In which Alison fights a battle, deals with guilt, and gets a cuddle and kiss.


After Bumblebee left, I had myself a good cry, then decided to go and throw myself into work, looking over and responding to minutiae that I normally would leave for the morning as it came in. My fast responses were noticed and Ella eventually poked her head in to check on me. I don't know how she picked up on my mood, but she left, only to return quickly with a mug of hot chocolate fixed just how I liked it, and started running me through more diplomacy lessons. I smiled and mentally promised to do something to thank her later before diving in. It served a good distraction until dinner, which she practically forced me to attend.

Miles also knew right away what was wrong, simply offering me a one armed hug as I sat down and keeping up a running commentary through dinner. Mikaela didn't join us, instead sitting with some of the mechanics discussing something. She was a good actress, if you didn't know her well, you would think she was perfectly fine. But when she and I accidentally caught each other's eye, we'd both stiffen and turn away. Bee didn't even come to the mess, and I found my mood dropping even more as I realized how much I had missed his and Mikaela's presence.

The mood lasted over the next several days, and the three of us remained separate. I focused on work and training with Asami, going to talk with Optimus or one of the other 'Bots or hang out with the hatchlings, Base Brats and Miles during my free time. Bee was spending his days as Ironhide's dummy, or training with the frontliners, and Mikaela was working hard in the medbay. The Inner Circle meeting got postponed when Arcee informed us Rachet had forbidden Barricade use his holo for another week and would not take another night off that week, so we didn't even see each other then. The ride back to Tranquility was awkward to say the least, as it had started raining so Arcee wouldn't let Mikaela ride on her to avoid giving her a cold. I half wondered if she was also hoping to push for a talk, but that didn't happen, Mikaela instead diving into a tech manual with her headphones in.

Mom picked up something was wrong once I got home, so she made me cookies and gently prodded me about it. I spilled the whole story to her, and while she admitted shock to how deeply I felt about Bee, she gave me a big hug and promised, no matter what happened, she would support me. It felt so good to know I had her in my corner, though we both agreed to wait until this was settled before telling Dad.

School helped with the distraction of classes and homework, but it was obvious Mikaela and I were on the outs and I could pick up the gossip around us as to why. Some claimed we had a fight over something with Trent (huh, wonder who started that one), some said one of us cheated on the other, and someone even suggested we tried to have sex and it was horrible. Miles was ready to slug someone out over it, and I honestly wasn't too far behind him, but I didn't want to risk the suspension. The ride back to base on Friday was a repeat of Sunday, and I was honestly starting to lose hope.

I was so wrapped in my head, I almost forgot about the Decepticons, until an alarm went off just as I were heading for dinner on Saturday night. I had been in the Nursery with Chromia, so she quickly scooped me up and raced to HQ, setting me on the catwalk when we got there.

"What's happening?" I asked Lindsey.

"Sensors picked up Decepticon signals on this side of the Rockies," Lindsey said. "Just waiting for the rest of leadership."

Luckily, it was not long at all, not even five minutes, that COTA and 'Bot leadership was all together and Lindsey could explain more. "Decepticon signals were picked up heading into California from the north and east ten minutes ago. From what we know of them and the routes they're on, we believe they're heading towards Beale Air Force Base. We've already called for a lockdown of the base, and civilians are being taken to safe zones."

"Any idea what they'd want from the base?" Prowl asked.

"Beale's main function is intelligence gathering. It's possible they think something in the servers there could be useful."

"Or they might just be looking for access to the military's network again," I said. "Maybe to disrupt communications again, or worse."

"Luckily, it's not far. We can be there in a little over an hour," Will said, then looked to me. "No point in even trying to get you to stay back, is there?"

"Not a chance," I said.

"Stark stays with you, the entire time. No heroics."

We had a quick discussion on how best to defend the base, made harder by the fact we were down the Lambo Twins, as they were on the Midwest patrol, then we all split to get ready. The Spark II had a minor upgrade, with gloves that had a higher heat resistance than the ones from before, so hopefully I wouldn't melt them to my skin if I needed a higher powered energon burst. As a just in case, though, Wheeljack also made the palm as a separate piece of fabric held in place with velcro, which I would be able to tear away by biting the fold between thumb and first finger and pulling. Once I dressed, I met Asami at the armory, where she already had pistols and rifle ready for me to use.

