OMG! These chapters are getting longer! I have to stop that! So I'll keep this intro short. First, I would like to thank plenoptic for getting me out of a jam with this chapter. Thanks chicka! Second, I'd like to thank the readers for staying with it and watching Kacey grow up. The Christmas fic with Kacey and Leo was my gift to you all for doing that.

Now let's find out what Kacey had planned! Oh, tissues will be required by the time you reach the end of the chapter. Good luck and enjoy!

Magnus

It was with a heavy spark that I wandered into the command center. It wasn't even my scheduled shift time. But I honestly didn't know where to go. Duty must continue…life must move forward…Primus has a plan for us all. I tried to keep telling myself these things after Prowl informed me that Ratchet and Wheeljack were no where close to curing the virus ravaging Optimus' systems.

I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it.

Optimus wasn't just my commander, he was my friend. One of my closest friends. And he was dying and there wasn't a fragging thing I could do about it! No 'Con to blow up. No prayer that could make a difference. Nothing.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Hound quietly asked as he approached me.

I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. Instead I bowed my head slightly, not wanting Hound to see the pain and suffering I know were present in my optics.

"I feel the same way," he said sadly, clasping my shoulder with his hand. "If I wasn't on duty I'd still come here as well. Anything to keep busy and distract my processor."

"I had a distraction in mind, just not work," I sighed.

Hound glanced over at Akima then back to me. Yes, I did come here just to be near her. She had a calming affect on my spark.

"Are you going to bond with her? You two seem well suited for each other."

"Perhaps…in time. She is still so young and not ready to make that kind of commitment. I will not pressure her into something she is not ready for."

"Wise choice, my friend. I must say this…it's about fraggin time you settled down with one femme."

"Well, we're not all like Optimus," I replied. "He knew right away Elita was the one for him."

Hound's hand fell from my shoulder. His head bowed in sadness.

"I can't believe it…about Optimus," Hound spoke in a whisper, the sorrow so prominent in his voice. "It seems like only yesterday Ironhide was carrying him around on his shoulders or he was in Ratchet's med bay after some misadventure. I even recall a few occasions when Sentinel sat in the command chair with Optimus recharging in his arms."

"Yeah, I used to think Ironhide was using Optimus to get close to the femmes for an interface," I chuckled. "The femmes doted on Optimus."

"The moniker 'femme magnet' stuck to him even then when he was so young," Hound added.

"Yes it did! Oh, and Ratchet's cantankerous reputation had taken several blows. I myself would tease him relentlessly whenever he spoke of Optimus. The CMO sounded like he cared!"

"Yup, certainly the opposite of his normal bedside manner," Hound laughed quietly.

I sighed, frowning.

"I don't think Ratchet realized his comlink was open when he said he 'loved the little lugnut' to Ironhide. I never teased him after that day. I was just so grateful that he was able to save Optimus."

"I don't recall seeing you around Optimus much when he was little," Hound commented.

"Correct, he and I didn't become good friends until I began training him in hand to hand combat. He had just reached that age when femmes became interesting to him. I was shocked to find out Optimus knew how to treat a femme properly considering he had Ironhide as a role model."

"I think most of us were weary of that day," Hound chuckled. "Sentinel was afraid to ask what Optimus knew about femmes for fear of what Ironhide might have corrupted him with."

"Well, Optimus has always been a highly intelligent mechanism. He knew which mechs to ask what and he asked me how to approach a femme. Only he never made good use of what I taught him. He was so big and strong, he was afraid of hurting a femme by accident. As a result he got a bit shy around the femmes which only seemed to attract them more!"

"Until he met Elita," Hound inserted.

"Right, he went from shy to a puddle of molten metal," I laughed. "He was so gaga over her, kept telling me she was the one. I thought he was just being young and naïve. I'm so glad I was wrong. She's the best thing that ever happened to him."

"So were the younglings," Hound added.

My throat tightened up.

"Primus, Hound…how are we going to help them through this if we lose Optimus? Kacey is absolutely distraught. I saw her run like mad out of Optimus' office a while ago. Prowl explained that she was looking for the All Spark fragment."

"Do you believe in the power of the All Spark?" Hound asked in a low voice.

"I do," I replied without hesitation. "And if I had any inkling where Optimus might have hidden the shard, I would tear the place a part to find it too."

"Hound, Bumblebee's shuttle has returned as scheduled," Akima announced.

"Thank you, Akima," Hound responded.

That was odd. While it was standard procedure to announce incoming shuttles there weren't any shuttle uses scheduled today.

"Something wrong?" Hound asked. "You've got that look."

"I didn't sign off on any shuttles for today," I told Hound.

"It was logged in the computer," he replied. "I verified the authorization code before I let Bumblebee go."

"Akima, pull up the orders," I ordered, moving towards her. This I had to see for myself. I waited for a moment and watched as Akima's delicate fingers moved smoothly across the control panel. It was a brief distraction but one I couldn't allow right now.

