Hey guys! I'm back! Sorry for taking so long (again) -.-' Sometimes it takes me forever to update, and sometimes it takes me no time at all. Ugh. So, as to forewarn you guys, I'm going to try to update a lot faster, but midway through September, I'll be going to the city in order to get rid of my wisdom teeth (I thought I only had two, but now I have four, and they're growing in sideways). I'll probably not be feeling like writing anything for a week, and for the rest of the time I'm recovering, I'll probably reading books. Mom wants me not to bury my face in my computer when I'm recovering.

I just hope I don't say anything ridiculous while I'm out from the sedatives lol. I don't need my family hearing about my headcannons or a warped version on how I view the world haha…eh.

5 – Darkness Falling Part 4 – 5

First nights were always the hardest when I was in a new room. For hours, I thought about my situation and how I was handling it, and it was mid thought when I finally crashed and fell asleep. The next morning, when I left my room after a nice shower in the bathroom that I hadn't noticed tucked away behind the left wall, I was confronted by Knock Out who told me that Megatron had ordered him to help me gather my 'necessities' right away.

I was thrown off guard, unsure of how I was supposed to handle this, but I had no chance to figure it out in my head before Knock Out scooped me up and carried me to the ground bridge control room. He typed in something on the controls before he suddenly transformed down around me. A startled scream left me as I was violently thrown around until I was suddenly sitting in Knock Out's front passenger seat. I sat there, breathing quickly and shallowly in hopes to calm my thundering heart. A wry chuckle filtered in through the radio speakers before he lurched forward and raced through the glowing vortex of light.

Knock Out was really lucky that I had a stomach of steel, and that I had yet to eat anything yet.

In a blink of an eye, we were cruising down the streets of Jasper. I sighed and rested my head back on the headrest. I had an inkling that my life will consist of 'never a dull moment' from here on out.

The blue Aston Martin pulled up in front of a McDonalds, and a man of about late twenties with dark brown hair and clear blue eyes materialized in the driver's seat. I started at his sudden presence, and couldn't help but stare. He grinned and stroked the small goatee on his chin when he caught me staring, and I couldn't help but blush.

"C'mon, we're going to get you some breakfast before we get you what you need for a long-term stay," Knock Out said. "I'll even help you pick out some new clothes," he added with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

I snorted. "Sorry, pal, but I'll pick out my own clothes," I giggled. "Thanks for the offer, anyway. I just want to be able to pick out what I would want to wear without my mother saying 'no' to the clothes I really like. She said no to me getting a pair of cheap converse because I already owned a pair of 50-dollar ones." I gestured to the pink converse on my feet before I popped open the passenger door and climbed out.

"Oh, burn," he said humorously as he followed me out of his alt. "It's all up to you, though, so don't feel pressured."

I smiled widely. "Thanks!"

After a short pause, I asked, "So…how are we going to pay for this little shopping trip?"

Knock Out crossed his arms on his alt's roof. Slyly, he held what looked to be a debit card up with two fingers, just enough so I could see it, before it was hidden again. "The government provides us Decepticons with small sums of money every month, enough for us to get supplies needed to repair things on the Nemesis—along with other things. Thankfully, the money comes in handy now that we have a human in our care."

That's when it occurred to me that I had fallen into the Decepticons' lives and had forced them (unintentionally) to take care of me. Had I become a burden to them? Great, I was just starting to not be intimidated by them, but now I was going to feel guilty!

I kept my thoughts to myself as I followed Knock Out into the fast food restaurant. There wasn't much of a line, so we didn't have much of a wait before Knock Out was ordering a McGriddle with apple juice and a hash brown. Then I was escorted to a booth in a corner where Knock Out kinda, sorta, watched me eat.

When I finished off my hash brown and was moving on to the McGriddle, I asked the mech a question.

"Knock Out…is my presence…in any way a…burden for you guys?" I asked slowly.

The exotic vehicle sitting outside the restaurant let out a startled honk as his holoform seemed to choke on its own spit. Eyes wide, he demanded incredulously, "Why would you think that?!" he coughed deeply. "You're under our protection! You're not a burden!"

"Oh, okay," I said simply. "I was just wondering." I was just wondering.

