Iris:

"Oi, Iris! Let's go back already!"

Iris barely moved an inch, continuing to wash up her bloody mess tank top. She had lost her beautiful shirt whole trying to train with Praxina, so she had to settle for with the shirt Ann had given her. She gave it without an argument and even volunteered, but Iris had accidentally made yesterday so fast movement that her cut had opened yet again. So she was washing her top by staying in bare bra.

"You just keep on the watch. I will kill Chris if he's sneaking up somewhere in the bushes." Iris only said to Praxina who had volunteered to accompany her. She couldn't move around just like that if she weren't able to stand properly.

"Yeah, yeah." Praxina brushed her hand off. Maybe the lake weren't such a bad thing, but the boys were such perverts. Especially Chris; the ladiesman. "But Optimus is probably already freaking out since you've been out more than five minutes." The girl grinned, glancing over her shoulder enough to see Iris' death glare back at her. "What? You can't blame me that he's too overprotective."

"Jealous?" Iris chuckled, seriosly not even concidering of starting a fight with her. And Praxina wouldn't bring herself to it no matter what she said.

"You know what I mean, hun." Praxina sighed back, it was a challenge to hold herself down from picking up a fight. Megatron and Optimus would slaughter her for even trying. Iris was still injured.

"I get it, but it's nice." Iris squeezed all of the extra water away, nextly brushing the clothing little around.

"Nice? To have someone all the time watch over you?" Praxina turned now to look at Iris fully. She was far more interesting than staring the empty woods. "Isn't that annoying?"

Iris blinked.

"Not that I mind."

"Jeez, when you grow to him you'll never be able to speak with me like this."

"I'm sorry, did you just say that you want to speak with me?" Iris raised her brow, like a miracle her powers were being useful as she was drying her shirt with fire. Even though it offended Praxina's pride the girl only huffed, crossing her arms and looking anywhere else than at Iris.

"It doesn't mean that I don't care if I have hard shell..." Praxina murmured. Iris stopped for second what she was doing, clearly watching was Praxina messing around with her. But she had never seen her in a state like that... was she starting to cool down for her?

"I know." Iris reassured, with smile carefully stepping closer. "Is Optimus the only one you're worrying about of chit-chatting with me like this?"

"Megatron!" Praxina hissed. "That bucket-head won't allow us to be anywhere near us even though he knows it's impossible."

Iris chuckled, warming up her shirt again.

"I believe he's overprotective of you also." Iris suggested, seeing how Praxina froze on her spot for a moment. When she really gave a though about it, her face started to get all shades of red. Iris wasn't sure was it for anger or blush.

"I'll avoid him from now on." Praxina had shivers.

"-- You want to, help?" Iris asked with the black top in her hands, her wound hadn't been able to heal properly for some odd reason. Even though it had been couple of days already. They would not leave the cave like their lives were depending on it, as Optimus wanted everyone to be ready for battle.

"Jeez, I'll call you granny after this." Praxina rolled her eyes. But the eagerness to assist Iris was more than obvious in her eyes as she grabbed the black clothing, carefully buckling it first from her arms on, before she carefully put it all the way down on her waist. "There." She was proud as she held on for her hips.

"Come on. Was it that bad?" Iris laughed, playfully nudging Praxina with her better side. She wasn't expecting Praxina to laugh for it either, as her arm wrapped around her shoulder like they were best mates. "... And I am not busy, Praxe. You can talk to me whenever you want." She reassured. "But no fighting. That's where my line crosses."

Praxina smiled, fuzzing Iris' hair around as they left the lake area.

"It's a deal then."

    For after couple of minutes the two young girls were able to see the cave they've been hiding in the few days, added with most of the Bots lying there in the sun. Included with most of their human friends.

"What took you so long?" Jack asked, his face looked kind of brown already. Iris walked slowly over to Optimus with careful steps, glad that he helped her to settle down on his warm chest plating. Iris sighed in comfortness.

"We had a girlie-talk." Praxina showed her tongue at him, jumping to sit on Megatron's hip as she leaned onto the warm metal. Megatron wasn't laying, although he was enjoying the sun by leaning a wall. "Ahh, you've been sitting already for quite some time."

"The time you two took." Megatron replied, surprised how Praxina begun to show some more soft spots of her by not hitting him this time.

Everyone just enjoyed there, even Iris wrapped up her shirt's sleeve enough for the wound to show up. It did help somehow.

"... I'd live here if it would just be like this." Alex said, enjoying the sunlight shining on his pale skin.

"Yeah, tell me 'bout it." Ann rolled on her stomach, allowing her back to now warm up. Causeway had fallen asleep as usual, she was maybe the tiredst femme there could be.

"All we're missing is drinks." Chris groaned, remembering the sweet aromatic taste of alcohol.

"Oi. It wouldn't be good to get ourselves drunk in middle of an important task." Andrea quickly defended. Perceptor was taking all the advantage of the sun, just once in a lifetime remaining silent.

"And we look very busy to you?" Jack cocked up his eyebrow, every human went to chuckle by this.

"Stop talking about drinks. I'm starving." Chromia whined, her frame intching by the idea of having cold energon there for now to drink. Iris slowly stood to sit up by this.

"You hungry?" Iris asked.

"I'm dying..." Perceptor groaned.

"We did lastly fuel our tanks four Earth days then." Cyclonus replied, he was one person who didn't appreciate being in the sunlight. So Chris was laying on the grass, not bothered or anything as he was rolling everywhere. "But we used our last Energon deposits."

