I always had a hard time placing faith in others. It's why I internalized so many things.

That mentality was never one-sided. They had a hard time placing faith in me, too.

Even you, partner.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Jack, Miko, Sari, Raf, and Jenna sat on the couches at Hangar E, watching a movie on the television.

"... Do you think that Robert Pattinson would cry if I asked him to sign a copy of Goblet of Fire?" Miko asked, raising an eyebrow. Jack snorted quietly.

"Nah, I don't think-"

"Probably." Jenna grinned, then she looked back at the screen. "... Seriously, they couldn't include Winky? Thanks, Steve Kloves."

"Whoa." Miko turned to the techno-organic. "Jenna Darby, making unhappy comments about Harry Potter?"

"Look, I love Harry Potter—but I have serious issues with the movies." Jenna told Miko, and the older girl blinked. "I mean, where did Ginny's character go? And there are so many things that people who have only watched the movies just don't know!"

"Oh, here we go." Jack rolled his eyes, then he looked at Raf. "I've got her examples memorized. Ready, and... McGonagall."

"Minerva McGonagall's patronus is a cat because only McGonagall can protect McGonagall, and she could conjure three at once!"

"The Marauders."

"The Marauders—Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs—were Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter! Peter, Sirius, and James became unregistered animagi to be with Remus when he turned into a werewolf!"

"Snape."

"Severus Snape was a creepy asshat who referred to Lily Evans by a racial-slur, was obsessed with her, and felt entitled to her - and if she hadn't been killed, he would have lived and died as the most-loyal Death Eater ever! AND he psychologically tortured students, threatened to kill poor Trevor, and was such an awful person that Neville Longbottom—the boy who could remember the day Bellatrix Lestrange totured his parents into insanity—saw him as his worst fear when faced by a boggart!"

"Charlie."

"Charlie Weasley was an awesome guy who studied dragons and personally took Norbert (or should I say Norberta) so that Hagrid wouldn't have to worry as much!"

"Bill and Fleur."

"Fleur was a kind, amazing woman who could be self-concious about her accent at times but she loved her parents, her sister, and Bill with all of her heart, risked her life THREE TIMES for Harry in Deathly Hallows, and married Bill despite him being scarred and really carnivorous because she is BEAUTIFUL ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF THEM!"

"And... Tonks and Lupin."

"NYPHADORA TONKS AND REMUS LUPIN!" Jenna stood up on the couch, her optics narrowed. "Their entire relationship, ERASED! Where are my scenes of Lupin telling Tonks that he's too old and scarred, too cursed, to be with her?! He cares about her happiness! Where are my scenes of Tonks trying desperately to tell Lupin that she doesn't care about him being older and and scarred and cursed?! She loves him, anyway! So what, if he's not human?! She's not fully-human, either!" Wheeljack—who had been standing nearby—looked over at Jenna, surprised, then he quickly looked away. "WHERE IS MY OTP?! AND WHERE IS TEDDY LUPIN?!"

"ENOUGH!" Ratchet finally paused his work at his usual monitor and looked over at Jenna, annoyed. Jenna looked right back at him, irked.

"Doc, if you were a Potterhead, you'd be shouting this right alongside me."

"... Whatever you do-" Wheeljack leaned over to whisper to Ratchet, smirking. "Don't get her started on the Percy Jackson movies." Ratchet raised an optic-brow.

"The Percy Jackson movies?" He asked, confused. Wheeljack chuckled as Jenna's right optic twitched.

"Oh, boy—just wait until we remind her of The Last Airbender... Three, two, one-"

"MOTHERF-!"

Jenna placed her hands on her hips.

"And... Gimme a Vulcan salute!" She shouted, and Ultra Magnus focused on the prosthetic servo that Wheeljack had crafted for him. He had gotten by since Christmas Eve by relying on his good servo, but now physical therapy had begun and Jenna of all people had stepped up to drill him.

"I... Do not believe... That these are physician-approved... Exercises." Ultra Magnus spoke, straining, but he managed to produce the hand-sign. Jenna grinned, raising an eyebrow.

"Where's the trust? You want full-mobility in that thing, right?"

"Right..."

"And hey, I'm partnered with the guy who built the damn thing. If he doesn't tell me it's bad for the servo, I think you should go for it—even if you've gotta go slow and steady... Gimme a peace sign!" Jenna ordered, and Ultra Magnus deadpanned before obliging with effort. "Thumbs-up?"

"Agh..." Ultra Magnus clenched his servo into a fist, then he managed to lift his thumb. Jenna clapped, beaming.

