Standing on the platform staring at the screen, Azura was watching with keen curiosity. After Fowler had contacted the autobot base about the issue he was in, Optimus had offered to help transport the Dingus to a destination point. It took a bit of planning between him and Fowler, and they came to an agreement. So Optimus, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Arcee went through the ground bridge to help transport the Dingus. And to the surprise of Azura and the kids, Optimus revealed he had a trailer that they could use. He apparently had a few, but they needed to be transformed. Fowler was happy about that and he waited for Optimus to arrive to load the Dingus onto the trailer.

Azura had wanted to go along, but Optimus rejected her request. Only because they would be on a public road, and he did not want Azura to be seen by other humans. She was a bit upset about that, but she understood. She ended up going back to get her room to grab her Stitch to hold while Optimus was away. She trusted that it would go smoothly as it didn't seem like it would be difficult.

She hugged the toy tightly as she stared at the screen and looked at Jack. "Do you want to revise the Cybertronian alphabet? I think daddy will be fine, so I think we can go do something else."

Jack looked at her in surprise. "I would have thought because you grabbed that toy to hold you would want to stay and keep watch." She shrugged and smiled at him. "And nah, I think we can do that when they get back. I am more curious about seeing that device getting somewhere safe."

Ratchet was surprised that Azura had suggested that too. "I am glad that you wish to continue educating yourself, and I plan to sitting down with you tomorrow when Jack and the others are at school, but I would have thought you would want to be here."

Azura tightened her hold of the toy and smiled at him. "Yeah...I kind of just want to take my mind off things...that's all..." She looked up at the screen again before she just smiled and stepped closer to the screen. "Maybe painting instead..."

Ratchet smirked as he understood what she meant. "Ah, yes. I should have known." Azura looked at him in confusion. "I know, sparklings like to keep themselves occupied whenever their sire, and especially their carrier, leaves them for a short time. But you have already endured Optimus leaving through the ground bridge."

"I know...I guess...when the...scraplets almost..." Ratchet softened his expression and realized why she was feeling unsettled. "I guess...I worry that it will happen again. I don't want daddy to go through that again...I know he could have died...and I would truly be an orphan..."

Jack, Miko and Raf glance at each other before Miko walked over and placed her arm around Azura's shoulders to give her a hug. "We now understand, Azura. You feel dread, and I get it. We all would feel the same in your shoes. And to be honest, I do feel a little anxious for Bulkhead, but I mostly want to go with him so I can see exactly what is happening."

"Which was why I asked to go...but I under why I can't." Azura intakes heavily and smiled at Miko. "Thanks, Miko..." She looked up at Ratchet. "You won't mind if ever I decide to climb onto your shoulder?"

"Nope, so long as you give me some warning." He glanced up at the screen curiously. "I hope they are almost ready to roll. They have been gone for over ten minutes."

"Maybe Fowler is simply strapping the Dingus down. Since it seems like a fragile prototype, I imagine that Fowler wants to take precautions." Jack looked at Rafael curiously. "You would kind of know how dangerous it is."

"Based on what Fowler said on what would happen if the Dingus was to melt down, it is very dangerous, Jack. I am surprised would are even saying that to me." Raf shook his head with a frown. "I may not know everything about physics and stuff like that, but I certainly know enough that it would be bad. I could probably even create the calculations…"

"It won't be necessary, Rafael," Ratchet interrupts the boy gently with a smile. "While this mission likely won't have any complications, it is an object that puts your lives at risk. So that is why we must move it." He opened the communication link to Optimus. "Optimus, is the Dingus loaded up onto the trailer now? You have not moved for a while."

"Agent Fowler has just finished securing the prototype for transport," Optimus responded affirmatively. "We are now ready to roll out and proceed with the mission."

"Understood." Ratchet glanced down at Azura briefly to see her optics staring at the screen. "And Azura is sending you her love." She flinched in surprise when he mentioned her. "She's eager for you to get back."

