Author's Note: Warning, this chapter is huge, containing 10,879 word(s). Needless to say, it's the longest chapter I've written. XD Possible OptimusxJune? I dunno.


Jack's frown would meld his face that way for good, should he have to remain in the same cabin as Miko. Both had argued not to sit in the same vehicle together, but an authoritative bark from Optimus was enough to get them to going. Even Miko jumped at the boom of his voice, having had quite enough of the children's bickering. Rafael seemed squeamish about getting in afterward, not wanting to get in between them. Luckily for him, Jakknife was trying to make light of the situation, coaxing Rafael to sing with her to the radio, which he did, having almost forgotten the two feuding older teens. Almost.

"Well… The tension in here isso thick I 'cuh cut it. Be easy you two… Just try to remain on the point of our trip down here, and not on each other." She said loftily as they came to a red light. Her holodrone waving at the admiring children below on the sidewalk. She took of the appearance of a middle-aged woman who wasn't overweight, yet had meat on her bones. Her hair was a mix of pink, dark gray, and silver, curled and falling over her face like a dog. She wore a silver, black, and soft fuchsia colored racing jacket that remained open over a black shirt with two thin vertical pectoral stripes, finishing the look with a slick pair of black faded denim jeans. The silver boots were momentarily obsessed over by Miko, who found them to be a rocker's Must Have. Her eyes remained the autobus blue, against almost ghostly pale skin. For the most part her face was round, with a thin brow line and equally pudgy rose tone lips. Strategically, she had asked Rafael to sit between the two warring children, he complied, despite being hesitant to get in the middle of their nonsense. He kept himself occupied by examining the parts required by Rachet, glancing around every time one of his older compatriots shifted. Preparing to duck if he had to. This had been one of the worst ideas from Optimus, he had to admit to himself quietly. Hopefully the Prime knew what he was thinking when he placed them together.

"There it is," Jack pointed through the window at a rather unwelcome place. Surrounded by a black ailing chain link fence barricade, the run down place was utopia of metal parts. Dove could easy discern four to five mountainous piles of metal fragments from all over. Trashed and rusted vehicles lined the front like statuesque guard dogs.

"Looks appealing," She said warily as she turned into the vacant gravel parking lot behind the business office, which looked like a death trap. "Dear Primus, Jack, how did you make it out alive?"

He finally chuckled, though it was flat. "It's not as bad as you think, the place isn't supposed to be a glamour pageant. They crush unusable parts down to make new ones or replacement parts, since metal takes so long to decompose. Christian's a nice guy, his forward attitude will scare you at first, but he's harmless." He gave her a worry-free grin, his eyes completely avoiding Miko as he dropped his gaze to Raf. "Hey, you ready?"

"Yup, lemme just close this up, I'll take it inside." He said as he closed an open program on his screen, folding the thin silver laptop down and tucking it away under his arm.

"Uh, Dove?" Jack raised his head.

"Yes dear?" She looked over at him from the window, her eyes still focused on the scrap yard like it was a horror film.

"I… Don't know if Miko's going to come in, so could you watch her?" He shrugged as he hopped down to the ground off the step-rail.

"I'm not four Jack." Miko responded with a growl.

"Hey," Jakknife slapped her hand on the seat as a warning to them. "That's enough Miko. Someone's life is in danger, this is serious. Go wittim, I won't be talleratin' you sulking in muh cabin. Go." She pointed to the door that was still ajar like she was sending a Dog away. Miko complied, going slow on purpose in hopes she would reconsider. As soon as her boots hit the gravel, the Autobot slammed the door, and Miko almost winced at the sound of it locking. She looked back at it, then to the boys who had already walked ahead into the gateway, sighing in exaggeration before following.

Below him, his loyal minions worked tirelessly to harvest the form of his new energy source, a purple and sinister glowing substance he found he'd formed an addiction to. Megatron scanned the valley, a grin etched into his scarred and wrinkled features. For all that he could see, every corner of the desolate place was filled with the crystallized form of power. It was as if Unicron's blood was boiling out of the Earth itself. Never did the worry of potentially losing his to-be-conquered planet cross his mind, not now. His greed, lust for power… The solidity in his plan could never be shattered. He'd learned his mistake with Cybertron, though it was not going to happen here. Not again. Refocusing himself onto his workers below, his vision lapsed between spectacles of the current, and the future. Where he and his Decepticon followers could receive the lap of luxury they so rightfully deserved, where as the Humans slaved away in their place to harvest their new life-source. He could almost envision it now, upon his mighty thrown where all who once opposed groveled desperately in hopes to gain his saving grace. Perhaps the event of throwing them into a tar pit to watch them slowly burn for his recreation. His men, all shimmering with pride standing on either of him. And to finish the eccentric foresight, Prime's bloodied, battered, broken, offline head on a pedestal- No! A Spike…. beneath glass, spinal column and all. In a custom chamber full of trophies, the heads of his Autobot fellowship. He would, for eternity, hold the title of being the first, the last, and the only, to kill the final Prime in existence. His attention was brought forth to reality when the thump of a body had drawn his gaze to the grounds below. A worker had fallen, succumbed to the dark energon.

"You," He pointed to a miner not far off, then to another. "And you, take him away. Replace him with someone else able."

"Yes, Lord Megatron." They complied in unison, immediately dragging the weakened Transformer away to an established safety zone, a more able bodied worker passing them on the way.

"Lord Megatron,"Knock Out's voice slipped through over his static laced comm.

"Yes Knock Out, what is it?" He addressed the medical bot casually, basking the waves of dark energon seeping from the crystals.

"Our first round of new personnel forces have arrived… maltreated."He seemed hesitant to say the last part, rightfully so as he feared Megatron's rage.

"From what?" The Decepticon leader hissed through his canine-like dental plates.

"Orders from Airachnid, sire. To intercept a group of Autobot interlopers."He sounded nervous, perhaps, Megatron figured, Airachnid was behind him.

"Yet again she pushes me to the edge. Where is my Second in Command?" He pressed a claw to his brow in distress, a small attempt to keep his temper from boiling over.

"He is aboard my lord, he too was unaware of Airachnid giving such commands. He is en route to the bridge now to deal with the situation, having arrived from the secondary mining site. Shall, I have you contact him when he is present?"

