Sooo it's been a month since I last updated...oops. I honestly had the hardest time writing this chapter and I feel like this is the worst one I've ever written so I personally apologize if my writing's not up to standards. There's some important parts of this chapter, Jessica goes through some things that'll get the plot moving but it's kind of a filler chapter. Anyways I'll stop writing and get going to publishing...

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers.

Chapter 8

I woke up on my own this time. Maisy was curled up on my side, attempting to take over the whole bed. It was a good thing she was cute.

Well might as well get up. Last night I had a hard time falling asleep and when I finally did, it was a restless sleep. I kept dreaming about my encounter with Ron from yesterday. In my dream, he kept abusing me and I could hear people laughing at me. I would wake up sweating and breathing hard.

Those dreams reminded me much too much of him... Nick. I took a deep breath. I hated thinking about him. All I could think was how happy I was to be rid of him. I was thousands of miles away from him. I could only hope that his last words stayed words. And didn't come back as a reality.

" Don't forget Jessie. You are mine. You always will be. You think anyone is gonna want you after what happened? Remember this. I will come back for you. "

I shuddered at the memory. As much as I tried, his words still haunted me till this very day. Even if they were said months ago.

Getting out of my bed, I shook all thoughts of him out of my head. I took my shower and put on my military uniform, minus the boots. I figured I could still wear mine since I haven't been caught yet.

We headed to the mess hall to grab some breakfast. After getting Maisy's, I snatched some corn pops and milk. Hmm I wonder if they have any coffee? I looked around until my eyes laid upon a few coffee machines on a table. Bingo! Oh how I loved caffeine. I didn't like normal coffee but enjoyed mochas and lattes. I knew there wasn't going to be an espresso machine on base so I tried to look for something sweet to add into it. There you go! Honey, I smiled. I poured myself some coffee into my mug as well as lots of cream, sugar and honey. I liked it sweet.

I sat down with Maisy at one of the further tables. Since yesterday, I began to notice the arrival of more solders. Speaking of which...

" Hiya! " A girl who looked my age flopped down across from me. She seemed like one of those people that were morning people. And happy. All the damn time.

" Hi. " I tried to say with a mouthful.

" You new here too? " She was just an inch or so shorter than me with dark chestnut hair that fell below her shoulder blades and hazel eyes.

" Yeah just got here two days ago. I'm Jessica, Lennox. " I introduced myself.

" I'm - "

" Rosalie! " A male voice echoed in the hall. We turned around to see a guy that resembled the girl in front of me but taller and lighter hair.

" What? " She yelled back. So she must be Rosalie.

" I've been looking for you all morning. You left your dog behind, did ya know that? " He asked nearing our table.

" Oops sorry my bad. "

" Oh hi there. " Her brother said sheepishly. Well I assumed it was her brother. That or her cousin. " I'm Jace. Rosalie's older brother. "

" Older by like 5 minutes. " So they were twins.

" Still older to boss you around. " He teased her. He looked over to me. " Sorry you had to deal with her so early in the morning. " Rosalie gapped at her brother playfully. I chuckled at the exchange.

I always wondered what it'd be like to have a sibling or two. In a sense, I was glad that I was an only child so that no one else had to grieve for my parents. Inwardly shaking my head from those dreary thoughts, I focused my attention back on the twins.

" I'm Jessica. " I gave him a small smile. " And this is Maisy. " I looked down at my dog who was sniffing the other two dogs. Something happened all of a sudden and all three dogs went running out of the mess hall. Lovely.

" Well might as well go looking for them. I highly doubt any solder will too pleased if any of them end up peeing all over the floors. " Rosalie snickered.

" Have you guys been shown around base yet? " They shook their heads as a sign of no. At the very same time. That would take some getting used to.

" Well come on then! We can kill two birds with one stone while we're out looking. " I put my garbage away and we were off in search of the dogs.

" So where do you guys come from? What's your story? " I asked.

" We grew up in Rexburg, Idaho. Not a big town but we like it there. " Rosalie said.

" We were raised by our grandmother. I wasn't interested in the military until we went to high school. " Jace continued.

