A/N ~ Heeeeeeeeeey. It's been a while . . . I challenged myself to update a chapter on everything during quarantine so here I am. Let me just say that it physically hurts to go back and read this story. I want to take it down and start over completely but I don't think that would be fair to you guys who have been waiting forever for an update so I will continue from where I left off for now.

The sun was beginning to set. This Ember was able to decipher as the group of Autobots and humans alike, all covered in muck, grime, and their very life blood trudged up the winding road that hugged the side of the mountain range. Dense fog clung to the vegetation that sprouted from the mountain sides and pooled across the road at their feet as they walked. Light chatter was shared between them, though much like the fog, it was slow and drifting. They were all tired after the day's events and were hoping to make it back to base as soon as humanly possible, given that their Autobot companions were injured and limping along with their holoforms activated so as not to arouse suspicion, but they had yet to come across an ascending vehicle large enough to transport them. Epps had resigned himself to walking and could be heard quietly muttering in annoyance and disgust at the head of the group.

Ember heaved a sigh and ran a hand across her face. The flesh wound that marred her forehead had healed thanks to those handy nanobots but due to the moisture in the air the blood that trailed down her face refused to dry. Blood and sweat ran into her eyes and forced tears to spill down her face in an effort to alleviate the burn. She pulled the front of her poncho up and scrubbed it across her face a with a grunt. She had also happened to notice that the sight of her blood had given Knockout the heebie jeebies.

The flesh wound had healed but her head was still far from clear. She was struggling with the sort of disorientation one experienced with an intense migraine. Her thoughts were slow and unfocused and she was struggling to string together a coherent sentence although, thankfully, she was able to function on autopilot easily enough. Just one foot in front of the other. And ignore the heavy copper scent of blood that clogged her nose.

The low purr of Knockouts engine growing louder alerted her to his approach but it still took her a few moments to work up the energy to turn her head to take in the now dented and scratched red motorcycle.

"Put your helmet on," he commanded quietly. His holoform flickered out of existence while Ember lifted the helmet in her hand confusedly, she could not recall picking it up as they moved out, but she obediently slipped it on and leaned over to grasp the handles of the bike with a hum. Knockout easily took the brunt of her weight as they walked.

"Are you alright?" the Autobot implored gently.

Ember winced as his voice filled her ears through the helmet but she nodded. As far as Decepticon fights went she couldn't say whether it was good or bad but it certainly ranked even with her previous encounter with Barricade.

"There was a lot of blood," he said with some nervous hesitation that stemmed from his knowledge of just had fragile humans could be.

"Head wounds typically bleed a lot, I'll be fine," she assured him with a sigh.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to scrub that image from my memory banks," Knockout muttered and Ember felt him shudder under her grip. Guilt pulled in her chest and she hummed again.

"I've had worse. I once had to get ten staples in my head when I slipped and fell playing with my brother," she narrated bemusedly. "That deceptidweeb did less damage to me than my own brother by accident when we were playing. Imagine how pissy he'd be if he found out."

Knockout hummed in uncertainty but eventually chuckled, happy to see the woman still had her usual spunk, and turned his sensors to the world around them. With the sun sinking beneath the mountains the temperature seemed to be dropping along with it.

"How's your leg?" Ember asked a few moments later.

"Fine," Knockout assured her simply.

Ember scowled under the helmet and tightened her grip on the handlebars. It was pretty obvious that Knockout was struggling with some sort of guilt for her injuries but her brain was working so slowly in that moment that she struggled to come up with the words needed to assure him all was well. It was her own dumb fault for attempting to take on a deception with little more than a pea shooter but she was certain had she the ability to go back in time, she would still do the same. Miniscule though her actions may have been they had still been enough to distract the Decepticon and provide Knockout those precious few seconds of time. In battle, even a second mattered. This she had learned that day. It was a valuable lesson and one that highlighted her inexperience harshly. Ember would be up late into the night agonizing over it, if not that night, then the night after once she had recovered from the fight.

"You're only human," she settled on offering with a shrug and a stifled yawn.

"I'm not human," Knockout corrected, perplexed, and immediately turned all his sensors onto her worriedly.

"Sure you are," Ember shot back with a lazy wave of her hand. "We're all human, just one person, trying to work with everyone else to build a better future. And we all fuck up and make mistakes now and again. No one's perfect."

