Finally! An update! Again, I apologize. This first semester of college has been…intense…and that doesn't have anything to do with the coursework. Without really going into detail let me just say that life has basically sucked for the last two months, but now things are finally getting back on track (at least I hope) and here's an extra long chapter to appease you for your wait. This is the longest single chapter I've ever written, mostly just because I didn't like the idea of breaking it. I thought this particular character's story deserved to be told all at once in one go.

On a side note, I'd just like to say that the new character's name and the namesake for this chapter are in homage to one of the best restaurants ever: Noodles & Company. If you have one, eat there. It's good.


The explosion rocked the cockpit. A light twinkling echoed through the air as glass rained down from the crumbling buildings on either side. The windshield wipers screeched and scratched across the pane, trying to sweep the fine fragments away.

Eliza squinted, trying in vain to see through the mess of debris. She knew automatically that Optimus was having just as much difficulty, the reflective fragments interfering with his sensors.

The shadow that descended on them came out of nowhere. In seconds they hit the ground hard, alarms blaring as every screen in the cockpit flashed red. Energy levels were dropping at an alarming rate. There was a leak in the fuel lines somewhere, and a bad one at that. The spark was being starved for energy…except it wasn't. Eliza could feel it, pulsing as strongly as ever, in no danger of guttering out, and she couldn't bring herself to even pretend to feel fear.

The cockpit went dark and she sighed. The lights flickered back on and Eliza stared up at the ceiling with a sigh, the holographic obstructions gone now.

"Well, you died," Jacobs said in a bored tone, crushing out his smoldering cigarette and just as quickly lighting a new one to replace it.

Eliza sighed and slowly shifted her weight forward, pulling the levers and working the pedals to maneuver Prime to sit up.

"He never would have snuck up on me like that in real life," she huffed. She sighed and pulled off her helmet, raking her fingers through slightly damp hair. She glared at his skeptical look. It was just slightly frustrating to keep failing this simple exercise. "I'm serious! That holo-thing doesn't feel like anything," she grumbled. Louis looked up from where he'd been tinkering with a short in one of Wheeljack's head fins.

"Feel?" he asked curiously. Eliza didn't know whether to feel apprehensive or just plain scared by his intrigue.

"Well…yeah," she struggled to explain. "I mean it…it has no soul…no—" she struggled for the right word.

"Spark," Optimus supplied. Eliza nodded her head.

"Spark," she repeated.

"And you can feel that?" Louis asked. Eliza felt Wheeljack's curiosity spike as well.

"Um…yes," she admitted hesitantly, not liking the tell-tale sparkle in his eyes or that lilt in his voice. She had experience being a guinea pig and no desire to go back to that life, even for a friend. Jacobs shook his head, exhaling an expansive cloud of smoke. "Eyes back in your head, Louis, before you electrocute yourself." Eliza felt more than heard Ratchet's pistons shudder in annoyance. She was sure Jacobs heard it too, but he chose to ignore it.

"Alright, run it again," Amelia interrupted briskly in her no-nonsense manner as she strolled into the main hanger from where she'd been observing in the small office in the corner. Eliza and Optimus shared a groan.

"We've done this a hundred times already," Eliza complained.

"And you'll do it a hundred more until you come out alive," Amelia said icily.

"Sorry to break up the party," Aaron interupted, voice echoing through the hanger as he stepped off the elevator, "but duty calls."

"If you think I'm letting her go out there—" Amelia started.

"Mel, calm down before you hurt yourself," Aaron smirked.

"She can't even survive the simulator!"

"Lucky for us it's a recon mission. No combat training necessary," Aaron replied easily. Amelia fixed her smoldering gaze on him for a long moment before sighing and pushing past him. "Fine. I'll page the others. Be ready to go in ten minutes." She stomped to the elevator.

Eliza manipulated the levers and pedals to help Optimus pushed himself to stand once more on his wide blue feet. Once they were up the girl fixed her gaze on Aaron with a sigh. "Alright, be honest with me. I've been here two months and in all that time I've never seen her smile. Is she ever in a good mood?"

Aaron just smirked up at her. "In public? Where other people can see? No, not usually." Eliza shook her head as Jacobs got up from the console he'd been sitting behind for the better part of three hours, wincing as his back cracked.

"Same old, same old?" he asked Aaron who shrugged as he moved to the lockers to pull on his helmet.

"Basically. They blew a city to kingdom come about two hours south of here and we get survivor duty." Jacobs swore.

