AN: Phew, I've been pushing these chapters out like crazy, haven't I? That's because I've been planning out this story for several weeks now, so I already know what I wanted to do with it. But after this, I'm going to have to slow it down to every week or two. I didn't realize how exhausting it is to put out chapters so quickly!

Speaking of which, this chapter did NOT want to be written. I've come to learn that it's a lot easier to write with cannon characters when you use the ones hardly anyone else does. .

A quick shout out to Ridel, for pointing out to me that Aine was slipping into Mary-Sue territory (thank you!). I'm trying to correct that with this and subsequent chapters.

Disclaimer: Transformers belong to Hasbro, the movie belongs to Michael Bay, and I haven't been able to talk either of them into giving me the rights to either. Bummer.

Ch. 4 –Meeting of Minds

Washington, 12:03 am, the previous night

Defense Secretary Keller laced his fingers together as he rested his elbows on his desk as he digested what he had just been told.

"You're telling me that we have two unknown Cybertronians, recently landed in New York, and you can't even tell whose side they're on?"

"Unfortunately, no," Optimus deep baritone confirmed over the speaker phone. "Without their transponder codes, they are invisible to our long-range scanners. We cannot locate them any more than we could locate a certain car without its license plate numbers."

"Well that's just perfect," Keller muttered. It was the middle of the night, Keller was in his home office so as not to disturb his still-sleeping wife, and he could already tell it was going to be a bad day. He almost regretted ordering his department to patch any and all urgent calls from the Autobots to his home phone. Why couldn't these things happen at a less god-forsaken hour?

"Do you think they're Decepticons?" Keller asked.

"A possibility, but we cannot confirm that," Optimus answered. "If they do not attempt to make contact with us by morning, I will send two Autobots to track them down. Secretary Keller, we will need your help in this matter."

"Gotcha. We'll keep our eyes and ears open towards that area, in case one or both make an appearance, and we'll let you know if and when anything happens. Hopefully before they destroy anything," Keller added the latter statement under his breath.

"Thank you Keller." Click, and the Prime was gone.

Keller spared a moment to rub his temples at this newest headache, before reaching for the phone again. True, nothing had happened and it wasn't a crisis yet, but with so little confirmed data it was the next closest thing. Before it had a chance to get that far, he was going to have to call upon his newest division to handle this.

While Sector 7 had been officially dissolved by the President after the battle at Mission City, the continued presence of the Cybertronians necessitated an organization dedicated to keeping their new hidden allies hidden. Such an organization was quickly assembled, and became a branch of the National Defense, and thus reported to Keller directly. No more secrets.

However, to create the branch quickly, it proved prudent to recruit from the ranks that already knew of and had experience with the NBE's, rather than bring in a new generation of fresh bodies and allow the secret to spread out even further that absolutely necessary.

The phone only rang twice before it was answered by a male voice that was far too alert and crisp for that time of night. "Banachek here."

"Tom, we have a situation," Keller began.

Present

Having Elita take him to the bank had seemed like a good idea at the time. It was faster, easier, and, considering he was coming home with an envelope full of cash, safer. He had not, however, anticipated just how much attention the red car would draw.

"Couldn't you have scanned something a little less conspicuous?" Nolan groaned, tempted to sink down in the driver's seat until he disappeared, never mind that the windows were tinted and the pedestrians couldn't actually see him anyway, thus negating the point of hiding. They had stopped at yet another red light, and half the pedestrians and other drivers were staring at them again. Nolan didn't know enough about cars to know what exactly Elita's alt mode was, having left the room when Simon Kerr took the time to brag about his own, but really, he should have realized that a vehicle that looked like the love child of a sports car and a limo was BOUND to get some attention.

"I needed an alt mode that had about the same amount of mass that I did," Elita explained patiently yet again. "This mode was my best option, as it was the largest one available."

Nolan thought he might cheerfully strangle Simon if he ever saw the man again.

"Actually I lied," Elita said suddenly. "I deliberately picked the model I knew would cause you personally the greatest amount of annoyance. Also, I like the color."

