In which events start to escalate quickly.


For about two weeks, all was quiet on and off base. On Monday, I started my physical therapy, first thing in the morning after breakfast, then I went back to work. Ella and Will got me back up to speed, and I officially made Will my XO and successor in COTA leadership, with Simmons listed as a backup just in case. Most of my work after that involved one serious issue: COTA moving.

With Ebonspark's infiltration, it was deemed that the Smithville base was too open, too easy for enemies to get close to, besides the fact its location would most likely be known. So, we were looking for new bases to move the 'Bots to. A lot of them were bases we had considered during the initial negotiations, but there were a few new ones as well, offered up by the countries of our foreign agents. Some were sounding decent, but there was one in particular that stuck out to me: a small island in the Virgin Islands, where a base had been built during the Cold War, but never became operational, due to the fall of the Soviet Union, and no one else had ever moved onto the island. The base took up one end of the island, while the other was mostly field, having been clear cut in preparation for the residency housing that never came. I had a good feeling about that place, so I noted it as my first choice.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday at four in the afternoon, I would meet with one of COTA's counselors, Dr. Gardner. And I honestly was trying to be open to him, but I also didn't want to risk COTA being taken from me. And, okay, maybe that's the start of a villain's fall, to think only I could guide us to the optimal path, but I also was blessed (or maybe cursed) with foreknowledge that meant I really probably could guide us to the optimal path. So, therapy wasn't having excelling progress, but it was enough to keep me in place.

Life on base went on as it ever did. Bots and troops training together, Lindsey's team monitoring the skies and airwaves, Ella reviewing budget and other public relations business, with Aunt Josephine adding her expertise to the discussions. The other civilians were finding ways to stay occupied while also being out of the way. Galloway was still hanging around, with the reason being "to keep a closer eye on the current situation." I wanted nothing more than to banish him, but I couldn't without probable cause so he had to stay. I couldn't. Cogman had neatly inserted himself as my gofer and PA, as well as making sure I was following Ratchet's directions to a T. About the only time he didn't was when I was with Bee and Mikaela in his room, and even so I half expected him to be standing in the hall like the mom from Mean Girls.

Every morning, whenever I woke up, I would spend a few minutes feeling out the AllSpark. She was still there, but she was very very quiet. Before it was like having a roommate in my head. Now, she wasn't even a whisper in the back of my mind unless I focused on her. I hadn't realized how used to her I was until she was gone. It made me feel a bit lonely, though Bee and Mikaela often made me feel better.

As for me and my amanti, we were doing very well. After our first night, I felt we were even closer than before, and while we weren't having sex every night, it was definitely something we were doing. Obviously, we couldn't go out of base for date nights, but we managed to make do, like having a midnight picnic to watch the South Delta Aquarids meteor shower on the 28th.

It was a week after that we got our first sign of 'Con activity. I was in my office working on paperwork when the attack alarm went off. I jumped up and took off for the command center, quickly joined by the other leadership.

"The energon detectors we placed in Tranquility have gone off," Lindsey explained to us, bringing up a map of my hometown, with a red dot representing the Con. "Only one signal so far, but more could be coming, or hiding."

"It's a lure," Prowl said. "Most likely trying to capture Alison's parents to draw her out."

I shuddered a little as I recalled the scene in the second movie where exactly that happened. "Good thing they're safely on base, along with Starry and the Lancasters."

"Or it's bait, and we'll be leaving the base open for their own attack," Elita suggested.

"But, since we know the risk, we won't leave it open," Jazz said.

It was decided that about half the 'Bots would head to Tranquility along with a single squad of COTA led by Will, while the other half and rest of COTA would remain on base. We also brought all the civilians into HQ, where they would be safer in case of an attack. Obviously, I was not going to be allowed to go on this mission, nor was I really wanting to either. So instead, I stayed in HQ, watching the monitors with Lindsey as the away team (consisting of Optimus, Elita, Jazz, Coppertone, the Chevy Twins, Arcee and Jolt) rolled out. In a way, this was good, cause I could see the other side of the battles, the kind of leading Moreshower did.

