Arcee's servos typed quickly on the keyboard as she occasionally glanced over her shoulder. She had to work fast, yet cracking these codes proved to be a lot harder than she thought, as usual. She let out a soft, frustrated growl. He had changed the codes on her...again.

She narrowed her optics as she stared at the screen, watching how the downloading of the file she had pulled up was taking way too long for her comfort. Her servos tightened as she resisted the urge to smash the computer. Whoever came up with the idea of an agonizingly slow download should be shot at!

The red, pulsing screen turned green, showing that the download was now complete. She grinned triumphantly as she pulled out the data card, quickly shutting the screen down. She turned around, clutching the card, only to let out a startled gasp when a faceless mech stared her down.

"Soundwave!" she hissed once her spark returned to a normal, steady pulse. "How did you get in here? I didn't even hear you!"

He just cocked his helm, staring at the card she was still holding. She tightened her grip on it. "Your methods are getting sloppy," she said, not able to resist her grin. "I was able to hack into your systems a lot faster this time."

Soundwave said nothing as she walked past him. Or tried to at least. He swiftly yet effortlessly stepped in front of her, causing her to come to a stop. She frowned. "Soundwave," she said. "I got the information, you failed to stop me. Simple as that." She could see Soundwave inwardly sigh, this time, allowing her to walk past him.

She only got three steps before realizing something was not right. Soundwave never did anything without a good reason. So why had he acted in such a way? She looked around for a nearby computer before quickly plugging the hard drive in, its contents appearing on the screen.

When she had hacked into the secure database, she had managed to download at least twenty records of those in the Autobot Selection. Now, she was just left with three.

"Soundwave," she growled, turning to face the mech. But he was gone. She let out a frustrated huff, pulling the hard drive out and pursuing in the direction she knew he was headed.

"How did you do it?" she demanded, keeping pace with his long strides. "How did you erase more than half my findings?"

He said nothing, only glanced at her, and she could practically see the smirk behind that visor. She bristled. "Fine," she said. "Keep your secrets." She strolled off, reaching for her private comm link.

"Huffer," she said.

"Nope," came Megatron's answer. "And I am offended that you would even think that I would have you paired up with someone such as him. In my opinion, he complains too much."

Arcee frowned. "Such as him? What's up with that?"

"Oh, nothing."

She sighed, racking her processor for the names she had managed to glimpse. "Uh, Nightscream."

She could hear Megatron sputter. "No!"

"Playing that silly little game of yours?" a voice all but sneered. "You know, I never understood why Lord Megatron would waste his time on such frivolous things."

Arcee bit back a sigh as she turned to address the speaker. "Starscream," she greeted.

She could feel Megatron's shock and horror when she said that name. "If you think for a moment that I would pair you up with such a sniveling-"

"No, Megatron," she said, wincing. "Starscream is in my presence."

There was silence for a moment. "Oh. Very well then," Megatron said. "I will leave you to it."

Her optics widened. "No, wait-!" But there was a simple 'click' and the line went dead. She sighed, looking up at the seeker who was studying her with a cocked helm.

"Was that Lord Megatron?" he asked.

"Yes," she said simply, moving to walk past him, but he easily kept pace with her.

"As I said before, I don't understand why he made such a deal with you," Starscream continued. "It could compromise everything we've strived to build." He glanced at her. "Unless, of course, Lord Megatron sees reason to all of this."

"Megatron gave me his word," Arcee said swiftly, an edge in her tone. "If I can manage to find out who the Autobot Heir is and deliver my findings to Megatron, then he will either confirm or deny if I am right." She paused for a brief moment. "I trust him."

"Yes, but putting him on the spot to reveal the most sacred and guarded truth is hardly fair, don't you think?" Starscream said.

"I can keep a secret, Starscream," she answered. "It's how I've survived for so long." Images of Soundwave, Megatron and Optimus flashed through her mind. Images of when these mechs, placing their trust in her reminded her of why she did what she did. Trust was not an easy thing to come by, and she cherished it whenever she earned it.

"There are other means of achieving information and long held secrets," Starscream said, examining his fingers casually.

Her optics narrowed as she caught on to the implied threat. "Is that a warning, Starscream?"

"Just a reminder," he said, walking away.

She stared at his retreating back, optics still narrowed. She never trusted Starscream, and she never liked him. He always rubbed her the wrong way, always made her feel like she was playing a game that only he was aware of. She would come to learn that as politics over the years. The only reason he was aware of her position as the Heir was because he was there when Megatron finally made it through to the Decepticon lines with her in his arms. Only a handful of Decepticons knew who she really was and Megatron only truly trusted Soundwave. And even he was wary around the faceless mech.

It all came down to trust. The war had taught Megatron much. Trust should not be handed out so easily.

