Motormaster was bored with the invasion.  Logically, he knew that his job was
critical -- to keep the Autobots bottled up in their personal quarters, so the
Decepticons could capture the rest of the Ark without interference.  Only when
the others were finished would the slaughter truly begin.

But he was still bored.  The Stunticons were up at the front of the main hall,
firing enough bolts and shots and blasts and projectiles to level a mountain.
No Autobot was dumb enough to try and brave the barrage to fight back, much
less break through.  But Motormaster's cyclone gun was all but useless
indoors, so he was at the rear of the battle directing the strike force, for
what little he was needed.  Even Blitzwing by his side was able to do
something -- the triple-changer was in tank mode, lobbing explosive shells
down the corridor.

Fighting off feelings of uselessness, Motormaster shouted, "C'mon, Stunticons!
Teamwork, teamwork!  Dead End, keep cover for Breakdown while he reloads!"  He
didn't know when Dead End replaced his compressed air gun with the ion rifle,
and wished he'd though of the same idea.

"Don't panic, M.M.," Blitzwing chortled, "Those Auto-bozos are going nowhere!"

"You never know what can happen!  'Sleep at the wheel and you'll run off the
road,' I always say!"

"You never said anything like that!" Drag Strip teased.

Motormaster bristled.  "Quiet!  More suppression, less talk!  I'm in charge
here, so--  AGGGH!"

The Stunticons turned as one.  From the ceiling came high-powered laser
cannons, one of which shot Motormaster in the back.  With impeccable aim they
fired again, this time hitting Wildrider and Breakdown.

"What th--?"  Drag Strip fired at a cannon, but a protective field dispersed
his bolt.

"Their defenses are back!" Motormaster shouted.

"No!"

"YES!!!"

This last came from the far end of the hall, as dozens of Autobots surged and
stormed the Decepticon blockade.  They charged, they attacked, and they cried
like robots possessed:

"Let's get 'em!"

"Me Grimlock stomp Stunticons!"

"Payback time!"

"Save one for me!"

Caught between armed Autobots and automated defenses, Motormaster had only one
choice.  "Decepticons, retreat!  RETREAT!"

                                    * * *

Blaster heard nothing now but the loud, incessant bells.  It was a steady
rhythm, ringing each time Soundwave smashed his head into the communications
console.  Long out of witty remarks, Blaster spoke with his elbow, thrashing
suddenly and knocking Soundwave back.

A new voice suddenly filled the room, drowning out the sounds of battle that
surrounded them: "--en through!  Repeat, the Autobots have broken through!
Decep--!"  The sentence ended in a flurry of violent but unidentifiable
noises.

Soundwave suddenly leaped away from Blaster and quickly ordered, "Rumble,
Ravage, retreat!" Even as he finished, the two Decepticons disengaged from
their respective battles, folded into cassette forms, and flew into
Soundwave's chest cavity.  The communicator then ran out to the hall and
leaped up, shrinking into his tape player guise in midair.  Before he hit the
ground, Laserbeak snatched him and flew away.

Blaster could only marvel at their coordination before sinking to the ground
in exhausted relief.

                                    * * *

"Now!"

Megatron sidestepped as Starscream lobbed a round of cluster bombs into the
command center.  The ensuing explosion rocked the hall and showered the
doorway with shrapnel and debris.  Braving the thick black smoke, Megatron
slowly peered in; Optimus Prime was in the corner, still moving, still alive
... but not for long.

A mortar cannon dropped out of the ceiling and fired.  Megatron was hit in the
chest and staggered into the hall, which was now thick with a multitude of
laser bolts.

"What's happening?"

"Starscream, you IMBECILE!  Your nullifier has failed!"  A blast slammed into
his knee and sent him stumbling.

"Impossiagggh!" Starscream cried, spinning violently as an artillery shell
exploded on his right wing.

"Get us out of here!" Megatron cried as he leaped.  Starscream quickly
transformed into his jet form just as Megatron -- now a human-sized gun --
landed in the open cockpit.  With explosions nipping at his heels, Starscream
flew down the narrow corridor.

                                    * * *

"The hunt ends NOW!" Predaking snarled.  He charged at the staggering Omega
Supreme, his sonic sword raised overhead and shrilling ominously.

With surprising speed, Omega fired his blaster, knocking the sword out of the
Decepticon's hand.  "TALK ... CHEAP," he taunted, a smug grin barely visible
behind his opaque face mask.

