Heyy all! I'm sorry this took so long, but I've been spending most of my time doing my dissertation, which I handed in today, YAY! The next update should be around the end of this month as I have no more assignments after then :)

Thanks to gwb99 for betaing :D

Thankyou for all the reviews, favs and follows, they mean a lot!

TheEliteDucky: I glad you enjoy them so much, apologies for the lack of updates. Y'know I went back over it and though the same when I realised how little time had passed :p

B312: Thankyou, I'm always a bit unsure if I'm getting the original character's in character :L hope you had a good new year and Holidays, even if it was a while ago :p

Telron: Thankyou! It should start to pick up soon and there will be a few timeskips coming up.

Lycaon117: Glad you think so, thing with Six is this is how she's chosen to deal with everything that's been thrown at her. She was probably a nice kid when she was younger, but losing everything and then being encouraged to channel it into killing things kinda had this effect.

Guest: Now you will know :p

PVonTuckIII: I know what you mean about Six, and yeah the Spartan's are professionals, but in a way Six is an exception. She's not insubordinate and she'll do whatever it takes to achieve her mission, but that's also her problem. Perhaps her xenophobia is exaggerated, but she was literally shuffled from a warzone to the planet she's been taut is the centre of Humanity, only to find there're aliens there. She's angry and frustrated for a few reasons and they're the most reasonable thing for her to take it out on.

Ryan: Thank you! :D

Unholy Prophet0060: Yeah! In a way that's one of the reasons I've made her like this as usually characters I come up with are pretty compassionate and such. Thankyou, I hope you like this one :)

Sparta47: Here ya go.

helkil: Haha, I think eventually some will get it, but others aren't going to be so quick to give up on her. As for finding out her real past...we'll just have to see :P

Jack Cypher Vex: Thank you, hope you enjoy it :)

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Born To Die

Noble Six

Six was currently sat in a corner of the mess hall. The bright lights that illuminated the room did little to help her hide in the shadows. Numerous soldiers chatted around her, she caught a few snippets of their conversations. Her exploits of the day appeared to be a prime topic, as well as Guardian and the hinge-head. The words spoken about her were a mix of awe and irritation, clearly her desire for distance wasn't appreciated. Most of the soldiers were scattered on multiple tables except hers. She'd made sure no one would sit with her, being frosty to anyone who came near and doing little to encourage it as she avoided looking at anyone. Her tactics certainty worked, much to the chagrin of the Major who'd been occasionally glancing in her direction when she hadn't sat with him and the hinge-head. Blue eyes narrowed at the thought as they glanced at the hinge-head, after everything she'd told him, she couldn't believe the Major was breaking bread with the bastard. How could he look past it all? How could he just forget the murder and slaughter that the hinge-head had taken part in? Exhaling deeply, Six pushed away her finished plate. Despite her less than balanced thoughts, it's wasn't effecting her appetite, but then again, there was no reason it should.

Just as her eyes settled on her empty tray movement in her peripheral vision had them snapping back up. They instantly landed in a familiar head of dark hair and she refrained from sighing. Before her stood White, a tray of food was cradled in her arms while a large grin graced her lips.

"Figured you could use some company," she said by way of explanation as she took a seat opposite Six. "Apparently you've been giving everyone death glares, not the best way to take friends. Surprised Captain Hughes hasn't tried to grab you yet..." she scanned the room quickly before 'ahhing' in realisation. "Must've been called away again."

Six remained silent as she allowed the woman to ramble and quickly began to gather her things. White must've noticed Six's haste because she sent her a hurt look.

"Am I really that bad of a person to talk to?"

"I have things to attend to," Six murmured as she gradually got to her feet. Her stiff aching muscles protested while her no longer number wounds moaned at her. Gritting her teeth, she ignored it all and reached out to grab her tray when White spoke to her again.

"Six," White began, her emotional eyes raising to look at Six. The Spartan stilled for a moment, allowing the woman to say what she needed to. "If you ever want to chat, I'll be willing..." the woman smiled a little in understanding before continuing, "even though you said you don't do talking. Yeah?"

"Affirmative." With that said Six moved away and disposed of her tray. She made sure to avoid any that looked like they wanted to question her. People asking questions about an event they knew nothing about was not something she was interested in. Idle chat was also an activity she didn't partake in, she didn't need to, and while White's offer was kind, it was misplaced. Six wasn't someone who required frequently nonsensical communication, orders and reports were the only information she needed; not a person's favourite colour.

