Hello dear readers!

I'm back! Sorry for the unplanned hiatus. I absolutely promise I will not abandon this story. Thank you as always to all the people who PM'd to check in on me and to all the others who have been waiting.

Thank you as well to my wonderful reviewers; KEZZ 1, (Guest X2), .Princess, ElizellaGalaxy, aquarius89, .Qween, TerrorTwinsFan, Imparting Abyss, and Ixsa.

Enjoy!

Chapter 31

When Erin arrived in the War Room, Prime, Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Lennox, and a few other men from the human-only faction of Team Prime were already there. Erin quickly found herself a seat on the second floor which overlooked the rest of the 'bots and waited silently as Que and Wheeljack filed in as well. There could have been more people needed, but Erin only really cared about the presence of two. She waited, half glancing at the door and noticed Ironhide looking quizzically at her. They hadn't spoken since she revealed Sunstreaker's transgressions a couple days prior and he no doubt was wondering what had occurred since then. She knew he must have said something to the yellow mech, he was a 'bot of action after all. At one point she would need to thank him for his help, and for not telling the command, for Sunstreaker would surely have been brigged, justly or not.

Eventually, Erin heard the tandem pedesteps of two tall, well-formed mechs confidently striding into the room. Within moments, their optics zeroed in on Erin and she found herself under a massive shadow. Rather than seating themselves among their cybertronian comrades, the twins stood to the side of the open second floor, where Erin sat furthest from the other humans. Both mechs crossed their arms, showing they were not planning on moving. Sideswipe turned to give Erin a quick wink while Sunstreaker stared straight on.

Optimus Prime only spared a glance towards them before beginning, "Thank you for coming on such short notice." He greeted briefly before continuing, "there has been a report of insecticon activity in Zavalla, Texas. We believe their target is the nuclear fission research facility near there. It has long been considered a potential target of decepticons, so measures have already been taken to protect the communities who live nearby. Thus, the area is currently under evacuation, lessening the risk of an unwanted sighting. In addition, the area is surrounded by forests and is home to a national park which has put cut off to the public. We will make camp in a designated area with plenty of cover and a guarded distance from any civilians."

A screen behind the mech lit up with a satellite image showing what Erin assumed was the facility. It was bordered on one side by a river and thick forest on the other. Only one service road appeared to connect to the massive building.

He began discussing plans and pointing out where everyone would be stationed. Each faction of the human side of Team Prime would take vital points around the facility with autobots and regular human troops spaced between them. Erin's team, however, would investigate the facility. Should the insecticons get past the others, it would be their job to take on the beast in close quarters. They were to remain there, staying in a makeshift camp, and taking regular patrol duties until given further orders. The Prime also mentioned that, as the insecticon had not yet attacked the facility, and seemed to only be scoping it, there was a likely chance that a higher intelligence was guiding the creature's actions. In short, the decepticons had an insecticon on their side. Luckily, the reports were only vague sightings and there was no guarantee of an attack, something Erin would not look forward to enduring again.

"Are there any questions?" he asked, scanning the room.

All men looked primed and ready for whatever came there way. All, except for Sunstreaker, who uncrossed his arms and took a step towards his commander. "Yeah, I got one." He glared challengingly at all who stood before him. "Our squishy is taking the riskiest job, but she had the weakest arsenal." He changed his focus to Que, "where's that weapon you've been designing for her?"

Erin blanched as dozens of heads turned to look curiously at her. Subtlety was not one of Sunstreaker's strong suits. Nevertheless, she tried to school her features. The mech at least had a point, a flimsy pistol would do little against an insecticon. The soldier noticed how the leadership among the autobots cast glances at one another before Prowl replied, "Due to the recent security threats, no new non-standard issue weapons have been dispensed."

Sunstreaker glared defiantly back, "Then someone more well equipped should handle this."

The statement struck Erin. She knew Sunstreaker could be unforgiving at times, but she thought he at least respected her presence during combat. She fought the urge to drop her head. At the very least, she would sit up with pride, and not let his honesty hurt her.

