A Test of Loyalty Chapter 7: Don't Take Her Hostage, a transformers/beast wars fanfic

Back with another chapter! This was interesting to write lol.

Disclaimer: Hasbro owns Transformers and all its characters. I only own Paige and Swiftblade.

The cool night breeze lightly ruffled the leaves in the nearby trees and Paige's hair as she lay atop the hood of her black-and-green Corvette ZR1. She lay upside-down with her feet resting on the top of the vehicle and her arms crossed behind her head as a cushion. She gazed up at the stars above her, forest-green eyes distant as she thought about the recent events.

Due to Swiftblade being injured during the battle on the space bridge, he had been confined to base on Ratchet's orders until he had recovered. So that had left Arcee to take her home instead, since she only lived two blocks away from Jack. It was…lonely without her guardian that first night, but she knew it was necessary. And similar to him, she had also been forced to confine herself to her home instead of going to school for the day. Miko had been the one to bring her missed classwork, and they had talked.

"I know what today is~" Miko sang with a shit-eating grin as she watched Paige hobble into the kitchen for a bottle of water.

"Don't you dare say it-"

"Your date!" Miko giggled and then crossed her arms protectively in front of her to shield herself from the attack of an empty plastic bottle.

"Oh my God, it's not a date," Paige groaned, rubbing her face in exasperation. "I'm just keeping my word and I haven't heard anything about our meeting getting canceled."

Miko rolled her eyes. "Whatever. It's totally a date and you're just in denial."

"Miko, the guy looked older than me and I'm not even 18 yet. It's not a date," the brunette insisted with a sigh.

Miko scoffed playfully. "So you're off by two months. Who cares?" She walked over and slung her arm around her friend's shoulders. "I know you fancy him~" That grin was back and Paige narrowed her eyes.

"Ugh… Whatever. You'll cover for me if the others get curious, right?"

Miko waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. As long as you tell me the deets after!"

Paige rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips. "Fine, alright."

A chuckle escaped her and she closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air. It was soothing and a nice change of pace after all the hell she had witnessed and been put through the last few days. She needed a break. She needed a distraction. Racing had always been her go-to for that, so that's where she went. She had gotten to the meetup spot rather early to just sit back and relax for a while. She opened her mouth and let the first song that came to her mind slide off her tongue.

"I was a little girl

Alone in my little world

Who dreamed of a little home for me

I played pretend between the trees

And fed my houseguests sparkling leaves

And laughed in my pretty bed of green

I had a dream

That I could fly from the highest swing

I had a dream."

Her soft voice carried the melody on the breeze that brushed her face. She lost herself in the melody, her mind and body relaxed. She didn't notice a vehicle rolled up quietly with its lights off, listening to her voice as she continued to sing.

"Long walks in the dark

Through woods grown behind the park

I asked God who I'm s'posed to be

The stars smiled down at me

God answered in silent reverie

I said a prayer and fell asleep

I had a dream

That I could fly from the highest tree

I had a dream

Ooh-oo-oo-ooh-ooh~

Now I'm old and feeling gray

I don't know what's left to say

About this life I'm willing to leave

I lived it full and I lived it well

There's many tales I lived to tell

I'm ready now

To fly from the highest wing

I had a dream…"

"I see the girl has many talents up her sleeve."

Paige gasped and bolted upright, using her hands to push herself up since her legs still lay atop the windshield. It took a great deal of effort to hide a wince as pain flared in her leg from the jostle. She glanced over and saw the Aston Martin she had been waiting for parked several feet away. Its driver was leaning against the passenger door with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. "Oh my God," she breathed out, carefully swinging her legs off the side of her car to sit up properly. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"It's nice to see you too," he chuckled.

She rolled her eyes half-heartedly but couldn't hide the smile on her face. "Yes, hello, K.O." She slowly slid off the hood and put most of her weight on her good leg. Now that he was out of his vehicle, she got a better look at him. Though it was hard to tell certain colors and details in the dark, she could still tell his style and fashion sense matched the vehicle of his choice. His bangs were swept to one side out of his face. While short near the back, he had longer strands of hair near his neck that he had pulled into a ponytail. He was wearing a nice suit with details that matched the paint job of his vehicle.

Damn, why does he have to dress hot too? She mentally berated herself for the thought. Miko needs to stop getting into my head!

He seemed to eye her up and down, his gaze lingering on her left leg. When she tried to shift it behind her right leg while subtly leaning against her car with her hip, he raised an eyebrow with a frown. "Driving injured, are we?"

