Stealthblade hadn't heard from his brother since the report about Ultracon setting out to find more humans. He hoped nothing had happened. A clank suddenly echoed out from Stealthblade's arm, making him freeze, and slowly lift it to look at it. Something inside had finally fallen loose. A zap of pain suddenly streaked up his arm, making him jolt upright in shock.

"Owe, holy crap." Stealthblade hissed as he banged his head against the wall of the cave. It was too cramped for sudden lurched movements.

He stepped out into the dim morning light, looking over his damaged arm under the bright sun. Pulse had done an excellent job patching it up on the outside, but the inside was definitely a mess. He'd have to do something about it soon if he hoped to ever help out the Autobots.

I wonder if Pulse could smuggle some of his equipment out of his base?

Heaving a heavy sigh, Stealthblade fired up his thrusters, taking off towards the city. He lowered his energy signature, incase the Autobots were on their way to pick up Montana already. He made himself as transparent as possible, knowing a giant flying robot would surely be spotted, no matter how high he flew. He flew up as high as he possibly could while still remaining in his visor's range.

Peering down at the orphanage, he made out the convertible picking up Montana. Not exactly the Autobot he'd been hoping for.

He carefully followed the pair as they drove out of the city, heading probably to the Autobot base. Montana's head suddenly rocked up to the sky, but luckily didn't notice the mech high above. His semi transparency was working so far.

Okay, I'm here, now what? Wasn't exactly like I was thinking ahead. Stealthblade thought.

He watched from above as the Autobot drove up to a cliff like plateau, and suddenly a part of the face shifted, lifting up like a giant garage door! Montana and the Autobot disappeared quickly inside, and the door shut behind them.

Well dang. Now I won't be able to tell what's going on. Stealthblade let out a light sigh.

He decided quickly the best thing to do was probably relax and wait. If trouble sprung up, the Autobot's would surely file out.

Three hours later, and Stealthblade was on the verge of bursting out into song just to pass the time. He flipped through the radio stations his body picked up, playing them only loud enough for him to hear. He found a song he liked, and stopped on it.

Sunset, I close my eyes
I pretend everything's alright
Drowning in anger from all these lies
I can't pretend everything's alright
Please don't let me fall forever
Can you tell me it's over?

There's a hate inside of me like some kind of master
I tried to save you, but I can't find the answer
I'm holding onto you, I'll never let go
I need you with me as I enter the shadows

Caught in the darkness, I go blind
But can you help me find my way out?
Nobody hears me, I suffer the silence
Can you tell me it's over now?

There's a hate inside of me like some kind of master
I tried to save you, but I can't find the answer
I'm holding onto you, I'll never let go
I need you with me as I enter the shadows

I'm holding onto you [x2]
There's a hate inside of me like some kind of master
I tried to save you, but I can't find the answer
I'm holding onto you, I'll never let go
I need you with me as I enter the shadows

As soon as the song ended, the cliff wall garage suddenly opened, and five Autobots filed out. Stealthblade recognized one of them as Aero Prime immediately, and then saw a fully repaired Breakshift standing next to him. Another Autobot Stealthblade recognized was the one he had helped his brother defeat in their first battle. He didn't look much friendlier, even amongst his allies. The other two remaining Autobots Stealthblade couldn't place, though one seemed rather familiar. He had a low v shaped visor that covered most of his nose. Short helm spikes rose from his helm, each slanted back to make him appear sleek. The helm itself was shaped similarly to a lacrosse helmet, only without the face guard. An excited grin was plastered to his face, and he suddenly transformed! He morphed into the UAV Global Hawk Stealthblade had been shot at earlier! The navy blue, light gray and white mech soared up, forcing Stealthblade to raise his own height.

Stealthblade glanced down at the last unfamiliar 'bot as soon as he was certain he wouldn't be spotted. This one seemed highly irritated by something, and Stealthblade recognized him as the Autobot with the visor similar to a Star Wars Clone Scout. It still tickled him that he resembled that. The silver, red, and black mech transformed, becoming a Bugatti Veyron! How had a transformer managed to scan a million dollar car!?!

I'm guessing this guy has high standards. Stealthblade almost snickered in amusement.

