{2008}

Elita-1 had had it! She stormed out of the conference room, leaving three very stunned Femmes in her wake.

Elita hadn't meant to snap at any of them but, no matter what she tried and how hard, Electra and Star were hell bent on disliking Chromia. Chromia didn't help matters any, either. Whatever the reason was, the three of them weren't going to get along.

And Chromia even backed them when they became Autobots! she fumed silently.

Elita was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't notice a red and blue Femme coming towards her until she ran right into her.

"Watch out, Crystal!"

"Why don't you watch out, Elita?" Crystal shot back.

Two Femmes ran up at that point but neither Elita or Crystal paid attention to them immediately. Both Femmes were upset and in need of releasing their anger. Seeing each other was a matter of convenience.

But before either Femme could say anything more, a black Femme with silver trim and red optics intervened.

"Elita-1?"

Elita-1 and Crystal looked at her and the blue Femme with white trim and blue optics standing behind her.

The two Femmes were the same heighth as the other and appeared at least to be sisters. But to Elita, there was something more to it, like she should know them from somwhere.

To Crystal, it was like seeing Megatron in a more feminine from, but with traces of Elita as well. She tried not to gape and think those thoughts but it was difficult nontheless. Could she have? It's not possible! But yet. . .

She shoved away those thoughts when Elita asked, "C-can I help you?"

The blue Femme just folded her arms. "I told you she wouldn't recognize us," she scoffed.

"I'm sorry, I can't . . ." she stopped when she saw she wasn't having an impact on the blue Femme.

"I never said she would, Bluestar. It was a long time ago," the black Femme replied as she looked directly at Elita.

Bluestar . . . That name . . . Why is it so familiar? Elita's mind reeled but she couldn't place the name nor the two Femmes in front of her.

"In fact, it's been too long, hasn't it, Mother?" the black Femme asked calmly.

"Liana?"

Elita stared at her, a torrent of emotions filling her. Joy, disbelief. . . but most of all, she felt despair. . . as if her entire world was crumbling down around her.

Crystal just stared in shock, realization hitting her. It isn't my imagination. Elita did sleep with Megatron!!

At that moment, Optimus Prime, along with Red Alert, Kup, and Ultra Magnus, walked around the corner, seeing Liana and Bluestar.

"Decepticons!!"

***

Chromia sat in the conference room, lost in thought. Across from her, also deep in thought, sat the twins, Electra and Star.

Star, the younger of the two, finally broke the silence.

"This isn't what he wanted," she frowned, her violet optics glittering.

Chromia nodded sadly in agreement.

She had known the twins for many vorns now and, of the two, Star was the shyest. To Chromia's optics, the many years of travelling had not been kind to Star but she remained compassionate. Chromia was thankful for that.

Electra, on the other hand, was level-headed, a little on the out-going side when she needed to be, and excelling in the field of medicine.

"It's for the better, Star. We all know that."

"I know, Electra, but still . . ."

She was cut off by the sound of voices. The three of them stiffened and resumed cool attitudes but hoped that whoever they were, they'd just walk on by.

It turned out, however, the conference room was the intended location.

Optimus Prime, Elita-1, Crystal, Red Alert, Kup, Ultra Magnus, and two Femmes Chromia didn't recognize entered, paying no heed to the three Femmes already there. All of them seemed to be in a very heated discussion that centered on the two Femmes.

"Elita . . ."

"I don't want to talk about it!!"

"Don't want to talk about what?"

Everyone turned to see the three Femmes sitting there.

"It's nothing, Chromia."

"Oh yeah. Two Femmes show up, calling her 'mother' and it's nothing," Crystal snorted.

Elita turned and glared at her but the red and blue Femme wasn't about to back down.

Optimus looked at Chromia, his optics almost pleading.

"Chromia. . ."

"No," the black Femme interjected. "She doesn't need to be involved. In fact, no one else does, either. This is between you, Elita, Bluestar, and me."

"If that is how you want it . . ."

"Yes. That is how we want it. We don't want anyone else involved."

Ultra Magnus, Kup, and Red Alert looked at Prime as did Chromia, waiting for him to say or do something.

"Very well. Everyone leave us alone."

"But Prime . . ." Red Alert protested.

"Red, we'll be fine. Now go."

Quietly and quickly, everyone filed out, Chromia giving them one last glance before leaving, a pang of sadness hitting her as she watched Optimus and Elita.

One day, we will be reunited. I promise you, Ironhide.

