Aniyu: Still don't own, so no suing!

Anayi: Warning for character death…sort of… Oh just read it all ready.

::…Blah…:: is Cybertronian

/...Blah…/ is mental speech through a bond or comm

Ch1

"Sir, it seems we've been found," one of the males stationed beside the Allspark shard pointed out nervously, eyeing the walls of the massive chamber as they shook from the crashes and/or explosions that could be heard from above.

The man being addressed –the same man who had led the ambush against the Lennox family– raised an eyebrow balefully. "Your point? Start the procedure. The sooner we start, the sooner our shields will be ready."

There was a rapid typing of keys at all computer stations before the woman manning the computer closest to the shard intoned, "Start the energy transfer in three…two…one…zero."

Just as the nervous man who had spoken originally pulled the lever on the side of the shard's containment box, part of the ceiling and most of the wall to the far right of the walkway collapsed under the ministrations of the Autobots and N.E.S.T..

…

The moment N.E.S.T. and the Autobots crashed into the huge chamber, energy from what the bots were stunned to identify as an Allspark shard was siphoned and forced on to the seven prone bodies strapped down in the large containment room. Unconscious and drugged though the seven were, all of them screamed with agony as the energy lashed their bodies.

Those screams went silent after only a few seconds, even as energy continued to pool in the box. Ratchet stumbled with horror as the scans he had activated the moment he spotted their friends flashed back a single red message: PATIENTS OFF-LINED.

Ironhide and Bumblebee, who had sub-protocols dedicated to automatically scanning their charges upon gaining first visual of them, felt their sparks freeze and break as they both saw and felt those tiny hearts stop. The last screams of their charges ringing in their audios and their processors flashing memories of when their precious ones were safe, both bots howled with grief at the loss that rattled in their chassis. Bumblebee rushed toward the coffin-like box, denial screaming through his systems as he tried to process any way he could revive Sam. Ironhide just swung his cannons toward the humans on the walkway.

Jazz quickly grabbed hold of Ironhide, throwing his aim off while calling orders to the N.E.S.T. contingent to apprehend the humans, preferably before Ironhide could shoot them. Ratchet was on Bumblebee's heels, though he was torn between holding the scout back and helping him. Optimus was in a state of shock, taking a single step forward, unable to believe his sensors and optics.

And then he fell to his knees with a grunt of pain as the Matrix of Leadership tried to force its way out of its compartment behind his chest plates.

Opening his chest plates enough to let the Matrix out without rendering his spark vulnerable, the helix dagger-like object shot like a bullet toward the Allspark shard. The container shattered on impact, stopping the flow of energy into the pseudo death chamber –though the energy all ready inside continued to churn and crackle around the bodies. The two Cybertronian artifacts then zipped forward, crashing and entering into the glass chamber.

The Matrix spun, twisting the energy like a cyclone, while the shard glowed like a miniature sun before splitting into seven pieces. Those glowing pieces of Allspark shard then slammed down into the chests of the prone bodies, some of the twisting energy spiraling around and into the places of impact. Then, from each body emerged a pulsing orb of power that the Autobots were stunned to recognize as sparks.

As the sparks hovered in the air, the cyclone of energy slammed through the containment box and descended on the seven metal shambles the Autobots hadn't taken notice of before. To the shock and awe of all present, the metal skeletons and all the nearby loose metal twisted and writhed before reforming into recognizably Cybertronian bodies of varying sizes.

Finally, those seven sparks blasted forward into the chests of the new metal bodies, causing them to lurch, sputter, and cry out as seven sets of blue optics snapped online for the first time. The Autobots all rushed forward to assist the new bots as they began to struggle against the cables and racks holding them up, while the N.E.S.T. operatives shook themselves out of their stunned stupor to rush the group on the walkway. When things finally started calming down, Bumblebee could be seen cradling a mech slightly smaller than himself while Ironhide had a mech and femme curled up into his sides while a femme sparkling was curled in his lap. Jazz was carefully bracing a mech the same general size as Ironhide, while Ratchet was speaking soothingly to a pair of femmes that were leaning against each other in obvious exhaustion.

And Optimus stood before them, examining the new bots with awe between glancing at the Matrix, which gently bobbed in his left servo as if pleased with itself.

It took a moment or two, but Optimus finally dragged his processor out its stupor and tucked the Matrix away before turning toward the N.E.S.T. troops. Graham, who was acting as commander in the absence of Lennox and Epps, saluted without letting go of his own prisoner.

