Disclaimer: I only own my OCs. Vox belongs to a friend.

Lizzie: This looks stressful.

Authoress: Of course it does. You are training to be a strategist and that is the title of this chapter. Obviously, something big is going to happen.

Lizzie: *upset* Just rub it in why don't you?

Frenzy: *laughs* Don't be so tense Lizzie. You'll to great!

Rumble: *nods* Yeah. What's the worse that can happen?

Lizzie: *panics* Don't say that in front of the Authoress!

AN: And here is where I respond to reviews that I couldn't respond to by PM.

Guest: Sorry for the worry. I should be back for a while now so I'll try to not worry you again. I know I've thrown in a lot of bots but don't worry too much about it. There won't be any new Cybertronians added for a while now and the ones I have brought in won't be in focus for the most part. Maybe a POV here or there. As for Hot Rod, I'm sorry but I have this story planned out and he wouldn't fit in with the things I plan. However, there may be a possibility for a sequel when everything is said and done. Maybe there... Oh, and I am glad that I am alive too!

Chapter 13: Strategist

Lizzie's 1st P.O.V.

"Deviations from strategies involving large-scale troop deployments, strategies involving high seeker battle involvement, adjustments to small-scale assaults in territories highly capable of being ambush sites…" I mumbled to myself as I read the notes on the datapads in front of me. My stress levels were at an all-time high over the past day. With how everybot was acting lately, I had a feeling that my test was coming very soon. It could come at any minute and I had to be ready for whatever they threw at me. Different climates, how many troops would be at my disposal, different classes of fighters from both our side and that of the enemy…all of it was probably going to be tested.

The one part of the test that I was going to fear was if something unexpected happened. Normally, a strategist could plan out a few strategies for what they faced based off what they were given as information. However, there was always the chance that something unexpected would happen. Something that couldn't be foreseen by the information that the strategist was given. However, the strategist had to be ready, on the spot, to come up with an alternative that would help guarantee the success of the mission.

That was hard to study for and was hard to translate from human to Cybertronian. Humans mentality, which I had been working of fusing with the Cybertronian mentality that I had been speed-learning over the time since I had been on the Nemesis, was very flexible and not always translatable to what a Cybertronian would observe of the situation.

"You looked stressed."

I jumped when I heard Rumble speak from behind me. When I turned, I saw that both Frenzy and he were sitting on the bed and staring at me sitting on Soundwave's workstation. Since they hadn't done their prank on me yet, I had a feeling that they were told to hold off on doing anything to me until this test was out of the way. If I died, then that would be more than enough revenge. If I managed to pass, however, then they would have that much more time to plan up a prank on me. At least, that was how I would get them to hold off on anything if I was in Soundwave's place.

In response to Rumble, however. "Of course. My final test could be given at any click and I need to be prepared for that. As easy as it would be to do, I don't want to end up as a stain on some operating table of Knockout's med bay." I reminded the twins as I continued to stare at all my notes.

Everything that I needed, for the most part, to keep me alive was laying stored in the datapads in front of me. I would be ready for whatever sort of test that I was given. I knew that much. Whether I passed it would be different.

"Lizzie," Frenzy started as the two of them crawled up to me. Once they were on the table, they walked over, and he continued. "I doubt that you are going to fail this test, Lizzie. You were able to make up a plan to prank us. That isn't easy to do, and we have overcome many pranks set up by strategists that were Decepticons. If they were allowed to live, then I bet you are going to do just fine."

A small smile slipped onto my face as I looked at the twins. "Thanks, mechs."

"So, if you do end up failing…I get your side of the bed…right?" Frenzy asked officially ruining the moment.

"No." I answered him bluntly as I turned back to my notes.

But, before I could return to studying, Soundwave walked in and came right up to the table. The three of us looked up at him as he looked down at us for a few nanos. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Soundwave's screen lit up before he started using clips. "Our Lord and Master, requests your presence, head to the bridge." That meant that Lord Megatron was wanting to see me. A cold chill traveled down my spine as his words echoed in my head. Something told me that this was it. But, I wouldn't know for sure until I went with Soundwave.

