A/N: Oh looky here, an update! I am beyond happy I got this done before Monday, as that is when I am leaving to Florida for my vacation. I am pretty certain I won't have another update for this story between now and then, but I may get one up by the time I get back, but that is not a guarantee. I might be able to get an update for A World Apart again before I leave, but that is also not a guarantee. We shall just have to wait and see. :)

Ok, as I said, I am leaving for Florida on this coming Monday(June 4th), so it will likely be a while before my next update. I hope I will be able to get some writing in while away, but I don't know how my schedule will be. I've never been on vacation before. I don't know what to expect! But I certainly hope I can have fun either way! In case I don't see you guys again for a while, I hope you guys have a good month of June!

Oh! And another note, I changed it so that Path', Shade' and Storm' can understand 'Bee since I couldn't decide how to have them learn how to understand him.

Scripture of the Update: And the war continues….

"Do not envy the oppressor, and choose none of his ways; for the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, but His secret counsel is with the upright. The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the house of the just. Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools." ~Proverbs 3:31-35 New King James Version

Author's Replies:

Jayna Prime: Lol. Glad you liked it sis.

Mikaela the Cat: Why would it further their confusion? Mass panic? I don't see the kids panicking because there are eight instead of five 'Bots….Excitement? Definitely on Miko's part. :D

Sci-Fifan95: Indeed. O.O Glad you liked it. :)

Minlem: It's more realistic, isn't it? I figured it wouldn't make much sense for them to be able to kick 'Con aft without a bit of training. Glad you liked that part about the story and glad you like the story as a whole so far. :)

Devil-O-Angel: Thanks! :D Glad you liked it.

Sailor Shinzo: They'll have more fun too. :) Update is here!

Luna Prime- Awesomeness: Thanks! :) Fighting stinks. I like obstacle courses much better, but I'm far from the best at them. :P

TransFanFreak101: Glad you liked it! :D Wait no more!

Jazz-Transformers: Thanks! I go as fast as I can! My muse sometimes misbehaves, that's all. Well, that and the real world. I understand though. Lol. I will do my best! *salutes*

Vivian Hale: Viv-I dun like being forced to stay in a room. :| Lol. It's called multi-tasking I believe. ;P "be a medic, save some pain." Awesome phrase there. :D Da enemy shall not win! *determined* Jazz-I bet the 'Cons didn't stand a chance. :D Both-Glad you guys liked it :)

KayleeChiara: Glad you liked it. :D

MidnightChiller13: chpt1-You can find out by reading! :D chpt2-Indeed. I am glad you liked that one, it's one of my favs. :) chpt3-Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. :D

As a random note, I noticed this smilie - :3 looks like it could be either a hamster or a cat. So I'm gonna dub it Kitty Ratchet and Kitty Ratchet shall start the chapter…

:3 Meow.

Chapter 4: Darkness Looming

~Friday, April 27, 2012~

"We kept him in there so long that we got Ironhide to sign a contract saying that he would tell Chromia how he felt," Bulkhead finished off the story he was telling us about when he and a bunch of his Wrecker friends held an intervention for Ironhide.

Pathbreaker laughed as we entered the ops center.

"That reminds me of something Path' wrote in one of his stories," I said.

"That's because it's the exact same story," Pathbreaker said. He chuckled.

"Story?" Bulkhead asked.

"Yeah," Stormbreaker said. "These two used to write stories about this place." She grinned. "Actually, both their OCs got paired with a bot here."

"Storm', no," I said as my optics widened. Why did I have to open my mouth?

Bulkhead laughed. "So you two are a couple of writers, then?" he asked and we slowly nodded. "That's cool."

We were saved from anymore conversation about our stories by the sound of engines. We looked up in time to see Bumblebee and Arcee drive into the base. A teenage boy and a teenage girl climbed off Arcee as a younger boy got out of Bumblebee.

The older boy looked to be about sixteen and he had black hair. He was wearing a grey shirt with white long sleeves, jeans and tennis shoes. His eyes were blue in color, though they were a dark shade of the color. The younger male looked to be around twelve, had messy brown hair and wore a pair of glasses. His outfit consisted of a long sleeve shirt that was a very light-almost white-orange color, an orange vest, baggy jeans and tennis shoes. He had brown eyes as well, though they weren't quite as dark. The girl looked to be closer to the older boy's age, maybe a little younger, and had black hair that had a good amount of pink in it. She wore a light purple t-shirt with a dark blue tank top over it with a picture of a green robot on it, a belt with a plush stuck to the side, shorts, purple and blue stockings and a pair of knee-high boots. Her eyes were also brown, though they were lighter in shade than the other two's.

It was easy enough for me to recognize them all, as they were the same three humans that were in Transformers: Prime. The oldest boy was Jack Darby while the younger was Rafael Esquivel and the girl was Miko Nakadai.

