A/N: Hey all. I am so sorry this chapter took so long. And that goes for all my stories for those who read more than one. My life has been really busy lately, a lot more so than normal. I am trying my best to write as much as possible, but, at the same time, I want to take my time and wrote to the best of my ability. I am pretty sure things are starting to calm down.

Also, two things about this chapter:

One: This update is extremely short, but it's that way for a reason. I got to the point where if I had continued I wouldn't have been able to end it right, and it would have messed up the coming chapters as well. But another update is gonna be out VERY soon, or, I'm planning on it at least.

Two: This is the start of a major plot twist, so I'm gonna be straying from the episodes to complete it. I was kinda worried that it was too soon, but I'm gonna risk it!

*** This chapter is dedicated to my really good friend WinterSnow13 ***

XXX

Jenny sighed deeply as she treaded down the worn, cracking sidewalk. Her emerald eyes clouded in her boredom, she absently huffed, going out of her way to roughly kick a pebble into the street. This was one of those days where nothing seemed to catch her interest, leaving her miserably bored. So, tired of simply staring at the cream color of the living room wall, she had decided to force herself out into the sweltering Nevada heat in search of something to do. She had yet to find anything. Stopping by a light pole in the center of one of the more populated subdivisions, she allowed herself to lean against the all but sizzling metal, her shirt protecting her from the scalding heat. Swiping her brown – light enough to have slight streaks, but too dark to be considered blonde – hair over her shoulder, silently berating herself for not having brought something to tie it back with, she glanced up.

Her eyes fell onto a small child sprawled out on the sidewalk mere feet from her, laid on her stomach with her limbs stretched to each side and her blonde pigtails askew. She seemed to be absolutely captivated by the large cylinder of pink chalk clutched in her hand as she clumsily scrawled distorted circles, ovals and lines on the areas not yet scribbled on. She was absolutely oblivious of Jenny's gaze, and the thirteen year old had no intention of making her presence known. After all, she hated it when someone interrupted her when she was sketching! She lapsed into silence, her mind wandering to the oddest subjects as she watched the toddler scrawl, listening to the occasional, random phrases spouted by the little girl. It was in doing so that she realized the child was not talking to herself… Or, she didn't seem to be.

"A puppy, 'Cee!" she would chirp in her high-pitched voice, as if holding a one-on-one conversation. "Then I'll d'aw you 'gain!" Jenny glanced around, slightly confused. No, there was nobody around, aside from herself, of course. The only thing anywhere near the girl was a cerulean motorcycle rested only a couple of feet away, parked at the edge of the drive, facing the little kid. Of course, it wasn't unusual. She probably just had an imaginary friend. She could still remember when she played with her own. But, then another thought came to her… Who would allow a child that young to play outside alone? Sure, it was Jasper, she got that, but the little girl was right by the street! She shook it off. It wasn't any of her business. Whoever was in charge of her could be right around back, or could have just ran inside to get something. But still… She could get hurt! She didn't look old enough to be left by herself for any amount of time. It was with that in mind that the teen decided to wait, just for her own peace of mind. She always had a soft spot for babies and little kids, and it was that same 'soft spot' that prevented her from walking away. It would bother her to no end if she didn't know that the kid was, indeed, being watched.

"Look, 'Cee! 'S you!" the toddler excitedly exclaimed, eyes lighting up as she pointed at the rough, sloppy drawing etched on the concrete, a sketch that seemed to hold no real image. It was then Jenny realized she was talking to the motorcycle, her gaze latched onto it as she lifted herself off of the ground slightly, a bright, cheerful smile painted onto her face. An eyebrow raised, the thirteen-year-old glanced between the kid and the vehicle. Oh. She wasn't playing with an imaginary friend… She was doing something weirder. Sighing slightly, she shook her head. Kids. Tired of standing, she allowed herself to slide down to the ground, keeping her back against the pole as she fished her phone out of her pocket, the pair of ear buds still tightly wound around it. Plopping onto the ground and unraveling the tangled cords, she glanced up once more… Only to find the tiny blonde sat cross legged in front of the motorcycle's front wheel, her blue eyes sparkling as she giggled brightly. She was staring intently at the headlights in front of the handlebars, nodding frantically from time to time, as if engaged in a rather entertaining conversation.

