I got dressed in the Ladies one floor up. I had picked a business-like gray suit with a nice lemon-yellow blouse and business-like high-heeled pumps, and, after twenty minutes or so, I was ready. I got in Betty and we went back to our room. Driving up to one's room was still a novelty, but in a place as big as this, it's actually convenient. And it helps that Betty doesn't produce exhaust anymore.

At our door, I got out and knocked.

“Ronnie?” I called. “Are you ready?”

The little sergeant, Arlene, opened the extra-large door and ushered us in. As I stepped into our quarters and Betty rolled in, I saw Ronnie standing there in uniform. She still hadn't put on the dark-blue fitted coat but was already wearing the matching skirt and white blouse. She wore a red neck tab as opposed to a necktie, nude pantyhose and black leather pumps with what looked like three-inch heels. Arlene was helping Ronnie pin what I would later find out were Ronnie's ribbons onto her coat. They were mounted on what I found was called (what else) a ribbon mount. They were trying to pin it on her jacket's left chest. Given Ronnie’s impressive… build, the lines and darts sewn into the coat were making it difficult for them to find the best position for it. I couldn't help but giggle.

"I have a suggestion," I said, smiling.

"Yes, Ma’am?" Arlene said.

"I think Ronnie should put the coat on, and while she has it on, you try and find the best position for that."

Ronnie nodded and shrugged the coat on. I had to say Ronnie looked real good with the full uniform on. Cute as a button but all official-like.

"There!" Arlene exclaimed when she had the ribbon mount pinned just right. She then pinned a nameplate on Ronnie's jacket on the other side. The shiny nameplate said "RC MCKENZIE."

"Okay, Ma'am, I'll just sew it on and you're all set."

Ronnie turned and looked at herself in the mirror. From her expression, I knew she liked how she looked. I know I did. She took the jacket off and gave it to Arlene, sat down on the bed and waited while Arlene did some quick stitching with a hand machine.

After a minute, Arlene returned it and Ronnie put it back on. She stood up straight and looked my way, smiling ruefully. "Guess I'm all set."

Arlene nodded at that. "Yes, you are, Ma’am. I'll be going, then, Captain. Good luck."

"You know, after helping me get dressed, I think we're beyond calling each other 'Captain,' and 'Sergeant.' Don't you think so, Arlene?"

Arlene smiled merrily. "Okay, RC. At least when there're no other officers around. Alright?"

"Alright." Before Arlene left, Ronnie reached down and gave her a hug.

"Good luck, RC," Arlene said. She waved goodbye to me and left, pushing her now-empty cart.

"'RC,'" Ronnie mused. "Sounds kinda okay."

"Why RC? Don't you like 'Ronnie?'" I asked.

"I guess I want a fresh name to go with... everything else. 'Ronnie' is just too close to 'Ron.' And..." She looked at her reflection again. Different emotions flitted over her face, but it was mostly a kind of sadness. She looked at me. "I guess I'm not him anymore. You know?"

I nodded, understanding her a little. "You're still the same where it counts." I said, tapping my temple. "But whatever makes you feel better. Besides," I smiled, "I like it. RC... Sounds kinda cute." I reached up, spritzed her lightly behind the ears with one of the perfume samplers, dropped it on the bed and held my hand out to her. "Let's go, RC." Together, we went to our meeting arm-in-arm, with Betty following us silently.

-----

We went over to the Encounter Arena and were pleasantly surprised to see it done up to look like an auditorium instead of the bare space we saw before - folding chairs were arranged in front of a hastily-assembled stage, with a podium on top of it. But the chairs were only on the left side of the arena - the right side was still empty.

The arena's lights were on, and I could see the entire cavernous hangar-like place. We were ushered to some seats at the edge of the group of chairs, near the empty space. This gave Betty space to park beside us.

Several military people, and some in civilian clothes, came in and took the seats around us. Ronnie, I mean RC, stood and saluted some of the new arrivals in uniform while some saluted her.

