Disclaimer: I only own my OCs. Vox belongs to a friend.

Remcy: So, the influence of human societal activities has delayed you this long in updating.

Authoress: *sighs* That's about right. I just needed to get over that. Of course, that doesn't guarantee constant updates.

Zarron: *faceplate palms* Of course, it doesn't.

Chapter 13: A History Not So Different

Remcy's 1st P.O.V.

It was strange to imagine that this wall was considered old to humans. I was older than this wall and I did not consider myself old in the slightest. But, I had found out from my research that this was a place to help learn about humanity's past. It was a curiosity, but it did put into perspective for me about how human life-spans effect them. To build such a wall, the human behind that must have felt that they needed to be protected. While a wall like this seemed like a pointless measure to use since it can be gone over, or even destroyed, the point behind the wall rang clear with me.

And, it made me start thinking about the situation with Pandimala and the Council. Just because the Council was out of sight, didn't mean that they couldn't still reach her. The Council had resources that ew could only dream of and, while the entire Council wasn't against us, we had definitely made enemies among the rest of them. Being in intelligence, I would help the police forces attached to Cybertron, whether that be on our planet or one of the colony planets, with their investigations in attacks on bots who were on the fringes of Autobot support. Even though I couldn't get the evidence ever needed, I knew that bots high up in the chain of command of the Autobots had organized these attacks. But, without evidence, I could never go far with those investigations.

And now, I realized that our group here on Earth would become the target of the Council. When we got back from these investigations, I was going to have to ask the others about what we should be doing to guard ourselves against their possible retaliation against us.

One of the main things that we had to be worried about were bounty hunters. That was especially given the amount of time that we had been away from Cybertron. As I looked out from the wall I was standing on, I let my thoughts focus on that one thought. When we first left, they probably made some bull-scrap story up about the rest of our crew getting lost or something like that, since 'Mala was the only one officially banished, and would have sent 'expeditions' out to find us hired outside of Cybertronian groups to keep the focus on the fight against the Decepticons. Given the amount of time that had passed, those groups would have reported that we were much farther outside of Cybertron's grasp than they would have expected the bridge to spit us out at.

"You seem very deep in thought for someone who is visiting." I turned to see another man about my soliform's age lean on the wall next to me. His violet eyes seemed to be boring into me. He had long blonde hair that was in a ponytail.

"You are visiting too." I shot back at the man who didn't match the ethnicity of the area I was in.

The man smirked at that. "True, but I seem to be enjoying myself. You, on the other hand, seem to be contemplating something way too deeply for someone on vacation."

Well, he wouldn't understand what I was saying anyway. I would just give him the human version of what was going on and then maybe he would let me return to my thoughts. "I have a friend, a really good friend. Because of where she came from, she was forced to leave where we came from. All of us who support her came with her. But, the people who are against her are powerful and they have a large number of resources at their disposal. I was thinking about what we could do so we are ready when they come."

The man stared at me for a few nanos and I thought he was going to leave. But, luck seemed to be against me as the stranger sighed. "Sounds like you and your friends are in quite a situation." He then laughed. "From how you are talking, you sound like you want to hide away from what is coming after you. Do you think that your friend did something that they need to hide?"

"No!" What was his human even saying? Didn't he hear a fragging word I just said to him? The Council had banished Pandimala because of what her heritage was and he was talking like we were to blame.

It was slightly unnerving how the human smirked at that. "But, you just said that you were already thinking of worse case scenarios for when they might come after you and your friends. Isn't that like burrowing in some hole and waiting for the end to come to you?" He then motioned to the wall we were standing on. "Take this. The Great Wall of China. Meant to keep back invaders from breaching their country. It was a precaution from an attack that the people of the time knew was coming. But, no matter how much they tried to prepare, this wall still failed many times to keep those enemies back. It even ended the reign of an entire ruling dynasty. All because they prepared for an attack by hiding behind something that they thought would defend them."

"And what's your point?" I wasn't getting what he was trying to say.

