Chapter 4: Cybertron

The space ship was now secured at the dock, and its three occupants were at the main gate.

"Are you ready?" Asked Starscream, glancing down at Eleonor.

She was wearing a comfortable pair of boots and thick tights, with a short grey skirt and a white blouse. The medium temperature in Cybertron was colder than Earth's, about 20ÂșC, so she also had a long dark grey coat. Finishing her outfit, the young woman had a backpack to carry a Oxygen cylinder. Connected to it, a thin air tube adjusted to her ears passed below her nose, just like the ones used in hospitals with patients with respiratory failures. She would be breathing a mix of cybertronian air enriched with Oxygen. She only had to remember to breath through her nose. She had air for three hours in the backpack, but Starscream had two other cylinders stored in sub-espace.

"Ready." She nodded with determination.

Starscream pressed some buttons and the main gate opened, letting in the cybertronian air. Eleonor inhaled the new mix of air. It was dryer and left a metallic taste, but it was bearable. The ramp descended and they exited the ship. The beige seeker was the first one, with Eleonor trailing close behind and Skywarp just before to keep an eye on her.

They were in a huge spaceship station. Many other ships were visible, and it was crowded with many mechs attending to them making repairs, refueling, moving cargo, etc. Everything was full of activity.

A new mech approached to speak to Starscream. Eleonor could understand only half of it, so she tried to focus on the unspoken language going between them. The dock worker had approached submissively, keeping his gaze low most of the time, while the beige seeker stood proudly, with his wings high, his optics never leaving the other mech. Eleonor recalled how the same seeker behaved among his wingbrothers and with Megatron. It was totally different. She concluded that in Decepticon culture, the gestures had almost the same importance than the spoken language. They changed depending of the rank of the interacting mechs. She decided that if she didn't want to attract unnecessary hostilities towards her, or compromise his Decepticon friend's reputation, she had to be careful with that. She had to be observant and quiet. Summarizing, she had to be a good pet.

Then, the unknown mech looked to the ground and noticed the young woman.

"Is that a human?" He asked.

"Yes." Replied the beige seeker and sighed indwardly. He was sure that he would be answering that same question many times soon.

"Did it followed you all they way here? Do you want me to terminate it?" Asked the mech, transforming one arm into a cannon. Eleonor flinched, coming out of her thoughts. She was not sure about the conversation going around her, but the unknown mech had a weapon and he was looking at her in a not-very-friendly manner.

Starscream grabbed roughly the arm-cannon of the mech and pointed it up-wards.

"If I wanted it dead I would have shot it in the ship long ago, don't you think?" Hissed the seeker dangerously, sinking his claws very slightly in the mech's arm, applying just the necessary pressure to scratch the outer armor.

"I get it, I get it!" He recoiled, jerking himself free from the seeker's grasp. "Jeez... Don't need to spoil a good cannon."

"I want the ship refueled in a joor." Ordered the seeker, with a tone that indicated the end of the conversation.

"Yes, Commander Starscream." Agreed the mech, and left for his duties.

Eleonor stared at the beige seeker. Of course, Starscream was still the Decepticon's Second in Command, and nobody was to argue with him.


Some minutes later, they were flying through the cybertronian skies. Eleonor took the opportunity to inspect their surroundings. The buildings were huge, and the highways wide and never-ending. All seemed to be made of different kinds of metals, adorned with neon lights that contrasted the shapes.

"Cybertron is wonderful!" She exclaimed, mesmerized. "How is this city called?"

"Kaon. It is the Decepticon capital."

"Kaon..." Repeated for herself the young woman. "Nice city... And where are we heading to?"

"To the palace. It is the main building in the center of the city, you can see it now over there." Replied the seeker, changing his course and heading to the biggest building that Eleonor had seen in her life. The palace of Kaon had many entrances via highway and landing platforms. It also had many towers and communication arrays. The metal of the building seemed darker than the rest of the city, with purple neon lights contrasting shapes. "Woah. I feel smaller every second that passes."

Thee beige seeker laughed evilly and prepared to land.