"There you go! Now, I'll keep up my end of the deal." She told him, then she walked over to one of the yellow railings and sat on it, curling her legs around the bar before carefully lowering herself so that she was hanging upside-down. Ultra Magnus blinked, then he became worried.

"Soldier?"

"Forty sit-ups, get this spine working again for real." Jenna stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest, then she closed her optics. "Okay, Darby, you can do this. You can do this... One! Two! Three-!" Jenna began performing sit-ups, bringing her chest to her knees before lowering herself down, and Ultra Magnus watched her warily as the numbers stacked up. "Ten! Eleven! Twelve-!"

"Be careful." The commander advised quietly. He and Jenna had not noticed the eyes and optics on them. "You are still not recovered."

"I know! That's why-! I'm doing-! Physical-! Therapy! Whew!" Jenna forced a grin as she kept going. "Twenty-one! Twenty-two! Twenty-three! Twenty-f-!"

"Miss Darby." Ultra Magnus frowned, and the girl paused. "... If you harm yourself again, I will have to extend your leave from duty even past the parameters of Ratchet's time-frame on the grounds of overblown recklessness—even by your standards."

"You're gonna keep benching me?!" Jenna asked, letting herself hang and staring at the commander with wide optics. "Come on, I'm okay! Really, you don't have to-!"

"Soldier." Ultra Magnus crossed his arms. "You've demonstrated the ability to perform these sit-ups, but they have caused you pain... Can you climb back over that railing unassisted?"

"Huh?" Jenna blinked, then she nodded. "Yeah! 'Course!"

"Show me."

"... Alright." Jenna nodded, then she performed a sit-up and grabbed the railing, beginning to pull herself over. "See? Easy as-!" A sharp, jagged pain suddenly raced up Jenna's spine, and the techno-organic yelped before opening her optics and letting out a shout of surprise as both her hands and legs lost their hold on the railing and she began to fall. "Ah!"

"Kid!" Wheeljack stepped forward, but Ultra Magnus reached out and caught the girl in his good servo, the commander frowning as he watched the techno-organic curl up slightly in pain. "Kid..?"

"I... Ah..." Jenna closed her optics. "I'm okay. I swear, I-I'm okay... I was just lobbin', the other day..."

"Using only your arms, for the most part." Ultra Magnus told her, setting her down on the platform. "Not your legs and your back as well. I watched the game, you kept yourself grounded and your spine rigid—and since then, you've tried to open your wings against our doctor's wishes... Working one facet of a complex mechanism is easy. Working all of them too harshly, once damage has been done, may only warp the mechanism and damage it further." Jenna sat up and frowned at the commander. "... Slow and steady, soldier."

"... Yeah." The girl gave a small, saddened smile as the rest of Team Prime watched forlornly. "Slow and steady."

/\/\/\/\

The next morning, Agent Fowler came in to announced that the Decepticons had attacked a nuclear plant in Los Alamos to steal twenty tons of control-rods. Only hours later, another call came in.

:Prime! It's 'Cons again, in-progress this time!: Fowler's voice shouted over the comms. Ratchet went to the ground-bridge controls, his optics narrowed.

"Coordinates received, Agent Fowler." He announced, and he opened a ground-bridge. Ultra Magnus stepped forward, eager.

"Let's roll!"

"Ep-ep!" Ratchet quickly moved between the commander and the ground-bridge. "Your ability to 'roll' remains predicated on further exploration of your manual dexterity." The medic then reached over and plucked Jenna off of Wheeljack's rotator cup, holding her in the air by the back plate of her recently-summoned armor. "And don't even get me started on you, Miss Darby."

"Aw, come on!" Jenna and Wheeljack complained together, both of them crossing their arms. Optimus shook his helm.

"I'm afraid that Ratchet's authority supersedes my own in medical matters." The Prime stated grimly. Ultra Magnus blinked, then he sighed and nodded.

"... Understood." The commander spoke, looking down at his new servo with a frown. Wheeljack looked between his partner and Ultra Magnus, his excitement over the coming fight fading, but he reluctantly followed the other Autobots, the Predabots, and Sari through the ground-bridge.

"... Welcome to the bench." Jenna commented dryly as Ratchet closed the portal, and Ultra Magnus looked back at her with a frown. "We have cookies and matching t-shirts."

"Enough pouting, you two." Ratchet scolded, looking between his two injured allies. "You are healing. I know you're frustrated. but I will not allow you to go into battle until you're ready... It's for your own good."

"But we're getting cabin-fever!" Jenna whined, then she simply hung limp in Ratchet's hold. "We're dying of boredom..!"

"Then... Go watch that infernal movie about the circus!" Ratchet advised in annoyance, walking over and setting the girl down on a platform. "Doesn't that usually improve your mood?"

