I originally picked Mikaela/Wavelength's flight alt to be an F-35 Lightning II, but then I find out that's Dreadwing's alt. *facepalm*

Thanks SJSGirl, and Taboo22 for reviewing!

7 – Home – 7

Space was deep, deeper than I expected. It was incredibly black, black as ebony—probably even blacker. It was dotted by stars and clusters of galaxies, which from a distance, seemed to meld together and form a long, thick strip of light. This made me feel unexplainably alone. I was alone on my ship since I had been unable to follow the Autobots through the Space Bridge due to it shutting down as soon as they were through. So I was out, in the middle of space, in unknown territory with nothing but my own thoughts.

I had been thoughtful enough to pack myself a library's worth of datapads in order to keep myself occupied as the ship continued on forward.

My ship was large enough to house a room in which there was a berth, a nightstand, and a closet holding a few personal items. There was the small bridge containing a pilot seat and controls (and a view screen). There was a hall leading from the bridge to the back hatch where I could get on and off of the ship if I had to land. And then there was the "library", where the datapads were stored on shelves. That was my little world. After a few vorns of just flying in one direction, that was what I came to know as my home.

Often, as I flew the ship past stars, comets, and planets, I would think about Knock Out and Breakdown. I had told them I was leaving, but I saw how sad they looked. They would miss me. I told them that we would meet up again. I still owed them for saving me from the Autobot dungeon. I would also think about Bumblebee. He was still my youngling even though he was all grown up. He was a fine warrior.

I barely thought about my old life anymore. After Jazz probed my processor, I was too scared to. I had been a Cybertronian for longer than I would have ever lived as a human. I still missed it, but it was easier to forget about it. I barely remembered how some of the songs I used to listen to went. Sometimes, when I tried, I could only dredge up a few words. It scared me. As much as I wanted to forget about my old life, I found it hard to. My life wouldn't be there when (or if) I ever made it back to the blue and green planet that I used to call my home.

I pulled myself from these musings, finding myself reclined in the pilot seat of the ship. My visor had been retracted because I didn't need to hide my optics from any fellow Decepticons. I felt lethargic as I held up a block called a "holocube", which was the Cybertronian version of a picture frame. In it was a picture of Bumblebee, which I had captured in the midst of a battle. I held up another one, and looked at the picture of Knock Out and Breakdown in it. I missed those guys.

Softly, I hummed. I didn't want to be a Decepticon anymore. I either wanted to be a neutral or an Autobot. Would it be so hard to ditch the Decepticons? If I landed on the planet they were on and never went to them, would I be able to walk away? Would they hunt me down and kill me?

Those thoughts ran through my processor, but were interrupted by a beep from the consol. I sat up and looked down at the screen it came from, and blinked as it informed me that the ship had picked up a message from Megatron. It was coming from a familiar blue and green planet. I grinned. I recognised that planet. I would never mistake it for another.

Maybe I should start thinking about my human life again. 'Cause I was going home.

I flipped a few switches and grabbed the wheel. No use waiting, then. Mikaela was coming home.

I wasn't the best pilot. I had only had time to read a few of datapacks I had downloaded before I had left the surface of Cybertron. As the ship had flown through the endless cosmos, I had read the rest, but still didn't know how I was going to land once Earth's gravity grabbed a hold of my ship. One of the datapacks said that it depended on the pilot and if they're ready for the gravitational pull when they landed on a new planet.

Earth came into view and I readied myself. I gripped the controls tightly with my dainty servos as I planted my pedes firmly on the floor. I tensed my wings as the planet I used to call home grew closer and closer and closer…

The grin appeared on my face unwillingly as the ship plunged into the atmosphere. "Hoo boy, I'm gonna give the people at NASA a big shocker today, it seems," I chuckled as I streaked down towards the soil of the USA. Carefully, I steered the ship towards the area I knew as Nevada. Then I carefully angled the ship's nose up in order to slow my descent before I would go crashing into the ground. I carefully deployed the thrusters on the bottom of the ship in order to slow the descent even more as I said, "First things first…" the ship landed with a soft thump in the middle of a forest. "…Find Jack and Mrs. Darby after I've picked a couple of spectacular alt-modes."