" I didn't know what I wanted to do and being separated from my brother didn't quite sit well with me so I decided to enroll too. I'm glad I did, I quite like it. " Rosalie finished off. Oh boy, they practically finished each other's sentences. I hoped it didn't get too confusing.

" What about your parents? " I asked.

" Never knew 'em. Don't know what happened to our mom but our dad didn't want anything to do with us. That's what grams said anyway. " Rosalie replied.

" I'm sorry 'bout your parents. "

" It's no biggie. What about you? Why're you here? " Jace asked away.

" Well I've always wanted to be enrolled. I live nearby Tranquility in Nevada. Ever since my uncle was part of this I wanted to be just like him. He and my grandparents were all in the military at some point. Now all there's left of our family is us two, my aunt and cousin. " They didn't bother asking about my parents which I'm relieved about. I wasn't quite yet comfortable about talking about them. Especially with people whom I had just met.

I showed the twins around base until we found ourselves at the main hangar that met the entrance to the Autobot entrance.

" You know what I wonder about? " Jace asked.

" Don't hurt yourself. " Rosalie said with a faux innocent look on her face. Her twin mock glared at her.

" Why the ceilings are so high. " I was wondering that also. The buildings were high enough for giants.

" Maybe it's for big machinery? " I offered.

" Perhaps. " Jace looked puzzled.

" There's still one last place we haven't looked for the dogs. " I led them towards the training room for CANINE. When we walked in we expected to see a few dogs laying around or perhaps some NEST solders training them. We were not prepared for the sight we were greeted with. Dog food and treats were flown out everywhere, grass and mud stains were splattered on the floor and all three of our dogs were innocently chewing on some bones they found right in the middle of all of it. Here I thought Maisy was actually starting to behave.

" Maisy! " I half whined/scolded. Her ears deflated when she heard my tone. The other two dogs looked up to their owners who looked peeved.

" I've already gotten in trouble yesterday I really don't need to add this to the list. " I groaned. Second day on base and both of them are turning out like crap.

" I'll go bring the dogs outside. " Jace offered. When he left to go outside I turned to Rosalie.

" Ok I'll do the food. You and your brother do the grass and mud, sound good? " She eagerly nodded.

" I don't really wanna find out what they do to newbies on the first day if they get in trouble. Any other day I'd be on the other side of things. " I looked at her confused. " Just you wait Jess. You'll learn how I do things. And it may or may not involve a prank or two. My first target's gonna be Epps. "

" Don't start something you can't finish. Trust me I've been involved in more prank wars with him that I can count. " I fairly warned her. I could still feel the egg yolk dripping down my hair from last time. " But if you need a partner in crime, look no further. " I grinned.

" I think we're gonna get along just fine. " She grinned back deviously.

" I know that face. Who're you gonna get this time Rosie? " Jace asked exasperated.

" Epps. " Rosalie answered nonchalantly. " And don't call me that. " She growled. Jace smirked back.

" A commanding officer? Yeah you're on your own for that one. "

We finished cleaning quickly and after letting the dogs outside we headed to the rec room. There I spotted Victoria and Nolan playing ping pong.

" Want to play with a real ping pong player? " I asked Victoria to tease Nolan. I introduced the twins to everyone and we spent the remainder of the day hanging out and getting to know each other better.

...

It was already 7:30 by the time we got back from the rec room. I put Maisy down on my bed before getting changed. I switched out my uniform for my blue sports bra, grey tank top, black spandex shorts and my Nikes. I put my hair in a french braid before coming out of the bathroom. I looked at Maisy playing with a toy on my bed.

" Behave this time. I don't wanna have to come back to clean up again. " I warned her. She looked up at me and barked happily. I couldn't stay mad at her for long. As soon as I looked into those big eyes I was a goner. I rubbed her ears affectionately before grabbing my water bottle and heading out.

I couldn't help but feel a little nervous for the training session with Ron in less than 15 minutes. If I thought training back home with him on that very day he made me do everything double was hard, would he make me do it again? Ugh I groaned ay the thought. I could do without going through that again.

