I was sitting in his hand again, like I did when we first met. I couldn't hear his signal back then. It was comforting to feel it now. A purple cloud blew past me and I reached out to touch it. As my finger touched it, it popped. Purple dust blew past me, landing mostly in his palm. I watched, curious, as the dust grew together and began to take form. Ravage, I realized. I reached out to pet him and he purred. I looked up at him, but his faceplate was impassive as always. His optics reflected the landscape, a purple shadowy place. I could feel the sparking flutter inside. It hurt. Soundwave reached out again, but the pain remained. His signal grew louder, harder, making my head fill with only his call. The meaning was indecipherable except maybe to my subconcious.

I held my head in my hands trying to contain the pain.

Please wake up Har. Wake up. Fleeta urged. I could almost hear her. I could almost understand why she wanted me to leave.

Yes Master.

I was supposed to return, but wait, I was already with him. Or was I? As I stood up I heard Fleeta calling again. I fell down as a wave of pain rode over me. It didn't hurt when I fell. It should have hurt. Suddenly, I could feel someone holding me down. And then it hit me: I was dreaming.

The clouds exploded as Soundwave melted away in a wave of energon. I did not fall, instead floating where his hand used to be. A low growling echoed in my ears and I turned to find Ravage leaping at me, and I flinched only to never be hit. Light disappeared and I screamed as it thrusted wildly inside. The invisible ground fell out beneath me and I fell into a darkness so dark as to be indescribable.

My eyes opened quickly, painfully exposing themselves to the brilliant white light.

"Careful, careful. Open them again slowly." Ratchet murmured. I winced and reopened them again. My vision cleared this time and I saw Ratchet and Fleeta above me.

"Good. She's stable. Stay with her while I get a drip set up." Ratchet sighed. In that moment his age really showed; In that expression of relief, you could tell how many deaths he'd seen in his long lifetime and how welcome a survivor was.

I looked up in time to see Sunny walk out the open door. Skye's dad was standing awkwardly by the window where Skye was crying quietly.

Fleeta was at the foot of the makeshift bed, which really was just a pile of pillows and blankets on top of the berth.

"I'm so glad you're okay."She sobbed, completely forgetting the others here. " I-I'm sorry for hitting you, I just couldn't let you go back and he was there and I-I….don't do that again." She added sternly as she wrapped her arms around me best she could. It was an awkward hug due to the straps holding me down.

I smiled the best I could. I made a promise remember?

She smiled as she pulled a fallen cover back up. And you better keep it.

"Ya are not allowed to do dat again. It hurt, for one and for two…" She called from the window. Skye paused as she figured out the right words. "I don't wanna lose ya." She grinned through her tears.

Ratchet made a throat clearing sound to quiet us. Fleeta moved away slightly, refusing to let go of my hand. "The sparking was being called by it's creator. The carrier has basic coding to protect the carrier and sparking by inducing obedience. Apparently it also applies to you as well. I think that's why Shockwave allowed for the bond and n-." He cut himself off. He lifted a large datapad, one sized for a Cybertronian, and pointed to it. "The sparking is growing faster now too, likely due to meeting Soundwave." He moved his digit to the corner of the pad and the picture started moving. I felt so slow. The picture was of what I was carrying.

It's so pretty.

But it's killin' you, Har. They're killin' all of us.

It's a beautiful destruction then.

It moved and wiggled before flashing a bright white. "This is what it looked like when Soundwave was nearby." He tapped it again. "And this is what it looked like after he left, but with him still broadcasting." The sparking dimmed in color to a light purple, lavender really, before vibrating at a fast speed. "And this is what it looks like normally." The sparking calmed down, staying still except for the arms of light that protruded from it. He put the datapad down. "It almost killed you, being so close to him. I think the same thing would happen if the rest of you got close to your sire as well.I think he found the base through Harmony."

"Well that's a matter of security, isn't it? It's not our fault they attacked." Fleeta yelled/said defensively.

"I think it was because of a faulty link in the advanced warning system as well as low security outside." Red alert began. Ratchet glared at him, a wrench materializing in his hand. He backed away, shutting up immediately.

Ratchet held his digits up in surrender."I'm not saying it is your fault. I'm saying that the bond might be traceable to them, perhaps even the nanites. The outdoor area can't shield you from them, but the base can. What I'm saying is…"

"Stay in the base at all costs so this doesn't happen again." Ratchet glared at Ironhide, but he just shrugged. "You were gonna take forever to say it. Mind's well get it out." Ratchet turned back to gauge our reactions.

Fleeta was steaming; Skye was gone. I just sat there.

"Can you-" I said before I cut myself off. I said...words. From my real voice. Out loud.

"Can you take the straps off?" I repeated, this time more sure of myself.

I actually did speak, I realized in surprise.

The remainder of the room turned to me. My cheeks burned from the stares.

"Har? You spoke?" Fleeta said as her fists loosened.

"I think so. Unless this is a dream." I spoke. I spoke. I spoke. I spoke. I spoke. I couldn't believe it.

"Ratchet, how? You said that..." Fleeta turned in a blur., switching from wonder to worry in an instant.

"I think it's only temporary." He replied, pity for me in his voice. "It was possible, I knew that from the beginning, just unlikely. It was very unlikely." He muttered as he undid the straps. I winced at the deep gashes they left in my arms. He turned away and instinctively, I pulled my sleeves down to cover them.

"That's okay..I guess." I smiled. "I'll enjoy it while I can."

Thank you AutobotCopperShadow, Autobot Princess Arcee, Fandom Jumping Expert, HeartsGuardianSol, Khalthar, NordicAutobotGirl, Redder45, SilverMistLove9898, TFAN Override, TrailWave, Vodid, raven-saber, summer490 and morgancomstock960 for following/favoriting. I appreciate you all. Also, thank you Nordicautobotgirl for all those comments. They've kept me writing this one. If any of you follow my other stories, they are on hiatus. I'm going to rewrite them all, as in the entire story before posting again. For now, I'm sticking with just this one.