ATE: I am so sorry for taking so long to update TDATS, but I finally finished chapter 23 (which covers the events of episode 46 of Armada). I wanna thank Crystalmaiden62, Bee4ever, Sailor Shinzo, SeekerLuna, Autobot NightFury, Autobot-Bre (), storygirl99210, Diamond White, tfandanimefan, and Bumblebeecamaro38 for reviewing the previous chapter. Enjoy.

Declaimer: I don't own Transformers or Transformers Armada. I only own my OCs Valerie and Astera.

Chapter 23 - Drift

"Are you going to be fine by yourself?" I asked, gazing up at Jetfire's face from where I was being held in his large hand. At the moment he was taking me back to the Axalon.

Jetfire chuckled.

"Of course I'll be fine! I'm the decorated flying ace of the Autobots after all!" He told me.

I frowned slightly.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Jetfire."

"I know exactly what you meant, Skydancer, and as I already said I'll be fine. But who I'm really worried about the most is you." I watched as his optics took on a serious expression before he lowered his voice a bit. "We both know that Sideways will be coming after you now and I promised your parents that I'd keep you safe. Slag, I even swore to protect you myself if it ever comes down to the nitty-gritty stuff involved in it all."

"I know…" I lowered my head.

{But to be honest with you, I'm a little scared myself.} Jetfire told me, causing me to look back up to his face again.

'You're scared?' I asked, surprised that he was admitting the fact that he was actually scared about something. 'You don't look like it.'

{And for good reason. Just admitting it to you was hard enough as it is. But I'm only a little scared.}

"I still need to get you back onboard the Axalon since the others don't even know you left besides Sideswipe, but you already know how I dealt with him." Jetfire said out loud.

"True. Just be careful out there, okay? You know I can't help worrying about you despite how much you tell me not to."

"Which is exactly why I tell you to not worry so much. And I'll be fine as long as I know you're safe."

I couldn't help but blush as this, but despite it all I still smiled, knowing that Jetfire meant every word he said. I just wish I could've met him sooner than I did back on we arrived back at the Axalon where Jetfire helped me sneak back on before he left to continue the evacuation. I was actually on my way to Jetfire's quarters when I ran into Alexis (thankfully not literally).

"Where've you been, Valerie? I've been looking all over for you!" Alexis told me.

"I was…in the bathroom…?" I tried.

Alexis placed her hands on her hips and I knew she didn't buy my excuse.

"It doesn't take a person that long to go to the bathroom. Where were you really?"

I looked around to make sure we were alone before leaning forward to whisper in Alexis' ear, telling her where I really was the whole time. When I was done I pulled away to see that her green eyes were wide.

"You were with Jetfire this whole time?" She whispered.

"Yes." I nodded. A thought soon came into my head. "Hey, Alexis? Is it okay for me to use the shower in your room? It's been awhile since I've had a chance to get one."

Alexis smiled.

"Sure thing." Alexis then lowered her voice. "And if I'm right you've been staying with Jetfire in his room this whole time, so it probably wasn't easy to get a shower in the first place."

"Believe me, it wasn't. I have to rely on him to lift me up to the nightstand where my bed is."

"Which makes me wonder." She suddenly had a sly smile. "What have you two been doing in there besides sleeping at night?"

"Alexis!" My face heated up. "We haven't done anything like that!"

"Well, there's got to be a reason why you're being so defensive right now." She started poking me in the arm, still keeping her voice low. "C'mon, spill already! What have you two done so far? You know I won't stop bugging you until you tell me."

My face got warmer.

"We've...only cuddled up and slept together in the same bed while he used his holoform… But we've always done that before…" I told her.

"Have you two kissed?" Despite the fact I was blushing I still nodded my head. "Is he a good kisser?"

My face got even more warmer than it already was, but Alexis already knew what my answer was even though I didn't say anything. After a bit of walking we arrived at Alexis' room and she let me use her shower. I felt my muscles relax as I stood under the hot water, but then I thought about Jetfire and what happened when we were at his home. I sighed quietly before sitting down and letting the water rain down on me.

'I can't stop worrying about you, Jetfire. Even though you told me not to.' I thought.

I felt Jetfire's presence in my mind along with the mental hug he was giving me. I relaxed as I felt the comforting warmth that he was sending me through our connection and held onto it.

{Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be able to get you to stop worrying so much.} Jetfire told me.

I smiled a small smile at this.

'You know I can't do that. You're out there risking your life and have been doing so for so long.' I sighed. 'Aren't I pathetic? You're always protecting me and done so much for me.'

{You're not pathetic at all. And why do you make it sound like me protecting you is such a chore?}

'Because I'm so useless and weak! I'm constantly needing to be saved whenever I'm in danger and I'm barely able to do anything to defend myself! I've become so dependent on you to be there for me that I can't do anything on my own, just like when I was on that planet with Hot Shot and Red Alert! You had to constantly tell me to be strong because I was too scared to even function!'

It wasn't until I was done saying that that I realized I was crying and I ended up hugging my legs close to my chest. I felt the mental embrace Jetfire held me in tighten a bit as he was doing his best to comfort me since he wasn't physically with me. My throat tightened as more tears formed and fell from my eyes. I wanted him to actually be here with me, which only served to reinforce how much I depended on him.

{Shh… It's okay, Valerie. You're not weak or useless at all. I'm aware that you've become dependent on me and I haven't forgotten how scared and alone you felt when you were on that planet with Hot Shot and Red Alert, which is why I've been telling you to be strong. There might be times when I won't be around to protect you, but that doesn't mean I won't come to save you. So until that happens you gotta stay strong long enough for me to arrive and save you.}

I was able to calm down as my mind registered Jetfire's words. A few stray tears fell from my eyes and I brought my hand up to rub them away.

'I'm such a damsel in distress.'

I heard Jetfire chuckle quietly.

{If you're the damsel in distress does that mean I get to be your knight in shining armor?} Jetfire asked, sounding amused.

I felt my face heat up slightly, but I ended up smiling a small smile.

'It hasn't even been that long and already I miss you, Jetfire.'

{I know. I wish I could physically be there with you right now.}

My face got even warmer than it already was from what Jetfire said, realizing what he was saying.

'No you don't!' I told him, my face getting warmer as the seconds went by.

{Wha? But I thought you wanted me to be there with you.}

'I do. It's just that right now wouldn't exactly be the best time to be with me physically.'

{Why?}

By now my face must've been as red as a tomato.

'Because I'm in the shower…'

A few seconds after I said that I suddenly felt Jetfire become very interested and I had the feeling that if I could see his holoform's face he'd probably be smirking.

{Oh, now I'm starting to wish I was actually there now!}

'Jetfire…'

{I know, I know!} Jetfire laughed. {But in all seriousness, can I be your knight in shining armor?}

I felt my heart beat a little faster as my stomach did multiple flips and my face was already warmer than it already was. He really wanted to be my knight in shining armor?

'Well, you got the shining armor part down, so I guess you can be my knight in shining armor.' I answered.

{Good. Now I'll have even more reason to keep you safe or come to your rescue.}

I smiled.

'I love you, Jetfire. I really do.'

{I love you too, Skydancer. But why are you saying it like that?}

I thought about it for a bit, but I couldn't think of why I said it the way I did.

'I just felt like I needed to let you know how much you really mean to me. I love you that much.'

Jetfire gave me one last mental hug before I felt his presence leave my mind. I decided that I've been in the shower long enough and turned off the water before drying off and getting dressed.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

(Later…)

I was with Alexis, Billy, Fred, Sureshock, and High Wire on the bridge as Optimus and Red Alert were talking with Hot Shot and a Decepticon (who was formerly an Autobot) named Wheeljack about what happened when he went to confront Galvatron. Alexis had given me a quick explanation on Wheeljack and how they used to be friends and all so I wasn't confused.

"That's right!" Hot Shot said to Optimus. "Thrust was double-crossing Galvatron and his 'bots right from day one."

"And when they found out, he escaped with the Requiem Blaster and the Skyboom Shield as well." Red Alert concluded, standing next to Optimus on his left.

"After that, Thrust went underground. We're still trying to track him down." Wheeljack said just as Rad and Carlos ran over to where we were. "He's hardly your run-of-the-mill traitor. And I'm fairly certain he's out there working with both Sideways and Unicron."

"Hey! That's Wheeljack!" Carlos exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't worry. He's been on our side for a while now." Alexis told him, looking over her shoulder at him and giving him a reassuring smile.

"I hope you're right!"

