~And another one bites the dust~. Oh hey ther, got another chapter for you all. Remember to read and review.

I don't own transformers, or the song above, or anything really. 'Cept for Megan and my plot.

:Comm link:

'Thinking'

"Talking"


After Megan had been reassured that Mirage's paint would be as good as new in a few hours, thanks to nanite technology, she actually found herself enjoying the company. Sure, she was still overcoming the effects of shock, and internally she was freaking out, but overall she thought she was handling it quite well. Megan was coming to accept that her life seemed to be forever flipping itself upside down, and that this point having things normal would be weird. Seeing a car driving itself was still strange though.

While she was still nervous that her car was in fact a sentient alien robot, she was starting to weigh the pros and cons of her situation. In the pros there were things like the fact she no longer had to 'drive', she now had someone to talk to, no longer would she have to pay for gas, and that for an alien he had a good taste in music.

In the cons was the Decepticons, Megan giggled internally at her unintentional joke. Her alien was being hunted by other aliens who would be all to glad to kill her, there were also more of these bad guys waiting to invade earth. Megan sighed heavily, there wasn't much she could do about that except help Mirage get to his leader without getting caught by the Decepticons. That, and try not to die.

Megan glanced out the windows at the quickly passing mountains and forests. They were still traveling along the roads toward Burns. Megan turned her attention back to Mirage, she was a little unsure where she should direct her question. Did she talk to the radio or the wheel? She decided it really didn't matter, she was sitting inside him after all.

'That sounded less disturbing in my head.' Megan shook her head and tried to distract herself from that train of thought.

"So where are we going?"

"We will continue along the route you have planned. I fear that if we were to head directly to Optimus' signal we would lead the Decepticons straight to base. Also, the Decepticons now know my alt-form, the most rational thing to do is to find a new alternate form to throw them off the trail." Megan couldn't help but notice he sounded like he had done this all before. Mirage continued.

"I fortunately have enough energon reserves to make the change, but I need an alternate that is faster than my current form. This one is inefficient and if we are found by the Decepticons it is unlikely I will be able to outrun them."

"So where are you going to find a fast new car form?"

"I found on the internet that there is a 'car show' in Crescent city, which is several hours west of Burns. It will take us further away from Optimus' signal, but if by then the Decepticons are still following we can lose them in the crowded city streets."

"Speaking of Decepticons, do you know the ones who are following us?"

"I only recognized one of the three Decepticon signatures. His name is Crankcase. He is volatile and will stoop to just about anything to achieve his personal goals. The universe would be a better place if he had never been sparked." Mirage's accent became thick again, a sign that he was becoming agitated, if the growling engine wasn't any indication.

"Sounds like you really hate him."

"As you humans say. 'Hate is a strong word', but yes, I do hate him." Mirage's tone suggested she drop the subject.

Megan was naturally curious but thought it would be best to not piss off the giant alien robot. She had enough questions to sink a large ship. So instead she asked him all the questions that she hadn't asked before like; why he had an italian accent, what was space like, and what an Allspark was.

"The Allspark is the source of all cybertronian life. It was launched into space a millennium ago to keep it out of Decepticon servos. Both fractions have searched for it ever since, because without it we cannot even begin to hope for the revival for our planet. Cybertron was once a beautiful planet, and hopefully with the Allspark it will be again."

Megan was slowly starting to pick up on the alien lingo. She also noticed how his accent faded and his overall tone of voice lightened to something close to reverence at the mention of the Allspark.

"You must miss it, Cybertron I mean."

Mirage didn't reply. They continued on for several minutes in silence, Megan gathered from his silence that it was a touchy subject and that she should change the subject. She could understand the painful feeling of missing home, so she did.

"So are all cybertronians like you? Wickedly cool and twenty feet tall?" Megan was a little worried about meeting up with his comrades. Mirage by himself was quite intimidating, she was still wrapping her mind around it, but several other giant alien robots could be overwhelming.

"No, they are not like me."

Megan gave an internal sigh of relief.

"Most of them are taller."

Suddenly she wasn't so relieved.

For the next few hours Mirage told her about his comrades, Megan learned about Hound and his fascination with all things organic, Bluestreak the chatterbox, and Prowl the logical SIC. He also told her of the others he knew were confirmed to be on earth, about Optimus and the advanced team. Megan had tensed when Mirage described the CMO, Ratchet. When asked about it her reply was curt and uncomfortable.

"I just had a bad experience with doctors, that's all." Mirage could tell that wasn't all but changed the subject in any case.

It was likely the most the spy had spoken at once in vorns. Mirage answered all of her questions patiently, after all they would be traveling together until they found Optimus' signal, so it paid to be patient with the girls questions.

