I was trapped in a large fist. The metal squeezed around me, rather unkindly. I had gotten caught. Of course I had. Everything around me blurred from focus as Magnus stormed down the corridor of the Brig, above me he was listing off my apparent infractions and had been doing so since I had been grabbed. In truth, I had stopped listening. All I knew was that the list was long and his grip was making it hard to breathe.

He released me and I stumbled onto a flat surface, it only took a glance to see I was on a massive desk. The lights above were harsh, the room looked exceptionally tidy, and with dread I realized I had been brought to his office. The Lieutenant moved in such a way that each crashing footstep communicated to me perfectly that his anger had not so much as twitched during our brief stroll from Ravage's cell. Behind me, the large door hissed shut. The large chair was yanked out and he sat heavily, causing a small earthquake to rattle through the room. A sweeping shadow pulled my attention up and he loomed over me like a very angry mountain.

Shame sunk in my chest like a pit. Oh boy. I was familiar with the stern look, it was one I had seen from my dad many times, the: "I'm both furious and disappointed" look. Though usually there wasn't quite this much 'murderous intent.'

Stark, orderly, and clean, the office stretched around me. There was something uncanny about the way it reflected the lieutenant. The longer I looked, the more I noticed. For example, behind him the wall was covered in frames that showcased large blocky lines of alien script. The text was bold and clean, it filled each frame perfectly. All these placards in turn had been hung grid-like and symmetrical to each other with each small sign on the left mirrored with an equivalent on Magnus's right, and each larger sign on his right mirrored by the same on his left. And dead center sat him. The desk, the shelves—everything, they all followed this same pattern. It was this complete picture before me, the way every line, mark, and shape—the way it all narrowed in on him as if he were the central commanding force of the space itself, it was this that escalated this experience from frightening to terrifying. Admittedly more so from the shocking reality that he had somehow turned interior decoration into a weapon, and furthermore, was succeeding.

His boulder-like fist crashed down mere meters from me, "Explain yourself!"

I could only stare with horror at his fist—which up until a few moments ago had been responsible for my life. My lizard brain had already decided it wanted no part in processing this situation, much less in crafting a well-thought-out explanation. In fact, it had remained far more adamant that my best strategy here was to clam up and freeze like a stone, hoping that despite all reason this giant robot might function much like a t-rex: no move, no see.

This was, in fact, not the case.

There was a rush of air as he swiped up a large data pad on the desk. "First you arrive aboard unceremoniously, now you roam our ship and threaten our very security. I told Prime, I did! I warned him something like this could happen. I advised him to keep you contained. I offered to design the container myself!" A large finger was thrust in my face, "But Prime insisted to trust Misdirect with you. Well no longer, this is a mistake Prime can not dismiss." He looked coldly down at me, "Who gave you access to the Brig?"

Somehow, I found my voice, "N-no one."

This was not the correct answer, "Lying to a senior officer is a punishable offense. Who's idea was this? Perceptor's, Brainstorm's?" His expression then soured as if he had taken a bite from a lemon, "No doubt Misdirect was behind this."

"It was my idea," I said.

He grumbled with the datapad as if he hadn't heard me, "I told Optimus that Misdirect was too irresponsible for guardianship. We had no business shifting responsibility from Ratchet."

Out of concern for my friend, I metaphorically and physically put my foot down, "It was my idea. Misdirect wasn't there."

Magnus addressed me, "How did you leave the Medbay? Ratchet informed me the doors had been shut."

"Is he here?" I'd give anything to have someone between me and this mountain of metal.

"Ratchet is still attending Prime's emergency meeting. Unlike you and I, he is exactly where he is supposed to be." Magnus scowled, "I suggest you begin explaining."

"I need to talk to Optimus about Earth." I blurted.

"Are your audio sensors malfunctioning? Prime is handling the Allspark situation as we speak."

My shock was short-lived. If he had apparently been in the emergency meeting, it shouldn't be surprising he had been told about the cube situation.

"He can't go after the cube!" I exclaimed.

"The matter does not concern you."

"But Ravage said—"

"Ravage was informed of the Allspark?"

"Of course not!"

"I need a full transcript of your conversation, now."

"You don't understand—"

"Enough," He pointed at me again, finger the size of a tree nearly touching my chest, "You will behave, or your guardians will be summoned to handle you."

I glared. Blood pounded in my ears. I grit my teeth so hard my gums ached.

"Get the fuck away from me!" I yelled. He pulled away and I was glad for it because I was one second away from taking a swipe at his finger and I'm pretty sure I would have broken my hand.

"This is my planet, my family!" I jabbed my chest with a thumb, "I have every right to be involved!"