"One among many, is what we say," Knockout agreed once her words sunk in and he was able to understand what she was saying. He seemed to relax after that, sinking low between his tires, and Ember let out a squawk as his full weight was suddenly in her hands. She nearly fell in her scramble to support him while he laughed and the others who were far ahead by then glanced back over their shoulders curiously at the commotion.

Deciding that they had had enough of serious conversation, Ember called up ahead in a teasing whine "Are we there yet?"

"Don't you start that shit," Epps growled.

"I'll start whatever I want to start," she muttered under her breath and heaved another sigh. Her legs were beginning to ache with the strain of climbing uphill for hours but she had refused a ride from Knockout, stating it wasn't fair to the others.

It took them another hour of walking before they finally turned off the road and onto the dirt and gravel path that cut through some trees and led them back to base. Everyone was shivering and exhausted by that point so it was no surprise that the public showers were quickly occupied. Steam rose into the air over the small buildings while the Autobots sent message to Diego Garcia on the events of the day. Knockout had pulled into the large garage along with Longarm to field dress their wounds away from prying eyes.

"Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet have been deployed in Australia," Longarm informed the younger mech while he worked to bend his servos back into place. Com. Chatter ran through the backs of their processors while they analyzed their injuries but Longarm knew Knockout was far too focused to pay it any mind.

Knockout grunted while he shifted one servo into a welding torch and sealed the linking energon tube with a hiss. He was crouched on the floor with his injured leg pulled close so as to take up as little space as possible. Long arm was a large mech, and while Knockout was smaller, he still stood at twelve feet tall on average. He could even push fifteen feet if he did some quick rearrangements. His talent had always revolved around his ability to shift far more than the average cybertronian. The motorcycle he had chosen as his alt mode was tight for him to manage but he was no fool to the advantages of being smaller in a densely populated world of fleshy fragile creatures. Otherwise, he would have been a muscle car.

Knockout vented and leaned back on his palms when the wound had sufficiently been sealed.

"I hope I'm not interrupting."

Both mechs turned to look as Ember slipped through the brittle wooden door that separated the living quarters from the garage and pushed it shut. She was freshly showered with wet hair curling about her face in scarlet ringlets while the rest of her was covered in the soft pants and top humans wore before their recharge cycle. Black seemed to be her favored color. But it was her hesitant tone that drew their attention the most. She was normally so brash and biting with her tongue but she shuffled further into the garage looking much like a walking corpse.

"What's wrong?" Knockout questioned while he leaned forward and rested his servos on his knees. Metal scraped cement as he moved and Ember grimaced as the sound penetrated her ears and caused her jaw to tense.

"Nothing," Ember stated with a huff while she dropped the load of blankets and pillows she had been carrying onto a wooden bench pushed up against the far wall. She spread the comforter out across the bench seat, folded to provide optimum comfort, and fluffed the pillows before setting them at one end.

Knockout cocked his head and tapped a clawed servo against his knee while he watched her set up the bench. Longarm had turned back to fixing his servo.

"Are you afraid of nightmares?" Knockout questioned with a growing smirk.

Ember gripped the final blanket to her chest and half turned on her heel to glower at the mech. He was leering over her in that mocking way of his and she did not appreciate it one bit if her frown was anything to go by.

"Who told you about nightmares?" she questioned casually while she turned back to her makeshift bed and sat down.

"The male that hangs around you," Knock answered with a shrug to match her light tone. "He said something along the lines of my needing to know all your needs since you were my new service animal. Whatever that means."

Ember whipped her head around to stare up at the mech with wide eyes and drawled, "He said that?"

Knockout half shrugged and leaned back on his servos once more with a grin.

"A service animal is an animal that is trained to assist those in need; such as a seeing eye dog for the blind, or a dog trained to detect seizures in people with epilepsy. . ." Ember explained dryly. "I wonder who he was truly insulting with that comment?"

Longarm let out a burst of warbling noises that could only have been cybertronian laughter while Knockout hissed and, surprisingly enough to Ember, crossed his arms with a huff. He muttered something in cybertronian that only caused Longarm to laugh more.

"And no, I'm not worried about nightmares, I would just prefer to sleep closer to the two beings I know have a fighting chance against our enemies," the woman shot back as she laid down and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Internally, she admitted that the bench wasn't too bad before she turned onto her side and shut her eyes.