When I was finished, Knock Out drove out into the desert where he called for a ground bridge that sent us away from Jasper and into some big city that had plenty of stores to choose from. We went to an all-purpose store (not Walmart) and I was allowed to get the items necessary in order to maintain my personal hygiene, some clothes, and some food. Knock Out advised me to pick out both non-perishables and perishables, and I was confused as to why since I didn't have a fridge, until he led me to the aisle that had mini-fridges. I guess this meant I was going to be staying on the Nemesis for a long time.

Once we were done there, everything was loaded into Knock Out's trunk and we headed to an back ally on the edges of the city. The Aston Martin called for a ground bridge and in seconds we were back on the warship.

"Thanks, Knock Out," I said with a smile as I climbed out of his alt-mode. "I think I'll be able to carry the shopping bags to my room, but the fridge may pose a bit of a challenge—"

The Decepticon medic quickly transformed up into his bipedal form, wincing as several muffled sounds emanated from behind his chest plates. "Don't worry," he said once my new stuff stopped moving in his chest compartment. "I was planning on helping you carry it. The medbay is not far." He, once again, scooped me up and carried me to his domain, the medbay.

I looked up at him with a serious look on my face. "You know, it's going to take me a long time to get used to being helped all the time. I'm used to having to do a lot of things by myself," I told him. Biting my bottom lip, I sighed through my teeth. "But I guess I also have to get used to being around giant robots that are willing to help too." I gripped my knees as I sat cross-legged on the palm of the servo he was holding me with. "Why…are you so willing to help me?"

Knock Out glanced down at me and a small appeared on his face. "I have no qualms with helping those smaller than me," he said simply. "I'm a medic after all."

I looked down and resisted the urge to sigh again. Even though I was really getting comfortable in his presence, and that it was beginning to feel like there was a friendship forming between us, it just felt so weird that he was being so kind, when he should be so crass and self-centered. I knew that at the end of the series, all he wanted was to feel a little appreciated and that he eventually joined the Autobots, but he was still…still… Knock Out.

We entered the medbay, and the medic set me down in front of my door. Then his chestplates opened up as he crouched down and he carefully took everything out and placed them on the floor next to me. Then his chest plates closed up again. A grin popped up on my lips. "Thanks, Knock Out! I can—"

"Can Knock Out report to the ground bridge control room, please? Can Knock Out please report to the control room? Megatron and Starscream have returned, but require medical assistance, stat!"

I glanced up at the far-away ceiling before looking back at Knock Out. "I guess you're needed," I said grimly, silently indicating the message that had been practically blasted out of the speaker mounted in the metal-plated ceiling. "Don't worry, I can handle all this by myself. I will just have to make more trips in and out of my room, that's all." When he stayed crouched like he was for another minute or so, I urged him to go and do his duty. "C'mon, man! I enjoyed the bonding time we had, but the Commander in Chief and his Second need you!"

Silently, I watched as he straightened and left the medbay quickly. A long, wearing sigh gusted out through my nose as I went and picked up a few of the shopping bags and disappeared into my room. Once everything was in my room, including the mini-fridge, I went about placing the stuff in their proper places. Shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash, and everything dedicated to cleaning my body and keeping it clean went into the bathroom. My new clothing was folded neatly and set down on the desk.

Once everything else was taken care of, the fridge plugged in and the perishable food on its shelves, my curiosity about Megatron's and Starscream's status got the better of me.

Quietly, I exited the room and quickly made my way over to the spiral staircase that lead up to the catwalk. Once up on the catwalk, I got a good look at what was going on in the medbay. Breakdown was helping Starscream onto a medical berth as Knock Out ran scans over Megatron's arms and abdomen.

"W-what's the d-diagnosis, Knock Out?" I asked, my stutter back with a vengeance at the presence of the leader of the Decepticons and the spindly seeker.

Knock Out finished up his scans. "They were exposed to a little too much Dark Energon. A few hours in the dialysis chambers should fix them right up," he said.

I wrung my hands together. A timid smile graced my lips as I glanced down at my toes, trying to not look over the edge of the catwalk and at the floor far below.

"Now, sir," Knock Out said once he was done scanning both Megatron and Starscream, "I suggest that you recharge for a couple joors—you too, Starscream."

Starscream made an irritated huff before he hefted himself off of the bed and made his way over to one of what I assumed was the decontamination chambers. He left right after the chamber finished decontaminating him. Megatron followed suit.

The med bay was soon devoid of all mechs, leaving me alone, so I decided to take a short walk. A soft sigh escaped me as I exited the large room and began to make my way down the catwalk.

