A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I needed to rewrite a few parts because I didn't like them and a couple small details eluded me enough to keep me from getting a lot of work done.

Synopsis! We have fluff. And not just cute fluff. We witness an internal dialogue of Rachel's after she has a little flash back moment, and is that a little wishful thinking? Then we find out that life on Earth could get very bad in just a handful of days. Skywarp's latest dream hints at things that might have happened if life had been different before it turns into his worst nightmare yet. Starscream arrives back on Nemesis only to get verbally slapped around by Megatron, who enjoys playing on one of the red Seeker's greatest fears... and we find out that Megatron is the worst kind of evil bastard and things from previous chapters start to fall into place.

Italics are used for internal diagloue, flash backs, dream/nightmares, and words that are strongly emphasized.

Constructive criticism is always welcomed, reviews given much love and I hope you enjoy the story!

Story Arc 6

Chapter 10 - Awakenings

Time stood still. The universe stopped its eternal dance. The world was a million miles away. The war didn't exist anymore. The med bay where we had stood disappeared into the ether. Life as we knew it consisted of just us. My heart beat only for him - his spark pulsed only for me.

With his fingers, he gently tilted my head up to meet his gaze and I stared into his azure visor. The perfect smile I received from him radiated his love and assurance that we would never be separated from each other; no matter the distance, no matter the circumstances, there was a bond between us that nothing could ever come between. Not even death.

I caressed his face tenderly, the warm soft metal of his faceplate pulling back into a wider smile. My smile grew as well, my eyes drinking in the bright azure glow from his visor and every angle of his face, carefully etching every detail in my mind. Words were unnecessary, we were communicating only through touch and expression. I could feel the strength behind his other hand that held me close to his hood, firm enough to reassure me that he would never let me go, yet gentle enough to not hurt me. I traced along his chin with the back of my hand, enjoying the reaction I received from him in the form of his spreading smile. Our souls touched for the briefest of moments. He was complete, I was complete, and nothing else mattered anymore.

"Do y' think we can go somewhere and talk for a bit, Rach?" His voice was soft and musical.

I nodded, still smiling. "Let me finish Blue's knee," I turned my head slightly to see the gunner now fully in recharge. "This will just take me a few more minutes so you'll have time to go clean up. Where do you want to go?"

"Meet at my room?"

I hugged Jazz and I pressed my ear to his chest just to hear the sound of his beautiful spark, my arms barely reaching across his hood. "I'll be there shortly."

He kissed the top of my head again before setting me back down on the table next to Bluestreak. I watched him leave the med bay, his steps light and jaunty and I couldn't help but smile fondly at him before I turned back to my work.

Ten minutes later, I was done and wiping the thick grungy oil off of my hands. One look at my clothes told me that I needed a shower before I went to meet Jazz. So leaving Bluestreak asleep on the table and checking with Ratchet if I could be excused, I raced out of the med bay and ran to my room. I jumped through the shower and washed all the oily grime off and I got dressed quickly, glancing at the mirror to check that I looked all right. I walked down the hallway to Jazz's room running my comb through my damp hair; I hoped I hadn't kept him waiting for too long.

Jazz wasn't outside his room so I knocked on his door. I had the key code to his room, but I felt it was slightly rude to just barge in without knocking first. There was no answer and I knocked again. "Jazz?" Maybe he wasn't back from the wash racks yet. I tapped the pass code into the door panel and the thick orange titanium door opened with a soft 'swish' noise. The light from inside his room was very dim and his stereo was off, quite unnatural for Jazz. Unless he was going out for a mission or had a long shift, the music was always playing. Might as well turn his stereo on and wait for him to return, I thought as I stepped into the darkened room. As the door cut off the light from the hallway abruptly, I saw a familiar azure glitter to my side. Why hadn't he answered me? "Jazz? Are you okay?" I squinted in the dark waiting for my eyes to accustom to the dim light and checked his body over. I stifled a small laugh at seeing the weary rhythm of his systems.

A barely touched energon cube was held in his slack hand and he was slumped over sitting on a corner of his recharge berth. It looked like he had barely sat down and slipped into recharge. He looked so peaceful as he slept. I stood there just watching his whitish-blue spark pulsing as he rested; it had been a long and physically tiring day for him and the others; I was tired as well, but more from mental exhaustion than anything else.

We could talk tomorrow, he needed to rest for now and I just couldn't bring myself to wake him with as peaceful as he looked. I decided to leave him a note to say that I didn't forget about him wanting to talk and to give him the time of my shift in the morning. I quietly walked over to his oversized desk; I was never going to get used to literally giant furniture. Getting down from tables and chairs and whatnot was the easy part… it was getting up to them that was the real challenge. I looked at the seat of the chair that was twice my height and saw a neatly folded stack of the enormous towels that were used for drying off after a trip through the wash racks. I also saw some damp towels draped over the back of the chair and I couldn't help but giggle as I remembered fondly when I dried him off after a rainstorm that we stayed out in…

"Kinda cloudy tonight."

I sat down next to him, "Clouds can be pretty, but the cricket symphony is good too."

He laughed and lay back in the grass, "Good enough. But what if it starts t' rain?"

"It's just water. Do mechs melt in the rain?" I felt the ground behind me before I lay down next to him. There was the rumble of thunder in the distance that accentuated my question.

"Nope." I could still hear his disarming smile in his voice. "But there has been rumors of rust."

I shut my eyes and listened to the hum of Jazz's systems and the crickets, "You're rust proof because of the nanites. But if you're worried about a little water, I'm sure we can find some towels back at the Ark and I'll help dry you off."

He moved his arm next to me and I reached out and put my hand in his, "Hope it does rain then."

Lightning spread out above us like electric lace against the clouds. "Looks like you'll get your wish."

"Hmm? What wish?"

"I can smell the rain." I turned towards his voice. "Does it rain on Cybertron?"

"Yeah, but not like this." There was a wistful sound in Jazz's voice.

I felt the first cool drops of rain hit my face, "You did promise me that you'd give me the grand tour of Cybertron, Jazz-style. I'm holding you to that promise. I want to experience everything, even alien rain."

"I intend t' keep that promise, Rachel." I heard the smile take away the wistful side in his voice.

The rain started to come down hard and I was getting splashed from the drops hitting Jazz. I threw my arms out wide and laughed, feeling free and happy as I lay next to him in the grass. "Are you rusting yet?"

He laughed, "Can't tell."

I sat up and hugged him, resting my head on his arm, "Well when you think the rust is settling in, let me know and we can go back."

I felt his hand on my back, holding me close while I hugged him, "Hmm, might be gettin' close. Water in the circuits, y' know."