***

The door closed behind Chromia with a quiet hiss. Optimus looked at Liana and Bluestar.

"By what right do you call Elita your mother?" he demanded.

"Since she is our mother," Bluestar shot back. "You mean your dear Elita didn't tell you what she did around the time we were created?"

"What are you saying? There's no possible way that Elita could be your mother!!"

"Why? Because she'd have told you she was expecting? You're not our father!"

"And exactly who is your father if I'm not? Who else would Elita have been with?"

"Megatron," Bluestar stated coolly and matter-of-factly.

"Impossible!!" Prime scoffed.

"Is it? Why don't you ask her, Optimus Prime?"

Optimus looked at Elita. She was sitting down at the conference table, her face buried in her hands. Next to her sat Liana.

Something about Liana's posture and the way she turned her head reminded him of Elita.

Is it possible?

"Elita?"

Slowly, Elita looked up at him, agony shining bright in her optics.

"It's true, Optimus," she whispered. "They are my daughters. And Megatron is their father."

Optimus crossed the room and knelt in front of her. Gently, he took her hands into his. He was shocked, to say the least, at this revelation and he wanted to know how it had happened and how come she never told him before.

"Why, Elita? What happened? And what didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked softly.

"Because," she continued to whisper. "I knew you'd be upset. And I didn't want to hurt you."

"Tell me what happened, Elita. Please?"

Slowly, she looked at her hands and sighed.

"I was mad at you . . ." she started, somewhat shakily.

"I don't. . ."

"Optimus, please. . . please just . . . listen."

He nodded and continued to kneel in front of her, holding her hands.

"It was shortly after we had met Ironhide and Chromia . . ."

***

Five and a half million years before. . .

Elita-1 paced back and forth in the quarters that she currently shared with Optimus Prime. He was in a security meeting with Ironhide, Kup, and Prowl, but that wasn't why she was so anxious. She was waiting to find out when he was going to allow her and the rest of the Femmes spy priveledges.

We can do this. I know we can, she thought to herself. There are even a few that are really excited about it as well . . . Crystal, Stargazer, Mistseeker . . .

She was going over the list of candidates in her mind when the door whooshed open to admit Optimus Prime. A weary-looking Optimus Prime, at that. Elita watched him as he crossed the room to the energon dispensor, got himself a drink, and downed half of it in one gulp.

"Have a good day?" she ventured softly.

"Yes, I did, Elita. The answer is 'no'."

"No?!" she cried. "But . . ."

"I'm not going to argue about it, Elita. It's too dangerous and too risky," he explained gruffly.

"It's dangerous and risky for anyone, Optimus," she pointed out. "Besides, the Decepticons are starting to recognize our spy force. We're not going to have any spies left at this rate!"

"My answer is still 'no', Elita, and that's final," he muttered.

Elita stiffened at the tone he was taking with her. Not once, in all of the years that they had been together, had he ever taken a tone like that with her.

"No, it is not final," she said, her anger seeping into her voice. "It's not final by a longshot. And if you think it is, you're just fooling yourself."

Not even giving him a chance to respond, she stalked out the door and began to run as fast as she could until she found a storage unit that was filled with various colours of paint and tons of scrap metal.

At first, she had gone in there to fume until she calmed down and regained her bearings, but, as she looked at the paints and the scrap metal, an idea began to form.

I'll prove it myself. I'll prove to him and to everyone else that we can be spies as well as any Mech!

Within five breems, she began to execute her plan.

***

Elita walked towards Darkmount, trying not to let her nervousness seep through. She wasn't sure of what to expect when she got there. She'd heard many stories about the Decepticons and how they treated new recruits, especially Femmes. For a moment, she doubted the success of her plan.

No! It will work! I'll prove that Femmes can be spies!

Resolute, she marched towards Darkmount.

Think like a Decepticon, Elita. Act as if you own everything. You're going to have to prove yourself in both camps, she told herself as she approached the main entry point.

Two Seekers, a blue one and a black one, stood there, the black one looking her over rather appreciatively. Elita recognized them as Skywarp and Thundercracker.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? A new recruit or someone to occupy our free time?" Skywarp chortled.

"Skywarp, please!" Thundercracker exclaimed, exasperated. To Elita, he said, "Don't mind him. He always hits on the Femmes that join up. Skywarp likes to think he's Primus's gift to them, even though he's not."

"I'm more of a gift to Femmes than you are, Thundercracker!" Skywarp snorted.

Thundercracker just shook his head and programmed something into a datapad. Once he was done, he handed it to her.