I hope the last chapter enlightened everyone a little even though I left it a little as a cliffhanger. What did Allie and Soundwave find out about Sentinel? We will see as I reveal a little more. I found it funny that no one commented about Sentinel but they did about the couples. Oh well, I am writing a fiction that centers on the couples.

Please take a moment to leave a review. I really enjoy reading them and so with that in mind here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

It could be tiring when your mates had spoiled your sparkling so much. Raynie loved Sunny so much but on a morning like today she wanted to strangle both her, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe for giving in to the little one's demands so much. She was being her usual fussy self when Sunstreaker walked in. He took one look at Raynie's face and immediately scooped Sunshine out of her arms and streaked into the nursery. Raynie began crying because it made her feel so helpless and desperate to get away. This was her family and all she wanted was to run.

It hadn't helped that the explosion had shook their quarters causing Sunny to become insecure about the nursery and Doc told her that they were not the only ones having problems with their sparklings. The attack on the Hall had affected them all and Raynie hadn't felt insecure in a long time.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sunstreaker asked as he walked back with Sunny holding her sippy cup. She was chewing on the cup and trying to eat the edges as Sunstreaker held her with ease. Raynie felt a little jealous since she wished Sunstreaker would hold her like he did Sunny but then she knew that she was just tired and worn out from handling Sunny's mood swings.

"I am now since you have come to take your wayward daughter." Raynie finally replied to his question even though Sunstreaker still looked at her oddly. He wasn't convinced and the emotions he sent through their bond confirmed it.

"Raynie, have you thought about returning to work part time?" Sunstreaker asked her. "You stay with Sunny all the time and me and Sides can rotate shifts to help with her." He was concerned about Raynie being alone so much with only Sunshine for company and he knew how difficult Sunshine could be.

"Sunstreaker, I have thought about it. In fact, Cassie approached me about teaching. I was going to ask Allie what she thought. I would teach two days during the week physics at the school where Cassie works. They are short on teachers and I think it is a good idea. There is a preschool that is affiliated with the academy and Sunny could go on those two days. Our sparklings are advanced enough and I think it would challenge her. She is so fussy Sunstreaker and I know you want to protect her but I think she is bored." Raynie looked at Sunstreaker imploringly.

"I don't know Raynie." Sunstreaker said and Raynie started to growl in frustration but stopped herself.

"Sunstreaker, it would only be for two days and she is bored. Cassie claims it is an excellent idea and her three are going to be there too. Cassie teaches music and she is thinking about asking Allie to teach a math class three days a week so Optimus' sparklings will be there if Allie can manage to fit it into her schedule." Raynie walked over to her mate and hugged him close to her even though Sunstreaker was pulling back a little.

"Raynie, there is much going on right now and I am not sure about the sparklings leaving the Hall." He told her.

"We have a month before school starts so please think about it." Raynie said and Sunstreaker relaxed into her embrace.

"I will think about it and I will ask Optimus. Also, Sides has to agree as well." He said and he put Sunny down much to the sparkling's dismay so that he could give Raynie the attention she deserved.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Are you okay?" Optimus asked Allie. He was concerned about her since her revelation in the interrogation room. He never once thought about how she felt since they were back together and that she would never be able to return to her home world. He had always assumed that they would remain here since Cybertron was a dead world and make the Realm their new world.

"I don't know. I didn't want you to know how I truly felt about being different from you." She said softly. They were sitting in her office waiting for Megatron and Soundwave to come back from the command center where Soundwave would do another sweep of the Hall then download Ultra Magnus' reports from Moon base 5.

"I never looked at you as different Allie." Optimus said softly as he shifted closer to her in his chair. He had rolled around to her side of the desk so that he could be close to her. Allie kept her head down and Optimus took pity on her as he clasped her knees in his massive hands. "I love you for your spark because that is what is truly beautiful about you."

"I know. It is just that I have all these memories of us together on Cybertron and I remember how it felt to be metal. Sometimes it all swirls together and confuses me." She confessed to him. Optimus knew that she had been conflicted by something but without her opening up it was hard to decipher what. "I didn't want to concern you with my fears because you carry so much being Prime."

"You are my mate, Allie. You are my concern as much as the mechs and femmes are." Prime told her. "We'll talk more later. Right now I need for you to be strong because Megatron and Soundwave are on their way."

