*Author's note: Ok, I know I have a later placed story already in the works, but this one finally clicked inside my head and wanted out. I get like that sometimes (shrugs). For right now Future Realities is on hold until this one is done. Just so I don't mess up events in the later story's timeline. As usual I don't own anything here except my own creations. For all you transformer's fans who haven't followed my previous turtle stories, PM me and I'll give you the quick run down if you're not interested in sitting through 2 stories for some of what is written here to make sense (and if you haven't followed my Realities stories, a lot of this won't).

There was a storm coming. And by the looks of it a bad one. Sally let her gaze linger out the bus window as she settled into her seat. The clouds moving in across the horizon were dark and angry, lighting flashing as if Zeus himself was pissed off at the world. The winds that were starting to pick up was enough to give the bus driver problems as they hit the side of the large vehicle with enough force to make it swerve as it's eerie howl passed over the rounded top.

It wouldn't be long now before the rain came. Such a rare sight to see storms like this in a part of the country that was most famous for being a desert, but it seems Mother nature has her quirks also and decided that midstate Nevada needed a monster storm tonight. And that would be the night Sally would be out on the roads, in this oversized lighting rod on wheels.

Her destination was now only a couple of hours away, at most, and it seemed like this storm would slow the trip a little. Not even a hardened bus driver would dare try to stay on the roads with these kinds of conditions. This was the kind of winds that knocked semis over on a regular basis.

Idly she wondered why her cousin had to live out in this deserted strip of a dustbowl as the lighting once again flashed across her face. Couldn't they have stationed him somewhere else? Once again she wondered exactly what it was he did, but then, she couldn't talk either. He wasn't the only one who had a secret job, and oddly enough, it was a night much like tonight that had set her own life events down this path.

A strange encounter when she was a child had altered her view on things that could exist. One that to this day still filled her with curiosity. On a dark stormy night, much like this, a frightened ten year old girl had run away from her foster home. She had heard...things...from the other foster children in the home. Things that had her more than a little scared. Didn't really help her already frightening situation any.

Suddenly she had found herself alone in the world, her mother taken from her by cancer just weeks before. She didn't even know her father really, he had been taken from her at the age of three by an unfortunate work accident. Not having any other place to really put her at the time, she had been placed into the system. She had an uncle that tried desperately to get her out of it, but the endless mounds of paperwork and his own rough past hampered those efforts.

It didn't take long for the first warnings to be uttered to her in hushed whispers in various quiet corners of the house. "Don't let Dan come into your room at night." She had asked why, numerous times, but no one would really answer her. Sally found out on her own one late night as he came barging into her room, more than a little drunk. At first the confused girl didn't know what he wanted, but she didn't like the way he looked at her.

He had quickly, and stumbling, made his way to her, pinning her down on the bed with his body and held a hand over her mouth as he fumbled with her underwear with his other hand. She remembered being so scared, so helpless. What on earth could a ten year old girl do against a grown ass man? She fought the best she could, but he had just laughed at her, his foul, drunken breath washing over her face as the first cracks of thunder roared overhead.

It was the simple nightstand lamp that had saved her that night as she desperately had grabbed it and hit him on the head with it. He had pulled back in a rage raising a hand to punch her, when he fell over and promptly began to snore.

Shaking now in fear, she wasn't sure if it was her blow, or his drinking that knocked him out. Maybe a combination of the two. But she wasn't going to stay and find out. Quickly she put the warmest clothes she had on, gathered a few precious things, then had fled out of the apartment after slinging her bag around her torso.

The rain was now coming down, a thick sheet of water that seemed to pour endlessly from the sky accompanied by the just as seemingly endless flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder. She ran through the sheer fury of the storm to the only place she knew to hide in this area. Towards an old sewer access tunnel, something she had stumbled on by pure accident a few days earlier. Now it was the only safe haven she could think of.

She had wandered for she didn't know how long in those long, damp, dark tunnels. Not knowing where she was trying to go, but refusing to go back. She pushed herself on further and soon the sound of water reached her ears, rushing water that had apparently found it's way down here from the streets above. The tunnel she was following intersected with this underwater river, but she refused to let that stop her as she looked for a way across. Spotting a pipe not far away, with the help of a dim street light coming through a street runoff. Dim because the massive flow of water coming in from that drain diluted the light as it tried to come in, but it was enough for her to find the pipe, and crawl on top of it.

Sally was about halfway across when the true dangers of these tunnels made itself known. A large wall of water made it's way around the bed, unseen to her in the darkness, and slammed into her with more than enough force to knock her off of her precarious perch.