Nolan blinked at the completely out-of-the-blue confession before he started snickering. He let his forehead fall forward until it was resting on the steering wheel. "You are so weird," he stated with a grin.

"I aim to please," Elita responded, and Nolan could have sworn that she was smirking on the inside.

The bank was unusually busy that day, so while Elita waited in the parking lot, Nolan got to wait in line with only his thoughts for distraction. Unfortunately, they were quite merciless.

You're nuts, you know that? This 'plan' of yours (and I'm using that word in the loosest way possible) has more holes than a colander. How are you gonna register Aine in a new school? How're you both gonna survive? Where will you live?

I'll figure out the school thing later. Nolanretorted. Maybe she can do the home school thing instead, if the administration asks too many questions. And I've got about 4000 saved, plenty for a small apartment and groceries for a few months, if we spend carefully. That'll give me lots of time to find jobs. I'll work full time to support us both.

Full time? You're gonna be a runaway high school dropout, who the heck is gonna hire you full time?

Fine, then I'll be a full-time part-timer, and work my way up through one of them! Besides, just because I'm not gonna finish high school this year, doesn't mean I can't get my GED later. Besides, I'll be 18 in a month, a legal adult, so it's not like anyone will be able to stop me. I'll make it work.

What about when Richard figures out you're not coming back? At the least, you'll both be reported missing, but I wouldn't put it past him to accuse you of kidnapping your own sister. If that happens, you'll never be able to give away your social security number, or the feds will be on you like white on rice. Oh wait; don't most jobs REQUIRE a social security number?

I'll figure it out, okay?! I've still got time, I'll figure it out!

Nolan's internal monologue was cut short, as his turn at the teller window came up. He steered himself for whatever reaction his request was bound to call up.

"You want to withdraw everything in your money market AND checking account…in cash?" the teller repeated slowly, as if making sure that Nolan knew what he said. The boy gave a curt nod.

"Yeah."

"Wow. You switching to the mattress account?" the teller tried to joke, but it died a horrible death at Nolan's stony face. The teller only quietly handed him the white envelope, and his business done he was quick to hurry out the back to where Elita was waiting, feeling horribly obvious with his life savings in an inauspicious envelope. It didn't help that his ride home had drawn a small crowd again.

"Hey! Hey people, mind letting me through?" he said, pushing his way past the onlookers and not caring about politeness. I've GOT to talk her into scanning a Camry or something on the way out, he mentally grumbled.

Still, he mused as he slid into the driver's seat while ignoring the shocked looks and one persistently curious one ("Dude! Is that YOUR car??"), it could have been worse. Elita could have picked the Parkinson's Lamborghini. More people knew what a Lamborghini looked like than a…whatever Elita was, and Nolan suspected such a car wouldn't be able to go more than 20 feet without turning heads. That would pretty much doom his sneak-off-quietly-and-quickly-plan.

"So you deliberately picked the most conspicuous car you could just to annoy me personally?" Nolan asked as they pulled out.

"Yes Nolan, yes I did."

Nevada, Autobot Base, 8:55 am

"So let me get this straight," Ironhide said. "We have two unknown Cybertronians on the other side of the country, neither of has attempted contact, and because they don't have transponder codes they might as well be invisible to our scanners. Frankly, this reeks of Decepticons. What reason do we have to even entertain the possibility that they might be Autobots?"

"Only that we have no confirmation that they are Decepticons," Optimus answered. He had Ratchet had waited the entire night for a comm., a message, even just a ping to let them know that someone on the other end was an ally, but communications had remained silent. Now that it was morning, the Prime had just debriefed his crew of last night's happenings, including the recently resurrected Jazz. "Until we know for certain either way, I will choose to err on the side of caution."

"The government will be sending us any and all information they can get of these newcomers," Optimus went on, addressing the entire group. "Until then, Jazz, Bumblebee, I'm sending you both to New York to track these mechs down. We may not know their exact location, but we know their general area. It's the only place we can start, and you two are the best chance we have of finding them. However, this is strictly reconnaissance. You mission is to find out who they are, and if they are Autobots, why they have not contacted us. If they are Decepticons, you are not to engage without my orders."

