I don't own anything. And this chapter was not beta-ed, just to let you know, so if it sucks or there's mistakes, they are all my own. Also, this chapter is much...softer than most of my other ones are. Do not worry, there will be action soon. Nothing more up here.

Chapter 25

I stood in the back of the crowd of Autobots, trying to peek around the much larger frames that were in front of me. Today was the arrival of the humans, an organic race that I had never laid my optics on. So it was only natural that I wanted to see them. Yes, I could've looked at pictures of them on my newly appointed access to the World Wide Web, but that would only give me a general view. I wanted to see what the humans that were going to live here looked like.

Deciding to try and use my small stature to my advantage, I slunk behind everyone, passing quickly around the crowd. They had decided to practically blockade the entrance to the Ark, and I had a feeling it had something to do with me. No one besides Prowl, my parole officer, Jazz, and Optimus Prime trusted me. I had a tracking device placed between my wings, a place I couldn't reach, and still no one trusted me to be where I said I would be.

I started to climb the supports and columns that were in reach, going only high enough to see over the helms of the mechs and their bulky frames. The incredibly tall Autobot leader stood regally, with his SIC on his right and TIC on the left. They all watched as a Boeing C-40 Clipper descended, getting closer to the airstrip that lay on higher ground than beach level. I watched with rapt interest as the aircraft slowed and eventually taxied its way over to where the organics could depart. Prowl had told me that there were going to be two loads of humans arriving, over 200 of them, but the next arrival wouldn't be for another couple days.

The organics began to file off the Clipper, while two of them went right up to the pedes of Optimus and his two most senior officers. I couldn't hear what was being said, but it was clear that they were greeting one another. They went back to the aircraft then to help get their cargo off. It was just small bags, probably just the essentials. More would come tomorrow, in another aircraft before the second Clipper would come a few days later.

… … …

I was in the sparring room again, practicing with my swords when I heard the door slide open. Turning away from the holograms as they froze, I saw Jazz standing there with the two organics that had greeted Optimus earlier today. Putting my swords down, because my actual ones weren't activated, I fully faced the three.

"Pardus, Ah want ya to meet Major William Lennox 'n Technical Sergeant Robert Epps," Jazz introduced us. "Guys, this is our newest…recruit, Pardus." The first human was of a fairer complexion than the other, but no less convincing. Among their own kind, one might say that they could be intimidating, however, they did not intimidate me one bit. It takes a lot to make me quake in my armor.

"Major, Technical Sergeant," I greeted, walking over to the trio. "I am Pardus. Nice to make your acquaintance." The second raised his fleshy servo…no, in their language, it's called a hand.

"Nah, just Lennox 'n Epps, 'kay?" he flashed me a wide smile. He reminded me of Jazz somewhat. The large grin, happy demeanor, the accent, the slag, all that and more. I nodded then stood back up from my crouch.

"Was there something you needed, Jazz?" I addressed my superior. Yesterday I had been given official rank among the Autobots. However, they understood that I would not pledge anything. They had my loyalty, my protection, my courage, but did not need me to take their oath. I was unwilling, and thankfully they understood that. Some, like Jazz, had thought it would only be a matter of time. Others, like Prowl, understood that I may never recite it, and was completely at ease with that.

"Nope, jus' wanted to let ya guys meet," he answered, grin upon his faceplates once more. "Tha's all."

"I'm sure it was just that," I replied, sarcasm barely lacing my words, but the saboteur caught it, if the glint in his visor and widening of his grin were any indicators. "What did you really want?" I asked in Cybertronian.

"Ratchet wants ya in the med bay right now," he said, staying in our native language. "Somethin' 'bout askin' ya questions 'bout somethin' or another."

"You didn't listen, did you?" It took a trained audio to catch the teasing in my voice, but Jazz had noticed it immediately. Sometimes I wondered how he knew right off the bat. No one else I had talked to had picked up on my dry humor, but yet, somehow he and Prowl were able to. "I will head down at once." I left without another word, but as the door slid shut behind me, I heard Epps ask 'what that was all about.'

I walked into the quiet med bay, instantly on edge. It was never this silent, no matter what. Wheeljack, the explosion-prone inventor was usually in here, chatting in an almost Bluestreak manner while Ratchet repaired him. If that mech wasn't in here, the Twins were, messing around and irritating the lime green medic.

"Ah, Pardus, I see Jazz was able to find you." The old mech stepped from his office.

"Yes, and the tracking device made sure of that," I said, hoisting myself onto the medical berth the mech had pointed to. But what I said was spoken with no infliction, just stated as a fact, and the medic noticed. "What did you need me for, sir?"

"I would like to look in your processor again, to make sure the pressure isn't building. Meeting the humans can sometimes cause our minds to overload, due to their chaotic nature."

"So no questions, just a checkup?" the medic nodded, reaching for the medical port on the side of my neck. "And what do you mean they have a chaotic nature?"

"They aren't like us, which to most mechs is a bit stressful at times. Bridging the gap between two very different species and cultures isn't the easiest thing to do." I felt the unique soothing touch of the medic inside my helm, and I 'followed' him, just observing what he did. Many times, I found myself doing extensive research on a particular subject, just to get as much knowledge as I could. You never know when it might come in handy.

"Well, I'd say you are adapting much easier than anyone ever has, even Bumblebee," Ratchet complimented as he carefully pulled his mind from mine. "Are you sure you've never seen a human?"

"With all due respect, sir, but I'm sure that would show up in one of your many scans." He grunted in agreement, optics going one shade dimmer than before, indicating he was talking to someone on a comm link. He nodded with whatever was being said, then his optics went back to their usual brightness. Ratchet didn't tell me what he was talking about or to who, and I didn't ask.

