Chapter 55

As the high-hats gathered in one of the few open areas, the sergeant angled toward the national security advisor. Gathered around him were a couple of civilians in suits as severe as their expressions and several officers who between them boasted more stars than the average constellation. Epps settled in beside Galloway as his friend and superior Lennox greeted the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Admiral." Lennox did not need to add anything else. The two officers, one battle-hardened and recently promoted, the other as senior as one could get in any service, had been working closely together for the past two years.

"Will." Morshower's lips tightened as he regarded the younger man. "Heard you went up against a few tough customers out there. Sounds like it was a rough trip."

Lennox did not try to make light of his recent visit to the People's Republic. "Yes it was, Sir. I know protocol's to avoid direction communication, but something came up toward the conclusion of the Shanghai op that requires an immediate debrief. One that Security thought potentially too dodgy to entrust to regular comm networks, encrypted or not. With your permission, I'd like you to hear it from the leader of the Autobots himself." Morshower nodded. "Proceed." There was no need for Lennox to waste time with formal introductions. Words were inadequate anyway to herald Optimus Prime's smooth conversion from semitruck to towering metallic bipedal form. Having never been privy to the process in person, the awed Galloway let out a startled gasp as he took a reflexive step backward. Epps was understanding. "Never really get used to seeing it, know what I mean, Sir?"

Galloway said nothing; he just stood with his head tilted back and stared. Whether the viewer was a pipefitter or a presidential envoy, Epps mused, the reaction was always the same.

While Alexander stood next to Mikaela, who was looking at Galloway whispered."Why so I feel he is one of those annoying slimy bureaucrats?"

Alexander chuckled and replied."You would be correct."

Optimus acknowledged the limited introduction with a brief nod in his friend's direction. "Thank you, Major Lennox." When he turned, it was to face the chairman. If this ruffled Galloway's personal pride or sense of official propriety, he kept it to himself.

"Admiral," the leader of the Autobots began solemnly, "our alliance has countermanded six Decepticon incursions this year, each on a different continent. But this last one was different. It came with a warning." Reflecting his abilities, Optimus did not simply repeat the last words of the dying Decepticon: he played them back as recorded. "The Fallen—shall rise— again."

The mechanical intonation echoed in the silence that followed, until Morshower spoke for all of those present. " 'The Fallen'… meaning what?"

"We don't know, Sir." Like all truly great leaders, Optimus Prime was readily disposed to admit that he was not omnipotent. "It hints at something from our past, but we have no way of being certain of that. Much about our own history, the origins of our race, was lost with the destruction of the Allspark."

Unlike the typical pen pusher, Galloway had primed himself for his visit. The bureaucrat might not be likable, but he was certainly prepared. "You also thought they'd leave the planet after this 'Allspark' was destroyed. But you were wrong. As of this past year, at least six times wrong. Clearly there's something else they want here."

Alexander spoke up."Actually Optimus said there is a possibility of them leaving, not that they will leave for sure."He looked at Optimus and added." Also, you are right they are looking for something else. But if you try to blame Optimus or Autobots for this you are dead wrong, they could have easily left this place and never looked back, but they stayed to help us. Which shows they want to help?"

Galloway frowned, he knew Alexander was prized by Secretary of Defense Keller and the President. So making him an enemy of him is dangerous, especially since he heard he is genius investor and hacker.

Everyone present turned in the direction of the coldly confident speaker. It was left to Lennox to make the introduction. "Director Galloway," he informed Optimus dryly. "National security advisor. The president just appointed him liaison."

The leader of the Autobots eyed the just-arrived human wordlessly. Lennox studied the impassive alien face, but it was impossible to tell what the Autobot was thinking.

"Forgive the interruption, Admiral," Galloway was saying, "but after all the damage in Shanghai and the subsequent difficulty and expense of the usual follow-up and cover-up, I for one am hard-pressed to say the job's getting done." Turning from the chairman, he directed his attention to the silently watching Optimus.

"Under the classified Alien/Autobot Cooperation Act you've agreed to share your intelligence with us, yes? But not your advancements in weaponry. Advancements that would allow us to better deal with the Decepticons on our own. Advancements that would, need I spell it out for you, potentially save human lives."

Optimus replied heavily. "We have looked carefully at the human capacity for war. We have studied the recorded history of your entire civilization, which in its 'modern' form is less than a whisper on the wind. It is—ungainly. Releasing such information to you would bring more harm than good."

Give the man credit, Lennox thought as he observed the exchange: where many another would have been intimidated by the presence of Optimus, Galloway stuck to his guns.

"Excuse me," the security advisor responded, "but who're you to judge what's best for us when by your own admission your own civil war led to the destruction of your own planet?" When Optimus did not reply, Galloway added pointedly, "Might I remind you that you're here as guests."

Alexander stepped up infront of Galloway and said."The so called Autobots cooperation act, also have a clause unless you get all the major nations to approval we cannot discuss anything related to weaponry. After all we cannot just give out advanced wepaons to one nation, when the chances are that could lead to war."

Alexander gave the Plasmic rifle to Lennox, Epps and Chairman Morshower in secret. They agreed such a wepaon is best kept only to be used against Decepticons and other aliens.