Minutes later, Starscream and Eleonor were heading to the throne room, where Megatron granted audiences. Skywarp had already fled out of sight, not desiring to face the wrath of his Leader so soon. The interiors of the palace were as amazing as the outsides, with great corridors and halls adorned with the Decepticon emblem. Finally, they reached a great door, more adorned than the rest. Starscream pinged the door and it opened itself.

Megatron was seated on his throne, speaking to a blue and grey mech with a rather bulky frame that was in front of him. Soundwave was next to his Leader, working silently with a datapad, probably taking notes from the audience. The Third in Command looked at them and bowed his head very slightly in silent greeting. Eleonor smiled heartily and Soundwave's visor flashed briefly before turning back to focus his attention in the unknown mech's report.

"... So, summarizing, the parts factories are working just fine, but the raw materials are not in big supply and we have no stock. We don't lack anything yet, but the margin is small. If we are to be prudent, we should look for more metals and minerals." Finished the mech.

"It would be wise, indeed." Agreed the Decepticon leader, tapping his chin-plates. "The reconstruction of Cybertron has caused our reserves to run down dangerously, and we cannot afford that." He paused. "You have done well to report this, Breakdown."

"Thank you, my Lord." Replied the mech.

"You are dismissed."

The blue and grey mech bowed to his leader and saluted to the Third in Command and turned to leave. As he caught sight of the Decepticon Second in Command also standing there he saluted again.

"A human!" He exclaimed suddenly, noticing the small woman standing behind Starscream. The beige seeker groaned slightly in annoyance.

Eleonor looked back at him briefly, recognizing the cybertronian word for 'human', and was surprised to find that unlike most of the Decepticons, that one had yellow optics, contrasting with his face-plates, that were colored in red. He was looking at her with a mix of uneasyness and surprise. He opened his mouth to ask something more but stopped as he caught sight of Starscream's annoyed glare. Realizing that he had been dismissed and was probably interrupting the Second in Command's report to Megatron, he decided to exit the throne room for good before the volatile seeker decided to contain himself no longer..

Starscream sighed as the door closed behind Breakdown and turned to his leader.

"Starscream reporting back from Earth." He stated matter-of-factly, rivaling with Soundwave's plain tone. At least, he had the consideration of doing it in English, thought Eleonor.

"I see." Replied coldly the Decepticon Leader, making a pause and glancing down at the small human. "And I see that you have retrieved your little pet too." He added, amused.

"I recall you giving her to me and suggesting to put her to work if I found her more uses." He replied. "I think Soundwave here could confirm the exact words..." He smirked, motioning for the silent mech, that had not spoken yet.

"I know what I said." Huffed Megatron, a little annoyed, but he smirked too. "And know this, little human: you are the first and would be the last of your kind to put a foot on Cybertron." He added, glancing back to the young woman.

"I feel honoured." She replied with a curtsy. "Thank you, High Lord Protector Megatron." She added, and glanced back at the fearsome mech.

Megatron smirked back, feeling flattered, although he was not about to admit it. Starscream smiled inwardly at her choice of words. His human had the ability to knew exactly what to say to pleasure any mech, even their ruthless Leader.

"What are your plans now, Starscream?" Asked Megatron, focusing his attention again on his Second in Command.

"I'm heading back to the new discovered planet in sector 63 to investigate it. The preliminary scans showed traces of minerals and heavy metals, and I could not help but overheard Breakdown's report... we are in need of that." He explained. "I'm waiting for my ship to be refueled. I'll be heading there in about a joor."

"Good." Nodded the Decepticon leader. "You are dismissed".

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Replied the seeker.

The Second in Command saluted and turned to leave, heading for the door, followed by Eleonor.

"I wonder what those two would accomplish this time." Wondered aloud the Decepticon Leader, once the door was closed.


Starscream was walking through the long corridor that lead to the rec. hall with Eleonor in his left servo. She normally preferred to go on foot by herself, but it was a long walk and the Oxygen was in limited supply.

"How much longer until that cylinder wears out?" Asked the seeker. The young woman extracted her smartphone from a pocket and checked the hour.

"I have almost two hours left." She replied. "Were are we heading?"

"Shh." He stopped and turned his head to glance over his shoulder. Eleonor gave him a questioning look. He waited some seconds in silence. "I am a seeker, Breakdown. The day that you can fool my sensors I will deactivate myself."

