A/N So here we meet some humans! this chapter was more for introducing them than actually pushing the plot along, but we're getting there. So obviously some episodes will be scrapped like 'Sound and Fury' due to soundwave being a decepticon since the beginning, but also because i don't just want to re-write every episode with rix in it. it just won't be fun. I'm also debating about Sari upgrading herself and a few other details (im sure its obvious which ones) but to warn it's about to break a lot of canon.

Rix was torn being accepting the cleaning of her wings and getting as far away as possible. She didn't even know why she was going to this event. It was just a stupid train, what did it have to with them?

Prowl answered publicity, and that Sari had asked them. She had no idea what publicity meant, but understood that the girl was their friend. And while there was no real reason for them to go, there was no reason not to.

He didn't seem very fond of going to the ceremony either, but her attempts to convince him not to go so far hadn't worked. The repair team didn't give her a better reason than as to why she couldn't be left on her own besides 'you're still too young', which in her opinion, was a stupid one.

So while she did want to behave, and the scrubbing and waxing were nice, she really didn't want to go to the presentation of the train or whatever. But she had promised to be on her best behavior, and she wouldn't break it.

Still…

Prowl seemed to understand she was not in the greatest of moods and felt as though he could relate. He enjoyed his solitude and had managed to get comfortable with having other bots in the same room, so long as they were quiet.

This was definitely not his idea of fun, but he was going to deal with it, and unfortunately, she would have to too. At least her wings were folded back as opposed to pinned back, meaning she wasn't as upset as she could be.

"Rix…" He started, letting her twitch her audio receptor at him to indicate she was listening before she turned back to look at him. Hopefully this would improve her mood, both now and later.

"As soon as the ceremony is over, what would you like to do?" This was somewhat new territory for him. Not so much the asking what someone else wanted to do -contrary to popular belief he wasn't selfish or conceited enough to think that what he wanted to do was the best way to live- but Rix wasn't always confident enough to say what she actually wanted to do, as though she was afraid that if she didn't do what he wanted that he would leave her.

And it wasn't just with him. Bulkhead had noticed it too, as she hadn't had much interest with his newfound fondness of painting but still made sure that she was always ready to help. Bumblebee and Sari noticed too after a few days, as it was hard not to when she kept her receptors pinned back from the noise of the TV. The only thing she had enjoyed doing on her own was reading, or being read to.

She had tried flying but had stopped after nearly given them a spark attack by trying to jump off the roof. They were having her wait until Ratchet could get some more files on flying sparklings.

"Can… can we watch the meteor shower tonight, and then a short story?" Her voice was quiet, and she was more focused on her servos.

His brow furrowed, and he quickly did a search. There was no mention of a meteor shower anywhere on the planet.

"What meteor shower?" She shrugged her shoulders, before delicately tapping at the side of her helm.

"You had another episode?" He was worried. Fortunately, at least until now apparently, her episodes had happened whenever another crew member was around, and they were hard to miss when they occurred. It scared him when they happened and he wasn't there, but he'd rather at least someone was there than her have one on her own.

"This one was different. I… it happened during recharge last night. It was… it was nice. It didn't scare me." She didn't seem to be overly upset talking about this episode like the others, so that was a good sign. "Can we?"

"Of course." She rarely asked for much, and she seemed very excited about it.

"Can… can the others come to? And can I still get the short story?"

"Absolutely."

"canistayhomeandnotgotothisceremonyplease?" There it was.

"No."

At that, she pouted, crossed her arms and let her audio receptors fall flat. He sighed, before picking her up and carrying her out of their room and down the stairs toward the rec-room.

Her receptors twitched the closer they got, and he could faintly make out the sounds of a video game, combined with some yelling from Bumblebee and Sari. When he entered the room Ratchet and Optimus's helm turned towards them, and he gently set her onto the ground. She had gotten over refusing to get up during her mini tantrums, but very clearly made her displeasure know by sulking behind his leg.

"Rix…" She huffed, moving to stand in front of his leg, but still crossed her arms and pouted.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't want to go either." She glared up at him.

"No, it don't." Rix grumbled out, and it seemed to anger her further.

Not that there was much an angry sparkling could do, but still, it felt wrong to have her so unhappy.

He, Optimus and Ratchet all felt it, but they weren't sure how to make her happy while still taking her to the ceremony. Ratchet had explained that sparklings moods could fluctuate quickly, not unlike the human's children, and that they couldn't always understand things the way they could. It wasn't ignorance, nor stupidity.

It was just a lack of experience and the fact that she was still too young to understand her mistakes and fix them, along with being to young to be left on her own. She needed their guidance, and they needed patience.

But Primus above it was hard sometimes.

The silence was awkward.