Bee raised a hand. "If this is going to be strictly reconnaissance, could we bring Sam and Mikaela? They can help us by talking to locals, getting eye witness accounts."

"Would definitely make our job easier, seeing as how we're gonna be looking for a couple of needles in a haystack blindfolded," Jazz added. "An' I know Mikaela at least has been itchin' to get outta Tranquility at least once before summers over. Might be good for them. Don't worry; we won't let 'em get so much as a bruise."

It didn't take a tactical genius to figure out why his scout and First Lieutenant were asking for the teenagers rather than Captain Will Lennox. Mikaela had acted as Ratchets assistant in repairing his chassis after Megatron tore him apart, and had been instrumental in getting him repaired in such a short time. Ever since Jazz came back online with the help of the Allspark fragment, he's become attached to the female human. Bee and Sam, well, that was self-explanatory. He knew Jazz and Bumblebee would protect the humans with their lives, but he nearly forbade it because of the danger it presented. Still, they made good points: they needed to find these newcomers as quickly as possible, and since their scanners weren't going to cut it for this situation, they were going to have to rely on other avenues.

"If their guardians approve, then you may bring the humans, Bumblebee," Optimus said at last, and Bee and Jazz both beamed. "However, remember that you are not to engage or fire first, if these new ones are Decepticons. If you are going to be bringing the humans, caution will be paramount."

"Yes sir."

"Gotcha boss bot."

"Good. Transform and roll out."

Rochester, later that day

Packing for the trip proved to be a little more complicated and took up most of the day, with a short break for lunch (courtesy of Pizza Hut, since Nolan wanted Aine to focus on packing rather than cooking and cleaning). While the humans packed, Elita mostly kept a look out for Richard, especially as the morning gave way to afternoon. Along with the stress that went with the last-minute packing for a long-term trip, the ordeal was further complicated by the fact that Aine expected to be back within a week or two tops while Nolan had no intention of coming home or letting Aine in on his little plan yet.

"Nolan, have you seen my…Nolan, are you trying to stuff my entire closet in that bag?"

"Not that weird dog sweater. Seriously, that thing must die; preferably horrible fiery death."

"…Why?"

"Have you SEEN that sweater? I can live with the googly eye basset hound, but not the puke green and orange color scheme, sorry."

"No, I mean, why are you trying to pack my entire closet?"

"You packed too lightly. Better safe than sorry and all that. Now you're prepared in case we take longer than we expect, or you lose something, or rip something, or it's rainy or chilly."

"Chilly? Nolan, it's the middle of August and we're going to Nevada, which is in the desert. Besides, can't we just wash our clothes sometime between here and there?"

"Deserts get chilly at night, ya know. And Laundromats cost money."

"Nevada. August. Two weeks tops. 50 cents a load."

"Humor me, Aine. I'll even carry the bags."

Then there was the matter of supplies, since Nolan wanted to save every penny he could for when they got there rather than spend it on frivolous items like food.

"Nolan, I know you want to save money, but do we really need 14 cans of beans? Come to think of it, why do we even HAVE so many cans of beans in the first place?"

"It was cheaper to buy in bulk. We've had them for awhile actually and now's a good time to make us of them."

"But fourteen cans? You don't even LIKE beans!"

"Don't worry, we won't be surviving off beans the entire trip. You like Spaghetti-O's, right?"

"Lemme see that bag, Nolan…"

"Hey, give that back!"

Of course they were careful not to forget about Elita, seeing as how she was the one who was ultimately going to be carrying their luggage. They opened nearly all the windows so that they would be able to talk to each other easily, and pulled all the blinds open so that she could observe their progress and make comments about how much she would be willing to take. Elita, being able to see and hear everything now, took full advantage of it.

"Nolan, I understand you wish to be prepared, but I fail to see why you would need more than one or two bags apiece."