"Uh... I apologize, Commander Starscream..." Said the big blue and grey mech, coming out of his hiding spot behind a corner, with an apologetic look.

"State your business." He demanded coldly.

"I... I was just curious about your human." He tried to explain, a little embarrassed. Starscream raised an optic-ridge. "I was not on the team that went to Earth, but I have heard them talking about humans." The beige seeker gave a small snort.

"What do they say about them?" He asked curious.

"That they can be dangerous." Replied the blue and grey mech with concern.

"Really, Breakdown?" The seeker gave him an incredulous look and extended his servo, revealing the young woman. The blue and grey mech flinched back. Eleonor, for her part was a bit lost in the conversation around her, but she still felt secure in Starscream's servo. "It's not even the tenth size of you. Soft like a cloud and harmless like a robo-mouse. What could it possibly do to you?" Asked the seeker.

"I don't know... Your team spent a long time in Earth with Megatron..."

"Minor setbacks!" Snapped the seeker. "Are you trying to say that a bunch of fleshlings could pose a threat to the Decepticons?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that..." Said Breakdown, holding up his servos defensively. "I just wanted to make myself sure that your human was not dangerous."

"It won't kill you, I assure you." Replied Starscream, with a snort.

Breakdown glanced back at the small human, that was still seated calmly in the seeker's palm with an innocent look.

"I suppose not..." He admitted in defeat. After all, that human seemed very small.

"Good." Replied the beige jet. "Now, if you excuse me, I need a drink." He sighed, waving his free servo dismissively in the air, and resuming his course to the rec. hall, leaving Breakdown behind.

"What was all that about?" Whispered Eleonor, a bit lost.

"Breakdown has always been a little paranoid." He explained. "And apparently, he was a little concerned about human kind. He wanted to make himself sure that you were not dangerous."

"He was afraid of me?" She asked in disbelief.

"I guess you could say that." He chuckled.


"Eleonor!" Exclaimed Thundercracker, pausing the film he was currently watching and motioning for Starscream to take a seat beside him at the same cybertronian-sized couch. The beige seeker left her over the table and left to get a cube of high-grade from the dispenser.

"Thundercracker! I am very happy to see you! How is everything?"

"There is a lot of work to do, but it's peaceful. I don't have complaints." He replied, leaning closer. "So, this crazy seeker that I have for trine-mate actually convinced you to follow him across the galaxies to come here?"

"I made her an offer that she could not refuse." Replied Starscream, taking a sip from his cube. Eleonor laughed heartily, catching the movie reference.

"Really, Starscream? Watching human movies?" She asked in amusement. "And here I thought you didn't like them."

"TC showed it to me. A lot of people died, it was funny." He admitted with a shrug. Eleonor shook her head but kept smiling.

"Hey, look who just entered the rec. hall." Said Thundercracker pointing to the door.

"Shockwave!" Exclaimed Eleonor, not too loud, but it was sufficient for his cunning cybertronian sense of hearing. The named mech turned to look at them and flickered his single optic in disbelief. He walked heading for them.

"This is illogical." He stated with a blank expression, not that having a single optic on his face helped much. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting." She replied with a sincere smile.

"How are you even breathing?"

"I have an Oxygen cylinder in my backpack connected to this tubes." She explained, pointing to the tubes under her nose.

"Clever." He admitted. "Skywarp sent me a message suggesting me to go here. I complied only to dismantle a possible prank. I must admit that this was the last thing I was expecting."

"Disappointed?" Asked Eleonor shyly.

"Glad." He corrected. She smiled heartily in response.

"By the way, where is Skywarp?" Asked Thundercracker.

"Primus, why did you let him go after me, TC?" Groaned Starscream.

"Like if I could have held back that teleporting nut." Chuckled Thundercracker, taking a sip from his drink.

"He must be hiding from Megatron. He left without his consent." Chuckled Starscream.

"Oh, Primus, he is dead mech." Laughed back the blue seeker.

Suddenly, a flash of light and a crackling sound filled the hall, and Skywarp appeared holding a large crate with the things that other mechs wanted from Earth.