Paige was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, fully leaning against her Corvette to keep her weight off her left leg. She had been wearing pants as usual to hide it, but it seemed no matter what she did she still looked injured. She didn't even try to lie or hide it as she frowned. "How did you know?" She asked quietly.

He pushed away from his vehicle and sauntered over to her with a slight sway to his hips that she was sure was just how he normally walked. "My dear, I have seen many things in my years. I am quite observant," he told her with a wave of his hand. He stopped in front of her and placed a hand on his hip. "Close your eyes for a moment."

She raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he was planning. She hesitantly closed her eyes but kept her senses alert. He was still a stranger. She hadn't even known him for a full twelve hours. Yes, he had been friendly and respectable up to this point, but he was still unpredictable. She didn't know him. All she really knows about him is his beautiful vehicle, fashion sense, and the fact he loves to street race just like her.

He could just as easily stab her and leave her to bleed out in the ditch, and she'd be the only one to blame for it.

Something passed over her body and caused her to shudder, instantly wrapping her arms around her middle to hug herself. She didn't know how to describe it. Nothing physically touched her and it wasn't wind that had traveled from the top of her head down to her toes. She didn't know what it was. She just knew it felt unnatural and the shiver that ran down her spine from it was well warranted. She opened her mouth to ask about it.

"What happened?" His genuinely confused and curious tone had her opening her eyes to blink at him. He had one arm crossed over his chest while the other rested over his lips and chin. He stared at her left leg for a moment before meeting her gaze, waiting for an answer.

It took her a moment to regain her composure enough to respond. "Some guys tried to rob me yesterday. They got a good hit on me before I sent them running." She shrugged nonchalantly. She saw his eyes narrow and she fought back a scowl. He knows I'm lying.

He frowned a bit and hummed, as if thinking. He stared at her for several long moments before flicking his hand. "Regardless, I think we should take a rain check and wait until you've recovered." He reached out to place a finger to her lips when she tried to protest, causing her to fight back a flinch and blink in surprise. "I don't intend to make it a habit to forego a patient's recovery time."

When he didn't immediately pull his finger away, she reached up to gently grasp his hand and pull it away so she could speak. She raised a curious eyebrow. "You're a doctor?"

He pulled his hand out of her grasp and she let him. "Something like that," he answered dismissively.

She sighed and let her shoulders sag, staring at the ground with a disappointed frown. "But I really wanted to race today…"

"Aw." His hand gently hooked under her chin and lifted her face until she looked him in the eyes. He had a teasing smile that made her heart flutter. "No need to pout, my dear. In a week, I will contact you and check up on your recovery. Then we'll talk about another race."

Feeling her face grow warm, she turned her head and cleared her throat. "I… I guess I can wait until my leg is healed," she grumbled, avoiding his mischievous eyes.

He chuckled and stepped back to give her a bit of space. "Until then." He bent low at the waist and swept his hand towards his chest in a dramatic bow. When she dipped her head, he turned and headed back to his vehicle.

Paige waited until she heard the sound of the engine fade into the distance before plopping behind the wheel of her own vehicle. She groaned and banged her head against the wheel, still feeling warm from their interaction. "My God, Paige… You haven't had a single crush since you were 12 and the moment some hot guy driving a pretty car shows up and starts flirting with you, you can't handle it," she groaned. "Miko is going to have a field day with this one…"

Leaning back and buckling up, she swerved around and headed back towards Jasper.

It had been an entire week since their run-in with Soundwave at the Array in Texas and her leg had healed nicely. It was only a scab now and may or may not leave a scar. Swiftblade had also made a full recovery and was back to being her full-time guardian and companion. The teens had to endure getting low grades on their Science Fair projects at school due to Ratchet wanting to help by incorporating his knowledge and technology into them. They had a major case of a scraplet infestation at base the other day, almost leaving Optimus and Arcee stranded and dying in the arctic, and the rest of the bots and base eaten to dust. Thankfully, she and her human friends were able to help and they managed to bait those spawns of hell back into the arctic where they instantly froze. It was not a fun experience for anyone and it had left her with more light scratches, but nothing a little ointment couldn't handle.

And she still had yet to receive a message from her 'racing buddy' - as Miko had dubbed him. Paige had been correct. Miko would not stop teasing her about the little 'date' they had, though thankfully all the teasing was done in private.

