I know, I haven't updated in a while, but my flashdrive (which stored my only copy of this chapter) was mangled beyond repair, I struggled a bit putting this back together, and I had some serious testing to do in school. Nevertheless, I was able to complete this and post it for you guys.

I don't own Transformers, Hasbro does. Starts in June Darby's POV and goes from there.

Here we go, the eighteenth chapter of 'Tiny'.

I got out of my car and looked around the empty main control room. I had gotten here as soon as I possibly could after I kept an eye on Raf. The poor baby is going to have permanent hearing loss because of whatever happened at the silo. Jack didn't want to tell me what happened over the phone. It was frustrating, but I knew why. Someone could tap into the phone line and listen to what Jack said about the Autobots. The 'Bots are still a government secret, so we couldn't talk over the phone about them. I don't care about the government keeping them from the public; I just care about the Autobots being safe.

I scratched the back of my head in confusion. Jack said he'd talk to me once I got here, but now that I'm here, I don't see him. It's not like Jack to just leave without letting me know where he was.

My first impulse was to go up to the kids' gaming area. They are usually up there… But as soon as I got up the stairs, I saw that the little area was empty.

I looked around at the scattered video game cases and the remotes lying on the floor. They had just been here, and they must have left in a hurry. Jack always left the area clean when he and the other kids were leaving. I'm starting to get really worried.

I reached into my purse and took out my phone. I'm going to call him to find out what's going on.

…

"Mom, it's okay. We're okay," My son said over the phone. My grip on my phone slackened a bit when I heard him reassure me, but it didn't make me feel much better.

"Jack, where are you? Where is everyone? What is going on?" The mother in me had long since kicked in, and I had prepared a long list of questions for Jack to answer. I needed answers. My son wouldn't just disappear for any reason.

I continued to pace back and forth by the couch as my son spoke to me again. "Mom, I know you're really worried, but I can't tell you anything over the phone."

"Jack, I don't care about keeping a secret! I just want to know what's going on!" I said, getting frustrated with my son. All I wanted to know where my only son was. That was my only focus right now.

"…The baby's in big trouble, Mom," Jack said. I instantly knew what he meant. Something happened to the baby. Optimus is in danger.

All of the frustration I felt melted away into concern, and I stopped pacing, standing in front of the TV. I noticed that Jack was being vague about telling me, in case someone tapped into the phone line. Because of that, I carefully chose my next words. "What happened to him?"

"...Amber Alert." I gasped. Someone kidnapped the baby! How could this have even happened? Nothing made sense to me. I thought the Decepticons gave him back to the Autobots.

"How did this happen?"

"Home invasion." Before I could even respond to him, my son spoke again.

"Mom, you have to trust me. Miko and I are fine. We're with Jack and another one of the good guys. I don't know how long we'll be gone, but please don't call Fowler to come after us. That'll just make everything worse. Just stay at the house. I'll call you later. Love you. Bye."

I took the phone from my ear and stared at it for a moment after the connection was cut. My son is out God knows where, doing God knows what to help find the baby. I'm really worried now. He said that he was with Wheeljack. That bot was known for doing things his way, and his way normally involved grenades. Jack said he was gone with Wheeljack and 'another one of the good guys'. He's with another bot, but he didn't say who. Plus, what my son told me didn't explain where all the other 'Bots were.

There's still a lot I don't know. I have to call Agent Fowler and tell him about this.

I was about to dial his number when something made me hesitate. Jack doesn't use that serious tone for just any reason...

When it comes to a little child, too many people involved really can make everything worse. If I call Agent Fowler and tell him that Optimus was taken, the government will get involved. And I don't even think the US government knows that Optimus was turned into a baby.

If they find out that the Autobot leader is just a baby, they'll think that the Autobots can't handle the Decepticons. The government will probably take this situation the wrong way, and use military force in order to take down all the bots, regardless of the faction. Agent Fowler already told me that the Pentagon didn't trust the Autobots much to begin with. The end result after the military getting involved in the war would be disastrous. For everyone.

Now that I think about it, I don't really think that the Decepticons are much of a problem for the 'Bots. At least, not anymore. The Decepticon named Soundwave was the one who gave the baby back to the Autobots. Ratchet once told me that the Decepticon was Megatron's third-in-command and was extremely loyal to the warlord. I guess he isn't so loyal to Megatron to keep the baby. I get the feeling that he wanted to keep little Optimus out of danger when he gave the baby back to Ratchet. I can only wonder why Soundwave did that. All of the other Decepticons would have kept the baby.

Just by Soundwave's actions, I could tell that there was something different about the Decepticon, though I couldn't tell what. Maybe I would find out someday.

Still worried, I sat down on the couch and loosely wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling cold. If Jack's call doesn't come soon, I'm calling Agent Fowler to go get them. Until then, I'll wait here and hope that whoever took the baby will be brought to justice.

...Ratchet's POV...

I was still sore from the rough landing as I stood next to Bumblebee in the clearing. I should have known better than to transform so high in the air. My trajectory after applying too much thrust to my engines would have only resulted in a crash landing. Impact with the Earth was inevitable at the height I attempted to land from. The fall left me sore, as I said before, and with a dented wing, which Knockout corrected for me.

Wings are highly sensitive, I discovered. The information my wings were receiving from the cool, slightly damp environment around me was almost overwhelming; I could feel so many things at once.

Through my wings I could sense all of the others around me by picking up pulses from their electromagnetic fields. I could sense their EM fields before I changed my alternate mode, but now, because of the detail of the sensory data I was processing, I could practically see the bots around me. If I were blind, I would have absolutely no problem identifying every bot in this clearing.

Right now, I could clearly sense Dreadwing near me. His EM field was strong, and even pulses passed over the circuit endings in my wings. The steady pulses were meant to send a sort of noble sensation to others around him, rather than to intimidate, contrary to Megatron's EM field. The warlord tended to emit sharp, powerful waves through his EM field, something that was, back on Cybertron, traditionally used to intimidate other bots nearby. The warlord's size and fearsome appearance only adds to the intimidation factor.

Each field was comparable to a finger print; it was different for every bot. From Bumblebee's quiet, soft pulses to Breakdown's strong, loud ones, the individual fields varied greatly.

I grunted in irritation again and shuddered, wings involuntarily flaring out as I felt Knockout run his servo over my wing to check for any more dents. The flow of data from the world around me was hard enough to control, the last thing I needed was someone actually touching my wing! I almost had a sensory overload when he did that!

"I agree with the interrogation, but I have a proposal to aid the operation," Dreadwing said, drawing everyone's attention to him. I attempted to suppress the continuous flow of data streaming into my processor and pay attention to what Dreadwing was about to say as Knockout walked around me, back over to Breakdown.

Megatron arched an optic ridge at the blue and gold Seeker. "And what proposal would that be?"

