DMK: Okay, this is the second half of chapter four, now dubbed chapter 5! n.n;; I still have to make a few days pass between here and the next one, so.... Yeah... anyway, WARNING: THIS IS A FILLER CHAPTER. NOTHING VERY PLOT- FURTHERING HAPPENS. JUST A LOT OF TALKING. SO RUN, RUN AND HIDE!

Hotshot: O...kay...

Energon Inferno: ....she's lost it... v.v;;

Hotshot: I don't think she ever HAD it to begin with....

Chapter 5

Hallway, Autobot Base

Windracer continued to saunter down the hallway towards the training room. Over the loud thuds of her steps, angry mumbling could be heard. She was so absorbed in her thoughts she almost stepped on Rad, Carlos, and Alexis.

"Woah! We're down here you know!" Carlos shouted after jumping out of harms' way.

Windy snapped awake. "Huh? ...Oh. Sorry. Wasn't thinking."

"Obviously," Alexis mumbled wryly. She then peered up at her formerly human friend. "...say, you look like you're in a bad mood..."

"And I have every right to be," The Autofemme answered in a clipping tone.

It was Rad's turn to question. "Alright, what'd Hotshot do now?"

"Well, he-" Windracer stopped. A look of terror was plastered on all three kids' faces. "Uhh...guys...?" Leaning over a bit, she tried to get a better look at them. "What is it?"

Alexis managed dully, eyes wide: "Behind you."

"De-De-De-DECEPTICON!" Carlos added, pointing behind Windracer and diving behind her foot with Rad and Alexis. "We're under attack! AHHH!"

She blinked in surprise and stared at them. Then she turned around. "Oh. Hey Wheeljack." He nodded quietly, and Windy gave him a friendly smirk. Looking back to the three humans hiding behind her; "Rad, Carlos, Alexis, chill. He's on our side now."

Carlos peeked out from behind her. "You...sure?"

"Positive. He just showed up this morning from the 'Cons base."

"What for?" Rad again. This time he had directly adressed Wheeljack.

For a moment, the former Decepticon couldn't find his voice. "Well...I just realized I was better off... with the Autobots. I have friends here..." He said quietly. "And I was given an opportunity to escape today, so I did..."

"What kinda opportunity we talkin' about?" Carlos asked.

"A baby Autobot was sent through a warp gate earlier," Wheeljack began. "He arrived at the Decepticon's moon base, and Megatron obviously wanted it destroyed. I said I'd go get rid of it down in a volcano, so I warped to Earth, and from there made a break for the Autobase."

"Though there are a few here that absolutely detest this idea," Windracer added hotly, staring at the ground.

"Like?" Carlos was the one asking.

"Hotshot," both Windracer and Wheeljack responded in unison.

Rad looked thoughtful. "Well I can kinda see why..."

"But ya gotta remember that he saved Windy, dude," Carlos didn't even notice he had just defended Wheeljack. "And from what he said, he saved that little Transformer, too."

"I wish Hotshot would just realize that," Wheeljack mumbled. "It seems like he would stab me in the back if I let my guard down."

"Well don't let it get to ya, man," Carlos said to him. "He'll come around eventually. Hey, I'll go talk to 'im about it. We're all good amigos."

Wheeljack looked puzzled. "'Amigos'?"

"Friends," Windy said. "But watch yourself, guys. Sideswipe and I tried to get him to change his tune and he's still adamant about antagonizing him."

Alexis gave a chuckle. "Well he DOES have the hardest head around... Don't worry, we'll be good. Come on guys, let's go."

The three took off down the hall they had just come from, with the two Autobots watching them go. "Now see? Not everyone around here is as bad as Hotshot..."

Wheeljack nodded. "I noticed...by the way...where were you headed?" His voice was starting to grow a bit soft again as shyness took hold.

"Me? ...Target range. I need to blow off a bit of steam anyways... And you?"

He chuckled quietly. "Just...exploring...But if I stuck with you..."

"Well come on then," She said in a friendly tone. Reaching forward, she grabbed his wrist and gave it a small tug.

"Uhh...sure..." He followed the femme, her hand still around his wrist. He cleared his throat.

"Oh! Sorry..." She released his hand and gave a weak laugh as they continued walking. Windracer tried desperately to kill the uncomfortable silence. "So...how's Raider...?"

Wheeljack was just as uneasy. "I left Windsheer with him...he's still sleeping like a rock..."

The two were walking side by side. "Hopefully he won't be so scared now that he's safe...right?"

"I hope so..."

After that, silence became deafening. The only thing to split it was their footsteps. On occasion, Windracer glanced at Wheeljack out of the corner of her optics, only to look away quickly as he did the same. Thankfully, it was only about another minute of this until they arrived at the target range.

The door slid open, and they both walked in. Nobody was there, but the shattered ceramic disks on the floor told them that someone had been there not too long before. "Well...I guess we're here..." Windy began, the uncomfortable feeling almost suffocating.

Wheeljack looked around, a bit awed. "Wow...we had nothing like that up at the moon base..."

Windy gave a small giggle. "Yeah, well... we do here. And it's great when a few of us get into a little competition. Unfortunately Blurr happens to win most of the time...Come to think of it, want to have a race of our own?"

