*I don't own Transformers or anything affiliated with Transformers. I only own my original characters and plots. All rights go to Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.*

For the past week or so I had been bed ridden, attempting to get rid of this horrid flu. The only time that I was ever out of my room was for Thanksgiving day and even that didn't last long for me. After taking one bite of ham, I nearly vomited all over the dining room table. Even so I nearly almost killed myself while running to the bathroom; it appears that moccasins and laminate flooring do not go together. It was rather embarrassing if I did say so myself.

Thankfully, my potentially fatal illness subsided just two days after the horrid dinner though I still couldn't really talk. I could say a few words but an entire sentence was almost impossible to say. My vocal chords felt as if they were ready to fall out and the pain was horrible. Also, not being able to talk for over the period of a week was rather aggravating. Adalyn had assured me that withing another week or so, my voice would be back to normal but it still anoyed me. My dad thought it was funny though so he ended up buying me a small white board as a joke; he only received a small beating after that.

Currently, I was at the base with Adalyn. Ironhide had decided that I deserved some much needed time to catch up with my second family since I was better now. I loved the idea more than anything and was more than happy to head back down to the base which was a whole lot livelier now that Galloway was gone.

Right now, the two of us were just relaxing in my dad's office. The past ten hours I had spent here were absolutely eventful. I managed to catch up with all of the Autobots and their holoforms, but without my voice it was kind of hard for me to carry on a proper conversation with them. This caused me to bring up taking the sign language classes with Bumblebee. He only laughed at me, much to my despair.

Despite the productivity of my day, I was increasingly hungry. After barely eating for a week because of being sick, it had quite the effect on me after I recovered. For the past two days I had been nonstop hungry. My mom had to go to the store twice a day just to get more groceries because I had eaten nearly everything in the house. Ten hours without eating most definitely didn't help me in that department; if anything it just made me angry.

I groaned and removed my feet from atop my father's desk, earning a questioning look from Adalyn who was laying down on the couch he had in his office, reading a fashion magazine. I didn't know why he had those types of magazines in his possession but I thought better to question him about it.

"Is something wrong?" Adalyn inquired.

I nodded. "Hungry," I whispered.

She closed the magazine and tossed it on the table before getting up from the couch. "What do you want? They have a break room don't they?"

I nodded and grabbed a piece of paper and pen.

'All they have in there are snacks though. It's very rare that they have actual food. I want something good. Like McDonald's.'

She chuckled. "Well, there's a McDonald's just across the bridge and up the street a few blocks. Do you have any money with you?"

I frowned and shook my head when I realized I had left my wallet and my debit card at home. The only other option was asking my dad and he, for some reason, always had cash on him. I picked up the pen and jotted down more words.

'I'm almost certain William has some money. We could ask him.'

She smiled as she read my dad's name. It was so strange to me just how "in love" she was with him. It creeped me out to say the least but it also gave me a good laugh every once and a while.

"That'll be fine."

I smiled and got up. She opened up his office door and walked out into the long corridor. Assuming that my dad was in the Autobot hangar like he normally was when he was here, I headed down the stairs and in the direction of the overly sized hangar. My boots sounded loudly with each step I took, giving me a slight headache. The elevator was a much quieter option, but it would've taken a lot longer than the stairs.

Once Adalyn and I were down to the first floor, I pulled the staircase door open and stepped out, Adalyn following closely behind me. I skipped down the hall until I came to the massive double doors.

"A little bit eager, are we?" Adalyn teased.

I just chuckled and pushed the hangar doors open, the sound of the Autobots' loud voices and machinery flooding through my ears. Walking inside, I was very nearly ran over by two very rambunctious twins who sped through the hangar in their alternate modes. I squealed and shifted backwards as I tried to avoid impact with them. This only sent me falling backwards but I didn't even have the chance to hit the ground before Adalyn caught me.

"Sorry, Lea!"

"Yeah! Sorry, baby girl!"

The two of them yelled at me as Adalyn steadied me on my feet. I just rolled my eyes at them and straightened out my clothes. I continued walking through the hangar until I spotted my dad talking to Optimus's and Ironhide's Cybertronian forms. The three of them shared a rather agitated look on their faces but they soon disappeared once they noticed the two of us walking over.

"Something you need, kid?" Hide inquired.

I nodded.

"Hungry," I coughed.