Prime looked thoughtful but Ironhide narrowed his optics, "And who'd you reckon replace her?" he made no effort to hide the venom in his tone. And again, Erin felt awash with stares from various soldiers, the only knowing look came from Lennox who allowed the mechs to figure out their internal issues on their own.

Sunstreaker, mockingly copying Ironhide's voice, replied, "I reckon you and Wheeljack take our places, unless you're scared of taking an insecticon on solo, you know we aren't."

Erin blinked with realization 'our places'? The autobot leadership seemed to have expressions matching hers.

There was an awkward pause before Prime made a sound of clearing his vocalizer. "Que, is the weapon designed for Specialist Brook ready?"

Said mech perked up, "Oh, yes! I've even assured it won't blow up."

"Then," Prime continued, "I can see fit to authorize a test run during this assignment."

For a moment, Prowl appeared as if he might object, but as both mechs' optics dimmed, the first and second in command seemed to reach an agreement through their comms.

Sunstreaker leaned back, both him and Sideswipe, who had remained uncharacteristically silent, seemed satisfied.

Finally, Lennox piped in, "Meet at the main airstrip at 0300 hours."

A course of 'yes sir's echoed around the room as soldiers stood to start preparations for the departure. Erin remained seated, looking at the back of the twins' helms, thinking a myriad of thoughts.

Sunstreaker turned sharply towards her, a disappointed glare set on his faceplates. "Why the frag didn't you say anything, squishy? Do you want to go into battle with that toy?" he pointed an accusing digit at her sidearm.

Ignoring a wave of self-consciousness, Erin tried to relax. "Sunstreaker," she replied evenly, "I already tried to get any kind of upgrade, even a standard rifle was considered off limits. You know they have become strict with weapon distribution. If I had spoken out, it would do little to convince Prowl." Said mech was in charge of distribution of e-weapons, and not even Lennox could override him.

Her answer failed to satisfy the mech, instead, in leaned in close, venting angrily, "So you just roll over for them? That's not like you."

"I'm just reading the room." She answered diplomatically. "It's no secret Prowl suspects me of being the spy. Jazz follows me around half the day already." She'd seen the irate and questioning glances the twins passed towards the Third in Command whenever he hung around to long.

Sideswipe chimed in, sounding as offended as one who was personally accused. "But that's ridiculous. You'd never do that. Besides, I saw you turn down Mech's recruitment."

Her mind rolled back to that humiliating display the year prior. It lit a flame of frustration in her chest. "Really?" she shot back, "I was one of the few who had access to the very shoulder fire cannon designs that mech gained access to." No one could deny how bad that looked. "I cannot share any details of my personal or professional history, and that 'recruitment' could easily be seen as theater." She had to force herself to take a breath to calm herself. In a more subdued tone she added, "Face it, I'm not trusted."

Sideswipe fell silent, but Sunstreaker piped in, "Then why hasn't Prowl done anything if he's so sure it's you?"

Erin hung her head. "I don't know. It's possible he wants to flush out more spies or figure out what Mech's master plan is. That would explain why I'm always shadowed." That much was clear, at least, but the rest of Prowl's intentions eluded her. "In fact, he may have allowed me to get the new weapon as a test. I have no doubt he had Que add some kind of tracking and recording device to the weapon. And if Mech got their hands on this design as well, it would basically prove to Prowl that it was me." She added quickly, "And if the real spy were to get access to the designs, they could use them to frame me."

A low growl vibrated from Sunstreaker. "Then you're just going to keep your head down like this? How is that fair?"

The soldier saw how upset the twins were becoming. With a mission coming, she couldn't allow them to be distracted by rage towards a commanding officer. She shouldn't of allowed herself to disclose this much in the first place. Idle gossip never helped anyone. Quickly, she thought of something that might satiate their frustration. "It's not like that. In fact, I have a hunch as to whom the infiltrator might actually be."

"Who?"

The venom behind the pair's question told Erin she had said the wrong thing. The last thing she needed was the twins streaking through the base to take down whomever she named. "Now is not the best time to discuss these things. I'll talk to you about it after we get back from Texas."

"Why?" Sunstreaker challenged. "We can put all this slag to rest now!"

