Apologizes for the late update! Did a lot of revisiting and rewriting!

Please Enjoy! 3

~!~

"Sir! This is suicide!" An Autobot drone said in a high pitch voice as he stood behind Shortrange who was having a stare down contest with Soundwave, the left hand bot for the all mighty Megatron. Soundwave's silent demeanor intimated the drones that were part of Shortrange's squad. The group was trying to make their way over the enemy lines to get intelligence on any future planned attacks. The mission it self was already dangerous but now, with the third in command of the Cons in front of them, their mission became suicidal.

Shortrange puffed up his chest in pride as he was shrouded in his own arrogance. "This changes nothing, don't forget who it was who got us this far! Their Third in Command is starting to lose his 'touch'."

Soundwave kept his gaze on Shortrange as he started to monologue. Than in a voice that sounded like nails to a chalkboard erupted from Soundwave's vocals. "You're getting cocky…" Than from the voice of the second in command of the Decepticons went straight to the leader's voice, Megatron. "…Now, surrender your sparks."

Suddenly the drone on Shortrange's left made a horrible gurgle as his fluids started to flow out of his mouth, his optics and his audio processors. The drone's frame than started to shake and suddenly a pop was heard inside the drone's mainframe where his spark chamber was. The drone went to his knees before falling over on his side dead. The other drones stepped back away from the deceased drone.

"Put your mental guards up!" Shortrange commanded his squad but it was too late, soon the drone behind him made the same horrible gurgle, another and another. Soon only Shortrange and two other drones where left, the lucky ones. Shortrange looked down at the dead. His spark clenched.

It was his fault…

He looked back up at the Third in Command and his optics widen, as all he saw was cable like tentacles shooting towards him.

~!~

Wausau, WI; 4:19 A.M.

Shortrange yelled loudly, his arms and legs flared out of their vehicle mode, his arms immediately went to cover his face in attempt to shield him from the oncoming attack but than he realized where he was. Shortrange eyed the countryside in which Charlie and her mother Suzi lived. He sighed in relief but than the greave of losing his entire squad because of his arrogance swelled in his spark chamber. Suddenly a light to his left came on. He gasped and with some strain started transforming, just as he finished the door opened with Charlie out with a metal bat.

"Who's there?!" Charlie growled. Charlie went around her car with the flashlight pointing in the distance in vain. She sighed and patted her car gently. "Must have been my imagination..."

A hoarse voice came from the upper right window. "Oh Charlie…what are you doing?" Suzi eyed her daughter while running a hand through her bed hair.

"Sorry Ma…I thought I heard something…but it must have imagined things, sorry." Charlie said with a smirk.

"Well hurry up and get back to bed." Suzi called down before she turned out of sight.

Charlie sighed and looked at her car. Shortrange knew he wouldn't be able to sleep now, or the memory will come back, which he didn't want to see. He sighed to himself, but than his door opened and Charlie climbed in the back of the car with a pillow and blanket. Shortrange wondered where she got those from and what she intended to do with them. He got his answer as she lay down and covered up with the emergency blanket she had, Charlie yawned and snuggled in the back of the seat.

"There…now if anyone does come back…they will get a hell of a headache if they try to take you…" Charlie smirked as she yawned and soon her heart rate dropped and her breathing became even.

Shortrange still couldn't figure out this human female. Somewhere in the tiny pit of his spark chamber, he believed she knew what he really was and that he was upset, or, because the time he was in deep space has really frozen his circuits. Nevertheless, the even heart rate of this creature made Shortrange feel at ease and even though the thoughts of his lost comrade kept invading his mind, they seemed to melt away as he stared at the fleshy in his backseat. He sighed out loud and sank down on his tires and soon, he started to drift in a stasis he thought he would never have.

~!~

Friday, 5:49p.m.

The sun started to descend towards the horizon to end the day, the heat was now tolerable but the humidity stayed and made any person's hair frizzy.