"... Not when my partner's out fighting a war, without me." Jenna told him, and the medic blinked. Ultra Magnus looked over at her with a grim expression. "I... I hate this. I don't want to say it in front of him or my family or the kids, but I'm just so frustrated... I'm not getting better." Jenna looked down, then back at Ratchet. "They'll be here, in a few minutes. Figured I could use the time to be honest... You guys aren't the sort to spill secrets."

"Soldier?" Ultra Magnus asked, and Jenna looked at him. "... You need to be patient, You'll heal, soon enough."

"But... Soon enough's not soon enough." The techno-organic sighed, walking over to a couch and sitting down. "I... I was scared before, not having control over my strength. But not being able to control my weakness, it's-... I feel like I've let 'Jackie down. All those months of training, and I'm back to square one... I just want to make him proud, to make sure he knows that the chance he took on me was worth it."

"... Jenna-" Ultra Magnus went to speak, but he was cut off by a call coming in. Ratchet walked over to answer the call, a frown on his face.

"Yes?"

:Ratchet, re-open the ground-bridge but ensure that the humans and Miss Darby are kept at a safe distance... For we will be returning with a Decepticon prisoner.:

Jack, Miko, Raf, June, and Fowler were present by the time the Autobots returned with their prisoner. They, Jenna, Ratchet, and Ultra Magnus watched, stunned, as none other than Soundwave was restrained on the medical cot.

"Soundwave?" Jenna asked quietly, her optics wide, then her optics narrowed. "Sari, I need a favor. Intervention time." Sari blinked, then she quickly moved over to her fellow techno-organic and grabbed Jenna's arms.

"Gotcha."

"Good... NOW, LET ME AT 'IM!" Jenna snarled, and Sari held the livid girl back as she began to struggle in an attempt to lash out at the Decepticon. "The Hell you doing, bringing that guy here after what he did to us?!" Optimus looked over at Jenna with a frown.

"Soundwave could provide us with vital information, Miss Darby."

"Before or after he tries to brainwash you guys again?!"

"Kid!" Wheeljack shouted, and Jenna blinked before looking over at him. The white Wrecker was gazing at his partner forlornly. "Easy... I don't like it either, but the boss is right. We could use this."

"... You didn't see it." Jenna spoke, closing her optics. "You were being controlled, and that was awful... But it was different, seeing it." Jenna pulled herself away from Sari and opened her optics. "I'm... Getting some air."

"You don't need air." Sari spoke as Jenna descended the staircase and arrived on the hangar floor. Jenna looked back, her optics narrowed.

"Can you -like- not?! Seriously, for five minutes!" The brunette snapped, then she turned and stormed out of the hangar. Wheeljack watched her go, looking a little crestfallen.

"Kid..?"

"I'll go and speak with her." Ultra Magnus offered, starting to follow the girl before anyone could say anything. Wheeljack went to protest, but Ultra Magnus raised his good servo. "The capable fighters should stay, in case Soundwave regains consciousness."

"Thank you." June spoke up, and the commander looked back. The nurse was smiling sadly at him.

"... It's my duty, as her commander." Ultra Magnus looked forward. "You don't have to thank me."

"I know." June assured him as she watched the massive mech go. "But I will, anyway."

When Ultra Magnus found Jenna, she was sitting on a small hill just a few yards outside of the military base. Her right hand was shifted into a gauntlet, and she was shooting small plasma-balls, using an old truck for target-practice.

"... Your aim has not been hampered." Ultra Magnus noted, sitting down next to her. "Nor has it improved." Jenna snorted quietly, looking up at him.

"You here to tell me I'm being too hotheaded?"

"No." Ultra Magnus told her. "... I'm here to ask about that night." Jenna blinked, then she looked down. "You're right. None of us really saw what happened, in the desert. You did... Can you tell me about it?"

"I..." Jenna lowered her gauntlet, shifting it back into a hand. "It was just-... You know Wheeljack, sir. He's tempermental at times and he holds grudges like crazy, but even when he hates you, he never looks... Scary. His face, his personality—he's not the kind of 'bot who ever looks scary, he's just not that kind of guy. But that night..." Jenna took a deep breath. "He was terrifying."

"How so?"

"... When Wheeljack fights, there's a certain way to it that's unmistakeable." Jenna tried to explain. "He moves around a lot, light on his peds—like he's dancing, showing off that dramatic flair of his. His fights almost seem like games, that way... That night, he wasn't like that. His movements, they weren't him—they were slower, deliberate, cold. But the worst part..." Jenna reached up and hugged herself. "His face."

"His optics, they were red."

