The white van pulled up to the opening in the border, raising a small cloud of
dust as it stopped.  The driver carefully read the sign on the chain-linked
fence:


                   WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING

                       U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED AREA
                          Authorized Personnel Only
                              Beyond This Point

                        Trespassers will be persecuted
                        to the full extent of the law.

                                ARMED SECURITY
                           DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED

                   WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING


"What's wrong?"

"Susan, are you SURE it's safe?"

"For the seventeenth time, yes, I'm sure.  Don't tell me you're scared."

The driver grinned from behind his glasses.  "Well ... I still haven't seen
the last episode of TREK yet.  If I get killed, I'll haunt you for the rest of
my afterlife."  Susan gave Rob a playful swipe with her notepad.  He released
the parking brake and resumed driving.

Despite the warnings, the sparse forest on the inside of the fence looked just
as harmless as that on the outside.  Rob kept a nervous eye open while Susan
stared off in her daydreams.  They traveled for another mile before they
finally saw it.  Even then, it was almost invisible, orange metal against
orange stone.

Susan was shaken out of her reverie and thrown against the seat belt as the
van lurched to a halt.  Brushing strands of blonde hair out of her face, she
was about to yell at Rob when she saw why he had stopped.  A large, futuristic
tank blocked their way, its imposing red barrel pointing into the passenger
compartment.  "PRESENCE UNAUTHORIZED.  IDENTIFY NOW," a disembodied voice
boomed.

Rob looked to Susan in panic.  Unfazed, she rolled down her window, stuck her
head out, and yelled, "Susan Sanderson and Robert Glen.  We have an
appointment."

There was a long pause as the tank barrel swiveled, pointing at each of them
in turn.  Finally it replied, "IDENTITIES VERIFIED.  WAIT HERE."  Another
second, then "PLEASE."  Susan wordlessly settled back into her seat.

A few minutes later, a police car pulled alongside the two vehicles.  Rob
gaped as the car quickly unfolded itself into a humanoid robot fifteen feet
tall.  "I've got them," he said to the tank, and it rolled away on electric
rails.  He knelt on one knee and addressed the van's passengers.  "Hello, I'm
Prowl.  I hope Omega Supreme didn't scare you too much."

"Nah," Susan replied, as if being threatened by giant tanks happened to her on
an hourly basis.  She turned to Rob, who was still gaping.  She gave him a
rough nudge, then said with an embarrassed grin, "Don't mind him; he's still
excited over the visit."

Prowl smiled briefly as Rob cranked his jaw closed.  "I understand.  Please,
follow me."  Without waiting for a reply, Prowl turned away, then transformed
back into a police car.  He drove away, and the van followed close behind.

Once inside the Ark, Prowl stopped and transformed once again.  The van's
engine died with a faint wheeze as the two humans climbed out.  Rob ran one
hand through his greasy black hair while he looked in awe at the cavernous
bay.  Susan drew herself to her full five-feet-six-inches, then straightened
her white dress.  "Optimus Prime is waiting in the command center," Prowl
said.  "That should be sufficient, we hope."

"Oh, yes," Susan replied, reaching back in for a small suitcase.  "It sounds
fine."  She turned to Rob, who was unloading a set of heavy black boxes from
the rear of the van.  "This is going to take a while," she said to their host,
"since you insisted that only two of us could come.  I don't suppose you have
a dolly or something...?"

As if on cue, a red and yellow Volkswagen emerged from the bowels of the Ark
and stopped next to the van.  They transformed to a pair of robots, smaller
than Prowl but bearing more than a passing resemblance to each other.
"Bumblebee and Cliffjumper here will help," Prowl introduced.

"Great," Susan said with a small smile.  "Rob, are you going to be okay if I
leave you now?"

"Um, yeah," he replied.  He was still nervous and excited and dumbfounded by
everything, but growing more accustomed with each passing minute.  "We'll get
the satellite feed up, then run the gear to where you are."

She nodded, then turned to Prowl.  "Lead on," she said.  As Bumblebee helped
unload the van's contents and Cliffjumper was receiving instructions from Rob,
Susan followed Prowl into the Ark.

The Command Center lived up to its name.  Monitors and machines and boxes and
equipment filled the walls of the room, all for reasons Susan could not begin
to guess at.  Filling one far wall was a vast computer workstation, scaled to
Transformers' sizes, and in front of that was a giant chair.  Optimus Prime
turned and stood up as the two entered.  "Ms. Sanderson," he announced.  "I
trust you didn't have any problems?"

She shook her head.  "Your people have been wonderful," she said.  "And this
room will be perfect.  Um ... Do you have a platform or something like that?
To bring me up to your level?"

