----- Nate's practice place, a few weeks later -----

Kari had asked Arcee to drive her up to the location that Nate gave Kari so they could practice. Kari was happy that she was able to learn about the guitar better. Nate did not just teach her electric. He told her that he would teach her acoustic and bass when she was better at using electric. This made the thirteen year old happy.

"Ok, that's a wrap today Kari." Nate smiled and began to pack up his things. Kari nodded and did the same. "Be careful on your way home."

"Kay, see ya later Nate." The two walked off happily and Nate saw Kari off before leaving himself. Kari smiled widely and giggled. "Thanks Arcee. I'm happy you could do this for me." Kari giggled.

"No prob kiddo, as long as it keeps you busy and out of trouble I got no problem." Arcee said while she was a blue and pink motorcycle. Kari huffed and rolled her eyes. The two soon arrived back at headquarters. Kari hopped off of Arcee then got her things and rushed to put them away. That's when Optimus walked in from the computer room.

"I sense a darkness coming to a rise." Optimus said when he was in front of the other robots and Kari. Ratchet blinked.

"What kind of darkness?" He asked while looking up from his work.

"I'm not sure of what it is, but all I know is that it is not good." Optimus said to Ratchet and then looked to Kari.

"Kari you are to stay here with Ratchet while we are out. So that means NO sneaking to come with us, we cannot put your life at risk." Optimus said being strict with Kari. The girl frowned then nodded her head. Ratchet rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I think we should go." Bulkhead stated and looked to Optimus. The leader nodded his head then began walking to the exit with Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee.

"We'll be back before you know it Kari!" Bumblebee said as he looked back to Kari giving her a thumbs up. Kari nodded slowly as her symbols began to glow an icy sad blue.

"Kay..." She pouted. The four turned into their vehicle modes and started to leave the headquarters as it was just Kari and Ratchet. Well, so they thought. Ratchet turned to Kari but she giggled. "I'm not Kari. I'm a clone made from her hair. Bye." The clone vanished leaving a strand of Kari's hair behind. Ratchet blink and hit his face with his palm.

"That girl will get killed one of these days." He growled. Ratchet then began to do his own thing, but a small memory made him stop in his tracks. It was a memory of That day that made him freeze and frown. He sighed, shook it off and went back to work.

The real Kari was using her invisibility abilities to hide in Optimus as he drove in front of the other three autobots, leading the way. After being ground bridged, they ended up at a forest somewhere in Nevada, but it was not Jasper. Everyone turned back into their robot forms as they looked around keeping an eye out for any decepticons that jump out at them. A banging sounded from Optimus all of a sudden, making everyone jump. Bulkhead blinked after a moment and sighed.

"Oh, don't tell me..." Bulkhead grumbled and Optimus looked at his chest piece and opened it up, having a guess of just who might be in there. Bumblebee and Arcee looked as Optimus opened up the hatch.

"Hey." Kari called out as she poked her head up cutely. Optimus sighed and shook his head.

"Kari when will you listen to us. I told you to stay with Ratchet so you wouldn't get hurt." Optimus said.

"I wanna come. I'll be fine as long as you guys are with me. Besides I have powers that I can control really well!"

"Kari it doesn't matter if we're with you, you can still be in danger even with your powers! We tell you to stay out of this for a reason." Arcee said, annoyed that once again Kari didn't listen to them. Kari crossed her arms.

"But if I stay behind back at ho-- HQ I'll never get better at controlling my abilities." Kari pointed out with a sigh as she climbed onto Optimus's shoulder. Bumblebee sighed hitting his face with his palm.

"We just want you to be safe so you don't lose control while you're fighting." Bumblebee said.

"But it won't happen as much if keep coming with you!" Kari called out in slight frustration. "And I wanna get better!" Everyone in the grouped sighed since they knew that Kari wasn't going to listen to them anytime soon so it was going to be a pointless argument. Kari smiled and giggled. "Ok, lets go!" Kari called as she made her scarf ends into wings and flew down to the ground to walk. Everyone was walking into the forest looking for whatever was causing this disturbance. The more they walked into the forest the surroundings became darker and scarier. Kari shivered and flew to Optimus's shoulder and gulped.

"I'm getting a REALLY bad feeling. Like, REALLY bad." Kari gulped and looked around quickly. Optimus and the others were looking around as well.

"They're just creepy trees, Kari." Bulkhead chuckled.

"N-not that Bulkhead!" Kari called then a big creature with sharp teeth as saliva was dripping from it's mouth hunched over on two long arms and hind legs as it's back covered in a hard rocky armor with its long tail behind it. However it had no eyes on its head. Optimus looked at the creature that stood before them. "TH-THAT'S what I meant!" Kari shrieked and pointed at the creature.

