I'm not dead! Sorry for the lack of posting over the past few months. Life got busy, writer's block wouldn't budge for most of my stories, and I was working on a personal project.

This chapter was originally going to be a lot different. If you've been following this story for a while I posted it chapter six, and deleted it because the more I looked at it, the more I absolutely hated it. This, however, I'm much happier with. It's going to set up what happens in Revenge of the Fallen (Which I hope to have rewritten and posted by the end of the month), and I wanted to have Alex interact with a few more autobots than just Ratchet and Bumblebee.

I don't own Transformers, Star Wars, any recognizable brands/places and etc.

Chapter Six: Algebra and Autobots

Takes place a year after events of Chapter Five, a few months before the events of Revenge of the Fallen (Alex's POV)

If there's one thing that is universally hated around the world, it's got to be Math homework. It's hard, it takes forever, and most of the time you're guessing because your teacher explained it like you're a math genius. In the quiet and completely empty autobot med-bay, I struggled with the most boring math in the world: Algebraic Functions. I half-heartedly stuck my tongue out at it.

"'Ey kiddo." Jazz's voice echoed into the med-bay. "What's the long face for?"

"Math homework, Jazz. I'm pretty sure its legal torture!" I groaned, dramatically flopping on my side.

"Somehow ya make me doubt it's legal torture." He smirked, optics hidden by his visor.

"Well, it's boring, and I don't get it so its not getting done any faster." I scowled at the still-blank math worksheet in front of me. "I swear that thing's laughing at me."

He knelt down beside me. "Ey, I could help you."

"Thanks, Jazz!"

For the next hour, Jazz dumbed down the math to my level which I surprisingly was starting to understand.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" I exclaimed. "I actually get this! And…" I dramatically showed Jazz the last complete problem. "We're done! Thanks, Jazz. There's no way I would finish this without help. I would've just asked Ratchet but he's not here."

"Anytime, kiddo." Jazz nodded.

I hopped off the crate I'd perched one, snatching my math folder with me. I walked out of the med-bay, still a bit bored. I spotted Arcee, Chromia, and Elita-1 lingering in the motorcycle modes.

"Hey!" I waved to the motorcycles. They in return flashed their headlights.

"Hello, Alex." Elita greeted me.

"I told you so." Chromia argued.

"Did I miss something?" I glanced from pink to purple to blue motorcycle.

"No," Arcee laughed. "Elita didn't think you would stop to say hello, but Chromia did."

"Oh," I nodded to the three sisters.

"What's that?" Chromia asked, angling her front tire toward my math folder.

"Just some school work that I finished. Jazz helped me with it because I didn't get it at all."

"So, is there anything new going on?" Elita asked. The femmes hadn't been here on Earth long, but I'd quickly learned that they enjoyed gossip, and I'd become fast friends with the three autobots.

"Well," I said. "Not much. Well, someone in my grade got suspended for pranking the principal by putting a bunch of rubber ducks in her office."

"Any guys you like?" Chromia asked. "Anyone we need to scare the crap out of for you?"

"Ew, no! Boys can be so annoying!" I said as Sam walked in the room with Bumblebee.

"We're annoying?" 'Bee asked in a hurt voice.

"Yes!" All four of us responded in unison.

"Very annoying." Arcee added teasingly.

"Incredibly irritating." Chromia jumped on the bandwagon too.

"Frustrating beyond words." Elita said.

"You're so annoying you probably annoy yourself." I grinned.

The femmes laughed at Sam's shocked expression.

"Since when did you learn the art of good comebacks?" He asked.

"Since I started hanging out with autobot femmes." I fired back.

"Point made." Bumblebee raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "Word of advice, Sam, they probably already taught Alex ten ways to send us straight to the slag heap."

"Eleven." I corrected.

"Oh-kay-" Sam nodded, wide eyed. He and 'Bee left fairly quickly.

