It wasn't luxurious by no means, but the three teens and only adult who had complained about the barn were grateful, and Marissa swore to reimburse Colonel Lennox for the stay after the man had to pay extra for waking up the owner and saying it was an emergency, which was accepted. Of course, the leader of the human group insisted that she not, that staying in the Air B-'n-B was likely the smarter choice anyway considering they were in a relatively populated area and Decepticons tended to stay away if they were outmatched. Marissa made a comment about the enemy faction being smarter than to rush into a populated town with no real plan, to which the waiting Barricade huffed from outside, eavesdropping on the group from the house's ALEXA unit.

         If only they knew Blitzwing.

     The first to come out of the temporary lodgings were the three teens, all yawning at the early hour of 7:00 A.M. and having to get up at 6:00 just to get ready. They greeted their waiting guardians tiredly, Mikaela lifting herself into Ironhide's cab then immediately curling into his seat and closing her eyes. Sam glared at Miles as he mumbled a tired "good morning" to Blurr and slid into the bed-like cushioning of his cockpit-like cab. The dark-haired teen then filed into Bumblebee's cab and leaned the seat back to catch a cat nap like his girlfriend and peer. They were soon followed by the two grownups, appearing wide awake and almost peppy as they continued to their guardians despite having stayed up passed one in the morning.

     Marissa waved toward Barricade, who didn't even acknowledge her presence as she jumped into Optimus Prime's cab. William climbed into Ratchet's cab, immediately bringing out his computer and sending their rough arrival time to the military in Diego Garcia. After a small window opened at the side, saying the message had been received, he spoke a casual "good morning" to the medic and buckled himself in.

         "Is Starscream here yet?" Marissa questioned the Prime as she poked her head forward in an attempt to see more of the sky through his windshield.

         "I'm afraid he has not made his whereabouts known." Optimus admitted. "It is likely he has attempted to leave us to enact some nefarious plan, though without knowing the Allspark Shard's exact location, I doubt he can do much."

         "Oh," the woman frowned, "that's too bad. I was hoping to fly with him one last time." 

         "You believe he would let you?" 

Shrugging, the false driver buckled herself in after placing her helmet on the passenger seat, hair down while the tie remained in her pocket.

         "Maybe. He did it before, but the first time was out of necessity."

     Optimus would have simply nodded with a hum in thought. Since he was transformed, he could only hum. Marissa didn't say anything about attempting to contact the Seeker, so either she thought they might not be able to, or she didn't think it worth it if he hadn't shown up already. 

     Optimus couldn't help but feel a little solemn for the woman, as she and the two Decepticons had developed a strange bond. Perhaps only out of a begrudging, mutual respect, but the fact that they were willing to help her, even minutely, was a strange happening he believed the three weren't even aware of. It made him wonder if, after Vector Sigma was reunited with the Allspark, the two troublesome and dangerous 'Cons would return to wreaking havoc and putting the young, human femme in danger once more. Perhaps in even more danger than before.

     He supposed they wouldn't know until they reached Diego Garcia, having returned to the road bound path that lulled the three teenagers into the stasis they called sleep. It didn't matter whether they were awake or not on the main roads, as the group was usually going too fast for anyone to notice their sleeping drivers (accept Blurr, who was an oddity enough to make people think he didn't need a driver). Barricade held up his usual holoform of his mustached man and Knockout simply kept his black tinted windows (something the rest of the Autobots were sure he'd be pulled over for at some point in the right state). 

     The collective of Autobots and Decepticons all hoped it would be smooth sailing to their final destination. However final it was, exactly, no one knew, as their journey on Earth could hardly be ending after such a short time. Some wished it to be, others wouldn't mind if their stay was prolonged. Those who weren't partial to staying on the planet had no one to say 'goodbye' to, or simply didn't like the organic planet. They didn't wonder if that would change, and they didn't want it to. Those who didn't mind the planet, either wished they had continued to hate it, or felt melancholic about their newfound love for it and the friends they made, knowing the native life did not live as long as the Cybertronian race could.

         Their eventual parting was inevitable, and they would become that much closer once they reached Diego Garcia. 

     The last stretch of their journey was only a mere few hours, so the Cybertronians were becoming the most antsy to reunite the two halves of their creator. It was not a particularly heavy burden to bear, as the group knew they were capable of such a feat. It was not an unattainable goal. The knowledge of prowling Decepticons was what made the group antsy and wary. They wanted the entity safe and out of the reach of their enemy. They doubted Vector Sigma viewed the Decepticons as enemies, as they were his creations as well, so he probably wouldn't put up much of a fight if he was even able to. The Autobots doubted it given the evidence thus far. No one believed there would be any change once the two pieces were reunited, either, which was a mild disappointment.

     The Autobots would return to guarding a whole relic, a powerful relic. A relic that couldn't protect itself, or perhaps refused to, in its simple want to be with its creations. It made them wonder if their duty really would become any easier if the two halves were reunited. No matter the choices, the group would return Vector Sigma to his other half, and fight through the consequences if there were any. It was for the good of all Cybertronians, after all. 