"You are going to get rid of that thing before you even think about getting in, aren't you," Ratchet growled. It wasn't a question. The physician sighed and crushed the cancer stick under his foot. "As a person trained in organic medicine you should know better than to willingly take that toxin into your systems."

Jacobs snarled. "Don't talk like you're in any position to cast stones," he retorted as he began to climb up into the cockpit. "You've got your own vices and you know it, so be quiet and let me enjoy mine in peace."

The watching teens shared a glance but weren't given much time to ponder those cryptic words as Jacobs barked at them to get a move on.


"I hate recon missions," Izzy complained as they rolled through the rubble of what had at some point been a city. The sky was gray and ash rained down on them like polluted snow. Not a single building had been spared, all of them at least half gone if not more. It was a dead city in every sense of the word.

"What happened here?" Eliza breathed.

"If I had to guess I'd have to say your boyfriend and his buddies," Jason bit out. Eliza blinked as her cheeks colored, glad the other's couldn't see it in the safety of Optimus's cab.

"He's not my—"

"Can we keep the chatter to a minimum?" Amelia cut in. Eliza sighed and turned her attention back to the city, or what was left of it.

"It's like something out of one of your dreams," she said to Optimus. He didn't answer but he'd taken on such a serious, solemn feeling that Eliza thought it best not to push him into a conversation he didn't willingly join.

At the head of the group Amelia hit Prowl's breaks. From her elevated seat in the truck Eliza could see the reason even from the back of the convoy. A building had fallen across the road, blocking any further progression by vehicle.

"Looks like we're hoofing it," Izzy declared, crawling out of the van and shouldering her automatic weapon. Eliza frowned and leaned out the window.

"Why not just transform?" she wondered. Her roommate looked up and shook her head.

"Nah, sorry. If there are any survivors in this mess we can't risk causing more damage with clumsy robots," she called back. The red van beside her gave an indignant rev of its engine and Izzy laughed and patted the door. "Sorry, but it's the truth."

Eliza slowly pulled her own gun out of the storage cabinet under her feet. She hated this thing, and, in any case, she wasn't a very good shot. In all honesty she had hoped she'd never have to use it. She didn't think she could shoot another human being, no matter whose side they were on.

"This is a waste of time," Jason was grumbling when she finally climbed out of Optimus to join the others on the street. "We're not going to find any survivors in this."

His brother winced. "I know it's not in your nature to be cheerful, bro, but could you at least pretend to be optimistic for the rest of us?"

"He was just being realistic," Sunstreaker snorted behind them.

"Gotta admit though," Jazz put in, "realistic ain't always the best for morale."

Eliza looked between the two groups, humans and sentient cars, amused by the interaction that was going unnoticed by the other humans present.

"Eliza!" Amelia barked, making the girl jump. "You could at least pretend to be listening," she said impatiently. Eliza blushed, realizing that not only were all the humans watching her but she could feel the attention of every fighter focused on her as well.

"…Sorry, please continue."

Amelia snorted. "As I was saying, we'll split up into groups of two. Sweep the area thoroughly for any survivors. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and move the debris if you have to, but be careful. Some of these buildings don't look very stable."

Eliza turned her gaze to the burned out skeleton of a building beside her, eyeing a fat raven perched on an upper beam. She wasn't looking forward to the prospect of shifting through bodies, searching for a pulse. The raven let out a hoarse croak and took flight.


Eliza followed Aaron through the deserted streets, beginning to feel a bit paranoid as her eyes swept the area for movement. At least she would feel it if Demetri and Starscream or any of their group showed up, so an ambush was pretty much impossible. Still, she couldn't seem to shake the feeling of being watched.

She barely suppressed a shiver at their eerie surroundings. Whatever had happened here seemed to have been specially geared towards the eradication of all humans in the area. She needn't have worried about shifting through bodies, so far there were none.

"Hey, check this out," Aaron called. She moved to follow him into what was once someone's living room, feeling a bit odd as she stepped over the broken frames of family photos littering the floor.

"What is it?"

"It's a record player!" Aaron gushed. "The last time I saw one of these was in a museum." Eliza frowned as she came closer, letting the gun slip from her hands to hang by its strap at her side.

"How does it work?" she asked. Aaron grinned.

"Watch and learn." He picked up one of the miraculously unharmed records in a basket beside the player, carefully removing the oily disk from its paper case. He reverently laid it in the player and set the needle in its outer grove. Flicking the switch with an air of great importance, he stepped back expectantly. Nothing happened. Eliza tilted her head.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Aaron shot her a light glare before dropping to his knees behind the player to examine the plug.