He was unfazed. When he spoke his voice had a sharp edge of warning. "Kathrine."

Inside, my lizard brain was shrieking that I needed to stick to the plan and shut my mouth, but I was tired. I felt hot tears rolling from my eyes.

"No!" I pointed at him, "Don't you dare 'Kathrine' me! My planet is in danger and you're just going to let Optimus do whatever the fuck he wants with it? You want me to stay out of it, you're going to have to lock me up just like you did to Ravage." Without my anger, I knew I'd have vaporized from fear on the spot. But this wasn't just any old situation. My voice cracked as I shouted, "Frown at me all you want, I demand to see Optimus!"

Magnus stared me down. I glared back, face flushed and blinking to clear my vision, frustrated at the tears still running down my face. The silence stretched longer and angrily I realized this was just another stupid power game: I was supposed to lose my nerve with him during this staring contest. Well, I wasn't playing. I tore my glare from him and whipped around, pacing several steps before spinning and pacing back. Energy thrummed through me now, I felt ready to jump from this ridiculous desk and find my own way to Optimus.

I stopped, "I know how you see me, it's how everyone here has seen me. I'm just this small primitive thing that needs your protection, a child. I bet everyone thought they could leave me out of this and I'd just wait in the Medbay like a good little pet. I hear all the things you say about us, how we can't build anything, how your technology is too complicated for our small brains to understand." I faced him, "Well we made this happen, we figured out your cube. Sure it did all this, but it still fucking worked."

"Your exclusion was for your safety."

"I feel real safe!" I threw my hands up. My voice was becoming unsteady and the tears had not stopped. "I was left behind, don't sugarcoat it. You think I wanted to risk my life coming here? Ravage threatened me, humiliated me, and swore to kill everyone I loved. Of course I didn't want to be here! But my planet is on the line, and if you weren't willing to give Earth a voice, then that responsibility has to fall on me."

"Then behave like it," He snapped.

I flinched back. Angry words tumbled inside me but I kept my mouth clamped shut.

He spoke, "You are not a pet nor a child in this office. If you expect to be treated as the autonomous individual you are, then you will compose yourself accordingly. Who sent you here?"

Frustration itched through me and I clenched my fists, still, I kept my words even, "I'm not going to answer that. I am taking full responsibility for this." I could tell I was testing this brief period of peace between us, but he allowed it. I guess there were more important things at hand.

"Why did you come here?"

"I had to know I could trust you."

He frowned.

I scoffed, exasperated, "Not you specifically, I mean the Autobots. I only came to ask Ravage about the war."

He had a rare tone of sarcasm, "And did you succeed?"

"Yeah, I guess," I huffed. I took a moment to wipe my eyes clear. My empty stomach continued to claw at my insides. "Make fun of it if you want, I know how it sounds. But, I was the one who told you guys about the cube, I didn't know it was so important, I barely remembered my dad mentioning it until Misdirect brought up your Allspark. If your friendliness had been a lie, and you went to Earth ready to kill anyone in your way, then all of that is my fault. Every person who might die will die because of me." I waved him off, "Call that childish, but I won't apologize for making sure."

He still had that unwavering sternness on his face, "Why exactly do you believe Earth is a target?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe it's the super-powerful war-stopping cube that we have?"

"You are certain Ravage was not told? Did Ravage suspect that Megatron intends to seek Earth?" Something had changed in his voice. He tapped quickly into his datapad but kept his attention on me.

"I…don't know," I admitted, "He apparently already knew we had something on Earth, like back when he sent his message. But he didn't seem to know what it was."

"But, he thinks Megatron will be interested?"

I eyed Magnus, a little startled by the shift in tone. "I think he was hoping for it, but it wasn't until after we talked—when he realized Optimus was going for it—that he got happy about it." I bit the inside of my cheek, "I think Ravage is scared of them."

"You suspected Prime was targeting Earth, this was information you provided to Ravage?"

"No." I hesitated, "Ravage figured that out on his own, apparently me being in the Brig by myself was enough for him."

Magnus drew back and no longer loomed so much over me. He nodded. "Unsurprising."

"You believe me?"

"Are you suggesting I should not?"

I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms, "Magnus, what is this? First, we're yelling and now we're talking? Am I in trouble? Am I not? Am I about to get thrown into the Brig? Just tell me."

