Title: Transformers II No World for Tomorrow

Genre: Action/Drama/Romance

Rating: T for mild language, some strong violence, some crude and sexual humor.

Summary: An Autobot who betrayed Optimus Prime and her best friend shows up again, being hunted by those who she conspired with, The Decepticons. For what purpose, only Sam and Mikaela can wonder.

~Chapter Nineteen~

Never Alone

The interrogation of Scourge did not go so well at all, due to the fact that he was a very tricky and cunning Decepticon and he knew very well how to play with the Autobots' feelings. He knew what to say or do that would set them off and he knew how to make them feel very uneasy. He was a cunning enemy that you needed a very strong will to not beat the Pit out of him when he pissed you off.

Both, Ironhide and Spitfire realized that while trying to talk to him.

The very minute they reached the brigg, they began asking him questions about Cataclysm and Unicron, but all Scourge did was just sit there and smirk at them both. He didn't even bother to say a word to them until Ironhide threatened to open the cell and beat the living bolts out of him. Only then did the cunning Decepticon start talking. He began taunting Ironhide, daring him to do it. He even began questioning the tough Autobot if he still had what it took to take down an enemy or if he had softened up a bit too much while being on Earth.

Those remarks were enough to send Ironhide slamming fists against the walls and yelling the most obscene Cybertonian words, causing Spitfire to wince a little while Scourge snickered to himself.

"Ironhide, just ignore him! He's just egging you on." Spitfire told him with a heaved sigh.

Scourge chuckled as he watched her with his fiery gaze, almost amused by her tries of calming down the Weapons Specialist. He knew exactly how to egg her on next. And he was so looking forward to seeing the look on her face. "I wonder what the bug would think," He spoke up, getting a very dry look from the femme next. But all he could do was smirk right at her. "I wonder what your old friend, the bug would say when I told him about how you used to get so cozy with Starscream back on Cybertron. So cozy that one would think..." He was saying.

Spitfire had stiffened as she looked at him in shock before shaking her head, almost frantically. "Shut up, Scourge." She hissed at him.

"...that you two were almost like sparkma..." Scourge continued without missing a beat.

"Shut up, Scourge!" Spitfire yelled at him as she lashed out and slammed a fist against the wall next to the Energon field, glaring hatefully at him, yet there was a hint of pain within her optics. She didn't even look at Ironhide, who was watching her with a very surprised look on his face. He wasn't even sure what to think about Scourge's words. "Don't you dare say another word about me and Starscream! We were friends! It was never like that between us! And I know that he would say the very same thing before ripping you apart!"

Scourge did not look worried at all. He just kept that cruel smirk on his face as he just dipped his head a little lower for more effect. It was almost enough to make Spitfire step back, feeling even more uneased. "Hmm. Perhaps. But wouldn't it be fun to tell your precious little bug otherwise? I wonder how he would look? Hurt? Angry? Disgusted? I could only imagine how he would take it. I'm looking forward to telling him that you almost became Starscream's spark..." He didn't really get to finish those words.

After those words, Spitfire almost snapped. She let out a scream of rage as she started forward, swinging a hand for the lock release. She wanted nothing more than to just cause Scourge a lot of pain right then and there. And she would have opened Energon field to shoot him too if Ironhide had not moved quickly to grab her and wrench her away from the cell. He gave the young femme a stern look for what she almost did but then shook his head as he looked back at Scourge, who was laughing as if it was the funniest thing that he had ever seen. "I think we better stop for now." The Weapon Specialist growled before pushing Spitfire towards the door. "Think very hard about what you just said, Scourge. Because if you say anything like that to me," He leaned closer to the Energon field, narrowing his optics dangerously. "Spitfire isn't going to be able to stop me from tearing you limb to limb. But don't worry, I won't deactivate you. You'll be functioning the entire time." He warned darkly before steering the femme out.

Scourge just watched them go, his optics dark with fury but he put a smirk on his face anyway. He was almost amused by what just happened. At least he knew what to say to put Spitfire on the edge. It was Ironhide he was going to have to worry about.

Outside the Brigg, neither one spoke as they just stood there, opposite from each other. Spitfire's head was dipped down and she looked rather ashamed for losing it like that. But there was one thing that made her worry. Slowly, she lift her optics up and met Ironhide's, as he was still watching her. "I-Ironhide," She began carefully. "About what Scourge said..."

