Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

SMALL MERCIES

Chapter 2: Conspiracy

"Well this is bollocks" Ashley huffed as he watched the commotion from down the other end of the corridor: "The bloke could've at least given a twenty four hour notice; you don't suppose it's a surprise inspection, do you?"

"Who knows?" his father merely shrugged, "But either way, we can't let him or Galloway see you"

"I know that: I'm not bothered about that" Ashley turned to face him with concern in his eyes: "It's... the other thing, that's got me concerned"

"The cyber-matter?" John asked, to which his son nodded: "...I feel so confused; this is big, I get that: it's just-, all that other stuff Ratchet and Que talked about. If this whole thing has the potential to become seriously dangerous like they said, what're we gonna do?"

"...I don't know..." was all John could offer. Placing a firm reassuring hand on his shoulder, he looked his son in the eye, and stated: "But I promise you, I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe; I know that's a tall order, given what's going on right now. But whatever happens, neither I, nor your family will ever let you come to any harm: Okay?"

Gazing up into his father's eyes: Ashley knew that was a promise, he may never be able to uphold. Keeping his unique transforming abilities a secret from Galloway and the Pentagon was risky enough, but if something happened and the odds weren't in their favor, there was no telling what kind of trouble could erupt from this. But never the less, he had to have faith, that at the very least his father knew what he and Optimus were doing; and it was a stretch to say the least. Though the cat wasn't out of the bag just yet, all this secrecy and deception on his part, was not comfortable to bear. Just about everyone, save his cousins, his guardian, and their most trusted friends: had no inclination of what he really was, what he was now capable of. Part of him thought about whether this was starting to become a case of making a mountain out of a molehill: Ravage had, after all, taught him how to fight: and fight well. It's not like he couldn't stand up from himself if backed into a corner...

But then again, if the truth did come, would it really be as bad as everyone's making it out to be? Or could it be worse? There was no certainty, and that's what confounded him the most. In a way, it was a fool's errand for his father to make a promise like that; but then, John was, and always will be his father. No parent would ever promise less to their child.

"... Okay" Ashley nodded. Deep down, he wasn't okay with it, but he didn't say anything.

"Hey..." Morri panted as she quickly paced towards them: "Sorry I didn't catch you in Que's lab: How'd the results from the micro-dissection turn out?"

John and Ashley both looked at each other: "...Uh? Well? It's a bit complicated"

"It's nothing bad is it?" she pressed them.

"No its-...Well, that's just it, we don't know; it-" John suddenly stopped, when he realized someone was missing, "...Hey, where's D?"

"Oh, he's-, checking something out: it's been pretty-: hectic up in the command center" she replied sheepishly.

"With the president visiting in a few hours, I'm not surprised"

"It's not just that:" Morri stated, "He suspended Hailey and the twin's security clearance"

"What?" both father and son blinked in surprise simultaneously; "Why?" Ashley pressed her.

"That's-, where it gets complicated..." Morri winced slightly, wondering how best to explain this.

Elsewhere, in the rec-room:

The girls, plus their four guardians: stared at Darren in a mix of disbelief and perplexity.

"...Their uncle?" Roxy frowned at him, "You seriously expect us to believe that the most powerful man in the western world: is the uncle of three NEST interns?!"

"Hey, it was news to me too, so don't go biting my head off, okay?" Darren sighed sarcastically. Having just explained what Hailey relayed to him, his head was still trying to process the revelation.

"How come she didn't say anything?" Chelsea asked offhand,

"No one asked, and she figured everyone already knew anyway" Darren waved off.

"Well I sure as hell didn't know!" Roxy huffed as she folded arms

Darren stared at her, gobsmacked: "You didn't know?!..." he stepped over to her, "The guy's been in the news for weeks! He just won the vice-presidential election, and he was sworn in as president of the United States just last night! How the hell could you miss that?!"

"Well it's not like we've had much time to watch TV or YouTube: between trying to survive a shit load'a giant bugs, worrying about an amnesiac Decepticon who turned out not to be a con in the first place, and then finding out Morri was being picked on by a psycho-femme-harpy-bitch, and nearly getting killed by said psycho-femme-harpy-bitch; I can't say I've really been paying attention to what's going on in the real world right now" Max stated sarcastically.

