Yay! A chapter in a week! I have had all the chapter to this story previously written until now, so I am very excited that I managed to get this chapter out in a week.

Barricade has known Blackshadow most of her life, I'll go into their friendship more in later chapters.

Now, onto the story.

Chapter Three

Blackshadow exhaled softly through her vents. She had been back to duty for a week now, but was still not cleared for scouting or fighting missions. That left her the boring tasks such as monitor duty, and overseeing ship repairs. She had just gotten off of monitor duty, and having been staring at a screen for a vorn, she was very much ready to get her energon and take a break.

She could have gone back to her quarters, but she felt more like socializing with the soldiers. After all, she hadn't even met the soldiers that had transferred from Cybotron yet.

Entering into the rec. room, she immediately spotted one of the newbies designated Disruptor. He was a rowdy one from what she had heard, always starting fights, pulling off not so nice pranks with his new friend Spywarp, and generally causing a stir wherever he went.

She didn't want to have to deal with him, so she quietly got her energon and sat down at a table in the far corner, Barricade moved from where he had been seated and sat down beside her. For a few precious kliks everything was peaceful, well, as peaceful as it could be in a room full of mechs. Then, the inevitable happened.

Disruptor turned around to see what was happening in the corner, and spotted her. Femmes are a rare thing among the Decepticon ranks, so when there is one, she is almost always noticed. The mech looked at her for a few klicks, then called,"Why are you hanging out with that stupid mech, there's a seat right over here next to me that's empty."

The room grew deadly quiet. At least half of the mechs in the room had tried to get the feeme to notice/like them before finding out that the femme had a not so merciful sparkmate. They were all waiting to see what would happen this time.

"I think I'll pass,"

"Aww come on, your no fun."

"I think our definitions of fun are very different."

"What's your's?"

"My servo in your face."

"No need to get feisty, it was just an invitation."

"An invitation for what?" The voice boomed over that conversation being held.

"Uh, uh, C-commander Dreadwing. How nice of you to stop by." Disruptor's smile had been replaced by a bit of fear.

"An invitation for what?" Dreadwing restated his question, his faceplates shaping into a snarl.

"I just wanted to offer the little femme the seat next to me."

"That 'little femme' is my sparkmate." If Cybotronians could turn colors, this one's would be green.

"My sincerest apologies commander, I didn't know."

"Get out of my sight."

Blackshadow glanced at the fleeing form, then at her sparkmate,You handled him pretty well, though you should have given him something to remember you by, some singed armor, a cut, something.

He won't be trying that again.

All the same, I'm going to put him on monitor duty for a while.

Getting tired of it already?

I'm about ready to go into the medbay and change the information so I can go on a patrol.

Well, if your to that point, I'll request Knockout let you do something outside the Nemesis lest him medbay be destroyed.

Ha ha.

Dreadwing physically motioned for Blackshadow to follow him, then started off down the hall.

Blackshadow grimaced slightly at her half drunk energon, then left it on the table for one of the cleaning drones to pick up. She had to walk rather quickly to catch up with Dreadwing, he always set a fast pace when he was angry.

What's wrong?

I hate it how when new recruits see you, they automatically think your open to be chased after.

Mechs will be mechs, and you could try taking your anger out on the next one that tries that.

It seems hardly fair to punish them for something they didn't know not to do. You want to gain the soldiers loyalty through respect, not fear.

I know that, but beating up a mech because he was messing with your sparkmate is different than just beating him up to make him fear you.

True.

Where are we going?

On a long flight.

Oh, we haven't done that in a long time, have you asked Knockout if you can disobey his orders?

He must never know.

And as the couple spent some well earned time together, things at the Autobot base were going much differently...

"Get back you little scrap heap you!" Blacklight practically screamed at the bot she was chasing, Midlight was currently trying to exterminate his brother. Ah, the terror twins had struck again.

The femmes had woken up that morning to find that their paint jobs had been changed. Now, normally the younglings didn't give a scrap about their paint jobs, but this was over the line. Not only had Sunstreaker and Sideswipe changed their paint job to an ugly color of lime green, they had written all the dirty secrets they knew about them on their new paint jobs. In short, Ratchet himself might not be able to patch up what was left.

Blacklight followed Sideswipe as he rounded a hall, and ran smack dab into Chromia.

"Whoa, slow..." When Chromia looked up at Blacklight and saw her new paint job, she simply pointed the way Sideswipe had went.

Blacklight raced after the mech, now being slightly more careful when rounding corners. Blacklight rounded another bend, then stopped. Sideswipe was nowhere to be seen.

I lost Sunstreaker. Midlight spoke over their bond.

I lost Sideswipe.

Where do you think they went?

I don't know, but I don't like it. Whenever they're out of sight they're causing trouble.

True that.

Blacklight entered the main room, carefully stepping around the small creature designated Miko. Prowl looked up from where he was operating the computer, and said,"Where have you been, you were due for a patrol two and a half breems ago."

Blacklight looked over at Prowl, then pointed to her new paint job.

"I see." Was the reply that came back.

"Have you seen Sideswipe or Sunstreaker?"

"They have not come through here."

"Permission to change paint job back to original color."

"Granted, I'll assign the patrol to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker."

Blacklight sighed and went to her and Midlight's quarter. Midlight soon was there too, complaining on how embarrassing it was to be lime green.

All in all, it was a normal day at the Autobot base.

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