Dreadwing blinked before continuing. "Commander Starscream will automatically be suspicious of a seemingly random call to this location. "

"What are you getting at?" Bumblebee asked, refocusing his optics. The blue and gold mech merely gestured towards me with a single servo, a slight smile on his faceplates.

"We can disguise this interrogation as a meeting with a new Decepticon Seeker." I gave the mech a very disapproving look, shifting my wings over the twin engines on my back. We may be working together, but virtually becoming a Decepticon...

I saw Knockout place a servo on his chin and nod from beside his blue friend. "I can see how that would work. You could certainly pass for a Seeker."

"This is meant to trap Screamer, right?" Bulkhead asked, looking at Dreadwing and me. The blue and gold Seeker nodded.

"You can cover this up with the fake meeting to corner Screamer without him even knowing," Bulkhead clarified, an almost devious smile lighting his faceplates. Breakdown and Bulkhead shared a look, and I could tell that the two former Wreckers had their own plans for Starscream.

Dreadwing nodded again, agreeing with the green mech. "Correct. Commander Starscream would attempt to flee once he realized what he was called here for. Cornering him will provide us a better opportunity to detain him if he flies away."

Bumblebee stepped forward, doorwings held high, pulling our attention to him. "Ratchet can pass for Seeker, but he really can't fly like one. That epic fall from the sky proved it." Before Dreadwing could respond, Bumblebee glanced over at me with a sheepish expression in his optics. "Sorry, Ratchet."

I only gave an irritated scoff in response. I know I can't fly well. There was nothing to be sorry about.

"I plan on addressing that as well. I wish to delay the interrogation so that I may briefly mentor him in basic flight techniques." I can see the logic in that. In case Starscream decides to flee, something that's extremely likely, the more flyers we have in the air after him, the better.

"Follow through with your plan, Dreadwing," Megatron said before turning to Knockout and Breakdown. Both of them straightened a bit when they noticed their leader looking at them. "You two will continue to search the area for the mech's vessel, while I contact my warship."

The red and blue Decepticons hesitated for a moment before nodding and transforming back into their vehicle forms to zoom back into the trees. As I watched them go, I took careful note of the lack of insults in Megatron's order. I said nothing about it, of course.

Megatron looked down at Bumblebee with one, piercing red optic. "I suggest you and your mech do the same." Bumblebee nodded and watched the taller mech transform, wincing slightly at the boom of Megatron's engines as he flew away.

Dreadwing and I, along with Bumblebee and Bulkhead, were left in the clearing. We looked around at each other for a brief moment, listening to the dry leaves of the forest around us rustling in the breeze. I felt a leave brush gingerly against my overly sensitive wings, making me shudder. Dreadwing was the only one who noticed.

"Okay, Bulkhead. We have to keep searching," Bumblebee said, thankfully breaking the silence. The younger mech walked towards me and placed a servo on my shoulder.

"Good luck with the flight lessons." I smiled for the first time in a while, and looked on as Bumblebee walked back towards the treeline, with Bulkhead close behind. I heard the green mech complaining about working with the Decepticon warlord and how we Autobots didn't need their help and things of that nature.

I am well aware of the fact that the Wrecker doesn't like the idea of working with our sworn enemies, but at least the Wrecker isn't insubordinate, like his sword-wielding friend.

"Ratchet," Dreadwing said, and my wings twitched in response, having been pulled out of my thoughts. I looked at the blue and gold Seeker and saw the slight smile on his faceplates.

"Prepare for flight school. Lessons begin now."

...

I lay on my back, damp, black soil partially covering my face, wings causing me pain. The full moon made a halo of white light around Dreadwing's helm as he looked down disapprovingly at me.

"Now you know to not fly so close to the trees."

I just shut my optics and groaned, ventilating heavily. I had flown low, believing that it was safer. A particularly tall tree decided to prove me wrong in possibly the most humiliating method in the universe.

I was attempting a basic evasive maneuver that Dreadwing demonstrated for me when my left wing sheared off the top of the tree. Pain shot through my frame from my very sensitive wings, practically crippling me in the air. I am no stranger to pain, but I have never experienced pain as sharp and thorough as this. The tender circuit endings in my wings fired off all at once, sending a barrage of pain signals to my processor. I remember seeing white stars dancing around, and static crowded my vision, rendering me virtually blind as I hurtled to the ground, unable to regain control of my alternate mode.

Now I understand why flyers and doorwinged Praxians complained so much while I tended to their damaged wings back on Cybertron. Pain is magnified in the wings because of their sensitivity.

I opened my optics to see Dreadwing's clawed servo being held out to me. Understanding what he meant, I grasped it and stood to my pedes.

Dreadwing surveyed my appearance with mild distaste as I reached up and brushed the dirt off my cockpit hood, faceplates and behind. I flared my wings and flapped most of the dirt off them, grumbling about the filth on my frame.

Once I was done cleaning, Dreadwing spoke from next to me. I growled inwardly, knowing what he was going to say.

"Again."

...Starscream's POV...

Those Vehicons are acting strangely.

Every time I walk by a group of them, I can feel all of them staring at me. I have yet to catch them actually staring at me, but the unnerving feeling I receive in my wings is enough.

But there are more significant things to worry about than some lowly Vehicons looking at me. I have yet to see any of the high ranking bots - on second thought, I see one bot of... some significance.

I approached the small, red and blue Deployer standing on the left side of the dark hallway. The little bot was doing something with a miniscule datapad, staring hard into the glowing, red screen. I came to a stop, making sure that he knew that I was near him. I looked down at him and spoke, getting his full attention. "Rumble, where are the other officers?"

"Don't have a clue, Screamer." Rumble shrugged, never looking up from the datapad, nonchalantly scrolling down on the device with a single digit. I snarled at him when I heard the casual term he used to refer to me. This was the aggravating one of Soundwave's numerous Deployers. I wish he were less... chatty, like Ravage. That way he would be a little less annoying.

The Deployer turned halfway away from me, appearing ready to walk away before he stopped to say something over his shoulder. "Volk wanted to see you for somethin' in the command center. Said it was important."

I furrowed my optics ridges, watching the little Deployer walk away, still occupied with that datapad. What did that Vehicon want with me? No lowly Vehicon requests my presence! I am second only to Megatron!

But... he wouldn't call for me unless it truly was important. After a moment of thought on my next course of action, I decided that I will go see what the highest ranking Vehicon officer wants. Just for the sake of curiosity.

...

On the way to the command center, I pondered the events of recent days. Not long ago did I receive a video feed from Faultline that he had the little cretin and the Autobot femme.

That little cretin should be dead by now. I'll contact Faultline later, to make sure that the sparkling has been terminated. I cannot have him alive; the little cretin was a threat to my position as second-in-command, something that I simply will not tolerate.

But, I am confident that Faultline has completed his job. From his record of previous jobs, I could see that he is a very effective mech, if not an unsettling one.

...Soundwave's POV...

All I could think of was my little sparkling.

