With a Wish

by XxRebelWriterxX

Moving to Jasper, Nevada hadn't been on my to-do list, but it was certainly my destiny. Who knew chasing after a boy in an alley could change my life so much. I don't regret it though. After all, it all started with a wish. Ratchet/OC

16. Chapter 16

I'm alive!

Hey everyone. So I've gotten up to chapter Nineteen written on this. I wanted to finish it but I also want to kind of see if there's anyone out there still interested in it. I'm going to complete it, like I'm super excited about its ending. But I just kind of want to hype everyone up (if anyone out there that is). So yeah, I'm back. Don't know for how long but we'll see what happens. I like to keep y'all on your toes. The next chapter is already written but I'll probably wait a few days to see what happens with this one before posting. If I get no reviews, then I'll probably just finish it and post it all later.

And with that, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Don't own this, so don't ask!

Chapter Sixteen:

A week had passed since the Shadow zone incident. My training with Cliff and the twins, as well as with Ratchet, had definitely picked up. Since I lived at the base, and was basically banned from ever leaving without a good reason, I didn't really have anything else to do. After my whole kidnapping incident, and the death of my parents, I dropped out of college. I couldn't go to classes anyways.

I'm not really sure what my official story was. The world knew that my parents were the ones killed in the SUV explosion, but no one knew what had happened to me. My grandparents, on both sides, had long since passed. I had no other family who would care so it didn't matter all that much. My teachers probably just assumed I moved back to my old hometown.

Keeping busy wasn't always easy, but I did it the best I could.

Currently I was training with Cliffjumper and the twins. We were doing a favorite exercise of theirs, it was called "Don't get captured". I'm sure you could imagine what that entailed. Since the Decepticons had pretty much made their intentions towards me clear, the Autobots wanted me to be proficient in evading capture. Which meant I spent a lot of time running, dodging, and weaving around to avoid my mentors from snatching me up.

It wasn't always easy either. Since it was likely I wouldn't just have one coming at me, they usually all three ganged up on me. I had to learn how to think quickly on my feet and use creative means of evasion.

So yeah, that's where I was right now. I ducked as a gold arm reached down to grab me. Then I ran forward, jumping in between two red arms that came at me, and rolling forward as I landed. Quickly, I jumped back up and to the side. I heard my guardians laugh and I rolled my eyes. "Gotta be quicker than that guys!"

I ran out of the room and into the halls of the silo. After running for several moments, I snuck a glance behind me and saw Cliff running straight at me. However, I didn't see the twins. I skid to a stop when I realized they were directly in front of me.I was trapped.

"Okay, I can do this." I mumbled before turning away from the twins and ran straight at Cliff. He grinned smugly at me, convinced that he had me now. However, I wasn't one to give up and I had a plan. As soon as I was ten feet from him, I jumped. One of the powers I gained from the Allspark was the ability to jump up really high, like a power ranger. I used that momentum, combined with my newfound strength, and slammed into my guardian.

"Whoa!" He yelped and fell backwards. I jumped again, landing gracefully on the other side of his fallen figure. I could hear the twins laughing at Cliff's predicament but I didn't stop. I knew that doing so would cause me to get "captured". I was so close now, there was no way I would mess up now.

I ran around the hall and back into the training room. On the other side, there was a bell. If I rang that, I would be safe and would win the game. So I took off at a dead sprint. I could hear the clanking feet of my mentors running after me. However, I was pretty fast and that, combined with the extra ten second I carved out my taking down Cliff, allowed me to get to the bell first and I rang it triumphantly. "Yes!" I cheered as I jumped up and down in excitement.

"Good job." Cliff said with a proud smile. "You finally managed to evade all three of us." He grabbed his chest where I had slammed him into. "But holy pit, you sure are strong for a human."

I laughed as he shook his helm. "You can thank the Allspark for that. I can't believe I knocked you on your aft though! I was only trying to distract you for a moment. That was way better than I could have ever expected."

Sunstreaker huffed. "Don't get a big head, girl. I guarantee you the Decepticons won't be nearly as easy to avoid as we were."

That sobered me up. I had a flashback of Soundwave grabbing me from the museum and shuddered. I usually tried to avoid thinking about the trauma I had faced with the Decepticons. It wasn't easy though, and I suffered from nightmares nearly every night. "I know, Sunstreaker. Trust me." I assured him.