After a tense hour, the away team made contact with the Con, who we could see though the human's body cams and the Bot's optic feeds. They were a red 'Con with a fairly obvious 'Con symbol on their hood. He led the 'Bots through town, thankfully without attacking anything, and they ended up at the tunnel where Bumblebee had scanned his alt mode. There, they changed, and snarled as they lunged at Jazz, who managed to transform and start grappling with the 'Con.

::Slag! It's Dead End!:: Jazz said, his optic feed filled with gnashing teeth and red plating.

::The Vamp Con!:: Skids yelled, transforming with his twin and Arcee to help Jazz out. Elita and Jolt managed to squeeze themselves past them, heading to the end of the tunnel to block it off, as the space was too tight for them to transform. Optimus blocked the other side, and thankfully it was a dead time of day, so no civilians were caught inside. Will and the soldiers parked their jeeps and jumped out to run in.

The fight both seemed to drag forever and speed by, and afterwards, I really only recalled flashes of it. Skids and Mudflap pulling Dead End off Jazz only for the 'Con to try and bit off Mudflap's face. Arcee darting in and out with attacks to incapacitate. The soldiers taking what pot shots they could. Skids and Mudflap managing to bounce Dead End between them like a table hockey puck, before the 'Con turned the tables by managing to latch onto Skid's arm and tear open an energon line. But, this proved his undoing, as while he was distracted by trying to drink the energon that spilled out, he made himself an open target, and took several sabot rounds to the back before collapsing to the ground.

Arcee pointed her blaster at the 'Con's head. ::Any last words?::

Dead End coughed up energon, and hissed at her. ::The grasp of the Fallen is ever reaching, there is no escape.::

I inhaled sharply, for it sounded so similar to Demolisher's warning. It's not the same, I told myself. This is not the movie.

::Not with that attitude there isn't. Say goodnight, 'Con.:: Arcee fired and Dead End's helm blew apart.

I sighed as the away team and the command center turned to clean up duties, like clearing the bits of debris that got torn up in the fights, and Ella calling the Tranquility police to spin a story to cover the damage. It was a little nerve wracking to be on this side of things, and I had to give major props to Mikaela for doing this twice. Dead End's body was loaded on a flatbed brought along for that purpose, and the team returned to Base.

While that was happening, Base was prepared for ambush, with eyes on the sky and weapons at the ready. But despite our fears, nothing happened. There was no sign of an attack while the away team was away, nor while they were on the way back, nor for several hours afterwards. We still kept an eye out, but there wasn't so much as a blip on our radar. Ratchet and the medical-mechanics broke down Dead End for parts, and that was that. Well, mostly.

Since the battle at Beale and Dr Ishihara joining of COTA, she and Wheeljack had been working on improving the Spark armor. Considering the new threat, they were stepping up their game with it. Wheeljack decided to use some of Dead End's smaller parts to construct some better armor, giving me more protection without sacrificing too much of my maneuverability. The new plating was fairly lightweight and extended to cover my chest and back, as well as the undersides of my arms and back of my legs. There were still sensors inside the suit to monitor my physical condition, and Wheeljack was trying to see about getting some kind of transforming weapon in one of my bracers. He decided to replace the wiring inside with some from Dead End's body, and so he was having me test out Spark IV a week after the fight.

The testing had mainly consisted of having me run through about half of my previous exercise routine, as well as a couple sparring katas (I still ached a bit to think of Asami teaching them to me). Ratchet and my PT were also there, as depending on how well the testing went, they might allow me to ease back into the routine again.

I was doing a kata against Cogman, who had agreed to be my practice dummy, when Galloway showed up. "Director," he said, coming closer.

"Mr. Galloway." I didn't pause in my movements as I threw a series of punches at Cogman, who blocked them all. "I apologize for not stopping, but I don't want to mess up the test results."

"Oh, no, of course not." He looked behind me, and experience told me he was directing his question to my PT trainer. "How is her progress?"

"I'm afraid that's doctor-patient confidentiality," she said.

"Feel free to tell him," I said, sweeping into a kick that Cogman blocked and knocked back. "I'll be talking about it when we're done here anyway."

