... SO. lol

Anybody ever played a game online called Alter Ego? I think it's super fun. I found it yesterday and I've played it like 5 times already. :D

I've had this chapter written for a few days, but I was lazy and allowed myself to get sucked back into Star Trek for a few days. Hope you forgives me!

Anyway, this chapter is a lot of fun. Next chapter is probably going to be a bit depressing though... and NOT just because she's obviously going to go talk to OP. (I'm writing as we speak, by the way...)

So! I hope you guys enjoy, and more to come soon!

Blare laughed as the twins took turns spinning her around and jumping with her. Bumblebee had been playing music for them, and leaping up and down, clapping, giving them clips of a crowd cheering. She wondered, though, why Bumblebee hadn't given them any comments in his real voice - he'd been using choppy radio clips, if he wasn't playing music.

She was singing along with any song she knew, which was more than one might think, since she didn't remember any after the memory loss. For all of his hatred toward humans, Starscream was fascinated by their culture - especially music, which was apparently nothing like the music on Cybertron. He'd used his holoform a few times to buy a boombox and the latest music at some places in town. Whenever Megatron wasn't at base, he'd pop in the newest CD and invite Blare to dance along. They both memorized all the lyrics to the songs they liked (and oh, but Starscream's singing voice made her ears bleed) and had little secret parties when Master was away. Like teenage children did when their parents left the house. And like an annoyed but caring older brother, Barricade pretended that their music couldn't be heard all the way to Sri Lanka. But when Megatron got back, all semblance of friendship among the three vanished.

Here, there was no one to come home and spoil the fun. The only one who might complain was Ironhide, the black bot, but pretty much the most he'd do was grumble a little.

"Bottoms up, bottoms up

Eh, what's in ya cup?

Got a couple bottles

But a couple ain't enough

Bottoms up, bottoms up

Throw ya hands up

Tell security

We 'bout to tear this club up

Bottoms up, bottoms up..."

"Get ready fo' ya solo, Psycho!" Skids yelled over the rest of the chorus.

Blare clapped in time and did upper body rolls, waiting for her cue.

"Uh, uh, yeah

Now!

Can I get that 'tron?

Can I get that remmy?

Can I get that Coke?

Can I get that henny?

Can I get that margarita

On the rock, rock, rocks?

Can I get salt

All around that rim, rim, rim, rim?

Trey! I was like, 'Yo, Trey?

Do you think you can

Buy me a bottle of Rosé?'

Okay, let's get it now..."

She was surprised that she could rap fast enough to keep up, but she guessed she could thank Starscream for being creepily obsessed with Nicki Minaj. After the final part where she practically scream-growled, "Now bottoms up and double my dosage!", they all burst out laughing (of course, Bumblebee used a clip, subsequently halting the song).

Blare put a hand on each of the twins' arms. "This was so fun, you two! We'll have to do it again soon, but I'd like to get to know the others a little. Okay?"

"Alright den, we gets it, Psycho." Skids high-fived her.

"Yeah, we's talk to ya later," Mudflap agreed, also giving her a high-five.

She grinned and waved at them with both hands as she spun to leave. "See you, guys!" She faced Bumblebee and tugged on his hand. "Come on, Bee - can we talk for a little bit now?"

He nodded, chirping happily. "Let's go! Move, move! Hup, two, hup, two, yah, yah!"

She giggled and sat down next to him once they'd found a spot a little ways away from the twins. "So, whaddaya want?" Bumblebee asked through the radio.

"Well, I just wanted to ask..." She shrugged, playing absently with a section of her hair. "I mean... I was just wondering... how come you're only using the radio to talk? Do you not like me?"

Bumblebee looked at her, then sighed, putting a hand against his forehead. "No, no, it ain't like that," he replied, and even though the clip didn't quite sound sad, Bumblebee really looked sad, almost like he was about to cry. "You are - just the nicest person, you know - on the planet! - Almost," he added.

"Then why won't you talk to me with your real voice?" She reached over and placed her hand on the back of his free one.

"I tried to - I can do it - but - ow!" He hung his head, chirping softly.

Blare frowned, rubbing her hand over his. Oh, how could she have thought he didn't like her? He had problems, just like her. "So... you can talk, but... it hurts for you to talk in your real voice? Is that it?"

"We have a winner!" he answered, using a clip from a game show.

"Oh." She slipped her hand off his and let her arms dangle loosely between her knees. "So that's why you use the radio, then."

"Yup, kiddo."