"I thought there were two," Ratchet said as he walked over and joined the four us as Arcee and Bumblebee transformed.

"Haven't you heard? Humans multiply," Arcee said, walking over to the side.

"Hi, I'm Raf," the youngest said, trying to introduce himself to the girl. She, however was more interested in us bots.

"I'm Miko," she said and ran up to us. She looked up at Bulkhead. "Who are you?"

"Bulkhead," Bulkhead responded, looking a little surprised by Miko's excitement.

"Are you a car? I bet you're a truck! A monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever use a wrecking ball for a punching bag?" Miko asked him questions at a speed fairly difficult to keep up with. She turned to my siblings and I. "You guys have wings! Can you fly? Ever fly over the Bermuda Triangle? How come your armor changes shade? Wow, you're huge! I bet you could beat Godzilla!" It was kinda amazing how fast she went from Bulkhead to the three of us to me to Pathbreaker all within half a minute.

I unconsciously moved a bit behind Pathbreaker, as he was closest to me, in an effort to hide from her questions. My wings twittered with the nervousness having her attention on me had caused. She was really outgoing with her questions considering we just barely-not-quite met.

"So, if you guys are robots, who made you?" Raf asked when Miko was finally done with her questions.

"Ugh, puh-leez," Ratchet scoffed.

At that moment, Optimus walked in from behind the human children and their attention went to him when he began speaking.

"We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron," Optimus said. "Also known as Autobots."

"Why are you here?" Jack asked, stepping toward him a bit.

"To protect your planet from the Decepticons," Optimus said.

"The jokers who tried to bump us off yesterday," Arcee told Jack.

"Ok," Jack said, understanding so far. "Why are they here?"

"A fair question, Jack, in part, because our planet is uninhabitable, ravaged by centuries of civil war," Optimus explained.

"Why were you fighting a war?" Raf asked, his voice saddened.

"Foremost, over our world's supply of Energon," Optimus explained. "The life blood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike. The combat was fierce and endured for centuries. In the beginning, I fought alongside one whom I considered a brother...but in war, ideals can be corrupted and it was thus that Megatron lost his way." His tone was sad when he mentioned Megatron's fall.

"Is there going to be a quiz?" Miko said in a bored voice.

I bit my tongue so that I wouldn't interrupt by telling Miko not to be rude to the Prime. I didn't want to be rude myself by interrupting further.

"So what does Megatron or any of this have to do with us?" Jack asked.

"Megatron has not been seen nor heard from in some time, but if his return is imminent as I fear, it could be catastrophic." he finished gravely. "And since you now know of our existence, I fear the Decepticons may know of yours."

"Got it," Jack said. "If we see any strange vehicles, we'll call 911."

I rolled my optics as Pathbreaker spoke.

"Really? What do you think the police will do? Give the Cons a ticket?" he asked after face-palming.

Stormbreaker looked quite amused with this situation.

Jack gave him a look before turning back to Optimus. "Can we go now?" he asked.

"Are you crazy?" Miko demanded of Jack. "I'm living a dream here and I won't let you or anyone else mess it up!"

"It is best that you three remain under our watch, at least until we know our enemy's intentions," Optimus said.

"Optimus," Ratchet said, turning to the Prime. "With all due respect, the human children are in as much danger here as anywhere."

"Children?" Jack asked in an offended tone.

"They have no protective shell," Ratchet continued, ignoring Jack's side note. "If they get underfoot, they will go…squish." He stomped a pede to emphasize.

"Then for the time being, Ratchet, we must watch where we step," Optimus said.

"He still sounds like a Jedi when he says that," Pathbreaker whispered to Stormbreaker and I and we grinned.

We were interrupted by an alarm going off. The computers flashed as the alarmed sounded, casting the ops center in green light.

"What's that?" Jack asked.

Bumblebee whirred something and Raf translated for his fellow humans.

"Proximity sensor, someone's up top," Raf said, pointing up.

"It's Agent Fowler," Ratchet said.

"But," Jack said. "I thought we were the only humans who knew about you."

"Special Agent Fowler is our designated liaison to the outside world," Optimus explained, turning to the children. "As he tends to visit only when there are issues, it may be best if you do not meet him at this time."

Jack and Miko shared a look before the three children went to hide. Optimus then turned to my siblings and I with a thoughtful expression.

"It may be best if you three do not meet him at this time either," he finally said after a moment.

"Right, we'll go over here then," Pathbreaker said and we went over to hide in the same place the human children were hiding. We had to duck down to hide ourselves well enough and we remained quiet when the elevator opened to allow Agent Fowler to come in.

"Seven wrecks, thirty-four fender benders, a three hour traffic jam, and a particular note, numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle of unknown make. And a black and yellow custom muscle car," Fowler said the moment he stepped out of the elevator.