The reaction of the men to RC was typical, and we found ourselves in the middle of a bunch of them, all trying to get close to RC, and chat her up. Though they tried to hide it, the relatively few women that were there were clearly irritated by this. I was both irritated and amused myself. But if this is going to be typical, I told myself I better get used to it. It's not RC's fault that most men were like idiots around beautiful girls.

A bunch of flashy cars and trucks came in, Ultra Magnus in his semi truck form in the lead. They all made for the empty side of the arena and started to transform into their robotic forms. The odd whirring and whining that accompanied the Autobots' transformation was so distinctive, I would have recognized it anywhere.

As soon as the aliens were done transforming, all of them sat cross-legged on the bare concrete floor except for Ultra Magnus - Ultra Magnus walked to the side of the stage and stood waiting.

As we were getting settled, we saw a convoy of official-looking cars drive in. The convoy slowly made their way to the stage area, and they all parked at the back, except the lead car, which stopped beside Ultra Magnus. A man in uniform stepped out of the car's passenger seat, opened the back door and ushered out the Secretary of Defense, John Keller.

Ultra Magnus stooped down so he could shake hands with Secretary Keller - his enormous hand swallowing the secretary's, and stepped aside to allow him to climb up the stage.

All the military types stood as Keller took the stage. "Take your seat," he said and everyone sat.

"I apologize to everyone for having to make this announcement in this way," he said, "but there's an emergency now, one that we have to take care of. Anyway, let's get the preliminaries out of the way. Ultra Magnus - if you please, sir?"

Ultra Magnus nodded and put a robotic hand to the side of his helmet. A realistic, three-D floating image sprang up above, and behind, Keller. The images served as a background and counterpoint to what Keller spoke.

"I apologize to those who already know this," Keller began. "If you do, bear with me.

“More than eight years ago, Planet Earth was discovered by a race of aliens called the Cybertronians. To us humans, the Cybertronians looked like nothing more than robots. Huge, high-tech robots, to be sure, but just robots nevertheless. But in time, we learned that there's more to them than meets the eye. They are sentient beings, possessed of minds and consciousness like us. And we would learn that it was also the first wave of what would later become a continuous alien migration to our world."

Overhead, Keller's words were accompanied by images of Ultra Magnus and his friends, and images of Cybertron - their home world.

"Ultra Magnus and his companions call themselves Autobots, and they are the sworn enemies of the Decepticons. They have been engaged in a millennia-long civil war - a war that was waged over who would possess the AllSpark - an immense cube of ancient design, and whose origins remain unknown even to this day.

"It was the AllSpark that gave the Cybertronians independence, intellect and purpose - it is what gave them life. How it did so, no one knows."

The images showed an immense, dark cube shot through with lambent orange light, with various Cybertronians tending it as it spun lazily around in space.

"The Decepticons decided to possess it, and to use it to make more of their brethren and conquer the rest of Cybertron and, eventually, the rest of known space. And Autobots decided to oppose them." Images of war spun overhead, and we saw the robots fighting each other. Though there was no blood, the savagery of the battles were not lost to us.

"During this ages-long war, their world, Cybertron, was destroyed, and the AllSpark lost to the depths of space. But unknown to them and us, it had crash-landed on the Earth, this fact remaining unknown until eight years ago."

Images of a young man and a girl were flashed.

"Through a series of unforeseeable circumstances precipitated by these two young people, Mr. Sam Witwicky and Ms. Mikaela Banes, the location of the AllSpark became known to the Autobots and Decepticons. And their long-dormant war to possess the AllSpark was resumed, with the Earth as background and humanity as unwitting bystanders."

Images continued to flash, this time of an Autobot-Decepticon war waged in the streets of New York.

"Rather than let the war continue, and perhaps allow the Decepticons to eventually possess the cube and enslave Humanity, Optimus Prime, the old leader of the Autobots, decided to destroy it. Though this doomed the Cybertronians to eventual extinction, Optimus believed it was the only way to ensure the end of their war.