"Orders, Optimus, sir?"

Thinking for a nano-klik, Optimus narrowed his optics at the ones in custody, anger simmering in his spark. "First, knock out the prisoners; there is a smaller chance for them to cause more trouble that way."

Like a well-oiled machine, no pun intended, every soldier holding a prisoner immediately either sharply hit the back of their captives' necks or pressed a certain pressure point, and within five seconds every prisoner was out like a light. Optimus spared a thought to wish certain mechs under his command –Mudflap and Skids– could be as prompt about their orders, before he glanced at the seven still bodies in the ruined glass chamber.

Pain and sorrow stabbed his spark at the sight of the lifeless, lightly charred bodies, and he had to vent heavily for a moment before returning his solemn gaze to Graham. "Call for air transport to Diego Garcia; the D.C. base would not be the best place to go for now. And…see if something can be found to cover them."

The British man glanced at the seven bodies himself with sad eyes before saluting Optimus in acknowledgement and starting on his orders.

Optimus returned his attention to the new Cybertronians when he heard two femme cries at the mention of the bodies. The Prime moved forward to help comfort the two femmes Ratchet was watching over, even as his audios picked up the muttered curses from the older two new mechs and the little whimper from the young mech in Bumblebee's servos.

"Wh-What did those…beasts do to us?" was the slightly warbled question from the femme with the recognizable –if a little mechanical– voice of Judy Witwicky.

"Why did they do this to us?" was the more insistent question from the femme beside Judy, Maggie's voice sounding particularly odd as her Australian accent was undercut by the whirrs of her new vocal processors.

As Ratchet was directly in front of Maggie, Optimus moved to Judy and kneeled in front of her, holding his servos out in an offer of comfort. The femme shockingly took them, squeezing tightly as Optimus took an astrosecond to formulate a reply.

"Why those people did this is unclear at this time…and what they intended to do can only be speculated until we can question them. As for what happened…" Optimus hesitated here, before softening his voice as best he could. "It will take a great deal of analyzing and speculation to determine how this was possible, but we do know that a shard of the Allspark and the Matrix somehow converted your souls to sparks and transferred them into these bodies. As…unconventional as it was, that action saved your lives."

Judy slumped down a bit at this, optics dimming with helplessness. "But will that life be worth living…? How am I going to tell Ron about this?"

"We'll tell him together, Mom," came Sam's voice from the mech in Bumblebee's protective embrace, quieter and gentler than Optimus had ever heard it. "And trust me, its better we ended up like this than…in what those madmen were going to put us in."

Spark clenching in concern and horror –Had Sam been awake the whole time they were captive?–, Optimus asked, "Sam…Were you awake when they forced the Allspark energy on you all?"

A shake of the head gave Optimus some relief, but it was short-lived with what the former teen said next. "I…I woke up for a bit and saw the…wrecks they were going to put us in, or try to. And one of the men told me and Annabelle what they were going to do…"

"You were awake too, 'Belle?" The femme curled against Ironhide's side keened in Sarah's voice, reaching trembling servos to stroke the faceplates of the sparkling.

"Scary man talked to us," Annabelle whimpered, nuzzling her mother's servos. "Used sleepy gun on me and Sammy."

Both Ironhide and the mech beside him –that Optimus was certain was Will Lennox– tensed up at that, optics flashing red for a moment. Ironhide held the three closer but made no sound, while the other mech gently ran a servo along Annabelle's back, asking Sam in Will's voice:

"What did he say to you, Sam?"

Sam shuddered for a moment, Bumblebee letting out a comforting whirr as he stroked a servo first against his back and then his faceplates and down his chassis. Optimus blinked a bit at that, since that was a rather intimate touch, but said nothing as Sam curled closer to the scout before answering.

"He said they were going to use us as shields against…against the Autobots and N.E.S.T., then turn us into weapons for humanity and a means of progress."

That had all of the core team venting hard, while the last new mech let out a bitter snort, the voice identifying him as Epps. "Figures, damn fanatics decided to come out of the Pit and play at God…or Primus, I guess…"

Before anything else could be said, Graham jogged over, saluting before stating, "Sir, regular transport is ETA four hours, but Silverbolt is on his way with Prowl and First Aid, ETA just under an hour..."

Noting the man's odd hesitation, Optimus calmly prompted him, "Was there something else?"