"No. It isn't necessary, I will be coming to deal with her myself. Make that clear to Starscream as well. Go, leave the communication line open and tend to our new workforce. I want them in sterling condition when they are repaired, is that clear?"

"Yes, my lord." He then cut the line, leaving Megatron in silence once again.

"Seems incompetence has run rampant through chain of command while I was away… Hasn't even been a full day yet." He turned to address the miners below, his voice bellowing out over the valley. "Continue your work! I'm afraid order must be restored aboard the Nemesis! I shall return!"

"Yes, Lord Megatron!" All who observed him shouted in unity without fail. With the scrape of his heel, he darted forward and leapt his heavy frame into the air before transforming, his boosters burning furiously at full speed towards the ship. Intent of solving their relapsing issues once and for all.

Alexis had been feeling rather giddy throughout the entire drive back into town. The low blood sugar was no longer an issue, considering Starscream had been kind enough to fly her and her vehicle closer to town before setting her free, and she was soon able to feed herself. Luckily enough for her, the vehicle had remained stationary and untouched the entire day. The goodbye couldn't have been more informal, although she accepted it due to the situation taking place aboard the Decepticon ship, something he had to rush to solve.

And within his quarters it had been short, for the most part. What with her crying fit fallen quiet, she found herself reacting impulsively, planting a kiss upon his pale cheek that made him stutter for a short while. Putting an authentic smile on her face, one he reacted to childishly. Although that wasn't what made her so giddy, most surely it had to have been the vengeful return favor he so cruelly gave her. Leaving her in a maddened arousal fit after he'd finished, then he went about grinning smugly after they exited, her curled in his hand. Making her want to find a place to hide with the overwhelming embarrassment.

On thing proved for certain, Starscream wouldn't have done such things had he not harbored any left over feelings. She wiped her cheek again, finding it still sticky from his saliva, or whatever fluid passed as such. It was understandable, considering the size difference in their mouths and when he kissed her. She entered the hotel and greeted the desk clerk in a way that even surprised him, a wide-spread grin, the wave of a hand and almost a near-skip to the elevator. Surely after today she would call Rad, tell him everything besides her day with Starscream.

Sitting on her bed after cleaning off was her first priority, now in the dim light of her room, she began to wear down and grasp how tired she actually was now that her adrenaline had worn off. She grabbed her phone up from the nightstand, reducing the volume on the TV and allowing herself to drop back on the cool pillows, making her lower back goose-pimple through her shirt. Skirting the list of numbers, she found what she'd been looking for and pressed the call button, hoping the number was still the same. As she sat there and listened to the phone ring, her mind strayed to wonder what tomorrow would bring. Starscream hadn't exactly been able to discuss a means of when they could reunite.

"Hello?"

"Rad?" She smiled.

"Yes, this is he."

"Guess who~"

"Uhhh…."

She frowned, rolling her eyes. "It's Alexis.,.. Alexis Ti Dang?"

"Oh! Hey Alexis! How are you? It's been a good while!"He suddenly sounded like he did when he was a child.

She laughed. "Yeah, it has! I'm doing fine, I'm taking up coop in a hotel towards Jasper's core. So how have you been?"

"Are you serious? Man, I wish I'd known earlier… I've been well, Odele just had our second child a couple months ago, named her Emily." He sounded embarrassed talking about it, then Alexis heard the chatter of another child in the back, partially muffled with what sounded like flapping paper. "Marie, quit that will you? Dad's on the phone."

She tittered softly when she heard a distant "sorry".

"Sorry about that."

"Two girls in the house, you're going to pay for it now." She giggled with a grin after hearing him chuckle.

"Yeah you know it. We've been pretty lucky though, Emily's turned out to be like Marie in terms of quiet babies. She doesn't cry a lot, and sleeps through the night most of the time."

"Aw they sound darling. How old are they both?" She twiddled with her fingernails.

"Emily's five months now, and Marie's four years of age. So yeah, still needs a babysitter, but she's smart like her mother, makes things easier for Rochelle."He laughed softly, partially coughing.

"Ah I see… Uh, at any point can you guys be free for dinner maybe sometime this month? I'd love to meet, catch up."

"Yeah sure thing! Man, how about we get the whole crew together, huh? Carlos should be back from his business trip in DC, I'll see if I can coax him into flying over. Let's see… It's Thursday so…. No… Uh, Monday night?"

"That'll be wonderful, Rad. Is Odele able to make it?"

"She is- Er, I'll have to ask, both of us work jobs that allows us to stay at the house one at a time a couple times a week. We both have Monday off, I'll just make sure tonight. So, but, yeah, it's great to hear from you again, can't wait to see you and the whole get together."

"Same here, Rad," She smiled, hunkering into her sheets now that her eyes had grown heavy. "Well, I'm going to hit the hay for the night, I had my dinner and uh, went shoppin'~ So I'm tuckered out."

"Yeah alright," He said with a grin in his voice. He'd always been enthusiastic, ever since he was a boy. He never lost hope in anything, especially the Autobots. Oh! The Autobots!

"Rad?"

"Hauh- Yeah?"

"I went to go visit the Autobot base, they moved. Fault on my part for not calling and asking, do you have any idea where they might've gone off to?"

"Awh, yeah I hadn't spoken to them in years. They moved about three years ago to another remote canyon base due just north of Jasper, mainly because the other had structural issues, the stompin' around you know?" He chuckled. "I haven't talked to them yet since then."

"What happened? Not on good terms?" She felt concerned.

"Oh no, no! It's just life Alexis. Seeing them is a treat now, I can't make the trip out there anymore, it's almost an hour and half outside town for me, it's hard enough to find time to get out and not go stir-crazy as it is."

"Hmm I hear ya. Alright, maybe I'll catch one of them driving about tomorrow."

"Optimus does from time to time, or if you see Arcee, she's a unique blue motorcycle that often appears outside the KO Burger in the south end of town, she's there almost everyday for a new kid with black hair. A very fiesty crotch-rocket. Honestly, you can't miss the big red and blue Peterbilt. If it's a quiet day, he drives around just to get out late in the afternoon, sometimes at night, he doesn't smile or laugh much these days. Dunno why. She's the most often to see though around five or six in the afternoon, careful approaching her. She's wary of other Humans for a reason."His sentence was partly interrupted by the laughter of a girl in the back, which in turn made him do the same.

"Thanks Rad for the info, I'll catch him, maybe her, if I can, hopefully before I leave. Goodnight, can't wait for Monday evening."