So, I nodded. "Then we shouldn't keep Lord Megatron waiting any longer." I then hopped onto Soundwave's awaiting servo, after grabbing a datapad to keep more notes on, and waited. Soon, I was raised up into the air and saw that the twins were gathering up my datapads. That was even more evidence that this was probably it. I was going to have to prove myself to the Decepticons here with whatever plan Lord Megatron had planned for me to strategize.

Butterflies took up my entire stomach as we approached the doors to the bridge. Hopefully, I would be able to do this. I allowed the nervousness to stay there until we arrived at the doors of the bridge. Once Soundwave stopped, however, I quashed the butterflies. I needed a calm head to get passed this and butterflies were not going to help.

The doors to the bridge opened and I felt my stomach sink slightly at the sight of all the Decepticons, who weren't drones, standing there staring at me. I was slightly intimidated by the look that Astrotrain was sending me and I decided to look away from him and toward the focus of my thoughts; Lord Megatron. I tried to look as deferential as I could as he studied me with a studying look. I felt like he was boring into my soul with that look.

Since he was the one that asked me here, I figured that I should get this started. "Lord Megatron, you requested my presence?" I gently prodded the leader to get on with what I was sure was about to happen.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Astrotrain tense and everybot else look at Lord Megatron as he suddenly moved, nodding his helm, before he spoke. "Yes Lizzie Val, I did." He then motioned to one of the monitors. With a few clicks of the keys provided by Vox, the screen lit up and showed a string of Cybertronian. From the little that I had been practicing on learning since Soundwave became my guardian and the twins took up being my friends and personal bodyguards, I could tell that this was some classified database. My first thought was that it was the Iacon database. But, then my memories flashed back to the show and, unless that had changed too, then the Decepticons couldn't get into that yet…if they even had it. This was something different…and something bigger.

"What…is this?" I asked slowly, in awe of the amount of information that was being displayed on the screen in front of me.

To my dying day, which I hoped wasn't going to be soon, I swore I saw a quick smirk on Lord Megatron's faceplate before he spoke. "This is the Praxian database. Thanks to the efforts of Vox, we were able to have sole access to this while the Autobots don't even know that it still exists. During our decoding, we came across a set of coordinates that are located here on this planet."

He then motioned to Vox, who nodded before typing in some more things before the coordinates came up onto the screen. He then typed a few more things in before the image of a glaciated island came up on the screen. "Rudulf Island, a part of humanity's Russian Federation. Arctic conditions that may cause problems after long exposure. The coordinates point to a glacier wall that is near a frozen tundra." Vox reported to me as he zoomed in on the location. "There are various locations where both ourselves and the enemy could lie in wait. At this location, we believe that there should be a data cylinder. What is contained within that cylinder is unknown. However, it can't fall into enemy servos."

I nodded once at the information that Vox had just presented me. Before I could respond to it, however, Lord Megatron began to speak again. "I wish for you, Lizzie, to plan a strategy that will allow us to retrieve the cylinder with as little injury as possible while causing the enemy as much confusion as you can plan. All of our troops will be needed for this mission to be completed. The number of drones that accompany us can be determined by you and how your planning turns. You have one cycle to plan out your strategy."

"Of course, Lord Megatron." I answered him as I hopped into Soundwave's awaiting servo. As my guardian turned to the door, I whipped out the datapad that I had brought with me and immediately dug up all the research that I could on Rudulf Island and the different scenarios that could take place. From what I was seeing already, there were not many flat surfaces on the island. That would allow both our side and the Autobots to have full use of cover and the same footing while in bot mode. However, we would have an advantage with the air since the Autobots only had one flier, the triple changer Springer, while we boasted eight total bots, who were not drones, who could fly.

As Soundwave neared his room, I felt a quick sense of adrenaline course through me. My moment was now and even Primus would not be getting in my way. I would pass this and I was going to make sure that I planned for everything that could come my way.