"Isn't that your authorization code?" Akima questioned, pointing it out on the monitor.

"That's my code but I never authorized this," I growled, glaring at the monitor. "Hound, get those twins up here and question them. I'm sure they had something to do with this. In the mean time, I'm going to ask Bumblebee just what the frag he's doing!"

Hound

As ordered, I had Sunstreaker and Sideswipe report to me immediately. Magnus knew the brothers would be honest with me when answering my questions. They always were and never gave me any slag like they did Prowl or Ironhide.

Honestly, they were really good mechs with wonderful sparks. They were just destructive and mischievous from time to time. Ok, so they were mischievous most of the time. But that was who they were. I wasn't going to change them, neither was Optimus or anyone else, including Prowl even though he complains about them constantly.

Besides, the brothers were excellent fighters whenever together always giving a 'Con or two fits. And they were loyal Autobots to the cause and to our Prime. Life certainly wasn't boring whenever they were around!

"You wanted to see us, Hound," Sunny spoke softly, getting my attention.

"Come with me," I ordered taking them to a more private area in the command center.

"Do you know anything about Bumblebee taking a shuttle out today?"

"No," Sides answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Sunny concurred. "We ran into him a couple of hours ago. Said he was going to see Kacey. We even offered our help but turned us down, saying he was under orders and had to go alone."

"Sir!" Akima shouted.

"Wait here," I told them then hurried over to her station. "What is it?"

"Teletran locked me out," she explained, her fingers trying to punch in commands to no effect.

"Same with me, Sir," Tracks announced.

Several others all said the same thing.

"What the frag is going on?" I asked no one in particular.

"Odd, we're locked out but Teletran 2 is still running it's usually scans for Decepticon activity and monitoring our troops in the field," Bluestreak told me.

"Only sensors down…are the base's internal sensors," Akima said.

"Frag! Magnus this is Hound, come in!"

All I got was static through my comlink.

"Hound?" Sunny questioned, him and his brother coming over.

"Prowl, this is Hound, can you read me?"

"Internal communications are down too but I think I can get them back up and running along with the internal sensors," Bluestreak informed me. "But it means accessing the mainframe."

"Do it!" I ordered. "Contact me the moment you get them back up and running. I'll be at the shuttle bay. Sides, Sunny…come with me."

"Hound, what's going on?" Sunny asked as him and his brother chased after me.

"I'm not sure but I don't like it. Sides, head to the Med Bay and inform Prowl about the situation. Sunny, you stay with me."

Sunny

I had to hand it to Hound. For an old timer, he could certainly move fast when he had to. Not that I was racing him at the moment. For him to be this worried meant trouble. And like him, I too had my weapon primed and ready for action. Only when we reached the hallway outside the shuttle it wasn't the kind of trouble either of us was expecting.

"Put the weapon down, that's an order!" Magnus roared.

"I can't do that, Sir!" Rox bellowed back, his weapon primed and ready to blast a hole in any bot's armor that got in his way. "I have my orders and will follow them to the letter, Sir!"

"Let me talk to him," I said before Hound moved to intercede. "I know the kid well. Kind of reminds me of myself at that age."

Hound almost laughed but quickly cleared his throat.

"Trust me," I insisted.

"Go ahead," he smirked at me with that 'I'll believe it when I see it look'.

"You can kiss your career goodbye, Rox! You'll be spending the rest of your days in the brig too! Now stand down! And if you don't stand down I'll be forced to make you!"

"I mean no disrespect, Magnus, Sir. But that would be a direct violation of my orders! And if you try, I'll…!"

"You'll what?!" Magnus interrupted ready to jump at Rox.

"Magnus let me talk to him!" I quickly said, grabbing Magnus when I noticed the safety was on. I certainly didn't want Magnus getting shot at or worse nor did Rox getting his aft ripped in half! He was a good kid. "Please, we don't want anyone to get hurt, right?"

Magnus nodded and moved aside. Suddenly I found myself staring down the barrel of Rox's laser rifle. He meant business. He had already passed basic training with flying colors and was well on his way to being a soldier in the Autobot army once fully mature. So, I quickly put my weapon away and raised my hands indicating I meant the young mech no harm.

"Rox, May I ask what your orders are?"

"To keep this sector clear…at all costs."

"Why and by whose orders?"

Before Rox could answer the door to the shuttle bay opened and to my surprise Bumblebee emerged in his vehicle mode.

"I will ask you all to move aside…now!" Rox said.

When no one moved he fired a warning shot just over my head. Instinctively I ducked down. I heard Magnus growl from behind me.

"Please, we don't want anyone to get hurt!" Hound exclaimed.

"Bumblebee! Talk to me! Tell me what's going on!" I begged my friend.

"I can't…I have my orders," he said to me and sped off down the hallway.

