Piper? Are you awake?

Piper wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping for, but was sure it couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes. She couldn't help but feel soothed by the gentle beeping and clicking that Bumblebee produced. Glancing out the window, she saw nothing but the vast desert with a few of the canyon rock formations. With a bit of a jostle, she suddenly realized that they were riding off road... straight toward a massive canyon rock.

Don't be alarmed.

Piper bit back the scream, clutching her injured body in fear as the canyon rock suddenly parted at the base. Suddenly there was a passing through a very well lit tunnel, and entered a massive cavern. Computers swarmed the place, but what caught Piper's attention was the red and white bot tending them. He glanced her way with a stern expression, as if trying to hide slight bit of discontent. She felt like she shouldn't be surprised at this point, but she couldn't help the shocked look that crossed her face. There was a "second floor" as best as she could describe. A couch and a TV were hooked up. Jack sat on the couch beside Raf, both pausing from a video game when they entered.

Piper looked the other way, not wanting them to see her bruised face. She was met with the gaze of the motorcycle bot, who gave a small but steady smile. Bumblebee soon came to a stop steadily. Opening his door, Piper hesitantly unbuckled her belt. Taking a breath, Piper steadied her self with the door and slowly climbed out. Bumblebee waited causally for her to get her footing and keep standing before transforming.

"What took you so long?" the female bot said. "You're always boasting about being the fastest of us all."

Didn't want to over whelm her.

Piper turned hearing heavy footsteps. The hulking green bot came into view. Behind him, stood the tallest robot, blue and red paint. His gentle blue eyes were the same color as every single one of them. Where they related? Could robots even be related?

"I'm glad you arrived here safely," the red and blue bot spoke, his voice deep and calm. "I heard there was a fierce battle at your camp site."

Piper swallowed her fear and spoke. "Thank you for sending your friends to help us."

"It's what we do, kid," the motorcycle bot spoke up.

"Even if we don't always agree," mumbled the red and white bot. Piper winced a bit at the tone.

Don't mind Ratchet. He's kinda a stick in the mud.

"I heard that."

Piper started feeling her head swimming, but blinked away the sensation.

"Where is my sister?"

"Your younger sibling is sound asleep in one of our other rooms. Miko has been keeping an eye on her," the red and blue bot said.

"Not asleep anymore." Piper turned at Miko's voice. The teen was carrying the child, who was clutching her teddy bear in her arms. Chloe's eyes were watery and she was whimpering, but she was unharmed. "She had a bad dream."

Piper's heart ached for her sibling. With a soft grin, she spoke. "Chloe."

The child lifted her head. Her eyes got bigger and tears started falling. Wriggling out of Miko's grip, Chloe ran toward her sister, abandoning her teddy bear in the process. "PIPER!"

Chloe quickly closed the gap between them and crashed herself into her sister's arms. Piper ignored her pain and dropped to her knees to hug the child tightly. Thank goodness she was alright.

"Shh," Piper whispered. "It's okay. I'm here, I'm here."

Chloe's whimpers slowly subsided at the comforting sounds and touches from her sister. Piper continued to murmur for a few more moments before looking up at the female bot. "Thank you, for saving my sister."

"It's what I do," she replied.

"Now for introductions," the green bot said. "You met Ratchet. I'm Bulkhead."

"Name's Arcee," the female said. "And you've met Bumblebee."

"My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. We are autonomus robotic organisms, from the planet Cybertron. We battle the forces of the Decepticons, the robots you encountered tonight. Their mission is to extinguish the human race in a battle for Energon, the life force that keeps up alive. We work in secret, protecting the humans at all costs."

Piper nodded in understanding and gently pushed Chloe off of her. The child gasped. "Piper? What happened to your face?"

All eyes were on Piper as she gingerly touched the exposed bruise. Glancing up at Miko, who shared a horrified expression, she gently pushed Chloe in her direction. "Can you take her back to bed, please? She should fall asleep quickly now," turning to her sister, she smiled. "Don't worry about it. Just go to sleep and be good for Miko, just like a babysitter. I will be here when you wake up."

Chloe nodded and trotted back toward Miko, who took her in her arms, scooped up the bear, and started down the hallway with an "I'll be back" expression. Once they were out of sight, Piper suddenly became aware of Jack and Raf beside them.

"How did you get that bruise? Did you get hurt during the fight?"

