Four in the morning I get a call from Lennox that Optimus is coming to talk to Sam himself. Rolling out of the old hotel bed was hard enough as is, but even harder knowing the day ahead of me. Eventually I forced myself out of bed and into the shower, the water pressure wasn't great but it was enough for me to wake up and put on a fresh pair of my own clothes. I walk out to the parking lot to find the weather cooler than I'm used to. I climbed into Bee to find him already warmed, "What would I do without you Bee." I laugh.

The ride carries on in silence when we went to pick up Sam, and even when Sam got into the car he didn't even speak. Bee drove all the way to some graveyard where from afar I can see Optimus waiting. Sam and I climb out, but Bumblebee locks my door and keeps me inside. "Let them— Talk it out—" Bumblebee warns, I sink back into the drivers seat with a sigh. "After the bullshit from last night I'm sure he definitely doesn't want to help us." I mumble, "I can't believe you were going to try and fight that guy." I scoff. "Mama raised a soldier not a bitch—" His radio responded proudly. I snort at the response but didn't comment further, Sam knocks on the car door before climbing back in.

"So..." I start softly, "I'm not helping, I'd appreciate it if you just dropped me off, I have a class I need to get to." He mumbles. I clear my throat and nod, Bumblebee takes it as his cue to gently pull off. The car ride back to the campus was even worse than the ride to the graveyard. Sam barely waited for us to park before he tried to climb out, "Sam!" I call hurriedly climbing out with him, "I'm sorry, for everything." I smile weakly. The boy only nods before disappearing into the crowds of other people. Something in my gut tells me this only the start of something terrible.

Sitting in the car with yet another notebook I find myself recovering from one of my episodes. Pen ink smeared all over my hands from the constant tracing of the symbols, Bumblebee's radio shifts between stations worriedly. "I'm good, I'm good." I whisper rubbing my head. "I'm gonna call Lennox, figure out our next move." I mumble pulling out my phone, but as I do it starts to ring. Looking at the number I see it's Sam's, picking it up I gently hold it to my ear, "Trace!" He shouts and I flinch. Head still ringing from the overload of my psychotic episode.

"Yeah?" I grumble, rubbing at my temples, "You have the shard right? It's safe?" He questions. "For someone who wants a normal life you sure do want a lot of classified information." I grunt, "Trace!" He snaps. "Yes! Samuel, the shard is fine, we had a little hiccup—" I hiss, remembering I have a tiny robot in Bee trunk, "Buts it's under control." I finish. "Did you touch it?" He whispers, I pause, "Trace did. You. Touch it?" He questions firmly. "Only by accident." I brush off like I wasn't seeing ancient symbols like a fucking montage in my head.

"Are you seeing them? The symbols?" He rushed, my eyes blow wide, "Did YOU touch the shard?" I hiss. "It was an accident." He dismissed, I let out a scoff and rolled my eyes, "Look. okay, my great-great-grandfather went on this Arctic mission, right? And he saw Megatron. Megatron zapped him and he started seeing these crazy symbols. Okay. Well, now I'm seeing them, too. Excuse me. I just read a nine hundred- and three-page astronomy book in thirty-two point six seconds. I had a meltdown in the middle of my class. I am seeing symbols ever since I touched the shard." He explained breathlessly, like he was running. "Son of a bitch Sam! Alright you know what? I'm coming to pick your ass up." I grumble, "Don't! Don't! You gotta take this to Optimus, okay? If you can figure out how to stop it then you can come back and help me." He rambles. He doesn't give me a chance to argue before he cuts the line.

I let out a growl before getting out of the car, "Behave yourself Bee, I'm going to track down our manchild." I scoff. Bee's radio whirls in discontent but like Sam I leave him no room to argue. Running through Campus I only have a vague idea of where Sam stays from where we dropped him off last night and both picked him up and dropped him off again today. I assumed it would be rather easy, but I was horribly—horribly wrong. Three full hours of asking people if they knew a Sam Witwicky and I was either blown off, flirted with, or they had no idea who I was talking about. Until I ask this one guy, pizza in hand he stares at me with wide eyes.