"Damn," he sighed at the melted plastic in the blackened socket. "The plug's fried."

Eliza felt a little disappointed. She had wanted to see what the strange device could do. Reaching out a hand she touched the cool metal side of the player. Instantly the record began to spin and music erupted from the tinny speakers. Aaron jumped and fell back as Eliza suppressed a cry and backpedaled.

"What did you do?" he wondered, scrambling up to stand next to her. Eliza shook her head.

"Nothing. I just touched it." He looked at her strangely and opened his mouth to say something else but the crackle of their radios cut him off.

"What are you two doing over there?" For once the irritated voice belonged to Jacobs rather than Amelia. "Does the word 'discrete' mean anything to you? Shut that thing off!" Aaron winced.

"Sure thing, Doc. Sorry," he replied. Looking at the box a bit helplessly, he moved to tug on the plug, trying to pry it away from where it had melted to the socket. He managed to yank it out, but the player wouldn't stop. Frowning he tried to pull the needle arm off of the record but it wouldn't budge. In fact, the player seemed almost defiant, letting out a hiss of static like an angry cat. His expression turned to almost panic.

"Make it stop!" he shouted at Eliza over the music. "Turn it off!" Eliza just put up her hands helplessly.

"I don't even know how I turned it on," she replied.

"Move," came a growl from behind them. They turned to see Jacobs with his gun raised. Aaron started to protest but Eliza grabbed him and dragged him out of the way just as a deafening bang echoed through the air. Silence followed.

"Man, what a waste," Aaron sighed mournfully.

"Do me a favor," Jacobs glared at them. "Don't touch anything else." Aaron sighed and looked at Eliza, who ducked her head sheepishly. She was saved from having to explain, however, as their radios sprang to life in stereo once more.

"Hey guys…" It was either Nick or Jason's voice but it was only barely recognizable. Eliza had never heard either of them sound so shaken. "Somebody should probably get over here. We found one."

"Found one what?" Aaron asked, momentarily forgetting their whole reason for being there in all the excitement.

"A survivor! What else?" an identical but far more temperamental voice answered. So it had been Nick the first time, Eliza noted.

Jacobs snatched his radio off his belt, demanding their position. Aaron and Eliza exchanged a surprised look before hurrying after the doctor as the older man took off into the rubble.

They found the twins crouching in what was left of a restaurant. Sitting with his legs drawn up, hugging his knees as he perched on a broken chair between them, was a young boy. He couldn't have been much more than 11 or 12 years old. Wide green eyes peered at the newcomers from behind a veil of scraggly dark hair. He looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in days. Eliza glanced at Aaron before moving to stand beside Amelia, who was busy interrogating the twins about the boy.

"What's his name?" she wondered. Nick shrugged.

"He won't tell us."

"Noodles," Jason put in. Nick shared a look with the two girls before they all turned to look at his brother.

"What?"

Jason pointed at the only word still readable on the charred restaurant sign. "Noodles," he repeated. Amelia glared.

"His name most certainly is not noodles," she growled. Stepping up to the boy, she crouched down in front of him, automatically adopting a much softer manner. "What's your name?" she asked sweetly. The boy looked at her with his wide, dead eyes.

"What does it matter? Everyone's dead anyway," he whispered hoarsely.

Silence.

"Like I said," Jason grumbled, "his name is Noodles."

Amelia sighed and sat back on her heels, staring at the boy. "Are you injured?" No answer. "Are you hurt anywhere?" she tried again, louder.

"Give it up," Nick sighed. "He won't talk except to say everyone's dead." Amelia frowned and glared at her feet in thought for a moment.

"Jacobs. Eliza," she said without looking up. "Take…the boy back to the fighters and wait there for us. We'll take him back to base for medical attention and figure out what to do with him from there."

Eliza frowned. "Why me?" she asked.

"Because you're a distraction in the field and you still haven't passed your combat training," Amelia glared. Eliza's fought the urge to take a step back under the intensely heated gaze and wisely chose not to argue, instead holding out a hand for the boy.


The trek back to the fighters was eerily silent. The boy—Noodles—held tight to Eliza's hand and kept his other arm wrapped around his thin form, stumbling along between them and refusing to raise his eyes from the ground.

