Har is sittin' in the fetal position as we gain altitude. She never liked flyin' much, whereas I loved it. Even before it was mandatory, I enjoyed it. The feelin' of bein' above, of gliding on nothingness was exhileratin'. Even inside of the plane.

I put my hand on the cold window, hoping to feel the wind through it. I felt nothin' but the glass.

Fleeta giggled a bit as she rubbed Har's back.

"Wha' is it?" I ask, keepin' my hand on the glass. She shook her head. I can't help but shake the expectation that I'll get a reply inside. Ever since Har spoke, we've been usin' the bond sparingly lest her voice disappear again.

"I can see how much your enjoying this. I'm just glad to see you happy." She said as Harmony moaned. "Sorry you're sick." She frowned sympathetically.

Har sat up for a moment. I gasped. Her face was purple tinted. "I'm ok. I get sick easily. Carsick, seasick, airsick, standing still sick." She winced and bent over again. Blue splattered in the bucket.

"Are you sure she's alright?" Sideswipe's holoform said.

"It's normal for some people. And I swear if you tell Ratchet she's sick, I'll tell Prowl who painted his berth pink." Fleeta glared. I turned back to the window.

All I could see was the ocean. The ocean nor the sky suited me much. I liked to fly over the land. The water made me insecure; I always had a fear of water. The view blurs and I stare at my reflection. My eyes are harder than I remembered, much different from before. No, I amended. I was different.

Dad was still overseas. Mom was workin'. Only Ian was left to drive. I knew he didn't mind, but I still wanted to help. A four hour drive was hard drivin' by yourself.

"I can take a turn if you want." I offered. The "You have now entered Florida" sign passed by in a blur.

He shook his head, turnin' down the music. "I got it. Your permit probably isn't legal here, so let's not take any chances." He rolled his window up halfway. "How about we talk instead?" Ian glanced at the clock. "We've got about an hour left."

I leaned back into the chair, lowering it a bit. "I don't know what to say."

Ian rolled his eyes. "You can talk for hours straight with your friends but not me? I'm offended."

I snorted.

" I'm not all that close to them actually. Mya just won't stop following me around. It's like she's a puppy or something and I'm her master."

I jumped as he laughed. Loudly.

"So you're her master, hmm?" He raised an eyebrow and laughed.

My face twisted up in disgust, but my mouth sprouted laughter. "Not that kind of master. She's not my type anyways."

He turned into the hotel. "Then what is your type?"

The hotel was huge and empty. I would've prefered a more homely hotel, but dad had rented this one due to the military discounts. As he parked I stared out the window. Three girls walked by, probably a year or two older than me. Their feet fell in tandem.

Ian pointed to the one in the middle. She wore a bright pink bikini which barely held her and short-shorts over her bikini bottoms. "I like her. That's my type."

"Oh, you mean the dumb but pretty kind? Glad to see your type hasn't changed."

He slid out the car and pulled our bags from the backseat.

"Well, who would you ask out then?"

I tapped my chin, pretendin' to think hard. I gestured towards the one one the far left. "Her, the modest one." Her black hair was pulled into two long ponytails which swayed behind her as she walked. Her navy blue two piece was longer than her companions, but you could still tell her body was awesome.

"I dare you to ask her out."

"I dare you to ask her out." I stuck my tongue out.

"Fine. Whoever asks out their girl first and goes on a date wins. Deal?"

"Deal." I nodded, shaking his hand.

"I'm so glad we're about to get off. Oh land, how I've missed you." Harmony smiled, sitting up.

"There's a beach here, right? Why not go swimming after settling in?" Fleeta suggested, gatherin' her bags. The plane door opened and we lined up behind the soldiers to climb out. it was slow movin', but worth the wait when we got out.

The base was not close to the shore, but not far either. From the height we are at, you could see the water and pale sand. The base was big, very big and that was only what was above ground.

"Here. Carry your stuff and get to the middle of the line. Try to blend in." Dad whispered urgently, shovin' me further up the line before falling back. Harmony followed soon after.

Fleeta can blend in as a soldier, but we're too young. I don't get who we're hidin' from though. I thought as a female soldier aligned me in front of her.

We started to walk faster. I stumbled a bit, but caught myself. I suppose Har wasn't as lucky. She fell flat on her face.

A loud, annoyin' voice yelled from the front. "Get up soldier! You scrawny wimp. You shouldn't have signed up if you can't walk in a line straight."

Harmony scrambled up as fast as she could, but she couldn't hide her height nor her face. I leaned out a bit to see the man's face. Ugly and rude with a better than thou attitude. He wore a thin suit, probably name-brand and expensive.

"Who let in the stowaway?" He bellowed. "Come here you little mongrel." He snarled.

I was proud of Har as she walked past the line with even and steady steps. I could see no tears in her eyes, nor shaking hands, but I knew she was scared.

When she reached him, he snatched her by her collar and held her a good inch above ground. She squirmed in his grasp as the collar cut into her windpipes.

"Whoever this belongs to come forward right now or I will kill her for invading a military base and for knowing national secrets."

No.

I dashed forward and kicked him between the legs. He kneeled forward, dropping Har onto the ground.

He whined. "How did you get here so fast?"

I helped Har up. "Don't touch her." I growled.

I was about to turn, but paused as he withdrew a gun. A glock, I realized. they were easy enough to handle and at this range impossible to miss with. I pushed her behind me and waited for him to pull the trigger.

He never did.

"Hey put me down!" The man yelled. Jazz did not.

"Don't make threats you can't carry out, Galloway." For once his accent was gone. "I'll be sure to mention to your boss how you threatened to kill a little girl." I could hear the intent in his voice. It was murderous and scary to see him like that. The soldiers were quiet, but tense; I could tell they didn't like him either.

"Jazz, remove his gun and place him on the ground. General Eisenhower will deal with him. He is not in our jurisdiction." Optimus ordered as he exited the plane.

Fleeta quietly pulled us to the back. Harmony looked about to cry; I wish this hadn't happened when she was on the rag. I felt blank.

"I guess we won't be swimming today." Fleeta murmured. I guess not.