"My point," the man started to speak almost insistently, "is that if you and your friends start to prepare for situations that might happen, you will miss out on what is happening outside of you. And then, when the time comes and those people who are against you come, they will just go around whatever defenses you have prepared." He then motioned toward the land that stretched ahead of us. "You need to explore, meet people, make allies, and live your life without fear. Don't conform to the order of the world. Sometimes, embracing the chaos that surrounds you and becoming one with it is how you get to enjoy the true beauty of the world. You will relax to a point where, when these enemies of yours do come for you, you will have found how to use what is around you and the chaos that created it to truly defend yourself from your enemies."

Looking out to where he was pointing, I realized that this man was right. I still thought of myself on Cybertron with their rigged law and order, and their influence. Earth was not Cybertron. We were on a planet that the Council had no say. Pit, this world didn't even know of the existence of the Council. Instead of trying to work this world to what we felt we needed, we needed to embrace our new world and what it would bring us.

"You're right." I looked at the guy next to me and realized we had just had a strangely deep conversation together and I didn't even know his des...name. "So, mysterious man, what is your name? I'm Ryan Scott." I then held out a hand to him.

The man stared at my hand for a few nanos before he shrugged his shoulders and took my hand. "Why not? The name's Michael Lincoln. It was nice to meet you, Ryan. I hope we meet again." I then watched Michael walk away.

Well, I wasn't going to waste any time at my investigating this new outlook for our time here. So, I turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Zarron's 1st P.O.V.

It was amazing.

Being on Cybertron, I got used to the feeling of someone being in control of what was around me. Even going to the Rust Falls, I knew that bots could control the output that the falls had. While it was still something amazing to look at, it was always operating under the control of others.

But this...this was truly worth being seen with one's own sight. These falls controlled themselves, and they showed such power as they crashed down below. My soliform was shaking with the thought of how much power a simple thing as water could produce. Something as flexible and bendable as water could create such force.

"Are you alright there young man?" I turned to see an elderly human woman in what they called a 'wheelchair' stopped behind me.

I smiled at her question and motioned toward the falls. "I just find myself enraptured by the falls here. This is my first time seeing them and I have to say that I don't remember seeing anything quite like them in my life." And that was the truth. The Rust Falls had nothing on these falls here.

"Ah, a first time visitor." The elder stated as she started to wheel up next to me. "Yes, I remember the first time that I was at the falls. My late husband brought me here on a trip. He proposed to me right here." She then let out a laugh. "He always said that this spot here where you and I are standing is the best view of the falls anyone can ever have."

Even though I had just met this woman, I felt a twinge of pain in my spark for her. From how she spoke, her human bondmate was no longer alive. "I am so sorry for the loss of your husband. If you don't mind me asking, how long has he been gone from this living world?"

Her old eyes grew soft at my question and she smiled. "I don't mind at all. It seems like it has been so long since anyone has wanted to hear me talk about him." She then paused. "Ashburn, my dear husband, has been gone for about a year now. I know that I will soon follow my husband, but, I think that life wanted me to see the Falls one more time."

She knew she was going to die? Did humans die soon after their bondmates? From the research I was doing earlier, humans could marry multiple times. Their vows to their mates were words only, and because of that, they could be broken. "How do you know you will die?"

"It's not something I can explain to you in a logical field." The woman started to explain. "But I just know. It's a feeling that one gets, and I have been having this feeling for months. I wanted to make sure I saw the falls once more before that happened though." She then shook her head. "It took much convincing for my son and grandson to bring me here from Kansas."

A twinge of anger coursed through me when I heard her say that. "Why would your son and grandson not want to bring you here to remember such a momentous time in your life?"

When a sad laugh came out of her, I knew that I was not going to like the answer. "They don't care about what I wish to do. They only care about the money and possessions they expect to receive when I do die. Fear of possibly losing that was probably the only reason the finally agreed to bring me here."

"That is a terrible thing for them to do." I let out as anger overcame me. "You are the reason that both are even in this world and they...they." I let out a breath to calm myself. "I don't understand. How can mankind be so thoughtless?"

The feeling of a cold, frail hand on my arm caused me to look toward the woman and, for once, I couldn't read what was behind them. "You really think that way, don't you?"

