xoxox Whew, this was a really entertaining one to write. Sorry it took so long, I was busy reading Eclipse over the weekend. It was soooo good! Thanks for all the reviews, next chap should be up soon! Xoxox

I woke up to Mirage's hologram lifting me out of his SUV body. I protested weakly, but he ignored me and before long he was carrying me up a long flight up stairs and into a hotel hallway. He carded the door and nudged it open, swooping in to deposit me on the bed.

"Alright, sweetheart, it's not dark out yet but it will be soon. Hot Rod's hologram is charging for tomorrow, so it's just us tonight. I know you need some stuff to keep clean, so make me a list and I'll run and get it for you."

I blearily complied, barely registering that I was going to be alone with Mirage's very solid hologram for the night. After I penned my list onto some hotel stationary, I looked at Mirage curiously.

"Why is it your hologram doesn't need to charge like Hot Rod's?"

Mirage gave me a satisfied smile. "I've been perfecting my battery cells for a long time, honey. Blending in requires a hologram that won't cut out in the middle of a mission, so I've got some of the best energy storage units in the galaxy. Well, this galaxy, anyway... Ratchet made Hot Rod's out of what he could glean off of Earth, and it's just not up to par with mine."

I smiled crookedly from where I perched on the edge of the hotel bed. "So even if I were ok with being with a solid hologram, it could break down at the most crucial moment?"

"Just Hot Rod's," he said with a wink. He took my list and was out the door before I could protest being left alone.

The thick silence of the impersonal hotel room quickly became oppressive. I flipped on the TV to try and break it up, but my loneliness was choking me. I had just made up my mind to go sit with Hot Rod until Mirage came back when out of the corner of my eye I saw the last of the sunlight flash off of something bright outside my window. I looked, but nothing was there.

I rubbed my eyes and went to the bathroom. I immediately settled in front of the sink, splashing my face with cold water. There were complimentary soaps by the sink, so I went ahead and took a shower, tired of feeling grubby. It was incredibly awkward holding my cast outside of the shower, but it felt necessary to be clean. There were human sized showers in Autobot City, but no soap to speak of.

I didn't shower long, not wanting to miss Mirage's return. I grudgingly pulled my dirty clothes back on and went back out into the hotel room. I bent over and scrubbed my hair dry in a fresh towel. I opened a little plastic bag containing a flimsy black comb from the bathroom and worked it through my hair, watching the TV absently. A flash of light caught my eye again, but it hadn't seemed to come from the window. It had been by the dresser near the door.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I looked around for something to use as a weapon. I could find nothing better than the remote control, but I clutched it like a hammer. I skirted the dresser, the backs of my knees pressed against the bed.

As I eased around, my senses straining for any little sign of life, the door clicked open. I screamed and leapt over and behind the bed faster than I thought myself capable of, crouching down. To my intense relief and embarrassment, Mirage was standing in the door, holding a couple of plastic bags.

"Am I interrupting something?"

I took an unsteady breath then answered, "No, I just… I thought I saw something in here."

"Something? Like… a bug?"

Ignoring my objection, he picked up a brochure off the dresser and rolled it up. "Was it under the bed?" he asked as he got down on hands on knees to peer underneath.

"No, it wasn't a bug! It was bigger than a bug."

"Oh, so a… mouse," he murmured as a beam of light shone from his hand with the rolled up paper. As quickly as it came on he jerked back with a snarl, quickly accompanied by a metallic, familiar growl under the bed.

In a blur of silver, Frenzy was out from under the bed and three silver disks embedded themselves in Mirage's hologram. He didn't look like it hurt, but the hologram flickered dangerously. He made a grab for Frenzy, who dodged, then his eyes locked with mine.

"Get to the parking lot, NOW!"

I was running for the door before he was finished. I could hear Frenzy's sharp feet tearing up the carpet behind me, and the sound of metal clanging as Mirage stopped him. As I turned to slam the door shut behind me, I saw Mirage's hologram sputter and go out, a couple of small metal devices collapsing around Frenzy, one speared on a long thin knife resembling an ice-pick that jutted from his wrist.

The door shut with a heavy boom and I was racing down the halls, not sure how to get to the parking lot. As I disappeared into the stairwell I heard the shrieks of the mad silver Decepticon as he tore down the hall after me. We were on the second floor, I saw, and flew down the stairs faster than I'd ever dared before. I was out through the fire exit, gasping with relief to see…

The parking lot of the steakhouse next door. I had gone the wrong way. My breathing choked up again as I took off around the side of the building, hoping my luck was better this time. Frenzy exploded out the door behind me, and in seconds he was on me, dragging me to the ground and pulling me out towards the field behind the hotel in one fluid motion. I clawed at the concrete, and then the dirt, as Frenzy's surprising strength overpowered mine.