"Well, we might want to hang around for awhile after we get there, meet the other bots, see the sights. I just wanna keep my options open, in case it turns into an extended visit or something."

"You cannot wash your clothing there, or purchase food?"

"Laundromats and food stores can get really expensive Elita, and my cash is kinda limited right now. Besides, I've already gone over this with Aine, it's all cool."

"I…see. However, I must insist you limit your baggage count to less than five bags a piece. I may be an advanced machine, but not so advanced so as to have a limitless interior."

"…Fair enough."

"Also, you need not bring portable shelters. My alt modes interior will be more protective and comfortable for you two, and so long as you limit your luggage, it is also spacious enough for you both."

"But won't that be weird? I've never slept in a living car, and I'm gonna guess you've never had organisms making themselves comfy in your insides." Pause. "Okay, that's starting to give me creepy visuals here…"

"I feel no discomfort. In fact, I would feel better if you would make us of my offer, as I know I will be able to keep you both safer that your portable shelters will."

"Tents, Elita. They're called tents."

That afternoon, while Nolan was printing off road maps of the US and directions to Tranquility from the computer, he happened to recall that he still didn't know what sort of alt mode Elita picked.

"Hey Elita!" Nolan called out through the open home office window, "What IS your alt mode, anyway?"

"It is called a Maybach 57S, I believe."

The name didn't ring any bells for Nolan, so while he was online he went ahead and looked it up. When he saw just how much the Maybach actually cost, he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Uh, Elita? D'ya think, before we leave, you could scan a different car, preferably one that DOESN'T cost as much as most houses?"

"Can I? It is physically possible, yes. However, to scan an entirely different alt mode would require energy that I do not wish to spare yet. I would rather conserve my energy for when I need it. Besides, most of the other vehicles I saw were too small for me."

Nolan almost wanted to argue that getting a more discreet alt mode would be worth the extra energy, but managed to catch his tongue. He was the one being anal about saving money (though it was for good reasons, even if only he knew them), so he wasn't in a position to criticize Elita for her own conservativeness.

Throughout the flurry of activity and packing efficiently in a hurry, there was still the constant question of 'oh-my-heck-what-are-we-going-to-tell-Richard?'

"The problem here," Nolan explained, as he rearranged the 'supplies' bag for the third time in an effort to fit everything in, "is that no matter with what we go with, it'll have to explain a) how we're going to get there or why we're taking a Maybach, b) why we're leaving on such short notice, and c) why Dad can't meet the mystery person who's gonna be driving us there, all the while convincing him everything peachy and not to cause a lot of drama about it. Actually, scratch that: I can guarantee you, Dad's gonna try and stop us just to show he can, 'specially if it's something as frivolous as a 'brother-sister bonding time camp trip' or whatever."

"Well, what if we say we're helping a friend?" Aine suggested, currently refolding her clothes neatly after Nolan tried to pack her entire closet into one bag after Elita insisted on a 'no more than two bags per person' rule. The two of them were currently on the living room floor, with various duffle bags and suitcases surrounding them as they decided what to take and what to leave behind.

"That's the truth." Aine went on. "Or maybe we can say you want to visit some old friends you met that one time you went to summer camp."

"Then Dad will want to know who our friend is, why they're not here, what the problem is, why we both have to go, and why he can't meet them." Nolan pointed out. "And he's not gonna buy my sudden interest in the people I haven't seen since I was ten."

Aine was silent in contemplation, before she lit up with an idea. But her expression went to a strange transformation from pleased, to unsure, contemplative, unsure again, before she tentatively put forth her thoughts.

"D-doesn't Mom's family live out in Colorado? Maybe, maybe could say someone was down here for business or something, extended an invitation to us to visit, and is driving us there. And, and since Dad doesn't get along with Mom's family, we could say he doesn't want to come in because he's, he's afraid Dad will get mad, or something."