"Whose orders? What the frag is going on?" Magnus demanded.

"For that, you'll have to ask my Prime," Rox smirked and before any of us could question him he transformed into his vehicle mode and sped off after Bumblebee.

'Sunny! Get the others to the med bay! Now!' my brother suddenly said over our bond.

'What's going on?'

'I don't know. Something big is going down. And…something's up with Kacey…she's…different.'

Kacey? Oh no, please no. I hope her father's condition hasn't pushed her past the edge.

"Sunny?" Hound questioned, touching my shoulder.

"It's Kacey…Sides said something's happening in the med bay and we need to get there ASAP."

"Then lets go," Magnus ordered.

Sides

I raced through the halls as fast as I could, even obeying Prowl's rule to not drive. The moment I entered the med bay I came to a halt. It wasn't everyday that I saw Prowl with a weapon aimed directly at him by Nitro of all bots!

"You, over there…now!" Saberon growled jabbing his rifle into my side.

Saberon was a young mech who was still a couple of years away from his transformation systems coming online. He was also good friends with Nitro and Kacey. Especially Kacey. All the young mechs would do anything for Kacey if she asked.

I decided to do as he said when I noticed the safety was off on his rifle. Saberon was still too young and no where near experienced enough to handle the weapon. I didn't want to risk hurting him or getting shot myself.

"What the slag is going on?" Ratchet demanded as he was back pedaling out of the private room where Optimus was.

Ratchet too had a weapon pointed at him…from Firestar! Beside her was Hawk, the latest youngling to have his transformation systems come online.

"All will be explained, Ratchet."

I turned upon hearing that familiar voice to see Kacey enter the med bay. If I hadn't heard her voice I wouldn't have guessed it was her. She was wearing a hooded blue cloak that stretched to the floor. The hood was pulled over casting a shadow over most of her face. I could see her optics softly glowing. They briefly locked on mine before quickly looking away.

Accompanying her were three very young mechs, far too young for this sort of thing. Derail and Dozer were heavily armed even though they didn't have armor yet. In fact, they were only a couple of years older than Kacey. Sockets, though a year or so older than the other two mechs, had already been training heavily in the medical field and was well on his way to being a medical bot in Ratchet's med bay.

"Sir, Hound wanted me to inform you that all the bases internal sensors are down as well as communications," I said quietly to Prowl.

"Yes, I know," he frowned. "I couldn't contact Teletran to alert the officers when Nitro and Hawk rushed Red Alert and me by surprise."

"I suggest you be quiet," Nitro said to us, his plasma rifle steady, optics focused and intense. He reminded me of Ironhide with that look. One I've seen frequently just before a Decepticon got blasted to bits.

Kacey's head turned briefly our way before she addressed one of the mechs that accompanied her.

"Sockets, please, give me a status report on my father," she ordered.

"As you wish," he said with his medical kit ready.

The young bot hurried into the room, Hawk accompanied him. I watched as Derail and Dozer traded places with Nitro. The two young mechs appeared a bit nervous holding weapons at Prowl, Red Alert, Ratchet, and myself. They weren't as confident as Nitro.

"Don't do it!" Firestar warned when Ratchet opened his mouth and made a move to protest. The femme wasn't nervous at all either! Of course, she'd been training with Elita and Chromia well before she got her armor. I wouldn't expect one of their femmes to be nervous!

"Forgive me Ratchet, but I think it best that you stay away from my father for the moment," Kacey said calmly.

My spark sank. She didn't sound like her normal self. And it wasn't like her to keep her face hidden. Not even when she cried.

"Kacey, please can we talk about this," Prowl said moving forward.

"Stay back!" Dozer yelled, his voice cracked and his gun accidentally discharged. I say accidentally because he looked absolutely terrified when the weapon fired like he wasn't expecting it.

Luckily Prowl had quick reflexes and was able to move aside. Hawk immediately came running from the private room, weapon aimed and humming ready to fire. He did not look nervous at all as her rushed to Kacey's side. Even Nitro moved to protect her, his weapon cycling up to fire.

My spark froze and I did the only thing I could do. I called to my brother, telling him to get his aft over her now. We had to help Kacey…somehow.

Prowl

Silence filled the room, except for the primed weapons. The tension in the air weighed heavily upon me.

I had to resist the urge to just rush them. I could do it and easily incapacitate them before they realized what was going on. Only I didn't. They were all so young and far too inexperienced which meant that they were too unpredictable. The end result could be one of them getting damaged badly or worse. I wouldn't risk that.

I decided the logical solution would be to make myself less of a threat to them. Ever so slowly I backed up, hands up so they could se I meant them now harm. As I retreated, Hawk turned and bowed his head to Kacey. Dozer turned as well. The young mech hung his head, looking dejected as Hawk came over and took his place.