"…General Morshower is on the line inquiring about the status of the seven who were kidnapped, and says the President is asking for a status update as well. What should I relay to them, sir?"

"None of their slagging business right now," Ironhide growled deeply, venting hard as Optimus sent him a sharp look. "Prime, we can't just tell them seven humans were turned into Cybertronians. Both may be good men, but the people they work with would have all seven of them taken from us and studied like insects!"

"Over my rusted, off-lined frame," Bumblebee stated quietly, for once not using the radio to talk, and hugging Sam firmly.

The Autobot leader vented and gave them both a chastising look. "I have no intention of placing them in danger." Turning to Graham, Optimus stated, "Let them know that upon arrival, we found these fanatics trying to transfer the minds of our friends into the bodies of seven captured Autobots. The attempt was a failure as they were using electricity at a voltage so high they killed the seven before the rest of their procedure could be attempted. We have recovered our Autobots and the bodies of our friends and will transfer them to Diego Garcia to prepare proper funerals."

Graham gave his acknowledgement, but hesitated to leave, looking at each of the new bots in concern. "Are Lennox and the rest going to be all right?"

Ratchet was the one to reply. "I have not finished scanning them and they will need a great deal of the basic protocols each of us have, but I believe they will be fine, with time."

That seemed to reassure the soldier, as he saluted the medic and strode off to deliver the fabricated story.

Turning his optics to his leader, Ratchet huffed, "We might as well do something constructive while we wait for First Aid to get here and help me. Make a databurst of basic Cybertronian, internal comm use, and the basic strength and speed control protocols for all of them except Annabelle and directly upload it to their processors. That should be enough for now until I can properly assess what they have and need."

"And for Annabelle?" Sarah asked, one servo still idly stroking the sparkling's faceplates.

Ratchet tilted his head for a moment before replying. "For now, I will only give her the strength and speed protocols and internal comm use, but I need to program the upload to only let her consciously learn it in pieces. Overwhelming a sparkling's systems too soon is not good sense, even more so since Annabelle was not originally a sparkling. I'd rather be cautious for the time being."

Relief lit the optics of Will and Sarah, Ironhide stroking a servo over their backs in comfort before running a single digit over the crown of Annabelle's helm. It was a rather tender scene, and Ratchet obligingly turned from them to give them a sense of privacy. Though, his processors did point out that Ironhide's behavior was leaning far more towards a sparkmate and family bond then that of a recently distressed guardian. He packed the thought away for later speculation, concentrating on making the data package for Maggie and checking to make sure Optimus was doing the same for Judy.

The upload process didn't take too long, a little over a breem, but it was as Ratchet was just finishing up with Annabelle that Will pointed something out.

"Wait, didn't Graham say Prowl was coming too? How're we going to explain this without setting off his logic glitch?"

That set Ratchet to cursing while most of the rest either laughed or smiled. Jazz, as Prowl's sparkmate, grinned quite broadly and practically chirped in a parody of Bumblebee. "You just leave Prowl to me; I'll take care of my mech."

"TMI, Jazz, TMI," Sam laughed, and the group had no doubt that if he could, he would be blushing.

The silver mech winked at Sam playfully before speaking again. "In the meantime, how about we do something a little more productive, like making sure you guys can walk? If we're going to use that cover story Optimus came up with, you guys need to at least be able to walk properly to give an illusion of being familiar with those frames."

Epps let out a little groan at that, whining, "Frag, I have to learn how to walk again? What's next, going through puberty all over again? 'Cause let me tell you, it wasn't fun the first time…"

That startled a laugh out of everyone –including Ratchet but excepting confused little Annabelle–, and Jazz gave the mech he was bracing a little companionable shake. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that. Sam might, but not you, I don't think."

After a playful whine of "Stop picking on me, Jazz!" from Sam, the next half hour was spent helping the new Autobots learn to walk. Annabelle was actually the quickest to learn, and spent some time flitting between the others in curiosity and amusement. She then nearly gave Ratchet a spark-attack when she decided to use Ironhide as a jungle gym just long enough to situate herself on his shoulder; the medic had been afraid she'd either fall and hurt herself, or get parts of her frame caught on Ironhide's armor and tear the more delicate metal all sparklings were made of.