She felt someone approaching from behind, and she turned to see Soundwave. She scowled. "Here to collect the rest?" she asked, holding out the data card. "Well, it's not going to be so easy for you."

He just cocked his helm, nodding in the direction Starscream had gone. "Oh, him. It's fine Soundwave, I can deal with it." She frowned, scanning the shadows. "I assume Ark is somewhere around here, reporting to you while trying to give me the illusion of privacy."

Soundwave said nothing, though she could read his body language. It was something she had managed to learn over the years; something she had learned when she was a sparkling.

"Is there another reason for checking up on me?" she asked, feeling a twinge of concern. If Soundwave felt the need to protect her, then something bad was up. But Soundwave just walked by, his servo gently brushing up against her shoulder as he did so. She frowned, confused but deciding that it was not something to bring up. She continued her trek as she walked down the halls, noticing the high windows that offered a view of the city below.

It was then she realized that she was the only being in the large halls. She could not hear anyone, and she had not seen any other Cybertronian save for Soundwave and Starscream. Where were the Autobots?

She heard it a moment too late as someone grabbed her arm, yanking her back and into the shadows. She let out a yelp before twisting her body around to bring her knee up and kick her captor in the stomach. Said captor grunted, but kept a firm hold on her as they pressed her up against the wall. She could feel her blades ready to activate and slash out this mech's optics when the color scheme made her pause.

"Bumblebee?" she demanded.

"Please, just stay quiet," he hissed.

She narrowed her optics, her body tense and ready to fight. "Why?"

"You'll compromise me if you keep talking," he said frantically, his voice low. His optics flickered around and he seemed on high alert. "Please, just trust me."

He said nothing more as he let her go and ducked into another room, vanishing into the shadows. Blinking, she found herself following. She could only stare when he climbed up the cutting of the wall, the darkness hiding him from view.

"Um," she found herself saying, but she stopped when she saw the pleading look he sent her. Sighing, she launched up, grabbing onto the edge of the cutout and joining him up top. She stayed silent and still, evening out her breathing and scanning her surroundings. She noticed how Bumblebee went completely still, though his optics focused on the area around him.

They stayed like that for awhile, neither moving or making a sound. That changed when Bumblebee slowly lowered himself down, his movements quiet for a being so large. His servos didn't even treamble, indicating that he had been trained for situations such as this before. Or at least, that's what she figured.

She landed right next to him, almost as soundlessly as he. She gave him a questioning look, only to find that he was already heading down the halls.

"What was that about?" she asked, catching up to him.

"Sorry," he said, keeping his voice low. He held up a data card. "It's a training exercise Prowl has us go through. Keeps our senses sharp and helps us think on our pedes when in a tight situation. We have to sneak into the 'base,' which is whatever part of the city Prowl chooses, and we have to 'steal' information from the enemy without getting caught. Then we just have to make it out alive."

"Interesting," she said, eyeing the data card. "And you do this often?"

"Often enough to where I know I don't want to fail," he answered. "Prowl can be very strict with how he runs things. Smokescreen tries to loosen him up. Jazz says the kid's been a major improvement on Prowl's formal stiffness." He blinked, looking sheepish. "The, uh, kid being Smokescreen." He shook his helm. "Anyway, if Smokescreen has managed to make such an improvement, as Jazz puts it, then I wonder what he was like before Smokescreen showed up."

"What happens if you fail?" she asked, curious.

He gestured to the data card in his servo. "Our punishments are in these cards. If we fail to complete the mission, whatever assignment or extra work Prowl has for us is in here. We can't let it fall into the 'wrong' servos." He then seemed to take notice of her own data card. He smiled. "Hey, you got one too."

She looked down at the card she was holding and grimaced. "No, not really. It doesn't hold much value now anyway. It's a game I play with...a friend. I'm supposed to gather information that they are trying to hide. But this time, I got caught and they stole over half the data I had gathered."

He grinned. "Really? What's in it?"

She held the data card away with a smirk. "Nothing important."

"If it's nothing important than why are you trying to hide it?" he teased, his optics sparking. That was Arcee's only warning as she ducked out of the way. Within seconds, she was sprinting down the halls, a smile on her face. "It's too important for you!" she shouted.

"I'll be the judge of that," he said, running after her.

Primus he's fast, she thought as she increased her speed. While Bumblebee's long strides easily caught up to her, she used her size to her advantage and jumped out of the way, rolling before sprinting back up. Bumblebee let out a surprised yelp before he had to turn sharply around to avoid colliding into the wall.

She entered into another room, only to realize that it was just a closed off room with no more hallways or doors. From the looks of it, it was just a simple sitting room with tall shelves full of data pads for reading or studying. She inwardly cursed, realizing that Bumblebee would be more familiar with the layout then she would ever be.

