Now lets see how our main trio gets acquainted with the Decepticons on their first day aboard the Nemesis.

Warnings: I do NOT own TFP or its characters, I only own my OCs! Grammar failures and misspellings are possible, please forgive my bad english.

Chapter 4: First impressions

...

Halo POV

I just sat on the edge of the counter, a bit farther from the medical berths. My optics followed every movement of the red Decepticon who introduced himself as Knock Out. He was busy handling the machines that were connected to Mercy's processor.

Crossflare stood next to her, like a faithful guardian, and also monitored Knock Out's every move. He might be helping us, but he was still a Decepticon.

Deep in my spark I felt elated that we were alive. All thanks to Crossflare. But there was that one thing that bugged me greatly: we just betrayed the Autobots, didn't we? True, we aren't on any side - technically - but a mutual trust was built between us and them. They welcomed us into their base as friends, or some kind of silent allies. Offering information to their enemy is betrayal of their trust.

I should've felt more conflicted but I was truly glad to be in one piece. Am I bad person to think like this?

"How is the damage?" Crossflare inquired and my attention snapped back to Mercy.

"Nothing too serious. She suffered a light concussion. Regaining her consciousness might take a few hours, or a whole day," Knock Out briefly took a look at his datapad then flashed a bright smile at Crossflare, "But you are in no hurry anyway, right?"

"Actually, we have somewhere else to be," my older friend replied curtly.

"Oh, at the Autobot base, perhaps?"

We both shot him a glare and he responded with an amused chuckle.

"Sensitive topic, eh?"

Just minutes later the doors opened again, revealing the same creepy Decepticon guy with the visor. Without saying anything, he merely pointed at me and Crossflare, then outside. We exchanged confused glances but Knock Out came to our rescue with a quick translation:

"Soundwave will escort you to meet the big boss. Good luck!"

"Any advice?" Crossflare headed towards the door without hesitation, knowing that we can't make the leader wait, especially in the current situation. We were intruders and we had to answer rightful questions.

I reluctantly moved away from my spot. I narrowed my optics suspiciously at the dark blue mech. I didn't like him. His face couldn't be seen, therefore his emotions were hidden from sight, making it impossible to tell what was on his mind.

"Listen and nod, that's the best you can do. Oh, and don't lie!" Knock Out waved a servo casually, grinning, then disappeared behind the closing doors.

Soundwave led us through a series of corridors. My processor tried to keep up with the directions, until we arrived into an open area. The command center. I gaped at the interior. A bridge led to the main computer in front of the large windows. The whole place looked spectacular, intimidating and unwelcoming. The atmosphere was cold, gloomy. Vehicons minded their work next to the computer panels, and large screens illuminated their purple paintjobs. They all looked the same.

My attention soon focused on the tall, broad figure standing on the bridge, his observant red optics never left our figures as we approached.

Megatron.

The main reason behind this whole war, the liberator of the lower castes and slaves, the mech who wanted to make peace through tyranny. I've seen him before. Only on posters and the news though. I've never realized how tall he actually was. Beside him I recognized the skinny gray mech from the canyon but now with both arms in place. He looked unimpressed, sulking with arms crossed next to his leader. I wondered what his rank was. Probably some higher-up Con, judging by his disdainful glower.

"So here are our unexpected guests," Megatron spoke up with a hoarse voice, smirking. A predatory smile.

It sent shivers down my spine.

Crossflare's mouth pressed into a thin line and I could see the tense determination on her face which she always showed when facing a difficult situation. She was thinking about what to say. Good, because I had no idea what to even utter in such a situation.

Megatron's presence became even more overwhelming with each step closer. Like I said before, faction leaders were something else entirely. They had an aura about themselves which differed them from everything and everyone. But he was nothing like Optimus. Evil itself stared at me with its glowing crimson red optics.

Soundwave stopped at the foot of the bridge and stepped aside, allowing some room for us. It didn't help because I still felt suffocated by the tense atmosphere and all the stares from all directions. This place was creeping me out.

"My second in command Starscream has informed me that you claim to be Neutrals. Is that true?" Megatron gestured towards the shorter gray mech beside him. Starscream immediately straightened himself, his wings perking up in a proud manner.

