Nano-kilk - half of a Cybertron second

Klik - Cybertron second

Breem - Cybertron minute

Joor - Cybertron hour

Cycle/Lunar-cycle - Day or night

Meta-cycle - Cybertron week

Orn - Cybertron month

Vorn - Cybertron year

Deca-cycle - Cybertron decade

Mega-cycle - Cybertron century

For those that want to see a picture of her Alt-mode type in 2010 Can-Am Sypder RT-S. In this chapter, we gain more about turbofoxes, or the ones for racing. I literally studied any and every picture of turbofoxes I could find to put together something.

HOLY CRAP! FIFTY REVIEWS! I'M FREAKING CRYING HERE!

Jazz: We'll be right back! Just don't move.

Omega Supreme: Sarcasm not appreciated.

(After being hit by the Eurythma harmony)

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Galvatron: What, was that?

Soundwave: (sounding unusually touched) That…was heaven! The purest, most vibrant, most perfect harmony I've ever heard!

First Aid couldn't figure out if the vixen was glaring at him or just simply making sure to keep him within her sights. Once again, she was hiding within his berthroom with her helm slightly peeking out from the edge as her amber optics trained on his form. It had been like this since he came home from his work in the medbay with Ratchet and so far, the mech hasn't moved from his spot on the couch. Remedy commed him joors ago informing him that he had done as asked only complaining about the 'vicious feral vixen' he now owns.

Dawn wasn't vicious…just hurt and defensive of bots too close to her. His next point of action was tossing over the small energon treats that he had subspaced. Only for that idea to die by the third one as the vixen watched them fly through the air. They bounced on the floor inches from the doorway and just looked at them. In a bored fashion, he might add, and annoyed. He's seen the smaller turbofoxes around Iacon being walked by their owners but not enough to rule out if they showed that much emotion with their optics. This was his first time being this close to one to study in more detail.

How were they even able to do such a thing of showing any emotion in the first place?

With a vent, First Aid gave up, for now. Instead he got up, earning the attention of the vixen back on him, and wondered to the desk in the corner. It sat behind the couch by a few feet, his quarters were on the small side so he only had so much space. Enough space to be okay living there, but not much else. At the desk sat his computer for putting in documents of his work that cycle or adding information to those that were his patients. Sitting down he went to work on finishing what was left over from work so he wouldn't fall behind.

If that were to happen Ratchet would surely give him an audial full. With a quick glance to his berthroom First Aid found the vixen had vanished from sight. An idea hit him that once he was finished with his work he went in search of more information about her breed of turbofoxes.

Siren was berating herself for being as she was. Whoever this mech was, she still had yet to figure which medic it was that helped her, wasn't going to do anything. Towards her at least. He made it his job to do anything BUT come towards her. With a small growl to herself, she began to pace the room she has been hiding in. It was silly! Stupid to act like that towards a bot. One that was pointing out he was waiting for her to make the first move.

Another growl came forth as she thought some more. Glancing to the small cubes she glared at them and huffed as if they would be her answer to everything. Really, it was stupid for her to be doing this. She needed to get over it…but she couldn't. In a vorn she not only lost Kickboom, but also Heavyglide. How did her life go from all that she had done as a racer to being alone? How was she to move on from this bleak look on life now. Was she to lose everyone she comes into contact? Befriends?

Should she trust again? The damage Howler had done would never leave her and it made her wonder if that was the true cause of her actions. Before she had no trouble going towards bots, mostly because of always having to be around them as they went about working in the stable pens. Or she was training with bots and just always being surrounded by them.

No, it wasn't that, it was the fact she thought of Howler as family. Him being the first to treat her as a person. Whether it be by simply conversating with her or just being there for her with advice and wise words. Now, Siren didn't know what to think. Her spark was torn between still wanting to let him in as family, while words could not convey the true depth of hurt he cause in those few kliks.

He wanted to kill her, just as he had done so to Heavyglide. Her processor still couldn't wrap around his reasoning for doing such a thing in the first place. That was not the Howler she had come to love. Yet, it was. There was proof in the form of the seeker having no visual wounds on his frame. Whatever Howler had done it, it was a quick termination.