Bumblebee and Arcee shared a look.

"So, anything you care to get off your tin chest, Prime?" Fowler asked, his tone showing his anger.

"We have the situation under control, Agent Fowler," Optimus said.

"They're back, aren't they?" Fowler asked.

"If you are referring to the Decepticons, I have doubts that they ever left," Optimus said. "Your planet is much too valuable."

"Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon," Fowler said.

Optimus held up a hand. "Hear me Agent Fowler, we are your best, possibly your only defense against the Decepticons," he said, trying to keep the liaison calm.

"Says you." Fowler was obviously not very happy with Optimus's words.

"Hey fleshy!" Bulkhead said and Fowler turned toward him. "Did any humans get splattered on the freeway? No? Well, that's because Team Prime knows when to use force," he pulled something that looked important from Ratchet's workstation. "And how much to use." He finished by crushing the piece of machinery in his hands.

"Bulkhead! I needed that!" Ratchet yelled at the mech and whacked him with a wrench. I couldn't help but giggle as Bulkhead rubbed his head. Ratchet was famous for his wrenches.

"Enough!" Optimus half yelled, stopping Ratchet from throwing another wrench and Bulkhead from taking cover behind the same wall as us. Optimus continued, "Military involvement will only cause the deaths of countless humans. Perhaps you can accept the widespread human casualties, Agent Fowler, I, however, cannot."

Fowler was walking back to the elevator when he spoke over his shoulder, "Then do us both a favor and handle this, Prime, under the radar...or I will." The elevator closed at that point.

"He wasn't very nice," Pathbreaker noted, as I poked my head out from our hiding place as the children walked out, followed by my siblings.

"He is merely concerned about his planet," Optimus said. "As he should be."

"He could still be nicer about it," I said, joining them in exiting our hiding spot.

"Hey, how come you guys had to hide?" Miko asked, pointing up at us.

"We're new," Stormbreaker said.

"You know, we haven't actually gotten introductions yet," Jack said.

Optimus nodded. "I am Optimus Prime," he said. "Leader of the Autobots. You have already met Arcee and Bumblebee." Said bots nodded and waved respectively. "Arcee is my current second-in-command and Bumblebee is our scout."

"Cool!" Miko said.

"Bulkhead, our resident Wrecker," Optimus introduced the big guy, who stood tall when his team was mentioned. "Ratchet, our Chief Medical Officer." Ratchet gave an unenthusiastic-half-way-done wave and grunted. "And our three newest members, Pathbreaker, Stormbreaker and Shadebreaker. They are still in training." We each nodded or waved when our names were given.

"You're new? Where are you from? How long have you been here?" Miko asked us.

"Um…" I said before Pathbreaker answered for us.

"Believe it or not, we're from an alternate reality," my brother said.

"Really?" Raf asked.

Before anyone could respond we heard Ratchet growl at the computer and everyone turned to him.

"Blasted Earth tech," Ratchet grumbled before turning to the rest of us. "Cliffjumper's signal just came back online."

"How is that possible?" Optimus asked.

"It isn't," Ratchet said. "Another bug, the system's chock full of 'em."

"If there's any chance Cliff's still alive…" Arcee said, trailing off.

"He's not," I said sadly. I flinched back when Arcee glared daggers at me.

"Sorry," Pathbreaker said, putting a hand on my shoulder before stepping forward slightly. "Cliffjumper was gone the moment Starscream killed him. His signal's only online because Megatron used a shard of Dark Energon to revive his body. It's not Cliffjumper."

Arcee's optics flashed with fury when Pathbreaker said who had killed Cliffjumper and the look didn't let up either, making me a bit nervous as my wings twitched. "You expect us not to go?" she demanded.

"Not at all," Pathbreaker said. "We just wanted to tell you so you'd be prepared."

I nodded.

"Ratchet, prepare med bay just in case," Optimus said. He stepped between Arcee and the three of us, seeing her still glaring daggers at us. "We will go and bring Cliffjumper home."

Ratchet activated the Ground Bridge and the four Autobots left base. My wings drooped a bit, sad because of what I knew they would find on the other side. Miko, Jack and Raf started asking questions and as my siblings answered them, I moved away. I leaned against the wall near where Ratchet was stationed and merely watched and listened as Pathbreaker and Stormbreaker explained where we came from and our story.

"So if you guys are from a reality where we're fiction," Raf said. "Do you know the future?"

"Not much of it," Stormbreaker answered.

"We know through part of tomorrow, but not a whole lot," Pathbreaker said.

I sighed a bit, bothered by the knowledge of what the others would find and hoping Arcee would be alright eventually. I was also a bit sad we wouldn't know anything to be of use in the future.

"How come you're not over there with your siblings?" Ratchet's sudden question brought me out of my thoughts.

"I'm not really one for getting asked a lot of question by people I just met," I said. "Plus, my social skills suck."

