Six days later and we got an update! What is that lol. This chapter has a lot of plot forwarding scenes so that's fun. I like how I'm able to focus on Jessica's story rather than a rewrite of each episode with her just thrown in. I think my writing has improved a lot since I started this journey.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. I wish I did.

Chapter Seventeen:

Getting called in for a meeting with the boss bot was probably the most intimidating thing that has happened to me since I became a full fledged member of Team Prime. What was even crazier was the fact that Cliff didn't know what it was about. He'd been told to ask me to report to Optimus Prime's office via his comms. Fowler was also with Optimus, having shown up an hour prior to my summons.

I had been hanging out with Cliff, Arcee, and Jack. Our Autobot guardians had been talking amongst themselves while Jack was telling me about how his mother was getting suspicious of his after school activities.

"Mom thinks I'm getting caught up in a bad crowd." Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his head anxiously. "She grounded me for the next two weeks. I told her I was with a study group today but she almost didn't let me out. I'm worried that she'll eventually keep me from leaving the house at all."

I smiled apologetically at him. "Dang, that sucks. Sorry Jack. Keeping up with two lives is hard but it's better if your mom doesn't get mixed up in this one." I couldn't help but think of my parents. I couldn't regret being here with the Autobots but I would always feel the sting of their unnecessary death. They hadn't been a part of this war, it wasn't fair that I'd lost them so soon.

Jack grabbed my hand and squeezed sympathetically. "Sorry, I know this is hard for you. I shouldn't be complaining about my problems with my mom when you no longer have yours."

"It's okay. I'm happy you have your mom. It gets easier to talk about them as time goes by. I'll always miss them but I have my new path in life. I like to believe my parents would be happy for me."

"I'm sure they are."

Before I could reply, Cliff walked over to inform me that Optimus wanted to talk to me. So I took a deep breath and made my way down the hall that led to his office. I felt like a student who was getting called to the principal's office for the first time. It was slightly nerve wracking and I tried to think about what it was I could've possibly done wrong.

When I reached the door, I knocked three times and waited to be invited in. When Optimus called for me to enter, I pushed open the door and walked into his office, closing the door behind me. Prime was sitting behind his desk while Fowler was standing on top of it. "Jessica, thank you for joining us." Optimus greeted me, while gesturing that I join Fowler on the desk I took a running start and then jumped up, landing right where I had aimed on the tall wooden surface.

"Of course, what's going on? Is everything alright?" I questioned curiously.

"Do you remember our talk after your final day of training with Sergeant Malone?" Fowler asked me. I tilted my head curiously and thought back to that day. It had been around three months or so since I'd finished my basic training. It was difficult to keep track of time here, especially when I've spent a good portion of it injured it seems. However, that conversation was still clear in my mind so I nodded my confirmation. "Well I've finally been given the green light to start putting together a proposal of sorts for the Autobot/Human military division. Now, it's just a proposal so it's still not set in stone. But the guys upstairs want to add one more soldier to Team Prime in order to determine if this is a good idea or not. This soldier will live here and train with you and the Autobots."

I looked at Optimus curiously, trying to determine his reaction to this news. He seemed to be studying my reaction just as much as I was his. I hummed thoughtfully. "Are we sure this soldier can be trusted? I don't want to bring just anybody into our home." I asked seriously.

Will nodded. "That was my same fear, especially with the three civilians that come here each week. I want to be careful with who is picked. Now the plan has always been to have you lead as the new Autobot liaison. So I want to introduce you to him away from the Autobots base of operations. You will train with him back at your original basic training location. Hopefully that will allow you to get to know him and decide if he's trustworthy to know Team Prime."

"So he doesn't know anything about the Autobots yet?"

"Nope." Will shook his head.

I looked back up at Optimus. "What are your thoughts about this?"

"I trust your judgement, whether you deem him trustworthy or not. I think it is a good idea to cooperate more with the US military. After working with you and the other three children, I've come to realize just how resourceful humans can be. It is my hope that one day we will work side by side with your human military." Optimus replied.

"Okay. If Optimus is on board, then so am I. When do we start."