"I ain't saying a word to Bumblebee about anything." Ironhide interrupted loudly, his arms folding across his chest. "You want him to know, you tell him. This has got nothing to do with me so I'm staying out of it."

Almost in awe and full of gratitude, Spitfire heaved a gentle relieved sigh before giving him a light smile. "Thank you." She told him, quietly.

There was a long moment's pause between the two before Ironhide tilted his head to the side, still watching Spitfire carefully. He knew he'd better be careful about what to say. He didn't want to really upset her more than she was already. But there was one question that was bugging him. "Got a question for you, Spitfire." He merely had to say.

Spitfire kept her optics adverted from him but she shook her head, as if already telling him no. She knew what he wanted to know. She had been expecting this question to pop up sooner or later. "Starscream and I are not even close to being sparkmates, Ironhide. We were friends but we never interfaced or made that connection. Scourge...what he said, it wasn't really true. We were really comfortable with each other's presense and that was what made some of the Decepticons think we were together." She shook her head finally looking at him. "But we weren't. There were a few times I was sure that Starscream...well, I was sure he wanted to because there aren't very many femmes left and spark born Cybers are very strong and probably a little more stronger than All Spark born Cybers. But you already know that. There was really only one thing that held us back." She told him quietly.

"Yeah? What was that? You were an Autobot and he was a Decepticon?" Ironhide asked, almost smirking at her.

For the first time in a little while, the young femme laughed with the Weapons Specialist but shook her head as she looked up at him. "No. You would think that was it, but it wasn't." She let out a light sigh as she folded her hands together and looked down at the ground. "What stopped Starscream and I from even making that kind of connection was the fact...he wasn't Bumblebee." She smiled faintly when she caught a glimpse of the somewhat surprised look on Ironhide's face. "Starscream knew that my spark...would never belong to him. I think it made him really angry but...he never said or did anything about it. Surprisingly, he just kept quiet about it.

The only reply to that was a grunt from Ironhide as he looked away from her.

Spitfire then perked up a little and smiled as she looked up at him. "Anyway, enough about that. It's not like you don't have to worry about stuff like that." She smiled slyly when Ironhide stiffened, looking wildly at her as if she was crazy. "Do you miss her?" She asked, smugly.

Ironhide growled as he looked away again. "Don't even go there, Spitfire." He growled at her, earning a gentle giggle from the young femme. He tried to ignore her but then thinking about HER made him soften a little. "Yeah. I miss her. Even if she keeps shooting me when we fight." He said, rather sourly at the thought about it, though it was mostly just forced. He actually didn't mind getting shot by that particular femme.

"Hmmm." Spitfire hummed with amusement as she folded her arms. "Don't worry, Ironhide. Chromia will be here soon enough. I know she will. I can feel it." She raised a metal platted eyebrow at him as she shifted her weight. "I don't suppose you told everyone about her yet, have you? I can tell by every time that Arcee keeps flirting with you. She's always been the minxy kind, flirting with sparked mechs."

A bark of laughter erupted into the room as Ironhide grinned over at her. "Arcee is only doing it to make sure that other femmes don't think about me in that way. Not like she needs to. Chromia will kill me if I ever..." He cut himself off shuddering at the thought. "Besides, she's just trying to make Hot Rod jealous."

"Well, it's not like Hot Rod's dumb enough to pick a fight with you, Ironhide." Spitfire giggled, doubling over a little just to laugh. "I just want to know when are they going to stop flirting and fighting and just get on with it."

Grinning almost evilly, Ironhide folded his arms and leaned closer to the fiery red femme, almost looking as sly as a wolf. "Cliche, Spitfire. When are you going to get on with it with..." He was saying.

Wide eyed, Spitfire squeaked and clapped her hands over each side of her face, shaking her head violently. "Uh-uh! Don't you even think about finishing that sentence, Ironhide! It's not going to happen like that with Bumblebee! Not after what I..." She was saying quickly.

Rolling his optics, Ironhide was already making his way back towards the brigg. "Oh, shut up, Spitfire. The past is the past. The future is tomorrow. Just get over it already. The Prime has and I'm starting to. Just connect with Bumblebee already! It's driving me and Ratchet nuts and if Jazz were here, he'd start giving ya an processor full about how you two just need to get it over with!" He growled at her before waving his arm. "Come on! Let's finish this up! I don't wanna be hanging around this creepy aft all day long!"