I paid no attention to where I was flying as I thought of my little child.

Faultline... Faultline...

My little child is dead because of you. My sparkling... my innocent, fun-loving sparkling...

Wingspar was my life. I couldn't live without him. He reminded me so much of my beloved Halyard, my beloved sparkmate. He was virtually a clone of my sparkmate; I saw every bit of her in him. After I found Wingspar sitting dead in the lap of my equally dead neighbor in my residence, I was dead. I died, though my spark did not join with the AllSpark, as my little child had. For so many vorns, my spark was dead in my chest, and I lived for nothing but the Decepticon cause.

So many vorns passed before I had something true to live for.

It was Parvolus. It was the little, giggling sparkling that loved candy.

But now, the same monster that killed my sparkling has the little one. The same monster who forced himself on my neighbor, Clearout, and pierced her through the spark with a long blade. The same monster who murdered countless other bots and was never brought to justice.

I can't let him kill the little one. I cannot let that happen. Not again.

The little one will live, even if I die protecting him.

...

Master?

It took me a moment to register whose voice it was as I flew through a low, thick cloud. It was Ravage, one of my Deployers. He could sense my decidedly high stress levels and was concerned.

I acknowledged the cat through the link I shared with him, as well as my other Deployers. There was a slight delay in Ravage's response, as if he were carefully planning out what he was about to say.

I felt your pain...

Ravage sensing how I felt was nothing unusual. Because of the link we shared, I am able to sense him and vice versa. We are able to communicate telepathically, as well as emotionally. In this case, he was concerned because of what I was feeling at the moment.

The cat knows why I feel this way. He knows about my sparkmate; she was to one who named him. He knows about Faultline and that he killed my child. He was but a little cyberkitten when this happened. Nevertheless, he remembers it.

Ravage knows that I see Wingspar in Parvolus, and that I cannot allow Faultline to have his way again.

That does not make Ravage any less concerned.

I addressed the cybercat calmly, saying through the link that there was nothing to be concerned about, and to focus on the search for the little one, rather than myself. The little one's safety is top priority as of now.

I felt a wave of irritation and heard an annoyed growl from the cat, but he didn't protest. He merely confirmed my words and obeyed the order.

For now, I will conduct my own search for the little one, as well as the Autobot femme.

I know what Faultline does with femmes that he is holding hostage, and I do not want for yet another name to be added to his list of fembot victims.

...Starscream's POV: Three Hours Later...

I raised and lowered my left and right ailerons accordingly to bank left towards my destination (the clearing) in the light of the full moon. I am in a particularly pleasant mood right now, considering I have just been told that there is a new Decepticon on Earth. Other than Faultline, of course.

Volk notified me that Lord Megatron had gone to intercept the new mech, merely to ensure that the mech was who he identified himself as. Not only was the mech a Decepticon, but he was a Decepticon Seeker. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time now. Hopefully, the Seeker was among the many that were under my command back on Cybertron.

I suppose that it would be pressing my luck, but I could not help but wonder if this particular mech was one of my trinemates.

Of course, there is only one way to see who this new Seeker truly is.

The underside of my alt mode was perfectly parallel to the ground before I transformed. I made a relatively soft landing on the ground below and looked around at the trees in slight confusion.

There was no one in the clearing! Snarling, I inwardly reminded myself to skewer Volk for sending me to the wrong coordinates. How dare he do this to me! I am Commander Star-

I jumped upon hearing the roars of powerful engines above me. I lifted my wings back to their normal height and looked above the trees to see three forms flying towards me high above the trees. I recognized one immediately; it was Lord Megatron. The other two were human fighter jets.

Having a fighter jet alternate mode, I am sometimes inclined to research the humans' jets on their decidedly primitive data net while I'm off-duty, and have acquired knowledge of the planes. I discovered one solar cycle that I am a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. A fine plane, if I do say so myself. Due to my research, I could identify the other two fighter jets. One was very familiar blue and gold Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and the other was an unfamiliar, white and red Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet.

This unknown mech had a large alternate mode. From my estimates, I guessed that the mech was nine feet longer than Dreadwing's alternate mode, which was, from what I've seen on the Internet, fifty-one feet long. And now that the plane is slightly closer, I am certain that the Super Hornet is eleven feet longer than my Fighting Falcon, which is forty-nine feet long. This was a large plane, indeed.

I arched an optic ridge in curiosity at the sight of the Super Hornet drawing closer, alongside Dreadwing and Lord Megatron. This plane was large and had rather... strange markings. The nose of the plane pitched down slightly as it came closer, allowing me to see the flats of the wings. There appeared to be a red lifeline on each wing. On the outward facing side of both vertical stabilizers of the plane were the same red lifelines. The marks looked unusually familiar, but I brushed it off as the senseless paranoia that had built up over the vorns.

Lord Megatron transformed first, landing hard on his pedes, sending a small tremor through the ground. The slight smile on his faceplates and the glow in his optics as he looked down at me was unsettling, but I paid no real attention to it.

Dreadwing was the second one to transform and land on his pedes, directly followed by the strange mech.

"Starscream, I would like for you to meet one of the Seekers that was under my command back on Cybertron," Dreadwing said, waving a clawed servo towards the strange mech as the pieces of the strange mech's frame shifted into place upon transforming back into bipedal form.

I said nothing for a moment, scrutinizing his appearance. The mech, unlike most Seekers, had a cockpit hood that cast a dark shadow over his blood red optics. His rather large wings were folded neatly on his back, much like a moth, and he lacked claws, something that was unusual for a Seeker. The mech was of a sturdy build, and was only a micron shorter than Dreadwing.

The strange Seeker's large, white and red trimmed wings remained pressed against his back as he gave me an almost icy look. I glowered back him in response, wings flaring to make my frame appear bigger. I don't know what his issue is, but he will soon learn that I am in charge here.

Megatron placed a thick clawed servo on the Seeker's shoulder and narrowed his optics, grinning at me, baring his shark-like denta. "Now is that any way to welcome a fellow Seeker, Starscream?"

I looked at him in shock, but quickly guarded my expression. Of course he was defending the new Seeker. This was merely an attempt to spite me. An attempt that won't be acknowledged. Not in the least.

I dug one of my heels in the dirt below me in frustration, wings stiff, and answered him. "Of… Of course, my lord. How… inappropriate of me."

Megatron seemed to be satisfied with that response, and he took his servo off the mech's shoulder. The new Seeker retained his icy stare as Megatron removed his servo. The strange mech merely looked at me with blood red optics and said, "Name's Fallstreak." I noted his Vosian accent.

I looked the mech over again, suspicious. There was something off about him… though I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly.

"Before we go to the Nemesis to address your rank among us and proper accommodations, Dreadwing and I must endeavor on a little... errand," Megatron said, clasping his servos behind his back and looking down at the new Seeker. "Our communications officer is in the area, and I wish to introduce him to you, but I have yet to get in contact with him. You and Starscream shall remain here while we retrieve him."