"It is," Crossflare answered curtly. Her voice didn't even waver. I marveled at her stoicism. How can she stay this calm? I've always admired her incredible self-control.

"How did you get aboard my ship?"

"By accident. We stepped into a bridge that wasn't meant for us, although we believed it to be," she continued, her optics staying clear on the warlord's robust figure.

"Where were you originally meant to go then?" the edge of Megatron's mouth curled into a knowing smirk. He could suspect the answer.

"The Autobot base."

His booming laughter shook the atmosphere and it sent terrible chills down my spine. What was he laughing at? We said nothing funny! No one dared to utter a word and no one interrupted him. His laugh was short-lived and he quickly regained his composure.

"Really? How interesting. Please enlighten me, why would Neutrals head to a secret Autobot base? You've got my attention."

"The truth is, they've helped us out before and we were giving them a short visit. We got involved in an incident we didn't mean to participate in and we ended up here. Please accept our apology for trespassing on your territory."

I stared at Crossflare with wide optics. Was she truly going to tell the whole truth? No lies? Nothing? I was aware of how she hated lying, but in a situation like this...revealing such information will do no good for us!

"Helped you out, hm?" Megatron raised an eyebrow high with his smirk still in place.

"Our friend was injured and they offered medical help. We have no medic among us like they do..." Crossflare quickly explained, pointlessly, because Megatron seemed to have already made up his mind about the situation.

"I do know about the rules regarding Neutral behavior," he cut in, silencing her completely. We cast our optics down in shame.

"If you expect us to treat you by those rules, you should keep yourselves to them, isn't that right?"

We nodded silently. This was my fault. I was the one playing with the rules, pushing the limits. I should've listened to Crossflare and stayed away from the Autobots. We wouldn't be in such a trouble right now. What Megatron was facing us with was true. Our actions were crossing the borders of Neutrality, leaning into the direction of choosing a side. We had no intention to chose, yet it looked like it.

"You little tale so far didn't stir my spark. However, do tell me where the Autobot base is located and that might change," Megatron narrowed his optics and the amusement left his voice. He was done beating around the bush.

I tried not to look terrified, but the energon froze in my tubes. I wouldn't have been able to answer even if I wanted to.

"We don't know..." Crossflare's voice was much quieter this time. She was losing her confidence. Then what am I gonna do?!

"You've been there! You should know!" Megatron raised his voice impatiently. This wasn't just chit-chat anymore. We were under interrogation.

"All we know is that it's a human made bunker. It's probably underground since its walls are made of rocks. They did not trust us with other sensitive information regarding their base. They bridged us in and out."

"How kind of them. Would a proper interrogation lead to the same answers I wonder?"

Crossflare gritted her denta. It was a threat. My spark flared in panic and anger. I had to do something.

"The Autobots aren't stupid!" I spoke up, voice trembling, but loud, "They didn't trust us either! We could be spies of the Decepticons for all they know and vice versa but we aren't! We are Neutrals in this conflict and will continue to stay that way!"

Crossflare blinked in my direction with a surprised expression. I know she didn't expect me to say anything but I just couldn't stay silent.

"And we believe you because...?" Megatron raised a doubtful eyebrow and I wasn't about to close my big mouth either.

"Because you just hinted that you have the means to get inside anyone's head so even if you looked into our processors, you wouldn't find anything useful but the truth. That's why!"

Megatron chuckled darkly. For a moment I thought I'd crossed a line but he seemed to be amused instead.

"Careful, young one. Your reasoning might be acceptable but your boldness is not."

Accepting his answer with a small nod, I wondered whether to take it as a compliment or a warning. Maybe both. My emotions always get the better of me. I felt Crossflare's servo on my shoulder, signing that it was time I finally shut up. For once, I listened to her.

"Upon further consideration, I choose to overlook the misunderstandings between us," Megatron gestured in our way in a courteous manner. "Until your comrade is recovered, you can stay aboard my ship as our Neutral guests. If the Autobots have helped you out once and you accepted, the Decepticons can do at least the same."