"We think these underground passage ways are clues to the whereabouts of Unicron and Thrust." Hot Shot said before we saw images of the tunnels he was talking about on the monitor.

"I recognize that location!" High Wire suddenly said, causing us to turn to him.

"What?" Rad asked.

"Hmm... It might be some kind of trap. Stay on your toes, boys." Optimus ordered.

"You got it." Hot Shot said as he saluted.

"High Wire, you said you recognized that place. Where is it?" Rad asked.

High Wire turned to face Rad.

"We were created at that location." High Wire told him.

"Huh?" This apparently confused Rad.

Some time after that Rad and managed to pull all of us (except for Billy and Fred) aside before explaining that he wanted to check out those tunnels we saw on the monitor. Carlos and Alexis agreed to go, but then I was somewhat reluctant before I ended up agreeing to come as well. We ended up sneaking out of the ship and after while we were forced to hide behind some rubble (or a lot of rubble seeing as it was large to us) because of two Decepticons that seemed to be looking for something. I started shaking slightly in fear, but then I realized that I had no reason to be scared right now.

"Hey, I don't think we're ever gonna locate Thrust out here." One of the Decepticons said. "Let's just kill some time, then head back."

We heard a pair of large footsteps walking away.

"I think they're gone." Rad said after awhile.

Alexis turned to Rad.

"I'm worried." She said, causing Rad to turn to her. "Maybe we should have said something to Optimus and the others before we left."

"I don't know." Carlos said and we turned to him. "This place is still full of Decepticons. Optimus would peak if he knew we were out here!"

"He's right." I agreed, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Rad then turned to Alexis.

"Hey, Alexis. I know it's dangerous, but I've really gotta check out those tunnels." Rad explained. "There's something down there, underground. And I gotta feeling if we find out, we'll discover the real reason why we all came here to Cybertron."

"Okay, Rad." Alexis agreed after awhile.

As I continued following the others I realized that not only were the Autobots not aware that we snuck out, but Jetfire didn't know that I left. Maybe I should've stayed on the Axalon instead of agreeing to come with Alexis, Rad, and Carlos. Jetfire went through the trouble of sneaking me back on the ship just so I could remain safe (and so we both wouldn't get in trouble). Should I tell him that I left?

'No.' I thought, remembering the discussion I had with Jetfire while I was in the shower. 'He already has enough to worry about. And I can't always depend on him like some helpless newborn baby.'

"This is it!" Rad said, causing me to realize that we were before a very large hole.

"Check out the size of that hole!" Carlos exclaimed.

"It's so dark! I can't see inside." Alexis said.

"Hey, High Wire? Is this the place you said you were created?" Rad asked.

Suddenly High Wire, Grindor, and Sureshock started acting up and in my surprise I tightened my hold on Alexis before the Mini-Cons started driving off at full speed towards the hole.

"High Wire! Do you know where you're going?" Rad yelled.

"It seems like they're headed in the same direction in a trance!" Alexis noted.

"Hey, why don't you try getting through to Hot Shot, Rad?" Carlos suggested.

"Yeah, good thinking, Carlos!" Rad said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out Laserbeak.

I watched as the tiny robot flew ahead of us and it was by the time we entered the whole that we found ourselves inside what appeared to be a tunnel. The tunnel itself was somewhat dark, but not enough to affect our visibility; it was mainly a matter of our eyes needing to get used to the lighting, that's all. But as we went deeper through the tunnels my ears started to pick up a faint sound.

"Do any of you hear something?" I asked.

"Hear what?" Carlos asked. "I don't hear anything."

"I do. But it's very faint so you have to listen carefully." Alexis told him.

We were all quite and as we went further the sound we were hears started to get louder and louder until we realized that it was someone's voice before they sounded like they were quietly chuckling.

"...If you work under us, who knows, you might become the greatest Decepticon ever! Or would you rather fight and die in vain?"

"Save your breath, you mindless machine." A second voice said, and I was surprised when I realized that it sounded like Starscream. "I'd rather fight and die than follow the likes of you and Unicron."

Sure enough we found Thrust pointing the Requiem Blaster at Starscream.

"Heheheheh... I'm so disappointed. Well, have it your way."

"Starscream!" Alexis cried out, alerting the two transformers to our presence.

"Huh?" Starscream appeared to be surprised when he saw us, but I knew that he was even more surprised of the fact that Alexis was here as well. "Alexis!"