"I just figured he was another Waineright: there's not much of a family resemblance between the girls and him anyway" Jeanie shrugged offhand.

"That's because I take more after my mom..." Hailey stated as she walked in with her sister's and parents close behind: "...My dad's good looks doesn't quite show up the same way". She stepped to one side, giving her parents some space to come forward, and introduced them as such: "Guy's, these are my parents. Mom, dad, this is Darren, and these are all his cousins, plus their guardians"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly shifted, as said parents stepped forward, and regarded the Autobots with discreet nods. And then regarded the girls with mixed looks: though the present concern was not to do with them, it was hard for them to hide their frustration and tenseness. "Uh, hello," Hailey's father greeted, wringing his hands nervously, "Nice to, finally meet you all".

"Uh?- Not wishing to sound rude or anythin', but why are your parents here?" Rosy asked.

"I asked dad to come: mom's on her day off and when dad told her 'uncle Lawrence' was paying a visit, she decided to come along too" Hailey explained,

"I still don't understand: I get that the president is your uncle an' all, but I also get the feeling there's something else going on you're not telling us" Roxy pressed her bluntly; "...Look, if it's something that concerns NEST then we need to know if there's anything we should be prepared for..."

Hailey did not appreciate Roxy's tone, but didn't say anything as she regarded her with a disapproving frown. Glancing between one another with uncertainty, it was clear to see none of the Waineright's were comfortable with this. Clearly there was something no one wanted to touch upon: and as she watched her father begin to clam up and stiffen his posture: Hailey moved closer to him, so she could whisper discreetly next to his ear. "...Dad..., please...I don't know what else to do. He's your brother, you know him way better than I do..." she begged in a low, desperate voice. His wife came to his other side, and held his hand in her's, gently reassuring him with a soft yet firm grip. "Honey, I know this isn't easy, but please: this is for our girls"

"I know..." he nodded, "That's the whole reason we're here..."

As the Ainsley clan and their guardians watched in curiosity: the girl's father, noticed the audience around them, and after clearing his throat, addressed them in a tone that didn't seem to hint at any particular mood: "...I don't know what else my girls have told you, but as you are now aware of our, 'extended family'. I ask only that you be respectful; our 'family history' is not something we discuss outside of our home. And as such, I'd be very grateful if all of you do not pry into this subject further. Understand?"

"...Understood" Darren respectfully nodded: and regarded his cousins with a stern mother hen look, "Right?"

The girls all reluctantly voiced their agreement, though that didn't halt their curiosity.

"Thank you...Uh? Is there somewhere we can talk in privet?" he asked discreetly,

"There's a small game's room over there" Darren pointed to said room at the far end of the rec-room.

"Thanks..." the girl's father replied politely, and walked over to the other side of the room with his family in tow: as she walked by him in silence, Hailey and Darren's eye's locked onto each other for about a tenth of a second; but in that fleeting moment, she looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't; out of fear? Respect for her father? Or something else? Darren couldn't tell, and for her sake, didn't ask.

As soon as the door to the games room shut, Roxy opened her mouth and inhaled sharply, but Darren stopped her in her tracks; "Before you say it, NO! Absolutely not! Whatever it is they got going on, it's none of our business! Period!, "

"Aw come on!" Lizzy waved off teasingly, "You're not even the least bit curious?"

"No! And you shouldn't be either!" Darren stated sharply, before pressing his hand to his forehead and dragging it down over his face, sighing in mental exasperation: "...Look, girls: this is not an episode of keeping up with the Kardashians, this isn't something for you to gawk at and gossip over; whatever it is they don't want to share, they must have a good reason for doing so"

"Like what?" Roxy frowned sarcastically

"I don't know, and I don't care!" Darren angrily bit back: "Look, some families are not comfortable with talking about their personal lives in front of strangers: for whatever reason. They're not obliged to tell you everything they do behind closed doors!"

"Their uncle is the friggin' president of the USA, and he effectively fired them from NEST: what the hell is up with that?!" Roxy exclaimed,

"I don't know!" Darren snapped, "But whatever it is, it's nothing to do with us. Butt out, and leave them alone!" he turned to leave, but something else got his goat, "And anyway, why do you even care? You don't sit with Hailey and her sister's at breakfast, lunch or dinner, you don't volunteer to help them out with Jay-jay, and you sure as hell don't hang out with them when they're off-duty...What have you done, in fact, what have any of you done, that warrants your concern for them? ..."