"Good thing you don't have to worry about shorting out in the rain." I smiled and pushed my wet hair out of my face.

"Nah, but I might get in trouble if y' catch a cold. Ratchet wouldn't be t' happy wit' me if y' got sick."

"You forgot I grew up here. Rainy days are in my blood." I lifted my head to smile at him. "Would Ratchet get mad at me if you caught a cold?"

"Maybe…" There was a mischievous hint in his voice. "So we should head back. Just in case I do catch a cold."

I stood up and stepped back away from Jazz to give him room to transform. As I heard the pistons and gears move, I tried to wring the water from my hair, which was a vain attempt since the rain was coming down hard now. "You realize your insides are going to get all wet because I'm soaked?"

"Y' promised t' dry me off." There was no denying the mischievous glow now in his voice.

I laughed and I sat down in the front seat. "Are there mech sized towels at the Ark?"

"Everyone has a few stashed away. If y' don't grab some when they come in, Sunstreaker will take them all." I could hear him grinning.

I giggled. "Is there any circuitry I should be worried about getting wet?"

"Everything is wet already."

"Oh, okay. So… you won't mind if I do this?" I shook my head hard letting my wet hair throw water all over his interior.

"I take that back, now everything is wet."

I laughed again as I pushed my hair out of my face. "Might as well be thorough, you know. 'Do it with style or don't bother doing it.'"

When we arrived back at the Ark, we walked down to the dorm hallway leaving a trail of wet and dripping footprints behind us. "Red'll have a fit if he sees us makin' this mess."

"Geez, what is it with water and mechs?" I giggled.

"You know, I've never been inside your room."

"More t' hear than t' see, really." That mischievous glow entered his voice again. I heard the door slide open and we walked into his room. It slipped closed behind us and I stood still listening to him move about.

He had moved over to one side of the room and I could hear him rummaging around. I tried to squeeze the water out of my hair again. "So is there any good music to dry off to?"

"Hmmm lessee here." He moved again and something soft hit the floor, I assumed it was a pile of towels. There were a few clicking noises and then the room was filled with music; there had to be speakers all over the room. He was obviously using my mp3 player as the heavy rhythmic beat from Deep Forest filled the room.

"Nothin' on the floor for y' t' trip over but towels, if y' want t' dance."

I giggled putting my arms above my head, spinning and weaving along to 'Radio Belize' as I moved towards where I heard him sit down. My leg brushed against something soft and I reached down and pulled a towel that was easily three times my size free of the pile. I shook it out in time to the beat of the song and he laughed as I danced closer to him with the towel. I spun around again right into his hands and he guided me over to his leg. "Y' can start at the bottom." There was an impish tone in his voice.

I busted up laughing, draping the towel over my arm and did the best maitre'd impression I could, " Shall I use the daily wax or the fancy occasion stuff?"

"The fancy stuff, o' course. It's not everyday I get my girl alone in my room."

I looked back at his recharging form and smiled, feeling my cheeks flush. He had wanted to meet at his room and we were both tired and those towels were big enough to be a blanket and I wouldn't have to leave a message for him and it wasn't like I would be missed if I didn't go back to my room... I tried not to dwell on the idea that popped into my head in case I talked myself out of it. Think of it this way – I can talk to him in the morning when he wakes up. Easier than leaving a silly note, right? I had to jump to reach the towels on the chair he had set them on and was able to pull two down for me to use. The towels were big enough to dwarf a king sized bed. I turned around to look at Jazz as butterflies took flight in my stomach. If you chicken out now, you'll beat yourself up for being silly. It's not that big of a deal to stay in his room. I took a few steps towards him. His recharge berth was stretched out along one side of the room. Think of it as an adventure. You've never slept in that big of a bed before, Rach.

I made it to the middle of the room and stopped. Sleeping next to someone was completely new territory for me. Technically it wasn't that big of a deal: I had slept in his arms before when I was sick from the nanite exposure, and I had slept inside of him on the night it rained when we were coming back from our vacation. But that wasn't the same as sleeping next to him in his berth. Not like anything would happen, he probably wouldn't even know I was there. There wasn't even a chance that I'd get squished, but I still couldn't help feeling nervous. Maybe this was too much just yet… I started to lose my backbone and couldn't move further than the middle of the room. I hung my head with a defeatist sigh. I still needed a lot of work on growing a backbone for myself. Fine. But you're not leaving this room… go sleep in the corner or on the chair. I acquiesced to my doubt and slunk back across the room. Tossing the towels back on the chair, I quietly climbed into the seat and started to make a bed out of the dry towels. Idly, I wondered where the giant towels came from and if there was a mech laundry room somewhere hidden in the Ark. I sniffed the towel I had folded up for a pillow to see if I could smell any laundry detergent fragrance on them: they smelled like new cars.

I kicked off my shoes and crawled into the make-shift bed with a yawn. At least he'd see me when he woke up and this was still better than leaving a note. Snuggling under the towel, I shivered. My hair was still damp from my shower and it was making my 'pillow' wet and cold.

I rolled onto my side and looked at Jazz's sleeping form. I wish I could fall asleep like that. Just sit down and lights out. But the position he was in didn't look comfortable and he'd probably have kinks in his back and arms from recharging like that.

I tossed around to the other side; even with all these towels and in a temperature regulated room it was still cold. And this chair. How a mech could sit in a chair like this for any length of time was beyond me; even if I had one hundred towel 'blankets' I wouldn't get comfort on here.

I rolled over onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe I wasn't as tired as I thought I was. I shifted to get comfortable only to sigh again. One ceiling tile, two ceiling tiles, three ceiling tiles…

This was ridiculous.

I had become a living example of 'The Princess and the Pea'.

I forced my eyes shut and tired to just listen to his internal systems hum softly from the other side of the room. Maybe if I listen to the calming sound of him in recharge it will help me fall asleep.

I shivered under the towels and stared across the dark room at Jazz; he looked so peaceful over there on his berth, and suddenly I was very jealous that mechs can just initiate a program and fall into recharge. A simple program would allow them to sleep whenever, wherever, all they had to do was access it.

I sighed and shut my eyes again trying to focus on the calm sounds of his internal systems. You know, maybe hearing them up close and feeling the rhythm of his spark would help. I opened my eyes again. It did work when I was plagued by the nanite-influenced dreams…

My mind continued its weary tirade. You have two choices: you can leave an impersonal message for him when he wakes up and you can go back to your room and sleep in your comfortable bed, or you can get off this horribly pain-inducing chair and go curl up next to him where it'll be warm and you can hear him up close. I bet being next to him would put your right to sleep… you do feel safe and secure when you're with him. Okay, that was it. I gathered up the towel bedding and dropped off the edge of the chair. Shuffling across the floor, I moved towards his recharge berth. I shivered as I stood on the ground and looked up at the ledge; if I were mech sized I wouldn't have this problem of getting up and down furniture.