In other news, something interesting was happening. The previous day the Autobots had received a transmission from a friend of Bulkhead's - who apparently served in the same combat unit called the 'Wreckers'. Paige still had much to learn about what the group truly was and what they did, but she was just glad to see the bot as excited as he had been.

Today was the day the Autobots were meeting at the provided landing coordinates for safety measures. Paige was both excited and uneasy about the whole thing. Upon learning that Decepticons could stage ambushes with fake Autobot signals, she wasn't too sure the retrieval of this new Autobot would work out well. After all, if they could fake a signal, couldn't they fake a transmission and do the same? She chose not to voice her thoughts and instead decided to stay on her guard. She tried to remember the conversation and responses from the previous day to learn how this 'Wheeljack' usually acts. It wasn't much to go off of, but it would have to do for now.

Her uneasiness had been more so confirmed once Wheeljack's ship had gotten close. He had started being tailed by Decepticons, making him crashland. The Autobots had gone through the ground bridge to help and Bulkhead had assured them that it was the Cons who would be needing help from them… but Paige was still skeptical and she hated that feeling. She wished it would go away.

As it was, she was standing at the railing and staring at the ground bridge. She thrummed her fingers against the railing as she waited, a frown on her face as she wondered if her worries would be confirmed or if she'd be proven wrong. She then tensed as five bots came running through and she eyed the newcomer as the ground bridge short circuited, shutting down behind them.

He was a little shorter than Ratchet. He was mostly white-and-gray with green-and-red detailing. He had a rather odd head shape that made it look like he was wearing both a helmet and strange ears. He also had door-wings like Bumblebee and Arcee. He had cyan optics like the rest of them but Paige wouldn't put it past the Cons to be able to change optic colors too.

"Jackie, c'mere! Meet my other best buddies, Miko and Paige! They can wreck with the best of us!"

Paige blinked in surprise as she was suddenly introduced and she felt her friend sling her arm around her shoulders. Smiling, she did the same and forced herself to be outwardly civil. "Hey!" She and Miko both greeted.

Wheeljack walked over and leaned in close, making Paige's unease grow. "You keeping Bulkhead out of trouble?" He asked with a smirk.

"I try," Miko shrugged nonchalantly. "But trouble finds us anyway."

"Uh, I think you mean you find trouble," Paige rolled her eyes half-heartedly, earning a light elbow in the gut that only made her laugh.

"We're gonna get along just fine," Wheeljack said, looking back at Bulkhead. When Optimus stepped forward, he turned to greet him. "Optimus Prime. It's a privilege."

"Likewise, soldier. What have you to report from your long journey?"

"I've been bouncin' from rock to rock, searching for signs of friend or foe. Now, I find both."

"We are few, but strong. We've suffered losses, but we have grown. And we would relish welcoming a new member into our fold."

"I would be honored."

Paige felt her smile grow tight. Something about that response seemed…fake. Like he didn't truly mean it.

"Then let's get this party started!" Bulkhead slapped his hand on Wheeljack's back and then they both collided chests with an ecstatic "Oorah!"

"Oh, joy…" Ratchet grumbled, shaking his head. Paige sent a mildly amused glance his way, knowing his dislike for Wreckers from past arguments and mentions about Bulkhead.

It was not long before Miko had plugged up her guitar and was strumming chords. Paige stood nearby, keeping herself in a spot where she could see the newcomer at all times. He was currently playing a game called 'lobbing' according to Arcee, something mainly played by the warrior class bots. It was a giant ball of metal being thrown as hard as they could between Wheeljack and Bulkhead and it vaguely reminded her of football players tossing the ball back and forth to practice their throws and catches for the field.

Miko began playing a different tune, getting Raf and Bumblebee to start dancing together. Paige couldn't help but giggle at the display. It was both adorable and amusing to watch. She felt a light nudge against her side and looked to see Swiftblade standing back up with a smile.

"Why don't you dance?" He asked curiously.

"Oh-ho, no," Paige quickly shook her head and hands in denial. "I don't dance. I just sing."

"Then sing for us!" Miko grinned, pausing briefly to stare at her.

"Pretty please?" Raf pleaded with an encouraging smile.

"Ohh, alright." Paige tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she felt her face heat up from the attention. The only bots who weren't looking were Ratchet, Wheeljack, Bulkhead, and Optimus - of which he was absent due to not being a party person. She glanced at Miko and cleared her throat. "Do you want me to shout lyrics or actually sing? Because that'll decide the genre."

"Ugh," Mikk scoffed half-heartedly with a roll of her eyes. "Just sing."

