Author's Note: For real, this is getting crazy. I think this chapter is the one you guys have really been waiting for and you will be treated to the first battle scene in the story and there will be more to come, so enjoy!

WARNING: This chapter in terms of what's about to go down may have boosted the rating to M. Let me know what you think in the comments. This installment also includes spilling blood. Lots and lots of it. If you are sensitive about reading about this sort of thing, this chapter is not for you.


Chapter Six: Contradictions and Complications

It had rained all night and most of the early morning. I didn't get a wink of sleep for the entire duration of the storm, becoming antsy about the upcoming meeting with the Decepticon leader face to face for the first time.

"Riley, it's time to head out to the rendezvous point," Prowl said curtly, placing a hand on my shoulder to get my attention.

I nodded in my acknowledgement and turned to follow him out of the house to where the team waited for me. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Yes, let's. Riley, if you feel uncomfortable, you can call it off. There is nothing wrong with it," Ironhide rumbled, speaking for the first time since the rain started.

"Megatron will use whatever he can against you and use it to get you on his side. Don't fall for his tricks," Optimus joined in, "He will do whatever it takes. No matter the cost. Stay strong and keep on the path you've laid out for yourself."

"I never had any intention to deviate from it, Prime," I smirked, climbing into Ironhide's passenger seat and shut the door behind me. "Let's get a move on and make this meeting quick. Mother Nature's planning on giving us an encore performance of the storm from last night."

Optimus gave a curt nod in understanding and began issuing orders to the other on the team before the sounds of revving engines filled the air. I sighed and shifted around in the seat, feeling awkward and out of place inside Ironhide's cab, knowing full well he could tell I'm on edge being surrounded by three tons of living metal.

"You seem tense."

"You don't say, Ironhide. Whatever could've been your first clue?" I sighed, glancing over at the driver seat to face the ebony haired young man.

"You want to turn on the radio?"

"No. We're not far from where we're going, so it wouldn't be worth it."

The rest of the drive went by in silence as we drove to the clearing I indicated before the group came to a stop. Ironhide's door popped open and his holoform blinked into existence in front of me, prompting a yelp of surprise.

"Boo."

I scowled. "That isn't even funny," I said, slapping his shoulder. Ironhide simply shrugged it off and offered me his hand. "How chivalrous of you," I snickered, blushing when he offered a bow in a mockery of etiquette. I was answered with a smirk as he closed his hand around my smaller one. Stepping down onto the step to get into the truck, I let out a startled squeal when Ironhide quickly let go of my hand and wrapped his arms around my waist and sat me on the ground.

"I wish I were you right now, 'Hide! What I wouldn't give to have a tender young thing like that to hold in my arms!" Gun Metal cackled, making me blush twenty different shades of red and a devious smile to cross Ironhide's face and cast a look at me that clearly spelled trouble.

I cleared my throat and turned my gaze away from the raven haired man and the hulking black truck that made up his true body, once again fighting off the fact that I was— quite literally— inside him. "That'll do, for now, boys. Why don't you go hunker down somewhere and I'll go meet my guest," I said finally, shooing the boys away into a copse of trees before I turned and walked in the opposite direction and into the clearing to wait.

Taking a seat on a large rock, I resigned myself to the wait and watched the sky. Dark clouds churned high overhead and thunder began rumbling in the distance. I could already see it was raining in the distance and it will get here soon.

"Riley."

Looking up to face the new arrival I allowed a small smirk and slid off the rock and moved toward him. "Welcome to Ocean Heights."

The silver headed man spared a look around and smirked. "Quaint."

"Let me start off by saying I know you brought your boys closer than I'd like them to be. They're close enough for me to know they're very close. Close enough to begin siphoning energy from me and I don't want to overload again."

Megatron smirked, something that made chills roll down my spine. Then he began moving closer to me, not stopping until he was right on top of me and leaned in close to whisper, "I am not one to be trifled with, child. I know you have been amongst the Autobots. I can smell their stench on you."

"Nice to know. In fact that's the creepiest thing anyone's said to me," I scowled, placing my hand on him and pushed him away, ignoring the sudden start of voices shouting in my head and glyphs flashing across my field of vision. "I like to investigate when new people and things pop up so unexpectedly here. It's not every day a new face shows up in Ocean Heights. And it's none of your business as to who and what I go around: I decide what I do and nobody else."

That smirk on his face vanished and was replaced with a poisonous look that made me flinch slightly. "So I see you aren't one to take orders. That's too bad. It would seem you're the type that needs to be shown her place," he snarled, lunging for me. I jumped out of his way, gasping in surprise when a piece of metal sliced into my arm.

"You bastard!" I shrieked, pivoting on a heel to retaliate and reached out for him, stunning myself and Megatron when the skin on my arm peeled back to show the metal hand underneath as it contorted itself into some kind of weapon and fired, the kickback alone startling me enough to lose my footing and fall over backwards. Pushing myself up, I gawked at the weapon that now made up my entire forearm before scrambling to my feet and kept the silver headed man in my sights. "I'd say our meeting is over. I'm no longer interested in this," I said shakily, backing away as my adversary continued to get closer until he tackled me before I could get away and pinned me to the ground beneath him.

"Try as you might to turn your back on what you're becoming, but it will never just fade away. You'll never know how precious life is until it is brutally taken. For instance... your family," he growled, his voice low enough to barely hear it over the thunder that rumbled over head.

My eyes widened. "You leave my family alone! I'll kick your ass if you hurt so much as a hair on their heads!"