I stared at the ledge with my armful of towels in my socks and with my cold damp hair hanging limply around my shoulders. What are you waiting for? It will be so much warmer up there next to him. But I've never slept next to anyone before. I could feel my checks blush. At least something was warming up. This is so silly. I won't get squished. I'll be safe and warm and get to hear his spark beat… what is so wrong with that?

But…

There is nothing to worry about. So what if you're nervous, the chances of being squished are nil; Mechs don't move once they're recharging, well most of them don't anyways. So what's the big deal with it?

Oh. I get it. Wow, you are really mentally exhausted, aren't you?

You're just going to sleep next to him. Even if he woke up, nothing would happen. Or did you forget that you're human and he's an alien mech and stuff like that is virtually impossible? Not to mention that your relationship isn't like that. Stop acting like a silly schoolgirl and get up there where it's warm and you can fall asleep.

I tossed the towels up onto the berth and then crawled my own way up carefully; I didn't want to wake him. Making a nest for me out of the towels, I lay down next to his leg and snuggled into the bed I had made. I was right; it was very stupid to think anything would happen. I could feel the low hum of his systems in recharge and the steady pulse of his spark. I cuddled closer to him and shut my eyes. His armor was delightfully warm and the feeling of being completely safe washed over me. I finally started to drift off into sleep and I wondered how he'd react in the morning to finding me there with him.

I wonder what this would be like if I wasn't human or he wasn't mech…

He felt something brush against his armor and quickly powered up his systems.

Years of being in the war meant being on guard even while in recharge.

Establishing that he was in his room and resting at an odd angle on his recharge berth, he felt something shift against his leg. Jazz turned and found Rachel curled up asleep next to him. He couldn't help but smile as he set the forgotten energon cube on the floor and ever so carefully lifted Rachel and the towels turned blankets off the berth. Moving to a more comfortable position on his side, Jazz gently repositioned Rachel protectively between his body and arm so he could watch over her as she slept. She unconsciously snuggled up to him, smiling softly in her sleep. He idly brushed her hair out of her face with a finger, amazed that this beautiful creature was sleeping peacefully micrometers from his body. With the lulling sound of her heart beat and her soft breathing, he reinitiated his recharge programming.

As he slipped back into recharge, he wondered if he could convince her to come sleep in his room more often.

The pleasant dream I had was fading quickly when I first woke up, leaving me with a vague and happy feeling. Seconds later all I could remember was that Jazz and I were in it. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and tried to focus on where I was. The familiar hum of his systems brought me to my senses and I realized that I was curled up between Jazz's arm and chest. Sometime during the night he must have woken up and moved into a comfortable position for himself and placed me in this protective position. I sat up and stretched feeling my shoulders and back pop loudly - recharge berths were not the most comfortable places to sleep.

I looked up at Jazz's sleeping form and smiled. He was still in deep recharge but he knew that I had stayed the night with him. I felt giddy inside as the heat from a blush flooded my face. I shook my head as I chided myself: See? That wasn't so bad after all.

Wondering what time it was, I started to fold up the towels. No use in waking Jazz up right away; he had been tired enough to fall asleep when he sat down, he deserved to recharge longer. I set the towels down on a corner of the berth before climbing down, and then I realized that my shoes were still up in the chair. Oh well, I shrugged. I'll just come back for them later.

I slipped out the door quietly; the hallways were empty and somewhat peaceful, but I could hear movement and voices further down the orange titanium hall. I couldn't help but feel self-conscious as I wondered what the others would think if they knew I slept in Jazz's room last night. With the blush and giddy feeling returning, I hopped down to my room smiling to myself. All that fuss, and for what? Feeling happy and the knowledge that he knows you were there? What is so wrong with that? There was no one there to see me acting foolish, so I let the schoolgirl giggles have free reign.

It was after nine a.m. and I was late for work. Figuring it wouldn't matter too much since I was already late, I freshened up in my room and then I went to the lounge to get some coffee.

I made small talk with the few mechs that were in there getting energon, even with the sour Weapons Specialist. Ironhide was grumbling about the seawater and oil muck from the previous day gumming up the firing mechanisms in his cannons, so with a wide smile I offered to check them out later if he swung by the med bay. He said he'd be by after his shift as I waved and headed off for work.

The doors to the med bay were open when I arrived and I was surprised to find Ratchet, Wheeljack and Jetfire all standing around Teletraan 1's screen. What a day to be late. I set my cup of coffee on my desk and walked over to the three mechs.

Jetfire had brought up a map of the Pacific Ocean and was pointing out where the Pacific Plate met the North American Plate with a finger. "The Aleutian Trench, where the Earth's Allspark is located, is an active volcanic area with the Pacific Plate being subducted underneath it. Until yesterday, I was certain because of its location that it would be safe from Starscream and the Decepticons. Unfortunately, I assumed wrong as the Allspark started to move, and not in a direction that it would considering the geology of the area." He pointed out a dot on the screen that represented the Allspark. "Between the time when I first surveyed the Earth and now the Allspark had moved northwestward along with the Pacific Plate. As of yesterday the Allspark started to rise from the subducted plate, and at the current rate of movement it should break free from the Aleutian Trench within thirty-five Earth days."

I looked up at the giant map and the screen with the calculations Jetfire had made. "How long after until it reaches the ocean surface?"

"Good morning, Rachel." The gentle scientist turned to look at me before he pointed out equations on ocean currents and weather predictions for the area. "Two days at the most, worst case scenario – a few hours. The harmonic radiation from the Allspark will be evident once it breaks free of the trench, alerting not only the Decepticons but your scientists and governments."

"How dangerous is the radiation?" I looked up to Jetfire with worry spreading across my face. "Because if we're looking at lethal levels of radiation, then I need to call Secretary Granger and warn him."

"I don't believe the radiation will be harmful as it was what created life on Earth. I would suspect that it would have a beneficial affect on oceanic life in the Pacific by either repopulating currently existing species, creating new species or both. But I will study the radiation levels just to be sure. At the moment I am more worried by the fact that the signal will alert the Decepticons."

Wheeljack crossed his arms over his chest, his vocal processors blinking as he spoke. "What if Megatron takes it back to Cybertron? Can he affect life back home with an Allspark?"