"Oh, no!" Paige feigned horror as she placed a hand over her chest. "Miko doesn't mind if I sing country!" She heard the desired effect behind her - some snickers from Jack, Raf, Swiftblade, and was that Bumblebee and Arcee too?

"Watch it!" Miko jabbed a finger in her direction and Paige held up her hands with a laugh.

"Alright, I was joking! Let's see…" She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her music for something decent that even Ratchet might not mind - though that was a large stretch because he didn't seem to like any noise. Her eyes lit up and she was handed an aux cord. Where Miko got it from, she didn't know. She just plugged it into her phone and allowed the melody to fill the air. She leaned against the amplifier as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh."

If she didn't have an audience before, she did now. All sounds apart from the music ceased as now every bot turned to watch the brunette sing. Miko had sat on the other side of the amplifier, content to just listen to her friend sing. Even Ratchet had paused his work to watch.

"I messed up tonight

I lost another fight

I still mess up

But I'll just start again

I keep falling down

I keep on hitting the ground

But I always get up now to see what's next

Birds don't just fly, they fall down and get up

Nobody learns without getting it wrong

I won't give up

No, I won't give in

'Till I reach the end

And then I'll start again

No, I won't leave

I wanna try everything

I wanna try even though I could fail

I won't give up

No, I won't give in

'Till I reach the end

And then I'll start again

No, I won't leave

I wanna try everything

I wanna try even though I could fail

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Try everything

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Try everything

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Try everything

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh~"

As she sang, the bots were mildly amused and awed by how Paige would make hand gestures to match the lyrics she was singing. She would reach towards the ceiling, or place a hand over her chest, or clench a fist like she was grabbing something. It was both entertaining and interesting to watch.

"Look how far you've come

You filled your heart with love

Baby, you've done enough

Take a deep breath

Don't beat yourself up

Don't need to run so fast

Sometimes we come last

But we did our best

I won't give up

No, I won't give in

'Till I reach the end

And then I'll start again

No, I won't leave

I wanna try everything

I wanna try even though I could fail

I won't give up

No, I won't give in

'Till I reach the end

And then I'll start again

No, I won't leave

I wanna try everything

I wanna try even though I could fail

I'll keep on making those new mistakes

I'll keep on making them every day

Those new mistakes

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Try everything

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Try everything

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Try everything

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Try everything~"

She opened her eyes after the song ended and she heard clapping. She smiled bashfully and then giggled when Miko nudged her playfully with her elbow.

"And that's why you're the vocalist," she grinned.

"Oh, hush, you," Paige retorted playfully. She glanced up at her guardian to see him smiling down at her and she smiled back. She unplugged her phone from the aux cord and Miko went back to strumming the guitar.

"Come on, Bulk. I'm wide open!"

"Coming at ya!"

Paige turned to see Bulkhead toss the lob a little too hard. It bounced off Wheeljack's hands who tried to reach up and catch it, bounced off the wall, hit the ground bridge station where Ratchet was working, and then rolled back towards the wall. She cringed at the electric charge that flared briefly at the impact.

"You know, I am attempting to perform sensitive calibrations here!" Ratchet snapped, scowling.

Wheeljack walked over to retrieve the ball. "Sorry, doc. Guess we're a little charged up." He began walking back over to his spot but stopped next to Ratchet. "You built this bridge from scratch, huh?"

"I did." A little bit of pride seeped into Ratchet's voice.

"That's quite a feat of engineering."

"Yes, it is." The medic smiled a bit, appreciating the acknowledgement of his talent.

"Somethin'... wrong with it?" Paige frowned and stared at the newcomer. Something about his voice and the way he was asking about the ground bridge was making her uneasy again. Having calmed down after singing, now it was back with a vengeance and squeezed her gut.

"I didn't care for the way it sounded this last jump. I put it in shutdown."

"What if you need to use it?"

"Oh, I can't disrupt the defrag process without causing irreparable damage."

"So, uh… How long will the defrag take?" That screamed all sorts of alarm bells in Paige's head and she clenched her fists at her sides, using a great deal of effort to not all out glare at him.

"A few hours, if we're lucky." Ratchet turned to look at the newcomer. "Maybe longer." He shrugged and turned back to his work.

"Huh…" Wheeljack turned and walked back over to Bulkhead.

