Alexis woke to a sound of machines running. She turned her head, looking over to see Red Alert with his back turned to her. She noticed he was working on something. At first she wasn't sure what he was doing but a few minutes of watching him, she remembered that he was hoping that she would be able to walk by the end of the night.
"I suppose you are ready to operate?" she asked.
Red Alert turned. "You're awake, good. Actually I already have."
"It didn't take you that long."
"Luckily we had the technology that reattached the brake in both your legs. However, your bones now have some titanium alloy to keep the bones together."
She looked a little fearful at this discovery.
"Don't worry, there will be no way to detect the alloy. Not even through X-rays. I've also read, to ensure there's no excruciating pain, doctors uses anesthetic." Red Alert walked over to the table where Alexis lay. "I used it on you when you fell asleep. I didn't want to frighten you."
"So I now can walk again?"
"Should be able to. But I would wait a few more minutes before trying to sit up. You just woke from the anesthetic. When you get up, I must insist that you don't over exert yourself."
Alexis heard a door swish open and turned to see the red jet walk with a slight smile. She smiled back. He walked over to her. "How do you feel?" he asked.
"Groggy."
"The others are waiting for you in the other room. I could let them know that you are awake."
"Yeah." She tried to slowly get up but something was holding her down. She didn't realize it until she noticed Sureshock was holding her down.
-I don't want you to move right just yet-
Alexis sighed and gave no more resistance. Starscream chuckled and left to get the others. When he returned, Optimus was the first to approach her. She noticed the boys weren't with them.
"I'm glad you are ok. Red Alert says you should be able to walk. You did have us worried."
"I was worried myself. I didn't know what would happen if Red Alert couldn't do anything."
"We..." Blurr stood beside his leader. "Were more worried that you could have been seriously injured or worse killed."
"You are lucky that Starscream was trapped with you," Jetfire said when he was close enough.
"I know. I probably would have bled to death if it weren't for Starscream and Swindle," Alexis said.
"Gentlemen may I have a word with Alexis alone for a moment," Optimus said. "Blurr why don't you find the kids."
"Yes, sir." Blurr turned and left to find the boys.
When everyone left, Alexis weakly sat up since there was no one restraining her. "What's wrong?"
"You know I worry about your safety," Optimus started. "Today was the first time, I lost control. I wanted so much to rip Megatron's optics."
Alexis noticed Optimus clenched his fist. "Well I'm safe now. And from what Starscream said, you got the Mini-Con, which got buried with us."
"That isn't the point. I rather see you kids out of harms way more than the Mini-Cons. A life can not be replaced."
"Optimus, you're sounding like you experienced it."
Optimus knelt down to the girl. "I have a girlfriend back on Cybertron. Elita-One. She was lost to me once but I found her after a few months, alive and well. Megatron doesn't know she is still alive."
"Starscream told me that there are female Transformers."
"Yes but not many. Many Transformers, Decepticons and Autobots believe the girls should not be warriors."
"Something is more on your mind than me being injured today."
"How do you do that?" Optimus sighed. "I'm a bit troubled that you're with Starscream a lot."
"Is there something wrong with that?" Alexis was getting a little defensive.
"I'm going to ask you a personal a question. You don't have to answer but I would like you to think about it. You are real close to Starscream. It seems to me that you seem to care more for him more than you should." He was no longer going to keep this from Alexis. He wanted her know how he felt about it.
Alexis looked away and fell silent. She never thought about it before. It never occurred to her that she could have feelings for the jet. She stayed silent for several minutes and before she could answer, the boys came running into the room.
"Alexis," they all called at once. "You're ok."
"Yeah, thanks to Red Alert and Transformer technology."
"So you have alloy in your bones. I hope you will never have to worry about having a bone marrow transplant," Rad said.
"Even if I did, I don't think there would be any one with my blood type. I have a very unique blood type."
"Now more than ever," Carlos said.
Billy turned to Optimus. "Now that Alexis is ok. Can we stay the rest of the weekend?"
Optimus laughed at Billy's enthusiasm. "All right. You all can stay."
"All right!" Fred cheered.
"Let's get out of here," Alexis smiled. "But it's going to take me a bit. I may have wobbly legs since I just came out of the anesthetic."
"Here we'll help you," Rad offered.
Rad helped Alexis as the other boys started to leave the room with Optimus in tow.
--------
It was well after dark as Starscream stood in his usual spot, looking out over the town. He couldn't believe how the events went. Alexis got injured, he tells her about his secret love who died a long time ago and Red Alert had to operate on her.
His thoughts were all confused over the human girl. At first he was happy that he told her about Kiaudica but now he wasn't so sure. Talking about her brought back old memories and wounds.
In the back of Starscream's mind, he knew why Kiaudica had finally been brought up. He felt it was time to tell someone about her and Alexis was the perfect choice.