Stealthblade looked back at the now slightly emptier base. Pulse was surely inside, but then so was the femme Autobot and the big one that could transform into an F-350 Super Duty. And maybe even a few he hadn't seen yet.

Okay Stealth, you didn't come all this way just to see the sights. Stealthblade murmured silently.

He swooped down in front of the door as soon as the Autobot soldiers were out of sight. He cranked his transparency to maximum, looking more like a ghost than a Transformer. He crept over to the entrance, examining it carefully to see if it manually opened. Giving up, Stealthblade kneeled down and pulled up the door, straining against its surprising weight. His arm creaked loudly under the stress, threatening to give. He ducked and rolled; the heavy garage like door slamming shut behind him. He winced at the noise, and heard an alarm go off.

"Will I ever win!?!" Stealthblade growled to no one.

"Hurry, it's saying the intruder is coming in from the southwest entrance!" A light female voice called from further up the hallway Stealthblade had entered. He looked up, spying the rafters.

He sprang up into them, and saw the white and pink Autobot run by beneath him, closely followed by the large dark gray and black F-350 mech. They didn't even bother to look up.

Stealthblade lightly hopped back down onto the ground, running off in the opposite direction. The Autobot base was rather maze like, and mostly hallway after hallway. Stealthblade felt himself growing disorientated, until he stumbled upon what must have been the Autobot's headquarters. It was a large room, filled entirely of monitors on one end. Chairs and a control panel sat in from of them, and in one of the seats, Stealthblade spied Pulse. He glanced back over his shoulder, using his heat sensors to see if the Autobots had figured out he wasn't in the southwest sector anymore. He found no traces of their heat signatures, and let out a sigh of relief.

"Who's there!?!" Pulse demanded pointing a blaster at Stealthblade's ghostly figure.

Stealthblade turned his attention back to the worried looking mech, who obviously was having trouble identifying him at his highest transparency. Stealthblade raised his hands passively, but it sent a series of clunks down his bad arm, making his helm spike twitch in pain.

"Owe." Stealthblade muttered, turning off his transparency.

"Stealthblade?" Pulse lowered his blaster looking flabbergasted.

"The one and only." Stealthblade strained out a low chuckle.

"How did you get in here? Our sensors didn't even pick you up until you raised the door!" Pulse asked.

"I can raise and lower my energy and heat signature." Stealthblade explained.

Suddenly a head popped out from behind Pulse's leg, smiling happily.

"Stealthblade!" Montana exclaimed, running over quickly.

"Hey kiddo." Stealthblade greeted.

"Why did you come here?" Pulse asked, ignoring the happy girl.

Stealthblade pointed at his bad arm, afraid to raise it up incase it shook more internal parts loose.

"Montana, lead him to my office while I tell the others it was a false alarm." Pulse instructed.

"Right!" Montana nodded, and took off, making Stealthblade spring after her.

She jogged down the halls, but she was still going rather slow for Stealthblade's liking. He scooped her up suddenly, and placed her on the smoothest part of his shoulder.

"Just tell me where to go." Stealthblade stated, looking at the black haired girl now perched on his shoulder.

She nodded, and they continued down the halls. After taking a few turns, Montana indicated to a door, which Stealthblade opened easily with his good arm. Stepping inside, he saw it was rather cluttered, with electronic data pads and files, all thrown in around medical equipment.

Stealthblade sealed the door behind him, just as Pulse's voice came over the intercom, or something like it.

"This is Pulse, the alarm was false, just a slight glitch in the security systems. I repeat, it was a false alarm." Pulse's voice echoed throughout the base.

"He would say it was a security glitch." Montana commented.

"Am I missing something?" Stealthblade asked looking down at the girl confused.

"Oh, Pulse has just always hated our security. He thinks we should have attack drones at the ready, to access the threat more personally." Montana grinned.

"Well…I'm glad you don't." Stealthblade wondered what could have happened if security had been that much tighter.

Montana laughed in amusement. He let out his own chuckle, but it was more to calm his frazzled nerves, if they were in fact nerves. Stealthblade's heat sensors mounted where his mouth should have been began to flash, making Montana blink at them in confusion. He turned to the door, backing up instinctively as a heat source walked up to it on the other side. The door opened, making Stealthblade naturally tense. Pulse poked his head in, his blue optics looking concerned through their calming glow.