I would not fail!

Soundwave's 1st P.O.V.

I felt a small feeling of worry come from Frenzy and Rumble as the three of us watched Lizzie plan out her strategy to retrieve the cylinder that was uncovered in the Praxian database. Even though we had a copy of the Iaconian database, and we had decoded a large number of its contents, Lord Megatron felt that retrieving the items that were hidden within the codes of the Praxian database would be best for the Decepticon cause.

It was information that the Autobots did not have access to and that would place us one step ahead of the enemy. Plus, while the Iaconian database held the locations of powerful relics and important data that was being held in Iacon, the Praxian database had been used to store many more weapons and more information than the Iacon database did. If we were able to retrieve most of the items stored in the records of the Praxian database, then we would be able to overcome the items that the Iaconian database had in its codes.

Before we learned of Vox's transfer to the Decepticon ranks, we had heard that the Praxian database had been wiped right after the attack. Our intelligence reports had discovered that an Autobot had been at the controls before the systems in Praxus wiped the information. However, what they hadn't realized was that the Autobot had been able to download the database before it had been wiped. Vox had been the only bot with that knowledge before Hook and his team found the mech and fixed him up.

Now, that very database that gave us the edge in this war was being used to test the usefulness of my charge in the ranks of the Decepticons. I would be lying to myself if I said that I wasn't worried. Lizzie was, after all, only human and even though she was able to live this long, the human mind only had so much room for storing information and that information could not be downloaded and saved like it could with our own processors. She would be pushed to her limits to make sure that we were the ones that retrieved the relic.

If she failed, then I would have to stand by with the twins and watch as she is offlined. She was my responsibility and I wasn't sure how it would affect me if she failed. Since Starscream had chosen me to be her guardian…and that position was reaffirmed by Lord Megatron, I felt responsible for her fate. Plus, I knew that the twins were very attached to her along with Laserbeak. They would be sending their feelings of grief to me, if she failed, for many stellars at the least. However, the pain that would follow her offlining would not outweigh the cost of failure for this mission.

"Hey boss," Rumble suddenly spoke over our shared bond. "You want the report on Lizzie now?"

I had asked the twins to keep me informed on how Lizzie was progressing with her strategizing for this mission. If it seemed like she was struggling, I wanted to brace myself for her inevitable failure. Her struggling now meant that she had a higher chance of falling apart when her plan was being implemented. "Proceed." I ordered the two since I could feel that Frenzy was in the communication as well.

Frenzy spoke first. "Honestly boss, she seems to be a lot calmer than I thought she would be. She has about twenty clicks left, and she already has a main plan and is diving into multiple backup strategies just in case something goes differently from what she planned."

That was a positive feedback from the two of them. With their report, Lizzie's odds of passing this test were much better than they originally were. With the information that Lizzie was diving into backup strategies, I realized that she was taking this test as seriously as she should, and I could tell that she did not want to fail.

Looking at the little information that we could find on her, I could see that failing was not something that was a regular part of Lizzie's past life among her fellow humans. Her work reviews showed a positive increase for the most part and, in the case of the rare report that there was something that went down, Lizzie seemed to have improved on that skill for the next one. The profile that I was building on her showed a being who worked tirelessly to accomplish their goal, almost to a fault, and wouldn't let anything stand in her way.

Now that I looked at it, Lizzie was probably the biggest mystery on the ship. Not much was known about her and, even with the information that the twins had been strategically retrieving from her, there was still many parts of Lizzie's past that were important that were still unknown at this time.

Yet, despite all of the holes in her profile, Lizzie had somehow become an integral part of the Decepticons…without even being an official Decepticon. With the exception of Astrotrain, who did not seem to appreciate Lizzie in the slightest, ever single other bot seemed to have been positively affected by her being here. That included not only the one Decepticon whose name was to be away from any of our processors until his battle debut…which I realized would be this very test, but even our own leader. Lord Megatron had returned to a stable and calm-helmed approach to this war due to Lizzie's interference and that could tip the war in our favor.

