Somebody explained the concept of silence being better than chatter to me.

I never said that I understood it though!

3luv4eva3

Awesome chapter. I LOVE it when a favourite story of mine has been updated! Thanks for having a read of 'The Hidden Stalker', I am quite surprised that you took some time to read it, along with my other stories too. Flamewar's obsession to Arcee would have not been discovered if I never accidently stumbled upon the show. However, I don't believe it as an accident lol! I will need to update my other stories too. Stupid homework from stupid school.

Long story short, I can't wait to read more soon! Keep it up!

You're totally welcome, because it was fun, and I enjoyed writing it! And to quote own of my all time favorite TV show characters, Rule 39: "There is no such thing as coincidence."

Autobotlover56

Plz update as soon as possible!

I am most definitely easily distracted. Is there a condition for having a short attention span and losing concentration too easily?

haloangel21

"I like the progress so far ;) That was a good chapter and the ending, my heart literally jumped out of my chest at the scene of Optimus talking over his bond with Arcee while she physically couldn't be there to snuggle with him.

Official writers for TFP, why couldn't you make OptimusxArcee a canon couple? They're true for each other! IDK, but it always upsets me when they did not even give them a moment in Predacons Rising.

Ah well, can't do anything about it... Anyways, keep up the good work! ;)"

Thaaaanks! I had hoped it wasn't too stereotypical. I don't think a bond should be completely invasive, because it's something forged out of love. Love is intimate, yes, but it's also layered, and a bond should connect the two on a deep, emotional level, not just mentally. The processor does not speak for the spark, just as the mind does not speak for the soul.

Don't worry, I'll go above and beyond expectations. I play Assassin's Creed, I'm sure I could intimidate them into making an alternate ending! XD

GO PRICEE.

Its programing was different.

For whatever reason, it had a new purpose, a higher one rather than functioning as a tool or trinket at the medic's whim. It was suddenly aware of its existence, its functionality that went beyond being more than a simple tool, or something that was broken and fixed repeatedly. It had a mission, a purpose, even. A feeling of hatred and pure loathing that was not its own pulsed through its circuitry, and it vibrated angrily, shaking and grinding its metal gears with violence that it was not capable of.

Some greater power, some unfamiliar source or subjectively mythical power was fueling it, and feeding it with the desires of another being. Seek out the Prime! Its programming hissed, and it shuddered inwardly at the sound of the monstrous voice echoing in its processor. Seek them out, and end the lineage, once and for all.

Even with its newfound intelligence, the now sentient being crawled its way behind the monitors, the place it had last seen the Prime, not able to stop itself from bending to the will of its puppetmaster. Its optic glowed purple, and its metal legs chinked quickly as it rushed down the halls, following its instinct.

All it knew was to obey, and that was all it could do while at the whim of its new master. A brighter, but scarred spark was pulsing slowly in a room not too far from it, and from the measurements being obtained, the mech was cycling through his recharge programs.

Hurry! He will soon awake, and my plans will have been foiled! Its dictator snarled, growing more and more impatient with every passing second. The Prime lineage must be destroyed at all costs!

If it could have, it would have rolled its single optic in its casing. The massive door was out of the question, but the vents above were a viable option, not too small, and there was an exit just above where the Prime's spark lay, dormant, but no less filled with the essence of Primus, and the Matrix of Leadership.

Bouncing off of one wall to another, it launched itself through the open vent with a sound that suspiciously sounded like a miniature "Wheeeee!" before it tumbled and crashed, banging against the metal around it. It did finally come to a halt, though it was some ways away from its intended destination.

Rolling over onto its peds, the possessed machinery scrambled towards the vent exit, hurring, for it knew that its time was short if the Prime was anything like his predecessors. It could see the soft light coming from his quarters, and it didn't think before throwing the latch open and leaping into the room, where it expected to puncture the spark casing of the Prime that undoubtedly rested on her berth below.

But when it landed, rather harshly, on the berth, and its legs gave out from underneath it, it was shocked to see that it had landed on an empty berth, limbs sprawled out as its processor glitched, not understanding. A single sound ended its train of thought, and not much time was given for it to whip its helm to the side and see the not so dormant Prime, and a blast of energon soaring towards it.