Megatron laughed, a cruel and grating sound that made my skin crawl and sent chills to the very core of my being. "My dear, whoever said I'd be the one to do the harming of your family?" Ruby eyes met baby blue as the struggle between us began once again, but it seemed Megatron had the upper hand from my injured arm as he pinned my hands above my head and straddled my hips, using his weight to pin me down and keep from using my legs to get free.

I never broke eye contact with him throughout our little skirmish, letting out an ear splitting scream as extra hands came down on me and held me in place as Megatron brought my left hand down and held it in front of my face. One of the new faces in the clearing, Starscream, I realized, handed a small device no bigger than the size of the palm of his hand to his leader and moved to help hold onto my arm.

"I'm not going to lie. This is going to hurt. A lot." Just as soon as those words left his mouth, a searing, white hot pain shot up my arm from the crook of my left elbow and I screamed again, arching my back in agony as I renewed my struggle to get free.

I became vaguely aware of anything else as the pain took over my mind, not even engines revving and tearing through the clearing made their presence known and began changing forms into the towering robots that I've started becoming accustomed to could snap me out of the trance I found myself in. Cannon fire tore through the air along with the sounds of metal on metal as both sides clashed with each other and the loud electronic clicks, chirping, and whirs that made up the Cybertronian language.

"Riley! Get up! You need to get out of here! Now!" Ironhide's voice snapped at me, and I looked up to see the large black and silver form of the truck I had ridden here in and clumsily climbed to my feet and staggered out of the clearing.

I didn't stop running until I reached my home and when I finally reached my destination, I locked myself in the bathroom. Sinking down on the floor, I let out a sob in pain and braced myself against the door and the wall opposite in the small confinement. The alien gun that now made up my arm still hadn't returned to a hand and my left bicep sported a rather nasty cut, blood oozing down my arm in a concentrated stream, and my newest tattoo of a Decepticon insignia emblazoned in the crook of my elbow in deep purple ink.

"Riley? You alright in there?" Gun Metal's voice asked, followed by a soft rapping on the door.

"No," I whispered.

"Would ya unlock the door? Let me help you," he pleaded with me, and I obliged, reaching up to unlock the door and shifted myself away from the door to let the dirty blonde in. "Oh, Primus. What happened?"

"It's just a scratch, Gun Metal. I can't even figure out what I did to do this either," I rasped, feeling the exhaustion setting into my bones from the running and fighting I did before reaching my home.

"That don't look like a scratch. Looks more like you sided with them," he said, crouching down to examine my injury and the symbol stamped onto my arm.

Even through the exhaustion, I still managed a scowl. "It's not like I wanted this. Megatron pinned me down and tattooed it on me."

"Let me take a look here," Gun Metal sighed, taking hold of my right arm and squeezed it lightly and I jerked away, stunned when the weapon reverted itself back into a hand.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and bit back a moan when Gun Metal's probing fingers began touching around the cut. "It hurts! Don't do that!"

All I got was an apologetic look before he reached over and grabbed ahold of the hand towel on the counter and tied it around my arm. "That oughta do it 'til Ratchet can get over here to see you."

"What do I do? The Decepticons are about ready to move in! Protect my family with your life or so help me God, I will—!"

"I got the message. This is for you. It's your bag for when we need to evacuate. I think you'll need to keep it with you till it's time to hit the road."

I nodded and closed my eyes tightly, taking in a shaky breath and sighed. "I'm scared, Gun Metal. I keep praying this is a really bad dream and I'll wake up soon, but I can't get away! It just keeps piling up! I want it to stop!" I murmured, tears beginning to start up again in my anxiety.

The dirty blonde shook his head and gently wrapped his arms around me. "Riley, I'm so sorry you got mixed up in this. Being stuck in the middle of a centuries old war ain't your place."

"Gun Metal, we need you outside now! We got company!" Sunstreaker barked, pushing the door open and grabbing hold of the other boy's shirt.

"Duty calls. Get with your family. We got them holed up in the master bedroom ready to roll when things get tough," he said, climbing to his feet and left before I could give an answer.

I waited until I could no longer hear their footsteps before I decided to do anything and locked the door again. Glancing down at my arm where the Decepticon insignia resided, I glared and forced myself to move and grab the razor sitting on the side of the tub when I take showers. "There's no way in hell it's staying on my arm," I muttered, using my fingers to break the razor apart, wincing when my fingers would get little cuts from the blades. After a little while of working, I managed to pull one of the blades free and gingerly grasped it between my fingers. Before I could begin doing what I was about to do, I reached for one of the towels hanging up on the rack above my head and pulled it free, twisting it around in my hands before putting it in my mouth and biting it. Bracing myself for the pain to come, I dug the edge of the blade into my skin and let out a muffled scream, fresh tears welling up in my eyes as I continued working the blade around the mark, pulling it in and out choppily as the skin peeled away the more I did it. Letting out another scream, I forced myself to continue until the entire patch of skin fell onto the floor with a wet plopping sound on the tile flooring beside me. I grimaced, taking the towel and wrapping it around my arm tightly as the blood began picking up speed as it poured out of the gaping hole in my arm.

"Riley? You need to be ready to leave," Prowl's voice said curtly, his tone carrying over the urgency of the impending situation. "I realize you're struggling with what's been happening the past week or so, but you must put it behind you in order to carry on through the current situation."

"I know, Prowl," I rasped out, trying to fight back the tears streaming down my face.

"Are you alright?"

"No."