Now the girl found herself struggling in the water, burdened down by her heavy clothes and her bag, she cried out in fear as she struggled to find something to grab onto, and was rewarded with nothing for her efforts. She was so scared, she just wanted her mother, her uncle, someone. She didn't want to be here.

She was about to go under from exhaustion, unable to fight the swift current anymore when there was a splash in the water not far from her. She swung her head around but could make nothing out in the dark tunnel. She was wondering if there was even anything there to look at when she felt strong arms wrap around her from behind, pulling her close to a firm body. "I gotcha, kiddo." A male voice told her as he adjusted his grip on her. To tired to do anything she just held onto the arm he had her secured with. "I sure hope they are ready with that rope or we might be swimming for a while."

"Mikey! Raise your arm." Another voice called out. "Raph and Leo got the rope set for you and your coming up on it fast!"

The man holding her complied, still holding her close against him he reached up with his other arm and they came to a halt with a sudden jerk in the fast moving water.

"Good lord, Mikey! You seriously need to lay off of the damn pizzas!" Came a voice from the left.

"I think it's more the rock he has for a brain." Grumbled one from the right.

"Wrap your arms around my neck." The one holding her said. Sally just shook her head in fear. She didn't want to lose her grip and get swept away again. "What's your name?"

"S-sally. Sally Lennox." She stuttered out, fear and cold taking a hold of her.

"Sally? That's a pretty name. Listen Sally, I need you to hold onto me so I can use both hands to get us out of here."

"Hurry up Mikey!" The grumbly voice snapped. "Any moment now there could be debris flushing down that tunnel!"

Sally couldn't help but shiver more at the sound of that obviously not happy voice. "Ignore him. He's just a big grumpy bear. Please Sally, I need you to wrap your arms around my neck."

"I can't!" She had wailed in fear.

There was a slight tug on the rope and another splash and a few moments later another set of arms was there. "Sally was it?" The voice from the left asked gently and she nodded. "Sally, I'm going to tie you to Mikey here, ok?" She just nodded again, not able to do anything else. She then felt him swiftly but securely wrap a rope around her and...Mikey was it? He seemed to move very quickly, but confidently as the ropes tightened around her. "Ok, that should do it. Go Mikey, I'm right behind you."

Mikey let his hold of her go and she screamed a little, scared she would be swept off again, but it held. He began to pull himself, hand over hand, across the rope until they reached the edge and another set of hands pulled him up out of the water.

She then found herslef on the floor of another tunnel, still tied to the man who had just pulled her out. "You ok?" The gentle voice asked her as she began to feel the ropes being undone.

"Y-y-y-es." She replied through chattering teeth.

"Leo, we need to get her warmed up. That water was to cold for her."

"It wasn't exactly warm for me either." Mikey mumbled. "Thanks for asking."

"Oh hush," The gentle voice told him. Then she felt herself being lifted up once again held close to a hard body. It felt weird against her, almost as if he was wearing some kind of hard armour, but his arms were normal, lots of muscles, but normal.

"What do we do now with her, Leo?" The grumpy one asked from behind her. How did he make it over here? She didn't hear him in the water. "And what the hell is she doing down here anyway?"

"We are going to get her warmed up, put in dry clothes and get her back home. That's what Raph." The one carrying her replied.

"No!" She began to cry and struggle. "No, please don't send me back!"

"Oh brother." Raph grumbled. "Where are we supposed to take you? You can't stay down here!"

"Please!" She wailed again.

"Easy, Sally." The one called Leo tried to calm her down but she wasn't listening as she struggled in those iron arms. Finally he just stopped and knelt down and held her close to him so she wouldn't fall. To tired to fight anymore anyway, she began to cry.

"Anyone else getting the feeling she really doesn't want to go back?"

"What was your first clue Donnie? The screaming or the crying?"

"Actually the fact that she was down here in the first place Mikey."

"Oh."

Leo ignored them as he held her close to him. "Sally, why don't you want to go back?" He asked her in that same gentle tone. She remained quiet as she shivered against him. Not sure if she should talk to him. "It's ok, you can tell me." Something about him, them, made her open up and after a few quiet moments of them waiting quietly she told them what had happened earlier.

"I see." Leo said, this time with steel in his voice.

"I just want to go live with my uncle." She whispered into his chest. "I don't want to go back there."

"And you won't." Raph grumbled, anger in his own voice.

"Sally, what's your Uncle's name?" Donnie asked her.

"John. John Lennox. He lives in Portland Oregon."

