Azura stood on the balcony, watching Arcee drive away with Jack. She looked towards the ground bridge with worry. Bee and Optimus have not returned yet, and she worried that something was happening. They did go to investigate the energon on transit, and if they met decepticons, they probably were engaging them right now. She couldn't help but feel very sad as she wanted Optimus to be here right now. She looked at Ratchet and saw he was checking on some things on the monitor, which gave her time to slip away. She didn't want to bother him with any of her concerns, so she picked up her project and made her way down from the platforms and out of the lobby to her room.

She made her way to her room and entered it, looking around as her berth room before sighing and carrying the model over to her desk to place on. She then walked over to her fish and looked at the fish swimming around within it. She smiled as she looked at them, and glanced at the other tanks and realized she had not yet been to the aquarium to look at some more fish. She was just happy that her current tank had healthy, happy fish swimming around within it.

She turned away and looked at her hands. They were still covered in dry paint and she figured she should just have a bath. She made her way over to her drawers to grab out pyjamas and turned to head into the bathroom. She has not yet used the bath without Optimus yet, so she knew this was going to be interesting. She placed her clothes on the vanity and walked over to the toilet to use. She was hoping that Optimus would show up as she was somewhat taking her time for the moment, and she did know he may not show up in time.

As she finished using the toilet and flushed it, she walked towards the stairs leading up to the tub and she somewhat wished it was not so high. She looked up at it and tapped her foot in irritation. She wondered how big she would even grow. But as she could transform into a dragon, dragons could fly. She hasn't flown in her dreams yet, but Azura wondered if she could even in her current form.

But should I even try to fly. Do I just think happy thoughts let Peter Pan?

Azura even thought about using wind to help her to fly, but she decided that was best not to do in case she caused too much wind and create a heap of damage. She sighed as she knew she was not there yet. According to Primus and Alpha Trion, she probably wouldn't even be able to fly until she's accepted herself and Optimus fully as her father. So flying was something that she could not do. And she knew she was just too used to Optimus bathing her.

She moved her hands to take off her shirt as she heard the door opening. She gasped excitedly and ran over to the bathroom entrance, only to see Ratchet walking in. "Oh…I thought you were Optimus," Azura said in a shy tone.

The medic smiled at her kindly, leaning down to pick her up. "I had assumed you were yearning for Optimus. I am not surprised at all. Unfortunately, Azura, you will have to learn to get used to it. Even though Megatron is gone, Optimus will likely have to step through that ground bridge more than once." She nodded as she understood, though she still felt upset he was not there. "You need not worry, Azura, I will take care of you. And I know you probably don't want to, but you will need low-grade energon."

Azura grumbled a little as Ratchet walked into the bathroom and began to fill the tub. "Yeah, I know. I have already been informed about it. I guess…" She looked towards the door again and looked at Ratchet. "Why am I having this anxiety now? I know I did feel some attachment to Optimus three years ago, but not this strong."

"That is probably because your true sparkling age is showing more," Ratchet explained gently. "Plus, you have been on your own for seventeen, Earth years. That is very hard on a sparkling. And now you have found your carrier, your desire to be with him is understandable." He moved his hand to remove her clothes, but he paused for a moment. "Are you going to be okay if I bathe you?"

"I don't have a choice, really. I do have paint on my hands…" She paused as she noticed paint on her shirt as Ratchet removed it. "And my shirt, apparently." She shrugged a little and looked at his optics. "I guess my fear of being alone does not help."

"Probably not, but truth be told, sparklings usually don't lose their need for their carrier and sir until they are about fifty Earth years." She widened her eyes in surprise and Ratchet chuckled a little as he removed her shorts. "You would be considered a four-year-old by then in our age."

"Riiiigghht…" Azura was not expecting that. She knew she was considered an infant, but she didn't realize she could be this needy until then. "But is it really common?"