So, not all communication frequencies were out of commission. It was obvious that the younglings were using one. If I could link up with Teletran I could scan for their frequency and listen in or try to talk sense to Kacey.

"It is ok, Dozer," Kacey said, gently removing the weapon from his hands. I watched as she put the safety on and held the gun herself. "You did well my friend. With training you'll do just fine when you're older."

Dozer lifted his head, his confidence regained somewhat as he stood at her side. It was clear to me how loyal all the younglings that Kacey grew up with were. I'm sure it didn't take much for her to convince them. But there were also uncertain and nervous which could be used to my advantage to regain control.

Kacey however was another matter. She was more stubborn that both her father and mother on a few occasions. And it was clear to me she didn't have all the confidence in herself in what she was doing now. She had yet to reveal her face to anyone, hiding in shadow the hood provided for her. I could see the stress affecting her though as her fingers fidgeted a bit with the cloak she wore.

I don't believe she wanted to do this. Perhaps with some persuasion I can convince her to stand down. I know if I can get her to back down the others would follow.

"Kacey…"

"I have nothing to say to you right now Prowl," she interrupted. "Trust me that all will be explained."

"Prowl, communications are out!" Ironhide shouted as he came charging in and came to an abrupt halt upon seeing the situation. Unlike Sideswipe, Hide's reaction was a bit different. "Nitro, what the frag are you doing? Hand me that rifle, now!"

"Sorry, I can't do that. I'm following orders…father," he said, signally for his father to join the others.

Ironhide on instinct, when being threatened, had his cannons fired up but didn't raise them towards his son. All weapons raised, were priming up again. And for what seemed like the longest minute ever, no one moved. Another minute passed, this one seemed even longer than the first.

My optics locked on Kacey while my sensors scanned each one of the younglings. All of their sparks were racing. They were too tense. Perhaps Kacey most of all. Yet it was she who broke the tension.

"I have temporarily disabled the bases internal sensors, communicators, and locked everyone out from Teletran 2," Kacey started to explain. "Again, I stress that it is only temporary. Ironhide, please join the others and I will explain further. I know you've probably already contacted Chromia who is by now getting my mother. No doubt Sides has already contacted Sunny."

Ironhide looked pissed! I even saw Nitro flinch, presumably from something his father said to him over their bond.

"Ironhide, stand down, that's an order," I said, again not wanting anyone to get hurt.

"You're right Kacey. Rox has informed me that Sunny, Magnus and Hound are following him and Bumblebee," Nitro told her. "They're almost here."

"As expected," she sighed.

Kacey turned her back as she paced for a few moments. When she turned to face us she pulled the hood down and revealed her expressionless face. It was a forced expression. I could tell. I knew her well enough to know when she was hiding the hurt. And I could tell she wasn't so confident in her actions for she reminded me exactly of Optimus when he was young and unsure of a decision he'd made. She just had that look he used to get when he first became Prime.

"According to regulation three hundred seventy five, article eleven section five I have assumed command of the Autobots."

"On what grounds?" Ratchet asked in disbelief.

"Yours," she simply said to him and then looked directly at me. "Am I right?"

Ratchet looked desperately to me for an answer.

"She is correct," I frowned. "You gave the deadline by which Optimus would…cease to be and thus gave Kacey all she needed to assume her role as our new Prime."

"So…she's Prime now?" Sides asked, looking somewhat confused which didn't surprise me since knowing rules and regulations was the last thing on his and his brother's processors.

"It's not official…yet," Ratchet grumbled folding his arms across his chest! "But during times of war the next in line to be Prime basically has all the powers and responsibilities of the current Prime when the current Prime is incapacitated and near death."

"Kacey, why are you doing this?" Sides asked, making a move towards her. A plasma rifle clinked against his chest armor and I pulled him back with my hand.

"I'm doing what I must for my father," she answered just as Sockets hurried to her side.

"He's in stasis in a stable condition," Sockets said to her.

"Of course he is!" Ratchet snapped.

"As I said, it's just a precaution," Kacey said and then turned to the med bay entrance.

I heard it too. The sound of a very familiar rumbling engine approaching fast. A moment later I saw Bumblebee come to a screeching halt by the door. Three humans, one I recognized as Mr. Keller, exited his vehicle form before he transformed into his robot mode.

I couldn't hide my dismay upon seeing Bumblebee, one of our most trusted officers apparently following Kacey's orders! I thought he was more sensible than that and would be the one trying to stop Kacey from doing this.

"Bumblebee, what the frag are you doing?!" Ironhide growled, never one to hold back from speaking his processor.

"He is doing what I ordered him to do!" Kacey yelled in defense. "If you have a problem you talk to me! I'm Prime and in command here!"

"You, you're not event thinking straight! You're father is lying in there dying…"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT I ALREADY KNOW!"

"YOU HAVE A FUNNY WAY OF SHOWING HOW MUCH YOU CARE BY KEEPING RATCHET FROM HIM!"