Nolan barked out a laugh. "Aine, we say we're gonna visit Mom's family, and Dad will throw a fit. They HATE him, remember? They still blame him for what happened to Mom, that's why Dad hasn't let us visit or talk to them in nearly five years. Besides," he added, "I'm pretty sure nobody on Mom's side is driving a Maybach."

"What happened to your mother?"

The pair jumped slightly, having forgotten about the open windows. They exchanged looks, Aine lightly biting her lower lip again, as she lowered her eyes, suddenly absorbed in her packing.

"It's nothing." Nolan said intent on packing the supply bag for the fourth time. "It doesn't matter."

Aine kept her entire focus on her bag, pretending she couldn't hear them. Elita's eyes dimmed for a moment, and didn't broach the subject of the missing O'Connell matriarch again.

The day passed quickly, and by the time the clock struck six, they had finally managed to get everything down to a duffel bag and a backpack per person, with one extra suitcase with Nolan's supplies (including food, a first aid kit, a flashlight, and even a small portable stove, among other things), not to mention the sleeping bags and small pillows.

Earlier, once she was certain Elita wouldn't accidently over hear them, Aine had tentatively suggested they wait until after dinner with Richard, citing that a good meal might put him in a better mood for their announcement (which they still hadn't figured out how to break), but Nolan was quick to shoot it down. He insisted that it would be better to get it over and done with as soon as Richard came home, and once they did they'd better be ready to leave quickly and avoid Hurricane Richard as much as possible, hence their own early meal. As par usual, Aine was quick to bend to Nolan's wishes. Instead for dinner they ate the rest of the pizza left over from lunch, dining outside around the patio table so Elita could join them. It was surprisingly pleasant, lightened with casual conversation and planning for the trip.

"Forgive me if I am being too forward, but why do the two of you feel so anxious about your father?" the transformed Maybach asked.

The teens both froze for an instant, before Aine quietly dropped her eyes to her paper plate and Nolan shrugged. "We're about to tell him that we're gonna go on a spur-of-the-moment road trip with someone he can't talk to, doesn't know, but apparently drives a really cool car. It'd be weird if we weren't nervous about it, since no matter what we say or how we put it, Dad's gonna get upset about it."

"You fear hurting his feelings?"

Nolan couldn't hold back a harsh, barking laugh. "Hardly. Look, it's not a big deal. He'll be pissed that Aine and I are skipping off on him, but it's not a big deal. I can handle him."

"'Handle him?' Nolan, is the reason you wish to leave so quickly, even before you have a chance to speak to your father, because you fear him?"

Aine sucked in a quick breath, though her eyes remain steadfastly lowered, pretending for all the world that she wasn't hearing this. Nolan's hand clenched under the table. "I'm not scared of him, alright?" he said lowly. "Look, can we just drop this? It'll be over in, what, two hours from now?"

"Less than that, as I am detecting his approach now."

The teens nearly fell out of their chairs.

"Already??" Aine yelped. "It can't even be six thirty yet!"

"Actually, my chronometer shows that it is a little past seven now," Elita corrected in a maddeningly calm voice as she casually stood up from her spot on the grass.

"Oh boy oh boy oh boy-" Aine kept chanting as she grabbed the plate and hurried inside, Nolan right behind her. Halfway through the open door, he called back over his shoulder-

"Hey Elita, shouldn't you go-"

-and found himself talking to an empty yard.

"-hide? Okay, somebody gonna have to explain to me how a 20 plus foot robot can disappear so freakin' fast."

It helped to be in an area surrounded by tall pines and millennia of experience with disappearing into the shadows under your belt, so to speak.

Elita crouched in the shadows of the trees, the house several hundred feet away and nearly obscured by the trunks and pine branches between the two. She might not have been able to see everything anymore, but her short-range sensors were more than enough to compensate. She currently had her audio sensors focused on the dwelling before her, sacrificing all around hearing to be able to pick up every word that will be spoken in that particular location.

While useful in spy work, it was also dangerous because it compromised personal security and safety. However, Nolan's hurry and Aine's subtle anxiety was enough for Elita to decide it was worth it.

