Iris:

I can't do this.

Shifting to sit, the young Leader allowed a sigh leave her.

Iris couldn't stop thinking even when sleeping. In fact Iris couldn't sleep. She was troubled. Very very anxious. After what she experienced few hours then back with Unicron and 'Zero', it was traumatizing. It was so close that she had been taken. She would if Megatron wouldn't been the one getting her out of trouble. With Bots of course.

... Are we ready at all?

Jack and Chris had been taken for Siri's care to be healed, as Praxina along with Ann had been put on the rule that no fighting for two days. Impossible. But for Savannah... the poor girl remained still unconscious after being hit hard on the head, as Predaking refused to leave her alone even for second. Why everything what they did felt wrong? Why did they feel pathetic?

"Iris." A deep husky voice called, making Iris jumpy all of sudden. Her eyes searched for her Guardian's optics, not long did it take as she was resting on his warm chest-platings. Optimus looked like he hadn't slept himself at all. "Please, go back to sleep."

"I haven't even started..." Iris admitted sadly, crawling into a protected ball. The mech beneath her frowned deeply, carefully placing Iris on his servo as he shifted to sit, looking down at the fragmental human.

"What is it that troubles you?" Optimus knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from herself.

"I... the truth is..." Iris never stuttered to say anything, which was the very reason she shut her eyes close as burried her head into her warm arms. That brought some relief for second. To hide from the world and just try calm down. But you know what they say; nothing lasts forever. Iris sighed. "I can't exactly direct the problem here, Big-rig."

"Does it include your encounter with the enemy?" Optimus tried to go easy on her, finding himself acting like a Prime. The habits had used for him, but still he wanted to be himself as a care-taker.

"Sort of." Iris mumbled, really not in a mood to chit-chat of this. And her Guardian could see right through, remaining quiet for second. "... Optimus?"

The name's owner hummed deeply, leaning little back to lean a wall. He hadn't expected her to speak so soon.

"I am listening, Iris." Optimus calmed, stroking Iris' back with his digit as staring the ceiling above. Iris followed his lead, leaning onto Optimus' abdomen while he reassured her to continue. That's when everything would change.

Now.

"I shouldn't ask anything about your past... but now I do feel like wanting to know." The girl played with her fingers, after that begun to bit her lip. It was a total shock once Optimus' holoform revealed right beside her, taking a seat next as Optimus himself allowed a sigh leave him. He waited. "... This sounds crazy or odd to ask and I prefer you have already given me the answer, but-- did you ever have a femme that you loved?"

Optimus flinched, clearly somehow he didn't see that coming as he looked at his Charge.

Did I screw this up already?

"... I cannot see where you are going with this." Optimus said hesitantly.

"Just, please Big-rig." Iris sighed as shifted to sit on her knees, looking more at Optimus who yet watched her in hesitation. "It would help me... a lot."

"Knowing that did I once have an ability to fell in love?" Optimus rose his brow, earning slight pinch from Iris. His Charge wanted to be serious. "... If it's that important to you--" Iris waited eagerly, seeing Optimus simply put his hands on his lap ready to tell her. But then the girl froze. A hand landed above her head, as she felt her hair being done a ruffy art. "I must keep it only for myself."

"Optimus!" Iris whined, brushing his hand away as she clinged onto his holoform's shirt. Pulling him closer that their faces were close of each other. "This isn't funny! I can see you walking around every single day with your mood down, until I or someone else comes to cheer you up. I know your past, and I know that you have been given to me as an angel from the sky but you clearly aren't fully in the game. That's understandable... 'cause I'm new in love things and all too--" There was a pause, Optimus realizing. "But there are rare individuals like you, Optimus. Unique ones."

Their eyes locked deeply.

... Tum, tum... tum, tum..

Iris' heart was pounding so much. By watching Optimus' face she knew now he had realized it all. There was her convince to him of her feelings towards him. It wasn't looking good, making Iris bit her lip of the akward silence and frustrating waiting. She didn't knew was this such a good idea... but her heart wouldn't allow this to be untold. Now he knew.

And it was up to Optimus how to go on from there.

"... Iris--"

"Beep, beep, beep, beep--"

The room suddenly shut down to powerless, as a regeneration was on and red light was there to light their room up. Iris and Optimus had forced out of their thoughts as to watch around quickly. What had happened?

"Siri?" Iris questioned quickly while Optimus stood up, placing her gently down to the table near. "What's going on?"

Then the lights popped back on as the Ark seemed to be alive again, a screen opening up for the partners.

"There seems to be a mailfunctioning pods down in third floor... but I cannot get a fix on which or whose they are." Siri stated, that's when Iris and Optimus' doors were slided open.