If she were to fail in this task, then that would be a large blow against the Decepticon ability to move forward not only here on Earth, but in the war entirely. Not enough to make us lose but enough where plans could be set back for many stellars.

"Hey boss," Frenzy spoke through the comm. Since he wasn't speaking over the link, then I had an accurate guess as to what he was about to report. "Lizzie says that she is ready to present her strategy to Lord Megatron. Can you come and get us?"

Us? Lizzie's plan involved the twins? I was interested how she was able to do that since she knew that I did not want them to be revealed to the Autobots unless the situation was dire. However, I knew that the only way that I was going to find out that information was to go back to my room, pick up Lizzie and the twins, and return with them to the bridge. I did not waste time in leaving the med bay, where I had decided to wait, and make my way to my room. Lizzie's plan was complete, and now it was time for her strength to be tested.

Cliffjumper's 1st P.O.V.

I felt a nervous tick go through my soliform as I stared at the events transpiring on the training room floor. This wasn't right. I was Paul's guardian but all I could do right now was watch as Paul got battered from side to side. Early this solar, Sentinel, Flamewar, and Pitch had asked Paul if he wanted to train with them in a two on two style. I wasn't awake for the solar yet and I couldn't jump in and offer to train with them. From what I was seeing from the three and how they were ganging up on Paul, I wish I had.

But, thankfully, the four of them weren't the only ones up. Down their fighting with Paul against Sam Major, Percy Chandler, and Felicity Wade…who were Sentinel, Pitch, and Flamewar respectively…was Ashland Vale, who was actually Zarron. Even though my own opinion of the new mech was on hold while I tried to find more information on the mech than what he told us, I knew that I was at least willing to trust him in this situation.

Plus, watching him fight on Paul's side against the three bots who were ganging up on him was adding a positive for him in my books as well. At one point, Sam, Percy, and Felicity had cornered Paul when Zarron had been knocked aside by Felicity. However, before they could do too much, Ashland had jumped right back into the fray and had thrown Percy away from Paul and engaging him in battle. Honestly, out of the three, Percy…Pitch, was the one that I was the most nervous around. He seemed to be taking the most pleasure in landing hits on Paul.

Of course, Paul wasn't doing half bad on his side of things. He was dodging the blows from the soliforms while countering with his own. While I didn't like that Paul was fighting in the first place, we knew that the Decepticons had this same technology for soliforms and that could mean that we might have to fight them on a human level.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the timer went off for the ten-click training center. Honestly, I felt like Pitch, Sentinel, and Flamewar were doing this with the sole purpose of beating up a human…and Paul was the only one who would. While a part of me wanted to ask Paul if anything was going on that I should be worried about, I knew that Paul was an adult in human standards and he would talk if something was going on.

Once I was sure that Paul was on his way to his room, I shut down the program for the soliform and returned to my chassis, which I had left in the main room. Once I was back in awareness, I moved to find Zarron. This seemed like as good a time as any to get some questions about the mech answered.

Out of all the bots that have shown up here on Earth, the two bots that I had almost no information on were Pitch and Zarron. My plan for Pitch's information was to ask Wheeljack. I was pretty sure Pitch wouldn't give me the information I wanted and Wheeljack seemed to have a history with Pitch if I was to take the glances the two kept throwing at each other to mean anything.

Even though Zarron seemed like a lone-cyber-wolf type of bot at times, he also seemed more willing to give up information on himself than Pitch was. So, I walked over to the door to his room and knocked on it.

"Come on in Cliffjumper." Zarron's voice came from the other side of his door.

How did he know that it was me on the other side? I guess that would be a good way to start off the questions that I had for the two-wheeler. So, once I opened the door and stepped inside, while closing the door behind me, I did just that. "How did you know I was at the door?"

