Finding Home

Chapter 16

By Voodoo Queen

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Author's Note: Hello, Dear Readers! I hope you're all having a fantastic day. I'm doing quite well, myself. I'm happy to be getting another chapter of this story up. It's ended up being a two-parter...it turned HUGE really fast. So, you'll have to wait till next post to see how things work out, ha ha. At any rate, I'm really happy that everyone seems to be enjoying themselves so far. Many thanks to those who've added this story to their alerts and faves. Extra special thanks to all my wonderful reviewers: ElleGirl19, Knightnerd, Autobot-Bre-Lightblast, sakurawriter, TheGreenWallFlower, Edges05, 99luftballonsx.o.x, jojoniles, Mysine, MysticFire101. You guys are the greatest!

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, just my own original characters and plot.

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Petty Officer Doe arrived at her duty station, still pondering her strange run-in with the twins. Honestly, a lot of what they said didn't really make all that much sense to her. She knew they had sparks- she'd overheard Ratchet scolding Jazz about the strain he was putting on his own by not following orders- but she wasn't sure what, if anything, having a spark had to do with someone being friends with someone else. Even if it did, why would she have been affected by some weird Cybertronian social phenomena? Like Sunstreaker had so aptly pointed out, humans were sparkless. To be truthful, she wasn't really even that clear on what a spark actually was. Beyond the small tidbits of medical jargon she'd caught from Ratchet's tirades and Sideswipe's less than coherent explanation that his and Sunstreaker's were telling them that the three of them were meant to be friends, she was still more or less clueless.

Thinking back on the odd conversation, she was getting the distinct feeling that she was missing some very important piece in this whole equation. It was like being on the outside of an inside joke. Everyone was laughing, but she was having a hard time catching on to the punchline. Not that she was opposed to being friends with the two mechs. She could do that, no problem. She was, by nature, a friendly person once she got over her initial unease around new people. Prior to the 'beach incident' she'd had a fairly comfortable rapport going with Sideswipe. Though she'd accepted Sunstreaker's apology and the mech had seemed sincere, she knew it would take time for her not to be on constant defense around him. It was an unfortunate side effect of growing up the way she had. Forgiving was one thing, forgetting was an entirely different monster. God knew there were things she wished she could forget.

Then, of course, there was the way Sideswipe had asked her to come seek them out later once she was off duty. Something about the way his words had come out, or maybe the hopeful look on his face, or maybe even the fact that Sunstreaker seemed to be waiting just as expectantly for an answer as his brother had made her feel nervous and slightly anxious. For some reason, in her overworked and confused mind, it had almost felt like she was being asked out on some weird type of date by the two mechs. Not that she'd been on many dates, mind you, afraid of rejection as she was, but still. That was the impression she got. It was a ridiculous notion, really, if she thought about it. After all, they'd just finished asking her if she'd be interested in hanging out given their apparent 'connection', whatever that meant, and she had agreed. It wasn't a stretch to believe that they'd want to make some sort of plans to do so. She was over thinking things again, as she was so apt to do.

Strangely, though, she did feel a lot better. That much it seems Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had been right about. She wasn't sure if her improved physical condition and her recent proximity to the twins were mutually exclusive or not but if it helped...well, she could use all the help she could get. The electricity in her chest no longer felt like it was crackling wildly, snapping against her breast bone. It was now more of a warm, pleasant buzz. If nothing else, she felt it was a big enough improvement that she'd be able to actually function and think clearly again without worry that it was the onset of a massive coronary. Just to know that she wasn't going crazy with stress made her feel like an immense weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Doe stepped into the freight elevator and pressed the button to take her down below the ground. She'd contemplate the twins later. Right now, however, it was time to do her job and check in with Jazz. Despite speaking with him on the phone at least twice a day over the last three days, she'd still missed the guy and was excited to be getting back to work. Her mind began to wander onto random topics as the elevator car made its slow descent. By her estimate and the length of the elevator ride, she mentally approximated the Dungeon to be three to four stories beneath the earth. Plenty deep enough to hide, say, alien robots from outer space. Maybe that was it, she mused to herself. Perhaps Jazz was building some kind of swanky, underground robot condos. Considering the sparse amenities available to the bots on base, she was certain the mech could make a killing if he decided to go into the real estate business. She was actually still giggling at that very thought when the elevator doors finally rolled open to announce she'd arrived at her destination.