"You gonna stick with me this time?" she asked

"I promise to do my very best," I said, reaching for the box where I kept Ironhide's plasma grenades. Since this fight wouldn't be indoors, now was as good a time as any to use them.

"Guess that's all we can hope for." In an undertone, she added, "Was this from the movies?"

I shook my head. "Not as far as I was aware. But they didn't go into detail of the 'Cons' movements before Shanghai."

She nodded, then we headed out to the planes.

Bee was waiting at the ramp of our plane, and surprisingly with Mikaela. She was just in her medbay coverall, so I didn't think she'd be coming along, which she confirmed with her words.

"Miles is on there with Epps, but they won't let me go until I'm eighteen. I just- I had to see you off." She started to wring her hands, but dropped them to her sides quickly.

"Thank you, Mikaela," I said honestly, and oh I wanted to give her a kiss, or at least a hug. But I held myself back. I had no idea where her head was at right now.

But, something in her eyes almost reflected my thoughts, or maybe I was projecting. She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Just- Good luck. And make sure you come back." She looked up at Bumblebee. "You too."

"We'll look out for each other," Bee promised.

"Yeah. We'll be back before you know it," I said.

We all kind of watched each other a moment, then Asami clapped my shoulder. "Come on, we have to get going."

"She's right," Mikaela said, stepping back. "I'll see you when you get back."

"See you," I said, then followed Asami and Bee onto the plane.

The flight was a little over an hour, as Will had said, and we managed to beat the Decepticons there, giving us time to set up our perimeter. Our main focus was protecting the command center, where the servers were located, and the base hospital while keeping them away from the base housing, where any civilians on base would be. On the roofs of the buildings, flood lights had been brought out, but kept off for the time being, to help keep the element of surprise on our side. To help with that as well, the 'Bots would be staying in their alt modes until the battle started. Bee, Asami, and I were assigned to one of the groups defending the hospital, with the logic of keeping the 'Cons two objectives as separate as possible.

"And now, we wait," I said, once we were all in position.

"I think this kind of wait is the worst," Bee said. "Knowing the attack is coming, but not exactly when, or even where it's coming from."

"I think I like being here before it starts," Asami said. "S7 was all reaction, often long after the 'Con left."

"I can see merits of both," I said. "Though I'd rather it not happen at all."

We fell into a silence as we continued to wait. The minutes stretched on and on.

"You'd think they'd be here by now-" I muttered and immediately regretted my decision as an explosion cut off the last word. We turned to see a rocket flying towards us. Bee transformed and fired twice, and it exploded in midair. The battle was on.

With the element of surprise gone, the other 'Bots transformed and started firing back at the 'Cons. The flood lights came on, momentarily blinding us humans, but throwing the whole scene into relief. There were ten 'Cons that I could see, charging at us. Some were in mech mode, firing at us, others in alt mode, roaring ahead. Skids, Mudflap and Coppertone charged ahead to meet them. I tried to see if I recognized any of the fighters, but through the fighting I couldn't make out too many details. Perhaps one of the cars was Sideways, but I could not be sure.

"Get down!" Asami pulled me down behind some cover, a cement road block, and lock and loaded her rifle. "You ready?"

I charged an EMP in my hand. "As I'll ever be." I popped up long enough to hurl the EMP at a 'Con headed our way, then ducked and took hold of my rifle.

The fight at this point became a bit of a blur, broken by a few vivid moments. Autobots engaged with 'Cons, COTA worked its way in between to help out, and Asami and I stayed in our cover, only occasionally dashing away to another part if a shot came too close. When I felt I had a clear shot, I sent out EMPs, though I wasn't sure how many, if any, actually connected. I saw a man get blown away by an exploding shell, a piece of concrete hitting his head as he flew back to the ground. A 'Con grabbed Arcee, only for her to twist and slice his arm off before shooting her blaster into the back of his neck. The sound of a low flying jet, followed by an explosion behind us and I turned to see Optimus and Ironhide with their cannons pointed at the sky.

Another explosion, this one very close, knocked my attention away from that scene, and I suddenly realized Asami and I were much farther from the action than I had thought. There were only two COTA soldiers still with us and Bee, and we had somehow reached the far side of the hospital without us realizing it.