"Yeah, they were... But that wasn't even the worst part." Jenna admitted, and Ultra Magnus blinked. "His face... Soundwave didn't blank it, he twisted it. Wheeljack, he-... I had never seen him so angry, so hateful. And... He was looking at me." Jenna closed her optics. "I just-... 'Jackie shouldn't look at me, like that. He just shouldn't, he-... I-... We're partners. We don't look at each other, like that."

"Perhaps you can talk to Optimus. Given his history with my sister, he may understand."

"... He won't." Jenna opened her optics. "Elita-1 always loved him, even when she wanted to hate him. I can tell... No one else would get it. No one else saw the way Wheeljack looked at me, that night—the way Soundwave made him look at me... That image, it's just in my head."

"Was it truly that bad?"

"Yeah." Jenna looked down. "When he stuck that blade in me... He just glared at me, and he left it in." Jenna closes her optics. "That wasn't my Wheeljack. That was Soundwave... And I hate him for the pain he's put us through."

"... That's why you insist you're ready to fight." Ultra Magnus sighed quietly. "You don't care about what happened to your body, in comparison to what happened to your mind."

"And my partner." Jenna agreed, and the two sat in silence for a moment. "... Real talk, the body thing does really suck." Ultra Magnus actually let out a snort of laughter, and he looked at Jenna with a small smile.

"Oh?"

"Yep." Jenna laid down and stared up at the sky. "Everyone was right. I thought I was invincible... The 'Cons knew better. When they took 'Jackie, I was compromised." Ultra Magnus shifted, and soon he was laying down as well, resting his helm on the hill. "I always am, when he's in trouble."

"You and your partner are quite 'attached at the hip', as I believe humans put it."

"Hm. Yeah." Jenna smiled, then she frowned. "... I'll apologize to Wheeljack, when we get back. I'm just not myself, right now—I'm angry, and frustrated, and hurting, and-!"

"He understands." Ultra Magnus assured Jenna, frowning. "Believe me, I know—I was the one who spoke to him, that night... He would understand better, if you would talk to him."

"But-"

"Jenna." Ultra Magnus turned his helm to look at the girl. "... You could never disappoint him." Jenna blinked, surprised, then she looked over at Ultra Magnus. "I knew Wheeljack, during the war. You knew who he was, when you first met. I saw him, when you were hurt... Wheeljack has lost many friends during the war, and he has always pulled though with either a vengeful outlash or an otherwise increase in hostility as a side-effect. But when you were injured, he just... Shut down." Ultra Magnus looked over at the techno-organic. "It is my belief that, if there is one thing he could not survive losing, it is you."

"I..." Jenna's face fell, then she looked away. "Ultra Magnus, I-" Jenna suddenly blinked, then she raised her head. "Something's wrong." Ultra Magnus blinked as the girl stood. "The hangar... Come on!"

Jenna turned and ran back towards Hangar E, and Ultra Magnus stood and followed her.

Ultra Magnus ended up picking Jenna up to make better time given their differences in size, and upon entering the hangar, he set her down so that she could run inside on her own.

"Is everyone okay?!"

"Yeah, we're fine." Wheeljack replied as he lowered a servo from the side of his helm, then he raised an optic-brow. "What's got you comin' here in such a rush?" Jenna blinked, then she sighed and pointed to her ear. "Oh... Audial sensors, again?"

"Maybe." Jenna looked down, crossing her arms. Wheeljack blinked, then he sighed and shook his helm before scooping the girl up in his servos and looking down at her.

"You know, you can talk to me about what's buggin' you."

"'Jackie-"

"Nope. Don't 'Jackie me." Wheeljack told her, but he was giving a small smile. "Kid, come on. I know you better than that." Jenna looked surprised for a moment, then she gave a weak grin.

"Yeah, you do... You wanna talk? Let's talk."

Jenna and Wheeljack stood off to the side, talking quietly in a corner. She stood on one of his servos, making gestures with her hands as she spoke, and Wheeljack listened patiently and offered the occasional comment or question. Any Autobot or human not involved with watching over Soundwave, who had crashed his own drives and gone into stasis, had their optics or eyes on the pair.

"They've been over there for an hour." Arcee commented, crossing her arms. "No smiling, no laughing... It's weird, seeing them that serious." Ultra Magnus hummed quietly.

"I must agree with you. Wheeljack had his moments, yet he always seemed rather childish even during the war. He was and still is young, so that is an obvious culprit, but... I believe the intensification of combat in recent months is taking its toll on our younger soldiers."

"Yeah." Bulkhead looked down. "I mean, when we caught Soundwave-..." Ultra Magnus looked at him.

"What happened?"

"Well..."

...