"That the sparkling?" Sideswipe asked as soon as they arrived. Eliza watched as Jacobs slowly pried the boy's hand from hers and led him over to Ratchet. With a sigh she moved to join the parked Lamborghinis.

"So Nick already told you?" she wondered as she leaned against the red one. She knew better than to even think about leaning against Sunstreaker. Sideswipe's engine revved the affirmative.

"He's so young…" she said softly, mostly to herself. Her gaze turned to sweep the rubble around them and she involuntarily wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "How did he even survive this?" Neither of the twins had an answer and eventually she wandered over to Optimus, who was still brooding, to wait for the others.


Eliza tossed and turned that night, thinking about Noodles. She hadn't had the best childhood herself, but at least she hadn't had everyone she knew suddenly taken away from her like that. The boy was staying in the infirmary tonight and she almost went to see him, but halfway down the hall she thought of what Jacobs would do to her if he caught her and, thinking better of it, changed her course to head to the elevator. There was still the question of Optimus's strange mood, which, if anything, had only grown worse when they returned after the mission.

Eliza sighed, hugging her robe tight around herself in the cool hanger and wishing she'd thought to borrow Izzy's slippers as she padded across the cold metal floor towards the towering forms along the far wall. She frowned when she noticed something peeking out from behind Optimus foot as she approached and curiously tilted her head as she peered around the massive blue pillar. Her eyes widened as she took in the cot half hidden in the giant's massive shadow. There was a note on the pillow and numbly she reached down to pick it up.

"At least this way you won't catch pneumonia or ruin your back," she read the messy writing. She blinked at it for a moment before a smile spread across her face. Peeking out from around Optimus's leg she grinned at Ratchet and waved the paper.

"Jacobs?" she called.

"Who else?" the ambulance snorted, but he sounded just as amused as her. She laughed and tucked the note into the pocket of her robe before snatching the blanket off the cot and curling up on Optimus's broad foot.

'You've been awfully quiet today,' she directed the thought at him, deciding it was best to keep this conversation private from the others. 'Any particular reason why?' He didn't answer right away but she hadn't expected him too. Leaning back she stared up at the stars visible through the hanger's glass ceiling, watching a few shooting stars pass overhead before his smooth voice finally entered her mind.

'That seemed…familiar,' he finally admitted and she could recognize the familiar frustration he felt over his fragmented memories.

'What? The city?' she wondered. She kept hoping that asking questions would jog his memory, but so far it only seemed to frustrate him more.

'The wreckage, yes…but it was more than that. The whole scenario felt familiar,' he replied and she frowned, thinking of Noodles now.

'Think one of the others would know?' she suggested. She received the equivalent of a mental shrug and knew she'd have to be the one to ask. Optimus had been able to talk to the others for over a month now, since the Matrix had passed to her, but for some reason he avoided communication with them if he could help it, preferring to remain isolated. This tendency understandably annoyed most of the others, all except for Bumblebee who had practically sunk into a depression because of it.

"Hey," she said out loud, shifting to face the other silent mechs. "Did any of you guys get a sense of déjà vu out there today?" Heavy silence filled her mind and she sat up a little straighter in surprise. For the first time she concentrated on their feelings and realized that the uneasiness she'd felt overwhelming her all day hadn't belonged only to Optimus.

"Come ta mention it," Jazz finally broke the silence, "the whole thing was kinda reminiscent of Blue, wasn't it guys?" She could feel Prowl stiffen, and Ratchet didn't seem too comfortable either.

"Blue?" she repeated, voicing Optimus's confusion for him. There was the same sense of vague familiarity he associated with all of them attached to that name, the feeling that he should know but didn't.

"Bluestreak," Jazz continued when no one else jumped in. "We found him in kinda the same state. Exactly the same, actually."

Eliza tightened her arms around her knees as a shiver of remorse that wasn't hers ran up her spine. She could feel Optimus reaching for the memory Jazz was describing, but it stubbornly hovered just beyond his reach. She sighed softly, leaning back against his ankle.

"He doesn't remember, does he?" Prowl directed the question at Eliza. The girl looked up in surprise before shaking her head. "No…sorry."

The disappointed silence was almost suffocating. Eliza tugged the blanket up over her shoulders and turned on her side, her back to the others, as she snuggled into Prime's surprisingly warm foot. Even Ratchet didn't mention that she chose to neglect the cot.