"Because we have a job to do, and don't deny knowing would distract you two." She evened with their optics, letting it sink in that she would not budge on this. "Let's get ready for the mission first, then we'll deal with the suspect. Besides, if I just strolled up to Prowl with a name, he'd never listen. If anything, he'd think I was just trying to cover my tracts.

Sunstreaker crossed his arms and grumbled in a more subdued tone, "I don't like this, squishy."

"You don't have to." She replied matter-of-factly. "I just need you to trust me."

Sideswipe and Sunny followed Rin along the hallway, making sure to match their pace to hers. He felt as if he had something heavy sitting in his tanks. It didn't seem right that Rin would keep anything from them, even if only for a short while. Rin was in a tough situation. It is far more difficult to prove innocence than guilt, at least in this case. While never openly discussed, he knew Prowl was nearly adamant that Rin was the guilty party. Thus, she would be blamed not only for the incident with mech, but the loss of Arcee and potentially the abandonment and theft by Mirage. Sideswipe knew in his spark she could have never done such things, but he didn't know what he could do to help. Rin was one of the smartest people he knew, human or cybertronian, and if she was certain she'd found the identity of the spy, Sideswipe would believe her. If she'd only share her knowledge, Sideswipe could convince Prime and Prowl of her innocence.

The silver mech glanced over to his brother to notice his light blue optics were trained on Rin's back. He wanted to defend Rin just as much as Sideswipe did. Afterall, they owed her for her own displays of loyalty. He could clearly remember the horror he once felt when she mutilated the bodies of the mech soldiers he had slain. However, it was out of cunning and caring that she had done so, to protect him from the wrath of their leadership over the deaths of humans at the hands of autobots. She stayed by their sides whenever they were sent to the brig, even for the smallest of pranks she insisted on joining them out of protest for Prowls insistence on him and his brother being brigged together, regardless of fault. And Sideswipe knew Rin played a role in calming Ironhide's judgment against the two of them. She seemed to be constantly looking out for them, and it was time they return the favor.

Cold determination swelled within Sideswipe and he could feel it reflected through the bond. They would wait, as Erin wished, but not for long. Even if they had to take out the spy with their own servos, they would protect her from Prowl's unjust accusations.

The trio past the blast doors leading to Que's lab to find the Second in Command and scientist waiting outside the lab. The former looked irate while the other seemed nearly giddy with excitement.

Before the doors closed behind Sideswipe, Que was presenting his creation to Rin. Sideswipe kept a thermo scanner on the device, to make sure it didn't blow up his human.

He had to admit, though, it looked quite impressive. It was modeled heavily on Sideswipe's own wrist blades and Sunstreaker made contributions to the design as well. The blade was curved and pointed on either side with the hilt being composed of a wrist strap that rested in the middle of the blade.

"Remember," Prowl stated before Rin could touch the device, "you are only approved to use this until you return from Texas, then it is to be relinquished and Que will analyze any data you provide on the weapon's performance."

Sideswipe was almost certain Rin was correct about Prowl having Que add some kind of device in order to spy on her. The thought made him want to beat the slagger's faceplates in. And if the bond was anything to go by, much of those feelings came from Sunny himself.

Rin responded with a crisp and civil, "Yes, sir" before accepting the weapon.

The blades folded in on themselves, making it impossible to accidently harm oneself while it was in a resting position. Que gently showed her how to mount the weapon on her right arm and she moved her wrist, feeling the weight and testing her mobility. Sideswipe could see the smallest of smirks appear through her otherwise professional demeanor. He watched as Que explained to Rin how to activate the energon blades, both with her free hand and by just manipulating her wrist. In a quick and graceful movement, the blades unfolded, extending back, out, and away from her arm. One tip of the curve was behind her elbow while the other went two feet out from of her hand, all extending half a foot away from her arm. The blade glowed blue along the edge where energon was activated.

Rin took a step back to gain some distance from the hoovering scientist as she moved her arm about, feeling how the weight affected her movements.

Que looked as ecstatic as he could be. "Wonderful! I have to say Ms. Brook, this weapon has been one of my favorite projects since I arrived on this planet. The design is brilliant and it was such a joy to make!"