The mech, who was sitting on the edge of his berth, smirked. "Well, a few things gave you away. The obvious one was that you kept studying my interactions with Paul during that…training session we had with Sentinel, Pitch, and Flamewar. Given that Paul is your charge, I figured you would seek me out and have questions about me. I'm not exactly a bot who has an open-book history that you can look at. I prefer it that way. When bots don't know a lot about me, they can't use that information against me. Not many bots are allowed to get close to me but, if they do, I protect them fiercely with all the skill I possess. So, with my interest in Paul, you would want to see what kind of bot I am."

Zarron was good. He just gave me a lot of sentences with very little information. "You said a few things gave me away. What else gave me away?" I was curious about how he had figured out it was me besides my watching him during that training exercise.

"Another thing that gave you away was how you knocked at the door. Most of the other bots here would have knocked on the door very confidently. Since you are worried and seem more worried then you let on, your knock was hesitant." Zarron then paused. "However, the most important thing that gave you away…and what gives most bots away, were your pedesteps."

…My pedesteps? "How did my pedesteps give me away?" Now I was really confused.

In return, Zarron gave me a quick studying look before he answered me. "I am a scout by training. As a part of the training I received, I learned that each bot has a unique sound to their pedesteps…even when they try to disguise them. Using just a bots pedesteps, I can tell who they are, how far away they are, and how heavily armed they are. Sometimes, if I know the bot well enough, I can tell what sort of emotions they are feeling."

Well, frag. Remind me not to get on his bad side. I had never met the mech before and he could already tell when I was coming down the hall. While I wanted to ask him more about that, I did come here with questions I wanted to be answered. "First, I do want to thank you for watching out for Paul during training."

Zarron waved off my thanks. "No need to thank me. I enjoy training when the odds are against me. Gives me a better feel for what's around me."

Something told me that he meant more by that then was said. But, since I was on a mission of questions, I took the big one first. "I do want to ask you something though. Why were you on Cybertron with Springer's group in the first place?"

Now Zarron looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Guess I had to explain. "I mean why were you on Cybertron? From what I asked of Springer, he said you showed up from being attached to a platoon that is supposed to be on one of the satellite planets of Andellor." I did try to get information on Zarron before this. But, that tidbit from Springer was the only thing that I could find.

Zarron's faceplate went neutral and I couldn't tell what he was thinking in the few clicks that we sat in silence. But, after a few clicks, the scout finally spoke. "I can't give you all the information you want to know. However, what I can say was that I was asked to return to Cybertron by one of my closest friends to do what I do best. Being here on Earth doesn't change that mission."

"Ah."

What else could I respond with? That wasn't a lot of information to work with. But, what it did tell me was that Zarron was looking into somebot who was a part of the Cybertron groups. That was the only way that being on Earth wouldn't hinder Zarron's search. But, there were eight other bots total who could fall under that and, since I knew so little on Zarron, then it could be any of those eight. Blaster, Eject, Blurr, Sentinel Major, Pitch, Flamewar, Ironhide, and Springer all had the chance to be in Zarron's sights. But, I didn't think I was getting the name of the bot that Zarron was looking into.

"I don't expect you to trust me completely." Zarron continued to my surprise. "If I was in your position I wouldn't either. The only word that I can promise you is that I mean no Paul no ill will and I wish to continue watching out for his safety."

While I didn't trust the mech completely still, I could tell that I could at least trust him around Paul. So, I nodded. "If you could keep an optic on Paul, I would appreciate it."

Before another word was said, the alarm in base sounded so Zarron and I didn't waste any time in leaving his room and making our way down the hall. We were met by Blurr and Blaster, who both threw me strange looks. Wasn't sure what they were for but, right now, we didn't have time.

Once we got to the main room, since we were the last, Ratchet spoke. "Scanners have detected an Autobot homing beacon located at a place called Rudulf Island. It is an arctic location, so proper defrosting procedures will need to be enacted upon the team's return as well as scanners set to monitor core temperatures."