Alexis gasped quietly and that was when Thrust turned to us.

"What have we here?" Thrust asked.

"Aw, it's Thrust!" Carlos said.

"Don't back down." Rad told us.

"You've come all the way here. How noble of you little children." Thrust said in a mocking tone. "Let me show you my appreciation." My eyes widened when he aimed the Requiem Blaster at us. "I hope you enjoy it, kids!"

"Don't do it!" Starscream yelled and looked as if he was going to rush at Thrust.

"Get back!" Thrust ordered as he suddenly turned to aim the Requiem Blaster at Starscream.

It all happened so fast, yet at the same time it seemed to be in slow motion. I heard Alexis gasp in surprise as we watched the white blast from the Requiem Blaster hit Starscream.

"STARSCREAM!!!" Alexis yelled.

Starscream let out a pained shout as he was send flying down the tunnel. What was sad was that I could understand exactly what Alexis was feeling because of that one nightmare I had of Sideways killing Jetfire. But suddenly a white light appeared and got so bright that it blinded us. I started seeing images flashing before my eyes that were going backwards in fast motion. I was confused at first but then I realized that what I was seeing were my memories, or more specifically the day I found the Mini-Con panel which led to me becoming involved with the transformers and their war.

I suddenly found myself waking up, but instead of being in that tunnel I was staring up at the leafy branches of a tree I must've been lying under. I sat up and my eyes widened when I saw my house not too far away from where I was, but then I realized that things seemed to be a slightly bigger than I remembered.

"There you are, Valerie. I was wondering where you were."

I turned to where the voice came from and I was surprised to see Mom, except she looked younger.

"What do you mean?" I asked, but then I was surprised at how much younger my voice sounded. I looked at my hands and found that they were smaller, looking more childish than I remember.

'What the…?' I thought.

"You must still be half asleep, but I'm not surprised you were asleep out here, seeing as it's such a nice day out." Mom smiled at me. "I wanted to let you know that Alexis will be here in a bit."

"Um…okay."

Mom headed back inside the house but I stayed outside. I walked out of the shade of the tree before looking up at the sky, seeing that it was clear and blue. After having been in space for so long the sky seemed to be more beautiful than I remembered it.

"…dancer… My beautiful Skydancer…"

I suddenly saw a familiar face staring back at me with gold optics shining with happiness and affection. Just as quick as the image appeared it soon disappeared and my eyes widened as I recognized the face.

"Jetfire…" I whispered.

"Wake up, Valerie."

Huh? Whose voice was that? It sounded familiar, yet I couldn't put my finger on it. Before I could figure it out my eyes shot open and I sat up to find that me and my friends were in some weird tunnel that looked like it was a cross between organic and mechanical. A chill went down my spine when I noticed what sounded like a faint heartbeat. Rad was the first to wake up, followed by Carlos and Alexis.

"Where are we?" Rad asked.

"Hot Shot?" Carlos said. "Hot Shot!"

Carlos suddenly got up and started running off.

"Carlos, no!"

Rad was about to run after Carlos, but gasped in shock when he noticed something. My eyes were wide as well when I saw Hot Shot resting on top of something weird. Something I noticed was that his once vibrant yellow and red colors (as well as his whole body's coloration) were dull, almost gray, while these weird tendrils were attached to his body. He looked...like he was dead and it scared me.

"Hot Shot, are you all right?" Carlos asked when we stopped beside the Autobot. "Hot Shot, what happened?!"

I jumped when Hot Shot's head suddenly turned to face us. Even his bright blue optics were now dull and almost lifeless.

"Who's there?!" Hot Shot asked, sounding somewhat cautious. "Is it a Mini-Con?"

"Huh?" Rad said, sounding confused.

"What do you mean? It's me, Carlos! Snap out of it!" Carlos yelled.

Hot Shot turned his head away to look up at the ceiling.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"You met us on Earth! You gotta remember us, Hot Shot!" Alexis said.

He looked at us again and I knew that he was curious.

"What is Earth?"

"Planet Earth - far, far away from the planet Cybertron." Rad explained. "You came there with your Commander, Optimus Prime and the Autobots!"