"No," Piper sighed. She started rising to her feet again, only to have sharp pains stab her side and head. Her vision became dizzy and she suddenly couldn't keep her balance. She didn't have time to speak as she felt herself drop to the ground, laying flat on her stomach. Piper faintly heard the beeps and clicks of her new yellow friend.

Ratchet! She's seriously hurt.

"Hey!" Jack said gently kneeling beside her. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Piper was too dizzy from the pain to answer, her head swimming from all of the events that had ended up taking place that night. She felt Jack's arms try to wrap around her waist to lift her back up. One touch toward her ribs, and Piper could no longer hold back her voice. She cried out in pain and curled as best as she could on the floor, wincing and fighting tears back.

"What the scrap!?" Piper heard Arcee exclaim. Piper refused to unwind, images of her drunken father suddenly filling her mind. She didn't understand why her mind's memories were rushing for her, but she fought the tears that threatened to fall.

"What happened?!" Piper mentally cursed as she heard Miko's frantic voice.

"She just fell," Raf said. "Don't lift her."

"Get her on my table!" Ratchet's voice held a typical doctor vibe. Piper opened her eyes when she felt familiar mechanical fingers gently slide her into the palm of his hand. Glancing up, she could barely make out the concerned face of Bumblebee as he gently lifted her toward the computers where Ratchet was working. Piper barely let out a whimper when she was gently placed on a table, not wanting to leave the comfort of the young bot.

Ratchet started an internal scan, beginning with her head and working his way down to her toes.

"What is the diagnosis?" Optimus's voice said.

"She is suffering from a minor concussion, multiple abrasions from her face, arms, and sides, three broken ribs, and one cracked rib," Ratchet didn't even bother to hide the concern in his voice.

"How did she get hurt?" Bulkhead questioned. Turning to Bumblebee, he continued. "Did she get hurt in battle?"

No. She stayed clear, and I got her away safely.

"These injuries are not completely fresh," Ratchet interjected. "They are at least a day, if not two old."

"That's impossible," Jack said. "We saw her yesterday afternoon and she did not have a bruise over her face like that."

"She wore makeup," Miko sighed. "Duh."

Piper's head was still hurting, but she was slowly regaining her vision. She could faintly make out the medic, who was continuing his work. When it hurt too bad to keep her eyes open, she closed them again and settled for listening.

"What can be done for her?" Jack's voice piped up.

"The concussion is already fading, and bruises will heal," Ratchet said. "Her rib cage, however, will take much longer. She'll have to be bandaged up for a while. Just until the bones heal."

"What caused her to collapse?"

"It would appear exhaustion," the medic gently removed some medical tape from a kit on his table. Gently he pushed Piper's shirt up past her rib cage, careful not to harm her anymore. He couldn't help the grimace when he came into contact with the black and blue rib cage as he gently started taping her up. First patches to act like a bandage were applied, being sure to cover every broken bone he could find.

"Bumblebee," Ratch said. "Can you help elevate her upper body so I can secure everything in place?"

What if I hurt her?

"Just be gentle," Ratchet said. Once Piper was propped up, the medic began wrapping the medical tape around the teen's body, being sure to secure everything in place. Once the tape was cut, Ratchet started searching through the medical kit again. Before Bumblebee could lower the teen back down, he heard Raf clear his throat. Glancing at his charge, his eyes softened when the young lad held up a pillow from their lounge area. Bumblebee wasted no time in picking it up and placing it under Piper's head, as he laid her gently back on the table. Ratchet hid a smile; he had always had a soft spot for the young genius.

"What now Ratchet?" Arcee piped up.

"I'm going to inject her with Toradol, a strong anti-inflammatory and a pain killer. When she is stable, she can start taking regular ibuprofen pills."

Ratchet readied the small needle, and carefully injected it into Piper's shoulder. The teen winced, feeling the small prick. Looking up at the medic, they locked eyes for a moment. For the first time since her arrival, Ratchet gave her a look of sympathy, followed by a small, apologetic smile. Piper smiled and closed her eyes again.

"The pain medicine should start working soon," the medic said. "For now, we let her rest."

Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee decided it would be good to get their charges to bed, and began ushering them down the hallway, promising that Piper would be okay. Once they were out of sight, Optimus turned toward Ratchet, who was typing up a short medical chart for the young teen.

"Can you determine the cause of the injuries, old friend?" the leader spoke quietly, so not to disturb their patient.

