Sorry it's a little stilted. It was an awkward chapter to write.

~DC

Armonie watched as the personnel inspected her passport, trying not to fidget. It was all legitimate but the sooner they gave it back the sooner she was able to go and stay with Folgore while the ugly green mechanoid fixed him. Annoyingly they continued to inspect it as if they expected it to be a fake.

"Where did you get this?" one of the men asked, waving the passport under her nose like it would wave out the lies.

"Italy," she told him shortly.

A more grizzled man, that looked like he was made more for combat than paper-pushing, emerged from a door behind the desks. He wasn't in his dress uniform and had his sleeves rolled up past his elbows due to the heat but his name and rank were clearly displayed. The men glanced quickly at him and then away but didn't rise and salute. She wasn't sure what to make of that when he was clearly high-ranking and very much in charge.

He plucked the passport out of the man's hand and flipped to her information page. "Armonie Ashraqat Scordato?" He glanced at her over the passport and she nodded. "You Italian?"

She tried not to sigh. "I'm from Italy, yes."

"Isn't 'Scordato' Italian?" He wanted to know, sounding more curious than accusatory.

"My husband's family is Italian through and through," she replied. "Mine...not so much."

The man, whose name was Lennox according to the embroidered patch on his shirt, turned to the others clustered around the computer. "Does her passport check out?" His voice took on a harder edge as they fidgeted under his gaze.

"Ye-e-es," one of the men said, drawing out the answer. "But...we can't take the chance it's not. She's working with an NBE…"

Armonie scowled. "I had a passport before I met Folgore," she grumbled. "It's not such an uncommon thing to have."

Beside her, Lennox flipped through the pages of her passport. "If Hot Rod made it for her, then why does it say that she visited all these countries years before he would have landed?" he asked reasonably, showing them the stamps. Decisively he shut the passport and offered it back to her. "Come, I have a few questions for you but we can do that in my office."

Trying not to laugh out loud at the pinched looks on the other men's faces, she followed the man, who looked to be only a few years younger than her. He waved her to a seat while he walked to the mini fridge against a wall. "Can I get you a drink?" he asked. "Water, coke?"

"Coke, please," she murmured, having gotten addicted to the stuff while she and Folgore - Hot Rod - were in the United States. She thanked him when he handed her a bottle and settled in his chair on the other side of the desk.

He took out a notebook and pen and smiled at her. She wondered if it still made all the girls swoon. "Just a few questions. Completely harmless. Then I'll take you back to Hot Rod and Ratchet." He scribbled something on the pad before looking back at her. "So how long have you known Hot Rod?"

An easy enough question and entirely reasonable. "Eight months? I think."

Lennox nodded and made a note of that. "Where did you meet him and how?"

"He crashed into my yard. My kids found him, actually." She paused to take a sip from her bottle.

"Where are your kids right now?" Lennox asked. "Did you bring them with you?"

"They're with their father," she said vaguely, taking another sip of her drink.

Lennox peered at her. "Where?" he asked again, gentle instead of firm. She told herself that was why she answered him honestly.

She dug under her shirt and pulled out the necklace she wore everywhere with her. A crescent moon pendant hung on a fine chain around her neck, bookended by two small stars. "The rest of them are in Agostino's family's...ah...mausoleum? But I keep a little of them with me."

"I'm sorry," Lennox murmured sincerely, making a quick note. He didn't meet her eyes but his eyes flashed to the necklace a few times, as if checking to make sure he had really seen it the first time. "May I ask what happened?"

Armonie pursed her lips and took another sip of her Coke, feeling the burn of the carbonation sting her throat. She told herself that was why her eyes teared up and her throat tightened. "We humans...are just so much...ah...easier to damage...than our...ah...larger friends." That was putting it mildly.

"I have a little girl, just two," Lennox told her quietly, putting his pen down. "I introduced her to my guardian Ironhide. I know he won't hurt her it's just…" He turned a picture frame around and showed her what looked like a class picture of a little blond child.

Gently Armonie picked up the photo and tilted it so there wasn't a glare over the child's face. "She has her father's eyes," she murmured, returning the frame to the desk. "My children were not quite so young." After a brief moment of hesitation she pulled out her wallet and the carefully folded picture inside, offering it to Lennox. "Angelo and Amina were both about to turn 16. Twins."