I nodded. "Yes, a friend of mine was denied something because of her background and those who tried her only cared about being promoted in life and making a name for themselves. It didn't matter that she had proven herself time and time again. But, despite all of that, and the trouble that claiming her heritage has done for her, my friend still does. When she grew up, she accepted that heritage as a part of her and she never spoke badly of them. In all the time I have known her, she has never spoken badly of them, regardless of all the pain that being connected to them has caused her."

Silence stayed between the old woman and me for a moment before she smiled. "Mankind can be a cruel creature at times. I had lived long enough to see the good and the bad that this world can create. While some make us want to lose hope in humanity, it is meeting people like you that can remind the world that there is goodness in it, and that is worth fighting all of the bad for." She then paused. "Say, what is your name young man?"

"I am Ashland Frost. And may I have your name m' lady?"

"Of course Sir Frost. I am Annie Galloway." She laughed. "And, Sir Frost, is there a place of residence for you?"

Since saying an alien ship in the arctic might not be a proper address and, since none of us had any other address, I decided that describing what I was doing now was the best step I could take. "I don't have a home. I just travel around and see the sights to learn as much as I can."

"Ah, I see." She then hummed as she looked to be thinking. "Then perhaps a phone number?"

Shoot. That would be something that I should have given how I just said I lived. So, while I looked to be thinking, I hacked into the communication network her on this planet. I had to thank Remcy for the basic hacking lessons. Anyways I created a phone number that would connect the caller to my comm. link. I then wrote it down and handed it to Annie. "Here you go, though I don't understand why you need it."

Annie looked like she was going to respond to what I said when a voice came from behind her. "Hey grandma, have you been boring this boy with your old stories?"

I barely held back a growl as I saw a man in his late forties with a youngling of around seventeen following close behind. These must be her son and grandson. They didn't seem like the most respectable humans. Plus, I didn't like how they referred to me as a boy. I had been alive much longer than they could comprehend and they called me boy? "Sir, I am not a boy. Plus, I was enjoying her stories very much. May I ask your names?"

The man seemed taken aback at my response to him. "My name is Henry Galloway and this is my son, George Galloway. This old bat is my mother, Annie Galloway. Now, if you will excuse us, we have a tight schedule to follow Mr.?"

"The name's Ashland Frost." I made sure to make my voice cold in addressing him, with the way he treated his mother before I turned to the said woman with a smile, "It was nice to meet you, Annie."

Annie then nodded at me and smiled back. "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance Ashland."

Henry then took his mother's wheelchair and started to push her away. As they left, young George stuck up his middle digit and glared at me. So, that must be a sign of displeasure and insult to humans, given the situation. Instead of letting the youngling get the better of me, I simply laughed and smiled. Immediately, the young human put down his finger and ran to catch up with his sire.

If there was one thing that I knew, it was that those two human males did not deserve a carrier or grand carrier like they had.

Scorpi's 1st P.O.V.

Humans were an imaginative bunch. Currently, Tana and I were following behind a tour group as the tour leader talked about this location's history. The Colosseum. Commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in 70 A.D. A place where games could be played for the spectatorial enjoyment of the masses. From the guide that Tana and I were currently listening to, it was Vespasian's son, Titus, who officially opened the Colosseum that we stood in. This place that we now stood in...it saw so many humans go across its field, never to come out.

"The Colosseum was in operation for four centuries after its opening and during that time, many different events were held including the well known gladiatorial games. There is even evidence to suggest that the Romans could fill the basin of the arena with water to host aquatic activities." The tour guide continued to speak as we moved along.

While this information was interesting and informative about humanity, I felt myself getting sick at everything I was hearing about the beings that we were sharing a planet with. Thousands upon thousands of deaths were allowed to take place in this place. Just that thought alone caused me to stop and stare out. Remcy always said that information was the key to unlocking any information about beings around us.

As I looked out at the Colosseum, I shook my head. These humans...how could they allow this sort of torture...this barbarity, in a culture that was supposed to be advanced for its time. How could humans even want to keep this sort of brutal arena standing, let alone pay to come in here and listen to other people drone on about how amazing this civilization was. Then, in the same breath, talk about thousands of deaths like they happened so often.

"Scraplet."