I didn't know how to feel about last night. It seemed like he was mad at me for simply talking to him. I didn't understand why he treated me the way he did. I know now that we're on base things would change but I didn't think it would be like this. I just thought that we were... friends. Or so I thought. Nothing made sense. One moment we're getting along perfectly and he's been there for me better than anyone has for years and the next he's yelling out at me for no reason! And the worst part was that I almost cried in front of everyone last night.

These past couple of weeks made it look like I'm some kind of weakling crying every other night in front of Ron. But I never cried before and that wasn't gonna change. I'd show Ron that he couldn't push me around or judge me for no reason. But did I want that? Of course I did but I also didn't want to push him away. One part of me wanted to talk to him about last night even if he pushed me away but another, the more rational part of me was telling me that that's how he was. That that's how he is. But I couldn't listen to the rational part of me because I had seen glimpses of the real Ron. Of the little I knew of him. And that's where lay the problem. I barely knew him and yet I didn't. Do I follow my heart and chance to have this break me? Or do I follow my brain and never know the truth?

This wasn't just about last night. I knew there was something else. I once heard that if someone pushes you away it really meant they needed love in return. I may not love him but I'd push past his walls. He'll see. With those thoughts in my mind, I decided which part of me to follow.

" Hiya! " An energetic voice came out of nowhere. I turned around to see a man about mid twenties coming my way. He stood just under 5'9 wearing visor like sunglasses and the usual military getup but in black. He had short black hair and slightly tanned skin.

" Hi. " I said nervously, my mind was still on the matter at hand.

" You tha little lady ah heard all 'bout from Lennox n' Epps? " His smile portrayed perfectly white teeth.

" That'd be me. " I said guiltily. He chuckled.

" Mah name's Jazz, first Lieutenant for tha Autobots. " He stated proudly.

" I'm Jessica but you can call me Jess. " I shook his hand. " Ron told me a little about you. " Jazz quirked a brow up.

" Did he now? "

" Yes only basic things like everyone's position in the group. He cares a lot about the Autobots. He said you were like his family. " I sighed. " Is he always so serious and reserved? " I asked. Jazz looked at me calculating. I wanted to know if there was any hope in getting past Ron's walls. Maybe make tonight a little bit easier.

" Ah've known him for a long time. If he cares for yah, it won't be obvious. Ron's someone who's been through a lot in this war and doesn't get attached easily. But like ah said before, if he cares for someone, it'll be ah miracle and ah half. " He chuckled. I smiled sadly. It sounded like Ron was hurt or broken from his rough past and that's why he pushes people away...maybe that's why he's pushing me away. He did tell me he doesn't feel anything when we touch. But it still didn't explain last night. " If yah need ta talk ta anyone my door's always open. " There was something about Jazz that told me I could trust him. He almost seemed like a parental figure wanting the best for people.

I exchanged info with him on the location of his office and my room and vice versa minus the office for future reference. I think I might actually stop there tomorrow for a few minutes. Realizing I still had to meet Ron, I picked up my pace to get there sooner. I had five minutes to spare. I stretched out my limbs before the inevitable.

When Ron said it was a private training he really meant it. The whole part of the training room with the indoor track was empty. At that moment the doors burst open to welcome Ron himself.

" Hey I- "

" Let's get started solder. Well don't just stand around. " He interrupted me. Looks like it was asshole Ron part 2. He wouldn't even hear me out. Instead of arguing with him I decided that if I was gonna be able to talk to him it should be after I finished doing what he wanted of me. Get on his good side. Like my dad right after supper and before the football game.

The training was the same as the day I spoke against my uncle. Twice as hard. Exactly what I was hoping to avoid. Oh well I sucked it up and finished the training in an hour and a half.

" Have you learned your lesson solder? " He looked at me as I tried to catch my breath.

" No Ron I- " I tried to speak.

" It's Commander to you. " He glared at me with an intensity that I didn't think he'd ever look at me with. I glared back.

" Is this what this is about? Because I called you Ron? Because I called you by your name that I've been saying for the past month? " I was peeved off. How stupid can one get? He was mad over this?