The question took them all aback; Roxy looked away: not wanting to go on with this,

"...Why are you so angry about this?" Allie asked nervously.

"...Because they're not the only ones that don't like to talk about their personal lives with strangers..." Darren sighed bitterly: "You know, when I first started high school, and the principle asked me my name, he took one look at me and asked: 'Aren't you Roxy's cousin?'..."

The girls stared at him in surprise; Roxy in particular, was taken well and truly off guard.

"That pretty much set the tone, for the whole time I was at high school. I may have been a freshman, but every teacher remembered you, and the shit you use to pull on all the other kids. You have no idea what it was like, carrying around the baggage of your legacy, and me getting flack because we share the same last name. So yeah, you can forgive me for not wanting to make any friends: on account that every time someone seemed to take an interest in me, it was only to find out who you slept with, or if their brother's/cousins/best buds names were still in your little black book. To say I didn't like to talk about my family, is a grave understatement, and worse still, you had the fucking audacity to fault yourself and your so-called 'victories' around half of Tranquility, and not giving a single shit about it, or what it would do to the rest of us!... Do you think it's any wonder Peter Woodrow had you down as a target? Why he pinned your face on his fucking wall? You may not have been asking for it, but you sure as hell could've fooled me!"..." he ranted, and stormed out of the rec-room. Trailbreaker, discreetly followed after him, being sure to keep a little distance from him; while the girls just sat/stood where they were, dumbfounded, surprised...and some, feeling bad.

Though Roxy's ego denied it: deep down, Darren's words made something hurt inside, and it wouldn't go away...

From where they stood, discreetly eavesdropping at the other entrance to the rec-room, Bumblebee and Jazz glanced at one another, and down at their charges with deep concern.

Deathshot shared the same quiet sentiment, as he silently slipped away from behind them: unseen and unheard. Spying on the enemy was one thing, but there was something about prying on his friends and acquaintances, he never found comfortable. Maybe that was just the gentlemech in him? Or he was just considerate like that; either way, this 'uneasiness' the Waineright's held over their extended family was confounding; and back there, for the briefest of moments: he noticed how Hailey's father tensed up when Max mentioned his brother, Lawrence. It wasn't fear he saw in his eyes; but there was something...something about his brother made him agitated, and anxious: more frustrated than anything else. Whatever it was, it had to be a very pressing reason; and part of him speculated, that maybe, at least a part of that reason, may be revealed when when Lawrence finally arrived here...

He was about to comm Morri to find out her location, when something else caught his audio. Just before he reached the intersection of the corridor, the sound of a muffled whispering voice could be heard echoing off the bare walls...

"I don't know! She's been with her mother all day, I can't even get close to her!" a voice angrily spat.

Stopping in his tracks, Deathshot's instincts as a sniper and a spy immediately kicked in, as he quietly closed his vents, offlined all non-essential systems, and stood as still and motionless as a statue: eliminating all the tiny little noises his huge form made inadvertently from his movements, and increased the omnidirectional range function on his audios: hoping to identify whoever it was around the corner...

"I know I know! Don't tell me how to do my job!"

'Shadowstar?' Deathshot frowned internally, 'What's she up to now?' concentrating as he listened in:

"Don't you think I know that?! They could be anywhere, and there's no point checking the logs they could've doctored them!"

'No one else is there, she must be on her comm' he surmised. His scanners weren't picking any traces of anyone else in the corridor, so far as he could tell, she was alone: and it was too risky to try and hack the signal, either Shadowstar or whoever was listening on the other end, could hack him back...

"-I don't care! It's not my fault she didn't have the brass bearings to kill Soundwave when she had the chance: if you wanted him dead so bad why didn't you just do it yourself?" she hissed.

Deathshot's pump nearly dropped: his curiosity flipped to serious concern, as he listened to the sphinx-drone continue her rant. "...*sigh* Fine, but if you get caught- ZZAK!