I shut down the engines and left the bridge. I walked down the hall and padded open the back hatch. My smile didn't leave my faceplates as I stepped outside. As soon as my pedes touched the forest floor, I looked down at it and giggled.

For the first time after being on a planet made of metal for thousands upon thousands of years, I was finally on my home turf. And for the first time in vorns of war, I was happy…and I felt…free.

Megatron wasn't breathing down my neck, and I didn't have any peer pressure from any of the fellow Decepticons. I could do anything I wanted (as long as I didn't run into Autobot), and talk to anyone I wanted once I got my holographic generator up and running. Each Cybertronian was equipped with a small holographic generator. It had enough power to generate a small, solid hologram, and if one had to eat something organic, it would hold the material and process it as usable fuel.

I'd use it to say hello to Jack and his mom once I had my alt-forms.

Closing the hatch behind me, I walked away from my ship. Then I began to run. I ran through the forest, my spark singing with joy at the familiarity of what was around me. I was home.

I was home.

It was the middle of the night and my HUD was reminding me that I needed recharge, but I fought it as I approached an airfield. Knowing that I would set off an alarm as soon as I was on the field, so I started looking at the planes from afar. As I stepped onto the field, I took in the shape of an F-15SE Silent Eagle. I blinked a few times before I scanned it. Once my armor had reformatted to my new alt-mode, I stopped the reflex-induced transformation and took in the two tail wings that were tucked between my two main wings. Then I looked over all of the armor. This was what was fun about being a Cybertronian. The way you could choose alts was like the way people chose clothes.

As soon as my new flight alt-mode was fully integrated into my system, I quickly left the field. I could hear the humans flooding out into field, and I didn't need any small, metal bullets in my armor, and I didn't need someone seeing me. So I quickly transformed into my new jet-mode. I rocketed into the sky, and set my sights on a nearby car dealership. But then I was distracted by a memory file that shoved itself into the forefront of my processor. Ah, the McLaren X-1. Almost forgot about that car. Only one was made.

How was I going to get close to it without having to fly to England? Hmm…if I could get specs of it off of the internet…I'd be to reconstruct the vehicle before integrating it into my systems.

So as I changed course and headed for Jasper as I quickly began searching the internet for the specs for the McLaren X-1. I knew it was (like) stealing because it was a one-of-a kind car. But whatever. I had to keep my "Decepticon-ness" up until this stupid war was over or I could change sides.

As Jasper came into view, I got the specs and quickly began integrating it into my systems. I began to descend, and as soon I was low enough to transform, I twisted out of my flight-mode with flourish and couldn't help but giggle. My pedes hit the ground with a soft thud, and once all momentum from my flight had been eliminated, I straightened. The rest of my armor showed that I had fully integrated with the McLaren. I looked at myself and purred. Two of my wheels stuck out of the back of calves, and the other two stuck out of my shoulders, pointing the same way as my wings. My wings were now wider. My thrusters were still in my heels, and my pedes were styled like platform shoes—but with extra armor.

I loved my new look.

But I couldn't wait until I got to talk to Jack again.

So without further ado, I transformed down into my ground-mode and drove out onto the highway. And once I knew the highway was empty, I poured on the gas and shot forward as fast as I could. I wanted to scream, I wanted to shout. I was so happy to be back, where I was comfortable, and not on some planet made completely of metal.

I glided around corners and soared over hills until the lights of Jasper came into view as the sun rose. I roared past the green sign announcing "Welcome to Jasper, Nevada", and coasted down the hill and down into the town. I had to slow down considerably so that I didn't speed. I didn't need to get pulled over by a cop. So, I slowed down to fifty kilometers an hour and activated my "holoform" (that's what I called my solid hologram). Placing my conscience within the holoform, I gripped my steering wheel and began to whistle.