He laughed and I turned to speak with my dad but was cut off by the sound of clashing metal and loud voices. Our attention was averted to Bumblebee who had the two twins in his grasp, holding them closely together while they protested angrily. The yellow armored mech tossed them roughly towards the hangar walls and proceeded on over to us, kneeling down to my level.

"You okay, Azalea?" he asked me. I nodded. The twins were now running over to us.

"What has happened?" Optimus asked from behind me. He wasn't allowed an answer as the twins spoke up.

"Why'd you do that for?" Mudflap exclaimed.

"Yeah! We ain't mean to do it. She should've been watching where she was goin'," Skids retorted as he gestured to me.

I rolled my eyes and flipped him off. Not even three minutes ago he was apologizing to me for almost killing me, yet now he was here blaming me for the incident which all in all wasn't a big deal.

"What happened?" Ironhide inquired, obviously annoyed by the pair's presence.

"They nearly ran her over a few minutes ago. Had she not jumped back, she probably would be dead," Adalyn chuckled.

I swatted her shoulder and she shrugged. This entire dilemma was going to be turned into something far more complicated than it needed to be.

"What did I tell the two of you?" Hide snarled. I face-palmed. All I wanted was my damn food.

"Whoa man. We didn't mean to do anything. We was just tryin' to race," Skids defended.

Hide started walking toward them but I kicked his pede and he looked down at me. I shook my head at him and he rolled his optics before turning back to the two.

"You're lucky I don't turn the both of you into a pile of scrap metal. One more slip up and I swear on Primus that I will," he threatened.

The two Autobots quickly retreated and I let out a sigh, turning to my dad.

"What do you need, Azalea?" he asked me.

I turned to Adalyn for support.

"She needs to borrow some money," she told him.

He squinted his eyes at me. "For what?"

"Food," I breathed.

He gave me a look but reached into his pocket, pulling out two twenty dollar bills and handing one to the both of us. I smiled at him.

"Where are you two supposed to go eat at?" he asked.

"McDonald's," Ada answered.

"And exactly how are you two supposed to get there?" Hide asked from behind me.

I turned around to face him. "Walk," I answered, my throat burning.

He narrowed his optics at me. "I don't think so."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed Adalyn. She gave me a questioning look and I gestured to Ironhide. She glanced at him in confusion before realization lit up her eyes.

"We're going to be okay, Hide. It's just a few blocks and we'll be back within the hour," she assured him.

He grunted. "One hour," he stated.

I rolled my eyes again. Sometimes his over-protectiveness was ridiculous but I didn't particularly mind it that much. I just waved my hand at him and started walking towards the exit doors.

"One hour! The both of you," my dad called.

I just shook my head and shoved the hangar doors open. If I was still seventeen, I would understand their need to protect me all the time, but I was nineteen years old and I would be twenty in just one week. They needed to stop worrying about me all the time. The main reason for their worrisome ways had to do with the Decepticons, but they got scared and ran away after the Egyptian battle, so I highly doubted we'd see them any time soon.

A shiver wracked my system as I stepped out into the cold air. The sky was mixed with a number of different colors as the sun began to set in the distance. I wagered that by the time we finished eating, it would be dark out. I pulled my jacket closer to my body and began walking with Adalyn towards the bridge. Thankfully, the franchise wasn't that far up the street. I couldn't stand walking in this cold.

"Shit, it's cold," Adalyn exclaimed as she walked beside me.

I chuckled and nodded. The rest of our walk was spent in silence, basically considering the fact that I couldn't talk and Adalyn was far more focused on keeping herself warm. The walk across the bridge and into town took a matter of ten minutes, but I didn't mind it much.

Adalyn and I were nearing the fast food restaurant when my eyes stopped on a very familiar looking police car coming towards me. I stopped walking and examined the car with scrunched eyebrows as it slowly drove past me, the words 'To punish and enslave' on the side instead of the words 'To protect and serve' which were normally on most cop cars.

Shaking it off, I continued on with Adalyn into the restaurant, the smell of oil and food filling my nostrils. I smiled happily.

"You find us a seat and I'll get your food, okay?" Adalyn spoke. I nodded. "Ten piece nugget with barbecue sauce and a large tea, right?"

I gave her a smile and a thumbs up before heading over to a booth by the window. I watched the cars speed past outside and pedestrians rushed across the road and into several different buildings, some even rushing to get into their vehicles.

