The cold winter turned into spring and soon enough for Sam, Miles and the rest of their batch it was the exam season. Optimus had ordered his men to not say a word about the language to the children, no need to worry them about it and it's implications. Ratchet wanted to protest but held his derma and agreed under the condition, if the kids approach them about it he would take over teaching them. From the extra notes on the young ones note books, it was obvious they had been spending time trying to decipher the language.
Optimus had gone through the notes the children had written and they were somewhat correct in deciphering the meanings of the words which was quiet the feat in their opinion. Especially, if you consider the fact they did not have any Cybertronian adult or source to guide them, Optimus himself was tempted to teach them. But the Prime decided he would refrain from doing so at least till they request to learn more but at the moment they had their hands full with their exams and tests. A lot of times Optimus would day dream about his home planet being revived and having sparklings run around, he would not admit it but he envied humans for their ability to have children easily.
It has been a long time since he or any other Cybertronian heard the pitter patter of sparkling feet or the happy chitters and clicks of one. While it was possible for sparkmates to carry sparklings, unfortunately the chances of the sparkling being born was very low compared to humans. Miscarriages, a human term were very common among Cybertronians so most depended on the Allspark for sparklings. The Prime recalls overhearing many speak about sparklings longingly or with a desire to have one in the future. The first one always broke his spark whenever the memory of the sparkling center's destruction came to the front.
Many neutrals had become either a Con or a Bot only few refusing to want to do anything with either side blaming them both as the culprit. Optimus knew that the fall of the Center was when the war took a turn for the worst and it led to their destruction. Before both the Cons and Bots were not that large in number but after the loss of the sparklings things became darker in a sense. Many of the parent Cybertronians who lost their children started to voluntarily join one of the sides of the war. Then he sent the Allspark into space when things became much worse for everyone.
Optimus sighed, 'So many spark breaking memories.'
Jazz, "You good boss?"
Optimus, "Yes, just memories being cruel."
Jazz, "Ah! I understand boss. Perhaps you should take a break boss. You have been researching data non stop for a month now. The kids will no doubt finish their exams by now."
Ratchet nodded, "Not to forget it's almost spring. Never thought an organic world could ever be beautiful and here we are."
Optimus hummed softly as he looked outside where they could see small dots of green that were peaking out from the branches and the soil. It had fascinated his researcher side and he had taken to learning about the interesting phenomenon which was common on Earth but not on Cybertron. It had fascinated his scientists who were currently helping build a base on the moon, it was sheer dumb luck as the humans say, no Con had attacked them a second time. Optimus had been worried when he had received news from Prowl informing him of more Decepticons heading to the moon before they changed directions.
Elita One had been relieved to inform him about the update, they were already tight on the Energon consumption. Optimus had then requested for the Aerialbots so they can take some of the Energon they found though Elita was suspicious. It was a sentiment shared by all of them and according to Bumblebee, Sam was very worried about the find as well. Sam had told Bumblebee there was only one way for humans to create Energon, they either cut open Megatron or the Allspark. Optimus's own spark lurched at that possibility, he and Megatron may be enemies now but Megatron was still his older brother.
Ironhide, "Prime, you don't look well."
Optimus, "It's nothing just my thoughts turning dark."
Ironhide, "You are thinking about what the kids said to the scout, aren't you? Do not think too much, humans are not as advanced as us to begin with. They probably just found a way to activate the Allspark or something. You know quite well the Allspark created Energon from time to time."
Optimus, "Perhaps you are right, Ironhide. If they knew Energon was our life source they would not abandon it. They would have studied it so perhaps I am thinking too much after all."
Ironhide nodded, "I have been keeping an eye on the international news. I must say I am very flabbergasted by how humans are still alive really."
Optimus turned to his weapons specialist curiously as the Mech informed his Prime about the Civil Wars in some of the countries for one reason or another. Optimus was a little disturbed by how similar humans were to Cybertronians when it came to rebellions and agreements. But, at the same time he was very fascinated by how some of the humans were very kind it almost seemed too unreal to be true. Optimus looked at the family who were helping them and decided they were part of the second type of humans as well, most would not care to help them.
Arcee, "I am back. Are you alright boss?"
Optimus huffed, 'I guess I am worrying them a little too much.'
Optimus, "I am alright. Just memories of the past."
Arcee, "Ah! I understand."
Bumblebee, -Kids, how was the exam?-
Sam, "It was like always. I blanked out."
Miles, "Please do not ask about it."
Cliffjumper, "That hard, huh?"
Raph, "How about we go get something to eat? You two have been having hard time eating due to the exams."