"D!" Jazz was nearly to the elevator as Amy stepped out. "I was hopin' that was you." He gave the young woman a critical once over before giving a nod of satisfaction. "Lookin' good," he grinned. "Being on vacation must suit you. How ya feelin'?"

"I...I feel a lot better," she answered honestly. "I'm happy to be back to work, though. I've actually never had any time off before. It was kind of weird. I didn't know what to do with myself."

"Never?" Jazz looked at the woman with a raised brow plate.

"Nope," Amy confirmed. "I guess I'm a bit of a workaholic."

"Everyone needs a break once in a while." Jazz stated. "Sounds like you were long overdue. I was under the impression that your military offered leave periods around certain holidays and deployments. Ya know, time to catch up with the family before throwin' yourself back into the fray."

"Oh," Amy nodded, "They do. I've just never taken any." She laughed but there wasn't any humor in it. "I, um, I guess I don't really have anyone to 'catch up' with. So...I never really saw much point taking time off just to be by myself."

"Ah, D..." Jazz instinctively knew there was some sort of tragedy attached to that statement. It was in the slight waver of her smile and the way her eyes glossed over for just a split second before she quickly blinked the tears away. "I'm sorry..."

"No," she quickly brought a halt to whatever the mech had been going to say. "It's fine. Hey," she quickly changed the subject. "I don't think I ever really thanked you for the new phone."

"No thanks needed." Jazz wasn't going to force her to talk about it if she didn't really want to, though he was dying to know more about the little femme. He let the conversation slide. "What kind of a mech would I be if I didn't make sure ya had everything that ya need?"

"Yeah, well..." Amy swallowed thickly. Why did he have to sound so honestly concerned and sincere? She didn't know what to do with that. It made her emotional. "I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it. Not just the phone," she quickly added. "Thanks for taking the time out to check in on me and make sure I was okay...even it it did get you into some trouble with Ratchet. It's, uh, no one's ever really bothered that much before. It might not seem like much to you but, it meant a lot to me. So...yeah. Thank you."

"Aww...get over here scraplet." Jazz carefully knelt down, steadying himself, stretching his arms wide. "Come on," he encouraged with a flick of his wrists, "bring it on in."

Not knowing what else to do and not wanting to leave the mech hanging, Amy ignored the odd looks they were getting from the contractors who still labored in the space, and stepped into the circle of the mech's arms. Her ribs still ached from Sideswipe's enthusiastic, vice-grip of a greeting and she tried to mentally prepare herself to be crushed once again. Jazz, however, seemed more than aware of the fragility of her physique in comparison to his own, exerting just enough pressure to hold her securely but not enough to be uncomfortable. He was warm and solid, much larger than she was, but that didn't stop her from attempting to awkwardly return his embrace.

"I told ya," the mech softly murmured as he rubbed comforting circles on her back, "We're friends, practically family by now. I'll always have your back."

After a long moment, Amy pulled away. She sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes with one of her sleeves. "So, uh, are you going to show me around this place or what? You seemed really excited about it on the phone."

"Sure thing," Jazz smiled softly, flicking the woman's hat with one finger and causing it to sit cockeyed on her head, and gingerly got back to his feet. "You're gonna love it."

"Well," She tipped her head back, taking in the new, bright high bay lighting fixtures that had been installed overhead. It was a huge improvement over the dingy, yellow, flickering the previous fixtures had provided. "I certainly love the fact that I don't feel like I'm going to be thrown into a grand mal seizure. If nothing else, I'm grateful they changed out the lights."

"I can do better than a couple new lightbulbs." Jazz winked at her. "Prepare to have your mind blown."

Slowly, they worked their way through the space with Jazz pointing out the work that had been done as well as what still needed to be done. It was a far cry from the horror movie-esque torture dungeon it had previously resembled. The concrete floor had been acid washed, smoothed and covered in a beige epoxy that made it look shiny and new. The walls and ceiling supports, too, had been refurbished and painted a clean white instead of the dull, peeling gray it had been. The huge room had also been partitioned off into sections. In one glassed-in, sealed area, it appeared that contractors were putting together some sort of computer data server center. She assumed it went hand-in-hand with the banks of computers, radar tracking, and other equipment another group were busy installing. Yet another group of contractors were busy installing a gigantic, real-time, electronic global threat map on one of the walls in the main area of the space.