"To far for us to take her." Mikey said.

"Won't need to." Donnie replied. "I'll deal with it, right now we need to get her out of those clothes and into something dry."

Leo had once again picked her up and was carrying her through the tunnels. By now she was so tired and overwhelmed by the night's events she started to doze off in his arms. Not once had she caught a glimpse of any of them, until a very faint light shone quickly through another vent. Half asleep already her mind struggled to piece together the strange shadows that were her saviors, but could not. All she could tell was that they were large, and different. She caught a quick glimpse of the green, three fingered hand holding her up, then she was asleep.

How long she was out like that she really didn't know, but when she woke up she was in warm, dry clothes, laying on a bench at the bus station. She blinked a few times in confusion before she noticed the papers she held in her hand. She slowly sat up and looked at them, more than a little confused. It was a bus ticket, to Oregon. Her mouth dropped open in amazement as she opened the small folded paper that was attached to it with a paperclip.

'Sally,

You are going to your Uncle. He knows you are coming and all documents making his guardianship legal will arrive at his house in a few days. And don't worry about your now former foster father. He is in no shape to come after you right now. We personally made sure of that. Take care, little one, and be safe.'

Sally began to cry again, with joy this time and she was thrilled when the bus pulled up. Not quite believing her luck, she looked around one more time. Hoping against hope to see them, then she did. On a rooftop a few buildings down she caught sight of four figures outlined against the evening sky. She knew it was them without knowing how she knew and smiled. She gave them a wave, which the smallest one returned, before she boarded the bus. By the time she had found a seat and looked back to the spot, they were gone.

Her Uncle had met her at her final stop after the long bus ride, just as grateful to have her as she was to be there. He couldn't explain why the paperwork had suddenly been approved but none of them questioned it. He and her aunt, and her cousin Will, had all welcomed her with open arms and her life was filled with love again. But she had never forgotten those strangers in the tunnel, nor the quick glimpse she got of that green hand.

She knew there was something strange about them, but never really got a good look at them. Either way she owed them more than a little. She had tried to find them again on the rare occasions she went back to the city, but never could.

Will had grown up and had chosen military as his life's calling, Sally went a different route. She went CIA and managed to get into a section that required utmost secrecy. She had hoped to maybe find something on her unknown friends, but not even these guys knew of their existence. Others however were starting to cause some concern and it was with this info she had gathered on her last mission that she had been sent to this backwater base in Nevada, coincidentally where her cousin was stationed. She chose the bus route because it was the only real alternative she had at the spur of the moment orders, and she liked them a heck of a lot better than planes.

Still looking out the window she smiled at the thought of seeing him again, it had been awhile. She just had a moment to wonder if she would be able to spend a few days with him before she noticed a jet approaching, fast. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that it wasn't going to slow down, and was coming straight towards them.

An instant later the whole bus shook as something smashed into it, sending more than a few riders flying across the inside. Those not being flung about were trying to dodge the breaking glass that seemed to suddenly be everywhere as one side of the bus caved inward.

Then the next thing she felt was a strange lurching feeling, accompanied with the sensation of her stomach dropping. She picked herself up from the isle where she had fallen and scrambled over damaged seats to get to the nearest window, trying not to step on the now panic stricken and screaming folks. She looked out in stunned disbelief as the bus was still rising off of the ground. Something was lifting the whole damn thing up! She looked around through the broke window, trying to make sense of what was happening, and saw only two sets of red dots in the darkness. She knew what they were, and knew that the bus, and everyone in it, was in serious trouble.

.

.

Epps knew Lennox had found out by the way the door slammed open to the control room, and his usual calm, slightly humored normal self was spewing out curses like Hide does ammo. "Well this is going to be a fun day." He mumbled as his commanding officer, and friend, stormed up to the panel.

"Where is it!" He almost screamed, not asking anyone in particular.

"Calm yourself, Major." Prime's deep voice rumbled from overhead. Even standing on this platform the Autobot leader still towered above him. "We are searching for it now."

"Somebody better do more than search for it and find that damn bus!"

"Dude, can you knock him out or something?" Epps mumbled to Ironhide who was standing next to him. He leaned against the rail of the platform that separated the human sector from the bot one and crossed his arms.

"Would not be advisable. You know, squishy heads and all." The black robot replied.

Despite the grim situation, Epps let out a quick snort of laughter, and immediately regretted it when Will turned on him, his face red with anger.

Epps quickly wiped the smile off of his face and Will turned back to the console, almost seemed like he wanted to sit on Jazz's shoulder as the small bot worked. Not that it would do any good.