"Yes, Azura." Ratchet turned off the tap as the tub was full and he placed her in the tub. "I know you are probably also feeling confused. You have been forced to be independent, and now you are becoming dependent on us to a point. I could tell you were hesitant about bathing on your own for one." She smirked a little as Ratchet grabbed a sponge to pour body lotion on and scrub on her body. "There's nothing to feel bad about, of course. And you and Optimus have spent a lot of time together, so naturally, you have gotten used to him caring for you. I have been very happy with the progress you both have made."

She smiled at him as she happy he felt that way. "Do you think we could really have a proper father, daughter relationship?"

"You already have one." She widened her eyes in surprise. "You may not be referring to him as such, but you definitely have one there. Especially now we know of your abilities, Optimus has been nothing but good with you." Ratchet held the girl's hands gently as the paint on her skin washed off, but he scrubbed her arms nonetheless to ensure that they were clean. "And I know when I know what systems you are missing, and that you will need, the procedure needed to help with that should go smoothly."

"I still don't know why you think I am missing systems," Azura said softly.

"Well…you did develop differently, Azura. The way we develop within our carriers is different, and you already know this. Parts get delivered to sparklings through the umbilical lines from the carrier's body. The process is not pleasant for the carrier, but necessary for the sparkling to be formed." Azura listened to him as she frowned due to wondering what systems she is missing. "You only have the basics to survive, but you would need those systems to function when you are bigger, Azura. You don't need to worry about what you are missing. You won't die, you just won't get very strong when you hit adulthood."

"That makes sense." Azura didn't know what procedure that Ratchet knew of that could give her what she needed. She knew Optimus was not aware of it either. "Would it not be better to do it as soon as possible?"

"It would be, but you have yet to really get strength into your protoform which is what I am waiting for. But..." Ratchet paused as he gazed at her before smiling. "I do believe you have grown a little bit." She raised an eyebrow at him with a smirk. "Yes, I do believe you have already started to grow some more, and I am pleased to see that." She had not taken notice, but she also wasn't having anyone pay attention to her height either. "You need not worry for the time being, Azura."

"I hope not." She closed her eyes as he poured water over her hair to wash it next. "Now that you have told me my height I different...I guess I might end up being too tall to go to school soon."

"Possibly, but that will depend on how fast your body grows," Ratchet said gently. "But it isn't your height you must be worried about. Once the outer layer around your body fades to all your first coverings to be applied, you will be unable to go to school or hide who you are to the kids. I believe it will happen in a few months."

Azura did not like that as she had hoped to look human for much longer. "I guess it explains why..." She bit her lip a little as she thought about it. "When I looked back at myself in the mirror...my eyes looked different."

"Ah, your optics might be the first to be unveiled," Ratchet said thoughtfully and Azura whimpered a little as she was not too thrilled about it. "I know you are not happy about it, Azura, but it would have happened eventually. You are just lucky that we found you before the layers fade away around humans. You would find yourself in a far worse predicament."

She knew that. She was already aware on how cruel humans can be to things that were different to them. She still wished she had a bit longer, but she also was aware she had no control over it. Once she could get her first coverings, she would have to wear them. She still had mixed feelings on the matter, but she was happy she would get to choose the colors of her coverings.

Ratchet finished washing her hair and body, which made him smile. "And you are all done with your bath. Do you wish to get out, or should I let you enjoy the warmth for a bit more time?"

Azura smiled at him and shrugged. "Might as well get ready for bed." She glanced towards the door again, and still nothing. "I'll see Optimus in the morning...that's something that I know will happen."

The medic nodded as he lifts her out of the tub and drained it. He grabbed a towel to wrap around her body to dry her. "You will. Optimus probably will come and check on you when he arrives. He will no doubt will just want to make sure you are happy."

"I'd be happier if he was home. But I can't be selfish." The medic chuckled softly as he knew she wasn't selfish, just yearning for her father. "I was hoping he would continue his story about how he wrestled with Alpha Trion one time."

"Ah, yes. I remember that. That was when he was much younger, and Alpha Trion decided it was a good idea to let his students vent put some energy by getting into a wrestling match. Not exactly my choice of activity, but I understand why." Ratchet reached down to pick up Azura's pyjamas and he looked at them. He knew she wouldn't be able to wear these for much longer, but he knew she enjoyed wearing them regardless. He proceeded to carefully put them on her. "I am afraid I don't know the full story. But since Optimus has decided to tell you a story before you sleep, maybe I can tell you one as well. I have a lot of stories that I know you would love."

