Chapter 6: Enter the Ghost Zone

All Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. I only own my OCs. And Clockwork, the halfa idea, and the Ghost Zone belong to Butch Hartman. Once again, any song or food brands mentioned aren't mine. This chapter will help explain Zetta's powers. Don't like, hit the back button. For everyone else, enjoy.

Warning; slight cursing and graphic scenes.

Sparked-pregnant {ha}-voicemail recording

Outside the Darby Residence; Zettabyte's Perspective

The Sun was still beneath the horizon when the ruby and sapphire mechling got to his destination. He had left at five (having changed his chronometer to suit Earth time). The cool early morning air felt surprisingly good and made him relax a little. He had been feeling a bit conflicted when he left. His mission; track down this Jack human and get Sasha's electric bike back for her. During their talk yesterday, his human friend had told him that Jack had taken her bike to his home to fix it the day before and how she had been so angry at him and this Miko human that she forgot to bring it up. Feeling a great empathy for his partner and some annoyance towards her two classmates, he decided that he was obligated to do what he thought was right.

It's not stealing. I'm just getting back what rightfully belongs to Sasha, he told himself over and over in his head.

He had taken the liberty of using Sasha's laptop (which she had accidentally left in the garage) to look up the names of the citizens in Jasper to find out the last name of this Jack person. Luckily, only one person in the town named Jack, his last name being Darby. Once he had found the address, he downloaded it along with the directions he needed before he left via going into his "rescue mode" and phasing out of the garage. He would have left earlier but he had a hard time changing into said mode and an even more difficult time remaining in it as he phased out of the his human friend's garage. When he got out, he wasted no time in recalling the directions and driving towards his intended location. Another five minutes passed before he arrived at the spot.

The house one-story and the garage was smaller than Sasha's, only seeming to have enough room for a car and perhaps a little for a two-wheeled mode of transportation. The house was a pale tan color where as Sasha's was a pale, cool blue. Even the gray metal mailbox paled in comparison to the Morgan mailbox which was a Victorian mailbox with pictures of swans on the side. Approaching the garage door, Zettabyte looked through its windows (a contrast it had with the white-washed garage door of Sasha's home which only had small rectangular slits at the very top of it). Looking inside, he saw a white sedan, a reddish burgundy couch, a wooden table, a bicycle-and Sasha's electric bike.

"There you are," the Cybertronian adolescent whispered excitedly with a grin. He then turned to look at his arm before closing his optics and concentrating. "C'mon, phase mode. For Sasha."

It took a couple of tried but when he opened his optics the seventh time, he saw that his arm and servo had become translucent. Carefully poking the garage door, he was pleased to see it phase right through. Pushing the rest of his servo in, he moved it to where the silver and lavender bike stood as he grabbed it, surprised that despite his translucent arm, he was able to grab it. However, he was shock and annoyed when he attempted to pull it out only for it to be stopped by the equally solid door.

The mechanical youth growled in mild frustration, "Oh come on you!"

He considered opening the garage door with his free servo but thought better about it. If he were to forcefully open it, then it could damage the door or the closing mechanism itself. As much as he wanted to get his partner's bike out, he didn't want to cause any property damage. He had no real feelings of animosity for the inhabitants of this home. He just wanted his friend to get back what was rightfully hers. He tried looking for an opening somewhere around the garage but found none. It was at this point that the aggravation he felt when he was trying to get into his rescue mode come back with a fury.

"For Primus' sake! What do I have to do?! Make the whole house intangible?!" he growled beneath his breath. In his frustration, he placed his free servo against the door as though he was about yank the bike through the barrier that was separating him from the bike at full-force. What happened next shocked him. The garage door became translucent.

The ruby and sapphire mechling couldn't stop his mouth from dropping open as he whispered, "What the-?"

The mechanical extraterrestrial slowly pulled the servo that held the bike slowly out of the intangible garage, the bike thankfully remaining in his grasp. He then removed his other servo from the door and breathed a sigh of relief as it became solid. The last thing he wanted was for the inhabitants of the home to wake up and freak out because their garage was practically nothing more than untouchable, see-through curtain. Double-checking to make sure there were no signs of stirring from the house or the ones around it, he transformed, confirming that he had safely and properly managed to put Sasha's bike in his backseat, and began driving back to his partner's home.

Two hours later at Sasha's house; Sasha's Perspective

The raven-haired girl was awakened by the feel of something soft rubbing against her cheek. Her suspicions were proven correct when her violet orbs cracked open to see the black feline rubbing her head against her cheek. Smiling, she sat up and stretched before lifting Midnight up and holding her close. She was rewarded with a nuzzle to the chest and a purr.

"Good morning Midnight. You want some breakfast?" the nature-lover asked smiling as she got out of bed with her animal companion.

"Mrowr," the female Burmese responded in content. Sasha smiled as she set Midnight down and walked towards the bathroom to prepare for the day.

Moments later, the Goth and cat walked downstairs. Sasha grabbed the can of Purina Friskies cat food that she had left on the counter last night. Just as she was about to open it with the ring pull, she heard a tap resonating from the inside door. Putting the can down and picking up the black feline, she made her way to the door and opened it. She was greeted by a grinning Zettabyte who had something cupped in his servos.

"Sasha, I present to you, your bike!" he said with a dramatic tone as he opened his servos to reveal her bike which he then placed it gently in front of her.

"Wha-! Oh my-! How did you-?" the raven-haired girl stuttered in awe, eyes shining with happiness and gratitude as Midnight jumped down to sniff and rub against the bike before going over and doing the same to Zettabyte's pede to which the mechling reacted by tickling the cat's chin with one digit.

"I tracked down where that Jack person lived and I used my phasing powers to get your bike back. Get this; I can make other things intangible," the Cybertronian adolescent proclaimed, still smiling.

"Really? Thank you!" the Goth thanked him sincerely with interest before she turned to examine her bike. When her eyes fell upon the re-inflated tires, she felt a pang of guilt. She recalled the tone of anger she had given Jack the other day and regretted it. He was just trying to be a good person when he told her the truth and she reacted by taking some of the anger she was holding for Miko out on him.

"Are you okay?" the metallic teen asked when he saw guilt and sadness enter his human friend's eyes.

"I shouldn't have yelled at Jack the other day. He was just trying to be the adult that Miko doesn't want to be and tell me the truth and I practically blamed him for letting me go with Miko. It's not his fault she's a conniving little liar," the nature-lover told her robotic titan friend, guilt clearly present in her tone. "I should apologize to him tomorrow."

"Well I can't encourage or discourage your decision but I believe you should do whatever you feel is right," Zettabyte told her with a soft smile and a comforting tone.