'Okay, then,' Jenny thought to herself, sighing heavily as she shoved the earpieces into the correct ear. 'Whatever floats her boat, I guess…' Punching a button, she felt herself relax as the familiar sounds poured through the buds, though she kept one eye on the strange little girl she had taken upon herself to watch. Still no parents, guardians or siblings, she noted. Was the kid supposed to be out? She found herself growing less and less focused as she tapped out the beat of each song, the heat not bothering her after having lived in the desert for so long.

Around fifteen minutes later, she found herself snapped from her music as a loud, powerful engine revved angrily not too far from her. She angrily glanced up, irate. Who would be…? She was taken aback by the unbelievably shiny, cherry-red muscle car parked on the edge of the curb, right in front of the toddler. The little girl seemed unaffected, almost eager, her eyes bright as she beamed. The engine revved once more, causing her to wince, and the child seemed to say something – she couldn't make anything out over the noise of the car – before rising, playfully skipping over to the unknown car. The teen's eyes widened. Not good. This was not good! Crime was next to unheard of in Jasper aside from the occasional vandalism caused by the older teens. But this had to be something shady. A little girl out by herself for almost a half hour now, talking to a motorcycle. A sports car that she had never seen (and she knew practically every vehicle that came around )seems to appear out of nowhere, one that… Is now opening the door!

Jenny sprang to her feet, her phone clattering to the ground. It made no difference though. She was barely able to call out a warning before the kid was suddenly yanked into the car, and judging by the surprised, angered screams that somehow made it over the engine noise, the actions were against her will. The door slammed closed, and the car lurched forward. Gaping as it passed her, honking once as if to gloat on its victory, the teenager watched it pull away, to shocked to do anything more. Not good!

XXX

Arcee watched in absolute horror as Katie was unceremoniously tangled in the Decepticon medic's seatbelts, forcefully jerked into the vain CMO's interior, her eyes widened in her fear as she futily fought against the crushing hold. Before the Autobot could utter a word of protest, the door was slammed shut, blocking the toddler from her view as the engine roared one last time. Pulling forward, taking great pleasure in the femme's helplessness, he easily turned the corner, in no real hurry. He knew she wouldn't, couldn't, do anything.

She barely restrained herself from gunning forward in pursuit. The only thing stopping her was the alarmed teenager standing on the edge of the sidewalk, staring after the Decepticon with a shocked, fearful expression, her emerald eyes wide in her panic. She couldn't blow her cover, no matter how badly she wanted to. All she could do was silently pray that the girl would leave. She didn't care to where. Her hopes were soon dashed, however, as she watched the girl spin on her heel, bursting toward the house she was parked in front of. She followed the human with her sensors as the girl sprinted up the sidewalk, barely stopping in time as she approached the door. Oh, forget it. If she was caught, so be it!

She slowly pulled forward, keeping her engine noise to the bare minimum as she pulled out of the drive, gliding past the abandoned chalk littering the walkway, the drawings smudging slightly underneath her tires. The next second, she was gone, the only sign of her ever being there the skid marks present around the corner.

XXX

Jenny frantically beat on the wooden door, breathing heavily as she shifted her weight every few seconds. A moment later, when nobody answered, she reached up and repeatedly shoved the little button to the side of the frame, the doorbell chiming loudly. Brushing her hair out of her face, a hand smoothing her shirt as a sort of distraction, she hissed slightly.

"C'mon, c'mon…" she fearfully muttered, glancing over her shoulder at the vacant street. She had to tell someone. She raised her hand to beat on the door once more, never moving her eyes from the street, though as she reached to do so, she found herself banging on air.

"Whoa!" a voice yelped, and she snapped her head to the front once more. A raven-haired teenager, appearing to be a few years older than herself, stood in the doorway, an eyebrow quirked as he ducked underneath her fist. Squeaking in surprise, she allowed her arm to fall stiffly to her side. He looked familiar, she noted. He went to her school. "Uh, you need something?" he confusedly asked, straightening once again as she fidgeted. She wasted no time.

"A minute ago, there was a little blonde-haired girl playing on the sidewalk. You know her?" she frantically queried, meeting his gaze as she blocked his view. His eyebrows furrowed and his frown deepened.

"Uh, ya, that's my sister, Katie. What's wrong?" he responded, obviously nervous himself as he picked up on her urgent manner. Her face drained of color further, her hands shaking.

