-YRGHL

She was in the middle of a smoky office building with strange sights before her. "Where-" Grimlock was peacefully sitting on Code Red, who had a weird glaze to his visor. "Grimlock?"

"STARSCREAM TOOK YOU. NOW STARSCREAM GONE. CHECK TELETRAAN, HE GET SOMETHING."

This was overwhelming. But she did as suggested. Her purple optics became lavender as she read what was before her. This needed to be downloaded, quickly.

"You are out of time," the figure below Grimlock announced. "I turned off the alarm and killed the elevators but they'll take the stairs once their primitive processors-OUCH!" A giant being deciding to wiggle on you out of spite hurts. "-You're done, get out of here."

"Grimlock, it's time for those cookies I promised," Lyra announced weakly. It was all going so FAST now. "Could you please get off of...Starscream...and let him unlock the elevators for us?"

"I do what? Haven't I done enough?" He was grumbling about it but did it anyway. Then he shot a hole at the window outdoors. "I'll tell them you went that-a-way." Lyra was hurrying over to him. "NOW WHAT!?"

She hugged him. For as long as she could before he shoved her into the elevator. "Thank you," she choked out.

"I'll send you an invoice. NOW GO!"

The doors slid shut as the noise of the guards came pounding through the hallway from the stairs.

Rodimus Prime HATED when a line formed outside of his office. Optimus had it worse, he'd been told. Four times. By four different people. Today.

They both came in confidently- Grimlock with a Costco-sized bag of Chips Ahoy! and a stranger, smiling slightly. She looked vaguely familiar, as most Autobots did. That came with the territory of being leader: everyone knowing you and you only knowing a percentage of the population and worried that you'd offend someone who expected to be your best friend. He put on the Friendly Face, like Jazz had taught him, and paired it with the Friendly Voice.

Politics suck.

"Grimlock! How can I help you?" he asked.

The Tyrannosaurus' mouth was full. Crunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunch. The other spoke out of turn for him.

"I apologize for the interference...my name is Lyra. I'm court docket case #000000457." She gave him a moment to look it up. Banishment for repeat offenses of treachery and un-Autobot conduct. "Before you call the guards-"

"-Too late!" he interrupted, no longer looking Friendly. Arcee would be here in a second.

"NO! YOU ROD-EE-MOOSE PRIME LISTEN! SHE HAVE IMPORTANT THING!" Masticated human food rained down on his desk. GROSS. Rodimus pressed the Emergency button three more times. Arcee, Jazz, and Mirage burst in. Mirage did a double-take.

"Oasis!"

She smiled the Friendly Smile. "Brother." That didn't sound Friendly. Her voice acting needed work. "Now that I have an audience..." she put up her arms, demonstrating a lack of weapons but a winking data CD. "I'd like to present our Prime with Decepticon prison transcript #DSHRT*NDJ. Grimlock?" She was in the process of being cuffed, so the Dinobot did the honors as she was hauled away.

It might be a virus. Grimlock, susceptible to bribery, stood there, mute yet accusatory. Well, whatever it was, he didn't want to deal with the next person in line (Warpath.) The minute he had the file open, he hit another button and demanded Arcee bring the prisoner back.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?" he demanded.

"Hall of Records," she replied.

"HOW?"

"ME GRIMLOCK KNOW! STARSCREAM'S GHOST GOT IT FOR HER!"

This was too overwhelming. "I'm sorry I asked," he stated, shaking his head.

All of it was there: prisoner roster, home addresses, names, notes, even pictures. His entire sector. Where he'd come from, who his creators were, how he'd come to be, how they'd shut him offline to preserve him when they'd all been starving to death, even his original name, Hot Rod.

Now he knew where he'd come from. He sank down, stood back up, and walked over, wavering significantly before regaining his composure.

"I don't know how to thank you," he said, patting her on the shoulder and motioning an equally moved Arcee to free her.

"I do," she replied, voice and smile genuine.