Ratchet turned, a slightly angry expression on his face. Pinching the bridge of his "nose", he sighed. "There are many causes here," he explained. "Her concussion and her rib cage were hit with a blunt object, while her bruises on her arms indicate she was grabbed roughly."

"Someone had attacked her," it wasn't a question. Optimus glanced at the now peacefully sleeping Piper.

"Viciously," Ratchet sighed. "What I don't understand is why she didn't seek medical attention."

"Just as we defend our team mates, humans will defend loved ones."

The medic nodded. "You think this had to do with defending the youngling."

Optimus nodded, glancing down at the teenager. "Regardless, they must stay here. Until we can determine what they were doing out there, and if they are at risk of being harmed by the Decepticons, they are to both remain here at the base."

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Great. More humans." but even he couldn't contain the small smile that formed across his face plates.

Optimus couldn't help but chuckle at the old medic. "Get some rest, old friend. I will watch over her."

Ratchet nodded and placed a bottle of water down from his med bay. "If she wakens, make sure she drinks some water," and with that last piece of advice, he headed down the long hallway. Once he was out of sight, the leader turned to the computers, re-reading the medical report Ratchet had typed.

"Optimus?"

The leader barely heard Piper speak. The leader's eyes softened as the teen tried to sit up.

"Be easy, young one," Optimus said. He reached for the water and carefully unscrewed the top off. Piper watched in amazement as something so large could delicately handle something so small. "Drink," he said calmly.

Suddenly realizing how dry her throat was, Piper gratefully accepted the water and took a few sips of the cool liquid. After she was done, Piper handed the bottle back to the Autobot leader, who gingerly replaced the cap.

"Thank you," Piper said.

"Do not thank me," Optimus smiled. "Ratchet wrapped you up and tended your wounds. You have an extensive set of injuries."

Piper sighed. "I know."

Sensing the anguish in the teen's voice, Optimus knelt down to become eye level with her.

"May I ask what you were doing out at the scrap yard?"

Piper looked up at him. While she didn't know him well, she seemed to sense there was no denying a respected person... Or bot.

"It's a long story," she warned.

"We have time," Optimus said with an steady expression.

Piper fiddled with her fingers, suddenly unable to look the leader in the face. "I took Chloe to the junk yard for a few days at least. I use that junk yard to find pieces and scrap to make and invent things," Piper glanced up at the leader, who nodded for her to continue. "Chloe doesn't fully understand; she's just a little girl. But our family is broken. Our mother works constantly, and is on some sort of drug all the time. Our father lost his job three years ago, and has since then become an alcoholic. They always fight, and they abandoned Chloe and myself. We share a roof over our heads, but they do nothing to care for her. I have been caring for Chloe since she was two. It's all she's ever known."

Optimus closed his eyes briefly, processing everything Piper had just said. Looking back at her, Piper was now sitting cross legged and fiddling with her shoes.

"My father did this to me," she said quietly. "I had gone downstairs to retrieve a tool I needed, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I hid it the best I could from Chloe. She didn't need to know she was with someone who was turning physically abusive. I couldn't go to the doctor because that meant leaving Chloe home with them. I did what I had to do to protect her," she glanced back up at the leader. "She's all I have left."

Optimus nodded. "Thank you for telling me."

Piper closed her eyes, fighting back tears, and nodded. "It's the least I could do."

The teens eyes snapped open when she felt herself being gently scooted into the leader's hands. Optimus grabbed the pillow and the bottle of water and gently carried Piper to the couch in the "lounge" area. He placed the pillow down and gently laid the teen down. Piper felt her body ease into the surprisingly comfortable couch as drowsiness overtook her again. Taking another sip of water, she was shocked when Optimus had plucked up her own sleeping bag up. Turning gently, Piper saw the wagon sitting there, with all of her and Chloe's things. The leader un-zipped the green sleeping bag, turning it into a blanket, before draping it over Piper.

"Get some sleep," Optimus said. "You, and your sister, are safe here."

His baritone voice soothed Piper, and she closed her eyes once again. Optimus turned back toward the computers to work. As he stood at the tables again, a small voice reached his audio receptors.

"Thank you."

Optimus turned just in time to see Piper fall into a deep sleep on the couch. Smiling to himself, he continued to monitor the screens, looking for any more signs of Deceptions for the remainder of the long night.