Autumn POV

I was still crying. It was hard for me to believe that I was holding Ravage while Ironhide was holding me! I… I guess that new voice was right about this one. I was pretty sure that Ironhide wasn't lying to me. I mean all that stuff about me being part of a better future, and … he called me… important! Me! The Goth, the failure, the waste of everything… me… Important. How could I be important? I'm nothing special, I'm not an excellent fighter like Chromia, really pretty like Arcee, or beautiful like Elita… I'm a nobody.

Ironhide held me in a tight hug until I stopped crying, then he held me back a bit so he could look in my optics. "You need to go let Chromia check you over."

I nodded my helm and walked over to Chromia after Ironhide let me go. She was looking at me with a small smile on her faceplates. "I know everything that was said to you Autumn. You don't have to believe a word he said if you don't want to. My advice? Make him prove it!"

I gaped up at her in surprise. "How am I supposed to make him prove it? Can't you tell if he's lying?"

Chromia gave me a gentle smile as she placed her servos on my shoulders. "Of course I can tell if he's lying or not, but that doesn't do you any good, now does it?"

I shook my helm as I looked up at her.

"So the question is, should you believe him or not? Well the answer to that is, you make him prove it. You allow him to be around you, and sooner or later, he'll do something that will show he was telling you the truth, or lying to you. Either way, you'll have an answer. That answer might be one you won't like, but then it might be one that makes you happy; only time will tell. In order to find out for sure though, you'll have to give Ironhide a chance. If he shows you that he was telling the truth, then you'll have a friend you can count on, and if he blows it, then that will be his loss, because I certainly enjoy your company."

Arcee POV

I was really glad that Elita had commed Chromia and I as soon as Autumn left the medbay, because I was able to hear everything Ironhide said to Autumn. I know that what he told her is true, but I can see that she doesn't really believe him.

I watch as Chromia examines Autumn, and I see that Ratchet is also observing closely. He's concerned about the same thing we are. Autumn's frame might be that of an adult, but the materials are a different matter. Autumn is composed of materials that are common to sparklings. They are easily repaired or replaced, and don't take near as much energy for the bot in question to develop them, but they are far more fragile and easily damaged. This can be a serious problem because Autumn is somehow more prone to damage than any other sparkling I've heard of.

Ratchet told us of a theory about why Autumn was converted into a frame that is composed of weaker materials. Apparently, Autumn's conversion from human to bot came very close to killing her as it is. Had the conversion taken place with materials that are standard for an adult frame, she would never have survived to complete even part of the transition. From what Ratchet said, the process was such that Autumn was placed in so much pain that she couldn't make a single sound to alert anyone of the agony she was experiencing. What made the situation worse was that she didn't say anything once she had regained the ability to speak. She may have believed that if she complained too much that she might have been offlined. It was something that made all of us worry about her.

Once Chromia finished examining her, Autumn turned to Jazz.

"I'm ready for training now… I guess." Autumn said softly.

Jazz's smirk grew into a wide grin. "Well, see dere Lil Lady. Tha's where ya gotta problem. Cause ya ain't trainin taday, and ya ain't trainin tomorrow neither."

"What? Why not?" Autumn asked in a horrified tone looking as if someone had hit her.

"Dis is gonna be a weekend for ya. So now, ya gotta figure out what ta do ta have some fun!" Jazz told her.

Autumn had a very strange expression on her faceplates when that piece of information sank in.

"So what ya gonna do?" Jazz asked ultra seriously.

Autumn burst out laughing. I couldn't really blame her for that. I was even chuckling a bit. Jazz is very funny when he wants to be, and he was in rare form this solar cycle.

Autumn was still laughing when Bumblebee walked into the hangar. It's been a while since he's been able to come to the base, but he had two humans with him. They were sitting on his shoulders. Bee's optics lit up when he spotted us. It's been many long vorn since I've seen him.

"What the slag happened to you? How did you manage to break both bones in that wrist?" Ratchet demanded suddenly.

I looked over at him to see that Ratchet was completely focused on the female who was sitting on Bee's right shoulder.

I knew that this human was called Mikaela, and that the male was Sam, but I had not actually met either of them yet.

"That's a long story Ratchet, but it was well worth it!" Mikaela said with a satisfied smile.

"What do you mean 'it was well worth it'?" Ratchet demanded angrily. "How can breaking your wrist be worth doing?"

"Well see… there's this girl at school. Her name is Sharon Miller. She's considered one of the most popular girls at school… well she used to be. Three weeks ago on Monday, she came to school laughing, and cracking jokes about a broadcast that had interrupted half the stations on cable TV. I knew exactly what broadcast she was talking about since I saw it and so did most of the other students." Mikaela began to explain.