"What! Where?" I yelped at the sound. Scraplets were the most dangerous creatures in the universe. I would not let one sink its metal teeth into my chassis! I then looked around and saw that Tana's soliform, Tabitha Grace, was standing next to me with a smirk on her face.

"I guess that got your attention."

"You're a glitch, you know that," I muttered to the femme.

"But on a serious note," Tana continued. "You've got a look on your faceplate that I see on Remcy a lot. You are thinking deeply. Maybe too deeply."

I shook my head at that. "Not too deeply. Just confused." I then motioned out to the center of the Colosseum. "These humans, they talk about how great this Roman Empire was and how influential they were in their modern world. But, those same past humans that they worship seem to be cruel overlords with no sparks. They sacrificed whatever they could for these bloody entertainment spectacles for their 'bread and circuses'. How could the humans of this age even think about remembering what those awful humans did in the past, let alone keep this bloody place intact."

Instead of looking to agree with me, which I thought the warrior would, Tana simply shook her head. "You don't study much of Cybertron's history, do you?"

"Not really. Other bots usually had that covered and it was boring to listen to."

"You had Perceptor for your basic history instructor didn't you?"

"Yep. First and last history course I took."

"Explains a lot." She sighed before she added. "Well, they never cover the good parts of history in introductory classes. I had Perceptor for my intro class too. I didn't want to touch the subject again. But, Remcy convinced all of us to take a specific history course of our choice and I ended up with the history of the End of the Golden age."

"What does this have to do with this place?" I asked her.

"The point is," Tana's soliform let out with a sigh, "that in that class I got to learn a lot about Cybertron and what was happening in other city-states during this time. In Kaon and Tarn, though Kaon's were the most famous, there were gladiator rings just like this Colosseum here used for the same purpose that this one did. Energon-sport used to distract the people from the downward way life on Cybertron was going. And they weren't run by some shady organization. No, the Council and many other high-standing bots from other city-states supported these places so they could continue. If we were back on Cybertron, you could visit them just like we are visiting this one."

My soliform eyes were wide at this point and I couldn't say anything. The Council allowed barbarity like this...it didn't seem right. That kind of thinking is what the Decepticons are supposed to be known for. "Why...how could I follow the Autobots if they did things like that?"

"They didn't completely." Tana continued to confuse me. "You have to remember that, back during that time, there were no such things as Autobots or Decepticons. We were Iaconians, Praxians, Vosnians, Kaonites, Tarnites, and so on. The Council was made of bots from several different city-states." I then flinched as she let out a growl. "Don't get me wrong, our Autobot Council has its sins. I could go into a whole list of sins that the Council has done since the beginning of the war that would make your processor spin." She then shook her head. "But, that's not what's important here. Looking at this piece of human history, and our own, things like this teach us that we shouldn't just blindly follow leadership."

"Yeah, I guess if we did that, we would be in a lot of trouble," I answered her back.

Tana let out a laugh at that. "Yeah, and Pandimala is counting on us to not follow her blindly. She will need level helms and blind helms aren't that level."

The two of us then went to catch up to the tour group that we were following. As we did though, I decided that I was going to start spending some time looking at Cybertron's past from the archive files the ship had. I should know more about our past if I wanted to help Pandimala the best that I could.

Vox's 1st P.O.V.

As I walked down the pier toward the warship in front of me, I felt myself feeling wonder at the humans. Though they were a small and, physically, rather weak species, they were able to build amazing works of construction like what was in front of me. A metal battleship that, for the humans, seemed able enough to carry many of their troops, vehicles, aircraft, and equipment. And not only that, but this ship was used in non-military ways, like recovering the Apollo 8 astronauts and their capsule.

And, what was even more amazing in my mind was that the humans considered this ship to be too old for sea-travel anymore. From what I was hearing, as I entered the ship and started to follow a tour, this "Fighting Lady", as was the USS Yorktown's nickname, was commissioned way back in human history during its twentieth century...April 15th, 1943 to be precise. Being the twenty-fifth century now, the ship was in wonderful condition for its age. Frag, it was still able to float and take visitors inside of it to receive tours.