"Wow," Amy breathed, "I can't believe they did all this in three days."

"There's still a whole lot to be done." Jazz laughed, "Its amazing what can be accomplished when the Secretary of Defense, himself, gets involved. John Keller is alright in my book. But," Jazz winked at her, "This isn't even the best part."

Amy looked up at him, wide-eyed. "There's more?"

"Oh, yeah." Jazz nodded. "Wait till ya get a load of this. C'mon. This way."

He led her deep into the very back of the space to a set of blast doors. They, too, were brand new. The old ones had been rusted completely shut. She watched in fascination as Jazz pressed his hand against a blue, glowing pad located about halfway up the wall. It seemed to scan over his appendage before giving a beep of recognition and activating the doors. As they opened, Amy felt her eyes widen even more. She knew the place was big, but not this big.

"This area is highly secure," Jazz commented. "The only people with clearance to get back here are me, you, and the other Autobots. Access is controlled with bio markers. Ratchet's been given permission to take a couple samples to get you set up in the system. Nothing too invasive, I promise. Is that alright?"

"Of course," Amy agreed. "That's fine."

"That's what I'm talkin' about," Jazz clapped his hands together and stopped just outside of another door. "Then allow me to present...your office."

"Oh my gosh..." Amy pressed a hand over her mouth in surprise as Jazz palmed the door open. "It's huge..."

"Well," Jazz admitted, "Technically, its our office. I didn't think you'd mind."

"No," Amy shook her head. "It's great!" Her eyes roamed over the space. The main floor was obviously meant to accommodate the mech judging by the sheer size of the custom made, heavy duty, office furniture. Along one wall there was a set of stairs that led to a large loft area. Curious, Amy looked back to Jazz and received a nod to go check it out. Excitedly, she ascended the stairs which brought her up to optic level with the mech. She turned an pointed a finger at herself and asked, "Mine?"

"Yep," Jazz confirmed with a grin. "To do with as ya see fit."

Amy laughed as she caught sight of the speaker system that had been installed into the walls and ceiling. "This is what you wanted a surround sound system for?"

"What can I say?" The mech shrugged, "Pleasant company and good tunes make the work day go faster. Now, come on. There's more to see."

Obediently, Amy climbed back down the stairs and followed Jazz back out into the corridor. There were other rooms and spaces along their path that Jazz pointed out as being for things like maintenance, machinery, and storage. They'd had the foresight to install a restroom as well as a 'waste room'- Amy was assuming it was the Cybertonian equivalent- which was definitely convenient. They made their way through two more secure doors and finally came to another, smaller set of blast doors.

As Jazz palmed the door open, he gave the young woman a wink. "This is where the money is."

Stepping into the brightly lit room, Amy found herself staring up at the most enormous, most complicated looking computer system she'd ever laid eyes on. It obviously wasn't meant for human use. She felt like an ant standing in the middle of some high tech, sci-fi mission control center built for giants. The console wrapped around three of the room's four walls and came within maybe three or four feet of butting up against the very high ceiling. Several glowing monitors scrolled rapidly with strange symbols and text she couldn't even hope to understand. Others displayed what looked like maps of the universe, some that she recognized as Earth's own solar system and others she could only guess at.

She blinked up at it in awe. "What is it?"

"It's a Teletraan System, Miss Doe."

The measured voice of the Autobot's SIC startled her. She turned at the sound, only just noticing she and Jazz were no longer alone. She'd been so enthralled she hadn't even noticed Prowl, Prime, and Ratchet waiting in the wings. "I'm sorry," Amy shook her head, "I'm not familiar with that."

"We don't expect you to be, Petty Officer Doe," Optimus Prime rumbled as he approached. "All in due time. I promise you it's much simpler than it looks." He smiled down on the woman. "I was informed that you were ill. It's good to see you looking well this morning."

"Indeed," Prowl agreed and offered her a small, secretive smile. "Welcome back. I can assure you that you were missed."

"Th-thank you," Amy stammered. "I appreciate it. I'm happy to be back." She turned her attention back to the mammoth computer. "Where did you guys get this thing...uh...Teletraan?"