There was no time to think, react, or shriek, because the Prime had never missed his target, and he never would, and the minion of the greater master was smacked with the blast, and sent into the wall, its circuit boards and wiring completely fried. But it would not give up, it would not fail its master, else it face the ultimate-!

Those thoughts were the last from that former tool, for Optimus' ped crushed it under his immense weight, and it thought no more.

Said mech was hiding his slacked jaw behind a battle mask that had served him well for eons, staring at the dead lackey before him. There was only one thing that could have sent that doomed little trinket to its demise, and it was not something that Optimus wanted to hear about in the least.

He then realized that he had to touch the burned, crushed remains of whatever it had been in order to have Ratchet run a thorough analysis on what was left of his assailant. Perhaps he had gone a bit overboard in destroying what he had now labeled a possessed mini-con? After all, he lived by the knowledge that all sentient beings had the right to choose and live for themselves, yet he had destroyed something because it threatened him.

Though there was a part of him that was quickly growing to see the mini-con as anything but sentient.

If the purple in its optics meant what he feared, then Optimus would grow to have no problem off-lining a thousand of those to keep his loved ones safe. He could only hope that Ratchet would return soon, for there were some things that Optimus knew he could not do alone.

Optimus was surprised to see a lightly sleeping human femme on the couch once more, breathing deeply, and clutching at a pillow he knew that she had to have brought with her from her home. Ratchet, unfortunately, was oblivious to the fact that he had caused Talida to exhaust herself beyond what was statistically considered to be"normal" for a human teenager. He was swearing and searching his many tools for something specific, but when he saw the mangled, mutated, and utterly destroyed mini-con in Optimus' servos, he looked at his leader in horror.

There was no way Optimus tried to fix it, that much he knew. Not even Bulkhead had the ability to make his tool that much worse even if he tried to fix it. Whatever it was, it had been on the end of the Prime's violent behavior, for some reason Ratchet could not fathom. "What on Cybertron could have possessed you to do something like this to my tool?" He demanded, arms reached out as if he could pluck it from his leader's grasp and rescue the, now beyond repair, tool he had created. The medic's optics were wider than Optimus had believed to be possible, and he was expressing more emotion than he believed he had seen in a long while from his old friend.

Not even his temper spits were this frightening, and they could send him fleeing, even if it was in a diplomatic and professional matter, as his title of Prime required.

The Prime looked at the thing he cradled like an active bomb, and his optics narrowed. "It grew hostile, and attempted to offline me as I recharged." He said lowly, slightly surprised when Ratchet grew even more confused. "I feel that my actions were justified, and its demise was more than necessary." Perhaps that had been another bit of exaggeration on his part, though he would not admit that he had been only slightly afraid of it for a time. Not even to the oldest and best friend he most likely had left in the Universe.

There were somethings you just did not share.

"But the only thing that could have brought it to life, and in such a hostile manner, I might add…" Ratchet's calculating voice trailed off as he mumbled things not even Optimus could hear, though he was surprised when Ratched plucked the mini-con out of his servos and placed it in a container that he knew was linked to his monitors, along with countless other analytical tools that he couldn't be bothered to remember the names of.

"I have a grave suspicion, Ratchet." Optimus said lowly, knowing that his assumptions were most likely correct. His friend's sudden look of dread almost made him feel bad for sharing one of the horrors of his knowledge as a Prime. "Dark Energon."

"Off!"

"You know you like it."

"Stop it! If any of the others came over here, since we're not exactly in the most secluded place-"

"It is my base." He said, refusing to stop his antics. "And you are my femme. What are they going to say? I am their Prime, and your bondmate."

She groaned, burying her faceplate in shame. "You're so naive." She said critically. "Ratchet can't take this long to triangulate coordinates, can he?"

Optimus laughed, unable to resist inhaling her scent as he nuzzled her much smaller helm gently, "He can if there are many unstable areas near the site we must travel to. A GroundBridge could cause them to collapse."

"Ugh," she dared to peek at him."You're insufferable." She rolled her optics, laughing softly when he stole a quick kiss from her.

He was smiling down at her, optics sparkling, lacking in the disapproval she had thought for sure she would find upon her return. "I know. But you still love me, do you not, sweetspark?"