While Elita was truly grateful for their assistance, and while she could not claim to be an expert on human culture and family units, nothing about how the young humans have been acting today sat well with her. Rather than wishing to say goodbye to their father, Nolan seemed more like he wanted to run away from the conversation, and Aine would radiate quiet anxiety whenever the subject came up, preferring to go mute and let her brother speak instead.

Something was off, and Elita could not ignore it. If it meant eavesdropping on them to ascertain the truth of the situation, so be it. Before the war, she would have considered such actions unethical and a horrid breach of another's privacy, but the vorns of waging guerilla warfare created a sizable grey area in her conscious where things were once black and white.

She hunkered down and narrowed her eyes as the adult human male, the father and head of this family unit, drove his car into the garage.

Washington, 12:56 pm, earlier the same day

"Sir, our intelligence is reporting activity in the Rochester area."

"Unusual how?"

"911 call first this morning, caller was a teenage boy. He was frantic on the phone, the operator couldn't get much out of him, but he kept referring to a 'big robot' on his property, and he feared for their safety. When the response team got there, there wasn't anything out of place, and the boy was more clear-headed. When questioned, he claimed that there had been an intruder wearing, and I quote, 'a red robot mask.' The report also states that the boy acted somewhat suspiciously, nervous and constantly breaking eye contact. The officer didn't believe he was getting the whole truth, and took his weapon (the bat) and his fingerprints into evidence."

"He said there was a big robot? How close is the residence to the NBE landing?"

"Practically on top of it, the house is easily in walking distance from the lake, but it's still isolated. Sir, if the kid really saw something, I don't think he would have made up the story of the masked intruder. Do you think it's the real deal?"

"Even if it's not, we can't take that chance, not with them being so close to the landing point. Round everybody up, I want our best field agents at that door step before the day is out. We still don't know where the NBE stands, so tell them to assume it's hostile and to pack heat."

"Yes sir."

Present

If Nolan had his way, he and Aine would be out of the state already and Richard would come home to an empty house. However, Elita just HAD to insist they talk to him face to face, and since she was their ticket out of that house (even if she didn't know it yet), Nolan didn't have much choice but to comply, not without revealing more of their family dynamics than he was comfortable with. That was their private life, and he'd like to keep it that way: private.

Nolan was waiting in the living room, standing with his hands in his pockets, too keyed up to stand still. Aine waited by the doorframe that lead to the stairs, wanting to be close but wanting to stay out of the way, her concern for her brother fighting with her fear for Richards inevitable anger, leading to the compromise of being physically close but remaining hidden. Nolan didn't want her to see this at all, but after extracting a promise from his sister not to say anything or interfere, he allowed her to hover by the stairs.

As he heard the rumbling of the garage door closing, followed by the door to the house opening to allow the man in, Nolan went over what he was going to say in his head.

This was very quick, because he hadn't decided on anything yet. Frankly, there WAS no good story to give. All he could do was say it straight, weather out the inevitable storm, grab Aine and the bags waiting in the foyer, and signal Elita to come grab them NOW.

Nolan steeled himself as Richard came into the living room, pausing as he noticed his eldest waiting for him. Richard looked over toward the dining room and the empty table. The kitchen door was open, revealing an empty, silent room. Richard's expression darkened as he realized that his preferred schedule had been thrown off kilter.

"Where's Aine?" Richard asked in a tone that dared Nolan to feign ignorance.

"Not here." Nolan answered back blandly.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with your smart assery Nolan. What is your sister doing? When I come home, I expect a hot meal on the table or in the oven. Otherwise, there'd better be a damn good reason why not."

Nolan pressed his lips together tightly, thought to hell with it, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Make your own meals. Aine and I are leaving."

Dead silence.

"Excuse me?" Richard asked in a dangerously calm voice.

"Grandpa called this morning," Nolan said, Aine's suggestion from earlier the only thing sticking to his mind. What the hell, he might as well run with it. "Aunt Katherine was in a bad accident earlier. It doesn't look good, and she's been asking to see us. Not you, just Aine and me, since we're the only connection to her sister she has left. We want to go, and we're not letting you say no."