"We won't be quiet," Knockout warned.

"That's fine," Ember assured him, "I brought headphones."

Knockout scoffed and threw his arms into the air and turned to Longarm for help but the mech ignored him. Longarm curled his fingers into a fist with an air of satisfaction before he turned and sat himself on the ground with his back against the wall. He vented and offline his optics in an effort to take advantage of the moment of silence left behind by Ember's dismissal and Knockout's internal rage.

Knockout watched as the human put headphones in her ears and soon fell still. He noted when her heart rate slowed along with her breathing before he vented in exasperation and turned his optics elsewhere. It was rude to just blatantly drop into unconsciousness and leave the responsibility of one's safety to those present. But then again, he reminded himself while he fiddled with an old bicycle left in the garage, he supposed that was a cybertronian mindset to take.

Still rude.

"This must be how humans feel when a small animal falls asleep on them," he muttered quietly.

A pillow launched itself from the bench and smacked him in the head before falling to the floor in a sad heap.

"Go to sleep, femme," he grumbled and tossed the pillow back to her before flopping down onto the ground and propping his head up on a servo.

Longarm only hummed in distant amusement at their antics.

"Optimus believes Starscream is not behind the activity here or at their current location," Longarm mused some time later once he was certain Ember had fallen asleep and Knockout had had ample time to mull over his lost argument. The younger mech grunted in response while he worked to straighten out the bicycle tire that may have led to it being left in the corner of the garage. "Given his character it would appear that few of Megatron's remaining followers are willing to pledge allegiance to Starscream."

"Sounds about right," Knockout grumbled gruffly.

"If your leader had perished and an insufficient second in command took over, what would you do?" Longarm asked quietly.

Knockout paused with vacant optics fixed upon an empty space on the floor. His humming systems filled the silence while he processed the question internally. It was a loaded question Longarm had asked him. The mech was probably one of the kindest he had ever met next to Beachbreak and Optimus Prime himself and he knew that he was not attempting to offend him. Be that as it may, Longarm was asking him what he would do as a decepticon. Deciding to take the professional route, Knockout shut off his emotional processing, and turned his thoughts to statistics and strategy.

Longarm was not alarmed when red optics turned to look back at him.

"Set up communication with others of like mind, gather forces, locate the body of Megatron, then begin searching for large sources of energy to restart his spark."

"Optimus believes that to be their plan," Longarm agreed and shifted to pull one leg closer as his joints began to ache.

"While Starscream squawks for them all to follow him," Knockout muttered darkly with a distinctly human snort. He blinked and his optics returned to the gentle blue of an Autobot. "I believe Starscream himself is less of a threat at the moment."

"They are all worthy threats and it is not wise to hold one above the other," Longarm warned gently and cocked his head in a gesture of understanding when Knockout nodded in agreement.

Ember woke to the distant sound of rain and quiet conversation and for a moment she thought she was back home. Home home, not the apartment she shared with friends. She had just fallen asleep on the back patio and a rainstorm had moved in. Her father was in the kitchen speaking with someone in a quiet voice while she pulled herself from here nap. If she opened her eyes right now she would see the foliage of her mother's plant projects swamping the patio and the misty grey light of a rainy afternoon.

A cluttered garage met her gaze and the figure of Knockout crouched by the door while he spoke with Epps. Based off of what she could hear, it seemed as if they would be leaving shortly and Knockout, for some reason, felt that they should wait till Ember woke up.

"People don't die if you wake them up," Epps chided with a roll of his eyes.

"I was under the impression that humans required sleep in order to continue functioning," Knockout responded in confusion.

"Yes, we need sleep, but we won't die if we miss a few nights here and there. I'd be dead, man," Epps assured him, exasperated.

"I'm alive," Ember groaned as she sat up and rubbed her face tiredly. "No need to start fighting," she assured them with a yawn. Epps raised his hands and gestured to her before he turned to head back into the living quarters to deal with Petr who he had yet been able to pull from the herb garden out back.

"You told me you'd die if you didn't sleep when I woke you early the day we went to collect Beachbreak," Knockout accused dryly as he turned in a crouch to face the women.

"I'd die on the inside," she countered and set her feet on the ground lazily before pushing herself up.