"Oh. I'm sorry." She sighed, glancing over at the twins, who were busy beating each other's processors out like it was some kind of freaky contest. "Hey... I know this is probably a lot to ask, considering it hurts, but... do you think you could say my name? I just wanna hear it in your real voice - just once."

He nodded, as if her request were completely understandable. He reached over and brushed her hair away from her face with one finger. His optics seemed as if they were staring right down into her soul, like he knew her so well and wanted her to remember him. "Blare," he said simply. His voice was polite, with some accent she couldn't place, yet still retained some innocence of youth. He probably wasn't very old, considering how the Cybertronians aged, but he sounded so mature for how old he probably was. His finger was against her neck now, and his eyes fell halfway closed. "Sweet little doll. Blare."

She closed her eyes for a second. Doll. It sounded like he had been such good friends with her, and he had a special name for her because she was so tiny compared to all of them. She opened her eyes and reached up, wrapping her hand around his finger. "You called me that, didn't you?" She nuzzled her cheek against the smooth metal of his palm. "I'm sorry. I don't even remember."

"Don't beat yourself up." He was back to using the radio. "You're a good kid. D-Don't worry about it."

"Aww, you're a good boy, aren't you?" She threw her arms around his, and grinned up at him. "If I do know you, I hope I'll remember soon. You seem really nice. We can be friends, right?"

"You're kidding - there's no way - I'd say no!" He looked happy, and picked her up, enveloping her in an Autobot's version of a hug.

She did her best to hug back. "Thanks. Maybe it'll be easier to ride this out if I've got a friend. I mean, till Master comes for me?"

He let go of her, setting her gently back on the ground. "I don't think - you should go back."

She blew out a breath. "Yeah. Nobody but me thinks so, I guess."

"We just want what's best for you, sweetie."

"That clip was a little creepy, Bee."

"My bad."

"Hey, whatever." She stretched out, shaking her hair. "Look, Bee, I'm gonna head over and talk to the others, okay? But I'll come have some more fun with you again soon... 'kay then?"

He nodded. "Good-bye."

"Later, Bee." She bumped fists with him before looking around at the remaining bots. The only ones she hadn't talked to yet were the silver one, Sideswipe, and the black one, Ironhide. Hmm, which one of them should she talk to first?

... Eh. Sideswipe.

Blare walked over to the chrome-colored bot, who was doing what looked to her like some kind of speed-training workout. She looked up at him, not quite sure how to get his attention. He was really focused, probably tuning out everything around him. "Sideswipe!" she shouted, as loud as she could. "Sideswipe!"

He glanced down at her. "Whoa! Sorry, didn't see you there." He slowed down. "How's it going, Blare?"

"Oh, it's going. I was with the twins and Bumblebee. I just wanted to get around to everyone for a little while, I guess... you know." She rubbed her arm nervously. "Do you think you could pick me up? I think I might remember... something."

"Hey, sure. If you think something's comin' to you, I'd be happy to oblige." He lowered his hand, and she climbed into his palm, holding on tight to a finger. Almost like she normally did with Megatron, only Megatron wasn't silver.

He lifted her up, about to eye level, and blinked at her. "Well? You getting anything, Blare?"

"I... I don't know." There was a flicker of recognition in her mind, but something was missing. This position struck a note in her mind, a rather melancholy note, but it was too cold for what she was thinking of. "Will you take me outside? It might help."

"Alright, I guess. Can't hurt anything. Hey, Ironhide!" He held up Blare to the other Cybertronian. "Your turn with her next, when we get back inside."

Ironhide just scowled and returned to doing an inspection on his cannons.

Once they were outside, Blare looked down at the grass and flowers, taking in the feeling of the sun on her face and arms. She could feel a memory pushing on her, but there were no images. All she got were voices, textures.

"Sideswipe, you gotta calm down."

"Calm down? How the hell am I supposed to calm down! I find out he's alive, and I can't even do anything!"

"Come on. Come on, you big, strong Autobot, you." There was a feeling of smooth metal under her hand, her palm and fingers. "You'll find him. Or he'll find you."

Whatever the metal was, it ripped away from her hand. "You don't know that. Don't talk like you know... you're just a human. You don't know what it's like, to lose your family."

Overwhelming sadness, like something was clawing at her heart. "You know, Sideswipe... we don't know a lot about each other, do we? I know how you feel. You think I don't, but I do."

"Maybe you do, maybe you don't. It doesn't matter because I just want to be mad right now."

"Boy, do I know that feeling. It's okay to feel like that, you know..."

