Well, it is late but still... Happy New Year to you all! I hope I had remedied my absence with this update. I actually had it in the storage for a while now... (from still deciding where to push this)

Enjoy reading! And can't wait to hear from all of you in your reviews!

Transformers is owned by a person that is not me... Hasbro does, though.

Chapter 50: Trepidation turned Real

There was nothing more that can be done after Hook had calmed down the little femmling from the sudden height of emotions she must have felt when she saw the Lord. It was not healthy for her state of mind to be subjected into a spiral of uncontrollable emotions that really should have had no place on her pale features. Her reaction was not that uncommon, though, like with any other squishy they had come across, fear and dread seemed to instantly show.

The medic knew that if it weren't for the fact that the largest part of her memory had been put out of reach, she wouldn't be at all that much frightened of their Lord's presence. The girl would have been instantly the most enthusiastic and rebellious sparkling compared to this. After all, hadn't it been a long time ago since they had been staying together? The bond that they had established would have given more comfort in each other's presence.

Hook took a glance at their Lord as he connected the girl to one of his machines while silently observing what the other's reaction was upon seeing how their little squishy was afraid of him. Not expecting anything at first, he considered Megatron's stance as nothing. The large mech had just stood there with his arms crossed. But once Hook caught the other's optics, he knew better to think that that occurrence made little effect on him. The Lord's optics were at their dimmest set that he had seen. They all knew that it was one thing to spite fear in organics... But seeing that this was THEIR'S, it gave a huge mental blow.

When the Lord ask for her condition, Hook knew better than to address the hushed and deep baritone of the other. From one fact to another, the medic was slowly starting to release his impending stress as Barricade pulled on topics that they all had already discussed. This new summarized conversation was not one he had liked but more action was needed to be done before anything else more troubling came up front in this little experiment they have done.

There was relief when the other mechs found out that the Allspark hadn't rejected the girl in turning her into one of them, but they weren't happy with the way things had become out of hand for them to control. Loss of hope was evident in Megatron's optics as he pointed out how and why the girl's condition was going from bad to worse.

Any of the Decepticons would have been in the same state that the Lord was in if they were to eavesdrop on anything. The topic of the femme just dying was not that welcome at all but seeing that there is a way for them to get her to stay longer, they would probably take it. Conflict was thick in the air when he told them what she needed, though. A creator bond to stabilize her spark surely would be beneficial but they were not the mechs that should be given this job.

Barricade is ideal for the position. Hook knew that since the other was her guardian, but still, the question is, would Megatron allow the frontliner to be taken out of the equation for him to stay and watch over the condition of the little one? No. Certainly, there was no denying that the Lord will not allow such thing to happen because Megatron had already made this plan as appealing as it could with all the resources that were available. Putting Barricade out of that round of resources would vanquish whatever good the plan had to become a more dangerous one.

There were others in the organizational loop that they could suggest to take the position but they were not all capable enough, or trusted enough for them to relinquish their hold on the human's welfare. They weren't taking chances of picking a slaghead creator for her that would sooner offline the femme with him. A broken bond wasn't needed.

Looking over at their Lord, Hook just made his own decision. He would let their Lord decide whom they would trust in this matter. Bidding the larger mech with a caution, he pulled out the records he had and began scheming right through them. There was still something bothering Hook about the girl's condition. Thinking that he had missed something, he reread again the results and began trying to come up what had been bidding him dread.

The result only showed a large amount of transformation and current count of organic tissue transforming into steel. The blood from her bones that contained iron had doubled while the mass production of iron and other metallic particles out weight the organics ones. Nothing was out of the blue there seeing that the nanocides where trying their very best to parallel the process of transformation being done by the spark.

Still, the itching he had felt didn't leave. There was something... and he kenw that something is something that he should dread. One way or another, his instincts would kick in and bit him in the back telling 'I told you so' if he ignored it.

Two earth cycles had come by. Megatron had been silent in with his thoughts (having left the other day only to come back and start processing again) as Barricade once or twice would drop by after his daily errands were done. Hook was the only one to have his own responsibility and role put on hold as he kept the half organic functioning.