The doorknob jiggled, but it wouldn't give way to him. "Open the door, Riley. Allow me to assist you," he implored, and I sighed, reaching around to unlock it and moved away for him to enter. "What happened here?!"

I watched the man carefully, my mind hazed over with the pain shooting up my arm and winced. "I got rid of it."

This got a questioning look from him before he spotted the mass of bloody flesh on the floor at his feet. "Riley! What did you do to yourself?!"

I sniffled, reaching up to him with my good arm pleadingly. "Help me? I'm so scared!"

"What's going on? Aah!" my mother's question was cut short as she let out a horrified scream at the bloody mess. "My poor baby! What's happened to you?!" she bemoaned, grasping at my arm to pull me unsteadily to my feet.

"I belong to nobody!" I ground out, my voice hoarse from the screaming I did. "Nobody!"

Prowl gazed at me in worry before scooping me into his arms and carried me into my mother's room and laid me on the bed. "By the Allspark!" Prowl's blue eyes widened considerably and turned away to call for help, but no words escaped him.

::Prowl? What's the matter? What happened to Riley?:: Ratchet's voice rang out and I jumped, scanning the room for the brunette, but didn't see him anywhere.

::You must get here as quickly as you can. Riley injured herself.:: Prowl's voice answered urgently, the tone of his voice clearly distressed.

::I'm on my way. Try and staunch the bleeding as best you can until I arrive. I might not be able to do much until we are a safe distance away from Ocean Heights. The Decepticons are moving in quicker than we anticipated. I'll be arriving very shortly. Ratchet out.:: Ratchet said grimly.

Turning back to Prowl, I narrowed my eyes suspiciously as he drew near and began running the excess towel up and down my arm to clean me up.

"Before you ask, I know you were tuning in to the conversation," he said seriously, not even looking up to meet my gaze. "You opened a comlink. Albeit, unknowingly."

"What do I do? How do I turn it off?"

"Comlinks tend to turn themselves off when there's no one to receive the transmission. A Cybertronian's processor is very well organized... like a filing cabinet, if you will. Everything is filed away for convenience and easily accessible if you want something. For example..." he said, pulling one arm away and converted it into a weapon. "Weapons systems and transforming."

Pursing my lips slightly, I watching my right arm intently and thought about it. "So... if I need a gun, I have to find that system to activate it? That can't be too hard," I mused, closing my eyes and mentally picturing that metaphorical filing cabinet Prowl talked about and searched through it. A sudden pang in my chest made me let out a cry of pain and clutched at it, biting back another moan as the pain spread out through my body.

"What's going on here?" Ratchet's voice demanded, coming to my side to examine my arm. "Riley, what have you done?"

"I cut it off my arm!" I moaned, gasping in agony when the towel was untied to show the wound.

Ratchet's grim expression turned to shocked disbelief. "You cut all the way to your protoform! Why did you do that?!"

"Fix it? It hurts!" I begged him.

"I will, but next time, don't do something as stupid as this!" he sighed, setting to work on repairing the damage I caused myself, from stitches for the cut and false skin slowly beginning to be reproduced by the protoform beneath my skin before scanning me to see if I caused harm to the living metal. We sat like this in silence, watching the medic do his job while the sound of rain on the roof filled in the quiet.

"Where's Isaiah?" I finally asked, just now realizing my sibling isn't around anywhere.

"He was insistent upon helping stand guard with the others," a familiar voice burred, making me jump and turn to the door to face the raven haired man in the entryway. "Sideswipe informs me that the 'Cons are making their move. I advise for you to begin preparing to run for the door and get ready to make your rendezvous with Chief and the others at the entrance of the neighborhood."

For some reason or another, I felt my heart speed upon seeing him and blushed. His hair and clothes were plastered to his body, showing off every curve of his body and muscles through the white shirt he wore, not helping in the slightest to get me to stop staring at him. "... Thank you for that. Just let us know when we need to make a break for it," I thanked him, forcing myself to look at his face and blushed again when I caught that wicked gleam in his eyes and fingered the hem of his shirt to show off a bit of skin.

My heart was practically hammering into my ribs now as he edged closer and leaned in maddeningly close. His hot breath on my neck made goose bumps break out on my exposed skin as he placed his lips near my ear and whispered, "Like what you see, Riley? If this were the opportune moment... I'd put on a little show just for your entertainment." The implications to his words made that pink tint to my cheeks turn red and bit back a sigh when his lips brushed past my cheek as he pulled away to leave the room.

XxXxX

"Isaiah, you really should go inside. Be with your family."

Glancing over at the new arrival, he shook his head and sighed. "I'm staying here. I want to be able to protect my family and that what I'm gonna do, alright? There's nothing you can say to deter me now," he said curtly, keeping his eyes glued on the surroundings in from of him.

Sunstreaker watched the young man inquisitively, unconvinced. "You know that's not the reason. Spill it."

"Fine. It's just that I'm worried about my sister. Riley's my only sibling and I love her to death even if she drives me crazy," he said, allowing a small smile to grace his lips. "She's just had so much going for her lately and it's been pulling at her. I feel bad about it, y'know? Those things that keep happening and I can't help her. I feel... helpless."

Gun Metal chose that moment to join them, hefting a rifle with a grin. "Maybe this will help fight that helpless feelin'. You've fooled with guns before haven't you? Time to put away your child's equipment and start playin' with the big boys, son," he grinned, offering the weapon to the blonde and he accepted with a sort of smile tugging at his mouth.

"You ever play those military style games, Isaiah?" Sideswipe asked him, bringing out his own weapon in preparation for the imminent fight.