A flash of bright white light illuminated the corridor for a split second, followed by the smell of smoke and burnt circuitry. He could hear Shadowstar breathing hard and shaking, as if she were in pain... "...Y-y-yes..." she stuttered in a submissive pained voice. "...The president will be arriving in less than an hour: all the base's security will be focused on protecting him: I can-, try then. But listen: this is way too risky: can't we just wait until he's gone? ..."

Several seconds of silence passed, before Shadowstar gave her reply: "... Okay, I'll see what I can do; but I can't make any promises...She knows too much, and if she's already told her mother then we are all in serious danger"

Hearing her metallic paws pad away, Deathshot cautiously poked his head around the corner, and caught a glimpse of Shadowstar disappearing around the corner of the next intersection.

All at once his mind was buzzing with confusion and alarm: what the hell was Shadowstar involved in? And who was she talking to on the other end of her comm? If it were anything else he'd chock it up to one of her sour moods: but the mention of someone attempting to kill Soundwave raised the bar considerably; this was now official Autobot business, and as such, he had to do something about it. But first things first: obtain enough evidence to present to Prime that would warrant further investigation.

On-lining his stealth-mode, the sniper disappeared from sight and engaged his tracking functions: he silently followed the direction Shadowstar took, and it didn't take him long to pick up her energon trail...

Elsewhere, high up in the air over California:

: This is Air Force One requesting permission to land, over:

: This is NEST base, code 406: Air Force One you are cleared to land, over:

: Thank you NEST base, see you guys shortly:

Meanwhile, inside the base:

"So this 'cyber-matter': it's only created when you mix energon with your blood?" Morri asked, as she walked side by side with her cousin down the corridor.

"Evidently" Ashley sighted with a concerned look, "And it's pretty potent: if two drops from an eye-dropper are enough to create cyber-matter the size of a beach-ball: it doesn't take a genius to work out what happens if you throw a few drops of my blood into a whole cube of energon"

"And Que and Ratchet are worried that if the cons or Prometheus found out, that it could spell trouble?"

"Frankly, I don't know what believe? I mean, don't get me wrong: I get that there's danger attached to this, trusting the wrong people an' all that. But, I'm kinda starting to feel like a fifth wheel and a Ming vase to boot. Ever since my 'new abilities' came about I've been hidden away from everyone bar you, dad, D, Tom and Danny, and maybe Optimus when he feels like paying me a visit. I hardly see anyone else anymore, even Sam and Mikaela don't come to see me anymore: and Ravage-...Well, given that whole thing with his dad, I can't blame him for wanting to be with him. But the long and short of it, I just-..."

"Feel frustrated?" Morri finished for him.

Passing a heavy sigh, Ashley stopped several feet short of a six-way intersection, and turned to face her: "... I know they're just being careful, but I can't help but think if everyone's starting to make too much of it? I mean, it's not like I don't know how to fight or stick up for myself, if that's what their worried about?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Morri's mind couldn't help but come back to Shadowstar's words:

She's not the only one with secrets on this base

"...I think..." she drew in breath, trying to think of the right words to say: "First off, it's better to be overcautious, than not cautious at all; and secondly. It's more complicated than just the cons or Prometheus ... This is something none of them have ever dealt with before, and I can see it's unnerved them somewhat: Prime, is just trying to figure out how best to handle this while taking everyone into account, including you... But, after what Barricade told Soundwave, he's been sort of, more 'on edge' than usual"

"I know, dad told me"

"Listen, just because your safety is a priority doesn't mean no one's allowed to come and visit you: everyone's keen to see how you're doing. They're just-, been preoccupied of late" she assured him.

"You know, I haven't even met Darren's cousins: or the VW sisters yet?" Ashley stated, "Not being able to eat with your friends and family at meal times is bad enough; but not being able to see new faces? That's bollocks"

"I know..." Morri sighed, unsure what else to offer him. Ashley opened his mouth in readiness to say something else, when a familiar voice made him stop:

"Where is it?!-"

Recognizing it was Majestrix, Morri blinked in surprise as she and Ashley both stood there, listening as she continued: "-She must've hidden it somewhere!"

"I've checked everywhere inside the base I could think of" another familiar voice replied in an anxious tone. "Eclipse?" Morri mouthed, but Ashley merely shrugged, unsure what was going on...

"-I even back-hacked the security logs, but there's no sign of any out-going encrypted signals: my only guess is, she must be using an old analog wired system to relay the orders" Eclipse said.