"Alison had regained around eighty percent of the body mass she lost on the Nemesis," Ratchet said. "She has also regained most of her stamina, and I am feeling fairly confident in allowing her to restart her previous training regimen, with some restriction."

"That's fantastic!" I said, sending a series of jabs at Cogman's stomach before dropping to try and sweep his leg. "I've been feeling a bit antsy without my morning routine."

"That is very good," Galloway said. "Which does lead into why I sought you out." I caught him messing with the buttons on his wrist out of the corner of my eye. "I've been in communication with the president, and he recently raised some… concerns."

"Concerns?" I asked, moving from the offensive part of the kata to the defensive, blocking the slow punches Cogman sent towards my face. "What of?"

"Of whether you are truly well enough to continue as Director."

My heart jumped in my chest, and instinct was what kept me able to block the kick Cogman sent at my side. "And what is the cause of this concern?"

"There has always been one regarding your age, though this was set aside with the assurance that you would listen to your advisors and make informed decisions. But after your capture, there is worry your mental state is not sound."

I heard the rumble in Cogman's engine, and tapped slightly into the AllSpark to make sure I could block and hold him as he turned to advance on Galloway. "I do not care for the insinuation that my lady is mad, liaison Galloway," he said.

"That is not what I am saying, at all," Galloway said, taking a half step back which made me smile inside. "But you haven't had a full, proper psychological work up since your return. I know you have been attending counselling, but the stresses of leading might strain you beyond that. Especially if this Fallen is truly the threat you say he is. You can understand why this would be a major concern."

I leveled a look at him, made more effective by the fact my eyes were currently glowing blue. "I understand exactly what threat the Fallen is. More than anyone else here." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting go of the AllSpark and I felt my eyes shift back to normal as I opened them. "If it would lay concerns to rest, I will request a full evaluation from Dr. Gardener at our next session and allow him to share the results with you."

"Thank you, Director. That will ease a lot of minds." He held his hands up. "I will let you get back to your testing. Good day." He walked out, and Cogman steadied me as I sagged slightly. For some reason, tapping into the AllSpark for even simple things was still more draining than it had been before.

"Are you alright my lady?" Cogman asked.

"I'm okay." I straightened and turned to Ratchet. "Sorry if I messed up the results there at the end."

Ratchet waved it aside. "We got enough before that. Take a break while we look everything over."

I did, eating some of the ever present snacks Cogman had for me (Apple slices and grapes this time, I swear the mech had a minifridge in his subspace, he just pulls them out of nowhere). After about twenty minutes, Ratchet gave me my results, which was that I could resume my physical training, though only half as much as I previously had been doing. He'd let me work back up to my full regime over the next month or so. Cogman and Arcee would be my training partners, to make sure I didn't overdo it. It was fantastic news for me, and after I told Mikaela and Bee, we celebrated that night.

It seemed we'd only just dropped off to sleep when a loud yell from the hall jerked me and Mikaela awake. For a moment, I thought it was just Dispensor, or maybe one of the twins, but then I heard Cogman's voice call out, "Not so fast, you 'Con filth!". I sprang out of bed, barely taking a moment to wrap myself in a robe before Bumblebee grabbed me.

"Bee!"

"I'm not letting you out there with a 'Con!" he said. "Let the others detain him first, then you can go out. And maybe get dressed first."

He was right, I realized, and sighed. "Okay. Thanks, Bee." I shook my head as he set me back on the balcony, where Mikaela had also jumped out of bed, though she was just wrapped in a blanket. "You'd think I'd know better by now."

"You are a bit thick headed sometimes," she teased me and kissed my cheek. "Come on, let's get dressed, then we'll see what's happening at…" she looked at the clock on her phone. "Three o'clock in the morning."

By the time we were dressed, the noise outside had quieted and Bee let us go investigate. The scene made me gasp.

Dangling in Cogman's grip like a naughty stray cat, and almost spitting like one too, was Wheelie. The little shit had one optic crushed and one of his arm struts was obviously broken. He caught my eye, and asked "Hey, Bearer, mind telling your attack dog to let me go?"

"Oh I'll show you dog, you mongrel." Cogman shook him and Wheelie scrabbled at his wrist.