They made good time, but because of the time they lost in the chase and their need to skirt around towns with traffic cams they still wouldn't arrive in Burns until very late at night. After a quick supper of fast food (Mirage griped about how much humans need to refuel) Megan could feel the days exertions press in on her, she simply couldn't keep her eyes open much longer.

"If you so wish you may rest. I will wake you when we arrive at our destination."

The seat leaned back enough so she could drift off comfortably.

"What about you? Don't you need sleep too?" Megan fought of a yawn.

"Technically I do not sleep. I recharge, and I do not require as much as you humans seem to."

'Well la dee da~. Look down on the human why don't you? Saying recharge makes you sound like a battery.' Megan thought as she rolled her eyes at the mechs condescending tone.

She didn't dare say her thoughts aloud, she had already figured out from hours of talking to Mirage that the bot had some negative views on humanity as a whole. She only hoped she could change that opinion and at the same time show the mech some humility. Otherwise it could be a long trip. Still, she wouldn't say no to the chance of resting her eyes or an hour or so.

Mirage vented a small sigh of relief as Megan's heartbeat slowed and she fell into what the humans called sleep. He had thought she would never stop asking questions. She had been particularly interested in learning cybertronian curse words, but Mirage had remained silent until she changed the subject. The girl had enough curiosity to put Wheeljack to shame and could talk enough to rival Bluestreak.

The rest of the drive was quiet with only the sound of Mirage's engine and Megan's soft breathing. It was close to midnight when Mirage found their destination, a small hotel on the edge of Burns that was within Megan's limited price range.

Megan woke immediately as Mirage pulled into the parking lot, and blearily got out and checked in. She patted Mirage's roof and wished him 'goodnight' as she went into her room. Mirage had to wonder of the worth of the plastic currency which Megan had exchanged for shelter. Human society was so strange and it was all still such a mystery to him. Megan had spent the day asking him about his culture but he had spent little even bothering to learn of hers beyond language. Mirage tried to pass off his questions as the simple, mild curiosity of a bored mind.

"After all, what is the point of learning about a world we will soon be leaving?"

When he and his comrades had first received Optimus' signal he had felt an immense hope swell in his spark. Surely it meant that the Allspark had been found and they would soon return and restore Cybertron. But there were smaller things that didn't add up, things that lingered in his logic processors and over time worried Mirage deep in his spark. Why had Optimus referred to earth as a new home? Surely they weren't going to be staying here now that the Allspark had been recovered.

Mirage was suddenly pulled from his thoughts as his sensors picked up something unusual coming from Megan's room. He activated his thermal scanners to better 'see' what was happening. Megan's vitals were highly elevated in a strong fear response, yet it appeared she was still in recharge. She was tossing back and forth on the human sized berth, fists clenched, twitching away from some unseen force.

In seconds Mirage had accessed the internet and came to the conclusion that Megan was experiencing what humans called a 'nightmare'. He was briefly fascinated by the specifics of human sleep, how their minds took experiences, sensations and facts and twisted them into fanciful images called dreams. It was so different from how his processor condensed and streamlined data in recharge. What concerned him was that it was advised to not wake the person having the nightmare.

As much as Mirage hated to admit it, she had helped him to escape the Decepticons. She had even agreed to continue helping him get to base despite the fact that he had planned to leave her as soon as the opportunity had presented itself. He was not accustomed to being in anybot's debt, and it frustrated him that he could do nothing to help her in return. Even if it was only to help to keep her from being afraid.

His spark clenched as she curled into a ball and cried out in fear, much like a sparkling would when threatened. Almost automatically he began to thrum his spark at a higher frequency, creating a strong soundless vibration that was imperceptible to the human ear. Megan must have sensed the comforting resonance, but didn't wake. Eventually her heart rate slowed and after several peaceful minutes her brain activity fell into deep REM.

Mirage checked his spark cloak, which was still operating at max capacity, and scanned for Decepticon activity before settling into a light recharge. With a simple subroutine he set his systems to wake him should Megan's heart rate accelerate again, but fortunately Megan remained sleeping for the rest of the night and well into morning.


When Megan woke she briefly wondered where she was, before yesterday came rushing back. Not only was she now a few hundred miles from home but also accompanying an alien across country. She wondered for a few moments if she had dreamed it all, it sounded like something out of a trashy tabloid magazine. She stretched lazily for a moment before getting up and peeking out the curtains. Bright sunlight glinted off the red paint of the car, a.k.a. the alien, parked in front of her room.