Bumblebee rumbled in worry the belt going around Sam's waist and front squeezing him in comfort. Sam pat the wheel in silent thanks then agreed to go grab something to eat, now that the exams were done his appetite had returned. Miles was telling them about an Indian restaurant that opened a few weeks ago, Sam remembers enjoying Indian food in his previous life and agreed to go. The menu was very familiar to him and he ordered from the vegetarian section remembering how good it was.
Bumblebee, :He is finally eating properly.:
Cliffjumper, :Him too?:
Bumblebee, :Yeah, I guess I understand why though. If they clear this exam they will go to High school and Raph to middle school.:
Cliffjumper, :I still cannot believe humans have so many levels of education. Like back on Cybertron we only had the Academy where we studied for a few vorns. We did not have to worry about exams for further studies.:
Bumblebee, :Tell me about it. The exams really took out the energy from my charge. I will admit that I was very worried to the point I wanted to tell Sam to quit, he did not need it to prove himself. But I held my derma back.:
Cliffjumper muttered, :Agreed, I do not think I have ever seen Miles be very quiet or focused before. He is usually all over the place goofing around and having fun.:
Bumblebee, :They are coming over.:
Cliffjumper opened the door, "You good my little man?"
Miles grinned, "Yeah, the pick me up food totally helped. I even got samosas to eat later on here."
Cliffjumper laughed, "Good to have you back kiddo."
Miles, "You know I think Carlos and Nisha are really cute together."
Raph perked up, "You think they are cute too."
Miles, "Yeah, I am pretty sure they like each other but are too shy to say so."
Sam chuckled, "Don't tease them too much, you two. It may discourage them from getting together."
Miles, "We won't."
They laughed as they talked and chattered before returning home. Miles would be going to visit his mother's side of the family for two weeks while Raph was visiting his grandpa, Sumdac. This time Jazz had decided to go with the Darbies while Bumblebee took Sam and his family to the farm for the yearly spring visit. Optimus greeted them when he saw the three family unit, Judy was always a delight to talk to and Ron was a good listener, Sam though was always lost in thoughts. It was something that everyone had noticed but seeing as the people around him simply accepted it and went on with their lives they thought nothing of it.
A human teenage quirk the internet had dubbed it as and there were many teens who were like Sam so it was actually normal. Spring in the Witwicky farm was a very busy event with the farm hand who were introduced to them. The helpers had eyed the bots and then requested they did not race around the crops which made Optimus think of Hot Rod for some reason. Arcee sighed realizing what may have happened for them to request it and assured them none of them would ever do something like that. Ironhide snorted and Ratchet threatened to weld anyone who appeared with hay between their panels, to the ceiling.
Optimus noticed Sam snickering, 'Ah, he heard Ratchet.'
Sam, 'Well, Ratchet's temper is still the same.'
Ironhide grumbled, "Really hope no one pisses him off."
Optimus, "Sam, a word?"
Sam, "Is it about the journal?"
Optimus nodded, "Yes and also about what you requested from Jazz and Cliffjumper. I can promise you, Sam, right here and now, no one will get our technology. Instead, we will guide those who are interested in technology development to create their own."
Sam grinned, "That's good. Besides what works for you may not work for us and what works for us may not work for you. There is a big difference between us species and you are technically bigger and longer lived than us humans."
Optimus nodded in amusement, "I will deal with the politicians if the worst comes to pass and we are stuck here indefinitely. Do not worry, as a Prime I have dealings in politics before, Ratchet was my tutor."
Sam, "That is cool. So, what do you want with the journal? I really don't know if there's much written in it that could help you."
Optimus, "Actually we found latitudes and longitudes that we believe may belong to a human base that maybe holding the Allspark and Megatron."
Sam, "Oh, you need our help to get in? Man I should have insisted Raph join me then. He is great when it comes to hacking into human security."
Ron piped in, "No, no, no and no."
Sam raised his hand, "We are not doing anything."
Optimus, "I won't endanger him."
Ron, "Not my point. We just arrived here. We are here to help. It is tradition. You are not going anywhere till work is done."
Sam, "Of course Dad, after we finish."
Ron, "After you finish."
Sam, "Cool. Okay boss bot, I am gonna go get my part done then we can go for a ride."
Optimus turned to Ron after Sam left, "I am surprised you are letting him go."
Ron sighed, "You don't know yet big guy but once that child decides something needs to be done. He will get it done, safety be damned."
Optimus, 'Sparkling indeed.'
Optimus, "I assure you, we will only check the place. We will not be doing anything else."
Ron, "Not you perhaps but.... "
Optimus, "I will keep him safe."
Ron chuckled, "Tell me your secret if you manage to do so."