However, Spitfire just stood there, almost stunned by his words. She was even starting to overload a little from the very thought of what he just said. She would have never guessed that those words could come out of Ironhide's mouth. Ironhide! Of all of the mechs of all of the Autobots, it had been Ironhide who told her to just get over her own betrayal and just move on! That was a lot to even process.

Her body hurt, and that was the first thing that she realized as she started to drift out of the darkness of unconsciousness. Her head was pounding like someone had smacked it so many times, creating a migrane at the very back. She knew that she should sleep longer but she really didn't want to. She had to know what was going on outside in the real world.

Ignoring the gentle groan, Anya's face scrunched up a little as she pushed herself further to waking up before she finally managed to flicker her eyes open. She flinched when she saw light right above her, cringing away from the offending energy source. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard someone start laughing, forcing her to wake up faster than she was ready for. Her eyes flashing open, she jerked her head to the side to spy the source of laughter only to have her head spin a little. "Oooh." She groaned closing her eyes again.

"You should not be waking up, Anya. Ratchet's going to have a fit if he sees your eyes open." came a very familiar voice.

Taking a moment to shake the dizziness off, Anya let her eyes flicker open again and she turned her head to see a very familiar face hovering right over her. She had to blink a few times as she took in the face. She eyed those bright blue eyes and that sunny blonde hair, which was piled up on top of the girl's head and took in her pretty face before it hit her. A sharp breath caught in Anya's chest as the name came too quickly for her. "Ma-Maggie!" She squeaked, grimacing when her voice failed on her.

Maggie just smiled down at her friend, lightly pulling dirty blonde strands off of her face before nodding. "Hey, Anya. Long time, no see. 'course, that's kind of my fault. My new job has been keeping me really busy." She said with a shrug.

Groaning, Anya reached up and ran her fingers through her blonde hair, closing her eyes for a moment. She was trying to sort out all of her thoughts, trying to remember exactly what happened. Where was she? What happened to make her feel like this? Where was Jetfire...? Her eyes snapped wide open again before she looked wildly around, almost panicking. She ignored the sudden protests from Maggie as she forced herself to sit up a little, looking around the somewhat very large and darkened room. "Wh-what...? Where are we? Where's Jetfire? What happened?" She asked frantically.

"Hey! Take it slow or Ratchet will tie you down to the bed! And he will too! He's done it before!" Maggie protested, placing a hand onto Anya's shoulder and trying to get her to lie back down. "Your new friend is just in the other room with the spoken medic, probably being tortured...I'm kidding!" She quickly said when Anya gasped at the word. "He's getting all of the dents knocked out and getting a systematics check up!"

Anya just laid there for a moment, taking in all of her thoughts and memories before she looked up at Maggie, almost confused. "What are you doing here, Maggie? I...I didn't..." She was saying.

Maggie shook her head as she sat back down on the stool next to Anya's bed, shrugging at the same time. "I'm a hacker, remember? The American Government's given me a job to analyze the computer network and keep an eye out for any security breeches that deals with the Cybertronians." She almost laughed when Anya looked confused. "The alien robots. Jetfire's people, remember? Anyway, we are at the Autobots' base, the good robots' base. Jetfire brought you here when you two were attacked by the Decepticons. It's a good thing too because you were not doing so good. You have a concussion and you are bruised to hell. Jetfire explained to all of us what happened to you." She told her Russian friend.

Listening carefully, Anya slowly took it all in. She looked very thoughtful but even Maggie could see the trouble in her eyes. But once she was done speaking, the young Russian frowned at the other blonde, slowly shaking her head. "Maggie, how long have you known about them?" She asked quietly.

And for a very long moment, Maggie didn't say anything. She was already getting the idea that her friend was getting a little upset about it. But with a sigh, she knew she had to tell her. "Since before the attack on Mission City, Anya." She bit her lip, somewhat ashamed when she saw Anya's eyes wince, looking hurt. "Anya, I couldn't tell you! I would have if I could, but it was a national security situation. I could have gone to prison for the rest of my..."