"I am pleased to hear that, Ratchet. Azura…" She lifts her toy up and rests her chin on top of the toy's head. "There is no need for you feel concerned. I will be home soon. If you must, feel free to give Ratchet something else to do."

"Ooooh, the last time you said that was to Bumblebee many years ago, Optimus," Ratchet responded with a slight frown. "And do you remember what he did?" Azura, Jack, Miko and Raf were looking at Ratchet as they were intrigued. "I had just finished making a bottle of formulated, low-grade for Bumblebee, and he had gotten into the storage room full of paint!" Azura snorted in amusement and the other three were trying not to laugh. "And how did I know this before I saw the storage room? He painted the entire hallway, and his room! Not to mention that Bumblebee was covered in it."

"I don't remember doing that." Bumblebee seemed to be very surprised he had done that when he was a youngling. "Did I really do that?"

Azura, Jack, Miko and Raf were trying their best to not laugh loudly. Ratchet just snorted at Bee's question. "You sure did. I can't tell you what day that turned into."

"I highly doubt that Azura will do that. She loves her paints, and enjoys creating pictures." Optimus had a hint of amusement in his tone as he did remember that incident. "She is not as full of energy as Bumblebee."

"Pfft, yeah, well…we will see." Ratchet let out a deep sigh and glanced at Azura and the humans who were covering their mouths and giggling. "Agent Fowler, can you confirm the you are now on your way?"

"Affirmative, Ratchet. I just got into the truck just now." There was a sound of a seatbelt click. "We should keep this com line open so we are communicating all the time."

"I am in agreement with you," Optimus agreed to the man. There was silence for a moment, before Optimus began to speak again. "Ah, uh, no need, Agent Fowler. I will handle the driving."

Azura glanced up as she was curious as to what made Optimus say that. She guessed Fowler tried taking the wheel. "This is gonna be a long trip."

She grinned a little. "I guess I am glad I decided to stay to watch and listen." Ratchet smiled at her as he was glad she seemed happy to stay and watch now. "Sounds like it will be entertaining."

Ratchet nodded in agreement, looked back at the screen just as Optimus ordered the bots to roll out. Azura watched the screen as well. The screen showed a map of the road they were currently traveling, and the life signals from all the autobots. So far, the was no decepticon detection, so that was a good thing. But anything could happen, and if the cons were interested in the Dingus like Fowler believed, they could come back for it. Azura was still feeling dread, but she was glad that Optimus and the others would likely defeat the decepticons anyway.

"We are locked onto your coordinates, Optimus," Ratchet said affirmatively through the com link. "Barring any complications, you should reach the drop-off point by sundown."

Azura let out a soft groan. "Sundown? But that's so long..." She stared at the screen for a moment and grumbled under her breath. "Why did Fowler get himself shot down again?"

"Azura, it is already midday, you don't need to complain about how much time there is until sundown. It is going to take Optimus and the others time to reach the railroad to drop the Dingus off. I know why you think it is a long time, but rest assured, we can see what is happening. You shouldn't need to worry. If you must, you can do some drawing to keep yourself occupied."

Azura did not respond to Ratchet. He was right, it was a bit after midday now, but she still didn't like it. Sundown was a few hours away, which meant that Optimus and the other autobots will be driving for at least two hours before they reach their destination. If Fowler had not been shot down so far from their destination point, then it might not be as bad. But Azura had to endure the time length for now.

Miko yawned a little as she was feeling a tad bored about it. "This definitely isn't as fun to observe compared to the bots smashing and ripping up decepticons. I think I would have been bored to death just sitting in the passenger seat taking some device to a train."

"That depends on your definition of boredom, I guess," Jack said into amusement to the girl. "Personally, it would not be that bad. You at least have someone to talk to, and you will always be on the lookout for danger, so it wouldn't be that boring."

"Ugh, it sounds boring." Miko looked at the screen for a moment and looked at Azura. "How about we go and do some drawing, Azura? We can pass the time a little while we wait for something to happen. Or maybe..." She smirked and glanced at Ratchet. "We can do some painting."