The ship was strangely quiet, quieter than I imagined it would be. I guess it would have been busier if this was the same world that I had seen on Transformers: Prime. If this was the same world as Prime I wouldn't be with the Decepticons—I would be with the Autobots, and many Vehicons would be roaming the halls. There were other Decepticons I hadn't met yet, like the ones who had been in the 'cafeteria' area I had been in when I was introduced to Megatron. I just hadn't seen them since then.

I came to a stop when the catwalk abruptly ended at a door. A ladder lead up beside the Cybertronian-sized door to a catwalk that ran above the door and to another ladder that lead down to where the catwalk I was standing on continued on. I bit my bottom lip, anxiety beginning to rise at the thought of having to go any higher in order to keep going. Oh, why did I have to be inflicted with such a fear? It made my life so difficult. I would freeze stiff every time I looked down a great height. Ladders were not good friends of mine.

Taking deep breaths, I reached for the rungs level with my shoulders. But before I could grip them, the ship rocked violently. A startled squeak escaped me as I was thrown violently to the deck of the catwalk. My shoulder and side burned painfully at the impact.

I lay there for about half a minute, before recovering. Slowly, I got up the nerve to try and get to my feet, I was almost to my feet when the ship swayed again and I was forced to my knees, gripping the catwalk railing closest to me.

What was going on? Was the ship under attack?

"All Decepticons to battle stations! I repeat, all Decepticons to battle stations! The Autobots are attack—AHH!"

The public comm. was abruptly cut off. A chill raced up and down my spine. This was bad. If the Autobots were able to take out the 'Con announcing that an attack was underway, then they had already infiltrated the ship quite deeply. You know, it'd probably be safer in my room, I thought. And with that, I didn't waste another second before I whirled around and raced back the way I came and back towards the medbay.

I had a feeling that 'running' is going to become a usual occurrence. Made me want to go back to going to the gym three times a week again.

I was halfway back to the medbay when a ventilation cover dropped down from the ceiling and clattered loudly to the deck far below. I stared in shock at the metal grate before I jerked my head up to look at the ceiling. Gracefully, out of the ventilation shaft, dropped a feminine form. She landed gently before straightening, and I managed to get a good look at her.

Her armor was mostly black, and was accented with red racing stripes. Her optics were an even deeper red, and with them, the mysterious femme scanned the hall. I pressed myself against the wall and held my breath, hoping that I'd blend in with the grey metal and become invisible. I didn't want her to see me. Too bad my clothing contrasted against the wall so badly.

I'm toast.

Seconds later, the femme looked at me and the most terrifying (to me at least) grin appeared on her face. "Well, well, it seems tha Decepticahns got themselves a pet," she said in a heavy Southern accent.

I shrank away from her as she stepped up to the catwalk, wishing I could phase through the wall behind me. This was my worst nightmare—this situation was worse than the one I found myself in back when I dreamt that demented Arcee was chasing me, back before all of this started. I couldn't do anything.

"Ah wondah what tha Decepticahns will do if Ah take their little dahling," her grin was malicious. She reached for me, but I was paralysed with fear and couldn't move. But I managed to slap at her servo when it was close enough, and lashed out with a kick in desperation when she managed to wrap her digits around me.

I let out the loudest, bloodcurdling scream I could manage as I struggled to free myself from her grasp. But it was no use. She hoisted me into the air, and it wasn't long before I grew exhausted and sore, my muscles screaming. I panted in a desperate attempt to fill my veins with oxygen.

Nerves kept me from speaking as the femme began to sneak down the hall. It was several minutes before I summoned enough courage to glare up at her and demand, "Who are you?"

"They haven't told ya about me yet?" she said in mock disappointment. "Why, dahling, Ah'm Elita One!"

I continued to glare up at the femme, only my glare intensified when I learned her designation. I didn't recognise her at first due to the fact that this Elita One looked a lot different than the G1 SG Elita One that I knew of. She looked a lot like the Elita One I pictured would be in Transformers: Prime—but evil. And instead of Elita's trademark antennae-horn-things, this Elita had fins that started just above her eyebrows and curved over her helm. This Elita looked like she transformed into a Jaguar, which was slightly different from the Dodge GT I imagined her transforming into.