"Thanks Zetta," the Goth said as she looked up at him, smiling softly herself. "I'm gonna go make Midnight and I some breakfast and then we'll talk more."

"Sounds fine to me," the metallic teen said as his partner nodded at him before she disappeared back inside with Midnight in tow.

Twenty-two minutes later; Sasha's Perspective

After serving Midnight some wet food and milk, Sasha made herself some scrambled eggs, soy bacon, oatmeal with maple syrup and brown sugar, a small glass bowl of berries and almonds, and a glass of ice cold apple juice. She and the female Burmese now were sitting and eating in the garage as she discussed with her partner where they should go.

"So I was thinking that we can head to one of the forestry areas of your planet. The question which one," the ruby and sapphire mechling spoke to his partner in a thoughtful tone.

"Well they're all very beautiful," the nature-lover responded as she spooned up some oatmeal and consumed it before taking a sip of her apple juice.

"Really? Hmm. It's a shame that we can't go see them all at once. Not without making Soundwave suspicious or just plain annoyed," the Cybertronian adolescent mused, half serious, half joking.

Sasha snorted as she nibbled on a strip of her soy bacon, "I thought you said he was the silent observer type."

"Well I believe it was your people who said 'it's always the quiet ones'," Zettabyte teased good-naturedly.

"Mrowr," Midnight meowed as milk dripped off her whiskers.

Both human and Cybertronian laughed. After a several more minutes, the Goth finished her breakfast before taking her dishes and Midnight's dishes to the dish washer. Sasha then came back and grabbed her laptop (still unable to believe she had left it in the garage) and turned it on. She set it down on the kitchen counter and went back into the garage where she found her partner gently petting the female Burmese.

"Hey, I'm gonna go see if my grandma and friends are on so I can web chat with them," the raven-haired girl announced. Both robotic extraterrestrial and feline looked at her.

"Okay. Hey, maybe you should show them Midnight. I know you can't exactly show me off but it shouldn't apply to her. Besides, if your grandma and city friends are as cool as you say, then they won't mind or tell your parents," the mechanical teen stated with a reassuring smile.

"You know what? You're right. Come here Midnight. Thanks for understanding Zetta," Sasha said gratefully as she gave her partner a thankful grin and scooped up the Burmese.

"Of course. Tell me how it goes," Zettabyte said as he returned her smile before she exited the garage.

Setting Midnight down on a chair in the small dining room, the nature-lover went back and grabbed her laptop from the counter before returning to the dining room and taking a seat next to the feline. Logging onto Skype, she clicked on the icons needed to contact her grandmother and friends. She was thankful that her grandmother was understood modern tech and social media very well. She was one of those elderly people whose youth-like attitude made her very popular with kids and teens alike. Two minutes later, three medium-sized screens popped up on the window, showing the live feed of her grandmother, Chip, and Raoul.

"Hello sweetie," the elderly women's voice crooned. Her hair was a dark gray color in a bun and her eyes were blue in contrast to the Goth's eyes (which she inherited from her grandfather).

"Hey Sasha! Guess whose laptop finally got fixed?" Raoul cheered with a good-natured smirk, his burnt sienna eyes twinkling with confidence and attitude. His long, dark hair still in a loose ponytail with an orange bandana around his forehead.

"What Raoul means to say is that it's good to finally be talking with you again," Chip said, adjusting his glasses. The computer-savvy teen had rich brown hair and sky blue eyes. "We're sorry we couldn't talk with you on Friday or Saturday. You can thank Mr. Procrastination here for Saturday though."

"Hey, not all of us are as good at math and science like you are Einstein!" the music-lover shot back, half-joking half-offended.

"Oh you boys hush! Let Sasha have a chance to speak," Mabel Morgan scolded lightly.

"Thanks grandma. And it's good to see and hear you guys again too," Sasha spoke warmly. "It's been…interesting since I got here."

"Interesting how?" Chip inquired curiously.

"My first day of school; pretty good. The only person I had a problem with was some punk named Vince. That's how I met Sawyer, Adalia, and Colette," Sasha explained.

"Your new friends?" Mabel guessed kindly. The raven-haired girl nodded and pulled out her phone and brought up a picture that she and the mentioned teens had taken the night before showing it to the aged woman and two teen boys.

"Wow," Raoul spoke, a blush appearing across his face as he eyed Adalia's picture. "Your new friends look pretty cool."

"I have to agree with Raoul. They look nice," the computer genius said with a blush as well as he stared at Colette's image.

"They look darling," Mabel gushed gently.

The raven-haired girl nodded before she picked up her feline friend and held her in front of the computer, "They're not the only friends I made either."

"Mrowr," Midnight mewled as though she was saying hello before washing her face.

"Man, you're breaking all the rules!" Raoul laughed.

"She's adorable. You saved her didn't you?" the elderly woman asked and smiled when she received a nod. "That's my girl."

"And it's a good thing I made friends with them too. Miko, the foreign exchange student that the Sandersons' are housing, didn't turn out to be the person I thought she was," the nature-lover said with a slight cringe as she petted the Burmese who stayed perfectly calm in her lap.

"What happened?" concern graced her grandmother's face.

"You can tell us Sasha," Chip reassured with a friendly smile.

The raven-haired girl couldn't help but smile as well. Despite being hundreds of miles away, her friends and family still worried over her and thought about her. It made her feel happy to know how she was still on their minds.

The Goth then continued "Well, where do I start….?

Two hours later at Jack's house; Arcee's Perspective

Arcee huffed as she made her way to Jack's house. Optimus had decided that it was alright for Jack and Raf to return to base that day as most of the tension that had been building up the past two days had dispersed. For him, Ratchet, and Bee at least. But for the sapphire femme and the moss-colored Wrecker, the tension was still high. Bulkhead had been released from the medbay that morning but she had already left. The fact that while Zettabyte was out there alone and most likely scared made her angry that her massive teammate was alright and now lumbering around the base. He was, however, unhappy that his human charge was grounded until late September.

"Maybe he'll finally get a taste of what it's like to be worried about someone who's so much younger than you and being unable to check on them," Arcee said to herself bitterly. Her processor kept returning to the ruby and sapphire mechling. Somehow, the monitors couldn't find his energy signature which strengthened her reserve that he was in the grasps of their enemies. Not to mention she couldn't shake the fact that he was familiar. Yes, he slightly looked like the vain Decepticon medic who had once been her lover but that wasn't it. It was more than that. Almost…closer to the spark…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she approached Jack's house and saw both her charge and his mother speaking with a police woman in front of the house. The police woman had a blue and gray uniform and blonde hair and was writing in a small notebook. Arcee kept her cool and approached slowly enough to hear. Thankfully, the blonde enforcer didn't seem to hear her or see her drive and park beside the house. The two-wheeler then listened in on the conversation.

