Yeah, so ten days later…I think…XP I lost track. Sorry fans! The ones that remain I mean. I just fail. XP No excuse this time…Anyway, here we go. It's gonna be pretty short and a little slow too.

For being just after dusk, it was cold enough for a jacket, but I didn't have one. The wind made it a lot worse. While being driven home, I looked up at the stars and pondered to myself. 'I can't believe I'm so close. I didn't ever think I'd be this close this quickly.' I smiled, almost in spite of myself, but closed my eyes and waited until we got to Carl's junkyard.

Sonica was mumbling quietly to the bike, I inferred, because it was beeping and clicking back. I wondered what she said but I decided not to ask. I had a feeling she was much smarter than I thought she was…but I didn't know why. Sonica just didn't seem…teenaged. I honestly didn't know what exactly Sonica was.

I opened my eyes and remembered our handshake. 'Her hand wasn't warm, but it was soft. Like…a normal hand I guess…' I flexed my hand, 'Like I remember what those feel like…I felt her core though. I wonder if she noticed that I checked that. That definitely wasn't a heart…' I had sent a nearly undetectable current into Sonica when we touched to check her story. She probably felt it though.

I shook my head and noticed we had arrived. The rickety, broken entrance, sign, and one single, solitary, functioning streetlight within a block of here stood awaiting my arrival...our arrival. Sonica looked at me, parked her bike whose name I forgot, sighed, and said, "Well…here's your stop Derek. Guess I'll see you tomorrow…Get out…" I did as I was told, picking up on how tense she was, and walked inside waving.

She drove off, not bothering with the speed limit or the fact that it was dark out now, but I didn't care. Much. I would've preferred getting in by using stealth. I never got the chance.

All the lights in Carl's and Sarah's place flew on, leading to the front door, and the front door flew open. Carl stormed out and stormed right up to me. Oh, here we go…Carl grabbed my shoulders and looked positively furious. "Derek, where the hell were you! Ungrateful little punk!"

I sighed, preparing my defense, but as I was about to speak, Carl's face softened considerably. He looked down, let go of me, and said, "Just…call or something next time. Sarah was worried about you…or something…Come on in once you're done at your…place." He patted my shoulder, then turned and walked back inside. I stood there mouth agape.

Sarah came to the window, holding her hands close to her chest, and like gasped or something when she saw me. Her eyes got teary, and Carl went over and consoled her. I was beyond thoroughly confused now. I had gone days without coming home before, but I hadn't even been gone hours.

Carl and Sarah walked away from the window, back to bed I presume, and I let myself in. "What…in the world…was that all about?" I shook my head, locked the door, and plopped down on Sarah's musty, old-people smelling couch. I tried to imagine what must have happened, but I grabbed the remote to Carl's amazingly out of place plasma and flipped it on. I didn't have to imagine long.

The local news was still on from where Carl and Sarah had been watching it, and the middle-aged anchor was horrible head was all dramatically speaking. I decided to listen for kicks. He said, "Reports of attacks are still coming in now from other towns in the area, including Windsor, Dearborn, Livonia, and Warren. Local law enforcement has determined that the attacks are concentrated around Detroit, but the cause of the attacks is as of yet undetermined."

"The assailants have been identified as Decepticons, Transformers whose purpose we know all too well. All the victims have survived these vicious attacks, and all but one are in critical condition. The targets are all male, Caucasian, and between the ages of 14 and 18. Several victims reported hearing the Decepticon attackers asking for 'The Suit.' but none can elaborate on this. More details as they appear."

I turned the TV off, and froze. My brain had trouble rendering what I had just learned into actual thoughts. 'Decepticons…attacking…people like me…Oh shit! They know! They know and they're coming!" I leapt over the couch and out the door, not bothering to close it behind. Had to make sure it was off and ok.

I panted, again running to my robot, again worried about the core, and hoped they hadn't already detected it. They'd never find it if they couldn't lock on to the the core's energy signature. I unlocked the doors to my shop as soon as I got there, hoping there weren't any Decepticons nearby.

I ran around the workshop, shutting down computers, flipping switches, pulling levers, and unplugging cords, hoping to achieve complete electromagnetic silence. The core died out, not being fed anymore energy, and I sat in the darkness panting. Just wait. Just had to wait.