"This is a load of crap." Everyone in the group turned to a young man who was wearing a suit. The young man then continued to speak. "All this shows is that we Americans can't keep our damn noses out of anything. World War II was the only time that this old rust bucket did any sort of battle without America trying to act like the police of the world. Even after centuries have gone by, we still find ourselves in pointless wars. We aren't getting attacked and yet we send our people over to fight on foreign soil when we have our problems right here."

"Sounds like you have your mindset." I sighed. This human didn't understand. Yes, war was not a good thing. Frag, it was our faction's goal to make sure that the war between the Autobots and Decepticons would end. But, I also knew, from studies and personal talks, that every planet needed the wars that it had.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The young man demanded as he faced me better. "You like seeing our people dying away from home for something that doesn't concern us?"

"Everything concerns everybody, given time," I responded to that before continuing. "While war should be a last resort, it does concern everyone, even those who consider themselves neutral. If a war starts, it tells everyone else that something is very wrong with the situation at hand. Not only is the situation wrong where the war started, but everywhere else if they did not notice it." I then motioned to this ship. "Let's take the war that this ship was commissioned during. Why did the war start? From research, I have found that there were many reasons for the war to start. One of them, however, was that the poverty in Germany, from the previous World War, grew to a point where they were ready to listen to anyone to get basic living needs. That man that they listened to decided that those to blame were the outcasts of their society. Millions of people were killed by that man's word and, even after the war, it was debated if they were even tortured the way that they were. Mankind is a blind creature to our faults, and sometimes the only way to open our eyes from our blindness has been through wars."

"What does that have to do with war being good? It shouldn't have gotten to that point." The man tried to argue.

"That is what I am saying. But, there are people with your opinion that say that we should not take action to stop atrocities like that from happening, even if it is not on our soil. You want our world to change but won't put forth an effort to help. What would Earth be like if let's say, there were not so many countries and governing bodies? What if there was just one country under one ruling body and one army? If that army was sent to take out a group who were doing unspeakable things to people, your people, then you would support it...at least that is what I got from what you were saying."

The young man stared at me for a few clicks before turning his head and going silent. I hoped that he would at least think about it. No, war was not good for the most part, but it did help us realize our faults and move toward a better tomorrow. This ship was a stepping stone in humanity's drive toward bettering their future and I found myself even more in awe that I was inside of it right now. I was going to have a lot to report back on once I returned to the Estia.

Balm's 1st P.O.V.

Detroit looked amazing! From what I had read up on its history, it used to be the slums. Kind of like Kaon. But, now it was a technological hub for the robotic kind. As I drove through the town in my vehicle mode, I saw that there were many different kinds of buildings. This town now somewhat reminded me of Iacon. Humans were conversing on the streets and just out for a stroll. It made me think about being home and, while I missed it, I knew that coming with 'Mala would always be the right choice and I would never regret it.

After a while of driving, I felt my optics widen in my alt mode as I beheld the tower that was in front of me. Not only was it large by human standards, but it was also shaped like some of the buildings at home and it was right in the middle of the city. I had to find out more about it. Plus, since this building was in the center of town, it would probably hold a lot of information about the city. My assignment hadn't been a specific place in the city like the others had. Instead, I was just supposed to explore the city and find out what I could. Once I was parked, I had my soliform step out of my vehicle form and walk inside.

And the inside felt just like the outside did to me; home. While the plants weren't like home, the design of the room reminded me of the med center in Iacon and of Ratchet's clinic...when it was clean. What did surprise me was that, instead of a human sitting behind the receptionist desk, there was a non-sentient robot behind the desk. At least, I was assuming it was non-sentient because it hadn't looked up at me when I walked in.

It seemed to be a sensor-activated robot because, as I stopped at the front desk, the robot looked up at me. "Welcome to Sumdac Towers. How may I help you?"

"What goes on at this company?" I figured that I should at least start with this company and then maybe ask for more information about the city later.

"Sumdac Systems manufactures all of the robots that you see around the city and we help the city stay advanced with its technology."

"What about weapons?"

"Even though the topic is debated about adding weapons to the manufacturing products of Sumdac Systems, Mr. Sumdac will only allow weapons to come out in the form of law enforcement robots. Is there anything else I can do for you, ma'am?"