Prime spoke up to answer, "Ironhide and I were able to salvage this one from a wrecked Cybertronian vessel located beneath the Bering Glacier in Alaska prior to your arrival. We're fortunate that it was still operational after being offline for such a significant amount of time."

Amy asked, "What does it do? Is it, uh...like you guys?"

"It isn't alive, if that's what you're asking," Ratchet chimed in with an amused snort. "You don't have to worry about offending its delicate sensibilities or anything like that."

Amy sighed, "Well, that's a relief."

"It's semi-intelligent," Jazz offered. "Teletraan has extensive communication and monitoring abilities which we're gonna need if we hope to design any type of viable defense against the Decepticons here on Earth. It's capable of runnin' all the basic systems in a ship or operations center if you let it but it's still a very hands-on operation. When it comes down to, it can only do what you tell it to."

Amy watched the thing with a critical eye as it seemed to cycle through maps of the universe ones again. "What's it doing now?"

"It's reorienting itself," Prowl provided. "Trying to determine its current position."

The woman nodded in understanding. "Like...recalibrating a GPS?"

"You got it!" Jazz smiled down at her, "I think you're really gonna dig it, D. Imagine all the systems and programs that you used to do your job back on the carrier to coordinate the fleet all rolled up into one giant supercomputer but instead of keeping an eye on the surrounding ocean, you're keeping an eye on the surrounding universe."

"Is that..." Amy gaped up at the mech. "Is that even possible?"

Jazz nudged the woman, "That's what you and me are gonna find out."

"Unfortunately," Prime added, "There are still a few minor bugs to work out. It was under ice for quite some time and did suffer some very minor damage. Thankfully, none of the main systems were affected. By the time the contractors complete their rehab, however, it should be fully operational."

"Speaking of which," Ratchet pushed off the wall where he'd been leaning and approached. "Would you mind terribly if I went ahead and collected samples from you to start processing for full facility access while I'm here? Jazz said he would explain."

"He did," Amy confirmed. "That would be fine."

"Excellent." Ratchet knelt down next to the woman and began pulling equipment out of a subspace compartment. "This won't hurt a bit. Miss Doe, if you would please, open up and say 'ah'..."

"Ahh..." Amy opened her mouth as instructed giving the CMO a chance to swab the inside of her mouth with a cotton-tipped applicator.

"Very good." Ratchet took what looked like a giant tablet of some sort and used it to scan her palm prints as well as her eyes. He then pricked the tip of one of her fingers for a small droplet of her blood. Ratchet smiled at her, "That just about does it. Once the rest of the security measures are in place, these samples should be sufficient to allow you access to all areas in the facility once I get them processed and entered into the system."

"Sounds great," Amy smiled at the mech. "Thanks a lot."

"My pleasure." Ratchet loaded all of his equipment, samples included, back into subspace and stood. "Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have some tasks in the med bay that need tending to. Jazz," he gave the mech a stern look, "I'll see you later."

"Thanks," Jazz rolled his optics behind his visor, "Can't wait, doc."

"We should be going, as well." Prime vented wearily. "Prowl and I have a meeting with our, ahem...prestigious National Security Advisor to prepare for."

"He is quite vexing, isn't he?" Prowl twitched, "And highly illogical."

"Most politicians are," Amy quietly mumbled to herself.

Prime had caught her softly muttered quip and rumbled with laughter, "A very astute observation, Petty Officer Doe." He inclined his head toward the woman. "It was lovely to see you again. We'll leave you two to get settled."

"Jazz, Miss Doe..." Prowl bid the two of them farewell as he followed the Autobot's leader out of the space.

Once they were gone, Jazz turned to Amy expectantly. "Well, what do you think?"

Amy continued to look around the room, still in a state of amazement. "This place is incredible. I don't think I can call it a dungeon anymore."

"I'm glad you like it," Jazz laughed. "If you're up to it, I say we head back to the office and talk ambiance."

For the rest of the day, the two fell into a close, comfortable camaraderie. He'd briefly explained what Teletraan did and what that meant for her in terms of her duties. She got the gist that it was the pretty similar her previous position just on a much, much grander scale. He assured her that it was nothing she couldn't handle and that he'd teach her everything she needed to know. Jazz had then caught her up on the happenings around base during her three day absence. Galloway was on a power-tripping rampage, apparently, which explained Prime's enthusiasm over the meeting they were to have. They'd talked about how far progress on the bunker had come and what still needed to be done. She and Jazz had thrown around some ideas on how to best decorate their new shared office space. Jazz, of course, had also wanted to show off how awesome the bass was on their new sound system. They'd listened to some new bands he'd discovered on the internet and basically just enjoyed one another's company. It was...pleasant.