After leaving the mess hall and managing to avoid any small talk, Six decided to stop in on Guardian before retiring to her room. She found the orb in his ship that was still parked on the side of the tarmac runway with the rest of the aircrafts. The sun had well and truly set and the cool night air was pleasant on her skin as she walked over to the glowing blue ship. What she found the inhabitant doing made her curious, as he was surrounded by the crates of the materials he'd collected and hovering over a steaming metal container. Her ears managed to pick up the small noises of the popping of liquid bubbles as she drew closer, the air around her gradually getting hotter as she did. It was so hot in fact that she could already feel sweat beading on her forehead and clamming up her hands.

"My apologies for the heat, Reclaimer," Guardian said as he evidently noticed her body's rise in temperature. "I did not expect you to return until tomorrow and while the majority of the heat is being syphoned away, the Liberator is still slightly damaged."

"What're you doing?" She asked, cocking her head slightly as to get a better look at the contents of the container.

There was a metallic hum from him before he answered, "I've temporarily redirected the power from the engines here, so I can successfully melt and combine the metals into a workable form. From there I shall repair your armour and the remainder shall be used to create parts for our slipspace engine."

There were so many questions on the tip of her tongue, but she contained herself. Asking so much at once would probably set the orb on edge, as he already appeared touchy about revealing anything to her. Instead she nodded to his statement and asked him one question.

"What're you using?"

"There are numerous elements within the mixture, but do not threat, Reclaimer. I shall forward any relevant information to your Ancilla," there was a small pause and she opened her mouth to say more when he spoke again. "Which reminds me, there are fragments from the armour's previous Ancilla and it may be possible to integrate them into yours. This would be a significant upgrade from its current limited abilities."

Six frowned at his change of subject as well as the idea of AI 'fragments' lingering in the armour. What had been so destructive to the owner that even their AI was reduced to fragments? Perhaps integrating them into Dot would give her an answer to that, so long as it didn't have an adverse effect on Dot.

"Would it damage Dot?"

"No, your Ancilla will remain intact. Now, perhaps you should retire for the day," Guardian hedged as he floated over to an unopened box. "You appear to need the respite."

Six nodded and began to leave the ship, but an important question made itself know and she decided to ask it before she left. "Before I go, how are you going to make a Splispace engine? The technology doesn't exist here and-"

Guardian cut her off, "I have the knowledge, but I will likely need the aid of the Ancilla Hybrids."

He didn't sound happy at the prospect, but neither was Six. She didn't like the fact that they were going to have to share important information and technology with a group of aliens she barely trusted. However, there's little she could do about it apart from suck it up, if she wanted to get back she's going to have to let them help and considering Guardian's disdain for them, he'd certainly keep an eye on them.

"Do what you must," was all she answered, letting him know that she agreed with his resentment towards the idea. She doesn't wait for a reply as she continued down the ramp of the ship, thankful that the nights on this island were reasonably cool. As she relaxed into the cool sensations a small sting spiked through her side. Her teeth instantly snapped together as she refrained from touching the point of origin and forced herself to walk through it. It soon eased away, leaving an uncomfortable ache in its wake.

The hallways are quite as she takes the memorised walk back to her room. On the way she mulled over the upgrade for Dot and wondered what the AI thought about the prospect. It was probably a pointless thought as Dot didn't particularly have opinions, because they were more like predetermined protocols, which influenced her decision. There was nothing emotional about Dot, not a lot anyway, as there were moments were she did appear to express some sympathy.

"Dot," Six murmured as she briefly flicked her eyes down to her helmet.

"Yes, Noble Six?" the reply came though the helmet's speakers as it always did. The same monotone voice echoing down the corridor as she turned onto the final stretch before her room.

"What do you think about an upgrade? Using fragments from a Forerunner AI?" Six kept her voice quite, despite the fact that the area around her was empty.

There was little pause before Dot spoke, her voice as unwavering as ever, "As long as there is not a possibility for a breach in UNSC security, then I shall agree. It would greatly improve my ability to aid you and interface with the new armour."

With a small smile Six pushed open the door to her room, allowing the door to clang shut before she answered her AI companion. "It'll be fine, I'll make sure of it."

There was no reply from Dot and Six flickered the lights for her room on. The bright light assaulted her eyes, but they quickly adjusted and she made her way over to her bed. Setting the battered helmet down on her bed, she then proceeded to unlace and kick of her blood caked boots. Deciding to clean them after her shower Six swiftly grabbed a towel and some sleeping clothes and marched into the shower room.