     What else were they to do?

         "What time is it?" Sam asked through a yawn and stretch, earning a radio response that included the weather forecast. The boy nodded, taking in another yawn with a hand over his mouth. "Nine O'clock isn't bad. How long do we have until we reach that base?"

         -: A whole two - hours :- Bumblebee played what sounded like a sports game announcer and a commercial. Sam wondered what sports would be playing at that time of year. He supposed Baseball. 

         "No pee stops?" 

         -: Nope :- was the voiceless bot's reply, much to Sam's disappointment.

     The two were quiet for another moment or two as Sam reached into the backseats of Bumblebee, fishing out a bag of chips and a granola bar Miles had forced on him. He wasn't fond of the healthier snack, but the sandy-haired teen had grabbed the wrong health bar at their last gas station stop and wasn't willing to drag a crumbly granola bar into Blurr's cab. Sam remembered Lennox telling his friend not to leave anything in the Air B-'N-B as Miles was caught trying to hide it in a cabinet. 

     To save Bumblebee from a sticky mess caused by the white chocolate and honey covered snack, Sam ate the chips first before eating his messier food over the empty bag.

         "You excited to reconnect the Allspark?" He later asked the yellow and black striped muscle car, who responded with a crackled 'you bet!'. "You think Vector Sigma will help you guys win the war?"

     To that, Bumblebee had no answer, giving an unsure whirr that substituted an 'I don't know'. 

         "Well, he's probably grateful about being returned, isn't he? I'd think that would be deserving of an offer to help you guys with something, right? Like making new Autobots?"

         -: Cons would - do it - too :- Bee pointed out.

         "Well, yeah but- well, it's not them doing it."

     Searching for a radio signal with the word's 'barricade', 'star' and 'scream' was a little difficult, but the warrior managed to find them for his little argument. Bumblebee didn't believe Vector Sigma would give any offers to help either faction. If not because it's technically both sides helping the entity, then it's because he created the individuals on either side. Vector Sigma couldn't be biased towards his own creations, not because he is incapable (or maybe he is) but his love for each individual far outweighed any one group.

     Sam Witwicky failed to have a counter argument to his robotic friend's point. Instead of continuing the topic, he moved on to another subject or more, such as school and what he and Mikaela might do for college. Sam was worried Mikaela wouldn't go with him as she was more intent on helping her father with his garage. She enjoyed her motors, more than humans even, so he guessed she would be closer to the Autobots as well. She'd be safer staying in Tranquility than going with him. It still didn't sit right with the boy, but so goes the simple wants of a teenager flowering into adulthood. Certain Highschool luxuries would be dearly missed. 

     The young woman he was almost constantly thinking of was not as worried about college and Sam being away. She was content with the Autobots sticking around and felt she didn't need an education any higher than her Diploma. She would rather stick with her grease monkey father's profession anyway now that he was finally free of his criminal record and could develop an honest business. With the help of his daughter, of course.

         "I think Starscream might have dipped." The woman noted, taking a sip of her water as she stared outside the driver's window. "I haven't seen him at all. Have you?"

     Ironhide was quiet for a moment, searching for the Seeker himself. He came to the same conclusion.

         "Good riddance." He chuffed through his speakers, a gust of cool air rustling Mikaela's dark locks from his vents. "All the less whining to listen to. Fragging fliers and their superiority complexes."

         "He was surprisingly quiet, I think." Mikaela closed the cap on the plastic container just before the truck rolled over a pothole, making her jump in her seat. "It wasn't unbearable, but he was kind of-" she fished for the right word in her squishy human brain, "I guess- intimidating more than whiney."

     Thinking for a moment, Ironhide had to agree with the human in his cab. Starscream was rather quiet. Uncharacteristically quiet. Suddenly he was extremely unsettled and pointed his sensors toward the skies in an attempt to see the Seeker. Of course, there was no sign of him as there hadn't been in several hours after the group had left him at the old barn. He debated on whether or not he should bring his concerns to Optimus, but the weapons specialist guessed the Prime was already suspicious.

         A quiet Starscream was a plotting Starscream. 

     Sure, the Seeker was known for his folly and grand failures, but he wasn't the Decepticon Second in Command for nothing. On Cybertron, even before the war, he was a soldier. The mech was a Commander even before the Decepticons came to be, and as far as Ironhide knew, was always full of himself as well. Why a well-to-do mech of society would give up his respected and respectful status for the demeaning, humiliating role of Megatron's Second in Command, the truck was sure Starscream was beyond fritzed to make such a decision. 

     Ironhide wasn't sure what to make of Mikaela's observation except that their guest and precious relic were in more danger than when Starscream was with the group. He only hoped Prime had a contingency plan for any such happening. Surely Barricade would be in the know of any nefarious plans, wouldn't he?

     Unknowing as the entire team was, they couldn't risk delaying the return of their creator to his other half.