"...If that's true, then it explains how she was able to communicate with Longrange and Blackshot from inside their cells..." Majestrix speculated aloud.

Morri and Ashley both frowned at each other: what was going on? What were they talking about? Being careful to make as little noise as possible, they both stepped under one of the over-head walkways, and pressed their backs up against the wall, carefully maneuvering to get as close to the corner of the corridor as possible. It seemed neither of the femmes heard them, as they continued their anxious conversation. "Was there anything else she told you that may offer a clue as to where she's hiding it?" Majestrix added.

"No, I have no idea where it could be: she only revealed what she intends to do with it, not where she's hiding it" Eclipse replied: the frustration and anger in her voice wasn't hard to miss, "...What're we going to do? The human president arrives within the hour; his aircraft is coming into a holding pattern over the base as we speak: if we're going to have any chance of catching them off-guard, it would be while the president is inside the complex, and all security is focused on him"

"I know" Majestrix sighed bitterly, "And now that they know you've had a change of spark, they'll have relocated their regular rendezvous point..."

A moment of uneasy silence passed, before Majestrix asked in calmer voice: "...There's one thing you didn't tell me... Why didn't you kill Soundwave?"

Both cousins looked at one another in shock, as they strained their ears to listen more closely...

With much uncertainty and regret in her voice, Eclipse replied: "...I've been having my doubts for a long time now; ever since we awoke out of stasis and discovered that the war is now over: part of me didn't want to believe it, and I stubbornly tried to cling to that belief... But then, things changed: and I saw it was for real...I realized the plan was never going to work the way we envisioned it, and for a while I didn't know what to do...And then, Soundwave came into the picture: thinking that he'd telepathically find out what we were up to, she ordered me to kill him: but then he woke up, and-...things changed again: the cerebro-shell was discovered, and he was never a Decepticon by choice... That-, shattered everything I had been told, everything I'd believed to be true; I thought-, she might realize the same, and call the whole thing off...But she didn't: she didn't-, doesn't care, she's carrying out the plan regardless of what's happened. As far as she's concerned, nothing has changed"

Hearing the sound of Majestrix's air intakes 'breathing': that low, almost growling sound they made when she was furious, the cousins heard her slowly step towards the corner they were hiding behind; for a split second both their stomachs dropped, as they realized she must've heard them. But at the last second she turned and paced back; an overwhelming wave of relief flushed through them, as they strained to hold back the sigh of relief that wanted to escape their lungs.

Keeping their focus as best they can, they listened as Majestrix spoke again: this time, in a bitter, almost resentful tone, "...Tell me this...did you care for her, more than me?"

Another uneasy silence filled the corridor: this time, the tension was much more uncomfortable; and as Eclipse let a bitter sigh escape her vents, she approached her mother, and looked her in the optic: "...You know as well as I do, that our relationship as mother and daughter has never been straightforward: not least because, you lost yourself, for a time... During that period I wanted nothing more than to spite you; for putting me and my sisters through all that. Once or twice I hoped things would get better: but as the war dragged on nothing seemed to change. If anything it only got worse: and I believed you were as much to blame as your twin brother... I felt like I had no one else to turn to, that I was the only one still sane, watching everything spin out of control; she was just-...there, and you were not..." Eclipse sobbed, as energon tears began to stream down her face: "I could talk to her: be frank and tell her how I felt...and all the while, you wanted nothing but to see your brother burn...You didn't-, I thought you didn't care about us, about me..."

Gazing at her daughter: and seeing the hurt in her optics; Majestrix laid one hand on her shoulder, and the other on her cheek, "...Was I truly that shallow?" she asked in a pained voice.

"It felt like it..." Eclipse stated as she wiped the tears from her optics, "...At least, that's what she convinced me of. There are things she said, far too numerous to recall now: but I understand, why, I didn't see this coming..."

"...I understand all that: and truly, there are no words; no amount of apologies that can take back all those years I neglected my duties as your mother. But you didn't answer my original question: if you were so committed to following this plan through, what changed? ..."