"Not 'letting' me say no?" Richard repeated, taking a few steps forward, bearing down on Nolan who refused to give any ground to the older man. "What makes you think you have any say in this, you little brat? If I tell you to sit your ass there and STAY there all night, then dammit you'll do it. If I tell you that there is no way in hell I'm going to 'let' you run off to those people, then you're going to stay right there and stop being such a smart ass. I'm your father, and you obey me, as long as you expect to live under my roof and eat my food."

"Which you only do because it'll look bad to all your jackass friends if you threw your own kid out," Nolan snapped back. "And you can't stop us. Are you seriously saying you won't let us see our own family? This is Moms SISTER we're talking about, we owe it to her at least."

"Don't talk about her to my face Nolan, and you know damn well her family has always hated me. They don't want to see me? Then they sure as hell don't get to see my kids!"

"This isn't about you!"

"Like hell it isn't! This is just them trying to undermine my authority with my own kids, and goddamn it I'm not going to let you help them."

"It always comes back to what you want, doesn't it?"

"You're damn right it does! My house, my rules, my kids, and I can do whatever the hell I want with any of them!"

Nolan and Richard had been steadily raising their voices, but now Nolan dropped to an icy whisper. "We're not you possessions Dad and I'm not going to let you treat us like that anymore. Your stupid selfishness is the reason Mom's not around anymore!"

CRACK!

Nolan knew he had crossed a line, bringing up his mom like that, but he hadn't been quick enough to avoid the punch to his cheek. Richard had put a lot of weight behind it, enough to send Nolan to the floor. While Nolan tried to pick himself up, Richard placed on of his shoes on Nolan's outstretched hand and crushed it under his heel. Nolan wanted to cry out in pain, but gritted his teeth before any real sound could be released. Dammit if he allowed Richard the satisfaction!

"You want to leave, go ahead. But if you ever come back, I'll call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing," Richard warned darkly, and Nolan had no doubt about the truth of the warning. Richard leaned down, grabbed his son by the back of his scalp, and forcefully pulled back, forcing the younger to look up at him. "And when and if you leave, don't even think of taking Aine with you. She's staying right here with me, where she belongs."

A little gasp was heard, and Richard turned to see his daughter peeking around the doorway, frozen in horror at the sight of Nolan on the floor, Richard still gripping his hair and crushing his hand underfoot. Richard released his hold and stalked toward Aine. Aine, realizing the danger too late, tried to retreat up the stairs, but she had been too slow to react. Richard lunged forward and grabbed Aine by the arm and pulled her towards him with a strong jerk that sent Aine off balance. She fell forward and couldn't stop herself from crashing half her body into the sharp corner of the doorway, banging her face hard against the wall. She nearly tumbled to the floor and Richard forcefully dragged her into the living room, where Nolan was regaining his footing.

"Let her go!" Nolan yelled, looking ready to attack the taller man. "I'm not done here!" Richard ignored him, his attention on the slip of a girl he held in an iron grip.

"Are you siding with Nolan, Aine?" Richard asked/demanded, with promise of dire consequence if she gave the wrong answer. She could only gaze up at him at him in fearful silence, her nose already bleeding from the wall crash. Richard tightened his grip, and Aine squirmed under the pain. "Answer me!"

Another hand landed on the arm holding Aine prisoner, trying to wrench if off. "I said let her go!" Nolan demanded.

Noland and Richard were about the same in height, but Richard's broader frame outweighed his son by a good amount. With one hand he back handed Nolan and nearly sent him falling again. "You little bastard, since when have you been so goddamn difficult? Lucas, that son of a bitch, I bet this is his doing, he never liked me." In his ire he twisted Aine's arm, and she let out a small, pained cry. Nolan saw red.

"LET HER GO, YOU - !"