Ratchet nodded in understanding before turning to the computer. "You seem sad," he noted.

"Simply the knowledge that somebot died," I said, sighing. I looked up to the ceiling. "I can't help but think that if we had ended up here sooner we could've something to prevent it. I don't know what, but something."

"But the fact was you weren't in this reality when it happened," Ratchet said, sparring me a serious look before turning back to the computer. "You can't dwell on 'what if's. They will only distract you from doing what you need to do."

I nodded in understanding. A few kliks of silence reigned between us as I listened to the others talk. I wasn't really thinking of anything at that point, so I'm not really sure what sparked my next question, but something must've.

"Ratchet?" I asked and he briefly looked over at me. "Do you think you could teach me how to be a medic?"

Ratchet looked surprised by my question. "Perhaps," he said. "If you are serious about wanting to become one, I can teach you."

"I am serious," I said. "After all, someone's gotta keep my siblings in one piece." I shrugged. "I want to be able to help and I just think I'd be a better medic than a warrior. I'm not a fan of fighting. I've always preferred science over other things."

Ratchet nodded. "Very well," he said. "We'll start your training once your combat training is done then."

"Thank you," I said.

Ratchet just hummed and focused on his work at that point.

"What's this?" I heard Miko ask.

"Broken, don't touch," Ratchet said without turning from the terminal.

I smirked as I watched Miko silently reach to touch something else.

"Don't touch that either," Ratchet ordered, still without turning around.

"Is there anything in here we can touch?" Jack asked.

Ratchet turned briefly to look at the two humans before the computer beeped and an error message appeared on-screen and he turned back to it.

"How come you guys are using human computers?" Raf asked from where he was now standing on the upper level.

"It certainly isn't by choice," Ratchet said. "It was handed down to us by its former tenants when we inherited this former missile silo. I make modifications as I see fit." He typed something on the computer and more error messages appeared.

"I think I can fix that," Raf said and walked over to a terminal, removing his backpack. He took out a laptop and hooked it up to the terminal.

"Really?" Ratchet asked in a disbelieving tone as Raf typed away. "You know this is complex technology, don't you? I mean, it isn't a child's toy."

Raf ignored him and continued typing. "Try it now," he said when he was done.

Ratchet did try and the error messages all got green check marks and disappeared. He looked back at Raf in surprise.

"Power to the nerds," I grinned, holding my hand up for a high five. Raf gave me a high five as Ratchet rolled his optics.

"Were you a nerd in school, too?" Raf asked. "I mean, your brother did say you guys used to be human."

"Certainly was," I said. "I was the weird kid who liked learning, got all good grades and eventually graduated toward the top of my class. I've always liked nerdy stuff too. Like Star Wars and Star Trek and CSI and Transformers…"

"Isn't that the show about us?" Raf asked.

"Yup," I said. "It was my favorite, though I didn't see much of this reality's continuity. I know more about the original series, the movies and another one called Animated. I could sit here and sum up all three movies and the entirety of Animated. And there were also a couple books about the war on Cybertron. I'm familiar with those as well."

"Cool," Raf said as Miko and Jack joined him on the second level and my siblings walked up.

The computer beeped and Optimus's voice came through the com system. "Ratchet! Bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates…now!"

Ratchet pulled the lever and almost as soon as the Ground Bridge opened up, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead sped into base. Optimus followed right on their tails, transforming and flipping to land gracefully on his feet in a move that was probably really hard to pull off. Ratchet deactivated the Ground Bridge just before what looked like an explosion came in after them, blocking it from doing any damage.

"Cutting it a bit close," Ratchet said. His voice became concerned when he continued. "What about Cliffjumper?"

The way the bots all seemed to become a bit depressed at the question gave us the answer. My wings drooped at that and I barely heard Miko start asking questions. Jack pulled her away though and then the bots all turned to Arcee.

"Arcee, what did you see?" Optimus asked.

"Not Cliff," Arcee said, wrapping her arms around herself. "He was butchered, looked like one of the Con experiments from the war." She glared at Pathbreaker and I. "Looks like you were telling the truth. Congradulations, you proved you weren't lying."

"It was not our intention to prove anything," I said sadly.

"We are sorry for your loss, Arcee," Pathbreaker said.

"Yeah," I said.

"All three of us are," Stormbreaker said.

"Sorry? And what would you know about loss?" Arcee asked angrily.

Before we could answer, her optics dimmed and she collapsed onto a knee, catching herself on a generator so she didn't fall down completely. Bumblebee took a step forward and whirled in concern.

"I'm fine," Arcee said, holding up a hand. "Just dizzy."

I noticed Jack, Miko and Raf were holding a small and quiet conversation as they realized we were all more than just machines. We could think, feel, and die. Just like any other living being.

