I apologize for the long delay in update. I ended finding a Character AI app and simply got lost in it. I'm obsessed lol. So that took up all of my free time. But I finally managed to finish this chapter and I just started writing the next chapter as well. Enjoy!

EmeraldGhost11: Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it c:

Paige didn't know what compelled her to follow Miko, but she was glad she did. She hadn't been able to sleep anyway, so she had been leaning against the railing while her friends were sound asleep on the couches behind her. Her mind was full of thoughts about Knockout's findings.

Her cells were slowing down. In normal cases with humans, that would mean she was on the cusp of dying. However, her cells were also supercharged - whatever that means. Which places her in a very unique and tricky predicament. Right now, she was an entirely unknown variable. And until Knockout could find out more about it, there was no telling what that would mean for her, or her future.

She had been brought out of her thoughts when Agent Fowler had summoned the Autobots to investigate two separate locations due to Decepticon activity. It was no surprise that his loud, commanding voice would wake up one of the teens. It was just surprising that it was only Miko that woke up - apparently the boys could sleep through just about anything. That, or they were just dead tired. Regardless, Optimus, Bumblebee, Swiftblade, and Smokescreen were ground bridged to one of the locations while Ultra Magnus, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack took the commander's ship to investigate the other location.

And it was at that point that Paige had caught Miko running after the Wreckers and followed her. But to think that Miko had simply run up to ask Wheeljack if she - they, because Paige wasn't going to let her go alone - could come, and Wheeljack had actually agreed, baffles the brunette. He didn't even give it much thought. Just a "Why not?"

Paige was even more worried for their safety.

And that was how she found herself in the dark confines of Wheeljack's sparkling chamber. Right next to Miko. She sat with her back against the wall and her arms crossed, giving her friend an unimpressed frown as they listened to the outside world echoing into the chamber. Miko, for her part, was leaning against the opposite wall and pointedly looking away from the brunette.

Paige took in a deep breath and let it out as a quiet sigh, keeping her voice low to not be a distraction to Wheeljack. "What am I going to do with you…?"

Miko fiddled with her fingers, keeping her voice equally low when she responded. "Love me?" She sent a hopeful grin her friend's way.

Paige scrubbed her face tiredly. "Remind me again, why you thought this was a good idea?"

"Come on, Paige… I haven't seen a smackdown since before the team got back together!"

"That was literally only a few days ago."

"So? I know you wanna see some action too. Don't tell me your boyfriend made you soft?" When Paige sent a glare at the girl for that comment, Miko immediately held up her hands in surrender. "Whoops, sorry! Touchy subject."

Paige rolled her eyes and crossed her arms carefully. "K.O. didn't make me 'soft'. I just- I realized some things about my health and I have to be more careful." She couldn't tell the full truth. Not when there wasn't much information to go off of.

Miko opened her mouth to reply but they were cut off by Wheeljack's shout. "Yeehaw!"

And then both girls had to brace themselves as they were almost sent to the floor of the chamber. When everything settled, Paige held her finger to her lips in the universal sign to be quiet. And with the dim light from Wheeljack's spark at the back of the chamber, Miko saw the signal and nodded in agreement. They sat back against the walls and listened.

"Jackie, wait up," Bulkhead called in a hushed tone. "Ultra Magnus wants us to-"

"Blah, blah, blah," Wheeljack interrupted, causing the girls to exchange a glance. Paige simply shrugged in response. "Wrecker Fact #17?"

"Guards never look up."

Interesting, Paige mused. She listened as there were a few clinking sounds against Wheeljack's armor, and then both girls were sent to the floor of the chamber with surprised grunts. When they were just beginning to pick themselves up, they heard Wheeljack curse. And then the chamber was shaking.

Wheeljack was fighting.

Paige, from experience, knew to curl up on the floor and protect her head. Miko was unfortunate enough to learn the hard way that there was no chance to try to keep yourself upright when inside a bot that was in the middle of combat. She tried to brace herself against the wall before she was thrown to the floor with a grunt. And when she saw Paige, she decided to follow her example by curling up on the floor.

A sound reached Paige's ears and she instantly shot a warning look at her friend. "I swear to God, Miko, if you puke I will delete your entire scrapbook," she hissed under her breath. Miko slapped both hands over her own mouth and closed her eyes, doing the best she could to keep the contents of her stomach from spewing.