"But despite this, the remaining Decepticons did not get the message that the war was over. Incursions into Earth space by rogue Decepticon forces continued, and the Autobots continued to defend the Earth and us, until the events of Chicago. Because of that, the alliance was terminated and Autobots and Decepticons became equally hunted. They were decimated, their numbers reduced to single digits. And then things changed yet again during the attack of the KSI-created robots in Hong Kong. And as a reaction to this, NEST was reactivated. General Lennox?"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

A tall Marine officer walked onstage, saluted Keller and took the podium.

"I am William Lennox, US Marines." He nodded pleasantly to us.

"NEST stands for 'Nonbiological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty,'" Lennox continued. "It is a special tactical military strike force of the U.N. specifically formed to work with and assist the Autobots in combatting the Decepticons, Galvatron, the KSI robots, and other extraterrestrial enemies.

"NEST operated alongside the Autobots for a few years until Chicago, when the political sentiments within the US changed. Because of these changed priorities and rising operational costs, it was decided for NEST to be disbanded. However, because of several other incidents that followed in the next few years, such as the incidents in the US, and those in Hong Kong with the KSI robots, America and the UN Security Council had another change of heart."

Lennox straightened. "I have been authorized to announce that NEST has again been formally reinstated, and I have been appointed as its new commander."

Several in the audience stood and applauded this. I looked to RC and she had stood as well.

Keller took the podium again.

"Thank you, General," Keller said as Lennox stepped back and stood behind Keller at parade rest. "And for those who didn't know," Keller added with a small smile, "yes, Bill was just recently promoted to General by the president."

"Based on instructions from the President," Keller continued, "and with the agreement of General Hawk and the Autobots, NEST's base of operations shall remain here in Fort Lewis.

"Roughly one fourth of Fort Lewis will be given over to NEST control, allowing NEST to be fully autonomous, to be made distinct and separate from the rest of the base, and to allow the Fort to continue on in its role as a training and logistics hub for the US Army and Marines without interference from NEST. More resources will be sent in the coming weeks, with the objective of making this unit the headquarters for the best defense this world will have against extra-terrestrial threats.

"NEST will be a dual command: General Lennox shall command the Human UN contingent as well as its base of operations, and the Autobot contingent shall, of course, be under Ultra Magnus. The General will announce the new organizational structure as soon as it is ready.

"Now!" he said, and took a deep breath. "I am afraid there is no time to get you all settled in. There is a new threat that we have identified, that necessitated moving NEST's reactivation forward. We are passing this problem on to NEST and we expect you to investigate and eliminate this threat as soon as possible."

New images replaced the current ones, and I recognized them - the demolished restaurant where Ron was zapped. We saw a contingent of marines firing their guns at something on the ground but were knocked down by whatever it was they were firing at.

The soldiers were flung backward and the Venus de Milo statue that we encountered stood up. There were several areas of her marble face and body that were cracked and oozing viscous, reddish fluid that looked just like motor oil. As she stood, new soldiers came up firing. But even as bullets continued to hit her and chip off parts of her marble-like skin, she ignored them and walked towards the direction of the camera. The video was cut when she threw a piece of concrete in the camera's direction.

"We don't know what it was, but we believe it was responsible for several incidents in eastern Virginia as well that resulted in more than a hundred deaths. And more recently, in the past month, it has been connected to five incidents in the DC area. We have labored to keep these incidents under wraps and minimize their impact in the media, intercepting news agencies and other news outlets before they could get anything over the airwaves and the Internet."

"No wonder we didn't get wind of these 'incidents,'" I said to myself. I thought of the time when RC, then still Ronnie, gave my station that interview, and wondered if he was part of some sort of clampdown effort. I looked to her but she was just listening, and wasn't reacting in any guilty way to Keller's words. So I guess she wasn't part of it...

Keller nodded to Lennox, and he took over the briefing again.