"So you said that you found that your classmate's bike, which you were fixing for her, was gone at around seven thirty?" the woman asked the obsidian-haired teen as she looked up from her notebook.

"Yes. I was gonna bring it back to her today," Jack said with clear distress present in his tone and face. Arcee felt a sense of pity and worry for her partner. What was going on?

The officer jotted something down before turning to June, "Does anyone else have access to your garage?"

"No, just my son and I," the obsidian-haired nurse answered, looking quite on edge as well.

"Have you ever had any problems with break-ins? Do you have anyone who would want to steal from you as a sick joke or retaliation?" the police woman asked only to receive a negative answer from the both of them. "What is the name of bike's owner?"

"Sasha Morgan," Jack responded.

"A Morgan's possession, huh? That thief is going to be very sorry," the blonde said with a shake of her head. "I'll take your statement back to the station. And I'll call the owner to let her know."

"Thank you Officer Fanzone," June said politely and sincerely. The blonde, Fanzone, nodded before she walked back to her car and took off. It was then that Arcee chose to drive to the mother and son.

"Hey Arcee," Jack said though his tone was a mixture of frustration and unhappiness.

"Hey, what happened?" the blue femme couldn't help but question.

"I came out to get Sasha's bike to take it to her house and it was gone," the obsidian-haired teen said in utter exasperation.

"What?!" the two-wheeler couldn't help but exclaim.

"I just don't understand it. How could the person who took it be so quiet getting in and out?" June muttered to herself, very concerned that someone had gotten into her and Jack's home.

"This is just perfect. First I get Sasha angry at me and now I lose her bike," Jack grumbled. By this time, his mother had gone inside to prepare breakfast. Arcee felt pity for her partner. She recalled how he had called her yesterday and explained what had gone down at the store. He sounded so guilt-ridden and now she had no doubt that he was feeling self-loathing.

"Jack, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have seen this coming," the femme soothed.

"I know but…Sasha was already upset thanks to Miko," Jack explained softly but downheartedly.

"Then that's Miko's fault, not yours. You were trying to be a good person unlike her," the female Cybertronian said encouragingly and comfortingly. "And Sasha understands that too and is probably considering apologizing. You just gotta have a little faith."

Her human charge gave her weak smile before gently asking, "So how have you been?"

"I'm still online. I'm just worried about Zettabyte," Arcee sighed.

"Zettabyte?" Jack echoed in confusion.

"That's the name of the Cybertronian who Bulkhead chased off," the female titan confessed. "He was around Bee's age."

"Why did he chase him off?" Jack asked with surprise and pity.

"He said some things that Bulkhead didn't like," the sapphire femme stated.

"Such as?" the human teen pressed. Arcee sighed; her partner had her where he wanted her and wouldn't take "no" for an answer. She had no choice but to tell him.

"He talked about ending the war in peace without killing anymore Cons and he told us who his adoptive Si-father was," she explained, recalling the human term for Sire.

"That's it?" the pubescent male human asked sounding both bewildered and appalled.

"It gets worse. Zettabyte was wearing a visor and when it fell off, we saw that he had a blue optics and a red optic," Arcee finished.

Jack seemed even more disgusted as he spoke, "So, in Bulkhead's view, having different views and looks constitutes being chased away?"

"Looks like it," the two-wheeler snorted in anger.

"And you guys can't find him?" the obsidian-haired teen guessed gently.

"We can't get his energy signature. We're worried, I'm worried, that the Cons grabbed him," she admitted. "His pod was moved by Agent Fowler so there's no way he could have left the planet. But no one, human or bot, just vanishes out of thin air."

Placing a hand on her handle, as she was still in motorcycle form, Jack said, "Like you said, it'll be okay. You'll find him. I know it."

Despite being in vehicle mode, Arcee couldn't help but smile. And somehow, she knew that Jack could sense it.

Four hours later at Sasha's house; Sasha's Perspective

Midnight mewled as Sasha prepared for her and Zetta's little adventure.

"Be patient. We'll be going in a few minutes," Sasha told the cat with a smile. She had taken a spare backpack, which was black and electric blue with dark purple zippers, and filled it with essentials; first aid kit, a blanket, a towel, a flashlight with extra batteries, the Swiss Army knife that her grandfather had given her, a magnifying glass, binoculars, her phone, yogurt-covered raisins, dried apricots, a sports water bottle with crushed iron supplements in it, granola bars, and two cans of Purina cat food.

Along with her cargo, she changed into a light brown shirt with dark brown, white, and gray silhouettes of horses running on the front, khaki pants, her black rubber boots, and a green camouflage sweater with a hood that had a black skull with black crossbones on the back. She had decided to let her hair down as well. She had chosen her fingernails had been painted a dark forest green and she wore key-lime pie lip balm.

The raven-haired girl had already had lunch; a quesadilla with spinach, cheddar, and tomato between two flour tortillas, grapes, a strawberry and banana yogurt smoothie, and some celery and carrot sticks. She and Zettabyte had both decided on going to the Redwood Forest. Seasonal wise, it was still late summer and she wanted to show her Cybertronian friend the lush green of a forest before it gave way to the colors and feeling of autumn. She had informed the Sandersons that she would be going out and would be back around late evening or early night. By some chance of luck, they had chosen to go out after the Goth announced what she would be doing. Luckily, they had a friend come over in advance to watch Miko who was confined to her room to study her notes.

Once she made sure that she had everything she needed and that all the doors and windows were shut and locked, she made her way to the garage with the backpack over her shoulders and Midnight in her arms. Her friends and grandmother had been unsurprisingly supportive of her choice to keep Midnight and promised not to tell her parents. Sasha did take their advice of bringing the feline with her wherever she went to avoid the Sandersons finding her if they ever came to the house while she was away. While they may have been kind enough to take her side when she told them what Miko did, she knew that, like most adults she knew, were skeptical when it came to her, or any other teen for that matter, bringing in strays.

Closing the inside door, the nature-lover walked towards Zettabyte, who was in vehicle mode, opened his passenger door, and got inside. Using the remote, she opened the garage door. Carefully, the mechling backed out of the garage. The Goth kept her eyes on the Sandersons house, watching for any signs of someone peeking out through the windows. Thankfully, there was none. After her mechanical friend was completely out of the garage, she took out the remote to close the garage door, placed it into her backpack, and then they were off.

Twenty-minutes on the Nemesis; Third Person Perspective

The Decepticons had been having a relatively adequate stroke of good luck for the past week. They hadn't lost any Eradicons or Vehicons, they had managed to bring in large and efficient harvests of Energon without Autobot intervention, the Decepticon warlord had yet to yell or berate them that week, and Breakdown had sent Silas and his soldiers packing and Bulkhead back to the Autobots in dents and gashes. The only thing that was currently bothering them was not knowing the whereabouts of the ruby and sapphire mechling. Finding out that his adoptive Sire was…awkward at best for them.