"I don't understand," Knockout groaned with a vent and lowered his head in mounting frustration with human phrases.

Ember chuckled and stretched before she gathered all the bedding and slipped passed Knockout and back into the living quarters. The base was buzzing with minimal activity in comparison to Deigo Garcia but it was still enough activity for Ember to confirm they were leaving soon even if Epps had not argued with Knockout over it. She giggled upon recalling the conversation she had indirectly caused by a slip of the tongue days prior. The Autobot's struggle to grasp the depth of humanity was amusing and she only felt slightly guilty for taking pleasure in it. Cybertronians were pretty straight forward in comparison to humans and it was almost unfair how complex humanity was considering the similarities they shared.

She threw the bedding back onto the cot in her small room and collected her things in a matter of minutes before shuffling to the bathroom to make herself a bit more presentable. She took a few minutes to rinse off any grime collected in the garage then pulled on a black tank top and the grey military pants she had been provided. Her hair was once more pulled through the black cap and she laced her boots tightly around her pant legs before heading out to the tarmac.

The flight home was unnervingly quiet. Lingering sorrow from Beachbreak's death and worry for what was to come drowned any conversation that may have developed between the handful of NEST members. Many of them were still exhausted from the previous day's events but none of them were willing to voice their complaints.

Ember's gaze shifted between all of them and she scratched her cheek absently and turned eyes to the window and the rising sun outside. It warmed her face and as she stared out at the clouds that soaked up the golden hues she imagined that she felt a bit lighter. The blue of the sky seemed that much bluer and she could picture herself reaching out and touching the cotton clouds.

It was so disorienting .

To go from fighting for your life while facing down the closest thing to a monster you had ever come across to admiring the rising sun during a quiet flight.

"I never really feared the end of the world," she admitted quietly to Knockout, who sat next to her in his bipedal form. The cargo jet was large enough for both bots to sit or lay about and they were taking full advantage of that. Knockout turned his glowing optics to her with a raised brow. "The end of the world to us is the end of humanity," she explained, "and there's always been this part of me that knew that even if we disappeared, the world would still be here."

The other humans on the cargo jet were too far away to hear her speak but Longarm had turned his head just so in order to listen without seeming obtrusive. Her words were whispered quietly, reverently, in a way no Autobot, Decepticon, or neutral alike had ever heard. Their voices, their words, were simply not capable of displaying the level of emotions that the human voice so easily managed to express in a simple whisper. Just as Petr marveled at the flora and fauna of Earth, Longarm found himself entranced with human language. And so he listened with quieted systems.

"And any time I worried about us and our planet I would have that thought and this sudden calm would wash over me," Ember continued and she raised her hands through the air, mimicking waves, while Knockout watched her. "Even if we all died out due to a natural disaster or our own doing . . .nature would still be there. It would take the world back. Forests would grow throughout cities, oceans would rise and recede, and the atmosphere would cleanse itself. . .life would start anew."

She fell silent for a moment but when she next spoke her voice was questioning, concerned, and filled with something that, when analyzed and puzzled over, may have been conviction. A gentle but resolute promise. And it shook Knockout to the core.

She lifted her eyes to his and said: "But now I feel that is threatened."

The mech leaned away from her and lifted a hand to his face while he struggled under the sudden weight her words had dropped onto his shoulders. The entirety of the human race, Earth, and all life that it sustained hung between the precarious outcomes of their war. His optics followed her line of sight as she turned her gaze back onto the glowing clouds that seemed to hug their star protectively from view.

"What I'm saying is that we need to end this and I'm ready to do whatever it takes," Ember admitted through a throat tight with emotions.

The mech remembered Cybertron as he had last seen it: an empty husk. Rusting metal skyscrapers reaching for the blackness of space in their death throes. He imagined that Earth, vacant of all life, would look much more barren and lonely.

Knockout reached over and wrapped a servo around her back, pulling her against his side, and hummed comfortingly. Ember pulled her feet onto the bench and rested her head against his side. It was a quiet moment shared between friends during hard times.

"We will not allow another planet to die in the wake of this war," he murmured as quietly as he could and tightened his hold ever so slightly. "Above all else, that I can promise you."

"Good," she whispered, "Because I still haven't seen, like, ninety seven percent of the world and it would suck if I never got the chance. And they're still working on all the marvel movies."