He stared me down fiercely for a moment, before his optics softened. "Of course, I sometimes forget that you were just held captive and tortured by those fraggers."

Sideswipe put an arm on his brother's shoulder. I smiled sadly and shrugged. "No use dwelling on the past. Are we done here, I need a shower." I felt the adrenaline kick in, activating my fight or flight response. Anytime I thought about my torture, my heart would begin to race and breathing would become difficult. Panic set in, blinding me to my current reality and forcing me to relive my trauma over and over again.

I could feel the beginning of a panic attack hit me now. The euphoria I had from winning their challenge had fled, leaving me with an overwhelming feeling of dread and despair. If I didn't leave soon, my mentors would witness me losing my shit right there in the middle of the training hall.

They dismissed me and I hurriedly made my way towards the bathroom. My breathing became more and more labored as I briskly walked to my destination. My chest felt tight and my eyes stung with unshed tears that burned. When I reached the door, I pushed it open and tripped inside.

It had barely closed when the first flashback hit me, driving away all other senses but panic and fear.

The needle pierced my skin and he emptied that stuff into my bloodstream. Immediately, my arm felt as if it were on fire. The fire spread throughout my entire body as it traveled. I held back a scream, but I couldn't stop the tears from gathering in my eyes. The veins of my body glowed a purple color.

"Huh, you have energon in your blood. That is odd. I thought humans reacted negatively to energon. No matter, I can use this. Perhaps if I drained all the blood from your body, I could somehow separate the two and study it." Knock Out smirked.

"That's insane." I bit out. The fire was slowly cooling down. He laughed. "Perhaps, but it will be so much fun to try." The decepticon grabbed a sharp knife and cut a line down my right arm, starting from my shoulder and going all the way down to my hands. I couldn't stop the cry of pain that time.

"NO!" I yelped, while covering my ears and squeezing my eyes shut. I slid down onto the floor and bit my tongue to prevent myself from screaming. I couldn't stop the sob that escaped my throat and my tears now flowed freely down my cheeks.

The sound of my bones breaking echoed in my mind. I could almost feel the agony I had felt that day when they were crushed between that wrench. Knock Out's laugh rang loudly in my ears, as if he were in the room with me.

"Get out of my head!" I nearly shouted. I screamed into my arm, begging the memories to go away. But they didn't. They replayed in my mind, loudly and vividly. I felt a sting of pain and the taste of copper flitted across my tongue. In my panic, I had bitten into the flesh of my arm hard enough to draw blood. But that didn't bother me. I was trapped in the memories.

My heart was pounding in my chest.

I couldn't breathe.

Something was choking me.

Did my skin feel hot all of a sudden?

Was I in that box with the radiation once more?

What were these black dots that began filling my vision?

"You are so weak. Why would anyone believe you had any kind of ancient powers? Humans are not meant to interact with Gods."

"SHUT UP!" I screamed and rocked back and forth on the ground.

"Weak insect."

I moaned in despair.

Something made a loud bang.

"JESSICA!"

That sounded like Miko, was she here too? Oh Primus, was she being tortured as well!

"I doubt Primus would entrust great powers like the Allspark with someone as insignificant as you are."

Someone lifted me up and I gasped, struggling against them "No, please! Leave me alone, no more." I begged. I couldn't do it anymore. It was too much. I was too weak. An insignificant bug who didn't deserve the powers of the Allspark.

"Shh, Jessica, it's alright." A calming, familiar voice assured me. "Open your eyes, what you're seeing is not real. You've escaped the Decepticons. You're safe at the base."

I wanted to believe those words.

He plunged the knife deep into my leg. This time I did scream at the searing pain. He cut through the muscles, opening the skin of my leg up to show the bone.

"Please, stop! No more!" I writhed around desperately. I felt the strong arms that held me get tighter and I panicked.

"Ratchet, what's happening!"

Ratchet?

Was Ratchet here? No he couldn't be. No one else was here but me. Neither he nor Miko could possibly be on the ship. Did that mean I wasn't either?

No I had to be.

But didn't they rescue?

"Jessics, it's not real. Open your eyes, sweetspark. You are safe. "

It wasn't real? Am I really safe?