After hanging her towel up and depositing her clothes in a place they wouldn't get wet, she turned one of the knobs round and the shower started up. It wasn't long before steam filled the room and by the time she'd discarded her dirty clothes in a heap, the water was pleasantly hot. Without hesitation she stepped into the hot water, flinching slightly when it ran down her gauze covered gash.

As she washed she took care to make sure as little water as possible came into contact with the gauze. While doing that she managed to clear off the remainder of the dirt and blood from her body. A small grin graced her face as she did, her eyes watching as the proof of her protecting humanity was washed down the drain. When the last of the alien blood flowed away her thoughts drifted to how strange it all was. The routine of the place was wrong to her, having stable warm meals every day was not something she could get used to, let alone having shower and sleeping in a warm bed –without armour. A frown eased onto her face as her hands scrubbed at a particularly hard piece of grime. She found it all nice, but it just wasn't her. Being out there protecting Humanity and fighting their battles was her, because she couldn't think of anything she'd rather be doing. Humanity was worth everything she had and she wouldn't ever give up being a Spartan, as they needed her; they needed Spartans and Soldiers. The dirt she'd been scrubbing at finally came loose and a tiny smile eased onto her face. She then turned off the shower and after drying and dressing herself she returned to her room to search for something to clean her boots with.

It wasn't long before she found something in one of the cabinets. With the polish, brush and clean cloth in hand she grabbed her boots and sat next to Dot. She set one boot down on the floor while the other was laid on her lap, it's bumpy and grimy surface feeling rough under her hands. As she begins to scrub her boots she doesn't particularly think about anything, she just lets her mind drift as dried pieces of blood and dirt fall to the floor. Out of the corner of her eye she glances at her dog tags, attacking the dirt with more prejudice as she laments over how foolish it is to keep them. She'd never been sentimental before, why now? It would be easy to get rid of them, no doubt the UNSC had declared them all MIA when Reach fell. They'd never be KIA, no, Spartans didn't die, they were only ever missing. She wasn't sure what she felt about the fact that her fellow Spartans didn't get a proper acknowledged death, but perhaps that's her answer; it simply didn't bother her.

Her hands continue scrubbing as she flips the boot. She didn't take her eyes off the dog tags, even as the lids become heavy, and she considers throwing them away. There're not something she needed to keep, just another thing to remind her of how bad things were back where she belongs. But, maybe that's what she needed. She needed a reminder so that she remembers not to get too close to the events here. It may be Earth, but it was not her Earth.

But you're already there, aren't you? Her mind reprimands her and she promptly ignores it. There's nothing to say she wouldn't leave tomorrow if she could. The only thing she'd have to do would be to kill the hinge-head. As for the aliens who now appeared so intent on capturing her? They'd all end up too busy fighting each other to remember her and today proved that staying was not really in the best interests of NEST. In fact, today proved that even if she wanted it, this place would never be her home. The people here were so caught up in trying to placate an alien faction that they didn't realise the true threat aliens could pose. Their disapproval towards her actions today was only further indication that they weren't willing to do what was necessary. They weren't committed enough to the cause.

She feels the boot she scrubbing slowly slip from her grip. She catches it before it hits the floor, but the incident tells her that she must be tried, even if her mind's running at a hundred miles an hour. With the boot in her grip reasonably clean of large chunks she picks up the other and continues her relentless scrubbing. Her trail of thought resumes too, as if she'd never faltered on it.

Six knew from experience that information could be the difference between life and death. Cole protocol was a good example, because without it, the Covenant would've long ago found Earth. Her arms filled with fatigue as she continued to scrub, causing her to frown; she wasn't that tired was she? Her tired eyes were testament to that and she noticed it more when she tore them away from the dog tags. She blinked repeatedly in an attempt to keep herself awake, she still had to see the Major, she couldn't do something as ridiculous as fall asleep. Her mind was still working overtime, but the rest of her appeared content to give into sleep.

In an attempt to keep herself awake she concentrated on her thoughts, hoping they would distract from the lull of sleep. It perhaps worked for a couple of minutes as she reflected over the fact that she didn't understand these people, their ways were so different and the sheer amount difference of it all felt so suffocating. The feeling of it all made her wonder that if she stayed too long she would lose who she was, not that she was easily influenced. But, she would have to accept their ways and she knew that was where it would begin. Afterwards, it would develop into more and she didn't see the benefits in accepting the way they felt towards aliens. She enjoying being who she was because she knew it made her a good soldier. It allowed her not to get attached and separate her emotions from the situation. It- her mind drew a blank as her eyes refused to stay open and the boot in her hand slipped from her grasp again. A look of annoyance began to creep onto her face, but it didn't have time to take hold as she attempted to blink herself awake, only to have her eyes stay shut. Sleep was quick to take her fatigued body and she was out before she fell back onto the bed.

