So...High school started. Ow. I've learned slowly that it sucks away all your free time, sleep time, and creativity. I've had such a writer's block for so long I swear my brain is a lifeless dusty husk now. It gives me a headache. But, it's winter break now, and I got Transformers 3 for Christmas! Of course, if you've seen this movie, you HAVE to have wondered what life would be like if the Autobots hadn't come back? If the Decepticons were successful in their crazy plan? Well...I did. And it was a very ugly picture, that made for a great story in my head.

I have to say, I was really kind of resentful of Carly throughout the whole movie...but I'm sort of biased, so I decided to give her some liberties. That being, I didn't kill her off, or make her a complete idiot. She's really kind of pleasant, actually. I've got devils and angels on my shoulders though, so we'll have to see how long this might last. I do intend to have Dylan Gould make an appearance sooner or later...and it won't be at all pleasant for him :)

So my Autobot Academy thing that I had been working on...well I loved where it was going, but it died. It was brutally killed as soon as the school year started. I'm not going to kill it off as a story myself, because I still love that story to death, and come on...it's the first fanfic I ever uploaded. So I'll continue to brainstorm over it, but don't hold your breath.

SO ANYWAYS. I like to ramble. It's a sad fact of life for me. But I'll get the rest of my thoughts down whenever I get the next chapter of this up, so here we go. As always, I'll welcome any and all comments, reviews, and criticisms, and enjoy!

Arabell crept through the darkness slowly, pulling her cloak tightly around herself. Glancing past the corner of the building she was hiding behind, she squeezed her eyes shut, and withdrew quickly from the bright lights of the work area. The Chicago Branch was the largest workforce, since the entire project had begun there. The Decepticons, evidently, had a small sense of sentimentality, however morbid it might have been. Flying down an alley, Bell crouched under a dim lamppost, the only light in the damp area. Lifting a grate, she pulled out a dirty brown work bag, and grinned.

"Sam, you wonderful boy," She muttered.

"You say something, Bell?" He crackled back over the earpiece that was crammed into her ear canal.

"Carly's managed to get the package in place." She heard a weary sigh on the other end.

"Good…that's good." Bell never ceased to be amazed by how much love those two harbored for each other, even after a year of being separated by Decepticon-made boundaries. Sam would never be able to cross the threshold onto worker's territory. Carly was one of many that were forever trapped, condemned to work until their death. Arabell was one of the only members of the Rebellion small enough to fit through a small chink in the armor, so to speak. Scouts had found a small damaged area of the boundary that allowed passage, as long as one was small enough to fit. Otherwise, the intruder was more or less vaporized.

"Alright Sam," Arabell spoke again, more quietly, as she pulled off her cloak. "I'm gonna go in now. Wish me luck."

"Good luck, Bell. I'm standing by, and Ryan will be monitoring your vitals."

"Gotcha." As the line clicked shut, Bell moved out from under the light to peel off the rest of her scouting outfit, and switch into the worker's disguise. Once she had pulled on a grubby grease-stained shirt along with some dirty leather boots, she crammed her other clothes into the work bag, and slung it over her shoulder. To anyone else, it would have looked like it carried tools. Pulling a hard hat over her short dark hair, she took off in the direction of the worker's compound.

Getting in wasn't difficult; The Decepticons didn't care if someone sauntered in, they just saw it as a new body to add to the workforce. Getting out would be the tricky part. For now, though, Bell was content focusing on one thing at a time. Picking up an abandoned hammer, she blended right in with the crowd of workers. As she scanned the crowd for Carly, an elderly man caught her attention. Thin as a toothpick, he stumbled along looking as if he could barely hold his own weight, much less the steel bars that were slung over his shoulder. She saw his knees buckle before his face even seemed to register any pain, and only just made it in time to take the weight of the bars. Slinging one bony arm around her neck, she steadied him and led him to a secluded area, leaning him against the wall of a vacated building. She watched as one trembling hand clutched at his chest, and his expression contorted into one of pain as he struggled to catch his breath. Kneeling by him, Bell gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hang in there," Unsure of what to do, it was all she could think of to say.