"How did we get here?" I asked.

It seemed to click for Asami as she called out, "They're herding us! They're getting you away from everyone else."

"Shit!" Bee cursed.

Suddenly, a 'Con we hadn't seen before sprang out of nowhere, lunging at Bee. He managed to knock him to the ground, and got a couple of punches on him.

"Bee!" I almost sent out another EMP, but Asami grabbed my arm.

"No, you'll hit Bee too!" I thought I heard a hitch in her voice, and for a moment I lost sight of her in the flash of an explosion in the distance. I blinked a couple times to clear my vision, and I grounded out the EMP.

Bee managed to roll himself and the 'Con over and was in the middle of a wrestling match. "Alison, run!" he called out.

"But-"

"RUN!" The 'Con managed to make a shot as Bee was distracted, sending the two COTA still with us flying, before landing another punch to Bee's faceplate.

"Let's go!" Asami pulled on my arm and I followed after her, pulling one of my pistols.

We ran as hard as we could away from the battle. The sound of the fight behind me remained loud, but then over it I heard an engine and Bee's cry of "NO!"

I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw another 'Con, gunning towards us. I charged an EMP and blindly threw it behind me, hoping to slow him down if nothing else. Instead, I heard the sounds of transformation and ran even faster.

"Alison, this way!" Asami led us through a line of trees, planted in the divider of a road. The 'Con smashed through them, but it slowed him down enough we got a bit of a lead. Then I realized the direction we were heading. It was the base housing. Most of the lights were still on, and I knew there were at least a few families among them.

"We can't go there!" I called to Asami.

"We have to get you to safety!" Asami called back.

"Not at the risk of civilians!" Suddenly, I had an idea, and I made a sharp turn to the right.

"What are you doing!?" Asami caught up to me.

"I have a plan, we just need that guy's attention of us," I said.

"I think we got that."

"But just to be sure…." I turned slightly and aimed my pistol at the 'Con's head. I didn't expect to do much, if any, damage as I emptied the clip, but I had to make sure he was focused on us. He roared, but didn't fire at us. Good, he was keeping to his "capture the AllSpark Bearer alive" orders. Too bad for him.

I dropped my pistol when it was empty, then gripped the seam of my glove between my teeth and pulled. The whole palm tore away, except for one corner which still held it connected to the glove. Asami was next to me, running backwards as she fired her rifle on the 'Con. I looked ahead and spotted a short wall, just perfect for us to hide behind.

"I'm going to fire an EMP and a couple energon bursts at him," I said. "Then I'll hit him with one of these puppies, while we dive behind that wall." I patted my pouch with the plasma grenades in it.

"That is crazy. But, slight modification, it might just work." She dropped her rifle as her clip ran out and turned around, holding her hand out to me. "Give me the grenade."

I reached in and handed her one. No need to question if she knew how to use it, she'd been with me when Jazz showed me how. "On three then?" The 'Con was getting closer now, well within my range.

"One," was her answer, as she primed the grenade.

"Two," we said together, almost to the wall.

"Three!" I twisted around, aimed, and fired two quick succession energon bursts, right to the 'Con's chest, followed by as powerful an EMP as I could charge in three seconds. The pulse hit the 'Con dead on, and he stumbled forward, landing on his servos and trying to push himself up on unresponsive legs. I turned back around to see Asami throw the grenade, then we both vaulted over the wall. We ducked down and covered our heads. One second. Two. And an explosion, close enough we felt the heat of the shockwave pass over our heads. We stayed low for a minute, but heard no sound from the 'Con.

Cautiously, Asami peeked her head over the top of the wall. She gave a smile and a breath of a laugh. "We got him. Great job, Alison."

I peeked over two, and yup, the 'Con lay there, optics dark, collapsed on the ground. A light probe detected no EM field, and the energon seeping into the ground confirmed it. I gave my own breathy laugh, then collapsed against the wall, giggling lightly.

When a new EM field came to my awareness, I got a hold of myself and looked around. Then I recognized it, and looked over the wall to see Bumblebee, staring at the dead 'Con before catching sight of me and Asami. He had part of his shoulder plating and helm dented, and was very dirty, but otherwise seemed fine, which I was grateful for.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," he said.