Ratchet started scanning Arcee as she sat down on top of the generator she had caught herself on. The blue light from the scan turned red when it went over her hand and Ratchet went over it again, getting the same result.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Don't know," Arcee said as Ratchet took a sample of the substance on her hand. "Cliff was covered in it, leaking it."

"Go take a decontamination bath, now," Ratchet ordered.

Ratchet walked over to some of his medical equipment as Bumblebee helped Arcee to a circular chamber that was big enough for any of us to go into.

"Optimus, I hate to bug," Jack said, getting the boss bot's attention. "But, no bars."

"A security precaution," Optimus said. "The silo walls block all unauthorized communications."

"Well, if I don't call my mom like now, I'm pretty sure the cops will be out looking for you," Jack said.

Optimus leaned so that he was at optic-to-eye level with Jack. "Have you broken a law?" he asked.

"Uh, curfew, it's after ten o'clock," Jack said. "If I don't get home, I'm gonna be grounded."

"I better get home too, or I'll be grounded for a year," Raf said.

"Human customs, I hadn't considered," Optimus said, standing up straight once more. "But the issue of your safety remains." He turned to Bulkhead. "Bulkhead, you will accompany Miko home."

"Sweet!" Miko cheered. "My host parents will freak!" She leaned toward Jack as she spoke, causing the male to back up some.

"And maintain covert surveillance in vehicle mode," Optimus finished.

"Curbside duty, got it," Bulkhead said.

"Aw," Miko sighed in disappointment.

"Bumblebee, you will accompany Rafael," Optimus said. He then turned to Ratchet. "Ratchet."

"I'm busy," Ratchet said, waving his hand to say not to bother him.

Arcee came out of the circular thingie at that moment.

"Arcee, you will accompany Jack home," Optimus said.

"Ugh," Arcee said and held her helm. "Still dizzy."

"You're fine, says your physician," Ratchet said without turning from his work.

Arcee sighed.

As the ones leaving got ready to leave, my siblings and I approached Arcee.

"What?" she asked in an irritated tone.

"We just wanted to make sure you'll be ok," Pathbreaker said.

"Yeah…" Stormbreaker said. "We really do understand."

"And if you ever wanna talk about it, we're good at listening," I added.

"What makes you three think you understand?" Arcee asked.

"We've lost people too," I said. "I've lost two people I was close to, actually. Both were people I looked up to…."

"I lost a best friend to death," Stormbreaker said. "So I really know how you feel."

"And I lost an uncle I was close to," Pathbreaker said. "So if you ever need to talk, we're here to listen."

Arcee looked surprised to learn this about us. "Oh," she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"We're sorry too," I said, smiling a little.

Silence reigned for a few moments between the four of us before Jack walked over.

"You ready, Arcee?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, let's go," Arcee said. She looked at us for a moment. "Thanks for the offer."

"Anytime," Pathbreaker and I said at the same time. "We did it again." we said.

"And again," Pathbreaker said.

"You two do that a lot," Stormbreaker noted.

"You know what they say," I said. "Great minds think alike."

"Are you saying I'm not great?" Stormbreaker asked, though the twinkle in her optics showed she was joking.

"Of course not," I said. "We're all great in our own way."

Arcee rolled her optics at my statement while smirking a little bit-at least she was amused-before transforming and allowing Jack to climb on before driving out of the base. As they left, Pathbreaker turned to Optimus.

"So, are our rooms ready?" he asked.

"Or is it back to the med bay?" Stormbreaker added.

"Your rooms are still being prepared," Optimus informed us.

Stormbreaker sighed, but I just shrugged.

"Ok, well I want to explore a little bit before we retire," I said, wandering toward the hallway leading to the rest of the base.

"Hey wait up," Stormbreaker said and she and Pathbreaker joined me for my exploration.

We started wandering around the base to familiarize ourselves with our new home. The first door we came across was the med bay, which we knew well already from having to stay in there until our rooms were ready. So we moved on. We came across a door that led to a completely empty room not far from the med bay. It wasn't being used for anything, nor was the room across from it.

"I think I might take over one of these rooms and turn it into a workshop," Pathbreaker said. "So I can build some weapons and stuff."

Stormbreaker and I chuckled a little and I shook my head.

"You and your weapons," I said.

Pathbreaker grinned before we moved on. Aside from the two empty rooms, we found an armory, several storage rooms full of random parts, scrap metal and several other items that almost seemed random, and the area where the quarters were located. Well, we assumed it was the quarters, because the doors were all locked.

"Ok, well, do you guys want to turn in or explore the underground level?" I asked. "After all, we've only been to the Safe down there."

"I want to explore some more," Stormbreaker said.

"I'm ok with that," Pathbreaker said.

"Alright, to the elevator!" I said, grinning as we walked back toward the elevator.

