Last Chapter!

I don't own Transformers

"Due to….complications, the Brotherhood of Man will officially be shut down."

Mikaela, Optimus, and Trina stared at the screen, mouths twisted into a grimace. The news had gone viral, and one of Fisher's advisors was confirming the protestor's suspicions.

No one outside of N.E.S.T, other than the Decepticon's, knew what had actually happened. His body had been taken from the hallways of the mine and placed under government control. Mikaela had no idea what they were going to do with it, didn't really care, as long as it remained a corpse.

Nothing else.

The public thought he had been killed in some sort of freak accident, that his leadership, and his leadership alone was what made the Brotherhood great. Those were the ignorant, naïve morons. Every Brotherhood HQ had been invaded by federal troops, every person directly involved with Fisher's guard force having been captured, prosecuted, and jailed.

Barricade's body was also under government control, much to Optimus' distaste.

So now, there was nothing to do. Megatron was in the medical bay letting Ratchet fix his chest. Soundwave had been allowed to enter the base, acting as Megatron's proxy during each and every long, tedious meeting. They had met with everyone. Mearing. Morshower. Keller. That obnoxious bureaucrat, Galloway. Some people Mikaela hadn't seen in years.

"You know," Trina said, pressing the ice pack against her forehead, "I'm starting to feel like this concussion isn't so bad."

"Have you puked yet?"

"Several times."

"Then it's not getting better," Mikaela said, waggling a finger. "You're not the only one, Trina. Every member of the squad is feeling like crap, I'm sure. But it will get better."

She leaned up and gave Optimus a kiss on the cheek. Trina made an "aw….." noise and chuckled.

Optimus went and sat down on one of the Autobot sized chairs, staring at the vidscreens, expression solemn. He said, "Ratchet just informed me that Megatron is out of surgery."

"And you're upset about that why…..?" Trina asked.

"I am worried," he answered. "For his future. His faction's future. I don't want to continue this war, and neither does he…."

"He'll always be stirring up trouble," Mikaela said, shrugging. "Just not as monumental as some of his schemes….Hopefully."

"He can come and stay with me," Trina mumbled. "I mean, I got to know him pretty well when you dumped me out in the desert with him. He can be nice."

Mikaela immediately noticed the blush on her cheeks and said, "Oh, my God."

"What?"

"Do you have a thing for him?" Mikaela's mouth opened wide. "You do."

"I don't," Trina said, crossing her arms. "I absolutely do not have a thing for Megatron."

"You want him to become your guardian. Like Bumblebee is to Sam."

"No," Trina replied. "You're my guardian, whether its unofficial or not."

Mikaela eased back, but glanced at her with skepticism. Trina, she noticed, was faring better than most of them. Her injuries seemed all healed and though Ratchet had informed her that her concussion was quite serious, she was up and about.

Mikaela's legs were aching still, as was her shoulder and stomach. Ratchet had patched those up. It was some sort of a miracle, he had said, that Optimus was the only one to come back relatively unscathed, save for a few dislocated joints.

He had also criticized them for their stupid behavior, but Mikaela had let that slide.

She sat down beside Optimus, resting her head on his shoulder. She said, "I'm tired of waiting."

"We all are," he said. "But we must be patient. The government must decide what to do with Megatron, where to send him."

"They can't contain him," Mikaela said. "Not when he helped us like he did. He risked his life to save someone else. That's a new high, even for him."

Optimus smiled. "I agree. But it is not in our place to decide his fate."

So, they waited.

Three days later, it was decided.

Mikaela had never been to the Kennedy Space Center, had never intended on going unless the time called for it. Like now.

They drove in a line, Optimus in the front, Mikaela behind, along with Ratchet and Ironhide. Arcee was there as well, along with several other Autobots. Megatron soared overhead, and then landed, jarring the asphalt. His chest was polished, no remnants of the scar left. As Optimus transformed, he watched the humans with a look of loathing, contempt…

And just a tad bit of respect.

Mikaela grinned, letting Trina hop out. Her ice pack was abandoned now, but her face looked like that of a prize fighter. The bruising had really set in.

She had hacked off another few inches of her hair, and now, it was colored a solid blue, with hints of red. Following Optimus' lead, Mikaela assumed with a smile. They were all peering up at the Autobot ship, at its ornate symbols and massive structure. It looked as if it hadn't been used in decades.