He nodded. "Oh, yeah."

"This ain't one of those kiddie games where you shoot up one or two bad guys and you're done. We just graduated to the ungodly union of Call Of Duty: Black Ops and Halo mixed with Mass Effect. You ready for this?"

The blonde nodded grimly, turning to face the dark surroundings beyond the limited amount of light from the front porch to find multiple cars filing down the street and the occasional jet and helicopter passing overhead. "I am. Let them come. Let them see what happens when they screw with us."

XxXxX

Ratchet had just begun to patch up the Energon line I nicked from my little episode when the sounds of cannon fire began to rock the earth, getting us all to jump. Looking up at the door to find Optimus standing in the entryway, he ordered, "It's time to go. Head out as fast as you can and leave this place now. Ratchet, provide them with cover to leave and escort them to Shock Burst and the others waiting at the entrance of the neighborhood."

Giving him a nod in understanding, Ratchet hurriedly patched the leak before pulling away and allowing for a partial transformation to better protect himself and us from any oncoming opposition. "Let's go!"

I forced myself to my feet, slinging my bag over my shoulder and grabbed hold of my father's hand as we began to leave the room before Ratchet barred us from leaving when the lights exploded, casting us into pitch darkness. A sudden light made us flinch and cover our eyes and watched as a chartreuse colored hand reached out to us and made a gesture to get back, blocking the light enough for us to see the light emanating from the search lights on his chest.

"What's happening, Ratchet?" I asked before I was promptly shushed and gentle hands pushed me back before the lights cut out.

"Sorry about the high beams. Force of habit as it were," he whispered back, "There's someone in the house."

That alone made my blood run cold.

XxXxX

"You want some of this, glitch?! Come get some!" Gun Metal shouted, a crazed laugh escaping him as he unleashed a barrage of plasma pulses screaming through the night air, the sounds of the blasts hitting home mixing with the deafening thunder of the storm raging overhead.

Isaiah, for all his valiance standing and fighting a fight he had no business in, couldn't help feeling a bit shell shocked as the cars and planes had broken apart to form the giant metal monstrosities that were now making a move on his home. Pulling the trigger, the plasma that shot forth nearly knocked him on his ass from the kickback alone but he stood his ground, opening fire on everything in his field of vision, mindful not to try and take out an ally.

"Isaiah!"

Glancing over at the new arrival beside him, he gave a quick nod before going back to continuing his onslaught of plasma bursts and letting out the occasional shout of triumph when he took out one of the oncoming assailants. "These bastards are harder to get rid of than cockroaches! The more I shoot down, the more appears, Optimus!" he shouted over the cacophony of metal on metal as both Autobot and Decepticon alike got close enough to engage in close quarters combat, Cybertronian battle cries, and alien weaponry unleashing a barrage of plasma and laser fire. A patch of earth exploded just a few feet to the right of where the blonde teen was hunkered down as he fought, showering him and Prime in dirt. "What's your course of action, sir?"

"You're going to be providing cover fire for your family while you and they are evacuated. We can't risk harm coming to a human life here," he said immediately and got rewarded with a shocked look.

"I'm not going anywhere! I'm fighting for my family!" he protested, coming to his feet when Optimus grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him to his full height.

"That wasn't a question, Isaiah. Your family needs you, so go be with them." Optimus' tone left no room for argument and Isaiah grumbled under his breath before snapping a salute and racing off.

XxXxX

Crawling under the bed, I watched the door with a feeling I could only describe as anticipation as my parents crawled up on either side of me and laid their arms over my back protectively to instill some comfort and keep me from moving as my brain was screaming at me to do something. Ratchet stood just outside the room, gun drawn, adopting a defensive stance as he waited.

"Riley, stay still," Mom whispered, giving me a squeeze.

I was about to whisper something back when the sound of footsteps were heard coming down the hallway. From the way Ratchet shifted around on his feet told me whoever was coming was able to overpower the medic. My heart pounded against my ribs as I began hearing the voices echoing in my head and glyphs began swimming in and out of my field of vision.

"Riley?" I was vaguely aware of my father's voice as I shook my head to try and clear up my vision as the entire room lit up with a light blue tinge.

Absently, I shifted my arm and the skin peeled back to allow the metal appendage beneath to show through and continued to shift to accommodate the alien weapon that covered my entire forearm. I watched with interest, waiting with bated breath for the enemy to show itself like a cat waits for a mouse to reappear from its hiding place. Ratchet spared a glance over at me and barely let out a surprised gasp when an unseen force slammed into him.

Instinctively, I began trying to crawl forward to help the medic but my parents kept me in place, urging me to remain with them. I growled, the sound startling even me at the electronic grating sound that came from deep in the back of my throat before I scrambled out from under the bed, following the energy signals emanating from Ratchet and his opponent before locking on and pulling the proverbial trigger of the gun. The force knocked me backwards like it had before, making me slam my back into the wall but I couldn't help feeling smug at the shout of pain and angry words that spewed forth from my target before he turned and lunged for me, the force taking us through the wall and into the bathroom on the other side.

"Megatron's prize or not, I won't allow for you to get away unscathed!" he snarled, grabbing hold of my hair and threw me across the room, making me go through another wall back into the master bedroom.

Pushing myself back to my feet, I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth from hitting it on the headboard and smirked. "That all you got?! Honey, you may be the king in your castle, but you're in my house now!" I shouted, letting out a scream and charged him, taking him through the wall and into the guest bedroom before landing ourselves in the kitchen.