I had to be. Ratchet would never lie to me.

I gasped and opened my eyes, wildly looking around. When my gaze was met with familiar beautiful blue optics, I cried in relief. Ratchet's holoform was holding me in his arms, bridal style. I wasn't tied to a berth being tortured, I was safe.

I was home.

"Ratchet!" I cried and threw my arms around his shoulders. I cried some more, not even acknowledging the audience I had gathered. All I needed was the comforting feel of Ratchet's arms around me, holding me close as I sobbed into his chest.

"It's okay, my love. You're safe. I'm here with you." He whispered in my ear. I held onto him desperately. Soon enough, my head began feeling woozy. I finally relaxed in his arms, allowing myself to drift off to sleep.

XxRebelWriterxX

3rd POV

Ratchet waited until her breathing evened out before he even attempted to move. When he did, he cradled her in his arms and began walking towards the medbay. The others had left as soon as Jessica had broken from her flashback.

He laid her gently on one of the beds and covered her up with a blanket. Then he studied her face. Even in sleep, she still looked troubled. Ratchet hadn't thought about the repercussions of her time with Decepticons. After Jessica's parents were killed, and she decided they couldn't be together, he hadn't bothered to think about the repercussions she would face because of her trauma.

The medic had been so lost in his own self pity that he allowed the woman he loved to suffer alone. He vented heavily and shook his head. No matter how much he was hurting, Ratchet knew he needed to be there for her. She'd been through so much already in the short time that she'd been in their lives. Their world had literally turned hers upside down and he could only imagine how she was taking it all.

Ratchet reluctantly walked out of the medbay and into the main room, where he knew everyone would be waiting for an explanation. He'd barely stepped a foot in the room when he was bombarded with questions.

"What was that?"

"What's wrong with Jessica?"

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Where is she now?"

"What do we do now?"

Ratchet could barely think as question after question was thrown at him from all of his fellow Autobots, minus his leader who was waiting patiently for an explanation, and the children. "ENOUGH!" Ratchet growled in frustration. Everyone stopped talking but they still stared at him, waiting.

Ratchet vented a sigh once more. "I believe Jessica is suffering from PTSD after what she endured with the Decepticons. What you witnessed was a flashback. In her mind, she was back there again, being tortured by those sick pit-spawned bastards." Ratchet practically growled. Everyone was only slightly taken back by the amount of venom in his voice… but only slightly because they felt the same way.

"So what do we do?" Miko asked. Her face was white after witnessing her friend's meltdown. She'd been walking past the bathroom, on her way to her room to grab her guitar, when she'd heard the muffled screaming.

The Autobot medic shook his head. "I'm really not sure. I recognize the signs of PTSD but I've never studied how to treat them. This may be something that we'll have to consult with Agent Fowler over. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to do some research." Ratchet turned from the group and walked over to his computers. He pulled up a surveillance camera for the medbay on one of the monitors so he could keep an eye on Jessica. Then he got to work.

XxRebelWriterxX

Jessica's POV

"Engaging the enemy on your own was foolish, Bulkhead."

The sound of Optimus Prime's voice woke me up some time later. I resisted the urge to groan as I opened my eyes and they adjusted to the light. I quickly located the source of my wake up call. At first I was confused as to why everyone was in my room, then I realized I was in the medbay.

Memories from my meltdown flooded my mind, and my cheeks instantly heated up. I couldn't believe I was caught during a flashback. I had had a few since returning, but they'd all been in the privacy of my own room.

Holy crows, Ratchet had held me. While I was sobbing into his shoulder, no less! Not only that, but he called me his love. My heart hammered in my chest and, despite how dangerous it was, I couldn't help but feel slightly giddy. I knew he loved me, but for him to openly admit it like that was insane. The only problem was, it had been in the midst of me freaking out. And there was the whole "we can't be together" speech I gave him a few weeks ago. I still firmly believed it.

"Breakdown jumped me. I knew I could take him." Bulkhead was explaining. How long had I been asleep, and how much did I miss? "Ugh! Stay still." Ratchet grumbled as he tried to patch up Bulkhead. I was definitely curious about that story. I knew he'd been out on a mission while I'd been training. Something must have happened.