Alexander grinned at Galloway and added."If I remember correctly Optimus did give technology for defense and even health, like curing cancer and other diseases. You yourself rejected it, from what I heard the quite a few in health and insurance business were unhappy with it new technology and complained to the higher ups."

Galloway was angry and fuming, but couldn't come up with anything. Epps and Lennox was suprised hearing the last part, Epps whispered to Alexander."Did they really offer technology to cure cancer and stuff?"

Alexander nodded and replied."Yup."

Galloway saw there was very unhappy gazes in his direction, Alexander added."We are a international ops team now, not just USA."

Optimus spoke up."We have placed the lone remnant of the Allspark in your safekeeping, Director. In the spirit of trust between our races. No greater gesture of our cooperation can we provide."

Lennox had been quiet for as long as he could stand. "Sir, we've been in the field together, fighting side by side for two years …"

Unintimidated by either the brass or the visitor's status, Epps felt similarly compelled to step forward. "They've never given us reason to question their loyalty or the alliance we've struck." Galloway listened but otherwise ignored the two soldiers. His focus remained on the leader of the Autobots. "And these newest members of your team? More of your kind arriving here? I am given to understand that they arrived after you sent a message into space, an open invitation for any of your kind who received it and wished to do so to come to Earth, vetted by no one at the White House or the United Nations or any other earthly authority. As if you had the right to …" Fortunately, Chairman Morshower spoke up before Lennox could do so. "Let me stop you right there, Mr. Galloway. The process was vetted right here."

"Really?" The advisor's brows rose as he regarded the admiral. "By whom? Not by you or by the Joint Chiefs, or I would have heard of it." Morshower met the civilian's gaze without blinking. "The process was vetted by Major Lennox and his staff." "You don't say."

Galloway glanced in the soldier's direction. "By Major Lennox and his staff. I was unaware that the authority to render a decision that affects the entire planet had been so delegated."

Alexander once again spoke up."Actually there info and even little detail was sent by me to the President and Secretary of Defense Keller. Both of them approved of this, if you think they do not have enough authority. You can question them."

Galloway hearing this stepped and gulped in fear, he quickly said."We are not done, I want to discuss more about this. We know that the enemy leader," an important human named Galloway was saying, "classified 'NBE—1,' is rusting in peace at the bottom of the Mariana trench, surrounded by SOSUS detection nets and fulltime submarine surveillance."

High above and far way, the security advisor's words were automatically received and stored for forwarding and for archival purposes. Unbeknownst to anyone on the ground, human or Autobot, this process was tendered in triplicate. One set of recordings was relayed to NORAD Command in Colorado. The second was kept on an isolated speck of land in the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean. The third … Instead of traveling many thousands of miles, the third was transmitted only a matter of feet, via undetected tendrils from the uploading military satellite to the shadowing Soundwave. While always on alert, the eavesdropping Decepticon took particular note of certain key words that were being transmitted from far below.

Maps, charts, encoded military transmissions, visuals. History, development, previous communications, transportation manifests. Soundwave scanned, recorded, and within seconds made the apposite connections. Collectively they pointed to one particular place on the planet. Inferences were drawn. The conclusion was definite, the consequences profound. He now knew Megatron's location. Soundwave fought to control himself as he continued to monitor the transmission.

Galloway continued his rant."We know that the only remaining piece of the so-called 'Allspark' is securely locked away in a special vault here on one of the most secure military bases in the world."

More maps, more charts, architectural drawings, construction manifests. Previous observations and information were correlated. One corner of the site from which the transmission was being sent pointed to a spot more heavily shielded than anywhere else. A single heavily guarded location. By its defenses it shall be known, a gleeful Soundwave knew. The shard was there. It had to be. Information was transmitted. Discussion was initiated. A decision was reached. It all took seconds. "… and since no one can seem to tell me what the enemy is now after, since NBE-1 has been neutralized and this Allspark has been virtually destroyed, the conclusion is inevitable and unavoidable." Galloway regarded the crowd, not all of it human, that had gathered around him.

"You." His gaze roamed from Optimus Prime to the vehicles assembled on the hangar floor behind him. "You Autobots. They, the Decepticons, remain here in order to hunt you. You won the last round, but despite your best efforts and those of our own people they've persisted. They're still here; like yourselves they're continuously adding to their numbers—Shanghai showed that— and now we have this cryptic new threat. 'The Fallen shall rise again.' Sounds to me like something's coming. Like they're preparing to strike with something entirely new and unexpected." Raising a hand, he pointed undiplomatically in Optimus's direction.

"To strike at you. And while you're on our world we humans, who never heard of your war until you came among us, who never wanted and still don't want any part of it, suffer whatever collateral damage happens to occur. So far that's been—endurable. But who's to say this next, undefined, unknowable attack will not be ten times worse—or a hundred, or a thousand? The war is between you and the Decepticons. Isn't it possible that as long as you stay on this world so will they? Can you, in fact, prove to me otherwise?"

Alexander got up showing holographic projection of different locations with ancient cities to pyramids and markings on the wall showing ancient cybertronian and said."We can, these are pictures showing Cybertronian engravings all over the world, some in Giza pyramids to atone hedge. These were present way before Optimus arrived, so they are looking for something way before the Autobots came into the picture."He simply added."If you doubt it, I can ask Secretary Keller to explain he knows and so does the President."

Once again Galloway was stuck.