I thought about that as she asked. While a part of me wanted to get more information about the city, I was now very curious about the 'Mr. Sumdac'. Even on Cybertron, it was hard for manufacturing companies to stay out of the war effort. For this man to be able to accomplish such a thing...well I think it would be interesting to talk to him. "Is there any chance that I can meet Mr. Sumdac today?"

The robot turned to her console and typed in a few things before she spoke. "It seems that he has an opening right now for about an hour if you would like me to ask him to come down."

"That would be perfect. Thank you. I'll just take a look down here while you call him." I responded to her before I started to wander around the lobby. While meeting with a sentient person would be nerve-wracking for me, I knew that I would do alright. So, I continued to walk. Just walking around here made me feel like I was at home..even for a nano. It was so,

"Look out of the way!" I heard the sound of a very disgruntled voice say from behind me. Before I could even try to move, I felt someone bump into me and I went crashing to the ground. Once I got my bearings, I saw that it was a short man in a white suit outfit with pink sunglasses and, honestly, the strangest hairdo that I had seen yet.

As he stood up, I felt like I should apologize for not watching my surroundings in this new place better. "I'm s...sorry sir. Are you…"

"Stay out of the way girl! I am in a hurry and I don't have time to mess with you. Now, if you don't mind," And with that, the man stormed out of the building.

I just sat there on the ground staring at the man in shock. In my processor, that man was not giving humanity a very good start in my books. Even if bots were in a hurry on Cybertron, they would stop and make sure that the other bot was alright before running off. He didn't even offer to help me up!

"Are you alright miss?"

I flinched and turned to see another short man, though this one friendly-looking, standing above me with his hand out to, I assumed, help me up. So, I took it and, as he helped me up, I responded. "Yeah, I...I'm alright."

"Miss, are you the one that wanted to meet with me?" The man asked me once I was standing.

Ah, so this must be Mr. Sumdac! "You m...must be Mr. Sumdac. It is a pleasure to meet you. M...My name is Alice Loveadiast and I was touring Detroit for the f...first time when I saw this building and had to see what it was about."

"It is nice to meet you Ms. Loveadiast. The man that ran into you was Porter C. Powell, one of the members of my board. We just finished a board meeting. He has wanted Sumdac Systems to start creating military weapons and I have to keep rejecting him. That is not how my company works. We are here to serve the people."

If this man caused so much trouble, then why was he still working here? "Then why d...don't you fire him?"

"Because he is on the board and I can't just fire him. He has to be voted off by the rest of the board." Mr. Sumdac stated before adding, "Though I wouldn't mind him deciding to quit. He has been a pain in my side for a long time concerning the weapons." He then shook his head and smiled. "But, I am pressing my problems on you. How would you like a personal tour of the tower?"

Well, that would give me a lot of information about the company. So, I nodded. "Th...that would be wonderful Mr. Sumdac. Thank you." I then followed the man as he led the way to the elevator to begin the tour. He led me to many interesting rooms including a private study that he used to create his ideas. He talked about more advanced police bots that he hoped for in the future and a more A.I. geared staffing than the current program he was using.

Everything was going alright until we passed by a large set of doors, with a small door next to it. I stopped by the large doors as I felt a shiver travel down my back. What was that feeling? It made me feel scared...unsafe. So, I called after Mr. Sumdac, who hadn't realized that I was stopped. "M...Mr. Sumdac. What is th...this room?"

The man looked to where I was pointing. "Oh, that is just my private lab. Not much to see here so let's continue with the tour."

I agreed and, as I continued to move past the doors, I felt a cold feeling run through my actual spark. I wasn't sure what it was, but I had a bad feeling about what was behind that door.

Pandimala's 1st P.O.V.

I felt amazed as I looked up at the pyramids before us. These fantastic buildings were made, to my surprise, during ancient times for humanity. From what little I had heard from the many tour guides around us, ancient humans didn't even have the technology that the humans these solars had. Simple machines were used to transport large stone blocks from one point in this land to this location, and then vertically up an incline to be meticulously put into place. It was astounding that a species so small could accomplish such a fantastic feat.

"These are something special, aren't they." I looked over to my left to see Honeywhip's soliform standing next to me. Six foot two inches, tanned, blonde hair, and having a strange name. While most of us picked common names that humans would know, Honeywhip decided to go with a strange first name.