I instantly grew nervous, optics flitting between Megatron and the new Seeker. Megatron is only polite when he knows something critical that I don't. But the question was 'what'. The fact that I was ignorant of this 'knowledge' did not sit well with me.

Of course, I could never let that show.

"We will wait until you return, Lord Megatron," I said, bowing my helm slightly.

Soon enough, we heard Megatron and Dreadwing's booming engines as they flew off, and I stood alone in this clearing with this strange Seeker.

As we stood there, I noticed that the mech had a long, shiny black scar over his right optic out of the corner of my own optic. The mark evoked a strange feeling within me, as if I recognized it.

I rolled my optics at the notion of recognizing the scar in his face. After all, I had never seen this mech before.

There was a tense silence between us for a moment before I decided to break it. This mech had a very icy demeanor, but I concluded that it would get us Decepticons nowhere in our conflict with the Autobots if there is more tension among us.

Plus, this mech could prove to be a valuable ally. For myself, obviously. I was a legendary commander of an army of elite Seekers back on Cybertron. Seekers all over Cybertron envied those that were under my command. Because of this, this mech is more inclined to seize the opportunity assist me in my plots to overthrow Megatron and rule the Decepticons.

The corner of my mouth twitched, resisting the urge to grin deviously. It's as if Primus handed me a gift from the AllSpark.

"Fallstreak," I said, turning partially to gaze at the white and red Seeker. The first step to securing this mech as an ally is getting to know him personally. "I can tell from your accent that you are indeed a former denizen of Vos, just as I am."

Fallstreak blinked and nodded slightly, the dark shadow over his optics from his cockpit hood growing even darker. "Yessir."

I smiled even more, turning to fully face the white and red Seeker. It is pleasing to see that he wasn't annoyingly talkative, like Rumble or Skywarp. "Tell me, what is your story?"

He looked at me for a long moment, and I had begun to think that he would answer me when he spoke again.

"I was born into a high caste, the medical caste, training as a medic." Fallstreak said. I could have sworn that I heard slight stress on the word 'medic', but I quickly shot down the thought. It was obviously because of his accent. I, of all bots, should know this, being a Vosian myself.

It was good that this mech was a medic, as well as a Seeker. It would be more advantageous to have a mech with medical and combat training on my side.

I nodded, patiently waiting for the mech to continue. Fallstreak seemed to burn me with his icy stare, but I shook off the feeling and listened to what he had to say. "I also had a son, but he was taken from me."

My wing twitched in disinterest (I couldn't care less about this mech's issues), but I nodded again, this time with feigned sympathy. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that."

The white and red mech gave me an incredibly cold look; I could practically feel the frost emanating from him. "Lies."

"What makes you assume that?" I couldn't keep the slight nervous edge in my voice. I have never met this mech before and he seems to have something against me.

"I trained as a medic and graduated at the top of the academy, I studied under the best instructors, learning about every micron the Cybertronian frame. All I have to do is breathe to know what you are truly feeling."

I am thoroughly disconcerted now. This mech can somehow sense what is going on in my body with nothing but an air sample! All I could do in response to that eerie statement was take a small step away from the mech. Fallstreak closed that distance as soon as I moved.

"My son was taken from me, not once, but twice, and I was very upset. In fact, I still am upset." I fought hard to remain in control of my own frame's reactions, but nervousness started to transform into fear, and my frame had begun to show it. My wings lowered almost completely and I took another, longer stride back. Fallstreak's icy calm tone was extremely unsettling.

"I don't know where my son is right now..." I couldn't look away from the mech's blood red optics as he spoke to me in that unnervingly calm voice. The red glow seemed to make the long scar over his right optic shine a darker red, making his appearance all the more intimidating.

Then his tone grew almost conversational.

"You know, last time was just blind anger. So here's the deal - you talk and you don't have to find out what happens when I'm angry and in my right mind. And Primus forbid should you choose otherwise."

I froze.

Suddenly, I started to shake in fright and my spark seemed to stop as everything fell into place.

Before my optics I saw the Autobot medic sprinting towards me faster than I could react. I felt the pain in my faceplates and tasted my own energon. I felt myself being seized by the neck and hurled through a tree. I could feel myself attempting to fly away when I was hit hard in the back. Weight pressed down on me as I screamed, feeling my wing being sliced off. My arm swung, slicing through my attacker's faceplates, over his right optic. I heard my attacker's enraged roar in pain. My stomach plating was seared as a high flame came down on me.

I saw the rage in those blood red optics.

Fallstreak was Ratchet, the Autobot medic. Ratchet was the little cretin's father.

And he knew everything about what I had done.

All of this occurred in my mind in a fraction of a nanoklik, and I concluded I needed to make a very important decision. I need to decide between 'fight' and 'flight'.

It was no longer a wise idea to remain here, next to the father of the thing I tried to kill.

I chose flight.

...Ratchet's POV...

I stared up in the sky, my red optics gleaming dangerously, watching the cowardly mech attempt to escape my wrath. In no mood for games, I transformed, murmuring to myself.

"Otherwise it is, then."

...Breakdown's POV...

"I think Screamer's got the idea now!" I laughed as I stood next to Knockout watching Starscream fly away. My red friend looked at me sarcastically.

"Nooo, you think?" Before I could respond, both of us were shushed by someone beside us. Both of us glared over at the mech who did it. He didn't pay us any attention.

"I'm trying to watch the show!" Bulkhead whispered from by his friend, Bumblebee, as he stared straight ahead, into the clearing. All of us were sent in different directions by Lord Megatron and Bumblebee, but once we saw that the show was about to start, we all whipped it around and came right back to the clearing. Now we all are standing here, just beyond the treeline so we won't be spotted.

I was kind of upset I didn't get to twist Starscream into a pretzel, but guess this'll have to do. Now that I think about it, I'm a bit more excited about this one. I heard around the warship (mostly from Shank) that Starscream got his aft handed to him on a silver platter by the Autobot medic. And that was when the medic was still an ambulance. Primus knows what Ratchet will do now that he can chase after Starscream.

If I were human, I'd be passing around a big bowl of popcorn with extra butter.

"Hold on, hold on! Look, you guys!" Bulkhead pointed, and we all looked in that direction. Starscream had flown off, faster than I had ever seen him go. I'm on the ground and I could hear the Seeker's engines working hard loud and clear all the way up there.

I'm glad we ran out of the trees and into the clearing. We wouldn't have been able to see what Ratchet was about to do next if we hadn't.

My jaw hit the dirt when I saw what he did.

Ratchet ran forward a few steps, leaped into the air and transformed. Next thing I know, his jet mode was zooming right after Starscream. His powerful engines fired off again, adding even more thrust, and he quickly closed the distance between himself and Starscream. The nose of Ratchet's alt mode pitched slightly upward when he raised his elevators, and he kept going faster and going up until he was right above Starscream's alt mode.