"My father," Anya said, thickly as she eyed the Aussie IT sternly. "My father is with one of the bad ones, Maggie. He has been captured by the one who is posing as the Typhoon submarine. I was the last one to even speak to him. Not my mum, not Ella. Me. They didn't even know what happened to him. They didn't even believe me when I told that he was in trouble." Her tone was growing a little darker as she continued on, not happy one bit. And Maggie knew that. "What if he dies, Maggie? What am I suppose to do then?"

Her eyes starting to sting and shimmer from tears, Maggie shook her head, letting her blonde hair bounce off her neck as she reached for Anya's hand. "Anya, we're going to do everything we can to find him. I swear..." She was saying.

However, Anya pulled her hand sharply away, scooting a little farther away from her. She had tears already starting to stream down her cheeks as she eyed her Aussie friend darkly. "Maggie, if my father dies, I will never forgive you for this! You should have at least warned me!" She raised her voice. She almost jumped out of her skin when a massive door off to the side slid open, revealing Jetfire and the lime green Autobot, Ratchet. She tensed up a little when she saw him but was more relieved to see the Seeker.

"Anya, I swear! I will do everything I can to find him!" Maggie cried, tears sliding down her cheeks as she folded her hands together in front of her mouth.

Anya did not reply but just eyed Ratchet uneasily before she turned onto her face, back facing Maggie. "You still should have told me, Maggie, about them. Then maybe I wouldn't have made myself out as a fool regarding Domovoi." She said somewhat bitterly. She curled up into a ball, ignoring Jetfire now as he moved closer to her, looking very concerned. "But then again, I've always been that kind."

Maggie frowned sternly at Anya before she grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back to look at her. "Don't you dare talk like that, Anya! You are anything but a fool! You are smart, beautiful and talented! There was no way that you could have known who that Domovoi guy was! Even Jetfire said that he could barely sense that it was Scourge! He's a Pretender! They are really hard to detect!" She shook her head when Anya started to pull away but she held fast. "Anya, I couldn't tell you! It was a national secret. No one here could say anything to anyone. If I could, I would have." She told her finally reaching up and wiping her cheeks.

For a long moment, both blondes looked hard at one another, almost trying to stare down one or the other. Neither one were happy, that was for sure. But as they continued to glower at one another, neither one looked up when Ratchet, Jetfire and Hound came into the medbay; all three stopping abruptly when they saw the two young women.

"Uh...whoa. Maybe we should come back in a few more minutes." Hound remarked, grimacing.

Ratchet, however, ignored that remark completely as he hurried towards the table, frowning sternly at Anya. "Young lady, you should not be awake yet! You are still very exhausted and injured!" He scolded her before stopping when Anya finally looked up at him and cringed.

Jetfire sighed as he moved forward and clapped a hand onto the Medic's shoulder, lightly pulling him back and ignoring the look for it. "Ratchet, give her a minute before you start being a grouch to her." He told him, still ignoring the look he got for it. He looked back at Anya, who was eyeing Ratchet uneasily. "Anya, it's all right. Remember what I said about him?"

Anya glanced uneasily up at him for a moment before shuddering and closing her eyes as she covered her face with her hands. "I know, I know. I'm...I'm just..." She sighed before running her hands through her hair. "I'm just really confused right now. My head feels like its spinning and..." She couldn't even stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, youngling. Don't you be doing that. You're going to upset me next." Jetfire spoke softly to her as he cupped his hand around her medic bed and leaned over her. He lightly chuckled when the young Russian huffed and smiled.

"Wow. I think Sides might be a little right about you, Jet." Hound said, laughing quietly. "You are turning into a Gran...Uh! Never mind!" He quickly added when Jetfire shot him a very dark and menacing look.

Everyone in the medic bay started to laugh at the exchange between Autobot and Decepticon. It could not be helped at all for them to not to. Even Anya had to share a laugh as she watched her jet protector glare at the Autobot who had managed to hack into her computer. Her smile was gone as she remembered what he had done to her laptop and before anyone realized it, she sat up and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Hey! Lay back down! You're not ready to get up yet!" Ratchet immediately ordered when he did notice.

Surprisingly to everyone, Anya ignored him as she just stared at Hound. "You're the one...you were the one who looked at my laptop." She then frowned at him. "And tore it apart." She added, now sounding a little forlorn.