They decided that I would go to the other base starting tomorrow. Cliff and the twins would be accompanying me. Despite the fact that I had proved I could hold my own against a Con, it was best if I had plenty of back up to protect me outside of the base. Megatron had returned and he was a threat I did not want to face.

By the time I had rejoined the others, Jack and Arcee had already left for the day. One look at the clock showed that it was after eleven pm. I hadn't realized it had gotten so late.

Cliff was waiting for me at the end of the hall. He offered me his hand the moment I reached him. I climbed in and allowed him to carry me the rest of the way to our rooms. Ever since I lost my parents, I'd been having terrible nightmares. Staying with Cliff helped to alleviate those and I got a much better night's sleep. So I'd basically just moved in with him.

After Cliff put me down, I grabbed some pajamas and ducked out to use the bathroom and change. Then I returned and threw my clothes into a basket. Finally I flopped into my bed, happy to be finished with the day. "So did Optimus update you on our plans for tomorrow?" I asked my guardian.

"Yes he did. We'll be bridging to the base at 0700 so you might want to get some sleep." Cliff grinned at me.

"We're bridging?" I asked curiously, though I couldn't resist sticking my tongue out at him playfully. He always made fun of how much sleep I needed versus how little I usually did. I was a night owl though so I preferred staying up later. It wasn't my fault that they constantly made me get up super early. I just love the military life-style.

"Yes. It's too far of a drive to risk. Ever since the Cons came after your parents, they've been patrolling Jasper. Even picking up the other kids is a risk because there's always a Con around. Bridging straight to our destination is the safest option."

"Oh." That made sense. I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders and sank into my pillow. "Well, here's hoping everything goes alright tomorrow." I mumbled quietly. I knew he'd hear me though. "Night Cliff."

"Good night Jess."

XxRebelWriterxX

The next morning, I found myself in a familiar training room at the base located outside of Jasper. I was the only one there at the moment, seeing as how I was like ten minutes early. Ratchet had bridged Cliff, the twins, and I into a designated hangar on base at about a quarter to seven. They would be patrolling the area while I was with Will and the unknown soldier.

While I waited, I went through a number of warm up stretches. Since I really wasn't sure what to expect, I decided to wear comfy work out clothes. Currently I was in a pair of leggings and a sports tank top, with my only pair of gym shoes on my feet. I wanted to be prepared in case we actually did some training today.

Five minutes later, the door finally opened and Will walked in with the guy I would be spending a lot of time with. I looked over the newcomer curiously. He was younger than I expected him to be, maybe just a few years older than myself. From his uniform, I knew he was Army, Special Forces no doubt. Why else would he have been chosen if he wasn't one of the elite? The name on his uniform read Lennox.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Summers." Will greeted me with a salute. I immediately returned it. Since I was part of Team Prime and hopefully I'd eventually lead this new division, I got my own title. This was the first time I was actually addressed by it though so it was a little weird. "This is Captain Will Lennox. Captain, meet Lieutenant Jessica Summers. The two of you will be spending a lot of time together so here's hoping you get along well."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Lennox." I offered him my hand which he immediately shook.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lieutenant Summers. I've heard great things about you from Agent Fowler here. I look forward to training with you and getting to know you." Captain Lennox replied sincerely. I could tell he was genuinely happy to be here, even though he was still in the dark on the exact reason. Perhaps he was looking forward to something new in his life, a new challenge to conquer. His joining this new team depended on whether or not I felt he was worthy. I wondered if he knew that or if he thought we were both being tested.

Will patted my shoulder. "Lieutenant Summers here is one of the best. I've seen her pull some miracles in the field. I trust that you'll treat her with the respect she deserves." He cocked an eyebrow at Captain Lennox. There was an almost threatening undertone in his words that I was positive the Captain caught. This just seemed to intrigue him more. Why was this random girl he'd never even heard about held in so much regard? And why was she being considered for the same Special Ops position that he was up for. Who even was she?

I wondered how he felt when he found out that only a few months ago I had been just a regular college student. Now I was a soldier fighting in an alien war. Oh and let's not forget the special powers I had. That was sure to blow his mind.

