"Just start writing. Try not to overthink it, Danielle." Dr. Tornat coaxed, knowing this exercise was going to be one of the toughest the girl had endured so far. Write a goodbye letter. To anyone, and anything, she hadn't gotten the chance to.

Gripping the pencil so hard her fingertips turned white, the wood creaked lightly. "Can't I just take this home? Write it out then burn it like in the movies?"

"Unfortunately no, due to some of the more sensitive events that I believe will come up, it's better that you have me around to help you process the difficult parts. It's all part of the process. We don't have to finish it today, either. Take your time, really."

Don't overthink it… she thought to herself. Just start writing then.

"Dear dad, I'm sorry that I never got to say goodbye. I don't hate you for leaving when you did, but I wish I could have hugged you one last time. Or mom. I know your memories will always be with me, and all the mechanical knowledge you passed down to me. Thank you, and goodbye."

Danielle pressed her lips firmly together, staring at the words on the page. "It feels cold, impersonal. Am I doing this right?"

"There's no real right or wrong here, it's only what you would say if you could have had the chance."

Putting her pencil back to the page, Danielle continued to think. "To my first house by myself, I wish I'd had more time to work you up into something beautiful. You were charming, and didn't deserve to be blown up. I'd like to go back someday, see if I can find anything in the wreckage to remember you by. I'm sorry you got caught in the crossfire, goodbye for now."

"Doc, would it be nuts for me to write goodbye to my truck? Like, the living part of it?"

She only smiled and shook her head no.

"Raptor… I wish you would have told me sooner what who you were. Having a friend would have been nice, and maybe things would've turned out different. I know now it was you that protected me so many times, so thank you. If I could rewrite history here, I would have gone back for you that night, brought you here to the Autobots. Maybe you would have been good through and through. Some of them think you were a Decepticon, or at least corrupted by one, but I don't know. I feel like I never really knew the real you, we had such a short time together. I'm sorry you felt like you had to fight at every turn. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner. I'm sorry for askingmaking... killing you. I can't undo it. I hope you can forgive me. I'm so so sorry, Raptor. Goodbye, forever."

The words blurred in front of her eyes, tears sliding onto her eyelashes. She handed the paper and pencil to Dr. Tornat. She read it quietly, analyzing the thoughts and mulling over the connections.

"Danielle, aren't you missing someone?" she held the paper and pencil back out to her patient.

"No. I don't need to say goodbye to him. He doesn't deserve it."

"Dear, we talked about this. It isn't healthy to hold on to that hate. You don't have to ever like him, but you need to be able to eventually confront the memories in a constructive manner. Please, one more try?"

"And that's how you get into Mirage's secret locker" a coy smiling Arcee walked with Bumblebee down the long hallway towards the entry hangar. Just ahead, a door slammed closed behind Danielle.

"Hey there, hot stuff" Bee waved as she turned around. Seeing her face taught and red, he mimed like he was driving and pointed to her with excited whirs.

Studying the human, Arcee sensed there was an issue deeper than a ride along could reach. The pain radiating from her felt familiar. "No, she needs a clear head, not a bleeding heart." Arcee transformed and rolled up to Danielle, engine purring lightly. "Hop on."

"What? I-" startled, Danielle looked from the gleaming bike to Bee questioningly.

"We don't have all day. Grab the helmet and get on." Arcee commanded.

Wide eyed, Bee raised his hands in an I don't know manner. Not wanting the assassin to be cross with her, Danielle did as instructed, strapping on the helmet before gingerly climbing to straddle the bike. She had been walking on her own, aided by walls and low objects, for about two months, now nine months since the day of her confining injury. Riding a rocket was not something the doctor had ordered.

"And hold on tight. Squeeze with your legs on the turns." The bike jolted forward, weaving between people and bots across the open floor. As soon as the tires hit dirt, Arcee spun off towards the road, Danielle fearfully clinging on.

The strong voice of Optimus flowed out from her console "Arcee, be careful." She replied back in earnest "Of course, Prime."

Where the dirt path met the open barren highway, Arcee pulled up and stopped. "When was the last time you drove yourself?"

"Like, not having the car do all the work? Well… I raced in Mirage once, he let me take the wheel and shift and all that. We won. That was before everything got bad."

"If you think that prima donna let you actually drive him, I'm going to have to break your heart here… No, that doesn't count. So it's been a very long time. That changes today. I'm giving you control; speed, direction, awareness of your surroundings. I'll handle some of the balance for you. Don't be nervous, it's just like riding a bike. Ready when you are."

Danielle felt the bike list to the left, instinctually putting her foot out to catch them both. In her hands, the grips softened and the engine settled into a low growl. She leaned forward and released the clutch. Slowly, they rolled up onto the sizzling asphalt.