Mikeala walked into the group, followed by Mrs. Lennox after Sam and Bumblebee left.

"Hey Alex!" Mikeala waved. "I was just introducing Mrs. Lennox to some of the new autobots."

"Hey Mikeala! Hi Mrs. Lennox!" I nodded.

"How about we do a little girls ride?" Elita suggested.

Mikeala smiled. "That sounds fun!"

While she and Mrs. Lennox got on Elita and Chromia's motorcycle modes, I realized I wouldn't be able to come, since I'm too young to drive, and tried to resist the urge to pout.

Arcee activated her holoform and grinned. "Did you really think we'd leave you out?"

I grinned and got on her bike, holding on so I wouldn't fall as Arcee raced ahead of the others.

"WEEEEEE!" I screeched as we raced past the gate and out onto the open road.

We stopped on a hill and I got off Arcee's motorcycle mode, and she transformed.

"We beat everyone!" I cheered, high-fiving Arcee.

"They can't catch this!" Arcee grinned.

"They'd never get the chance." A voice cut smoothly into the conversation. A decepticon I've never seen swung in between us and the way out of here.

"Ah, Arcee. What a surprise?" She cooed. "How sweet, you brought a pet."

"I'm not a pet!" I say hotly.

"Arachnid." Arcee snarled. "You've got some seriously fried circuits showing your face around here."

Arachnid jumped at Arcee.

"Alex, run!" She shouted.

I spun around and sprinted down the trail, running as fast as my legs could carry me.

I jumped over a log, but when I landed I tripped and fell right on my face. I could hear heavy metallic footsteps and let out a strangled cry before launching myself to feet and bolting down the trail.

"Please don't see me, please don't get me, please don't find me." I whispered, head turned where I heard the footsteps, until I slammed into something hard-

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed.

"Ahh!" Chromia gave a slight startle, before we both let out sighs of relief.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Chromia gestured placatingly. "It's ok."

"Where- What-"

"Arcee and Elita are dealing with Arachnid, I came to find you."

I nodded dumbly. She transformed and I got on her bike mode. She raced away.

I heard something and turned my head, still death-gripping Chromia's handle bars.

"I heard something."

Chromia raced away from the scene, and I grip the handlebars even tighter, my knuckles going white. Ironhide raced up next to us, scaring the living daylights outta me.

Arachnid dropped in front of us and Chromia swerved. I nearly fell off. Arachnid landed a blast perfectly so that it launched Chromia, and me, forward. She transformed and we both tumbled down the hill.

"Ouch! Oof! Aiee! Oww! Oof!" I continued to tumble down the hill before finally roughly stopping.

"Chromia?" I glanced beside me as she came sliding to a stop too. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." She got to her feet and spun around, weapons at the ready.

"Alright, it's official." I breathlessly muttered. "Never leaving home again after this."

Arachnid came running down the slope in her spider mode, but Arcee jumped the ridge, transformed in mid-air and slammed onto the spider 'con's back.

Arachnid transformed into a helicopter once she saw Ironhide speeding toward us and got out of here.

"So much for a fun girls ride." I dusted the dirt from my shorts and stood up.

We got back to base, and Ratchet made sure everyone was ok. I was fine, except for a couple of scrapes and bruises. Arcee was in a bit rougher shape. I watched Ratchet fix some of her injuries. It was interesting, and I'll admit I probably asked too many questions.

Arcee and Ratchet shared a look after my last question.

"Did I ask too many questions? Sorry." I put my hands over my mouth. My older cousins always call me a motor-mouth.

"No, kiddo." Ratchet smiled. I made a confused face. "If your parents are alright with it, perhaps I could teach you a bit about Cybertronian biology and repairs."

My eyes widened. "Really? You mean it?"

"Unlike Bumblebee, I don't speak for the pleasure of hearing my own voice." Ratchet chuckled.

"That sounds awesome!" I grinned.