"...She did..." Eclipse admitted, "...I thought I knew her: thought I knew what she wanted. Long ago, when we started this, our intentions were straight-forward: and we believed what we were doing was for the right reasons...But now? I don't even know her anymore; I thought she could be reasoned with, I thought she-..." Eclipse stepped back, and drew in a deep sigh, "...Look, I helped her start this; this is just as much my mess as it is her's. I know what I've done is wrong: I just want the chance to make things right, before it's too late"

"...You're not the only one to share the burden of this folly, my child" Majestrix forlornly sighed, "...I knew the war had changed her, and I should've seen that the darkness and carnage had poisoned her spark: but in the hopes that peace might temper her scorn, I neglected to remember, just how manipulative she could be...All these years, all these eons I knew what a turbo-viper she was, but still I was careless and gullible enough to let her bite me again and again. For this and more I will pay a heavy price, I have no doubts about that. So I am hardly in any position to criticize you; when the fault was just as much mine to begin with"

Eclipse looked at her in surprise: "But-, that wasn't your fault..." she laid a hand on her mother's shoulder, "She knew what Megatron did to you: she told me herself during the data-burst: it was the very reason she could manipulate you: just as she used my resentment and anger to have me believe that you didn't care about us... Mother, we're sentient beings, we're not infallible: yes we were taken advantage of, but that doesn't mean we have to stand around feeling sorry for each other"

Studying her daughter, and hearing the sense of optimism in her voice, a small smile tugged at the corner of Majestrix's lip-plates: "...It's nice to hear hope in your voice again"

"Actually? ..." Eclipse couldn't help but smile, "She wasn't the only reason I changed my mind about going through with the plan. A few days ago, a young, wise human, gave me some much-needed council...She made me realize what's important"

"And, what is important?"

"...That-, ... Does it really matter? I'm sorry for what happened between us, and I'm grateful for what we have now" she smiled with heart-felt honesty in her voice.

Morri resisted the urge to gasp, as she recognized that line of context: deep down, something in her smiled, and a feeling of satisfied contentment lifted her spirit. It reflected in the small smile on her face; and the two femmes hugged one another, the atmosphere quickly swung back to where it had started.

"Listen, after what happened last night, she must know by now that I intend to stop her: it's likely she'll have moved up the plan and relocated the device" Eclipse stated seriously.

"Logically, it would be highly risky to attempt to implement the plan now: with the president about to step foot on the base Red Alert will be keeping the security tight. Nothing and no one will be able to get in or out" Majestrix reasoned.

"Not necessarily" Eclipse replied, "She overhauled the base's security systems, remember? It's possible she might have incorporated a device into the hardware to switch the camera feeds: I always wondered why Longrange and Coldbore were able to sneak around the base at night without engaging their stealth-modes: but now that I think about it, it's the only logical reason that makes sense"

"But if that's the case: and all the base's security cameras have been compromised-..." Majestrix paused as a look of horror began to come over her face.

"Mother?"

Majestrix grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and looked her dead in the optic: "Listen, there's something I need to confirm before we go any further with this: I'll come with you to the command center, and once there you are to shadow your uncle for the duration of the president's visit. Do not leave his side, even for a second; until I return, understand?"

"Yes, but-, Mother-"

"Please Eclipse!-, do this for me?" she begged desperately,

"...Okay, but please, don't take any unnecessary risks, until I've had a chance to tell Optimus about this"

"There will be time for that when the president finally leaves, but right now, there's something that cannot wait. I'll meet up with you as soon as I can, I promise" Majestrix stated, and together they turned to leave. Pacing off at a quick speed, they walked through the intersection and right past the humans, completely unaware they were standing just feet away from the corner. Once they were out of sight and out of earshot, both Morri and Ashley finally let out a sigh of relief: And glanced at each other.

"What the hell..." Ashley gasped in a daze, "What was that all about?"

"I don't know..." Morri breathed; dazed and bewildered, that feeling in her gut returned with a vengeance: spurring her to follow after them, "But I've got to know"

"Me too, I can easily catch them up" Ashley stated as he readied himself to transform into his hybrid form.

"No, you heard them: whatever it was, it sounded dead serious. I'll tail Majestrix; you go and find your dad, Tom, Danny and D, and tell what we overheard, and if you can, find Sam and Darren too"

"What about Eclipse?"

"If she's going to be with Prime, she won't be hard to keep track of: It's Majestrix I'm more concerned about" Morri stated.