Lennox looked over the picture. He didn't want to tell her but Armonie looked so much younger in the picture; grief had certainly aged her. The man with his arm around her waist looked like he should've been in a suit smoking a cigar. The twins in front of Armonie tentatively held hands like two teenage siblings being forced to do something they didn't want to do. Amina, the girl, had wavy, dyed hair that made it look like she had strips of cotton candy on her head. Angelo was wearing soccer gear, like he had just come from a practice or a game.

"I was the cool mom. I let them dye their hair if they wanted." Her voice was tinged with sad fondness. "It drove Agostino crazy until Angelo had to dye his hair back to his...ah...natural color for football...ah...soccer."

Lennox's eyes drifted to the twins. "Did Amina play soccer as well?" he found himself asking.

"She was everything her father wanted in a son; he was everything I ever wanted in a daughter." Armonie told him with a wry smile. "I just couldn't dress Angelo up in dresses and frills and Agostino couldn't accept that Amina was better at sports than Angelo was."

He found himself chuckling at that, handing the picture over and watching as she delicately and religiously folded it up and replaced it in her wallet. "If Sarah would let me I'd dress Annabelle up in camo onesies."

The sad crinkle in her eyes didn't go away but she chuckled. He regretted asking her about her dead family. Picking up his pen, he made a note about that for her file. He added date of death: undisclosed to save her the pain of asking.

"June 19," Armonie murmured, taking another sip of her Coke with a hand that shook.

"Excuse me?" Lennox asked, surprised and confused, hand hovering over the pad.

Very deliberately she lowered the bottle and screwed the cap back on. "June 19. Date of death."

So she could read upside-down what he was writing. Or she knew it was desired information for her file. Either was possible. He crossed out undisclosed and replaced it with the date given to him by Armonie. "Year?"

"This year."

Lennox studied her as his hands automatically wrote the date. "Two months ago?"

Looking at a spot past his shoulder, Armonie nodded. Her lips trembled slightly and her eyes were over-bright with tears. "My birthday," she murmured. Standing, she lifted the edge of her shirt and showed him the ugly scars along her side and ribs and rolled her sleeves up to show the burn scars along her arms. He realized that she had covered her body up despite the heat not only to hide the scars from the prying and pitying eyes of others but also to protect it from the sun which would prevent it from healing well. "I was away when they attacked. So was Folgore - Hot Rod." She wouldn't meet his eyes and rolled down her sleeves self consciously. "I like to think that if we had been there no one would have died. But more likely, we would have all died."

"Who attacked you?" Will asked. "Humans? Or NBEs? That is, mechanoids."

Armonie smiled darkly. Despite the heat, Will shivered. "They were called Combaticons. Were."

Coughing awkwardly, he jotted down a quick note. "Ok...and what brings you here again?"

"Hot Rod and I thought that we would explore." Armonie told him, taking another sip of her Coke. "Broaden our horizons. Leave the place that brought me so many memories."

Will put his pen down. "You have a visa?"

"Of course." Armonie said with a smirk. "I had applied for one a while ago. We were actually supposed to visit New York City but since...things happened...I decided to visit California. Hot Rod said that the rest of his friends were here and we thought we may...I don't know...maybe see if we could visit without joining the war."

"It's not so much a war now as skirmishes. Mostly what we do now is protect the populace from Decepticons and keep the secret." Will told her kindly. "You're free to do as you want, though."

Armonie leaned forward, placing her bottle on his desk. He winced, then looked away quickly when he saw the look in her eyes. "I couldn't save my family, Capitano," she told him quietly. "But maybe by my help I can save these girls. Your friends. I want to try."

"By doing what?" Will asked gently.

Her eyes were hard as steel. "Everything I can."

"It's dangerous." To her credit, she didn't jump too much when Ironhide's holoform appeared behind her. "What makes you think you're up to it? You're…"

He fell silent at Will's frantic gesturing, guessing where he was headed with his statement. "A woman?" Armonie asked, brows rising. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response other than to tell you that I had a hand in utterly obliterating the Combaticons."

"No doubt with a lot of help from Hot Rod," Ironhide grunted. Will buried his face in his hands.

Armonie stood up stiffly. "I do not need to prove myself to you," she informed Ironhide coldly. "And I can see that you do not want my assistance. I shall be off."

She yanked open the door and stomped out. "That got out of hand very quickly." Will sighed into his hands. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"I don't understand why you're thanking me," Ironhide grumbled. "It didn't sound like it went well."

Will glared at him.

Katie watched Maggie pace back and forth anxiously, ranting to herself. She knew that technically the woman was talking to her, really, but without her cochlear implants, she heard nothing.

