Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Not all of these will feature Annabelle though she is a favorite of the Transformers. Sam, Mikeala and Wheelie will appear as well as Maggie, Miles and Leo. Even Sam's parents. Stay tuned. GMC is dropping the solstice design, the movie verse Jazz alt mode so he trans scanned a racecar from a car show to his G1 version.

::Means internal comms between specific mechs. Not heard by humans or other Transformers:: Name of sender is always encoded on the end. And I do use spell check with Word and the spell check function on ff net but something always slips through.

TR TR TR TR TR TR TR TR TR TRANSFORMERS

You know you're addicted to humans when:

6. You have lived on earth eight years and have more memory core space devoted to those experiences that two vorns on Cybertron.

The human safety inspector wrote down more entries to the ire of Major Lennox. "This may be a military base but it need not have the dangers of the battlefield. And I do not understand these submitted expenses from last quarter," he flipped the pages of his clipboard, scanning the highlighted lines. "Two tons of dirt to fill a crater resulting from a hand grenade. I mean really, one hand grenade? They do not make craters that large," he scoffed. His dark sunglasses reflected the sunlight as they walked across Diego Garcia's airfield.

"A Cybertronian hand grenade does during simulated combat practice," the military officer explained, leaving out the detail the Transformers had been rough housing. He remembered Ironhide wrestling with Prime when a side hatch triggered on the ancient warrior, releasing the deadly device out. In the scuffling, nether noticed until it primed, too fast to throw it clear.'

"I saw no report of injuries from any explosion that large," the official tapped his report.

"There were none. Trailbreaker encased them and the nearby soldiers in a force field. The pavement was not so lucky," Will explained.

"Why not cover the grenade?"

"They were between him and the grenade. His protocols chose to protect the living in the split second he had to choose."

"This entry then," the man stopped, hearing high revving engines moving closer. He opened his mouth to ask when red and yellow Lamborghinis raced by swirling dust and debris in their wake. "Tell me those luxury cars are not part of your budget?"

"They're not. Those were Transformers, noticed no driver?" Will stated, mentally promising to track the twins down and chain them to the ceiling by their feet pads to use as a red and yellow pinata.

"Where was I? Ahh yes. This entry for seventeen new lab research doors. How do you lose a door let alone seventeen of them?"

"Easy. You embed it in an airfield, send it up into space with a null gravity ray, melt it, blow it apart, teleport it out at the molecular level for starters. Wheeljack is quite creative when it comes to lab conditions," he explained.

"Lose my mind if I dealt with that on a monthly basis," the man muttered while scribbling notes.

"You might want to keep comments like that to yourself. Their alien hearing is very sensitive," Will advised. "And their understanding of English tends to be literal. Their minds are processor and memory cores that can be physically lost or misplaced. The first time they heard that phrase they took it literal. Bumblebee dragged Sam to Ratchet for medical help for 'losing his mind.' Took over an hour to get him released from their care. They do not understand our humor or use of a double meaning in a phrase."

"Hmm, is that why their quarters and all nearby buildings require extensive sound proofing? Keep them from hearing us?" he asked.

"Yes sir. Generally, they find us boring and overly talkative. Their communication is through energy patterns, internal comms to specific other mechs or femmes and wavelengths we are not even capable of detecting. Our continual talking is annoying at best," Will explained, opening the human size door to the main hangar. He kept quiet about the sound shielding keeping humans from hearing the Transformers activities.

They paused inside the hangar, watching Optimus reversing in his alt mode before transforming. Parts slid, flipped and changed to form his twenty-eight foot plus red and blue flamed bi pedal mode. "Greetings Major Lennox. Was your meeting successful?" he asked turning, hydraulics hissing as his transform completed.

"Went great," he answered. "I am finishing the safety inspection and will be right there."

Jazz in his race car alt mode slid in through the hangar doors, stopping to let Sam out. Laughing, the youth waved to Lennox and Optimus.

"You should wear your seat belt and observe safety rules young man," the official began. "You need, uhm...that is..." he trailed off as Jazz transformed right in front of him.