Optimus snorted and watched Bumblebee rush after Sam and try to help him around the farm for the next two weeks. Farm life was in most of the Autobots opinions very alien, it was calming, peaceful, the farm animals were adorable and most importantly it fed many people. Pity such a lifestyle was basically not possible on Cybertron considering it's topography and elemental make up. However as it turned out a certain group appeared at the farm to meet them which had Sam raising his eyebrows.
Simmons, "Hello Witwicky, Sector Seven."
Sam frowned, 'It's still spring of two thousand seven, why is Sector Seven here. Didn't the attack happen during summer? Unless, my actions sped things up.'
Optimus, "Sector Seven."
Simmons stared at him then cleared his throat, "Yes, we are I suppose you Witwickies have things under control here."
Ron scowled, "Everything is fine here. Why the visit? I thought you lot decided not to join the family."
Sam winced, 'Dad is still pissed grandpa was left by them.'
Simmons was still eyeing Optimus, "Let's just say some happened that required me to come here."
Sam, "Something happened? Like someone attacked and you covered it up happened?"
Simmons turned to him sharply, "You have the eyes of someone who knows what happened kid. Something you would like to share."
Sam, "I have my guesses on what may have gone down."
Bumblebee's hackles rose, :Why that little.. :
Optimus, :Stay calm Bumblebee.:
Bumblebee, :But Optimus he just implied that Sam hurt someone.:
Sam, "I have a lot of questions to ask and a lot to say but first, allow me to introduce someone properly. This is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots and one of the leaders of planet Cybertron."
Optimus stood straight, "Hello Agent."
Sam, "He is here on a mission to retrieve something important to their people and as an Ambassador of Cybertron.", the watch yourself went unspoken.
Ratchet smirked, :Interesting wording, little one.:
Simmons looked at them, "I see, welcome to planet Earth then but it still does not change the fact one of your kind attacked one of our bases here on this planet."
Sam, "It's not one of them. I can assure you everyone is accounted for in this group. Right big guy?"
Optimus nodded, "Indeed Agent, all of my soldiers are here. The Witwickies have been very kind hosts to us. We would never endanger them by making enemies."
Simmons, "Simmons, call me Simmons, there are many agents in our group."
Sam's mind was running a mile a minute, was it the attack on Qatar like in the movies or was it something else happening. Knockout and Breakdown appearing alongside Barricade already threw him into a loop. His memories warring with what was happening right in front of him and he had pushed it to the side deciding the plot line was still the same. But after that there was the delay in getting the glasses thanks to the weather, turns out the bots had similar weaknesses as the ones in the show. Sam pursed his lips as Simmons showed them what happened, it was not Qatar but it was definitely Lennox's team.
Sam, "William Lennox? Is he..... "
Simmons, "He and his team are alive can't say the same about the civilians however."
Sam, "Where are they?"
Simmons, "They are being taken to Hoover Dam for treatment and to deal with the robo scorpion they caught."
Ironhide, "That's Scorponok's lackey. Tell me you deactivated their locator human."
Simmons, "I am sorry, deactivate what?"
Sam, "They are in trouble."
Optimus, "Indeed, they are."
Sam, "Simmons, do you have a giant cube in the Hoover Dam?"
Simmons, "Cube kid?"
Sam, "The one my grandpa found."
Simmons grumbled, "Of course, your grandpa would tell you about it. I told them not to just leave him."
Arcee raised an optic, 'Hmm... He is not avoiding it.'
Simmons, "Yeah kid we have that thing though it's really strange."
Optimus clenched his servos, "Strange? How so?"
Simmons had a grave expression on his face, "I never had any problems but the ones who were in charge of cleaning around the area always spoke of being haunted by ghosts, nightmares and screams."
Sam hummed, "So it's an Eldritch item, with a conscious of it's own. Perhaps it was trying to say something?"
Simmons, "Through nightmares? I doubt that kid."
Ron, "Sam, are you going with them?"
Sam nodded, "Yes, I going to see this till the end. Plus I am curious about the object that caused grandpa to see things. He was not mad but rather given knowledge, alien knowledge."
Judy sighed, "Fine, but take Fred with you. He may look like a farm hand but he is also good at defending people."
Fred, "Hey, looks like we are working together."
Sam, "If you are sure Fred. You will go with Bee and Agent Simmons how about you ride with me and boss bot here. I'm pretty sure we all have questions for each other. That's is if you are okay with that Optimus."
Optimus, "I do have more questions yes, we can talk on the way. Autobots, transform and roll out."
Simmons watched wide eyed as Optimus transformed, Sam could not blame him, first time watching was always magnificent. The man looked like Easter and Christmas had come early for him as he joined Sam inside Optimus's cab marvelling at the sleek interior design. Sam had a feeling Optimus was pretty smug at the awed look on not just Simmon's face but also the other agents. They had been watching them warily at first but when they transformed the wariness had turned into childlike wonder. Optimus noticed Sam turned away from Simmons hiding a knowing smile from the older man who was looking around.