They had to actually insert a fluid line that enables the girl to have the adequate materials in her bloodstream. The energon had been helpful in fuelling the nanocides with the energy to do their work but now, it was the lack of proper metal particles in her systems that Hook had to be cautious of. Shockwave was the one to be able to come up with the metal liquid that they now call Enerline but the medic was the one to give the girl all the right doses that she needs.

As tiring as it was, Hook was trying to balance what he was supposed to be doing with what he was doing when the Lord told him that his presence was becoming questionable to the others in their faction. Knockout had come aboard but like any other, they were put in the dark about this. The red mech would have been more helpful if he weren't the one asking where he was, complaining the slag of why he had to manage the medbay for Hook.

When a (human) equipment had actually blown up under Knockout's 'what is this and how does it work' instances, Hook was furious (seeing that each one of those equipments were hard to find and acquire since the fund that they had used to get them was from working on a construction site) so he had to actually leave his patient in the care of the mini mechling that stayed beside the femme. Megatron had agreed that it was better than leaving the femme alone and unguarded. So with that, he had no qualms about the sudden vacate of position. Frenzy had been a happy mechling while his brothers were quite irritated with it (They also wanted to visit but Soundwave had denied them the opportunity). Only the reassurance that the femme would be transported to the mansion had kept them from visiting the warehouse.

In the next three days, no transport had been made, though as Barricade had been on and off, shadowing the place seeing that the Autobots were near their area. The scums must have detected their activity there so they were settling on rounding their edge of that city. The police mech had located some of the scouts were near...A few times his round had led him to come out and give them a chase or wrong track to get them away.

They had indeed needed to be more cautious which was not easy. At least, Frenzy was able to monitor the still unconscious femme and give them some news. Everything was still going good but Hook still insisted that the Lord pick out a mech to be creator soon before something slag could happen yet again.

The Lord was starting to get a helmache from the medic's insistent pestering but indeed, Hook was making a legit argument about the situation. They can't continue to move like this and wait for things to go down hill and out of their control once again.

At the warehouse, someone had managed to come out of their little field trip in the land of the dreaming. The gravity of the earth must have pulled doubled Gs if she feels like this. Her body feels so heavy that she couldn't even pull a muscle if she wanted to. Feeling drained and all, she did not want to get up. Not when she felt like the world just kept egging her into the void, too.

Apart from not remembering anything else with her amnesia, she can summarize all she can remember from her days being awake were limited. Time never stops ticking so to put it straight… a majority of her memory had been nothing that great. Just… blank or she was asleep to see the excitement going on.

Having lost track of time, she sigh and silently listens to whatever was still going on. The mechling, Frenzy was still beside her in his own deep recharge which she was happy to know. That mechling had been keeping her company ever since she was put here while the others were on and off to somewhere she has no clue to begin with.

Opening her eyes, she rubbed softly the traces of sleep from them to give concern to the problem she had on her hand. She had no heart to wake the other up to actually help her in this natural problem she had upon her wake. From emptiness surrounding her and the nonexistent tremors of the ground, the medic was not here. Hook had the tendency to leave her vicinity giving off vibrations from wherever he is. Since he was a heavy mech, Oen couldn't really blame him. That construction machine also amazes her because she considers them one of the most powerful vehicles too if anyone asks her.

Silence… other than the constant beeping of the heart monitor just above her and the drop she could hear from the dripper placed on her, she was greeted by silence. Her eyes raked the room, adjusting fairly better than the last times. There, at the far end corner where the shadow was, there was a hint of a form. She saw a glint of white and two red optics gazing at her direction but despite it, she was not that surprised that the other was there. There was a nagging feeling within her that told her that it was just natural for the other to bask in the shadows.

Forgetting her little dilemma, she once again tried to come to a conversation with the other. That mech hadn't been that talkative with her but those optics never did left her. She knew that most of the times, he would just stand there like a guard (as per what Frenzy had told her), only leaving when Hook tells him to or when he gets a mission –as per that silver hulk one would command him-.