"Riley! Get out of the way!" Ratchet's voice yelled, and I instinctively jumped away in time to see the medic plow into my adversary and grappled with him before falling over the banister and into the living room. "Get your family out of here! NOW!"

I nodded, racing back into the bedroom and pulled the covers back to see them. "Time for us to get lost! Ratchet's got us covered for now, but he won't be able to keep the Decepticon back forever!" I said urgently, helping my parents to their feet and led them out of the room and down the hallway before I was unexpectedly hit from the side, sending me through another wall and into Isaiah's bedroom, hitting my head against the bedframe. By the time I hit it, the blue tinge to my vision vanished along with the glyphs floating across my line of sight, feeling the effects of being knocked around settle into my bones coupled with the pain of having my injuries hit on from the cut on my bicep to the hole in the crook of my elbow. Everything was quiet, not a sound to be heard as I clumsily rubbed at my head and grimaced at the feeling of something warm and wet from the point of contact.

"Riley!" a voice shouted, sounding muffled and very far away.

Slowly glancing up at the light shining in my face, I let out a moan as Ratchet grasped my arm to help me stand and walk me down the hallway. Ratchet's lips were moving, but I couldn't quite hear him from the force of the blow to my head, instead hearing a high pitched ringing sound as I frowned slightly and pushed him away. "Mom? Dad?" I whimpered, looking back to the young man with me to get an answer.

XxXxX

"Come on, Mariah! We have to keep going!" Dad shouted, dragging his wife behind him.

Mom, however, tried to run back in the opposite direction where the sky was lighting up with explosions from the fight taking place in such close proximity to their home. "Isaiah and Riley's still in our house, John! I can't live with myself if something happened to my babies!" she shrieked, still struggling to go back.

"I'm afraid that would be a very dangerous move on your part, Mrs. Ashton-Bishop. Optimus and the others won't let anything happen to them if they had anything to say about it," Chief's voice said bluntly. "Riley has a Cybertronian protoform beneath her skin. It'll protect her from anything that would otherwise terminate a human life and Isaiah is already out of the firefight. I was informed he was to meet with us, but I assume he ran in the other direction."

"Find him! I can't leave without either of my children!"

"Riley won't leave without Isaiah, either. Crimson Flame is waiting for her at her secret place if she's able to leave the battle at your dwelling. And it's also safe to say that Riley will make him find her sibling before he can evacuate your daughter," Shock Burst joined in.

Chief rolled forward to the couple and popped open his doors. "Rightfully so. Your offspring have a close bond together. And I'm afraid I won't allow you to remain any longer. We have orders to evacuate you right now with or without them. Ironhide and the others will make sure they're safe and they won't leave unless they know Riley and Isaiah have been picked up and removed from the area. I realize this must be a trying time for you at the moment, but you must trust us with your children's safety until we reach Diego Garcia and return them to you."

The couple exchanged glances with each other before reluctantly getting inside the waiting vehicle before the doors snapped shut behind them.

XxXxX

Racing out of the house, I let the tears I was fighting back fall freely down my face, not caring who or what saw me. My front yard had become a warzone, forcing me to weave in and out of giant feet and evade wayward shots from alien weaponry from either side engaged in combat. Vaguely aware of anything else besides fleeing the fight, I nearly ran right into one of the Decepticon's feet and getting caught in the metal hand making a grab at me.

"Get the girl! Don't let her get away!"

Daring to look over my shoulder, I screamed and began changing directions and dashed to the left before moving to the right as my new adversaries charged after me. At some points, I would run right at them, stunning them for a moment before darting back in the original direction I was going before I disappeared in the trees that surround my neighborhood. This would provide cover for so long until I would reach the shoreline a good fifteen minute run from my house. I continued on until I could see the lights of the buildings in town and ran straight for it, determined to reach the one place I may have some chance at evading my pursuers.

I pushed myself to run faster than I ever had before all the way to my secret place and made a beeline for the large Peterbilt sitting quietly in the onslaught of heavy rain and deafening thunder.

To say I was wet would be a terrible understatement. I was soaked to the bone by the time I ran past MacKeigan's. Because of the weather, it made it that much harder to run since the ground is covered in a combination of sand and asphalt, which was even worse since I'm barefoot. I tripped and scrapped my hands and knees more times than I could count in my hurry to get to the junkyard.

Just seeing the cherry red and white decaled truck brought me enough motivation to push myself a little further and right up to his side. I pulled on the handle of the driver's door, but it wouldn't budge. Trying again brought equal disappointment in being barred from shelter from the elements.

"No! Please! Let me in! Crimson Flame, please!" I screamed, desperation and fear swelling in my chest to an unbearable point. It had taken me a while to get used to the idea there's giant robots prowling around Ocean Heights, but to know that I exposed my soul, thoughts, and feelings to a group of Autobots that long sat in stasis until recently almost killed me. "I need in! Please! I know you can hear me!" I cried, now banging on the large Autobot's door frantically. "Crimson Flame, I need help! Please hide me! I don't know how much longer I have until they catch me! Please!"

As though my words finally reached him, Crimson Flame opened up to allow me inside him and I climbed in, eager to get out of the storm and he shut the door behind me. Climbing into the sleeper part of Crimson Flame, I curled myself into a ball and cried. Hard. Tears I forced myself not to cry over my life and its many frustrations and the confusion of beings more powerful than myself telling me very different and contradicting things on what to believe came pouring out, just as freely as the rain falling from the sky hammering into Crimson Flame's body.