"Of course, sir." Captain Lennox nodded seriously.

"Don't worry Agent Fowler, we'll be just fine I'm sure." I smiled reassuringly at my friend. Will returned my smile before he took his leave. I watched him go, feeling more and more nervous the further he walked away. As soon as he was out the door, I turned back to Captain Lennox. "Okay so I think the first thing we should do is the obstacle course Sergeant Malone set up. I've done it before but I figured it was a good way for us to show one another what skills we had."

Captain Lennox nodded. "That sounds like a good place to start. Though I'm honestly not sure what we're supposed to be doing together? I thought Agent Fowler would be here to assess our abilities and determine who would lead this new division I've heard about."

I cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. "It's not Agent Fowler who will be deciding who leads the program. I'm the one who will be in charge if they decide to go ahead with it. I'm assessing your skills to determine whether I want you to run it with me or not."

The look on his face was almost comical. He was so surprised and even more intrigued than he was before. Soon enough his surprise morphed into determination, the Captain wanted to earn this position. Whatever this challenge was, he knew it was big. Possibly bigger than anything he's ever done before. I'd only known the guy for maybe ten minutes and I was already starting to like him. "Alright then, let's do this."

I led Captain Lennox outside to where the course had been set up. It was just the two of us out here, but I couldn't help being reminded of the day I did this course. I shivered when I also remembered the Scraplets that had happened later. What a roller coaster of a day that had been.

The Captain had still needed to warm up, so I broke off from him and started on the course myself. I could feel his eyes on me as I easily passed each obstacle. It was even easier the second time through. But, I mean, I've fought Decepticons so this really wasn't a challenge. I was careful not to show off too much. My enhanced abilities allowed me to do things that a normal girl would not be able to do. I didn't want Captain Lennox to be privy to this information until I knew I could trust him.

By the time I finished the course, Captain Lennox had finished his warm ups and was ready to go himself. I stood to the sidelines and gestured for him to start. He managed to do it with ease, passing each obstacle as if they were nothing but a slight roadblock. I was honestly impressed.

Then again, he was special forces. This was probably a playground compared to what he was used to.

"Not bad. You've certainly got the skills. I would like to continue meeting with you for the next week. If I like what I see, then I'll talk to Agent Fowler about giving you clearance to know what exactly it is you'd be running." I praised him when we were finished.

"Thank you. I have to admit, I am curious to know what I'm auditioning for." The Captain stated. I shrugged and told him he'd have to wait and see. He just didn't have the clearance needed to be informed of the Autobots. I needed to decide if he was even worth pursuing for the job. "Right well thank you for the opportunity. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Bright and early." I confirmed before shaking his hand. After that, I went to the locker room to take a quick shower and change. Once I was finished, I used my comm link that Cliff gave me to inform my guardian I was ready for pick up. He said that they'd meet me back in the hangar we'd arrived in.

Sure enough, the moment I entered, I caught sight of my mentors. I waved at them and skipped over to Cliff's alt-form. The door swung open for me as soon as I reached him. "Hey partner." I grinned as I settled into the driver's seat.

"How was class?" Cliff teased. The ground bridge portal opened up in front of us and my guardian drove through it, the twins right behind us.

"It was informative. Captain Lennox seems like a competent guy. He definitely has the needed endurance to keep up with you guys. I guess we'll see though. I still want to get to know him more before I decide if he can meet you all or not." I replied to him. The groundbridge closed behind us and I got out so that Cliff could transform. The twins did so as well before they walked down the hall to get some energon, no doubt. "What time are we training today?"

Cliff hummed thoughtfully. "Not sure. Arcee, Bee and I are scouting a potential energon cave here soon. You'll probably be hanging with the Doc most of the day."

My heart fluttered. "Oh. Cool."

My guardian snorted. "Don't sound too excited about it. I know you're looking forward to some alone time with him." He bantered suggestively. I rolled my eyes at him despite my face flushing and told him to shut up. "Oh come on, I was just teasing." Cliff snickered.