As soon as Optimus spoke Allie heard the knock and then the door opened and Megatron and Soundwave walked through. Megatron took in the couple and felt remorseful that he had interrupted but this was too important. They both took a seat opposite of the couple and on the other side of Allie's desk.

"Are we ready to discuss the information accessed from Sentinel?" Megatron asked as he looked on expectantly.

"Yes, Allie?" Optimus said. He looked at her with the same expression as Megatron. Both were ready to settle this once and for all to get on with their lives.

"I am ready." Allie replied. She looked to Soundwave as he prepared to divulge the information gathered from Sentinel. Soundwave chose to stand as he played over the recording that he had made of Sentinel's processor. They listened to Sentinel's arrogant rants about the inferiority of the femmes and the shame that they brought to their race by choosing to be transformed into the weak bodies that the oracle chose to give them. Soundwave played over the part where Sentinel bargained with Megatron to rebuild Cybertron under Decepticon rule, how he was willing to kill Prime if it meant bringing new life to their dying planet.

Soundwave revealed a lot of Sentinel's secrets but the most shocking part was that he was innocent of the terrorist attacks. He had his own share of burdens but none of them were shadowed by the current displays of violence and the other shocking part was that he was for unity even if his ideas were misguided.

After Soundwave played the recording, all four of them either sat or stood in stunned silence with each within their own thoughts. Optimus was disgusted that Sentinel would trade his life for tyrannical rule, Megatron hated that Sentinel was planning to take him out, and Soundwave hated deceit of any kind. Allie's tank churned that all Sentinel saw in her femmes was a convenient way of restoring their race; a way that would strip any pride that they had and make them into breeding machines. It made her feel insecure with her being bonded to Optimus. Did he think that way? Again Allie thought back to Waverly's situation and began to wonder if she had made the right choice in allowing them to stay here.

Megatron could see the wheels turning in Allie's processor but he had no words to refute the indecision that worried the femme's face. His only resolution to the problem was for her to trust him and Optimus and realize that this was Sentinel's twisted view of what was happening and not the truth. The incident with Waverly had been unfortunate but Cliffjumper was making every effort to make amends. The problem was that there had been no new relationships and the femmes were sticking closer within their own circle. Time could only heal the wounds and Megatron knew that Sentinel would still have to be dealt with. Maybe they could retire him to the colony where he could live out his days and maybe find an older femme that was old fashioned in her view and didn't mind his biased look on the more sensitive half of Cybertron's race.

Optimus felt the regret of ever trusting Sentinel wash through him. He had not only betrayed his race but his beliefs. He ideas of rebuilding Cybertron with slave labor and tyrannical rule was not the way for Cybertronians and the Autobots would have been exiled or killed for fighting against their beliefs. It was also appalling to learn that Sentinel intended to kill him. His own mentor did not even see the worth of his apprentice and it made Optimus feel sick that he had ever trusted Sentinel.

Soundwave could feel the emotions of all three as he waited for anyone to say something. He knew that this would do damage but he also knew that they would worry about who was behind the attacks. He waited for the questions, he could feel the shock starting to wear off and the questions beginning to form, and Soundwave wondered how long before they all pounded him with them demanding answers.

"Well that came as a surprise!" Optimus finally stated while opening the perpetual can of worms. Megatron and Allie both launched into a heated discussion throwing the occasional darted question at Soundwave. Soundwave remained calm as always when faced with heated words and Optimus soaked in the atmosphere until Soundwave heard him raise his baritone voice and exclaim "enough!"

"If Sentinel is not the one behind the attacks then we are back at square one." Megatron snarled. Allie went quiet as she thought about everything that had been said.

"Allie, what is it?" Optimus finally asked her when he picked up on the strange feelings within their bond. Megatron immediately stopped pacing as he looked at the femme. Allie looked between the two brothers and then at Soundwave. Soundwave nodded back in support. He had already picked up on her thoughts and verified what she was hesitant to say.