"What do you suppose is going on?"

"That's what we're going to find out" Morri stated as she started jogging off down the corridor the two femmes went down, "Go! I'll catch you up!" she called after him.

Without another word, Ashley transformed, and took off back the way he'd came: hoping to find his father where he'd left him.

Down the other end of one of the other corridors, unbeknown to either of them; Shadowstar had been spying on them: watching and listening as they eavesdropped on Majestrix's and Eclipse's conversation. Deciding to go after Morri, the sphinx-drone silently padded down the corridor: keeping her distance as she followed the sound of the human's soft foot-steps...

And some distance behind her, an invisible Deathshot silently stalked her movements: being careful not to follow so close that she could pick up his scent. Realizing she was now following someone, Deathshot's concern began to meld into worry. What was she up to? And who was she working with/for?

Elsewhere on the base:

"Status report" Optimus ordered

"We're good to go, all security checks are complete and confirmed: and the welcoming party is ready and on stand-by" Prowl reported

"Good. And just in time too..." Ironhide pointed to the monitor that showed the airfield. The huge blue and white Boeing VC-25 came into land, touching down flawlessly, and then taxied to a designated space in the airfield's apron. From there, the boarding stairs were moved into position in front of the forward passenger door, and the president, along with Galloway and several security personnel made their down to where Major Lennox and his men were waiting; following the protocols of military standard, the humans stood to attention in a long line as the president and the Major respectively exchanged greetings.

"So far so good" Bishop sighed with slight relief as he watched the monitor feed.

"Uh sir?" one of the techs grabbed his attention, "You've got a call from the Pentagon"

"Tell them I'm busy" he stated

"They say it's urgent: something about additional security measures?"

Glancing at the tech, then over at Optimus: Bishop passed a frustrated sigh, and paced over to his office: "Patch it through to my office" he ordered

"Cutting it rather fine for adding last-minute security measures?" Ironhide thought aloud

"Hmm..." Optimus nodded, he was about to say something, when the doors to the command center opened up, and Hailey walked in with her family by her side, with Bluestreak bringing up the rear.

"Optimus, we need to talk" she stated seriously.

At the same time, elsewhere:

: How bad it is? : Silas demanded over the encrypted line.

"Bad," Arkeville huffed as he scratched the back of his neck anxiously, "The central complex is virtually all destroyed: we managed to salvage the cons and several other items, but the whole place is beyond repair; we've put code: scorched earth into effect and will be evacuating shortly"

: Beller...: Silas fumed, : I'll have his hide for this:

"Circuit breaker beat you to it"

: ...:

"We figured out how he managed to bypass security: seems he stole one of our EMP injectors; half the cameras in the complex must've been compromised while he strolled through to the lab"

: The fire must've been his doing too... : Silas huffed in frustration, : Where is she now? :

"Making a bee-line for NEST, and fast; but there's one major problem. When Beller disconnected her, the control software wasn't re-initiated: she's on automated stand-by right now, but for some reason her device isn't responding to the stand-down order. She's effectively out of control!"

: Is there anything you can do to get the device working correctly? :

"We're doing everything we can as we speak: but Silas, that's not the worst of it. He disconnected her, right before we were about to administer the new drugs. Right now, she's got enough of the previous dosage to keep her in check; but if we don't retrieve her within the next twelve hours, there's no telling what could happen!"

: ...I'll try and do what I can from my end: but if the worst comes to worse: we may have to dispose of her. We can't risk having her fall into the Autobot's hands:

"Understood"

: I'll be running silent from now on; don't try to contact me no matter what happens, things are about to get very ugly here:

Back at NEST, a short while later:

"And, you are a fully qualified medic?" the president regarded Mikaela with a mixed look

"Qualified Autobot medic" Ratchet correct, "And for one so young, she's certainly been a better apprentice then some rookies I knew"

"But-, what if one of the human soldiers were to get injured?" the president asked

"Oh, I know human first aid too" Mikaela added, "Granted, my knowledge of human anatomy isn't as extensive, but thus far, no one's died on me yet" she sheepishly winced.

The president regarded her with an unreadable expression: which only served to pique her anxiety, was he okay with it? Or was he disappointed? His reply didn't help much either: "Well, that's good to know" he stated dryly.