As Will watched his precious daughter in her new form, he thanked the stars, God, and Primus that she seemed to be coping well so far with what had happened to them. If anything could give him hope for this new life they would live, it was seeing her act like the child she still was. Both Sarah and Ironhide seemed to sense and understand his thoughts, both of them grasping his servos and squeezing in support and love. The soldier gave them a slightly weary smile, leaning against Ironhide's shoulder –opposite to the one Annabelle perched on– and pulling Sarah to him in a hug. As long as he had his family, Will knew he could endure whatever this new life would inflict on him.

Sarah leaned against her husband and Ironhide equally, shuttering her optics as she vaguely felt the emotions from both mechs and Annabelle. She was not dumb by any means, she knew instinctively that it was a bit unusual for her to be so new to this body but able to sense her family all ready. And then there was the fact she could sense Ironhide; certainly she adored the gruff mech, appreciated how he protected her, her family, and his comrades, but Sarah wasn't sure that was enough to cause this ability. Making a mental note to ask Ratchet about it later –and there would certainly be a later; no doubt she'd be seeing nothing but the med-bay for days once they reached Diego Garcia–, Sarah relaxed and hummed, for now content to be held and grateful they were all alive.

Ironhide was concentrating all of his processors on his charges, refusing to let them stray to anything else. Not the glitches that had taken them, not the scene he had burst into upon arriving, not those spark-breaking screams that signaled the end of seven precious human lives. He had to concentrate on the three connected to him, or he would rampage, though the recipients of that rampage was debatable. Would it be the man he had seen in Will's memory core during the upload –the one who had played a poor hapless civilian? Would it be the entire group of men and women who had essentially experimented with his charges' lives and murdered them in a way? Would it even be Simmons, for not arguing harder to get them to spare more than a cursory glance into the disappearance of the former Sector Seven agents? No, he had to focus on his little family so he wouldn't end up going against Optimus' insistence of not harming humans. But he vowed to himself that no one, no one, who wasn't an Autobot or a N.E.S.T. member was going to touch –let alone harm– these three again; anyone who dared would be getting introduced to his cannons and would not walk away.

Everything from the moment her mommy and daddy were hurt until that sleep gun had been used on her had been scary. But while she slept, Annabelle could recall feeling safe, like she was curled up in Papa Hide's cab. There had been a flash of blue-white at one point, though, and when she woke up, she had found metal on her hands. As scary as everything before that moment had been, Annabelle had been happy –she was just like Papa Hide now. Even better, her mommy and daddy were like them too. Her daddy and Papa Hide would be able to chase away everything scary together now, and her mommy would take care of all three of them. As far as Annabelle was concerned, everything was right with the world now.

Epps wasn't sure how to feel about the whole situation. Sure, he was pissed that he had essentially been killed, and he was definitely pissed when he heard Sam say the ones responsible were going to make them into shields, weapons, and experiments. But beyond that, he was a little on the numb side. He hadn't seen his kidnappers like the Lennox family and Sam had. He hadn't been awake at any point during his time in the fanatics' custody, unlike poor Sam and Annabelle. And while he did recall a bright flash of blueish-white light, he couldn't tell if he had felt any pain during and between the moment of his human body dying and waking up in his new body. He really hoped Optimus had someone like a mental therapist among the bots, because Epps had a feeling he would need one to sort out his numb processors.

He didn't need deep scans like Ratchet or near psychic-level intuition like Optimus to know Epps needed some help. Jazz had been a sort of subtle, pseudo-guardian to the soldier since he had been revived with the Matrix. He had been the one to come up with the idea of Epps destroying his cell phone if ever he was in danger and needed Autobot back up. Jazz had also insisted that Sideswipe be the one to watch over the man if Jazz couldn't, knowing their personalities would mesh well rather than clash if something went wrong. The Pontiac transformer wondered if he could convince Ratchet to let him take care of Epps for a day or two before letting the medic have him.

There was really only one thing on Sam's processor at the moment: how was this change going to affect his relationships with everyone in his life. Some were easy to predict, such as Leo first flipping out and then commenting on how cool it was once he calmed down. But there were also those he was having a hard time predicting, his dad and Mikaela being at the top of that list. It broke his new spark to think Mikaela might completely reject having anything to do with him now; he was easily able to predict they couldn't continue a romantic relationship, but he was praying that friendship was still possible. But he truly feared what his dad's reaction would be. Ronald Witwicky had mostly tolerated Bumblebee, but had really wanted nothing to do with the rest of the Autobots, N.E.S.T., or anything government related. There was really no way to tell how he would take the fact that his wife and son were no longer human, but Sam would stand by what he told his mom earlier: they would tell him together, and come what may. At least they would have the support of the Autobots, and Bumblebee especially, if things went south.