"Do you think the kid's okay Knock Out? He hasn't contacted us since he left," the ex-Wrecker asked his vain partner. The two were currently in the Command Center with Soundwave who was, of course, checking the console, not paying attention to either of his two fellow Decepticons.

"I'm sure. He's probably just so entranced by this planet, he hasn't considered calling us," Knock Out explained though he didn't believe his own words. Along with the concern he felt for the mechling's welfare there was another reason. He couldn't shake the adolescent Cybertronian's unusual resemblance to him and Arcee out of his processor.

"Maybe I should get a search party and go out to look for him," Breakdown stated out loud.

Despite inwardly agreeing, Knock Out shook his helm and responded, "If you do that then Lord Megatron will do more than just yell at you."

As if the Decepticon CMO said the magic word, the ex-gladiator himself walked in. Everyone in the room bowed before straightening their postures, the silver mech only nodding at their respectful movements. He stoically made his way to stand beside his focused TIC.

"Any signs of Autobot activity yet Soundwave?" Megatron asked coolly.

The screen-faced mech turned to his master and shook his helm while sending a quiet static sound that obviously meant "no."

The warlord rumbled lowly, "It would appear that the Autobots have yet to make any moves to interrupt our progress. If I wasn't so pleased I would almost feel insulted."

A few of the drones laughed before quickly silencing themselves to not aggravate their leader and superiors.

"Still," the silver mech spoke, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt for us to-"

He was interrupted by the sound of a comm. ping resonating from Soundwave. Everyone turned to look at Soundwave as he answered the comm. and set it on the Cybertronian equivalent of speaker.

Immediately, a familiar voice echoed through the Command Center, [Hello? Soundwave? Can you bridge me to these coor-]

"Zettabyte?" Breakdown asked though he knew it was indeed the mechling that he and Knock Out were talking about just minutes before.

[Oh, Hello Breakdown,] the mechling greeted via the silent mech's comm.

"Zettabyte, what a surprise. It's good to hear from you," the former gladiator proclaimed, his gruff voice making hard for his sincerity and rare warmth to be heard.

[Well it's good to hear you as well Lord Megatron,] the adolescent Cybertronian said as politely as he could.

"Are you alright? Do you need help? Do you want to come on to the ship?" the Stunticon asked in a hurried tone laced with concern.

[Oh, no thank you,] Zettabyte declined politely over the comm. [I was actually hoping if Soundwave could bridge me to another area on Earth. I believed it's called the Redwood Forest. I am sending the coordinates of where I'm currently at to him right now.]

"Ah, I see that someone is being adventurous," Knock Out spoke coolly with a humorous tone.

[Well I just want to see what the more vegetation covered areas of Earth look like,] the ruby and sapphire mechling stated in a casual tone.

The silver mech slowly made his way to where Soundwave was. He looked at the screen with his TIC and blinked in surprise. The screen-faced mech had taken the coordinates that Zettabyte had sent but was greeted with an unusual surprise. No life signal was being detected in that area.

"Zettabyte," the warlord spoke carefully, "Are you certain you gave Soundwave the right coordinates?"

[Yes, I doubled check before sending them. Why?] the adolescent Cybertronian asked in confusion with a hint of nervousness. By this time, the vain medic and his assistant also came over to see the issue.

"We are not seeing any life signals in the area you claim to be in," the former gladiator stated calmly but still bewildered.

[What?] Zettabyte choked in utter confusion. [T-That can't be right.]

"Kid, we're looking at it right now," the former Wrecker put in.

Megatron's bright scarlet optics narrowed at the screen before he turned and gave the silent mech a nod with a look that said "you know what to do." Soundwave nodded back as Laserbeak came undone from his chassis and headed to the coordinates that the screen-faced mech got from the mechling.

"Zettabyte we're sending Soundwave's spy Mini-Con, Laserbeak, to your coordinates," the silver mech announced.

[Is that necessary? Sending a drone to see where I am? I-I'm not lying about my location,] the mechling stuttered, sounding even more nervous.

"It's just to make sure," Knock Out soothed over the comm.

Soundwave immediately attached the connection of the feed Laserbeak was getting to the console screen. The four mechs saw rocky formations and miles of desert as the Mini-Con flew over the landscape. As the small flyer came closer to the coordinates they all leaned in closer. They were greeted with the sight of the ruby and sapphire mechling standing and looking around in the exact coordinated spot that he sent them. When Zettabyte caught sight of Laserbeak, he stared at the Mini-Con and waved sheepishly. Breakdown and Knock Out let out silent sighs of relief while the Decepticon TIC and their leader relaxed.

"We do see that you're at the coordinates you provided us with. We're sorry for the inconvenience Zettabyte. Soundwave open a bridge for him," the former gladiator ordered cooly to which the silent mech obeyed.

[It's alright sir. I'll alert you when I wish to be bridge back to Jasper. Thank you,] the ruby and sapphire mechling said gratefully. The mechs watched via screen as the Zettabyte waited for a moment before the swirling green of a Groundbridge appeared and he walked through it before it disappeared.

Not too soon after the bridge closed, the Decepticon CMO smacked the console in aggravation, "Slaggin' console. Something must be wrong with the scanner. That's probably why we didn't see Zetta's life signal."

"Perhaps," the Decepticon leader agreed coolly before leaving the Comman Center.

In the Redwood Forest three minutes; Third Person Perspective

"Primus that was close. Sasha, are you and Midnight alright?" the metallic alien youth asked as he stepped out of the Groundbridge portal as it disappeared behind him.

The raven-haired girl, who had been hiding against her guardian's neck, groaned as she tried to shake the dizziness from her body. She hadn't been expecting the portal took make her feel so dazed. She immediately pushed aside her fatigue to check on their feline companion. Opening the small gap in her backpack even more, Sasha peered in to see the female Burmese look back at her with sleepy mismatched eyes.

"You okay Midnight?" the nature-lover asked kindly to the little mammal.

"Mrowr," the feline mewled calmly before shutting her eyes as to get some more sleep.

"She's fine," Sasha confirmed before zipping her backpack up, leaving a safe portion unzipped so the cat could breathe.

"Good," Zettabyte responded sincerely.

The Goth nodded before looking at their surroundings and saying, "Oh Zetta, look at how beautiful this place is."