The rifle was primed and aimed at Ironhide with quick deliberation. Kacey was fuming, tears threatened to fall from her optics. I noticed a rise in her internal temperatures as she struggled with the stress of the situation.

"Where were you when my father was bitten?" she growled. "Why didn't you protect him when he needed you most?"

"If you think I've failed him then shoot me now!" he growled back at her.

"Kacey, please," Bumblebee gently said, his hand slowly grasping the weapon in her hand.

That was all it took. Kacey flicked the safety back on before allowing Bumblebee to take the weapon from her. And the hood immediately went back up over her face, much like Optimus used to use his mask when he was a young commander.

"Ironhide, please, stand down," Bumblebee begged, such sadness filled his optics. Perhaps I misjudged his actions. Perhaps Kacey went over the edge and this was the only way he felt he could help her. "You're not helping the situation. And Kacey will explain herself."

"Ironhide, I agree with Bumblebee, stand down," I said. I was actually very curious why Kacey was doing this and why humans were brought to the base without permission. "Give Kacey a chance to explain."

John Keller

My heart went out to Kacey. I've come to know the child very well. I tend to think of her more like a daughter than a friend. At the moment, she was desperate to save her father and was willing to do whatever it took.

"Well…we're waiting!" Ironhide snapped immediately getting a glare from Prowl.

Kacey's head turned towards the officers for a long moment. Then she made her way to me, kneeling before me. Us humans were probably the only ones who could see the tears in her optics as she looked down at us, pulling the hood further over her head.

"John, I'm so glad you made it safely," Kacey smiled sadly. "I appreciate what you've done. Thank you."

"Anything to help," I smiled.

"Is this…?"

"Ms. Madsen and Mr. Witmann. They've been briefed and know the situation."

"Please, call me Maggie," the young woman smiled. "It is an honor to meet you, Kacey. I've heard so much about you."

"All good," Glenn quickly added. Kacey raised an eyebrow at him making the young man nervous. "You can call me Glenn."

"Thank you both for coming," she said softly.

"Anything to help," Maggie smiled.

"Kacey…"

"Yes, I know Bumblebee," she sighed rising to her feet.

Kacey moved across the room, standing before the officers. It took her a few moments to collect herself enough to remove the hood again.

"I've sent Teletran a command," she started. "The bases communications and sensors will be back up in a few moments. Again, I wish no harm to anyone. But I saw no other way to bring the humans on to the base. And I didn't want to waste time asking and trying to plead my case. I couldn't risk you turning down my request."

"Prowl, you had informed me that Ratchet and Wheeljack were doing all they could for my father," she continued. "Ratchet, I know you would do everything in your power to find a cure for my father. Forgive me for saying this but…it's not good enough. You need help and I have brought these two humans here to help you."

"Kacey, you're upset," Ratchet said softly, seeming to understand the situation enough to not be his cranky self I see every time I visit the base. "You're probably not even thinking straight. The humans are technologically inferior to us."

"And yet this man here hacked into the Decepticon frequency and deciphered it," Kacey countered. "This woman here had the know how to detect the intrusion of the Decepticon frequency when it assaulted their Government's defense systems. Some of them even had the imagination to know…to think beyond their own selves to realize that there are other beings out there. They've even designed weapons that can hurt our kind."

"Is there any harm in letting us try to help you?" I asked, deciding to back Kacey up. It was obvious to me she put a great deal of thought into this little coup. And when they didn't answer I pressed on. "And it is true that Kacey is upset. She has every right to be. I'm upset that I wasn't informed about Optimus' condition. I've always considered many of you my friends. And all of you know Kacey as well as I do. It is obvious to me she put great thought into her actions today. She knew you wouldn't just accept our help. Why else wouldn't I have been informed of Optimus' condition?"

"I just want to make sure I've done everything possible to help my father," Kacey said sadly. "And the Autobots."

"Very well," Ratchet sighed. "We have less than seventy hours. If we do not find a cure by then…"

"I understand," Kacey nodded, her optics dimmed slightly. "Maggie, Glenn, please go with Ratchet. Bumblebee, see that they have everything they need."

"Yes, Kacey."

"Sockets, go with them," she said ignoring the glare from Ratchet. "He may still be a medic in training but he might be able to help. And you know he's a good medic since you've trained him yourself."

"As you wish, Kacey," Ratchet relented.

As they others left to get to work, Kacey beckoned me to come to her.

"Prowl you are still second in command…whether my father survives or not," she said. "If he does not…I will rely heavily upon you in the nearby future. If he survives, I fully understand the consequences of my actions. I take full responsibility. No one is to be punished but me. I've given Bumblebee strict orders to arrest me if my father pulls through and would see that you made sure he carried them through."

"I can't believe he actually followed your orders," Ironhide snorted.