Currently, this situation is a great opportunity for her to actually make the other engage her with a conversation. Maybe he was just like Roadbuster? She could only assume.

This was the time she needs to actually get somewhere with him and to not have the urge to flinch every time those optics tried to tell her something that she couldn't even point out right. She was deeply troubled nonstop on why every single time their optics-eyes met, she feels that a great deal had been lost. But with Amnesia, she knew that she wouldn't be that far from the truth.

"I know that I should also remember you like that tall mech… but I can't … and that hurts you…" She quietly said with a hint of sadness in her voice. She soon shifted on her side to let the little mech snuggled more, seeing that their conversation would likely wake up the little mechling. What a touchy little fellow but she did not mind as the other slept through the comfort she gave.

The other didn't answer her the way she wanted him to… He was trying to avoid that topic and that was for certain when he said, "You are spoiling him rotten as always, Shein…"

Again, she was called Shein but Oen just let that slip off along with how he evaded her words. (Maybe her name was really Shein seeing that it had been ringing familiarity in her but she dare not to jump into that now.) For the other mech to be so vague and off ever since her stay (as per what Frenzy kept telling her but did not dare name the other to her disappointment), it must be too hard for him to admit the pain in seeing her in this kind of state.

To think that her heart cries out for them although they were supposed to be the contradicting faction that the Autobots try to fight off in order to protect the human race and bring all species peace. This sudden captivity had opened her mind in hoping that the war they were fighting for can be done and put behind. Maybe with democratic talks, they could get a long again. That is a really hopeful thought.

But first, in order to do that, she needs to tell the Autobots of this wonderful opportunity. Also, maybe she could talk with her captors to talk with the others? But seeing the reputation they both had with each other (remembering the burning optics Sideswipe had on when he talks about the other faction, and also the times that the Cons kept cursing squishies…), it would take longer to do that.

They just all contradict. What can she do to make them go on parallel?

Though she knows that it was not for her to worry about, she still feels oblige in some way to make them come to amends. The thought of them living again, not just trying to survive… It gave her inner happiness that she knew would be truly welcome.

"You are in thought again…" She jerked quite a bit as she realized that she really did manage to ignore the other when she lost her way to her thoughts. Sheepishly, she looked at the other with a small embarrassed smile… Only to falter when she saw the hope that bloomed on those ruby red optics.

He thinks that maybe, she had been lost in remembering… And that conclusion was correct as the other soon lost the light when she spoke nothing. At seeing this, she wanted to apologize preposterously for making the other feel the grief of not being remembered, but never would she be able to understand just why he was like that -keeping all of what he was to her or what their relationship truly was. He silently tried to bare the pain but still hoped that she could just take it away.

If she could take all the pain away, she would. She wanted to really help make things better for them, not only for the Autobots' sakes but for all of those that her heart had been crying out to these past few days… These mechs, the Decepticons… If her memory serves her right, she can remember herself snarling out in rage as she defended them. It was before the police car mech suddenly made them all crash.

She remembered that she had called them family… But pit, she can't remember why, and that stressed her out more. Frenzy and Hook were convinced that she would be able to get her memories back once the medic can actually find a way to trigger her synapses and nanites but they had no certainty of when can they concoct something like that.

It was really surprising for her to actually hear that she was holding the same nanites that Cybertronians have. Because of that, she now had begun to question Ratchet's way of treating and curing her. One example was how her gashes from the first incident where she had gotten amnesia, just disappeared like they were not there. Then, there was that blood loss she heard from the soldiers upon Wheeljack's explosion. What Hook had revealed to her made her a lot more cautious of herself than before, figuring that that maybe was the reason why they took her…? (Still confused about the part whether the Decepticons are good or bad)

Snapping out of her trance and long thinking, she remembered that she was at least talking to the other mech now.