Soundwave fell from the sky and crashed onto the ground, striking some powerlines as he went. The Autobots transformed and looked back with wide eyes as Optimus landed beside the fallen Decepticon, and they quickly ran over.

"Ratchet, re-open the ground-bridge but ensure that the humans and Miss Darby are kept at a safe distance... For we will be returning with a Decepticon prisoner."

"What?" Wheeljack asked, then his optics narrowed. "Oh, Pit no! He's not going anywhere!" Bulkhead quickly grabbed his friend, holding Wheeljack back as the shorter mech tried to lash out.

"'Jackie, come on!"

"He needs to pay!" Wheeljack snarled, his fists clenching. "He could have killed her, used me to kill her! He could have made ME kill her, my PARTNER! Let me at 'im, NOW!" Bulkhead did not slacken his hold, and Optimus sighed as he turned to the white Wrecker.

"Wheeljack, please." He pleaded, and Wheeljack looked up at him with a livid expression. "Please... Soundwave is the Decepticon's chief intelligence officer. He knows everything Megatron knows. Taking him as a prisoner could be our one chance of ending this war swiftly and without further casualties."

"He-!"

"Megatron's after Jenna, Wheeljack." Arcee reminded him, and Wheeljack looked at her. "If Soundwave can help us end the war, that's not a chance you can take. He has to come with us, or Jenna—in the state she's in—won't make it... You know that, don't you?"

"I..." The white Wrecker froze, his optics wide, then his optics narrowed. "Don't you talk about her like that." Arcee's optics narrowed.

"Answer me, Wheeljack. Will she make it, if we don't do this?"

"I can protect-"

"Can you?" Arcee pressed, and Wheeljack's face fell. "... I'm sorry, but someone has to ask the difficult questions if you're not going to." Wheeljack just stared at her, then he looked down.

...

Ultra Magnus blinked, then he sighed.

"That was unfair of you." He looked at Arcee, frowning. "You of all know how much a soldier values their partner."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I did it." She told him. "It's tough, but in the long run, this is the best move to help Jenna... I honestly don't like her odds, in her condition." Arcee looked over at the pair again. "I care about that girl, too. She's a kid—a sparkling, the nest generation of our kind—, and... I want to know that what we're doing will make sure that she grows up."

"I want that as well." Ultra Magnus agreed softly, then he turned his helm to see that Wheeljack and Jenna had left the corner and walked over to the group again. The commander raised an optic-brow, a little concerned. "Better?" Wheeljack and Jenna exchanged glances, then Jenna gave a weak grin and looked back at the commander, nodding.

"I think so." She said quietly. "Thanks for the advice, sir." Ultra Magnus gave a small smile.

"Any time, soldier."

/\

Hours passed, and another call from Fowler came in.

:I'm on my way to the base, but I just got word.: The agent reported, his tone severe. :The 'Cons busted into the Solaris Particle Collider Project at the South Pole.: Optimus' optics narrowed.

"Autobots..." He spoke, and the team prepared for battle. Ultra Magnus stepped forward, clenching his new fist, and Ratchet immediately went to intervene again.

"Ep-ep!"

"Doc." Wheeljack moved to stand beside Ultra Magnus, frowning. "The commander's ready." Ultra Magnus looked at the white Wrecker, surprised, and Ratchet sighed and shook his helm.

"Fine, fine..."

"Me too, right?" Jenna looked up at Wheeljack, placing her hands on her hips. Wheeljack blinked, then he looked down at her with a light smirk.

"Don't you want to stick around in case Soundwave wakes up? Lots of revenge to be had, there. Make him listen to all of the The Greatest Showman covers."

"... You'll get Ratchet to let Ultra Magnus go, but not me?" Jenna asked, frowning as her optics narrowed. "Thanks, 'Jackie—nice to know how far talkin' to you about my problems will get me, from now on." Wheeljack blinked again, then he sighed.

"Kid-"

"Wheeljack, I'm ready!" Jenna snapped, stepping forward. "You don't have to treat me like I'm made of glass, to protect me! I'm fine!"

"Is that why a bunch of human kids were able to get the jump on you even easier than they did when you thought you were human?!" Wheeljack shot back. Silence fell as Jenna's face fell, her optics widening, and everyone but Wheeljack looked at her in confusion.

"Jenna?" Jack asked, and Jenna looked at him in dismay before stepping back. The humans had been about to leave the base, but now... "What is he talking about?"

"I..." Jenna did not know what to say. "I just-..."

"... They weren't accidents, were they?" June spoke softly, and Jenna looked at her. "All those days you came home hurt... Someone was hurting you." Jenna's fists clenched. "Why... Why didn't you tell us?"

"I..." Jenna looked down, taking a deep and shaking breath, then she closed her optics. Miko was staring at her friend.