Jetfire shook his head. "No. When the alien Allspark was brought back to Cybertron for study, there were no affects on the planet or the researchers working on it. But if he takes it to a lifeless planet he could seed the planet for his own uses."

I looked between the three mechs. "What happens to Earth if he takes it away?"

"Birth rates would drop, extinction rates of keystone species would increase." Ratchet shook his head and brought up data on Teletraan 1's screen from studies done at the Science Academy. "The decrease in the creation of sparklings was noticeable enough on Cybertron regardless of our life span, but who knows what damage it would cause on Earth with humans living to be on average sixty years with roughly thirty years available for procreation."

A chill went down my spine and all traces of my wonderful morning were shattered as the implications of what they were saying sunk in. "So in a matter of years all life on Earth would be destroyed."

"I'm afraid so, Rachel." Icy blue optics gazed sadly down at me.

"So what do we do to stop it?"

The gentle scientist turned back to Teletraan 1's screen. "I am unsure at this point. We do not have the means to restore it to its original position nor do we have a way to remove it and bring it back to the Ark."

"How big is the Allspark? I could always modify the C-17 to carry-" Jetfire stopped Wheeljack before he could continue with his line of thought.

"It is easily half the size of the Ark, maybe even bigger than the Ark. I can only tell the strength of the signal with my scanners, not the actual size."

I stepped closer to the screens that were forecasting Earth's impending doom. "Do you think this is because of the artifact being destroyed in Mexico?"

"I believe there is a correlation between the two. Movement in one direction that has been achieved over millions of years does not alter and change course in one day without some reason behind it."

Wheeljack tapped his fingers on the elbow of his crossed arms. "What about Starscream and the other buzzards? Could they have done something to cause this?"

"It is possible, but there has been no sightings of Starscream since the destruction of the artifact."

"Is there a way to track its movements discretely, like maybe with Sky spy?" I looked up at the three mechs. "Or can we program Sky spy to monitor the harmonic radiation levels?"

"Easy enough." Wheeljack stepped up to the console and within seconds had the Autobot satellite programmed and headed to its new position over the Aleutian Trench. "I've modified Sky spy's sensor arrays to focus on all of the radiation signals, all geological changes in the area, any Decepticon activity within 1000 miles of the Aleutian Trench, and send periodic updates on the Allspark's movement directly to this console, Rachel's wireless device and the console in my lab. Anything out of the ordinary happens, we'll know about it in under a nano-klik."

Our brainstorm session ended abruptly when the monitors behind us in the med bay began to wail as Skywarp's systems started a power spike. "Slag, he shouldn't be coming out of recharge like this still." Ratchet grumbled as he walked over to the prone Seeker.

I ran over to them and was half way up the ramp created for me to access the tables when he bolted upright, his intakes raggedly drawing air at an accelerated rate. Skywarp grabbed at Ratchet with an audible snarl, his blood red optics wide and unfocused; the Seeker's nightmare this time left him out of touch with reality. Ratchet tried to restrain him, but Skywarp's wild flailing was enough to push the grouchy medic away. I dodged one of his swinging arms and called to him. "Skywarp!"

"Rachel! Get away from him!" Wheeljack was now trying to help Ratchet restrain him, but it was just fueling Skywarp's thrashing on the table.

I was undeterred. "Skywarp! It's okay, Skywarp! You're safe! Do you hear me? You're in the med bay and you're safe!"

Ratchet yelled at me again as another wild swing from the Seeker nearly knocked me off the table.

I shouted at him in Cybertronian. "SKYWARP! YOU'RE SAFE! CAN YOU HEAR ME? YOU'RE SAFE!"

The Seeker's thrashing slowed enough for Ratchet and Wheeljack to grab him. I put both hands on his leg and tried to calm him again, speaking firmly but gently. "Skywarp. You're safe. You just had a bad dream."

"Keep talking to him, Rachel." Ratchet said over the noise of the thrashing mech and monitors.

The monitors were still beeping shrilly and his systems were overclocked, but after a few minutes of speaking soothingly to him, he started to calm down. His optics stopped flickering wildly as he started to come back to reality. "It's okay, Skywarp. You're safe. Everything is okay, you're in the med bay still surrounded by all the Autobots that you hate."

He tilted his head and looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language, so I repeated what I said in Cybertronian. "You're safe."

The fact that Ratchet and Wheeljack were holding him still didn't seem to register as he finally looked at me. "Rachel?" His air intakes were still cycling rapidly and his voice sounded rough and strained.

I kept patting his leg and smiled at him. "You're okay, 'Warp. You just had a bad dream, but you're safe now. You're here with everyone you hate. Everything is going to be fine."

He stared at me as he calmed down and finally realized that Ratchet and Wheeljack were restraining him. He tried to wrench his shoulders free but winced in pain. I saw the look and quickly scanned him over, immediately spotting a tear in a secondary energon line. "Ratchet, he's ripped a line close to his fuel pump."

Still holding on to the black and purple Seeker, Ratchet moved into his line of sight. "I'm going to let you go if you can sit still so I can fix this, all right?"

Skywarp gave a terse nod and a weak tug as Ratchet loosened his grip. His optics instantly shifted back to stare at me, that strange look he gave me the day before crossing his faceplate again. His air intakes cycled down to a normal rate and I could hear his internal systems finally slow to a somewhat rested state, but he didn't take his optics off of me. I just smiled and kept patting him reassuringly. It had to be the craziest sight in the world: here I was, a human, comforting a big bad Decepticon like he was a distraught child. I wasn't sure if he had truly calmed down because I was there or if he calmed down because his CPU finally shook off the nightmare and grasped reality. It was puzzling that as he came out of the grip of the dream he actually called me by my name instead of my gender. Had I been in his nightmare again and had my presence affected him by bringing him back to reality?

Maybe when things calmed down later I would ask him about it. But that would have to wait for later. Much later, because I wasn't totally convinced that I wanted to know if I was in his nightmare again.

They were smiling.

He looked between his wingmates as if they had grown extra heads. Thundercracker looked calm at and ease, his normal dark glower had disappeared completely. Starscream's trademark snarky scowl was gone and replaced with a genuine laugh that he hadn't heard in eons. What was happening?

Skywarp surveyed the crowded room where they stood; it was brimming with mechs and glowing cubes of the finest high-grade energon that he had ever seen. He glanced over at the enormous windows and the silvery blue cityscape of a rebuilt Iacon.

They were home.

He couldn't help but grin as he clapped his two best friends on the back and pushed them to the nearest table that held the exquisite crystal cubes of high-grade. "I do believe I hear the cries of energon that is begging to be drank."