"I admit I probably took advantage of his loyalty to me. Ever since my accident and the operation, Bee has gone out of his way to be there for me whenever I needed him. Please, don't punish him."

"You have my word," Prowl said.

"Good. Now, I had Mr. Keller come…"

"We got incoming!" a large, heavily armored mech announced from the doorway. "It's Elita and Chromia…moving fast!"

The younglings all fell into formation around Kacey to protect her. One thing was for certain, they were loyal to her without question. Nitro, whom I recognized, even carefully lifted me up and moved me out of harms way.

"For frags sake, they're not 'Cons Rox!" Ironhide protested.

"Yeah, well I went through one of their training programs," the one call Rox countered, looking…of all things frightened! "They're scary!"

"Ironhide, please call off Chromia," Kacey spoke quickly. "Prowl, talk to my mother. I…I can't talk to her right now. Communications should be back up now. Rox, fall back. I don't want you accidentally shooting my mother."

"Or my bonded sparkmate!" Ironhide added.

Or me I thought feeling like an ant about to get trampled!

Elita

"Wait…Ironhide said everything is under control now."

"I just saw Rox, armed with a rifle duck back into the Med Bay!" I snarled. "I'm going in there and getting to the bottom of this. Kacey has been blocking me from her spark for the past hour and I need to know why."

"She's just upset about Optimus. We all are. Frag…Elita!"

I stopped and turned to my friend, my best friend, the only bot I turned to and confided in other than Optimus.

"Chromia, I'm not mad at Kacey. I know she's upset. I'm afraid for her. I'm so afraid that if I lose Optimus I'm going to lose my daughter too."

"Elita this is Prowl, stand down…that's an order."

"Prowl! What the frag is going on?"

"It's Kacey, she's really upset about Optimus and took matters into her own hands for a bit. I think it best that we stay calm around her and help her through this."

"I'm afraid for her Prowl."

"We all are. Now come in, but remain calm. And get rid of your weapons, the younglings are armed and nervous."

"Here Chromia, take my gun. It'd be best if I went in unharmed."

"Yeah, Prowl suggested I try to get Ironhide to come to me since he's been antagonizing Kacey a bit."

"Elita!"

"Magnus…" I said after I turned to see him, Hound and Sunny hurrying towards us.

"It's ok, Prowl told us already," he said. "Seems Kacey pulled a coup and now wishes to speak to all the officers. Do you know why?"

"I have no idea," I frowned. "But I want to find out."

With that said we all walked slowly into the med bay. To my surprise I saw Nitro and Firestar collecting weapons from the younglings. Whatever went down in here was over and done with.

"I'm very proud of you all. You did well," Kacey said to her friends, pulling the hood from her head. They all stood so tall and proud. Loyal to the end. Seemed like my idea of having Kacey spend time with younglings paid off. But I had no idea she'd take that friendship and do this. "The mission as been accomplished. Thank you. You are all dismissed. Nitro please make sure all weapons are accounted for and secured."

"Yes, Kacey."

"Honestly, I can't wait to take orders from you on the battlefield," Rox smirked, saluting her. "You're so good at it…and so hot when you give an order."

I covered a smile. Rox wasn't the smartest of mechs. But he was loyal to Kacey and did have a crush on her. And as I learned, he does have a good spark.

"Rox is interfacing all you think about?" Nitro groaned, shoving the older bot towards the door, the other younglings all falling in line and heading out too.

"It's all you think about too, Nitro," he counted as they all headed out into the hallway. "I've seen you and Firestar kissing and grabbing each other. You'd be fragging her too if you interface systems were on line."

"You pervert!" Firestar screeched and I heard the sound of metal getting pounded followed by Rox crying out in pain.

"Well, we trained her right," Chromia smiled.

I didn't see her smile. Once the younglings were out the door my attention was focused solely on Kacey. My daughter…Primus she'd grown up to be more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Though still a youngling, I could easily picture the fully mature femme she was shaping to be. The cloak she wore only seemed to accentuate that beauty in her face and made the blue in her optics seem…deeper and more expressive.

"Please, join the others, mother," she said to me, her optics nervously glanced at me as if awaiting my wrath. I had none. I knew she was upset. I did my best to send her my love over our bond.

She didn't accept it, keeping her feelings to herself. However, she was still so young and inexperienced. Her feelings of grief, fear, and helplessness still tickled over our bond. I continued to give her my love and comfort whether she took it or not. She was so like Optimus, he too tried to hide his pain from me and in the end always opened up to me. I know in my spark my daughter would do the same.

"First of all, I wish to apologize for my actions," she said sadly. "I admit I am desperate to try and save my father. I didn't want to risk my request being turned down or wasting time making my case. Again, I reiterate that the others are to not be punished in anyway. I convinced them. I took advantage of their loyalty to me. I take full responsibility for all that has happened today."