"I do not know what you are talking about…" She skeptically said with caution in her voice. The look that actually passed on Hook's face plates when she told him that she can remember him had warmed her heart greatly, while guilt, sadness and anger towards herself came gnawing her every time she sees the looks that the others gave her. Only two red optic mechs had been visiting… but the other tall silver and spiky one hadn't come back days ago.

She wonders what happened as she was left on a kind of 'right' confusion for worrying for them. Oen knew that Decepticons had done bad things from the stories that the Autobots she had slightly overheard. Mearing and the other soldiers were not that subtle in cursing them out when things turn on them and the bots would report that the Con was gone… Every time they report that, she would always feel somewhat relieve in the process but no one was told of this.

Then, there were those two men that took her… Government in nature but still… squishy and killable… She jerk from that thought. It was her voice that said that but it was kind of darker in nature than what she uses.

Upon remembering what she just did to those two men… or what she had planned to do, she was terrified. This led to the conversation with Barricade on a hold while she hyperventilated. Her wide eyes stared down at her hands as if they were the cause of this all. Guilt, pain, sadness, confusion, frustration, fear… A mix of dark emotions had came on detailing her face but in that moment, she was snapped out of her reverie when she noticed that the large mech had come looming over them.

She stared, optics to eyes meeting… And with that, she could see a hint of regret on that ruby colored ones as were worry and frustration. With one of those look, she suddenly found herself feeling ill. The look made her chest lurch and as it did, pain shot up as she let out a gasp. Her grasp on the little mechling tightened to a point that he had to shot up awake to find what was wrong.

"Shey! Calm down!" Frenzy frantically said as gathered her in his hold. Barricade was already growling on the line for Hook to quicken his way back even though the medic was already on his way ever since the machines started to give him feedbacks of an increase in her energy fluctuations.

In that small time, Oen could only clutch the shirt in front of her chest as if it could actually relieve the pain that was clawing her. "W-wa-ter…" She breathed out in intervals; the feeling of drowning was taking over her in that single moment. It damn fragging hurts for her that she soon started to make the tears start flowing down her cheeks.

When Frenzy gave her the same pink liquid, she grasps it and soon dunks it down her throat, never minding what was spilling from the rattle that her shaking hands were making. As those gulps continued, the liquid managed to calm her down a bit judging from the way her breathing slowed down, but it was still in heavy amounts.

After catching herself, she sniffed and tried to wipe away the tears. Her mind was wiped yet again in a blanket, clouding what expression she had just seen from the other though, she knows she need to claim forgiveness. "I'm sorry…" She whispered sincerely in distraught. From the cover she had on her eyes, she didn't see that sad, regretful twist of plates on the mech's faceplates, taking form on it.

Torture… This was torture… That is what Barricade could think of in their situation while Frenzy eyed him with sad consoling optics. It was no use to try and comfort the other when Barricade wants nothing of it… The words of comfort would only just bring out the mech's dark processing for the future.

Still besides Oen, Frenzy just shushed her as Barricade was called in to replace Hook's position when the mech left in a hurry. The medic greeted him with a nod before rushing to get on with his supplies. Once he was ready, he clasp the other's shoulder plates with one servo, urging the other that it was time to go. The black and white mech gave the small femme a glance before he transformed and set off in his own rush.

When Barricade left, they didn't know that they had been careless to storm in and out of there. Hook was the only mech left there with Frenzy and the girl. And none of them noticed that an Autobot scout was lurking near their compound, finding things there suspicious.

Eunice Pacheco: If you get them to go against me, then this story won't ever finish itself! *snickers* Still thinking over things... but yeah. You'll have my head when you read the next update on what I am planning to do with 'who is the creator' thing.

BarricadesDemon216: Thank you. Thank you very much *coughs* Wait, did I sound like Elvis? *laughs* Great to know that I am still taking all of you in fun surprises! I am aiming on not losing it as I want to be unpredictable. Is that bad? But I welcome suggestion coming from all of you reviewers!

Again, I hope this has done its job to compensate for my lack of presence. *snickers* It will take time again for me to pick up on where I had left off but I'll be back with a new chapter! See you!

~dreamer