(See previous disclaimers)
Sentinel had already driven all the bots at the base nuts several times over and nearly had a spark attack from meeting Sari and other humans, as he hated organics. Optimus couldn't help but laugh at that one, but he also knew that there were more pressing issues, as Saberquake had been leaving for longer times, as if even she knew something that no one else knew. Optimus just didn't like how things had gone from annoying to how everything felt like it was blowing up in his face, and being moody from being sparked didn't help one iota.
Aquaformer was still missing in, but Slugbug and Optimus suspected that Saberquake was still in communication with her and had an idea where she could be hiding. But before they could figure out where in the universe that Aquaformer was, Sentinel would figure something out about Optimus that he wouldn't like – not like at all.
Ratchet and the others tried their best to make sure that these new visitors knew nothing about Slugbug, Optimus, their connection, Krypto, TC, their connection or the fact that TC and Optimus were sparked. It was easy to keep the information from Ultra Magnus, as he was kept extremely busy by other Autobots reporting in from various parts of the galaxy. Prowl told Jazz in secret what was going on at the base and on earth, as the two trusted each other, and Jazz agreed to keep the secret and even help protect it from those who didn't need to know. He could see why it was important to keep this information secret.
But the hardest part was the nosy jerk Sentinel, who wanted to know anything and everything about what was going on and was not a pleasant bot to be with when he knew other bots knew something he didn't and refused to tell him. And if it weren't for the presence of Magnus, Sentinel would have mandated a debriefing using his Prime status. He was starting to get a sneaky suspicion that something more was going on with Optimus, but he couldn't put a finger on it. He decided to bide his time, even though he wasn't the most patient bot. It was obvious to everyone except Ultra Magnus that Sentinel was digging to find out what was going on.
Meanwhile, Aquarformer, submerged deep beneath the waves, tried to pulse love to her bond mate. She missed him dearly. He missed her just as much. They had long kept their bond a secret, but when Sentinel found out, he captured both and separated them to extract key information from them. So far, only Aquaformer had escaped Sentinel's prison. She hoped that she could get to Magnus before Sentinel offlined her and her mate for what they knew, and especially what she knew. She knew the truth about what had happened to Elita. She knew the truth of what Sentinel had done and did to Autobots. But she also knew how to destroy them, should she need to.
In addition, she had accidentally uploaded vital con data into her processor, which could easily destroy the cons. She knew each bot's weakness and how best to attack, even though she didn't want to fight. She was a nurse bot, one who worked to save bots, not kill them. But it was her extensive knowledge of both sides that made her a prime target from both the cons and the Autobots. Stronghold knew this as well, and supported his mate as best he could. He could only hope that she would hurry, as he didn't know how much longer he would last in the confines of his solitary cell.
Back at the base, Ratchet knew Sentinel was getting too close for comfort, and so he and the others did their best to make sure Sentinel didn't discover what was truly "different" about Optimus. And for now, the constant distractions (as well as the fact that Sentinel was obtuse when it came to noticing size changes) and excuses were working, but they wouldn't work forever. Sentinel was still suspicious, like always, but he had no idea what the real cause, though once he found out, all would be in deadly danger. For Sentinel was not one for being quiet.
And soon, even the cons were going to know that Aquaformer and Slugbug were on earth somewhere and Optimus was sparked with extremely powerful sparklings.