She jumped a little when Mirage flashed his headlights at her, a little impatiently. She wondered why for a moment, when she noticed the amount of sunlight that was streaming through the window. She glanced over at the clock and was shocked to realize it was almost ten. She hadn't slept in past six, seven at most, for almost a year it was rare enough that she didn't wake from the nightmares.

"Ah, jeez." The swearing in her head was much more colorful in nature.

Megan rubbed the last of the sleep room her eyes and dashed for the shower, within a half hour she was fully dressed and signed out of the motel. She made her way over to Mirage who opened his door before she could reach for it. It startled her for a moment but she didn't let it stop her from getting in. The door snapped closed and quickly peeled away from the parking lot. After a minute of tense silence Megan had the feeling that Mirage was irritated with her.

"Sorry about that Mirage. I know you wanted to get to Crescent city early."

Mirage vented a sigh. He knew it wasn't her fault, he hadn't expected the thrum of his spark would send her so deeply into recharge.

"It is alright. I trust you had a good recharge?"

"If you mean sleep then yes, I slept well. Best forty winks I've caught in years." Megan chuckled.

"Winks? What does the opening and closing of your organic optic shutters have to do with your recharge?"

Megan laughed outright while Mirage remained confused. After more boisterous laughter and a small explanation Megan quickly sobered. She stared out the window toward Burns, a blank expression on her face. Mirage could feel through the seat the sudden tension that entered Megan's frame.

"Megan is something wrong? Your heart rate has increased by 5% and your cortisol levels have spiked." Megan snapped out of her reverie and shot a confused look at the dash. Mirage held back another sigh.

"It means you are stressed. What caused this sudden reaction?"

Megan fiddled for a moment with the zipper on her bright green sweater with one hand, while chafing her palm on her jeans with the other.

"There's someone I need to see in Burns. I know we're already starting late because of me, but could we make a quick stop? It's the reason I originally planned the route in this direction."

Mirage thought about it for a moment before speaking.

"I suppose we can spare a few minutes for you meet this person, but we cannot linger."

"I'll be quick, I promise."

Megan rattled off the address of the residence she wished to visit and Mirage navigated through town still avoiding the traffic cams. Mirage couldn't help but notice how as they got closer to their destination Megan became more stressed. She showed no outward signs of her nervousness other than fidgeting, but Mirage's attempts at scanning her showed little beyond what he already knew. She was stressed.

After several minutes of driving they cam to a stop in front of a tidy, pale gray town house. The house was medium-sized, with a small two car garage and a neat front yard with a small stone path. Mirage parked across the street and scanned the house for signs of danger, but found nothing but the bio signatures of a pair of elderly humans. Megan took a number of deep breaths as she scanned the outside of the home, her stress levels decreased slightly but the tension in her body remained.

"Megan, there is nothing to fear here. The only thing of consequence I can sense within that house is two humans. Neither of which seem to be threatening, so why are you experiencing physical distress?"

Megan briefly glances at Mirage's dash before turning her full attention back to the house.

"The people in there are my grandparents on my mom's side of the family. I haven't spoken to them in quite some time, so they might be surprised to see me. Ah man, I knew I should have called ahead and let them know I was coming."

Megan ran a clammy hand through her hair. She was more than a little nervous how her grandparents would react to her showing up out of the blue, suddenly this didn't seem like such a good idea. Mirage had done a quick search on who these grandparents were, and the level of stress didn't seem to match up with the information.

"I do not understand. They are the creators of your femme creator, correct?"

"Creators?" Megan asked.

"Creators are the ones who made you. Like the ones you call uncle Dan and aunt Lisa."

"Oh, aunt Lisa isn't my mom and uncle Dan isn't my dad. Uncle Dan is my dad's brother and aunt Lisa is his wife." Megan chuckled at having to explain family dynamics to an alien robot.

"Then where are your creators?"

Megan's chuckles instantly dissolved and wound up muttering something that sounded like 'it's complicated'. After a tense moment of silence Mirage opened his door to let Megan exit his alt-form.

"Make it quick. We still have eight hours of driving to get to Crescent city."

"Ok."

Megan jumped out and with a slight hesitance crossed the street. Her anxiety increased as she approached the door, she glanced back at Mirage as she stopped at the door. He momentarily flashed his headlights in what she hoped was a reassuring way. Megan looked for a moment at the door that was so familiar from her childhood, and with two firm raps knocked on the wood.

There was a call from a light female voice for 'just a moment' and the sound of shuffling footsteps. The door swung open and a small five foot woman in a light blue dress, with a cloud of fizzy white hair stood in the doorway. The woman's blue eyes widened at the sight of Megan on the doorstep and her bright smile melted away into a wrinkled frown.