"Don't make me push you on your aft again." I warned him, though I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face. Cliff put his arms up in surrender and mockingly begged me to forgive his transgressions. I outright laughed and shook my head. "You are too much, my friend."

"Too much awesome, you mean."

This time I snorted. However, before I could reply, Arcee and Bee arrived to steal him away. Once they were gone, I made my way to the med bay, where both Ratchet and First Aid were located. "Hey guys." I greeted as I walked through the door.

"Hello Jessica." First Aid smiled over at me, while Ratch just waved acknowledgement to my presence. He seemed absorbed in his current project so I took no offense to his lackluster greeting. This was just normal Ratchet behavior.

First Aid handed me a new data pad and informed me that this would be our lesson for the day. It was all about how to fuse together a leaking Energon line. I could easily heal a bot with my powers but I preferred to know how to do it medically. Perhaps one day I wouldn't have these powers, it would be useful to know how to put a bot back together in the field. It might just save someone's life one day

Plus it was very interesting to learn. It amazed me just how similar they were to humans.

I took the pad and sat down in the corner of the room. It was my favorite place to read, whether it was for training or fun. Both Ratchet and First Aid had caught me here at all hours of the night reading or passed out mid read. It was really bad on nights that Cliff had patrol.

The next couple hours passed in a blink of an eye. I was so absorbed in my text that I hadn't looked away once until I'd finished. When I looked up, I was surprised to see that First Aid was missing and that Ratchet was watching me with a curious expression on his face. "Hi." I smiled shyly at him. He smiled warmly at me. I felt the usual assault of butterflies and had to look away. I played it off as if I were searching. "Where's First Aid?"

"He left to assist Arcee with the groundbridge. She needed to return to Jack's garage before his mother got home. I guess she went on her lunch break early and wanted to fix Jack some lunch." Ratchet answered before he turned back to his tools.

I stood back up and stretched before skipping over to Ratchet's side. He bent down to pick me up and then gently set me on the table he was working on.

After I would read, we would spend around an hour or so going over the material. He would answer any questions I might have and then quiz me to see what I'd retained. All this information was stored in the Allspark as well so it was easy for me to tap into that knowledge. Sometimes he would demonstrate how to do whatever it was I was learning about if that were possible. Today's lesson was kind of hard to do without the proper materials. They were so short on supplies that Ratchet hadn't wanted to risk showing me and ruin something that could save a bots life. Instead he was able to project a video.

It wasn't the same as doing it hands on, but it would have to work for now.

Once we finished, Ratchet shooed me out to go eat lunch. Will had managed to get me a steady supply of food to keep in the kitchen since I lived here full time. Plus the kids would be here during meal times a lot and Ratchet would throw a fit if we didn't properly nourish ourselves. He could be such a mother hen sometimes.

Miko and Raf were both in the kitchen eating sandwiches when I walked in. "Hey guys." I greeted with a grin.

"Sup!"

"Hi Jess!"

I joined them at the table and made a pb&j. "So can you believe Jack got grounded?" Miko giggled. "I'd love to see my host parents try to keep me away from here."

"Well, that's because you're the wild child." I joked. Raf laughed and gave me a high five.

"Haha, very funny." She stuck her tongue out at me. We all dissolved into giggles. I was grateful for these little moments we got to have together. They deserved the chance to act like kids because they were still so young. Sometimes I wondered if it was such a good idea to let them keep coming here and be involved in the war. But then I see them with their guardians and I know this is where they were meant to be.

It was where we were all meant to be.

XxRebelWriterxX

The rest of the week passed by quickly. We ended up with a new addition to Team Prime when Jack's mother, June, was kidnapped by Airachnid and MECH. Super weird that the two of them had teamed up but I guess it didn't work out well for them. She was soon rescued by Jack and Arcee, with some help from Will.

She was brought back to the base after that, where Jack introduced us as his Science Fiction Club. I was gonna have to ask him about that one. Having her here would be an adjustment for sure. Luckily I had plenty of things to do to occupy myself.