-Hey Jazz!- Came over the speakers suddenly. Epps perked his ears up at the voice. It was Sideswipe, he and Sunstreaker had gone out with Bumblebee to scout out the location of where the bus disappeared. -I think we got something here.-

"Would ya mind tellin' meh what?" Jazz answered not looking up.

-Cons left a trail, believe it or not. Must have punctured a fuel line or something. We are following the trail to the north.-

"Which means Bee is following it and those two are racing." Epps said quietly, Hide remained quiet, but did nod once in agreement.

Prime moved closer to jazz and spoke into the comm himself. "Proceed with caution, Sideswipe. Do not engage at this time, not until we find the humans."

There was a sigh of frustration that came over the line. -Not even a small fight?-

"Sideswipe you will do as you are told!" Hide snapped. "Or I will personally make sure Ratchet will spend the next week putting you back together!"

-Fine...we'll leave them be, but this whole thing just got a lot less fun.-

Will's face was a very interesting shade of red by now as he listened to the conversation. "Fun! You think this is fun!? You aren't out there to have fun! You're out there to find that damn bus!"

-Oh, someone finally told him... Didn't think he'd be there.-

-Idiot- Came from Sunstreaker.

"That's half tha problem right there." Jazz mumbled. "Them glitches neva think."

They waited quietly after that as Jazz tracked the three moving Autobots. Mainly because Will was not in the mood to talk as he watched the blips move across the screen and no one else wanted to piss him off more. Suddenly Jazz let out a shocked exclamation and all heads turned to him.

"What is it Jazz?" Prime asked him.

"Gettin' a comm link request...from the Cons."

"What!" Ironhide roared as Prime and Jazz exchanged shocked glances. Well this was a first. "They didn't find us did they?"

"Nah, sendin' it over a broadband frequency. Prolly hopin' one of us would pick it up."

Prime's eyes narrowed. "Secure the line, then connect us."

The room was deathly quiet as Jazz worked, then he nodded to Prime that the line was now open.

-Greetings, old friend.- Came a malicious voice over the speakers.

"Megatron." Prime answered in that grave tone of his.

-Indeed. I would advise you to pull your watchdogs in, if you value these humans.- Jazz quickly spun back around and began working on the terminal again. Epps thought he knew what he was up too, if the cons could see the three bots out there, and comm here about it, then they had to be close. -I would hate for them to have any unfortunate ...accidents... during a rescue attempt.-

"Megatron, you go too far. Let them go."

-I don't think I've gone far enough. Keep your Autobots out of this sector, or it will begin raining human corpses.-

"Call them back." Prime told Jazz softly.

"What!" Will exploded. "We can't just...let them keep them!"

"To go in with force would only put them at a greater risk of being harmed, and I can not allow that. Call them back."

-Pleasure doing buisness with you, Prime.- Then the connection was cut.

"Ah got a lock on where tha signal came from, Boss Bot."

"Yeah, but how do we get to them?" Epps asked. "Knowing where they are won't do us any good if we can't get to them."

"Indeed, to retrieve the humans by force will not work."

-Sneak Jazz in.- Sides came over the comm. -He's good at that.-

"Ahm 'fraid not." Jazz replied. "Ah don't think Ah can get in. To exposed out there."

-Losing your edge Jazz? Better watch it, your sex appeal might be next.-

"Ahm still better than you." Came the quick retort.

Ironhide had been unusually quiet during the exchange, normally he be yelling at them both to shut the hell up by now. Epps was kinda expecting actually. It looked like Will was going to do it for him when the weapons specialist spoke up, with a thoughtful tone in his voice, effectively cutting off Will's outburst. "I think I might know who can."

Now everyone was quiet as they all turned to him. Suddenly Bee was chattering excitedly over the comm, as if he knew what Hide was getting at.

Epps was giving him a weird look. "Hide, how would you know anyone outside of us who could help? You been keeping secrets?"

"This wouldnta have somthin' to do with your...disappearin' act a couple of years ago. Would it?" Jazz asked him shrewdly.

"Maybe." He replied as he looked up to Prime.

Something seemed to pass between the two of them, before the larger bot just nodded slightly. "Do it."

Ironhide was on the move out the door before he finished giving the order. "Lennox, Epps...I'll need you to pack whatever you need for a few days and meet Ironhide and I in the hanger when you have finished."

"What? Why? Where are we going?" Epps was more than a little confused now, and Lennox wasn't looking much better.

"New York City."