A few weeks had passed since Maria had seen Jazz and the twins. She took advantage of that time and used it to try to get to know Ratchet somewhat better. From him, she learned snippets about the unusual culture she had been thrust into. With time, Marie was able to properly walk and understand the functions of her own body—what it truly meant to be a Cybertronian. Finally, the day came. It was that afternoon that Ratchet told her she was allowed to explore the base.

"Now, I won't be able to follow you, or help you, or guide you. Some of the soldiers are still quite wary of you, in fact." Ratchet said sternly, "Optimus has suggested that you have a guide. He'll be here shortly, but that gives me just enough time to cover some ground rules with you."

"Wait. Who is the guide?" Marie asked

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Ratchet huffed as he crossed his arms, "There are some rules that you'll be expected to follow."

Marie scoffed, "What kind of rules?"

"The first is that you are not permitted to enter into the offices of the higher ups. However, this does not apply to emergencies, and strictly that. Second, you must listen to whatever your guide tells you. If they say to wait, you wait. If they say to go, you go. If they say to avoid someone, you avoid them as if your very life depends on it. If they say your tour is done, it is done and you will return to the med day immediately. Do I make myself clear?" Ratchet said as he glowered sternly at Marie. She tried not to roll her optics as she said only what he wanted to hear.

"Yes, Ratchet. I hear you crystal clear."

With those words, the doors of the med bay swung open with a loud bang. Behind them stood a tall, black Cybertronian. There was a certain aura about his presence that gave Marie an ominous feeling. He felt strong; menacing.

Marie stared at him like a frightened, wounded deer would gaze upon a hunter. Ratchet broke the silence.

"This is Ironhide, Marie. He will be showing you around today." Ratchet said.

Marie snapped out of it for a moment to look at Ratchet in slight disbelief. She thought to herself for a moment, Surely, he's just teasing?

Rather than humor her surprise, Ratchet gestured her to approach the door—which she did—albeit with a nervous stiffness to her step. She stood quietly beside Ironhide and cautiously looked up at him. His cold stare pierced right through her. She quickly snapped her optics back to Ratchet as they turned to leave.

"Have fun now, Marie." Ratchet scoffed.

"Let's go." Ironhide said bluntly as Marie felt a firm hand shove her from behind.

The last thing Ratchet saw was Marie's small, quivering form next to Ironhide' as the doors to the med bay slammed shut behind them.


The tall looming creature before her had yet to saying anything to her and they had been walking for a good five minutes. She felt the urge inside of her want to speak up and ask where they were going but the intelligent side of her pleaded with her not to. There was something about this mech that just set her off. As if she was already on his list of enemies. What could she have done to the mech to make her feel that way to begin with? I mean she just met the mech.

Before Marie could process her thoughts, the mech before her sharply turned his helm to glower down at her. Narrowing his optics, he spoke in a curt tone, "Are ya gonna keep starin' at my back? Surely ya got somethin' better to do than that."

Marie faltered somewhat before assuming a stick-straight posture. She felt an awkward sense of nervousness overcome her as she stared blankly at the mech. He blinked, as if waiting for some kind of response. Marie's optics quickly dropped to the floor as she bowed her head down submissively. She tried to steel herself before apologizing, but her words rolled out with somewhat of a stutter.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, "I-it's just, could you ... um, tell me where we are going?"

"Let's get one thing straight here, femme. I don't trust ya, and whatever plan ya've got stops here." The mech was now stopped completely in the center of the hallway. His large, bulky form towered over her, intimidating her. He leaned down to make direct eye contact with her, as much as she avoided it. He grasped her helm to force her stare against his and uttered, "If ya make so much as one move I don't like, I'll shoot ya down where ya stand."

Marie's optics widened with shock and panic. She frantically shook her head. It was clear that here was no way of getting through to him—there was something very wrong with the mech before her, but she didn't dare cross him. He glared at her for a few more moments before releasing her and turning around. As the two began to walk again, the only conversation among them was the harsh clanking sound of Ironhide's footsteps. Just to make his point clear, he turned back at her one last time to say, "I'll be watchin' ya, got that ya maggot?"

Marie's optics widened as she frantically shook her helm. There was no way that she was going to tell him that she had no plans whatsoever or that she was not a threat. There was something very wrong with the mech and she did not intend to cross him. Ironhide stared her down for a couple of minutes before he finally decided that he had gotten his point across and started to walk down the hall again.

Throughout the remainder of the tour, Marie kept her optics glued to the floor. She didn't dare chance another scolding from Ironhide as she followed him like a lost puppy throughout the corridors. Although she didn't get to survey her surroundings, at least she avoided another confrontation. Quietly to herself, Marie hoped that the mech would soon grow bored of his tour and send her back to the medbay. She felt a strange sense of safety around this overprotective mech, albeit somewhat tense. The young femme was so deep in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that Ironhide had stopped. She managed to catch herself just inches before his back, and cautiously lifted her gaze.

"What the slag do ya want, Sideswipe?" Ironhide muttered in a gruff tone.