The mechling looked around and found himself agreeing with his human friend. Large trees were everywhere and while a few did have hints of yellowing or reddening leaves, most of them had branches wrapped in dark emerald-colored leaves. Sunlight just barely peeked through the leaves, creating specs on the ground. There were different plants dotting the ground as well and a couple of dirt paths. Zettabyte sniffed the air, surprised but not displeased, by the rich, earthy scent of the forest. He inhaled and exhaled before grinning widely.

"You like it?" the nature-lover asked as she the relaxed and content look on the Cybertronian adolescent's face.

Zettabyte nodded eagerly, "Yes. It's so…soothing and welcoming here."

Sasha chuckled happily as she responded, "That's one of mother nature's gifts to you my friend. Let's go."

The robotic extraterrestrial youth nodded eagerly as he walked forward. The soil beneath his pedes was more soft yet sturdy unlike the gritty and loose sandy ground of the desert. While he did feel an occasional twig, it didn't bother him. He turned his helm around to see more as he passed, including flowers and butterflies. The ruby and sapphire mechling had to stop when a yellow and red butterfly landed in the middle of his faceplate before taking off. He was so surprised, yet overjoyed, that he laughed.

Sasha laughed as well, pleased to see her guardian so happy around a woodsy location. It felt good to hang out with someone who enjoyed such natural things as well. Even if that someone wasn't human.

Taking out her phone, the raven-haired girl asked politely, "Hey Zetta, can let me onto the ground? I wanna take up close pictures and I can't do that while I'm standing on your shoulder."

Zettabyte happily obliged as he carefully set her on the ground and continues walking, slowly his pace a bit to stay beside his charge should any danger arise. The two kept walking for a couple of minutes before a small gray and tan creature appeared.

"Oh my Gosh, it's a gray fox," the Goth breathed as prepped her phone to snap a picture.

"A urocyon cinereoargenteus," the mechling spoke up. "I heard they can climb trees."

As if to prove the Cybertronian youth's point, the creature jumped onto a tree trunk after Sasha snapped a picture and began climbing. Both pubescent individuals chuckled before they continued on their way. The walk was quiet as they took in the scenery, the only sound being the twittering of birds, the breeze rustling the leaves, and the clicks of the raven-haired girl's phone as she took pictures.

An hour passed as they kept walking. By this time, Midnight had woken up from her cat nap and wanted to walk herself. Sasha had then let her out of the backpack before they proceeded. A few times they had to retrieve her when she tried to chase after a butterfly but otherwise, the Burmese was well-behaved and obedient. As Zettabyte stopped to stretch his arms and once again inhale the almost-intoxicating, organic aroma of the forest when he heard Sasha's ecstatic whisper.

"Zetta, come over here! Quick!" she hissed excitedly. The mechling wasted no time in hurrying to his partner's side to see what she was so joyful about. As he got to where she was, he saw what exactly she was making a fuss about. She was staring at a medium large clear space just a few meters in front of them. In the middle of it was a small herd of deer; three bucks, five does, and four fawns. All were oblivious to the human, cat, and Cybertronian's presence.

"Black-tailed deer," the nature-lover breathed as she watched them softly.

"Odocoileus hemionus columbianus," the Cybertronian adolescent gasped staring at the large (by human standards) mammals with their smoky black tails. Midnight just gave a quiet mewl as she rubbed against the Goth's leg.

After a moment of watching them, Sasha spoke, "Let's get a closer look. Quietly."

Zettabyte couldn't help but nod as he and the raven-haired girl carefully crept towards the herd. However, the pubescent titan had stepped on a rather large dead branch that was on the ground which made a somewhat large snap. The deer all snapped their heads to look at the towering, mechanical extraterrestrial.

"Slag," Zettabyte cursed underneath his breath but continued to hold still alongside his human charge. The deer continued to stare at him when one of the fawns took a few timid steps towards the odd trio.

"Stay calm, Zetta," the nature-lover whispered reassuringly. Once the fawn was about three feet away, the mechling boldly reached a servo towards it. The fawn didn't flinch as Zettabyte offered it his servo. The young woodland critter sniffed one of the Cybertronian adolescent's digits before licking it.

"Looks like you made a friend," Sasha joked good-naturedly as she smiled at the scene and snapping a picture.

"Well I don't mind," the metallic youth chuckled.

"Mrowr," Midnight meowed as she moved toward the fawn who had ceased licking the titan's finger. The two mammals sniffed at each other until one of the does, most likely the fawn's mother, gave a soft call to the little one who returned to her side. Not a minute later, the herd left the clearing.

As the odd trio began leaving as well in the opposite direction, Zettabyte spoke, "Sasha?"

"Hmmm?" the raven-haired girl hummed questioningly.

The robotic titan grinned, "I'm really glad I came to this planet."

Sasha smiled back, "Well I'm glad you came."

Three hours later; Third Person Perspective

The Sun still shone above as it became mid-afternoon. Sasha had eaten her yogurt-covered raisins, apricots, a few of her granola bars, and drank half of her water while Midnight had eaten from one of the cans.

"Hey Zetta, aren't you hungry? I mean, doesn't your kind need that Energon stuff you told me about? Or some of those rust sticks and other Cybertronian treats?" the Goth asked curiously.

"Rust sticks and other Cybertronian delicacies stopped being made when the war started and I don't have any Energon on me. I haven't had any since I left the Nemesis. Come to think of it, I haven't felt hungry since that day," Zettabyte responded, a bit shocked himself.

Suddenly the raven-haired girl felt concern for her partner as she spoke, "Maybe we should head back. You can drop me off and go get checked by that medic you told me about. Knock Out is his name right?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to cut the nature walk short," the mechling replied back.

But Sasha shook her head and said, "I think we walked enough for today. What matters is making sure you're healthy and there's nothing wrong internally."

Zettabyte smiled sincerely as he said, "Thank you."

Sasha smiled back as she spoke, "You're welcome. Hey, do you think we'll be okay if you're in vehicle mode and I'm in the backseat when you call Soundwave? That way if he sends Laserbeak again, I'm well-hidden?"

"You know what? That might actually work!" the Cybertronian adolescent proclaimed as he changed n to Vehicle mode and allowed his human charge and the female feline into his backseat. However, just as the ruby and sapphire mechling prepared to comm. the Decepticon TIC, they heard a noise. It was a combination of talking, laughing, and human-sized footsteps treading the forest floor.

"Shoot, campers," the Goth hissed before turning to her partner, "Zetta drive!"

Not caring if the campers heard him or not, Zettabyte's tires squealed as they scrambled for traction on the soft dirt and his engine roared before he took off. Sasha buckled herself and held the alarmed Midnight close as her guardian sped down a dirt path. Out of nowhere, a dark, foggy emerald portal, unlike the blue-green portal of a Groundbridge, opened before the speeding mechling. Unable to stop in time, the mechling zoomed through it.