It was my seventh day training with Captain Lennox. He and I got along pretty well. So much so that we've already dropped formalities when it was just the two of us. I asked him to call me Jessica and he in turn wanted me to call him Will. That was confusing at times. When I thought of Will, it was usually of Fowler. Now I know two Wills. I asked him if it would be alright if I just referred to him as Lennox to avoid said confusion and he was happy to agree.

Anyways, we were currently walking to the front of the building, having finished with this morning's training. The hangar I would need to go to was located in the opposite direction but I liked to walk with Lennox to the front. Lennox was telling me stories of some of the missions he'd gone on with his team. This guy was a total daredevil it seemed. In fact, he reminded me of Bulkhead in a lot of ways. Something told me the two of them would get along really well if he was introduced to the team.

We made it to the front of the building. I waved goodbye to Lennox as he walked out, but paused when I heard the click of a gun. Lennox held up his hands to the unknown assailant on the other side of the door.

"We know you're in there, Ms Summers. Come out with your arms up. And don't bother trying to reach your alien friends, I've already set up a signal jammer." A familiar voice called from outside. I cursed to myself, it was that asshole Silas from MECH. Apparently kidnapping June Darby wasn't enough for him this week. He really seemed intent on pissing my bots off.

I slowly walked out, my hands up like Lennox's. There were around twenty armed men with guns pointed at the pair of us. Silas stood in the front, a smug grin on his face. "Silas. I wish I could say it was a pleasure to finally meet you, but that would be a lie. What's this about then? Wasn't one kidnapping enough for you this week?" I asked steely.

His grin widened. "Ms Darby was a mistake, that much is clear. So was working with Airachnid. But you I can bargain with. Now then, why don't you both quietly follow us to the vans over here before your Autobot pets are alerted to your predicament."

I glanced over at Lennox. If he was confused, he certainly didn't show it. There was a fire in his eyes that proved just how much he wanted to fight. However it was too much of a risk. I could probably take on all these men but not when there was another's life at risk. "This is between you and me, Captain Lennox has nothing to do with this. He doesn't know anything about my friends. Let him go and I'll come quietly." I practically demanded it.

Silas laughed. "Little girl, you are in no position to make demands. I'm not stupid, even if he's unaware of the Autobots, I'm sure he still has contact with Fowler. You're both coming with me, now let's go."

I inwardly groaned in annoyance but complied with his orders. Here's hoping it wouldn't take too long for the others to realize I was gone.

We were blindfolded the moment we reached the vans. Someone roughly grabbed my arms and twisted them back so that they could cuff them together. I held in my cry of pain from the sudden movement, I wouldn't give these assholes the satisfaction. They pushed me into the van and I heard the door slam behind me. The vehicle started up and we were off.

I just couldn't believe I was being kidnapped again. At this rate, I was never going to be allowed off the base. I was a walking target it seemed. Though I was curious to know why MECH wanted to capture me. Surely they didn't know about the Allspark? Maybe they were just intrigued by the fact that I was the only human, besides Fowler of course, who actively went on missions with the Autobots. The children were different, they were more reconnaissance. I usually followed them on their missions. But I participated in the fights so maybe they wanted to find out what was so special about me.

Or they just wanted a bargaining chip against my bots. Either way, I was totally fragged.

It took us nearly two hours to get to our destination. By now, the Autobots no doubt knew something was up. I could imagine the chaos going on back at the base. Cliff was probably tearing things up in anger and guilt. I'm sure he never expected to lose me on his watch. I just hoped that Ratchet wasn't giving him too much hell.

The van parked and I was pulled out of it. Then I was pushed to start walking forwards. Since I was still blindfolded, I was at these guys mercy. Hopefully they would lead me into a freaking wall or something.

When we stopped again, my blindfold was removed before I was pushed into a cell. Lennox was already there as well. The cell door had clicked into place by the time I had turned back around. Silas stood on the other side, looking proud at his success. I wanted to slap that look off his face. "I hope you know the Autobots will come for me, and will do so with a vengeance. I'm really important to them." I warned him.

He chuckled darkly. "And just why is that? What's so special about you?" One of his men handed him a folder and he opened it. "I did some research on you after our first little encounter-"

"You mean the one where you tried to blow me up?" I questioned blandly.