"Next, I wish to discuss the Autobot's safety," she seriously said receiving puzzled looks from us, including Prowl. "I've ask you here John because I believe the time as come for you to know where our base is hidden."

"Kacey, you can't do that!" Prowl protested.

"The time has come," she replied calmly. "You of all bots know we can't stay hidden forever. My father even knew this. And frankly, right now we need the human's help to defend this base. John, as the Autobot leader I am requesting that a military contingent be sent to our location as quickly as possible."

"Kacey, I'm afraid I can't let you do this," Prowl pressed on, moving towards her.

"We don't have a choice," she said and I saw the fear in her optics.

It wasn't fear of what she was doing. I could feel she was confident in her decision. No, it was something else frightening her.

"Kacey, what's wrong?" I asked.

For the longest moment she just looked at me but didn't answer.

"It's Megatron," she replied, her optics cast downward at the floor as if she were ashamed.

"Megatron?" Ironhide questioned.

"I can feel him gloating. I can feel his excitement. I understand it because I've felt that same excitement when we battled in Antarctica. Megatron is coming…I feel it in my spark."

Silence.

Frag. even I didn't know what to say to that. I had no idea she could feel Megatron the way she felt Optimus. Primus, how long had she been keeping that to herself?

"I know I can never replace my father," she said looking up us. I could feel the strength of her conviction. "I know I'm only a youngling and far too inexperienced for my opinions to matter. But I know bringing the humans here to help defend the base is the right thing to do. It's what my father would do."

"Can you feel Megatron now?" Magnus asked.

"Yes," she replied without hesitation. "He…he's taunting me. I'm do my best to block him but it's become exceedingly difficult today which is why you haven't been able to feel me mother. I thought it best to close myself off completely."

"I understand," I smiled warmly, caressing her face.

"Prowl, if Kacey's right, we know Megatron will rip this mountain apart to make sure Optimus is dead," Ironhide said.

"I agree," Prowl said.

"But we can't bring the humans here," Ironhide insisted.

"Actually, Optimus had me formulate a scenario, calculating how many humans we'd need to help defend this base with miminal personnel. The fewer humans the better was all he told me," Prowl admitted, surprising Ironhide.

I wasn't surprised since Optimus talked to me about the humans quite often. He spoke very highly of them.

"How many do you need and where do I make the call?" Mr. Keller said.

"Wait, what about our troops in the field? Do we bring them in?" Hound asked.

"No, that would tip Megatron off too soon," I answered. "He'd attack before we were ready. I suggest using our shuttles to transport the humans and their equipment here as quickly as possible."

"Don't forget the humans can also provide us with air support if needed," Kacey inserted shyly.

"Right, those fragging 'Cons won't know what hit them!"

"Why Mr. Keller I do believe you're starting to sound like an Autobot," I chuckled, making everyone laugh.

"I attribute it to your remarkable daughter," he smiled very proudly.

"If Megatron brings his standard battalion," Prowl mused, pacing slowly, his processor obviously scheming a plan. "I believe with the troops we have on the base, Optimus' plan for the human contingent, and Kacey's idea of having humans for air support we can successfully defend the base. As a back up plan we can take a shuttle, cloaked, away from the base to pick up our troops in the field if we require additional forces."

"We do have long range cannons, if positioned in strategic points outside that would give us a bit more heavy fire power," Ironhide suggested with a smirk. "Maybe blast a few of the 'Cons back to Cybertron too."

Chromia rolled her optics while leaning against her mech. Ironhide loved blowing things up with guns and she loved him for it. The bigger the bang the more she wanted to interface with him!

"We'll have to move the younglings and all non-combatant personnel to the recreation room," Magnus said. "It was designed to be a safe room for them in the event the base was attack."

"Right, then lets get to it!" Sunny shouted excitedly, grabbing his brother's arm.

"Shh, quiet bro!" Sideswipe chided, smacking his brother on top of his head. "Kacey hasn't given the order yet."

I and the other officers all looked to Kacey. Her expression was one of complete surprise! The poor young femme's optic covers blinked rapidly as she looked back at us. I don't think she was actually expecting any of us to look to her for the order.

"You are in command, Kacey," Prowl gently reminded her. "Or do you have another course of action you wish us to take?"

It took another moment for Kacey to collect herself together enough to speak.

"Like my father, I have confidence in your battle plans Prowl. I can't think of any reason to change them or any of the suggestions you all have made."

I smiled to myself. I could feel Kacey was rather pleased with herself for getting that out. Yet she was utterly confused as to why we hadn't moved. Prowl realized this too so he leaned forward and whispered something into her audio receptor.

"Oh…you're all dismissed," she said shyly.

"Rock on!" Sunny cheered as him and his brother took off running.

"It does get easier," Prowl smiled at her as the others filed out of the med bay.

"I hope so," she frowned. "I'm…I'm going to stay with my father."

"Understood," he said to her.