"Hi!" He cheered, approaching to the table with the rest of his trinemates and Shockwave.

"Shouldn't you be hiding from Megatron?" Asked Shockwave ominously. "Or have you already assumed your death?"

"Well... he doesn't usually leave the throne room, he is always busy with audiences lately. And when not, he is reading reports. Besides, I have brought presents!" He said cheerfully, unpacking the contents of the large crate and leaving everything scattered over the table. "These are your movies, Thundercracker, there are many extra ones that Eleonor though we would like. And here we have the video-games for Barricade and Frenzy. I called them too a while ago, I hope they arrive soon." He made a pause and picked a game. "This one is for you, Shockwave. It's about logic puzzles with portals. Blame Eleonor if you don't like it, it was her idea, I found it boring."

The cyclops mech blinked in surprise and took the video-game.

"I'll give it a try." Replied Shockwave, a little lost. He wasn't expecting any present.

"Is there any present for me?" Asked suddenly a deep voice from behind them, the newly arrived mech placed a hand on Skywarp's shoulder-plate. The black seeker's wings stiffened in surprise and dropped the video-games he was holding at the moment.

"L-Lord Megatron! What a s-surprise!" Exclaimed the black seeker with a dreadful look on his face-plates. Starscream chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. How could Megatron be so fragging silent when he wanted to? And Soundwave was also with him not far behind.

"How was your little vacation on Earth, Skywarp?" Hissed Megatron dangerously, still behind the seeker, leaning closer to his audio receptors and giving a light squeeze to his shoulder.

"Please don't kill me!" Wailed Skywarp, his confidence lost.

"Kill you?" Asked Megatron in disbelief. "Why would I do that?"

"Humm... because... I left without consent and was absent from my duties..." He admitted his crimes.

"Oh, that... that's a grave fault..." Murmured the Decepticon Leader with a malicious tone. Skywarp shuddered and felt his energon run cold. "On the other hand... it has been a very peaceful week without any prank to worry about." He added with a smirk, and released his grip on the seeker to take a seat at the long table. Skywarp relaxed visibly and let out a long sigh through his vents. "By the way, you are doing double time of any of your duties for the next two weeks." He added, coldly, finishing the issue.

"Yes Lord Megatron!" He replied quickly.

Eleonor smiled, feeling relieved for Skywarp. She didn't thought of Megatron actually off-lining him for that mischief, but she feared a physical punishment. However, the Decepticon Leader was in a good mood or he actually have had a peaceful week without the naughty seeker around. She also realized another thing. While it was true that the Decepticons valued the displays of hierarchy among them, this rule relaxed always in the rec. rooms, where the high-grade usually loosened their inhibitions. Everyone needed a break once a while, even their Leader, she thought for herself.

Megatron took seat at the end of the table, like he usually did. The conversation of his subordinates amused him to no end, and he was content with just staying there with a cube of high-grade.

"Hi Eleonor!" Beamed a little voice from across the table. The young woman looked back to see a tiny silver mech leaning on a big metal panther.

"Frenzy! Ravage! It's good to see you again!" Waved Eleonor back. The metal panther started running towards her. "Wait, Ravage, please, don't...!"

Soundwave pinged silently their minions and warned them through their bond-link of the breathing device that the young woman carried on her back and its importance for her. The cybertronian cat stopped just in time and instead of pouncing over her, he just nuzzled against her cheek. Eleonor released the breath that she had been holding.

"Uf... thank you..." She sighed. "So, Frenzy, do you want a hug or you are going to maintain your dignity?"

"Uh, I think I'll maintain my dignity while I still can." He smirked. "I'll just sit here next to you." Replied the tiny silver mech snuggling beside her as they seated cross-legged on the table.

Ravage nuzzled against her one more time and growled softly as he curled around them.

"Ah, Ravage doesn't mind his dignity any longer!" She smiled and started to rub a hand over the panther's head and jaw-plates. Soon, he was upside-down over the table with the young woman caressing his metal belly. Starscream shook his head in amusement.

"By Primus! I knew it was dangerous! It's going to kill Ravage!" Exclaimed Breakdown. Eleonor stopped and glanced back at the newly arrived mech, recognizing his voice. He was the same mech that had stopped Starscream and her on their way to the rec. hall. He was standing next to a red mech, smaller than him.