Optimus nodded before taking over. "I have no doubt that the Decepticons are already at the location. Given the increase in their ranks, our recovery team will consist of Ironhide, Springer," Of course. There was little doubt that the Decepticons would be bringing their triple changer; Astrotrain. We needed to bring ours as well. "Pitch, Zarron, Bulkhead, Chromia, Flamewar, Bumblebee, and myself." Well, I was bummed that I wasn't going to be a part of the initial strike force. "Cliffjumper, Arcee, Wheeljack, Sentinel Major, Blurr, and Blaster will be on reserve as a second strike team if the first team's core temperatures fall to dangerous levels." Well, at least if the 'Cons decided to try and make this a long battle, I would get to put some dings in them.

Glancing at Paul, who looked concerned, I hoped I could…for his sake. His employee was still their captive and, with no word at all coming about her from the Decepticons, I had a feeling that she was already gone. But, I wasn't going to be the one to tell Paul that unless we were positive. While there was hope that she could still be alive, I would work my tailpipe off to get her back for him. Maybe we could see the real side of Paul once she was back and safe. If I got to go out, I would try and press the Decepticons about her condition.

Lizzie's 1st P.O.V.

Even though I felt a tension in my spine due to the stress that this test was giving me, I had to admit that I was happy. Happy that the Autobots were as predictable as I thought that they would be. From the safety of the Nemesis, with the Twins next to me, I watched as the battle unfolded how I planned it out to be.

The Autobots wouldn't risk a full assault rush into this situation without knowing what was going on. For all they knew, the Autobot signal that was attached to the relic was really an Autobot that had crash-landed on the island. So, they sent about half of their forces…that I knew of, to the location, which was a frozen area that was surrounded by canyons, a nice amount of fighting space, and a frozen lake in the middle. With how the fighting should go, though, the lake shouldn't be a large factor.

As I figured, they also brought their heavy guns out first. They would want to deal with this situation as quickly as they could. Plus, triple changer versus triple changer usually was the best strategy and, since they knew we have Astrotrain, then they were going to have to bring Springer along with them. So, I had constructed a simple team to counteract them.

It would be strange if Lord Megatron was not there among them along with Starscream. Shockwave was helping to deal with long-range attacks from Ironhide and Chromia…who I did not realize was on Earth. However, her taking the same role as Ironhide in the battle did not alter my plans. Lord Megatron was, of course, duking it out with Optimus. Those two were the only ones who should really battle each other in my opinion.

Then, Thundercracker and Vox, along with about fifteen of the thirty drones, were busy using servo to servo combat with Flamewar and Bumblebee. Starscream and Soundwave were keeping Pitch and Zarron occupied with long-range weaponry while Knockout stood by the five miners excavating this relic…whatever it was. The final bot in this attack was stationed on the figurative flank of the battlefield, our weakest side, and out of sight. If any Autobots tried to flank around the main fighting force while we were distracted, they would be in for one shocking awakening.

Backtracking though, I found myself staring at Pitch and Zarron. From the battle footage that Soundwave and Laserbeak were sending me, I could tell that the two were tense around each other and they did not seem happy that they were near each other. Honestly, when Paul had informed me, at the end of Deus Ex Machina, of their arrival here on Earth, I thought I was hearing things.

Pitch and Zarron.

They were not creations of Primus…in the normal sense. They were the creations of my brain. Molded and etched to fit the roles that I had created for them. Zarron, the incredibly skilled scout with equal loyalty to those he cared about. However, it took him some time to completely trust a bot that he was meeting and, at times, working with. Zarron was a lone-wolf character, to anything that wasn't already in his circle of confidants, with a processor that was sharp enough to go up against even Shockwave. I had to be careful when trying to plan around his interference. Honestly, he was part of the reason that I had my backup plan stationed at all.

The other reason, and for opposite reasons, was next to Zarron. Pitch. A bot who, in some of my stories, was the leader of a faction of bots that took cruelty and punishment many levels too far…who felt immense joy and pleasure seeing others suffer. Pitch was a mech who I created to be the actual embodiment of evil. Pure unfiltered evil.