"Arrrrrrrr!"  From behind, Devastator moved suddenly and pinned the guardian's
arms against him.  Omega thrashed madly, but the prolonged battle had taken
their toll, and he could not break free.

With fists the size of boulders, Predaking bludgeoned the helpless Autobot.
"Now -- you -- DIE!" he screamed, striking with each word, landing each blow
with raw, naked fury.

The sharp jolt of ozone filled the air as the external defenses suddenly
activated.  Anti-intruder weapon batteries popped out of the ground and
swiveling towards their targets.  Multiple laser strikes lashed out, hammering
the Decepticons, who staggered away in a mixture of surprise and pain.

Omega seized the opportunity and seized Predaking.  He spun forcibly and sent
his captive crashing into Devastator, reveling as the two fell.

Devastator laid still; Predaking staggered upright, but the automated cannons
continued to pound him, and his protective field was faintly visible as it
buckled under the strain.  Omega aimed and fired, sending Predaking back a
step from the force of the blast.  Before Omega could fire again, Predaking
lifted Devastator in his arms, leaped into the sky, and flew away in silent
defeat.

Omega turned to his right.  Bruticus had broken up into his individual
Combaticons.  Except for Brawl's half-melted form, they were rapidly driving
away, already out of range.  Beyond that, the Ark could be seen; fleeing
Decepticons poured from it like hornets from a burning nest, lashed by bolts
from the automatic guns.

Omega surveyed the scene with a solemn silence.  Despite the charred and
battered landscape, despite the damage and destruction to himself and the Ark,
despite the long, exhaustive battle fought ... he smiled.

                                    * * *

Optimus Prime stepped out of the repair bay and slowly passed the long line of
Autobots awaiting treatment.  Ratchet and Hoist and the others would be busy
for several days easily, tending to their injured.  Fortunately, the most
severe cases -- many caught in the corridors when the invasion began -- were
stabilized and in stasis.  The Autobots were lucky that the bodies were left
intact; that made total recovery that much easier, and Hoist insisted that
memory recall and reconstruction would be needed only in the extreme cases.

Prowl and Wheeljack turned a corner, with a human dressed in a military
uniform between them.  They waved to Prime, who picked up his pace.  As he
approached, Prowl spoke.  "Major Dannis, this is Optimus Prime."

The Major saluted.  Prime returned the gesture, then turned to Prowl.  "I wish
you'd let Ratchet take care of that," he said, pointing to the dangling arm.

"It can keep; this can't.  There are some things you'll want to see."

Prime knew better than to press the issue.  As Prowl led the way, Prime turned
to Dannis.  "Major, thank you for your assistance."

"All part of the job, sir," Dannis drawled.  "Our orders came straight from
the top.  I've got our boys securing the perimeter; the engineers say they'll
have the fence back up before noon tomorrow."

"Your men are very efficient.  Please extend my thanks."

Dannis smiled.  "They'll be pleased to hear that.  The Army prides itself on a
job well done.  How long will you be needing a security detail?"

"At least a week," Prowl replied, turning a corner.  "It'll take at least two
days just to get our subspace link back on line."

"Then we can send the prisoners back to Cybertron.  The attack damaged our
cells, so we had to improvise," Prime explained.  Several Decepticons were
left behind when the invasion was aborted, some due to injuries in battle,
others caught in the stampede of avenging Autobots.  They were now penned
outside under armed guard, their weapons and offensive systems deactivated.

"That's fine," Dannis said.  "With your boys watching and mine working backup,
they'll be going nowhere fast."

Prime turned to the others.  "Have we found what caused the breakdown in our
security systems?"

Wheeljack replied, "We found it in the entry bay.  It was some kind of data
dampener -- somehow, it sensed any commands or communications we sent and
suppressed it, so it was like we never did anything at all.  Amazing, really;
the scanners didn't catch it because everything was done with ceramics and
plastics.  It was entirely passive until Megatron turned it on by remote."

"But what about the shielding in the Ark?"

"I'm not completely sure how it worked, but I think the device used the
ship's hull as one giant receiver.  There was no way to stop it once it was
attached to any part of the Ark."  Wheeljack's panels flashed even quicker
in excitement as he thought of the engineering involved.

"Then how did our systems get back on-line?"

"I was in the command center with Prowl, trying to send an activation signal.
When the dampener got destroyed, it went through and the systems came on."