Silas raised an eyebrow and leered. "Exactly. There really wasn't much to go on. You spent the majority of your childhood in a mental institution so you're clearly unstable. You lived with your parents up until they were killed last month in some kind of freak accident. Seems you've had it pretty rough. Now why would the military be so interested in someone like you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." I huffed. I was annoyed that my past was brought up so casually, especially in front of Lennox. No doubt he'd have questions, ones that I wasn't sure I was ready to answer.

"Actually yes I would."

"Go to hell." I told him with a snarl. "I'm not telling you shit. I can't wait until the Autobots find me, and I promise you they will. Then they'll make you regret ever messing with me."

Silas just laughed, not at all affected by my threats. "I can assure you, girl, they'll never find you. You see, Airachnid told me about how the Decepticons were interested in you so I struck a deal with Megatron himself. He agreed to give me one of his drones if I handed you over. One human life is worth it to save my planet from any and all alien threats."

I felt my heart beat quicken in fear and I instinctively took a step back. The thought of Megatron getting his claws on me absolutely terrified me. Starscream had been bad enough, but I knew he was incompetent. The Decepticon warlord was not.

Plus the thought of being beneath Knock Out's blades again had me trembling.

I didn't say another word as Silas took his leave. I could feel the rising panic swelling and I dropped to my knees. My breathing was coming out in pants now and my vision grew blurry.

"...-sica… Jes-..."

Vaguely, I could hear someone trying to call my name, but it sounded so far away. Black dots appeared and I feared I was going to pass out. Someone touched my shoulder and I freaked out, pushing them away from me. "No more-" I begged as the sound of Knock Outs' laughter rang in my ear.

"Jessica, please. You need to breathe. It's okay, you're okay." Someone was saying but they couldn't possibly be right.

Knock Outs' knife plunged into my leg and I cried out in pain. "No more please!" I begged but he wasn't listening. When he grabbed the wrench, I tried to back away. "Please no!" I moaned in despair.

"Jessica, you're not there anymore. Whatever is happening to you, it isn't real. Please, you have to open your eyes. You're safe right now, I'm here with you."

I tried to concentrate on the words that were being spoken to me but it was hard. Knock Out was close and I braced myself for the agony of having my bone crushed. "Please…" I whimpered. I wasn't strong enough for this. I couldn't do this again.

"Open your eyes, Jessica. You're not there anymore. It's me, Will Lennox. I'm here with you, you're okay."

Lennox? He hadn't been on the Nemesis with me. I opened my eyes.

I was in a cell, MECH had kidnapped me. I wasn't being tortured right now. I was safe for the time being, at least as much as I could be given my current location.

"Will." I whispered and reached toward to touch his arm, just to feel that he was real. I blinked and looked, dropping my hand as I did so. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Sometimes I can control them but not always."

Lennox chuckled softly. "I'm a soldier, I know a thing or two about PTSD flashbacks. I'm guessing that Silas guy said something that triggered it?"

I pushed myself up off the floor so that I was standing again and crossed my arms. Then I scowled at the cell door. "Yes, he did. I'm sorry you got dragged into this, Will. You shouldn't have been. We should've prepared for the possibility that MECH would go after me but why would we have thought they would?" The last part I questioned myself rather than Lennox, but I could see his confusion.

"Who's we? And what are Autobots and Decepticons? Who the hell is Megaton? Or Airachnid?" He fired off question after question. I sighed, having expected this. But I wasn't sure where to even begin explaining it all. Will deserved to know the truth though.

So I took a deep breath, and I told him all about my family and the monsters we try to keep in the dark.

XxRebelWriterxX

"Wow…"

When I finished telling Lennox everything he needed to know, he was definitely flabbergasted. "So, aliens are real?"

"Yes."

"And you're friends with them?"

"Some of them yes, others not so much."

"Because they tortured you? Why would they do that?"

I winced. Telling him about my powers was a no go, not when there was a good possibility that MECH was watching and listening to everything I was saying. I had been careful not to reveal any names, places, or Allspark related subjects. This information was as good as classified. "I can't explain that right now, not when the walls have ears."