"Will we be allowed to leave unharmed once our friend is well enough to go?" Crossflare asked and my hope returned.

Did the warlord forgive us so easily? There must be a catch! Can we be this lucky?

"We deal with only one issue at once. Leave tomorrow's problems for tomorrow," Megatron's malevolent smirk made me realize that our situation wasn't as rosy as I believed it to be.

Crossflare's expression darkened but she didn't add anything further. Maybe for the best.

"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Megatron," she said, clearly unsatisfied with the current status-quo.

"That is only natural," he was playing polite while already planning something in his twisted processor. Or was that his honest self? Who knows? This was the first conversation I ever had with him in my whole life. I couldn't decide what to believe and what not.

"Knock Out will make sure you feel at home. Turn to him with any need or question, but remember: we do our part only as long as you play by Neutral rules. But once you don't, we won't either."

"Duly noted," Crossflare nodded with a tight expression.

We turned to go after Megatron dismissively waved in our way and Soundwave followed us dutifully. When we reached out of sight, I let out the deep intake I've been holding.

"This guy is intimidating. Why did we tell him everything?!"

"Not now Halo," Crossflare rubbed her forehead with a troubled expression.

"But CF! He could have punished us or worse! I don't even want to think about what that means!"

"Don't expect anything better when you talk to him as inappropriately as you did," she bit back in a harsh tone.

"What should have I done? We were about to run out of excuses! We aren't his captives, we are Neutral guests. He has no power over us!"

"He does!" my friend snapped loudly, stopping in her tracks and I did the same. I was taken aback by her sudden outburst.

"What are you..."

"He can do anything he wants! Don't you understand? We can't leave until he lets us leave, and if you ask a wrong question about Decepticon activity you die! Got it? We are his captives! He just makes it look like we aren't!"

"Are...are you sure?" I mumbled quietly, worried. Was it true what she said? Was Megatron having all the cards in this situation? Are we really prisoners here? We were free to do as we pleased, with some understandable conditions. Wasn't that generous instead? Or was I seeing things in a naive light?

We continued our way back to the med-bay with Soundwave on our side who didn't utter a word or a sound along the way. I started to doubt he could.

Knock Out welcomed us with a bright smile. We weren't as carefree and happy as he was though.

"Well, how did it go? I see you are in one piece so it must have been stellar!"

Crossflare ignored him and walked up to Mercy's berth immediately. Her expression darkened with worry and guilt at the same time.

"Hey, it's okay. You were amazing," I went after her, trying to ease the tension between us, "Sorry for being so bold and irresponsible back there. You were right, we had to tell the truth. You saved us Crossflare!"

"I did nothing worth mentioning. Thank Knock Out instead. If he didn't listen to me in the first place, we would have died a long time ago," she shrugged off my gratitude as if it was an unwanted burden.

Both Knock Out and I stared at her in surprise.

Then we all turned our heads in Soundwave's direction, who was calmly standing in the middle of the room like a statue. Will he follow us everywhere from now on? What was he doing right now? Is he watching us? What is his rank in the hierarchy anyway?

"Erm, Soundwave? Don't you have much more important duties to take care of?" Knock Out arched an eyebrow at the silent mech in question.

It seems I wasn't the only one finding his behavior strange.

Soundwave slightly tilted his helm in the medic's direction, then a minute of silence passed before he slowly turned around and left.

"Oookay, so-," I began, "We've learned that Megatron is the boss, the Seeker guy Starscream is the second in command, you are the medic but who is this guy?"

"He is the third in command, as surprising as it may sound," Knock Out shrugged, "And Communications Chief. Our eyes and ears."

"Oh..." I glanced in Crossflare's direction and she mirrored my thoughtful expression. She wasn't fond of Soundwave either.

Crossflare POV

The encounter with the Decepticon Lord upset me more than anything that has happened so far, but I soon found peace in the relatively calm atmosphere of the med-bay. It might be the familiar equipment and the sweet scent of medicine lingering in the air. It eased the stress in my frame and cleared my senses. In the first hour I did nothing but explore the place. Compared to the one in the Autobot base, it was better equipped, larger and definitely more advanced in terms of technology. It was also conjoined with a spacious laboratory through the side-doors.