I know Starscream saw him, since he tried barrel rolling to the right. Ratchet flew like a pro, and mimicked his exact movement, still right on top of him.

Starscream tried to barrel roll to the left and spiral upwards to get away from him. The Autobot had to known he was going to do that, because he slowed slightly while Starscream was rolling and starting going up, still on Starscream's tail.

Then, the medic started to get closer to Starscream's alt mode. So close, I could have sworn the underside of Ratchet's alt mode was touching Starscream's cockpit. It looks like it would be dangerous for the grey Seeker to do anything other than fly straight. If he does, he might clip Ratchet's wing and fall out the sky. I can't imagine what Ratchet plans on doing now. And from the looks on the others' faces, I could tell they didn't know, either.

Ratchet looks so much bigger than Starscream from here. No wonder Ratchet's wings looked so huge. Must be scary for the grey Seeker to be chased by somebot with an alt mode bigger than Dreadwing's.

Suddenly, Ratchet transformed high in the air with his wings still open so he could keep flying. The twin engines on his back were like a powerful jetpack, and he had no problem keeping up with Starscream.

Ratchet's body swung forward, and with a loud grunt, the Autobot Seeker brought one leg down hard on Starscream, heel first. All of us standing here in the clearing winced when we heard his foot connecting with Starscream's body. That's gonna leave a huge dent.

We all watched with the same shocked look on our faces as Starscream spiraled down to the ground off in the distance. I could see the huge dent in his alt mode from here. Must be real painful. Not that I care much. That guy deserves it.

Ratchet hovered there for a nanoklik, and then he flew down like a white missile. Once he got close, he grabbed Starscream by his rudder with both servos and fired off his thrusters towards the ground to get back upright. The medic started to spin around in circles with him, getting faster and faster. It was almost getting a little too fast for me to track when the Autobot suddenly let go, sending Starscream back towards the clearing. The same clearing the four of us were standing in.

Bumblebee stared up at Starscream falling fast towards us and said, "We should move."

Knockout nodded, still watching Starscream. "That would be a good idea right about now."

We all high-tailed it back into the trees. Just in time, too; Starscream made a big crater in the ground, right where we were standing. And Ratchet nearly landed right on top of him after cutting off the engines on his back and falling to the ground.

Well, we moved for two reasons: one, to get the frag out of the way, and two, so we don't have to face a pissed off Ratchet. Mostly number two.

None of us wanted to fight a pissed medic and father.

...Wheeljack's POV...

I was getting real annoyed.

I've been following this dog for hours and we haven't gotten anywhere. I'm starting to wonder if she even knows what she's doing.

"We've been out here for a while now." Jack said from on the dog's back. He was sitting on the dog's shoulders, with the other human sitting right behind him.

I tossed my grenade up in the air as I walked behind the dog, who was busy sniffing at the ground.

We got sent here by those two 'Cons. They said that the little kid should be somewhere in this area. They didn't say that we had to search through all these trees. I can hardly see out here.

Maybe I should burn the whole forest down. That'll really clear the way.

"Wheeljack! We can't do that!" Jack exclaimed with this horrified look on his face. Miko looked back at me and rolled her eyes at Jack's reaction to what I apparently said. I casually shrugged as I walked behind the dog.

"Sorry, kid. Must've been thinking out loud," I said. I was getting a bit frustrated, that's all.

Suddenly, the cyberdog's head shot up from the ground, ears perked. I stopped in my tracks, looking ahead at the dark trees in front of me. Something's up, but I don't know what. Dogs don't do that for any reason.

"You two, get off her back and get behind me," I told the kids as I pulled my swords out of their sheathes on my back. They saw my battle stance and didn't argue as they climbed off the dog's back and ran behind me.

The cyberdog's hackle plating rose and she started growling loudly at a patch of thick bushes. Her golden optics burned bright as she bared all her sharp teeth and started to bark furiously.

"Come out and I won't sic the dog on ya," I said as the kids ran behind me. I glared at the bush Halli was growling and barking at. The plant had started to move around on its own, and I could tell that whatever was in that bush was bigger than a squirrel. Much bigger.

I edged around the dog and towards the bush, swords pointed towards it. As I got closer I could see a pair of bright red lights from inside the bush. It had to be a pair of optics; there's no firefly that can turn red like that.

"I told you, I'll sic the dog on you if you don't come out now," I threatened. Halli started growling even louder after I said that. That dog isn't playing. I hope that whatever Decepticon is in that bush makes the smart choice and comes out. I've been bitten by an angry dog before. It ain't fun.

The bush stopped moving for a second before a dark figure leaped out of the bush, carrying with it a lot of leaves. I tensed as the figure with bright red eyes landed on all fours and started to growl too, but it wasn't as intimidating as the dog.

Miko peeked out from behind me. "I didn't know the Decepticons had a cat!"

"Yeah, they have a cat alright. One of Soundwave's Deployers, named Ravage." I didn't take my optics off the cybercat as I talked to the kids. "Wonder what he's doing out here."

The cat was paying me no attention, just focusing completely on the cyberdog. Both of them were growling and hissing, looked pretty much ready to duke it out with each other.

Ravage had his ears flattened against his head and he had his back arched, the black plating on his back rising. The cat wasn't fully facing the dog; he had sort of turned off to the side and glared hard at the dog, with one paw a bit off the ground. Those claws are all the way out, and look real dangerous.

That cat's tail was whipping around hard as his optics narrowed to thin slits, and he started hissing even more, along with the spitting. The dog glared right back and didn't back down. I kept my swords out and ready, in case I had to fight off an angry cybercat.

I don't even have to look down to tell that this Mexican standoff is making the kids nervous.

Halli took one step towards Ravage, and the cat's paw shot out like a black blur, nearly going over Halli's optic. The cyberdog jumped out of the way just in time, baring all her teeth. That move of Ravage's only pissed her off. Now she looks ready to maul the Decepticon cat. And I'm not sure I could stop her, even if I wanted to.

Suddenly, I heard the loud roar of engines (I think I heard two different sets) zoom by overhead. I instantly looked up, only to see moonlight poking through the leafy branches above my helm.

"What is that?" Miko asked Jack. I can hear the fear she's trying to hide in her voice. The older human stayed calm, though I think it was only for Miko's sake.

"Sounds like jet engines-" Right then, I heard what I knew was someone transforming somewhere above us and a real loud clang, like somebot had been kicked in the grill.

I continued to look up at the black tree branches and leaves, wondering what in the Pit that was.

About four or five seconds passed before all of us felt two tremors in the ground as we heard two loud booms, one right after the other. I heard trees falling and birds squawking and flying away. Two things must've hit the ground off to the east. Two heavy things.

Before I could say to the kids that we were staying away from whatever the frag was going on in the east, I heard more jet engines in the sky, off in the distance. I crouched slightly lower to the ground; that sound was coming towards us this time, rather than past us. And this one was a whole lot slagging closer than those other two.