"You silly mech, he's only playing, do you think that Soundwave would let it do anything dangerous to Ravage in front of him?" Replied the red mech.

Starscream turned to give the new mechs a warning glare.

"Uh, sorry about that. My pal here can be a little paranoid sometimes." Apologized the red mech, revealing that he had learned English.

"I am not!" Protested Breakdown.

"Can I take a closer look at your human, Commander Starscream?" Asked the red mech tentatively, ignoring his partner's complaints.

"No!" Exclaimed Breakdown in alarm, grabbing the smaller red mech by an arm and shielding him with his bulkier frame.

"Breakdown! You are going to scratch my paint! Let me go!" Protested the smaller mech. "I just want to see the human!"

"For the love of Primus, Breakdown." Sighed the Decepticon Leader in exasperation. The two mechs ceased their struggle and stood to attention. "Just grab a cube of high-grade and sit down here."

The red mech grinned and trotted for the energon dispenser, grabbing a cube. Then, he gingerly took a seat next to Skywarp and in front of Starscream that had his human seated between his arms, flanked by Frenzy and Ravage. Breakdown picked his cube and seated next to the red mech, to protect him from the potentially dangerous alien species, in case it was needed.

"Hi there sweetie, I'm Knock Out." Said the red mech, leaning closer with a seductive look.

"Hello, Knock Out. I'm Eleonor." She smiled shyly. The red mech smirked. "Do you like humans?" She asked intrigued. Most of the Decepticons didn't.

"Well, I don't really know, because I haven't met a human before, but I looove the human things that the rest of the Decepticons brought from Earth!" He replied in excitement. "I find the design of your automobiles very appealing. I even picked an Earth alt-mode. I also like the music. Oh, and the car racing and tuning. I took some ideas for my paint-job from Earth too."

"So, there is an Earth-trend going on in Cybertron?" She asked curious.

"You could say that." He replied casually. "Anyway, my partner here, Breakdown knows that I'm a big fan of human entertainment, so he told me that there was a human here and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to meet one."

"Oh, he must care for you a lot, because before that he stopped Starscream and me on our way here. He wanted to know if I was dangerous. He looked really worried." She said with complicity, leaning closer.

"Breakdown! You are a sweet-spark!" Cried Knock Out in delight as he rubbed a servo up and down Breakdown's arm-plates. The blue and grey mech's expression went blank, and his cooling fans kicked in with a loud whir in the cybertronian version of a blush. The rest of the present mechs chuckled. Even Megatron found it hard to stop his smirk.

"And what do you do, Knock Out?" She asked politely, resuming her caressing on Ravage's flank, that was curled around her.

"I'm a medic." He replied, transforming a hand in several cybertronian surgical tools to prove his point.

"But in his free time he likes to street-race." Said suddenly a new black and white mech with a smooth voice, purring from behind Knock Out as he went to the energon dispenser. "Very poorly, I must observe."

"Barricade!" Exclaimed Frenzy, waving at his old mission partner.

"Of course." Replied the red mech with a cocky grin. "I value my paint-job more than a petty victory." He added with his own seductive voice.

Barricade laughed with malice and took a sip of his own high-grade as he made his way to the table.

"How is my dear Ladiesman217 and his useless bumblebot?" Asked the police car, looking at Eleonor.

"Sam is clumsy as always, and Mikaela often bosses him around. Bumblebee still has a glitch with his vocalizer, but he is happy with his radio." She answered.

"You know the Autobots!" Exclaimed Breakdown. "She is a spy of them!"

"Breakdown! Would you stop been such an alarmist someday!" Sighed Knock Out.

"If anything, she would be a Decepticon spy!" Intervened Brawl, that had just arrived and heard the end of the conversation.

"Hello, Brawl! Good to see you." She nodded politely.

"Hello, little soft Decepticon!" He laughed. "Do you have any Autobot gossip for me?"

"Tons of them!" She cheered. "But you should ask Skywarp, he knows even more than me. His short time at the Autobot base turned out to be quite profitable."

Everymech turned to give Skywarp an incredulous look. The black seeker grinned madly and rubbed his servos together.