The family drama was cut short by a crash and flying shards of glass from the former patio door. Nolan and Aine hit the floor, but Richard wasn't quite as lucky. The teens could hear him screaming in sheer terror, and as they looked up they were just in time to see a huge yet familiar red and silver hand pulling their father out the broken glass door.

As he disappeared from sight, still screaming, the pair exchanged looks, not entirely believing what had just happened. In silent agreement, they scrambled to their feet and, mindful of the thousands of sharp shattered glass cubes and shards, and hurried outside.

Elita stood in the yard, the setting sun setting her armor aflame, as she glared with cold intensity at the panicked human flailing helplessly in her grasp, her glowing eyes now so pale as to be nearly white, so tense and fierce that Nolan and Aine, who had somehow become accustomed to the alien, took steps back as they remembered why they had been so terrified of her in the first place.

Good bye Princess. Hello Warrior.

"I may not be familiar with human familiar customs," Elita said, in a deadly cold voice, "but I do believe that abusing one's own younglings is not a part of them. All day I had wondered why the children had been so reserved about speaking of you, why your eldest was so eager to avoid you completely. Now I wonder how I could have been so blind."

"P-p-please!" Richard near blubbered. "Don't kill me, please! I'll do whatever you want, just don't kill me, I'm begging you!" Elita scoffed.

"A creature such as you has nothing to offer me." She hissed, her grip tightening ever so slightly. Richard let out a whimper. "I come only for the children."

"The kids? You want the kids? Fine, take them, you can have them, anything you want, just spare me!" Richard blubbered.

Something sank in Nolan's chest, and he felt Aine press up against his side, wrapping her little arms around his own for comfort.

Elita's expression twisted in disgust. "Your cowardice and selfishness disgust me, human. Do not attempt to follow us, do not attempt to report this, or I will not be so merciful the next time we meet."

A bluff, seeing as there would be no way for Elita to know if he heeded her warning until the police came after them. But then again, Richard was hardly in a position to call her on it.

With two steps she stretched out her arm and dropped Richard on the roof of the two-story home, safely out of the way. With a little (okay, a lot) of effort he would be able to get down through one of the open windows, but it would buy them a good sized head start. Elita looked down at the teens. "Go get your things, we are leaving immediately," she ordered.

The humans didn't move.

"Now!"

The pair jump and hustled inside, as if a spell had been broken. Oddly, Nolan was able to muse as he swung through the kitchen to grab a roll of paper towels for his sister, under normal circumstances he would have chafed under being ordered like that, especially by someone who had suddenly busted into his business. But then again, only an idiot would argue with a peeved off giant robot.

Silently, quickly, the subdued pair grabbed their bags and gathered everything in the driveway, where Elita was transforming into her car mode and popped her trunk and rear doors open. They threw their duffle bags and sleeping bags in and scrambled in the back seat. The doors slammed shut behind them, and the seatbelts shot out and wrapped around them, soundly and firmly snapping them into place.

They were all very quiet as Elita drove down the street and away from the house, away from Richard, who only stared at the retreating car in disbelief.

AN: Special thanks to Ridel again, for telling me how to do the line-breaks.

The Maybach 57S is 225.5 inches long (about 18'9 long), while the 2009 Camaro (Bumblebee) is only 186.2 inches long (about 15'6). Also, femme frames are designed to be more slender than mech ones, so Elita has more mass going toward her height, rather than bulk. Hence, why she's so tall.

And yes, Jazz is alive! I debated with myself for a long time about whether or not to bring him back. Ultimately I decided to because a) he's one of my favorite characters, b) his skills fit this assignment to a T, c) there are so many fanfics where Jazz is alive post-movie that I'm reasonably certain my readers will be willing to accept it without fuss, and d) I just plain like the fact that Elita's going to be about five or six feet taller than him. 

Speaking of which…I know Jazz is 16 ft, BB 18 ft, and Prime 28 ft, but does anyone know how big Ironhide and Ratchet are?

Any and all comments will be loved, constructive criticism will be appreciated, and flames will be laughed off. The little blue button calls to you…