She returned, raggedy, armor covered in wet leaves and scratched from having to drive miles in the rain. Miles of constant thunder and lightning, the whole time cursing her enhanced senses because the whole time she had to listen to the noise, the same noise she had heard as a human, but amplified a thousands times louder.

She hated being a Cybertronian. Of course, it came with its pro's and con's, but she would have taken a life in a wheelchair over a life as a mechanical beast.

Maybe she was thinking that way because she was upset over she and Megatron's "deal." Maybe she was upset over Starscream, the wannabe revolutionist, and his creepy assumption that, when everything was over, she would come crying back to him and forever be seated as his right hand femme. Or maybe it was both.

Had to be both.

Or maybe not? She was still feeling angry and skeptical, even when she sent out a short message, broadcasting it across a twenty mile radius in an attempt to pick up the signal of at least one Autobot. She couldn't drive forever, she knew, and her tires, believe it or not, were beginning to hurt from driving to long and she was low on energy.

An hour later, as she drove on an empty, open stretch of road, help came in the form of a very pissy Ratchet.

"It wasn't your fault," Optimus concluded.

No matter how many times he said it, Mikaela knew that it wasn't true. But leave it to Optimus to twist his own words and make it seem like he wasn't accusing her of doing something wrong. Mikaela was a master at spotting the undertones in another person's voice, and underneath everything, Optimus was trying to bury his disappointment.

Disappointed with himself, Mikaela realized as she pulled her legs up against her. They were in a secluded section of the base, behind one of the storage sheds. Alone. Just the two of them.

Fingers brushing over her shoulder, Mikaela leaned into the embrace.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to get to you in time. They caught me off guard and I was unable to…." Optimus shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Are you alright?"

She looked alright, since Ratchet had spent most of yesterday fixing her up in the med bay. He, as well as Prime, had agreed that the base was safer, now that Megatron was onto them. Onto her. Mikaela had wanted to ask questions, but Ratchet had waved her off, adjusting a gear in her shoulder before shooting her a look that clearly stated he knew more than he let on.

Whatever. Let Ratchet keep his secrets, let Mikaela keep hers. Even his "interrogation" hadn't been enough to make her spill.

Like anything would make her spill at this point. The consequences of failing to abide by Megatron's terms would mean dying at his hands. Or worse, having her previous title as his permanent play toy restored.

Mikaela knew that there was no trust in the agreement anyway, and she couldn't help the sickening feeling in the pit of her tanks.

"Mikaela?"

"Yeah?"

Optimus' blue optics softened. "You need to rest."

"You're starting to sound like Ratchet," Mikaela huffed and shrugged his hand off her shoulder.

"Is that so much a bad thing? I'm simply concerned."

"You're always concerned," Mikaela said sourly. "Learn to lie back and go with the flow. I mean, back on Cybertron, did you ever just go out, grab a drink, and hang out with your friends?"

"Back on Cybertron, things were different," he said coolly.

Mikaela didn't know how to respond to that. She just cleared her throat and straightened up, sighing and reaching out to run a finger over his arm. "Look….I know that you're worried about me and whatever, but…"

"….You can take care of yourself?"

"That's one question you always get right," Mikaela said with a small laugh. "And I guess I didn't justify that statement last time, so I guess you have a right to be a pissy at me. I lost control of a situation that I should have seen coming."

"How were you supposed to know that your father would turn you over to the Brotherhood?" Optimus said softly. "He's your family, is he not? And as his daughter, is it not your obligation to trust his judgment?"

"I did that, and I majorly screwed up."

"I take full responsibility for what happened."

There. He had said it. Mikaela had been waiting for him, waiting all along for him to take the blame, to put his selflessness on full display. But the sorrow in his voice had Mikaela wanting to weep.

"No. Don't."

"I know this may seem - "

"No," Mikaela felt his chest shift and his fingers shake as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't."

They pulled apart quickly, Mikaela feeling flushed and embarrassed, Optimus looking stoic and calm, but below that, Mikaela could see that he was beaming.

Silence. Then, "and Sam…"

"Sam…." Optimus seemed to contemplate over the name for a moment before snapping back into reality, optics widening ever so slightly. "He and Trina were both looking for you."

"I'm going to go…"

"They will be glad to see you."

"Yeah. I hope so."

Mikaela couldn't help the small grimace that played across her features. Optimus may not know it, in fact, no one but Mikaela and Megatron knew it, but she had seen what had happened to Trina. Had seen it more than once, thanks to Megatron, because he had insisted he play it over and over to make sure the idea of despising the humans was clearly embedded in her mind.

And above everything else, she was a traitor. An invisible traitor. Facing Sam would just add to the guilt piling up in her subconscious, and she didn't know how much more she could bear.

She went to go find Sam anyway.

She found Sam and Trina both talking quietly, sitting just outside the hangar with there backs turned to Mikaela. They didn't even turn when Mikaela approached, her heavy footsteps the heaviest sound in the air.