She whistled and said, "Holy shits and giggles," she stared up at the massive shuttle before them. "I remember Sideswipe telling me about this. The Xanthium. It brought in the second wave of Autobots."

Mikaela stepped beside her and said, "And now, it will take the rest of the Decepticon's into space…."

"Yes!" Megatron said loudly, raising his hands, staring at the ship with admiration. "The humans did something right. It's in top condition, it seems. Perfect for getting us off this wretched planet."

"But where will you go?" Trina asked.

"There are plenty of planets, Trina," he cooed, kneeling down and coming eye level with her. "That support life or perfect conditions for our species. We just simply have to find them."

He stood, standing and facing Mikaela, reaching out…..

"Don't you even think about it," she said.

"Let me try it."

"Optimus is right over there," she said. "He will ri–"

The kiss was sudden, lunging, and then ebbed away to gentleness. His talons held her face securely in his hands, trapping her, his lips soft despite their metal countenance.

He pulled away, and Mikaela cursed.

"Nice, isn't it?" He whispered, his breath like feathers against her ear.

Nice. Roadrunner commented.

He turned away, gesturing for Soundwave, Laserbeak, and Igor. The group looked pathetically small without Starscream, and Mikaela found herself wiping away a small tear at the thought of his death.

But it was alright. The government had the creature. Well, N.E.S.T had the creature.

They just had to figure out what to do with it….

Mikaela shook her head, watching as Megatron shot her a wink and then began to board the ship. But not until he glanced at Optimus and nodded, the silent exchange the only thing needed to seal the deal.

Mikaela approached him before he could close the door, calling up to him, "And you were right about Roadrunner. She does love you," she gave a hesitant pause and said, "And so do I."

He smiled, and then closed the door.

The minutes turned to an hour, and soon, they were watching the ship disappear into the atmosphere. They watched from a mile away, Trina sitting on Mikaela shoulder, leaning against her head.

She said, "I've never seen a shuttle launch before. Just on TV."

"Neither have I," Mikaela replied, feeling Optimus put on her shoulder. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Hell, yes."

Mikaela chuckled, peering up at the shifting clouds.

How had it all come down to this, she wondered? Her father was dead. Starscream was dead. Lennox, Epps, Jackson, Sanderson, and Graham. All dead. But for some reason, as she looked out at the Earth, she couldn't help but feel that her heart was full of joy.

Like it was so full of….freedom.

She was far from free, she knew. The Autobots would never be accepted fully into society. But they could still push for it, still fight for it. And they would.

Because now, this wasn't just a planet for humans, it was a planet for aliens, too. It was like the rules, the laws of physics, everything had changed. A monumental shift in the magnetic poles, and everyone had to deal with it, much less try and change it.

"So," Mikaela asked, feeling Optimus press a light kiss to the top of her head, "What do we do now?"

Mikaela peered into his optics, twisting, seeing Ratchet behind him and Ironhide standing beside Mearing, peering at Optimus as if they, too, wanted an answer. And they would get one.

He said, "We do what we do best," a smile. "We change the world."

Mikaela chuckled and nodded in understanding, watching the plume of white smoke where the shuttle had been moments before. Thinking about the past days events brought tears to her eyes and she wiped them away, knowing that this wasn't really the end of it all. She had her father's funeral to attend, as well as the funerals of Lennox, Epps, and all the others. Maybe, if Mearing and Optimus allowed it, they would hold a little ceremony for Starscream, too.

As for Fisher, she felt nothing but pity and sorrow. He had tried to change the world, make it in his image, despite the protest of everyone else. His dream had been fiction. Mikaela, sitting beside Optimus and lightly squeezing his hand, with Trina on her shoulder and Ratchet to her left, was fact. And for once, she wasn't bluffing. Queen of Deception? No, she preferred Queen of the Machines. And no matter how much Roadrunner loathed for Mikaela to admit it, she owed it to everyone. To Megatron, to Optimus, to Trina, Ratchet. Starscream. Her father.

It felt good, being the one to tell the truth.

There you have it! The end of the series! Really, I have to thank everyone for sticking with me this far. Two installments of a series is, like, my record. Anyway, I hope this ride was worth it – for me it sure was. I had so much fun writing all the characters and shaping the plot. That, and reading your wonderful reviews! Keep em' coming, because you are the reason I keep on writing.

Over and out.