I still remembered that day so long ago when I had made the two of them. During the school day, I had been ganged up on by a group of bullies that were new to town. If it wasn't for a group of high schoolers stepping in, a group that I made sure to make friends with later and who I made into some of my OCs, then that situation could have been pretty bad. One of the high schoolers had a little brother around my age and we were really close friends. But, they had to move during my sophomore year of high school. His name was Cole Smith. Not a unique name but he shared many characteristics that I had given Zarron.

When I had gotten home after that close call, I had been inspired to create Zarron, after Cole, and Pitch came from the leader of the group of bullies that Cole's big brother and his friends had helped get to back off me. His name had been Aaron Higgins. To me, he seemed to have a heart that was pitch black…where I got the name Pitch from. Zarron's name…well, Cole had picked it out. He never told me where he got it from, but it had fit the bot that I had created using my friend.

Now, both of those characters had to work side by side and it seemed wrong to watch it. They were, in my mind, enemies. Their personalities shouldn't allow them to work together and, from the footage I was getting from Laserbeak and Soundwave, they weren't exactly happy about the arrangement.

If I was able to survive this test and become a member of the Decepticons, I realized suddenly that I was going to have to go back through my mind and dig up any and all information that I had about the bots that I had created. It seemed like they were appearing in this dimension as actual bots and I needed to factor in their interference for future plans…

…Assuming that there would be more.

Movement from the live video that Soundwave was sending caused me to focus. But, as I did, my heart froze in my throat. It was a burning freeze that was causing my heart rate to increase as my mind started to fall into panic. Somehow, Flamewar had been able to get to Knockout just as he had the relic in his servos, which was a data-cylinder, and had started fighting him for control of it. But, somehow, their fighting caused both bots to lose their grip on the cylinder and it was flung out into the middle of the lake…where it was stuck half showing.

Slag!

My heart felt like it was squeezing itself into oblivion as I stared at the screen in shock. This couldn't be happening! Nothing in my plans had called for the relic being stuck in the middle of the frozen lake. It hadn't seemed like a possibility. But, now it was more than a possibility…it was a reality!

If I didn't snap out of this shock I was in…then I was as good as dead!

Lizzie: Slag I'm going to die. *panicking*

Frenzy: *panicked* You can't die! We still need to prank you back!

Authoress: *stressed* You shouldn't have said that.

Lizzie: *angry* Is that the only reason that I shouldn't die!?

Rumble: *pulls Frenzy away from Lizzie* Dude, that's not the only reason!

Lizzie: *happy* Why thank you,

Rumble: *interrupts* We have to deal with the boss moping around...along with everybot else if she kicks it. *looks and sees Lizzie's angry look* Of course, we would be sad if she kicked it too.

Lizzie: *unconvinced* Uh-hu.

AN2: And here is the next exciting chapter! I can't believe that it has been so long since I left all of you off on a cliffhanger! It is so much fun! So many goodies in this chapter and there are still more to come! The first big news is that Lizzie is now taking her test! But, something has gone wrong! How will she ever get out of this now? *thinks of the little details*

Secondly, The only Decepticon who is still unknown to you all seems closer than ever to being revealed. That will be the next chapter I promise you all that. It should be quite a lot of fun once it happens though. I wonder if any of you know who it is?

Thirdly, and with the Autobots, Cliffjumper is worried. He is worried about this training that Paul is doing with the soliforms of Sentinel, Pitch, and Flamewar and he is worried about Zarron and his motives for being around. (of course, he is definitely more worried about the first of those problems than the second one). What is Zarron doing here and why was he sent to investigate the bots that came from Cybertron? Which bot is he investigating? That will be revealed in time...though I have left small clues that might be able to tell you...and they are not all in this chapter. XD

Oh, before I forget...the titles of the next chapters!

Chapter 14: True Value

Chapter 15: Unfortunate Side Effects

Chapter 16:...? (find out next time!)

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Please drop a review even if it is to say hi...or that you don't like being left on the cliffhanger...or some criticism for how I am treating Paul and Lizzie...either way, a review would be nice to see! =) Flames will be used to warm my freezing fingers. Until next time, TTYL! *sings about a place where the air is not so clean*