"Oh, no... You really weren't a coward." The girl realized, and Jenna looked up at her. "You faced all of them—Jasper—every day... And you did it by yourself."

"And your condition's even worse than we thought!" Sari was gazing down at Jenna worriedly from her place on Bumblebee's rotator-cup. "You lost a fight with humans?!" Jenna was silent, then her optics narrowed as she looked up at Wheeljack. The white Wrecker was frozen, his optics wide as he looked down at his partner.

"Kid, I-... I didn't mean-"

"No, Wheeljack... You did." Jenna said it quietly, then she turned her back on him and crossed her arms. "To Hell with this, all of it... I'm done trying."

"Kid-"

"I'm done... Get out of here, already. You're wasting time." Jenna closed her optics, then she opened them and walked over to the platform that led to the rooms. Everyone watched as the young techno-organic pressed the button to lower the platform, and they saw that she did not look back at them as she descended.

Jenna entered her room and slammed the door behind her, then the techno-organic closed her optics and screamed in frustration before dropping to her knees and slamming her fist down onto the floor. The concrete cracked, and Jenna opened her optics and blinked before her face fell and she sighed, closing her eyes again and resting her hand on the jagged stone.

"Awesome day, Jenna. Awesome day." She commented quietly, then she eaned back in her kneel and sat on her legs before opening her optics again. Her room was just as dark and barren as before. She had not expected any different, though—she had never done anything to improve her room, since she lived with Wheeljack...

'I can't believe he did that. I... Trusted him...'

"Hm." Jenna opened her optics and looked up. Those thoughts, the ones she should have been having, they were unnatural and forced. Sure, she was hurt—but she wasn't angry with Wheeljack. She was never angry with him... But anger is a powerful painkiller. Without it, all Jenna felt was the hurt from everything.

'My body is shit, everyone's treating me like I'm made of glass, Wheeljack is leaving me behind and spilling my secrets, and I don't know how much longer I have before I'm going to die.' Jenna concluded, then she closed her optics again. 'Primus...'

...

Jenna stood before a massive spark, frowning up at it as her fists clenched at her sides.

"... Get it over with, already." Jenna spoke quietly. "Tell me where the Allspark is. I'll take Wheeljack's ship to go and get it myself, then I'll hide out until they fix the planet. I'll take out the army, then pop the energy in... What's the wait about?"

"Little Artist." A voice sighed, and Jenna turned around to see the glowing image of Primus standing there with a frown on his face. "What your partner said... He did not mean to cause you harm. You are damaged, and he worries for your wellbeing. It eats at him, like rust in his spark."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not going to be his problem anymore. Just tell me where to find the Allspark."

"It will not be you who finds it, little one." Primus told her quietly. "That is not the path that has been laid out for you. No... The instrument of the rebirth of Cybertron shall be delivered by the last of the Primes and the forgotten stray."

"... Optimus and Wheeljack." Jenna realized, then she took a step back. "The crashed ship, from my vision... Wheeljack and Optimus, they're going after the Allspark. They're going to bring it to Cybertron, and-"

"You will take it from there."

"But..." Jenna looked down, then back at Primus in dismay. "No! Wheeljack... He'll never forgive himself, if he's the one who brings the thing that's going to end my life right to me! I won't let it happen, tell me where the Allspark is!"

"Little Artist, it is not that simple."

"Yes, it is! Everyone around me is making everything needlessly weird and complicated, but it's easy!" Jenna snapped, stepping forward. "Cybertron gets saved, the Allspark gets restored, and everyone but me lives! Did I miss anything?!"

"... Jenna." Primus gazed down at her forlornly. "The weight that your destiny is placing upon your mind and spark is crushing your spirit. You need to change the way in which you are holding it aloft, or you will be destroyed... Along with everything you care about." Jenna said nothing, she just gazed at Primus with her narrowed optics and clenched fists. "The Allspark must be found by Optimus Prime and Wheeljack, then it must be delivered by you. In time, you will understand."

"Yeah, sure." Jenna scoffed, looking away and crossing her arms. "I can wait. After all... It's just my life."

...

Jenna opened her optics and gazed straight forward, then she sighed and stood up before raising an arm to wipe tears from her face.

"Just my life..." The girl whispered, then she blinked. "Oh." She had been so angry, she had forgotten to ask Primus about the fate of her spark after she had completed her mission. "Damn it all."

A high-pitched whine suddenly filled Jenna's ears, and she blinked again before deadpanning. Her audial sensors must have been on the fritz again, hearing things that they should not have. Just another cherry on the 'I hate my life' sundae...