Paige's eyes flicked from Ratchet, to the ground bridge, and back to the newcomer, now feeling all sorts of uncomfortable. She crossed her arms and leaned against the amp as she listened to Bulkhead start to tell a story about one of his battles back on Cybertron. She was listening with undivided attention, enthralled by the tale even as she made sure to keep the newcomer in her line of sight. War stories always fascinated her and getting to hear new ones that weren't from her dad was making her feel like she was being given a treat.

"And what does Jackie do?" Bulkhead chuckled, too into his tale. "Tell 'em, Jackie!"

"Well, what I do best," Wheeljack said to the teens offhandedly. And then spouted another response to be a little conversational since Bulkhead had tried to include him. "Yeah. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Paige's enraptured smile grew tight at his responses. He's not even trying. Her smile grew even tighter when Bulkhead finally noticed the bot was distracted and didn't 'seem like himself'.

"What do you mean?" Wheeljack asked.

"I don't know. You seem…quiet."

"Oh, I've been stuck in a can too long. I should go topside before I get stir crazy."

"I have patrol in the morning," Bulkhead offered. "You can come with."

"Let's go now!"

"And break up the party? Come on, the gang's loving you!" Sorry, Bulk, but I'm not. "You gotta tell 'em about the battle at Darkmount Pass!" There was clear excitement in his voice, as if he was stoked to hear the tale as well.

"You tell' em. You're better at it." The deflect had Paige frowning and she had to fight the urge to scowl. "How about if Miko here shows me the rest of your base?" Oh, no.

"Uh- yeah! Sure, Jackie. Go ahead."

"Tour starts now." Miko hopped off the crate and turned to Paige. "Come on, Paige! Let's show him around together!"

"Sure," Paige smiled back at her friend and followed behind her without hesitation. She was not letting her friend go off by herself with this bot. She smirked when Miko instantly went into a spiel of questions and fell into step beside her. Ah, the famous Miko interrogation. Nothing can get past without getting it from her. She's way too curious.

She listened idly as Miko chattered more than enough for the three of them by herself, not seeming to notice how quiet her 'tourist' was. The brunette was a little unnerved that the bot was walking behind them so she focused on listening to his footsteps and voice as they walked. She tried not to let her fingers get twitchy and simply kept them at her sides, ready to whip out a pistol if she needed to.

"So, that's pretty much it. Energon stockpile, power generator, armory. Everything you need to blow the joint skyhigh."

Paige inwardly groaned but forced out a half-hearted scoff and chuckle. "Only if you have a death wish," she teased.

"Where is this bunker located exactly?" Wheeljack asked, looking around.

"If I told ya, I'd have to rip out your spark chamber," Miko said sinisterly, turning to look at the bot who looked slightly nervous at her words. "Kidding! Just outside- oof!"

Paige immediately slung her arm around her friend in a loose chokehold and laughed it off. "Bulkhead can show you tomorrow when he takes you out on patrol with him," she told him, meeting his cyan gaze. A glint of something dangerous entered his optics and she had to fight to keep her smile on her face. Shit. He knows I'm suspicious of him. She felt Miko squirm in her grasp and she squeezed her shoulder with her hand, instantly causing her friend to grow still. "It's not our place to give out the location to other bots. That's strictly up to Optimus, so you'll have to wait 'till he comes back." She released her friend with a nonchalant shrug and innocent smile.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Huh. That's too bad. Guess I'll just wait then."

"Yep!" Paige smiled and made a show of checking the time on her phone. "Well, that was pretty much everything so let's head back and see what the bots are up to. Maybe even see if Ratchet finished the defrag of the ground bridge early." She shrugged and turned on her heel, heading back in the direction of the main room with the two in tow. She could hear the newcomer's slow footsteps following them and practically feel his gaze on her back.

"Paige, what was that about?" Miko asked in a whisper, making sure to keep her voice low so their follower couldn't hear her so easily.

Paige didn't look up from her phone, quickly typing out a text while they walked and keeping her ears attentive to the movements of the newcomer behind them. "Miko, I'm getting a bad feeling again…"

"What? You mean like that one time we were at a gas station and you got a bad feeling, and it turned out the gas station had a leak that would have blown the place?"

Paige blinked, silent for a moment as she was shocked Miko even remembered that. It happened two months ago. "Yeah. Exactly like that. Something just isn't right." She paused her text to give a side glance toward her friend, who met her gaze. "I want you to act like normal, but make sure you're not too close to this guy. Let the bots handle him if things turn sour."

"Yeah… okay, Paige."

Satisfied, Paige turned her attention back to her phone and sent out two texts right after each other.

To Swiftblade: I've got a bad feeling about our new friend. Be on your guard. We're heading back now.