For a Prime, he certainly was a wonderful bondmate… "Of course I love you. Nobody else. Only you, Optimus." A large servo trailed down her back, and as she realized what he was going to do, she shrieked, but it was too late. "I already told you; servos off my aft!"

He silenced her with a longer, sweeter kiss, treasuring every astrosecond, and every sensation of it. "Love you more," he murmured, closing the distance between them once again, unable to resist the thrilling feeling of being close to her, especially if he had to depart without her in a few breems. "I missed you last lunar cycle. It is just not the same without my favorite femme in all of creation with me."

"Mmm… Sap." She said, though they both know she said it without any real conviction. "Overgrown mechling." He was unable to resist smiling as he captured her lips, refusing to let her break away once more. They only had so long, and Optimus knew that he would most likely be kept away from his beloved bondmate for some time if his greatest fears were indeed a reality. It was as if he had been cursed by fate itself, and his worries were always a reality.

His servos snatched her up, still on her aft, mind you, and forced her petite legs to wrap themselves around his warmed crotchplating while she tucked her own servos in the small crevice between his armor and his protoform, going for his spark lustily. Much to her dismay, he gently grasped her wrists, removing them from the rather sensitive area. "Not now, sweetspark." He berated her, smirking as she groaned in frustration, whining to him.

"Why not? You're the one getting both of us all stirred up, Prime." She purred, thoroughly disappointed in him. "Your drive must be screaming for some. I know you too well, Optimus." The blue femme smirked back at him, firmly pressing her lips against his, forgetting her previous protests.

Much to their mutual chagrin, Ratchet's unwelcome voice invaded their processors, having overridden the presently turned off comms. "I finished triangulating the coordinates, Optimus." He said shortly, not surprised when a rather startled Arcee squealed, losing her grip on her mate and hitting the floor with a shocked shriek. "I'm sorry to have interrupted your rather tender moment, but I'm afraid that we have a duty to ensure the future of the human race, and its freedom."

Her faceplates flushing a dark blue, Arcee groaned, burying her helm in her servos and shamefully hiding herself from Optimus's scrutinizing gaze. "Yes, of course Ratchet, we were on our way just now." He lied, pulling his bonded back to her peds with ease as he made his way towards the command center. "No need to worry."

With dangerous icy-blue optics, the femme snarled at Optimus as soon as Ratchet had stopped speaking, giving him a rather dangerous look, a silent threat in the air. "This is your fault!" She spat, striding out of his sight irritably, her crackling spark brought alive in fury. "Yes, femme, it's alright femme, we have time femme!" She muttered bitterly, feelings very sparkling-like as she fought to keep herself from throwing a temper tantrum. As much as she loved him, Optimus Prime was a downright pain in the aft sometimes…

While the big stupid mech prepared to depart for… wherever he were going, Arcee leaned against the wall in the command center, watching Jack and Talida. The two were relatively uninteresting, but a sleeping human, and a sitting human were more interesting than her infuriating bonded presently. The roar of two welcome engines filled her keen audio receptors, and she looked to the right, directly at the tunnel earnestly. Company was welcome, and much appreciated.

As the two vehicles, rather Bumblebee and Bulkhead, came to a halt before her, and the younger humans, Raf and Miko enthused about… something, the mechs transformed, although an odd noise came from within the green 'Bot, startling the three of them. "Uh-?" He said uncertainty, trailing off as he retrieved a black guitar case, and a slightly-sheepish Miko reached for it, somehow seeming indifferent, if not for her quick, ready apology.

"Sorry." She said, reaching for the instrument with both hands. "Must have left that in the back seat." Her moment of nonexistent mortification soon ended, as the most irritating mech's baritone caught the attention of all who were in the base, Jack and Talida among them. Her sleepy eyed gaze fell upon the Prime, even if he was otherwise unaware of her awakening.

"Autobots," He said regally, moving towards the groundbridge and past his soldiers as his heavy footsteps shook the ground. "Prepare to…" His glowing blue optics shifted to his daughter, and he paused in his stride, shuttering his optics as he silently scolded himself.

"Roll out?" Arcee offered, aching to punch a few dents into just about anything, Decepticons preferably.