"Now that you mention... we haven't ate either in three days." Alex settled up to sit, wondering how they weren't starving. He got to look little around. Before he looked at Moonracer below him, then the others. "Should we start finding something to fill our stomachs?"

"Fish sounds nice." Praxina could already taste it.

"I could even devour a raw energon." Chromia stood so sit, Jack gasping in surprise as he jumped down on her ped. Making up a glare of how ruthless she was towards him.

Iris turned down to Optimus, who slowly brought himself up to sit. He did shield Iris in the action in order to not cause her anymore pain. So there she rested, in his palms as he was thinking a plan.

"We need to split up." Optimus suggested. "Iris needs to stay back in here with one Bot, as rest of us shall split into two pairs."

"I can." Causeway raised her servo up in defeat.

"Optimus, seriosly--?" Iris couldn't yell her way out of this, once Optimus stood up and entered their cave with Causeway and Ann. "I can help. Maybe not physically but I can search." Optimus carefully placed her onto the comforted bed of hers, still kneeling there when Iris grabbed his digit. "I was supposed to lead, right?"

"I can't ask that from you. It is best if you remain back and wait with Causeway until we return." Optimus carefully pulled his digit away, patting once carefully Iris' hair before he stood up by grabbing Ann in the process. "Inform if anything goes wrong."

"Same to you." Causeway nodded, looking at Ann with warning optics. "Be nice for him."

"When I wouldn't?" Ann laughed, both of them exited the cave then. Iris stood up despite Optimus had settled her down there all nicely, dragging herself to the entrance to watch what they were up to.

The pairs were quite simple; Optimus/Ann and Megatron/Praxina, then was Cyclonus/Chris thus Chromia/Jack and last but not least Moonracer/Alex and Andrea/Perceptor. They all looked back at Iris with waved hands.

"We'll bring you something to eat! I promise!" Jack called, Iris smiled little.

"Watch after her... she has a habit to disappear!" Praxina winked, gasping as Megatron took his leave by running into the night. "Hey! Watch it--!"

"We will be back." Optimus made a fair nod down at Iris, not leaving his spot before Iris would response with a nod. "Stay here."

"... You better be fast then." Iris warned, Causeway sighed behind her while holding down from her hips.

"Let's move then!" Perceptor and Moonracer ran into a different direction, while Chromia and Cyclonus to the third. Everyone now in a food hunt.

"What'd you like to do?" Causeway yawned, sitting near their campfire. Iris didn't argue much as she sighed, dragging herself back to her bed while sitting down on it. The sun had oddly disappeared again. "Will we just take a nap?"

"Yeah... that would sound nice..."

And I was out.

~~|||~~

Something wet, yet loud.

"-- IRIS!"

Something very loud shrienking, and my head's hurting too much.

"WAKE UP!"

Iris was awake, widening her eyes to see something otterfly unfamiliar above her. It was a Cybetronian face no doubt, but the rough grib which tightened around her body was painful, as it caused her up to scream. He was putting on pressure for her wound. An unknown Stanger.

"Cause-way!" Iris cried, unable to squirm her way out of the tight grasp of a... bug? Could it be a bug? At least it seemed like one, but it was enough to believe. It couldn't be shocker than seeing a frogg-Con.

"You louzy little--!" Causeway was able to squirm her way out of the harrasming bug, hitting his gut with all she had before launching for Iris. "Hands off!" Iris expected Causeway to be not so good at fighting, but it all turned out to be wrong as her pedes would crush anyone crossing on her way. So once she kicked the bug right on the face so he had to release Iris. But Causeway got her. "I got you."

Iris now looked back to see quite thunder cracking outside, same was with the night had fallen down. So once a lighting hit, all they saw was an army of the bugs stand on their entrance.

"What are those things?" Iris asked with terror.

"Insecticons." Causeway told, seeming to eye all of them as they were approaching every meter. "They don't own Insignias... so Galvatron didn't send them. He doesn't lead them."

One shrieking sound took the victory, as most of the Insecticons made path for someone. Iris and Causeway had to only widen their eyes by the sight of this Insecticon trooper. He was humongous.

"-- I'm even afraid to tell, but... I think we found the Leader." Iris gulped, watching the male approach without doubt. "What's it gonna do to us?"

"I'm more concerned of your faith. The last one intended to force me to interfacing... but I believe they plan only to kill you or use you." Causeway spoke straight wordly. Iris didn't even care about her own faith, but have raped Causeway!?

"Can we get out?" Iris questioned, trying to be rational even though in a time like this. "Always when Optimus's not around..."

Where ARE you!?

"I'm afraid we're stuck." Causeway's back struct with the wall. They had come to the cave's end. Now with the Insecticons shrienking with satisfaction. "And in big trouble...-- Optimus!" She commed in quickly, holding Iris with her other servo close to her spark. "We need back up in ASAP! The cave's been, invaded with Insections--"

But the ground begun to crumble. Iris looked down to see a thin cracking line to reach all the way up to them; in mere seconds the ground falling apart from under the Insecticons.

"Too much weight!" Iris yelled, her balance loosing when Causeway's did. Her pedes had no longer ground under which to stand on. "We're falling--!"

"Hold on!" Causeway didn't care what was there to come for them; as she quickly shielded every part of Iris. She wasn't going to let anything harm her, especially when the unknown was approaching. But before Iris was covered with coldness and water... right before she lost concious all she could think was rely to one person to rescue her. To rescue both of them.

Optimus...!

《~~|||~~》

Cliffhanger... my apoligies.

~keep reading.