Chapter 11

I do not own anything from Transformers.

Enjoy! Thinks will start getting darker from here. Not sure when the jump to M rating, but soon.

Gabby sat by as Optimus was being repaired by Ratchet. She mourned those they lost while in this battle, and the rest that hid in the Arizona desert were just frothing at the faceplates to finally take some action.

She was ecstatic to be reunited with the rest of the Autobots though her and Optimus were still having issues.

Barricade and Bumble Bee immediately began to shoot at each other when they found their hiding place, which they had to break up. Optimus did insist that they leave Barricade alone, and that he was the one who found Gabby.

"Stupid mech," Barricade growled spitting out energon after his fight with Bumble Bee, who in turn gave Barricade some rude human gestures he learned.

The Autobots had managed to find another underground abandoned bunker courtesy of Seymour Simmons to hide in until they all reunited. They did not dare expose themselves for fear of turning into the twins or Sideswipe.

Gabby finally went outside and sat for a while on a rock nearby as Ratchet finished up Optimus. She knew her and Optimus would have to talk again eventually, and work out their differences in opinion on her life, but she didn't feel like it now.

Deserae came out in holoform, and sat next to Gabby. Gabby had to admit she was grateful for the company.

Deserae dressed in her usual green and black, with her holoform chestnut hair flowing past her shoulders, and her green eyes having a slight glow over olive skin.

"They are trying to re-build your father along with the super weapon," Gabby commented waiting on Deserae's reaction.

Deserae sat still for a moment, and then shook her head. "I am not surprised. I always knew he would come back. He doesn't die so easily," she said. "But you know where my loyalty lies."

Gabby smiled and said, "I have no doubt."

Deserae sighed. "I wonder if Ironhide will feel the same."

Gabby turned to her and scoffed. "Of course he will. I have no doubt about that."

Deserae smiled slightly and nodded. She then turned to Gabby and Gabby knew what she was going to ask.

"I am not trying to pry, but I did see the tension between you and Prime," she said carefully.

It was Gabby's turn to sigh. "It was that obvious huh?"

"Well of course the mechs didn't notice….."

Gabby laughed. "Just like human men."

Deserae chuckled. "From what I hear, yes."

Gabby scoffed again and looked down at her feet for a moment trying to find the words.

"It's OK. However, I wasn't surprised Barricade showed up. I know he was searching for you too. He told me," Deserae said.

Gabby ran her fingers through her hair, and Deserae commented. "I like that color on you."

Gabby laughed again, and said, "Thanks."

Finally, after a few minutes Gabby spoke up. "Optimus does not understand the kind of life I have had to lead for the last couple of years. The constant running, hiding, and trying to elude the authorities. Hell, I was on a train when my picture was plastered all over the news. You do what you need to do to survive. I had help, but I didn't have you all to protect me either," Gabby explained.

Deserae nodded in understanding. "None of us are perfect. Look at me; I used to basically be a Decepticon even though my eyes say neutral. I kidnapped you for Prime's sake! I held you prisoner, and you would have been killed once Orianna was born," Deserae said with obvious regret in her voice.

Gabby's brown eyes softened towards her friend. "Yet in the end you knew the right thing to do, just like I did."

"I guess. Optimus is a Prime. You know this Gabby, but I understand where you are coming from. We could keep you safe, but we could not keep you safe from what you are which is an organic being," Deserae said. "You need to be sustained in ways that we don't need."

Gabby nodded almost furiously. "Thank you!"

"Hey, I know how it is," Deserae said smiling.

Deserae looked out into the desert to make sure there was no danger lurking around in the desert. The way the bunker was set up so that their energon readings would not be detected.

After a few moments Deserae said again. "You are still in serious danger Gabby…"

Deserae was shocked when Gabby suddenly stood and faced her friend with conviction as she pointed to her.

"Oh no Deserae. Let me explain something to you. It was a little piece of advice given to me by a friend," Gabby began. Deserae could clearly see that Gabby was getting flustered. She never meant to set her off, but she had a feeling Gabby had wanted to say this for a while.

Deserae looked over her human friend confused as Gabby stood there basically tightening her fist.

"No….that Gabby has ceased to exist. I am NOT in danger, Deserae…I am the danger…I am no longer the woman behind the door….no….no…

Gabby was about to finish when Optimus walked out in holoform, but did not let Gabby see him. He wanted to see what she would say.

Gabby shook her head furiously and was breathing heavily as Deserae sat there in shock.

"I am the one who knocks!" Gabby finally finished almost yelling into the desert wind.

Deserae had to process the pun that Gabby referenced.

She stood up and walked over to face Gabby. Deserae suddenly smiled widely as she understood the pun from her processors after a few seconds.

"Don't just be the one who knocks, be the one who shoots through the door," Deserae said.

Brown eyes of human met with green eyes of a femme, and both smiled knowingly.

Deserae sensed Optimus standing off in the distance, and began to walk away.

She walked by Optimus and turned to face him. "Enough said," she said to him, and then walked back inside to Ironhide waiting for her.

Gabby spotted Optimus in holoform as Deserae walked back into the bunker.

There he stood finally after two years of her waiting to feast her eyes on him again. Yet, there was so much tension between them that it seemed to be a waste.

He had a full dark beard, with the glowing blue eyes. His jacket red and his tshirt blue with muscles slightly bulging beneath the shirt and jacket. Blue jeans hugged his legs and hips, and brown cowboy boots finish off the form.

