These Paths We Tread (Autobot x OC)

LXXI. Points of Authority II

The sinking feeling in her stomach returned throughout the process and she wanted more than anything to approach Optimus and ask him about it—ask why he had told no one—but was kept at bay by the preparations made for reviving Sentinel Prime. His lack of Energon wasn't his only problem, and Ratchet, First Aid, and Wheeljack spent more than a few hours repairing his armor where it was needed. The rest of the Autobot crew made various attempts to get a glimpse at their long lost leader along with many humans. Catherine would have been one such human, but she was struck with unforeseen details needing to be dealt with in the liaison department. That, and there was one last bit of excitement that took up her time—one she, nor anyone else, had expected.

"Uh, hey, Sam's at the front gate," Lennox spoke up as he knocked on the open door of her office, in which she had taken up refuge for her work. Catherine's head shot up at once, her brows scrunching together.

"What?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah. I gave the guards clearance to let him in, but we better go see him. Like right now. He sounded pretty frantic. Oh, and Bumblebee kind of ran out to go help him before I could give the guards the O.K..."

She stood up abruptly this time, "Oh, for the love of God! What happened?"

Her father didn't answer right away as she raced over, and both quickly power-walked through the office hallways into the main hangar areas. They took the way into the Autobot area, and, sure enough, Bumblebee was nowhere to be found even though it was the time of the day he was supposed to be helping the soldiers practice taking down Decepticons. She could also see Mirage and Hound looking at one another confused, yet also amused—another sure sign the 'bot had done just as her father said.

"Well, Blaster just barely got a call from security detail that they'd got some 'loony' trying to barge in with his girlfriend, but then they'd found some Energon signals. Next we know, Sam's voice is screaming over Blaster's feed calling for Bumblebee and, sure enough, the yellow guy takes off," Lennox spoke as they rushed down the catwalk stairs and headed into the main hallway that led to the human entrance.

"Wait—Sam and Carly are here? Why?" she inquired, her mind already thinking up all sorts of crazy, terrible things. She had explicitly told both of them to never come to NEST headquarters unless it was an absolute emergency, and by "emergency", she meant Decepticons. They had understood the gravity of her words and promised they wouldn't. She knew they meant it, but now they were here and they must have brought Brains and Wheelie since the guards had found Energon signatures. There was no way they would bring those two into public or come to the buildings unless there really was something wrong.

"We're about to find out," he replied, gesturing down the hall where the security entrance was. She followed his arm and sighed a little when she spotted Sam being patted down by the guards while Carly was off to the side, her arms folded across her chest and her expression full of embarrassment. She felt bad for her blonde-haired friend, and it only got worse when the young man noticed they were coming and pushed his frustrated look onto them.

"Raise your hand if you had a flying psycho-ninja copier trying to kill you today!" he shouted unhappily. Behind him, the sensor the guard held buzzed once, then twice. "Those are my brass knuckles. And that's my anklet. Do I have to take that off, too? And my toe rings?"

"Oh boy," Catherine sighed, shaking her head.

Lennox raised a brow, "He's… upset today."

"He's been upset all year," she murmured as the both of them came up to the pair. The redhead embraced Carly at once, whom gave an uneasy look over at Sam and mouthed "I-don't-know".