~/~

Will Lennox

It was almost eleven by the time he managed to get to Six's quarters. He knew she'd be in her room because even though he'd only known her a short time, she didn't seem to be the type to socialise with others freely. He would've arrived sooner, but her presence wasn't being as easily accepted as he'd initially thought, unlike Roh's and Guardian's. Since introducing her and the others it had been busy and he'd been busy attending to peoples questions; not that he minded. He knew she wasn't happy about what he'd said and he'd kept it purposely near the truth, even if it had adverse effects on her. Segregating Roh would've been all too easy, but he wasn't that kind of person and from what all the Bots had said he appeared genuinely repentant. Will trusted the Bots and if they said Roh deserved another chance, then he was willing to give it.

Six on the other hand didn't appear to see things that way, but he understood as much as he could. He just hoped that she'd come around eventually, although he doubted she would. Today's events had shown him that she wasn't just a girl who'd been a soldier for just under a decade, there was more to it. The experience she'd told him didn't add up to the fact that she'd managed to take out two 'Cons. Alone. She'd even had time to interrogate one and then live though a tangle with Barricade afterwards. While everyone was impressed with her work, the torture he and the others had walked into was not something they could easily forget. The deep energon blue that coated her body had only made the wide gleeful grin on her face all the more haunting as she'd stared down at the immobilised 'Con. He hadn't been able to see her eyes because of the shadows cast over her face, but he had a feeling that they wouldn't be pretty.

Talk about the incident had spread too, among both 'Bots and Humans. Everyone was wary of her now and Will felt a similar feeling towards her. He knew she hadn't told him everything, but until now he thought she'd spilled more than she really had. Her reaction towards the death of Carter hadn't helped her reputation either. Everyone at base was almost as close as family and to witness a reaction such as Six's was disturbing. White had appeared to be the only one to appreciate Six's lack of reaction, much to the chagrin of everyone else. Although, it appeared the woman's friendliness had gotten her burnt with repeated dismissals from Six.

He sighed as he reached her door, the past two days hadn't been easy and today was possibly the worst. Losing a valued comrade was not something Will ever thought he'd get used to. Ringing the family was always the hardest part and when he'd done it before his meeting with the Lieutenant General, he'd felt like the worst person in the universe. As soon as he'd told them who he was they known, he'd told them as much as he could, trying to be as compassionate yet distant as possible. He hadn't wanted to encourage any tears from the husband on the other end and had therefore kept the call short but informative.

He quickly knocked on the door of her room, preparing himself to give her the speech he'd been preparing for her on his way down. The reaction he'd probably get wasn't likely to be positive, but after talking it over with Optimus and her new team leader -Captain Hughes- they'd all agreed that it was for the best. A frown eased onto his face when there was no sound from the other side and he slowly eased the door open, not expecting the sight before him.

Lying on the bed, looking unbelievably peaceful was Six. She barely made a noise as her pale form slowly breathed in and out. Her scarred face was relaxed as she faced the helmet she never let out of her sight. A pair of boots lay messily next to her bed, as if she'd been attempting to clean them before falling asleep. Will smiled a little, as he continued to take her in and soon came to realise that she looked so young. Now that her face wasn't swamped with bitterness and the aura of hostility that surrounded her was gone, she looked like any other Human being. Deciding it was best to let her sleep, Will eased out of her room, still surprised at how young and serene she looked. The feeling made him wonder how she could be so cold and aggressive, it also made him question what she'd really been through to make her like that. As he clicked the door shut he decided it was best for him to have a small meeting with all the Autobots before calling it a night.

~/~

He found Optimus out on the air strip and it wasn't long before the rest of the 'Bots joined them. There were only eight of them on Earth, seven were stationed at the base because Bumblebee was looking out for Sam. All the 'Bots were of varying sizes, but their leader was without a doubt the tallest and most talented on the battlefield. That didn't mean that the others weren't, Will had seen them all in action at least once to know that he was glad they were on the same side. Beachbreak and KnockOut were the only two they'd had from space so far while Longarm arm and Salvage had been a by-product from the All Spark.

"Thanks for coming guys," Will sent them all a grin as he looked up at them.

"It is our pleasure, Major Lennox," Optimus answered for all the 'Bots.