Gabby had to intake a breath at seeing him in this form again. There will always be her love for the mech, but she was always happy for the human form to present him as well.

It took everything in her power not to run into his arms after all this time, but she had no idea what was on his mind, and it was killing her.

"Everything working again huh?" She finally asked smiling slightly.

Optimus smiled back though it still did not reach his eyes. "New and improved. I just have to scan a hauler, and I should be back to normal," he answered in a guarded voice.

Gabby nodded looking down again, but did not move though it was hard.

"That's good," she said quietly.

"I was hoping you would have helped," Optimus said with obvious disappointment.

Gabby looked up, and wanted to start crying, but didn't. She didn't realize he had wanted her there. "I'm sorry. I wanted to….um….I don't know. I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I understand," he said still standing there not saying much more.

"I guess we should get with the others to make our plans, huh?" She asked.

Optimus looked around sadly. "Yes. The rest of the Autobots are waiting for us."

Gabby looked around again uncomfortably.

"I really want us to clear the air," he said.

"We will."

"Right now."

Gabby shook her head and said, "We have kept them waiting for a long time. It is not fair to keep them waiting again because of our differences," she said.

Optimus sighed. He was back in holoform and could not even touch his mate, because of both of their stubbornness. He also wanted to tell Gabby that he received a signal from Orianna. It was faint, but it was there. He didn't want to do it before the others found out. Her mother deserved to know first. He thought he heard that Orianna said she was on her way back to Earth, but he was not quite sure. He sent out a response, but heard nothing back yet. It gave him hope that they could put this all past them soon.

"I guess you're right," Optimus said not hiding his obvious annoyance.

Without another word, Gabby walked into the bunker and Optimus followed behind her.

He deactivated his holoform as the Transformers all transformed into robot mode and stood many feet tall above Gabby.

She had to catch her breath as she watched it. She would never get bored with seeing that, she thought smiling widely.

Ratchet brought up the map of the United States. The table was huge so Gabby had to be lifted by Optimus to face the others.

Barricade stood uncomfortably beside Deserae, and Gabby almost laughed with him being among the Autobots. She could also see Bee and Ironhide shooting him blue optic glares.

Gabby was let down from Optimus's hand and walked around the huge map marking the areas where the cyborgs were being manufactured.

"The super weapon that Dr. Lockwood talked about is not in New York where I was. He traveled to another location, and we think that it is in Kansas," Gabby said as she explained.

"Yet the drones or cyborgs as you say Gabby are everywhere," Ratchet said.

"Yes, that is correct. I only saw the drawing of the super weapon, but never physically," she said.

"What are these cyborg things? What is the super weapon?" Jazz asked confused.

"Their robotic entities made from synthetic material to resemble an organic being," Gabby explained. "The synthetic material is based on human DNA to make them look and act human. The only thing that differentiates them from an actual human is they eyes so they can be identified easily."

"So, they are playing God," Ratchet said.

"Or Primus, whatever your preference," Gabby finished.

"Some of that DNA that was used was mine, among other test subjects," Gabby said.

"Why you?" Ironhide asked.

"Simple really. Lockwood thinks I have some special genetic form in my DNA that allowed me to conceive Orianna from energon," Gabby explained again.

"Orianna is a Prime, and they are trying to replicate her with Gabby's genetics. That is why they harvested her human reproductive eggs. They have the mechanical part of the super weapon, but not the organic part to turn it part human like Orianna," Optimus finished. "Which is important to hide it in plain sight."

"So, if they're trying to make this super weapon. What do they need the cyborgs for?" Ironhide asked disgusted about what happened.

"To give it an army. Orianna may be a powerful Prime, but she is still able to be defeated. However, I know it is more than that. He also wants to completely replace any human military with these things, and Orianna's replica being the weapon they will fight Unicron with," Gabby said.

"Damn humans…Sorry Gabby," Ironhide said growling.

Gabby put up a hand. "None taken. I feel the same way."

"From what I last heard that all of my eggs failed to take effect, so another Orianna will not be created, at least that was what I heard. They are trying to find a new way, because that did not work," she said.

Ratched shrugged, but smiled through his faceplates. "We were never able to figure it out either, so what makes Lockwood think he can?"

Gabby and Optimus exchanged looks, but said nothing.

"Lockwood still thinks I have the secret to how Orianna was conceived, but he was never able to get it out of me no matter how many times I told him I didn't know. That is why I have been on the run. They dragged my name through the mud, and made me a wanted person, because I refuse to cooperate with their plans," Gabby said her voice catching at what they out her through.

Optimus and Gabby exchanged looks again as Gabby spoke. Optimus lowered his head a little in guilt, and Gabby wanted to comfort him, and tell him it was not his fault.

"So, why destroy us?" Barricade finally asked growling. He sometimes could not stand the connection that Gabby had with the Prime.

"Why don't we destroy you?" Ironhide asked.

Both mechs began to get their weapons ready when the rest of The Autobots stepped in.

Gabby knew she had to defend Barricade. He was still her friend despite what the rest of them thought.

"Please stop and leave him alone. They want to destroy you all, because they feel you are the cause of all this mess," she said.

Barricade smirked through his faceplates at Gabby's defense of him.

Ironhide grunted and Bee said something discernable, but both left Barricade alone after that.

"So, now what?"

"We destroy them all. It is really that simple," Optimus said. He then looked at Barricade. "Without hurting innocent humans."

Optimus then met eyes with Gabby no matter how much taller he was than her at the moment. "Lockwood is mine."