"Sure thing Alexis, g'night."

She heard him hang-up, resting the phone in her lap and glancing out at the window which was being pattered upon by rain. She was now wide awake with the new info, hopefully tomorrow she'd get the chance to catch up with old friends.

"Feelin' bettuh mate?" Rolltide grinned from his spot by the computers, watching his companion rise on the examination table with a metallic hum. Rachet had yet again, worked his magic, and now resided table-side, flipping a Transformer sized wrench in his hand with a subtle grin. It was easy to tell he was proud of himself for using what he had to make due. The children had refused to go home despite it being a school night, even Jack would have rather endured a nagging from his mother, and called her to say he would be late and not to worry. Explaining to her what happened.

Screambox nodded, his attention on the children clustered at his feet with bright eyes, like he was a present on Christmas morning. "Yeah, I feel great, a lot better than I did…" He rotated his shoulder, hear the mechanical cogs inside hiss and pop as they should've, his fans still working heavily to cool him down from Rachet's welding process. He looked to Rafael who was inspecting his three-talon foot with awe. He lifted it slowly with a smile in the direction of the boy subtly, wiggling his toes at him, making him laugh heartily. He grinned back toothily when the others laughed as well.

"What's up?" He addressed them with a Ukrainian accent, elbows propped on his white armored thighs.

"Nothi-ing, what's up with you?" Raf addressed him with a shy smile, pushing his goggles onto his face out of nervous habit.

"Nothing much. Just got blown to pieces, kicking Con aft-ends. So what's your names?" He grinned crookedly.

"My name is Rafael, but you can call me Raf. Over there is Jack Darby and Miko Nadakai." He pointed to the other two who waved their hands in response to his switching gaze.

"Hello you two. I'm pretty sure you all know that my name is Screambox, but I'll introduce myself anyway." He bowed on table as if he were bowing before a crowd, arm swept over his mid-section, making them all giggle again. Even Jakknife and Rolltide joined in, glad to see he was still his humorous self after all that time. For a fraction of a moment, Jack thought he saw Optimus wearing a small smile. Though he couldn't really tell on his reflective facial plating. "So," He craned his head up at Rachet. "How long do I have to take it easy? Or are you finished with the repairs….?"

"A week at base and you should be up and running fully, I give you my word. For now, let's take it easy." Rachet waved him down, resting the wrench he was holding on the operating tray nearby.

"Got it, doc. Thanks." He said with a tired sigh, looking down to inspect his hand before he carefully slid off the table, stepping over the children with care. "Pardon me, peanuts." He grinned at them, looking over at an approaching Optimus who turned to address everyone.

"I apologize for the current housing issues within the base, for now I must ask you to recharge and take your rest in the training arena until we are able to construct individual rooms for you all." He nodded. "Arcee, Bulkhead, may I ask that you two remain with Jack and Miko for the evening? It would allow a little more room in the base for everyone to move about. You too, Bumble Bee."

Bee perked up from his spot behind the exam table. Looking to Raf who was already smiling at him happily.

"Sounds good to me." Bulkhead grinned, winking at an elated Miko who hugged his foot.

"Ye-hes!" She shouted. "The punks at school are gonna fa-reak when we roll up!"

Jack only grinned sheepishly at Acree who smiled softly in kind. He knew she hated being trapped in his garage, especially all night. "If you want, you can do whatever," He said quietly, happy he no longer had to worry about keeping her secret from his mother.

"No worries Prime…" Coldwave finally broke her silence, having transformed but stayed within her established corner of the base by the ground bridge gate. "We're used to going into sleep-stasis in our vehicle forms. Though the rooming out idea was a good move." She earned sour looks from most of the Autobots, but blatantly ignored them. Even her voice made the kids gather worried looks. She sounded possessed, grindy, hollow.

Figure nodded. "Coldwave's right, we're all good." He spoke his American boy accent, plain and deep. "Besides the remark about forcing the others out. Sounds like the dog needs to sleep outside in the cold, after all, the element's in her name." He sneered. That, hit a wire. She glared at him through blue optics behind shaded lenses, arms crossed tightly across her chest.

"Enough." Prime said quietly, hushing them with a hand before the confrontation swelled. "Let us rest for the night."

Airachnid's back made a hollow bang against the bridge wall, so hard it dented the paneling. She hit the floor, groaning as her joints sparked and quaked, lifting her head woozily at the sight of Megatron's feet inching closer to her face. He stopped just short of kicking her again.

"You seem to forget, Airachnid, who ultimately, holds the chain of command within this ship," He hissed in aggravation. "Prioritizing, and executing a strike on Autobot forces, is not something you can just direct, without consulting me! Is that understood?" He reached down, grabbing the spiderbot by the nape of her neck, lifting her to his eye-level, the tips of his clawed servo burying into her throat. "Now, my once perfect group of insurrectionists are heavily damaged and in the med bay. All because you could not demonstrate a sense of organization with your little unauthorized gamble!" He dropped her, watching her crawl back against the wall, winded and having nothing to say. "I'll make this the last warning, Airachnid…. My warriors are not your pawns in a game of Human chess. There is only one King on this playing board, and I all think we know who that is, now don't we? Should I hear of your insolence again, I will find you, and offline you myself. Now get out of my sight!" He threw his arm at her, watching as she forced herself to her feet, using her many legs to aid in her escape. He did not care to where she'd flee to, even if it was outside the ship. So long as he didn't have to see her anymore for a long time to come.

"Starscream," He growled hoarsely. The miniscule seeker jerked at his name.

"Yes… My lord?" He tapped the tips of his claws together, managing an awkward and knowing 'My Aft is Scrap' smile.

"There is… One more thing I'd like to address with you…. And, Knock Out. However, he'll come later." He rotated around to look down at the frail-looking Transformer. "Upon entering the Nemesis I was informed that Breakdown was sent in your place to over see the excavation operation hours ago. Yet before I arrived, Knock Out informed that you were just arriving from the site yourself. Care to explain what is going on?"

"What? I told him not to say anything!" He blurted furiously, recoiling with a sheepish laugh when Megatron's face grew even darker. "I-I was following a Human. I'm not sure who she was exactly, but it was clear she was looking for the Autobot base. I felt it was unnecessary for you to know," His voice was cracking. "Considering the reconnaissance turned up fruitless…"

"How do you the Human was looking for the Autobot base?" He snapped.