Our walk to the elevator took us back to the ops center, where we found Ratchet had either gone to recharge or moved his work to med bay. Optimus appeared to have gone somewhere as well, presumably to recharge.

Once we were on the underground level, we wandered around. The direction opposite the way we had gone to the Safe there were a couple doors. One was on the left and the other was on the right, a little further down the hall. We went into the door on the left first, since it was the first we came to.

"Oh wow," Stormbreaker said. "This room is huge!"

"Looks like a rec room," Pathbreaker said.

"Sweet," I said, looking around the room.

There was an area stationed off, presumably to play any games that could potentially damage something. There was what appeared to be a giant TV-I never knew they made them that big-against one wall with a giant-sized couched in front of it. There was also a counter with what appeared to be an Energon dispenser on it and Energon cubes sat underneath the counter, presumably to refill the dispenser as needed. There was also an area with what looked like giant bean bags and giant chairs spread around, clearly an area for doing things non-TV-related. Of course, all the "giant" stuff wasn't giant at all to us. There was lots of space not used for anything specific.

"It looks pretty much like how many people said the rec room looked like in Diego Garcia," I observed.

"Except this is better cause we can actually see it," Stormbreaker said, grinning.

"And use it," Pathbreaker added.

"Indeed," I said.

We left the rec room in favor of continuing our exploration. The next room we discovered to be a library. It was filled with shelves and shelves of data pads that were presumably brought with the Autobots on the Ark. There were a couple couches, a couple chairs and a small table in the middle of them set up. I grinned widely at this discovery.

"I bet I know where you'll be when not busy with something else," Stormbreaker said in amusement, nudging me a little.

"You know it," I said.

We left the library and headed in the direction of the Safe. Between the elevator and the Safe there were two more doors. Like on the other side, one was on the left and the other on the right. The one on the right came first and we discovered it was what was basically a war room. A place for meetings and battle planning. The other door we discovered to be wash racks with separate sections for mechs and femmes, mechs on the left and femmes on the right. They were basically large showers in a sense.

We decided to go back to med bay after that, since it was quite late and we had training to do in the morning. So we returned to med bay to retire for the night and the moment I walked in the door, Freedom pounced on my pedes, ran away a few feet and then pounced on my pedes again before looking up at me. I just chuckled and picked her up before climbing on a berth and going into recharge, my Cybercat curling up on top of me.

~The Next Day~

~Saturday, April 28, 2012~

"Ompf, ow," I grumbled as I stumbled my way through the spinning clubs in the obstacle course.

The first thing we had done after onlining that day was training, which we were now doing again. The day had been a pretty eventful one, though the three of us had missed out on most of it. We had taken our morning Energon and then gone down to the Safe to train. We had mostly sparred and got in some target practice. Our aim was improving and I was slowly getting over my flinching in a match, as well as my habit to worry over my opponent when I knocked them off their feet.

After we trained for a while, and realized that no one had come down to drill us through the motions, we had gone up to the ops center to find out what was going on. When we got there, no one had been there, though we soon enough heard Arcee calling for a Ground Bridge. It was then we learned that Optimus and Ratchet had gone to investigate something and Bulkhead had gone to save Agent Fowler from the Decepticons…with the kids.

After we sent Arcee and Bumblebee through the Ground Bridge to where Bulkhead had gone, we hadn't had anything to do but wait. They hadn't allowed us to accompany them, because of the fact that we were still in training. It was about an hour later that we got a call from Optimus and Ratchet for a Ground Bridge and Ratchet had given me my first medic lesson by having my help Optimus repair his arm that had gotten damaged during their fight against zombies. The others returned while we were still repairing his arm and they told us what happened there.

At that point the only thing worth mentioning is that Jack decided to leave and left despite Pathbreaker and Stormbreaker's attempts at convincing him to stay. I was pretty sure he would be back though. And now Arcee and Ratchet were drilling us in the Safe.

"Time's up, Shadebreaker," Ratchet informed me when I was half way up the climbing wall.

I sighed and jumped back down. I had gone through the course with the same time limit three times so far since she started drilling us through it and hadn't made it through a single time. I was getting closer each time though. Pathbreaker and Stormbreaker were sparring against each other with Arcee overseeing their match.

Ratchet met me at the beginning of the course when I had made my way back. "It might help in the first part if you remain as close to the ground as you can," he advised. "And try not to get hit so much by the clubs."

I rubbed my helm sheepishly. "Yeah, thanks," I said.

Ratchet sighed. "Don't look so discouraged, you are doing really well," he said.

"Hey!" Stormbreaker's voice interrupted before I could start the course over again. "Arcee wants you in the sparring ring, Shadebreaker. It's my turn to have a go at the course."

"Ok," I said and went over to the sparring ring.

Arcee had Pathbreaker doing target practice now and she sparred with me for a while until it was time to go to recharge.