They reached the entrance bay now.  A few Autobots were cleaning up, aided by
two dozen soldiers garbed in olive green.  Most of the foam was washed away,
though the rest of the damage would take more time to fix.  "You said the
device was destroyed," Prime spoke.  "How?"

"Mr. Cooper did it," Prowl answered; there was a hard edge to his voice.  "It
appears he was also the one who brought it in in the first place."

Optimus Prime followed Prowl's gaze.  Black ash ringed the side of a weather
sensor terminal.  On the ground next to it was Cooper's immobile form.  His
clothes were in tatters, and his face and hair were caked with blood and dirt.
Something else was odd--

His arms were gone.  Where the elbows and forearms should be, Cooper had
stumps swathed with bandages.  A team of medics and nurses were tending to his
wounds and preparing a stretcher.

"He was in deep shock when we found him," Dannis said.  "But the docs say
he'll recover."

"He had a suitcase and a computer disk on him," Prowl added, "containing plans
for basic Cybertron technology.  I've secured them."

Wheeljack spoke next.  "We found what was left of the device at the blast
center there.  It looks like he couldn't remove it, so he tried smashing it
instead."

Prowl continued, "He must have grabbed the nearest thing available, which were
Bluestreak's shoulder rockets."  He pointed nearby; two more rockets rested
where they landed when Bluestreak fell.

"Contact switches," Wheeljack concluded.  "As soon as he swung..."  He left
the rest unsaid.

"Major!"  One of the medics shouted.  "He's speaking, sir!"

Major Dannis ran briskly to the doctor and bent over Cooper.  "What is it,
boy? ... Hm?  Optimus!  He wants you!"

Prime knelt, ignoring the looks of astonishment he received as he loomed over
the other humans.  "Yes, Mr. Cooper.  I'm here."

Cooper's voice was shaky and weak; Prime could barely hear him.  "...sorry ...
Didn't ... k-k-know ... wanted to ... to save..."  He began to shudder.

"Sedative!" cried the doctor.  While two others held Cooper steady, a nurse
handed a hypodermic and the medic quickly injected the contents.  Cooper
stopped shaking and Optimus Prime stood back.  The Major and the Autobots
watched in silence as preparations were finished and Cooper was loaded onto
the stretcher.

Prime finally addressed the Major.  "What will happen to him?"

"Hmm?  Well, the docs will get him fixed up at the base hospital.  Probably
fitted with some prosthetics, I guess, and start physical therapy.  Legally,
I'm sure he'll end up in prison, though I have no idea for how long.  The man
knew he was breaking the law, and he went and did it anyway.  I don't see how
he can fight it, really."

"This may cause some problems with the media," said Prowl.

"Don't worry about that," Dannis dismissed.  "Far as anyone knows, this never
even took place -- this whole facility is classified, after all.  The guys and
gals in psych-ops are already working on a cover story about how Cooper got in
an accident, trespassing at the Yuma Test Center."  He looked around for a
moment, then continued, "Which isn't that far from the truth, in a way."

Prime spoke next.  "What about his group, SECT?"

"Bet it'll fade away in six months or so.  Hard to run a group when you're
behind bars and without funding."

"Other people may start similar causes," Prowl suggested.

"They're welcome to.  But we've still got that pact going, and until it gets
changed, your stuff's off-limits to us.  Anyone who doesn't like it'll have to
tough it out with the U.S. government."

Prime elaborated, "It wasn't the pursuit of knowledge that was the problem,
Prowl.  It was when Mr. Cooper started dealing with the Decepticons that
caused his downfall.  I just hope no one else tries it."

The others nodded in somber agreement.

                                    * * *

The room was dark.  It would have been pure black, but a single beam of light
sliced through the void.

Someone whispered, "Are you sure about this?"

"Sure?  As in one hundred percent sure?  No.  But it's the best chance."  The
second was just as quiet as the first.

"Does it work?"

"In the lab, yes.  In theory, yes.  But you know what they say about theory
and practice."  A long pause followed.

"All right.  Do it."

A low hiss filled the silence.  More minutes passed.

"Hello?"

"...Hello? ... Where am I?"

"Someplace safe."

"..."

"Do you know your name?"

"...Yes.  My name ... is Geoff."

"Good.  Your name is Geoff Cooper.  I am Michael Dannis.  Geoff, you once had
some notes about advanced technology from Cybertron.  Do you remember what
was on them?"

"I ... I don't remember..."

"Doctor, more please."

A second hiss filled the room.

"Try again.  Do you recall anything now?"


                                    THE END

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