"I-I thought a-animals like this di-didn't exist!" Bumblebee said loudly looking at the creepy animal.

"S-same." Bulkhead gulped and took out a gun since it was obviously a threat. Some place near by on a tree branch a person with a hoodie covering their face in the dark that had ominous black mist glowing around their neck area. The creature growled and began to show hostility.

"Grim, sick 'em." The figure said loudly with a snap of the fingers as the creature obeyed as he lunged to attack. Kari's symbols began to glow brightly and a silver see through barrier formed around the whole team as she held her hands with the palms outward similarly to the letter "t" mixed with a star shape. The creature hit the barrier and let out a growl.

"Not while I'm here!" Kari called out, glaring down at the creature from Optimus's shoulder. The four robots looked around trying to locate the voice as the creature was banging and smashing the barrier with its large tail. The hooded person let out a low growl as the person started to make another one appear. Kari's nose twitched and she gulped sadly.

"Kari?" Bulkhead called to Kari as she held up the barrier.

"I'm fine..." Kari frowned. "I'm ok..." Her nose twitched again as she sniffed the air. Both of the creatures were smashing at the barrier, cracking it slowly as Kari began to lose her focus. Her mind drifting to other thoughts.

"Kari those things are gonna break it!" Arcee shouted getting ready to shoot the strange animals down as the other three did the same thing. Kari jolted and gulped.

"I-I'm t-trying to h-hold it as best as I can but I can't focus!" Kari called and eventually the barrier broke. The two creatures lunged for them as Optimus and Bumblebee started to shoot at them. The hooded figure watched while crossing her arms. Kari sniffed the air and raced to the hooded figure while the autobots attacked the two creatures. She frowned. "Kaiser...?" She whispered sadly. The hooded figure whistled as the two creatures went over to the tree as the hooded figure jumped on the one which was called Grim.

"Who are you, state your business!" Optimus shouted looking at the hooded human on the creature.

"My business is my own autobot." The hood got taken down to reveal Kaiser as the black mist was glowing around her neck.

"W-WAIT!!" Kari whined and took a few steps towards where Kaiser was but stopped. Kari gulped. "KAISER!!!!!" Kari whined sadly. Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, and Optimus were shocked, this was Kari's friend Kaiser. Kaiser looked at Kari with a blank face, but it did hurt to stand on the opposite side of her. It's been weeks since she'd been with the decepticons and has lost faith of ever getting out.

"Kari, I see the autobots have been taking good care of you." Kaiser said plainly.

"Kaiser, come on! You are RIGHT here! Lets go back! Please!" Kari sniffled, trying not to cry from happiness and sadness at the same time. Kaiser sighed and shook her head.

"You think they'd just let me get out of my cage just to set me free, it's more than just that Kari. It's been weeks and if they weren't threatening me I would have already been back, but I've already discarded the thought of actually being able to get away when Megatron will just come back for me." Kaiser explained keeping her arms crossed and keeping herself together but on the inside it was killing her a bit.

"We can protect you from them, you just have to come with us." Optimus said to the older human girl.

"Please Kaiser! I've missed you so much!" Kari called, now starting to tear up. Kaiser gave a pained look.

"You don't think I missed you too? Your autobot friends haven't even been able to locate where they were holding me and it was only a matter of time they give up looking for me. I had to put up with being scared in a cage, being all alone wondering when I was actually going to be saved, but then I realized I was setting myself up for false hope." Kaiser frowned as a single tear came down her face. Kari gritted her teeth and tightened her hands into fists.

"We didn't give up on you!" Kari called out sadly, taking a step forward.

"Yet you still never found me until I showed up here before you all. I know you care about me, but it looks like you found new friends to protect you from the cruel world." Kaiser said making the monster she wasn't standing on disappear into black mist. Kari blinked and shivered, fearing what she meant.

"How did you get here in the first place?" Arcee asked the girl who was in control of the creature.

"I have my resources." Kaiser said not giving a full explanation

"Why not just come with us?" Bulkhead asked. "We're here now. So come on." He smiled kindly at Kaiser. Grim let out a roar slamming his tail on the ground angrily at Bulkhead.

"Afraid I can't do that ---" Kaiser was interrupted by a sound of a jet above her and Grim as she looked to see Starscream.

"No, she can't." Called a voice. Starscream then flew in and transformed, landing behind Kaiser with crossed arms. Kari raced to Optimus as Starscream stared at her. "She is on our side now." Starscream chuckled. "Isn't that right, Kaiser?" Kaiser looked at him and looked at the autobots and nodded her head.