Polishing was a rather meditative pastime, Eliza had decided. Working the soft rag into the blue plating was the perfect mindless pastime she needed to just think. It seemed to relax Prime pretty well too. His engine rumbled quietly above her and she felt rather like she was petting an enormous, contented cat. She giggled at the amusing mental image that thought produced, the sound turning into a full-blown laugh at Optimus's answering indignance.

"What are you laughing at?" an annoyed voice demanded. Eliza sobered and glanced over to find Jason, rag in hand, attending to Sunstreaker's paintjob. She smiled and tilted her head.

"Nothing."

He snorted and turned away to continue polishing the immaculate gold armor.

"You missed a spot," Sunstreaker complained.

"Shove it up your exhaust pipe," Jason retorted. "I wouldn't even be here except you won't SHUT UP."

"It's not my fault I can't move on my own or I'd take care of it myself."

"Well it's not my fault either!" Jason poked an accusing finger at the yellow plating.

"Hey! Watch it!" Sunstreaker shouted in reply. "Those fragging oils on your hands leave smudges, you know!"

Jason growled and threw his rag down. "That's it! Do it yourself!" he snarled, ignoring the protests that followed him all the way to the elevator. Once the elevator doors closed behind him the warrior lapsed into an almost stunned silence, as though he couldn't really believe that the boy had walked out on him like that. Then his attention abruptly shifted to where Eliza was polishing Optimus's leg and she skipped a beat in her circles, wondering what he would say.

"How did you get her to do that?" Sunstreaker finally asked, with the air of asking someone how they managed to teach their dog a particularly impressive trick. But Eliza knew better than to take offense.

"The fact that he doesn't antagonize me the whole time helps," she answered smartly for her partner and smirked at the feeling of surprise and annoyance that radiated from the yellow Lamborghini. They still weren't used to her being able to listen in on their "private" conversations. Warm amusement flooded her mind and she smiled gently as she went back to polishing, glad that her partner was in a better mood today than he had been the day before.

"…has to be another option!" Eliza turned at the sound of raised voices floating across the room. Jacobs and Amelia stepped out of the elevator in the midst of a heated argument.

"Regulations are regulations. They can't be changed for anyone," Amelia argued back, her voice as apathetic as always. "I'm sorry but he can't stay here." Frowning at those words, Eliza dropped the cleaning rag in her bucket and made her way towards them.

"What's going on?" she interjected, cutting off Jacobs's response. The glare Amelia shot her clearly said it was none of her business, but Eliza was used to that by now. She knew why Amelia tried to keep her out of the loop. The fact that Eliza would take over command of their little group someday soon hung in the air between them, unspoken by either of them but there none the less.

"She wants to send the kid to the orphanage," Jacobs said simply, his tone clearly one of 'tell her what a shit idea that is.' Eliza's eyes widened.

"You want to send Noodles there?!" she demanded. Amelia's glare never wavered.

"His name is not 'noodles,' and furthermore until he tells us his real name and we can locate his relatives we have no other choice. This is a school. It cannot be held responsible for—"

"You can't," Eliza interrupted.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You cannot send him there," she insisted. "He can't handle that. Sending that kid there will destroy him!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell her," Jacobs jumped in. "Amelia, we can't send that boy there. He's been hurt enough as it is."

Amelia looked between them for a moment, surprised that they were ganging up on her, before quickly schooling her features once more. "Don't you both think you're being just a little overly dramatic about this?"

"Dramatic!" Jacobs growled, dropping his cigarette butt and stomping it out. "Amelia, you don't know what you're talking about. You don't know what you're dooming this kid too!"

"Now wait a minute!" Amelia seethed.

"What do you really know about the orphanages?" Eliza cut in. Her voice seemed eerily at odds with theirs, much softer than their near shouts and having taken on a husky, low and almost dangerous quality. She could feel a wave of anxiousness form Optimus but ignored it. "You don't have any idea of the things that go on there, and believe me you do not want to subject him to that." Eliza hesitated to continue, not sure how much she really wanted to reveal about her past, but when Amelia opened her mouth to argue she did the only thing she could think of to finally silence her self-proclaimed rival: she rolled up her sleeve to reveal the ugly brand on her arm.

"Does that look like I'm overreacting?" she hissed. "You have no idea what really goes on at those places. You think you're doing the kid a favor, but you're not. Noodles won't survive in there, Amelia, and I am not exaggerating that. We absolutely cannot let them send him there." Amelia's eyes had gone wide, glued to those glaring numbers, and her face was completely white. Jacobs was staring at his feet, suddenly unable to look at either of them.