Prime sat down again, looking very much like a king on a throne.  "We
anticipated your need," he said, gesturing behind her as Prowl wheeled in a
repair gurney.  A few button presses quickly raised it to Prime's level, then
Prowl reached down, palms flat.  Susan stepped in, grinning at thoughts of
King Kong as she rose into the air.  She stepped off at the top of the
scaffold and looked around again.  "Yes.  Just great."  She looked at Prime,
then frowned.  "Except..."

"Is something wrong?"

She pursed her lips slightly.  "I don't mean to offend, but you got washed
recently, didn't you?"

"Why, yes," Prime confessed, slightly surprised.  "I thought a good appearance
was important to humans."

"Oh, it is, it is," she said. "But we're going to get too much glare.  Let me
get my talc..."

                                    * * *

"When's it going to start already?"

"Will ya keep yer voice down?"

"What for?  We're still waiting!"

"Shhhhhhh!"

"Look, look!"

The rabble suddenly fell silent as one voice grabbed their collective
attention.  "Pollution.  Disease.  Famine.  Blight.  These problems have been
around since humans first walked on the face of the Earth.  Now, one man says
the solutions to mankind's ills are ours for the asking.  Opponents say
releasing it would pose an even greater danger.  Who is right?  Tonight, we
ask: Should Cybertronian technology be applied to humanity's problems?  Join
us here, on NIGHTLINE."

In the Ark's main conference room, a few Autobots whooped and cheered, only to
be quickly silenced by the others.  The tactical display had been jury-rigged
for television reception.  The lights were now turned off, so the only
lighting came from Ted Koppel's image filling one wall of the room.  Almost
all of the Autobots were watching, and the unfortunate few who were on patrol
were allowed to listen to the audio.

Koppel quickly introduced his guests, lined up left to right on the screen and
brought together via satellite.  From Denver, Geoffrey Cooper, leader of the
interest group "SECT - Save Earth with Cybertron Technology".  From New York
City, United Nations spokesperson Katherine Amasova.  And from the Ark in
Oregon, Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots.  The last drew another round of
cheers and applause, which died down even faster as Koppel began.  "Mr.
Cooper, for those viewers who are not familiar with your group, can you
briefly tell us what is SECT's purpose?"

The president of SECT was in his late thirties, with hazel-colored hair that
was starting to thin slightly on top of his narrow face.  He wore a dark blue
sweater and sat in a huge leather chair in his den.  He blinked once, then
cleared his throat to speak.  "SECT is a non-profit, non-partisan group that
simply wants to solve Earth's problems immediately and directly.  We are
petitioning the beings of Cybertron, and the world's governments, to allow for
the free use of their science in applications to save the planet and the
people of Earth from the enviromental and social disasters we now face."

"I think it's very clear that the technology of Cybertron is very advanced.
But is it applicable to the problems of Earth?"

"We think so, Ted," Cooper casually replied.  "SECT's own studies and the
scientists we've consulted all agree that Cybertron's technology is decades
ahead of anything we know now.  Pollution-free energy, weather control,
nanotechnology -- what we consider science fiction is probably science fact
for them.  In fact, many of our basic laws of physics are already obsolete, as
they contradict what we've seen from simply watching the, ah, Transformers."

The host now turned to Optimus Prime.  "Mr. Prime," he said with practiced
ease, "Can your science really do everything that SECT says it can?  Or is
this simply a case of exaggerated expectations?"

The Autobots yelled and applauded as Optimus Prime's image suddenly filled the
screen, the computer banks of Teletran 1 forming an impressive backdrop.  He
answered in a calm, measured voice, "I will not lie and say he is wrong.  In
fact, Mr. Cooper's assessment is very accurate -- with the proper use of our
technology, for instance, we could repair the ozone layer, turn deserts into
farmland, eliminate your need for fossil fuels, and perhaps cure some of your
deadliest diseases."

"Really."  Koppel's response to this revelation was met with cool aplomb.  One
got the impression that he could announce the end of the world with equal
indifference.  "And yet, you don't.  In fact, soon after you and the Autobots
introduced yourselves to the world, the United Nations passed a treaty banning
the solicitation or use of any of Cybertron's knowledge and technology.  Why?"

Prime paused for a moment before responding.  "There are many reasons, Mr.
Koppel, but the most important one is that we don't wish to interfere with
Earth's internal affairs.  I -- along with the leaders of Cybertron -- feel
that any information we release would have wide impact on your social and
political structures.  If we provided you with new farmland, who controls the
land and make sure its benefits are shared equally?  If we removed your
dependence on petroleum, that would wreck havoc with the global economy and
damage the countries that rely on it for income.

"No matter how we watch it, if we were to start sharing our knowledge, we
would be unduly influencing one nation or one ideology over others.  We
cannot, and should not, interfere with your planet's politics.  Your leaders
have to make changes and reach agreements by their own means, while we should
keep our presence to a minimum.  The Autobots are here only to protect the
people of Earth from the Decepticons."