"Right."

"We need to figure out a way to escape. I really don't want to be a Decepticon house guest and neither do you. If they don't kill you right away, then they'll torture you to get to me."

I took in my surroundings for the first time since I was thrown in here, a rookie mistake that I'm sure one of my mentors would get onto me for. I just wondered if they would have the chance to do so. The cell was empty though, not even a bucket to use the bathroom in. Either this wasn't meant to be a long term cell, or these guys completely lacked any human decency. It was honestly a toss up between the two.

There really wasn't a single bolt out of place, nothing to use as a weapon or a tool. As much as I hated to admit it, these guys were pros. "Any ideas?" Lennox asked, though he looked just as lost as I was.

"Not a one." I grumbled, frustrated. "You?"

Lennox shook his head. "I've never been in a cell this clean before. These guys are pretty serious."

"Have you seen a lot of cells?" I raised an eyebrow at him, but the slight upturn of my lip showed him I was just joking. He grinned back at me, "I've been in a couple different ones over the course of my military career."

I snorted, "Same here."

The room suddenly rocked with the sounds of an explosion. There was gunfire coming from somewhere outside the room where our cells were located. I just knew it was the Autobots, they had somehow found us. "Please tell me that's your friends." Lennox spoke when he saw the grin on my face.

"I have zero doubts that that's them."

We heard another loud explosion as the door to the prison area was blown open. I rushed to the bars of our cell and looked down the hall the best I could. Soon enough, I heard the loud clanking noise of my guardian. He ran down the hall and straight to our cell. "Cliff! I'm so happy to see you." I sighed in relief.

"Same here, partner." He grabbed a hold of the bars and pulled them off the wall. I turned to face Lennox, who had a look of awe on his face. "I'm guessing this is the Captain you've been working with?"

"Yup! Will, this is Cliffjumper- Autobot, mentor, guardian, and my best friend. Cliff, this is Captain Will Lennox. You'll most likely be seeing a lot more of him." I introduced myself with a wide grin. "Now then, shall we make our escape? I, for one, am ready to go home."

Cliff offered me his hand and I climbed into it instantly. He then set me on his shoulder. "Hope you're good with running, Captain. She's the only one I let ride on my shoulders." My guardian informed Lennox.

Will put his hands up. "Running is cool man, I'd prefer it actually."

I held on tight to Cliff as he ran back out into the battle, Lennox close to his heels. As soon as we emerged, I saw basically all of Team Prime, minus First Aid, blocking Silas and his men from getting to us. They shot at my Autobot family, but the primitive bullets were nothing more than an annoyance to them. They'd have some scuffed paint but that's it.

Ratchet made his way over to the three of us and immediately scanned me. "I'm alright Ratch, they never touched me." I assured him. Cliff then surprised me by transferring me over to the medic.

"Your heartbeat is elevated, did you have another panic attack?" He asked me with a frown. Optimus called for the Autobots to retreat back to the groundbridge. I assured Ratchet, while I had had a panic attack, I was alright at the moment and that we just needed to retreat. I knew he was worried about me but he did as I said.

We made it back to base with no more problems. First Aid shut the bridge down the moment the last Autobot was through. Ratchet then carried me straight to the medbay, without allowing me to talk to the eagerly awaiting kids nor the other bots who had rescued me.

As soon as we walked in, the doors shut behind us, the lock clicking into place. "Ratchet what are you doing? I'm fine. I want to reassure everyone that I'm fine." I told him, somewhat annoyed. I needed to make sure Lennox was alright as well. I just left him alone with all my friends and he didn't know a single soul. I can imagine he's feeling somewhat awkward.

Ratchet growled in frustration before he sat me down on the nearest berth. Then his holoform appeared in front of me. I gasped at the panic I could see in his eyes, the fear of nearly losing me again was tearing him up on the inside.

"Twice now you've been kidnapped. Everytime you leave this place I wonder if I'll ever see you again. I'm losing grip on my sanity." Ratchet sighed as he gently caressed my cheek. "Don't you understand that losing you would destroy me?"