"But we should see the other guy, right, Bulk?" Miko asked. However, Bulkhead hesitated and I noted how puzzled he looked. "You didn't torch him?"

"Not exactly. I-I figured you all did." Bulkhead admitted, much to his charge's disappointment. "When I came to, Breakdown was just gone. I remember hearing a copter. Uh. Maybe it was agent Fowler."

"Not me. But I have an idea who. Show me where this 'con-napping occurred." Agent Fowlers said as he entered the silo. I looked over and met his gaze. His expression immediately softened and I could see the concern he had for me. They must have told him what had happened. Great, more people who knew about my vulnerabilities.

"Hello, Agent Fowler." I smiled reassuringly at him, though I alerted everyone to the fact that I was now awake. Ratchet immediately stiffened and walked over to me. I nodded at him. "It's okay, Ratch. I'm fine."

He shook his helm, before he blinked his holoform beside me and took my hand. "You are not okay, Jessica. I should have been there for you after you came back from the Decepticons. I was so worried about giving you space and thinking about my own problems, I missed the most important thing any medic should worry about after something traumatic happens, the mental repercussions."

My heart clenched at the defeated look in his optics. He blamed himself for not knowing about my flashbacks and nightmares. "You didn't know because I didn't allow anyone to see, not even Cliff knew and he's my guardian." I tried to soothe him, though I didn't miss the sad look Cliffjumper sent me. He was definitely going to want to talk with me later. "You know I like to play things close to the vest, please don't blame yourself."

Ratchet's holoform took a shuddering breath, a surprisingly human gesture. "You're not alone anymore. Please, you must come to me if you have any problems like this that you know I can help with. If not me, then First Aid or even Agent Fowler. As a human soldier, he is more than equipped to help you."

I reached up and cupped his cheek. "Thank you, I-I will try to remember that."

And just like that, I once again found myself lost in his eyes. If there was one place I could stay forever, it was right here with him. And, if the intensity he returned my gaze with was anything to go by, he felt exactly the same way. I wished more than anything in the world that we could stay here like this, his hand in mine. But I knew we couldn't.

It took everything in me to look away. He dropped my hand as well and his holoform disappeared. I didn't need to look at him to know how hurt he felt. I just knew it.

I cleared my throat and threw the blankets off me to sit up on the edge of the bed. "Um, I think I'm gonna go take that shower that I was gonna take earlier. I'm sorry for causing you all worry, it hadn't been my intention." I apologized to my friends.

"We need to discuss how to best help you control your flashbacks." Ratchet reminded me sternly.

"Shower first." I smiled weakly. He nodded in agreement. I stood, but before I could take a step forward, Cliff's hand came down to stop me. He offered it to me. "Come on, I'll give you a ride there."

I accepted, crawling into his hand and sitting down. The walk there was silent, but I knew my guardian was full of questions. "You know why I didn't tell you." I finally broke the silence. Cliff didn't say a word. When we arrived at the showers, he gently set me down on the floor. I turned around to face him "I really am sorry for keeping it from you. It's just… hard."

"I know."

He smiled weakly at me before he turned around and walked back to the front. I was a little afraid that I had disappointed him by not coming to him. However, his willingness to bring me back here showed that he wasn't angry. So I just took a deep breath and went into the shower room.

XxRebelWriterxX

After I was done, I walked back into the main room to join everyone else once more. Ratchet was at the computer, typing something into it while the others watched. I joined Agent Fowler and Miko on the second floor landing.

"This is where we picked up Bulkhead." Ratchet was informing the others. The computer had zoomed in on a spot located on an island in what looked like Russia maybe.

"The Kamchatka peninsula in eastern Russia. Much of it was abandoned when its volcano first erupted. My intel reported Mech activity there earlier today." Agent Fowler explained. I was pretty proud of myself for getting it right. I was pretty good at geography.

"Mech? You mean those techie guys?" Miko asked, curiously. Ratchet nodded, saying that they were the very ones who knew of their existence here on this planet, our planet. Bulkhead added that they must have tracked one of them there. "But what would they want with Breakdown?" My friend wondered aloud, I was curious about that as well.

"What's it matter? They can have him." Arcee huffed, with a roll of her optics. Bumblebee made a noise that sounded suspiciously like agreement. Bulkhead laughed about how he had softened him up to be dragged away by humans. Miko and I were both unimpressed though.