"Stealthblade, do you realize what kind of danger you're putting us all in being here?" Pulse demanded.

"Yes." Stealthblade nodded, twitching his helm spike uncomfortably.

The medic opened his mouth to say more, when a loud pop echoed out through the silent room. Stealthblade grabbed his arm, letting out a low hiss to keep from crying out.

"I apologize doc, but I couldn't wait any longer." Stealthblade muttered, sounding like he was clenching his teeth if he had any.

"That pop was your arm!" Montana gasped.

"Unfortunately." Stealthblade replied to the young girl.

"Here, sit down." Pulse motioned to his chair behind his cluttered metal desk.

Stealthblade sat in it hesitantly, his body unhappy with taking a relaxed position while behind enemy lines. He cradled his arm carefully to keep any more internal parts from shifting. Pulse gently pulled out Stealthblade's arm to get a better look at it, and a red eye piece clicked down from the medic's helm and covered his right eye. He examined Stealthblade's arm silently for a few minutes, before backing away and shifting through the messy stack of equipment lining his office.

Montana, who was still on the black mech's shoulder, began to try to climb down. Stealthblade gently scooped her up with his hand, holding her out in front of him.

"You could have just asked." Stealthblade told the child.

Montana smiled and shrugged, and then let him lower her down to the ground. She scrambled over to a small platform in the floor, which rose up as she flicked a switch, setting her up onto a shelf along the far wall, which she sat down on, dangling her feet over the side.

Pulse returned in front of Stealthblade, with some surgical like equipment in hand.

"Uh…" Stealthblade pointed warily at the medic's equipment.

"Don't worry, you won't feel a thing." Pulse assured.

He placed Stealthblade's arm onto his desk, making the black mech lean forward. He then pulled out a laser, which he used to open up Stealthblade's arm with. To his surprise, he hardly felt it, sort of like peeling back dead skin, only metal.

Pulse set to work, and Stealthblade had to look away, starting to feel creeped out seeing his own internal circuitry. Which surprised him, considering he had only been a robot for little over a month. After what seemed like an eternity, Pulse finally paused.

"Montana, could you go check on the others, and make sure they don't come snooping around?" Pulse requested.

"Sure thing!" Montana seemed glad of an excuse to leave.

She hopped onto the lift that had brought her up, and lowered herself back down with it, and then ran out the locked automatic door after punching in a few numbers in a wall panel. Pulse then resumed his work, making Stealthblade sigh. Fixing up his arm was taking an awfully long time.

An hour crept by slowly, until Pulse finally pulled back, and repaired the opened armor. Stealthblade looked at the crack left behind, which reminded him of a scar.

"I apologize for the crack, but I really don't have the resources to replace that armor, and even if I did, it would take far too long to fit." Pulse explained.

"That's all right, I'm just happy you agreed to help me." Stealthblade's visor glowed happily.

"Well I…It's not like I could just watch you suffer, I mean…" Pulse stumbled.

"A 'you're welcome' would have sufficed." Stealthblade chuckled.

He then stood up, cranking his arm about testing Pulse's job. Nothing clanked together, and his body's scan over itself told him he was fit for transforming, and using his sniper rifle again if he needed.

"Hmm, you repaired my weapon!" Stealthblade said slightly surprised.

"Just let that be a reminder I'm sticking my neck out for you now." Pulse muttered.

Stealthblade stared at the medic silently for a moment, until the glow returned to his visor.

"Thanks, Pulse."

Before the medic could react, Stealthblade went transparent and slipped out the door, using the code he had accidentally memorized when he saw Montana leave. He slipped carefully down the halls, retracing his steps. He crept past the Headquarter doors, peering in as he passed. He spied the two Autobot's watching the monitors, and a rather bored looking Montana. She glanced over at the door, and her eyes lit up seeing Stealthblade's transparent form. He waved, using his repaired arm, and then quickly continued on his way. He pried open the door again and then quickly took off into the air.

Stealthblade glanced back over his shoulder, filing the location of the Autobot base deep into his memory banks, whether he realized it or not. He transformed; an elated feeling from doing so filling his being. He took off back to his cave, to wait for night fall to return to Montana's home.