Amy felt safe in their new space which was saying a lot as she'd rarely felt safe anywhere. It was cozy, like a little, protective bubble and she was loathe to leave it. It wasn't until the late afternoon that the real world was finally able to invade into what Amy was now referring to in her head as the Sanctuary. Jazz had to head back to the med bay for another round of squabbling with Ratchet and so Amy had volunteered to deliver some reports he'd been working on for Epps to the main hangar before she called it a night. They'd rode the elevator up together in companionable silence, parting ways once they'd reached ground level with a smile and a wave. The trip itself to the main hangar was relatively short and uneventful. When she entered, however, she found that she'd walked right into the middle of one of Galloway's rants.

"That was a forty-thousand dollar full-screen projector system, Captain!" Galloway was red in the face, yelling at Captain Lennox. "It was purchased specifically for intelligence briefings and now it's gone! Can you explain that?"

Lennox was obviously tired of the man's attitude and snapped back, "Who the hell spends forty-thousand dollars on a goddamn movie projector? Can you explain that?"

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, Amy eased by the arguing pair and made a bee line for Epps who seemed to be watching the exchange with a hint of sadistic glee. She greeted the man, "Evening, Master Sergeant."

"OS2!" Epps grinned at the woman. "Long time, no see! How are things going?"

"Really good," she replied, trying to ignore the yelling in the background. "Thanks for asking." She passed the reports off to Epps. "I, uh, Jazz asked me to drop off these reports off."

"Thanks," Epps nodded and took the reports from her hands. "Tell him I appreciate him getting these back to me so fast."

Amy nodded, opened her mouth to assure the man she'd pass along his gratitude when she was suddenly drowned out by all the noise.

"These things cost money, Captain!" Galloway screeched. "Taxpayer money that I'm to ensure is spent responsibly!"

"Spending forty-thousand dollars on a projector is a responsible use of taxpayer money?" Lennox barked back, "Since when?"

To Epps, Doe whispered, "What's going on?"

"The pencil pusher here decided he needed a fancy new movie projector for his intelligence briefings." Epps laughed, "He spent forty grand of the budget on the whole setup. Now the damn thing has gone missing and he's losing his mind."

Doe shook her head, "Geez..."

"It's government property, Captain!" A vein bulged in Galloway's temple, "I demand you help me find it! Someone took it! It didn't just grow legs and walk away!"

"Maybe it did! Have you taken a look around lately? There are a lot of things walking around in here that probably shouldn't be!" Lennox spun on the man causing him to backpedal. "You aren't in a position to make idiotic demands! If you hadn't noticed, we're trying to fight a war here! I've got soldiers to command and strategies to devise. I couldn't give a damn less about your stupid projector!"

Galloway looked like he was about three seconds from throwing a full blown tantrum. "You can't speak to me that way, Captain Lennox!"

Lennox glared at the man, "I just did. Now, if you don't have any real problems, I'd like to get back to work."

Galloway's mouth opened and closed as he struggled for some sort of retort to the Captain's words. Instead, he turned and stomped off in the direction of the hangar's main doors, screaming for his assistant as he went.

"Good riddance," Lennox muttered as he strode back over toward Epps. He addressed the other man, "Can you believe this guy?"

Epps laughed, "Nothing that comes out of that man's mouth shocks me anymore, Will. I don't know how the Big Guy puts up with him on a daily basis. Honestly, I would have just stepped on him by now and been done with it."

"Yeah, well..." Lennox chuckled, "I think Ironhide has dibs if it ever comes down to that." He acknowledged Doe, returning her salute. "OS2, fancy seeing you here. How's everything going? Getting along well with Jazz?"

"Yes, Sir." Doe readily agreed. "Very well, Sir."

"Good," the man smiled. "Jazz is a really good guy. He's had nothing but praise for you. He says you're a keeper."

