Heart of a Prime

Chapter 8

"Not so tough now, huh?" Cliffjumper says.

"Punk ass Decepticon." Ironhide insults.

"Any last words?" Optimus asks the critically injured Decepticon.

"This is not your planet to rule! The Fallen shall rise again." Scavenger threatens.

"Not today." Optimus declares before unloading a round into Scavenger's head, executing him.

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In Mission City, the Witwicky family were preparing for a long trip. Sam and Y/n had graduated high school and were now packing their things for college.

"Come on boys, we're on a schedule here!" The boys father yelled as he carried a box of Sam's things outside. He was followed by his two sons, carrying their own boxes.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of us, dad? What, you rent the rooms out?" Sam asked.

"No, I got other ideas for your rooms and it rhymes with home theater and sauna." The father laughed. After unloading their things into the car, they head back inside to find the boys' mother crying her eyes out.

"Mom? You okay?" Y/n asked.

"Look what I found. It's your little baby booties." Their mom cried as she pulled her boys into a hug.

"Its gonna be okay, mom." Y/n said.

"My babies are off to college." She cried further. "And one of them is going into the military."

"Mom, don't worry. I'll have the Autobots to protect me." Y/n said, hugging his mother tightly. His eyes beginning to tear up.

Their father was able to pull his wife away from the boys and sent her upstairs to pack for their trip to Paris. When she left, their father turned to his boys.

"Look, boys. You know, your mother and me are really proud of you both. You're the first Witwickys ever to go to college. You know, it's you know, hard for her to accept that her boys are all grown up, you know, going out to handle the world on his own." Their father began to tear up as he finished speaking, pulling his sons into a hug. "I love you, boys."

"Love you too, dad." Sam said.

They separated and continued to pack their things. Sam took a call from Mikaela while Y/n went up to his room and started packing the last of his clothes. As he pulled a jacket from his closet a small piece from the All-Spark fell to the floor.

"No way." Y/n whispered as he picked up the shard. As he held it up, the shard transmitted a sypher into his mind. The sudden transfer of information momentarily shocked Y/n to the point he lost his balance and fell over onto the floor. He writhed on the ground clutching his head as the information went through his head. After a moment, the pain stopped and he slowly got to his feet. "What the hell..."

Y/n ran put of the house and into the back garage where Shatter was in her vehicle mode.

"Shatter! I think we have a problem." Y/n said, holding up the shard.

"A piece of the All-Spark?! Where did you get that?" Shatter asked, transforming and kneeling in front of her human companion.

"A piece must have gotten stuck on my jacket when I killed Megatron. What do we do?" Y/n asked.

"Give it to me, I'll keep it safe. I'll contact Optimus and inform him of this, but for now try to live your life." Shatter said taking the shard.

"I think my life just got more complicated." Y/n said, leaving the garage. As he left, Shatter eyed the shard suspiciously.

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Meanwhile, in Diego Garcia, the Autobots and NEST forces had returned to base to rest and debrief.

Over head, Blitzwing came in for a landing with his new squad mates, Air Raid and Silverbolt. The twins, Skids and Mudflap, were sent to a hanger where their new vehicle modes were held. And Cliffjumper reunited with Bumblebee, fist bumping his fellow scout.

"What's up, Bee?" Cliffjumper asked. "The base quiet while I was away?" Bumblebee beeped out a response before the two scouts walked away.

In the communication hangar, Optimus and Lennox were debriefing with the General over a satellite transmission.

"We have Intel that I believe warrants an immediate debrief. Now, with your permission, I can't let you see him, but I would like you to hear from the leader of the Autobots." Lennox said to the General. The General agreed and Optimus transformed.

"General, our alliance has countermanded six Decepticon incursions this year, each on a different continent. They're clearly searching around the world for something, but last night's encounter came with a warning." Optimus then plays an audio log of Scavenger's earning of the Fallen.

"The Fallen. Meaning what?" The General asked.

"Origin unknown. The All-Spark was the last recorded history of our race after the destruction of the Iacon Archives on Cybertron. But, now even the All-Spark is lost to us." Optimus explained. Optimus was then interrupted by a man named Galloway.

"With this so-called All-Spark now destroyed, why hasn't the enemy left the planet like you thought they would?" Galloway asked. "Forgive the interruption, General. After all the damage in Shanghai, the President is hard-pressed to say the job's getting done. Now, under the classified Alien/Autobot Cooperation Act, you agreed to share your intel with us, but not your advancements in weaponry."

"We've witnessed your human capacity for war. It would absolutely bring more harm than good." Optimus countered.

"But who are you to judge what's best for us?" Galloway asked.

"With all due respect, we've been fighting side by side in the field for two years." Lennox said.

"And the newest members of your team. I understand they arrived here after you sent a message into space, an open invitation to come to Earth, vetted by no one at the White House." Galloway said.

"Let me stop you right there, Mr. Galloway. It was vetted right here. And in my experience, the judgment of both Major Lennox and his team has always been above reproach." The General defended.

"Well, be that as it may, General, it is the position of the President that when our nation security is at stake, no one is above reproach." Galloway said. "Now, what do we know so far? We know that the enemy leader, classified NBE One, aka Megatron, is rusting in peace at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyssal, surrounded by SOSUS detection nets and a full time submarine surveillance. We also know that the only remaining piece of your alien All-Spark is locked in an electromagnetic vault here on one of the most secure naval bases in the world. And since no one can seem to tell me what the enemy is now after, well, there's only one clear conclusion! You!" Galloway shouted, pointing at Optimus. "The Autobots! They're here to hunt you! What's there to hunt for on Earth besides that? The Fallen shall rise again? It sounds to me like somethings coming. So, let me ask, if we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave peacefully?"

"Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it. But, before your President decides, please ask him this. What if we leave and you're wrong?" With the final word, Optimus turns and leaves the hangar.