"Was she waiting on someone to come get her?" she questioned, voice trembling. The older teen's face drained slightly.

"No. What happened?" he asked, voice lowering as his eyes, a green slightly brighter than her own, clouded.

"She got pulled into some car," Jenny practically shouted in response, eyes widening.

"What?" the boy yelped, roughly reaching out and shoving her to the side. She moved without protest, frowning deeply. Watching as he dashed down the walkway, she clenched her fists by her side. What was going on?

XXX

Jack sprinted down the sidewalk in absolute horror. His sister was no where to be found. Arcee was gone. There were black skid marks streaking down the street. All this added to his growing terror. He glanced up as the girl, one he had seen in the hallways a time or two, skidded to a stop a few inches to his left.

"What did the car look like?" he ground out, voice cracking severely. He could only hope it wasn't the 'Cons. Though, who else around here would take her? It had been years since there was any sort of kidnapping.

"Red sports car. I don't know what kind. Really shiny." She curtly responded. His breath caught in his throat. That sounded 'Con-like. He shoved his hand into his pocket, barely able to think straight. Wordlessly, he flipped it open with a single flick of his wrist, pressing the button for speed dial. He phone ringing, he pressed it to his ear. It was picked up immediately.

"I'm in pursuit." Arcee's voice rang out, sickeningly calm, as it always was when Decepticons were involved.

"What's going on?" he frantically asked, nearly shouting the simple question.

"Decepticons, Jack. Already called the oth-" her words were cut off by a loud, shrieking squeal, as well as a furious, hating shout. A loud crash, and what sounded like shattering glass.

"Ar-Arcee? You there? What's-"

"Jack, calm down. They called for a bridge."

"They have her?" It came out as a scream, a horrified yell that made the girl next to him flinch. A silence.

"You need to calm down. Breath." The femme ordered, tone neutral. "Is the girl still there?"

"Y-Yes…" he was barely able to speak. They had his sister. They had his sister!

"I need you to meet me by the crossroad about a block away. Make sure she doesn't follow you, okay? We will get her back, Jack." She returned, voice grim. It was then that the line was cut off, leaving the teen to his horror.

"What do we do?" the younger of the two suddenly shrieked, throwing her hands in the air. He glanced to her.

"I gotta.. I need to… Ya…" He said nothing more before he turned on his heel and sprinted to the side, seeming to just barely keep himself up. Jenny stared after him, shell-shocked. She shook her head slightly, before turning around and dashing in the opposite direction, her eyes glazed over. She could at least tell the police.

XXX

Practically flying over the cracked pavements, tripping over every pebble or stone that managed to work its way underneath his feet, Jack panted heavily. He was close to the intersection designated by his Autobot companion, but he wasn't slowing. He couldn't believe it! They had been involved in all of this for all of two weeks! He had no idea what to do, his fear and dread mind-numbing. He barely noticed the cerulean motorcycle coasting beside him, only snapping from his rather morbid thoughts once a short, sharp honk blared in his ear. He yelped in surprise, slamming to a stop as he spun on his heel to face the street.

"What's happening?" he frantically questioned, voice shaking, only just audible as the holoform vanished, allowing him to climb on. His eyes glinted dangerously, a tight frown marring his face, and his grip on the handlebars was much tighter than normal. He looked ready to collapse. Never one to 'sugar-coat' anything, Arcee answered honestly, with little words to soften the blow.

"The 'Cons have her. They used the human to their advantage. I followed them a couple of blocks, but they called for a bridge." She was forced to slow as she felt her charge subtly slide to the side, his grip on the handles loosening slightly as he seemed to fall limp. He caught himself before he could do anything more than that though, shaking his head slightly as he straightened, his eyes clouded as panic coursed through his veins like acid. "We'll get her back, Jack." She stated after a moment, tone slightly softer as she caught sight of his mortified expression. "Ratchet is already tracking the ship's location. He was able to do a quick scan of the groundbridge they sent, so it will go a lot faster than normal." All the teenager was able to do was give a barely noticeable nod, his mind racing, his body numb.

XXX

A/N: Okay, aside from this being short, how'd you like it? I kinda felt like it was a little rushed into, but I couldn't decide. Eh. Please R+R!

-StarLight