" Yes but that's not all. You disgraced a federal officer. "

" Ok look maybe I shouldn't of have called you Ron but I didn't think about ranking. I was so used to calling you that at home. " Ron looked a little more calm. " But that doesn't mean that I deserved how you treated me last night. Or this private session. " We locked gazes neither one of us wanting to submit defeat. Ron sighed loudly and rubbed his face with his hands.

" Alright it seems like we were both in the wrong and out stepped our boundaries. " He concluded.

" Ya think? " I said sarcastically. He gave me a warning look.

" Doesn't mean you can go around base calling me Ron either. Understood? "

" Sir yes sir! " I mock saluted with a goofy grin on my face. His lips twitched upwards as he rolled his eyes. " Is it okay if I still call you Ron when no one's around? " I asked hopefully.

" I think I can agree to that. " I smiled slightly.

" Oh one more thing! Can we continue private training? Maybe every Sunday? "

He grunted in reply. I'll take that as a yes.

A ding sounded from the speakers.

" All new recruits are to gather in the main hangar at 2000 hours. "

" You'll be debriefed on some things and you'll get your schedule for the week. " Ron explained to me. I needed to get back to my room if I wanted to get changed and arrive at the main hangar in time. I grabbed my water bottle and stopped by where Ron was at before leaving. I made sure my hand wasn't sweaty before grabbing his.

" Thank you for hearing me out. " I smiled slightly and gently squeezed my hand before leaving the room without looking back. I can't believe I grew the guts to do that. I stifled a giggle and quickly got changed when I reached my room.

We were about fifty or so all together for the recruits. Moorshower was standing at the front with a the other commanders I assumed. I looked around for someone I knew and spotted Victoria and Nolan in the off corner. I greeted them just as the twins came running in.

" I can't believe we made it. " Jace said out of breath.

" You worry for nothing. " Rosalie said standing by my side.

" Well if it weren't for you maybe the dogs wouldn't have run away again. " She just shrugged as if to say it was no big deal. Jace seemed exasperated with his sister as he rubbed his temples.

" Can I have you attention please? " We all quieted down as Moorshower began to speak. " Welcome to NEST. We're gonna be going over rules and regulations... " My mind wandered off as I looked around. Most of us were fresh out of high school or in their early twenties. I was at the back of the group so I couldn't see anyone's face. A blur of dirty brown hair caught my attention. I tried to get a better look but they were moving within the crowd and I lost them. It almost looked like... no it wasn't. I had to stop being paranoid.

" ...and I believe that is all for that. Don't forget to grab your schedule on your way out. " I didn't realize I had zoned out for twenty minutes. Oops. All five of us headed to receive our schedules. Instead of the basic paper we were handed these devices that resembled an Ipad. Odd. I looked up at the Commander confused.

" It's new technology were trying out. You've got the first batch. They're called datapads. " I nodded in understanding as I read it over.

Name: J. Lennox

Block A ( 7 AM - 9 AM ): Special Ops with Lieutenant Jazz

Block B ( 9:10 AM - 10:30 AM ): CANINE training

Block C ( 10:40 AM - 12:30 PM ): Phys. Ed. with Commander Ron assisted by Swiper and Sunny

Block D ( 12:40 PM - 1:40 PM ): Lunch

Block E ( 1:50 PM - 3:10 PM ): Medical training with CMO Ratchet

Block F ( 3:20 PM - 5:00 PM ): Weapons training with Commander Ron

** You are responsible for your CANINE dog as well as your progression. You shall be evaluated on your progress every week for each sector. If you do not meet standards, you will require extra training with that sector's respectful leader.

I blushed at the thought of having to see Ron twice a day. I smiled slightly as I spotted Jazz's name. It looked like we were training with all Autobot members. I got a little bit exited about meeting other members of the team.

If only I knew what this week would bring me.

Alright so I don't if anyone noticed the very important part I mentioned near the end. It was very brief and subtle but something big is gonna happen in the next upcoming chapters. Any guesses for what it is?

Oh and another thing I want to know your opinion on something. I want one of the Autobots to act like a dad for Jessica but I'm stuck between these three:

a) Optimus

b) Ratchet

c) Jazz

I'm leaning towards more Ratchet or Jazz but let me know what you want. Reviews are welcomed!