Bumblebee was feeling a lot of guilt at the moment. Guilt that he had not been with Sam when he was kidnapped; guilt that he had not been faster to reach him before those inhuman glitches had experimented with his life. Guilt that he was happy to still have the boy alive, and would have him for a long time to come if the scout had any say in the matter. He knew Sam was in for a rough time adjusting to his new body and life, but Bumblebee could only be deliriously grateful that Primus had not taken his charge from him that day. But as he felt along the fledgling bond between them, felt Sam's worry for the future, Bumblebee chastised himself for wallowing in his own feelings rather than comforting his charge. The yellow bot sent as much reassurance and love down the bond as he could, holding his friend more firmly when Sam leaned into him in response. Nothing mattered beyond Sam right now, and the Camaro transformer vowed nothing would keep him from the new mech's side again.

Maggie was trying to ignore everything beyond what she was learning right now. Right foot, left foot. She ignored how her steps were loud, louder than any of the Autobots outside of battle ever walked. Right foot, left foot. She ignored how she felt naked without the familiar feel of clothing on her body. Right foot, left foot. And she ignored, with supreme effort, the nearby sight of a black and white N.E.S.T. parachute being used as a cover for seven human bodies. Right foot. Left foot. What she couldn't ignore were the gentle servos that helped her balance when she wobbled too much. Right foot, left foot. The constant, calm encouragements that came to her over her new internal comm. Right foot, left pede. And the reassuring blue optics that Ratchet kept on her own optics with every step she took. Right pede, left foot. Maybe she could handle this new life after all, if she had a rock like Ratchet to help her. Right pede, left pede.

Medic protocols demanded Ratchet make the seven new Cybertronians sit down and scan them until he knew how to fix them. But basic logic overrode them; there was no fixing seven dead human bodies and seven human souls transplanted into metal frames. He knew from the scans that had detected the moment the hearts had stopped that the bodies were damaged beyond the ability to live, because the hearts hadn't just stopped–they had imploded. Ratchet knew that particular scan, that moment, would haunt him for many orns, but this current exercise was proving to be an excellent distraction. Poor Maggie was having quite a bit of trouble with her balance, but Ratchet attributed that to her Seeker-style frame; Seekers were known for having balancing issues on the ground, but Ratchet was confident that Maggie could overcome the problem. He had faith in her stubbornness.

It hurt, feeling so lost. Judy had spent the first few minutes of the proposed activity staring down at what acted as her feet. How could she continue on like this, as this metal shell? How could anyone look at this body and see her? What would Ron see when he looked at her? It was enough to bring the Autobot equivalent of tears to her new eyes. A gentle, strong voice had then told her through her new internal comm that she had support if she needed it, but only she could choose to take the first step. She had recognized the voice as Optimus' and had looked up at the mech as he stood patiently in front of her. A small part of her wanted to rage that he couldn't understand her pain, but the larger part of her knew it wouldn't be fair of her to take it out on the kind Prime. Instead, she had made herself look around and watch as the others learned to walk. A part of her had giggled as she watched Maggie and Ratchet, thinking how they looked like a new couple awkwardly trying to learn to dance with Maggie stumbling every once in a while. She took in how Jazz was carefully cajoling Epps not only into walking but into talking and laughing to keep him from going into mute numbness. Envy and adoration warred in her as she took in the sight of the Lennox family with Ironhide; they had each other, nothing was going to separate them without a fight, and it was both beautiful and bitter for Judy to see. And then there was her son, her precious Sammy. As his mother, she could easily read the worry and fear that lined his new frame, but she could also see the affection he held for the ever present yellow Autobot at his side. She watched as Bumblebee held Sam close in comfort and walked beside him in assurance, and Judy was grateful they had each other. It also reminded her that no matter what, she would always have her little boy behind her, and if he could be courageous and take that first step, she could too. With that thought, she returned her gaze to Optimus, who said nothing, only smiled and held up a hand for support. She took it and her first shaky step.

