Chapter Five

"You haven't found her yet, have you?" Moongaze stated as she lay on the medical berth.

"Prowl and Jazz ran into her as she came out of here and Ironhide saw her once when Wheeljack managed to get the base's power back up." Ratchet answered as he continued with the femme's check-up.

"I see." The Ford said sadly as she turned her head away.

Hearing the sadness the medic stopped his scans and looked at her. "Jazz gave me some interesting information." He began, he waited for a response and when he didn't get any he place a hand on the femme's arm. "Moongaze." He said gently "why did you tell her there were only a few Autobots and that they were all stationed here?"

"How was I supposed to know the others weren't going to come back and you guys would come?" she replied still not looking at him.

"There's more to it than that, isn't there." He said knowingly "otherwise you would, at least I hope you'd have contacted me to say everything was okay over here and we wouldn't have come investigating what happened at the sudden loss of contact." Moongaze remained silent sadly staring at the medbay floor. Ratchet sighed, "Gaze."

The femme sat up still staring at the floor. "I promised Surefire she'd be okay and he told me they'd be back." She said quietly.

Ratchet felt a slight pang of pain in his spark at what he was about to say, "you're in love with him, aren't you?" just at that moment the lighting in the medbay flickered and cut out for a moment before turning back on. "Slaggit, stable power my aft." He grumbled looking up at the ceiling when he looked back to Moongaze he found that she was gone. Moongaze. He thought sadly as he shook his head, he contemplated contacting her but was now sure she would answer.

"What's with the sad face, Ratchet?" Ironhide asked as he walked in. "Where's Moongaze?" noticing the deep sky blue was nowhere to be seen.

"She's gone, Ironhide. Just like all those years ago." The medic replied sadly as he turned to put the equipment away.

"Mind telling me what you're talking about?" Ironhide asked walking over to him.

"She left when the lights cut out." The ambulance explained starting to return to his normal self.

"I'm not talking about that."

"Then I don't see what you could be talking about, Ironhide, as that's the only thing that happened." Ratchet said trying to keep himself busy and not look at the red mech.

The weapons specialist regarded the medic carefully, everything about him said 'I don't want to talk about it' but there was something compelling him to brave the medic's wrath and find out.

"You feel something for her, don't you?" he said cautiously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ratchet said turning to glare at the mech.

Ironhide suddenly smiled, "you better stop denying it before she finds someone else."

"It's too late for that." Ratchet muttered looking at the berth before looking back at Ironhide, "is there a reason you're here or have just come to annoy me?" he asked annoyed.

Ironhide chuckled, "Prime wanted to know if you were finished so he could have another word with her. Guess I can go and tell him you scared her off." he said amused making a run for it before the medic could find something to throw at him.

"I still say we should have gone back for him, Primus knows what those cons are doing to him." A yellow and black mech said.

"And risk them getting hold of the human? No Chaser." A winged white and black mech replied.

"Slag the humans! Tazer's one of us."

"The humans as you so nicely put it, Chaser." A white mech began "are our mission and the reason we're here. We're not called the Human Intelligence Team for nothing."

"Come on, Chaser, we're all just as upset as you are that Tazer was captured." A dark red mech said "but we had to make sure Moongaze got back to base."

"But…" Chaser stood and walked to the entrance of the cave they were currently hiding out in and looked out into the rocky mountainside. "It wasn't you he was relying on to get him out of there." He said sadly.

The white and black mech got up and walked over to him placing a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Chaser." He said a comforting tone in his voice.

"It was Skybolt! He didn't fall out of you or Surefire or Cruiser, he fell out of me!" the helicopter wailed getting quite upset.

"Listen to me, Chaser." Skybolt said sternly as he held the mech by both shoulders and turned him so he was looking him straight in the optic. "It was not your fault! If you had not of moved when you did you would have gotten shot causing both you and Tazer to be caught. How do you think that would have made Tazer feel knowing that he was the cause of both of you getting captured?"

"He's right you know, Chaser." Surefire assured.

"Plus you know we're not going to let him stay a prisoner of the Decepticons. We'll get him back but for now we need to preserve our energy." Cruiser added.

Chaser sighed and smiled, "thanks guys. I guess I was feeling a little guilty."

"A little? I'd say you had a bucketful." Cruiser joked making everyone chuckle.

"Can you believe we're actually trying to look for a human in a base where they can practically hide anywhere?" Sideswipe complained as he and Sunstreaker walked down one of the many corridors.

"A human who seems to think we're the enemy and doesn't believe we're Autobots." Sunstreaker added.

"I know. What's with that? It's not like we're going to kill them and enslave the whole planet or anything." Sideswipe said casually.

"I knew it!" a voice said from behind them catching both warriors' attention and having them turn towards the voice only to see the very human they were complaining about. "You aren't Autobots! You're just pretending!"

"No no no! You've got it all wrong." Sideswipe tried to explain knowing they must have caught the end of the conversation. "I was just joking around."

"You think invading our planet is a joke?!" Crystal said both shocked and disgusted.

The red mech facepalmed and shook his head trying to remain calm, "no, that's not what I meant."

Sunstreaker recalled what Jazz had told everyone before they went to search for the human. 'Try and make friends with 'em. She's confused and more than likely frightened after what happened.' He wasn't the one to 'make friends' but since his afthead brother seemed to be making things worse…

"Sides doesn't think before he speaks." He began as he looked at the female and feeling the glare his brother sent him. "I'm Sunstreaker and that afthead is my brother Sideswipe."

And just what are you doing? Sideswipe asked through their bond.

What Jazz told us to do and since you seemed to be making things worse every time you open that mouth of yours Sunstreaker responded. "We were in the medbay with your friend Moongaze."

"So you're the ones who took her!" Crystal exclaimed.

Nice going, Bro. Now who's the one making things worse. Sideswipe said slightly amused. I remember what Jazz said and he said not to mention Moongaze.

Sunstreaker ignored him and tried to think of how to get through to her. Slag it, this femme's denser than Sideswipe! He thought. "Moongaze asked us to come and find you, she would have herself but she needed to report to Prime." If she doesn't get it this time, I swear…

Crystal looked at the floor and thought for a moment not realising the two Autobots were inching closer and closer to her she finally looked back at them and jumped when she saw how close they were. She took a few steps back, "Moongaze really knows who you are?"

"She does." The yellow twin replied remembering the blaster he had aimed at his head when they first met. He was grateful there was only Ratchet in the room otherwise he would never be able to live it down.

Suddenly a voice called out, "Sideswipe! Sunstreaker!" both mechs turned to the voice and when they looked back Crystal was gone.

You know, strange as this may sound. I think you were actually getting through to her. Sideswipe said in slight shock you. Not Jazz, or me… or anyone else but you.

Sunstreaker growled at his twin, shut it, Sides.