When Cliffjumper returned to the Autobot base, he carefully lifted the sleeping Alyssa from his vehicle seat, doing his best to not disturb her sleep.

"We have space in the medical bay," Ratchet said. "Besides, I need a scan on her since her feet are Cybertronian now."

Cliffjumper laid Alyssa to a fairly good place and Ratchet started to scan the girl.
"It seems that her DNA is turning into CNA faster than I expected," Ratchet muttered mostly to himself. He took a glance at her clothes, recognizing the bizarre coloration; they were those Energon-soaked clothes.
"How is that possible? She has not been in contact with Energon ever since the mutating started," Arcee said, having heard the medic's words. "Has she?"
"Most likely not how we have thought. But these clothes she is wearing have been in contact with Energon, so it would be logical to assume that there is something that it has left to them which has progressed the mutation," Ratchet told. "We have to wait until she wakes up."

It took some hours for the girl to wake up, but when she finally did, she felt heavy. Especially her legs felt heavy, heavier than they should have been.
"Good evening, kid," Cliffjumper said.
"Cliff..." Alyssa muttered and yawned. "What's up?"
"You fell asleep during the patrol. Now you're at the med-bay and Doc wants to have a chat with ya," Cliffjumper told.
"Nice," Alyssa yawned again. "So where's Ratch?"
"I'm right here," Ratchet said. "Is any piece of those Energon-soaked clothes you are wearing now ones you could lend for further scanning?"
"Sure," Alyssa took her hoody off. "Here. I dunno why you want it but go ahead and scan it."

Ratchet took the hoody carefully to his hand and carried it to his desk. He scanned it for a while, then returned it to its yawning and tired owner.
"There are traces of Energon in your clothes which have been in contact with it. It's progressing your mutation," he told.
"Scrap!" Cliffjumper exclaimed, but Alyssa stayed silent. Her thoughts had stewed for a while and now she spoke up, "What if we let the mutation progress?"
"What?" Cliffjumper asked.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Ratchet gasped. "We cannot predict how it is going to progress or how it will affect your body! It's too risky!"
"No pain, no gain. I've had enough with being afraid of the 'Cons whenever a fighter flies over me, and now that my friend has been attacked by one, I want to be able to fight and defend those who I care about," Alyssa said. The image of Selena in the trench made her mind clearer.
"The fact that you are mutating doesn't mean that you would be able to fight, even if you got enough size to pose a threat. You need combat training! Can you even shoot anything?" Ratchet said.
"Hey, what's the noise here?" Bulkhead asked as he came to the door of the med bay.
"Alyssa wants to keep mutating so that she can fight 'Cons and Ratchet does not approve it," Cliffjumper explained.
"Oh," Bulkhead said.
"Ratchet, you've told me the risks many times, so I am very aware of them. And despite of that I want to try," Alyssa said.
"You're risking everything, including your life. I am not going to allow you progress the mutation!" Ratchet snapped.
I wish I has an Energon drink or snacks while watching this, the amused Cliffjumper thought but dared not to say it aloud as he leant back to the wall and enjoyed the show.
"Well your approval or disapproval won't stop it!" Alyssa shouted, her face turning angry red. "Only my actions do!"
"I can help you choose your actions to keep your mutation from progressing!" Now Ratchet, too, shouted.
"How? By confiscating my clothes and putting me to a jail? Or by crushing me?"
"I have choices for how to get the wanted result!" Ratchet shouted. "Though that latter one is tempting!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, will ya?" Cliffjumper stepped between his arguing team mates before the medic would go from words to action. "What if you chat about this with Optimus once he returns?"
"Sure," Alyssa shrugged. "If Mister Medic agrees about even that."
"Whatever," Ratchet scoffed and turned his back to the human and Cliffjumper.
Jeez… They sure heated up, the red Autobot thought, surprised.

Later Optimus returned with Bumblebee. Ratchet was the first one to speak up about the fight between him and Alyssa, and the human let the medic tell everything. Once Ratchet stopped talking, Optimus looked at Alyssa, who explained her point of view.
"We shall discuss about this later. Now we have more urgent issues," Optimus said.
"Like that we don't have much Energon available as the 'Cons are hoarding it to themselves?" Cliffjumper noted.
"That, too. But I am more worried about the increasing Decepticon activity," Optimus replied.
"Well surely it has gotten up in the area as Alyssa joined us," Bulkhead said.
"No," Ratchet said, drawing everyone's attention as he walked to the console and opened up a graph to show a graph. "The Decepticon activity has kept increasing for a good while ever since some time before Alyssa joined us. In fact, her and her family's kidnapping by the Vehicons was due to the increasing 'Con activity on scouting Energon."
"Okay, so 'Cons are getting more active now? What about it? In fact, why are they doing that?" Arcee asked.
"They are gathering more Energon so that we can have less of it and starve in the end when this planet runs out of it," Cliffjumper believed.
"That may be, but I doubt Starscream is that far-sighted," Optimus said.
"Is Starscream the boss? But I thought that this guy named Megatron is," Alyssa pitched in.
"Megatron left three years ago and left Starscream in charge here. It may be that he is now returning, and Starscream is preparing for that," Optimus explained.

No one said anything.
(What should we do about this situation?) Bumblebee asked.
"We must prepare," Optimus said, "and gather as much Energon as we get."
"So you mean more patrols?" Bulkhead asked.
"Yes," the Prime nodded solemnly. "And when it comes to you, Alyssa, you have a point about progressing your mutation. However, it is very risky-"
"I know, Optimus! I know! And I am willing to wager everything!" Alyssa interrupted. Now she wanted it more than ever now that another Autobot would be even more needed. She had to do this.

Optimus said nothing as he looked away from the girl to the aghast Ratchet, who then shrugged and shook his head.
"If she really thinks she can pull this one off, be my guest. It's her fault if it goes wrong," the medic said.
"It won't go wrong," Alyssa said quietly, but everyone heard her. "It won't."

/Transformers Prime (c) Hasbro, the humans of this story (c) Me/