Red Alert padded through the library, noting that none of the mechs were white

Where oh where have my reviewers gone? Where oh where can they be? Well, I think Waveshaft is about to crack completely, but then again, who knows? Red Alert is coming home, sometime soon. Maybe…

SsSsSsSsSs

Red Alert padded through the library, noting that none of the mechs were white. I wonder why not. Maybe this truly is the only place they don't completely watch. The thought was abruptly broken off as he felt the mech mere nanoclicks before slamming into him.

Red Alert screeched to a halt, only barely missing the other mech. The mech glared, his optics tinted slightly with red. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing" Red alert mumbled, his glitch was acting up and he needed something to take it off those around him. Or were supposed to be around him.

The mech growled, bending slightly so he could look Red Alert in the optics. "And why are you doing such a thing?"

"Because I can." His voice held all the authority he had ever had in life. It made the other mech back up slightly, glaring. "And I suggest that unless you want to end up getting hurt or punished, you back off now."

A low angry growl came from behind Red Alert, making him spin. Another mech had come up behind him, this one nearly as tall as Optimus Prime. "Oh Primus." Red Alert muttered, backing up to a wall. "I had to get into trouble, didn't I?"

The two mechs kept up the glare, which Red Alert returned. He was a proud Autobot warrior, and was going to act like one. Glitch or not.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Ah, it looks like a fight is getting ready to go on." Arcwelder said, in a lame attempt to change the subject.

The three mechs turned to look, and the leader nodded. "Very well then, you better go break it up. Those two aren't usually to be messed with. They've caused several damages in the faculties."

Arcwelder nodded, and ran out the door, hoping to get to the library before the fight started. He got there just as it began.

Red Alert knew that he couldn't possibly have too good a chance against two. In fact, Red Alert wanted to back out, but they had thrown the first punch. And he had reacted.

Moving with speed gained from taking front line fighting with the rest of the Arc, Red Alert ducked, foot lashing out. The taller of the two went down, shouting in agony as his knee joint was crushed. His partner hesitated, a crime on the battlefield. If you hesitated you were dead.

He went down with only a single, clear, pained scream. Red Alert stood, wires in hand, panting harshly. Arcwelder gulped and said softly, "Red Alert."

Red Alert looked back at him, optics a frightening cold blue. But then, they thawed to normal paranoia blue optics. "Everyone is out to get me." He grumbled, backing away from the mechs.

The first mech still rolled on the ground, clutching his knee. "I'll get you for this!"

"You will do nothing." Arcwelder snapped, staring hard. "You're to go back to the special detainment faculty until you can prove that you have your cruelty glitch under control."

His companion whimpered as he slowly came online. Arcwelder realized distantly that Red Alert had replaced the wires, but he was more concerned about the approaching guards. Red Alert stiffened, and moved backwards, nearly pressing into the data shelves. His optics for a moment resembled a trapped animal; lost, lonely, and ready to fight.

Arcwelder nearly groaned aloud. All of the tiny trust he might of gotten was now down the drain. Red Alert had quiet empathetically refused to go anywhere other then the cafeteria with him. Other then that, he stayed in his room, watching nothing, yet watching everything at the same time.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Waveshaft glanced around, optics disbelieving. The twins were gone. They had disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The room was bright pink. Had he ever mentioned that he hated the color pink?

For a few moments his CPU struggled to process the turn of events, and he began saying in a quiet, almost calm voice, "The room is pink. The room is Pink. The room is PINK! THE ROOM IS PINK!"

The mechs over the link winced as he began laughing, crazily. They cut the link, and the leader tuned to the rest. "It looks like our plans are going down the drain."

"I told you we should have gotten someone better then Waveshaft. He was a rookie, untested and untried. It's no surprise he cracked so soon."

"Yes, but what are we going to do now? After all, they paid us good money to bring them Red Alert so they could study him."

"We only said we'd try. They've already paid us, so, time for him to go back."

"Alright. I'll start making arrangements."

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Inferno coughed loudly as he waved the smoke away. It had been a long, desperate fight against the fire, as it had melted about half of Wheeljack's inventions, exploding them at a thousand at a time. He looked around, searching for any more pockets of the fire. Seeing none, he staggered out of the room. "It should be safe now. Just don't jolt any of Wheeljacks stuff before they cool. Otherwise another fire will spring up."

Nods went around the crew as Prowl appeared at last. "Inferno, what happened?"

"Nobody was watching the cameras. Wheeljacks explosion caused a fire, and it might have been better contained if what's-his-name had been paying better attention. Now, I'm beat. Wake me up when we get someone who can actually watch in the control room."

Inferno knew that Waveshaft could probably hear it, but he didn't care at that moment. Prowl looked at him oddly, as Bumblebee chipped in, "C'mon Inferno, you're being a little hard on him. He is after all brand new, and nobody can duplicate what Red Alert does."

Inferno shook his head. "Any competent mech should of realized that a fire was going on. The fact that he didn't means that he wasn't paying attention. Even the twins know when something bad goes on in the Arc."

"Speaking of the twins, where are they?"

Sideswipe said causally from where he was at near the back of the crowd, "Oh, I found that Waveshaft hates the color pink, and I just happened to get my hands on one of those pink smoke bombs Smokescreen has, so…"

He shrugged casually. Prowl looked heavenward as he pleaded to Primus, Please, let Red Alert get back soon. I can't do this by myself.

Out loud he said, "Both of you, I'm not even going to bother dragging you to the brig. Go down there, and lock yourselves in. After five orns or so, you may leave and swab the floor of the cafeteria with a chalkboard eraser. And please, leave the newbie alone. I don't want to have to explain why he came back glitchy."

"Isn't he already that?" Sunstreaker asked smugly. "When we were in there, he was blubbering."

Then, someone asked the question that had been hovering on the CPU's of all the Arc's crew. "What happened to Red Alert anyways?"

SsSsSsSsSsSs

What happened indeed? Shall we find out sometime soon? Will Prowl and the commanders ever explain it, and Poor Inferno, he never gets much time with Red, does he?