Glancing in the mirror, I modified my holoform's image until, in the driver's seat, there sat a seventeen year old girl with pale Caucasian skin, blue—almost turquoise—eyes, medium-length brown hair, and was dressed in a simple black shirt and black jeans. On my feet were a pair of black converse. The hair framing my face was turquoise in colour, and the tips of my bangs looked like they were died the same. Keeping my eyes on the road, I made sure to change my holoform's hair-style into one where she had a high-ponytail. The turquoise hair framing my face now were streaks up the sides of my head.

Quickly, I made my way through town to where Jack's house was located. With an excited grin on my face, I pulled up in front of the Darby home and parked myself (it sounds weird saying that). Opening my driver's side door, I climbed out using my holoform. Shutting the door behind me as I quickly checked the time; I made my way around my alt-form and walked quickly up to the house. I could not remove the smile as I stopped in front of the door and knocked.

I stood there, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I waited for someone to answer the door. When the door finally opened, I grinned up at the black-haired boy that stared at me in shock. Before he could say anything, I enveloped him in a hug. I missed him so much. He would have no idea.

"Mi…Mikaela!" he exclaimed before wrapping his own arms around me in a hug. "W-what…? H-how…?"

I looked up into Jacks blue-grey eyes as I let go of him and took a step back. "I'm fine, Jack. Yes, I got shot by a huge metal tin-man, but I was saved."

Jack blinked a few times, gaping. "But…how are you still alive?! There were scorch marks and…and…"

I pressed a finger over his lips in order to stop the barrage of questions I knew he was going to throw at me. "It's okay, Jack. I'm not dead. I'm here" I took my finger from my lips "and I am alive."

"Who…" Jack said after I removed my finger. His voice was calmer, but I could still see the questions bouncing around in his head. "Who…saved you?"

A smirk appeared on my lips. "A soldier—a commander, actually. He was just driving along when he saw me sprawled out on the ground. I was pretty burned, he told me when I woke up," I wanted to grimace. I hated lying to my friend, even though the thousands of years I had experienced in the Decepticon ranks had made it easy for me. I had grown up, as a human, told to not lie, because it wasn't good. But now I had to lie, because there was a connection between my friend and the Cybertronians. Now that I remember that, Megatron had me shot in order to get at Jack…and this 'RC' person. "But I'm here now. I've been hidden away from the government for who knows how long…how long have I been gone, Jack? They gave me a calendar, but I never bothered to keep track."

"You've been gone for a week, Mikaela…are you feeling okay?"

It was nice that someone actually cared for my well-being. "I fine," I said happily. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Jack seemed to be at a loss for words. I waited patiently for him to continue. "It's unlike you to forget the date or how long you've been doing something or how long you have been away…"

I waved it off. "No need to worry about it, Jack. I have been busy. I've been handed from one government agent to the next because they're obviously 'worried' about me being shot again. It's like they know something I don't!"

Jack chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. "About that…" he said slowly. "The 'giant tin-man' that shot you…is what the government is trying to keep you finding out about." He grabbed my hand. "Come in." he glanced about nervously. "We have no idea if someone is spying on us." Gently, he pulled me inside and closed the door. Then he locked it behind me. Then he lead me down to where he sat me down in the living room. I chose to sit down on the carpeted floor, so he sat down in front of me, facing me.

"Whoa, Jack," I smirked. "You're acting like a conspiracy theorist here. I'm expecting you to pull out a tin-foil hat and put it on at any second now."

He snorted. "No…no, I'm not meaning to act like a wack-job," he focused on my seriously, "but I have something important to tell you. And I don't want any government agency to hear about it. I don't want you to tell anyone, okay? You don't know if one of the people you may talk to might be them…"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Let me start from the beginning," he said, now talking to me in a loud whisper. "There are giant robotic aliens roaming the planet. They are at war with each other. The good guys are called Autobots and the bad guys are called Decepticons." When he said Decepticon, I felt my spark pulse just a bit faster. It reminded me painfully that I was a bad guy. "The robot that shot you, he was a Decepticon. Their leader, Megatron, probably told him to shoot you so he could get at me."