"Lay off man, kid is safe with me," he quipped even as his head rotated out of his engine block and formed into place.

"Accidents happen, often fatal ones that are unforeseen and unplanned. You don't come back from the dead," the official stated.

"The Matrix of leadership revived me," Jazz quipped, spinning on his feet pads and jiving. His armored hand traced a thin weld line across his lower abdomen plate. "Got tore in half and Ratchet patched me good."

"I too was offlined and revived, though we state it as back from the matrix," Optimus stated in his regal baritone, placing one silver armored hand above his spark.

"I died too," Sam shrugged. "Spent two weeks healing from my return but hey, I was alive."

The man gaped. "What the heck are you people? Some type of cult? That is it. I am leaving before I die and come back. Got enough trouble living this life," he stomped towards the door as Sam and Optimus looked at each other, baffled by his harsh attitude.

"Have a nice life," Will called, chuckling.

7. Your earth music collection is larger than your message cipher database encryptions.

8. You automatically say good morning, good night, sweet dreams and ask 'how are you doing?" audios tuned to the answer.

Ironhide rolled in and transformed, standing next to Chromia. The early morning sun shone brightly over the course, shadows shortening as it rose overhead. The onshore tropical breeze fluttered the distance flags the human snipers used. His systems tracked their movements, the speed of the air and every sound including the soft breathing of a human girl in hiding. The black mech's optics scanned the surrounding area. "Annabelle? Are you here?" He called, pretending to look everywhere but where she was.

"Here I am," the little blonde girl popped out from behind a safety wall. "Can I shoot the targets?"

"Good morning Annabelle and I taught you better than that," Ironhide admonished.

"May I please shoot them sir?"

Yes. Manners are so overlooked by humans," he vented. A side chest panel slid out, revealing stacked weaponry inside. "Have to unlock two for human use then you can fire them. Remember all the safeties I taught you? One mistake and no watching let alone firing youngling."

"Yes Ironhide."

Targets fell with astonishing accuracy, guided by alien scopes and the guidance of her mentor with thousands of years of teaching weapons. Ironhide and Chromia took their turns, ricocheting and doing trick shots for her amusement. They never mentioned those shots reached targets not seen yet deadly when they fired. Snipers were not a lesson they wanted her to learn about yet. The mid day buzzer sounded and she sighed, her arm muscles tired and warm.

"You did good," he grunted as Chromia formed a smile on her lip plates.

"As though you were our own sparkling," the blue armored femme commented. "Time for lunch with your dad. See you tonight in the recreation room for popcorn and a movie?"

Sure!" the little girl cheered, hopping on the offered black armored hand. At lunch, her father enjoyed her presence even as he listened to his men and their conversations about the latest intelligence gathering. Normally she would have been interrupting and full of energy instead of eating but he was too busy to notice. He handed her to Ratchet for her afternoon nap and kissed her forehead softly, glad she did not protest.

"I have meetings all afternoon. You stay with the Transformers and listen to them honey. They will keep you safe," he said.

"I will daddy. I like them," she yawned, feeling tired. Ratchet scanned her detecting post exercise tiredness but no physical maladies. He carried her to the the med bay, letting her nap on the nearest recharge berth. A distant emergency call had him running from med bay and yelling for Sideswipe.

::Watch Annabelle in med bay:: Ratchet

::Why me?:: Sideswipe

::Because you are on the inactive list until I rebuild your leg and she needs guarding. You are our best swordsman:: Ratchet

::Pit yes. She will be safe:: Sideswipe agreed, hobbling towards the building. 'One attempt at jet judo and my leg buckles on landing. Not fair but then I did not crash nose first like that Decepticon. Or bounce and tear off a wing either,' he processed smirking. An hour later, he watched her wake up, rubbing at her eyes.

"Good afternoon Annabelle," he greeted her. "How are you?"

"My arms are sore," she complained, rubbing at them.

"They need stretching and moving to warm up the energon in them, err blood," he stumbled over the term. "Do you know how to handle a sword?"

"No, not really. I play pirate with Michelle and Sarah at school on the playground. We have a wood boat where we climb the ropes on and run from the ramp to fort."