"Well, that's crazy." Hot Shot said after turning to gaze at the ceiling. "I've never been off Cybertron before! I've always been here on this planet since the day I was created. It was all just a trap, that's all. I was deceived by them!" What was Hot Shot talking about? What did he mean by a 'trap'? Did it have anything to do with this almost lifeless state he was currently in? "Who would've thought that the Mini-Cons were created by Unicron's cells?"

My eyes widened in shock when I heard Unicron's name. What was going on?

"You're not making any sense!" Carlos exclaimed.

"I thought the Mini-Cons were supposed to be peaceful." I said.

"I don't know what you're going on about…but you'd better get outta here while you still can, or you'll get trapped here along with me." Hot Shot warned.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Take a look around you."

Feeling confused, I looked around with my friends, only for us to gasp in shock. Before us, all around us, were the transformers, Autobots and Decepticons alike in a lifeless stated. They all appeared to be in the same state as Hot Shot, except worse since their bodies seemed to be merged with the walls of the weird tunnel itself

"Optimus!" Rad exclaimed.

"Red Alert!" Carlos added.

"Cyclonus!" Alexis said.

"Whoa, no way!" Rad said.

"Whoa, man, this is too much!" Carlos said.

"Too weird." Alexis said.

"Look at that. Even Galvatron's here."

"And his Decepticon army is trapped here too."

Seeing all the transformers in this state, but nothing prepared me to see Jetfire among them as well. My eyes started to water with unshed tears and I felt as if I was watching that nightmare of a vision that had Jetfire being killed by Sideways. But here he was actually dead and it was very much real.

'Jetfire…' I thought mournfully, trying to hold back my tears.

"So much for evolution." Hot Shot suddenly said, causing us to turn back to him. "At one time we were told we could use them. But instead, we were the ones who were being used."

Hot Shot then grunted quietly, seeming to be in some pain.

"Who's using who? We don't know what you're talking about!" Carlos said.

"Somehow, we've gone back into the past, millions of years ago before we met High Wire and any of the transformers." Rad said.

"Noooo!" Alexis cried, shaking her head in denial.

Suddenly Hot Shot's optics dimmed completely and his body changed to a color resembling the tunnel while those tendril-like veins appeared on him.

"Look out, Hot Shot!" Carlos shouted before trying to run towards him.

"Don't do it, Carlos!" Rad yelled, grabbing a hold of Carlos to stop him.

There was nothing we could do as Hot Shot ended up being in the same state after the other transformers. I was forced to cover my eyes when a bright light appeared. When the light faded away I suddenly found myself standing in a room that was crowded with a bunch of transformers, but upon observing closely I realized that they were all Autobots.

Many of the Autobots in the room were either sitting or standing as they drank energon cubes and talked to one another, making the room loud from the sounds of their voices combined. I suddenly noticed that I was the same size as all the Autobots in the room (or they seemed to be normal human size to me) and that instead of wearing my spacesuit I was wearing the blue outfit I always wore whenever I was practicing my ballet.

'What's going on?' I thought, feeling confused.

My eyes widened when I realized that an Autobot was heading my way and they didn't seem to noticed that I was here; I was about to move out of the way, but then they suddenly passed right through me. Didn't they see me? Or was it that I wasn't really here? I continued to look around from where I stood, only to notice a familiar form sitting at a table way in the back of the room where it was somewhat shaded (or in the shadows) due to its location.

"Jetfire…" I said quietly, aware that no one would hear me.

Indeed it was Jetfire, but he looked slightly different than how I was used to seeing him. The armor he wore didn't look like it would be that of a space shuttle if he were to transform into his vehicle mode (and he looked less bulky than what I remembered), but it was still unmistakably him. As I walked over to where he was I noticed that he started to drink an energon cube (but the color of the energon itself was neon purple instead of the neon pink I had seen before) and I took a seat next to his right in the booth he was sitting in, noticing that he wasn't wearing his face mask, but I still couldn't make out what his real face looked like. It was like no matter what angle I tried to look it would still be obscured to me. Look down at the table I saw that Jetfire placed the cube he just finished next to four other empty energon cubes that he must've been drinking from earlier before he started reaching for another cube of that neon purple energon.

I went through something similar 70,000 years ago after my mother was offlined. I had been so angry that I had actually wanted revenge against the Decepticons and I used that anger in all my other encounters with them during those years of fighting. Her funeral was held the day after she was offlined and I ended up going through depression. I knew there were friends around me that were willing to help, but instead of running I tried to drink my problems away with high grade energon, which is similar to what you humans call alcohol.