To Ratchet: Sorry to bother you while you're working but something isn't right about this new guy. Got a bad feeling about him. Be on your guard.

She wasn't expecting an immediate response back from the medic.

From Ratchet: Where are you?

To Ratchet: With him and Miko, on our way back from our little tour.

From Swiftblade: Bulkhead knows.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at her guardian's message. Well, Bulkhead would be more likely to know the difference between a brother and an imposter, she mused. When she didn't receive another message, she put her phone back in her pocket and focused on the tunnel ahead of them.

"So, how did you femmes meet the team?"

Paige glanced over her shoulder and stared at him in genuine confusion. "Femmes?"

"Ah…" He seemed to falter and hesitate, trying to figure out a translation she'd understand. "It's what we call bots like Arcee."

Paige blinked a few times and let out a contemplative hum. "Oh… Well, we have a few terms you can use for humans. Females, ladies, or girls." She then waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, we got caught up in the middle of a small skirmish between the Autobots and the Decepticons which led to us being guarded by them at all times." She then shot a teasing glare in her friend's direction, who looked visibly offended by it. "Miko, on the other hand, likes to stick her nose into everything and heard Arcee talking to me and Jack so she had to tag along."

"Huh," Wheeljack responded in mild interest.

Miko huffed, "I do not!"

"Oh yeah? Name me one time you didn't go sniff out an adventure." She placed a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow, waiting for a response. Miko opened her mouth to argue and then quickly closed it with a scoff. She reached over and shoved her playfully, and both girls erupted into giggles as they entered the main area.

"Hey! What are you guys talkin' about?" Wheeljack called as he saw four of the five Autobots at base standing together.

"I was just telling the guys all about you and me," Bulkhead responded. "At the Battle of Darkmount Pass?"

Paige caught Swiftblade's eye and they exchanged a minute nod. She grabbed Miko's hand and silently pulled her over to the other teens. Once there, she let go and placed herself between them and the newcomer as she watched him.

"That's a heck of a story," Wheeljack smiled.

"Yep," Bulkhead agreed before narrowing his optics. "Tell it."

"I wanna hear it," Paige spoke up with an interested smile. She placed a hand on her hip and cocked it to one side. "I love war stories."

"I'm not sure I-" Wheeljack tried to decline, but Bulkhead interrupted.

"Tell it!"

Wheeljack was silent for a moment, narrowing his optics with a frown. "Fine. You wanna live in the past, Bulkhead?" He looked down at the teens and Paige raised an eyebrow, that uneasy feeling slowly squeezing her gut. "The Wreckers were trapped between a Decepticon patrol and the smelting pit. The Cons were vicious, bearing down on us with everything they had. Me and Bulkhead engaged the enemy and left 'em for scrap. Then I made us a way out using their backsides as steppin' stones to cross the molten metal. Isn't that how it happened?"

"Yeah… That's exactly how it happened," Bulkhead said slowly. The newcomer smiled, pleased with himself, only to have his smile drop and optics grow wide at his next words. "Except for one little thing. I wasn't there." Now, all eyes were on Wheeljack and Bulkhead upon hearing this news and the unease in Paige's gut began strangling her. "I'd already left the Wreckers to join up with Optimus. But you wouldn't know that if all you did was access Wheeljack's public service record."

Paige's face grew hard as she reached back and pushed against Miko, nudging her further behind her. She then waved her hand to the teens to keep moving back while she slowly began backing away, keeping her movements subtle to keep from being caught.

She had been right to keep herself the one in the middle.

Paige let out a cry of surprise as she was swiftly grabbed in a firm hand. She heard Swiftblade call her name and Wheeljack pushed through the others to get away from them. She hissed in pain, feeling her ribcage being squeezed in a rather tight fist. She scowled at her captor as he moved to the ground bridge controls.

"Stay back," the imposter ordered in a new, raspy voice that hadn't been heard before. "Or I'll squeeze her into pulp!" He held Paige up in his fist and she sneered openly at him, forest-green eyes ablaze with a heated glare.

Swiftblade growled as his spark rattled in its casing, hands twitching. How dare that imposter threaten them with his charge?! He glared at the Decepticon, wanting so very badly to save his human friend. He could see she was in pain from the Con's hold. He could see her subtly try to worm her hand between the fingers to reach for her pistol, only to grimace as the fingers around her squeezed just a bit tighter in warning to the Autobots.

The imposter glared at Ratchet, who held up his hands in a placating manner to show that he wasn't going to try anything.