That broke me, and I started laughing again. Even as I felt tears creep to the corners of my eyes, I laughed. Yup, I was a post-battle laugher. Probably only reason I hadn't in Minnesota was my injury and exhaustion.

I felt a holo materialize, and looked up to see Bee next to me, looking concerned. I couldn't help it, and I pulled him down to kiss him. He stiffened, but then relaxed, and wrapped his arms around me. It wasn't too long, and the post-battle high probably helped, but it didn't feel wrong. It felt right, just like I had imagined.

"Hate to break you two up," Asami said, and we startled apart, "but the fight's still going, and we gotta get Alison to safety."

"Right," Bee said, popping his holo and transforming to alt mode. He opened his doors with a simple, "Get in."

When we climbed in, his radio went off. ::Bumblebee, have you found Alison?:: Optimus asked.

"I got her, and Asami. They're both fine," Bee said.

::Keep them safe. We'll try to drive them off.::

"Understood."

We took a slightly meandering path around the base, Bee keeping his lights off and his EMF close. As we could, we stuck to the shadows, and finally stopped in the lee of a building just behind the command center. We listened to the battle, both from outside and over the comm. The sounds of the fighting slowly began to die, then there was the sound of several engines, including the jets I had heard before, then quiet.

::They've retreated,:: Chromia said.

::Yeah that's right!:: Skids or Mudflap said. ::We showed those punk ass bitches who's boss.::

::We?:: the other twin asked. ::You didn't do anything, you pussy.::

::Bumblebee, bring Alison to the command center.:: Prowl said, drowning out the twins' latest squabble.

"Yes, sir." Bee pulled out of the shadows and we rolled up.

The field where the fighting took place was torn all to pieces, some pieces of turf at least half the size of a person, and some ditches probably deep enough for a small pool. Some of the buildings has scorch marks, and one had a upper corner blown away, but otherwise they were undamaged, which I was incredibly grateful for. Medics and those uninjured were carrying others into the hospital for triage and treatment. Ratchet and Arcee were checking over the 'Bots, with most of them sporting at least some superficial damage. Optimus and Prowl were off to one side with Will, Optimus slightly scorched and Prowl with deep gouges on his arm, but they obviously were waiting for others to be treated first.

Bee pulled up and Asami and I got out. "Good news, Will," I said, "Asami stayed on my ass the whole time, and I communicated with her to take down the 'Con chasing us. And, I'm not injured this time."

"Thank God you're okay," Will said, wrapping an arm around me for a short but tight hug. When he stepped back, he kept his hand on my shoulder. "We didn't realize it until Bee was attacked that you'd been herded off."

"It took us a while to notice it too," Asami said. "How did that happen?"

"Our guess is that the Decepticons figured out that, as her Guardian, Bumblebee would be near Alison, so they maneuvered him, and you, away from the rest of the battle," Prowl said.

"And sent one to keep Bee busy while the other took after me," I said. "He was a tough one too, I fired two energon bursts and an EMP on him and he still was coming when Asami threw the grenade."

"What exactly happened?" Optimus asked.

I explained all that happened from realizing we were being pushed off the battlefield to when the fight ended. Asami added comments as appropriate, and we both left out the kiss, which made my cheeks pink to think of. I pushed it aside, but I knew there would need to be talk about it later.

Will sighed and shook his head as we wrapped up. "Is this going to be a pattern? You getting away from the rest of us in the fight and having to defend yourself?"

"I hope not," I said. "I'd much rather have the back up."

A loud shout came from over by the hospital, and we turned to see a soldier being carried into the building by two others. From the distance, I couldn't see the extent of his injuries, but one leg was trailing differently than the other.

I felt a lump come to my throat, as I remembered the soldiers blown away before Asami and I ran. "What are our casualties?"

"About half our men are injured, mostly burns and cuts, a few broken bones, concussions and internal bleeding as well," Will said. "So far, five are reported dead."

Five. Five people. Five people dead. Five condolence reports to give, to families who wouldn't even know why. I took a shuddery breath, trying to steady myself.