I stepped forward and gave the bots a hard look. "Do you really think it's a good idea for Mech to be in possession of one of you guys?" I asked, and when they all made noises of disgust, I quickly clarified that I meant Cybertronians. "They could do experiments on him, study Breakdown for vulnerabilities that they can use against you guys later. And as the Allspark, I can't condone the needless destruction of my creation." I cleared my throat. "I mean, her creation. Sometimes it's hard to separate us. They Allspark and I basically share a mind."

"Jessica is correct. Ratchet, activate the groundbridge coordinates. We will rescue Breakdown." Optimus decided, much to my relief. As much as I disliked the cons, no one deserves to be mutilated and experimented on. Mech was still a mystery to us and who knew how far they'd be willing to go.

"What?!" Ratchet growled in disgust. The other Autobots began making their own protests, including my own guardian. When Bulkhead spit out that we should just let the cons rescue their own, I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

"Seriously, aren't you guys supposed to be the good guys? Breakdown may be a Decepticon and by no means an innocent bystander, but he doesn't deserve to be tortured and experimented on by humans, especially not one as dangerous as Mech. I'm disappointed in all of you." I shook my head.

"It is unlikely that Megatron would bother with an errand of mercy." Optimus added, looking just as upset at his soldiers as I others weren't convinced, however. "Sometimes we must rise above ourselves for the greater good."

"Oh, what's that supposed to mean?! Breakdown's gonna be grateful and go all soft and join the cause?" Bulkhead grumbled with a shake of his head.

"While it is unlikely that any Decepticon will choose the path of good, even they possess the potential for change." Optimus reminded him. Still, Bulkhead was angry, shaking his head and saying he knew where this was headed. " By "greater good," I meant humankind. Mech presents a clear and present danger."

"Prime's right, two-ton. We know Mech is obsessed with obtaining groundbreaking technology." Agent Fowler reminded him.

"So that means we cannot allow Cybertronian to fall into their hands. That would cause unknown amounts of danger, for both you guys and my people. Mech needs to be stopped and we need to get Breakdown out of there." I added in.

"What do you mean by "we"" Ratchet asked suspiciously.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't even start, I'm going too. Mech is full of human soldiers. You guys don't harm humans but I'm definitely willing to kick some ass. I've been training nonstop since the shadowzone incident."

The other bots exchanged unsure looks. "It may be unwise for you to come with us, Jessica. Perhaps you would benefit from stepping away from the fighting for the time being." Optimus protested, much to my surprise. I figured either Ratchet or Cliff would have the most objections. Of course, judging by the looks they were giving me, they just hadn't had the chance to say something before the big guy did. Still, I wasn't about to be deterred.

"Look, Optimus, PTSD is something every soldier has to deal with. Letting it control my life isn't going to make it go away. And there is such a thing as exposure therapy. Granted, that is usually done in a safe environment, but still I don't want my fears to control me. I promise you that I'll take care of myself here. But you can't let me hide away from every little threat. Besides, it's like you said, it's unlikely that there'll be any Cons there besides Breakdown. This is the perfect time for me to get some on the job training." I challenged him back. I looked over at my guardian and gave him a pleading look. He still looked hesitant, but I knew he was seeing my side as well.

"She has been doing well in her training, Optimus. With the minimal chance of thr Cons being there, I think this is the perfect time to have her training in the field. I'll make sure she stays by my side." Cliffjumper finally said, though you could still hear the reluctance in his voice.

Optimus still looked unsure and he turned to get Ratchet's opinion. I also looked at him, pleading with my eyes for him to agree. I'd never seen him look so torn before. He wanted to disagree so badly. I knew that, had it been a few weeks previous, he would declare me unfit to go out. However, I think he was beginning to realize how much he was pushing me away by doing so. I was a stubborn person who was determined to protect my friends and my planet from any threat.

Finally Ratchet sighed. "I cannot stop you, can I? If you must go, then I will clear you for duty. Just please, be careful." His eyes were basically pleading with me, begging me to not go even though he knew it was useless.

"Well I'm not going." Bulkhead growled and looked away from the group. Miko made a noise in protest before telling him that he had to go with. "Don't want to." She looked like she wanted to say more, but Optimus said his name before she could. "Optimus, I'm sorry. I just can't do it!"