"Alright, uh. Autobots, roll out!" Optimus transformed and open his door, allowing her to climb into the driver's side while Sari got into Bumblebee. Her wings folded on her back and a seatbelt kept her safe. He pulled out of the warehouse first, followed by Prowl, Ratchet then Bumblebee, with Bulkhead following behind. The drive was silent, each preparing themselves for the ceremony, while the sparkling continued to pout.

It was an awkward drive.

"Sars!" The girl let out a happy gasp while getting out of Bumblebee, rushing over to the teenager and jumping at her. The yung woman caught her, hugging her close.

"Fan! I was worried you wouldn't get the time off!" Fan laughed, setting her onto the ground with a smile, showing the pink of her braces.

"Nah, I got your message. Thanks for letting me bring my friends. This is Devra, Trey, Jasper, and Wes." Each gave their own sort of wave at their name, obviously interested by the Autobots.

"It's nice to meet you! Fans told me a lot about you guys. C'mon, I want you to meet my friends!" Sari grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the group of Cybertronians, the rest following close behind.

"Guys, I want you to meet Fan Ziyin. She's the sitter I was telling you about, the one who had a crying freak-out."

"Hah… Thanks Sars, for the lovely introduction." A light blush came over her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck. Her friends laughed softly behind her, and she glared over her shoulder at them. She turned back towards the group of Autobots, and almost took a step back as the red and blue bot of the group kneeled to her level, gently reaching out one of his hands for a… handshake? Fan didn't seem surprised for long by it, holding out her own hand to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Fan." Optimus was gentle, letting go after a few seconds. "Sari's told us a lot about you. I am Optimus Prime."

"All good things, I hope. Seriously though, I hope she's kept it all good, besides the uh, crying thing." She laughed, flicking up her sunglasses. "It's nice to meet you Optimus Prime. Sari has mentioned you all an astounding one time, but I don't blame her considering…" She trailed off, before shrugging her shoulders.

"… everything."

"Of course." He seemed to catch her drift. "It's good to meet you all." He glanced up toward the rest of the group, before focusing back onto Fan. "This is Ratchet, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Prowl, and Rix." He gestured towards, them and-

A tiny head peeked out from around the dark leg of the bot named Prowl, and they almost lost their shit, at the many meanings of what the tiny, childlike looking robot meant. Some pg-13, others definitely not.

Devra recovered first, calmly sidling up beside her best friend.

"Well, it's good to meet the saviors of our fair city. I'm going to ask the obvious question since the rest of them are too much of pu- scaredy cats to ask. Is she really young, or is she just small?"

"Devra!" The use of her full first name and tone scared the Korean, as it was not a combination she heard from the Chinese teen often.

"I am very sorry about this-" Fan tried to apologize, clearly flustered.

But the Autobots took it in stride, and Ratchet answered.

"She's the youngest of our species, comparable to your children." It was all he gave and the glare from Fan made her feel abashed. Her moment of acting the way she did made her remember that this was a job for Fan, and could have had consequences had they taken her attitude poorly, especially with Sari's father nearby.

"I- forgive me, for my lack of manners. It wasn't my intent to be rude, or crass." Devra half bowed, managing to keep from kneeling to the ground.

It obviously flustered the Autobot leader somewhat, but he composed itself.

"No- it's fine. She's definitely new to all of us to. Not that new but-" He composed himself, standing taller slightly. "She's only been with us for a short while, and it's been a long time since our species has had any sparklings." He looked down at Rix before back to Devra.

"It's all okay." Devra smiled softly, before turning towards her friend.

"Fan-"

"You heard him Devra. It's fine." The Chinese woman interrupted her, fiddling with her bracelets in what her friends recognized as a nervous tic. The Korean-American resolved to speak with her later, when the ceremony was all said and done.

The awkward silence that followed was broken by the rapid clack of heels, and a woman turned the corner. She hesitated as they all looked at her, but continued until she met with the scientist and director.

"She's coming."

"Tha-Ow!" Jasper rubbed at his arm, glaring back at the unimpressed Wes who had just punched him in the arm. But he didn't say anything back, and that seemed to keep the peace. Fan was already pissed at one of them, didn't need to be pissed at all of them.

"Thank you, Grace." The voice startled all of them, and they turned back to the door that the now-named Grace had just come from.

To the Autobots, she was another human.

To the humans, she was gorgeous, with dark skin and long hair, with her heels clicking with every step. Makeup was meticulous, ponytail high and sunglasses delicately perched on her head. With a red high waisted skirt and buttoned short-sleeved blouse, she was a paragon of fashion. She was a force to be reckoned with, a powerful woman.

"Miss Bauer!" Sari's father quickly ended the conversation with the director, walking towards the group as Grace took his place for a different conversation. Miss Bauer smiled at him, grasping the hand that he reached out.