"Whatever you say, Horus Whitfield," I responded to him while taking a jab at his name.

"Lizzie Val, there is nothing wrong with the name Horus. I quite enjoy the looks I receive." He then motioned back toward the pyramids. "Looking at these pyramids, what were you thinking about?"

"Honestly," I started, "I was thinking about how amazed I was that beings as frail as humans could have the ability to move objects as heavy as those stones to create such precise creations as this. They were using 'technology' that even for humans seem impossible to use to create the amount of precision shown here. Not only did ancient humans have the ability to even build these great monuments, but they were even able to line up certain points on these pyramids with the stars in the sky. It almost seems like it shouldn't be possible."

What I wasn't expecting from Honeywhip was a laugh at my response. I threw him a look. I didn't think I was being funny. I was being serious! "I am surprised at you Lizzie." He smirked and shook his head. "Here you have a prime example of what you wish to accomplish for us and you don't even recognize it." Before I could even comment on that, he continued. "When teamwork is implemented correctly in any objective, it can do wonders. Even though the humans forced to work on these pyramids were slaves to the rulers of the time, they wouldn't have been able to accomplish these great feats without working together as a team."

He was right, of course, and I should have seen it. Now that he said it though, I could see the great teamwork that could be done. A civilization of beings that did not have anywhere near the technology that humans now had, and even less technology than we had, were able to create monuments that have lasted thousands of years, helping humans of this day remember their past. "You are right Horus. I need to be mindful of everything and how teamwork can make it go further." A quick thought then crossed my mind that caused me to laugh. "Are you sure that you are only a doctor? You seem like a good therapist as well."

Honeywhip laughed and shook his head. "No, just being around the social scenes back home. You learned to read bots very quickly and my mentor went to a ton of social events."

True. From what I knew of Knockout, he was a very social bot. If there was a party, that didn't interfere with his racing, then he was there. I guess it made sense for Honeywhip to have gone to at least some of those with him.

While I wanted to keep staring at these pyramids more, there was a bazaar that I noticed on our way out here that both Honeywhip and I wanted to look at. Maybe get some gifts for the others. Plus, inspiration came from the most unusual places at times and I knew that our faction still needed an official name.

So, the two of us got back onto the bus that brought us here before we arrived at the bazaar. When I got off the bus, I was excited. There were so many different stalls and each one seemed to have a unique feature about them But, as I moved by each of the vendors, I didn't seem to be drawn to anything on their tables.

That was, of course, until Honeywhip and I arrived at a stand that was near a back corner and there were no other people at. The woman behind it looked happy, though, and so I smiled at her.

"Hello," Honeywhip started to speak to her, "my name is Horus Whitfield, and this is my friend Lizzie Val. Do you speak American English?"

The woman focused on Horus before she nodded. "Yes, Mr. Whitfield. I speak very good American English. I am surprised that you called it that though. Most people would just call it English."

Honeywhip smiled at her. "I prefer to be as accurate as I can with identification." He responded.

The two of them then seemed to get drawn into a conversation. While they talked, though, I took a look at the products that the woman had on her table. Many of them seemed like homemade trinkets that were fairly priced. However, it was the look of a trinket on display that got my attention. It was highly similar to the shape of the pendant that Ultra Magnus first gave me, and the shape of our new insignia. I had to ask her more about this. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

Both Honeywhip and this woman stopped talking for a nano before she turned to me. "Yes, Ms. Val?"

I motioned to the trinket that looked like the shape of the pendant. "Would you tell me what that symbol is if you wouldn't mind?"

The woman looked at the symbol and smiled. "Yes, I can dear. That is a being that is known as a dragon. Dragons are mythical beings that were said to be wise and symbolized longevity. In some cases, dragons are said to be very loyal and intelligent beings that know much more than the minds of men. In many of our stories, you can find people searching for these dragons and, along their journey, discovering more about themselves and who they truly are."