Revealing some of their team members as shocked as they were. -Don't forget most of the injured humans and their Bots!-

"Pods?" Alex was first to question.

"What's that?" Andrea was second to reply. Now to count; only these two thus Iris, Katie and Zoe were the only humans left to help their Bots. Others were still injured as being watched by their Guardians.

"Pods were shelters which we made during the war-state as giving protection and care for sparklings or bigger Bots... but I expected no life to be on this ship besides us." Drift explained, his arms crossed briefly.

"Is it possible that here can be survivors?" Zoe doubted.

"If some of the pods aren't damaged... then we might have that possibility." Optimus said, staring the screen of a rusted/dirty pods which showed red alarms. Iris noticed Optimus making no eye contact with her, so she sighed and dropped their case aside for a sec.

It was time for business again.

"Siri... please show us the shortest cut for these pods."

~ Time skip ~

"Access for the special-hall; granted."

Doors shifted right open in front of the 10 persons wanting in, as the proceeding of an investigation had begun. Iris was first to step inside the huge hallway, Optimus right behind. It was quiet, white looking clean hall. So it was quite new to witness something like that on the ship.

"Somehow this is giving me goosebumps..." Alex whined, more like following after Moonracer.

"And encountering with Unicron back then didn't...?" Katie groaned, holding her spear close. Even though her patched wrist and will to continue remained she still wasn't fully recovered. Or she and Andrea were the only ones; Zoe, Alex and Iris hadn't been in the fighting yet, ay?

"Try to concentrate, Katie." Drift pleaded, Optimus step up to stop in front of one door. Iris only watched, seeing his optic been recognized as somekind of light above turned from red to green, again doors shifted. From there could see quite the line of pods-- literally original pods. "... Where do we start?"

"They are marked with life signals." Elita passed everyone as rushed inside, Zoe right on her heels. Iris exchanged some looks with her friends, not in the mood to start arguing. So she followed. "They should be right about... here."

The pink femme stopped by three pods marked with red alarms circling it. It took only small time for the others to join them, Iris not right fully on the game.

Why I'm this down...?

"Well open them up." Perceptor scolded, Andrea almost immediate to hit her leg for his ped. The pain which grew to his faceplate was incredible, leaving the mech grunt in pain right in the back.

"Idiot." Elita growled, she shifted little out of the way once Optimus came to make Perceptor's wish come true. "How do we get them to operate? Don't tell me these have somekind of protection protocal."

"Concidered as an 'safety-pod' I am sad to admit that is the case--" Despite that Optimus tapped his digits to all of them one time; there formed up all kinds of writings. "But you are lucky to know that my old friend was the one developing all these, giving me the advantage to get a hold of them."

"Yes!" Andrea squealed, fist-pumping the air.

"It's good to have you Bots here with us." Alex crossed his arms, smiling up at them all. Iris wished the same. She really did. But now Optimus-- was he on purpose giving Elita one of his rarest smiles?

"But to the important part--" Moonracer kept a dramatic pause, as the locks on the pods became unlocked. Optimus stepping back with Elita. "What really is in?"

From inside came white thick smoke, like it had burned some circuits down or something. The glass-parts were slow to object open, as they finally stopped all the Team X -or some of them- could see was nothing. It was size of a Cybetronian but to find it empty? More importantly... why was it giving life signals without anyone in them?

"-- Well, that was a nice wake up call. Good night." Alex was leaving if Katie wouldn't grab his shirt and hold him still.

"Not so fast." Katie sworn to see movement. And so did others too. Although Iris was first to act by the middle pod's small fragile movement she used Optimus to swing herself up there; landing on the comforted seat which smelled odd. "Be careful...!"

No one else saw it but Iris. And that indeed was a breathtaking and shocking twist for their whole mission. She reached down without thinking. To help it... to help him.

"-- Alex!" Moonracer called, Iris saw him took the left pod, as Andrea got for the right one. Now it had turned way too weird for all of them.

"Siri." Iris gasped as she picked up a person in her arms, walking out of the smoke. She could see maybe the widest expressions of their team: as in her arms was now a man on her age. A human, had been discovered in the pod. "Please prepare healing room for these three."

"Three--?" Zoe swallowed her words to see Alex had throwed on his shoulder a young looking girl by her shapes and long hair, as Andrea helped a man by supporting him from armpit. They all were unconscious. Barely breathing.

"Oh my..."

~~|||~~

Two days.

Two freaking days.

"-- Can we see them? Try to wake them up?"