"What are you doing here?" The elderly woman asked in a carefully neutral voice, but her body language was stiff. Megan looked the woman over, noticing the newer wrinkles around her grandma's eyes, before clearing her throat to speak.

"I-I came to see you and grandpa. I've wanted to talk to you guys… for a while now. May I come in?"

The woman hesitated, clearly torn, but after a second stepped aside and opened the door fully before retreating into the house. Leaving Megan standing at the door. Megan glanced one more time over her shoulder at Mirage before entering and closing the door behind her. Mirage switched to thermal scans an turned up his audio receptors so he could keep an optic on the situation, it appeared Megan's nervousness had gotten to him.

Megan took a deep breath and walked slowly deeper into her grandparents home. Everything about looked the same as she remembered, a few more pictures of family on the walls, a new rug on the floor. She heard her grandpa speaking in the kitchen.

"Who was at the door dear?"

Megan's grandma didn't say a word until Megan stepped around the corner into the kitchen. The older gentleman was about six feet tall with a slightly balding head of silver hair, his expression was stunned when he saw Megan. He put a hand over his red plaid covered chest, Megan could feel her throat tighten at the sight of her grandpa. She cleared her throat.

"Hey Gramps." She tried to laugh but voice cracked, her sadness leaking through.

Megan's grandma snorted, the older woman stood across the room with a grim frown and her thin arms crossed over her chest.

"Don't you dare come into our home and pretend like nothing's happened." Megan's grandpa seemed to snap out of his shock at the poison in his wife's voice.

"Cindy."

"Don't Cindy me, Carl. She knows she isn't welcome anymore, not after what she did."

Megan flinched at the accusation. It was this very reaction that she had feared would happen. Worse she could feel it starting to trigger a memory. Megan pressed a hand to her face and turned away from her grandma, trying to push away the thoughts, but that only seemed to incense the woman more.

"Cindy you and I both know that what happened wasn't her fault." Carl tried to reason with his wife in a pleading tone.

"But it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for her! Our grandchildren, our daughter, would still be alive if she hadn't met him!"

Carl didn't seem to know what to say, but Megan did.

"You're right. It is my fault. I'm sorry."

Megan's grandmother froze, the words she had been about to scream dying in her throat. Megan shoved the memories away for the moment and focused her hazel eyes on her grandma's blue.

"What I did… what I put you through, is unforgivable, and is all my fault. I have no illusions about that, and it will always be the biggest regret of my entire life. But I just wanted you both to know, before it was too late… is that I'm sorry." Megan forced the sounds around the lump in her throat, more choking than speaking the words.

Megan's grandma made no motion of acknowledgement, she didn't even blink, and she didn't say a word. Instead the woman turned on her heel and walked away upstairs. Megan and her grandpa listened to her retreating footsteps until the sound of a closing door could be heard. To Megan the sound was as final and as loud as a gunshot, but to her credit, she didn't cry.

"Megan."

She turned her attention to her grandpa. He looked sadder, older now that his wife had withdrawn upstairs, as if she had taken several of his years with her. He was slouched so low it looked like he had a weight on his back that was keeping him from standing straight. He cleared his throat and spoke again not looking at Megan, but instead looked through her.

"I'd ask if you wanted to stay for lunch but… it would probably be best if you didn't stay long."

Megan could feel her heart quietly breaking in her chest. Despite how he had tried to keep Megan's grandma from pointing an accusing finger a her, she knew that this was his way of saying that he agreed with her.

"Ya, ok. I should get going anyway. I-I have a friend waiting for me."

She beat a hasty retreat to the door, her grandpa following behind at a distance. She opened the door, her eyes immediately finding Mirage waiting right were she had left him. She looked back over her shoulder at her grandpa one last time.

"Bye-bye Gramps."

"Bye-bye Magpie."

She gave a small smile at the pet name he had given her as a baby. When she was growing up it had been their tradition to say goodbye in this way. She couldn't believe he still remembered, or that he still cared enough to use it. The fact that it would likely be the last time he would likely ever do so did not escape her.

Still, she didn't look back as she went over and opened Mirage's door. Mirage acting like the normal car he wasn't, and allowing Megan to start driving. Still Megan refused to let herself look back even after the house was out of sight. She barely even noticed when Mirage took back control and she let her hands drop back into her lap. They both remained silent as Mirage merged into traffic on the highway to Crescent city.

"Megan are you damaged?" Mirage's concerned voice broke Megan from her thoughts.

"Damaged? They didn't hurt me."

"Then why are you leaking?"