"You went all the way down to Earth to pull pranks among the Autobots in their own base?" Asked Thundercracker in disbelief.

"Yep. And Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Mikaela helped me." He said proudly.

"So, pulling pranks and befriending the enemy." Stated Megatron with indiference, taking a sip of his high-grade. "Nice."

"And the best part was when he hugged Optimus." Added Starscream, leaving over the table a datapad with a capture of the moment. Skywarp was, indeed, hugging Optimus with a worried expression. The Autobot Leader had shock and awkwardness written across his face-plates. Behind them, Ratchet was trying to suppress his giggles, but the best of all was the expression of the weapon specialist as he looked at his Leader been hugged by an enemy.

"I didn't know Ironhide could make such faces." Exclaimed Shockwave. Everymech at the table leaned to take a closer look at the picture to see the black mech. And they burst in laughter.

Megatron chocked on his drink and glared daggers at his Second in Command for showing him that picture while he was drinking.

"Starscream! Do you want to kill me?" Roared the Decepticon Leader, trying to regain his composure. The beige jet chuckled darkly, thinking of the irony.

"Of course I want. By the way, Optimus sends you his regards." Added the beige seeker with a smirk.

"I'm not hugging him." Warned Megatron, giving up and letting a small smirk crept into his face-plates.

"So, Skywarp. You never told us what you did to Warpath." Recalled Eleonor.

"Well, lets say that the first blast he shoots with his cannon is going to be very sparkly and colorful." Replied the black seeker with a sly grin.


For the next hour, Skywarp proudly narrated his adventures at the Autobot base, fortunately omitting any embarrassing moments for him or Starscream. The rest of the present mechs listened to him in various degrees of disbelief.

"Is that... true?" Murmured Breakdown. Now he was a little bit more relaxed than when he arrived at the table.

"Yes..." Admitted Starscream, running a hand down his helm. "You know how soft can Optimus be. You tell him you come in peace, and he lets you wander freely around his base. With a little surveillance and hateful glares from the rest of his crew, but freely and unharmed."

"I can't imagine us doing the same here." Said Shockwave.

"Prime still has hope in a reconciliation." Added the beige seeker, shaking his helm slightly.

"Prime is a dreamy fool. The Decepticons saved Cybertron. It's ours now. It's our right." Said Megatron with indignation. "I'll send him a postcard if he wants, but no Autobot is going to put a foot here while my spark still beats!" The rest of the mechs grunted in agreement. Eleonor gave a sad smile. Maybe one day Megatron would change his opinion.

"And changing the subject, why is a human here? I thought that they were allied with the Autobots and that they hated us too." Asked Breakdown pointing to the young woman with a servo.

"I'm the pet of the Air Commander." She replied with a sheepishly smile. The beige seeker burst in laughter suddenly. "Uh... what did I say?" Asked Eleonor, taken aback by the beige mech's reaction.

"You know your place. Good pet!" Teased Starscream with a smirk as he petted her with a claw. The rest of the mechs chuckled slightly.

"I have travelled across the galaxies so that a bunch of aliens can make fun of me. Oh, joy." She thought for herself with a resigned sight.

"Actually, she is my lab assistant. She has extensive scientific training. She aided us on Earth. Greatly." Clarified suddenly Starscream, looking down at her with a small smile. Eleonor looked back at him with gratitude written on her features.

"I've just got promoted. Yay!" She exclaimed softly.

"Don't flatter yourself, pet." Replied the beige seeker with an evil smirk, bringing her back to reality. Of course, he had to maintain his 'sparkless-Decepticon-warrior' reputation.

"Starscream: mean master. Suggestion: join Soundwave's symbionts." Offered the Third in Command, surprising everyone. He had been very quiet until then. Even Megatron smirked at the idea.

"Yeah! we could go pranking together!" Cheered Frenzy.

"Not a chance!" Hissed the seeker, picking her up with possessiveness.

"How selfish." Laughed Thundercracker.

Eleonor was trying to muffle her giggles behind her hands when an alarm rang from her smartphone, making her stop and remember her vulnerable situation.

"What was that?" Asked Frenzy.