Looking around, she caught sight of Thundercracker sitting in the corner he had been in when they went to sleep. He watched them almost lazily, like a sleepy cat. They didn't stand a chance at escape, so he could afford to relax as much as he was.

Thundercracker said something to Maggie - Katie saw his mouth components move but didn't know what he said - and she whirled to snap something back at him. Judging by the wild gestures of her hands, it wasn't polite. Sighing, Katie pinched the bridge of her nose.

Thankfully, Thundercracker seemed to be the patient sort and didn't take offense to whatever she said. At least, he didn't appear to, but Katie didn't think that he was really one of those dangerous types that hid his feelings until he could take it out on his prisoners.

Maggie snapped her fingers at Katie and she saw the motion rather than heard the noise. Judging by the look on Maggie's face, she had been trying to get her attention for a while. Katie raised her eyebrows and pointed to her ears. Did you really forget?

Seeing Thundercracker move, she glanced at the Decepticon. Are you hungry? He signed carefully.

Yes, please, Katie replied, trying to say it out loud as well. Judging by Maggie's wince, she said it too loud.

Thundercracker said something that made Maggie furious, judging by the wild gesticulations the blond made. I asked her what you humans eat. We aren't really prepared to actually take care of you.

Ah. That made much more sense. Maggie was probably complaining that it was ridiculous that they were kidnapped but their captors weren't prepared to care for them. Standing, Katie stretched and dusted off her clothes. If they ever got out of this situation, she'd definitely have to burn her clothes, but for now they didn't look too bad.

Is there any running water here? She signed to Thundercracker. Like faucets with clean water?

The big mech shrugged. I think I saw a spigot outside.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Katie saw Maggie still ranting, pacing, and gesticulating wildly. Humans need water and food to survive. If we stay in the desert, we need shade or we will die of heat stroke or burn in the sun.

She appreciated that Thundercracker seemed honestly curious. It was almost sweet if he wasn't also one of their captors. Your own planet harms you? Why are you not better adapted for it?

We use tools and don't expose ourselves. Why aren't your circuits exposed?

Thundercracker inclined his head in acknowledgement. Point. What do you eat?

Humans are omnivorous. Ideally we want a mix of meat and vegetables. If meat is unavailable, we need some form of protein. Katie told him and squinted up at him. But you're not planning on keeping us long, are you?

The big mech hesitated and both of them glanced at Maggie. She didn't seem to be winding down and didn't notice their conversation. I don't think so, no.

Katie nodded. As I suspected. If you can get us canned food, it would be best. Not canned pet food. Canned beans, vegetables, or fruit would be best. She squinted up at him. Can't you look this up online?

It's one thing to know the facts and another to hear it yourself, Thundercracker replied. I'll make a list of things you suggested and send them to the symbionts. They'll probably the ones that go out and get your food.

Thank you, Katie signed and then twisted until her back cracked.

Thundercracker winced, though if it was because of her motions and the sound of her back cracking (something that wasn't a healthy sound in their culture) or by her thanking him, she wasn't entirely sure. You shouldn't be thanking me.

So it was the latter, then. Maybe even a little bit of the former. Judging by the way he looked away, it was mostly guilt. When he glanced back at her she smiled shakily. I understand.

The Decepticon grunted, trying to sound tough and callous, but she could see the slight tightening of the wires around his optics. He did feel some sort of remorse.

She did too.

"How'd it go?" Folgore asked, seeing her stomp out into the main area. Some of the other humans there glanced at them but otherwise went back to what they were doing. Even if they understood Italian, it didn't matter.

Armonie huffed, still angry. "The big black one - the truck - didn't believe we took out the Combaticons."

"Because you're human?" Folgore asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

Her eyes narrowed at him, noting the missing plates of armor. "Why aren't you repaired yet?"

"No amount of bitching will make it go faster," Folgore said, optics teasing. Armonie slapped the inside of her elbow as she made a fist and extended her other arm. Folgore only chuckled. "It was because you were human, wasn't it?"

She stepped on the extended hand and balanced with the ease of long practice until she could step off and sit on his shoulder. "Not only am I human, I'm a woman."

"I'm aware of that," Folgore replied, tilting his head to the side. "You are human. You are a woman. So? You are an army of one." He turned his head so she could see his smirk. "And you have me shaking in my armor when you're on your period."

She gripped his collar ridge and kicked him hard in the jaw. He yelped in pain. "I'll show you!"

"If you're going to further damage my patient, I will throw you out myself!" The medic mechanoid snapped as he approached.

