"What's the matter with you two?" Uncle Case asks, tossing his apron aside.

"Dad, are you out of your mind?" asks Tessa. "You need to get that thing out of here!"

"You don't have to worry. I've been working in there all night. Hell, Hannah slept in the same room with it."

"Uh, him, Uncle Cade." I correct softly.

"You know what? That's not a truck. Okay? You're right. It's an alien killing machine!" Lucas says with a spazzed tone. "Jesus."

"Dude, it's DOA. It's been recalled, totaled, done."

He didn't care. "So listen, there's a number you call. You're supposed to call the Government. It's the American thing to do. You're supposed to call, and if it ends up being an alien, you win $25,000 dollars."

"You don't win money-" "And if you capture it live, like tag it like a wild wildebeest, then you get $100,000."

Tessa's whole face lit up. "Dad, we're making the call!"

"I've seen the commercial. They don't say that. That's not a guarantee." Uncle Cade says.

I nod in agreement. They never mentioned giving anyone any money.

"You think Greg would lie to me?" Lucas asks.

Yes. I do.

"Look, if that's a Transformer from the Battle of Chicago, I need to know how it works. I'm an inventor. This could be a game changer for me. If I can apply that technology to my inventions, we'd never have to worry about money again!"

Tessa crosses her arms. "I've heard that before."

Uncle Cade rolled his eyes and walked back inside. I followed after him, waiting for instruction.

"Twenty-five grand. That pays for my college. It pays for the house." Tessa followed in after us.

"Besides, you used my money to buy the truck, right? So technically, that's my truck. Don't you think?" Lucas says, his voice trailing off a little.

Now he's done it.

Uncle Cade walked down the steps, "You also signed a contract regarding all research lab I.P."

"Research Lab? It's a barn, dude."

"You signed it, and now you're competing. Any idea you have is mine. Any thought you have, I own it. So, basically, I own you."

"I don't think you can own someone. That was a while ago, even in Texas."

Cade ignored it and put a work apron on. "Bring the torch over and help me with the pulley arm. I think the shrapnel took out its power core. Hannah, go change into some normal clothes."

I nod and ran out of the barn towards the house. I heard the door slam a couple minutes later after I closed my bedroom door, and I figured it was Tessa.

I changed and was about to open my door when the walls downstairs started banging and I heard Tessa start screaming.  I ran downstairs when it stopped and saw a missile on the rug in the family room, smoking up a storm. I ran out of the house and towards the barn, going past Tessa.

I heard her shout as I ran up to the door. "Dad! There's a missile in the family room!"

Uncle Cade looked at me when I went in. "Holy..."

A spark went flying behind them and the truck started... Well, morphing; it sent Uncle Cade and Lucas jumping up and onto the ground.

The Transformer just started shouting. "I'll kill you," and was having issues transforming correctly, falling over, then reaching back for his gun.

Uncle Cade ran over to me and pulled me back by my hand. He had to stop Tessa when she came running in, shrieking when she saw the beaten up and rusted alien robot in our barn.

He finally managed to get his gun out, pointing it in our direction. "I'll kill you! Stay back!"

"Don't shoot!" Uncle Cade shouted back at him. "Don't shoot!" He gripped my hand. I knew that he knew what I was thinking. Every nerve in my body was telling me to run up to that Transformer and calm him down.

He was one of the good ones.

I just knew it. I could remember his voice.

"Call... 911-- Run!" Lucas shot up and went running when the Transformer bonked him in the forehead with his gun, sending him flying back onto the ground with a huge bruise.

"Easy, human."

"Uncle Cade, that's him!" I whispered.

"Who, Belle?" He bent down to hear me.

"He's the one who took me out of Chicago!"

"How can you tell?"

"I recognize his voice. And he looks so similar to him."

He huffed slightly. "Tessa stay there. He's not gonna hurt us." He slowly made his way closer to the Transformer, hanging on to my hand. 

"Weapons... Systems damaged." The Transformer said, backing up a little and raising up his weapon again.

"A missile hit your engine." Uncle Cade explained. "And we took it out of you. You're hurt really bad. I'm just trying to help you. You're in my home now. I'm an engineer. My name is Cade Yeager. This my niece, Hannah Yeager."

I poked my head out from behind my uncle, having almost every doubt that the Transformer wouldn't recognize me.

The Transformer put his weapon down and wiped under... his nose? "Cade, I am in your debt." He leaned against a beam to hold himself up. "My name is Optimus Prime." 

I stepped out more, trying to remind myself of who he was. He's changed so much since Chicago. I almost thought he was lying about who he was.

The expression on his face changed. "My Autobots. They're in danger." He pushed up off the beam and his right knee almost immediately gave out; he fell down onto one knee and the right side of his head came off, spitting out a green liquid from where it originally was. He just shook his head. "I need to go. I need to go now."

"How far you think you gonna get?" Uncle Cade asked. He motioned for Tessa to come towards us. "Tessa, come here. He needs our help." He looked Optimus up and down for a second. "What happened to you?"

"An ambush. A trap. Set by humans." Optimus coughed slightly, resting a hand on his good knee. "I escaped and took this form."

"But you're on our side. Why would humans hurt you?" Tessa asked.

"They were not alone. My Autobots can repair me." Optimus stood up, holding up his chest.

"Yeah, if you can reach them." Uncle Cade says. He stepped over and picked up the large piece that fell off of his head. "What about us?"