"You little brat, you worry Kari and you do this to her!" Arcee shouted at Kaiser. Kaiser looked at Arcee as her black mist got darker and heavier.

"Cee, don't." Kari sniffled. "Don't yell at Kaiser... Stop it!" Kari began to cry. "I'm already upset because Kaiser's on the opposite side and I don't need this!" Arcee looked at Kari and sighed then stopped. Kaiser looked over to Starscream a bit covering her eyes with her bangs.

"Starscream can we please go... I-I don't wanna be here anymore." Kaiser said in a soft tone as her black mist started to feel more dense around her neck trying to hold back showing her emotions.

"Very well. Lets go." Starscream transformed and let Kaiser in and flew off. Kari wiped her eyes and watched Kaiser leave, sniffling as Starscream became a dot then vanished out of sight. Everything around them turned to black mist showing the regular forest again. Kaiser couldn't hold it in as she started to cry into her hands while Starscream was flying in the sky not caring that he was hearing her cry. "It will be over soon, Kaiser. We will get Kari on our side soon. That way you two are on the same side." Starscream huffed.

"Kari is too nice, too innocent to be used for evil, she-she'd never think twice about joining us even if it was for me." Kaiser said trying to wipe the tears away, but they kept coming.

"We will see. We're almost there." Starscream informed as he went in for a landing. Kaiser nodded her head cleaning her face from her tears.

Back with the autobots Kari was riding with Optimus back to HQ. She was silent and hid her eyes with her bangs as her arms stayed crossed. When they arrived back at HQ Ratchet was about to grumble and rant about Kari sneaking off once again but he saw how upset she was and held back while she went into a random room to be alone and cry. She let out an angry scream and the whole base shook as she punched the wall. Bumblebee frowned as he went to go sit with Kari to try and make her feel better. Optimus looked to Bulkhead, Arcee, and Ratchet as he looked down. Arcee went and punched the punching bag that was in the main room resulting it coming off the hinges.

"That must have been rough for her to go through... I've never seen Kar-Kar like this..." Bulkhead frowned, giving everyone a sad look.

"What happened?" Ratchet asked Optimus. Optimus looked sadly to Ratchet as he walked over so he could inform him quietly.

"Kari's friend, Kaiser is being forced to stay on the Decepticon's side.... We took so long to find her... She has abilities as well." Optimus said to Ratchet. Ratchet blinked an looked to Kari as she hugged her knees then warped to be on a support beam. He sighed and then whispered to Optimus.

"I have something that has been bothering me... Remember That day?" He asked in a whisper tone. Optimus looked at Ratchet questionly. Bumblebee saw Kari on the beam and he stood to were the top part of his head could be underneath Kari.

"Of course I remember That day, it was the worst day that no one was expecting to happen. We lost so much on That day." Optimus said looking at him.

Ratchet sighed. "Well, every now and again I will have a small flashback to That day. I don't know why but it just happens. I was wondering if you knew what this meant." Ratchet sighed and looked down. Optimus shook his head.

"I don't know what it means, but I too have been having flashbacks of That day my friend." Optimus said to Ratchet. Ratchet sighed and nodded.

"Alright. At least it's not just me." He replied then went to his lab to work, having a short flashback of That day as he reached the door leading to the hall that had his lab. Ratchet shivered and shook it off then walked on. Kari looked down at Optimus then to Bulkhead and jumped down, hovering to Bulkhead's shoulder.

"What were they talking about?"

"Nothing Kari. Come on, let's get you some food." Bulkhead smiled kindly at Kari, who gave a sigh.

"Kay." She replied and Bulkhead went to get food for the little one. Bumblebee followed Kari and Bulkhead. Optimus sighed as he headed back to the computer lab to look at more stuff as he was once again had a small flashback of That day. Eventually Kari was put to bed by Arcee, who had come to be like her sister in a way. Kari sighed and gripped her toy, Chase, and whined sadly a few times. Bulkhead frowned as he heard how sad Kari was then began to watch over her, taking shifts with Arcee, Optimus and Bumblebee. Every now and again Kari would mutter some gibberish that sounded similar to "Kaiser" but it was uncertain since it was in a low mumble. Once it was his turn to watch over her, Bumblebee looked to Kari as she was mumbling and patted her head gently.

"If you want Kari, maybe talking about it will make you feel better. Some humans say it's better to get these sort of things off your chest." Bumblebee said to Kari wanting to comfort her from today's events, even though she was asleep. Kari sniffled and turned in her sleep and didn't mutter another peep while Bumblebee was there.