It was four days after leaving the auto dealership. Shortrange's vision came back online; he sighed slightly at the calming sight of the countryside, than he gasped to himself. He has to remember he isn't in a secluded place anymore. But when he saw that no one was near he relaxed more. Than a slight thunk was heard to his far right, and there was that human Charlie coming towards him. During those four days Shortrange knew just a little bit more about this human girl than he anticipated. Charlie went to an institution with other human children her age, well, he guessed he shouldn't say children, she was in her late teens, but he never really paid attention to the little details. He did enjoy the rides she would take him after her studies, he enjoyed it so much he actually let her do the driving, it was nice to do only half the work. It was than he noticed Charlie was setting down a bucket full of liquid in front of him, it had some kind of substance that foamed over the rim, he looked up just in time to see her pointing an object at him, a cable of some sort and before he could process what she was doing, he was being doused in water.

The cold liquid almost made Shortrange jump out of his vehicle mode.

'SCRAP! Wha…?'

He asked him self in some what of an outrage mixed with confusion. Shortrange felt something on his hood. Something good. He than saw her taking a brush, with the same foamy substance from the bucket, and started scrubbing. The feeling of the brush on his grimy dirty surface was probably the best feeling he could have ever experience. Shortrange hadn't relaxed this much since eons before the Fall of Cybertron.

Charlie than dumped a second bucket of water on top of his hood to wipe away the suds, than she moved to the driver side and started scrubbing again and this process kept going until she reached the top of his vehicle mode. She opened the driver side door and stepped on the rim so she could reach the top. After a good half hour she was finished on the outside. Charlie than took a vacuum and window cleaner to the inside.

Once she was done, Shortrange wished he could see himself in a reflective service to see her work. He hadn't felt this cleaned and relaxed in centuries. Charlie wiped her forehead from sweat that formed.

"Finished!"

Suzi than came out with a large bottle of water and tossed it to her daughter. "Here you go, the car looks great, maybe you should do mine next."

Charlie made a face to which Suzi chuckled. "You can do it later, but you will do doing my car next!" Charlie let out a bit of air but she nodded.

"I will do it tomorrow, I have plans with Cara."

Suzi paused. "Charlie…"

"Ma, it is fine, we are just going to the movies and than getting a small bite to eat." Charlie hates to lie to her mother, especially when it came to something very dangerous like street racing.

Suzi sighed. "You know how I feel about that Flemings girl."

"I know, I promise mom she isn't all that bad, she just has a lot of problems at home…" Charlie started to defend her friend but Suzi's hand came up.

"We tried to help her but remember when your father caught her stealing money out of my wallet?" Charlie looked down in shame. "I am surprised you are still friends with that girl. You do know she is going to ditch you when it suits her, she has done that in the past!"

Charlie shook her head. "Mom, everything is okay with her…I promise."

Like Suzi, Shortrange wasn't convinced. He saw this Cara Flemings record, she doesn't have a license anymore because of countless reckless driving, she has been caught with several underage drinking, was caught with what seems like an illegal drug, there was also theft and the list seemed to go on and on. Shortrange felt Charlie get in his vehicle mode.

"Charlie…please be safe…" Suzi begged, she leaned down and kissed Charlie on the cheek and Charlie kissed back.

"I always am." Charlie smiles; she put Shortrange into reverse and drove off.

~!~

The things that Shortrange was feeling right now were anything but comfortable. Ever since Charlie left her house she was tense, her face was pale and the grip she had on the steering wheel kind of started to hurt a little. Shortrange couldn't even enjoy the view of the countryside. The grass was green and so were the spikey pine trees. Soon Shortrange felt at ease more now, Charlie loosens her grip on the steering wheel.

'This is nice, was in stasis for a few days, it's nice to move…BY THE ALLSPARK?!'

The shock from a smooth highway to the rough shoulder of the road almost made him take control of himself again but before he could, he came to an abrupt stop. He almost wanted to yell at Charlie but she laid her head on top of the steering wheel.

"Damn it…" Charlie lifted her head up; her eyes were narrowed. "I am not doing it…" Charlie reached for her cellphone and started calling up Cara.

After 20 seconds.