"I knew you couldn't be trusted," Paige spat out with a groan, glaring at her captor.

"Decepticon scum!" Bulkhead said angrily. "Let the girl go and face me!"

"Don't fret. Plenty of fighting to come," the imposter smirked.

"Is there a real Wheeljack?" Jack asked.

"Oh, indeed. And I expect Lord Starscream is making sport of him."

Paige scowled at him. "Coward," she ground out lowly. She watched as he typed a command into the controls and something beeped in completion.

"About time!" He opened the ground bridge and then backed towards it, keeping a firm grip on his rather fragile captive. She struggled in his grasp and then grunted as she was jostled while he made a dramatic hand gesture. "Let's get this party started!"

It was then that something knocked into the back of the imposter, making him lose his grip on Paige and causing her to fly forward with a small shriek. She squeezed her eyes shut until she felt a warm hand catch her and immediately pulled her into a protective embrace. She regained her composure as she peeked out of Swiftblade's protective hold, eyes widening at the real Wheeljack that stood up and sheathed his blades behind his back, a battle mask covering his face.

"I'd shut that hole before the stink comes through," he announced, and Ratchet was quick to close the ground bridge.

When the imposter stood up, grabbed his swords, and activated his battle mask, the real Wheeljack pulled his blades back out. The two look-alikes began circling each other and Paige reached for her pistol. She pulled it out of its holster and clicked the safety off, holding it in front of her as she kept her eyes locked on the battle. She kept track of who was who, eyes flicking between them as they moved.

Bulkhead had stepped forward and slammed his fists together to join the fight, but Wheeljack barred him with his sword as he moved past. "Ugly's mine." Then, the two were trading blows, parrying strike after strike in what seemed like an even match. It went on for several seconds, both knocking a blade from each other's hands. Then the imposter was knocked to the ground with Wheeljack standing over him and pointing the blade he had stolen from the other at his face.

"That's my Jackie!" Bulkhead told the others with a hint of pride in his tone.

Wheeljack tapped his blades against the imposter's neck before sheathing them and disengaging his battle mask. He turned to Ratchet. "You, hit the switch. It's time to take out the trash." The medic nodded and opened the ground bridge. "All yours buddy," he said as Bulkhead walked up to him.

Bulkhead smirked and reached down to grab the Con by the shoulder and chest plating. When he was lifted into the air, three rapid fire bullets rang out and hit their mark right in the imposter's left eye. All eyes turned to the source as the imposter's cries of pain echoed, grasping at his broken and bleeding optic.

Paige had used Swiftblade's fingers for cover to shoot from behind. Now, she raised her pistol's barrel towards the ceiling as she continued to glare at the wailing imposter, a fire of anger burning in her eyes. "That's for taking me hostage," she scowled.

"I like her," Wheeljack smirked, placing his hands on his hips.

She nodded at Bulkhead. "Do it."

He didn't need to be told twice. With a grunt, he spun around and used the momentum to toss the imposter into the ground bridge. Wheeljack complimented his friend on his lob and the ground bridge was promptly closed after.

Paige flicked the safety on and holstered her pistol now that the enemy was gone. She sat back into her guardian's hand and sighed in relief, glad that the uneasy feeling was now entirely gone. She no longer had to be on edge. She felt the hand holding her begin to vibrate in a purr and she smiled softly, allowing herself to fully relax.

Someone cleared their throat and she looked over to see Ratchet with an inquisitive look, while the others still stared at her. "I'd like to know just how you knew that was an imposter the whole time," the medic said.

"You knew?" Arcee asked incredulously and she nodded.

"Sort of… but not at first." Paige played with her bangs sheepishly and looked away. "I realized before Wheeljack even landed that the possibility of a spy coming to infiltrate the base wasn't impossible if the Decepticons could make fake signals to use to stage an ambush," she explained slowly, and everyone listened quietly as she continued. "From that point I just felt… uneasy. Like something would go wrong. So I tried to remember how Wheeljack responded to certain things during your transmission to use as a sort of comparison once he arrived. And then the imposter came and it just felt so wrong…"

"What do you mean?" Swiftblade asked curiously, trying to understand.

"Well… We call it a gut feeling, or a sixth sense. Sometimes that feeling tells us certain things, mostly about bad things. Sometimes it can steer you wrong depending on how attuned you are to it." She shrugged nonchalantly. "But I've had them before, about many different things. Miko has witnessed it a time or two-"

"Yeah!" Miko piped up with a smile, drawing everyone's attention briefly. "There was this one time a few months back when we took a road trip into California and we stopped at a gas station for gas and snacks. And Paige said she got this feeling that something was wrong. It turned out, there was a leak in one of the pumps that would've blown the place skyhigh if it wasn't found in time!"