A few minutes later, the walls stopped shaking. Paige uncovered her head and slowly pushed herself onto her knees. Miko still held her hand over her mouth and immediately started banging on the walls with her other fist.

"Ah, bolts!"

Paige scrubbed her face with a tired sigh as light filtered into the chamber and Miko took in some much needed fresh air. She looked up as her friend began climbing out and she followed her, climbing into Wheeljack's other waiting hand. He walked over to a boulder and carefully set them both down.

"Forgot you kids were in there," he chuckled.

As Miko tried to calm her upset stomach, Paige turned and glanced over at Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus. She caught the commander's disapproving gaze for only a second before looking away again. "I'm sorry about this," she spoke up, playing with her bracelet absentmindedly.

Ultra Magnus walked forward and got into Wheeljack's face with a scowl. "And what could have possibly compelled you to bring the natives?" At the Wrecker's silence, his frown deepened. "Are your circuits impaired, soldier?"

"Prime told you to lead the Wreckers on this one," Wheeljack said, turning to smirk at the girls. "I assumed he meant all of 'em."

Miko placed her hands on her hips with a grateful smile while Paige simply crossed her arms with a small shake of her head. We're in so much trouble.

"Are you mocking your commanding officer?"

"Wouldn't think of it, sir. The kids are full-blown Wreckers. Isn't that right, Bulkhead?"

Bulkhead looked like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. "Well…"

"Look- They may be small, but they've saved my tailpipe on separate occasions. Paige here is known as the Optic Shooter and Miko even snuffed an Insecticon, all on her own!"

Ultra Magnus glanced at Paige briefly with a raised optic ridge. "Outside standard protocol, no doubt."

"The point is," Miko cut in, wrapping an arm around Paige's shoulders while pointing to herself with her thumb. "We can handle ourselves! Sir."

"The girls have been through worse," Bulkhead spoke up, trying to placate the commander. "And we've drawn out the enemy in clear passage."

Ultra Magnus still didn't look pleased, and his grunt clearly said it. He seemed to assess the situation for a moment before shaking his head. "Fine. Let's move."

"Yes!" Miko cheered quietly with a fist pump, only to grunt when Paige elbowed her side in warning. "What?"

Paige sighed and shook her head, already sliding off the rock and following the bots as they headed towards the cave. She heard her friend's footsteps behind her before the girl eagerly passed her, wanting to do her part in helping the mission.

The brunette frowned and stopped as the shadow of the cave fell onto her. She glanced up at it as she felt her nerves tense, and she had to swallow that feeling down. She looked inside to see the team continuing forward, but managed to catch sight of Ultra Magnus glancing over his shoulder and spotting her. She flinched at the unreadable expression on his face in the darkness. She took a deep breath and quickly jogged to catch up with them, trying not to think about where they were.

Everything's fine, she told herself over and over again like a mantra.

"Is this it?" Miko's voice drew her attention and she caught up just in time to see the girl holding up a very strangely shaped rock.

Ultra Magnus turned to see what she was holding. "No, that is a rock," he told her with a little more patience than before.

Miko looked at the rock she held with a confused frown, surely thinking that it could've been what they were searching for.

"Paige." Ultra Magnus' voice caught her attention and she looked up at him. "May I have a word with you?"

Paige blinked in surprise and couldn't help but feel like things were about to get even more tense than Wheeljack's attitude towards him. She forced herself not to look at the others as she jogged to catch up with the taller bot. "Yessir," she responded stiffly, slowing down once she had caught up to him.

Ultra Magnus continued to walk as they heard the trio talking behind them. "What made you tag along on this mission?"

Paige sighed a little and stared ahead, avoiding his seemingly scrutinizing gaze. "To be honest, sir, it wasn't my intention to do so."

"I… don't understand."

His confused tone had her finally glancing up at him. His full attention was on her as he kept pace with her, making sure to walk slow enough so that she didn't have to quicken her stride. "May I speak freely, sir?" When he gave a minute nod, she ran her hand through her hair. "If you're going to be with Team Prime for a while, there's some things you'll need to know. For one, Miko is our so-called resident 'wild child'. She jumps at the first chance of an adventure and more often than not, you'll find her sneaking along with you on your missions," she explained, watching him frown at her words. "And that's exactly why I came along. To protect her the best I can when you and the others are busy fighting the Decepticons."