"It's an honor to meet you Mr. Sumdac. I've been a huge fan of your work growing up." Her smile was genuine, less forced than it had been earlier.

"And now?"

"Well, I hope to be almost on par with your achievements. And, please, call me Janelle." She let go of his hand a placed it on her hip. A young man and women approached behind her on either side, both with blond hair and well-fitting suits. The man was tapping away at a tablet, while the woman was eyeing the Autobots.

"This is Raleigh and Ava." Raleigh gave a half-assed finger salute, while Ava gave as close to a glare as she could while not actually glaring. Janelle clapped her hands together, clasping them as she stepped a bit closer to the Autobots.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet our cities newest saviors." Optimus reached out a servo and she took it.

"If everything we've been told is true, you already know who we are." She let go, taking a step back.

"Oh absolutely. I make sure I know every savior our fair city has. I can assure you you're not the first. But-" She paused, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"You are definitely the most interest. I believe you are Autobots? Cybertronians to be more exact? Or is it civilian frame? As much as civilian as you can get on your planet."

"How-"

"As I said, I make sure I know everything about our saviors. I know your names. I know quite a bit. Best you remember that." Her tone seemed harsher, while still sweet, and her smile was less genuine.

"You claim you want to protect our city, but there are many who have claimed the same. I always consider the bigger picture." She flicked her hair back over her shoulder, and her earrings glinted. "When you prove that you're genuine, I'll take it into consideration. When you prove that you're not, I'll take that into consideration as well." She held out her hand to the side, and Raleigh placed the tablet in her hand. She tapped at it, before a holographic image popped up, the Decepticon and Autobot symbol.

"I know that you-" She pointed at the Autobot symbol. "- are the protectors of your homeworld. You're the 'good' guys." She made quotation marks with her fingers, before pointing at the Decepticon Symbols. "These are the bad guys. But I've didn't claw my way to the top without learning that everything isn't as it seems. More than meets the eye and all that bullshit. So, prove me wrong, Optimus Prime. Prove that you are a savior, that good is truly good." The woman passed the tablet back across her shoulder, Ava taking it and beginning her work. Janelle didn't give him a chance to respond, turning instead on her heel and left almost as quickly as she arrived.

"…Holy shit." Fan elbowed Wes.

"Watch the swearing. There are kids."

"R-right! Sorry."

"Try not to take it personally. She's been through a lot, and can't risk trusting… people she's just met. Just don't do anything overly stupid and everything will be smooth sailing." Grace stood behind Professor Sumdac, holding a tablet with the Sumdac Logo.

"And you know this because…?"

"I've dealt with her before. Now, make sure you're all ready because we go on in five. Places everyone!" She yelled out the last sentence, and the rest of the staff started to rush, making sure that those that were going on stage were ready.

Prowl glanced down at Rix. She didn't look too pleased but she seemed to be resolved to the fact that she would have to go on stage. And then-

Her optics went the same hue they did during an episode.

Her frame started to tremble, her wings flaring in and out and up and down-

She went still, and her optics returned to normal.

They all exchanged looks. There was no time to ask her what it was about, and the humans looked concerned.

"She'll be fine," The Prime tried to reassure them. "These happen. We're not sure on what causes them-" Which wasn't a complete lie "-But they pass." They still looked concerned but trusted his judgment. It wasn't as though they knew anything about the Autobots.

"Why did you let them know you know about the Decepticons?"

"Certain cards needed to be played. That was one of them."

Rix started trying to shake Ratchets arm. Prowl kept trying to shush her, focusing more on keeping a straight face for the cameras. She knew she was supposed to wait until after the ceremony to tell them, but they needed to know, and they needed to know now, before he showed up. Hopefully Ratchet would get fed up quicker and pay attention to her.

"-yet. Oh Rix, what is it?" His voice was quiet as he looked down at her, but it was clear that she wasn't helping his annoyance. She looked up at him, with wide purple optics.

"Starscream is here."

"Is that guy nuts?! He's headed straight for us!"

"Duck!" Ratchet yelled, grabbed the sparkling and threw himself to the side while the others grabbed the humans.

The ground in front of them exploded, and the dust hid them.

"What the fuck was that?!" Janelle was coughing, trying to fan the dust away from her face. Optimus was shielding her, gently setting her on the ground but keeping her and the others protected. He snapped in place his battle mask and unsheathed his ax.

The dust cleared as the seeker landed.

Rix was quietly sobbing, hiding behind the medic as he tried to keep her behind him. Starscream grinned, and the crowd was in chaos, running as fast and as far away from the Decepticon as possible. The rest of the repair team took up battle defensive positions.

"Greetings Autobots." Rix was terrified of the mech. The pages in the datapad didn't do justice. It was one thing to have battles play out in your helm. It was another to have one of the most dangerous mechs during the war only a few yards away.

"Mind if I crash the party?"