Knock Out ran the place, this was his turf, and it showed. He appeared to be a medic with immense pride who kept his workplace clean and well-organized. The only thing shining brighter than his tools was his immaculate finish which he certainly put great work into.

"Do you work here alone?" I asked while running my servo over the surface of the counter as I headed towards the backside of the room with curious optics sweeping over the place.

"No. My assistant, Breakdown, is usually here to work under my servo," the medic followed me, visibly pleased with my observations, "But I can always make some alone-time for myself if you are interested."

I couldn't ignore the suggestiveness in his voice and I shot him a puzzled glance. Did he just hint at what I think he did?

"Excuse me?"

He laughed, with a confident and greatly amused tone, clearly enjoying my confusion. His laughter was so lighthearted...Different from Megatron's who had that malevolent tone in his voice.

Knock Out has kept confusing me immensely since I met him. Maybe because he was different from his fellow Decepticon comrades and the image in my head I had of Decepticons in general. While Soundwave, Starscream and the Vehicons all had this cold, gloomy aura about them, the medic seemed to be friendly in his weird way. It was hard to tell whether it was genuine or pretense though.

"Where is this Breakdown then?" I asked, trying to get back to the original topic.

"Oh, he is on a break. Drinking with some Vehicon troopers I guess," he shrugged nonchalantly, "He will be back soon. Why?"

"Just asking. Is he similar to you?"

"Similar to me? In what aspect?" Knock Out tilted his head to the side.

"I noticed that you are friendly with us while the others are rather...hostile," I pointed out. My observation was meant to be a serious statement but I made him chuckle as if I just said something funny.

"Well, Breakdown is many things, but very unlike me."

"Crossflare, I'm getting bored!" Halo's voice came from the front of the room. She was sitting on a table, swinging her pedes back and forth with a pout on her face.

"I hope you know you are sitting on the dissection table," Knock Out put a hand on his hip and flashed a charming smile in her direction to which Halo froze immediately.

Oh.

Yes, I should've known. Behind his pretty polished exterior, he is just as sickening as the rest of this ship and its inhabitants. A dissection table in a med-bay? This should be a place for comrades to heal! I didn't want to imagine what he usually did on that table with any poor victim that would be cuffed there.

Halo quickly hopped down, awkwardly distancing herself from the table as if it was infectious.

"Um, I think I'll just go and take a look around," she jogged away and before I could've called after her, she was already behind the closing doors. Great. She just left me with a weird doctor with questionable morals.

"Well, now that we are alone..." Knock Out started with a wide smile but I raised a servo and stopped him mid-sentence.

"Look, I'm grateful for your help, but I doubt that..."

The doors slid open once again and a tall mech entered with heavy steps. He was unfamiliar, mainly light blue and gray with an orange faceplate and yellow optics, different from the rest of his comrades who all possessed red for optic color for some reason. By the looks of it, he must be an assault van. His servos were large enough to crush my head with a simple movement.

"Hey doc, you should've heard...oh," his amused voice trailed off when his optics fell on me and Mercy. He stopped in his tracks, looking from us to the medic.

"Ah, Breakdown!" Knock Out spread his arms wide and happily jogged over to the mech. I followed him cautiously, "We were just talking about you!"

"M-me?" he seemed even more confused now.

"Yes! We've got special guests on board! Let me introduce you to Crossflare. Crossflare, this is Breakdown, my assistant," Knock Out patted Breakdown's arm in an encouraging manner and I forced a smile when I stared up at him.

"Nice to meet you."

"Um...same," he answered awkwardly, then looked from me towards the berth, "And who is the other femme?"

"She is Mercy, my friend."

"When did you arrive? I haven't heard about new recruits."

"They aren't, Breakdown. These femmes are Neutrals."

The surprise was evident on his face and I was relieved to note that he was very easy to read because he could barely hide his emotions. To be honest he was the second Decepticon who I wasn't afraid of at first sight.