"You're trapped," Bumblebee said as he ran into the room.

Arcee narrowed her optics. This was a challenge, and one she was not going to back down to. Especially to an Autobot. She threw the data card up onto one of the shelves, causing Bumblebee to follow its movements. She took that as her chance to scale the shelves after the card. She did not know if what she was doing would be considered as un-proper, but she couldn't bring herself to care. After all, this was a challenge.

She could hear Bumblebee climbing after her and she increased her speed. She briefly lost her footing, which gave Bumblebee enough time to race past her and reach for the data card. She scrambled back up, pulling herself up onto the shelf, her servos closing around the chip the same moment Bumblebee's did.

"Oh no you don't," he muttered, trying to make a firm grab at the card. Arcee lost her balance at the moment and fell back, only for Bumblebee to catch her and pull her forward, preventing her from a painful fall. The shelf they were on shook for a moment, causing them both to freeze.

"Mine," Arcee said simply, grabbing the card. But Bumblebee held the the card up, causing him to fall back. Arcee lunged for the card, causing her to land on top of Bumblebee who tried to roll out of the way. The shelf shook a bit more, and they finally stopped long enough to hope that the whole thing would not crash down because of their weight.

Both Arcee and Bumblebee had their servos over the card with Bumblebee on his back and Arcee on top of him. They both stared at eachother before breaking out into laughter. "This was stupid," she chuckled.

"It's just a data card," he laughed, tossing the thing over to her.

Arcee snatched the card with one servo while using the other to balance herself. She tried to move, but the shelf shook a bit more when she did, and Bumblebee stopped her when he put a servo on her waist. Her face felt warm for some reason, probably from the short excursion. That must also explain why her spark was suddenly pulsing so quickly.

"Wait," he whispered, optics flickering.

She frowned before she too heard it as well. Voices. Her spark quickened once more when she realized that whoever was talking was heading in the direction of the room she and Bumblebee were in. And what a compromising situation they were in as well. She was still on top of Bumblebee and they were both on a shelf, frozen as they heard the Cybertronians approaching. Bumblebee's gaze locked on her's and she knew in that instant that he was well aware of what was going on.

In that instant, Bumblebee wrapped his arms around her slim waist before rolling off the shelf. Arcee bit back a yelp as she was pressed against him. Bumblebee fell on the other side of the shelf with a soundless 'thump.' He didn't even pause in his movements when he rushed out of the room through another exit.

So there had been more than one exit after all. Figures. But she wasn't surprised that Bumblebee knew about it. He did live here after all.

He loosened his grip on her as he sprinted down the halls before letting her go. She ran alongside him, neither saying a word. She followed his lead as he weaved through the confusing halls and passages before they found themselves outside the building. She blinked as the daylight sun hit her optics.

Both she and Bumblebee leaned against the wall, breathing deeply. They glanced at each other before Arcee burst into hysterical laughter. Bumblebee's laughter soon joined hers before they both collapsed on the floor.

"I can't believe that almost happened!" She exclaimed.

"I can't believe we almost got caught by Ultra Magnus," Bumblebee chortled.

Her optics widened, spark nearly dropping. "Ultra Magnus?" she exclaimed, the mirth gone.

He nodded. "I'd recognize his voice anywhere."

Her spark nearly stopped when the realization of what almost happened sunk in. She had almost been caught in an embarrassing situation with an Autobot mech. It didn't matter if what they were doing was all in fun and games. It just would not be perceived as such. Starscream's words echoed back to her about everything Megatron had worked so hard to build. And it all would have fallen because she had messed up and gotten so careless.

She ran a servo over her face. She would just have to be more careful. She was the Heir, and she had to act like one. While she didn't doubt Bumblebee's motives, he was not the Heir and they still had to act a certain way. There were expectations and Ultra Magnus was a close companion of Optimus's. He was also aware of who she really was to Megatron and that she was the Decepticon Heir.

"So," Bumblebee said after a moment. "You got any plans for today?" He didn't even wait for her to answer before he jumped to his pedes. "Because I have something really cool to show you."

Arcee frowned as he took her servos and pulled her to her pedes. "What is it?" she asked, curious.

"You'll see," he grinned when they descended down the stairs. Cybertronians were going about their way, and Arcee glanced around, noting the high buildings and the busy beings around her. Shops were opened, as well as a few vendors selling energon sweets. Bumblebee just strode on until they approached the street where he transformed. She quickly followed in her vehicle form, her engines thrumming to life.

"Exactly where are we going?" she asked as she drove beside him.

"You ever been to the Helix Gardens in Praxus?" Bumblebee asked.