The following day, we entered the ops center to find that the kids were already here, excluding Jack. Arcee also wasn't around, presumably to get Jack. The others were all just hanging around the ops center. Just as we walked up, the computer terminal started beeping. Ratchet typed some on it before turning to Optimus.

"Optimus, I've pinpointed the Decepticon Space Bridge," Ratchet said. "High in Earth's orbit."

"Out of our reach," Optimus said.

"Why not just Ground Bridge there?" I asked as Miko said, "Okay so you don't fly...Hey, I was gonna say that!" I sent her an apologetic look.

"The Ground Bridge has limited range," Ratchet explained. "Stretched all the way to space, its vortex may snap and scatter us to the stars."

"Since Megatron is likely already in transit," Optimus said. "I'm afraid we must take that risk. Reaching the Space Bridge first is our only means of stopping him." He turned to my siblings and I. "You three remain here, your training is incomplete and you are not prepared to handle this."

"Yes sir," Stormbreaker said.

"We understand," Pathbreaker said.

"Just as long as you guys comeback safely," I said.

Optimus nodded and turned as we heard a beeping and motorcycle engine. Not a moment later Arcee drove into base with Jack on her seat. She stopped and Jack climbed off, removing his helmet.

"Hey, guess who's back," he said.

"Autobots, prepare for departure," Optimus said.

"Where to?" Arcee asked.

"The final frontier," Miko said, walking between Bumblebee and Bulkhead to greet the two.

"Space? But I thought they didn't have any way to get there," Jack said in concern.

"They don't," Raf said as Bumblebee helped him to the floor. "Not really."

"Um, be seeing ya?" Jack said up to Arcee.

Ratchet looked over at me where I stood by the Ground Bridge control. He didn't need to say anything for me to know he wanted me to activate the Ground Bridge. I reached over and pulled the lever.

"Be careful, Bee," Raf said to his guardian, who whirled in the affirmative.

"Aw, I'm so jealous," Miko said.

"Don't even think about following me," Bulkhead said, holding a hand up before walking over to the others.

"Optimus," Ratchet said, turning to the mech. "If you leave me stranded here on a planet teeming with humans, I will never forgive you."

"Hey!" Stormbreaker and I said indignantly.

"Until we meet again, old friend," Optimus said, amusement in his voice. His battle mask slid into place. "Autobots, roll out!"

The four bots transformed and then drove through the Ground Bridge. When the Ground Bridge closed, the three humans climbed up to the higher level next to the control console that Ratchet was manning and my siblings and I gathered around. Ratchet had establish a communications link between the 'Bots up in space and us Earthbound 'Bots, and humans.

"Autobots, gravitize," Optimus ordered.

"Whoa. Don't look down…or up…or left," Bulkhead said.

It was silent for a few moments before Arcee spoke.

"So Megatron is packing enough dark energon to raise the dead of Cybertron?" she asked, clearly talking to Optimus.

"And since we don't possess a ready means of disabling the space bridge, nothing gets in or out," Optimus said. His tone never changed, but would still inspire you.

It was almost three kliks before Arcee said, confused, "Well...what are they waiting for?"

"It appears the Decepticons have sustained serious damage to their interstellar navigations system," Optimus replied in a tone that was slightly surprised.

"Huh, that's my handiwork," Bulkhead sounded more surprised than Optimus.

"Great job Bulkhead. Without the dish Megatron will be unable to aim the space bridge at Cybertron," Prime's voice was cautious, but slightly relieved.

"Don't the Decepticons know where their own planet is?" Raf asked confused.

"Naturally," Ratchet scoffed and continued, "But Cybertron is several hundred light-years away. To reach their target their aim must be astronomically precise."

Optimus sighed, "Megatron went through the trouble of rendezvousing with his space bridge then he must have an alternate targeting system, one still on earth."

Ratchet gave a slight laugh "Well, we can rule out anything human-made. They don't have a single radio telescope dish powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron."

As Ratchet was saying this, Raf had been working on the computer. "What about a bunch of linked radio telescope dishes? Like the giant sized array in Texas?" he asked, looking at the medic.

Ratchet, however, didn't think much of the idea. "This is not child's play..."

"Good thinking Raf. Ratchet, have Agent Fowler alert the array staff to the security threat." Optimus said, cutting Ratchet off.

Fowler suddenly sat up and pointed at Pathbreaker. "You! Soldier!...you're out of uniform!...put on some pants!" And with that, he fell back unconscious.

"I don't think Fowler is up to it Optimus," I said, doing my best not to laugh as Stormbreaker silently cracked up and Pathbreaker appeared to be holding his own laughter in.

Raf turned back to the computer and attempted to gain access to the arrays systems. After a klik he sighed, "The array has very advanced firewalls. I can't get in!" He shook his head in frustration.