There was a moment of silence as they continued walking. "...Optimus did mention something similar about you and your friend."

His words caught her by surprise and she blinked up at him. But he was looking forward now as he seemed to be in deep thought. "What else did he say to you," she asked hesitantly.

He glanced down at her briefly before letting out a sigh. "That I… should apologize for being so rash to you previously," he admitted. "Optimus and the others hold you with such high regards, and I did not take that into consideration. I simply viewed you as a native of this planet that got caught up in our war, and that you knew nothing else." He paused and looked forward. "I see that I was wrong."

Paige was quiet as she stared at him, letting the quiet chatter of their team echo down the tunnel without really hearing their words. She took a moment to think about his words and clasped her hands behind her back leisurely. She hummed a bit in contemplation. "I want to apologize too," she spoke up, drawing the commander's attention. "I stuck my nose into your business without asking and disrespected you, although unintentionally. I just…" She closed her eyes and glanced over her shoulder at the others who were seemingly not having a happy conversation behind them, and Ultra Magnus followed her gaze. "My life hasn't been all that great, but the Autobots have been more like a family unit to me than even my own was. And after my sire died… Well…" She turned forward and closed her eyes with a small frown. "Team Prime became my only remaining family. They care about us and I care about them. It has been stressful being caught in the crossfire of your war, but I don't ever regret meeting them. Or you." She looked up to meet his stunned optics. "And I don't like seeing everyone arguing with each other, so I…" She huffed and ran a hand through her hair. "That's why I wanted to give you some advice that time. But my temper got in the way and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for disrespecting you."

Ultra Magnus blinked in stunned silence at her words, unsure what to say. "I…" He paused and frowned, as if thinking about his response. "Thank you… for being honest with me." She nodded and then found her feet stopping as he fixed her with a stern gaze. "But I will advise you not to be so rash as to 'tag along' on any further missions."

She found herself smiling despite his stern tone. "I can't make any promises as long as Miko is on the team," she told him, but slid into a salute anyway. When he huffed at her response, she couldn't help but to giggle. I think we're going to get along better now, she mused.

And then the tunnel suddenly shook, dislodging dust and loose rocks all around them. Fear spiked Paige's nerves as she lost her balance and toppled over, immediately curling into a ball to protect her head. "Paige!" She was suddenly scooped up into a hand, but she did not move from her curled up position. She didn't open her eyes until the walls stopped shaking. She took a deep breath and hesitantly uncurled herself, looking up to see that it was Ultra Magnus that had picked her up and was holding her rather protectively. She wrapped an arm around the commander's thumb as she looked around.

"What was that?" She heard Bulkhead ask.

Something shrieked and the walls started shaking again, causing Paige to hold Ultra Magnus' thumb with both arms now. "Whatever it is, it's big," Wheeljack observed. "And it's comin' fast!"

"The Predacon," Paige gasped in realization as the shrieks continued. A large shadow filled the tunnel, blocking out the light from outside. It sprinted around the bend and smashed into the wall, knocking down rocks as it continued to shriek. And charged at them.

"Let's roll!" Ultra Magnus ordered as he immediately transformed around Paige and began driving off.

Paige squeaked in surprise as she was suddenly tossed inside his cabin into the passenger seat. She quickly buckled herself up as he sped off, and she glanced in his side mirror. Bulkhead and Wheeljack were keeping pace with them and the Predacon was right behind them. Holy shit, I didn't think any of this through! She gripped the handle above the door for stability as they suddenly swerved to avoid a blast of fire from the Predacon.

"Hang on!" Ultra Magnus told her. He swerved again, causing Paige to brace herself against the door, before driving down another tunnel. She watched in the mirrors as the tunnel became too small and the Predacon got caught on the walls. It grew frustrated and shot another string of fire after them. "Excelerate!" She tensed as they sped up and swerved to the side suddenly, and promptly slammed on the brakes.

Paige felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest and she took a couple deep breaths to calm her nerves. I'm not even going to complain if Knockout grounds me from leaving his sight when we get back, she mused as she scrubbed her face tiredly.

