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❝ CHAPTER 19 ──
BACK TO LIFE ❞
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━━━━━ HERO LOOKED OVER at Stephanie as she looked up at the stars. Daisy was near them making sure to keep an eye on them in case something were to happen.

"Do you ever wish you could've got out before all this?" Hero asked, starting a conversation with his friend.

Stephanie brought her attention to Hero taking her eyes off the stars. "No. I loved fighting for my country. But I also love fighting alongside the Autobots to save the world." Stephanie answered, sending him a smile.

"Do you think you would change any of it?"

"No, I wouldn't and even if I did. I'm sure I would've still got pulled into all this."

Stephanie paused and looked back up at the stars as they shined bright in the night sky. Hero continued to watch her, waiting for something else to pass her lips.

"I was pulled into this for a reason, now I still don't know what that reason is but the answer is out there somewhere. And as for you, I pulled you into this which only means one thing."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"That you're just as important in this as I am."

"That's great, Steph. I'm just glad it was you that pulled me into this and not someone else."

"Mmm-hmm. Like who? From what I remember your only other friend is Caspian and I haven't seen or heard from her in a few years."

"Caspian is around. She only makes an appearance when she needs to. Last I heard she started a family."

"Good for her. I think after this I might go and see my daughter."

"You have a daughter?" Daisy asked, looking down at the human.

"Yes, I do. She's 12 right now, she'll be 13 in a few days. I try to see her every chance I get but recently it seems like it's been a bit of a struggle." Stephanie said, looking at the Autobot.

"I'd like to meet her if you're okay with that."

"I am, I'd just have to ask her father and see if he was okay with that. I think he'll be okay with it because he knows what I'm doing."

"Does she know?" Hero went on to ask, sending the blonde a serious look.

"Uh, honestly I'm not really sure if her father has told her anything. I hope he hasn't. I don't think it's fair for her to be a part of this life when she sees me every few months or so."

"I think she would like this life." Hero told her.

"What life? This is now the second time I've been on the run and this time around my brother is wanted and I'm sure we are too. I love working with the Autobots but I wouldn't want this on my daughter. She deserves a good life and her father has given that to her so far."

"Understandable."

"And yeah, I visit her, but I don't think I was ever cut out to be a mother. So after she was born I joined the army and left her in the hands of her father. I'm not the best mother, but the one thing I can protect her from is this and that's what I'm going to continue to do until I can't anymore."

Hero nodded his head and soon after the conversation was dropped. Stephanie continued to look at the stars not wanting to make any eye contact with Hero after what she had just told him.

"Simmons! Leo! Wake up! Stephanie! Hero!" Sam called out to the four of them. Stephanie looked back at Hero, the two then stood up and walked back in as Sam and Mikaela joined them. "Listen, astronomy class, page 47. Remember the class?" Sam asked Leo.

"No. I was only in college for two days. Remember that?" Leo retorted.

"Here. Get up. Up, up."

"What is he talking about?"

Sam and Mikaela left the building, Stephanie and Hero followed quickly behind them. Eventually Simmons and Leo followed behind them. Sirens went off, the sun was starting to rise while the moon was starting to disappear.

"Okay, you see those three stars?" Sam questioned them, pointing to each star. "You see how the last one touches the horizon? That's Orion's belt, but it's also called the Three Kings. And the reason for that is the three Egyptian kings who built the pyramids of Giza built them to mirror those stars, so it's like an arrow staring us straight in the face." Sam explained.

"They all point due east, towards Jordan. The mountains of Petra." Simmons added.

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Stephanie and Hero sat in the driver's seat and passenger seat as Daisy followed behind Bee. Arriving at their next destination they all got out and traveled but foot. Sam and Simmons lead the way.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere." Simmons said, as Sam briefly lost his footing and almost fell. They all came to a stop and looked at the ancient building that stood in front of them.

"Wow." Stephanie breathed out, amazement evident on her face.

They all moved forward, the autobots following behind them. "You see the size of this?" Simmons asked. "You see this?"

"Spectacular."

Shortly thereafter they all took off running towards the ancient building. Hero climbed up followed by Sam. Simmons helped Leo, and then helped Mikaela. Both Sam and Hero turned around. Hero held his hands out to Stephanie and grabbed a hold of her, pulling her up to him. Once they were in they all looked around searching.

"It's here somewhere, guys." Sam informed them.

