Kerri awoke at 4 am. Today was the first day that she would be working with Ultra Magnus, and she had to admit to herself that she was somewhat excited. She felt like a giddy school girl experiencing her first crush and she blushed at the thought. She had always been attracted to the strong, silent, older man type, and Magnus definitely fit the bill, giant robot or not. She also sensed something a little dangerous in the Commander. Where Optimus seemed to effortlessly control his emotions, Magnus seemed tense around her, afraid to lose control or express himself. Every word that he spoke was calculated and concise. Kerri wandered if Magnus had ever lost control. As a soldier, she highly doubted it. Even the times when he was obviously at wit's end with Wheeljack, he never lost his cool. Kerri imagined him on the battlefield, strong and in charge, barking orders to his team. She had never seen him in action herself, but the thought of witnessing him leading the charge was making her more than a little hot and bothered. Somehow, Magnus was bringing out a side to her that she never knew existed. And she didn't know how. She was alway in control, but dammit, something about him was drawing her like a moth to a flame. She felt something smoldering beneath the plating of Ultra Magnus. She wanted to see him out of control…for her. She wanted to bring out passionate Magnus. He had to have it in him somewhere.

'Alright, girl, dial it back,' she thought to herself as she disrobed and climbed into the steamy shower. 'You're fantasizing about a 30 foot tall metal man. ''Yeah, he's hot, beyond hot. But you've got a job to do. Besides, I'm sure he doesn't feel the same way. Not like he's shown any interest. But still…'

"Geez," she sighed.. "Wheeljack would shit himself if he knew what I was thinking right now. But Wheeljack left me, didn't he?" And while Magnus and Wheeljack were nothing alike, maybe he could be her Wheeljack for now. They were alike in some ways, and yeah, he needed a friend too. It would take some work to pry him out of that shell, but she wanted to do it. So she came to a decision: be professional, do her job, and befriend Magnus. No ulterior motives. Just take things as they come.

Kerri finished getting ready and headed to the Autobot base. By the time she arrived, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead were heading out to take the kids to school and then start patrol. She nodded to them as she headed for medbay.

"Good morning, doc," she said as she strolled over to Ratchet. "How's it going?"

"As well as can be expected. Are you ready to get to work?"

"I am. Where's my patient?'

Her question was answered by heavy footsteps entering the main room of the silo. Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus were mid-conversation when Optimus noticed her.

"Good morning, Kerri," he said. "I didn't hear you come in. I was just discussing your therapy with the Commander. I have assured him that he is in good hands."

"Good morning, sir. And thank you for the compliment. I will take excellent care of him. Thank you for giving me the opportunity."

She smiled at Magnus and asked, "Are you ready, sir?"

"I am," he replied, as he walked into medbay and settled himself onto the berth. She and Prime watched as Ratchet hooked Magnus up to a machine and ran wires to his servo.

"This will send electrical impulses through the servo. It's simply meant to help get all of the feeling back. It's set on intermittent interrupt and will record his reactions. Kerri, you will need to watch the responses and repair any wiring that needs it. I doubt that there will be any fixes necessary. But if there are, you are capable of handling them. Understand?"

"Yes. But aren't you going to be here to supervise?"

"I have to help Optimus on a small mission. I'm none too happy about it," he huffed, "but I'm the only option right now. The sooner Ultra Magnus is ready, the better. So quit talking and get to work!"

Ratchet walked over to the groundbridge and activated it. "We shouldn't be too long."

They walked into the swirling light of the groundbridge. Right before it closed, Ratchet looked back towards Kerri and Magnus and smiled.