Hound frowned, cringing back a little. "Uh...I can repair it, if you'd like. But if it helps, I've stored all of your intell in my processor. As soon as I repair your laptop, I can download everything back on it." He said, sounding very sheepish. "And I swear, I didn't look at your video diaries. The World Wide Web says somewhere that it's very impolite to look at a femme's diary. I've seen some really scary videos dealing with what happens to a mech, or a guy for reading a girl's diary. I'd rather not get kicked in between the legs, which seems to hurt human males quite a lot." He said, rather speedily.

Again, everyone laughed, while Anya rolled her eyes at the IT's babbling. She glanced over at Maggie who was smirking up at the green Wrangler Jeep. "Some how I doubt Anya can kick up that high, Hound. Plus, I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to kick metal and break a leg." She said teasingly.

Sheepishly, the Autobot IT rubbed the back of his neck.

Jetfire chuckled before looking back down at Anya, gently placing a large finger against her shoulder and trying to coax her to lay back down. "So, how are you feeling?" He asked, quietly.

Anya allowed herself to be pushed back down but she placed her hand onto Jetfire's finger, shaking her head. "I'm...I'm actually feeling okay. I'm just a little tired and sore." She paused, looking away. "And feeling like an idiot that I actually let Domovoi trick me."

"Don't feel an idiot, Miss Anya Karpos." Ratchet said as he turned away and began digging through a rather large cabinnet through barrels sitting inside it. He looked at large labels on each before opening on and using a small claw to pluck something out. Turning back, he offered to very small pills to her, surprising her that he was that gentle to not crushing them. "Here is some pain killers. They might help with your sore muscles." He told her.

With a growing smile, Anya sat back up with Maggie and Jetfire's finger's help and took them. She nodded gratefully towards the medic before reaching for a sports bottle sitting next to her medic bed. "Thank you...um, Ratchet."

"Ah. I see our new friend is awake."

Anya jumped a little at the voice but relaxed when she saw that it was the red and blue Autobot she realized to be Optimus Prime. He was moving very carefully towards the medic bed with, surprisingly, Reno Banes and Trent DeMarco standing on his shoulder. They were both keeping their balance well. It still surprised everyone that they were there. But truth was, they were there to serve as moral support, just like Maggie was. Optimus had suggested that they went with him to talk to Anya Karpos, just to make it a little easier on her that there were other humans around. He didn't want to frighten her any more than she already was.

Carefully, the Autobot Leader offered both hands to the two and then lowered them onto the large medic table. "Hello, Anya Karpos. I am Optimus Prime, though you should probably already know that. How are you feeling?" He asked, gently.

The young Russian paused for a moment before she downed the pain killers and then looked back up at Optimus after swallowing the pills and water. "I...I'm feeling okay, I guess. Just...a little confused. Jetfire has told me everything about you. He's told me why you're here and what's sort of going on. But other than that..." She said shaking her head.

"Hm. I'm curious to know exactly how you met Jetfire." Optimus remarked, glancing to the Decepticon Seeker for the answer.

Jetfire shook his head and folded his large arms across his chest. "Already told ya, Optimus. Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps tried to kidnap her and I swooped down and scooped her up before she could be harmed." He merely glanced at Anya when she nodded to confirm that. "Other than that, your guess is as good as mine about why they wanted her. It could be her creator, her father being the reason. It was Anya who he tried to warn about Cataclysm. They were probably trying to stop her from warning us about him. That and if her father is anything like her, he's being stubborn. Question that we need to ask, what has Cataclysm done to him already?" He aksed.

Slowly the other Autobots nodded as they glanced around at each other. They didn't like it but there was a good chance that there might not be a Vladimir Karpos to rescue. "I'm still very surprised that we haven't found much about Cataclysm. He was always the kind to be very destructive to getting our attention. He's actually being quiet." Hound said, seriously.

"Do you think he might be trying to sneak up on you?" Reno asked as he stood next to Maggie, his arms folded over his chest. He didn't like any sound of this.

Optimus slowly nodded as he thought about it. He knew things were going to get a lot more serious than they already were. "If that is the case, then it will be wise to raise our security. Cataclysm is very brutal and he has no problem with destroying a city to get our attention. But on the other hand, he's also very stealthy. If he was trying to sneak up on our Base, he'll do it without raising any alarm. We will be attacked blindly if he wishes it so." He looked directly at Hound. "Hound, you're not the Security Chief like Red Alert was, or Prowl. But I will need you to try and get some security alarms up all around the Dam and the base for that matter. We must be prepared for the worst."