Both human and Cybertronian screamed as the vision was blurred by equally emerald wisps. The female Burmese yowled in terror by the sudden, frightening change of scenery. Two minutes of this panicking went by before it stopped and they found themselves in a totally strange location. Letting Sasha and Midnight out of the backseat, Zettabyte transformed and the three of them looked around their new surroundings.

There was emerald fog covering the empty spaces in a swirling pattern. They stood on a large flat, rock surface. They saw similar platforms floating a couple of meters away with nothing underneath to support them. Looking around more thoroughly they saw doors floating much like the platforms. Most were dark lilac but others were white with pillars and came in all shapes and sizes. The last unnerving thing they noticed was that it was eerily quiet.

"Sasha…d-do you know where we are?" the mechanical extraterrestrial asked with an unsure stutter.

"I have absolutely no idea where we are," the nature-lover answered back just as uneasy.

That's when they heard an unfamiliar male voice say, "You're in the Ghost Zone."

Midnight twitsed around hissing, her fur standing straight up. Sasha and Zettabyte turned around more slowly. That's when they came face to face with a group of bots.

There were eight, three mechs and five femmes. The mech in the middle looked two be only older than Zettabyte but very much younger than the other two mechs. He was cobalt, silver, and dark gray with indigo optics on a snowy white faceplate. He had a lithe but strong built and had a black skull painted on his cobalt chassis and clawed servos. He also had a pale royal blue cloak with black flames on it.

The next mech looked to be the same age as Knock Out. He was more muscular than the first mech but still slim and had spider-like appendages not unlike Airachnid's. He was dark crimson and light gray with amber colored optics on a grayish white faceplate and a silver diamond on his chassis. He had spikes on his shoulders and neck and strong looking servos with sharp tips.

The last mech looked to be the same age as the crimson mech if not a bit older and had a similar build. He was light violet, lavender and black with a blood red optics on a cyan face with lightning bolt shaped scar on the left optic. He wore a dark iris purple cloak and a symbol that looked like a combination between a clock and a gear was on his chassis. His servos weren't as clawed.

The femmes all looked to be a bit older than Arcee. The one farthest to the trio's left was a light apple green and white with portions of sky blue and tan. She was build elegant and curvy and she had audio finials that were shaped like that of dove wings. She had a dark green optics on a silvery faceplate with equally dark green lip plates. On her arms were what looked to be small vines with leaves. She had a pale blue flower like symbol on her chassis.

The femme next to her was black, juniper green, and eggplant purple. She has wicked sharp features to go with her lithe body. Her dark grass-green optics were set on a dark gray faceplate with wine colored lip platess. She had a grasshopper green raindrop symbol on her chassis with a lavender swirl on the inside.

The next femme was pale azure and light rose red with some soft white on her. She had a soft cerulean optics on a cloud white faceplate with blush pink lip plates. She stood in a stoic noble fashion with her elegant build and wise gaze. On her chassis was a gold flame symbol with creamy orange wings on either side.

The femme closest to the crimson mech was shamrock green and gold with some hints of black. She had powder blue optics on a silvery faceplate with golden lip plates. She looked very calm and serene had a servo on her enlarge abdomen-a sign that she was heavily sparked. The crimson mech had an arm around her waist and on her chassis was a silvery spade symbol.

The last femme stood beside the blue-cloaked mech. She was a clean white and baby blue with hints of silver. She had Periwinkle blue optics with a hint of pale lavender on a pale gray face with pale cotton candy pink lips. She had some soft looking silvery white material in certain area like her neck and shoulders. She had clawed servos, though not as clawed as the blue-cloaked mech's servos. Her helm had triangular parts that looked like ears. A Persian blue paw print with little claws on the tips lay on her chassis.

It was then that Zettabyte found his voice and stuttered out, "W-Who are you?"

The blue-cloaked mech stepped forward and spoke in a calm and cool voice, "You are in the Ghost Zone. I am Nephilus."

Based on his voice, the three could tell he was the one who had spoken to them before they turned around.

"I am Karmaro," the crimson mech spoke in deeper but friendly tone.

"I am Jadeluck. I'm Karmaro's mate," the femme next to Karmaro said politely.

"I am Venomarra," the dark femme spoke in slightly aloof tone.

"I am Dracorra," the rose and azure femme spoke firmly with a noble tinge.

"I am Terrana," the apple green femme said kindly.

"I am Riversong," the white and pale blue femme said softly.

"And I am Clockwork," the purple-cloaked mech said wisely. "We've been waiting for you Zettabyte."

"H-How do you know my name?" the ruby and sapphire mechling asked in surprise.

"I have always known your name. As I have known Sasha and Midnight's names," Clockwork said gently.

"What kind of bots are you guys?" Sasha asked as politely as she could. She had picked up the slightly relaxed Midnight and held her close to her chest.

"You misunderstand. These aren't really our true forms," Terrana explained carefully. "We take these forms to bring familiarity and comfort to Zettabyte here. We are spirits. I am the spirit of nature. Karmaro is the spirit of justice and vengeance. Jadeluck is the spirit of good and bad fortune. Venomarra is the spirit of potions, elixirs, and hexes. Dracorra is the spirit of dragons and phoenixes. Clockwork is the spirit of time. Nephilus is the guider of souls. And Riversong is our messenger and protector of sorts."

"Why me?" the Cybertronian adolescent asked, fear now replaced with curiosity.

"You, my boy, are very special," Karmaro stated with an encouraging smile. "You're a halfa."

"A what?" the raven-haired girl and mechanical titan asked in confused unison.

"A half is a creature that can switch between being alive and being a ghost," Jadeluck clarified in a motherly tone.

After a moment of thinking, Zettabyte spoke up, "So every time I change into that other look, I'm actually changing-"

"Into a ghost, yes," Riversong finished for him. "It gets easy to accept after a while."

"But how?" the metallic youth questioned just went it hit him. "The blast from M.E.C.H…"

"Yes. It hit you with ectoplasmic energy that fused with your CNA," Clockwork confirmed.

The mechling would have fallen back in complete shock if Dracorra hadn't come to his side to steady him. Midnight, no longer scared, jumped out of Sasha's arms and took a stepped towards the group. Venomarra coolly leaned down and stroked the feline down her back, which the Burmese very much liked and even purred happily, bringing a small smile to Venomarra's face.

"It also explains why your appetite hasn't come up or why other Cybertronians can't sense your life signal," Nephilus added. "Your body will run on your ecto-energy until you consume some sustenance and your ghost half creates a signal-dampener that keeps you safe from being detected. You can turn it off by will and turn it back off as you choose. And there will be times where your metabolism changes and you'll be hungry every hour or two."