"Whoa," Jack and Raf breathed, amazed.

"Yep. So it's not the first time this has happened, and I've learned to listen to it. So when the imposter came, I kept my guard up and watched him. I never took my eye off him and I listened to his responses. A lot of them were so… scripted," she scowled slightly, remembering the conversations. "Like he was just saying things he thought would make everyone trust him. When he told Optimus he'd join the team, it was an instant response. There was no feeling behind it. Anyone else might have hesitated at first or even got excited, but he just sounded so fake. And then he kept avoiding trying to say anything about himself when Bulkhead tried to get him to tell stories. Everything was fake and wrong and I kinda wish I was able to punch his face in!" She finished with a heated huff and crossed her arms, an angry frown on her face.

Wheeljack laughed, catching her attention and causing her to visibly relax as she blinked at him curiously. "You're one tough gal, I'll give you that. What's your name?" He smiled.

Paige slowly smiled back and gave him a two-fingered salute. "Paige. It's nice to officially meet the real Wheeljack!"

The party got underway once more after that. Ratchet was not happy with the noise as he busied himself with tinkering. Miko was playing her guitar as Jack, Raf, and Bumblebee danced to the music, while Arcee and Swiftblade simply watched in amusement. Optimus was finally back and was watching silently, having already been briefed on the earlier events. Wheeljack and Bulkhead were talking off to the side by the wall. Paige watched with silent amusement from the catwalk, leaning against the railing on her elbows.

"It's like a recurring nightmare," the medic groaned, making the brunette giggle.

"It's not that bad, Ratchet," she told him with a smile, making him scowl at her. She ignored it. "Besides, it's just one day of fun. Tomorrow, things will go back to normal with school and patrols and then you'll have your peace and quiet again."

He rolled his optics and then sighed, "I suppose…" She simply grinned in response.

"Hey, Paige!" Miko called as she paused her music, gaining the girl's attention. She narrowed her eyes at the cheeky grin on her face. "Why don't you sing for us now that the real Wheeljack is here?"

That got everyone's attention. Paige glanced at all the eyes on her and groaned, holding a hand over her eyes to shield her sight from them. "Do I have to?" She asked in a whine.

"Yes!" Came the cheeky reply.

"...It's only one day."

Paige whipped her head around to gawk at Ratchet, looking mildly betrayed as he simply crossed his arms with a tiny smug smirk. She narrowed her eyes at him but he never faltered, making her sigh in defeat. "Fine," she grumbled and then slid down the stairs railing to the ground. She walked over and playfully shoved her friend for the embarrassment of the attention she was getting. "Aux."

Miko grinned and handed over the cord to Paige's waiting hand. Paige rolled her eyes half-heartedly but plugged her phone up. She picked a song and closed her eyes as the beat started. She took a deep breath and let the words flow from her mouth.

"You can be amazing

You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug

You can be the outcast

Or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love

Or you can start speaking up

Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do

When they settle 'neath your skin

Kept on the inside and no sunlight

Sometimes a shadow wins."

Everyone watched in awe and listened to the words she spoke. She placed a hand on her chest as she continued to sing.

"But I wonder what would happen if you

Say what you wanna say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you

I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you

I wanna see you be brave!"

There was a brief pause that caused the listeners to be on their toes as they waited for her to continue. There were many smiles from the audience.

"Everybody's been there

Everybody's been stared down by the enemy

Fallen for the fear

And done some disappearing

Bow down to the mighty

Don't run

Stop holding your tongue

Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live

Maybe one of these days you can let the light in

Show me how big your brave is!

Say what you wanna say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

With what you wanna say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

And since your history of silence

Won't do you any good

Did you think it would?

Let your words be anything but empty

Why don't you tell them the truth?

Say what you wanna say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

With what you wanna say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave~

I wanna see you be brave~

See you be brave!

Hey~

Oh~"

If you haven't noticed already, Paige is very observant. Especially when it comes to her gut feeling. If you give her a bad feeling, just know that she'll watch you until things are resolved. And that includes if its about her friends too...

Songs mentioned:

- Dream by Priscilla Ahn

- Try Everything by Shakira

- Brave by Sara Bareilles

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know your thoughts in a review~