I knew just which broadcast she was referring to, since there was only one which had been on so many frequencies simultaneously. The thought that someone could joke about such horrors made my spark burn with rage and my energon run cold at the same time.

"Anyway, Sharon was joking about it, and saying that 'Demon' got exactly what she deserved. I hauled off and hit her as hard as I could! Right where her jaw met her skull. I might have a broken wrist, but her jaw is wired together, and she lost three teeth. That rotten skank will be eating through a straw for the next two months. I got suspended for a week, and ISS for a second week, but so what? The whole school congratulated me! Even some of the others that would pick on Autumn weren't happy to learn about what her father had done to her at home." Mikaela said with an angry shake of her head.

"I just wish I had found out when she first started school with us. She spent the night over at my house once. She was nice. I mean, yeah, she had to write everything down anytime she wanted to say something, but my parents liked her and said that she was very polite to them." Sam said sourly.

"If I had known what she was going through, I'd have brought her to my trailer. It wouldn't have been the best place to live because she'd have had to share a room with me, but that would have to be better than what she went through at home." Mikaela said sorrowfully.

"All I can say is, the guy better be glad that I never found out, because I would certainly have told my mom, and she'd have gone after him with Excalibur!" Sam exclaimed smugly.

"He better be glad he's dead then, because your mom can scare Megatron with that bat of hers!" Mikaela retorted.

"Anyway, Bee said that Autumn is still here on base. I owe her one hell of an apology. I mean… I never actually did anything to her, but I didn't stop the ones who did either… and I should have. God I wish I had!" Mikaela explained as her eyes started getting wet from tears that were almost ready to fall.

At that point Bee reached up and placed both humans on the ground, and Sam moved closer to Mikaela so that they were standing right next to each other.

"Well Sam, Mikaela… this will sound very strange, and if you find it hard to believe I can understand, because I'm still not sure what caused it to happen or even why it happened." Ratchet began heavily.

"What do you mean? Tell me she's not dead?" Mikaela exclaimed almost desperately.

"No… Autumn isn't dead; not even close, but you wouldn't recognize her anymore even if you were in the same room with her. She's changed… a lot!" Ratchet said seriously.

"Oh come on Ratchet, she can't have changed that much in a few months. She's probably gained a bit of weight, and more than likely, she's got a few reasons to smile now, but I'm sure I'd still recognize her." Mikaela retorted.

"Actually Autumn was somehow converted into a Cybertronian femme. The why and how she was changed are things I still haven't figured out, but she is a Cybertronian now." Ratchet said quietly.

I could see looks of confusion on the faces of the two humans as they tried to understand what had just been said to them.

"You mean… are you saying that she's an Autobot now?" Mikaela finally asked with the beginnings of hope on her face.

"Yeah Da Lil Lady is a femme now. In fact, tha Lil Lady ya wanna talk to is standin right dere!" Jazz chimed in with a smug grin while pointing at Autumn.

Autumn POV

When Jazz pointed me out to Mikaela and Sam, I looked over at them in fright, I knew… just knew they were going to start calling me a freak, or Demon or any of a million other things.

"Autumn… Mondschein?" Mikaela asked hesitantly.

I could almost swear that I heard hope in her voice though, and that was just plain weird!

"Yes… that's me." I answered glumly.

"Thank God!" Mikaela sighed in obvious relief.

"Look, I'm sorry. I should have realized what a shallow bitch Raquel really was a long time ago, and I didn't. I don't know if you still love your dad or not, but I'm sorry about that too. Look, I really don't know how to say this. But it's like I was just going with the flow and minding my own business, when someone threw a bucket of ice cold water on me to wake me up. Now I know what was happening to you and I feel… I feel like I'm the one who should have gotten slugged! You damned sure didn't need that crap going on at home, but when you add in the crap you were taking at school too… well it's a miracle that you're still alive, and I'm honestly glad you are. I know you didn't have any friends at school, because there isn't anyone who can ever remember just hanging out with you. I should have been a friend to you... I should have been there for you. You hear on the news all the time about some kid committing suicide because they were getting bullied at school. I think you had it a lot worse than any of them, and I'm sorry. I know we weren't friends, but I… I'd like to be your friend now… if you'll let me." Mikaela said as she fought back her tears.

I was stunned and didn't really know what to say. I think maybe that's why I said the first thing that came to mind.

"The only reason I miss that drunk slob of a slagger is because he could have told me about my mother." I said angrily.