Halo POV

After passing by several groups of Vehicons, I started to feel like an exotic animal. Every stare focused on me and even after I left I could feel the lingering gazes. Well, according to what I've seen, the ship was full of mechs and I haven't crossed paths with any femmes so far. Must mean that there isn't any at all.

I wonder how long we will have to stay here, but of course this depends on Mercy's recovery first and foremost. Not like exploring this new place wasn't interesting enough, it's just that I didn't feel safe.

Maybe I shouldn't have left poor Crossflare and Mercy in the med-bay. Will I find the way back? Now that I think of it, I was roaming aimlessly without any destination, and barely paid attention to where I was going.

Great. All hallways looked alike, no signs offered any help for directions. I walked around like this for an hour or so until that familiar Seeker mech passed by not so far in front of me. He was arguing about something but I didn't see anyone in the vicinity. Maybe he was talking over comm-link?

Led by curiosity, I jogged after him and caught up to his pace quickly. When he noticed my presence, he shot me a disapproving glare and straightened his posture immediately, to make our size differences more emphasized.

"Hello, you are Starscream, right?" I tried to look friendly but I couldn't unsee the raw disdain in his optics.

"That's Commander Starscream to you," he growled, as if I'd struck a nerve. I arched an eyebrow slightly, not impressed by the behavior he was displaying.

"Then Commander Starscream," I pronounced his name slowly and dragged it out, only making his expression darken even more, "I'm Halo of Uraya. Honored to meet you."

"You should feel honored, yes," he nodded in agreement, jabbing a digit in my direction. Digit? No, he had claws for digits! Long and sharp, probably easily shredding metal without much effort. Noticing my awe, he chuckled darkly and flexed his claws for the sake of display, "And you should be wary of me, femme."

"Halo. My name is Halo," I corrected him with a frown. Does he want to challenge me? So be it.

"If I recall, I didn't ask so I don't really care," he mocked me, certainly amused by the expression I was making.

"Huh, you do believe you are superior because you have wings, don't you?" my grimace was everything but not impressed and it only encouraged him to continue. A typical Seeker snob. What a pain in the aft!

"Is that envy I'm hearing?" he bit back with a grin.

"Sure. Watch your back from now on or I'm gonna snatch them off your frame when you're not looking," I scoffed with a sarcastic smirk.

"As if a grounder like you could ever dream of catching me unguarded," Starscream chuckled. "You would be too slow."

Hm, he had an affinity for verbal battles. Just like a rival I was looking for. I involuntarily began enjoying our little walk.

"I have to admit, you are good at this," I raised my servos in surrender. There was no need to further press our arguments though. He was a snob through and through.

"This is the least, femme," he proudly perked up his wings, seemingly quite satisfied with himself.

"Halo. The name is Halo."

"Whatever."

A moment of silence passed before his pleased smirk turned into a thoughtful frown.

"But what are you exactly up to right now?" Starscream shot me a suspicious glare.

"Nothing. I just wanted to have a look around."

"Stay away from off-limit sectors," he warned me with a serious tone.

"Like?"

"Like the Communications Room, although Soundwave would kick you out before you even got close...Also, our dear leader's quarters should be avoided as well. Stay away from every officer's room and the generators and the energon storage room…"

"Is there a place I can go?" I pouted, getting tired of his list.

"Hm, now that I think of it...NO," he flashed a wicked grin and I growled in frustration.

"You are a jerk! But you have to try harder if you want to challenge me!"

"Challenge? Who? You? Don't make me laugh. You are nowhere near my level, grounder."

"That's not fair! Knock Out doesn't have wings either!"

"How does Knock Out even come into the picture? He is just as stupid as any Decepticon with a grounder alt-mode. Utterly foolish."

"You shouldn't judge anyone by..." I wanted to start a good lecture but he raised a servo and rolled his optics.

"Spare me your morals, femme. I have more important matters to attend to," he quickened his pace and turned on the next corner, leaving me behind with very mixed feelings about this conversation.

He was a Seeker, I should have expected a high ego. But to be so hostile towards grounders? I will have to teach him a few lessons next time we meet. I didn't mind his smartaft attitude that much, nor his arrogance because it somehow suited him, but the malice in his voice wasn't exactly appealing.