Rin deactivated the weapon, watching the blades safely fold back in as the device crept closer to her arm. "It's great, Que, thank you for creating it." Regardless of the diplomatic response, Sideswipe had known Rin long enough to be able to tell when she was hiding her excitement, this was obviously such a case.

Sideswipe wished he could go with Rin to one of the training fields to allow her to test her new weapon, but they had little time left before wheels up.

Prowl interjected by clearing his vocalizer, "Specialist Brook, please come with me to sign some paperwork regarding the distribution of this weapon." He squared himself to the twins and authoritatively commanded, "You two should prepare for departure. You can meet Ms. Brook on the tarmac."

Sideswipe glanced over to Rin who nodded in return. She would be fine. He could feel a wave of anxiety from Sunny's side of the bond, but he said nothing. Instead, the yellow mech turned on his heels and marched out the blast doors, Sideswipe following close behind.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, Sunny turned towards his brother. "That fragger is just asking for a beating." He seethed.

As much as Sideswipe agreed with his twin, attacking a higher ranking officer would put them in the brig for weeks. If they were to act as character witnesses for Rin, they would have to act worthy of the part. Venting softy, Sideswipe sent calming waves over the bond. "Easy, Sunny-"

"Don't call me that!" he snapped, sounding harsher than usual.

Sideswipe flinched, surprised by his brother's intensity. He remained silent for a moment, allowing Sunny to ease himself down. It was only when the color of his optics finally returned to their normal shade did Sideswipe finally speak. "I care about her too, you know."

The yellow mech mentally backstepped. , his optics widening ever so slightly. "I don't know what you mean." He muttered, looking away.

"We can both agree we like Rin to some extent." He quickly explained. "Seeing her treated this way is frustrating, but getting angry about the situation won't help her."

"And what could we possibly do to help?" Sunny challenged. "What have we ever done to help!"

"We can stop fighting among ourselves and be there for her." He shot back, quickly silencing them both.

Sunny turned back towards the hallway, slowly stepping forward. "Come on, we have to get ready. Let's not keep the squishy waiting."

Sideswipe followed, the two of them marching in silence.

Erin once prided herself for staying calm in any situation. However, after a few months of living among the twins, that pride had been suffocated, burned, and shredded. There they were, on a military plane, no different from the ones they had used for travel before. After first stepping on, the mood had seemed oddly somber. Initially, she feared the twins were upset with her over her insistence on secrecy. However, after a few minutes, they seemed to fall back into their normal behaviors. Sunstreaker was checking his finish, Sideswipe was playing on a data pad, and Erin was attempting to study local maps.

Nothing was different or out of ordinary, except the deep internal panic Erin was feeling. She was fine when she agreed to join NEST and share a base with giant robots. She was willing to team up with them and eventually even felt able to call some of them friends. However, she had reached a whole new territory. Emotions were not her strong suit.

Of course, she'd felt attraction before, and she certainly wasn't a virgin. However, empathy was a trait she had spent little time training. Yet there she was, sitting between the two mechs, frantically thinking about however they might feel about her. Even worse, her detailed analyzing wasn't helping her to calm down as it normally did.

To further complicate things, the might actually care about the mechs, more than just as partners. At the very least, she felt she could somewhat trust and confide in them, as they had done with her. That complicated things. Her imagination certainly wasn't holding back either. She prayed that their sensitive scanners didn't pick up any of the signals she was certainly putting out. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't banish the thoughts their presence was bringing.

"Everything alright, sweetspark?"

Quickly, Erin schooled her features, trying to calm herself and her blushing face. "I'm fine, Sideswipe." She answered in an even tone while trying to look as if her focus was on the map.

He didn't seem convinced, "Your body temperature rose a bit, and your face looks reddish."

"The plane's just a bit warm. Nothing to worry about." It was true, the aircraft was rather hot with the lack of air-conditioning and being that it was flying directly under the sun. "Let's just go over the details, alright?" she motioned to the map, hoping to distract him with something productive.

"I'm just worried." He admitted in a gentle voice, making Erin want to jump out the plane. "I don't want you to get sick again." Only after suffocating her in his attention did he add a bit of levity, "Of course, if you did, I'm sure Sunny would feed you like last time." His tone remained light but Erin's face bloomed in the heat of her embarrassment.