"Originally," Lennox continued, "we had assumed that this was just another Decepticon faction causing mischief as usual, or perhaps it was Galvatron and his KSI robots, but it seemed that the Decepticons were actually the ones being targeted: the areas where the incidents occurred were known Decepticon hotspots or Decepticon home turf.

"We didn't understand why they were being targeted until a Decepticon Pretender visited Ms. Susan Blu at her DC office." A video clip from a security camera was displayed and we saw my UPS delivery girl in the act of handing me a manila envelope.

"We have been able to track this particular Pretender off and on for a few weeks now but we kept losing it. When Ms.Ms. Blu and Captain McKenzie contacted us, this brought it to my attention and we started keeping an eye on them in case it makes contact with them again. Captain? Ms.Ms. Blu? Can you please stand?"

We stood up and noted everyone's curious but largely friendly looks. In the case of RC, they were more than just friendly. It was a bit of a relief when we got to sit down again.

Lennox continued. "There was indeed another contact the following day, but not by the Decepticons. It was by this." This time, the video showed the Venus de Milo thing as it stalked me through the rubble of the restaurant, and then being fired upon by the SWAT team that rescued me. "In that encounter, a large structure was leveled, and Ms. Blue and the Captain nearly lost their lives. Local police lost two of their SWAT officers.

"The images you are seeing, by the way, are courtesy of Betty, Ms. Blu's Cybertronian Volkswagen."

After the images faded, they were replaced by an electronic map of the forests around the West Virginia area (there was a legend in the corner of the picture).

"Now. The red dot that you see is that thing that attacked the Captain and Ms. Blue. As to the other dots that are moving with it..."

The picture was replaced by very clear overhead video. I didn't know that was possible, but I suppose the military was using Autobot-enhanced surveillance satellite imaging.

"Could you please zoom in, sir?" Lennox asked Ultra Magnus, and we saw what appeared to be animated statues just like the Venus de Milo thing as well as what looked like small Autobots. "Small" is relative, of course -they looked to be the same proximate size as Venus de Milo, in other words, near human sized.

"The... lead entity is accompanied by thirty-one of these things. We don't know what they are, or where they're going, except that they are moving westward, and that they don't care what's in their way. They have already run through several communities, and many people have been hurt or killed already."

RC raised her hand. "Yes, Captain?" Lennox said.

RC stood up. "Sir, do we know their affiliation at all? Like insignias or uniforms, I mean - it might help identify their intent."

"I'm afraid not. We have done a thorough review of the images since we started tracking them, and we cannot find any Decepticon or Autobot holograms. In fact no insignia at all, or anything similar. And they do not conform to any Cybertron recognition patterns the Autobots have. All we do know is that they have gone through at least three forest communities already, and we have eighty-three confirmed fatalities and about a thousand injured.

"Regardless of their ultimate objectives, it is my intent to stop these... entities and prevent them from hurting any more civilians. And, whether or not these are Cybertronians, Ultra Magnus has committed the Autobots to assist us.

"We are putting together a covert strike team to intercept these things and try to find out what they are and what they want, but, regardless, the team's priority is to stop them. All right - ten hut!"

Everyone stood.

"All members of the Yellow Team are to stay and everyone else is dismissed."

As everyone started to file out, Lennox saluted the secretary and escorted him back to his limo.

A sergeant went to us and saluted RC.

"Captain," he said, "the general asked you and Ms. Blu to stay behind as well." I wondered why. I looked at RC.

RC acknowledged the sergeant's salute, and shrugged at my unasked question.

As we watched the Secretary's motorcade leave, everyone, except for maybe thirty humans and fifteen Autobots, stayed.

Lennox walked down from the stage and, with Ultra Magnus following, went to our area. Those that remained also congregated around us. Introductions were made all around, and when Lennox and Ultra Magnus joined us, everyone stood to attention.

"At ease, people," Lennox said. "Settle down."