"I guess Optimus has filled you all in about why you're here?" The 'Bot in question nodded, but said nothing as it was Knockout who spoke up.

"You want to talk to us about Six," KnockOut's tone of voice held a hint of venom at the woman's name. Will nodded in answer, not surprised at the unfriendly tone coming from the hot-headed 'Bot. He knew KnockOut had been at the brunt of Six's dislike of aliens for most of the day, which was bound to incite some anger.

Will grimaced as he answered, "yeah...I know she's difficult, but-"

"But what?" Knockout interrupted, his eyes blazing with anger as he spoke. "We should just-"

Knockout stopped as Optimus put a calming hand on his shoulder. Will relaxed a little as Knockout eased back, but his eyes still blazed a bright white blue. He looked up at Optimus, confusion seeping into his furious features.

"Optimus? You cant- She's nothing like them!" Knockouts voice was low and quiet. But, that didn't stop his fury from seeping though as he spluttered his disbelief at Optimus.

"She'll come around, she just needs time to adjust," Optimus said diplomatically. Will rose a brow at the Autobot Commander, curious as to why he was so certain about her future acceptance. Ratchet appeared to agree with his sentiment to some extent as the Medic snorted.

"Optimus, you can't believe that. She's unreasonable and unstable, what we have seen from her previous battles only proves this. She's seen world's collapse and her people slaughtered, not to mention the 'enhancements' she's received." Ratchet had his arms crossed as he listed off his disputes. He was anything but aggressive to Optimus, although that didn't mean there wasn't any force behind his words.

"Have we not been through similar events, old friend?" Was Optimus' counter.

Ratchet nodded before pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing, "But we have not become consumed by it like she has."

"Then, perhaps we should help her move though her tragedies? Show her that she can be an effective warrior, but not at the cost of herself."

"She's already a damn good fighter," Ironhide chipped in with a huge grin. The grin faltered a moment later, "but, there's a couple of things she can work on."

"Like not torturing 'Cons?" Will's eyes flicked to Knockout. He remembered all to we'll what they were talking about and it had partly been the reason for him wanting to talk to her.

"She tortured one of them?" Beachbreaker contributed with a tone of disbelief. Optimus, on the other hand, frowned as he watched the conversation continue.

Ironhide chuffed, "sure did, not that I mind watching the fraggers squirm..."

Optimus had sent Ironhide a stern look, to which the scarred warrior had trailed off describing his slight approval towards Six's actions.

"Ironhide..." Optimus reinforced his rebuttal with words. The large scarred mech held his hands up in surrender and his roguish grin fell away. Optimus nodded in satisfaction before he looked down at will and asked his permission, "May I?"

A smile broke out on his face as he responded to the Autobot leader, "go ahead."

With a bow of his metal head Optimus relayed his gratitude as his moved so he could face his men. While he moved Ironhide's large metal hand reached out to Will in invitation. Without hesitation Will stepped onto the outstretched hand and soon found himself holding on as he was whisked through the air. Ironhide then nudged Will onto his shoulder where he quickly got comfortable next to a large piece of metal.

"When it comes to Noble Six and her accomplices we must not forget where they're from. You've all seen what their home is like and while it does not excuse their actions, it should allow us to understand and show them compassion. Like us they're far from home and on a world that is much unlike theirs. Even Noble Six who is Human is no exception to this. Her actions today only showed us how large the divide between our worlds are." From his vantage point Will could see a slight frown on Optimus' face as his gravelly voice rolled through the empty Autobot hangar. "We must show her that not all aliens are the same. Even when she lashes out, we cannot allow that to deter us because she probably feels alone and angry at her apparently helpless situation."

"I don't understand…" Longarm's words were so quite Will almost didn't hear him. The bulky white and blue Autobot had a frown on his face as his tow cable hung dejectedly over his shoulder. Before anyone could ask him what the problem was, he spoke again, his voice more confused than ever. "I don't understand how anyone could do that and how she could become so cruel from it. Knockout told me what happened….and after all the horrible events that've happened to her, how can she want to inflict that on another being?"

Will could now see why Longarm was having a problem. From experience he knew how the 'Bot got when talking about the 'Cons. It wasn't that he got angry, instead he got confused. He'd always exclaimed how he couldn't figure out how the 'Cons could be so angry and treacherous. Will had never been sure what to respond and had figured that Longarm would just need some time to adjust. But, he doubted the 'Bot would ever truly adjust. Longarm was a nice guy, he was always happy to help anyone and while he wasn't as capable in combat as the others, he never left anyone behind.