Bee's holo popped up next to me and he grabbed my face in his hands, making me look at him. "It is not your fault, Alison. No-" he said when I opened my mouth "-don't argue. You're going to think, since you insisted on the founding of COTA, you are responsible for them being here. Alison, they enlisted. They entered the Army with the knowledge that, one day, they could be killed in the line of fire. Many here were from units due for tours in the Middle East. They trained, and they came willingly. It. Is. Not. Your. Fault." His eyes shone with ernesty and love, which I also felt in his field. It was too much, and I started crying. He drew me close, letting me rest his head on my shoulder as I sobbed.

The grief flowed through me, while around me I was wrapped in love from Bee, and inside the AllSpark was sending comforting pulses. After a couple minutes, the edge had been softened, and I was able to step back and wipe my eyes.

"Thank you, Bee." I gave a weak smile, then sniffed.

"Here," Asami passed me a cloth she pulled from her pocket.

"Thanks." I blew my nose before using a clean corner to scrub my face. I took a deep breath and turned back to the others. "I'm sorry for that. I'll be fine."

"We understand, Alison," Will said. "We're here, if you need to talk later."

"We wanted to give you the worst news first," Prowl said. "Miles was injured, but it's not critical. He's in triage at the moment."

"I'll visit, but first, let's wrap up the initial reports," I said. "What all happened out here?"

Thankfully, in truth, it wasn't much more than what I had seen. The 'Cons charged, and were held off by the 'Bots. Starscream and another jet tried attacking from the air, but Optimus and Ironhide managed to destroy most of the missiles before they hit the ground, a 'Bot or a building. Besides the one Asami and I took down, there were three other dead 'Cons, before Starscream finally called a retreat. It did not entirely balance the price we paid, but it was closer than before.

Ratchet came over in the middle of that discussion, and gave his own report, while checking over Bumblebee. Only three major 'Bot injuries, Ironhide having been clipped by one of the missiles he missed and damaged a chunk of his arm, Chromia having injured her leg, and Elita with a dented helm. All in all, we did well, our mission a success if not the total one from last time.

Once the debrief was done, Bee and I went to check on Miles, while Asami checked on the men who had been assigned our position. He was on a gurney in the ER, propped upright and with his left leg elevated, and currently asleep. Epps was next to him, fine aside from a small bandage on the side of his head.

"How is he?" I asked, and Epps looked up.

"Broken leg and minor concussion. He tried going after you once he realized you were being herded off, and got tossed about by an explosion." He shook his head. "Hell of a trooper, he still wanted to go after you. Said he didn't even feel the pain, 'til his heel hit the pavement. Had to practically drag him in here, and he was fighting every second against the morphine."

"Sounds like Miles," I walked up to the bed and brushed his hair out of his eyes. He could have died, a dark voice in my head said, though I tried to push it away. "His parents are gonna be pissed they weren't told."

"Leave that to us. You have enough to worry about for the moment." Epps stood and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Tonight will be rough, but you'll get through it. I'm here if you need anything, even just an ear."

I smiled up at him. "Will, Optimus and Prowl said pretty much the same thing, and Bee kept my guilt complex from taking hold."

"And I'll be here to keep it in check too, so it doesn't sneak up on you," Bee said. "He'll be fine, Alison. He'll be up and about again in no time. Though, Barricade might have something to say about both he and his boyfriend getting injured for your sake."

Boyfriend. "So wait, they're official?" I looked to him, surprise probably clear on my face.

"Yeah, you- right, you haven't been to medbay. I'd have thought Miles would have said something by now."

"Probably didn't want to hurt my feelings, his relationship going up while mine went down." A bit of the melancholy I had been feeling from earlier that day started creeping in, then vanished when Bee took my hand.

"It'll work out," he said, and squeezed with a smile. I couldn't help smiling and squeezing back.

"I'm gonna pretend I never saw that," Epps said. I have forgotten he was there for a moment. "Did you see anything?" he asked Miles, then nodded when he got no response. "That's what I thought."

We stayed with Miles and Epps until Asami came by to tell us we were loading up. The badly injured and unconscious would be staying at Beale, either recooping or waiting for surgery, and the majority would be brought back to base in a couple days. The worst injured would remain until they were stable, while the dead would be prepared and held in the morgue until their families were informed and arrangements made to send them home. I insisted on seeing them, and committed their faces and names to memory. Joseph Duke. Antonio Geurerez. Jack Martin. Caleb Taylor. Anne Williams. I silently promised their sacrifice would not be forgotten.

