Miko and I sat high atop a rocky outcropping, Miko lounging around as usual and I was sitting with my chin on my head. I was so tired, and so annoyed. My ribs were healing nicely, and besides for the bruises that I doubt were ever going to go away, I was feeling better. So much better in fact, I could even beat Miko at her cross beam obstacle course! But today we were on top of the 'sader Base, just sitting and chatting like any normal sisters would.

It was kinda weird.

Miko finally told me we were in Italy, a really pretty place too, but we weren't even allowed to go into any of the cities! It was so unfair, but the 'saders apparently were happier not having to keep tabs on us.

"So, Miki dearest, I checked my grades online..." Miko began, and I cringed knowing what was coming. "A B+? Really? What were you thinking? Those dumb teachers probably expect something out of me now! Me! Miko Nakadai does not make B+'s, it's just unheard of! I asked you to pretend to be me, not take over my life!" My sister wailed pitifully.

"Well excuse me! I've always played you, and for once in my life I just wanted to see what an achieving, successful Miko would look like." I retorted, and she gave me an Oh-you-did-not-just-go-there look.

"Well." She sniffed. "Excuse me for being myself."

"Yeah, and I wanted to be me too, but that ain't happenen any time soon." I drawled, leaning back with a smirk.

"Miki Nakadai, are you trying to insult me?" Miko asked incredulously with her usual smile.

"I would love to say yes-"

"Jasper is definitely a good look for you!" Miko grinned. "I knew the States would do you some good, and they did! Broke open your shell, showed you a bit of the world...Hey, how did you get out of Japan anyway? Mother had a fit when I told her I wanted to head to America."

"The usual way, I told her I had a last minute Decathlon competition and the plane left that night. She knows how honest I am, why would I lie to her?" I replied with my own smile.

"I am such a good role model for you, sis." Miko replied with a proud look.

"Don't get used to it." I told her. "I am going to be making A+'s again, just you wait and see."

"Of course, sure, why not, the world would just end if Miki made an F, wouldn't it?" My sister teased, and I just rolled my eyes.

"Miko, are you ever going to go back to the Autobots? I don't think Raf and Jack can keep our secret for long." I asked quietly, looking at my sister's calmly resigned face.

"Miki, I honestly don't know. The 'saders want all 'cons off Earth, apparently we aren't sophisticated enough for them or something, and I'm like this beacon or whatever so I don't know when they'll let me go." Miko sighed, looking out at the horizon with a shake of her head. "I don't know if they'll ever let me leave."

"We can run." I optioned boldly.

"You can't outrun a Crusader, Miki, just me. I've tried, countless, countless times, and they've always managed to catch me and drag me back. But now...I actually kinda like it here, I don't try to run anymore."

"Miko Nakadai, are you telling me you've gone soft?" I marveled. "My sister has lost her edge? Can't do any of your old tricks, can you Miko. Not as devious, I always knew this day was coming. I just didn't expect you to give up while you're in captivity." I scoffed, and Miko bristled under the accusation.

"I so have not lost my edge! I'm just as good as I've ever been, I'm still awesome, girl." Miko shot back, but I just shook my head and tsked.

"Not even trying anymore, that is sad."

"I am to trying!"

"You. Gave. Up." I told her coldly.

"I didn't!" Miko protested in a panic.

"Yeah? Prove it, Miko. Break us out if you're so good." I taunted.

"I will." My sister replied hotly, then deflated in defeat. "I've tried, Miki, I've tried everything! All escape routes, every tunnel, I tried sis, and I failed."

"Nakadai's never give up." I told her forcefully. "You told me that, right before the 3 mile race in my 5th competition. I took it to heart, I remembered it, and I came in 1st. I did not give up, and neither will you. Besides, two Nakadai's are better than 1 any day. We'll bust out of this joint, easy peasy." Miko seemed to get her old spark back with the pep talk, and I knew she was re-assessing the 'sader Base in full Miko trickery and observation.

"Hm, time for another recon." Miko mused with a grin, getting up and helping me stand up too. "I need to map the base out again, check all the nooks and crannies, you know how it goes. This is a cave after all, I bet there's a place or two the rock's weathered away."

"Let's find it." I agree easily, and we headed back inside. Miko had a 'sader deposit us in the first room of the Base, and we spread out.

"Remember, we need something that isn't Cybertronian sized, we don't want them to follow us." Miko was saying as she scanned the bottom of the room. "Shoot, nothing here." She groaned, walking by the wall slowly and methodically. All they needed was an opening, just a place that they could squeeze through! "Hey Red, lift me up please?" Miko called to her 'sader protector.

"What are you up to, Miko?" He asked patiently.

"This, that, how 'bout you?" She replied pleasantly, looking up with innocent eyes.

"Yeah, sure you are." He said rolling his optics. "I heard you're looking for an opening in the walls, care to share?"

"Oh, you heard that? Well, since Miki's here I wanted us to have a clubhouse, a place where it was just me and sis and none of you 'saders. That's cool right?" Miko replied with an easy going smile.

"Club house?" Red repeated.

"Of course! Hey Miki, what do you think? Nakadai Club or the Sisterhood club?" My sister asked, turning to me, and I just shrugged. My sister was a good liar, I wasn't going to interfere with her latest deceit.

"I think Nakadai Club sounds better...no wait! Club Nakadai! That's perfect, right Mik? It's got that modern edge, exotic sound, just perfect!" Miko gushed excitedly, and Red just stared down at her like she was crazy. Maybe she was. "Ooh, and we can have drapes and chairs and tables and it'll be so cool! Red, get me up!" The Nakadai commanded, and Red hoisted her up so she could assess the walls for any gaps or holes. "Other side." Miko sighed, and we turned to the other half of the wall. Red became our personal scout as he checked the upper walls for gaps and holes, and each one found was examined closely and marked in our minds just in case. When we found one big enough to let us in, we tried to see how big the gap was, and how deep it went without alerting Red.