"He… he said he made you watch while he killed her… is that true?" Sam asked me looking like he was about to puke.

I didn't know what they wanted me to say, so I just nodded my helm. That was one of the very few things that I could actually remember about my mother… and I wish I couldn't.

Sam looked even more like he was going to be sick. I couldn't understand why, since he wasn't the one who had to put up with everything.

Suddenly Mikaela looked up at me and gave a halfhearted smile. "You're here now… with the Autobots, and I'm very glad to know that."

"Why?" I asked in confusion.

"Because they won't let any of that crap happen to you. I know some of them can scare the life right out of you when they want to, but they're really great people." Mikaela told me.

"How do you know that?" I asked somewhat skeptically.

Mikaela smirked at me and raised one eyebrow. "Hello? Look where I'm sitting. Bee said he's the youngest Autobot alive, and he's over thirty thousand years old. Ironhide and Ratchet are the two grouchiest ones I've met, and Ironhide didn't even kill Sam's Chihuahua for pissing on his foot right after they got to Earth. They may talk tough, but that's it." Mikaela finished wryly.

I had to think about that for a minute. I remembered how Jason or Ironhide had busted down the door and snapped the chains to get me out of that room. I remember how slagged off he was. I remember thinking that he was slagged off at me; that he was going to kill me… but he didn't. The only things I could remember was how gentle he had been while putting my armor on for the first time, and how bad I got damaged in my first training session. Then I thought about the apologies he had given me. If he hadn't even killed a tiny toe biting dog for pissing on him, then that would mean that he meant what he said… didn't it? I didn't know. I wasn't sure what to think anymore. Somehow everything just seemed to be crashing down on me. I'm not human anymore, and my father is dead, so I don't have to put up with the things he always did to me, but for some reason everything just felt… worse.

"You… you mean that… don't you?" I asked her softly.

Mikaela nodded her head. "Of course I do. Bee risked his life to save me and Sam just a few hours after we met. He knew that Sector Seven was out to capture him, and that he'd get caught if he helped us. Sam and I fell more than thirty feet. We would've hit solid concrete, and you know that we'd have been lucky to die instantly. Bee caught us. If he hadn't, Sector Seven never would have caught him a few seconds later. He didn't hesitate; he didn't stop to think about it, he just did it. I'm alive because of him. Okay so maybe the fall might not have killed me, I would have ended up with so many broken bones I'd still be in a cast. Bee didn't let that happen. That's the kind of people the Autobots are. They're heroes, whether they admit it or not."

Mikaela POV

Autumn seemed to think about what I said for a minute or two before she nodded her head. She acted like she was still scared for some reason. That was when I remembered how her father had said that the doctors and police had always given Autumn back to him. The teachers and counselors at our school had never helped her or even tried to help her either. After going through that for her whole life, she wouldn't trust an adult as far as a baby can throw one. That was when I suddenly realized something… she'd never had any friends! She couldn't have… all it would take is for one person to get suspicious and her father would have spent the rest of his life in prison. So she won't trust an adult… I don't know if she sees the Autobots as adults or not… she probably does, since they're a lot older than she is. Well, since she won't trust adults, and she's never had a friend before… it means I need to step up to the plate. What everyone did to her is beyond wrong. What I did to her is also wrong… I mean, I didn't really do anything to her, but I didn't stop it either. I just looked the other way, and I shouldn't have. Oh God I shouldn't have! If I had said something, done something… maybe… maybe this could have been stopped sooner, and Autumn would never have gotten raped.

It was kind of hard to wrap my head around the fact that she was an Autobot now. Talk about weird! Not that she's a freak or anything, but… wow!

"So… do you like being an Autobot?" I asked her. I mean, it's not an easy question, but what else am I supposed to say? It's not like I need to ask about how things are going at home.

"Well it's a lot different because I'm not getting beat up all the time. I don't have to try to stay away from my father anymore, and I'm even getting to learn new things. Jazz is teaching me how to fight, and Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are teaching me how to drive. So I guess I do." Autumn answered after thinking about it for a second.

"So what do you change into?" I asked trying to get onto a better topic than what we started off with.

"It's a Ferrari Dino Concept. I still have to figure out how everything works though." Autumn answered with a wry grimace and a shy tone.

"Don't stress your systems over it Autumn, you're learning, and that's what matters. No one expects you to learn everything all at once, so don't even try. Just take your time and learn things right. You've got a very long life ahead of you Autumn… plenty of time to learn." Said a white and rose colored bot.

"My friends and I have heard of you, but we haven't met. My name's Elita-1." She said smiling as she introduced herself.