"Cell phone signal, my lord…" His eyes darted every which way, looking for a means of escape should Megatron decide to get physically abusive again. As he'd always been. "She w-was speaking to another Human. Though it is apparent the other did not know either!" He scrambled back as far as he could from larger Decepticon that lumbered his way. He then stopped, turning to the sound of the bridge doors hissing ajar. Who entered was not Airachnid, but a glinting green Decepticon. One he'd had trouble with before. He was accompanied by others. A gangly-looking Decepticon who could've been mistaken for a Mini-Con, and a blue, curved Transformer who held a constant seductive expression.

"BlowOut, Bonejangle, Black Light…. So good to see you again," He threw a glare over his shoulder at the cowering seeker. "I'll deal with you later, Starscream. You are dismissed."

The seeker bowed graciously as he hastily made for the alternate bridge entry. "Thank you, sire…" He quivered, slinking away.

Black Light rolled his eyes at the commander once the doors closed, jumping at Megatron's heavy footfalls.

"I called you three here as you are the only others who are able bodied for the time being…"

"Sire, may I ask, what happened to the others?" BlowOut piped up, leaning back on a foot and crossing his arms, finding the whole exchange instantly boring.

"They had been set loose to attack traveling Autobot recruits along with several vital drones without my permission."

"Ohhh bad luck." Moaned Bonejangle, the wires sprouting from his head wiggling.

"Bad luck indeed, Bonejangle." He turned his head to BlowOut, who still looked at him incredulously. "I have a special mission for you, especially, BlowOut… Which you'll be undergoing tonight when this meeting as ended." He tilted his head, a sickening toothy grin in the face of the surprised Decepticon. BlowOut had never truly admired Megatron, making his alliance questionable. This particular assignment would finally allow Megatron to discern where he stood within the war. Many times did the shorter Decepticon disobey Megatron when it came to certain things, though he wasn't nearly as notorious as Starscream, he was certainly earning a similar reputation.

"My men have spotted a vehicle of your exact body-type prepared to be delivered to a little Human tomorrow morning for her 19th birthday, which takes place four days from now. Why don't we make her special day even more special? With a vehicle that's More Than Meets The Eye…." His grin was sharp, piercing, devilish. All things that made BlowOut shudder in disgust inside. It's a wonder the Decepticon leader didn't spit acid like a black creature BlowOut had seen once in an old Human movie.

"You… Want me to reveal myself to her, Lord Megatron?" He went about his question carefully.

"You could say…" He rotated his hand in a casual manner. "The female Autobot, Arcee… You two are going have a fateful encounter on that day. By the end of the month, I want you to infiltrate the Autobot base as one of the them. Failure is not an option, BlowOut."

"You make yourself clear, Lord Megatron." BlowOut nodded loyally, but in the back of his mind he remained worried. Mostly the worry if he could control his own cravings to escape the Decepticons. He had to play it safe, to wait it out, he'd rat them out to Optimus if he gained enough trust first. They'd taken Ex-Decepticons before, Rolltide was among them. It was his own greed for power that eventually led BlowOut to the Decepticons, and his fear of dying by their hands. Particularly Megatron's.

The heat on her back felt so relaxing, that it'd taken twice as long for Alexis to wake than usual. She rolled onto her back, inhaling sharply when she twisted her head to look to the clock, finding she'd slept in way past her intended get-up curfew. "Twelve-thirty!" She yelped, before calming herself. "God Alexis you did it again…" She sighed, rubbing her forehead. I wonder what Starscream is up to… She then smiled softly as she recalled the day before. Her hand snaked along the wood of the nightstand, lifting her phone to check for any messages. She had only one, which made her raise a brow to when she flipped it open.

Meet me in the mouth of the canyon this evening, like yesterday, no later than 10:00 PM.

From, 20-21-1-19-20-3-19-5-1-14

Message Sent 5/11/11, 1:06 AM, Message Received 5/11/11, 1:07 AM

"What…?" It then dawned on her. "S" was the 20th letter in the alphabet, the rest was easy from there to solve. It remembered of the days when she would number encrypt messages to her friends at school to confuse the teachers during days when they planned to see the Autobots. So he'd been hacking her phone then too? The toad. She grinned anyway.

"From, S-T-A-R-S-C-R-E-A-M." She said as she went through the numbers in her head.

She huffed, throwing herself from the bed and rushing to clean up for the day ahead, hoping it would be just as eventful.

She left the hotel expect mild afternoon traffic, finding it pleasantly surprising that the streets were near barren, as if some sort of ritual was going on. It then came about as creepy when there were hardly any people strolling the sidewalks either. Coming to a stop at a red, she leaned against the doorframe, enjoying the faintly moist breeze that swept down from the distant forest. It reminded her much of the kiss Starscream had planted on her face… As she opened her eyes she felt her heart thump into her throat, across the intersection sat a familiar truck. A Peterbilt, from the shape of it. Fire red, as Rad had said Optimus would be. Though it was impossible to see if it was the actual truck from the glare of the sun. Unable to even discern the Autobot insignia on it's front grill, she gripped the steering wheel, trying to remain calm. Her eyes jumping from the truck to the eventual turning signal that'd allow her to get a clear look at the vehicle. It's signal was on after all, it appeared to be heading out of town.

Please let it be him… She would feel like she could fly if it was. As the signal turned green, Alexis felt silly for stalking the end of a truck, a foolish smile on her face when the end of glinted a familiar blue. She jumped into the right turning lane after checking that it was clear, resisting the urge to dart after it. She rolled in behind it slowly, watching as it headed into a rough looking parking lot outside a closed down store of unknown origin.

Is he onto me? I did just jump two lanes after he turned, he's always been observant.She drifted past, assuming she was out of sight before turning into the first alley way she could find, rushing to shut off the jeep and exit. As she came around the corner her shoulders slumped, he was gone. So it was Optimus… She thought with a sigh, disappointed he hadn't recognized her. As she turned to depart the front end of a Peterbilt hidden in the shade of the building's side caught her attention. So he had seen her, and was hiding. Well too bad, she saw him. A smile remained plastered to her face, fearlessly approaching him when she noticed the Autobot emblem on his grill. He remained still as she neared, his engine idling. Her voice was emotional as she spoke up.

"Optimus…?"