"I believe Six's experiences are the reason she acts the way she does. It may also be down to her training as she has suggested to the notion of being around the military for much of her life….Yes, old friend?" Optimus finished by sending a questioning gaze towards Ratchet.

The Autobot's Chief Medical Officer had a frown on his face, which didn't ease, even as he spoke, "I could determine more solid facts on her life. If I could scan her augmentations more thoroughly, I could determine when she received them." Ratchet sent will an apologetic look, "not that I'm devaluing your judgment, Will, but she has yet to prove we can really trust her."

"I'd be worried if you didn't but, I want to trust her, she just needs to prove that we can," he admitted. "Also, hopefully she start to trust us, especially you guys."

The Autobot's nodded in agreement, all knowing far too well how Six was around aliens. Even though she'd only been around for just over a day, news about her spread like crazy. Will himself wasn't sure how he felt about her. He had a lot of mixed feelings when it came to her and it wasn't just her persona, but her age. Seeing her asleep had only reinforced how young she was and made him feel all the more uncomfortable for pushing her to join.

General Morshower shared some of his hesitancy towards Six. While he was impressed by her, her mental state made him wary and had him asking for tabs to be kept on her. Doing so was difficult without attracting her attention, so he'd sent Optimus to partially do the job. The 'Bot in question wasn't all that bothered about watching her, but that didn't stop it from wearing on him. Will knew Optimus was finding her difficult, although she didn't appear to be faring that much better. Given what little he knew about her, he could only wonder how long it would be before cracks stared forming in her psych. That was of they did at all, and if they didn't then it only made Will all the warier of her machine-like personality.

"For someone such as her, I'm afraid it will take much longer than we expect and even then it may be false. All we can trust in for the moment is her motives," Optimus rumbled softly. His eyes were showing their ever present regret that seemed to have been added to since meeting Six. "Guardian is one I do not trust, he must be watched closely as I fear he hides ulterior motives from all of us."

Will nodded in agreement, he too had a strange feeling in his gut whenever Guardian was around. He wasn't sure how Six felt towards him as she gave so little away when it came to her home, but she appeared to trust him to some degree. The other 'Bots also seemed to hold similar sentiments as they murmured in agreement. Longarm being one to mention with a shudder that he got a bad feeling from the orb, one that made his spark turn cold.

As silence fell over them all, Will decided it was time to wrap the small meeting up, "Anyone else want to add?"

"I believe we have discussed all we can on Noble Six," Optimus was the one to answer as he looked over each of his men to check. No one spoke up and Will felt a sombre feeling roll over him as Ironhide shifted under him slightly.

"I'll bring her to see you after our meeting tomorrow, Ratchet," as he spoke Ironhide brought his hand around and silently put Will on the floor. Will glanced back up to his large friend and found the brief smile he was about to plaster on his face wiped away by the expression on Ironhide's face. Even though Ironhide's face wasn't easy to read, the hardness in his optics and the tense set in his jaw told Will all he needed to know; something was bothering him. In an attempt to discover what was wrong, Will sent him a quick questioning look. The large being indicated his head to the left in a half shake that insisted it wasn't a problem for discussing.

Ratchet hummed in agreement, "yes, besides her injuries need to be checked and monitored; today must've taken its toll on her body."

Will nodded while Optimus finished up and dismissed everyone. Gears shifted and metal slid into place as a few of them transformed, accompanied by the quiet thuds off Ratchet and Beachbreak walking out by foot. There was a moment of silence that was broken by the creaking of metal as Optimus leaned towards him. He looked up at the tall, red and blue 'Bot, curiosity and confusion welling on his face.

"Best get some rest, Will," the soft blue optics of Optimus rotated a little as his smooth voice sailed through the night air. "You've done all you can to make her feel welcome, the rest is up to her, we cannot force her to accept us."

"I know," he ruffled some of his hair in frustration. But, he knew Optimus was right and he could only hope that Six would eventually come around. "And you're right, see you tomorrow Optimus."

"Goodnight, Will."

With a smile and a nod to each other both Will and Optimus departed from the hangar in separate directions. As he left the hangar he made a quick call to one of the Captains of the night squads and gave him a quick update. Although, what was supposed to be a short call turned into one that lasted half an hour, as he had numerous questions. Will didn't mind though, he never liked keeping his men in the dark and with the way the night squad rotations went, it was sometimes difficult. By the end of the call everything appeared to be up to date with the Captain and Will was finally able to get some shut eye.