He confirmed no other Transformers were nearby before sealing the med bay doors. Reaching into subspace, he removed a small rectangular box. Opening it, he pulled out an energon sword made for her exact size.

"For me?" she gasped and squealed.

"Made it myself. Blasters are crude and any thick-chipped mech can fire them, even Starscream. He carries them on both arms but a good sword slice removes them," Sideswipe stated, pulling his sword from subspace.

"The blasters?"

"His arms," he winked an optic at her. "Now, hold it loosely like this." He demonstrated on his own sword. "Too tight and it will not swing or move. Think of liquid flowing, like fresh charged energon. It runs here and there, slowly and steadily. Your movements are a weaving pattern of movement and not chopping or poking and hoping you hit the target." He began teaching her, more a way to keep her busy and warm her muscles. It became a lesson for real as she adapted quickly. He taught her for over an hour before his twin signaled.

::Doors locked? What are you doing? Stealing Ratchet's high grade?:: Sunstreaker

::Teaching Annabelle swordplay:: Sideswipe released the door locks.

::Well, stop it already. The teams are inbound and you know how the others feel about her learning weapons:: Sunstreaker sent, walking into the room in his bi pedal mode. The swords returned to subspace. They escorted Annabelle to the main hanger and away from med bay and the airfield as the injured bots landed for treatment. She spent the afternoon watching cartoons and resting among the returning soldiers as they ate and continued their afternoon duties.

She leaned on the break room window, watching the setting sun as the last soldier left. Heavy treads sounded, causing her to grin as she recognized them. The cell phone was whipped out of her pocket and activated.

::Good evening Annabelle:: Bumblebee texted onto her phone as he appeared in the room.

"Hi Bee!" she waved. "I practiced firing with Ironhide and held a sword with Sideswipe. They both say I learned fast."

::This is important. Weapons jam, misfire or taken from you:: Bumblebee texted while hiding the fact they could be turned to fire or slice her. His processor shuddered from creating those images. ::You need to know how to move and use your own body to fight::

"How long will that take to learn?" she asked.

::A lifetime to master but I can teach you basics now. Ironhide can teach the advanced later:: Bumblebee sent, moving one foot pad a step forward, bending his leg at the midpoint, raising one arm to in front of his forehead plate.

She copied the movement, her blond ponytail swinging across her back.

::Keep your arm level and away a little more, wrist turned out as though to grab it later. Forces hit it and knock it into your head if too close:: he instructed, nodding his approval. She shifted her arm into perfect position. He knelt, showing her how it could block a weapon or attack aimed at her vulnerable head or eyes from above.

::Now move down the hallway, one step at a time returning your hand to your hip then snap it up into position, correctly. You must react to the attack from a normal position:: Bumblebee admonished as her arm angled down, leaving her face uncovered.

He showed her two more arm blocks, three types of strikes then quit, his advanced sensors detecting her hunger and tiredness. ::Rest, you have earned it. You are a good student:: Bumblebee encouraged. He hugged her tiny body with one yellow armored hand carefully as his lower leg hatch opened with a hiss, a puff of ice-cold moisture condensing in the air.

"Ice cream!" the little girl squealed, recognizing the wrapped cone shapes inside. Her blue eyes practically glowed when he handed her one for each hand.

::Sam likes them too:: Bumblebee texted as an all Autobot call signal flashed across his optics.

::Anyone seen Annabelle? Or have her with you? She is missing:: Ironhide sent, the faintest note of concern in his internal transmission.

::With me, heading for the recreation room:: Bumblebee sent.

::She was supposed to be there already watching cartoons with the twins slag it:: Ironhide

::Wanted ice cream. Hard to tell her no:: Bumblebee covered, lifting her to his shoulder. Laser restraints held her firmly in place as she ate.

The walk across base was short and easy for them both. Joining the others in the recreation room, she slid onto the couch next to her dad and Ironhide. The movie Iron Giant began and everyone quieted. Ten minutes later, he noticed his daughter fast asleep on her pillow.

"Kids tire out quickly," Will said. "Should have the day we had."