Well, Commander Starscream, you have managed to gain my attention.

Crossflare POV

This was my first time drinking high-grade in a millennia. Although I had to be pursued for long minutes, I eventually gave in to Knock Out who assured me about Mercy's safety in the med-bay.

He introduced me to the more lighthearted atmosphere of the mess hall where large transparent tanks were filled with different flavored and colored high-grade. There were tables with chairs all around, some Vehicons sat in small groups, chatting through their break time.

The atmosphere was nowhere as suffocating as it was in the command center and I felt relaxed in spite of the circumstances. We chose a booth by the wall and Breakdown brought us the drinks then he slid next to Knock Out who sat on the opposite seat in front of me.

"Ah, there is nothing better than a good break," Knock Out sipped his beverage with a pleased smile.

"My second break in the last ten minutes so yeah...I could get used to it," Breakdown practically emptied his cube in one gulp which was an admirable amount.

"So...you have schedules, working hours and breaks?" I asked curiously while eyeing my drink. Then I gave it a shot and downed it. It tasted heavenly. Oh dear, how long I've missed this!

"We are a well-organized up-to-date army my dear, of course we have," Knock Out looked surprised and even Breakdown regarded me with a confused look.

"Just because the Autobots...don't have these. Well, they do patrols and such but they don't have schedules and things like that. They are quite flexible based on what I've seen," I explained.

My companions exchanged amused glances and Knock Out casually leaned back in his seat.

"The Autobots are not exactly following the traditional military requirements. They are just a small team, so no wonder they can't even keep up the appearance of an 'army'."

"Strange how this 'small team' can take on your well-organized, up-to-date army any day," I raised an eyebrow in challenge and sipped my drink once more. I enjoyed the frown that settled on their faces.

"Well, there is an advantage with a Prime on their side," Knock Out shrugged, trying not to look offended but it was easy to see he didn't like the way I stepped on their pride.

"Prime is a wise leader indeed. But quite different from your Lord, whose presence itself is overwhelming," I pointed out just to balance my observations which made them puff out their chests immediately.

"Lord Megatron is a walking miracle. If I showed you his medical records you wouldn't believe he is still alive. I mean, the number of times he had been nearly killed, fatally damaged and infused with dark energon can't be even counted. That's a leader's willpower I can get behind," Knock Out elbowed his friend's side who nodded intensively in agreement.

I noted his words with a huff, then my optics wandered over them, noticing something I haven't before.

"You are grounders, aren't you?"

"Obviously," Breakdown mumbled.

"But you are few in here."

"Most Decepticons prefer airborne alt-modes but not all of them share this obsession. We stick to what we were created with. It's not like I have anything to complain about," Knock Out ran a servo over his front, admiring himself shamelessly.

I couldn't put this vanity anywhere. Yes, sure, he was a very pretty mech, maybe the prettiest I've ever seen but appearance isn't everything when it comes to a person.

"May I ask where you came from?" now I was wondering where Mr Ego could pile up such confidence.

"Not hard to guess. Crystal City!" Knock Out straightened himself proudly, only Breakdown shrunk visibly beside him.

"Crystal City? A wonder of science…."

"Yes! And of absolute elegance," Knock Out pointed out with a wink, "The perfect place to live in all the universe. Pity it was destroyed. But it was pretty even during its collapse."

Uh, okay?

"Too bad I've never seen it myself," I mumbled.

"Let me ask then as well, where do you come from?"

"Altihex," I replied after a moment of hesitation.

"Ugh, my sparkfelt condolences for coming from the unluckiest place in all of Cybertron."

I grimaced at his dramatic reaction. Altihex was told to be a place of misfortune due to the many incidents happening to it, but it was still my home.

"I would have moved to Iacon if the war didn't come in between," I added absently. Sidewire and I thought we could use our talents elsewhere on a more prominent scale. But we never got to make any of those plans a reality.

"You know what place I would gladly move to? Velocitron! Just imagining all the racetracks makes my spark jump!" Knock Out's optics glimmered.

"You like racing?" I blinked in surprise. I would've never guessed for some reason.