With cubes in hand, the trio leaned against the nearest table and watched the party, waving and pointing out people they hadn't seen since their days at the Academy. Actually, it felt like they were still at the Academy. Everything seemed right in the world and any reservations he had earlier disappeared, even when Optimus Prime approached them with his hand outstretched to Starscream. The red Seeker eagerly shook his hand and commented on the party and the best high-grade he'd ever had. Skywarp couldn't help but giggle as he lifted his glowing energon cube up. "To the best high-grade 'Screamer has ever kept down for more than a joor!"

Thundercracker snickered loudly and thumped Skywarp on the shoulder. "Hey 'Warp? Remember that time when-"

Starscream shoved the dark blue Seeker. "Shut up, both of you!"

He couldn't help his giggles and gave a playful elbow back to his friend. "And what about that one time-?"

The three tussled in front of a laughing Optimus Prime, accidentally sloshing energon on the floor. This behavior for them was normal. This was who they were and who they'd always be. This is how life was supposed to be for them.

Thundercracker straightened up and wiped some of the thick golden liquid from his wings, his playful smile turning into a mischievous one as he waved to someone. "If you sparklings can stay out of trouble for awhile, my presence is requested elsewhere."

Two sets of curious purple optics and one set of bright blue turned to see to whom he was waving. A smiling femme with golden optics walked up to the small group. "I swear, you three are attached to each other by the wings."

The grinning dark blue Seeker wrapped an arm over the femme's shoulders. "Good to see you, Optimus. And you two," he pointed at him and Starscream. "Stay out of trouble and don't wait up."

"You mean sparkling-sit Skywarp so he stays out of trouble." Starscream smirked.

Thundercracker snorted and walked away with the femme without another word. The remaining two Seekers looked at each other and grinned evilly. They didn't know the meaning of trouble.

Starscream turned to talk to Optimus again and he decided his hands felt naked without another energon cube. He walked over to the nearest drone waiter and helped himself to two cubes. Maybe he would share with Starscream, maybe not. He lifted one cube to his lips and drank deeply; if he knew the nerdy Starscream (which he did), the mech would talk Optimus' audios off about some new project or his latest thesis or a ton of other boring stuff. He took another swig of the pure golden energy and gazed about; there had to be a femme about who would enjoy his company somewhere in the room.

Something across the way caught his optics and he shuffled through the crowd to get a better look. He stopped a few feet away of a table, a curious look spreading over his faceplate. What is that?

A strange little creature sat there talking and laughing with a black and white mech. Its outer covering was a deep red and it looked very fragile with no armor that he could see. It was fascinating to look at and he found it difficult to quit staring. Whatever it was, he found it strangely… alluring. The creature turned and looked at him, returning his stare with a curious one of its own. It then smiled and he noticed its murky purple optics were wet and just as fragile looking as the creature was. They were odd but somewhat familiar…

Wait. That creature is not a 'what', but a 'who'. And somehow he knew what and who she was. He wasn't sure how or why he knew the femme, but he lifted his energon cube up to her and smiled. Aliens visiting from the nearby systems weren't unheard of here; he must have seen her over at the Science Academy or something. The black and purple Seeker turned and headed back into the crowd on his search for company.

He walked around the room before returning to Starscream and handing over the extra energon cube. He had seen plenty of people walk up to Optimus Prime and briefly talk to him; maybe he could smile at one of the many femmes that came by and offer to get her a drink.

Suddenly the building shook violently and the entire crowded room went silent. Tense moments passed until Optimus' strong baritone voice cut through the hushed air. "It was probably a core tremor. There's nothing to worry about." Nervous talk resumed and before long the party was heading back to a full swing. He was now on his fourth cube and vaguely focused on whatever Starscream was prattling on about now. Give the mech an idly audio receptor and he could rattle off for joors.

The building suddenly shook again, this time hard enough to send a huge crack across one of the enormous windows. People went to examine the crack and that's went the first scream was heard. A femme, shrieking loudly, was pointing out the windows. The room became deadly silent as optics turned from the giant crack in the window to what lay beyond the glass.

The planets lit by Cybertron's blue sun were aligned across the twilight skies.

He heard the hushed voice of his friend from his side. "We're not supposed to have a major conjunction for eighty vorns and-" He was cut off from saying anything else as lightning laced through the air, heralding angry and roiling clouds that swallowed up the sky. Thundercracker was instantly by them and they shared frightened glances as people panicked and ran for the exits.

Somehow they had failed.

"We have to get out of here now!" Starscream had pulled a gun from his subspace pocket and fired on the giant window closest to them. A completely foreign scream filled his audios and he swung around to see the femme cowering in the middle of the room with her arms over her head.

Two sets of strong hands grabbed his arms and pulled him to the window. " Come on 'Warp!" He looked forwards at the violent lightning that rained down on the planet as the femme screamed again. She would have no chance of survival in that if she weren't stomped on first…

He yanked his arms free of his wingmates grasps and dove through the crowd scooping the crying femme up in his hands. Starscream and Thundercracker were already in the air and heading into the stratosphere as he transformed and tucked the femme inside his body.

"Skywarp! What's going on?!" She shrieked and trembled inside his cockpit.

"We have to get out of here, Rachel!" Even his voice sounded strained over the roar of his engines as he over taxed them.

"What about Jazz!?"

"We don't have time to find the Autobot! We have to get out of here!"

"We can't leave him behind!" She screamed and ducked down as the lightning around him crashed violently.

He tried to duck and dodge his way through the electrical bolts that rained down; one hit could knock them out of the air. The roiling clouds had blacked out the skies meaning that their only means of escaping the deadly lightning storm would be through them. "Hang on, Rachel!" He gunned his thrusters and pierced the tormented clouds. He wasn't given the option to think that this had been a bad idea as the lightning ferociously surrounded them. He took a heavy hit on his left wing that melted his airfoils and sent them in a wild and uncontrollable spin.

"SKYWARP!" She yelled frantically at him as he fell out of the sky, the angry clouds streaming past at a dizzying rate. There was no way he could fly in his alternate mode anymore. He reached inside of his cockpit and pulled Rachel out, holding her close to his body as he transformed. He righted himself and tried to get out of their cloudy prison, pushing his thrusters beyond their means. Survival was his only goal; pain from abusing his body could wait until they were safe.

Something unseen engulfed him and they stopped moving completely. The clouds started to disperse and he found himself in some pitch-black void. He recognized it immediately and his spark sank; he was going to end up crushed to death.

