Optimus was the first to transform, the sudden, alarmed sounding transformation startling the whole warehouse as Ironhide and Ratchet followed suit. Bumblebee was the last to transform, dawning a questioning look towards his leader. Optimus was ominously quiet as he stared at the stars through a sunroof in the warehouse. No one dared say a word as they waited for an explanation of what had startled him, though the two older bots had a suspicion.

     The three teenagers entered the main hangar with tired eyes, having been sleeping in the roughly manufactured human dorms. There were only two so obviously Sam and Mikaela had bunked together. Ratchet was only glad Mikaela had chosen to sleep separate from her chosen mate. Their obnoxious smells after copulation would have made him irritable (more than he already was sometimes, anyway).

         "Where's the fire?" Miles yawned out, stretching his back with his arms aimed high. "Do you guys know how loud you are when you transform?"

         "Only when they need to be." Mikaela answered sleepily, holding a pillow. "What's up?"

     There was silence for an annoyingly long time before Optimus even stirred again. He pointed his attention to the three adolescences. 

         "Our query has moved."

         "We felt it too." Ratchet nodded, folding his arms to mimic Ironhide. "The pull has changed to Wisconsin."

         "And you guys know this- how?" Sam rubbed his head, an aching feeling beginning to take over from waking up so early. 

         "We feel it in our sparks." Optimus answered. "This energy may be alive if it has the ability to move. However, I'm unsure of how it could have travelled so quickly."

     Lennox urged the mech to elaborate, having been bunking with Miles. His nose was red from being stepped on by the clumsy boy (he decided to take the top bunk next time).

     Apparently, the strange pull to Mission City had weakened around 11:30, Optimus describing it as if the energy pulling them was unsure if it were the correct destination. Then, at 2:30, the pull simply changed destinations, as if a switch had been flipped. Wisconsin seemed a rather random choice, as no Cybertronian had been there before, as far as the Autobots knew. The idea of Decepticon activity floated between the group, but no one was sure. The strange pull could be a trap, or an ally in trouble, perhaps something more left over from the Allspark. The American government had hidden the last known piece taken from Megatron's spark chamber, but another remnant wasn't out of the question.

         "I say we go now." Lennox suggested. "Wisconsin is over a full day's drive. If we want to get a head start on the left over 'Cons than now is the time we take action."

         "I agree." Optimus nodded. "Sam, Mikaela and Miles, collect your things. We depart as soon as you are ready."

     It was decided to separate all four humans in case of a Decepticon attack along the way. Mikaela jumped at the chance to join Ironhide, Sam being mildly hurt that she didn't argue about the arrangement before charging for the coal-black truck once everyone had changed into more comfortable clothing and packed. Lennox volunteered to be the charge of Ratchet, who was more than grateful that someone sensible was going to be riding shot gun. The hero who murdered the tyrant stayed with his guardian, of course, leaving Miles to ride in the cab of Optimus Prime (who, by Primus' merciful hand, held the patience of a saint as he tolerated the boy's plethora of questions).

     One last look at the soon-to-be empty warehouse, and a single email to the Secretary of Defense later, the band of heroes charged after their query. Optimus took the lead, Bumblebee taking the rear as he was the less experienced in following direction via cosmic energy. None detected any Cybertronian life signatures, near or far. 

     They hoped it meant good things, and that they were not too late to act. 

)-/\-(

     Marissa sighed as she found her sister's contact. It was 4:30 A.M. in Wisconsin, meaning it was 2:30 A.M. in Florida. If the bleach blonde wasn't asleep, she'd be surprised. Alas, surprise came as Jesse picked up after the first ring.

         "For heaven's sake!" Marissa scolded. "What are you so worried about that you sacrifice your precious sleep? This is out of character for you."

         "I know but what can I say?" She sighed. "My baby sister goes on her first plane ride all by herself. How am I not supposed to worry?"