The cat and the dog stopped growling at each other after all the noise above us, but I bet they're still glaring.

I looked around as it got quiet again. I'm not letting my guard down, though. I'm edgy already since I can't see very far. Primus knows what else is going to jump out at us.

I heard the sound of metal shifting around again, and I knew that it was some bot transforming. Only this time it was directly above the branches we were standing under. I saw the light coming through the branches being blocked by something, and the shadow from above the trees got bigger, fast.

My grip on the hilts of my twin swords tightened as I stepped back slightly, standing directly over the kids. If anything falls out the sky, it'll land on me. I know I can handle it, whatever it was, but I'm sure the kids can't.

I braced myself as the branches above us started to do a lot of moving around. Dry leaves started to fall and land on my helm and the ground as the growling from the two territorial animals stopped completely. I heard Miko wonder out loud what was going on, and I heard Jack trying to keep Miko calm. I resisted the urge to grab my grenade and toss it at the sound. I know this sound is a threat, but I can't burn this forest down. The place would get a lot of tourists if I did that.

The branches all of the sudden fell in between me and the two animals. The cybercat and dog both leaped out of the way. I couldn't move that fast, so I decided to crouch and lean over the kids to keep them from getting hit by all the stuff falling from the sky.

Falling branches banged against my frame, and I kept my helm down to protect my optics as I used my frame to cover the kids. I engaged my battle mask when I heard something heavier than tree limbs fall to the ground.

I looked up to see a dark figure with bluish-purple lighted seams along its body standing silently. The figure shifted its pede and snapped a thin tree limb in half to get better footing. I saw the figure's long fingers twitch. I smirked.

"So, Soundwave came to rescue his kitty-cat, huh?" I said as I gestured towards Ravage with one of my swords.

Soundwave stood there, silent, as usual. He must have sensed that something was up with Ravage when his cat was facing off with our dog. Bots with Deployers have a certain bond, letting them communicate and feel what the other is feeling, kind of like a sparkbond, only for pets. I discovered that after I faced Blackout with his Deployer, Scorponok, once with the other Wreckers back on Cybertron. If you are facing those two together, you might as well hang it up and go home. The same goes for Soundwave and Ravage, as well as the creep's other Deployers.

The kids both moved behind me, so I was between them and Soundwave. I jerked my helm back toward the trees behind me. "You two get behind the trees; this could get ugly."

As much as I usually love a fight, I know that I won't be able to do it real well here. The trees are too close together and I won't be able to land a good blow with my swords. The last time I fought him, I was in a wide open space and could hardly get my swords close enough to scratch his finish.

I braced myself and charged Soundwave, getting ready to swing my blades. Those two Vehicons said that the 'Cons were all out working with the Autobots, but that doesn't mean this isn't a trap to kill the rest of us. They might have already got to Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Ratchet, and are coming for us.

The only thing Soundwave moved was one of his tentacles, which whipped out and struck my servo, making me let go of my sword. The same tentacle grabbed the hilt of my sword before it hit the ground and transferred it to Soundwave's servo. I ignored the pain building up in my servo.

I frowned and put both servos around the hilt of the sword I had left. I see how it is. He's trying to disarm me so he can take me out. Well, I'm not gonna let that happen.

Everyone silently watched Soundwave as he held my sword in his servo at his hip. It was getting real tense here; even the dog can tell.

The silent mech tilted his helm and looked down at the sword through his black mask before lifting it, like he was going to go on the offensive with my weapon. I took a tiny step back, just so I won't get hit if he decides to swing.

Soundwave quickly flipped the sword in his servo, so the tip was pointing towards the ground. I stayed where I was, but wondered what the heck he was doing.

He extended his servo, the one that had the sword, and stood there, staring at me. I still didn't move, mostly because I couldn't figure out what he was doing.

"Wheeljack, I think he wants to give you to take your sword back," I heard Jack say from behind me. I didn't say anything to the kid, but I considered what he said.

Why would he want to give me my sword back? It might be a chance to get close and stab me with it...

My optics darted over to Halli, who had turned her back on Ravage and padded over to Soundwave's side. She looked up at Soundwave and sat down on her haunches, then turned her head to look at me with bright, golden optics.

This reminds me of when she was all friendly with that Vehicon that helped get us out here. She isn't nice to just anybody. I don't trust Decepticons, but I do trust Halli's instincts. If she thinks he's fine, then he must be fine.

I kept the sword I had left in my servos as I stepped forward cautiously, watching the silent mech. Soundwave didn't move, still waiting on me to go ahead and take the sword from him. I freed one of my servos and reached towards the hilt of the sword. Soundwave still didn't move. I grabbed the top of the hilt, my servo just barely touching his. He slowly let go, and I adjusted my grip on the hilt.

Well, he's legit.

Ravage still looked pissed as he walked over to his master's side, opposite of Halli. His ears were still flattened against his helm as he eyed Halli and started to snarl again. This time Halli completely ignored him and kept staring at me, only making him even angrier.

Soundwave looked down sharply at the cat, like he was telling him to stop acting up, and Ravage started to quiet down. It's probably that bond they shared that Soundwave used to shut his cat up.

I looked at the silent mech, and he looked at me at the same time. "You out here looking for the kid?"

He nodded once just as the kids came to stand beside my ankles. Miko had a curious look on her face as she stared up at Soundwave, while Jack just looked nervous. I glanced down at the boy and saw that he still had the kid's stuffed tiger in his hand.

"So we're out here for the same reason. Where's the other 'Bots? I heard they were out here." I looked at him as he nodded again, the moonlight making the shadows over his mask darker. I decided to put my swords back into their sheathes on my back. He's responding to me, so I guess we won't have any problems from him.

"Been having any luck finding the guy who took Arcee and the kid?" I asked. Soundwave didn't move, and just kept staring at me. I put a servo on my hip.

"I'll take that as a 'no'."

"Maybe we can do what we were doing with Halli again," Jack said from by my left ankle, making everyone look at him. Well, everyone besides the dog and cat, who had gotten to staring at each other again.

"Maybe we can have both Halli and Ravage tracking Optimus's scent." Soundwave nodded once, agreeing with what Jack suggested. Miko nodded, saying that it was a really good idea. I agree with her and Jack. Ravage and Halli know how to track scents better than the rest of us.

Jack held the stuffed tiger up to Halli once she stepped forward. Instead of sniffing it, she gently took it in her teeth from Jack and turned, moving towards Ravage. I guess Halli didn't want Jack to get close to Ravage, so she took it to Ravage herself to protect him. The cat moved back a bit from Halli, but soon realized what she was doing.

Ravage leaned forward and sniffed the stuffed tiger that was dangling from Halli's jaws. His optics narrowed into thin red slits, glaring at Halli once he was done and had the kid's scent. Halli ignored him again, and turned to give the stuffed animal back to Jack.