"Hmm, nothing... just an alarm I set up to remind me to change my Oxygen cylinder." She replied absently, reaching for her backpack and opening it. Starscream extracted a new cylinder from subspace and handed it to her. She inhaled deeply, held her breath, and with practised ease she changed the tubes and adjusted the regulator in less than fifteen seconds.

"What is that for?" Asked Knock Out, that had been observing the process intently.

"Humans, unlike Cybertronians, need to breath air. Specifically a gas called 'Oxygen'. That's why I have this tubes connected to this Oxygen cylinder." She explained as the put it in the backpack, replacing the empty one.

"And if you don't breathe this gas, what happens?"

"I..." She hesitated before answering. "...I die within two minutes." She sighed. Knock Out gasped.

"You should not reveal your weak points, human." Advised Shockwave, with seriousness in his tranquil voice. She sighed in defeat. She felt so weak among cybertronians. Ravage purred softly and nuzzled her lightly.

"Ravage wants to protect you." Explained Frenzy. Eleonor was touched by the gesture.

"Aw, Ravage. You are the cutest killing machine ever." She cooed while rubbing a hand on the cat's forehead.

"Anyway, the planet we are going to explore has plenty of Oxygen, and you will be more comfortable." Reminded Starscream.

"When are you leaving?" Asked Shockwave.

"As soon as the ship is refueled." Explained the beige seeker.


The rest of the evening went smoothly, with Barricade, Skywarp and Frenzy trying out their new video-games, Soundwave reviewing some reports in a datapad, Brawl passed out from his high-grade on a couch, Ravage sleeping all over the table, Megatron chatting quietly with Shockwave and Thundercracker finished watching the movie he had paused before.

"Woah! An Aston Martin!" Exclaimed Eleonor. At some point in the evening, Knock Out had wanted to show her his alt-mode picked from Earth. The young woman was on the floor near him, inspecting closely his custom finish. "Your paint-job is perfectly shiny and spotless!"

"I know, I'm fabulous..." He answered seductively.

"And modest." Added Breakdown with disinterest, making Eleonor giggle.

"Fine, credit where it's due. Breakdown buffed me earlier. He has an expert pair of servos and he is very skilled with external finishes." Admitted the red sports car, making his engine purr. Breakdown's cooling fans kicked in involuntarily. Eleonor wondered what was going between those two. "So, do you want a ride?"

"Hmm... I'm not sure..."

"Absolutely no." Intervened Starscream. "You go too fast."

"Aww, come on, Starscream. It's safer than flying... I'll go slowly... I'll be gentle, I promise." Said the red sports car with his trademark purring voice. Eleonor smiled inwardly. Knock Out had the talent to make everything he said sound seductive. "You can come too. We can show her the city. Maybe we can go shopping! How does that sound? I've heard that human femmes love shopping."

"No." He repeated, shaking his helm for emphasis.

Eleonor sighed sadly in resignation but said nothing. It would be nice to know the city, but it could be dangerous too. Starscream was just been protective, she noticed.

"What a pity. I was planning to go to the city too and buy some replacement capacitors." Sighed Shockwave.

"And I had a list of materials for new pranks that are not going to buy themselves." Sighed Skywarp.

"And there is a race at the circuit..." Sighed Barricade.

"And a match at the arena..." Sighed Brawl.

"And I could really enjoy some peace if you all stopped sighing left me here alone." Added Megatron, getting comfortable on his couch and extracting a datapad with some reports to review. "So, go and take your pet for a walk, Starscream."

"Arhg, fine!" Groaned Starscream in exasperation. "This is ridiculous!" Eleonor smiled heartily. She was going to see the city from the inside too.


[A/N]1: Yes, yes, I know this is very fluffy, but I could not resist the idea... and it was so fun to write... Don't worry, I still have many ideas for true adventures in the new planet, but first, Eleonor needs to have some fun with her big bad friends!

[A/N]2: And yes, I have changed Breakdown's personality. Well, not really. Breakdown was at his origins a very paranoid mech. It was only in TF:Prime that he changed to careless-brute. But I have maintained Knock Out's personality and given a new approach to his... relationship with Breakdown. I hope you don't mind it... love is the right of all sentient beings.