As he felt the first fingers of the gravity well take hold, he saw stray crimson and dark blue pieces of armor turning to fine dust. At least he wouldn't have to witness their deaths again. Then he heard her gasp in agony. Oh slag! The femme! He tried to cup his hands around her in a vain effort to protect her from their inevitable demise only to feel her fragile body shake uncontrollably. He was aware of every movement she made inside his hands and the more frantic she was the wetter his hands became. She cried out in between pained choking. Her death was going to be excruciating.

His fuel tank lurched viciously and his heavy spark sank as he heard her desperate scream again. He pressed his palms together until she stopped moving, her blood completely covering his hands and floating into the void like deep ruby bubbles before splashing on the remaining pieces of crimson and dark blue armor.

Primus, I'm so sorry Rachel.

He thought he could make out a voice calling to him in the dank confusion that gripped him. A calm beacon pulling him out of the painful void that trapped him.

"Skywarp… You're safe…"

The chaos subsided and the voice spoke to him again. "You're safe."

"Rachel?" His air intakes were still cycling rapidly and his voice sounded rough and strained. He looked down at the femme standing next to him, whole and undamaged and patting his leg. He glanced at his hands very relieved to find they were clean. His fuel pump felt like it was about to break out of his chest, and his tanks lurched trying to purge the high-grade from his system. But he didn't drink any high-grade, did he? He looked at the femme again and she smiled at him.

"You're okay, 'Warp. You just had a bad dream, but you're safe now."

"Slag, he shouldn't be coming out of recharge like this still." Ratchet grumbled aloud as he got up off the table he had been leaning on and headed towards the Seeker. The grouchy medic had written a specific program to keep the Seeker in a deeper recharge state so he could rest and allow his body the time needed to repair itself. He, Wheeljack and Rachel had been working on Skywarp's repairs for over two weeks now, yet his recovery systems were not working up to capacity.

The Seeker bolted upright, yanking free of the cords and lines that were monitoring his systems and flailing about as if he was trying to fight off an unseen attacker; he was thrashing wildly at whatever had caused his system spike this time. Ratchet tried to grab Skywarp's arm to restrain him so the Seeker wouldn't harm himself only to get the mech growling at him and throwing his hands off. Wheeljack was at his elbow and with a nod they both made a joint grab for the rampaging Seeker.

Their first try to grab him failed and he heard Rachel call out to the Seeker. "Skywarp!"

He watched one flailing arm of the mech head in her direction. "Rachel! Get away from him!"

She didn't listen to him and kept trying to get the Seeker's attention. When he had Skywarp restrained and hopefully back into deep stasis, he was going to give the young woman a piece of his mind for not listening to him… again.

She shouted at the thrashing mech in both English and Cybertronian. "SKYWARP! IT'S OKAY, SKYWARP! YOU'RE SAFE! DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU'RE IN THE MED BAY AND YOU'RE SAFE!"

Her yelling at him seemed to have a slightly calming effect as his thrashing started to slow enough that he and Wheeljack were able to grab onto the Seeker's shoulders. Rachel had moved closer to the mech and started to speak in soothing tones to him, reassuring the Seeker that he was safe in the med bay surrounded by Autobots that he hated. Wheeljack laughed at her comment, while he could just shake his head. It was an odd way to calm anyone down, but it was working.

The monitors were still blaring loudly but Skywarp's flailing about was abating. "Keep talking to him, Rachel."

She had moved closer to the Seeker and was now patting his leg as she spoke to him, bringing him out of what ever terror had griped him. His air intakes were cycling too quickly for his taste and from what few cables were still attached to monitors he could see the racing rate of his fuel pump. Ratchet groaned inwardly knowing that the mech would sustain injuries from this.

Skywarp's voice sounded strained through the rapid cycling of air as he called to the young woman; Ratchet noticed right off that he called her by name instead of 'femme'. He had only heard him speak her name once before and that was when there was an altercation with Jazz.

"You're okay, 'Warp. You just had a bad dream, but you're safe now. You're here with everyone you hate. Everything is going to be fine." She kept comforting him until the Seeker realized that he was being restrained. "Ratchet, he's ripped a line close to his fuel pump."

The grouchy medic scowled; he knew the Seeker would damage himself from flailing about. He moved into his line of sight. "I'm going to let you go if you can sit still so I can fix this, all right?"

Skywarp gave a terse nod and a weak tug as he loosened his grip. The Seeker turned back to look at Rachel and she kept smiling and patting his leg. The mech was occupied enough by her that he had no trouble accessing the leak and repairing it quickly before any more damage could be done.

Ratchet couldn't help but be curious about this latest episode with Skywarp. He had found the cause of the Seeker's system spikes by accident the day before when he walked in on Rachel explaining nightmares to the Decepticon. He had stood in the doorway between the med bay and his office and listened to them speak in hushed tones about what Skywarp had been dreaming about, and he had noticed the body language of the Seeker when he spoke to Rachel. He was calmer around her, even pleasant, for a Decepticon. His cocky attitude was curtailed with her in the room and he actually brushed off the evil glares and snide comments made to him from the other mechs. The Seeker seemed to react better to Rachel during the repairs done while he was awake. And the fact that Skywarp had opened up to the young woman about why he was jumping out of his armor while recharging was startling. The other Decepticons would most likely look down upon such an interaction as being weak, but the fact remained that the Seeker seemed to trust Rachel enough to talk to her about what was bothering him.

As he closed up the side panel where the leak had been, Ratchet watched as Rachel still spoke soothingly to the Seeker. There was no mistaking it; her very presence had a calming effect on Skywarp. It wasn't an unheard concept – she had a calming effect on the Twins as well, but the way the Seeker responded to her was bothering him. Rachel had been kidnapped once already by the Seekers and as Skywarp's repairs were coming along, he didn't want to put Rachel in danger in case the mech decided to take her with him.

Ratchet reattached cables that the Seeker had pulled free. When Skywarp could be released, he would make sure Rachel was nowhere near the med bay. He would talk to Prowl about transferring her to Communications duty or helping Red Alert monitor security, anywhere besides the med bay that would reassure him of her safety.

After the excitement with Skywarp's outburst, the med bay was quiet again. Ratchet and Wheeljack were now working on the sullen Seeker's leg. Amazingly, the mech had kept his cocky attitude under wraps and hadn't spoken since I had calmed him down. He didn't even look at the engineer or the medic that were working on him, instead looking off to the side at the wall.

The day was beginning to turn into a semi-normal day… Minus the doom and gloom prediction that in thirty-five days the Allspark that supposedly created life on Earth was going to send the world into an absolute state of panic over the amount of radiation coming from it… and that wasn't taking into consideration what the Decepticons would do when they found out about it.