"Miko wants a big club house." I explained when Miko disappeared for over 5 minutes. "A place that's totally ours and she can get lost in, you know Miko." I shrugged, and a few minutes later Miko came out and shot me a thumbs up. It only took checking the whole Base to find this place. I mentally grumbled as Miko demanded Red hook up a rope ladder or something so we could get in without help. When he disappeared to get what Miko asked for, she turned to me excitedly.

"All the way, Mik, all the way! It's perfect!" Miko said excitedly, grabbing my arms and making me jump up and down with her.

"Awesome!" I nodded energetically. "When do we want to start?" Miko stopped jumping and looked around her one last time as if trying to sear everything into her memory before turning back to me.

"Tonight."

~(0)~

"Good night, guys!" Miko called out as the lights in our room was turned out for the night. Me and Miko climbed into the bed to wait out the night for a bit, waiting until we were sure no one would expect anything. Miko checked her watch for the thousandth time before turning to me.

"You ready?" I whispered, slightly afraid.

"Nope, never am anyway though." Miko replied with a sigh, climbing out of bed and launching herself unto the crossbeam across the way. Miko could do this in the dark, but I wasn't so sure. I looked over the edge at the gap between an impatient her and me, and took a deep breath as I walked to the back of Miko's room. Not giving myself a chance to think this through, I ran for all I was worth until I shot over the edge of the cave and onto the beam beside Miko. "What took you so long?" Miko asked pleasantly as she looked at her nails. Kinda hard to do in the dark, but I didn't point that out.

"Come on." I urged, and we flew through the cross beam obstacle course with ease. We dropped to the ground from the pipe at the end of the course, and ran as quietly as we could to the back of the Base where we had our new 'club house'. Miko shimmied up the rope first, and I followed quickly behind. Slipping into our club house, I realized I would have liked it. It had a homey feel, but I had no time for regrets. Miko took the lead, and keeping a brisk pace we flew through black tunnel. At times we fell over, and at times we knocked ourselves into the walls, and at times the tunnel got so thin we had to turn sideways to get by. Light never permeated the walls, and I was almost afraid this was a wild goose hunt, but finally Miko whispered we were almost there. A sound started whispering in the dark tunnel, and I made Miko stop as I tried to identify it.

Waves, water, crashing, The Ocean.

"The ocean? We're gonna swim for it?" I hissed in shock.

"No other alternative, Mik." Miko said simply, leading me to a hole where we could slip out and crash into the water below. "You can go back now, or we can move forward. You wanted out, and you didn't care how I arranged it, remember? Well here's our exit, and if you'll excuse me." Miko said smoothly, dropping into the hole and slinking out of sight. I didn't have a choice, and with a final good bye to the Crusader Base I dropped through the hole and into the water far below me.

"Please don't let me die!" I whispered to whoever was listening as I crashed into the water below. "Miko?" I called out frantically as I searched for my sister.

"Here, Mik!" Miko shouted, waving at me. I swam over to her and treaded water as she talked to me. "Okay, from what I saw earlier, the closest town's about 2 miles away. You ready for a nice swim?" Miko asked with sarcasm.

"Sure." I replied, and keeping close to one another we started swimming. It was long, it was tedious, and I was pretty sure I kept seeing shark fins, and either by dumb luck or fate, the sharks never headed toward us."A penny for your thoughts?" I quipped after a while.

"I wish I had joined the swim team instead of track." She groaned back.

"Tell me about it." I agreed, and we kept swimming. I kept waiting to hear sirens behind us, something that let the me know the 'saders were on our tail, but nothing.

"So, how's Bulk doing these day?" Miko asked after a while.

"He's okay, I'm sure he misses you, Miko. You're his absolute favorite." I replied, and with a smile on my sister's face we stopped and treaded water.

"And Bee? Optimus? What's Ratchet up to? What about Arcee?"

"Miko, this is not the time or place for a catch up. We coud've done all this back at the Base!" I wailed quietly.

"Oh you're fine." Miko replied with an eye roll.

"Tell me, how much longer?" I begged as we set out again.

"Whenever we get to land." Miko replied patiently.

"Sure, okay." I sighed, and we kept going, and going, and going. Finally a light house cast its beam on us, and we knew we were almost home. Well, at least an Italian sort of home. We crawled up onto the beach, flopping down in the sands in defeat. "Miko?" I asked after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Never make me do that again."

"Deal." Miko laughed weakly, and slowly the sun began to rise on what would be a beautiful day.

"We need to move, Miko, people are gonna think we're crazy." I told my sister after an older couple looked at us oddly.

"So what? We're fine." Miko replied brushing it off. As it turned out, we were so not fine. The older couple I had seen called the Italian version of child services, and we were whisked off the beach with more protest than was really needed, a club to the head that was so not fair, and the older couple still looking on like they were pleased they had done a job well done.

"And what were you two doing on the beach?" An English speaking Italian woman asked after we were put in dry clothes and put in an interrogation room sort of place.

"I plead the fifth." Miko replied hotly, and the woman looked at her in bewilderment.

"Miko, that works in America, this is Italy." I groaned. "Look, we were just out for a swim. We weren't abandoned, we aren't in trouble, we're fine, okay?"

"I doubt that, miss..?" The woman trailed off, looking for a name. Thinking what was the harm, I told her Nakadai was our name. "Ah, Miss Nakadai." The woman smiled.

"And you are?" I prompted.

"Madam Verne." The other woman smiled. "Who can I contact if you weren't abandoned then?"

"Agent William Fowler of the United States of America government." Miko replied easily.