         "Simple, let your 21-year-old baby sister take care of herself. I can change my own diapers." She snickered. "I'll get back on and go to Africa just to prove I don't need your constant supervision."

     The threat was clearly a jest as both women laughed. Jesse bid her sister 'fare-well' and 'goodnight', glad that she made it safely without the plane crashing. Marissa was all too happy to hang up the phone, exhausted and starving after having a small package of peanuts (she thought it would keep her hunger at bay, but it only made her stomach want more). She dragged out her water bottle and sipped on the last few drops of water before refilling it in the restroom. 

     Glancing at a clock on the wall, Marissa smiled as her phone rang, flipping it open and greeting the caller.

         "Hi dad!" She sang. "E.T.A.?"

         "Ten more minutes," he advised, "and maybe add another five. My fuel gauge just dropped again."

         "I thought Lucas fixed that already." Marissa pouted.

         "Welp, kiddo, it's on the fritz again. I'm sure it's just old, like your pop."

     There was a brief exchange of 'be careful' and 'I'll be there soon', but the woman was still left to her own devices in the airport. She decided to peruse the coffee shop that was open at the ungodly hour of 4:30 A.M., though there wasn't much to peruse. She managed to hum out her tired order to the equally as tired barista, sipping on the 'bean juice' (as her brother called it) and watching the few tired faces that passed by. 

     Everyone was tired, except for an older man who clearly jogged and was likely on his third lap around the circular airport. From the looks of him he probably had trouble sleeping. The airport security knew him as they nodded at the stranger when he sped walked by. It was an amusing sight, but Marissa knew it couldn't be healthy for his older bones to be jostled as they were as he went jogging away again. 

         "People are weird." She spoke to no one in particular, fidgeting with the warming bracelet on her arm. It caught the white light from above like a diamond, the glass-like cracks changing with the strange shadows it caused. "Some are better than others, but you never can tell."

         "Who you talk'n too, babe?"

     Her attention snapped to spy a scruffy looking individual, clearly chewing tobacco, with a nose piercing. She hated the city, and people like this were part of the reason why.

         "My friend Jeremy." She answered.

         "I don't see no friend." He shrugged, his voice as soft as sandpaper. Before chewing tobacco, he must have been an avid smoker, or he still was. "I could be Jeremy."

         "No one can be Jeremy." She shook her head, crossing her arms. "Because only Jeremy could know my secret."

     The man stepped around the bench Marissa was sitting on, placing himself beside her so she could smell the stench of of some chemical or another as well as cheap cigarettes. She fought the urge to wrinkle her nose. 

         "Couldn't I be Jeremy if you told me?" He asked slyly, probably thinking he'd play along with this chick's little game before having his way with her.

     Marissa pretended to think before looking around animatedly. She grinned at her new conversationalist before leaning towards his ear. She could see his hand raising up to touch her breasts, but before he could complete the action, she screamed in his ear. 

     With the man doubled over, holding his head in agony, Marissa got up and ran, jumping over a luggage cart as she bolted. A crash from behind her informed the woman that she was being pursued, so she found the nearest security guard and quickly explained her situation. He nodded and watched as the scruffy individual came closer, only to notice that the woman had found safety. She smiled at him, waving as he was cornered by a pair of officers who were getting coffee. They asked him to come peacefully but the man attempted to bolt, resulting in him being forced to the floor. 

          "So, who's Jeremy?" The security guard chuckled after treating the woman to a donut and another coffee as an apology for her trouble in the airport.

         "An imaginary friend I had when I was three." Marissa giggled. "My mother or father would ask what we were talking about, and when I told them it was a secret I'd scream in their ear if they pretended to want to hear it."

     The security guard, whose last name was apparently Madson, chuckled at the childish antics, clearly understanding her parent's pain as he dug a finger in his ear like he could hear the deafening tone. Marissa gave the man her information before spying her father and waving him over. She gave a short introduction, and Madson apologized for the trouble. Shane laughed when he mentioned 'The Jeremy Tactic', admitting that it would work on anyone except the deaf. 