"Yes, your actions must be addressed, if that is your question." He set the datapad down, taking a moment to align it perfectly with the other two datapads on the desk, and then neatly folded his hands in front of him. "I will not treat you like a pet, Kathrine. This ship is in the worst condition for battle, our troops are far from recovered, and our resources on all accounts are abysmal. Megatron and his fleet will be in this sector promptly, and when they are, they will not stop until we are discovered. Our possession of Ravage was our only assurance for negotiation, and until we can be certain of everything he might have learned from you today, we cannot risk returning him to Megatron. Your actions have threatened our very survival, and should that fact mean so little to you, I'll remind you that this includes your ability to return home."

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

Magnus went on, "Prime has already rationed a considerable portion of our limited resources to help you, not to mention he has given you generous free movement onboard, which I cannot stress enough I had been directly opposed to. This degree of priority and trust is revocable. If our immediate survival demands it, not only could you be spending the next dozen cycles in containment, but your return home may need to be put on hold. Perhaps indefinitely. Am I clear?"

I stood in brittle silence, my heart pounding. "Yes."

His expression darkened, "You understand exactly what that would mean for you?"

I'd never see Earth again. I'd die here. "I understand." I said.

"Then consider this your formal warning. There will not be a second."

My head now spun. That was it? No torture or imprisonment?

His words had cut through me deeply. What if the Autobots lost because of me? I hadn't even thought of that. My hand found Melody's badge and I pulled it from my pocket. At some point, the plastic sleeve holding the card had cracked and I slid my thumb along its jagged edge, it left thin white scratches on my skin. Melody smiled brightly.

Frayed like a thread: it was the thought that kept cycling through me. I was a cord of string unraveling bit by bit. Bruised head, throbbing arm, empty stomach, and a million other little pieces tugging away. I scratched at the bandages and winced at the soreness on my arm. Did it matter if I told Optimus not to go? Would he even listen to me now that I had made their chances worse? How would I explain myself to any of them, least of all, to Optimus?

I guess I was just lucky Magnus hadn't squashed me then and there when I had yelled at him. All that anger seemed so pointless now.
Magnus continued, "Your proximity to this situation is undeniable given your motives, so I have also come to the conclusion it was more than inappropriate for you to be excluded from our discussion of the Allspark. Allow me to extend a formal apology on our behalf. I have taken the liberty to mark you as a necessary participant regarding this topic. It will be in direct violation of the law should you be excluded from any further discussions regarding the Allspark and the Earth. That being said, should you be compelled to act so recklessly again, this will be revoked." He leaned in slightly, "Do you require me to repeat myself?"

I shook my head quickly.

"Very well. I will be reviewing the Brig's security footage and audio recordings to corroborate what you have told me. If I find your testimony faithful, you will hear nothing more from me on this matter. I will be sending copies of our unabridged Rules and Regulations as well as The Complete and Unabridged Autobot Code to the Medbay for you to thoroughly review." He drew in even closer, his voice deepened until I could feel the vibrations in my bones, "I expect to never see you in this office again."

Just like that, the matter was finished. It was as if he had stamped his big seal of approval on things, folded it neatly, and tucked it away. That was that.

"I am arranging for you to be escorted back to the Medbay. They will be here momentarily."

My heart was still pounding. I stood in the silence, debating for a second whether he was indeed no longer angry. "Is it Misdirect?" I asked hopefully.

"Misdirect and Ratchet are across the ship. A different bot will escort you."

It felt wrong to keep talking, but I found myself bugged by something. "They're in the meeting, right? With Optimus?"

"You will have time to speak with Prime once you have returned to the Medbay."

"How did you get here so fast?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow, or at least it seemed like he did. He didn't exactly have any eyebrows he could raise, but somehow he pulled off the expression. Now that I was thinking about it, they all had an interesting way of moving or emoting. It was sort of clumsy sometimes, like they weren't so sure of themselves. I guess if they had been using the dictionary on my phone, all they had were the written descriptions of facial expressions, that and what I did myself.

"I came to investigate as soon as the proximity sensors were tripped." He said.

"Proximity sensors?"

"Yes, around Ravage's cell."

"But you came when he…" I motioned to my mouth, "Yelled out, or whatever that was."

Magnus scoffed, "Oh, I heard his whining when I arrived."

I frowned. Had Ravage known Magnus was on his way as soon as I had shown up before him? Who was I kidding? He probably timed his roar for it. So he had been bluffing, playing his little games with me the entire time we had talked. That smug piece of…

But like a wave, the feeling rushed over me and then dissipated into nothing again. My anger gone, I was left where I was with a sour look on my face and the realization that it wasn't helping anything.

The air between Magnus and I felt considerably less tense. I slouched miserably. "I'm sorry, for everything," I said, "Ravage was a mistake, he played me like it was a game. He nearly found out everything. More than that, I didn't even think how it would affect you." I expected to receive another stern word or angry lecture, but Magnus spoke with no such tone.