"…"

She placed a hand on the rim of his hood, chest swelling with pure joy. "It's only been 14 years, why are you being so suspicious? Have my looks really changed that much? It's me, Alexis…? I was with Rad? Carlos? And you better tell me where Hotshot went!"

"…"

She seemed confused. "Are you mad at me or something…? Hm?" She blinked at the subtle pop of his passenger-side door, it slowly slung out, her smiling widen with it. "Oh you do recognize me, it's rude to shut out a girl you know! Mmhmhm! About time!" She laughed gleefully, leaping into the empty seat inside and settling in as he closed the door and flinging the seatbelt over her shoulder, clipping it shut.

"It's been a while Alexis." He regarded her warmly, humming a very faint chuckle when she hugged his seat tightly like an excited 7 year old.

"I know… How is everyone? Rad told me you have a new Autobot named Arcee…."

"Our original crew when we arrived here on Earth has departed for the stars, possibly to find aid from other scattered members of the Autobot cause. Even Hotshot."

Her smile shrank slightly. "I see… What happen to Red Alert? Smokescreen? They left too?"

"Yes." He replied, monotone. "I apologize."

She shook her head. "No… Don't. I'm just glad at least some of my friends stayed behind… Did you ever put in to repairing the Space Station?"

"We have, but as of three years ago we lost contact with the Station Cluster. Jetfire, among others were aboard." He sighed softly at the memory.

She lowered her eyes, deeply hurt by the news they might've potentially lost some of the best Autobots in the Galaxy. "I'm so sorry Optimus. Rad told me you're not as happy as you used to be… I guess with everything that's happened, I can understand why…" She decided to change the subject quickly. "I went out for a drive, looked for you in the base. When I arrived the place looked horrible, Rad also said you guys moved out because of structural problems?"

"Indeed. The roof was notoriously collapsing due to tectonic tremors, particularly every time we entered after several years, so we hadn't any other option. It continuously crushed our equipment. Even I admit to growing strenuous in attempts to fix things that'd been damaged."

"Sounds like good reasons enough to move." She tittered, falling silent in thought. She then spoke after several minutes, secretly surprised he didn't say anything in that time. Rad was right, he was out of it. "I guess I'll be leaving you to take of what you have to, it was good to see you again Optimus."

He then quickly responded as her palm rested on the doorframe. "You wish then not to visit our new outpost?"

She looked confused for a moment, then figured it might've lightened his mood if she did. "Yeah I'd be happy to, I just don't want to get in the way."

"Three children are currently present and have not caused distress to any of us, and you are a friend to the Autobots, you are always welcome Alexis." His voice had warmed again.

"Three kids already? You guys make friends fast." She laughed quietly, patting his dashboard lightly.

"It was unintentional." He admitted.

"Yeah but as were us when we met you guys… Some of the things we went through, now that I look back on it… Those were the days. Oh, now I'm reminiscing like an old lady. That scares me." Her eyes scanned through surroundings once he moved out from the shadows, setting out on the road for home. "You saw me coming didn't you?"

"I hadn't the faintest inkling it was you. Although when you walked for me, showing you were not of holodrone, I had to assume you were someone I knew at some point. Decepticon activity has been down in the past few days, yet we can never predict their next form of attack." He stopped at a red, grunting when he noticed an upcoming vehicle in his rear-view to the right. Alexis jumped when his holodrone fizzled from a hidden projector in his dashboard. She had almost done a double-take at the look he chose. For some reason it suited him. She was aware of their double identities, Hotshot had used it all the for when he took the kids into town on fun days, she rolled her eyes in an honest whine, remembering how attractive his drone was. She tilted her head at him.

"Wow, I wonder what people think when they see you wear that." She giggled as he looked to her and raised a brow.

"Is it unappealing to Humans?"

"No-hoho, no." She waved her hand side-to-side reassuringly. "It's actually very nice."

"Thank you," Said the slightly-older-than-middle-aged man. A messy, incredibly short faux hawk adorned the top of his head, thick and wide-half burns lined the upper back of his jaw, and stern brows fell over a thick ridge. He didn't take the form of some young man, nor an old one either. Something in between.
A thin line of five o'clock shadow ran along his chin to the base of his jaw, two small, darker, nicks of facial bristle angled from the front of his chin and under his pale, moderate bottom lip. His ears, rather sizable, took the place of the two antennae that was usually splayed from the side of his head. His facial structure was raw, real, and intelligent. High-set cheek bones, a slight indentation in the flesh of his cheeks, barely noticeable creases around the edges of his mouth along with a faint dimpling forming in the grooves between the start of his cheeks and the end of his chin every time he moved his mouth. His chin protruded vaguely, not entirely rounded with a small cleft in the center, hidden beneath his light beard. Faint creases in his brow line gave him the look of a wise man, natural folds between his brows faded into a broad straight nose with a rounded end and moderate sized nostrils. His eyes however hadn't changed shape, still sharp, and held a warrior-like integrity, yet reserved with soft liquid blue irises like the waters of the Bahamas. She then noticed how unusually large his irises were, one couldn't tell from a distance, but if they looked hard enough, they splayed a little wider than normal. Flecks of aqua danced within them every time they shifted about to look at their surroundings.

As for his wardrobe, it didn't seem like something he'd choose to wear, not with his -suddenly- withdrawn personality. A plainer-than-plain white T-shirt that sat slightly baggy on his toned build, strapping dark red belt licked in subtle yellow and orange flames with the Autobot emblem as the buckle. And lastly dark-wash boot cut jeans over a pair of dark gray round-toed military style boots.

She leaned back in her seat, smiling and resisting a laugh. "You dress like a teenager."

"It is an attempt to fit amongst the other citizens on Earth. Seems although that I haven't mastered it yet." He said, not a hint of vulgarity in his voice.

"No, it's not that. You just don't seem the type to wear a flaming belt." She laughed again, peeping as they went over a steep jump in the gravel once he left the smooth pavement and headed for a rocky outcropping. Then, a white car with a build from the 90's was ahead, rushing for the base at a curious speed. "I like it though. It's not all flashy and nonsense… Uh, hey, there's another car ahead of us. Somebody new?"

He shook his head. "It is June Darby, Jack Darby's mother, he is the eldest of the three children whom we've befriended. He is either off of work early, or something has disturbed her peace."

"Rad said something about a dark-haired boy driving an Autobot named Arcee. That wouldn't happen to be him would it?"