I ran my hand absently through my hair as I looked through NASA files about the Mars Rovers - Spirit and Opportunity. It was very intriguing and I was amazed at the detailed photographs taken by the rovers, but the amount of information was overwhelming. There was so much information in the files that even Jetfire, who was reading over the all of the geological survey data, was so engrossed that I had to get up and tap on his leg repeatedly to get his attention when I found useful information. So far there was no trace of any harmonic radiation signature, but with the advent of the movement of the Allspark, Jetfire's opinion of the need for an interplanetary mission changed. And I was hoping that we would find something to warrant a visit into outer space.

I opened the 2006 files on the data gathered from inside a crater in the Meridiani Planum that showed obvious stratified patterns and irregular distribution of bromine and chlorine that NASA scientists believed to be an ancient shoreline from an evaporated salty sea. The cross bedding in the rocks was fascinating, but not revealing anything useful to our search. I needed something –anything- concrete from the rovers that would indicate a source for harmonic radiation. But we had a long way to go in sorting out the survey data, and the rovers had traveled over a large amount of the Martian surface and gathered data from everything imaginable on the way.

I was about to give up the search and find that soda that was calling to me from the lounge when my wireless Teletraan 1 beeped at me. It was an instant message from a certain bored mech who was supposed to be watching Communications. I idly glanced over the next file from the rovers as I clicked on the flashing message.

SecretAgentMech: Missed you this morning.

I could feel the heat in my cheeks immediately. Just a few words from him and I would melt, but I had to hold some amount of decorum in case Jetfire came over to look at my progress.

-: Sorry. I had to get up early for my shift and you looked so peaceful in recharge. I didn't have the heart to wake you.

SecretAgentMech: When does your shift end?

My concentration was completely shot. I'd have to reread most of this file.

-: When I find solid proof for Jetfire that we should go to Mars.

SecretAgentMech: Mars? What for?

-: Long story, I'll tell you when we get a chance to talk. Anyways, when does your shift end and where do you want to talk?

SecretAgentMech: I'm trapped in Communications all alone and bored til 1700.

-: Aww, that long with nothing to do?

SecretAgentMech: -grin- You could always come visit me. Anyways, there's something I want to ask you…

-: Oh? I was just thinking about going to get a soda, I'll come see you.

I scrolled through the last few pages of the files; it wasn't going to be fun to reread this. Though the thought of sneaking off for a bit to talk to Jazz made the prospect a little more tolerable.

SecretAgentMech: I'll be here waiting.

I closed the instant message and gave a final frown to the last page of the file, intent on a much-desired visit to Communication when it caught my eye. I tilted my head to one side and reread the graph that drew my attention at the last moment.

While the Mars Global Surveyor passed over the Cydonia Mensae in 2006 it picked up strong radiation signals. Multiple strong signals. I flicked back through the file: I knew I had seen a picture of the area it was referring to somewhere. I stumbled literally on a handful of .gif images of the area from the old Viking 1 & 2 missions in 1976. There were some odd mesas in the slightly distorted pictures and a blurb about the mythical 'Mars Face'. I squinted at the pictures. I guess it sort of looked like a face, a rectangular face with big cracks through it. Actually, it looked like a mask from 'Planet of the Apes'.

But that wasn't important.

What was important was that while examining these areas from orbit, our space probes had recorded strange radiation signals. I had found the proof we needed for a mission.

"Jetfire!" The gentle scientist looked over at me as I waved madly to him. "I think I found it!" I put the graphs and pictures up on the large Teletraan 1 screen for him to see.

His icy blue optics widened slightly and he smiled. "You found it, Rachel." He turned his smile towards me. "I take it you want to accompany me to investigate the source?"

My eyes nearly popped out of me head. "Of course I do!"

Jetfire chuckled and went back to studying the screen. "I will talk to Optimus about setting up a mission then."

"Woo! Yes!" I jumped up excitedly and drew every optic in the room to my outburst. I just grinned like a lunatic at them. "We're going to Mars!"

That earned me a few knowing chuckles and a set of glowering blood red optics turned to bore holes into me. I didn't care. I was going into outer space! But first… I had a promise to keep and I needed to tell a certain mech the news of me going to Mars.

I grinned up at Jetfire. "I'll let you sort out the rest, I'm going to take a little break. I'll be in Communications if you need me."

The moment Starscream returned to Nemesis he opened up a radio link to the engineering bay and demanded to know about Skywarp's condition. The hapless mech that answered the call stuttered back over the comlink that Skywarp wasn't in the bay. "How long ago did he leave?"

There was a deathly quiet pause as the ill-fated mech tried to find the right words to say. "…Uh, he's not been in here."

"What do you mean he's not been there?! He was damaged enough to require serious medical intervention to keep him online!" The snarl in the Air Commander's voice dripped venom over the link.

"…I'm sorry, sir. But he's not been by in over a deca-cycle."

Starscream cut the link. Skywarp had to be here somewhere. With a glower that could melt titanium, he cleared the mechs out of the lifts to the officers' quarters and punched in the key code for Skywarp's personal quarters. The door opened to reveal a dark room and no Skywarp. He stormed over to the computer in the room and accessed the logs. The last entry was before they had left with Megatron to investigate the artifact. He left the room and entered Thundercracker's quarters, which were empty as well and his last login was before he had sent the dark blue Seeker to Cybertron for supplies.

He was barely aware of sitting down heavily in the desk chair. This can't be happening.

Megatron's voice broke through his disjointed train of thoughts over his comlink. "I thought I told you to report to me directly when you arrived, Starscream."

The Air Commander ran his hand raggedly over his faceplate before standing. "I'm on my way."

Mechs in the hallways cleared a wide path for the furious red Seeker, his wings were hitched up in agitation and his lips pulled back in a vicious snarl. Megatron would have some serious answering to do.

He doors to the control room couldn't open fast enough to get out of the way of the enraged Seeker. "I demand an answer, Megatron! Where are Skywarp and Thundercracker!"

Blood red optics gave the Air Commander a bored glare. "The Space Bridge is malfunctioning. Go fix it."

Murderous crimson optics narrowed into tiny slits as Starscream stood there, his fury radiating from him. "You owe me an answer, Megatron! Where are they?!"

The warlord's red optics fixed on the Seeker, his voice dripping with villainous ice. "I owe you nothing."

"You owe us everything! You never would have kept Cybertron under Decepticon rule if it hadn't been for us!"

"You think too highly of your pathetic self, Starscream. Do you truly think I care what happened those two glitching idiots? They were expendable. Just like you are expendable. There will always be someone to replace you. Never forget that, Starscream."