Finials perked forward at the sound of shuffling only to demise it as she thought it was just the bot moving around his desk. With the mech making no move towards her since her waking moments she's relaxed some. Now that every sound she heard didn't cause Siren to stress over it. That fact alone irritated her but having ran for her life as she had done made Siren understand the new reflex she gained. Though, it did nothing to lower the annoyance every time and so she made herself lie down on the floor to calm down.

Did she really lose any and all trust towards bots when she first meets them? Siren wanted to think not but her actions thus far have shown she has. No, she was just in shock and that led to her being as she was. The only bot that would from now on have her give outright distrust was one she had, and still does, held close to her spark. Calm, that was what she needed to get to in order to get back to herself and out of this shock.

Her attention went to the pedesteps of the mech as he moved around and Siren found she didn't tense up like she did and felt happy about it. Should she go out to greet this bot? The vixen nearly did so on impulse but stopped short of just twitching her frame. Her life would be different now and it struck her, hard. She had no one to talk to anymore. Right now, she was simply a turbofox, a pet…or one that was being looked after to make sure she was fine.

Lowering her helm a few inches, Siren stared ahead of her at the gravity of her situation. With Howler, she didn't hide that fact she could understand all that was being said around her. Because of that it led to her knowing more than when she was first sparked. Then came Heavyglide who knew about her observant and perspicacious processor thanks to Howler, who had known the seeker for vorns, informing the mech about her. Kickboom came next as the seeker was the one to inform her once she became her rider. Now, there was no one to inform this mech about it.

Should she even do so?

Siren so wanted to but something held her back. As if she should keep it a secret. Pretend to actually be a turbofox, but she didn't know the first thing to being one. How could she do such a thing when she's never fully been one in spark? If Siren had brows they would have surely been drawn together as she thought this over.

Maybe she should just stop thinking things over and just go with it? Basically, let her more primal and basic senses take over but still keep a processerful of all that was going on. That way she wouldn't fully be a turbofox but one that follows instinct yet can think on it. It could do her good to follow instinct probably something she should have done in the first place.

She was brought out from her thoughts to the silence and darkness. Whatever the mech had been doing was done. Thinking on it, it was rather late with further proof to herself as she gave off a yawn. A slight shake to her helm dislodged that last of the yawn before laying her helm down. Closing her optics, she now knew what she was to do tomorrow and finally meet the mech that lived here.

Siren spent the next cycle alone once more in the home after waking up to hearing the mech leave. What she found yestercycle from her exploration was this mech owned no holoscreen. That meant no shows to watch, no news, no background sounds, nothing. It also meant that she only had datapads to read through to keep her from boredom. Only, Siren couldn't take that much reading for hours on end and there was only so much she could recharge.

Having grown use to being able to roam where she pleased on Heavyglide's property had begun to make her fidgety. It didn't help that being bred as a racer made her even more itchy to run to help get rid of this buildup of energy. Outlet, that's what she needed and badly so. That only left her to pace every length of his home multiple times. Maybe she shouldn't have had those three energon treats too from yestercycle…on top of her energon he had set out for her before he left.

Joors went by before she tired herself out from the amount of pacing she had done. It was a wonder she didn't make pathways through his home with all that she had done. A damn ball would have been something to distract her for a bit, but no, the mech had nothing that she could use to play with. She needed out! Needed to run free, let her cables feel the stretch and pull as she worked her systems. Let the heat warm her frame up from her exercise and feel her vents force air cool air in and shoot out the heat air. Just thinking of the thrill of running around made her want to whine.

Her frame froze in mid-stride at the sounds of pedesteps, waiting to see if it was the mech that lived here or one of his neighbors. Excitement flooded her as the steps stopped just before the door. Siren didn't even pay attention to the fact her tail was wagging like a dog as she bolted to the door that was opening and out past the surprised mech. Her thoughts were that of just running so when the mech gave a shout it went in one audial and out the other.

Her legs worked in tandem, never missing a step with optics forward and finials perked at attention taking in everything that zoomed by. Siren watched the end of the hallway get closer with her speed and quickly glancing around. She cursed at seeing no opening for her to dash towards and found herself skidding to a stop to bump the wall. The bump wasn't that hard on her frame so she recovered quickly moving her pedes to shoot back down the hallway nearly crashing into the mech, who had given chase after her, and flew past him.