"Ravage specializes in reconnaissance," He explained, "His skills with perception have made him invaluable to both Soundwave and Megatron, and he is unfortunately very successful at his work. This is why the Brig is locked down, I can not risk him seeing or hearing anything that he might find useful, no matter how small." I chanced a look at Magnus as he tapped at the datapad. He made eye contact with me.

Still, I spoke cautiously, "If I may," I said, "Why did you put him in a cell with bars? I saw plenty that had a solid door. Wouldn't that be more secure?" I mimed the shape with my hands.

"Ravage operates best by staying out of sight. I have found it most effective if he is forced to remain visible." He said.

I then asked, "What is Optimus going to do? It sounded like you didn't think he was going to Earth?"

"Much of it depends on Megatron's plan of action."

I could tell he wasn't telling me everything he knew, but I decided not to press my luck more than I already was. "May I ask one more question?"

He regarded me. For someone who didn't come off as chatty, he seemed to be unbothered by all my questions.

"Can I trust you, the Autobots?" I asked.

"What was your conclusion?"

"I…I think you guys are the best we've got." He nodded as if prompting me to go on. I reluctantly obliged, "Ravage made it an easy choice. I mean, you heard what I said earlier. He had this whole thing about organic life being inferior. He made a lot of threats, like that Megatron would kill everyone and make me watch." I used the heels of my palms to wipe my eyes. "Yeah. Not a hard choice."

Magnus had a disgusted sort of look, "Ravage is indeed afraid of Megatron. Strength and usefulness are the only ethos the Decepticons uphold, no doubt Ravage is used to making threats." He made a fist on his desk, "Our laws however are very clear on the matter of protecting innocents and civilians, and I intend to uphold these laws regardless of who threatens them." Something seemed to catch his attention and he held up a hand as if to ask for a moment. He was doing that thing I had seen Misdirect and Ratchet do, where their glowing eyes dimmed and flickered as if they were deep in thought. Though, I was beginning to suspect it was more than just thinking and I could only wonder what exactly they could do with their robotic brains. Type up an email? Google something?

The door behind me hissed open and I spun around.

"Bumblebee, excellent timing," Magnus greeted, "As I've requested, Kathrine requires escort back to the Medbay."

The new bot beeped. The bot was yellow and black, on the shorter side, with armor that was smooth and curved, almost bubbly. I spotted two wing-like structures on his back.

"What just happened?" I twisted to look at Magnus.

"I've received word that the Decepticon fleet has entered this sector of space."

My heart nearly stopped dead in my chest. A wave of fear washed down my whole body.

Magnus stood abruptly. "If you both will excuse me."

Bumblebee looked between us before meekly holding up a hand as if to ask something. He beeped at Magnus, and I tried my best not to stare. It didn't sound anything like the Cybertronian I had heard from anyone else.

Magnus apparently understood him perfectly: "Yes, this is Kathrine, I've sent you her report."

Bumblebee beeped.

"How she got here is irrelevant," Magnus said.

Bumblebee beeped again.

Magnus held up his palm, "I assure you the matter has been handled."

Bumblebee beeped again.

"That is none of your concern," Magnus said sternly.

I tried not to make my confusion obvious, but it was clear they were having a conversation. Was he using another kind of Cybertronian? I guess I was so used to everyone switching right away to English.

Bumblebee let out a few final beeps that somehow sounded flippant. He approached the desk but paused when I shied away. His hand had come up as if to pick me up but now he hesitated, hand bobbing slightly as if he was unsure whether to grab me or not.

Bumblebee beeped at me.

I looked at him.

He looked at me.

Apparently not the answer he was looking for, Bumblebee looked up and beeped at Magnus. The lieutenant had already whisked around his desk and had stepped foot in the hallway outside his office. He turned briefly to address me, "Bumblebee is asking for your permission to be held."

Reluctantly I turned back to Bumblebee. He looked sheepish somehow. I nodded. Bumblebee's hand came back slowly, as if trying not to startle a small animal, and gingerly I was picked up around my waist.

"Oh, and Kathrine," Magnus said. We turned to face him. He stared straight at me.

"As a guest aboard this ship, you are protected under an especially strict code of conduct that I take very seriously. Should anyone onboard threaten you as Ravage did, or refer to you as anything less than a person, I expect a report to be sent directly to me, I will handle the matter personally." As if spurred on by some cosmic power of dramatic timing, Magnus's door slid shut with a hollow thud of finality.

My new robot friend gave a single low beep. I needed no translation.

"Yeah," I said, resting my hands on the fingers around my waist. "He's terrifying."