The Seeker's fists opened and closed rapidly with sick popping noises coming from his finger joints; his hands became wet from the articulation servos that he destroyed in his anger.

Megatron sat back in his chair thoroughly enjoying tormenting Starscream. "I believe it's time to let you on a little secret I've been keeping just for this kind of situation." He chuckled evilly. "You see, Starscream, back when the war started I had soldiers that were loyal to my cause. They would readily lay their pathetic lives down for me if given the chance, but soldiers that were willing to die in such a piteous way were useless to me. I didn't need their weak and blind devotion to the Decepticons or I. I needed, soldiers that could fight, soldiers that would stop at nothing to destroy our enemies." He drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair.

"I wanted the best soldiers that Cybertron could produce. Daring and fearless, yet young enough for me to mold into perfect war machines. I was told that the War Academy had five warriors that would be perfect for the Decepticons and I went to investigate the claims that they were the best of the best. The first two I approached were young, reckless and foolish, and I knew they would never make it as Decepticons, but the other three… They were just what I was looking for. Skilled and disciplined warriors that were still at the impressionable age for someone like me to forge into true killers… I believe you know who I am talking about."

The Seeker glowered at Megatron, but the warlord still had his attention. "They strived to be the best, relished in the thrill of victory, craving the power that being above everyone else gave them. They were the best of the best. The one idiot was eager to join to fight for his glory, and you were starving for control, yearning for power and willing to stop at nothing to get it. There was only one problem… that other glitch. He would be an excellent warrior if he had his priorities straight, yet because of him you two glitches refused to join. That one wanted nothing to do with the Decepticons." Megatron leaned forward in his chair. "But I always get what I want, Starscream… I always do, even if I had to employ a touch of… persuasion."

The Air Commander's optics widened as he realized what Megatron was saying. "You- you-"

"That was our best recruiting day. Mechs from all over Iacon were flocking to my door to become my army. But do you know the best part of that day, Starscream? I take it that your memory is still functional, but I will say it anyway because I believe you need to hear it to remind you of your place." There was a cold chuckle from the warlord. "Besides the numerous mechs that practically begged to join, those three young warriors pushed through the crowds and demanded that I make them Decepticons. They demanded. Heh. It's rather funny in a way, they wouldn't join when asked, but when everything that was... important to them was taken away… they couldn't wait to get their hands on the Autobots. Ironic, isn't it Starscream? That all it took for you three glitches to join was to destroy a section of Iacon and you obediently lined up like a drone army."

Starscream stood there shaking in fury.

"Oh? I seemed to have struck a nerve, haven't I, Starscream?" Megatron stood up and walked towards him, obviously pleased by torturing him with the memory. "You and those idiot Seekers of yours thought you were so high above everyone else, and yet in the end, all it took was Soundwave peeking into your fragile minds to find out what was dear to you, and few well placed explosives on my part. I wonder what the others would have said if they found out what I did to make them join."

The warlord stopped right in front of him, blood red optics glittering in amusement over his distress. "Tell me, Starscream. Did he jump at the chance to join the Decepticons with you after I blew up the Academy or did you still need to convince him to join so he could take out his revenge on the Autobots?"

Starscream lunged at Megatron snarling furiously only to be knocked to the floor by the muzzle of the fusion cannon. "I know how much you crave power and how you plan to overthrow my rule of the Decepticons, but do you really think you can handle it now that you are completely alone, Starscream?"The warlord sneered at him." No one would follow you. You're pathetic, weak and useless. You wouldn't last a joor as leader of the Decepticons!"

"You know… I thought I saw something special in you three frakking glitches, but in the end I was wrong. I wanted to shape you three into something better than you were. Something that I could use to further the Decepticon cause. But I was wrong and I will freely admit that. It was a waste of my time. You were a waste of my time. So you see, Starscream, I owe you nothing!" The cannon was humming to life and Megatron shoved the barrel of it into the Air Commanders face. "You are replaceable, Starscream. Never, ever forget that."

Hook brought Soundwave's alternate form out of his subspace and set him on the ground, activating the mass-displacement programming and stepping away.

Scrapper stood nearby with his arms over his chest plate, eyeing Hook and the offline Communications officer. "Are you certain this will work?"

The engineer shot the mech a poisonous glance as he walked towards him. "Of course I'm certain. I will activate him remotely and he will remember only that he went to Cybertron to gather supplies for Megatron. That power hungry glitch will take Soundwave back instantly."

"How can we be certain of that?"

Hook glared at his teammate. "Your lack of insight is appalling. Soundwave is a programmed telepath. There are very few mechs that were given that programming, therefore, he is invaluable to Megatron."

Scrapper did not look impressed. "And what if he uses his telepathy on us?"

"He can't. I've added a simple algorithm to his programming that when faced with one of us, he will read our minds as completely blank."

"Fine." Scrapper turned and walked towards the other Constructicons where they were toying with the nearly offline Autobot. He picked up the red mech and motioned for Longhaul to transform so he could stow the Autobot in his truck bed. "Let's activate him and leave. I've detected a power source that we can use while I finish repairs."

The other Constructicons transformed and headed away from the prone Soundwave, putting as much distance as Hook's device would allow them before he activated the Communications officer.

The deep red visor flashed suddenly as Soundwave came back online. He sat up slowly, wondering where he was and how had he gotten there. He remembered going to Cybertron with Hook who had said he was most likely still glitching. He frowned; that idiot engineer held true to his word about abandoning him because he couldn't keep up. But he would get Hook back for this. He could read that Constructicon like a data pad, and report every discrepancy and traitorous thought the mech had to Megatron.

Soundwave stood up and checked his global positioning; he wasn't too far from the coastline and Nemesis. He should be able to get back without dropping into the ocean. He'd report to Megatron the moment he stepped foot on base and then see about finding one of the medics to repair him.

This chapter marks the end of Story Arc 6 which means we're about to embark on the first of many twisted rides for Rachel and Jazz and the others caught up in here.

I hope that you like the story so far and will continue to read it. Chapter 11 and the start of Story Arc 7 is already in the works, and I've had some requests for a St. Valentine's Day story for Jazz and Rachel, so expect those shortly.

I would like to ask those of you reading this to help me think of a screen name for Rachel to use on the instant messenger. I've tried for days to come up with something and I can't think of anything. I would like to assume she created the SN shortly after arriving at the Ark, so she'd still be in boring scientist mode, but my mind doesn't want to play nice for that silly detail. If you have a suggestion, please drop it in the review box!