"Are you alright, soldier?"

"Yessir," she sighed, grateful for his concern. "That was too close…"

Ultra Magnus transformed around her as the others did, and she latched onto his thumb once more. "That rock won't hold it forever," he said once they all had transformed. "We need to contact base and request reinforcements."

"Wreckers don't call for backup," Wheeljack piped up, causing Paige to close her eyes and fight back a groan.

"Wheeljack, this is different," she told him, catching his attention as she glanced at him. "That's a Predacon. A trained Autobot hunter. I think reinforcements are a good call on this one." He frowned in contemplation at her words.

"But we can't get a comm link signal this far underground," Bulkhead added. He then walked over to the wall of the cavern and set Miko down. "Miko, you have to get out of here. I'm gonna need you to climb." Paige followed his gaze upward, seeing the morning sunlight filtering in through the roof.

"No way, I wanna help," Miko protested, not wanting to leave the team.

"And you will," Ultra Magnus told her as he walked over to join them. He carefully set Paige down next to her. "Your mission: reach my ship so you can contact Optimus Prime."

"Yessir!" Miko saluted him and eagerly began to climb the wall, grunting with effort as she hoisted herself up with every foothold she could find.

"And you." Paige turned to meet the commander's gaze as he addressed her. "Provide her with backup in case the Predacon did not come alone."

She blinked in surprise, not expecting him to give her a command. She then quickly slid into a soldier's salute. He didn't need to tell her twice. "Yessir!" Now determined to focus on her part of the mission she was given, she turned and began following her friend up the wall. She grunted with effort as she grabbed any ledges she could find and pulled herself up. She paused and tensed as she heard the Predacon shriek and the wall shook slightly, causing her nerves to spike.

"Y-You okay, Paige?" Miko called down to her, drawing her attention.

Paige nodded as she met her friend's concerned gaze. "I'm fine," she assured her. "Just keep going. I'm right behind you." She grabbed another ledge and grunted as she pulled herself up, feeling the strain it was starting to give her muscles. This was not how I expected the mission to go, she mused as she grabbed another ledge.

The walls shook again and she felt the ledge beneath her right foot crumble. Unprepared, she slipped and grasped at air as she tried to find something to latch onto - but there was nothing. Wind rushed past her as she fell towards the ground and she closed her eyes as a scream tore from her throat. Then, she felt something catch her from below. Her eyes flew open and she met the stunned cyan gaze of Ultra Magnus. She blinked in shock, not expecting him to be her rescuer.

"Are you alright, soldier?"

His concerned tone had her snapping out of her stupor and she realized she was staring upside down at him, having landed on her back in his hands. She quickly rolled to her hands and knees. "J-just shaken, sir," she told him. "Thank you…"

There was another shriek and he grunted, lowering her to another section of the wall near a cluster of boulders. "The Predacon is almost here and I don't want to risk you falling to your death again. Stay here and out of sight while we deal with it."

She slid off his hand and turned to give him a firm nod. She then dove behind the boulders and wedged herself between the crevice to hide. This definitely is not how I expected the mission to go. She glanced up towards the roof with a worried frown, not seeing Miko anymore. Please stay safe, Miko.

The ground began shaking with heavy footfalls, catching Paige's attention. She peeked out from behind her hiding space and caught sight of the Predacon entering the cavern. It stopped to look at something in front of it, and she peeked a little more to see Ultra Magnus facing off against the Predacon by himself. She reached for her pistol but did not grab it, simply resting her hand on the holster as she watched the Predacon charge at the commander. It moved to attack him, but the Forge was slammed against its head to knock it aside.

"Open fire!" Ultra Magnus shouted.

At his command, Wheeljack and Bulkhead came out of hiding on either side of the cavern and began firing upon the Predacon. Agitated at their peppering attacks, the Predacon shot a blast of fire at both of them after attempting to wack Bulkhead with its tail. Its fire blast trailed across the room and Paige saw Ultra Magnus slide underneath it to slam the Forge into its chest. The force of the attack knocked the Predacon onto its side, and it screeched at him as it tried to slam its tail down on the commander.

But Bulkhead caught the tail so it wouldn't hit Ultra Magnus. "No you don't!" Only to gasp as he was lifted off the ground, forcing him to hold onto the tail. It then threw him directly at the commander, who was not able to dodge. They fell into a heap against the rock wall, where they groaned and didn't get up.