Crashing sounds rang out, and Jenna frowned as she left her room and walked over to the platform. What could that be?

Soundwave was on his peds and lashing out, using his tendrils to throw Bulkhead and Smokescreen around and taser them into submission. When Fowler tried to help, even he was knocked aside, and Soundwave tuened to approach Ratchet as the medic looked on in terror.

"Hey, Slenderman!" A voice shouted, and Soundwave looked away from the medic... Only to receive a paint-bomb to the face. The bomb went off, exploding in green, blue, and yellow paint that covered the Decepticon intelligence officer's visor, and Ratchet looked over with wide optics to see Jenna Darby stepping off of the platform, her optics narrowed. "Get the Hell away from my friends."

Soundwave used a servo to wipe some of the paint from his visor, and he looked down at Jenna. Bulkhead, Smokescreen, and Fowler were recovering, and they and Ratchet looked at Jenna with worry as Soundwave turned to face her.

"Jenna, run!" Fowler advised, but the girl instead drew two cylinders from her belt. "Miss Darby, that is an order!"

"I'm not an American citizen, Fowler! I don't take orders from you!" Jenna stated, then she ignited her original pair of light-weapons. "... And I've been waiting for this."

Soundwave lashed out with his tendrils, but Jenna dodged one with her inhuman speed and sliced the end of the other clean off. Soundwave staggered back, pulling the wounded tendeil back into his chest as Energon sprayed from it, then he ran forard and swiped at Jenna with one of his servos. The techno-organic side-stepped and grabbed his arm, grunting in effort, then she suddenly flipped the masive mech over her head and sent him slamming into the floor on his back.

"Whoa!" Smokescreen exclaimed, his optics wide. Jenna turned back, gripping her blades as the Decepticon began to try and recover. Ratchet noticed an unsteadiness in her stance, one she quickly tried to compensate for and correct.

"I told you I was ready." Jenna smirked, then she pointed her right blade at Soundwave. "Get back on the table yourself, 'Con, or I'll get you back on it in pieces." Soundwave stood, and Jenna's optics narrowed as he turned back to face her. "Well?"

Soundwave regarded Jenna for a long moment, then his visor began to flash with images. She barely managed to catch one of herself, one that she remembered him taking long ago—back when she thought she was human, and she stood between Wheeljack and the Decepticon on top of a mesa despite her fear. Finally, Soundwave brought something up—an audio-recording—and he played it.

"The techno-organic must be destroyed."

It was like the flip of a switch.

Jenna's expression fell, her eyes widening as her entire body tensed. Unconsciously, the girl lowered her blades and took a step back, her next unnecessary breath shuddering as it escaped. All she could see were crimson optics that should have been blue, a familiar face twisted in an expression of hate...

Soundwave batted Jenna Darby aside, and her shoulders and the back of her head struck a wall. A cry of pain escaped her, then she simply slid and fell down to the floor on her side. Her optics were open, but they did not really see as Soundwave turned to Ratchet with his tasers active.

With Ratchet unconcious and Soundwave's remaining tendril pulling the medic along, the Decepticon Intelligence Officer turned and looked down at Jenna with his expressionless visor. Jenna finally blinked, then she actually whimpered quietly as Soundwave approached and cast his shadow over her. She couldn't move.

She couldn't escape.

/\

After failing to stop the Decepticons, the team at the South Pole regrouped.

"Ratchet, we require immediate transport back to base." Arcee spoke into her comm-link. There was no response. "Ratchet, do you read?"

:A... Arcee?:

"Bulkhead?" Arcee blinked, surprised. "Is everything alright? Where's Ratchet?"

:He's-... He's gone...:

"What?" Ultra Magnus asked, watching as Arcee lowered her fingers, her optics wide. "What do you mean?"

:They're gone... Oh, Pit... They're gone...:

Smokescreen bridged the team back to Hangar E. They combed the base, but there was no sign of Ratchet or Soundwave. Their only clue was a piece that Smokescreen had managed to blast off of Laserbeak and a sliced-off tendril from Soundwave himself.

"Soundwave had Bulkhead, Fowler, and I down in moments." Smokescreen was telling Bumblebee and Arcee, frowning as he stood beside Bulkhead. "For real, the only one of us who managed to put up a real fight was Jenna. She got the weird snakey-thing." Wheeljack had his back to the group, and he looked up with wide optics.

"Jenna?" Sari asked, crossing her arms as she walked up to stand beside Bumblebee. "But Wheeljack said she couldn't even fight humans well." Smokescreen shrugged, managing a small grin.

"Guess she has a lot more fight in her when she's protecting other folks. Ain't that the norm?"