With that she walked into the private room and shut the door. My spark was with her feeling how upset she was.

"If you stay with her, I will understand," he said to me. "She really needs you right now."

"What she needs is her father to get well," I commented. "My place is on the battle field when Megatron arrives. I do have a few femmes to command. Until then I will spend what time I can with Kacey. Please have Chromia get the femmes together and assign them duties."

"As you wish," he saluted then marched out.

I stood there, staring at the door Kacey disappeared behind. She was very upset. I thought it best to give her a few moments alone before going in with her. I honestly had no idea what to say to comfort her. I don't know if anything could comfort her right now.

Kacey

I quickly closed the door behind me and hurried to a waste receptacle where I purged my tanks. After a few minutes and several dry heaves I collapsed to the floor in tears. The stress and tension of the past hour was too much for me to bear. I wouldn't have been able to handle it for that long without the hood from my cloak. It covered my face enough, hiding the pain from everyone.

"Shh, Kacey my child, you don't have to be so strong all the time," mother's gentle voice spoke as her arms pulled me up.

I never heard her come into the room. Nor did I care. I simply held onto her weeping like a sparkling.

"How do you and father do it? Keep it together while in command."

"It's not easy is it?"

"No. I'm afraid I don't have what it takes to be a leader."

"Yes, you do. You are your father's daughter. Brave. Strong. And much wiser than you give yourself credit for. Like all things, it just takes time."

I wept harder and wailed, "You're wrong…I'm not as strong as him. I'm not as brave. I'll never be! I can't lose him!"

Mother's arms held me tighter.

"I can't imagine my life without him, mother. Every astrosecond of every day he's been in my life in some way. By the stories you used to tell me, by the love you had for him that I always felt through our bond. By the love I felt from him the moment I arrived on Earth. My spark doesn't know what it will do if I can no longer feel that love, mother."

"You will go on…just like you did when you thought I was dead," she said, holding my face firmly without hurting me. Her optics flared slightly as she stared at me. "You are strong and brave. You will survive this."

I buried my face against her neck and wept. I didn't know what to do. My spark ached so badly for my father. I knew the probably was high that he was going do die. And I didn't want to face that. I didn't want to face my life before me without him.

"Who gave you this?" mother asked a few minutes later.

I felt her hand caressing my back, feeling the soft fabric. My head rested on her shoulder, my arms still clinging to her.

"It was a gift, from Bumblebee," I answered, tears streaming from my optics as I looked over at where my father lay. "He said it was for those cold mornings when I watched the sun rise." My vision blurred even worse than before. "I'll never watch another sun rise again if he dies. It won't be the same without him."

Mother squeezed me so tight that if I had lungs like the humans I probably wouldn't be able to breath.

"No, it won't be the same," she said, her voice trembling. "It's going to be difficult for you…for me…for your brothers and sister. But we'll get through this together. I promise you."

"My spark hurts so much," I wept looking into her face.

"I know it does child," she smiled through her tears, her hand cradling my face. "I can feel your pain. I share it."

I opened my mouth to speak but couldn't say anything. My vocal processor finally gave out from over exertion as I continued to choke and sob in my mother's arms.

"Oh, Kacey…my sweet sparkling…I love you so much…please you need to settle down. Shh, baby, you're going to fritz out like Leo."

Those were the last words I heard from my mother. I did as she had said. My systems fritzed out from being so over wrought. When I awaked a short while later I jumped to me feet, hurrying to my father's side. I was scared I was out for too long.

All the monitors were beeping steadily. His chest continued to rise and fall in the same slow rhythm as before.

"You only recharged for an hour," mother's voice said from behind me.

I turned to see her laying on a spare bed Ratchet had brought in for me.

"Come, lay back down with me. You need to rest. I'll wake you in a couple of hours."

Before doing as she requested I grabbed hold of my father's hand. It wasn't as warm as I was used to. Regardless, I squeezed it tightly.

"I love you so much father," I whispered, the tears pouring once again.

When I lay down with my mother, I laid facing my father. I…I just needed to see him with my optics.

"You know when I was a youngling I used to fritz out when I got too upset or over excited too."

"So, there's hope that Leo will out grow it?" I teased, making her chuckle.

"Yes," she sighed, her hand stroking the side of my head softly. The loving contact had a calming effect on my systems. I could feel them relaxing once again. "You know, this cloak works like a nice blanket too," she whispered, covering me up. I turned and curled up, snuggling against her, enjoying the heat emanating from her body. I felt her kiss the side of my head and closed my optic covers. "Rest my child. I'll watch over you."

Rest.

I probably should be resting. Only I couldn't. My spark ached. It missed father's presence within. I reached out to father through our bond. He was so far away from me now. I really had to strain to get through to him. At this point, I was willing to do anything to speak to him…perhaps for the last time.

I know! I'm working on chapter 47 as fast as I can!