"Oh, for the love of Primus..." Ratchet rubbed the bridge between his eyes in frustration. Miko and Azura giggle in amusement at Ratchet's reaction. "Why do I get the feeling that I shouldn't have brought that story up?" He glanced at Azura with an unimpressed expression. "I dare hope you don't plan to do that. You won't just have me to answer to, and you know that."

Azura shook her head quickly. "No, I would not do that to you, Ratchet. I love painting, so I don't want to waste it. Especially since paint is not cheap. I'd hate to think how quickly Cybertronian paint would dry."

"It dries very fast, and it takes so long to get it off anything. Including off pur bodies." Azura immediately pictured Ratchet scrubbing a very young, Bumblebee to try and get the paint off his body. "But I do believe you would not do that. I think you will probably use your abilities instead."

Azura seemed surprised, though the thought had crossed her mind. "I suppose...but it would only some snowballs." Miko gave Azura an excited expression and the sparkling shook her head. "I was joking, Miko. I'm not going to do that."

Miko just smirked and said nothing else to Azura, though it was obvious she had some plan on her mind. Azura looked back up at the screen again, and so far things seemed to be going smoothly. She did eventually decide to turn away and walk down the stairs to head over to her art platform. She looked at the painting she had made of the dragon, and she smiled for a moment before grabbing a blank canvas and placed it on the stand before grabbing a pencil to begin sketching a new picture.

She had decided to sketch a picture of what she might look like as a celestial dragon. She knew that the autobots may not realize what she is painting when she starts to add color to it, but Optimus might. He has implied that she could transform into a dragon already, but he wasn't a hundred percent sure because he has yet to see it happen. That was fine, as Azura did not want to come right out and say it.

As she began to sketch the image, she heard light feet walking up the stairs and immediately knew it was Raf. He had a much lighter step than Miko and Jack. He walked over to see what she was drawing, and saw she was sketching the outline of the dragon. "You seem to really like dragons. I love them too, I like to draw them all the time at home."

Azura looked at Rafael with a smile. "Yeah, I was drawn to dragons a long time ago. Not because they look fierce, but because they can be wise, powerful and caring at the same time. I never saw them as gold, greedy creatures. I guess they were a source of comfort for me until I met the autobots...and they still are. They might be mythical, but...it's better to imagine them being their to help you, honestly."

"I agree. My favorite dragon is the ice dragon." She gave him a curious expression as the why that would be. "Mostly because I believe that ice dragons have intriguing appearances, but I would like to believe that they are benevolent and offer aid instead of violence. My second favorite is lightning dragons, because I like to think they would be like Thor."

Azura giggled softly as she listened to him. "Sounds like some great ideas about different dragons. I prefer celestial dragons. Mostly because they are dragons that bring rain to people who need it, but they are also wise and are full of teachings. They are calm, and are willing to offer guidance when someone comes to them." She looked at the canvas as she continued to sketch. "That is why I draw them a lot."

Rafael nodded as he understood. "Do you happen to have any spare paper? I am kind of bored waiting for something to happen as well, so I don't mind just drawing."

Azura walked away from the canvas and grabbed out a stack of paper. "Here you go. Take whatever you want."

Rafael was extremely happy, and the two of them would talk together while they drew their respective drawings. Azura spent a bit more time drawing the sketch then what Rafael was drawing. He was good at drawing dragons as well, and that was good. But she took her time until she was happy with what she managed to sketch before moving onto sketching the environment that the dragon would be standing in. She picked a forest setting, as that seemed fitting to herself.

This took at least an hour before Rafael and Azura heard Fowler's voice through the com link. "That's the one! The con who shot me down!" Azura gasped and she grabbed her toy as she stopped drawing and ran down the stairs to heading over to the main platform. Rafael was quick to follow her as well. "Who is it? Wing Nut? Dingbat? Sky Guy?"