Turning onto the open road, clear and straight to the heat-obscured horizon, Danielle pulled the throttle and the bike shot forward, nearly throwing her off the back. Panicking, she immediately pulled hard on the front brake, pitching them both forward.

Planting both feet back on the ground, she sat up and tried to catch her nervous breath. "I don't think I can do this, Arcee. Please just take me back."

"You take us back." came her command laced with derision.

"Arcee! I've never been on a bike like this, I can't handle it- you. I can't handle you. There's too much power here for me to control safely!"

"Grab the handlebars again. This time, ease down slowly on the throttle. You won't fall, trust me."

Frustration pricked at the back of her eyes, but Danielle knew she wasn't getting out of this situation unless she did as she was told. She leaned forward and grabbed the bars.

"Bend down more, tuck your chest into the saddle, and later bring your knees in tight. Maybe less like riding a bike, more like a horse. Try again."

Heaving one last sigh, Danielle squeezed her eyes closed to clear them. Leaning down until she felt the support of the bike under her chest, she looked up through the small windshield once more.

She released the clutch slowly, then throttled in tiny increments. The engine's snarl grew and they picked up speed steadily.

"You need to shift to go faster."

Faster? Checking the display, she saw they were already moving at fifty miles per hour. With nothing between her and the road, it felt like flying.

"Faster, Danielle. You can do this. Nothing bad will happen. You have to trust me."

Pressing herself down into the seat, she released the throttle, pulled the clutch and shifted. The throaty growl spun up into the roar of a rocket engine when she reengaged the throttle, less gently than before. The front wheel lept from the pavement but she held on tight and centered her weight, trying to trust Arcee wouldn't throw her off. Reconnecting with the friction of the road, the bike sped forward, effortlessly surpassing 148 miles per hour.

Exhilaration began to beat back her fear, allowing her to focus on the road, the weight of the bike beneath her, and the freedom that rushed at her with the wind. She couldn't hold in her laughter, weightless and easy. The sound rang through the air alongside the dragon's roar of the engine.

Miles streaked by, inches below her feet. Finally slowing down to a comfortable speed, Danielle took deep cleansing breaths.

"That was amazing Arcee! You've been quiet though, did I do okay?"

"There was nothing to say, you had control."

The afternoon sun was beginning its descent, forcing the pair to turn back towards the base that had long ago fallen from view. They rode along in silence for some time before Arcee finally spoke again.

"So, tell me about yourself little human girl. Who are you? How did you get here?"

"Little…? Hmph. Well, I'm Danielle, close friend of Bumblebee, we met ba-"

Arcee interrupted sternly. "I didn't ask about Bumblebee. Tell me about you, not your relations. What is the definition of you? Adjectives, hopes, what drives you, struggles. Who are you?"

The pointed question surprised Danielle, but finding she had no answer stunned her. She struggled to paint a mental picture that was only about herself.

Rumbling and a jerk of the wheel pulled Danielle's focus back to her ride. That short attention slip had drifted them off the shoulder of the highway into gravel. The bike began to squirrel back and forth until Danielle released the throttle, squeezed the clutch, and applied the back brake with a slow squeeze on the front brake.

"Welcome back, Captain" Arcee commented dryly as they came to a stop. Crawling back up onto the road, they returned to their previous cruising speed.

"So…?"

Keeping focus on the road ahead this time, Daniel started with what she considered her foundation. "I'm good with my hands, I guess. I learned a lot about fixing cars from my dad before he died. I prefer solitude to large crowds." The sandy scenery ceaselessly rolled by with little to break up the landscape, but Danielle was finding it easier to focus on her thoughts and driving at the same time.

Eventually she continued. "I probably get attached to others a little too quickly, but I like to think of it more like not wanting to let go of the good in this world when I manage to find it…" She went quiet as her thoughts trailed off, the road ahead chasing them away.

"Are you attached to Bumblebee?"

Moments passed as she considered her answer. "Yes, but not like I thought I was. After everything that's happened, I thought I almost… loved him? But I've come to realise I was loving the idea of someone being there for me in a way I hadn't thought I'd ever experience again. I care about him deeply, but… I don't think either of us really knows what to do with this."

"We're still at war, kid. If you face him like he's your partner, you also have to face the fact that one day, without warning, you may lose him forever. Realise that he would lay down his life for you, if it ever came to that."

They didn't speak again until they reached the Autobot base. Danielle dismounted and leaned back against the sturdy outer wall of the entry hangar. Her legs were unsteady after hours clinging to the loosely briddled jet engine.

Arcee transformed and knelt to make eye contact with Danielle. "You did good out there today. Remember, that was all you. I lied by the way, I didn't keep us balanced." She smirked briefly at the confused shock written on the humans face before a cold stern mask dropped back into place. "I didn't lie about Bee though. He does see you as his partner, and he would die fighting off Megatron's entire army for you." Her optics narrowed and seemed to pin Danielle to the wall. "Do not abuse that power."