Silence settled on them after that. Eliza's sudden burst of anger melted into unease at the shock on Amelia's face accompanied by an equally numb emotion radiating from the mechs behind her. Slowly, she rolled her sleeve back down, rubbing the spot over the brand as though she could erase it from existence. Awkwardly she awaited Amelia's response. Eliza had never seen the other girl let her mask slip like this before. The usually stoic teen looked almost certainly frightened. It made Eliza feel a bit bad for having to force her to face reality so roughly, but what else could she have done? Amelia had to understand that they had to do everything they could to keep Noodles away from the orphanages.

"I'll see what I can do," she said at length, "but it's not really my decision." She looked like she wanted to say more but clamped her mouth shut and turned on her heal, executing a perfect parade about face as if by instinct, retreating to her office in the corner of the hanger. Jacobs waited until she'd left before raising his head to consider Eliza again.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

Eliza fidgeted with her sleeve for a moment. "I'm fine," she muttered, brushing past him to get to the elevator, not in the mood to answer Optimus's questions right now.


It was well after dark when Eliza found herself in the hanger again. She'd gone straight to the infirmary after leaving, intending to speak with Noodles, figure something out, tell him to run away if nothing else—but he hadn't been there. In fact, no one had been able to find him all day. Part of her hoped that he had escaped on his own, but had that been the case he would have surely been caught by the tight security all around the school's perimeter. However, no alarms had been raised, which could only mean that he was still in the school somewhere.

Sighing in defeat she stepped off the elevator, intending to go curl up on the cot by Optimus, when she heard voices. Glancing up, she was surprised to find Amelia standing before Prowl. For a moment Eliza could only stare. She'd never heard Amelia talk to him before, or really treat him like a living, sentient thing at all. For a long moment she was frozen, just watching, before common sense caught up with her and she ducked into the shadows by Amelia's office.

"They wouldn't listen to me." Amelia was pacing as she talked, hands clenched behind her back. "They're going to send him on his way tomorrow, provided they can find him anyway." She paused and ran her fingers through her hair which, for the first time since Eliza had known her, had been freed from the tight bun to cascade down her back. The girl stopped pacing, staring at nothing for a long moment before turning almost hesitantly to look up at her partner.

"What about Bluestreak?"

"No," Prowl bristled.

"You said yourself that their situations are similar," Amelia argued. "If that's true than there's a good chance that they could connect, and if the boy is a pilot then they can't—"

"No," Prowl interrupted again, this time sounding downright angry. "Bluestreak has been through enough."

"I'm not trying to cause him harm!" Amelia retorted.

"No, you're just trying to use him," was the cool reply. Amelia's mouth opened and closed a few times before she turned abruptly, stalking unseeing past Eliza's hiding place to the elevator. The hidden girl waited until the she heard the distant rumble of the elevator rising through the floors before standing slowly and stepping out of the shadows.

"You didn't tell me Bluestreak was here," she accused softly, walking towards Prowl.

"Because it is irrelevant," the black and white replied.

"Doesn't sound irrelevant. Why isn't he here with you? He doesn't have a pilot?" Eliza pressed. She got the feeling that, had he had control over his own body at the moment, the mech's door appendages would have been vibrating with his temper.

"Not anymore." It was Bumblebee who gave the quiet answer. "Blue's…pilot was deactivated in the war."

"Oh…they were close?" Eliza asked awkwardly. She still hadn't quite figured out what they thought of their human partners. Optimus seemed to genuinely like her, at least she liked to think so, but for some of the others it felt more like they were just tolerating them because they had no choice rather than maintaining a true close relationship.

"Bluestreak has an unhealthy tendency to get overly attached to things sometimes," Prowl responded emotionlessly. Eliza frowned.

"Maybe a new pilot would be good. It could help him get over it." A shiver ran up her spin at the glare she felt from the tall white mech before her.

"Bluestreak is not a pawn to be used in that boy's name," he nearly growled. Eliza glared.

"Hey, I'll admit I want to help Noodles and if Amelia's right about them being a match and making the kid a pilot will keep him here, then I'm all for that—but I have not and will not force any of you to do anything you don't want to. I thought I'd already proven that point." She waited, daring him to make a snappy comeback but only silence answered her. "Where is he?" she asked after a moment, surprised she'd never seen this other mech, or felt him, if he was indeed in the school somewhere.