My eyes widened as I realized what that neon purple energon was! It was high grade energon! Then that meant that I was somehow 70,000 years in the past after Astera's funeral; that also meant that Jetfire was currently drunk. I couldn't stop the aching I felt in my heart as I watched him start to bring the cube of high grade energon to where his mouth was.

"Don't…" I said quietly as I watched.

Jetfire suddenly froze and started glancing around the room (I still wasn't able to see his face!) as if looking for something and then shrugged before he brought the cube back up to drink. Why was he doing this to himself?

"No, Jetfire."

He stopped again and I felt confused as I saw him looking around again. What was he looking for?

"Who said that?" Jetfire suddenly asked, his voice quiet and slurred from being drunk.

This took me by surprise. Jetfire heard me talking? Was that why he was looking around when I spoke. Testing out my theory I opened my mouth to speak.

"I did." I replied, unsure if he'd hear me or not.

And to my surprise Jetfire turned to face me and I saw his gold optics widen in surprise when he saw me.

"Mom…?"

At this I shook my head. Apparently Jetfire thought of was Astera, but then he seemed to realize that I wasn't his mother at all, his optics seeming to look me over as he took in my appearance. If I was right, then this was the first time he had seen a human being. Seeing him in this state made me feel sad and despite the fact that I knew he eventually stopped drinking it still worried me. He just lost his mother, which was the reason why he was drinking in the first place. Looking at his optics again I noticed an expression of slight recognition, but it was also mixed with confusion as his gaze returned to my face.

"Who are you?" He asked quietly.

"It doesn't matter who I am." I told him, knowing that I couldn't tell him my name. If I told him my name, then something in history could change. If that happened, I'd probably end up having a different name or something.

'But someday you'll know what my name is, Jetfire.' I thought.

I think Jetfire must've realized I was sitting close to him (I just noticed that as well), and despite the fact that he was the same size his holoform would've been if I had been standing next to him, he still easily towered over me.

"Okay. Listen, I don't know who you are or why you're sitting beside me, but I don't mind having some company while I'm here. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just continue drinking my high grade energon."

Jetfire started bringing the energon cube up to his mouth again and when I saw him doing this I knew I had to stop him for continuing so I grabbed onto his arm to prevent him from drinking anymore high grade energon. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it or not, but I could've sworn I felt him shiver slightly as soon as I touched him. He then turned his gold gaze to look down at me and I didn't even need to read his mind to know what he was silently asking.

"I'm human." I answered.

He was quiet as he continued to stare at me and I could tell that he was thinking about what I just said.

"What are you doing?" He seemed to remember that I was still holding onto his arm.

"Don't do this to yourself, Jetfire." I couldn't hide the sadness that was in my voice as I spoke. "Don't drink anymore of that stuff."

"And why not?" He growled quietly before bringing his face closer to mine with his gold optics narrowed. Even though his face was close to mine I still couldn't see it, barely even an outline of it.

I knew he was trying to intimidate me, but I knew better than to fall for it and stood my ground. Jetfire narrowed his optics further into a piercing glare and I had a feeling that he was starting to get a bit annoyed.

"Drinking isn't going to make the memories of your mother's death or the pain go away. It'll only make it worse if you continue. She wouldn't want you to do this to yourself."

Jetfire suddenly froze at this as his optics went wide when I mentioned Astera. His optics then softened as tears started to form in them, but even now he was holding them back. Just seeing him like this made me sad as I remembered that this was the Jetfire from 70,000 years ago, and I probably made him feel guilty for drinking.

'This is for your own good, Jetfire.' I suddenly felt surprised as I realized what I thought, and it was then I remembered that the Jetfire I knew had told me that I had stopped him from drinking when he was depressed. Then that meant… 'He actually met me, or the me from the future. He's actually meeting me now! I…traveled back in time!'

Pushing that thought aside I pulled one of my hands away from his arm before placing it on the side of his face, and I was surprised at the warmth I felt from touching the smooth surface of his metallic face. Whether he was aware of it or not Jetfire ended up leaning into my touch like he had done so many times when I was around him. Thinking about the events that transpired when the Jetfire from the present had taken me to his old home (and seeing him being tormented by the horrible memories of his mother's death) I knew that what I was about to tell him next would really matter to him once I've said them. He had to know that he needed to be strong for the future.