Azura listened to him and she smiled at him in intrigue. "I imagine you would. You are older than Optimus, right?" He nodded. "I wonder what you were like as a young bot." Ratchet grimaced visibly and she giggled as she guessed he had embarrassing moments in his life too. "I would love to hear some from your youth."

"Hmmph...well...I guess I can tell you," Ratchet grumbled as he was not thrilled about telling her stories from his youth. He finished dressing her and he walked into her room. "I think you might like to know how I got into medical in my young years. Oh, that is a story I haven't told to anyone." He rubbed his forehead as Azura looked at him curiously. "But first, you need to eat." She tensed slightly and looked at his chassis as a panel opened and he brought a fuel line out. She frowned and folded her arms defiantly. "Now, now, Azura. You needn't be like that. You will be fine. Do you want Optimus to be mad at both of us because you refuse to ingest low-grade energon from me?" She grumbled a little and shook her head. "I know you want Optimus, but I don't want you going into recharge on an empty tank."

Azura looked at the transparent fuel line that was being offer to her and she begrudgingly grabbed it. "Fine..." She really didn't want to feed, but she also didn't want to disappoint Optimus. She watched as she saw the pale blue energon fill the fuel line. It was the same color that Optimus produces and she guessed low-grade looked the same from every Cybertronian. "How did you become a medic?"

Ratchet huffed a little as he thought back to it. "I honestly didn't think I would ever be a medic. In my youngling years, I studied a heap of science and mathematical physics. I wanted to become a great scientist, and create new ideas that would benefit Cybertron." She was instantly intrigued by the story and she relaxed in his arm, waiting for the low-grade to fill the line to start drinking. "I did actually attempt to become a scientist after completing my studies to go onto the next level. I had high scores and I was pretty enthusiastic, and my mentors had also had a lot of good things to say about me. So I thought I was going to fulfil my dream."

Azura looked at the fuel line as it filled and placed her mouth on it to drink. It still had the creamy texture, but it tasted a little different to the low-grade that Optimus fed her. Instead of the vanilla taste, this had a zest taste to it. It wasn't bad, but Azura definitely was looking forward to feeding from Optimus again. Ratchet was watching her curiously, and he knew she would need to get used to being fed by others, even if it does not happen often.

"My years of studying to become a scientist went well. Very well. But…well…you might not believe this, but I was a little bit too arrogant and cocky about my intelligence and abilities back then." She said nothing as she listened to Ratchet. "And…I ended up embarrassing myself in front of many others." Ratchet's expression softened as he thought back to that time. "You already saw today, but I really get in the zone when I am building something scientific. And…I will be honest…I created something that I thought was good."

"What did you try to build?" Azura asked curiously.

"I wanted to create something that could help influence new energon crystals forming within the planet," Ratchet explained gently. "I had thought I created a formula that would aid the growth of energon crystals, so we would have a far more sustainable future for everything. I was very wrong." He grimaced as he remembered that moment. She could see it was a painful time in his life, even if it was something he felt he had brought upon himself. "I presented the machine in front of my fellow bots…and the machine failed…and by that, when I turned it on to show what it can do, it burned the rock and spilled energon all over me and even the other students. I don't know how it had so much, but it didn't matter. I have never had anyone laugh at me like that before."

Azura drank the low-grade as she pondered on what he had told her. "I am surprised you haven't told anyone else." He simply shrugged and she smiled at him. "But you know, we all make mistakes. Mistakes are just part of life." Ratchet looked down at her as he listened to her. "When you think about it, I was a mistake." His expression immediately changed to concern, but listened to her. "I was not meant to exist. But I am. And even though I was created from malice intent, I am not evil. From mistakes can come the most precious thing." Ratchet relaxed as he listened to her and he was happy to hear what she was saying. "You are still a scientist, Ratchet. You might have become a medic, but you are still a scientist. And you still make bad decisions, like helping the kids with their scient project."