"They keep him in the repair bay," Ratchet answered. "In the back…under a sheet." Eliza winced at such blatant disrespect, but then again what else were they supposed to do with a defunct fighter? She supposed she should feel lucky they'd kept him around at all.

"Thanks," she replied, granting the medic a nod and a small smile. Optimus was cautioning her in her mind and she could feel him tentatively agreeing Prowl's side. When she turned back to the tactician she made sure her partner knew she was addressing him too before she spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do something." With that she turned to go back to the elevator.


It was so obvious Eliza didn't know how she'd never noticed it before, though she'd only been the repair bay twice and both times she'd been rather preoccupied. There, at the far end of the room, just as Ratchet had described, sat what could only be Bluestreak.

The sheet had been pulled aside and Eliza's eyes widened in shocked surprise. 'He looks exactly like Prowl…' she thought as she took in the still mech. Aside from the differences in the paint job they looked nearly identical. It was a bit unsettling. 'Great…two Prowls. That's all I need.'

She was so caught up in the mech that she almost didn't notice Noodles curled up in the pile of discarded sheet until she was standing next to him.

"So this is where you've been hiding," she said, surprised and relieved to finally locate the missing boy. "How'd you even get down here?" She didn't expect a response given the boy's self-induced silence, so she was taken aback when he actually replied.

"I snuck onto the elevator one time when you were getting off," he explained. His voice was quiet and a bit hoarse from disuse. "It was like…something down here was calling to me and I just had to come find out what it was. I'm sorry…are you mad?" Eliza just gaped for a moment before offering him a smile.

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just glad I found you," she assured him. "You said…you felt something calling to you?" The boy nodded. "Him, I think…but he I think he's sleep. I can't wake him up," he said, sounding a little disappointed. Eliza turned to look up at the mech and bit her lip. She thought about what how she'd revived Optimus the last time she was down here and then of the record player the day before. She still didn't fully understand how to use the Matrix, but it obviously granted her certain powers.

"Maybe I can do something about that," she said almost to herself as she took a step towards the mech, placing her palm against his leg. She shivered. It was stone cold.

"Bluestreak?" she whispered, eyes searching that dark face. "Bluestreak, wake up." She closed her eyes, trying to remember how she had done this before. "Please," she whispered, willing it to happen. Her fingers began to tingle and she couldn't quite keep the smile from her face. "Come on, wake up. I need to talk to you," she prodded, feeling warmth fan out over the cold metal around her hand. There was the weak stirring of something against her consciousness and her grin widened. It was harder than it had been with Optimus—Bluestreak had been asleep for far longer—but she pushed harder and slowly, slowly she felt his mental presence growing stronger.

"Wha…who?" the gray mech's voice filled her head. He sounded young…far younger than any of the others in the hanger. Eliza smiled and took a step back to ease the angle on her neck as she looked up at him.

"Hello," she said gently. "Are you Bluestreak?" He processed that slowly and she could feel his confusion.

"Yeah…who are you?" She paused, considering how best to answer that.

"My name is Eliza," she said at last. "I'm Optimus Prime's partner. I woke you up because I need to ask a favor of you."

"Optimus Prime…but he…" Bluestreak trailed off. Eliza was tempted to prompt him to continue, but if this worked there would be time for that later. Noodles was her priority at the moment.

"Bluestreak, I hear you lost your pilot, and for that I'm sorry, but I'm here to ask you if you'd consider taking on another one," she said in her most diplomatic tones, opting to cut right to the point. She felt the gray mech tense and she quickly continued before he could protest, "Just hear me out. This boy," she gestured to Noodles, "has been through a lot and I think you might be the only person who knows how he feels. I think you two might be able to understand each other, and to help each other."

"No…I'm sorry I…you seem nice enough but I can't…" Bluestreak started to protest and, without knowing how she knew, Eliza was certain that if she didn't jump in he would start rambling and then she'd never get a word in edgewise.

"Bluestreak," she stepped forward to put a hand on his leg again, noting that the armor was already warming up, "I understand the position you and the others are in here and out of respect of that I would never make any of you do anything that you didn't want to do. But I do need your help, and so does this boy." She glanced at Noodles as she chose her next words. She didn't want to scare the boy. "There are some people who want to send him away because his family's dead and he's alone now. I think you understand how that feels." A wave of remorse told her that she guessed was right and she forged on. "You're the only one here that can help him, and I think he can help you too because, Bluestreak, you need to move on. I know how you feel, I've lost people too, but that doesn't mean I shut myself off from the world." She paused long enough to let all of that sink in. "But, if that's what you really want, I'll let you shut down again and never bother you about it again."