There! An opening! Her excitement grew at the thought of running free to feel the wind whip around her frame, feel the pounding of her pedes hitting the metal ground. It would be bliss. That would have happened if someone hadn't walked right in her path at that moment. Metal on metal was heard as they both gave yelp/shouts of surprise to frames crashing and rolling over each other on the floor. Colors of dark pink and violet filled her vision before she was flung into the air to drop back down on the floor. The cause of her flying through the air was from the bot kicking her off.

"Primus! Are you alright Nebula?" First Aid asked having arrived at the crash site.

"Is that your turbofox?" the femme asked getting up, shooting a glance to the maroon vixen still on the floor shaking her helm. First Aid gave a nervous chuckle at that. "Yeah, just got her a couple of cycles ago."

Siren glanced over to the two bots to find the femme crossing her arms at his answer. She was of petite build standing nearly a helm and a half under the mech. She was that tiny standing next to him with her blue visor flashing as if she had blinked. Her primary armor color was a dark pink with the secondary, mostly accents, being a light violet color. On her back, held her wheels with the third one being split to make her pedes. Her chassis held the front of her alt-mode while on her hips held the hood part in a sort of covering of her aft that flexed as she moved. Dark pink armor covered her shins, pedes, chassis, and forearms. The light violet coloring didn't really seem to match up on either side of the femme and if Siren looked closely she could spot slight shades of the color.

So, Siren thought it was clued to her designation. Her name was Nebula and so her frame design matched it. The femme glanced to the turbofox. "Well, first you need to get a collar and a leash."

"Collar?" he asked gaining a scathing look of disbelief from the femme, Siren pointing hers toward the femme for saying the word.

"You know, the piece of flex metal that going around your pet. It also allows you to clip a leash to the beast so you can walk them…You've never owned a pet, have you?" she asked even in more disbelief of the mech. "Or at least one that needs more work towards their health."

First Aid rubbed the back of his neck cables with a slight chuckle. "No? Well, I once owned petro-mouse if that counts for something."

"No, not really. There is a huge difference between the two types of pets since both have different levels of needed attention. This one is of racing breed?" she asked pointing to Siren. "How'd you know?" Nebula gave the mech a small smile. "I own one too, so I know of the size difference. He's a bit of a lazy brute if I've ever seen one." The femme replied with fondness in her voice. "Come on, I'll show you my brute. His name is Tum-Tum."

Siren watched the two leave only for the mech to stop and turn to her. Why in Unicron's name did he have to have a fragging visor!? Looking back to the opening that would lead her to the outside world back to the mech thinking. Him having paused had caused the femme to stop herself and watch the two wondering. "How long have you had her?"

"Only a meta-cycle. Remedy and I found her pretty bad off with a large wound to her right, as you can see the weld, and an infection setting in. The last two cycles she's been awake and moving but she doesn't want to be near any bot. Wait, is she glaring at me?" he asked bewildered making the femme beside him laugh.

"You'll get use to that. That type of breed is a little temperamental. Not many bots care to think of it but they are smarter than what many thinks of them." She stated earning Siren to look at her with finials perked. "See, you clearly have a smart vixen there. Just talk to her and you'll see how much she'll respond to you. You must be doing something right or she would have bolted once we were clear of the doorway. Come on, let's go see my brute. She could use a play buddy."

He nodded, his visor still trained on the maroon vixen thinking over what Nebula said. It would be a little weird to talk to the vixen that way but First Aid was up to the challenge if it helped. "Come on Dawn, want to go see Tum-Tum?" Siren tilted her helm at the new name. So now she would be known as Dawn? Looking over the mech she came to a decision and put a pedesteps towards him. Taking that as a really good sign he slowly turned to follow the femme, who was waiting with a smile, and made his way to her hearing the vixen follow after him.

Something swelled within his spark as seeing the vixen starting to trust him and it made him a little giddy. They reached the femme's quarters, which were only three doors away from his, and went inside. The first thing the femme does is call for her brute and First Aid could clearly hear the love she held for her pet. There in the corner laid the pale blue brute that only raised his helm at the call of his owner and wagged his tail. Nebula all but threw her frame onto the brutes to snuggle with him earning herself licks of adoration from him.

First Aid smiled at the sight as the femme stood back up to introduce him to the brute. The maroon vixen stood next to his right leg giving the brute a dull look. "Dawn, go say hi to Tum-Tum." Siren glanced to the mech with finials pulled back and sat on her haunches in defiance.