Hound merely nodded before he turned and hurried out of the medbay. He wasn't going to waste any more time after that order. He knew that they didn't have very much of it when dealing with Cataclysm.

Ratchet, however, was frowning deeply. "Optimus, this is getting way too serious. We not only have to worry about the Decepticons but now Cataclysm. And we don't even know how many Decepticons have arrived already to help Starscream." He told him.

"I know, Ratchet." sighed Optimus as he cupped his hand around his chin.

"The problem is not Starscream." Jetfire remarked, dryly. "He's just a bug waiting to be squashed compared to Cataclysm. I know for a fact that he's nervous right now. He attacked me and Anya openly because Cataclysm told him to. Now, you know as well as I do that Seekers are the only ones who stand a real good chance against Cataclysm. And if Starscream is afraid of him, then we're in a slag box."

"So that means..." Trent finally spoke up, looking between the large robots.

Optimus looked very grim in deed as the very thoughts ran through his processor. He knew what Jetfire was trying to imply and he really did not like it. He knew what the chances were between Cataclysm and his master. But to think that it might not be Cataclysm they were dealing with, it sent his entire metal frame cold. "It means we are in trouble." He simply stated before starting to turn to leave.

Anya sat up straighter. "Wait." She called, drawing back again when the large rig stopped and turned back. She bit her lip nervously before lowering her gaze. "What...what about my father?" She asked carefully.

No one answered for a moment but glanced around the room at one another. None of the Autobots really wanted to answer that question. They knew what the stakes might have been. But it was Jetfire who sighed and looked down at her. "Anya, we will do everything we can to find him and save him. But...there's a good chance..." He didn't want to finish that sentence.

The young Russian's face fell but she bobbed her head into a nod. She knew what he was trying to say. And she didn't think he would have said anything else other than there was a good chance that her father might have been dead. She just prayed that he was okay and that they would find him very soon. She just wanted to see him again before anything else happened. She wanted to make sure that she had something to tell her mother and sister if it came to that. She also knew that Jetfire's companions were doing all they could to find her father and save him. But if they couldn't save him...that was that. She just prayed that it wouldn't come to that.

It was right then the door whooshed open and Ironhide came waltzing in, startling Anya a little but he ignored her as he looked grumpily at Optimus when he turned to look at the Weapons Specialist.

"Ironhide, how did it go with the interrogation of Scourge?" The Autobot Leader asked, turning on his Leader mode.

Ironhide growled and narrowed his optics as he crossed his large arms over his equally large chest plate. He did not look happy, that was for certain. "Not good, Optimus. Had to stop Spitfire from killing the Pitspawn twice! He kept playing with her emotions, mentioning slag about her and Bumblebee and stuff. He doesn't dare playing with me, but he won't say anything either. He's just being annoying, like always." He growled before glancing down at the Anya, who backed down only a little. "Hey." He merely greeted her, waving a hand before replacing it back onto his other arm.

Anya, however, merely smiled in amusement as she watched him for a moment before looking up at Jetfire, who was still watching the Autobot Leader and the black GMC Topkick. Her smile faded only a little before she put on a determined look on her face. "Maybe...I can talk to him." She suddenly spoke up.

Everyone looked down at her, much to her discomfort. They all looked rather surprised at her suggestion and they certainly didn't like the idea. Especially Jetfire. He was already starting to growl and shake his head. "Anya, Sparkling, that ain't a good idea. After what he's done to you..." He was saying.

"I know." Anya quickly interrupted as she looked up at him. "I wouldn't want to talk to him after what he's done. But this is about finding out where my father is. And this Catactlysm guy. I'd rather find out if he's still alive or not than face my own personal feelings."

No one spoke for a long time as they considered the option. No one liked it. Even Maggie was shaking her head as she stared at her friend as if she had lost her mind. But after a moment, Optimus slowly nodded. "We will consider it. But not right at this moment. You are still in need of rest, Anya. I don't have to be a medic bot to see that you do. Once you are rested enough, we will consider on letting you speak with Scourge." He told her, before holding up a hand to Jetfire when he tried to say something. "But I must warn you. Scourge is the kind of Decepticon who plays with one's emotions, which is why I am not surprised that Spitfire nearly lost her temper on him. He will say things to you to upset you. And most likely try to hurt you through mental capacities. He is manipulative and cunning. So you must be prepared for that."