Knockout vented and nudged her away irritably while Ember chuckled. Though it is important to note that her eyes were a bit glassy and Knockout was hiding a smile behind a servo.

Things were quiet on Diego Garcia. The island base seemed to be holding its breath while their recently dispatched operatives left to investigate the Decepticon activity. They were waiting for the bomb to drop. They were so tense that a simple crab wandering the headquarters, probably provided entrance by one of the many drains or toilets that spanned the buildings, had caused an explosion of activity when it unwittingly triggered a motion alarm. Once dealt with, the men returned to watching the skies with white knuckles gripping firearms and radios.

When the cargo jet arrived an all around sigh of relief resounded across the island and ruffled the palm trees.

Ember waved goodbye to Knockout as she stepped off the loading ramp and shuffled back to her room with weary shoulders. They would debrief once everyone had returned from Australia. Because of this, Ember was able to make it all the way back to her quarters and begin unpacking before somebody inevitably knocked on her door.

Ember stared down at the folded shirt in her hand before she heaved a sigh and dropped it back into her duffle and turned to look back at her door. The stuffy quiet of her room had never been more tempting in that moment but she reluctantly stepped forward to answer the call for her presence.

"Do you have a moment?" Sideswipe's holoform questioned nervously from the other side.

Ember quirked a brow and leaned against the door frame tiredly before she nodded and gestured for Sideswipe to lead the way. His physical form was missing from the hallway so she could only assume he was nearby.

"Wheeljack has been working on something for the past few days and he wants you to be his test subject," Sideswipe explained hesitantly and punctuated the sentence with a nervous laugh that only served to set Ember on edge.

"Wheeljack, as in the mech who makes things explode?" she questioned dryly as they moved down the hall.

"That's the one!" Sides chirped.

"And why exactly am I the one chosen for this?" she asked with a heavy sigh.

"Well, you are the most inexperienced member of our team and his project is meant to offer protection," he answered and stepped aside to allow Ember entrance to the large hangar room in which Wheeljack had taken roost.

It was filled with junk.

Ember stopped in the doorway with crossed arms while she examined the heaps of damaged technology that seemed to form it's own mountain range along the circumference of the room. The mech in question was hunched over a concrete berth in the center of the room. The lighting in the hangar prevented any serious shadows from gathering but she imagined a mad scientist hidden away in the depths of his shady lab.

Sideswipe himself rolled into view and offered her a cheery wave before beckoning her further into the room and smacking Wheeljack in the shoulder with a metallic clang. The mad bot jumped and turned his blinking blue optics to her before he straightened.

"Oh hello!" he greeted and shuffled over to crouch down in front of her.

Ember took half a step back as he looked over her but offered a smile in greeting. This was the same mech that had stared at her while she showered and while she doubted it had anything to do with sexual desire, it still set her on edge.

"What can I do for you, Wheeljack?" she asked curiously.

"Right to the point! I like that!," he responded and fiddled with a small device frantically before setting it on the ground at her feet. "I just need you to step on that."

Her mind was assaulted with images of land mines and explosions. Sideswipe was crouched down on his tires right in her space and watching expectantly while Wheeljack twiddled his fingers and flicked his optics between her and the little round device that was hardly larger than a cellphone. She wanted to ask if it would blow up in her face but a part of her cringed at the thought of her possibly offending the strange mech. Sideswipe had said it was for her due to her lack of experience so she could only assume it was meant to be a form of protection.

I'm doing something stupid again, mom, I'm sorry, she thought distractedly before she lifted a foot and stepped on the device. It clicked under her boot and the sound of high pressured air escaping filled the room and caused her to cringe in anticipation. She had closed her eyes, not wanting to watch the following events, but she popped them open when she felt cold liquid slithering into her boot and climbing up her leg under her clothes.

"It's cold!" she exclaimed and stepped back but the device was glued to the bottom of her boot. There seemed to be no escape from the feeling as it climbed up her leg and encompassed her waist then flowed down her other leg.

"A side effect I should have thought of," Wheeljack admitted absently as he watched her walk about awkwardly and wave her hands in the air in a futile effort to escape the temperature.