Azura ran up the other stairs as everyone was now focused on what was happening on the other end of the com link. "Watch your rear views," Bulkhead warned. "Feeling a little constricted without the use of my fists here, boss."

"What's happening?" Azura asked as she looked at Jack and Miko. They both shrug and shake their heads as they also did not know what was going on.

"Remain in vehicular mode unless absolutely necessary!" Optimus commanded sternly.

Azura stared at the screen with a frown. She didn't see any other signals being picked up. Which she didn't know what that meant, though Fowler had been confident that it was a decepticon who shot him down. It wasn't hard to believe, but she was still curious about who it could have been, and why. Especially now that it seemed as though it might not be the decepticons after all.

"A whole team of cons," Fowler spoke in a slightly irritated tone.

"What?" Ratchet was confused as he frowned at the screen. "I'm not picking up anything. They must be utilizing a cloaking technology."

"Or...what if it isn't cons?" Azura asked slowly, getting Ratchet's attention. "There are a lot of rogue organizations in the world that might have learned about the existence of the Dingus. So...that could be what we are dealing with."

"That would make a lot more sense than decepticons," Ratchet said with a hum, rubbing his chin as be thought about. "But until it has been confirmed, I think it is safe to assume that they are dealing with decepticons." Azura didn't think it was considered safe to assume anything at the moment. Ratchet smiled at her kindly. "It will be alright. They are more than capable of handling the decepticons."

Azura knew that, but she was still very uncertain about it. She was glad she didn't go with Optimus now. Even though she had originally wanted to go with him, she no longer was annoyed that she had been denied going with them. This turned dangerous, and she was genuinely concerned. If they were decepticons, Azura did know that Optimus can handle them. With Megatron not being around, the other decepticons would be a piece of cake. But she was still worried, but it would be normal for her to be worried.

She jumped when she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder and turned to see it was Jack. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I figured you would have wanted a bit of comfort." She smiled and looked back at the screen, tightening her grip around the toy. "What do you think Starscream would use the Dingus for if he claimed it?"

"Probably to take the idea of the device and use some kind of pulse to cover the entire planet, causing the extinction of every living thing on this world," Azura responded with a shrug. "But I am not convinced that it is the decepticons."

"How would a rogue company even learn of the Dingus?"

She looked at Jack with a slight frown. "Most likely there could be someone on the inside who would find out about it." She tensed at the very thought. "Oh scrap…maybe…they even know about the autobots…about me…Fowler did stop those doctors from taking a sample of my energon some years ago…"

"I remember that too. I never really got to ask what he did about those doctors, but…I would assume that it was dealt with. At least the energon never left the base. It would have been very bad…especially with how young you were…and still are." Azura trembled at the thought of something bad happening because of that. Ratchet hummed gently before extending his hand to her. "Would you like to be held? I can tell you are mildly distressed."

Azura shook her head. "No…not yet…" She bit her bottom lip for a moment and lifts the toy up again to rest her chin on the head. "I am fine…mostly fine…"

Ratchet did not pressure Azura as he knew very well she might ask to be held soon. The last thing he needed was to be dealing with a crying sparkling while focusing on what is happening on the other end. So far, nothing else has been said from Fowler and Optimus, which could be a good or bad thing, but as the bots were still on the move, he guessed they were still being tailed. He was surprised the decepticons weren't attacking Optimus straight away. They normally do, so he did consider that Azura might be right.

A further five minutes pass by, and the room was tense as they wait to hear from any of the bots or Fowler. Azura was sitting at this point, as her legs felt like jelly, so she was sitting and hugging her knees with the toy sitting in her lap. Jack stayed by her so she could have someone near for comfort if she wanted it. But she was staring at the screen silently, not knowing what was happening on the other end. She tried to picture it, but she didn't want to.

"Well, I'll be dipped!" Fowler's voice startled Azura. She wondered what surprised him.

"Our assailants are not decepticons," Optimus informed them through the com link. "They are human."