Her response was in language more befitting back-alley thugs. "She's just mad that no one takes her seriously," Folgore explained, talking over Armonie's fury.

"With language like that, I can see why," the medic sniffed primly. Folgore reached up and covered her mouth with a finger when her profane tirade continued. "If she wants to act like a child, I shall treat her like one. She's not allowed in my med-bay. But I need you to come in so I can fix your weapon arrays."

Armonie made a rude gesture at him in the combination of the Italian and American gestures before scrambling down Hot Rod's chest. Despite himself, Ratchet was surprised and a bit impressed. She was quicker and nimbler than he gave her credit for. Like an angry cat, she stalked off.

There were a few people in the lounge area and they eyed her oddly but didn't say anything when she sat on one of the empty couches. She pulled out her phone and checked her messages.

Drago had texted her asking how she was doing. She responded that she was well enough and she'd call them later to update them on their status.

The next message was from Sirena. He wanted to know what the name of the TV show about the doctors in the ER was. She suggested trying Grey's Anatomy or Scrubs.

Her last message on her phone was Saetta asking how her bracelet was doing. He also told her that he was making his own way to the United States and hoped to meet up with her and Folgore.

"You can't have that here," someone protested. Without looking up, she suggested things he could do with a goat that his mother may have already done to create him. It was in German and she was fairly certain that he didn't understand it but her tone was unmistakable.

Saetta messaged her again, asking if she was all right. She wondered if he had heard about them being attacked and the two girls being captured.

Folgore is being repaired as we speak. They don't believe I can help them find the girls. Armonie texted back.

She appreciated how prompt Saetta was. They'll learn, he assured her. I'm in a barge heading toward San Francisco. I can help you with anything?

Jesus, when did you get on that freighter?

"Cell phones are prohibited here," a man told her authoritatively. "How are you even getting service?"

She ignored him. They're telling me to put my phone away. They don't trust me yet. But get here as fast as you can. I need you to help me find these girls.

Bless his heart, Saetta didn't argue. I'll do what I can. At the latest I should be there tomorrow afternoon.

I'll have leads by then. With a flick of her wrist, she made her phone disappear. "Better?" She asked the man standing over her. He didn't look amused.

"It's okay, Epps," a voice with a Cajun accent said behind her. "I'll take care of it. I need to get my own report from her anyway."

The man cast a dubious look over her shoulder before stalking away. One glance at the person that joined her on the couch told her that he was an Autobot. He sat just a little too still and his movements were just a little too deliberate. After spending a month and a half of hunting mechanoids, it was almost too easy to spot the differences now.

"Clever trick," the Autobot told her in Italian, keeping his voice neutral. "Where'd you learn it?"

She brought a hand to her throat, wrapping her fingers around her necklace. "A magician never reveals her tricks."

"I'm Jazz," the Autobot told her. "Katie's guardian. Ironhide told me what you said to Will in there." He jerked his head toward the captain's office. "He doesn't believe you. I do."

She pursed her lips. "They killed my family so I killed them. Whether you believe me or not is your business."

"Me believing you may help me get my friends back faster," Jazz told her seriously. "What can you tell me?"

Looking away, she sighed. "Very little. But Saetta and Folgore helped me fight. I can go places that you can't because I'm not a holoform and cannot be tracked with an energon reader."

Jazz leaned forward. "They don't know what they want with Katie and Maggie or even if they're still alive. So for right now, they're not going hunting for them until we hear from the Decepticons."

The other humans looked at them almost suspiciously. When Jazz glanced at them, they looked away. "Act more human," Armonie advised, putting a hand on his arm. "They can think that we're just talking about our loss."

Jazz seemed to wilt. "What if something happens to them?"

"As soon as Folgore is repaired, I mean to go back out and do my own investigating. What information can you give me?" Amonie asked. She hesitated. "My other ally, Saetta, says he's on his way. He should be here tomorrow afternoon."

He cocked his head to the side. "Saetta?"

She patted his arm. "You concentrate on lighting a fire under that asshole medic's ass and getting Folgore repaired faster. We'll be gone after that and then do our own searching." Hesitating, she made her phone appear in her hand again. "Sync your comm with my phone so I can contact you if I get any leads."

"Why are you so set on this?" Jazz wanted to know.

"I couldn't save my family but if by my actions, I can save your friends, I'll do everything I can."

He put his hand over hers on his arm. "Thanks."

"It's in my name. I'm an army of one. That's what Folgore keeps telling me, anyway."