You could say it was the amount of times she's dealt with competing against other turbofoxes or that it was a brute and she a vixen. All Siren knew was she wasn't going to get close to the brute even if the two bots wanted her too. Tum-Tum had other plans and jumped at the chance to say hi by tackling into her. He only succeeded by nudging her into the mech's leg because of her larger frame.

"Primus, I didn't realize the size of your vixen!" Nebula stated watching her brute try to get friendly with her. The maroon vixen growled at him in warning which he took to it by backing off with a whine and lowered his helm. Nebula chuckled at the actions the vixen was doing towards her brute. "She's sure putting him in his place. Never seen one with her coloring either. Pretty one I say." The femme then put her focus on the mech in her home letting the two turbofoxes figure out the pecking order for themselves. "Alright, let me go get a spare collar and leash for you to use till you get one for your vixen."

First Aid nodded to the femme as she moved around to gather said items. "So, do you know anything about their breed?" At that question, he shook his helm earning the femme to sigh. "First off, they are a racing breed meaning, excluding my lazy one, that they need to run and I mean run a lot. Which means you need to have a place with lots of space for them to run around in. There is a park nearby I can take you too tomorrow after work."

"I'm off so we could do it early." He stated to which she nodded.

"Second, how old is your vixen?"

"Uh, I'm not too sure. Is there a way to tell?"

Nebula nodded before kneeling down at the maroon vixen's side to take up the tail. Gently, she pulled back some of the plating. First Aid taking this in as a lesson kneeled beside the femme to watch while Siren half turned around to see what the femme was doing. "Well, some bad news about your vixen."

"What's that?" the medic in him growing worried.

"It's nothing bad health wise. Okay, you see the tip of her tail? Well, that right there, just gives you a clue to the age of your vixen. You see, just before turbofoxes hit their first heat cycle, they grow a sort of club-like tip to their tail." Nebula stated turning to shuffle over to her brute to slightly move the plating of his tail away to show the club-like tip. "When they hit a heat cycle the plating on the tail falls off letting the tail have more flex to it to bash off competitors. But unlike a mech turbofox's club and femme can move the four digits that make up the club."

"Now, with her having not grown the club yet gives a rough estimate to her age. When a turbofox goes through the first heat they are around ten vorns of age. That means she's either nearly of that age or still have a few vorns to go yet. After the club has grown there really isn't much to tell of their age. Other than those that have one for the same turbofox for mega-cycles."

"See, they only have a heat cycle every fourteen vorns and so for those that have kept the same turbofox that long, keep a piece of shedded tail plating. So, you basically add fourteen vorns to that of the ten vorn mark of the first cycle and you get the age. For some owners who end up finding one and keeping them like you did they would have a harder time pinpointing the age if they had the club tail-tip. You just have to wait till she sheds her tail plating and grows that club before knowing her true age. Just don't keep the first shedding, you'll add fourteen vorns to her age later in the vorns to come."

First Aid nodded his attention being fully on the lesson the femme was giving him. "How old is Tum-Tum?"

Nebula gave the brute a loving smile. "He just went through a shedding about two vorns ago with it being his third shedding. He forty vorns old now."

"Do they have a limit to age?"

"You mean do they have an expire date?" he nodded. "No, if kept up on vet visits and cared for, they last as long as any bots." She stated giving Tum-Tum several pets to his frame. "Also, if you plan to breed her, never, ever do it on the first heat cycle."

"Why?" he asked moving to pet the vixen only to draw back at her growl. Nebula laughed at that giving the vixen a smirk. "It's more for letting their frames grow during that time. It does more damage to them if they aren't allowed that first cycle to themselves since many breeders consider them still too young. By the second cycle everything is set and ready for being sparked as they are more accepted to be bred with. Another reason for that is because they would still be in their career as racers."

Siren having been told all of this before had zoned them out. During that time, she stayed sitting on her haunches until they were done and made to walk away from them. All she wanted to do was go outside to run, to stretch her frame. But no, they had to start up a conversation about the care of a turbofox. Everything that she could do herself…well, maybe not the waxing and oil baths. Other than those few details she was good to go.

A finial flicked back to the two bots hearing the femme give off a list of things to get. Finally, a bot that knows things! Siren then wondered if she would be able to go with the mech when he got to get those things. Primus would she love to do that.