Soon enough, we were following Ravage and Halli through the woods. Both of them were near each other, heading in the same direction since they caught the same scent trail. Soundwave chose to stay on the ground with us and was walking alongside me. Jack and Miko are riding on Halli's back again, so they can keep up with us.

I looked over at Soundwave, only moving my optics. "Guess we have our own search team."

He didn't say anything and kept looking forward. I don't like uncomfortable silences, so I'm gonna keep trying. "Do you know what all the racket was before you showed up?"

He didn't say anything, as usual, but turned and looked at me as we walked. There was static on his mask for a second before it flashed and displayed a clearing somewhere in the area in bird's eye view. He must've accessed Laserbeak's surveillance system.

I saw on his mask two bots in the clearing. One was without a doubt, Starscream. I could recognize those wings anywhere. The other bot I didn't know, but I could tell that he was a white and red Seeker. The new Seeker was pinning Starscream to a tree, and saying something to him, though I could understand him. Starscream looked terrified.

So that's what all that noise was. This new Seeker was giving Starscream a beat down.

Soundwave's mask turned black, and I asking him another question. "Who's that new Seeker?"

His mask turned on again, and showed a picture of Ratchet! Nah, that can't be right. Ratchet doesn't fly; he's a grounder. There's no way that flyer is the old mech.

The creepy mech next to me must have known that I didn't believe him, 'cause the picture on Soundwave's mask changed and showed a bird's eye view video of Ratchet scanning something high in the sky. I raised my optic ridges as I watched him change into a fighter jet and take off from the clearing he was standing in.

Wow. I wonder what made Sunshine do that.

"Hey, you guys. I think I see something!" Miko shouted back at the two of us. Soundwave's, along with mine, helm snapped around to look at the human riding Halli's back.

The dog and cat had stopped walking and crouched behind some thick bushes. They both were staring at something, though I couldn't see what. I could see a light coming from whatever was ahead of us, and it wasn't moonlight. Last time I checked, moonlight isn't red.

I moved closer to the trees near me, in case I needed some cover close by. I don't know what the Pit is out there, and that's reason enough for me to need some cover.

Soundwave just kept walking and moved the bush aside that the dog and cat was crouching in front of. More of that red light came in around Soundwave's frame, and I saw Jack move his arm to shield his eyes. Halli's tail started wagging like mad and Miko gasped as she looked past Soundwave.

"Is that a ship?"

...Ratchet's POV...

I was calm.

I was calmer than I had been in vorns.

In fact, I was deadly calm.

Dreadwing and Megatron came back and were standing a little off to the side, watching me speak with Starscream. Megatron was very smiley right now.

"I-I have no idea what you're t-t-talking about!" Starscream nearly whimpered, optics open wide. I sighed and smiled at him, though it wasn't a pleasant smile.

"I know you know where my son is. Don't lie to me." I adjusted my grip on Starscream's chestplates and pressed him against the tree I had pinned him to until his plating groaned under the stress. I could hear Starscream grinding his denta in a vain attempt to handle the stress.

I leaned in to him, so close that my lips were next to his audio receptor. I growled, "Listen, you fragger, my son is gone, and I think you know something. So you will talk. Or I will rip out your core processor and extract the information personally."

The look of pure fear and horror flooded his optics as I leaned back. "You can't do that!" he screeched.

I blinked slowly and let him go, letting him sink back down to the ground. Off in the distance I heard Megatron call out to someone, saying that it's safe to come out. In the corner of my optic, I saw Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Knockout and Breakdown all come out of the woods. They were whispering among themselves as they came to stand near Dreadwing and Megatron, looking at Starscream and me. I heard Bulkhead and Breakdown agree with each other that they wanted to beat the slag out of Starscream for me. Knockout and Dreadwing were speaking with each other about something that I didn't care to pay any attention to. Bumblebee just had his arms folded over his chest as he stood next to Megatron, unintentionally mimicking the warlord.

I ignored all of them. My attention is focused on this Seeker.

Starscream didn't dare run as I shifted my servo into a syringe. I flared my wings, making myself appear larger and cast a shadow over Starscream. I stepped forward and crouched, pressing the tip of the incredibly sharp, long needle against his exposed neck cables. He tried to lean back and push my servo away, but the tree he was leaning against didn't allow him to get farther away and I grabbed his arm with my free hand.

"You see, this fluid here can put your processor in shutdown, but you will still feel pain while you are asleep. And while I extract your processor, I can manipulate it so that all you pain receptors fire off at the exact same time, magnifying the excruciation one hundred fold, if I so choose."

Starscream shivered hard, unable to look away from my blood red optics. His wings flattened against his back out of pure terror. I gave him a toothy grin and narrowed my blood red optics.

"Actually, I have a number of choices. I can give you no sedatives at all and put slits into your cranial chamber in order to make peeling your plating back much easier. But before I did that I'd have to sever your protoform cord. I can't have you squirming while I work."

I could tell that the grey Seeker was paralyzed with fear, not that it mattered to me. He took my son from me, and he deserves to suffer my wrath.

I suddenly stomped a pede and flared my wings, making him jolt and shrink back. "Or maybe I could ask for Knockout to assist me in dripping acid into your joints and on your sensitive wings. As a trained medic, I know that acid damage to the joints will never heal. It will remain painful for the rest of your existence. And as a Seeker, I know that wings are unbelievably sensitive. Millions upon millions of circuit endings... I wonder how they would stand up to an acid burn.

"Or I could manipulate your processor so that your nervous system attacks your frame, and kills you slowly from the inside out... No, I could go for your sensitive optics-" Suddenly, Starscream snapped, just as I thought he would, screeching almost at the top of his ventilation system.

"Alright, alright! I know where his ship is. It's fifty miles northwest of here, hidden among the trees. Just don't hurt me!" His voice raised an octave as he used his free servo to shield his optics. The tremor of fear in his frame was obvious.

"Good. I told you that you will talk." Starscream flinched when I flashed him a smile. With that, I shifted my syringe back into my servo and transformed, firing off my twin engines. I flew away, leaving all of them behind in the clearing. I'm heading northwest, to Faultline's ship.

I will find my son.

...Megatron's POV...

I must admit that that was immensely entertaining!

Dreadwing and I arrived back to the clearing in time for the show. We told Starscream that we were going to search for my third-in-command, but the two of us merely circled back around. I didn't bother looking for Soundwave. He's more than likely conducting his own search with his Deployers. Right now, I'm particularly pleased that Dreadwing and I returned to the clearing.

The six of us stood there watching the Autobot medic menace Starscream. Because he was a medic, I would say that his threats were even more effective than mine. I'm a gladiator; I don't know the particulars of the Cybertronian frame as well as a medic with many vorns worth of knowledge and experience. I opt to slowly tear the mech I am angry with limb from limb or blast them to smithereens with my fusion cannon, whereas a medic can quite literally get under your plating.