Anya merely nodded as she looked right up at Optimus. She understood his meaning. She had already seen that part of the Sweep Master while posing as Domovoi Korbacs. Now that she actually thought hard about it, she realized that it should have been obvious who he was. The name that he was using as a human version, Korbacs, it was the Hungarian name for Scourge. "I understand and I will accept it." She told him.

Optimus just nodded before looking around at everyone. "I think its best if we retire from the medic bay and allow Ratchet to tend to his young patient. We must prepare ourselves for what is to come." He told everyone.

Again, everyone nodded as they turned towards the doors and started out. Maggie and Trent both waited behind with Ratchet and Optimus, though even Ironhide was lingering around the door, waiting for the Autobot Leader. "Is it all right if I hang around here, Optimus?" Maggie asked, looking up at the large rig.

It was a glance to Ratchet to be the answer. Optimus knew very well that it was best to ask him for his permission. The medic, however, was paying more attention to his computer but he was also waving a hand over his shoulder, as if telling them don't bother him. "Hm. I don't think it will be a problem." The Autobot Leader finally said as he looked back down at Maggie. "I'll probably send Sunstreaker in here..."

"Oh no!" Both Ratchet and Maggie suddenly bellowed at the same time, ignoring the fact that all of the rooms' remaining occupants jumped. "Do not be telling that vain aftpipe to come in here, Optimus! I mean it! If he comes in here, then the other is sure to follow just to keep him company! And I do not want them messing with my equipment if they get bored! They stay the Pit away from my medic bay unless they are in need of repair!" The medic growled, now waving one of his deadly wrenches at the Autobot Leader.

Optimus just sighed as he dropped his head into his hand before he turned and walked out of the room, muttering, "May be the leader, but I never seem to have a saying in anything."

"I am so not going to even ask." Anya said, raising an eyebrow.

Maggie just grinned at her before she launched into an explaination about all of the Autobots that were there anyways. She started off with the twins, though while Trent just sat down, figuring that it wouldn't hurt to stick around, himself.

Ironhide joined Optimus walking down the halls of the Autobot Base. He was trying to figure out how he was going to approach the very subject. He knew he should say something about it. "Optimus, about Spitfire." He muttered, catching the rig's attention and causing him to look a little serious, yet concerned at the same time. The Weapons Specialist recognized the official Prime look that Optimus tend to put on when it dealt with some business situations. He only shook his head. "She needs a break, Optimus. Scourge smashed her feelings pretty hard during the interrogation. So with your permission, I think it's best if she gets out of the base for a while. Maybe even take Bumblebee with her. Those two could use some time to talk things over and rekindle that lost friendship of theirs."

Optimus was surprised to even be hearing that suggestion from Ironhide. Out of most of the Autobots, other than Prowl or Mirage, Ironhide was a very strict soldier. He would have never guessed that Ironhide of all Autobots would even be suggesting to let Spitfire have some time off. Not after her betrayal. He wasn't really one to forgive so easily, just like Mirage wasn't. It made him grimace to think of what Prowl was going to say.

But after thinking about it for a few moments, Optimus nodded. He saw Ironhide's point. Things were pretty tense at the moment, and rightfully so. He knew very well that most of the Autobots were getting a little stir crazy because they were sensing the threat against them. More or less, the human teenagers weren't doing so good, their selves. They all could use a little break.

"Permission granted. Just don't tell Mirage or Hot Rod. I do not want to be hearing their complaints right now." Optimus stated.

Ironhide nodded in understanding. He knew very well that both of them would put up a pretty big fight about letting Spitfire out of their sight. They didn't trust her and for all he knew, it might have been right not to. But then he remembered all those times back on Cybertron before she even thought about betraying the Autobots. He had been a little fond of her spirit for gun fire and she was a very good gunner. She was still a Botling in all honesty. She had done a very serious bad deed towards the Autobots, but at least she was now trying to make it up to all of them.

And if there was one thing that living on Earth that Ironhide was learning the most, it was the statement, "Forgive but don't forget."

It had taken him some time to figure out what that statement meant, but he was starting to see it. It seemed that being around the humans were changing him a lot more than he would have liked. But as the human sometimes said, maybe it was for the best.