"I love it! There are races here on Earth as well but the fleshlings are no real opponents. It's sad, but something is better than nothing."

"Oh, so you race with humans? Interesting ... .Strange hobby for a medic though."

I heard Knock Out's comm-link ping and he reluctantly answered the call instead of answering me:

"Yes? I'm very busy right now."

"With what?! The med-bay is empty and I need you right now!" Starscream screeched from the other end.

"Oh, pardon me. I'm on a break but I will be back within ten minutes Commander Starscream."

"You better come faster!"

Knock Out sighed in irritation when he lowered his servo.
"Is he always this rude?" I asked.
"Not always but in general," the medic answered with a sigh, then his expression changed to a frown.

"What is it?" Breakdown seemed to know that something was off.

"He said the med-bay was empty..."

When Knock Out looked up and his optics met mine I knew what he was thinking about. I stood up abruptly, worried by the very idea of what that could possibly mean.

Mercy POV

When I first opened my optics I could barely make anything out of my surroundings. Everything was messy. All blurry, and the shapes were deformed. After minutes of rapid blinking and growing headache, my vision finally cleared enough to see my environment properly.

I gazed at the ceiling of an unfamiliar room and the machinery above my head where tubes were hanging from. My processor was connected to some kind of computer...

Panic began to fill my spark and alerts flashed before my optics. Where am I? What happened? Where is Crossflare? And Halo? How did I end up here?!

In my horrible state, which my internal scans also confirmed, I shouldn't have strained myself but the only thing I could think of was escape. I had to get out of this place and find my friends.

I ripped the cords out of my helm with a fizzing sound, causing who knows what kind of damage but I didn't care.

"Ugh...my head..." I climbed off the berth and unsteadily stood for a minute to regain balance.

"Bear with it," I hissed, trying to get my mind off the pain. It put my whole body on fire.

Stumbling out of the room, I sneaked as quickly as possible alongside the wall, using it as a support. When Vehicons appeared I hid away in panic. Everywhere I looked I expected enemies to appear, trying to hurt me. What did they do to my friends? Were they under interrogation? Were they…?

No, don't think. Stop thinking! With such thoughts in my head I won't make it far. But I couldn't help it. My processor was a complete mess, barely keeping me on track.

Quickening my pace in fear, I turned on the corner but right as I did, I bumped into a much taller mech. His solid chest sent me falling backwards and I fell on my rear with a painful groan.

I slowly raised my frightened gaze to see him in his entirety. He had stifle-jointed legs and his wingplates as his arms with very thin fingers at the end. But the most disturbing sight was his face, or rather lack of it. A dark visor.
He looked down at me with a tilt of his helm, almost in a surprised manner.
"Oh no..." I gasped, crawling backwards immediately. My spark hammered in a frenzy inside my spark-chamber. I didn't want to think about what he will do to me now. I'm scrap metal for sure.

A servo caught one of my wrists and I flinched in panic. The grip was not forceful, but I still hit his servo away, causing more pain to myself than to him.

I was a helpless, disoriented mess and I could already feel tears running down my cheeks. I didn't want to die yet and I wasn't ready for torture either. I just wanted my friends beside me, shield me. From whatever fate was awaiting me right now.

The mech knelt on one knee before me and I tried to wipe my tears away because they were blocking my view.

The Decepticon didn't charge, didn't hit me, there was no hurt, no pain. It baffled me for a moment. I looked up from behind my servos and saw him watching me patiently. I gathered all the self-control I had and tried to calm down.

"D-don't kill me...please..." was all I could mutter and he recoiled a bit as if he was stunned by my words.

"Where are my friends? They-they are alright?" I hiccuped.

He simply nodded, then his visor lit up and I saw different security footage run over the display, showing Crossflare in two mechs' company sitting around a table. I blinked in disbelief. Then another footage appeared, this time showing Halo aimlessly wandering somewhere along similar hallways. Unharmed.

Relief entered my spark and the tension in my frame eased slightly. They were okay...and seemingly calm with whatever situation they were in. How did we end up like this?

The visor darkened again and I nodded gratefully to the mech who hadn't said a word so far but already managed to calm me down. My head was still a mess but at least I wasn't panicking anymore.