"Cogman, cease and desist." I turned at Optimus's voice, my focus so solely on Wheelie I didn't even realize he was there. Elita was behind him, and Arcee, Copper, N-Sync and their sparklings were by their doors, while also not so casually blocking the door of the Nursery to keep the hatchlings back. "Alison, do you recognize this Decepticon?"

Yeah, I recognize this little piece of shit, I thought, but answered. "No, I don't. Never saw him before."

"Course not, I'm just recon, I'm not on the front of anything," Wheelie said. "Come on, go easy on me, I'm just following orders."

"What orders?" Mikaela asked, but a wave of Optimus's servo stopped Wheelie from answering.

"We will question the prisoner elsewhere," Optimus said. "This is not the place."

"Barracks 5 is empty," Elita said, and Optimus nodded.

"Coppertone, N-Sync, remain with the hatchlings. Elita, collect Will, Simmons and Galloway, and inform the team to keep an eye out, in case this is a distraction." Optimus said, then looked to me, raising his brow slightly. I raised mine back and crossed my arms. He nodded, turned around and led the way out. Bumblebee scooped me and Mikaela up and followed.

Barracks 5 was the last of the 'Bots' quarters, and the only one empty, because Barricade had declared he would sooner throw himself into a smelter than share a barracks with either sets of twins, and Jolt took that opportunity as well, so Barracks 3 and 4 were both half full. We all gathered in one of the rooms, Mikaela and I safely on Bee's shoulders while Cogman stood on the scaffold, and waited for Elita and the men to show up.

While we did, Cogman pulled a barstool and a dog chain (and where the heck did he get those!?) from his subspace, setting Wheelie down on it before clipping the end of the chain around his neck. He then pulled a small blow torch from his subspace and held it against the latch, despite Wheelie's protests of "Hey, hey, hey, watch the plating, you crazy fragger!" Once he was satisfied, he put the torch away, picked up the end of the chain, and looked to Optimus.

''The prisoner is secure, Prime."

"Thank you, Cogman." Optimus said, and a moment later, Elita came in with Will, Simmons and Galloway and Prowl. This was the first time I'd ever seen Galloway without a suit coat, though he still had a tie while Simmons hadn't bothered.

"So this is a Decepticon?" he asked, giving Wheelie a distasteful look. "Scrawny thing." He took a step forward, but Simmons held him back.

"Careful. S7 had a few guys lose eyes and fingers to hatchlings half his size, and they were in a box."

"Yeah, you don't wanna mess with me," Wheelie said, spreading his plating to try and look bigger. "I will frag you up, make you run crying for carrier, and- Hey, hey, hey, back off!" he cut off as Cogman pulled out the blow torch again and held it by his helm.

"You will be silent unless asked a question, 'Con."

"Cogman," Optimus warned, and Cogman pulled the torch back, though he didn't put it away.

Optimus looked to Prowl, who nodded, and stepped up.

"What is your designation?"

"What's it to you!?" Wheelie asked, crossing his arms best he could with one basically snapped.

"It's common decency to call you by their designation, unless you'd prefer a prisoner identification number."

Wheelie scowled. "They call me Wheelie. Happy?"

"How did you infiltrate our base?" Prowl continued with the questioning.

"Wouldn't you like to- Hey hey!" He jerked back as Cogman leaned in with the torch. "I was smuggled in on Dead End, okay! Creep had a special subspace pocket installed and I hid inside. Once I was on the base it unlocked and I managed to sneak out before he got dismantled. And good riddance to him too, he's nuts! All that pre-processed energon, you can't tell me that doesn't do something to a mech."

"What was your mission?"

Wheelie shifted away from Cogman's torch as far as he could before he answered. "Okay, so you know about this Matrix thing, right? Well, Megatron's just gone absolutely crazy about it after the Bearer got away. Like, he nearly beat up Soundwave for not knowing his sister was a traitor, which is ridiculous, cause it's not like they're split spark, they can't read each other's minds. So then he makes this brilliant new plan, okay. I'd hide on Dead End and get here on base, then when things got quiet, I'd sneak out, find the Bearer and stick this in her intake." He reached into his subspace and pulled out a silver and green worm thing, that started wiggling in his grip. The men all took a step back and Bee raised a servo protectively in front of me.