"Once or twice," Arcee admitted. She didn't say that the first occasion was when she had been a youngling and Megatron had taken her to the gardens early in the morning to show her the sparkling crystals. The second time was for some sort of diplomatic mission and she really didn't get to admire the beauty of the crystals as before.

"Well," Bumblebee said. "The Helix Gardens are bit too far for us to simply drive there and make it back in time before sundown. But there is a replica of the Helix Gardens in this very city. It's not exactly the same, but the effects or just as breathtaking."

The ride was somewhat silent with Bumblebee occasionally explaining the buildings they passed by. In a courtyard they drove past, there were statues of the Thirteen Primes. Arcee slowed down a bit to fully take in the large statues towering over them. "Pretty cool, isn't it?" Bumblebee said as he stopped next to her.

"Yeah," she said. She inwardly frowned. "Shouldn't there be a statue of Optimus Prime?"

"These statues were up long before Optimus was around," Bumblebee explained. "And we've been a bit too busy with certain things to worry about adding another statue to the courtyard."

Arcee hummed. "So the gardens?"

"Right!" Bumblebee exclaimed, speeding off.

From then on, the drive was short when Bumblebee came to a stop, transforming in front of the open gates. Arcee also followed, gazing at the crystals towering over the walls. "It looks just like the Helix Gardens!" she said as they entered through the gates. Not many Cybertronians were strolling down the wide streets. "It's beautiful."

Bumblebee nodded, gazing up at the glittering blue crystals that hung over them. A few glowed a faint purple and green while some were a clear white. Some were so clear that she could see her reflection in them. She trailed her servos over one of the crystals, feeling the smooth surface. It was very much like the Helix Gardens in Praxus, if a bit smaller. But she was not complaining.

"You should look at the museums," Bumblebee said, walking beside her. "Some artists have been showing up and some of their work is truly amazing. Though I'm not much of an expert when it comes to art."

She nodded. "The museums in Kaon mostly deal with glass work. It's pretty amazing to see such fragile things twist and wind in elaborate shapes."

Bumblebee smiled. "Elita was telling me how one of her friends, Red Alert, would receive hand made glass flowers before the war from a secret admirer. She would find them at her work, all in different colors and shapes." His smile grew as he looked up at one of the glittering crystals above his helm. "Red Alert still keeps some of the flowers that she had managed to save during the war. I've seen them in her office before and they are really amazing. A lot of work went into those flowers."

Arcee looked at him. "Her secret admirer, what happened to him?"

Bumblebee paused. "He...was a Decepticon. I don't know what happened to him after the war."

And just like that, silence fall down once again, though Arcee refused to think of it as awkward. She blinked. "Is that a red crystal?" she asked in surprise.

"It is!" Bumblebee exclaimed, kneeling to examine the small crystal. "I've never seen one here before." His optics sparkled. "That will be quite a sight if it continues to emerge from the ground."

Arcee grinned. "You come here often?"

"As often as I can," Bumblebee said, straightening up. "It's a quiet place, and it allows me to catch a breather." He looked up. "Do you want to see the rest of the garden? We've got time."

Arcee nodded. She was not ready to return to the duties that awaited her. It was nice to just admire the view of the gleaming gardens in pleasant company. She glanced back at the yellow Autobot. She didn't know why, but Bumblebee was just so easy to befriend and talk to. When she had first met him, he was so open and somewhat innocent. She didn't know why, but they just clicked.

"Thank you for showing me that," Arcee said when they strode down the halls of the iacon building. "We should go back there sometime."

Bumblebee grinned. "And maybe when I'm in Kaon, you can show me those museums."

Arcee smiled. "Most certainly." She was already running through her head which museums he would like and which ones would stand out to him.

As she walked down the halls by herself, she paused, turning to glare at the shadows. "Alright," she said. "Come out. I could use the company."

Ark emerged from the shadows, her expression calm yet calculating. "How was your day?" her protector asked.

"You know how my day went," Arcee said, continuing her walk. It had not escaped her how the dark figure had been following her and Bumblebee in the gardens and during the trip back. "How about yours?"

"It was uneventful," Ark said. "Though I can tell you enjoyed yours."

Arcee nodded with a small smile. "Yes, it was a new experience."

Ark let out a sigh. "Arcee, just remember not to get too competitive when it comes to the Autobots. I was left to explain to Ultra Magnus why the data pads in one of the sitting rooms were on the floor and why the shelf seemed to have moved out of place." Arcee could only gape at her protector and curse how her spark soundly started pulsing so erratically.

Author's Note: So the part about Red Alert receiving glass flowers, I owe that to VampireQueenAkasha. They allowed me to borrow their idea from one of their stories and I truly appreciate it. Major thank you!