Following our lead, the humans remained standing around RC and me while the Autobots remained standing as well. Not that they could have fit in the chairs.

"So, Ron," Lennox went to RC to shake her hand. "You're looking good." Lennox had to look up - RC was at least half a head taller than him.

"Depends on your point of view, sir," RC smiled ruefully, "but thank you."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that, but I can't say I'm not glad you're here."

"Thank you, sir. I'll do my best."

"Let's catch up later, okay?"

Lennox gave me a final friendly nod, and went forward and shook the others' hands or acknowledged salutes. Lennox's tone became serious. Even more so than during the briefing. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention." He made patting-down gestures and we all sat, us in the chairs and the Autobots on the bare cement.

"The situation is dire," he began, "and it is getting more dire by the hour. Casualties have been rising as the enemy continues to plow through more and more communities.

"As you know, it is important to keep as much of this under the people's radar and keep panic from spreading. But, pretty soon, that won't be possible. These things are going to hit their first city in about sixteen hours."

"It was quite difficult to ascertain their motivation for doing this," Ultra Magnus continued. "It seems so premeditated, even allowing for the possibility they're Decepticons. But General Lennox and I agree that part of the reason they are doing this is to draw you two out." He gestured to the both of us. "They are after your AllSpark fragment, Ms. Blu - your 'treasure,' as the statue called it. Do you remember? The piece of black volcanic rock that pretender left you?"

"But I lost it," I said.

"The thing doesn't know that," Lennox said. "Anyway, you all heard my briefing so you know that you're up against what are probably Decepticons. Because of that, all of you will be issued large-caliber weapons loaded with high-temp magnesium sabot rounds." He held up one of the rounds. "These puppies generate temperatures in excess of six thousand degrees. So far these are the best things we have that can hurt the enemy, including what the Autobots have.

"Also, given the logistics of this operation," Lennox said, "Magnus will take command of this mission." Lennox then turned to me. "Ms. Blu," he said, "you are a civilian, and I cannot give you orders, but we need you. We hope you will volunteer." He turned to Ultra Magnus. "I'm done. Magnus, the floor is yours."

Ultra Magnus nodded. "In about an hour, we shall be boarding Sky Lynx, who shall fly us to a field near the location of the enemy. By which time we expect them to be here." A large holographic map was displayed, with Ultra Magnus pointing at a relatively flat area surrounded by trees. "The timing is critical. We must engage the enemy in this area since this is the best location where we can be secluded, away from any human habitation, yet have the advantage. Our human team will reconnoiter the area as they can be more inconspicuous and are more experienced in this. Captain McKenzie has the appropriate training and, by far, the most experience in this kind of operation, so she shall lead this team. Once they have a better lay of the land, the human team will then create a perimeter and prevent the enemy from leaving the area. So far, they have the best and only distance weapon that can kill Cybertronian forms.

"Once that perimeter has been established, the Autobots will divide into three teams - one coming from the west, another from the northeast and another from the southeast, to engage and destroy the enemy. I, along with Ms. Blu will be with the northeast team and engage the... Venus de Milo cyborg, and try and confirm our theory. We will then try and retrieve their AllSpark fragment. Whether or not we are successful, the rest of the team will engage the enemy not more than fifteen minutes after we do, with the objective of neutralizing the threat.

"All right, then. Everyone get your equipment, get organized and meet me at the landing pad in an hour."

As everyone started to leave, I went to RC.

"Don't tell me you've really signed up for this," I told her.

RC sighed. "I'm sorry, Suzy-baby. I'm a soldier. My country needs me."

It was my turn to sigh. Of course RC would sign up. Patriotic, quixotic RC.

I smiled wearily. "Then, I guess I'm signing up as well."

When I saw RC's expression, I shook my head no. "Nope. If you're going, I'm going."

RC looked at me with fondness.

"I'm not gonna argue," she said after a while, "so long as you're sure."

"I'm as sure as you are, Captain," I said, and pulled her head down so I could kiss her. I took my time.