"I'm called Arcee." Said the purple and silver one.

"My name is Chromia, and we've heard a lot about the two of you, and I want to thank you for defending Autumn even though she wasn't there." The sapphire blue one told me.

"You know… honestly, it wouldn't have mattered who she was talking about; that stuff should never have been said… about anyone! Certainly not about someone I've met." I said with a frown.

"That alone tells us a lot about what kind of person you are Mikaela. There are many people who would simply do nothing, and gone about their way, but you didn't. It shows me that you will be a good friend for Autumn to have." Elita told me with a smile.

"Sam and I met her a while back. We had a long talk and told her the truth about Mission City, plus we got to know her a bit." I admitted with a grin.

"She seemed like a normal kid. I had no idea all that crap had been happening to her at home. I had a nice time talking to her." I added.

"I liked talking with you too. I never had any friends growing up, so I guess that makes you and Sam the only friends I ever had as a human." Autumn said softly.

"Oh… I forgot. I think one of you dropped some kind of spike looking thing in my room." Autumn told me quickly.

"What kind of spike looking thing? I don't remember anything like that." I said in confusion.

"It wasn't very big, but it would have made a beautiful pendant… if it hadn't vanished." Autumn answered.

"Wha'd it look like Lil Lady?" Jazz asked quickly.

"It was about an inch and a half or two inches long. Made of metal, and covered with some weird symbols on two sides with the third was kind of melted. It… it uh… it disappeared in my hand after I picked it up." Autumn said nervously.

"Tha explains a bunch!" Jazz said softly.

"Yes, it does. That had to be a fragment of the Allspark, which would explain her transformation from human to bot, and the Allspark radiation she exhibited prior to her change." Ratchet mused before turning to Autumn. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

"I… I didn't think it was important. I only just now remembered because I thought one of them dropped it." Autumn answered sounding nervous.

"Leave her alone Ratchet, she's got enough on her mind right now. Believe me, the kind of crap she's had to deal with doesn't go away just because the cause did." I snapped at the medic.

"Hey Jazz, I've got a cube of high grade that says Mikaela is just the femme Autumn needs to be around." Ironhide said with a laugh.

"Ah ain't gonna be takin dat bet, Hide. Cause Ah can tell right now dat ya callin a sure bet, an Ah don't like losin." Jazz laughed in return.

All of the bots except Ratchet and Autumn laughed at that.

"I have to agree with you Ironhide. Besides, Autumn will always need good friends." Elita said chuckling.

That was when I noticed the strange huffing sound coming from the thing that Autumn was holding. I wasn't exactly sure, but I could see what it looked like… only one way to find out.

"Okay, so what do you have in your arms Autumn?" I asked her with a grin.

Apparently, I had asked the right question, because her whole attitude changed instantly.

"This is Ravage, she's a Cybercat… and she's cute!" Autumn said in a girlish squeal.

Something wasn't right here. I couldn't put my finger on it, but Autumn wasn't acting the same way she had at school. There, if you started something, she was usually ready to finish it. There had been a few times that she'd just smile after getting hit. It was like she was telling you that whatever you just did to her, wasn't even good enough to make her mad. Now… it was almost like she was a little kid again. She was unsure of herself, nervous, hesitant, and she seemed scared. This wasn't like the Autumn I remembered. Had something happened to her during the change from human to bot, or was the crap she had gone through finally hitting her now that she didn't have to put up with it anymore?

I don't know what the problem is, but knowing what I know now, I can't just stand by and do nothing like I used to. Yeah, the events of Mission City changed me. I used to just mind my own business, and do my own thing. Now? I can't do that anymore. In Mission City, I became a part of something a whole lot bigger than one small person. There, I was part of a group of heroes that helped save the world. Yeah, I know… I didn't really do all that much except steal a towtruck so I could get Bee out of there. Then, we ended up going back, because I just couldn't abandon those I had come to call my friends. I used the towtruck to act as his legs so he could take care of business by shooting the bad guys. It worked out pretty well. Call me weird, but that change is something that has stayed with me. I think it made me grow up a bit, become more responsible. Whatever the reason is, I'm a better person now than I was before. There is something wrong with Autumn, I don't know what it is, but it's there. I can help her with it, I'm sure I can, and because of that change… I have to try!

I looked up at Ravage who was in Autumn's arms, and tilted my head a bit as I examined her.

"You know… she is cute in a 'Steampunk' kind of way. She looks like a giant metal panther." I admitted.

"She's a great big kitty!" Autumn told me happily.

"Maybe to you! She's even bigger than I am, and even lions don't get as big as she is!" I retorted quickly.