The cold sensation stopped at her neck and warmed under her own body heat. Ember lifted a hand to her collar bone and found that she was covered in a black leathery material from the neck down. She gazed at her hands, black clad fingers spread, with eyes wide open. Whatever the material was had slid under her clothes and encased her body protectively.

"What is this?" she asked in wonderment and pulled at the front of her shirt to gaze down at her chest in awe.

"Energy Absorbing Armor," Wheeljack answered excitedly, "designed to absorb physical impact and energy to protect the wearer. It's not indestructible but it will hold up under heavy fire on the field."

"It's the same stuff our armor is made out of," Sideswipe added as he rolled around to examine the suit curiously.

"Huh," Ember hummed thoughtfully and pulled her shirt over her head. It wasn't a simple layer of leather looking material but was formed with additional padding across her torso, knees, elbows, and shoulders. It was all subtle work, streamlined, and very organic in comparison to cybertronian aesthetic. She hesitantly stepped out of her boots and pants to examine the full suit and test its flexibility.

"I feel like a ninja," she admitted with a chuckle.

She ignored Sideswipe's question of what a ninja was and pushed herself into a hand stand, marveling at the lack of resistance, before she angled herself to fall into a backhand stand. She pushed herself up with an impressed expression and nodded while flexing her fingers.

"I'll admit, this is pretty amazing," she stated and crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one leg, and said: "But I'd be more impressed if you made me a subspace pocket."

Sideswipe let out a burst of cybertronian laughter while Wheeljack lifted a servo to his chin in thought. The panels on either side of his head fluctuated with bright and exciting colors before he waved his servo in the air dismissively.

"That is for the future, first, I want to inform you of the basics of this suit and do some testing," he said.

The suit was coded to pair with the nanobots currently inhabiting her body. Ember likened it to Bluetooth pairing and Wheeljack agreed that it was a very similar process but each suit that he produced would have to be coded to a specific person for optimal security. It was doubtful that a Decepticon would ever partner with a human and provide them with nanobots, but it was better safe than sorry. Additionally, the suit could be removed in emergencies by hitting two buttons on each wrist simultaneously. This was designed to avoid losing the suit during battle as it was unlikely two switches would be flipped at the same time should she take a hit or knock her wrist into something. Otherwise, to remove the suit, she simply had to step on the device once more and it would retract. Conveniently enough, the suit was powered by her nanobots, so while it was in use it would actually be charging.

All this Ember learned while Wheeljack watched Sideswipe take pot shots at her with his least powerful weapon on a vacant tarmac. Knockout had joined them and was responsible for catching her should she go flying. She had dutifully pulled the black helmet on to protect her face and head during the testing.

"Tuck and roll" Knockout called out as Ember was thrown high into the air over their heads. Through their shared coms. he could hear her cursing and laughing in exhilaration while her arms wobbled for some sort of hold in the air. He ran forward while she did as instructed and cupped his servos to catch her.

The impact was almost feather light. She felt as if she were being flung around in low gravity while swaddled in bubble wrap. It was more than a little disorienting but enjoyable in the way one felt while riding a rollercoaster. She landed in Knockout's servos and offered a thumbs up to him while she worked to pull herself up.

"Quick, throw her to first base!" Sideswipe called with a cackle from across the tarmac.

"Uh, no!" Ember squawked indignantly just before Knockout lowered her back to the ground.

"But I was starting to like Ember Ball," Sideswipe whined teasingly.

Ember heaved a sigh and strutted across the tarmac while giving Sideswipe the middle figure, which only served to confuse Wheeljack and caused the other two mechs to let out great guffaws of laughter. While the Autobots had immediate access to the internet upon entering Earths atmosphere, some chose to refrain from delving too deep given the extensive amount of cultural information, but Ember had noted the younger of their allies did not share such reluctance. Hence Knockouts Brooklyn accent and Sideswipe's knowledge of all things millennial.

Ember looked up as she approached Wheeljack, who waited patiently now that he had seen his invention succeed in testing, and noticed an unfamiliar NEST operative jogging out onto the tarmac to meet them. He was dressed in full military garb and came to a stop at Sideswipe's tire and offered him a quick salute before saying something.

Ember picked up the pace and jogged the rest of the way. Behind her she heard the unhurried steps of Knockout as he chose to follow in her wake casually. Knockout always moved slow against authority unless the situation called for quick action. He still seemed to have a bit of teenage rebellion in him.