Beside him Swindle sat high up on rock. -What has gotten you so down?- he asked.
"Huh?" Starscream looked at the small bot. "An old girlfriend of mine. She died at the hands of Megatron."
-Is that why you hate him so much?-
"No. I've always had a dislike for him. But what happened to Alexis brought back her memory."
-You care for the girl- Swindle stated bluntly. -It seems to me that you care for her a great deal. Especially since you demanded that I stay with her until you arrived back-
At first he felt like hitting his Mini-Con but then thought for several moments of what Swindle said. Not to mention he remembered that the Autobots treat the Mini-Cons as equals and he didn't want to revert back to a Decepticon. He had come too far to revert back.
Starscream looked away for a moment then turned back. "When I see her or hear her voice, I can forget who I am. She makes me feel like I can do anything, almost like Kiaudica did. She used to do the same thing."
For another few minutes they were both silent. "You're right," Starscream admitted. "I do care for her." But the fact was he not only cared for her but he was falling for her. But was that possible? Could he love Alexis the way he loved Kiaudica and would she return the same feelings?
-Well the kids are staying. You could tell Alexis how you feel-
"Are you crazy," Starscream blurted. "Tell Alexis that I care for her."
-Why not. Optimus already suspects that you care for her-
"Where did you hear that?"
-From Sparkplug. He says almost everyone has noticed how close you two have become-
"But you don't understand," Starscream lowered his voice. "I not only care for her but..."
-You're in love with her- Starscream turned back to Swindle. -Being a Decepticon, you don't think we Mini-Cons listen. We remember our fight back on Cybertron. But with the Decepticons, they have brainwashed the Mini-Cons so they couldn't rebel. But they did. You on the other hand, never brainwashed me. You allowed me to be independent-
Starscream sat down, allowing his head to fall in his hands. "You are like Alexis. You can see through my defenses."
-I've been learning from the best-
Starscream sighed. "How could I ever tell her that I love her? I don't even know if she shares the same feelings."
-As humans put it. 'You must take a leap of faith'-
"I suppose you're right. There have been some Transformers who were able to have relationships with other species. But Alexis is different."
-How could she be different? She is bright, beautiful-
"And only a kid."
-From experience of seeing, age doesn't matter-
--------
In the lounge where the kids camped out, the boys were immersed in a small game of cards. Alexis didn't feel like playing. She was laying on her sleeping bag, when she suddenly felt a small pain emitting from her ribs.
She passed it off at first. Then finally after a half hour, the pain became too much and she squealed out in pain. The boys stopped and rushed to her side.
"Alexis," Rad said. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. I...there's pain in my ribs," she panted out as she was cuddled in a ball.
"Fred get the others," Rad blurted to his friend.
Without hesitation, Fred went over to one wall and pushed a big red button, which turned on the com-link. He held in the button as he spoke. "We need help in the lounge. Alexis is in pain." Fred then moved back to Alexis.
Sideswipe was the first to arrive. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," Rad said. "We were playing cards while Alexis watched and then she just screamed out in pain."
"Where is the pain emitting from?" Red Alert asked as he rushed into the room.
"From her ribs," Billy said.
"How can that be?" Red Alert asked. "The alloy would take days to go through the bones."
Alexis screamed again in pain then fainted. Red Alert quickly picked her up and headed to the medical bay. When he arrived, he placed her gently on the Transformer operating table and started to do some scans on her.
After several scans he took some blood samples, which were difficult. He got Longarm to help out by taking a needle with a tube attached to abstract some blood.
"That is odd," he said to himself.
"What is?" Optimus asked as he entered into the room. Red Alert was in the middle of analyzing them through a microscope when Optimus walked in.
"Optimus," Red Alert looked up. "Here take a look at this."
Optimus walked over to his science officer and looked through the microscope. "What is that?"
"Titanium alloy running through her blood stream. And from my calculations it's been in there for over a week."
"A week? How is that possible? Alexis was only injured today."
"That is a puzzle. I also did some scans on her and found two hearts but one of them isn't human."
"Are you saying that Alexis somehow has another being living inside her?"
"I'm not sure. It's inhumanly possible for a human to have two beings."
"What is going to happen to her?"
"It almost looks like she is going to be half human and half mechanic."
"Until we know anything further, I want this kept between us."
"I agree. Who knows what would happen if Alexis or the others finds this out. Until then we could say that the accident caused her ribs to crack."
As Optimus and Red Alert were discussing their options, another being was now fearful that they would be discovered. They knew it was time for her to communicate with the body that she was sharing.
She didn't know how long it would take for her to get Alexis's attention but she knew she had to move fast. Alexis was changing and if she didn't do something, the human would lose all her humanity. She didn't expect Alexis's body to react as quickly as it did. She knew that someday it would happen but thought it would take quite a few years.