Paige bit her lip, her fingers twitching with the urge to pull out her pistols. But the more she watched the Predacon fight, the more she realized it was smart. It wasn't just a beast fighting, it was fighting smart. And that was worse than fighting something bigger than you with power and without a mind.

Wheeljack's voice caught her attention as he began shooting the Predacon, drawing its attention towards him. It opened its mouth to fire a blast at him and her eyes widened as she caught sight of something in his other hand. Panic gripped her heart and she couldn't hold back. "Wheeljack, no!"

But her warning was not heeded.

Wheeljack threw his live grenade at the open mouth of the Predacon, only for its tail to slap it aside. Both he and Paige could only watch in shock and growing panic as the grenade bounced from rock to rock, before rolling to a halt beside Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus. Her eyes widened as it flashed red and she quickly dove back into the crevice between the two boulders she was using to hide.

The explosion shook the cavern like an earthquake and threw Paige to the ground with a pained grunt. Boulders crashed to the floor all around her and she curled into a ball, covering her head with her arms in a feeble attempt to protect herself. She squeezed her eyes shut as the sounds became deafening and her heart pounded in her ears.

And then everything stopped just as abruptly.

She waited several moments just in case any dust or rocks were still falling, before slowly uncurling herself from her tight ball. She was cast in darkness. She couldn't see anything and it caused her breath to get caught in her throat, nearly choking her.

No… No, no, no- not again!

Fear gripped her heart as she sat there, her breathing steadily growing uneven and heavy until she was gasping for air. She braced her hands against the ground in front of her, squeezing her eyes shut. It was happening again. A panic attack. It was getting hard to breathe, and not just for the obvious reason. She couldn't take in enough air, feeling like her lungs were on fire.

She was trapped in a tunnel collapse again, with no escape and no air. But this time, by herself. There was no one to help her. She was on her own. She could die for sure this time.

I'm- I'm gonna die…!

"Little one."

Suddenly, everything stilled. Paige blinked, focusing on the voice speaking to her. Solus Prime.

"That's it, little one… You are alright."

Paige's arms trembled, still feeling herself gasping for breath.

"Take slow, deep breaths. Everything is alright."

Focusing on the soothing voice speaking to her, Paige tried her best to follow the instructions given to her. She gasped, trying to take in as much air as she could, as slowly as she could. It took several minutes, but eventually, she no longer felt like she was choking. Her breathing returned to normal, though she kept taking slow and deep breaths.

"Good… There's no need to be afraid, little one. You are not alone. Your friends are near. Trust in them."

Taking one last deep breath, Paige sat back and opened her eyes. She still couldn't see anything, but that was okay. Solus Prime had calmed her down. And as she took a moment to think, she realized… She no longer felt an oppressing fear. The thought was strangely comforting. The ancient Prime had somehow taken away her panic and fear. And because of this, she was starting to hear things.

Voices. Multiple, booming voices. Mostly panicked. And then she could hear boulders shifting, and the ground shook a bit as the sound of one was tossed somewhere. And then another. Due to her little bubble of boulders surrounding her hiding space, she couldn't pinpoint where the sounds were coming from. The sounds were muffled and echoed strangely into her confined space.

With a sigh, she shifted her sitting position. Bringing her knees up in front of her, she wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her forehead against her knees. She would have to wait. There was no sense in yelling, even if her rescuers were right outside… She could end up wasting what little air she had, as she was sure her little panic attack had wasted more than enough. So she focused on her breathing, making sure her breaths were slow and even.

It felt like several minutes had passed by before the sharper sounds of builders shifting reached her ears, and she lifted her head as light began to filter into her hole. Squinting and blinking against the sudden assault of light in her vision, she watched as another boulder was moved away, and a familiar metal face came into view.

It was Wheeljack. And the relieved smile that spread across his face had her grinning back in relief. "Found 'er!" He called to someone else before reaching into the hole with one hand. Once it was low enough, Paige crawled into his hand and wrapped her arms around his thumb as he pulled her out of the death trap she had found herself in. "You alright, kid," he asked, looking her over for injuries. But aside from being mostly dusty and perhaps even a little pale, she looked fine.