The sound of a clank on the table caused me to look away from the bustling outside world. Adalyn had laid the tray of food down in front of me before sitting herself down across from me. Immediately, I grabbed the box of chicken and wasted no time in scarfing them down.

"You must've been really hungry," Adalyn teased as she took a bite of her Big Mac. I just laughed and took a sip of my tea.

"I've missed McDonald's so much," I tried to say.

The words came out as more of a wheeze and Adalyn laughed at me. I frowned. If I didn't have my voice back in the next few days, I was going to go crazy and cut my larynx out. This was nothing but pure torture.

"Are you ready to go? We actually have five minutes until our hour is up and it's a ten minute walk back. Plus, it's already dark outside," Adalyn told me.

I just shrugged. Ironhide didn't scare me at all and my dad most certainly didn't, so I wasn't even remotely worried about being back late. They could kiss my mute ass and I most certainly would inform them of it too. If anything, he would come get us from the restaurant.

Adalyn got up and threw the garbage on the tray away before placing the plastic sheet on top of the others. She turned to look at me and I sighed, getting up and grabbing my tea before following her out the door.

The two of us walked down the busy sidewalk for a moment before I spotted the cop car again. There was nobody in the car but I just got the strangest feeling that I was being watched. Quickly, I grabbed Adalyn's wrist and pulled her into the alley beside us.

"What's going on, Lea?" she prodded.

I stopped once I saw two figures enter the alleyway. Turning back around, I pulled Adalyn with me but stopped once again as a new figure entered through the small pathway. A very bad feeling immediately swept through my body and I shifted Adalyn's now trembling body behind me.

The moonlight lit up their features and I got a good look at them. The pair that had entered the far end of the alleyway approached us first. One of the men dirty blonde hair with a silver tint to it. His eyes were a strange shade of amber and held a sinister, yet soft glint in them as he looked at me. He was dressed in a grey v-neck shirt that conformed rather nicely to his body. He finished his outfit off with a pair of dark colored jeans and black boots.

The man beside him had white hair that stuck up in ever direction. There was slight scruff on his face and as I tried to decipher the color of his eyes, I was stopped by a pair of red sunglasses. I had no clue as to why he was wearing sunglasses at night, but that was beside the issue. What caught my attention was how nicely he was dressed. He wore a white dress shirt with a tie wrapped around his neck. His pants were a dark shade of grey and his shoes were black. To top it all off, he wore a fancy grey peacoat.

The last man to approach us had pitch black hair and a scruffy face. His eyes held the same color as the blonde-haired man, yet his were far more menacing. He was dressed in a white shirt, black pants, and black boots.

Nothing about these men seemed threatening aside from the severity of their eyes. They were slightly brutish, but not as much as Ironhide or even my dad for that matter. If they were to try anything at all, I would be sure to have the upper hand.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Adalyn asked as the three men approached us.

If only I could talk. .

The blonde man laughed and stepped towards us. I glared at him and took a step back, shielding Adalyn from view. She gripped my arm tightly and I looked at her before looking back at the man.

"You remember me, don't you, Azalea?" he asked, a sly smile on his face.

I stiffened up. His voice sounded exactly like Starscream's but there was no way. .or was there? Was this Starscream's holoform? It made sense, but who were the other two? Megatron and another Decepticon?

"Speechless, I see?" Starscream spoke as he moved closer, his fingers moving lightly across my cheek.

I gulped and shook my head.

"Why are you here?" I managed to croak out. He rubbed his thumb across my cheek and I fought the urge to shove him away. My main priority was to protect Adalyn.

"I'm here for you, dear. Lord Megatron has been very eager about me seeking you out. After our failure with the boy, you seem to be our only other option, young one. It took us a very good couple of months to seek you out and it appears we've finally found you, without the company of Ironhide or any Autobot for that matter; it's strange to see you so alone and defenseless, but I don't particularly mind it. It will only make the matter much simpler," he answered me.

I pursed my lips. Why did I always jinx myself when it came to shit like this?

"Why do you want me so much? I couldn't be of that much importance to Cybertronian survival," I inquired though I already knew the answer.

Though it was barely working, it was a wonder my voice was working at all. It was probably due to the amount of adrenaline I felt coursing through my veins at the moment. You couldn't fully defend yourself without delivering a few verbal blows, of course.