"Also, thanks to your powers, you have high pain tolerance, faster reflexes and speed, stronger hits, more focus and agility, and stronger senses, even when you aren't in your ghost half," Dracorra put in as she returned to the side of her compatriots.

As the pubescent robotic extraterrestrial listened to all of this, he heard a child's giggled and stared in shock at the group. Karmaro and Jadeluck smiled at each other before they parted to show two younglings, both very much smaller than the adults and the adolescent. One looked exactly like Karmaro but lacked his father's spikes and only had the spider appendages which folded behind his back. The second youngling was a bit shorter and looked like his brother but had his mother's optics, faceplates, and gold trim. Neither had a symbol on their chassis.

"These are our sons; Vendett is the oldest and Jinx is the youngest. Until our newest bundle comes into the world," Jadeluck said as she pointed to them to indicate the first youngling as Vendett and the smaller one as Jinx before her servos returned to her rounded abdomen. "Say hello you two."

"Hi," Jinx smiled naively and shyly.

"Hello," Vendett said politely but in a less shy manner.

"Well hello to you two as well," Zettabyte said in a friendly manner before turning to the spirits.

"So is the Ghost Zone where all living beings go when they die?" the Goth asked carefully.

"Well it's where they go to stay until they decide to pass on. Sometimes they stay here indefinitely by choice. But in a way, yes. This where those who depart the world of the living come," Venomarra clarified for the human girl.

"We sense that you three have more questions," Clockwork stated as both human and Cybertronian nodded. "Unfortunately, it will have to wait until next time. We all have duties that affect the world of the living and if we don't get back to them soon…well…it'll get messy."

"Can't we stay a bit longer?" Sasha begged, her shock and fright was now replaced with total curiosity and slight excitement.

"You may…next time. When you visit us in our own areas. Nephilus will show you next time you come," Terrana reassured.

Nephilus took out a large, silver clasp like bracelet and put it on Zettabyte's wrist. In the middle was a green gem with glyphs around it.

"What's this?" the mechling asked curiously.

"It's a bracelet that will allow you to come here. Just twist the glyphs to the right three times, like a human decoder ring, and a portal will come up," the blue-cloaked mech explained. "Also it will allow you to tell when your life signal is uncovered when the gem turns violet. And if you're wondering how you do that, it's easy; just imagine an orb of energy breaking out of a glass case. To turn it off, just imagine the orb going into a glass case."

"We really must be going now. We'll see you three again," Riversong promised. The same portal they drove through before appeared. As soon as it did, the spirits disappeared, leaving the three alone.

Picking up his charge and the feline, Zettabyte walked over to the portal, stared at it for a moment, and then walked through it. Unlike when they came in, it was more calm and less eerie. It was almost like the Groundbridge. When the odd trio made it out, they stood in the same clearing that they saw the deer in. Thankfully, there was no campers.

"Zetta," the raven-haired girl croaked. "Did that just happen?"

"Yes. Yes it did," Zettabyte stated softly.

"Mrowr," Midnight mewled quietly.

Looking down at the bracelet, the Cybertronian adolescent offlined his optics and focused. He imagined blackness. Then he saw a green orb in a case. Cracks formed around the case before shattering, allowing the orb to fly out freely. Onlining his optics, he looked down and saw that the gem had turned violet.

"That wasn't so hard," Zettabyte said, smiling to himself as he transformed. "But just in case."

The nature-lover could only nod as she scooped up the female Burmese and got in her guardian's backseat while he called for a Groundbridge.

"This is Zettabyte. I need a Groundbridge back to Jasper, please," the ruby and sapphire mechling said through the comm. A moment passed before the blue-green portal opened up before him. That's when he heard a voice intercept his comm. to Soundwave. It was Knock Out.

[Hey kiddo, how was your little day trip?] the Decepticon CMO asked coolly with interest.

"It was nice," the Cybertronian youth replied calmly.

[Well that's good. Did you make an adventure out of it?] the vain medic asked with an air of curiosity.

Zettabyte replied in the most nonchalant tone he could muster, "You might say that…"

Fourteen minutes later at Sasha's house; Third Person Perspective

The robotic extraterrestrial adolescent pulled into the garage and allowed his human friend and female feline. Sasha opened closed the garage door and opened the inside door, allowing Midnight in first.

"I can't believe it. We were surrounded by real spirits!" Sasha exclaimed to her mechanical friend in amazement.

"I can't believe that I'm practically half dead," Zettabyte spoke aloud before looking down with a sad bitterness. "What does that make me other than a bigger freak than I am?"

Sasha's eyes softened with sympathy as she walked up to her friend and placed a hand on against his servo before saying firmly but encouragingly, "Don't say that. It makes you unique. It gives you an advantage to rise above your doubts. But most of all, it gives you the courage to be happy with who you are and, in time, show it to those around you."

Zettabyte smiled at her before speaking, "Thank you, Sasha."

"There's no need to thank me. You're my friend and I'll always be on your side," the Goth told him gently. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a warm shower and change into some comfortable clothing."

"Of course," the mechling said politely as he allowed her to go back inside whilst he took the time to gather his thoughts.

Twenty minutes later; Sasha's Perspective

Sasha gave Midnight water as she finished her cup of Yoplait peach yogurt. After a quick shower, the raven-haired girl was now dressed in dark burgundy tank top and black shorts with red flames on them and aubergine socks. As she prepared to walk back to her room she was stopped when she saw that the voicemail box had one new message. Curious she played it and listened.

The recording of a female voice came out saying, {Hello Sasha Morgan. This is Officer Linda Fanzone calling from the Jasper Police Department. I'm leaving this message to inform you that your electric bike, which was in the care of a Jackson Darby, was reported stolen this morning. We are currently looking for the perpetrator and we will call you if anything turns up.}

The raven-haired girl felt her heart sink as the message ended. She had been so relieved about getting her bike back and focused on spending the day with Zettabyte that she forgotten about Jack discovering the bike was gone.

"Shoot. I guess I better fix that," she muttered to herself, grabbing the phone and dialing the number before listening and waiting for someone to pick up.

Thankfully, after three rings, a male voice answered, "Hello?"

"Hello, this is Sasha Morgan. Is a Officer Linda Fanzone there? I would like to speak with her," the Goth asked carefully.

"No, I'm sorry. She's out with another officer to respond to disturbance. Can I take a message?" the male officer asked politely.

"Yes, thank you. She called me earlier about my bike being stolen while it was in the care of my classmate, Jack Darby. I have a confession. I have the bike," the nature-lover stated calmly.

"I'm sorry, what?" the officer questioned, sounding a bit confused.