"And what would this thing do?" Prowl asked.

"Read her memories, record them, then transmit them back to base. Megatron says she knows where the Matrix is, and he's gonna get it, no matter what. Honestly, I don't get why he's so into it. I mean, it's a sparkling story, no one actually thinks it's real, right?"

He lost his grip on the worm then, and it fell to the floor. Before it could get far though, Cogman stepped on it, twisting his pede so it was properly crushed underfoot.

"What are the Decepticons' plans if you succeeded?" Prowl asked

"Pit if I know, I'm just a scrap salvage drone, no one tells me anything. Probably the same as any planet we come across that has something we need; invade, conquer and take it. Probably something about recapturing the Bearer or something."

"Have you heard of any plans involving the Fallen?" I asked, the words bubbling out before I could stop them.

Wheelie gave me a look. "That's an even bigger sparkling story than the Matrix. I mean sure, Soundwave's team has rumors that there's this big ol' sarcophagus in the third quarter of the ship that no one's allowed into except him, Megatron and Ebonspark, but the only living one to supposedly see it is the Pretender, and she's scrapslag crazy."

"Is that so?" Galloway asked, and gave me a look. Fuck.

"Do you know any other information, Wheelie?" Optimus asked. "If you can tell us their next move, we may be able to provide you with refuge from the Decepticons."

"I barely know what the plan is day to day, I got nothing on the long term. Rest of it's probably useless, since you got Note Sync and her brats."

"You are certain you have no other relevant information?" Cogman asked, and something about his tone put me on edge.

"I swear by the AllSpark, that's all I know."

"Then you're no further use to us." Before anyone else could move or speak, Cogman switched out the blowtorch for a small blaster, and pulled the trigger. Wheelie's chest exploded outward and small pieces of shrapnel flew through the air, luckily not directly at anyone due to the angle Wheelie had been turned. His optic darkened and he fell off the stool to the floor with a crash.

The room was stunned silence for a moment, then various exclamations of "What the hell!" and "Cogman!" rang out, including my own.

"What?" Cogman put the blaster away and knelt down to break the dog chain off of Wheelie's body. "He admitted he knew no other information. Wasn't that the term you put for his asylum?"

"It could have made the difference between being held in stasis, or being given a parole similar to Barricade's," Optimus said. "We do not execute prisoners without a trial."

"Even in stasis, he could be a threat." Cogman picked up a piece of the worm and held it up, energon dripping from it. "He was carrying this in his subspace after all. Who knows what else could be hidden on him, or Dead End even. I would suggest a thorough look over of all the parts dismantled from him."

"It is still wrong, Cogman," I said, tapping Bee's shoulder until he set me on the scaffold and I stood before him. "I understand you take your duties and Guardian and Knight-Commander seriously, but when we treat POWs like this, we end up no better than the Decepticons." Dark of the Moon briefly flashed before my eyes, Soundwave ruthlessly executing Que, and only his grandstanding and the efforts on the minicon on the floor the reason Bumblebee was spared. I looked down at Wheelie, and sadness welled in me. Sure, I didn't particularly care for the mini, at least the crass and annoying side of him the movies showed, but he had helped save the day and the world twice. He didn't deserve to die like that. There wasn't even a chance of trying to revive him, he didn't have the connections to keep him at the top of the Well.

I looked at Optimus. "I'll turn to your judgement on what punishment to give to Cogman."

Optimus nodded, and looked to Cogman. "Cogman, as punishment for your crime, you will be held in this room for the next month, or until our next battle with the Decepticons. Fuel will be brought to you, and you will be allowed to receive visitors for a period of two hours a day. Is this understood?"

Cogman nodded. "I do not regret my action, but I understand."

"Well, if that is all," Galloway said, yawning. "I am returning to bed. You bots always seem to do things way too early around here."

"I'll take you back to the barracks," Elita said, and Will and Simmons went with them. Optimus collected Wheelie's and the worm's parts for Ratchet and Wheeljack, and left with Bee, Mikaela and I. As we left, Prowl led Cogman through detainment procedures, which included clearing his subspace (did I see a toaster and a potted plant in the pile?).