Though she was sure the Captain had meant nothing by it and was simply relaying the fact that Jazz found her to be satisfactory for her position, his phraseology had struck something of a chord within her. She wasn't a 'keeper'. She'd never been a 'keeper'. She managed to keep a pleasant smile plastered on her face. "He's great. I have no complaints."

"Glad to hear." Lennox asked, "Is there something you needed? I'm sorry if I'm holding you up."

"Oh," Amy shook her head. "No, Sir. Just dropping off some reports. Otherwise, I'm done for the day. I was on my way out."

"Well, then," the Captain grinned. "Don't let me stop you. Go on. Get out of here."

"Have a good night, Sir, Master Sergeant." Doe bid the two men a farewell and made her way out of the hangar the way she came.

Once outside, Amy paused. If she went right, it would take her back to the base shuttle stop. She could hop on the bus, go back to the barracks, and hole up in her room until reveille rolled around tomorrow morning. If she went left, it would take her deeper into the part of the base the Autobots frequented, where they lived...where Sideswipe had asked her to come find he and his brother once she was finished for the night. The strangeness of the whole situation still lingered in her mind, making the decision more difficult than she knew it should be. She wasn't sure what to do, what she wanted to do. A sharp snap of electricity in her chest, however, was doing its best to sway her decision but it seems it was unnecessary.

"Psst! Ames!"

Amy nearly jumped out of her skin. Her heart pounded even as the buzz in her chest calmed once again. She turned to find a pair of glowing blue optics staring back at her from the deep evening shadows being cast between the buildings. "Sideswipe?"

The mech nodded, easing out of the shadows until just the outline of his frame was visible in the darkness. He knelt down and motioned for the woman to come closer. "Where's Jazz?

Confused, Amy answered, "He's with Ratchet."

"Did Galloway leave?"

"Yeah," Amy nodded.

"Captain Lennox?"

"He's in there talking to Epps." Suspicious, Amy asked, "Why? What's going on?"

Sides merely grinned at her and rose back to his full height. He called back over his shoulder, "The coast is clear, Sunny!"

Amy watched as the yellow mech stealthily emerged from the side entrance of an adjacent building, a large box cradled under one arm. Her eyes widened in realization.

"Squishie," Sunstreaker greeted the human femme as he sauntered over.

"Hey!" Amy pointed, "Is that the projector Galloway was in there going nuts over?!"

"Shh!" Sides shushed, "Keep your voice down, Ames."

"It could be," Sunny answered her question with a smirk.

Amy shook her head, "Why in the world do you have it?"

Sunstreaker shrugged, "We needed it more than he did."

"So," Sideswipe eyed the young woman, "Are you done for the night?"

"Well, yeah," Amy admitted, "But..."

"Great!" The mech elbowed his brother, "Let's get out of here, Sunny. C'mon, Ames, let's roll."

"What?" Amy looked up at the mech in confusion. "To where?"

"Uh," Sides look down upon the woman as if she was the one not making any sense. "To our place? You said we'd hang out together and there's no point in having the projector if we aren't going to use it."

"I agreed to hang out, yes." Amy shook her head, "Not commit grand larceny."

Sunstreaker snorted, "You worry too much, Squishie."

"Yeah," Sideswipe agreed, "Its not a big deal. Besides, Galloway is a piston-headed son of a scrap heap anyway. Screw that guy."

Amy opened her mouth to argue but really couldn't refute the mech's statement. Everything she'd seen and heard since she'd arrived suggested that the man was a grade-A ass. Instead, she sighed, "If you say so..."

"We do." Sunstreaker vented in impatience. "And so does everyone else."

Doe watched in a mix of awe and amazement as the yellow twin transformed around the box he carried into the form of a Lamborghini. She fully expected to hear the sound of forty-thousand dollars worth of equipment being crushed and grinded in the cogs and gears of a giant robot. Instead, she gave a huff of surprise when the vehicle's passenger window rolled down to show the box, perfectly intact, nestled safely in the driver's seat.

The mech's voice drifted from the car's interior. "Hey Squishie, if you're over your crisis of conscience, can we go?"

"Come on, Ames," Sideswipe pouted. "Please? It'll be fun, we promise. You know you want to..."

Amy's first instinct was to decline but even the thought of turning down the invitation had her chest roiling in discomfort. Eventually, she relented. "Yeah...okay."

End of Chapter 16