"Correct…" He trailed off as they both noticed her erratic driving, at first thinking it was the ground she was on, until her car slowed, and Alexis braced as Optimus sped forward, now leaning off his seat with brows crinkled into a frown of trepidation.

"Something's the matter here…" Alexis already was already gripping the door handle on her side, opening it the moment he slowed.

"Alexis, be careful!" He warned, but she'd already leapt out, leaving him to screech to a halt and transform. It wasn't like him to do such out in the open, but the portion of the highway carried so little traffic, he would just have to remain vigilant. It only took two hardy steps forward to bring himself beside Alexis, reaching down when she had trouble opening the car's door, possibly locked. Carefully, he popped the glass of the window, yanking off the door with a finger in one fluent motion. A plow of smoke billowed from the inside of the vehicle, to which Alexis disappeared into and Optimus fanned away. He kneeled, taking the woman into his hand when Alexis found her too heavy to haul all the way from the vehicle.

"She's hurt bad, the car seems like it was damaged from the inside-" Alexis froze, frowning into the hidden interior of the car when she noticed a faint hissing sound. Her eyes then bulged, Optimus already in the moment of moving away from the vehicle, gather her as well and turning his back as the boxy white vehicle detonated. Alexis resisted the urge to scream as the loud sound frightened her, but clung to his servo while he lifted them both away from the flames slithering around the blown windows of the car.

"What was the cause of this?" Optimus growled down at the quickly withering vehicle, then darting his attention to June who lay limp in his palm. His mouth pulled back into a tightened frown, shocked at her condition. Her work clothes sat frayed on her body, though only evident on her arms and knees, a small gash that could've signified a concussion across the left side of her forehead. Blood on her fingers may have hidden smaller cuts and bruises, a struggle to escape. Alexis leapt from one hand to the other, dropping to her knees and lifting her head into her lap to support it.

"More importantly, what attacked her? Decepticons maybe?" Alexis lifted her head over her shoulder at him, which he nodded in return.

"It is open to assumption," He resisted the urge to run, knowing it'd be rough for the two Humans, remembering their frailty, especially with injuries considered severe. "Rachet is our only means of suitable medical attention for the moment, he will be able to stabilize her in the mean time until she can be properly transported to the nearest medical facility."

Alexis nodded, about to say something when something struck her as odd. Optimus voice had always held a serious tone in situations like this, although this time it held an edge to it that she'd not heard before. Urgency to get her help? Irritation that friends had been nearly killed? Could have been both. Unsure of what to make of it, Alexis lowered her eyes to the black-haired woman, pulling her hair from her face with a saddened sigh. She was breathing, rapidly, but it wasn't faint and that was both good, and bad.

"Rachet," He pressed a hand to the side of his head. "Prepare your medical wing immediately, June has been severely injured!"

"What? Er- Right away Optimus! Is there no way to send her to a hospital in time?"

"The incident occurred outside the base perimeter within her vehicle, time has dwindled too little to turn back now."

"Right, preparation under way."

"Optimus? What happened?" Arcee grimaced at the Autobot leader who had entered the base with a faint jog, surprised he did not answer her on spot and instead A-lined it for Rachet who stood next to a bed. She then spotted a familiar pair of Sea Foam Green scrubs peeking from between his fingers. "Oh no… June…" She instantly thought on Jack's reaction. "I need to tell Jack, no, gotta go get him." Arcee hadn't noticed Alexis as she spun about in a way that almost threw her off balance, leaping for the ground and hitting it as a crotch-rocket that Rad had described. It was only seconds later that she was gone.

"It is conceivably the work of the Decepticons. They are aware of June's existence, surely through Airachnid." Optimus said darkly to the medical officer, handing her off to an already awaiting palm where Rachet lowered her bedside.

"Oh man…" Bulkhead muttered quietly, pressing a hand to his head with an At-A-Loss expression. "One bad thing after another around here."

"Bulkhead, Dredge, Coldwave, Wavebuster, Figure." Optimus jabbed a finger at the five. "Drive to into town, scout the area, report back anything out of the ordinary. Bulkhead, I want you to investigate the Darby residence externally. The day is still early, the children will not be free to roam until the end of their daily semester." He then lowered Alexis to the floor, who waved at the remain Autbots shyly.

"Sir, yes sir." Coldwave, Figure, and Dredge nodded, all exchanging glances to each other, turning as the ground bridge opened thanks to Wavebuster at the controls. Dredge approached it, folding down into the slick and devious classic automotive where as the others followed suit, rolling through the glowing multi-colored vortex.

"Right." Bulkhead paused, casting a woeful glance at the woman passed out on the medical bed. "Hang in there, Ms. Darby." He dropped into his vehicle mode, quickly followed by Coldwave and Wavebuster as they took the longer route, intent on scattering ways to search the city grounds.

It was hours before June awoke, finding a fretting Jack at her bedside gripping her hand delicately, Miko and Rafael had joined him, all looking her over with concern. Almost out of her vision, a mysterious woman with reddish brown hair sat nearby, nodding to her gently with a grieved expression. Things were quiet, and she found it hard to talk when he asked what happened, deciding to give up on trying. Rachet reassured him that she would recover and that her injuries were minor, smoke-inhalation being the cause of her trouble vocalizing and difficulty breathing. She laid her head back, surprised to find Optimus blue optics staring down at her unwaveringly from above, making her smile in a shrimpy manner. He was settled atop a portion of unused equipment, legs partially in splayed with the shift of his weight forward, elbows resting on his knee joints. He was always intimidating, even for the gentle giant he was.

'Hi,' she mouthed to him, watching him nod with no change in expression, then repeated the mouth movement to her son. Jack smiled harrowingly, nodding in return.

"I came as soon Arcee called me and picked me up, she told me you were hurt, but she didn't know it was this bad…"

"I…" She croaked underneath her oxygen mask, shaking her head with a wince. Her throat burned furiously at the irritation caused by the smoke in her car.

"Easy mom," Jack rested a warm palm against her forearm. "Optimus sent out Bulkhead and a few others to go check things out. One question, just nod or shake your head. Was it 'Cons who did this?"

She shook her head 'no', then, she shrugged. She was unsure. The Transformers who overlooked her all exchanged a mixture of surprised and suspicious glances.

"As I feared…" Rachet crossed his arms, lowering his optics to the floor.