"Sideswipe?" Marie thought to herself. Curiously she peered out from behind Ironhide to see the mech himself, blocking the path no less. One of his optic ridges was raised, and his right servo was rested on his hip. Ironhide could not have cared less for the intrusion.

"I thought the femme was to remain in the med bay," Sideswipe asked innocently, "I was just curious, that's all."

"Don't call me that you slagger. And what we are doing is none of your business." Ironhide growled.

Sideswipe dropped his right arm from his hip only to cross it with his other arm. He tilted himself so that he was able to peer his optics with Marie.

"What are you doing out of the medbay Sweetspark?" Sideswipe asked gently.

Marie hesitated to answer this as she nervously turned her helm to stare at Ironhide. He seemed like he didn't want Sideswipe to know what was going on and she didn't want to get on this mechs bad side anymore than she already was. She bite her lip plates in frustration as she pondered what she should Marie's dismay, it seemed that Sideswipe did not care for her silence. His optics narrowed and the corner of his lip plates twitched, as if wanting to snarl. The look of fear on the femme's face seemed to aggravate the mech even more as he turned his malice towards Ironhide.

"What the slag'd you do to her to make her cower like that?" Sideswipe growled dangerously.

Ironhide's shoulders tensed as he listened to Sideswipe's accusation towards him. He took one step forward and leaned uncomfortably close to the opposing mech's face.

"I only warned the femme of what would happen if she were to do anything out of line." Ironhide snarled

"The slag is wrong with you! We want to get her to trust us not think of us as enemies." Sideswipe snarled

"We've got no idea where she came from. Do ya expect me to trust her?" Ironhide barked.

"Trying to get through to you is like trying to talk to a glitched motherboard. This femme would never do anything to us, if anything, I worry more about what you intended to do with her." Sideswipe uttered in a threatening, guttural tone.

"And just how the slag do ya think you can trust her? You hardly know this femme, ya slagheap!" Ironhide retorted as he looked past the mech, "Why don't ya step aside?"

"I just do." Sideswipe said, daring to take a step closer to Ironhide. Sideswipe gazed into him like a predator that'd set its eyes on prey, "Now tell me why the femme is with you—out of all of us."

Marie knew that if she said nothing, there would be a fight. Sideswipe's sudden aggression forced her hand. She took one shaky ped forward, causing Sideswipe's hostile glare to burn into her as well. Once she realized she had his attention, albeit nervously, she spoke.

"P-please, don't do this." Marie begged, "Ironhide was tasked with touring me through the base. W-we just ... started off on the wrong ped is all."

Sideswipe snorted not believing a word that was coming out of the femme's mouth, but decided to humor her by nodding his head to placate her. Sideswipe turned his attention back towards the looming mech to give him scaving look as if daring him to say another word.

"If that is the case then why don't I take you off of his servos and give you the tour?" Sideswipe question while staring directly at Ironhide, as if waiting for the mech to dare go against him.

"Like slag you will. Optimus himself gave me this job and I ain't going to go against the boss bots words." Ironhide snarled

"If that is the case then why don't I comm Optimus and ask him if I can take over the tour? I am sure he would be glad to see that I am not doing anything destructive as he would say." Sideswipe said while opening up his commlink.

"Hey Optimus, I am going to take over for Ironhide and give the femme a tour around the base." Sideswipe said through the comm link

"May I ask why you wish to give the femme a tour around the base when I have already give Ironhide the task of doing it?" Optimus questioned

"Well you see boss bot, I remember you wanting me to take things more seriously around the base and be slightly more mature. Well I have decided to step up and give the new femme a grand tour around this wonderful establishment. After all I am definitely more desirable to be around then Ironaft." Sideswipe said

"Is that so?" Optimus said with a touch of playfulness, "Well I see no reason for you not to take over and I will be letting Ironhide know about this. I expect you to be respectful and civil to the young one. You are not to get her caught up in your brother's and your's pranks. I will make sure to find out from the femme how things went. Till all are one Sideswipe."

After recieving the all clear from Optimus, Sideswipe turned his attention to the femme standing before him. He came closer to her and held out his servo to take. While waiting for Marie to take his servo he turned to grin malicoulsy.

"It seems that the boss bot is ok with me giving you a tour seeing as Ironaft didn't give you a proper one." Sideswipe said lightly.

Ironhide snarled suddenly and turned on his pedes to walk away from the two Cybertronians. Sideswipe's shoulders bounced gently as snickered to himself.

"Seems like he got the comm from Optimus," Sideswipe started as he turned to gently peer at the tiny femme, "So shall we get started?"

Marie couldn't help but consider that she might have jumped from the frying pan into the fire as she stared at the smirking mech's face.


Hey I wanted to apologize for not updating for a while. I had every intention to post multiple chapters throughout the summer; however, at the very beginning of the summer I had lost my grandmother to pneumonia. God rest her soul. After that I found it hard to continue to write or even draw. But I have decided that I couldn't just stop writing and that I had to finish this story. Thank you guys for waiting! Happy readings- Spectra