The news that Wheelie had so easily hidden unsettled everyone, with shifty eyes being thrown at previously benign electrical equipment and appliances. Luckily, the next day, Wheeljack and Ishihara finished the handheld energon detectors and so a thorough search of base was conducted, HQ first then the other buildings. The detectors proved basically useless in Optimus's office, the medbay, the lab, and Bot Quarters, so instead more security cameras were installed, in hopes to catch anything hidden. Every other building was cleared and life went back to normal for the rest of that week, with the one change that Arcee insisted on running me through the basics of laser lathi that she had been teaching me and Mikaela, and she gave me a pair of collapsible poles to wear, so I'd be armed in some way. Mikaela herself had a pair too.

On Monday, I was working in my office on some paperwork and minutiae when Aunt Josephine came in. "Dr. Gardner asked me to deliver this to you," she said, holding up a file folder.

I immediately straightened and held my hand out for the report. "Thank you, Aunt Josie. I've been waiting for this."

"I think we all have," she said. "The whole family has been worried for you, and what you went through."

Oh yeah, the state of my mental health. That's a thing people care about. "I'm fine, Aunt Josie. I'm more so glad to have this so I can get Galloway off my back."

"Is he really so bad?" Josephine asked. "He's prickly, but Ella tells me you've hated him practically since day one."

Yeah, I never really fooled anyone with that. "I can't really explain it. I've just... always had an off feeling about him. I wasn't skilled enough to hide my disdain for him back then."

"And you do such a good job of it now," she teased me, then picked up my outbox papers. "I'll distribute these for you. Blue for Ella, Green for Lennox, right?"

"Right. Thank you, Aunt Josie." As she started to leave, I asked, "Oh, who's doing dinner this week?"

"Your mother. I think she's gonna try one of the new recipes Beth and her found while researching that book."

"Sounds like an adventure," I said with a smile and we both chuckled. "Talk to you later."

She waved and left the office, closing my door behind her. Once it was shut, I practically ripped open the file, reading over the summary of the report.

… After thorough analysis, Ms. Witwicky has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She is attending counseling to manage her trauma, and is fully capable of continuing her duties as Director of COTA provided she continues to attend. Future testing and analysis may be required if Ms. Witwicky undergoes another trauma.

I sighed as I finished reading, and dropped the file on the desk. PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's one thing to basically know you have it in the back of your head, quite another to be holding a paper officially saying it. And, sure, I'm on the opposite end of far from the only one to suffer from it (I'm pretty sure the only ones on base who don't have any are the Base Brats, and that is still a toss up), but it's still different. Still, the official report was in, and Galloway couldn't be on my back about it anymore, so I considered it a won battle.

I set the file to the side and turned back to my computer. I'd read through the rest of the report and try to make sense of the medical-ese later, for now I had a few emails to read over before I could- OW!

I pulled my hand back and found a puncture, right above the heel of my palm, welling with blood. I looked down at my mouse and saw a needle sticking out the end. Then a second one slid out from it and they both began to transform, turning into spindly spider shapes. I gasped and pushed myself back as Scalpel clicked across my desk.

"Now, now, my lady, don't be frightened," he said with his German accent, waving his forked leg at me. "I do not vish to hurt you. I simply vant to look in your brain for the information my master needs. Nothing personal, just business."

Well, that was reassuring. I tried to scream, but all that came out was a faint squeak. A second try gave the same result. I couldn't scream. I couldn't.

"Now, if you vould lay still for me," Scalpel kept talking, "zen vee can get through zis relatively painlessly. Or, we can do it zee painful way. I don't mind, so it's up to you."

I think he pulled something from his subspace, I couldn't see to be sure, but a moment later a writhing mass of tentacles was in his servos. My eyelids started drooping and despite my attempts, I couldn't keep them open. I couldn't. My face started to go slack, and I felt like I wasn't getting enough air. I started breathing deeply, and only just faintly heard clicking and movement before the worm leapt at my face.

I reared back and ended up knocking my chair off its legs. The wind knocked out of me as I hit the floor, and the worm used that as an opportunity to stick its head in my mouth. The taste of metal, energon and some substance I did not want to know the name of coated my tongue. It reached the back of my throat, but my gag reflex didn't react.