He did not acknowledge her, instead lifting a servo to halt her before she began her advance. "Remain here." He said firmly, unaware of the boiling rage within her spark as it grew, and her fists silently clenched. "Ratchet, you'll come with me. Arcee, we'll be outside communications range for some time, so I'm putting you in charge." Optimus declared, earning a scoff from Miko as she looked up at her newfound guardian eagerly.

"Dude, you're biggest. You should be the boss."

"Um," Sheepishly, Bulkhead visibly winced to himself, cringing at her blunt opinion, deciding not to remark too specifically on her declaration. "He never picks me."

The already irked blue femme raised her voice slightly, her annoyance clear as she approached him. "Optimus, with all due respect, playing bodyguard is one thing. Babysitting's another." She looked up at him with pleading optics, servos out in the air helplessly. Jack sighed, shaking his head as he turned to Talida, who ignored him. She already knew Arcee hated humans, but she didn't have to make excuses for her boss. It was clear enough to all of them. "Besides, Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war."

Already offended, the medic opted to protest, looking up from the console to do so. "My pistons may be rusty, but my hearing is sharp as ever." He reminded her, his raised voice laced with irritability.

Optimus wanted to scowl at the both of them knowing their reasoning to be sound, even if they were at one another's throats. "For the moment, it's only reconnaissance." He told her, feeling the anger leaching from her spark into his own as he began to regret his playful banter with her all the more. That had most certainly not been his wisest move in the last century, if it wasn't evident already.

"Then why do I hear an edge in your voice?" She demanded, tilting her helm up to keep her optics burning into his.

He returned her gaze, unwavering, even if he felt the need to fear for his life. She would make everything miserable for him if he did not answer with the reply she desired, even if they both knew he wouldn't. "Arcee, much has changed in the last 24 hours, and we all need to adapt." He said lowly. "Ratchet, bridge us out."

The medic turned to the console and powered the green fluxing vortex with ease, pulling the lever and moving to his leader's side apprehensively. The groundbridge hummed with live energy as the lifeblood of all cybertronians flowed through it; it was ready and waiting. The two mechs walked at a brisk pace into the tunnel, before their frames vanished in flashes of twisted white light, dissolving into the air as the bridge shut down automatically.

Arcee rolled her optics, and looked at Jack with a raised optic ridge. "Okay, Chief." He began awkwardly, clapping his hands together with wandering eyes, already bored. "So, uh, what's on the activities list?" The raven haired teen met his guardian's gaze, knowing that he had said the wrong thing as soon as she turned away.

"I'm going on patrol." The dark blue femme hissed, stalking out of the command center with a lot more then Optimus' mysterious mission racing through her processor.

But the diligent green mech protested, already disapproving of her actions. "But Optimus told us to stay!"

"When you're in charge, you can call the shots." Arcee looked up at him as menacingly as she could for a femme half his height, before looking at Bumblebee expectantly. "Bee, with me." She said, turning away from them all as the yellow mech feebly walked over, slouching as he whirred to himself sadly. "Bulkhead, you're in charge."

Without another word, the two most agile members of the team transformed, and sped out of the base as the green mech watched them leave, freezing briefly. "So, uh," Bulkhead looked back at the four humans. "What's on the activities list?"

Both Jack and Talida headed down the stairs, oblivious to Miko's plans until an ear-piercing electronic shriek echoed in the large room. All of them cringed, except for Miko, who was fiddling with her electric guitar amp. "How about… Band practice!" She suggested, her arms out wide with an innocent gaze as Talida's head throbbed painfully.

Oh how she wished her friend wouldn't take a shriek metal axe to her head, she was in enough pain as already. She tugged her ear and shook off the ringing she could still hear, moving to voice her objections, but she was cut off before she even began. "Miko, I don't -" low electrical guitar notes blasted through the speakers, and Talida instantly crushed her ears with the palms of her hands, squeezing her eyes shut and shrinking away from the source of the music.

However her efforts were fruitless, and the thrumming of the heavy vibrations rattled her skull violently, sending her into a world of pain like no other.

Maybe skipping town wasn't such a bad idea after all...

She had been abandoned and left to endure shriek metal with a searingly painful headache, and in any case, no noise was always better than any noise at all.