," Lennox whispered, leaning close to Sam's ear. "Sam, you might want to watch your tone..."
"Doesn't matter to me. I've heard worse."
"Contempt of federal authority," Mearing's eyes hardened. "Young man, you should consider the legal fallout. That alone is enough grounds for administrative detention."
She turned her gaze to Carly, who was still holding Sam's hand. "And who might this be?"
"She's my girlfriend."
"What is this installation to you two? A weekend date?"
"Director," Lennox intervened quickly. "She has security awareness regarding the Autobots. The essentials, at least. She has met Bumblebee, comes from a military family, and I will personally vouch for her clearance."
Having her authority brushed aside twice left Mearing visibly annoyed, but Sam wasn't ready to let the exchange drop.
"I have an idea," Sam said, leaning in. "Why don't we pivot back to the actual problem? The part where an alien assassin tried to carve my face off with metallic claws this morning."
"As a taxpayer, I could file a formal complaint regarding gross negligence on domestic defense..."
"Here is the situation, Director," Lennox said, translating Sam's frustration into operational terms. "A software analyst at Sam's firm went out a high-rise window today. We suspect it was targeted elimination. He had previous ties to telemetry projects for NASA's lunar mapping."
"A software analyst tied to old space agency projects?"
Mearing gave the three of them a calculating look, though she dismissed the urgency with a wave of her hand. "Fine. I have the general picture."
"Even assuming the Decepticons targeted him, Colonel..." Her voice lowered, taking on a razor-sharp edge. "We do not delegate national security decisions to an untested civilian."
"Unless there is an executive directive I have not been briefed on that demands his presence."
She paused, staring at Lennox. "Is there one?"
Lennox hesitated for a heartbeat, then quietly shook his head.
"No? Excellent."
Mearing took two deliberate steps toward Sam, looking down at him with an icy stare. "I don't care about your past history. If you leak a single syllable of what you witness inside this base to anyone outside, I will have you processed for treason and remanded to a federal penitentiary."
"That applies to your girlfriend as well, along with anyone else in your personal circle. Do we understand each other?"
"I take my counsel from the Autobots," Sam held her gaze without flinching. "I know them, and they know me. I don't know you."
"You will know me soon enough, kid."
With that, Mearing spun on her heels, marching away with brisk, authoritative strides.
Throughout the sharp back-and-forth, the Autobots had stayed quiet. They understood their standing as guests on this world, well aware they had neither the authority nor the desire to dictate policy to human intelligence chiefs.
"Sorry about that, Sam," Lennox sighed, patting Sam's shoulder with an apologetic grin. "She has executive command over the joint program now. My hands are tied on administrative matters."
"Don't worry about it, Lennox," Sam replied, shaking off the tension. "Take me to Optimus."
On the lunar surface, after locating Sentinel Prime inside the Ark, Optimus and Ratchet had searched the command decks, retrieving five strange pillar devices before boarding the shuttle to return to Earth.
Inside an isolated auxiliary bay, Optimus stood watch over the resting form of Sentinel Prime laid out across the reinforced floor.
Technical personnel in protective gear bustled around the perimeter, running diagnostic leads and monitoring baseline power conduits linked to the ancient frame.
Everyone worked against the clock.
As Sam's group entered, Mearing was using a handheld speaker to clear the staging floor: "Ten minutes until core resuscitation protocols begin. All non-essential personnel clear the bay immediately."
Fortunately, Sam's group wasn't turned away.
"Optimus!"
"Sam. You are here," Optimus replied, though his optics remained fixed on the deck.
"Who is that?" Sam asked, looking down at the massive form resting before them.
The frame was worn, the crimson armor faded and pitted with corrosion, carrying the bearing of an ancient veteran. Sam had never seen him before.
"Give Optimus some room," Lennox murmured, steering Sam slightly to the side. "His name is Sentinel Prime. Optimus told us he was the supreme leader of the Autobots before him, and his mentor."
"Optimus's mentor? What happened to him?"
"We recovered him from the Moon."
"The far side?"
"That's right."
"Then the files Jerry gave me were real," Sam whispered, before looking back up. "Is he going to wake up?"
"His internal reserves ran completely dry cycles ago. Think of him as being in deep emergency stasis. Optimus is preparing to revive him..."
Nearby, an intelligence aide hurried into the observation booth where Mearing was stationed.
"Director, the five structural units recovered from the wreck have been secured in vault storage. We still haven't determined their technical function."
"Understood."
"The Autobots mentioned that Sentinel Prime wasn't just a frontline warrior, but a leading scientist in their golden age—essentially the Einstein of their species."
Mearing weighed the report for a few seconds before giving a decisive order: "Seal those pillars in the high-security bunker. No access without my direct authorization until our analysts determine their true purpose."
She turned back to the glass, her voice cold and absolute. "And by no one, I mean anyone."
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