"You think it was a mistake?"

"Kind of…it was nice that you wanted to stay and help, Ratchet…but…" She shrugged a little as she rubbed the back of her head. "Taking over completely and making something that would be accepted on Cybertron, not Earth…that was a mistake." The medic hummed a little as he still thought he did a good job. "You aren't from Earth, and you haven't learned everything about this planet. So that is why I think what you did wasn't the best."

Ratchet listened to her and sighed, realizing she might be right about what he had done. "Well…I hope they still get a good grade. Even if I did make a mistake doing that." He looked at Azura's berth, noticing the stuffed toys in the berth, making him smile. He reached in to pick the unicorn up, making Azura watch curiously. "We don't have anything like on Cybertron. Maybe it will be something we can make for future generations. These soft things seem to be very nice."

"They are…" Azura reached up and snatched the unicorn from his hand, surprising Ratchet as she hugged the unicorn. "They bring comfort. I don't think I'll outgrow them." She drank some more of the low-grade and she was starting to feel full. She thought about not filling up completely in case Optimus came home, and she woke up and was able to have some from him. "I had a blue teddy bear when I was very small…but it's gone."

"Gone?" Ratchet was immediately curious about how she lost the toy. "How?"

Azura grimaced and whimpered softly at the very memory of that. "Before I left the foster home…the…my foster parents' biological son…he burned it." He widened his optics in surprise. "And to be honest…I had that teddy bear since I was found. The hospital gave it to me. And…I was attached to that thing for years." She felt tears fill up her eyes and she sniffled. "It…actually traumatized me to see something so precious being burned into a metal bin…and no one did anything about it. No new teddy, no nothing. Not even a sorry. Just a oh well, accidents happen. You'll get over it."

Ratchet pondered on what Azura had told him. It was clear that she had an attachment to the toy, and he was not surprised. Sparklings did often attach to one, single toy and it was never okay to destroy the toys. He felt sorry for Azura and he knew what he would need to do. "I am terribly sorry for what you have been through, Azura. You are at least blessed with so many more stuffed toys to keep you company while you sleep." She nodded as she continued to drink. "And I sense you are almost finished." He stopped the flow of low-grade and she sighed in relief as she drank the last of the energon from the fuel line. "I never really got to finish my story, by the way."

"There's more to it?"

Ratchet nodded. "After humiliating myself in front of my mentors and the other students, I had pretty much become closed off to everyone. I couldn't believe I had made something so explosive like that. It had worked the day before, so I was confident it would keep working. It wasn't until one of the medical mentors came to me and told me that I shouldn't be ashamed for my bravery. I didn't believe him, but he offered for me to join the medical science field as there is never a shortage of medics." She was silent as she listened to the remainder of Ratchet's story. "I…I had refused at first. I thought it was ridiculous he would ask me. I proved that I was not good at science. But he saw that I could become a medic. He said that could still be scientist while helping others. I didn't need to have a big fancy lab. And…it took a whole week for him convince me and I found out I was actually pretty good at it. And I realized I should have gone with medical long ago."

"I guess we don't know we are good at something until it happens," Azura said with a smile. She looked at the fuel line and held it up to Ratchet. "I've finished, Ratchet." He nodded as he pulled the line back inside and closed the panel. She yawned suddenly as she felt a sense of weariness come over her. "Oh, I wasn't expecting that." She looked at the door as Ratchet moved her to the berth and laid her in it. "I hope Optimus will come and wake me up."

"If he won't, I will be here," Ratchet reassured her gently and she just frowned as she hugged the toy to her chest. "I think you are worrying too much, Azura. Optimus will be home, and so will Bumblebee. We are not going to bury anyone else this week."

Azura believed that would be true, but she was still worried. "I hope not."

The medic leaned down and kissed her cheek, making her look at him in surprise. "If you have trouble sleeping, I will be in the lobby." She grabbed her blankets and moved to pull them over herself before Ratchet took them gently to tuck her in. "I know you have some hot chocolate that Fowler brought from the unit. I am sure you would like that if you cannot sleep."