"I got mad at him the day before. My family owns the auto shop in town, so I asked the employees if they could go to his house and retrieve my bike for me. It was out of anger and I shouldn't have done it. I apologize for causing you or your fellow officers any trouble," Sasha replied in an apologetic tone. "Also, would you mind giving me Jack Darby's house phone number so I may call him, please?"

"Yes, you may. Thank you for being honest. I'll tell Officer Fanzone when she comes back," the male officer responded back professionally and respectfully before telling her the Darby phone number.

"Thank you," Sasha said gratefully as she wrote it down and hung up.

"Sasha?" the voice of Zettabyte called out. Taking the house phone with her, the raven-haired girl walked to the inside door, opened it, and found her partner looking worriedly at her.

"Zetta? What is it?" Sasha asked with concern.

"Is everything alright? I heard you talking with someone," the mechling explained shyly.

"The police left a message saying that Jack reported my bike stolen. I called them up and told them that I had the auto shop employees went to get it for me. Now I need to call Jack and tell him the same thing," the Goth told her mechanical friend before realizing something. "Wait you heard me while I was in the hallway?"

"Well, the door kind of made it hard but I did hear some of what you were saying," the metallic extraterrestrial youth confessed bashfully.

Sasha stared at her partner before it clicked and she said, "They were right. Your senses are sharper now."

Zettabyte blinked and smiled a bit, "I guess that is proof, isn't it?"

The nature-lover gave a bewildered smile before turning to focus on calling her classmate. Pushing in the number that the officer had given her, she waited for someone to answer. However, after five rings, it went immediately to voicemail.

{Darby residence. Please leave a message,} the recording a woman's voice says, most likely Jack's mother.

Suppressing a small groan of exasperation, Sasha spoke, "Hey Jack, it's Sasha. The police told me about my bike. Listen, it's not stolen. I have it. I was so angry that I asked my uncle's employees to go by your and get it. Looking back, I realize that it was out of line and I'm sorry. I was so angry at Miko that I took it out on you, which I shouldn't have done in the first place. I already told the police the truth so you don't have to. Call me back if you want. By the way, thanks for fixing my bike. See you at school tomorrow."

As soon as she hung up, she turned to her titan friend and asked, "So, what do you feel like doing now?"

Four hours later at Jack's house; Jack's Perspective

Jack sighed as he stepped into his house. His time at the base today was one of his more unpleasant visits. After having breakfast with his mom, Arcee took him to work which, thankfully, wasn't so hectic that day. The two-wheeler then took him to the base right after, as his mother was doing yet another graveyard shift. Raf was there early too, having come earlier. Things were peaceful until Bulkhead came in from morning patrol with Optimus. The femme had given her leader a short greeting before going to her quarters.

The obsidian-haired teen had tried to ignore the obvious aggravated mood that the moss-colored Wrecker was in but to no avail. Even the pre-teen computer prodigy sensed Bulkhead's ire, wincing every time the large mech passed behind them as the two male human youths tried to focus on their video game. Raf left two hours prior to Jack's departure. Not that the obsidian-haired teen could blame him. Bumblebee had been just as uneasy while Optimus and Ratchet spoke in the next room, no doubt discussing about what they should do about their feuding team mates.

Jack had to go and knock on Arcee's berthroom door and say that he wished to be taken home. She obliged, as calm as when she first picked him up that morning. She had transformed right after exiting her room and allowed Jack on. He had felt her tense when they passed Bulkhead and drove through the tunnel. The ride was, for the majority, quiet. Once they arrived at his house and Jack got to the door, the sapphire femme drove off after muttering something along the lines of "I'm going for a drive. See you tomorrow."

Just as he had gotten in and closed the door, planning to start go over his homework, he saw that there was a new message in the voicemail. Curiously, he played it and was surprised when he heard a familiar voice.

{Hey Jack, it's Sasha.}

Ten minutes later at Sasha's house; Sasha's Perspective

"That teddy bear isn't so cuddly," Zettabyte said, wincing at the pinkish magenta teddy bear on his human friend's laptop screen.

"My grandma said the same thing," Sasha laughed. After some careful consideration, the Goth decided that watching Netflix would be a safe and fun activity. Feeling nostalgic, she opted for the Toy Story trilogy. She grinned as the mechling became more intrigued in the movies. He even fidgeted with curiosity as she had paused near the end of the second film to fix herself a dinner of homemade sweet potato fries and marinated tofu with garlic bread and a grape soda. Now she was finished with her meal as they were in the middle of the third film. Midnight laid in her lap, fast asleep. Just as she was about to take her dishes to the kitchen she heard ringing. It was then that she realized that it was coming from the house phone, which she forgot to put back inside the house.

Pausing the movie, and making a gesture for her guardian to keep silent as she answered, "Hello?"

"Hey Sasha, it's Jack," the obsidian-haired boy's voice said from the other side.

"Oh, hey Jack," the nature-lover responded. "I guess you got my message."

"Yeah, I did. I'm just calling to tell you that I forgive you. And that I'm sorry for not stopping Miko on Friday," Jack said, his soft voice holding a tint of guilt.

"Well, you were still being a better person for helping me," the raven-haired girl responded back. "Plus, you did a great job on my bike, so thank you again."

"You're welcome," the male teen replied. "So, see you tomorrow at school?"

"Yes. Have a great night," Sasha said kindly.

"You too," the junior student stated.

As the Goth hung up she carefully lifted Midnight off her lap and handed her to the mechling to hold while she took the phone and dishes inside to their respective places.

When she got back, she sat back down and smiled at Zettabyte, "Now where were we?"

Three hours later; Sasha's Perspective

As she checked one last time to make sure her mechanical friend was resting, she made her way upstairs. Once she had made sure that she had everything set for tomorrow and Midnight was safe in her bedroom, she went into the bathroom. While she opened the cabinet to get out the toothpaste and face wash, she saw an electric razor and a squeeze tube of amethyst hair dye. She recalled her Aunt Lizzie telling her how she wanted to try styling her hair to feel more "juvenile" but that her Uncle Ted talked her out of it. Her gaze remained on the two objects as she recalled what she told Zettabyte hours earlier.

"It's good to be different. It makes you unique."

Why not follow her own advice? She was in a new place with new friends. Temporarily but still. Why not take a chance and do all of the things she never got to do before?

Looking at the two objects one more time, she grabbed them as she told herself, "I'm doing it."

Hello! Sorry for the late update. College has been hectic. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and like the upcoming Halloween and Day of the Dead TF fics coming up. No, I didn't genderbend Fanzone. It's a reference/minor OC and it's a bit of a surprise. And don't worry, you'll be seeing more of the spirit OCs I showed you in this chapter. I don't own any movies, food brands, or media entertainment (Netflix). Don't like it, don't read. Haters will be ignored and flamers will be flamed.

Until next time, Happy Reading!