"I support your choice." The Autobot leader informed him, much to his surprise. "Given your history with Breakdown, your judgment may be clouded and thus jeopardize the mission. Besides, the Decepticon may be more in need of a medic than another warrior." He nodded over to Ratchet.

I'm pretty sure I've never seen him look more relieved and happy about going into battle. "Locked and loaded, Optimus." The Chief Medical Officer said with a determined frown. I ran over to my weapon shelf, which had been built shortly after I finished what was basically basic training, and grabbed my favorite gun. The bullets were specially designed by Ratchet, they heated up to a deadly temperature that could do some serious damage to a cybertronian. Then I ran over to my guardian. They all transformed at once.

"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus said as I climbed into Cliffjumpers front seat. Then we were off, into the groundbridge, and arriving in Russia on the other side. As soon as we arrived, the others transformed. Cliff let me out before he did as well. I stood in the middle of their circle, holding my gun defensively. I looked around the field, but didn't spot any sign of life.

"No signs of life, human or cybertronian." Optimus confirmed my findings. I noticed some tracks just on the other side of Bumblebee and pointed them out.

"Forget the tracks, Jessica. I'm picking up a faint Energon signal three clicks from here." Ratchet explained. But there was only one reason why we would get a reading and that is if... "His Energon's been spilled."

Everyone exchanged grave looks. "We may definitely need a medic." I mumbled before following them as the bots went in the direction of the signal. Everyone remained on high alert, knowing that a threat could come out of nowhere.

We weaved around building after building. It was honestly a little creepy being surrounded by so many abandoned, broken down buildings. However, I was more focused on staying alert. We paused after a moment, looking to Ratchet for more guidance. "This way." He nodded in the direction we needed to go.

I followed at Cliff's feet, while Bee and Arcee took the front point. The twins were on either side of Optimus while Cliff and I took up the back, directly behind Ratchet. Soon we reached an opening, with what looked like a fountain directly in front of a crumbling building.

"Reading's coming from right Here." Ratchet stopped and we all surrounded the fountain. Right in the middle, there was something laying there. I squinted to get a better look and nearly gasped at what I saw. "Holy crap, is that Breakdown's eye?" I questioned, feeling slightly sick to my stomach. I knew it was possible that Mech was experimenting on him, but to see them mutilated remains was disturbing.

Ratchet reached forward and picked it up, attaching it to the datapad he had brought with him. Arcee asked him what he was doing. "The optic receptors might have retained the final images seen." He replied. After only a second of waiting, it pulled up an image from Breakdown's final moments with that particular eye.

"What do you know? Weird science wins again." Arcee commented. We watched in horror as they used some sort of drill to cut his optic out. It was probably the most disturbing thing I had ever seen.

"Well, well. Optimus Prime. A pleasure to set eyes on you again." The screen had changed to a video feed of who I assumed was Silas, the leader of Mech. We could also make out where they were cutting into Breakdown, it was a horrible sight. Ratchet explained that he converted the optics to a two-way feed. Optimus had come to the same conclusion as I that this was Silas. "In the flesh. But being that our captive is not one of yours, I have to admit I was expecting Megatron." Silas smirked, looking pleased nonetheless.

"In this circumstance, Autobots and Decepticons share a common foe." Optimus told him.

Silas scoffed. "Mech is anything but common. Our guest is yielding quite a bit of information about your biomechanics, as you can see Although Breakdown himself can't see so well anymore."

"We don't fear you." Ratchet sneered at him.

"Oh, but you should. In fact, I would strongly urge you not to stand your ground." Silas smirked, much to everyone's confusion.

I looked down and gasped at what I saw. "Um guys." I pointed to a rectangular window on the side of the fountain. We could just barely make out the counting down of a clock. "It's a trap!" I squeaked when my guardian reached forward and snatched me up. I looked down at Ratchet's datapad and caught Silas eyes. He smirked at me before the transmission cut out.

"Would this be a "roll out" kind of trap?" Arcee asked.

"Evacuate now!"