Despite being nearly blind with fear, I saw the red of Hot Rod's paint job as he flew around the corner, followed by the larger Mirage. They're blowing their cover, my panicked mind protested. In a few steps Hot Rod whipped his arm down, knocking Frenzy a dozen yards away. He settled into a defensive stance over me as Mirage trained his big gun on the little silver Decepticon scrambling in the long grass.

There was an explosion, but not from Mirage's gun. Dirt and hot material exploded all around, and I heard the ripping scream of a jet overhead. The F-22, who I assumed was Skywarp, was wheeling around for another turn, Hot Rod crouched over me, when there was another blast and he stumbled, nearly crushing me. I looked between his huge feet and saw Barricade beside the hotel, getting ready for another shot.

Hot Rod straightened rapidly and hesitated. He wouldn't fire so close to the hotel, and Barricade knew it. He also wouldn't leave me in the field. It took me by surprise when twin jets appeared out of nowhere, Skywarp slamming into Mirage as he transformed. The other, edged in light blue, crushed Hot Rod into the dirt, once again nearly squishing me. I was slammed face down into the ground as Frenzy latched onto my back, twisting my good arm painfully behind my back. I gritted my teeth and beat my forehead into the dirt, nearly crying. Everything was going wrong.

Barricade was on top of Hot Rod now, pinning him while the black Decepticon with the light blue coloring got up and brushed Frenzy off of me. What was his name…? He snatched me up roughly and I got a major case of nausea as he tossed me up into the air. I heard the crackle of transformation, and I landed painfully in a familiar cockpit. But this wasn't Skywarp…

I was pushed back against the seat as he shot into the air with a boom, and I spontaneously remembered his name. Thundercracker wasn't bothering with gravity control…

He wasn't going slowly, either. I was flattened against the seat, finding it difficult to breath. I managed to gasp out, "Can't breath-" before the air was pushed out of my lungs.

"What's wrong? Why can't you breath?"

I simply held onto my throat, dragging in squeaks of air against the push of Thundercracker's momentum.

"Thundercracker to Skywarp, the human said it can't breath."

"Control your interior! You're going to kill her!"

"Right." The air seemed to settle to the bottom of the plane as the pressure lifted. I drank in several gulps of air, my already pounding heart frantic.

"Please let me go," I whispered to the dashboard. "Please don't do this."

"Sorry, little human, Skywarp's running the show and he says you belong with us. Can't help you."

"No. You don't understand-"

"I can't help you, human." He sounded truly regretful about it, and I leaned the side of my face against the seat, beating down my panic. At least Skywarp probably wouldn't leave me with Barricade again.

I could only hope that Hot Rod and Mirage were ok. It was bad enough that I was in the hands of the unpredictable Decepticons, but my two of my friends might have died trying to protect me.

After some time, Thundercracker did a little wiggle midair to get my attention. "Look outside."

I did as I was told, looking around out the canopy. To the right, Skywarp's jet form was flying close by. I watched him blankly as he tipped his wing to us. I turned my face the other way, feeling rebellious.

Thundercracker's radio came to life and I heard Skywarp deep voice on the line. "What's wrong, Bravura? You're back where you belong, with us. You should be happy. Are you sick? Is it your arm? I saw the cast. Did the Autobots break you?"

"No." I grumbled. "Barricade broke me." I meant it in more ways than one.

"Barricade did that to you? What the frell-" his transmission cut off as he broke away from Thundercracker, presumably to find Barricade.

Thundercracker spoke up, sounding interested. "Barricade snapped your little bones? Did it hurt?"

"Yeah, it hurt a lot. It's been healing for a few days, though."

"Why didn't you just solder it back together and save the healing process?"

"You can't solder bones. They have to knit together on their own."

"You have an endoskeleton?"

"Yep."

Thundercracker must have sensed my desire to be left to myself, because he fell quiet after that.

It seemed like a short ride before Thundercracker finally dipped to the ground, slowed to a stop and settling down to the ground next to a huge metal building. It looked like a hangar, but it seemed out of place, wedged between the huge mountains of what had to be the Rockies. He pulled into the hangar, and then popped up the glass canopy over my head.

"End of the line, little human. Hop out."

I awkwardly climbed out of the cockpit and slid down the side, dropping to the ground with a jolt to my arm and a short twinge of fire in my ankles. Thundercracker transformed as soon as I was clear, so I turned to look at him. He was shaped like Skywarp, but colored in nearly equal proportions of gray, white and blue. His logo was black against the blue of his body.

I sat down heavily on the cold concrete, feeling Thundercracker's eyes on me. I was fighting tears again.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you hungry? Skywarp got you some human food."

"That's not… what I'm worried about," I choked. "My friends, the Autobots…"

"What about them?" I heard him sit down heavily near me.

"Are they ok? Did they make it out?"

Thundercracker growled and I started, unsettled by the noise. " Yes, they made it out. The big one took a beating, according to Skywarp, but they got away. Barricade's probably too busy getting a mouthful from Skywarp to follow them."

Relief flooded me. They were ok. Now all I have to worry about are my own problems.

Edited March 20th, 2010