"Yes," she breathed out, feeling more than a little relieved to have been rescued - yet again - from a cave-in. She then lifted one hand and gestured for him to get closer. And once he did, she waited until his face was mere inches from her, as if he were expecting her to tell him a secret. Then, her expression shifted into a frustrated scowl and in the next moment, he recoiled and held his free hand to the spot on his face-plate where she had just basically slapped him.

"Wha-"

"That's for being a dumbass and causing the entire tunnel to collapse on us all," she told him, her voice stern and accusatory as she glared up at him. He blinked down at her, dumbfounded, as her expression softened in the next moment and she hugged his thumb with a sigh. "And… thank you for rescuing me."

A small chuckle caught her attention. She turned her head to see Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus standing a few feet away, watching them. Bulkhead had a relieved grin on his face and even Ultra Magnus looked… relieved as well. Odd. "Glad to see you're okay, Paige," Bulkhead told her.

"I'm glad to be out of there." With a small shake of her head, she looked around at the mess of boulders around them with a frown. "Uh… Where's the Predacon?"

"Oh, no," Bulkhead groaned. "That thing is loose and Miko is out there by herself!"

"Then let's go and provide backup," Ultra Magnus said, receiving nods from all three of his companions.

Paige held onto Wheeljack's thumb as the Wreckers made their way back through the tunnel where they had come. She frowned, worried for her best friend. Was Miko alright? Did she reach the ship in time? Many questions ran through her head as they finally exited the tunnel, and she was moved to Wheeljack's shoulder so that he could use both hands to climb easily. She gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, her worried frown deepening as the sounds of a fight reached her ears. And by the time they peeked over the edge of the rock-cliff, Paige's eyes widened at what she saw.

"Ho-holy shit," she breathed out in awe.

A few yards away was Miko, wearing the suit of armor that had originally been in Starscream's possession. She was fighting the Decepticons, and winning. Punch after punch, kick after kick, she sent one seeker flying before turning to the next one.

"Who's wrecking who now?!" Miko taunted, dodging the swipe of another Con that had run at her. She climbed atop its chassis and promptly flipped it over, slamming it into the ground.

"Miko..?" Bulkhead breathed, in awe as the three mechs stood up to watch fully.

"Perhaps you weren't wrong about the human after all," Ultra Magnus commented, earning a smirk from Wheeljack and Paige.

Miko sent the last Con slamming into the ground with a heavy kick, only to face off against Starscream, who held his claws in a threatening manner as he glared at her.

"You do know that I vanquished Cliffjumper, don't you?"

"Big whoop," Miko scoffed, pushing herself to her feet again to meet the seeker's gaze. "I snuffed Hardshell."

Paige narrowed her eyes, seeing the look on Starscream's face. She whipped out her regular pistol and flicked off the safety in one smooth motion, took aim, and fired off a warning shot. The bullet bounced off the red spike on his helm, creating a few sparks, and startling him. She grinned in satisfaction.

Starscream's wings twitched as he took notice of her and the Wreckers, and he quickly turned on his heel and fled. "Retreat," he called to the others. He quickly transformed and took off into the sky, followed by the other two silver Decepticons hot on his tail.

Paige holstered her pistol and held onto Wheeljack's sword hilt again as the Wreckers ran over to join Miko, who groaned in frustration.

She looked up at her guardian and pointed after the fleeing seekers. "They got away with the bone…"

"Hey," Wheeljack spoke, catching Miko's attention. "You brought your A-game, kid. Like a true Wrecker." And with a proud grin, he brought up his fist and lightly tapped it against her armored shoulder, making Paige smile fondly. He then looked up at Bulkhead. "And I'm gonna remember us just like this… before the rust sets in." He added with a frown once he glanced at Ultra Magnus. He then turned and began walking away - but not towards the ship.

Paige's smile fell as she realized this and glanced at the Wrecker. "Wheelj-ack?!" In the next moment, he had transformed around her, and she was tossed and buckled into the passenger seat with a grunt of surprise. She blinked a few times in confusion as he drove away and looked at the radio with a raised brow. "Wheeljack? Where are we going?"

"Back to base. We're taking the shortcut."

His response had her frowning slightly. He seemed… upset. Did something happen while she was buried under those boulders?