"... Where is she?" Wheeljack asked, looking back at Smokescreen with wide optics. Bulkhead and Smokescreen both blinked, then their faces fell. "Well?!"

"She-..." Smokescreen looked down, then back at Wheeljack. "You should've seen her, Wheeljack. No wings, nothing but speed and strength, and she was amazing. But..." Wheeljack took a deep intake of air.

"But?"

"... Soundwave played a recording, and she froze." Bulkhead admitted, and Wheeljack looked at him. "It was you, 'Jackie—your voice... You sounded so angry, a-and you said-..."

"What?" Wheeljack pressed, turning around to face him. "What did I say, Bulk?" Bulkhead gazed at his friend forlornly.

"'Jackie-"

"What did I say?!"

"... The techno-organic must be destroyed." The large green mech confessed, and Wheeljack just stared at him. "And she froze, 'Jackie. He hit her, a-and she hit a wall and then she wasn't moving anymore, and then-... Then, he-"

"He took her." Wheeljack turned away again and took a few paces forward. The other Autobots, the Predabots, Fowler, and Sari watched him warily. "... This is my fault. I didn't vouch for her. I should've brought her with me, I-... Oh, Primus..."

"'Jackie?" Bulkhead asked worriedly. Wheeljack was silent for several moments, then he looked back.

"That 'Con just made the biggest mistake of his life." The white Wrecker announced, absolutely livid. Bulkhead was honestly stunned, as he was pretty sure that he had never seen Wheeljack so angry. "He's going to pay. If she's hurt... They're all going to pay."

"Whoa, Wheeljack." Bulkhead raised his servos, frowning. "Easy. He took her when he could have ended her on the spot. There's a good chance that she's f-"

"She's not fine! That's my partner up there, hurt and in the claws of the fraggin' 'Con who nearly made me kill her! That is the opposite of fine!" Wheeljack snapped, and Bulkhead froze. "If they've hurt her, I'll tear their fraggin' sparks out!"

"... Have you ever seen him this angry?" Smokescreen asked quietly, looking up at Ultra Magnus. The commander's expression was grim.

"Not even on the day he deserted the Wreckers."

-0-0-0-0-0-

I don't blame you, you know.

What did I give you to have faith in?

I was a disaster waiting to happen, and when the wait ended...

'Jackie, I don't think you'll ever forgive me.

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Hey, guys! I'm baaaaaaaaaack!

... Sort of.

College is a colossal pain in the ass, I'm busy all the time, and I'm currently running on enough caffeine to kill a man. I also broke my leg and ended up having to have metal implants inserted in because my ankle decided to shatter like it was made of glass.

Long story short, it's been a blast. TSA beware, I am now part-metal.

Anyway, what did you guys think of this latest chapter? There was a lot going on, that's for sure.

We've got Jenna and Ultra Magnus bonding as they try to recover, and Jenna's decided to try and seriously confide in someone who is not Wheeljack. She even got to the point where she almost told him about her "mission", something she really knows she can't tell Wheeljack about. I freakin' love what I'm doing with that relationship, it's great—but I want to know what you guys think.

We've also got some conflict between our partners. At the start of the chapter, Wheeljack wanted Jenna with him on missions despite the fact that she's still recovering, but then Arcee put doubt in his head and he started questioning his ability to look out for his partner. Ergo, when Jenna finally came to him with her issues and they talked things out, he still didn't feel comfortable with her coming along on a dangerous assignment and that led to their argument and a serious violation of trust. Jenna couldn't bring herself to become truly angry and was instead very hurt, but Wheeljack is obviously feeling the guilt.

Speaking of hurt and guilt... Uh-oh-spaghettio, it looks like the Artist is in a bit of a pinch and her partner is freakin' pissed. Wonder how that's gonna go.

This chapter was a wild ride. We had some comedy, some bonding moments, some shipper-feeding moments, some angst, a short fight-scene, and- HELLO, CLIFFHANGER!

Yeah, that was pretty evil even by my standards, but hey: it was for the PLOT and the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!

... Plus, I just like seeing how you guys react. I'm only human. XD

Anyways, that's about it for now. I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner.

Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)

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Comments Hall of Fame!

Sfrizz5959

"I love it. Keep going."

(Oh, I intend to. :) )

"Don't leave me hanging. I need more."

(Oh, um... *checks date of comment* Oh, dear.)

"I am so not going to sleep tonight. The story will be just hanging in my head."

(Okay, here comes the guilt.)

"You have to keep going."

(What have I done?)

"This chapter is leading up to a new season. You have to keep going."

(*nervous laughter*)

"Don't be like the movie people and wait a year before they give us the new season."

(... In my defense, it has not been a year.)

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Ask a Character!

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See ya, next time! :)