"No." Jack was quick to argue with Chris. Shutting the tense man up. "That'll end up doing us far more damage." He sighed, staying behind protected glass as watching the three individuals been hooked up for machines and life support.

Iris looked also. Tired as fuck. But her duty as a Leader must've been fullfilled.

"... Just who are they?" Praxina growled, tapping the table in front. Yeah she and Ann are allowed to move now. Since it had already passed two days since the discovery of their kind's newest founds nothing major had happened. Decepticons seemed to keep low profile with Unicron... or they all were building an army.

At least I wish they'd be sleeping.

"Stowaways?" Savannah asked little dumbfounded. Look who's back in the living books too!

"I don't think so. Apparently their life is depending on hose-feeding and their blood's not enough strong to absorve this world's air... so yeah. It kind of holds evidence." Jack acted like an ass. Earning slight glares from most of the humans. "What?"

"We do know that, jackass." Ann rolled her eyes.

Silence fell again to the room.

"... Should we check on the Bots?" Andrea questioned. If you're wondering the Cybetronians were far too big to fit to the human-healing department, as none of them didn't want to use their strenght for holoforms. The Guardians of the Stones were strong enough to take care of themselves... and of course didn't want them to keep loud noice that the patients would wake up.

"And find them chit-chatting of olden days?" Katie wasn't into the idea. This mission had been testing their limits in physical-level, but also on mental-health. "I wish not to hear a thing of Drift's 'interface' times when he's high."

"And the cause for them being 'high' is because of you two." Alex shot a look at Chris and Savannah, who acted innocent almost inmediately. Earlier mentioned as almost 'non-troubled' two days there was one little problem... when Savannah did wake up and as these two criminal partners got fix of the Bots' energon deposits hell was on the loose. They mixed them up. And the other reason for Bots not to come into the human area was because they were unstable.

Even Optimus.

"Whaaat?" Savannah's voice betrayed her. Or Iris bet she seriosly loved what she had done.

"At least Bots got their fun..." Praxina grumbled while leaning to the glass, wanting to see any movement these three strangers would give them.

"-- That trick wasn't quite impressive." The teenagers had to froze by that familiar elder feminine voice, each ones head turned slowly to see Zoe enter the human department. "For the Cybetronians are out of the game for tomorrow."

"They fell asleep?" Chris snickered, smirk covering his face. "Whoa, their boose-levels must be at minimal."

"They aren't not ment to do anything unusual on this journey." Zoe shot a glare, Chris hid behind Jack who sighed in defense. But the elder woman again troubled them all, hadn't Iris taught her a lesson already? "Iris--" Just when the young Leader though of that she gave a serious flinch. Turning only now to face her judging eyes. "There's something I want to propose."

Then Zoe took the lead out of that room, allowing the doors to shut. Iris narrowed her brows as run her fingers through her hair and walked after. Her friends gave 'Dundun, dundun, dundundundun' killer shark's imitate. Iris rose her middle finger at them, then exited the room.

Zoe awaited her with her rod.

"Propose?" Iris replied, stopping to have three meters distance with their Mentor. Zoe nodded, starting to pace back and forth. "Of the three individuals?"

"Indeed." Zoe knew Iris was the best person to talk this through with. "We cannot wait any longer. I've searched their bodies fully and found something shocking. The problem isn't in them or troubled by their blood... but their blood system isn't fully operating. Like it has been sucked out which keeps them from waking up."

Iris had hard time to believe this.

"... What does that mean?" The Leader required, not much of doubting Zoe this time.

Zoe gave maybe the creepiest and oddest look, a sigh left her. She never seemed so... worried.

"They have fighted. And been placed into those pods for protection. It isn't a coincidence that we happened to find them on this ship alive and almost fully operated with hooked into Crystals."

"You never told me about Crystals." Iris widened her eyes, her air got left somewhere else. "So... what you're saying is that-- this trio is the other team which Alpha Trion had sent to take Galvatron down if we fail?"

Now this went outrageous!

"The fact that they are humans and hooked with Crystals I believe that is more than obvious. Only odd thing is that where are their Cybetronian partners?" Zoe hummed, Iris not even though of that. She was pretty much panicking, what was she going to do now. And why was her instincts apparently tingling?

Suddenly; the ship shook.

Rapidly.

It was natural for Iris and Zoe to have a grip of something as cling onto it, then it was time to listen. Loud footsteps were coming at least. At same time near the two woman slided the doors they had exited; revealing Praxina with maybe the shockest face of all time.

"They're awake... requesting your presence ASAP, Iris."

《~~|||~~》

I don't know is this book anything else than cliffhangers XD

~ keep reading.