Dragons. They sounded, from this woman's description, like the perfect name for a faction. Well, part of a name. Just being called dragons might not be such a good idea, but something was telling me that I needed to make sure that word was in our new factions name. But, something was missing. I thought about this for a few nanos before I remembered the other part of the information that the woman had aid. She said that many people in their tales went on quests to find dragons and would learn about themselves along the way. We were a new faction, and we were working toward solidifying ourselves as a faction. Scouters? Now that I thought of the word, that didn't seem too,

"Lizzie."

I jumped out of my thoughts and looked to see Honeywhip and the woman both staring at me, the woman worried and Honeywhip with a curious look on his face. "I'm sorry. Got caught up in my imagination." I then motioned to the trinkets. "How many of these do you have with you?"

That seemed to cause the woman to pause for a click before she said, "I have around ten with me. They cost three American dollars apiece."

It didn't take me long to come to a decision. "I would like to purchase all of them if I could."

The woman looked delighted at my response to her. While Honeywhip still looked curious, the woman quickly, but efficiently, wrapped all ten of the trinkets in little sheets of paper before putting them all in a grocery sack. I then handed her a bill with a five and a zero on it. It was one of the bills that Vox said should work as currency here. We had a currency converter on-board the ship and, once the ship analyzed the planet's most used currency, it would convert our credits to the currency as we needed it.

I grew worried as the woman's face fell at the sight of the bill. I was going to ask her why when she spoke up. "I do not have the change to give you for your money. Do you perhaps have smaller bills?"

While I knew that I did, this woman had helped me in more ways then this extra currency could afford. "Keep the change. That information you gave me helped me more than you can ever know." I noticed the curious look on Honeywhip's face grew at that. I would tell him more about my thoughts later.

The woman's features lit up in joy before she spoke, "Oh thank you, dear. Ho could I ever thank you?" I went to tell her that she didn't need to thank me but she spoke too soon. "I know! My pen pal, the sweet America boy, sent me over tickets to a music festival that he is performing at. I received them today. VIP passes and all the nice things that one can get. He gave me enough for myself and the seven friends that I meet up with weekly. I told him a lot about them. But, I have no time to go. I was going to send them back but why waste them! You should take them instead."

While I wasn't sure what this was all about, and I started to research them in my head, I gave the woman a hesitant look. "Ma'am, are you sure?"

She seemed very enthusiastic with her nod. "Yes Lizzie, I am positive. The concert series he is performing in, and that he helped create I might add, is called Metal Aliens. When you and your friends arrive at the gates, Tell them that Marge Johansson sent you. Oh, and about my name. My family lived in America before moving out here to get closer to our family heritage." The lady now known as Marge stated.

This was an unexpected but not unwelcome surprise. However, we were going to need more practice in social human environments before wee went to a concert series. If they were anything like the ones that would sometimes happen on Cybertron, then we needed to know how humans acted in that atmosphere. "Thank you, Marge. Have a nice day." I said in a farewell to her, and Honeywhip gave his farewell before the two of us started to move toward an ally to return to the ship at. I knew that there was going to be a lot of information that we were going to be sharing and planning so we could be ready for this concert series that we were now going to be going to.

Scorpi: I never realized that Earth and Cybertron were so similar.

Tana: *laughs* It's okay Scorpi. You've only been on Earth for a solar. There is still plenty of time to learn and grow.

Scorpi: As long as we survive here, then that shouldn't be a problem.

Authoress: *planning smirk*

All bots: Frag.

AN: And here is the next chapter! I hoped you all enjoyed this! We are back with the crew and they have gone out to explore Earth! I changed a few locations from the original chapter from the original story. I hoped you liked the changes. Also, the Metal Aliens is no longer a sole band, but a concert series like EDM concerts. Nathan preforms and helps run the event.

But, that won't be in the next chapter, like how it flowed in the original write of this story. Instead, the group decides to go out to learn to interact on a fun social level with humans. I wonder what will happen? *evil planning*

Anyways, here are the names of the next chapters in the story!

Chapter 14: Welcome to the Club

Chapter 15: Stronger

Chapter 16...(Next time!)

And that is everything! Please leave an actual review, or say hi, and I would appreciate it greatly! I hope I have responded to all the reviews I have received but if I haven't, thank you for the reviews! I really do appreciate them. Seeing an actual review lightens up my days. Well, that's all. TTYL! *working on stuff*