Bluestreak was quiet. She felt his attention shift to Noodles, scrutinizing the boy who peered up at him, silent but attentive. "What makes you think I can even have another pilot?" he asked at length. Eliza tried to think of how best to respond, but was saved from having to as Noodles surprised her yet again.

"Because you called to me," the boy piped up. "And besides, you feel the same as me," he added. Turning his attention to Eliza now the boy wrapped the sheet tight around his shoulders. "What happens if I'm a pilot?" he wondered. "I get to ride in him like you?"

Eliza laughed. "Yes, and you get to stay here."


Eliza moaned and drew the blankets over her head at the sound of voices. She couldn't have slept for more than a few hours. Bluestreak had been dangerously low on energy and they'd been forced to try and refuel him, which proved to be easier said than done. His model was so different from Optimus's that it took quite a bit of struggling (and laughing on Bluestreak's part) to figure it out. After that she'd had the fun of trying to guide Noodles into moving the mech into the lift leading to the hanger, which had taken another hour and a half because, though Noodles was incredibly gifted at it and caught on almost as fast as she had, no one can master walking immediately. Then, of course, there'd been the inevitable fight with Prowl once they did finally manage to get the gray mech to the hanger. That argument was far shorter than Eliza had anticipated, however, as Bluestreak was able to charm the other mech with surprising ease. Eliza made a mental note of Bluestreak's apparent powers concerning an angry Prowl for future reference. Finally, with those tasks complete, she'd retreated to her cot only to be kept awake through the night by the two new partners talking about anything and everything. It was enough to almost make her regret even trying to help.

"Eliza!" Amelia's voice cut through the haze. Eliza groaned and poked her head out from under the blankets.

"What?" she demanded blearily.

"Front and center," the other girl demanded, crossing her arms where she stood in front of the row of mechs, waiting.

"Amelia…it's too early," Eliza protested.

"Now!"

Grumbling, Eliza stumbled up from the bed wrapped in the blanket and dragged herself to stand before the other girl.

"Yes?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"Care to explain this?" Amelia asked, pointing at something to the right. Eliza followed her finger to where Bluestreak was currently sitting at the end of the line of robots with Noodles curled up on his thigh, wrapped it the sheet that had been covering the gray mech. Eliza blinked.

"Nope. I have no idea how that happened," she said dismissively. Amelia frowned.

"No idea?"

"None."

"You expect me to believe that you spent the night in here and didn't notice that boy somehow manage to maneuver that fighter up from the repair bay, in the middle of the night, despite the fact that he's never piloted before in his life?"

Eliza shrugged. "He must be a prodigy. I didn't hear a thing." Amelia's eyes narrowed and Eliza couldn't help but smile. Still grinning, she turned to return to her bed, only to be yanked back by her blanket. Turning she saw Amelia's foot planted firmly on it.

"Where do you think you're going?" Uh-oh…

"Back to bed…?" Eliza tried.

"I think not," Amelia retorted. A sly smile was growing on her lips. Eliza hated that smile. "I let you take yesterday off, but today you're scheduled for more simulator training." Eliza groaned.

"What? Come on, Amelia. I haven't slept and—"

"Oh, you haven't? But didn't you just get done telling me that you slept all night without any interruptions? You wouldn't have been lying to me, now would you?" Eliza glared at her for a long moment, but she knew she had been backed into a corner. There was nothing more she could do. It was give in or be caught.

"…No," she answered reluctantly.

"Good," Amelia replied brightly. "Then if you slept so well you shouldn't have any problems being fully alert for the simulator exercises. I'll be back to supervise in half an hour."

Eliza watched her go in disbelief, not moving from her spot as she watched her too-smug rival enter the elevator. Once the doors had closed she let out a frustrated growl that woke Noodles with a startled squeak.

"I give up!" she threw her arms in the air. "I can't win with her! I don't know how you can even stand her!" She turned to glare at Prowl. "Why'd you even pick someone like her? She's nothing like you!"

"You're not a very good representative of Optimus Prime either," Prowl replied calmly. Eliza froze and just stared at him in wide-eyed surprise for a moment before shaking her head and grumbling to herself as she trudged back to her cot, "I take it back. I think I see the resemblance now."

Jazz's laughter rang out over the hanger, unheard by Noodles who blinked after Eliza's retreating back in surprise, wondering what he'd just missed.