"You're needed in the conference room," Side's explained as she approached.

"Uh oh" she murmured as she drew to a stop. She wondered if she was in trouble for not immediately reporting to the kitchens as Lennox had instructed her. Would he really expect her to go back to work upon return from a mission? Then again, did he even know she had left base? Which led her to wonder if the Prime's decree superseded any punishment the humans may have seen fit to bestow upon her for her actions.

"Debrief," Sideswipe cut through her swarm of mental panic calmly, as if sensing her thoughts.

"Oh," she mumbled awkwardly and twiddle her fingers nervously against her thighs. She had never had to debrief before. "The conference room is the one with the big door so Optimus can attend, right?"

"That's the one," Sides assured her with a grin.

Ember offered them an urgent wave goodbye before she jogged after the retreating operatives with a light curse. She felt as if she were running late to class orientation and the professor was waiting on her to start the class as she hurried through the halls. She was only able to find her way back to the familiar room with the help of Knockout who guided her verbally through the helmet.

The door was propped open allowing muffled conversation to spill out into the empty hall and bounce about the cement floor and walls. Ember slowed to a stop and pulled the helmet from her head before she stepped through the door and froze.

The long table was filled with a number of different individuals of NEST from medal clad generals to civilian specialists who had joined on to assist. Standing at the head of the table was Ariella herself, dressed in an intimidating black pantsuit with an impressive set of shoulder pads that rivaled Optimus'. Ember bit her lip in an effort to keep that comment to herself and stepped forward to claim the seat next to Epps. She dropped the helmet into her lap and heaved a quiet sigh.

"Who called for Black Widow?" Epps exclaimed when he noticed her.

Ember scowled, confused but knowing she was the butt of a joke, but rolled her eyes when she pieced together the black suit and red dyed hair she boasted.

Lennox quirked a brow as he glanced over at her and though he tried to remain stern and stoic, given he had sentenced her to indefinite punishment not but a few days ago, he could not succeed in hiding the twitch of his lips.

"You can have a cool battle suit too, Epps," Ember teased.

"My wallet wouldn't even fit in that shit," Epps grouched.

Lennox snorted and hid his mouth by propping his chin on a palm and turning to watch as the door on the far wall rolled up with the sound of straining hydraulics. Optimus stepped into view and glanced about the much smaller room absently. It was obvious he was prepared to wait a while for the humans to settle.

"If everyone would take their seats please," Ariella called after a few moments of quiet chatter among the table. A few who were standing claimed their seats and settled as the older woman gestured for a projection screen to lower and the lights to dim. On screen, photos of the two encounters in Peru and Australia scrolled across for everyone present to examine. "Let me start this off by saying that all of us here at NEST are delighted in your safe return and that the Decepticon threat has been further diminished by your stalwart actions. But while the danger has been reduced it certainly has not been eliminated."

"Indeed," the voice of Optimus rolled across the room stoically. "While Starscream remains at large neither Autobot or human can truly rest peacefully. Many Decepticons have yet to be counted for and now is not the time to hesitate."

Ember was jittery as she listened to the leaders discuss the current events though she found herself grateful that no one questioned her presence at the table. She supposed it was obvious given the final photo that had paused on screen of her standing before a Decepticon, Ruination, Knockout had later informed her, with gun raised from behind.

Embarrassing but bearable.

"We have theorized that there is a separate faction of Decepticons working apart from Starscream to gather energy," Ariella droned while standing ramrod straight at the head of the table.

Ember heaved a heavy breath through her nose in an effort to steady her nerves. The news was distressing. Instead of a united force left in the wake of Megatron's death it was as if the lights had been flicked on and the roaches had scattered. Now they were left chasing after all of them and the roaches were large enough to smash a house. She drummed her fingers against the helmet in her lap nervously and barely noticed the joking conversation between Epps and Lennox about having Optimus run for president.

"It wouldn't work, he's not US born," Lennox whispered.

She was out of her element here, she realized, as those at the table confirmed the rogue Decepticons were looking for discreet sources of energy and that NEST would need to decide on how best to monitor for their activity. She soon learned that Petr and the Japanese woman, Kaminari, had developed weapons capable of fighting against Decepticons. They had been called in to assist due to their obvious intellect and capability whereas Ember had just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time on multiple occasions. She scratched at her head absently and glanced about the room as the conversation flew over her head. Her eyes met the optics of Optimus, who only cocked his head in a manner she took as slight reprimand to pay attention. Ember turned to face Ariella with some shame.