"That does sound awesome." Sam said as he and Bumblebee came in.

"Ratchet, for the record, I do not speak for the pleasure of hearing my own voice. I have a lot of great things to say that I can't just keep to myself!" 'Bee quipped.

"Somehow, I don't believe that." The medic frowned.

"Great? Really?" I said dryly. "I'll remind you that you said that next time you suggest something stupid to do that gets you into trouble."

'Bee blinked at me. "Well, not everything. There are some exceptions."

"Some? I was going to call everything an exception." I rolled my eyes.

'Bee gave Arcee a frown. "What did you and the other femmes turn Alex into?"

"We didn't do anything." Arcee scowled at him.

"They didn't." I shook my head with exasperation.

Later that day, I got parental permission to become Ratchet's apprentice. Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I talked with him through the open window.

"We're going to be like a Jedi and Padawan!" I grinned. "But you're not going to teach me about the force."

Ratchet chuckled. I'd made him watch all the Star Wars movies, expect the sequels. They weren't any good. The writing went downhill, and the lightsaber battles weren't as good or cool.

"I didn't think of it like that." He smiled lightly.

"And y'know, once I'm on summer break, it'll be so much better because then I won't be juggling school on this." I rolled onto my back dramatically, grinning. "Eight Grade is almost done, after all. Then High school. Freshman year- yikes! It's kinda scary but also exciting at the same time!" I frowned in the middle of my little tangent because I heard my parents and Sam talking downstairs. I only made out one word: college. I knew what it meant, I knew what it was, I knew what it was really for, but the only thing I could think of as Sam was leaving. To me, it felt like it was for good, even though I knew it wasn't. I raced to the stairs, nearly tripping over them at the speed I was going, ignoring Ratchet's surprise.

"…Princeton accepted my application. Even though it's far away it's-" Sam said just as I spun around to the kitchen.

"You're leaving?!"

Dad rubbed his temples, Mom looked in the glass of water in front of her, Bee made a kicked-puppy face, and I made eye-contact with my brother.

"Alex…" Sam trailed off, squirming under my hard stare. "It's not like I was hiding this from you, you knew I was going to college soon."

Dad glanced at me. "Alex, upstairs."

"Why?" I disputed.

"Go upstairs, this is hard enough without you making it harder."

I huffed and walked back upstairs, getting to my room before a lump formed in the back of my throat and tears stung my eyes.

"Alex?" Ratchet said softly. "What's the matter?"

"You heard what's wrong." I said, not making eye contact.

"Sometimes it's better to tell someone of holding it inside." He said simply.

"I knew Sam was going to college, but I don't want him to go." I pouted.

"Alex…" Sam spoke from the door, glancing in the room. I didn't miss the way he gestured to Ratchet to give us a minute and sat beside me. "Why's this got you so upset?"

"I don't want you to leave." I looked at him with sad puppy dog eyes.

"Alex, I'm not leaving for good. I'll see you almost every holiday, and I'll try to come home on weekends."

I didn't respond.

"It's not like we suddenly surprised you with this, I've been talking about it since last year."

"I know," I looked down at my lap. "But now it feels real."

"Hey, look at me." My brother put his arm around my shoulders. "You're still my little sidekick, even if we're miles apart."

"That was so cheesy, Sam." I smiled through my tears.

"Cheesy is good in small doses."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's working." I tilted my head at him.

"I was," Sam said. "But I also meant it. We've been joined at the hip ever since you were born." He grinned, messing up my hair.

"Sam!" I squealed with slight annoyance.

"And we've still got all summer." He grinned.

And it was a Summer well-spent: Ice cream, outdoors, movie nights, hanging with the bots, learning from Ratchet, getting closer to my guardian, going tubing in a lake, barbeques, and doing what a kid does during summer. Honestly, it felt like an endless movie montage.

Little did I know, little did really any of us know, what was about to happen the day Sam went to college was going to be way more life changing than I thought it would be.