"Uhh...us? Right now?"

"Well sure..." The femme walked up to a nearby computer and typed in a series of numbers. Wheeljack just watched. "Unless you're afraid or something..."

"Me? N-no..."

The femme gave a soft laugh then. "Then let's do it."

Gripping her crossbow that had been stored at her hip, Wheeljack looked a bit confused. "You plan to use that?"

She brought her attention up to Wheeljack. "Uhh...yeah...why not?"

"I'd think you'd just want to use a gun of some sort, that's all..."

The femme looked thoughtful for a moment. "Huh...well now that you mention it..." She passed a glance to the wall nearby, and headed towards it. "That sounds like a good idea..." Windy pressed the panel in the wall, letting it flip open to reveal a vast number of guns, and grabbed a wide-barreled weapon without much thought. "There."

Wheeljack blinked a little in surprise. "You're just going to use it without really testing it?"

"Okay... I'll give it a test-drive..." She replied, walking up to the boundary. "Commence Target Sequence 9-0-0-4."

Almost instantly a ceramic disk was spit from a small hole in the wall. Windracer raised the gun up and fired, but missed by several feet. The recoil had caused her to step backwards and miss her target entirely. She bumped into Wheeljack by accident. "Whoops..." Windy began. "Kinda knocks you for a loop if you're not careful..."

Wheeljack chuckled. "Need help then?"

"Umm..."

"Here," he said, forgetting his shy facade for a few fleeting moments. The mech reached forward and gripped Windracer's hands as he guided them into a proper shooting stance. Her back was pressed into his chest as he leaned into her, his head beside hers. "Now try firing...that's the way you've got to hold it."

Windy watched another target as it was launched, and managed to fire it. The recoil again forced her backwards, but Wheeljack's body kept her from loosing any more balance. They both grinned when they heard the ceramic disk explode in midair.

"Good...now let's do that again..." He said calmly. Another disk shot out of the wall, and the two shot it down with ease. "See? Do you think you've got it down now?"

"Yeah...thanks for the help," She said as she turned her head to look at him. 'Jack's face flushed with circ Energon when he realized just how close he was to her... For a moment, he started to lean forward, something coming over him. He gathered his senses seconds later and reared back quickly.

"Umm...it...it was nothing, really, just showing you the ropes," He stammered as best he could, looking down at the floor.

Windy grinned, then looked back to the target range. "Well then, you want to start the competition?"

"...Sure..."

"Commence Target Sequence 0-9-3-8-4." Windy commanded after smirking at Wheeljack. A light on the center of the wall shone red, then yellow, and then became green. A buzzer sounded, and a single target was launched.

"I got this," Windy grinned. But 'Jack was a step ahead of her, and shot it down quicker.

"Sorry, I do," he told her teasingly.

"Not for long!" She gave a tiny whoop and turned back to the target range fully. "This one's mine!" BANG!

"Fine!" Wheeljack called back with a smile on his face. CRACK! BANG! "Now we're even!"

Windy laughed and shot down some more. Wheeljack did the same. Eventually, the two got so caught up in their practice, all that could be heard were the shots of the laser rounds, the explosions of the targets, and their laughter.

"No fair! I called dibs on that one!"

"Like the Pit you did! Hey!"

"C'mon slowpoke! Can't you keep up?"

"Oh, I can keep up!"

"Bring it on!"

"As you wish! Ha!"

"D'oh! Revenge will be mine!"

"Not very likely-Gah!"

Windy broke into laughter again, and continued to laugh even after the machine wirred down and deactivated. Wheeljack smirked at her, and started to chuckle softly. Pretty soon, both of them were just facing one another, their weapons on the grounds, laughing like loonies.

Unfortunately, they didn't notice Hotshot, whom was watching all of this from the open door. Leaning up against the doorframe, he interrupted in a bitter tone. "Having fun?"

Both of their heads snapped around to see him there. Their laughs had stopped almost instantly, and Wheeljack quickly became edgy.

"Yeah, we were having fun, so sue us." Windracer said in a flat tone, taking one step forward. She hoped that her attitude would take him back a little, but Hotshot didn't buy it at all.

He shifted his gaze from Windy to Wheeljack indifferently, his optics shining with contempt. The quiet and humbled Transformer backed down within moments.

"Sorry...if I was imposing..." the former Decepticon mumbled. "I'll see you later, Windracer..." Sullenly, he stored his laser gun in its holster and turned for the door to leave.

'I won't let you get Windracer, Wheeljack,' Hotshot thought bitterly as he watched him go. 'Never...'

TBC

DMK: v.v;; so...that sucked...I know...don't shoot me. I've been getting a LOT less reviews than usual, so I might just let this stuff taper off I guess.

Ironhide: well...maybe if you updated MORE OFTEN?!

DMK: I would, but school's a pain at the moment... Once I'm on vacation though, I should be fine.

Inferno: well then, all who read this, REVIEW! You're DAMAGING HER DWINDLING SELF CONFIDENCE IF YOU DONT! .!!

Ironhide: Pleeeeeeease? ::makes a puppy-dog face as best he can::

DMK: n.n;;; ::shoves them both out of the way:: ignore them...I'll...just see you next time I update!