Ratchet narrowed his optics at Raf "You...actually think you could keep the Decepticons out?" I don't know how, but he was sarcastic and curious at the same time.

Raf shrugged. "Maybe...if I could get in," he said, not truly sure of himself.

Jack suddenly stepped forward. "Raf, what if we could get you all the way in? Like inside the building in?" He gestured toward the picture of the array on the screen.

Raf widened his eyes in realization, "If I logged into their internal network inside the building the firewall would no longer be a problem," he said, looking at the computer.

"The risk is too great. The Decepticons will be there, perhaps even inside," Optimus said with a sigh.

Jack got a look of determination on his face "Optimus, with all due respect, you said it yourself. This is bigger than the safety of three humans." He spoke with a fire that kinda surprised me, especially after yesterday.

Miko added her two cents, "Yeah, if we let the 'Cons win the whole planet's fragged."

Optimus was silent for a klik. "Raf?" he asked the youngest of the humans.

"I want to give it a try," Raf said immediately.

"And so you will. Ratchet, bridge them to the arrays location," Optimus said, impressed with their bravery.

After the kids left, it was more or less a waiting game for the rest of us. My wings twitched anxiously as I mentally prayed that nothing went wrong. I watched the computer screen as the Decepticons locked onto Cybertron for a whole…second before Raf apparently succeeded in hacking into the system and changing their aim. It became a short game of metaphorical tug of war between the two before it locked onto Cybertron and stayed locked on. It was about then the children called for a Ground Bridge.

"What happened?" Stormbreaker asked.

"Some 'Con with no face ruined the party," Miko said in frustration.

"Soundwave," Ratchet put a name to the 'Con.

"He cut the hard lines," Raf said. "There was nothing else I could do."

"Understood," Optimus said.

"Optimus! I'm picking up a rapidly expanding mass within their Space Bridge vortex," Ratchet said as a now coherent Agent Fowler joined the children on the higher level. "One with a peculiar energy signature."

"Dark Energon," Optimus replied. "Ratchet, we must destroy the Space Bridge. There is enough live Energon coursing through it to achieve detonation. But we lack the firepower to ignite it."

Ratchet sighed. "If I knew how the space bridge was engineered I might find a technical way of accomplishing that," he said, frustrated.

Raf then pulled something out of his backpack. "Um...would schematics help?" he asked, holding a flash drive in his hand.

"Optimus, I must say, the space bridge is our only hope of ever returning to Cybertron. Are you certain this is our only option?" Ratchet asked gravely.

"I am afraid so..." Optimus' tone was similar to Ratchet's.

"Then by all means, let us light our darkest hour!" Ratchet said, and started giving the other Autobots instructions.

A few kliks later Fowler said nervously, "These things are getting closer...that's bad right?"

"It's very bad," Pathbreaker said simply, looking at the government agent.

"When did you get here?" Fowler asked, looking surprised at his presence. He looked at me and Stormbreaker then. "And you two."

"That's a long story, one that should wait until later," Pathbreaker said, hoping he would drop the matter. Thankfully he did.

"Ratchet, we're in position," I heard Arcee say through the channel.

"Good, now pay close attention!" Ratchet said urgently. "Below you should be a power line, do you see it?" he asked, waiting for a response.

"Yes," Arcee said, after a moment of silence.

Ratchet continued, "Now follow the line to an Energon pump, a large valve should be there."

The line was silent briefly.

"I found it," Arcee said, waiting for more instructions.

"Good, now all you need to do is reverse the current," Ratchet's voice sounded calm, but I could tell he was nervous.

"Current reversed," Arcee reported, sounding slightly relieved.

When she said this Fowler jumped in the air, "Yes!..." he yelled. Then, after a micro-klik he looked at Raf. "Right?"

I rolled my optics, and Ratchet, not paying attention to Fowler, said to Arcee, "I'll ready the ground bridge." and walked over to his work station.

"Don't keep us waiting," Arcee said dryly, then closed the channel.

Ratchet reopened the channel, this time it was with Optimus. "The ground bridge is ready and waiting!" his voice held slight fear.

Optimus didn't respond, instead he closed the channel again.

A few kliks later, the Autobots came through the Ground Bridge. Optimus looked faintly sad, but it was only noticeable in trace amounts in his optics. Miko ran up to Bulkhead and he allowed her to hug his servo. Bumblebee and Arcee both looked pretty battered, but the one thing I cared about most was…

"You're all still alive!" I cheered, perhaps a little too cheerfully, as I threw my arms up in joy.

Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead chuckled at my outburst as Optimus smiled ever so slightly and Ratchet rolled his optics, though he looked equally relieved.

"Sis, you're so weird," Stormbreaker said, grinning at me.

"I know I am," I said. "But who isn't? After all, weird is the same thing as unique. Which is good, so weird is good."

"I knew you were gonna say that," Stormbreaker said, shaking her helm.