"Human?!" Jack, Raf, Ratchet and Azura say in unison as they were surprised.

Azura though quickly got over the surprise. "Well, seems like I was right after all. A rogue agency, maybe a mafia, is now on their tail."

"Oh, please!" Miko responded with a smirk. "Taking on our bots? They're roadkill!"

"You know as well as I that daddy will not go out of his way to harm a human, Miko," Azura said to the girl with a frown. "But…I know this world well enough to know that not all humans deserve mercy. But we cannot really be too eager to deal out death and judgement…"

"But they are threatening the bots!" Miko argued. "Which means they have the right to defend themselves."

"Defend, yes, but Azura is also right. While I don't particularly like your race, I am not interested in the business of harming humans." Ratchet glanced down at Azura with a smile. "And I must say, you almost sound like your carrier in the way you just spoke."

Azura blinked in surprise before smirking and hiding her face with the toy. "Actually…I heard that line from…someone else…"

"Autobots, maintain your cover," Optimus spoke over the com link, making her glance up at the screen as he made the order. "And apply minimal force. Disarmament only."

She smiled a little as she was glad that minimal force would be used in this case, but she was still concerned. If these humans were as dangerous as she suspected, they could probably stop at nothing to get what they want. And that includes attacking Fowler directly, or even using weapons on the autobots. There were so many things that could go wrong. She was not sure if human weapons could hurt a Cybertronian. The weapons would definitely be able to hurt her, mainly because she is young and she also did not have her coverings on yet. But she didn't particularly want to know how effective human weapons were against the autobots, regardless of how similar the weapons were.

"I wonder which rogue company is tailing the bots. It could be one the government are aware or, a new organisation." Raf tapped his finger on his cheek as he was thinking on it carefully. "I could take a quick look, but it is probably pointless to figure out."

"I personally don't care which organisation it is. Hopefully, we can get out of this without revealing our existence to them. But…I guess it is a matter of how things proceed." Azura agreed with Ratchet. It didn't matter who was following Optimus, it mattered more that they had to remain a secret. She shivered at the thought of being exposed. "If we get exposed…it will be a matter we will cross…"

Azura looked at Ratchet with a worried expression. "Could that limit the possibility to me and Optimus going out together and training? Or…maybe there could a time I can go with one of the others casually, and it will be risky…"

"Possibly, but whatever happens today, will definitely impact future decisions, Azura. While it was still a risk of you being found out, but no one, but the decepticons, were actively looking for us. You would definitely become a target should these people find out about your existence. At least…your existence is still considered human on this world. I know for a fact Optimus will likely want to shelter you a lot more. And yet…" Ratchet grimaced a little and intakes heavily. "It is also wrong to keep you inside all the time. While you do not need the light of the sun like humans do, being stuck underground isn't good for you."

"Sounds like it will be a pickle…" The medic raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Azura rolled her optics. "It just means it will be a mess."

Ratchet now understood the saying, and he was about to speak to her, when another voice spoke over the link. Mostly because the radio wave was picked up by someone else. "I do hope you take better care of the Dingus than you do your captives."

Azura shivered as she heard the new voice. She did not recognize it, but she immediately disliked it. "Special Agent William Fowler, here. Identify yourself!" Fowler ordered angrily.

"I am Silas." His short reply to Fowler was calm, and intimidating at the same time. "But of greater consequence to you, we a Mech." Mech?! Azura couldn't help but shuffle back a little, even though nothing was there in front of her physically that was threatening her. "Fair warning, we will be helping ourselves to your device. Even if it means inflicting casualties."

"Is that so?" Fowler was completely unamused by this man, even though his response was slightly sarcastic. "Tell me, Si, what's the market price for a Dingus these days?"

"What makes you think we intend to sell it, Agent Fowler?" Silas asked rhetorically with slight amusement in his tone. "There's a war brewing, between the new world order and the newest. The victor will be the side armed with the most innovative technology."