She tried to burry he face deeper into the map and lost her ability to speak. Should she cut him down immediately? That could stop him, but it could also embolden him. Why wasn't Sunstreaker stopping him, he always at least pretended to be offended by his twin's flirtations with her.

"Hey, are you sure you're ok?" Sideswipe's concerned voice cut through her thoughts. Carefully, he placed a digit against her forehead, causing a tingling feeling to brush over her skin. "You really feel warm."

"It's nothing," she sighed, ducking out of the way. She felt frozen. Normally, she hardly had a problem with guys. If she was interested, they'd fuck. If not, she'd point a gun at their junk and they'd quickly get the message. This, however, was a bit different. Frustrated, she muttered to herself, "Fuck me."

Sideswipe responded in a throaty voice, "Is that an offer?"

Her face turned a painfully bright shade of pink. Taking a silent breath, she once again tried to calm her thoughts and answered in a monotone voice, "Sideswipe, I am fine. If you're bored, why don't you focus on something useful, like a strategy."

Something Erin couldn't identify flashed in the mech's optics before he leaned back against the wall of the plane, "Nah, I think I'll take a nap, it'll be a few hours 'till we get there anyway." He closed his optics and relaxed, but couldn't help but add loud enough for only her to hear, "I'm up for some cuddles, anytime, though."

Erin physically turned away from him and once again tried to focus on the map displayed on her data pad. The facility was massive, but only a few hallways were large enough for a cybertronian to fit. Not only did that limit their enemy's movements, but she could easily ambush from an adjacent corridor. It was just a matter of timing. In addition, there were only two places where the enemy might target. Both were surrounded by thick enough walls that the 'cons wouldn't be able to break through, at least not fast enough to avoid a response. One spot was where the main fusion reactor was held. It stood six stories high, with a massive network of scaffolding on the surrounding walls. The batteries at the base of the device were labeled as high priority, though Erin wasn't sure what their exact purpose was. The second room stored the supposedly 'stable' materials that come from the experimental reactor. Without getting into details, it had been explained how the reactor generates energy in a similar way that energon is harvested. Thus, the 'cons were likely looking for a way to create the more efficient fuel source for their own army.

As Erin continued to analyze the first room, and the adjacent double set of blast doors, she felt someone's optics focusing on her. Looking up, she saw Sunstreaker, glancing at her from the corner of his optics. Quickly, he looked back down to his thigh, which he was polishing with a rag.

With a inward sigh, she stood from where she was sitting, letting herself rock slightly with the plane, and abled over to Ironhide who was resting in his alt. She could only guess whether he was awake or not, but she at least wanted to try and speak with him, if at the very least to get some space from the twins.

Long spaces between conversations and other interactions were not uncommon for Erin, and the mechs seemed to understand, never pushing her to talk when she would rather train or even just read alone, yet they always seemed open when she finally approached. It was odd how welcoming he and the others could be, and she still had some trouble getting used to it. It wasn't like they were different from any other person she interacted with, but their lack of understanding for common customs left them with fewer expectations as to how she was meant to act. Ironhide, however, was a little different. Erin knew he had a greater understanding of humans than his compatriots, for the most part. And he always seemed open to Erin's company in particular. Rather than just operating off ignorance for social customs, he did so out of respect, something Erin greatly appreciated. Thus, he had not pried any further into her case with her teammates after their initial conversation, but she at least owed him an update.

"Ironhide?" she greeted quietly, still unsure whether he was awake at the moment.

His response was quietly opening his driver's side door, likely thinking along the same lines as Erin. She obliged, thinking in passing about how the twins always had her sit on their passenger side seat. She allowed him to close the door after she seated herself, chancing a glance at the twins who were both looking questioningly, if not worriedly, at the mech's alt.

"Anything in particular you want to talk about, kid?" he asked through the radio. He was giving her an option, that much was clear.

"I wanted to thank you," She muttered, hoping the twins' audios would not pick up her voice. "for not reporting Sunstreaker." She clarified.