"You came back." The voice seemed to echo throughout the cabin, the masculine voice nearly drowned out by the rain hammering into the large Autobot's chassis and pretty much muted when thunder rolled overhead. It wasn't a question, more like the smoky baritone voice was stating a fact, if not a little surprise finding its way into the delivery of those words. "I had a sneaking suspicion you would come here. You took so long. The others have already left to be with other Autobots."

"Please, drive!" I choked out, looking up to the dashboard in front of me as it lit up and the engine obediently turned over.

"And where, pray tell, are we going?" the mech asked, sounding somewhat baffled at the request yet on high alert. "What is happening in your dwelling? Nothing good if you ran the entire way here to me."

"Those creeps showed up in my house! They threatened my family! My parents are gone and I think Isaiah escaped and hiding somewhere. I need you to find him! He's coming with us! I'm not leaving without him! You got that? Drive! Drive as far away from here as you can!" I answered sharply, the last part coming out as a desperate plea for understanding from the mech and getting rewarded with a quick 'yes, ma'am' as the truck lurched forward and skillfully maneuvered himself out of the junkyard and onto the road leading to town.

"And here I thought you were going to ignore me and leave me sitting beside you in the rain back there," I sniffled, letting out a small grin of my own but it didn't last long.

XxXxX

"Riley, I found him. He's inside the law enforcement building. Should I stop and let you out to retrieve him?" Crimson Flame said curtly, already slowing down so I could get out.

"Thank you," I said to him and I received a chuckle as a response. "But you'd better be ready to put pedal to the metal when I get my brother's stubborn ass out of there and in here," I added before jumping out and sprinting into the building.

"Riley, where have you been? Didn't you hear the weather report say it's going to storm? What happened to you?" the receptionist, Darren, asked, rising from his seat in shock of my condition.

I blew off his comments and immediately demanded, "Where's Isaiah?"

"In Chief Ramone's office asking about you. He was panic struck when he got in here saying there was a break in and he had no idea if you were kidnapped or not," Darren said, pointing to the office in the far right corner of the building and I wasted no time in bursting through the door. Both occupants were shocked at my sudden appearance but Isaiah immediately brought me into an embrace.

"I was so worried! What happened?!" my sibling asked me, but I brushed it off as I began dragging him towards the exit. "Riley? What's the matter? Where are we going?"

"I can't explain it to you right now! Get in the truck!" I ordered him, jabbing a finger at the Peterbilt parked just outside.

"Isn't that the truck from the scrapyard? What's it doing here?" Isaiah watched the vehicle in wonderment but I didn't let him sit on it forever as I proceeded to push him out into the rain and the door opened automatically. "What's going on?"

"Hurry now, you two. The Decepticons are drawing ever closer and they out number us greatly," Crimson Flame warned, getting my brother to blink stupidly before shouting, "The truck is alive?! When were you going to tell me this?!"

"Just get inside the damn truck or I'll kick your ass and drag you inside myself!" I ordered, pushing him again and finally got him inside and Crimson Flame pulled away from the curb and took off down the street, headed out of town.

XxXxX

"Crimson Flame?"

"Yes, Riley?"

"Why did you stay when the others didn't? I blew you guys off for a week or so and you're still here."

"You may not want to accept this, but you saved our lives from being extinguished and sold for parts," Crimson Flame murmured. "I will remain as loyal to you as I am to the Autobot cause until my Spark is extinguished." I blushed, sensing the words spoken were sincere.

Looking over to the passenger seat, I noticed Isaiah just looking out the window and let out a sigh. "You've been quiet for a while. Do you need a break from riding?" I asked him, glancing at him before turning to look out the windshield and continuing to pretend to drive.

The sound of my voice spurred him out of his reverie and finally got him to move and twist around in his seat to look at me. "Is this a dream or something? What the hell is happening right now?" my brother asked, his eyes searching my face desperately for answers. I sighed, knowing I'd have to face the music with Isaiah sooner or later and turned Crimson Flame's wheel to the right, directing him to a warehouse on the side of the road.

"Let's stop here for a while, Crimson Flame. My ass is hurting from sitting down so long," I groaned, allowing the Autobot to maneuver himself inside the large space before stopping for us to get out. "Come on."

The blonde seemed to be set in his ways and didn't make a move to comply. "I'm not going anywhere until I know what's going on."

Rolling my eyes skyward, I groaned again and said, "You want answers? Fine. Get out of Crimson Flame and let him explain." When Isaiah still didn't move to exit the large Autobot, I made a sound of disapproval and said, "Fine, have it your way, then. Crimson Flame, if you would be so kind as to help my brother out? Thank you."

Crimson Flame obliged request and began shifting parts around my brother and carefully dropped him on the floor, earning a startled shout from Isaiah as he scrambled to his feet and grabbed my wrist to make me run out of the warehouse with him but the sound of metal on metal and gears whirring stopped him in his tracks to watch the truck he's been riding in take itself apart and rearrange it into a robot standing nearly thirty feet tall, watching us intently with azure colored optics shining brightly in the dark.

"Isaiah," I said, "this is Crimson Flame."

"What is happening?!" Isaiah finally shrieked, his eyes not leaving Crimson Flame as the red mech sat down on the floor and crossed his legs the same way I've been sitting in the driver's seat almost the entire time.