"Hey, guys."

Sam turned around and made a big show out of looking surprised. Trina tilted her head and stared, eyes twinkling dangerously before she flicked a strand of dark hair out of her eyes and made a sound of annoyance.

What a beautiful welcome party, Mikaela thought.

"Mikaela…" Sam breathed, standing up and throwing himself at her leg, reluctantly giving it a hug, and then a small pat. He looked up at her, lips curling upward in a small smile. He stepped back and scratched the back of his head, ignoring when Trina stood and came to stand behind him, not meeting Mikaela's eye.

"You're okay!" Sam said happily, then he went to hug her leg again. "I thought you were…we all thought you were…"

"Yeah. I thought I was gonna be," she shrugged. "But I guess I made it back in one piece."

Sam blinked, probably trying to hide back his tears, which would have probably worked if he had been crying in the first place. He just stepped back and stared up at Mikaela with his hands on his hips.

"What happened?"

"My father happened," Mikaela said, not bothering to hide her disdain.

Sam gulped.

"Yeah. I know. He contacted the Brotherhood, wanting to help me. But his plan sort of backfired."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

I'm sorry. The universal empathizing term wasn't fooling Mikaela. Sam didn't understand. He had just said – quite dismissively – "I'm sorry" because he was obliged too. Because, like Optimus, he wasn't mean by nature.

"Yeah. Me too."

Sam slunk back and that was when Mikaela looked past her boyfriend and saw Trina, standing there with her arms crossed and her eyes studying the ground.

"Trina?"

"What?"

"About what happened…" Mikaela had to resist twisting her fingers together as she tried to come up with the right words. "I…um….I take full responsibility for what happened."

It seemed that some of Optimus was rubbing off of her.

"What do you mean?" Sam said incredulously.

Mikaela sighed, shifting, and then finally kneeling down to look the two humans in the eye. "They rioted because of me. They're exploding….because of me. I'm a mistake in the eyes of man, an abomination. The Autobots…they know what they are and all, but me?"

Trina looked as if she wanted to make some snide comment, but when her mouth opened, no sound came out.

It would be better that way, probably. Mikaela had already suffered the wrath and wrench of Ratchet, and she really didn't want to face one of Trina's furious accusations, even though all the things she would have said would have been accurate enough.

Finally, when Trina did regain her ability to speak, the words that came out weren't the least bit friendly.

"Maybe they were right."

She walked away, leaving Sam and Mikaela alone.

"Look," Sam said, watching Trina storm away furiously, her dark hair billowing behind her. "She's been a crabby and…."

Right, because Sam's definition of crabby was listening to someone call his girlfriend, his now Cybertronian girlfriend, an abomination.

"Crabby isn't the right word. Bitchy if more like it," Mikaela muttered

"Well, she's been through a lot."

"And what about me?"

"Well….you…"

"I was what?"

Sam shook his head and raised his hands in a placating gesture that had Mikaela smirking.

"You're a Cybertronian."

"Yes. We established that long ago."

"And I mean….the Brotherhood couldn't have really done anything to you," Sam shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but his hands were shaking and there was an edge in his voice.

Oh, he had no idea. No idea that the Brotherhood had just been the opening act of some horrific performance.

But leave it to Sam to have to state the obvious or speak when his mouth should really be shut.

"They turned my father against me. That's the worst thing of all."

"Your father turned against you," Sam pointed out.

Mikaela didn't know if it was a failed attempt to make her feel better or….

"Whatever," Mikaela turned and began to walk away, shoulders slumped and footsteps heavy. She loved Sam….erm…she thought, but right now she wanted him to go away and take his unnatural talent of spewing absolute shit with him.

"Hey!"

"What?" She snarled.

"I mean…It's true."

Mikaela's laugh was so high pitched that several lone soldiers strolling through the hangar stopped and stared.

"Oh…I know what you mean. Yeah, my father, my own father, couldn't stand the way his daughter looked. Couldn't stand how she was a freak."

Sam stopped walking and stared, mouth agape.

"And I bet you agree with him."

"Listen, Mikaela…" Sam approached, but Mikaela deadly glare must have swayed his decision to hug her because, as soon as his hands got an inch away from her leg, he pulled back as if he had touched an electric fence.

"What? Just say what you need to say and….leave me alone for just a second."

"I…I'm sorry."

"You don't mean that."

"I'm sorry," his voice rose. "I'm sorry all this has happened to you, okay? I'm sorry. It should have been me and it shouldn't have been you."

Now it was Mikaela's turn to be silent.

"But it wasn't."

"It was you," Sam's lips were trembling and one lone tear rolled down his cheek. "And I mean, I love you an all….but I just can't."

"You just can't what?"

Sam gestured too her body, to her shining silver armor and her glowing blue optics.

"I can't just do this."

Mikaela's expression was blank as she watched her boyfriend turn.

"And maybe I can't do you, either," she whispered.

And then Sam was gone.