"Sam uh, I think he died but we can go check." He offers, "Fuck finally, thank you." I groan out. "Can I interest the lovely girl with a slice of pizza?" He charms with a smile, but I haven't ate since yesterday, "What's on it?" I question. My eyes went wide as he eagerly opened up the Pizza box, "Eighteen-inch zookeeper's special? Extra-large, triple cheese, with every known animal as a topping. Basically, I've got like 18 inches of meat. Unless you're vegetarian. Alright. It's cool. I am, too." He rambles desperately. I hum and reach forward to take a slice, he awes at me like he's never gotten this far with a girl, which if I had to guess was true.

"So are you like Sam's girlfriend?" He questions, I let out a laugh, "Not in this lifetime or the next." I snort. "So you don't have a boyfriend?" He questions slowly, I raise my eyebrow at him as I chew on another bite of pizza. Mentally debating if I should say yes, but then last night came to mind with Bumblebee. "I don't see how that helps me find Sam." I grumble, "Right, Right." He nods nervously. But then his eyes instantly catch another girl, "Alicia, mi amor, can I interest you in an 18-inch zookeeper's special? Extra-large, triple cheese, with every known animal as a topping. Basically, I've got like eighteen-inches of meat. Unless you're vegetarian. Alright. It's cool. I am, too." He calls after another girl, damn near repeating himself like a broken record.

Glancing over, I quickly have to do a double take when I see the girl from last night. "What's your deal with Sam?" I snap, stopping to actually confronting her, sje gives off bad news and I doubt Sam could attract girls like her without there being a risk of national security. "Don't you have a boyfriend? Why do you care?" She argues back. "Yeah and Sam has a girlfriend, both of which are my friends which is why I care." I sneer, "So I suggest, You. Back. The fuck. Off." I hiss out slowly. Taking a step closer to her. She rolls her eyes and steps around me, "We'll just have to find out what Sam wants." She hums before looking at the pizza boy. "Ah well, you know I think he died, but we can go check." He offers, just like he offered me. God is this guy a broken record or what?

Turning I take the Boy by the front of his shirt, "Take us." I demand. The boy does nothing but nod, with a good shove I he takes the lead in directing us to the right dorm room. "Here we are." He sighs turning the doorknob, but what we found is not what we were expecting. The entire room is covered in alien symbols from the deepest corrupted tissue in Sam's brain. Exhaustion washes over me a thought of how the fuck am I suppose to explain this. I'm so caught up in my thoughts I completely zoned out of Sam's rambling, staring blankly as he knocks over piles of papers and starts to throw kitten calendars all over the damn floor.

"Girls, I'm horrified you had to see this. Let's go." The pizza boy scoffs as if his family has been shamed, "Get out." The blonde bitch ordered. My eyes blow wide as she shoves both of us back and slams the door in our faces, "Wait, wait, wait! Can- can I just sit and watch? I'll- I'll eat my pizza quietly." The boy begs at the door. "God dude, grow a fucking pair." I scoff. I try to turn the doorknob only to find it locked, well this isnt good, "Do you have a key?" I question. "No." He mumbles, I let out a groan and bang my head against the door. "Hard way it is then." I mumble, kneeling down and pulling out my lock knife. "Woah, woah—" the guy whispers, "Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate." I grumble. I stick in my thinnest blade before picking out the needle sheathed in the hilt of the blade.

"What are you some sort of government agent?" He whispers, "Nah, that's my foster dad." I mumble. Jiggling the pin but the lock doesn't move, I grunt as I feel the guy breathing over the top of me. "Back off before I plunge this pin through your throat." I growl twisting the blade a little more to the left. "Uh Trace?" A voice calls, letting out an irritated sigh I turn, my eyes going wide at the sight of Mikaela. "What the hell are you doing here?" I mumble, quickly turning back to the lock. "Sam called, you?" She questions, "Sam and a bunch of you-know-what—" I start turning the blade some more, "With you-know-who." I add jiggling the pin, "To deal with They-who-shall-not-be-named." I snip as soon as I hear the door click. Turning the knob I push open, low-and-behold that blonde bitch is over the top of Sam while they make-out. They both pull away as three of us in the doorway stare, "God damn it Sam." I grumble.