"And here you thought I was crazy, Isa. Crimson Flame is a friend and so are the other Autobots. Right now, it's our mission to reach them to regroup. Optimus and the others already evacuated Mom and Dad, all we have to do is get to them on Diego Garcia and we will be surrounded by allies that are better equipped for these situations," I said, explaining the sort of plan Crimson Flame was given to follow through with when I came running to him for help.

"That shouldn't be happening right now!" he shouted, pointing his finger at Crimson Flame. "What is going on?!"

"You remember my skin falling off to show the metal beneath it? And Ratchet pulling surgical tools out of his arms? Same principal, only this is their true forms. He told you about that in great length days ago."

For the next hour or so, Isaiah, kept himself at a distance from the massive Transformer sitting quietly near the door but out of sight of any prying eyes. I, on the other hand, finally got used to seeing the Autobot in his humanoid form and took to climbing up his legs and torso for amusement, slipping my fingers into what spaces I could to continue my exploration. My source of entertainment didn't seem too pleased with the fact I'm climbing on him, Crimson Flame's optics not once leaving me as I finally got to his shoulder, possibly worried I could hurt myself or he'd hurt me.

"You humans never seem to tire, do you?" he rumbled, craning his neck to watch me.

"You think I'm bad? Try watching a two year old. They're bundles of energy. By the time you're ready to stop and rest, those little boogers will come at you demanding to be played with," I grinned, leaning over and toying with the side of his head, tracing the alien symbols on the side of his head.

Crimson Flame shuddered, releasing a blast of hot air from the vents on his helm and shuttered his optics. "I think it's high time we left for the rendezvous point."

"How far away are we?" Isaiah finally asked, watching us closely. Perhaps it's only me he's watching since I'm high off the ground on Crimson Flame's shoulder.

Crimson Flame didn't respond right away, choosing instead to reach up to touch the side of his helm and his optics flared brightly before a holographic map appeared in the air before him. Two pinpoints jumped out from two different locations on the map as crimson Flame manipulated the image to zoom in on two States, Alabama and Louisiana, respectively. "Here," Crimson Flame pointed out, "This is our current location." More pinpoints appeared, some red the others a deep violet. "The red symbols are our allies. The others are Decepticons. Ironhide and the others should be arriving here at this location shortly. Chief and the others are already crossing the border into Mississippi with your parents."

That alone got my attention. "They're crossing the border already? How'd they get there so fast?"

Crimson Flame chuckled. "I'm assuming either Chief is a little too eager to get to our teammates or he let Metal Storm and Mechacrusher escort your parents and they're playing catch up. Undoubtedly, they're breaking every traffic law you humans abide by."

"The rendezvous is in New Orleans?"

"Yes. It's a very safe distance from Ocean Heights so we can secure safe passage from here to Diego Garcia. Bumblebee and other Autobots are working diligently to scramble our frequencies to ensure nobody can hack into them or use it to pinpoint our location."

Casting a glance over at Isaiah, the blonde didn't seem too enthused about getting in Crimson Flame again, but he seemed to know it's inevitable. "I guess we'll head out in a minute. Give me my sister back so I can feed her before we leave. Riley's a bear when she doesn't eat anything," he groaned, pushing himself up from his seat on the floor and stretched himself out.

The cherry red mech nodded and offered me his hand to climb on. I accepted his offer and situated myself in his palm and lowered to the floor before I jumped off. Turning to Isaiah, I began moving to follow him toward the exit, calling over my shoulder, "We won't be long, Crimson. Call me if the others meet with us here or if Decepticons have caught up with us."

XxXxX

"Yo, Frosty."

Jerking in my seat, I looked up to meet my brother's gaze. "Yeah?"

"Food's here. It's been here for five minutes already. Eat up before the others get here and we have to leave," Isaiah said, nodding toward the plate sitting in front of me. It looked real good, the smell of the burger alone made my stomach growl. The blonde sitting across from me smiled. "Glad to know you're hungry."

In retaliation, I delivered a kick to his shin under the table, earning a yelp of surprise. "Shut up and eat. Leave me alone!" I could just feel the other patrons' gazes on us. We both look like we crawled out of a warzone, Isaiah covered in dirt and scratches while I looked even worse than him covered head to toe in gashes and cuts and that gaping hole in my elbow. "You look like hell," I said finally, catching Isaiah's gaze again.

"It took me hours to do my makeup just for you," he snipped back, unable to keep the smirk at bay.

"How's my hair look?" I grinned, fluffing my hair dramatically.

"Not a strand out of place," he snickered.

Finding the napkin dispenser on the table, I took a look at my reflection in the polished metal siding and nearly died. "Damn! Who is that sexy beast? She looks like someone I know! Oh, right... me." That small outburst made Isaiah snort his drink as a giggle fit came over him.

"Oh, my God! What's the matter with you?! You made me snort tea!" Isaiah laughed, wiping his nose on a napkin before he then used it to clean his mouth. "Why did you say that?"

I snorted. "It's funny! Figured you'd appreciate some humor in this oddball situation of ours," I said, amused over my brother snorting his drink.

"Damn straight."

Halfway through our dinner, a muffled voice sounded from somewhere in the small bag I carried in with me. Glancing up at Isaiah, I silently beckoned him to come to my side of the booth and sat my bag in my lap. "I think I got a couple stowaways in my bag," I whispered, fingering the zipper.

"Open it. Let's have a look," he whispered back. Hesitantly, I pulled the zipper to let us see the contents of the bag, stifling our gasps when two pairs of optics met our gazes.

"Hi!"

We gaped at the tiny Transformers, sparing glances around to make sure no one else could see them before I leaned in and whispered, "What are you two doing in there?!"