What was she going to do to me? Was she going to bring me to Optimus Prime? Would the Decepticons notice I was being taken away? What if they don't? Are they too busy with the invading Autobots? What would Optimus do to me once I was at their base? I shuttered at the thought of Optimus' body collection. Would he string me up as well? Would he pin me up alive and watch the life drain from me? My heart began to hammer even harder in my chest.

I was going to die. I was going to…die. I was going to die!

Nervous sweat poured down my face as I scrambled to find any hope in this situation. I couldn't find any, no matter how I tried to look at the situation. There was no hope. So I did the only thing I could think of: I closed my eyes and pray. Lord in Heaven, You have protected me ever since You brought me to this universe. Instead of being killed by the Shattered Glass equivalent of my family, You had me dropped off at a campground near where the Decepticons could find me. You brought me this far, please don't let me die! I prayed.

"Hey, Elita!" a new voice suddenly exclaimed. Funnily enough, both me and the Autobot started at the sudden intrusion of the voice.

Slowly, Elita One turned around. Standing behind Elita was a familiar red mech with a stocky stature, blue optics, and trademark horns. Or horn, since one had broken off. "Cliffjumper?!" both Elita and I exclaimed together, unintentionally. Why did this Cliffjumper have blue optics and red paint? Why didn't he have red optics and say…a darker, more evil-Autobot paintjob?

What was going on?

"Why is there a human here?" he asked, his faceplates broadcasting his confusion.

Elita seemed to calm down slightly. "I was wondering the same thing," she said smoothly. Liar.

I began to struggle again, letting it sink in that maybe the reason Cliffjumper was here was the same was what happened in the SG comic. He certainly didn't sound evil… maybe, if I helped him see the truth of these Shattered Glass Autobots, he'd save me.

"She looks uncomfortable," Cliffjumper told Elita One. "If you care about humans so much, you should be treating this human better." I watched as his optics narrowed. Maybe he was already a little suspicious. Optimus might've already given him a tour of the Autobot base, and if it is as gory and creepy there as it was in the G1 SG comic, it would no doubt have made him suspicious.

"Don't question me," the femme hissed.

My heart jumped to my throat as the tension in the air seemed to triple in thickness. With wide eyes, I watched as Cliffjumper transformed his right forearm into a triple-barrelled blaster and aimed it at Elita. "Well, I think you're lying, so I will question you."

Spacelady2012: Yeah…and another has come and gone, lol.

igeegeei: I'm glad you like it so much. :)

Grifen345: Yes, it continues on! I hope you liked this chapter as well.

AngelWolf1994: Yes, Fowler is really mean. I wanted him to sound meaner than TV show Fowler because I have plans for him. I'm glad he came across as being meaner and (to put it nicely) more retarded. Thanks! Nice Starscream is the best Starscream.

Shadestriker27: Aw, thanks, you make me blush.

blue fox 13: heh, made you look! :3 Glad you like it so much.

Guest #1: Aw, thank you!

Dream'sRealm: I'm trying to update faster, but life just keeps getting in my way. I love this story so much, and it hurts when I can't update faster. I can remember when I was able to blow through a 20-chapter story in one month XD Yes, I love vain Knock Out—I have a fanfiction, "Different Shade of Crimson", that has a femme medic and him in it. I'm not very proud of it, so when I finish it, I'll be fixing it up. I know how you feel—there's parts where I just want to throw my head back and laugh like a mad scientist, and that'll probably increase the more I write this story.

Bluefeather4299: At this moment, I'm not quite sure who's going to become her guardian. Will she even need a guardian? She does live on the Nemesis surrounded by 'Cons day and night. Glad you like my story so much!

Lydia the tygeropean: Indeed. SG stories are so awesome.

Benthino: Thank you :) I'm glad this story pleases you. It's so fun to write! And you think my stories/ideas are wonderful? Aw, thanks! That's a wonderful compliment!

Reaper7: Thanks! I have a plan for Jack, Miko, and Raf, and what it is has to do with total opposites of the kids we know.

KeepingThemAtBay: Thank you very much! This story is very fun to write.

French-Toasted Decepticon: Yeah, fangirls-falling-into-Transformers-universe stories are cliché due to the fact that so many writers have done it. But I'm glad you like this one! Thanks!

Little Ai: Thanks! I'm glad you like this so much :D

Mars. : Thank you!

Guest #2: What happened to Soundwave will be explained in a later chapter—but what happened had something to do with his voice. And he was really injured, he almost offlined.