Starscream didn't even last the threats. I'm mildly disappointed that I didn't get the opportunity to see any energon, but I believe that seeing a novice flyer knock Starscream, Air Commander of the Energon Seekers (Among the best Seekers in the air, might I add.), clear out of the sky compensates quite well. The medic was able to chase Starscream as easily as a cybercat pouncing on a glitch-mouse, and maneuver in the air with skill that was far beyond his level. Transforming in midair was a phenomenal feat, considering this is his first day of flight.

I should offer that mech a job. We need more mechs like that.

"Decepticons," I said, silencing the hushed chatter. I pointed in the direction the white and red plane was going with a single thick claw. "Follow the Autobot. Starscream told him exactly where Faultline's ship is hidden."

They were about to leave when I said, "Except Breakdown. You are to remain here and keep an optic on Starscream, in case he decides to attempt to flee." Breakdown sagged slightly, but I ignored him.

I watched Dreadwing fly off and Knockout speed away, northwest, just as the Autobot medic was. Once they departed I looked down at Bumblebee and spoke to him, drawing his attention.

"You and your mech should do the same." I blinked as the young mech nodded and transformed, followed by the green one, heading the same direction Knockout went.

I turned around and saw Breakdown walking towards Starscream, shoulder mounted cannon armed and ready to fire. Starscream looked even more pitiful than he normally does; dents and dirt covered his frame, and I saw some obvious cracks in the glass of his cockpit on his back as he slumped over.

I steadily walked towards him, listening to the moans of my second-in-command. As I drew closer I could see that the Seeker was grinning slightly, most likely glad to be online.

"Don't think you're off the hook, Commander Starscream. You're gonna have to deal with the consequences once this is all over," Breakdown said nonchalantly, making Starscream wipe the smile off his faceplates. I grinned at Starscream.

I could not have said it better myself.

I told Breakdown to do everything in his power to keep Starscream in this very spot, so long as he remains alive. It would do me no good to later beat the slag out of a corpse - there would be no fun in it.

But now, I suppose I should head towards that mercenary's vessel. There would be no point in me wasting time standing here.

...Arcee's POV...

I talked to 'Lackluster' a few moments ago. I had knocked on the door just as she was going by. The purple, black visored femme was carrying a tray with an energon cube sitting on top. I knew it wasn't for me; she brought me mine an hour ago. She's probably taking it to Faultline.

After she came inside the room was I trapped in, I asked her why she didn't run away when I knew she could. I had noticed that there was nothing stopping her from leaving. There was no shock collar, or anything.

At first she didn't say anything at all. She merely looked at me through her black visor. I could tell without looking at her optics that she had an incredibly sad look on her face. I have never seen someone look so sad and hopeless before.

I thought she wasn't going to answer when she spoke in a very tiny voice with an accent that had to be Velocitronian.

"My carrier and younger brother were killed. I have no one now. Where would I go?" Before I could tell her that could join the Autobots, she rolled backwards and skated out the room on her wheel-pedes, still carrying that tray.

Faultline killed her family and trapped her here for Primus knows how long. She's been here so long she's lost all hope of help coming.

Hopefully, the 'Bots will come and get all three of us away from Faultline.

...Optimus's POV...

The warmth I was being enveloped in suddenly disappeared when the door opened. I squinted at the intensely bright light and my gears locked in fear. Tears streamed down my faceplates as I looked at the light.

I saw a slender, black silhouette standing in the doorway. The figure moved smoothly into the room, making me shrink back into the darkest shadows of the death room. I whimpered when my frame bumped against a pile of balled servos, making them scatter over the floor loudly.

The figure moved even closer to me, and childish fear compelled me to move even further into the shadows. I wished to have nothing to do with this bot, whoever it was.

The black figure crouched and placed something down on the floor, turned and quickly left. As they exited the room, the light illuminated their pedes. I saw that this bot was skating away, on wheels in place of pedes.

The door closed and I was left alone in the dark. The warmth instantly returned, and I was lifted off the ground.

I looked up and smiled to see Cliffjumper's serene faceplates again. This time the mech was sitting on the floor, holding me close to his warm chassis.

Suddenly, I saw something being held close to my faceplates. I looked at it to see that it was an energon cube. I could feel the warmth radiating from the cube and I could smell the sweet scent of the fuel inside.

Feeling my tank rumble, I instinctively grabbed the sides of the cube and put my mouth on the tip of the cube. Cliffjumper smiled down at me as he tilted the cube, allowing me to drink a steady stream of energon. My tank was already beginning to feel much warmer as I refueled. I shuttered my optics and allowed the warmth from the red spirit heat my faceplates.

As I drank the warmed energon, I realized that the cube was the object that the strange bot placed on the floor in this death room.

I know it was not the strange mech who took me from my family and I know it was not Arcee, for she does not have wheels in place of pedes.

I honestly believed that I would starve in this death room, just as my light orange friend most likely did. I can only wonder who the kindly bot was that left the energon cube for me as I nestled into the warmth of Cliffjumper's chassis.

And done! *wipes brow* that was REALLY long.

The Rumble I used here is War for Cybertron Rumble. The red and blue Deployer knows all about the plot Starscream set up to kill Optimus (he kept in contact with Soundwave). He's only on the warship to help keep things under control.

I want to thank WingedWolfAlari for helping me with this long chapter. I greatly appreciate it! :) Speaking of her, she made her own depiction of Seeker Ratchet on DeviantArt called Father's Duty. It is awesome; you should really check it out. Also, she did a wonderful picture of Soundwave and sparkling Optimus called 'Studying Till Midnight'. She also drew her depiction of Halli, called 'A Study of Loyalty'. She goes by the same name there as she does here.

There are two quotes that Alari suggested I use, and I did, and they are:
"Listen you fragger, my son is gone, and I think you know something. So you will talk. Or I will rip out your core processor and extract the information personally."
"You know, last time was just blind anger. So here's the deal - you talk and you don't have to find out what happens when I'm angry and in my right mind. And Primus forbid should you choose otherwise."

Both of the above quotes are from Beast Wars, and are, in my opinion, very fitting for the situation I used them in.

In the next chapter, Soundwave will confront Faultline.

Well, we learned a bit about 'Lackluster' today. And Starscream cracked pretty fast.

Ms. Darby's POV, the first segment of Ratchet's POV, Soundwave's POV all take place at the same time. Wheeljack's POV takes place at the same time when Ratchet kicks Starscream out the sky. Arcee's and Optimus's POVs take place while the search for them is going on.

Update: There appears to be some confusion about who Faultline killed. Halyard, Soundwave's sparkmate, was not killed by the mech; she died of Cosmic Rust, leaving Soundwave to raise their child on his own. The femme found dead with Wingspar is Clearout, Soundwave's neighbor and friend from back in the south side of Tagan Heights. Clearout was killed by Faultline.

Till next time! :)

P.S. What do you think Soundwave will do when he confronts Faultline?