Seeing that I was finally approachable, he moved his weird arm and placed a servo on my knee, patting it slightly. Was it supposed to be a friendly gesture? I couldn't decide whether to be anxious or not at first but then I realized the difference in his touch. It was gentle.

For a long a minute he was staring at me in complete silence. I did the same. I tried to figure out what he was thinking right now. When will he speak? Will he scold me for 'escaping imprisonment'?

He just stood there and observed me quietly.

I wanted to break the silence and say something but suddenly a fizzing sound sliced into my head and I felt a burning sensation grow in my processor, deafening my senses. I covered the wound while hissing in pain but it wouldn't go away.

My optics flickered violently.

The mech grabbed my servos and pulled them away, shaking his helm. My vision was getting blurry again and I began to see two of him. I could feel something strange sneaking around my body but I had no idea what it was. The only thing I realized was that I was being lifted. Did...did the mech lift me up?

He started walking in a calm pace and brought me along. I had a very faint idea of where he was taking me, probably back to where I came from. In a normal situation I would have refused to be carried around by a complete stranger but I couldn't care less in my current condition.

The Decepticon brought me back to the med-bay where we were attacked by an angry and worried Crossflare and an even angrier red mech. Both of them were upset, but I could barely make out anything from their frustrated conversation:

"You promised she will be safe!"

"I did! She escaped on her own!"

"You said it might take a whole day for her to wake up!"

"Whoa, whoa, I said it might take a whole day but it can be a few hours as well! Don't you blame me for this!"

"How is her condition? Is it worse?"

"Soundwave put her back on the berth! Be careful, her processor is already overheating from processing too much information!"

So his name was Soundwave. At least I know. He gently laid me down and drew his tentacles back. Wait, tentacles?

I tried to look into his optics (at least where I believed them to be) and I opened my mouth to speak but it was hard to put a coherent sentence together so I only mumbled:

"T-Thank you..."

He didn't reply, he just stepped back and watched the red mech reattach the cords to my helm. My cooling fans were loudly doing their work and my processor finally registered overheating. I felt like scrap.

"Don't strain yourself. Clear your mind and try not to think about anything or I will have to shut you down," the red mech continued to fiddle around my wound and I hummed in response. My optics followed the visored mech's movements which he seemed to notice and he slowly backed away to get out of my sight.

"What a strange Decepticon..." I thought while watching him leave. Maybe I was naive but I felt like he could be trusted.

Halo POV

Okay, I had the feeling that I should find my way back because I've been away for long enough. But I just couldn't stop myself and I continued peeking into every room which was opened. The presence of Vehicons didn't disturb me that much anymore but once Megatron passed by and that freaked me out. Fortunately I was quick enough to get away before he could have noticed me.

I backed away and turned around after I made sure nobody had followed me, then wonderingly noted that I'd managed to find the med-bay. Crossflare's voice could be heard from the inside and I happily jogged in, pleased with myself.

"Halo? Where have you been all this time?" Crossflare looked up with a frown on her face.

"Heh, I went sightseeing, but found nothing interesting," I shrugged and my gaze fell on Mercy's form.

"Is she awake?"

"Yes, she...made an escape when we weren't here. My fault, I should've stayed with her," my older friend placed a servo on Mercy's arm and she hummed quietly in response. So she was truly awake.

"And you say I'm a bad patient!" I jabbed a digit in her direction with an amused grin, then I realized something. There was another mech in the room.

"Oh, hello?" I turned my attention towards him and he waved a servo in response from beside the machinery he was pushing into the other side of the room.

"He is Breakdown, Knock Out's assistant. He is quite a pleasant mech, don't worry," Crossflare explained and I nodded with one eyebrow arched high.

Crossflare rarely labeled anyone 'pleasant'. If she says so, he must be.

"But please, we are all bona-fide gentlemechs," Knock Out curtsied with a datapad in his servo, grinning.

First day with Decepticons. I hope you enjoyed it.

Next time we will have a look behind the scenes of the 16th episode. Just to go on with the original storyline a little bit.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment or anything!

See ya in the next chapter!