"Oh, you knew I was going to back out…" Charlie got Cara's voicemail. Charlie hung up her phone. Charlie looked behind her to see if she could get back on the highway. Charlie saw her chance and sped into traffic. In a few miles Charlie saw the exit back to her house, but than the thought of her friend by herself got the better of her.

"Damn it….again." Charlie went past the exit and went towards the starting line.

~!~

By the time Charlie got the meeting place the sky was darkening, the moon was shining brightly as well as the stars. Shortrange couldn't believe that a week ago he was crashing down to earth and than meeting the fleshy that was controlling his vehicle mode. Charlie parked near the non-racing cars and climbed out. Charlie scanned the cars that were racing; there were three at the starting line. A black and light blue RX-8 with an extending rear frame. In the middle was what appeared to be a deep slick red Aston Martin V12 Vanquish but in this dark lighting Charlie wasn't sure. And lastly there was a white and orange 2004 mustang with blue lighting on the bottom and leaning in the window was Cara. She stood up straight and saw Charlie in a heartbeat.

"Charlie!"

Cara waved her arm vigorously, while Charlie waved lightly.

"Why is your car over there? Come on bring it over!" Cara's smile turned up side down quickly when she saw that Charlie shook her head 'no' and motioned for her to come to Charlie. Charlie knew Cara was going to be pissed but she is just going to accept that she wasn't going to race.

Cara jogged over. "What is going on? I already signed you up!"

"Cara, I only came here to tell you that I wasn't going to race because you wouldn't answer your damn cellphone." Charlie didn't mean to sound harsh but she had to admit, this wasn't the first time Cara got Charlie in knee deep into trouble.

"Charlie, you're already here, why not just…"

Charlie interrupted. "No…my car was totaled a couple of days ago, I don't need to total my new car!"

Shortrange scoffed. 'Not like I could get 'totaled.'' Shortrange chuckled to himself. Shortrange continued to watch the two friends talk but than soon became an argument and than a shouting match.

"You are racing and that is THAT!" Cara went and grabbed Charlie's arm.

"I said NO and I mean NO!" Charlie shouted back and tugged her arm away. "Why do you want me to race so goddamn bad!? If you want to race than you get in your car and do it yourself! Instead of others doing it for you!"

"I am not going to race!"

"Than why should I?"

"Because I said so!"

"Well you are not my boss!"

"Want to goddamn bet!? You are a loser! You are NOTHING without me!" Cara's face expression didn't change she meant every word. Shortrange felt anger rise in his spark and he wasn't the only one, Charlie's face turned red in anger and embarrassment.

"You bitch…after everything my family and I did for you!" Charlie shook her head and turned away. "Have a good life Cara because I am not going to be apart of it any longer!"

Charlie climbed into Shortrange's vehicle mode and to prove her point and also from the help of Shortrange, Charlie squealed the tires so much that smoke rose and engulfed Cara and several others before speeding off in the opposite direction of the starting line.

The spectators of the fight started whispering and giggling at Cara, who in turn is burning in anger. Suddenly Cara jumped backwards when the red Aston Martin V12 Vanquish whipped past her and heading towards Charlie at a neck break speed. Than another vehicle left, this time it was a blue armored hummer truck of some kind and it too went after Charlie and the red muscle car.

"What the hell?" Cara muttered as she picked herself up.

~!~

When the two female fleshy were fighting, Knockout was getting restless, he wanted to prove to these lesser beings how fast he really was and these two jabber humans are getting in the way of that and besides, he was bored out of his pistons. Breakdown was several yards away, ready to chase after Knockout for a smashing good time as well.

'If these two humans don't stop bickering…' Knockout started to talk to Breakdown when his sensor picked up an energon reading. 'Breakdown…did you feel that?'

'I did…must be an auto-scum around.' Breakdown started to scan the surrounding area but the signal went away as fast as it came. 'Maybe our scanners are faulty…'

The car that one of the fighting fleshy than squealed out of the meeting spot and that is when the signal was strongest.

'Well, well, well…looks like something even more fun came to us…' Knockout than squealed after the VW Beetle and Breakdown was right behind, with a dark chuckle trailing into the darkness.