         "Usually, people leave when I mention a man named Jeremy," Marissa admitted, "but this guy seemed pushier than others."

         "He's been lurking around the airport for about a week." Madson admitted. "We've just never had a reason to arrest him. He doesn't exactly loiter, but he's been scaring folks with his constant presence. No one was willing to tell him we already have an airport mascot."

         With spirits high, Shane shook the man's hand, as did Marissa before they left for home. 

     Starscream lurked in the distance, unnoticed by the radar as he circled the area. His cloaking ability was matched only by Soundwave, but Megatron's favorite wasn't there. 

         'Who knows where that kiss-up is off to.' The Seeker growled.

     He spied the energy source coming out of the building, the brown-haired woman now accompanied by an adult male. Starscream growled at his rotten luck. He had hoped to abduct the woman when she came out of the building. Though, accompanied or not, he could abduct her and kill the older human. However, it would be wiser to observe and determine if the device on her wrist was actually worth the effort. If not, she could keep it. Who cared if it ended up being dangerous to her species? They were fragile and worthless anyway.

     The pull on his spark towards the device was undeniably stronger now that he had been observing it for a while longer, though. It puzzled the mech. It didn't seem all to powerful, yet he wanted to learn more about it, hold it in his palm and turn the insignificantly small piece over with a digit. The bedazzlement would barely fit around the tip of his digit, but it pulled him in as if it had its own gravity. The Allspark didn't have this ability, being lost for so long, there was no one who could even find its energy signature before being covered by the Hoover Dam. One would think a powerful relic such as the Allspark would have at least been found in the massive expanse of space if it called on Cybertronian sparks as that mystery device did. 

     His curiosity was beginning to burn the more he thought of it, the Seeker veering back up into the atmosphere before he lowered himself anymore. The amount of power it held over his unconscious decisions was enough to enrage the mech. He did not attribute it to the chunk of who-knows-what actually holding an immense power, nothing tangible, anyway. Instead, he guessed the mystery of its existence was clouding his logical senses as his processor spiraled into theories and counting down the many ancient relics of his race. 

     As the Second in Command of the Decepticons, Starscream had learned a great deal of war machines and doomsday devices made by all factions in the war on Cybertron. He knew of several before that, having dabbled in scientific exploits and military movements even before the war, but it didn't compare to what he knew after the war began. Unfortunately, none of what his memory core had gathered matched the piece on this human female's wrist. None were that tiny, even when mass distortion was used. It didn't make sense, that this insignificant country idiot was in possession of something even mildly Cybertronian. The human government would have collected it already, wouldn't they have?

     Unanswered questions left the flier irritable, and knowing Barricade wasn't going to aide him in this human's capture until 2:30 the next morning only made his mood sour even more. A full 24 hours and then some. One full day and nearly three more hours added to that before they figured out what they were going to do with her exactly. That is, if they decided to do anything at all. If there was nothing in his memory about the object, then the human could keep it if the device didn't show some sort of worth after twenty-four hours.

         A thought suddenly struck the Seeker. 

     If he had flown to Mission City because of a pull on his spark, ultimately finding Barricade as well as his mysterious query (as the pull directed him to the strange device), wouldn't the Autobots be affected as well? Unless the pull was strictly Decepticon based, but he somehow doubted that. No, this device was calling to all Cybertronians world-wide. This human female was going to find a large entourage in her front yard if there were more Decepticons listening to their sparks. 

         'The Autobots are likely listening to their natural instincts as well.' Starscream reasoned. 'The minute Barricade arrives, if I have not found out exactly what you are, we will take you anyway. Even if the human's appendage must be torn off in the process! Anything the Autobots want is a target for the great and powerful, Lord Starscream!'

     The Seeker cackled maniacally, unheard for miles as he followed the old farm truck to a quaint and quiet property.