"Roughly about a vorn ago, we had a split within the Ancient Order. The sum of it was that I was not originally the Leator. Someone else had been picked by the oracle." Allie stopped and took a deep breath. "When I was transformed I had some problems with my new body. I was weaker and for some reason I had several illnesses as a result of this weakness. I had to overcome it to stay alive and then I found a group within the Realm, a very powerful group of beings, that taught me how to balance my spark within this physical body. It made me stronger, taught me to be faster, more fierce and powerful without sacrificing my beliefs." Allie looked at her mate and then at Megatron. "The warping, the shadow stalking, all of my abilities I learned from those beings. I then began to teach them to Aura who honed the skills for fighting but then our leader found out. I assured her that my intentions were not to take her place but she became unstable and it divided us."

"Allie what happened to her?" Optimus asked dreading her answer.

"Do you remember the one I told you about? She lives far north in the mountains? Shayla was her name and she is retired." Allie said.

"Yea I vaguely remember you mentioning her." Megatron said.

"She retired because of the entire situation. Shia also did for the same reasons." Allie stood up and began to pace like Megatron. They stopped as they were going to pass and looked at each other.

"This is so complicated that I don't even know where to begin or how to make you understand but I didn't want this position. I was just a ground officer at the time. I was used to infiltrate behind enemy lines or go in and access if there was a need for us to interfere. I was happy with that and when I wasn't on base I spent my time in the mountains building my home. Then Shayla came to me one night and told me that I would be sent on a suicidal mission and the she had found that Karina knew that there was no chance of anyone coming back alive, but the hardest part to swallow was that she allowed scientists and settlers to build a colony on one of the far moons in the Realm even though we knew that there was an alien predator on that moon." Allie shivered as she remembered seeing the torn bodies of the poor humans that had trusted Karina. She relived in her processor the helpless rage she felt when Karina's advisor admitted that it had been planned from the beginning and that none of them were to survive the rescue operation. Then the predator race truck and all that came home was Allie and a torn up Mia who was in stasis. "Mia and I were the only survivors of the operation and it was not pretty when we returned. The only proof that I had was the recorded confession of Karina's advisor. It did not go well."

Optimus could only imagine what horror it had been to return and have to deal with a leader that had tried to kill you. "What did you do?" He asked softly.

"I challenged her. It was the only way to keep her insecurity and power rage from devouring what we had built here." Allie said as she walked over to the overlook and peered at the busy tarmac.

"Did you offline her?" Megatron asked.

"No, to offline her would have been too easy. She needed to live with what she had done. I severely wounded her and marked her so that others would know that she was no longer welcomed within our circle. She needed to live with her processor and know that she had hurt others with the only intent that it was for her to keep her power." Allie let out a deep breath as she turned and looked at each mech in the office. "You think that I did the wrong thing by challenging her." Allie said flatly.

"No, you had to do what was needed to keep peace within your ranks." Megatron stated.

"It had nothing to do with peace within the ranks! Aura saw what was happening and she begged me to stop it but I didn't want to take command so I let things go. Femmes died because I wanted to live on my mountain and neglect what the oracle had called me to do and my friends suffered for it. We are still suffering. The only solution left is that the fear and insecurity that enveloped Karina is upon us again. Change is never easy, Megatron and now someone is lashing out." Allie looked at them with tears threatening to spill down from her eyes and Optimus' spark went out to his mate.

He knew well what it was like to not be sure or not want to be called. He had been in those exact same peds before. He remembered all too well the whispers and the uncertainty when he had become Prime and how it made him feel unsure until Jazz had taken him under his wing and supported him without question. As Optimus watched Allie suffer from her confession made him miss his SIC more than ever. Jazz would have known what to say, what to do, to make Allie not regret herself or question her actions.

"Allie, what do you want us to do to help you?" Soundwave asked and both mechs looked at him in surprise. Soundwave was not a mech to talk much and so his question made both Megatron and Optimus realize that action was needed and not pity.

Allie recognized Soundwave's question as an attempt to change the mood of the confession and she smiled.

"I need for all of you to act normal. We will remain on alert but I need for you to buy time for me so that I can flush out the terrorist." She looked determined. "I also want to send Sentinel away for the time being so that everyone will think that he was the villain. I will discuss it with him and use his arrogance to my advantage to make him think that he is helping us. As soon as Prowl is back at full strength I want him to be let in on this discussion but no one else." Allie spoke with quiet authority. "Please my lord, buy me some time and I will find this person."