"Yeah, why?" Leo asked him. "Cause we're trusting Grandpa Blackbird who doesn't even know what planet he's on?"

"In his defense, this is the biggest doorway I've ever seen in my entire life." Simmons replied.

"Ah. Okay. Well, that's great. Let me do a quick search, all right? Uh. Nope. Ever cross your mind, guy, that archeologist have been here before? There's nothing here."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Real life is heartbreak, despair, kid. Sometimes you get to the end of the rainbow and the leprechauns went and bobby-trapped it!"

"I'm listening to you? You live with your mother!"

"It's not over." Sam said, looking up from the ground.

"It is over. It's done."

"Why are we still listening to you, little punk-ass?" Mudflap questioned. "I mean, what you ever done for us except ding my rim?"

"Killed Megatron. How about that?" Skids said.

"Well, he didn't get the job done, you know what I mean, cause he's back now..."

"Are you scared?"

"Scared? Scared of your ugly face!"

Mudflap proceeded to push Skids backwards. "I'm ugly? Well, we're twins, you stupid genius!"

"Hey! What are you doing?" Sam asked them as Skids ran towards his brother.

"Bring it then! Get off me!"

Stephanie and Hero moved back to the other side, as Simmons ran out of their way. "I'll change your face around!"

"I'll get all up in that ass!"

"Oh, my goodness. Knock it off you two." Stephanie shouted.

Skids threw himself to the other side of his brother landing on the ground. "Bring it!" The two continued to fight with each other. Mudflap pushed Skids back to the wall and Skids picked his brother up and proceeded to slam him to the wall, almost taking Sam out.

"Guys! Hey!"

"You like the way that feels?"

"That didn't hurt."

"You like that, don't you?" Skids asked him, as Bee grabbed a hold of him and Mudflap and slammed them together then through them out one by one. Stephine laughed while Mudflap hit the sand followed by Skids landing on his brother and then on the sand.

"Now that's rude!"

"Please, you two."

Stephanie turned back around looking to see a dent in the wall, wind escaping out of the cracks. Simmons walked over to the wall as everyone looked at it in disbelief. Simmons then pulled a piece of the wall off and placed it on the ground. Sam pulled another piece, Stephanie looked at what was behind the wall.

"Oh, my God. The symbols. Bee! Shoot it!" Sam said, looking back at the autobot.

Stephanie and Hero ran away taking cover by the front of the building and soon the others followed behind them. Daisy stood in front of them as Bee moved towards the hole and shot at it. One by one they all walked in looking around.

"Check this out."

"Look at it."

"Wow."

"These are the bodies Jetfire was talking about." Sam said, as they all looked around.

"The tomb of the Primes. Yo!" Simmons shouted, his echo soon returning. Stephanie and Hero turned around soon looking at what the other's had been looking at.

"The Matrix." Sam breathed out, lowering himself closer to it.

He held his hands out to it and proceeded to pick it up. A split second later the Matric turned to dust, Stephanie lowered her head.

"No. No."

"Thousands of years, turned to dust."

"This isn't how it's supposed to end."

"You hear that?" Simmons questioned turning around. He then ran out of the area, leaving them behind. "US Air Force! C-17's!" Simmons shouted.

"What's a C-17?" Leo asked, soon exiting out.

"You can't bring him back, Sam." Mikaela said, looking at her boyfriend.

"This was the only way we could bring him back." Stephanie said, looking over at the brunette.

"There's nothing left."

"Look! Look around you. We didn't just go through everything we went through for no reason at all, to just have it end like this. There is a reason that we are here. The voice and the symbols in my head led us here for a purpose." Sam paused, he then took off his show and his sock and started to pick up the dust, letting it fall into his sock. "Everyone's after me because of what I know and what I know is that this is going to work."

"How do you know it's gonna work?" Mikaela asked him.

"Because I believe it." Sam replied, looking at her.

Stephanie and Hero took off running heading out of the building. The two jumped down and landed in the sand. They proceeded to run towards Simmons and Leo. Sam and Mikaela weren't far behind them either.

"Sam!" Simmons shouted. They all caught up to Simmons and Leo. "You think you can bring him back to life with that pixie dust?"

"Absolutely. Let's go." Sam replied, as he and Mikaela walked past them. Hero and Stephanie exchanged a look with each other but soon followed after the two.