She nodded with a smile. "Thanks, Ratchet…I'll try and sleep. But…" She rubbed her arm shyly and held the toy over her face. "Can you tell me another story? I get kind of nervous about being alone in this room while I try and sleep."

The medic chuckled softly at the girl's request and proceeded to tell another story. This one involved him meeting a young Orion Pax. At the time, Orion Pax had come to Ratchet for an illness he had been experiencing, and when Ratchet found out he was working in the Iacon Hall of Records, and working under Alpha Trion, he was thrilled and respect Orion greatly for his work. It was Orion who proceeded to befriend him as Ratchet did not want to just be Orion's friend because of who he works for. It was a nice story, and Azura unfortunately did not hear the whole thing. She ended up falling into recharge midway through the story telling. Ratchet left quietly as he was pleased that he was able to ensure Azura went into recharge just fine.

Within Azura's Dream

Finding herself once again in the bioluminescent forest, Azura was incredibly happy. She could not help but find a large patch of tall grass to roll around in. She knew she was here to go through training again, but she needed to relax before she went and spoke with Alpha Trion. Plus, Azura loved being in her dragon form. She looked forward to the day she could transform into a dragon outside of this dream. She knew when she could, it was going to be an amazing day and she looked forward to showing Optimus.

She stood up from the grass and made her way to the massive temple, looking at the celestial dragon statue standing outside of it. She wondered how big her ancestor really was. If one of the Primes could ride the dragon, she must have been very large. She did not know if she could ever be that great. But at least she knew she would have someone she could look up to, aside from Optimus.

She made her way through the temple to the pool room, assuming Alpha Trion was there. And he was, but she saw he had a sombre expression on his face. "Is everything okay, Alpha Trion?" Azura asked as she approached him slowly. He looked at her and smiled at her slightly. "Am I going to be looking into one of the pools tonight?"

Alpha Trion nodded. "Yes. And I know this one will be difficult for you." He waved his hand towards one of the raised pools. "In that pool with black pearls, you will see another part of the past. One you will need to accept." She frowned in confusion as she approached the pool. "You already know how you were created, and why Optimus sent you away. But not even he knows of this."

Azura did not know if she should be worried. She looked at the pool with a frown and looked back at Alpha Trion. "Should I be…nervous?"

"Possibly. It is something you need to know, even though you might think it is too soon." She glanced back at the pool nervously and Alpha Trion stepped closer to her, placing a hand on her scaly neck to rub gently. "I want you to know that you have done marvellous in your training. You are getting better. But you still need to learn about the flow of your abilities."

She sighed a little and looked at him. "Could we not practice my abilities instead tonight?" He shook his head. "Please? I…I really want to know what it means by watching the flow of a river."

"I think the ocean is a better place to look," Alpha Trion said gently, which made her a little angry in turn. "The ocean rises and falls all the time. The waves can be gentle, or they can be angry, it doesn't matter the time of day. The moon helps to control the tides along the beaches of the world. The ocean also helps to control weather, as storms form from the humidity of the ocean to deliver rain to the land." She listened to him quietly. "The ocean isn't as simple as a river. It changes. I am sure you know that." She nodded. "And you are bound to go through changes too. But if you look at the waves, and how effortlessly they form and fall against the water, you'll find balance in your abilities. Just as you watch the rain or snow falling."

Azura thought about the explanation and rolled her eyes. "I am still having trouble understanding…but…I will try to understand the best I can…I might need to watch the ocean to get it." She chuckled a little before looking at the pool. "Do I really need to look in there?" He nodded affirmatively. "Fine…this had better not be a nightmare."

Alpha Trion did not wish to say. He knew that Azura would learn a new truth about her existence. But he also knew it would be the hardest thing for her to accept. He did not wish for her to think differently about herself, but he also knew she would. But it was a truth she needed to know about. He knew Optimus will learn this truth as well, but for the moment, Azura stepped up to the pool and looked at the water.