That terrifying bit of information kicked my panic to high gear and I instinctively tapped into the AllSpark, gathering some energon into my palm as I yanked the worm away, it screaming and squirming in my grip.

The connection centered me, and my panic began to fade. I started cataloging what exactly was wrong with me. I couldn't feel my face. I couldn't. I couldn't swallow or gag. I couldn't. My breathing was becoming labored. The worm was wrapping itself around my hand and wrist while simultaneously trying to get away from the energon in my palm.

~I'm burning off as much of the poison as I can,~ the AllSpark said. ~But he anticipated it, and hit you with a strong dose. You have maybe three minutes.~

I'll have to make it work.

I rolled onto my side and slammed the worm into the ground, increasing the energon in my hand. The worm kept squealing, and I slammed it twice, three times more before it finally released me and stilled. I thought it was dead, but I wanted it far away from me, so I threw it, where I wasn't sure. Then I took a few moments to breath deeply, trying to get air in me, while drool dripped to the floor. I was starting to become familiar with the signs I was close to passing out. It was three in the afternoon, no one was expecting me anywhere till four. I could die before anyone found me.

Panic button. I need my panic button. It had been installed after the kidnapping, as a just in case. I don't think anyone ever expected it to be used. Best laid plans and all that.

I still couldn't see, so I started to feel my way to my desk. The button was on the underside, right by my mouse. Oh, Primus, please don't let Scalpel have cut the wire.

I might have almost made it, but Scalpel jumped on my back, and I turned my attention to trying to get him off me.

"Vee could have done this zee easy vay, but now, vee must do it zee hard way. Zee brain must be on zee table!" I could hear a buzzing sound and would have groaned if I had my voice.

Not on your fucking life, bitch! I grabbed him and chucked him away from me, reaching up to feel along the bottom of my desk. Where is it, where is it, there! I slammed the panic button, then Scalpel lunged again and I lifted my left hand up, letting out a silent scream as the saw cut into my hand. I tried to draw more energon, to burn him, but I couldn't maintain it. I grabbed at him with my other hand, caught what I think was his head, and yanked him away, scooting out the other side of the desk.

I reached up on my desk, looking for something, anything to use as a weapon. My hand came across something, heavy and square, and I gripped it as tight as I could. I pinned Scalpel with my other hand and brought the cube down on his body. I slammed it, and felt him jerk, so I did it again. And again. And again. I didn't stop until the cube slipped from my grip and Scalpel was completely still under my hand.

I was gasping for breath now. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move my hand. I couldn't. I couldn't. I laid down, and I prayed someone came. I thought I heard the door open and someone yell something before it all went dark.


AN: And once again... *Singing* Cliffhanger, hanging from a cliff~!

So what'd ya'll think of this chapter? Were Wheelie and Scalpel expected or a shock? What about Galloway's behavior? Any guesses on what will happen to Alison? Let me know!

Also, if anyone is interested, I have a discord server for the purpose of talking about AllSpark, my other fics, and Transformers in general. Here is the link, just remove parentheses and spaces. The invite code is discord.g( )g/zA7kawu.

A reminder, AllSpark is on a biweekly update schedule, so the next update will be on April 17.

Guest Review Replies

GUEST 1 (CH 42): I haven't seen the movies. I was thinking of robots in disguise. Y'know, the one with minicons?
I also meant in "will there be another one like Alison?" Another techno-organic that was mostly human.
Ah, I see. Either way, no, AllSpark Drift will be much more his IDW self, but maybe I'll give him some minicon buddies (I'll see how that works with plotting). As for another technorganic, no, Alison is 100% unique in that regard, unless she and Bumblebee were to have a kid, which if I decided to use that would not be until AllSpark 3 (but i'm already using a pregnancy subplot for someone in AllSpark 2, so likely not).

GUEST 2 (CH 42): Will we be screwing around with time travel?
Nope, Alison and Co will not be screwing around with time travel, at least as so planned.

I'll see you all in two weeks, same 'Bot Time, same 'Bot Channel!