"Oh," Bell whipped around, relaxing when she saw that it was Carly who stood over them, looking close to tears. "Oh," She gasped again. "Wait right here, I'll go get-" She was cut off as he lifted his hand in a placating gesture.

"No, no, my dear, it's my time." He smiled, looking surprisingly at ease with the fact. "Eighty-nine years…it was a long, full life. It's better than what you young people have to go through…this, this-" His hands fluttered aimlessly as he became more upset, and he opened his eyes to look at them. "Ah, Carly…you were such a sweet girl. You stay strong, you hear? There aren't many with a heart like yours around here." Carly picked up his hand, holding it tightly as tears spilling over her cheeks. His eyes drifted towards Bell as he spoke. "And…" His brow knit as he peered at Bell. "You…you're one of those rebels, aren't you?" Bell shot a furtive glance over her shoulder.

"Yes sir," She replied quietly. "How did you know?" He gave her a toothy smile.

"You've got that look in your eye, the same exact one that I used to have. People mistake it for stubbornness, but it's really determination…yeah?" Bell graced him with a small smile.

"Absolutely."

"Good, that's good. Use it well. I've only ever met a handful of people with that look in their eye. Every single one of them has gotten the job done, once they'd set their mind to it. What's your name?"

"It's Arabell, sir."

"What a lovely name. Promise me something, Arabell…do whatever it takes to return everything just as it was. Our world was never perfect, but everything needs its flaws. It gives us things to fix!" He said with a laugh. "So promise me." Bell picked up his hand, squeezing his cold fingers.

"I promise." He opened his mouth to talk, but was cut off by racking coughs. As he wheezed, he tilted his head back and smiled weakly, dying right before their eyes. Carly dissolved into sobs as she closed his eyes. Bell watched her quietly.

"He was," Carly finally spoke, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Like a grandfather to…everyone here." Bell remained silent, regarding the corpse sadly. He looked as though he were sleeping peacefully, living in a pleasant dream.

"I'm sorry." She finally said. "I wish I could have known him." Carly looked at the young girl, and sniffed loudly.

"Well, that's that I suppose. People live, people die…he was at least lucky enough to live his entire life, free of this rubbish. But enough of this. Here's the information I've managed to gather. The security's gotten tighter recently, so the Tech's haven't been able to get much, but…" She trailed off, holding out a small microchip.

"We can use anything. You're invaluable to us Carly." Bell was surprised as the older woman pulled her into a hug.

"God," Carly sniffled and pulled back with a smile, sensing Bell's discomfort. "You don't know how much that means to me. I can get to be so hard sometimes…just working with everyone every day, never knowing when you might die, when someone else might die…knowing I may never see Sam again." Bell listened silently, sliding the microchip into a small compartment in the latch of her bracelet. As Carly talked about Sam, Bell paused. "How is he?" Carly asked quietly.

"…he tries to hide it, but everyone can tell he misses you a lot." Carly wiped a tear from her cheek, and smiled shakily with a nod.

"Tell him I miss him too. Desperately." Carly looked at Bell as she stood. "He's right, you know?"

"Who?" Carly gestured at the old man, her eyes never leaving Bell's face.

"What he said. You're just so young. I can't help but feel this thing is so much more unfair for you."

"Please," Bell rolled her eyes. "Spare me the pity. There are plenty of kids being born into Compounds every day, being bred for slave labor. Besides, it's not like you're not young." She scoffed, turning an accusatory finger towards Carly. "I think that was aimed towards both of us." Carly shook her head.

"No, I know…and yet, it just seems more tragic for you somehow. You hadn't even graduated from High School, right? You had your whole life ahead of you."

"Well, now I don't have homework. So that's a plus." Bell began to leave, ready to leave it at that, but her feet stopped on their own, Carly's words flitting about her head, bothering her more than they should have. She turned around, sighing in exasperation. "You know, yeah, it sucks that I didn't get to live up my High School Life, but there are so many kids in a worse situation than mine. At least, now I can make a difference. At least now, I can matter." Carly shook her head again, sadly, but proudly at the same time.

"You are just so brave. But you're right, you've got to go. Go on, I'll make sure he gets a proper burial." She smiled at bell one last time. "Go make a difference in our world."