"Fea'hd wut mate?" Rolltide tilted his head.

"Her injuries she sustained are not of Cybertronian weapon origin, nor are they Human. Least, not from any Human weapon I've come to catalog in the database, and for safety reasons to our kind, I have documented many. My only suspicious is this is the work of MECH." He glanced up at the red reptilian Autobot.

"Oo's Mech?" Rolltide glanced about at the others who all shrugged.

"Beat's me, love." Jakknife piped up.

"If MECH's after her again, they are so done for." Jack snarled, slamming against the bedside railing.

"MECH?" Alexis spoke up, causing the children to look to her. She'd already explained her relationship with the Autobots to them.

"They're some ca-razy organization who wants to make things, like, better for Human kind or some kinda mojo. Or so they say, but they're dead set on getting a hold of Transformer technology and use it for evil. They even managed to capture a 'Con." Miko explained with her fidgety movements.

"Earlier they captured Jack's mom as leverage. We got lucky, but, I'm pretty sure that wasn't their last attempt." Raf added.

"Great…" Alexis sighed with the shake of her head. "It's best we don't evolve Rad and Carlos then. So they don't end up targeted. I better lie low too…"

Jack nodded in agreement. "We all should… I'll need to call the hospital, tell them mom's out of work. Heck, she may need to go there for treatment if it gets out of hand. Arcee and I caught up with Bulkhead on his way back to base, our house wasn't totaled, but it got ransacked, probably by teenagers… But I don't know. Until mom can speak and walk around, I think it's best we take her somewhere inconspicuous."

"Without knowing the full scale of what exactly has happened, and with her condition, I think your mother should reside here, at base, Jack." Rachet said softly. "A trip to the hospital should be a last resort should she fall into a state of peril beyond my medical expertise, least to acknowledge it would be difficult to explain her condition to the other medical caregivers who'll be treating her, the last thing we need is a possible agent in disguise for an attempted assassination."

Optimus stood, nodding as he carefully navigated around the cluster of Humans on the floor. "That is if even this assault had indeed transpired under the motives of MECH… However I agree with my old friend, that your mother may stay here until our suspicions are clear and a safe-zone has been established. Agent Fowler will need to be notified of these proceedings."

"That guy is never about to answer his phone, though." Jack's shoulders slouched as he watched the large Transformer stride for the communications center.

"Nevertheless, an attempt at contacting him should be made."

"I know someone who might be able to help, but I haven't seen him in years…" Alexis thought aloud.

"Who?" Jack looked over his shoulder at the older woman.

"His name is Chris Clardane Dobson, we all call him 'CD'. He was a former Military Investigator, well, he was still on the job when I met him. He knows people on the inside that can clear things without exposing subjects to the public for media to get a hold of and causing pandemonium. He helped me in our excursion to Africa to try out my new water filter machines as a body guard." She nodded more to herself than anyone else. "As of late he's gone into terrorist cases and dropped the drug warlord investigation act."

"That's all well and good, Alexis, but I highly doubt this is the work of a Human terrorist or a gruesome drug criminal." Rachet argued.

"Just hear me out," Alexis cut in. "He also investigate paranormal cases, and I'm not talking ghosts and spirits and all that nonsense either, I mean underground operation spooks."

"Lucky…" Miko mumbled.

Alexis shook her head, serious. "He's lost a lot of friends in that line of work. I'll see if I can call my business tonight, have a personal assistant get a hold of his personal number for me. He may know of this MECH organization you guys are talking about, and maybe a connection to Mr. Fowler."

Jack, looking very taken aback at just how much power the new woman held, shrugged as he looked to everybody as if he'd needed their permission to agree with her. "I say we go for it. Find out what's goin' on around here, and who hurt my mom…" He dropped his head back to her, finding that she'd fallen into a peaceful rest, her breathing steady.

Behind them, Optimus shoulders slumped noticeably when he received Fowler's voicemail recording for the third time, turning back to the others. "It appears he is not near his communication device, or it is disabled."

"Again." Bulkhead swore. "The jerk probably doesn't even have it on, since it just jumped for his recording over and over."

"Great." Jack sighed sarcastically, walking his mother's bed into a more secluded corner away from the noise and into a warmer part of the base, smiling as Raf's short arms attempted to pull the bed sheet over her shoulders better, aiding him slightly and giving the 12 year old a thankful smile.

Alexis smiled at them sadly, recalling the time where her mother sat in a similar position after she was injured in a car accident on her way home from work. She gandered about the assortment of Autobots now, amazed at how abundant their aid against the Decepticons had become. Surely they had this in the bag. Her eyes traveled to their leader, yet he didn't seem focused on any of the other's of his kind, or anything for that matter. She followed his gaze and found him staring at… Jack? Him and his mother? The Autobot leader's face sagged into a look of regret or mourning, not entirely confusing to her though. He could've been filled with guilt for failing to protect them, least he be reminded he couldn't do everything and that life had it's cruel twists of fate. As she continued to watch him it slowly dawned that he wasn't staring at Jack, but his gaze was more-or-less directed at his mother. uncertain, she stepped forward to address him softly.

"Optimus?"

He was averse to relinquishing his observation of June, angle his head down to her for the moment, letting her know he was listening. "Mmm?"

"I hope you're not taking this on your shoulders as something you did. Because it wasn't, so don't even begin to thinkthat. We all know how it feels to watch someone we care for getting hurt and we're unable to do anything about it… But please, don't feel guilty about this. A cruel reminder, but you can't do everything, it's basically impossible. I learned that the hard way, when my mother got hurt." She tried to give him her best kind-hearted smile, yet, like Rad said, he did not smile in turn for the attempted comfort. Instead, he looked to the floor, blinking once. Alexis wondered what was running through his mind at that moment, and quietly, he departed for a unknown location inside the base.

"Optimus?" Acree watched him leave, raising a brow slowly. "Something's bothering his processors, a lot."

"I agree with Arcee. It isn't like him to just, depart, without giving the remainder of us orders." Rachet commented from over a projector that was giving him monitoring read-outs of June's vitals.

Rolltide huffed, his body clacking softly waiting for Optimus to be long out of receptor-shot. "Ah think the Prime's got a soft spot fer Jack's mumsy." He scratched at his neck segments like a dog with his hand for a brief moment, suddenly sounding more Scottish than a New Zealander.