"From all that you've told me on how you found her, you've gained some trust from her. She's letting you closer to her person and not trying to hide from you." Nebula stated. First Aid having now taken notice of that fact grinned, though no one could see with his face guard. "You're right. How do you know so much about them?" Her lip components pulled up in a smile at the mech sitting next to her on her left with Tum-Tum laying on her legs. "My carrier is a vet. I grew up knowing much on many of the beasts that roam Cybertron."

"Ahh, that would explain much."

"How has your work been? Dealing with Ratchet can't be that good on the health." At those words, she grinned. First Aid shook his helm at her. "It has been quite lately, but I fear that as the war grows I will be fixing more and more bots in time." Nebula sobered at that.

"You're not the only one First Aid. I begin my training in the Academy within three orns." First Aid stared at the femme in surprise with his visor flashing. "Yep, I was drafted by my Sire. He is such a slagheap to go and do something that low. Carrier was fragged off when she found out."

"Do you have someone to look over Tum-Tum?" Nebula gave him a small smile. "Yeh, Carrier offered to look after him till I was finished with the Academy." She then stood up, earning a grumble from her brute at being shoved off, and helped him to stand up. She went over to the vixen, not noticing the frozen way she held her frame, to put on the collar on. Once that was done Nebula clipped the leash and handed it to the mech.

Siren looked over to the mech, optics wide having just realized who this mech was. She must be losing some of her memories from her other life or she would have known of the bat who he was. First Aid, this was First Aid. She was the safest she could be being within his care. He stared down at her waiting for something to happen and didn't have to for long as the vixen made her way up to him. Taking that as a good sign he bid Nebula a good-bye and led her out.

Heading home, First Aid took notice of how the vixen stayed by his side never once pulling on the leash. He figured it was another good sign not realizing that Siren was making her job to stay equal with the mech. Once the leash was unclipped Siren went over to the couch to lay on the cushions to let her processor think over things. First Aid looked at the turbofox for a few kliks before going to his computer to finish up some small things from work.

Before knowing who this mech was Siren was planning on just letting him believe she was just a turbofox. Now, thoughts of letting him in on about her have surfaced. Glancing at the mech as he worked she fought with herself.

The first thing she knew to do was to shred that leash to Unicron. Then somehow getting this collar off of her. A yawn gained the attention of the mech towards her. "Get some recharge. Tomorrow I'll be getting the things that will help care for you." Siren blinked at him, her thoughts still going to war within her. Maybe she should let recharge claim her, she'll reach a decision soon afterwards.

I don't know if I like this chapter or not. Something about it was not clicking with me and I can't figure it out. It's irking me some…I really hope I'm doing this okay.

I have also put a poll on my page. Now before you go vote, know this, the poll is more out of curiosity to myself of where you as readers want this to head. Between the three picks I have a direction where each could head. Like I stated it is more of curiosity to see. If you vote, thank you for doing so, if not that is your choice. Either way, I thank you for going this far into the story with me.

Steelcode - Thank you for the list of songs. As you have seen I have picks a few. Couldn't help but NOT put the wrench of doom in there somewhere. Where Ratchet goes so do they.

cyn2100 - I would lean more on Hound in that event, Mirage...he's more prone to hunt them and wouldn't think well to finding a turbofox that could think back to him.

Darkrose Prime - All good! I have a love/hate relationship with auto correct...as it probably does to most other writers.

OfLifeDeathAndAllBetween - Wow, that really was a sad one. Thank you for letting me know what song it was!

SilentFemme - I dont really know if her name will change, I'm still in love with the name Siren so it might stay. I mean its been so even when she was Oddity Empress.

wolf girl811 - Clue me into this pre Shockwave as you have perk my interest. Thanks to Prime-verse I have a liking to said bot for ungodly known reasons...along with several others...Why is the Prime bots so damn sexy? Am i not the only one to think that? If I am than I am truly weird for thinking that.

The Whispering Sage - You are the ONLY one to comment on that bit. I was rather worried about putting that into the chapter but couldn't find a reason not to. Thank you so much for liking that bit with Howler!

To those that have favorited and followed THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Skyress98, wolf girl811, The Cybertonium Warrior, and johndgustaon.

Til All Are One

R&R!