Optimus was gratified to see the same determination he had seen Sam display more than once on the femme that was his mother. It was so easy to tell where the boy had gotten his courage, will, and worrying nature from as the Autobot leader aided Judy in learning to walk. But it was also easy to tell what had both of them worried: Ron Witwicky. He knew from talks with Bumblebee that the man was not the most accepting person in the world, chaffed against change. He had even heard Judy complain during the ship ride from Egypt that Ron had done nothing to try anything new and fun during their vacation in France, sticking to recognizably American foods and refusing to sight-see anything that wasn't the Eiffel Tower or a souvenir shop. It made his spark ache to consider that if Ron Witwicky was unable to truly try other human cultures that he also would reject the obviously alien forms and futures of his wife and child. He could only comfort himself by asking Primus to grant them luck and vowing to himself that Judy and Sam would have all the support they needed if luck failed them.

…

"Have you decided on designations, yet?"

The Cybertronian group stopped what they were doing to turn their attention to Prowl. The 2IC had arrived with Silverbolt and First Aid an hour ago, had been debriefed, and Prowl had been dragged off to the side by Jazz to head off the imminent activation of his logic glitch. Ratchet and First Aid had gotten to work on linking to each new Autobot directly in order to fully scan their systems and determine what they needed. Silverbolt had taken to talking to Judy, Maggie, Sarah, and Epps about flying, as the three femmes had Seeker bodies while Epps was definitely an Aerialbot of some type. Sam had been in the middle of being fussed over by Bumblebee as Ratchet worked on him, causing the medic to threaten the scout with a wrench to the helm every two minutes. Will had been sitting patiently under First Aid's care, watching Ironhide entertain Annabelle. Optimus had been listening to Graham brief him on which of the prisoners had been identified so far.

Prowl's question was met with confusion on several faces, and the 2IC vented with some exasperation. "The government is going to ask what your names are. You can't simply use your human names when we are claiming that you died while seven captured Autobots were recovered."

That observation made Will and Epps exchange looks of dread and realization, the former letting out a groan as he pointed out, "And there's a good chance General Morshower at least will recognize some of our voices. Frag!"

Ratchet immediately responded, "If need be, I can temporarily deactivate the vocal processors of those he would recognize, but Prowl is correct about the designations."

There was quiet for a long moment as everyone thought the problem over. Sam finally spoke up, a wistful note in his vocals. "You know…Thinking it over, you could say the Matrix and the Allspark gave us a second chance to live…Kinda makes sense we would need new names to go with new faces. Do you guys mind if I use the name Chance?"

Everyone thought it was a fitting name for the former teen, Bumblebee chirping happily and hugging the smaller mech. With the first name chosen, picking out other names was fairly easy. Silverbolt had pointed out the each femme had Seeker builds suited for different attributes. Judy was a power build, Maggie was a stealth build, and Sarah was a speed build, so they chose names accordingly. Maggie gave herself the name Fadewing, while Sarah let Will name her, laughing when he called her the family Breeze. Judy had thought hard before asking for a synonym for 'blunt'; First Aid offered up 'candid' as a suggestion, and Judy had nodded, decisively calling herself Candidforce in honor of her favorite weapon of persuasion: the baseball bat.

That had gotten a laugh out of everyone, before Will had looked at Epps with a grin. The mech suggested Epps take on the name he tended to give his video game characters. That had made Epps laugh even harder, but he agreed it would be cool to use the name for himself for once. Thus, Epps became Ebonshot.

Will was next, and it was Optimus who offered up the name Resolve, as to him, that was one of Will's most defining traits. Even better, it was a synonym for his human name, and Will gladly took it up.

This just left Annabelle, who asked if she could go by just Belle, but the group agreed that would tip off the wrong people almost immediately. It was Ironhide who suggested that since Annabelle had loved playing in water that they give her the name Seabell. The sparkling had chirped and beeped with glee at the name, crawling all over Ironhide happily, so her parents agreed she could have it.

The group took the rest of the time it took for transport to arrive to get used to using the new names. By the time the two hours of waiting passed, it was almost like they had never used their human names before. For better or for worse, the seven embraced their new lives as Cybertronians, as Autobots.

TBC...

Aniyu: Okay, I'm happy now, so back to working on Because of Renegade! (zips away)

Anayi: She's going to get distracted again I just know it. Anyway, this is it work now, and the next chapter will come when it's ready. Oh, before anyone says anything, this will not be a Optimus/Judy, Epps/Jazz, or Epps/Jazz/Prowl fic. Epps will remain single for this, and Judy…well, you'll have to wait and see, but I can assure you she will not be paired with Optimus. R&R please!