Jack furrowed his brows at the red Autobot, yet he remained quiet. Technically, it wasn't his business what relationship his mother involved herself in, even if it was with a giant… Robot… Alien. Creepy. He shook with his head with a subtle exhale. Whatever the case, he'd feel safer having Optimus Prime as a stepfather than anyone else right now, should that outcome be it.. Highly, friggin', unlikely, but…. He couldn't help but smile at the comical image of Optimus sitting at their dining table reading the newspaper in a full business suit, tie and all. A steaming cup of Joe beside him. While his mother handed off a plate of waffles to him for breakfast with one of her witty smiles, like some old comic. He nearly scoffed a laugh at it, though it was a highly inappropriate time for such a thing.

Arcee looked to Rolltide, crossing her arms as she speculated the subject with out-propped hips. She wasn't jealous, just shocked he'd even say such a thing. "You don't really think that, do you? I mean, I don't think I've ever seen Optimus love somebody or even feel something other than kinship for them."

"Ah Arcee. Yuh haven't knoon Prime as long as ah have." Rolltide grinned at her crookedly. "'Eh' used to have a beautiful ladeh name Elita-One. The girl suffered a horrid fate, turned into a monster she did. I dunno about any other women in Prime's past, tis not mah business." He shrugged it off casually. "All I know is the guy's not become involved, so far as ah know, with anyone else after what happen 'ta Elita. If the Big Man's got the love-dovies for miss Darby, tis nobody's business but theirs an so be it. Doesn't change who he is. Come to think about it, everybody around 'er calls Ms. Darby, just 'at. Ms. Darby. He seems tah be the only one to get on a first name basis with that ladeh and calls 'er June. Kinda odd dudn't one think?"

"Personally I find it preposterous," Rachet gripped. "Even in the most plain mathematical outcome, a relationship between our species is purely, physically, and emotionally unfathomable."

"Jealous the doctor dinnae get himself a nurse?" Rolltide sniped, causing the medic to growl and he chuckled with a wheeze.

"No!" He riposte puerilely.

"Yeah Rachet. Love or crushes can't be explained with all that math and statistical mumbo-jumbo!" Miko said with a grin from over Bulkhead's foot, tapping her hand against it intuitively to an offbeat rhythm.

Rachet shook his head. "I will still subscribe to holding my doubts that Optimus… What is the Human saying? … Has "Fallen head over heels", for a biological sentient being comprised of an organic cellular structure."

Alexis shared a chuckle with a few of the Transformers, she then laid eyes on Rolltide, clearing her throat to which he dropped his head down to her and got to one knee.

"Can ah help you, doll?" He chuckled at her perplexed expression.

"I was wondering, if you could give me a lift back to my hotel, I came here in Optimus, and I left my rental vehicle in some strange ally way. I'd like to get to work on contacting Dobson, and maybe get something on a roll here." She smiled sheepishly.

"I think tha' sounds like fun!"

She stepped aside as he writhed about in descent to become the fire red Dodge Viper he'd arrived as. The other two children, particularly Miko, watched in awe of the rolling and curvy sports car. Going unnoticed, Bulkhead growling quietly.

"Any of you want a ride? If not, me 'an the ladeh here are headin' to 'er hotel fer the night." He laughed as his carriage rocked now that Alexis was inside, having smacked his steering wheel for the embarrassing comment. Though it was all in good humor and she smiled anyway.

Miko glanced to Bulkhead who's head was turned away as if in shame, before she smiled. "Nawh, I think I like my big powerful tank over here better than some sissy richy's sports car."

"Eh?" Rolltide rumbled, chortling quietly soon afterward. "See Bulkhead? Tha' little one there's just evil I tell ya. Alright then, Fritzar rollin' out~!" Careful not to rev his engine on the behalf of June, he turned to take a wide birth around the standing occupants, round the rocky bend in the base entry.

"Fritzar?" Miko cast a weird-out expression to no one in particular.

"He got the name for his Human caretaker in New Zealand. Rolltide used to be a Decepticon." Said Arcee, sitting in the spot where Optimus was, she smiled softly at the quiet gasps of the children, besides Jack who only looked up with wide eyes. "It took me years, to place some kind of trust in him… It's not everyday we get approach by a Decepticon who wants to change causes. Even if he seemed genuinely disgusted by the Decepticons anymore, Rolltide once fought against us, and I got a taste of what he can dish out. Lemme just say, it's not easy to defeat him. Hundreds of thousands of times his former comrades tried to jinx him into joining them again, knowing they'd lost one of their best, yet he remained steadfast, dropped complete faith in us to come to his aid if need be, and even saved my life here and there. Rolltide is one heck of a fighter, even if he doesn't specialize in artillery warfare. He's nearly as old as Optimus Prime himself, and his combat skills are nearly as polished. Rolltide has offline many a Decepticon in his time, most notoriously, he downed Rumble, and nearly Soundwave himself. Those two always traveled as a sadistic partnership and caused us Autobots quit a bit of grief."

"I wish I could'a seen that action!" Miko fisted her hands together, excitable grin on her face.

Arcee chuckled quietly. "He and Soundwave have a score to settle…" Her brows flew up, impromptu to the sound of the communication's line going off. It automatically opened to Fowler's face.

"Three calls? It better be urgent."

"Jack's mom was attacked, she was rushing on her way here, probably to tell us. Her car was trashed, it exploded just after Optimus helped pull her from the wreckage with a Human named Alexis Ti Dang." Arcee began. "She's in stable condition here at base, but we've decided to keep her here, until we find out the culprit."

Fowler looked startled, then exasperated. "Why it's gotta be the Decepticon's work then! After all, Ms. Eight Legs did catch her before."

Arcee shook her head. "Mm-mm. She said it wasn't a 'Con job. We suspect it's MECH up to their dirty tricks again, not astonishing considering they've been quiet all this time, it was only a question of 'When?' until they surfaced."

"They've not been seen since the capture of that Big-Bahookuh-Con…" He rubbed his jaw, perplexed. "I've got agents on stand-by, we'll get to the bottom of this, and fast." He looked ahead to something off screen, stopping. "I gotta go." He then hastily cut the feed, leaving everyone wondering what just happened.

"I hope whoever it is, that did this to Ms. Darby, didn't do it to Agent Fowler too…" Rafael commented worriedly.

"Telling from those last seconds I got of his face, I don't think so. It was someone important though." Arcee speculated.