"You see, dear, you are simply just collateral damage yet you are so much more than that. I want you, Azalea. I want you the way the weapons specialist wants you, though I also want you because he kept me from taking you for myself. Lord Megatron, on the other hand, desires you for other reasons; reasons that you will soon discover," he said, his voice a mixture of anger and lust. I mentally gagged. His hand was now slowly trailing down my arm.

"So, you're here to retrieve me I presume?" I squeaked, my throat burning.

He smiled at me. "You're quite the smart little femme, aren't you? But, if you cooperate with us, no harm shall come to you," his eyes shot to Adalyn. "Or your little friend here."

I glared at him. Now seemed to be the time to start fighting, but I needed to get Adalyn out of here. Quickly, I turned my head towards her and gave her a small shove.

"Run!" I told her.

She hesitated for a moment before she began to run, the black haired man running after her. Starscream shoved me back into the brick wall and I winced. His eyes now held an evil glint in them.

"So unwise, Azalea."

He held me by my throat, slowly constricting my airway. I heard a scream and shifted my head as far as I could to see Adalyn struggling in the arms of the dark-haired man. I growled and kicked my knee up, hitting Starscream directly in his lesser form's groin. I knew it wouldn't hurt him, per se, but it would be enough to throw him off long enough for me to throw him to the ground.

I made a move to get to my screaming friend but was grabbed by the man in the glasses. I struggled in his grip, but he was far too strong for me. He held me tightly, constricting my arms by my side. Starscream got up and stalked over to me, nothing but anger written on my face. He delivered a sharp smack to my face and I blinked, actually very surpirsed by his action.

"I didn't want to do that, but you left me no choice." My face stung horribly. There was no doubt in my mind that there was going to be a mark visible tomorrow.

I struggled again but Starscream and the other two only laughed. Adalyn's screams and cries could still be heard. I hadn't been able to protect Braelynn and the fact that I wasn't even able to protect Adalyn now made me angry.

Just as Starscream was about to speak, a new figure entered the alleyway. I sighed in relief, hoping that it was Ironhide, but it diminished once I saw that it wasn't him.

This figure had on a tight red shirt, black jeans and black boots. His skin was slightly tanned and his dark hair was tousled on top of his head. Though he had bright blue eyes, I didn't think of him to be an Autobot. I had met and seen every single one of the Autobots' lesser forms, and this one I had never once seen before. It must've been one of them. .

"I'd advise you to let the females go," the man said, an Italian accent lingering in his voice.

He didn't appear to be a Decepticon by his introduction, but if he wasn't an Autobot, then what exactly was he? His blue eyes were far too transcendent to be that of a human's.

"Dino," Starscream spat, causing Dino let out an amused laugh.

Well, they knew each other. He was obviously something.

"You'd think that after all of your failures, you would cease to continue your actions. For the love of Primus, Starscream, do the entire species a favor and stop embarrassing yourselves," Dino baited.

"How wonderful for you to join us," the man holding me stated.

Dino continued his stroll over to us. "Let them go," he instructed, venom in his voice.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I pushed myself up, the sound of rushed footsteps in my ears. I looked over to see Adalyn being pulled off of the ground by an unknown figure. I stood up, ready to fight, until I noticed the figure was Ironhide's lesser form. I sighed in relief and he pulled Adalyn over to me, shifting the two of us behind him in a protective notion. Adalyn held on tightly to his arm, but I just placed my hand on the small of his back.

"Ironhide, your timing is quite impeccable," Starscream growled.

I tried to step around Ironhide but he pushed me back, holding my arm tightly to keep me in place; he did the same with Adalyn but I doubted she was going anywhere any time soon.

"You're more than fortunate that I don't rip out your spark. If protecting these two girls weren't my main priority at the moment, I wouldn't hesitate to do so," Hide snarled.

"I suggest you leave before I turn the three of you into a pile of scrap metal," Dino warned.

Starscream scoffed before turning to walk away, his three stooges following closely behind him.

"This isn't over. I will have her," he muttered.

Ironhide only growled and gripped my arm tighter. I wasn't even worried about it. The only thing I could feel was the feeling of relief in my body as I watched the three figures disappear into the dark night.

*Please vote and comment. It'd mean so much to me. I wanna know what you guys think.*