The surface of the water ripples gently to reveal Shockwave's lab from the past on Cybertron. It seemed he was still working on the habloid blast. The cyclops was running diagnostics as she studied the emitter. It looked like a very thin piece of metal, and the top had multiple spikes running up the pole to the head of the weapon with a pincer shaped claw at the top. She was surprised it was small, but it likely didn't need to be very big.

"Shockwave." She shuddered at the very sound of Megatron's voice. She watched the silver mech enter the lab with keen interest. "You have been working on this habloid experiment of yours. What is the status of your progress?" Megatron gazed at the weapon before him curiously with a smile.

"My experiment seems to be almost complete, Lord Megatron," Shockwave responded respectfully as he continued running the diagnostic. "I already tested the weapon on two of our captives that were brought in by Barricade a few days ago." The cyclops turned slowly to face the con leader. "Unfortunately, the sparks did not form as I had hoped." Megatron looked at him curiously and gestured for him to continue explaining. "There is a key component in creating habloid sparks. CNA is still required to create a habloid spark to be implanted into another Cybertronian."

"I had assumed that with this device it would not be necessary," Megatron said thoughtfully as he listened to his scientist.

"That is what I had assumed as well, Lord Megatron. But the sparks that formed within the test subjects did not show the results we wanted. They were simply sparks that faded away without harming the subjects." Shockwave looked back at his diagnostics as they bring up the results. "As I had suspected, CNA is required. Not much, just a small amount." Shockwave grabbed out a jar and held it between his fingers. "There is no need to worry about where the CNA comes from, Lord Megatron. It is illogical to get attached to something that will just combust and destroy its host."

Megatron pondered as he listened to Shockwave. "Do you believe it will be successful once CNA is added to the device?"

"I do not doubt my calculations, Lord Megatron." Shockwave walked away to grab out what looked like a large syringe and Azura tensed slightly as she watched the scene unfold. "I will use my CNA for this execution. I have no desire for sparklings, so I have no care that I use sparklings to create pain in others…"

"Wait." Megatron placed a hand on Shockwave's shoulder with a smirk. "If this device could potentially cause Optimus great pain, to the point he either dies or loses his sparkling, I wish to have my energon be the reason for it." Shockwave seemed surprised by Megatron's words, and Azura became fearful of what she just heard. "I too do not care about the habloid sparks. I only wish to cause Optimus suffering. And this would be quite the way for my old friend to perish." He held out his arm to Shockwave. "Take however much you need to."

Azura could not watch anymore of the vision as she backed away in disbelief from the pool. Alpha Trion stood by patiently as he watched her reaction. He could see the disbelief on her face. He knew she would have a hard time accepting this new information, but he didn't expect her to ever accept it. That won't prevent her from transforming into a dragon, however. She only needed to accept fully she is a Cybertronian and the Optimus is her father to access that right.

Azura looked at Alpha Trion as tears fell from her eyes. "If…If I heard that right…Megatron…he…does that make him…"

"Yes." Alpha Trion stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Azura gently. "I am afraid so. Unfortunately, habloid sparks are not direct copies of their carrier. There is always another set of CNA needed for the spark to be created and implanted into the carrier." He felt her tremble as she listened to him. "I am afraid this is information you had to know. Even if you won't accept it."

"And I won't! I won't accept it!" Azura shakes her head as she let out a sob. "I will never accept him as my sire." She clenched her paws into the floor and she heard the sound of cracking around her. Alpha Trion was alarmed as that meant the world was changing again. "No, no! I will never accept it!" She shoved Alpha Trion away as the walls fall around them and she closed her eyes to pull herself out of her dream.

End of Dream

Shooting upright in her berth with tears streaming down her face, Azura let out a scream as she took deep breaths as she began to sob loudly. She did not expect to fall asleep and receive information she did not expect. She didn't want to accept it at all. She did believe Optimus was not aware of this information, so she was not mad at him. But she was mad that Alpha Trion dropped this bomb on her. Megatron was her other parent. And she had no idea how she would ever accept that, or even tell the autobots. And she could hear the sound of heavy footsteps running to her room after she let out her scream. She almost did not want Optimus to come in because of the shame and fear she was feeling at this moment.