The meeting lasted for another thirty minutes, surprisingly short, and Areilla dismissed them soon afterwards. Ember trailed out of the room at the back of the group while in a daze. The past forty eight hours had been a wake up call for her as she quickly realized the extent of her situation and what responsibilities it would entail. The weight of the world was on their shoulders and it was crushing. But, she quickly added mentally, if there was anyone you wanted by your side while acting as Atlas, it was Optimus Prime and his army.

She just had to remind herself that she wasn't the only one worrying right now and, apparently, her main priority was making sure Knockout didn't fly off the handle. At least per Optimus Prime's order. Hopefully, by doing as she was told, she could assist in saving the world in some small way.

Ember paused in the hall and leaned up against the wall, lifting a gloved hand before her, and clenched it into a fist. The material creaked just as leather would. Once the hall had emptied of everyone else and the doors to the conference room had been shut she lifted the helmet from her hip and slipped it on over her head.

"What are you up to?" she asked as she pushed herself away from the wall and moved down the hall.

"Well I was just eavesdropping on your meeting," Knockout admitted casually through the helmet.

"Oh good," Ember let out a relieved sigh, "Because I totally blanked on the whole thing."

"Meet me in the Rec. Room in an hour, I can translate entitled political speech to something more understandable for you," the mech teased.

Ember scoffed before she pulled the helmet off with a chuckle and turned to make her way back to Wheeljack's hangar so that she could get the suit off of her. Then, she thought dreamily, she could probably head to the Rec. Room early and take a nap before Knockout arrived.

"She's good for him."

Blue optics slid to the side to take in the figure of Longarm standing with arms crossed against the far wall of the Autobot hangar. While Optimus had been the only Autobot present during the meeting, they had all gathered to listen in over the Autobot com's. as the Prime broadcasted the event to them privately. This allowed them the opportunity to offer their thoughts and opinions through Optimus without overwhelming the humans.

Ironhide grunted and rested his servos on his hips, watching as Knockout and Sideswipe spoke with each other near the open door of the hangar. Knockout had crossed his arms and was leaning on the door frame while Sides rolled to and fro around him absently. The younger of their group seemed incapable of sitting still for any length of time.

"I don't doubt it," Ironhide finally admitted after a length of time. He narrowed his optics at the mech before turning his gaze back to Longarm grimly. "But she won't be with him forever. He needs to learn and grow on his own."

Longarm vented and shifted his weight when his spark fluctuated painfully at those words. He trusted Ironhide's wisdom as the mech was older than even Optimus, but his judgements were often logical to a fault, and his statement had called forth the harsh reality many of the Autobots had refused to truly acknowledge.

Human lives were short and fragile.

"What happens when the femme's time comes and he can't handle it? It's not like she could join the others in the Well. She would be no more and he would have to learn how to function without her," Ironhide continued grimly.

"You feel it is no longer wise to keep them together?" Longarm questioned as the Prime entered the hangar. He moved towards them in that weary but confident gait he bad developed over the years and slowed as he approached, offering a wave of his servo to Ratchet as the mech departed the area to return to his work, and finally stopped before Ironhide and Longarm with a human sigh.

"It's too late to separate them, is what I'm saying," Ironhide muttered and jerked his head in greeting to their Prime. He crossed his arms and dropped his gaze to the cement beneath their peds.

"Humans have proven themselves worthy of standing with us, Ironhide," Optimus intoned gently as he processed their conversation. "Allow Knockout the opportunity to learn this as well."

"I'm afraid he's learning it too well, Prime," Ironhide grumbled.

"He is enraptured by her," Longarm stated quietly as the mech in question moved out into the sunlight and away from the twins who had begun to pester him and Sideswipe. "Take the time to observe them together when you next have the opportunity."

"Bumblebee has displayed similar behavior with Sam Witwicky," Optimus pondered aloud.

"Bumblebee is still young," Ironhide countered, "Knockout is older and knows better. We're just lucky she's on our side."

The statement was a heavy one that silenced the other two mechs thoroughly.