I held on tight as Cliff ran away from the bomb, the others close behind. "Whoa!" I yelped when Cliff began transforming around me. It was something we had practiced a few times in case of an emergency like this. His tires squealed as he took off. There was a sudden blast as the bomb exploded and I felt us going airborne. Cliff basically ejected me when he went sideways. I flew up in the air, feeling the heat of the flames lick at my back. I wasn't afraid when I began falling towards the ground. Before I even got close, Cliff had transformed again and he caught me. He came to a skidding stop with the others.

"So, any idea where they're keeping the rest of Breakdown?"

Everyone exchanged looks, but we were all at a loss. That was when we heard the distant sounds of gunfire. Optimus stiffened. "Breakdown is calling for back up at his coordinates. I'm guessing that would be the source of the explosions we are hearing."

"Well, what are we waiting for, let's go." Sunstreaker huffed and transformed into a hot golden ferrari. It was honestly my first time seeing it since he and Sideswipe had chosen their vehicle modes.

"Damn, Sunny. I love your taste in automobiles." I winked. Cliff snickered at the flirtaious undertones. Sunstreaker revved his engine, but whether it was in annoyance from my use of his least favorite nickname or because he was flattered by my compliment would probably always be a mystery.

I also didn't miss the jealous glare that Ratchet gave the golden twin.

Everyone else transformed into the vehicle modes and I quickly climbed into Cliff's. Then we took off in the direction of the battle. "Are you nervous?" Cliffjumper asked me through the radio. It was my first time actually going head first into battle with the Bots blessing. I mean, the Texas array and the museum were both supposed to be stealth missions so they didn't really count. This my first time actually fighting with actual soldiers who had guns. It was a little weird to think about. I was a soldier now.

"Maybe a little." I wouldn't be nervous?

"Good. Use that fear to help you in the upcoming fight. Fear keeps you alert so long as you don't let it consume you. Just remember that you've done the training, you can do this. I believe in you and so do the others. That's why Ratchet and I agreed that you should come." Cliffjumper motivated me.

I smiled and patted the steering wheel. "Thanks Cliff. I'll admit that I was a little surprised that Ratchet let me come. He's the one I've fought with the most with it, and he's basically been right every single time."

"The Doc just worries about you. He wants you to be safe. I think we're both starting to learn that the only way we can do that is by making sure you're properly trained and prepared."

"I'm the Allspark, my life is forever going to be in danger now. And that's okay. I know what my duty is, and I'm going to do everything I can to help protect you guys. One day I'm going to restore Cybertron as well. I can promise you that."

Cliff was silent for a moment, and somehow I knew he was thinking about something deeply. When he finally did speak, I was shocked by his words. "You're right, your life will be full of danger from now on. However, you have numerous bots who will do everything in their power to protect you while also allowing you to grow in both power and experience. With all this at your disposal, do you really need to shut yourself off from the one thing that would make you truly happy?"

I didn't reply, his words having struck a chord deep within me. I understood where he was coming from, and everything in me wanted to just give in and allow myself that happiness. But I knew it wasn't possible, I just couldn't risk it. So I kept my mouth shut and the rest of the drive was silent.

Steadily, the sound of gunfire and explosions got louder and louder. As soon as we were within view, Cliff stopped so I could get out. He transformed into his bipedal mode at the same time the others did. I was surprised to see that there weren't any Mech soldiers around, just Decepticons with Starscream leading them. Cliff gave me a worried glance, but I clicked my gun off safety and glared determinedly at the enemy. I wasn't backing down. And that's how I found myself running into battle at the Autobots' feet. I shot my gun, damaging drones with each hit I made. It was just a little bit exhilarating.

Starscream called for them to retreat, but then he spotted me and a nasty grin spread across his face. "Change of plans, distract the Autobots! I found something worth fighting for." He ordered his troops before he transformed into his jet and took off towards me.

"Oh no you don't!" Cliff growled and ran after him, only to be tackled away by a Decepticon drone. Everyone else was engaged in their own battles and I knew I would be on my own. I wasn't afraid though. Not this time. Screamer wanted a fight, he was going to get one. I wasn't going easily this time.

He landed in front of me, transforming into his bipedal mode, and smirked maliciously at me. I pointed my gun at him. "I'm not tied up this time, Starloser. I can do a lot more than spit at you now."