"Well, knowing you, you would've jumped right into the brig with them to make a point." He replied gruffly, but Erin could hear gentleness in his tone. "They haven't caused you any more problems, have they?"

"No," she shook her head, "Sunstreaker actually apologized."

"By Primus." The old mech muttered. "At least he seems to have come to his senses."

The soldier couldn't help but notice something guarded in the weapon specialist's tone. She one again looked over to the twins, knowing they wouldn't be able to see her through the windows of the cab. "You know, don't you? About how they feel?"

She waited, listening as the silence stretched on. Eventually, the mech seemed to settle on his wheels. "I hoped I was fragin' imagining it."

She winced, understanding just what he was feeling. "Well, I only recently figured it out myself." She conceded.

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked in a business-serious voice.

Erin was uncharacteristically surprised by the black mech's frankness. "Do I have to do anything?" she asked.

He gruffly replied, "Inaction isn't your style."

"Well my style doesn't exactly fit in here." The soldier signed, allowing herself sink comfortably in the seat. "What they're thinking of is impossible. They're smart, do they had to have already realized this themselves."

"Not everyone is guided by logic as much as you are." Ironhide replied, making Erin feel oddly cold. "They act on their feelings, you know that. Sideswipe will get bold and Sunstreaker will get frustrated, more than they already have."

The problem was, Erin thought, emotions removed rationality from the equation. "Do you think addressing it will change anything?"

"Can't be sure." He responded matter-of-factly, then added, "But what do you feel about this whole thing?"

She leaned further back into the seat, letting her head rest and looked at the ceiling. "I don't know. I've been in this situation before, but never had friendship mixed in." Even the word, 'friendship', felt weird on her lips.

"I'd of thought a femme like you would put the mission before friendship." Ironhide shot back, the venomous words cooled by his sympathetic tone. Erin had a feeling he didn't really mean what he said.

'You make me sound so heartless." She replied casually, neither denying it or feeling offended.

"No, I'm just talking about how you've changed." He replied, adding quietly, "I'm proud of that."

She allowed herself to smile slightly at the steering wheel, not knowing quite what to say.

"Nevertheless," he continued, voice regaining its characteristic gruffness, "you need to do something."

"Well, avoiding them isn't an option." Erin replied. "And I don't want to break up our team." Ironhide hummed in agreement. "Talking it out is too unpredictable also."

"But you can never be sure what those two glitches will do to begin with," he added, "that's not a reason to avoid the issue."

"And if Sunstreaker got angry over my accusing him?" Erin responded, thinking back to the venomous words he shot towards her.

"Tell me honestly," Ironhide interrupted her thoughts, "do you think he will hurt you if you ask him? Because if the answer is 'yes', it's not work you being around him, and you should be reassigned to another team."

The thought of that stung Erin. She did not want that. She wanted to work with them and continue to develop whatever friendship they had, just not the way they were thinking. Unsure of the truth in her own words, she replied, "No, he wouldn't do that."

"Then why don't you talk it out? Maybe putting it in words would make them realized how fragged their thinking is?"

A hint of resentment leaked into the soldier's thoughts. Liking her wasn't that crazy. But logically, she understood what he meant. Still, this was a conversation she did not want to have. "What about something else to make them second guess this?" she suggested, "After all, they might just be curious. And whatever they are imagining probably isn't what reality would be like." In truth, Erin couldn't be sure what they were thinking of, she only really theorized their feelings were more intimate than what they were meant to have. Whether this was emotional, or physical, she couldn't possibly know. But she could guess that human and cybertronian relationships were vastly different.

"We could always have Ratchet give a lecturer on the subject." Ironhide recommended with a humorous tone. "It would either be so horrifying or graphic, neither glitch would look at a human the same way."

"I'm going to keep looking for answers but that it a good plan B." she conceded with an amused smirk.

"Well, I don't envy you. But why don't you think about this later." He recommended. "For now, just focus on the upcoming mission."

The mech was right, she couldn't allow herself to get into the wrong headspace before potentially coming into enemy fire, especially since her last interaction with an insecticon. There was only a few hours to go before landing, and this time she was going to be ready.