"Uh, why don't we show you the command center? That's where all the real action takes place around here" Galloway suggested, as he led the way out of the med-bay. With the security detail, Lennox and a few of his men, and some of the Autobot officer's following closely by.

"You okay?" Sam discreetly asked as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"That, was awkward" she sighed with relief: "Not much of a people person, is he?"

"I'll say" Sam concurred

"Mikaela, you're in charge 'till I get back" Ratchet stated as he left the med-bay. As he stepped through the door, he nearly tripped up on the human/cybertronian hybrid that came galloping in with Tom and Danny on his back. "Oh good you're here!" Ashley sighed with relief. "Ashley? What's wrong?" Mikaela frowned. "I need to borrow your boyfriend, and I need to find my dad: it's a bit of an emergency..."

Down the corridor, Galloway led the way with the president at his side.

"I have to say Mr Galloway, you weren't kidding about this place" the president sighed as he adjusted his tie

"I trust you weren't kidding about us too, Galloway?" Ultra Magnas dryly asked

"There was really no point" the president regarded him warily, "Look, as much as I appreciate the tour. There's a more pressing concern as to why I came here"

"We know" Ultra Magnas replied, "And their waiting for you in here..." he gestured to the entrance of the command center.

As they rounded the corner and spotted the president and his entourage: the Ainsley girls and their guardians silently crept up behind the bots, being careful not to get so close that they'd grab their notice. As the group entered the command center; they quickly snuck into the giant room, and discreetly hid away behind the larger of the platforms and mezzanines; out of the bots line of sight, and placed the girls up on the walk-ways where they could get a good view and see what was really going on. Down below, in the center of the room, the girls and femmes could see Hailey and her family standing by Optimus and Eclipse, with the president, looking rather surprised to see them.

"Jason? ..." the president blinked in surprise, a little taken aback to see his brother here, "Wha-...what're you doing here?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Lawrence" Jason stated as he folded his arms, "I'm just surprised you didn't have the courtesy to call first"

"Look Jason, this doesn't concern you" Lawrence stated.

"You fired my daughters from their job for apparently no reason, it is my concern" he frowned.

"And I want an explanation" Hailey stated, "We all do" the twins concurred.

As all eyes and optics around the room watched on, Lawrence suddenly felt like he was on the spot: and it was rather uncomfortable. "...Why don't we talk in privet?"

"Yes. Let's..." Jason concurred, as he led the way to the debriefing room at the far end of the command center. There, the Waineright's all stepped in, alone. When the door's shut behind them, Optimus and Eclipse both stood guard: and waited.

"What the hell was that all about?" Galloway asked Lennox

"Hell if I know?" Lennox shook his head

"...Still think we should be doing this?" Jeanie asked offhand

"Hell yeah!" Roxy frowned, regarding her with a rather 'are you kidding?' kind of look.

Glancing over at Allie, Max and Chelsea, who didn't seem to be okay with this either: Jeanie gestured that she was leaving, and the three followed after her, leaving Rosy, Roxy and Lizzie to eavesdrop on the situation.

"Where're you going?" Chelsea asked, "To find Darren, I need to talk to him" Jeanie replied as she discreetly made her way out of the command center.

Elsewhere on the base:

With security all focused on the president, it was little wonder that there was no guard posted outside the brig today. The thrum of the stasis field generators echoed off the empty concrete walls, and down the corridor.

As she sat on her berth, idly trailing her claw tips over the surface of her leg armor: Velocity suddenly sensed a presence, and as a smile creeped across her face, she thought she knew who it was...

"Back to try again?" she teased, "I thought we settled this last night, I won't give you the-

But when she turned to face the front of the cell, the smile dropped from her face and her pump nearly seized with dread: for instead of Blackshot, there stood Majestrix, with a look of pure death in her burning red optics.

"What? ..." she growled as she stepped closer to the cell, "...You won't give me, what? ..."

Suddenly realizing she let the cat out of the bag: Velocity began to panic, as she quickly tried to think of a way out of what was coming next...

D8 Oh boy, this is already tense. Stay tuned, cuz it's about to get real thunder-dome kinda serious here.

Hope you enjoyed, as always :) & don't forget to R&R before clicking off!