Starscream laughed. "And just what do you think you could do to me, insect. Your silly earth gun won't hurt me. You're a pathetic insect who's only useful so long as you possess the powers of the Allspark. You are nothing without your precious Autobots. You will die as soon as Lord Megatron is through with you, I guar-"

I shot my gun at him, nailing him right in the shoulder. He howled in pain and I couldn't help but laugh at it. "Who's the pathetic one now, Bucketbrain." I giggled. Starscream glared at me with fury and told me that I was going to pay for that. "Bring it on, ugly." I coaxed him, and shot a few more rounds at them. This time he jumped out of the way then he launched himself forward to grab me. I jumped to the side, his hand just barely missing me.

"Stay still, squishy." He growled. I continued to evade him, much to his frustration. There was no way in hell I was going to stay still. This time he tried grabbing me with both hands. I jumped up, this launched myself off his closed fist. I jumped over him and flipped behind his back. "That's not possible." He snarled.

"I told you it wouldn't be easy this time." I grinned.

Starscream growled at me again before a dark, wicked grin spread across his faceplates. "You think you are something special, fleshbag but you are nothing. And soon enough I will squish you like the bug you are. You will meet the same gruesome end as your despicable parental units did, when I dropped that missle on their vehicular transport."

I blinked, my mouth falling open in shock. Did he really just admit to murdering my parents? "You- you… YOU KILLED MY PARENTS. YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" I screeched before I took off at a sprint towards him. He froze in shock, allowing me to gain enough momentum to jump and kick him straight in the chest. Starscream flew backwards several feet, crashing into one of the buildings. The building crumbled around him, burying him within the rubble. The drones flew over to help him out, abandoning their battles. "And that's jenga." I glared fiercely.

"Agent Fowler, we require a groundbridge. Use the current coordinates." Optimus commed back to the base. A moment later, a portal opened up. My guardian pulled up beside me, already in his alt mode. I climbed inside and he drove into the groundbridge, returning us back to the base. As soon as he came to a stop, I climbed out.

"That was awesome!" I laughed, the adrenaline still pumping in my blood. A large part of me was drowning as the new information I'd received of my parents death shadowed over me. However, I couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate the fact that I had just taken on a Decepticon and had won. I looked up at my guardian. "Can you believe I totally just kicked Starscreams ass! That's what he gets for all the damage he's caused in my life the past several months."

Miko ran forward and jumped on my back. "Did you just say you fought Starscream?" She practically yelled in my ear. I laughed and nodded my head. This caused her to actually start squealing. "I can't believe you got to fight a Decepticon and I missed it. I want to go next time, that's so unfair! But I'm also so happy for you so I can't be too upset."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Miko, it wasn't easy. And if I wasn't enhanced, the fight could've played out completely differently. Lucky for me, I have three great teachers who have helped me get to where I am." Cliff and the twins straightened up proudly.

"You did well out there, Jessica. I look forward to fighting by your side once more." Optimus said and I swear my cheeks were on fire after that. Getting a compliment from him was no small feat. However, there was only one other bot that could truly make me even happier and I looked over at him curiously. Ratchet had a proud grin on his face and my heart fluttered at the intense look in his eyes.

I walked over to him and he offered his hand. "Thank you for trusting me, Ratch. I know it wasn't easy, but I needed to fight. I needed to prove to myself and to the Decepticons that I wasn't just going to be an easy target. And now, I think they got the message." I snickered.

"I knew you could do it. You're one of the bravest humans I have ever met.I won't try to stop you from going to any more battles in the future." He paused for a moment. "Unless you are hurt or otherwise incapable of fighting. I am still a medic, after all, and my patients safety and health is my number one concern."

I understood that. Cliffjumpers words from earlier came back to me. Ratchet cared for me so much and I for him. I wanted to be with him more than anything, but it was too dangerous. I'd already lost my parents, I couldn't lose him too. But we would always be friends and teammates. So no matter what our complicated feelings were for one another, nothing would ever compromise that again.

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

Alright we ended on a lighter note for once! I feel like that hasn't been the case for the past couple chapters. Anyway, I'm so happy to be back! I'm sorry it's been so long. So yeah, depending on the reviews I get will determine when I post again. Like I said, I'm currently working on chapter 19. I got a storyline planned out so all I gotta do is write it! See y'all soon hopefully!