… … …

After pinging Prowl about where I was headed, as per to the agreement that Red Alert had ranted about a few days ago, I was on my way to the rec room for energon. It was pretty late at night, almost 23:30, so it wasn't surprising that the hallways were empty. However, as I neared the room, the closed door surprised me. Now, normally it was wide open, even if many mechs had a nasty little habit of running into one another entering and leaving the large room. Cocking an optic ridge, I cautiously continued my trek to the doorway, slowly palming open the door. It was one of the few sliders that had to be manually opened.

I made sure my wings cleared the opening before I really took a good look at the room. I barely registered it sliding closed with a soft noise. However, my optics were locked on the scene in front of me. The large television was playing what seemed to be a movie, with various mechs and humans sitting about on the couches and on the floor.

"-cup of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the field," said the younger looking human mech…no, the younger man, said to the older, but didn't look at him.

"Oh, so why do you need me?" the elder said.

"Every now and then a trigger has to be pulled," he stated after taking a breath.

"Or not pulled. It's hard to know which in your pajamas." There was a pause before he continued. "Q."

"Double-oh seven." I slowly and quietly left unnoticed, confused beyond belief. Maybe I'd just get my energon at a decent hour and not disturb the group. I was almost to my first turn when I hear the door being opened and shut, and near silent pede-falls approaching me. The spark signature and the 'picture' that formed from the sensory feedback from my wings told me who it was before I turned around.

"Jazz," I greeted lowly, my optics meeting his visor and holding my gaze.

"Why'd ya run away back there?" he asked, and it sounded like he was genuinely concerned.

"I'm really not sure what to think of what I saw back there, so I decided to go back to my room." I could feel his optics through his visor, studying me, but my faceplate and posture revealed nothing.

"Ya felt outta place." Okay, I guess something slipped through, after all. Shoot, I'm going to have to work on that.

"No point in denying the obvious, I guess. However, it is fine, I'm just going back to my berth."

"Why don't ya join us? We ain't too far in the movie." Without any further…explanation, he gently grabbed my wrist, obviously ignoring how I stiffened at the contact, and began pulling me back to the rec room.

"What movie is it?" I asked, grumbling to myself. Oh, why did I have to go and get energon this late at night, on this night?

"It's called Skyfall. It's a Bond movie, the latest one, actually." Quickly, I looked up the 'Bond' movie, and found out it was part of the longest running movie series. It was about girls, gadgets, explosions, a bad guy, a plot, and of course, the British MI6 agent, James Bond, otherwise known as 007. I might like this.

Jazz got me caught up in the movie just before we walked in. He brought me over to a little corner, hidden from plain sight of the mechs and humans, but with a great view. After he made sure I was comfortable, he then brought me a cube of the warmed, pink liquid. Just how I was planning on making it. Poking his arm as he sat next to me, I tapped the side of my helm, indicating I wanted to talk, but didn't want to disturb the others. Sure, I was still hesitant of letting anyone in my helm, but I didn't resist as he accessed all my medically offline systems, bypassing their firewalls, and onlined my comm system.

:: Thanks. :: I said to him as I turned back to the movie. The man was talking to a…woman, that's the word, saying something about a 'strapless dress' and a type of gun 'strapped to her thigh.'

:: No probs. Wha's up? ::

:: How did you know just how I wanted my energon? :: I blurted out, not one for beating around the metaphorical bush. Jazz had introduced me to human metaphors not too long ago, so I'd understand if the humans said something of the like.

:: Lucky guess. :: he said after a pregnant pause, and I got the impression he was looking at me out of the corner of his visor. Lucky my skidplate.

:: You can tell me later then. :: I told him, turning off my comm, much to the mild frustration of the silver mech. The saboteur kept pinging me to open the link, but I kept blocking and refusing, making the corner of my lip plates twitch, trying to form a self-satisfied smirk. He even resorted to poking me in the side, even as his visor was locked on the events unfolding on the giant TV.

The movie ended well after midnight, with humans rousing their friends, and mechs dragging the snoring others to their berths. I stood when everyone was gone and stretched, going to dispose of my cube, only to find it wasn't there. I looked to the TIC who had dragged me in here, and saw him grinning widely.

"Ya neva even noticed; it was quite funny," he chuckled, stretching as well. "Well, Ah got an early shift, so Ah gotta head to berth. Night, Pardus." With a smile, he left the rec room, leaving me standing dumbly by myself. Eventually, I gathered myself and went off to my own berth.

As I laid down, offlining my optics and initiating the recharge protocols, and I was near the empty void of recharge, I thought I felt something bite me. However, when I scratched at the area, nothing was there. Shrugging it off, I fell into the abyss willingly.

… … … …

Well, there you have it. I do not own Transformers, Skyfall, any of the Bond series, or any of the characters. Sadly, this is all quite true. And how I got the over 200 number of service people arriving at Diego Garcia is because the Clipper can carry 121 people, so I decided to go general on this account. Just a fun little fact. For those who don't know military time, 23:30 is 11:30 at night. Don't you ever get those moments during a movie or TV show when you're so into it, that someone can walk in front of you and you don't notice? That's where the inspiration for the 'disappearing' cube came from. I also wonder what that 'bite' was. I don't, but you have fun with that. I'd love to hear your speculations on what just happened right there. Have a great day everyone!

Note - Time jump is coming up, be prepared.

Another Note - Updates are going be slower than usual. No, I haven't given up on this story, it still has a ways to go. However, I have school, work, and I'm trying to workout so I can be healthier. As you can tell, I'm going to be very busy. So, I'm sorry that you should only expect two updates a month at the most, once every two months at the least. Again, sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm going to be very busy.