Cooper suddenly interjected, "So you're just going to sit there and let humans
starve and die?  Why not just give your knowledge to everybody?  Let us worry
about who gets what and where?"

Koppel turned to Prime, who replied, "That's because we do not feel that
humanity is ready for that level of science now.  Most of our technology can
damage the environment or destroy countless people if used improperly.  There
should be a gradual evolution in learning -- for us to simply give you our
knowledge would be a major leap in your planet's development.

"Take nuclear power as an example.  Human beings are still learning how to
control it, and the results are mixed at best.  You haven't yet reached a
point where it can be controlled with confidence and safety.  Introducing
Cybertronian science to your world now could cause a calamity hundreds of
times worse than the atomic bomb ever did.  That is why both myself and your
United Nations feel that it's to humanity's best interest to keep our
technology away and let you discover it, gradually, on your own."

"That's just elitist condescension," Cooper snorted.  "Sounds to me like you
don't really care about us, despite all your talk about protecting sentient
beings."

Prime's emotionless faceplate hid any signs of the indignation he felt.
Instead, he merely replied, "If that was the case, Mr. Cooper, then we would
let the Decepticons do whatever they wanted to with your planet.  But we
remain here, because we feel responsible for protecting Earth from a menace we
accidentally unleashed."

"You mean because you don't want them to get a lead--"

"Mr. Cooper!"  Koppel's voice was loud yet calm, a verbal blade honed through
hundreds of broadcasts that sliced through the dialogue.  Satisfied with the
ensuing silence, he turned to the center monitor.  "Miss Amasova," he
continued, as if nothing untoward had happened.  "Is the United Nations
willing to reconsider its position on this issue?"

Katherine Amasova stood up straight, her simple face framed by shoulder-length
black hair.  She was outdoors, wearing a dark red jacket as the lights of Long
Island glittered softly in the background.  A smooth European accent tinged
her words.  "Ted, the Chairman is in complete agreement with Optimus Prime and
the Autobots.  He is not pleased with the restriction, but he also understands
the wisdom behind it.  For now, humanity will have to work together and solve
its own problems.  Maybe this will motivate our nations to work harder in
reaching cooperation and negotiation."  She smiled as she finished, "He also
hopes that, perhaps someday, the human race will be able to join the beings of
Cybertron as equals."

"A very hopeful thought indeed," Koppel concurred.  "While Mr. Cooper has a
worthwhile goal, it's apparent that the Autobots do not wish to release their
science to us for the greater good."  There was a pause, then he turned to his
unseen audience.  "Next up: should the United States attack Bosnia in force?
Military analyists debate the dangers involved.  We'll be right back."  The
image faded to black, then replaced by a commercial for men's cologne.

                                    * * *

The red light on the camera winked off.  "We're clear," Susan announced.  As
Rob began disconnecting the video monitors, Optimus Prime stood up and
approached the platform.  "I hope I made a good impression with your viewers."

"Oh, you were fine," she said, then confessed, "This was mostly a filler piece
anyway; it's been a slow week."

"I was wondering why it was brief."

Susan's next words were interrupted when a barrage of Autobots quickly entered
the command center, mobbing the new celebrity.  Ironhide reached him first.
"Prime, you glory-grabbin' son, you!"

"Hey, he didn't look too bad for a first-timer," Sunstreaker added modestly.
This was met by a punch in the arm from Sideswipe.  "Look who's talking!  When
was the last time YOU got on national TV?"

"Well, I would have been perfect," Powerglide boasted eagerly.  "Charisma,
grace, and suave sophistication!"

The other Autobots began to arrive and swarm and talk, complimenting their
leader on his showing and commenting on the broadcast itself.  Though he
didn't show it, it was clear that Prime was both flattered and amused by his
temporary attention.  Susan merely smiled; she had seen this same scene
countless times  before with other interviews.  Even though they were giant
robots from outer space, she knew now that the Autobots weren't as alien as
they appeared.

                                    * * *

"What is it, Skywarp?"

"Just some human news broadcast.  The computers picked it up because it
triggered the keywords."

Megatron reached over Skywarp's shoulders and adjusted the controls.  "Optimus
Prime ... 'Save Earth with Cybertron Technology'?"

Skywarp shrugged in apathy  "Sounds like an Earthling kook to me."

"Mmm," Megatron replied.  "This may be interesting.  Out of the chair," he
commanded.  Skywarp quickly slid out, then stood to one side as the Decepticon
leader took his place.  Megatron tapped a series of keys and replayed the
broadcast from the beginning.

As the debate grew heated, Megatron started to smile.

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