When we got back to base, Mikaela was standing on the tarmac, hands balled by her sides. When she spotted me and Bee, she ran over to us and threw her arms around me. I was surprised, but hugged her back, breathing in her scent. Oh, I missed this.

"I'm so happy you're okay," Mikaela said, then stepped back. "Bee, get down here." Bee knelt, and she wrapped her arms around his neck best she could. After a moment, he put his servos against her back, a digit stroking up and down.

She stepped back and looked at both of us. "We need to talk. A long talk."

I nodded, but couldn't stop a small smile creeping to the corners of my mouth. "First chance we get, promise."

"Promise," Bee echoed.

Mikaela bit her lip, then asked, "Can we all stay together tonight?"

That was the biggest surprise of all, and Bee and I looked from her to each other, and back. "My room's always open," he said, and a small smile crossed his face.

"I got debrief, and then get something to eat," I said. "You guys can join me, or you can go get everything ready if you want."

"We'll get you food," Mikaela said. "Meet us there when you're done."

Debrief didn't take long, just going over what Optimus, Will, Prowl, Ratchet and I already talked about. The final casualty count was eighty-four COTA personnel injured, thirty critically, five dead, and three 'Bots in medbay for the night with repairs. A high price, but could have been much, much worse. That's what I kept telling myself, and the AllSpark's inner comfort helped with keeping guilt at bay.

When we were done, I headed straight for Bee's hangar. As Mikaela said, dinner was waiting for me, but I was so ravenous I couldn't even remember what it was. She and Bumblebee talked lightly while I ate, and when I was done, bone weary exhaustion hit me so that I started to droop.

Mikaela caught me with an arm around the shoulders. "Come on. Bee and I worked out sleeping arrangements."

The bed that Bee had ended up getting to set on the catwalk for sleepovers was a big futon with two mattresses for comfort. Bee had grabbed the thinner one and laid out on his boxcar with it on his chest. Mikaela and I grabbed pillows and blankets, then let Bee lift us down to him. A minor bit of adjustment was needed, but soon Mikaela and I were snuggled next to each other, one of Bee's servos lightly blanketing us.

"We'll talk in the morning," I promised. "Won't go anywhere until we have it out."

"Good, cause we have a lot to discuss, if this is going to be a thing," Mikaela said.

"Do you want it to be a thing?" Bee asked.

Mikaela was quiet for a minute, then nodded. "I do. Now let's get some sleep."

I couldn't help the big smile that crossed my lips, or my reaction of pulling Mikaela closer. Even Bee seemed to give a contented purr, and I had a feeling we would be alright.


Apologies to anyone who lives near or on Beale Air Force Base for all inaccuracies in this chapter. I needed a base for the 'Cons to go after, and it fit the criteria I wanted. I know I probably got everything wrong about the base in this chapter, but honestly, I wasn't going to put more than an hour or two's effort into the research. We'll just call it Universe Variation and leave it at that.

So, what'd y'all think of that? How was the battle this time? What about Alison's guilt complex? The ending?

Guest Review Replies

Guest (CH 28): I hope they choose to be together.
We shall see, guest, we shall see.

Hyrule kitten (CH 28): Consider doing this story, but have AliSpark on the decepticon side. Throw in a corrupted allspark, chaos, and maybe the insecticons, ( this story needs 'em) and you writing and it may be VERY interesting
It could be interesting, as I think of it. I probably won't write it, I'm having enough trouble completing AllSpark itself without adding a new AU, but if I did, it'd diverge from Mission City, with the AllSpark, when She takes control of Alison's body, having Megatron take Her away, and Alison has to fight the AllSpark for control of her own body while trying to keep from revealing the location of the Matrix... I know that's not Alison on the 'Cons side, per say, but I don't see Alison as a character siding with them wholesale.
Also, i think you're the second person who asked for Insecticons. I'd have two nickels now. Honestly though, I don't find Insecticons interesting. Not saying they won't appear, but they'll be background characters, not major secondary ones like Asami or OP.

I'll see you all next week, same 'Bot Time, same 'Bot Channel!