"We're coming with you. Blare couldn't fit with us and he's also stuck at the bottom of your bag full of clothes," Chromium chirped.

"Ssh! This isn't the time to start yelling! Stay down and out of sight. We're leaving in a minute," I ordered, gently pushing the two back into the bag and closed it. "I didn't put Blare in the bottom of my bag," I muttered, glancing back up at my brother.

The blonde took a moment to shake off the slight scare he got from the pint sized Autobots before looking around for a waiter. "I think it's time to get lost. I'll pay for this and meet you outside."

"Oh, no you don't! I'm not going anywhere till you're finished paying," I protested, crossing my arms over my chest in defiance.

"Fine. Give me a second and we're heading out," he sighed, finally getting a waiter's attention.

"How's everything so far? Can I get you two anything?" he asked kindly.

"Can I get a check, please? We're done here," Isaiah replied, getting a short answer before the brunette was off again. A few minutes later, we paid the waiter, tipped him, and left, walking the ten blocks back to the warehouse we left Crimson Flame in.

The moment he saw us was the moment the mech transformed, popping his doors open for us to climb inside. "Why don't you two lie down in the sleeper? I will gladly drive for you."

"People would probably freak out if they don't see a driver," I countered.

"True, but it's late at night. Nobody will even notice but you," Crimson Flame replied smoothly.

Seeing as I wouldn't be able to win this argument, I shrugged and climbed over the seat and onto the mattress behind it. I settled down quickly pulling Isaiah along with me and laid down, toying with the strap of my bag before I opened it to let Chromium and Chrome out. "How long were you two in there?"

Chromium looked up, grasping onto my leg to support himself and grinned. "We've been in there this entire time."

I scowled, reaching under the mattress to pull out my bag of clothes and unzipped it. "Blare? Where are you?"

"I'm here," he answered, transforming on top of the clothes I situated him on before I closed him in there.

"Why don't you join Crimson Flame in the front seat and enjoy your freedom to move around for a while? Crimson you're in charge. Make sure these three don't do anything stupid," I yawned.

Crimson Flame moved the rearview mirror in my direction and tilted it slightly. "I'm confused. In what ways could they do something stupid?"

"They're smaller than you. Two of them are only a few inches tall. You do the math," I yawned again, settling down on the mattress once again. "Wake me up when we get there."

We made it to New Orleans in record time, I think. Crimson Flame apparently broke the speed limit the entire way here. The only reason I woke up was the light shining through Crimson Flame's windshield and into my face.

"We've arrived at our destination," the mech rumbled, his voice coming out through the speakers. "Chief and the others are just up ahead with your parents."

That alone was enough to wake me up and I set to work shaking Isaiah's shoulders. "Isa, wake up! We're here!" I said, continuing shaking him until the blonde finally stirred and opened his eyes to look at me.

"What do you want? Go back to sleep," he groused, letting out a loud yawn to prove his point.

"We're here, stupid. Didn't you hear me?" I asked him, giving him another shake when he closed his eyes again. "Come on." With that, I began climbing over the driver's seat to get out and make my way over to them.

Our parents took notice of me and Isaiah's arrival and immediately sprang into action, climbing out of Chief's vehicle form and ran to us, wrapping their arms around me and Isaiah tightly and my brother and I returned the hugs wholeheartedly. "Oh, thank God! My babies are safe!" Mom cried happily, tightening her grip on me when I tried to break the hug.

"Mom! I can't breathe!" I gasped out, finally pulling away from her only for Dad to take hold of me and Mom to grab Isaiah, pulling us back into their arms protectively. "Just because Dad has me now doesn't mean this improved my capability to take in air," I muttered, looking over to Isaiah who looked rather embarrassed at the contact.

Optimus was the first to break the silence that reigned over the group. "I hate to ruin the reunion, but it's imperative that we leave now. The Decepticons may not know where we are right now, but sooner or later they will unscramble the frequencies and once again be able to track Riley's Allspark energy."

The thought of reliving the night before made me shudder. "Then let's get out of here. I don't want to have to go through that again," I sighed, already moving in the direction the Autobots were to board the massive plane. For a moment, I paused, my eyes scanning the interior of the plane for a symbol like the ones emblazoned on the Autobots' vehicle modes.

"Relax, will ya? The plane ain't alive," Ironhide's voice rumbled, making my heart speed up at hearing the Southern accented voice.

I shook my head slightly, knocking myself out of the trance I found myself in and continued moving, settling myself near the spot Ironhide parked himself. For a moment, I thought I should probably say something until I caught sight of a familiar blue and white decaled Ford pickup. "Is that my truck? What's it doing here?"

"It was Optimus' idea to bring it. Since we have jobs to do when we get where we're going, we won't be able to offer you rides everywhere so we thought we might as well give you a vehicle you're accustomed to," Ratchet explained.

The answer seems logical enough, I mused, settling myself down comfortably while my family joined me.

It was a few hours of idle chatter between my family members before Isaiah decided to let me join in the conversation and asked, "Hey, what do you suppose life is gonna be like on Diego Garcia?"

I shrugged. "I know for a fact we'll be surrounded by G.I. Joes, but as for what will become everyday life, we'll just have to wait and see."


Author's Note: Truth be told, I had a bit of this chapter already written weeks ago, but I needed to finish it. Up next, we get a glimpse of Diego Garcia and Riley has a run-in with more Autobots. But for real, I'm a little concerned about the rating, so please tell me if you think it was enough to say the rating needs to be a little higher.