"Jetfire. You need to be strong so you can deal with the hardships that are to come. I know you'll make it through this. It may hurt now, but you will be able to overcome the pain." I hoped that my words would mean something to him, even if he was drunk.

"Who are you?" He asked again as he placed the cube he was holding on the table.

I couldn't help but smile at him, not at all surprised that he still wanted to know who I was.

'Oh, Jetfire. Even if this is your past self, you're still the same Jetfire that I love.' I thought.

"Someone you'll meet someday." Was all I told him, pulling my hand away from his cheek.

"Jetfire, sir? Who are you talking to?"

Jetfire suddenly pulled his gaze away from me and looked at the soldier that stood in front of him after he straightened his posture.

"Uh…no one." Jetfire replied.

The soldier looked confused, but ended up walking away. Jetfire turned back to face me, but he looked confused and started looking around with his optics. I tried to place my hand on his cheek, but it went right through him. So he couldn't see me. I felt sad that he could no longer see me, but I leaned up to his face before placing a kiss on his 'lips'. Even though I couldn't feel them and he couldn't feel me, the intention was still there. After seeing him like this I still loved him. And someday, this Jetfire would get to meet me 70,000 years in the future.

Suddenly another flash of light appeared and images were flying past my eyes. But what surprised me was that it was actually time that seemed to be rewinding itself since I saw the events of Starscream's death (at the hands of Thrust) going in reverse. When time resumed normally I saw that Thrust had the Requiem Blaster aimed and me and my friends.

"This is goodbye!" He said menacingly. I was surprised by what happened next. High Wire started bleeping before he, Sureshock, and Grindor combined into Perceptor. Apparently I wasn't the only one surprised by this. "Huh?!"

Perceptor tried to get at Thrust, but the Decepticon swatted him away with the Requiem Blaster. This distraction gave Starscream enough time to charge at Thrust and grab onto the Requiem Blaster.

"Let go!" Thrust demanded.

During the struggle the Requiem Blaster had been pointing up at the ceiling and Thrust must've pressed the trigger since the Blaster suddenly shot at it. Because of the blast parts of the ceiling were starting to fall and Starscream quickly used his body as a shield to cover us so that we wouldn't get hurt from the falling rubble. However, Thrust used this opportunity to get away with the Requiem Blaster and Skyboom Shield. By the time the rubble stopped falling we seemed to be buried beneath the rubble, but since Starscream had been covering us we were safe. He managed to get himself out of the rubble.

"Thanks, Starscream!" Alexis said, looking up at him. Starscream merely gave her a small smile, but then he ran off in the same direction Thrust had gone. "Wait, Starscream!"

We stared in the direction Starscream had gone, but the sound of bleeps brought our attention back to Perceptor who separated into High Wire, Sureshock, and Grindor.

"Wha - High Wire?!" Rad asked.

"Yes, Rad." High Wire said. "We met each other a long time ago."

"Ha, ha! It wasn't a dream after all!" Carlos said, clearly happy.

"Thank you for - your kindness, Rad."

Despite being confused about what was going on I still smiled, feeling happy for my friends. We laughed happily together.

"Yo!" We stopped laughing and turned to where the familiar voice came from. We were all surprised to see Hot Shot and Wheeljack running over to us. "Is everyone okay?"

"Hey! It's Hot Shot! Haha!" Carlos said excitedly before running up to Hot Shot and hugging his leg. "You're all right! Aww, man, I was so worried about you!"

"Cut it out!" Hot Shot said, looking down at Carlos in confusion before turning to Wheeljack. "Hey, what's gotten into him?"

"Who knows?" Wheeljack replied.

I laughed with Rad and Alexis. After seeing what happened to Hot Shot and the rest of the transformers in that alternate timeline I was really happy to see him. Rad explained what happened to us, about how the Mini-Cons were created by Unicron's cells.

"Are you telling us the Mini-Cons are Unicron's cells?!" Hot Shot asked, clearly shocked by what he was told.

"No! Impossible!" Wheeljack said in disbelief.

None of us wanted to believe it, but there was no denying. Seeing what we saw wasn't something we were going to forget.

ATE: That's it for now. I know owe you another chapter for July so I'll be working hard on chapter 24. Please remember to review!