I cupped his hand and took a step closer to him. "I'm sorry Ratchet, I know this is killing you on the inside. But I can't stay hidden within these walls forever. This is my home too and I'll do anything to defend it. MECH has now made itself known as a threat to me and I'll be more cautious in the future, but I can't stay holed up in one place."

"I know that." He took a shuddering breath. "It just doesn't make it any easier. I love you too much."

I wanted to grab his face and crash my lips onto his in a searing kiss. I loved this bot more than I'd ever loved anyone else before. However, I still thought it would be too dangerous to be with him, especially now with another threat to worry about. The Decepticons and MECH wouldn't hesitate to use Ratchet against me and I wasn't about to give them that option.

Instead, I allowed myself just a moment more to memorize the feel of his hand in mine. I closed my eyes and seared this moment into my brain. Then I took a step back and released his hand. He dropped it, knowing the moment had passed. "I know how you feel. You just need to trust me to take care of myself out there."

"I do trust you, Jessica. It's them I don't trust." Ratchet frowned.

I chuckled slightly before I turned away and walked towards the edge of the berth. "Now will you let me out of here so I can check in with my friends and make sure Lennox is alright?" I asked him playfully before jumping off the edge of the berth and landing gracefully on the floor.

"Wait!" Ratchet called as I walked closer to the door. I turned around and nearly jumped in surprise when I saw that his holoform was standing right in front of me. "I'm sorry, I have to, just once." He told me apologetically.

"Have to wh-" He cut me off by grabbing my hand and pulling me flush against his chest. I muttered his name questioningly, my heart now pounding in my chest. He looked into my eyes as if he were searching for something. My breathing hitched when his eyes brightened intensely and then flickered down to my lips. I felt frozen in place.

And this his lips brushed against mine. For a moment, all my thoughts were silenced. I felt my knees growing weaker until I could hardly stand. My lips parted slightly, and I silently begged him to kiss me again. Just one more time. His arms curled around my waist, pulling me as close as possibly. This time I leaned in and joined us together in a fiery kiss. My fingers brushed through his hair, pulling him impossibly closer, silently begging for more. This moment, this one perfect moment was everything I had ever dreamed it would be. I was engulfed in him, his scent, his taste, his touch. I needed more of him, all of him. Screw this rest of the world, all that mattered was that I loved this man just as much as he loved me.

But reality was a bitch and all too soon I remembered exactly why it was that we couldn't be together. It was like a bucket of cold water poured on my head, causing me to push him away roughly. "No! I can't."

I couldn't look at him after that. I knew if I did, I would break and run straight back to his arms. But I couldn't. We could never be together. So I spun around and marched right out the door. I heard him call my name, but I ignored him. The pain in his voice ripped through my heart, shattering what little pieces remained. As the tears began making trails down my cheeks, I couldn't help but think about what I was going to do. Pushing Ratchet away was slowly killing me on the inside, I wasn't sure how much longer I could remain strong.

I needed him like I needed to breathe. Was it really worth it to stay away?

I wasn't sure anymore. However, I knew that everytime I pushed him away, I risked losing him for good. It wouldn't be long before he decided I wasn't worth hurting over. And I needed that, needed him to move on so that he could be happy. But a selfish part of me also hoped he never did.

What was I going to do?

Woo this was a roller coaster of a chapter. Honestly I had fun writing it at times, but other times I wanted to throw my phone at the wall. There was a lot of filler stuff so I apologize for that. But it was also needed to move the story along. I'm mostly satisfied with this chapter though. I might change it a little someday but it works for now.

Anyways if you've watched the Transformers movies, you know who Will Lennox is. He's a favorite of mine. He will be around a lot in upcoming chapters. There will eventually be something resembling NEST like there was in the movies. No clue how exactly yet, but I know it's something I want to do so we shall see how it plays out.

I will hopefully try to get chapters out weekly. I've got ninety percent of 19 written, then I'll start on twenty. I've already finished 18, so next week it'll just be edited then posted. So I'll see you guys then! Feel free to review!