Optimus, "Agent Simmons, make yourself comfortable. We must make haste and reach your base before the Decepticons do."
Simmons became serious, "Can you tell me about them?"
Sam, "Open a line to the other vehicles. You have a way to communicate with the others, right?"
Simmons, "Yes, through radio."
Optimus, "It will work."
Ratchet hacked into the radio frequency and Optimus started to give them a summary of what was going on between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Ironhide took over after the brief history lesson and started to lecture them on how to identify Decepticons and for the love of sanity run from them. That had some of the Agents grumbling but understood they were more of an information gathering agency not a military group. They did not even have the latest weapons on hand though they did create some of the more ground breaking ones.
Arcee and Bumblebee introduced themselves as the scouts, the fast runners, hitters of the group and as Sam's guardian, well that was more Bumblebee. Ratchet then introduced himself as the medic and one of the Agents greeted him very happily introducing himself as the Doctor of the group. Both humans and bots watched with morbid fascination as the two got along like two peas in a pod and felt a shiver go down their spine. Sam felt Optimus shiver under him and chuckled quietly at the reactions, you would not think they were warriors or agents with the way they were reacting.
Optimus, "Agent Simmons, did anything else happen with the Cube aside from what you mentioned?"
Simmons, "Well, sometimes the machines come to life but after a few seconds they go back to becoming lifeless items. We are not sure what causes it and unfortunately none of the machines stay alive for long time."
Ratchet cursed, :The Allspark tried to create sparklings but most probably failed because Earth does not have the same elements Cybertron does.:
Optimus frowned though the others did not notice it, :That is worrisome. We should avoid creating sparklings while on Earth then. We do not have the supplies for it.:
Sam was confused, "Wait it brought machines to life? How? Was there a trigger?"
Simmons scratched his chin, "We tried triggering it after the first three came to life then shut down as if it was never alive. Let's see we used electricity, bats, hammers and some even tried talking to it. Nothing worked so we figured it was something that happened at random instead."
Sam, "Well I for one am happy nothing dangerous happened."
Simmons, "Same kid same. To avoid further accidents with stronger machinery we covered three corners in cement since that's where the pulses of energy came from. We did not have any other incidents after that. At least none the last few years."
Sam, "Optimus I think you should tell them what the Allspark really is. Especially if we are going to have to battle the Decepticons for it."
Optimus, "I suppose you are right Sam."
Sam, "We won't have time for detailed explanation considering the speed we are traveling so a short summary. We can talk shop later on. Miles is going to be so upset he is missing out on going to a secret base."
Bumblebee snorted through the radio, -You win some you lose some.-
Fred snorted from his seat, "Typical, he always finds something to joke about. Never change kiddo, never change."
Bumblebee had gotten to know some of the farm hands the last few days after Ron had introduced them. They were pretty much down to Earth, excuse the pun, and nice folks to hang around with. From what he managed to understand Fred and the others had been exposed to the Cybertronians as children whenever Hot Rod and his team went around for the missions. Optimus had not been happy to hear that but understood it was not always possible to stay hidden. That is where the Witwickies had come in they would talk with them and offer them help with their future interest in return they would keep the secret and be sworn in.
Bumblebee had to marvel at their smooth work and had to admit the profits they got in return for keeping the big secret was good. It was not like they were being forced to work, free and fresh farm produce was something that every human enjoyed. Also from what he had observed Fred and the others were very mature and understanding or maybe Hot Rod and his team were just lucky to find humans who were inherently kind to the core. Bumblebee was not sure at this point but he always thanked Primus his friend was alive and safe, instead of offline as many had originally feared.
Sam got out, "Hoover Dam, it sure looks different at night. Very fancy with the lights."
Simmons followed him, "Quiet the sight, ain't it?"
Optimus transformed seeing the tourists and visitors were no longer in sight only security guards, "Yes, now, take us to where the Allspark is located. We will need to move it from here."
Simmon nodded, "This way, we will go meet Mr Banachek and.... Gahhhhhh!"
Ironhide, "The Decepticons are here."
Sam looked up and saw seekers flying around the Dam and cursed under his breath, "Get up, Simmons, get up. We need to move, hurry!"
Simmons groaned standing up, "I am alive, I am alive. And yes, yes, Cube, this way."
Fred, "Sam go with him, I will see if I can find the soldiers. That is if they are alive."
Arcee, "Ironhide and I will go with Fred Optimus. Give them time."
Optimus, "Go! Prepare for battle men! Bee, follow Sam, he may need help."
Bumblebee nodded, -You got it boss.-