"Why? What connect do you have with these C—robots?" I nearly cringed when I almost said 'Cybertronians' instead of 'robots'. Thank goodness he didn't seem to take notice of my almost slip-up. "I remember the robot saying something about shooting me would get to you and someone named 'RC'. Who is RC?"

"Arcee—A-R-C-E-E, is my motorcycle. She is my guardian because I know about the Autobots and Decepticons. She is an Autobot, a good guy," he said.

I wanted to shutter, but I stopped myself. So Jack was on the Autobot side—good. But that made me his mortal enemy. "Th-that's good," I said weakly before I coughed in order to cover that up. I glanced around. "Where is she now?"

"She's off on a mission," Jack said, returning his voice back to a normal volume. "She should be back soon. Do you want to meet her?"

"And have to get a guardian too because I'll know of them?" I asked. I glanced up at clock and saw the time. "I don't think it would be a good idea if I met her. I've gotta get going, anyway. Those government agents are waiting for me back at the safe-house. I don't want them to worry." I got to my feet. Jack mirrored me.

"It was nice seeing you, Mikaela," he said, hugging me. "I hope I'll be able to see you again sometime soon."

I hugged him back before I broke the hug. "Me too, Jack. I'll try to stay away from those Decepticons." I smiled.

He walked me to the door, and he opened it for me. He watched me as I walked over to my alt-form, and I waved at him as I disappeared inside. I saw him wave before I pulled away from the curb and drove away.

I wanted to think about a few things and scout around before I returned to Megatron.

A GroundBridge opened and Arcee slowly rolled into the garage. She honked her horn in order to catch Jack's attention. When her raven-haired charge came flying into the garage, she noticed he looked extremely happy. Before she could ask what was on his mind, he said, "Guess what, Arcee?" he was practically bouncing in place.

"What is it Jack?" she asked.

"Mikaela's back! Mikaela's back!" he was practically beaming. "She visited me and left just before you got back. She's alive! The government saved her before she died. She didn't incinerate like you thought!"

My systems onlined as I took a deep breath and smelled the morning dew in the air I blinked my optics a few times as they came online before I snapped my visor down over my optics. Today was the day I had to return to Megatron. No doubt Soundwave had already picked up my signal. With a content-filled groan, I sat up and lifted my arms up over my head. I stretched them as I stretched my wings before I got to my pedes. I had slept in my bipedal form after I had walked for miles in one seemingly useless direction. I had then just collapsed by some trees and had fallen into recharge.

After stretching my legs, I scanned the area around me to see if I didn't have any little spies before I continued on in the direction I had been going. I continued to scan, but only stopped when I picked up a familiar energy signature nearby. "B-Breakdown?" I voiced out loud. "So…he's here too."

I transformed up into my flight mode and jetted towards the origin of the signature. I hadn't seen neither Breakdown or Knock Out for a while, and I would like to catch up on what they had been doing. I flew out over a road and hovered over a blue hummer. My scanners said that the hummer was Breakdown.

::Hey, Breakdown, haven't seen you for a few vorns,:: I comm'ed down to him.

There was a few kliks of silence before I got a reply. ::The name is Cylas, and I now commandeer this body. Breakdown's dormant memory files tell me that you are a female Cybertronian known as Wavelength.::

I felt anger suddenly course through me. ::You…you little leach! You glitch!:: I cursed. ::What have you done to Breakdown?!::

::He is no longer with us, I'm afraid. Now, stay out of my way, I have a mission to complete.:: The gun on the roof of the hummer suddenly turned and pointed up at me. One rocket shot up at me from it and caught me on the underbelly of my alt-mode. I screamed as it detonated, forcing me to transform into my bipedal mode before it could rip my wings off. I fell to the ground and carved a long trail through the sand as I felt a few Energon lines break.

But I was not down. I was going to remove that…that "Cylas" from my friend's body, and I was going to make him pay.