Megan hadn't even noticed that the tears she had been bravely repressing back at the house were now spilling over. She gave a watery chuckle and brushed them away, pushing her feelings back into the drawer in the back of her mind where she put all the other unpleasant things.

"I'm fine, really Mirage. They're just tears, it's a human thing I guess."

Megan expected him to be disgusted if he said anything at all, she was by no means a pretty crier. She could already feel her nose running as she fished in her bag for some tissues.

"Tears are a physical reaction to extreme emotion."

"Ya that's the internet textbook version I guess."

"Why did your grandparents react so violently to your presence? Shouldn't they welcome you? What was it that was your fault?"

Megan stiffened in surprise, her hands clenching into fists and her eyes flashing dangerously.

"You were listening?" Megan hissed.

Mirage's engine rumbled uneasily. He had never seen Megan angry and her reaction was taking him by surprise.

"I was merely worried about your safety. Your stress levels…"

"To hell with my stress levels! You had no right to listen in on our conversation like some sort of spy!" Megan interrupted.

Mirage's engine roared loudly, startling nearby motorists, as his own temper sparked to life. His accent came back, thickly coating his words making his words low and dangerous, but he did not raise the volume.

"I am a spy, perhaps you have forgotten? I would not have to if you were more forth coming on your past."

"Excuse me? My past? What about you? Apparently you and one of the reeking Decepticons that's after us know each other."

"Do not bring Crankcase into this, human." Mirage snarled. Braver people then Megan would have backed down at his tone, but her reckless combination of anger and lack of self-preservation kept her from remaining silent.

"Or what? Last time I checked you're the one who needs my help bub. I don't need to be here, specially not with you."

"Oh really? Because the last time I checked it is your planet that is going to be attacked, and possibly destroyed, if I do not make it to Optimus in time, human."

Megan froze, she hadn't thought of it like that before. Mirage was risking his life to not only get back to his comrades, but also to help save her planet maybe even her entire species. A species she was sure he wasn't even very fond of, and she had likely just justified many of his opinions on humans with her outburst.

'Ah fudge, now I feel like a douche.' Megan sighed and calmed her mind, passing a hand through her hair.

Mirage was also trying to cool his circuits. He had tried to calm the girl by getting her to talk about her problems, but instead had only succeeded in upsetting her further. Naturally she had lashed out at him when she found out he had breached social etiquette, and literally spied on her emotional conversation with her grandparents. He wanted to apologize, but he wasn't used to being the bot in the wrong, and his pride refused to bend enough to ask forgiveness from an organic.

"I'm sorry for getting angry Mirage. You're right, getting you to Optimus isn't only your problem, it's my planet. I'm sorry, and I swear I will do what ever it takes to get you there. I will not leave, or threaten to leave again."

Mirage took her words for what they were worth, and couldn't find a single one that said she was lying. He sighed. He supposed he could unbend his pride enough to be the second to apologize.

"I also apologize. It was inappropriate of me to listen to a private conversation outside of my missions. I can assure you that it will not happen again, on my word as an Autobot."

Megan didn't bother to hide the massive smile she gave at his words. She knew how hard it was for the stuck-up mech to admit that maybe, just maybe, he had been wrong for once in his life and should apologize. So with a large grin on her face she nodded.

"Apology accepted, oh, and Mirage?"

"Yes?"

Her smiling face suddenly morphed into a serious look.

"Never ask about my past again."

Mirage contemplated the girl for a moment before replying.

"As long as you will do the same for me."

Megan nodded, more then willing to sacrifice her curiosity about Mirage for the sake of her sanity. They drove for a few minutes in comfortable silence, before Megan's stomach decided to speak up, loudly.

"Oops. Umm… is it ok if we stop and get something to eat?"

"Of course." Mirage rumbled in his polite way.

As Mirage navigated towards the nearest highway eatery, Megan remembered the call from her aunt during the high-speed chase with the Decepticons yesterday. She considered that it would be a good idea to contact her worry wart of an aunt before a search warrant got put out, as she pulled out her cell phone and turned it on.


Tada! What did you think? First part; nice and slightly fluffy, second part; holy wow what? It's ok Megan's past will eventually be explained. Umm… and I had a bit of a brain wave with how to end this series only… you might all hate me for it.

Megan: What? Let me see. (snatches plot outline and scans it.) WTFudge!?

Me: Ok calm down it's not as bad as it looks.

Megan: No, it's worse! I'm telling Mirage!

Me: NO! He'll kill me for what I have planned for you! You can't tell him.

Mirage: Cannot tell me what now? (looms menacingly and taps ped impatiently)

Me: Ah, slag. Read and review to save me please! (runs)