"I just want him back." Someone pulled her into a hug, pressing her face and bare arms against the warm metal. It was too hot, with the sun and this person's warmth.

She fell back, right on her ass, grabbing at her head. "Oh God!"

Then she realized she was back in the present, on Sideswipe's palm. She had fallen, up against a couple of his fingers. She tried to take a few deep breaths, suddenly shaking and cold in spite of the sun's heat bearing down on her.

"Blare. Blare! Snap out of it, are you okay?"

She jerked her head up to look at Sideswipe, and knew she was staring, just flat-out staring, with wide eyes. "S-Sideswipe?"

He nodded, turning back to the door of the hangar. "Alright, let's get you back inside."

She looked at him as he carried her inside, trying to remember more. What had she talked about with him? Did she really know him that well? Who was he looking for? "Sideswipe..."

"Yeah."

"Who... Whoever you're trying to find... I-I hope you find him."

He scoffed a little, but it was half-hearted, like he didn't feel like spending the energy needed to be sarcastic. "That was your memory? Guess I didn't help you as much as I thought I would - I don't think that memory's too important in helping you."

"So it did happen."

"I'm not going to say anything. You decide whether it was real or just your mind making things up." He carried her over to Ironhide and put her on the ground by the mech's foot. "She is all yours, buddy. See you, Blare."

"Bye, Sideswipe!" She waved, then turned to Ironhide. "Uhm... so, what do you want to do?"

"Blow someone's head off."

"Ehhm... anything besides-"

"Blow your head off."

"Ohhh-kay..." She rocked back and forth on her heels. "So, we're just supposed to be tolerating each other, then? For, like, what - five minutes?"

"Five. You're lucky if you'll survive two." He sighed, disengaging his cannon and crossing his arms over his chest plate. "Let's talk. Before I get bored and think about using you for target practice. Because I rarely miss."

"Uh, okay..." She pointed up at his right optic. "Where did you get that scar?"

He grunted, as if he thought it was a stupid question. "In a battle."

"Well, obviously. What battle?"

"Part of a war."

"Duh. Was it here, or was it back when you were still on Cybertron?"

"Cybertron. Would you like to get reacquainted with my cannons?"

"Uhm... why do you ask?"

"Because if you ask me one more irrelevant question, that's what's going to happen."

"Okay. Might I see the cannons? You know... while they're still turned off?"

A slight growl, but he extended his hand. "Climb up here, then. Brevity or insanity?"

"Curiosity," she replied, scurrying up the length of his arm to his shoulder, where she could easily see the cannons without being too close. She peered down at them and whistled. "Wow! They're, uh... really big. How much can you fire at once without having to reload?"

"A lot."

"Oh. Okay then, well... how many wars have you fought in?"

"More than you'd think is acceptable, I'd imagine."

"Huh. You fought in that civil war on Cybertron, didn't you?"

"Yes. Right alongside all these other brave soldiers."

"I bet Ratchet worked on you, huh? If you got hurt?"

"More than once, yes. I sustained several injuries, and Ratchet was our main and best medic."

"Cool, cool." She reached down and set her hand on the back part of this cannon. "Maybe I could clean them later? I mean, they're really dirty. They're still working, of course, but they don't look as nice as they could." She looked up. "Would that be okay with you?"

"Well, I..." He shrugged. "I suppose it would be alright. If you want to do it, and I'm getting something out of it, who am I to refuse? Certainly wouldn't be very nice... not that I'm the nicest guy, but still. Besides, it might help you remember something. You know, maybe. When were you thinking of doing it?"

"Umm, I'm not sure. Maybe later tonight, when you're not busy?"

"Sounds good to me. See you then." With that, he turned away to resume his own inspection. As if he didn't want to talk to her anymore, for some odd, unfathomable reason.

She turned away, pretending to give him the cold shoulder as well. She swept the room with her eyes, looking for anyone she hadn't yet talked to or spent time with.

The large bot had finally come out of the medical ward. Why she hadn't heard him, she had no idea. But it had sounded like, earlier when she'd been with the twins and Bumblebee, that he and Ratchet were arguing or something.

Maybe she should go talk to him now.

OOOOOOH.

Snap.

:D

Anyway. Next chapter shall be both exciting and depressing. I'll be introducing that new 'Con femme (in case anyone's wondering, it's NOT Alice, it's an OC! Yay!) and there MAY just be a bit of brooding on several parts...

See you here for the next one soon! (Oh, and to me, a nice long review is like a yummy chocolate chip cookie. Who wants to give me some review-cookies?)

Thanks for reading! ^^