Hey guys sorry for the long wait. I've been really busy lately (finishing up school and such) hopefully over the summer I'll be able to finish it. Anyways here is the next chapter! Also I want to say thanks to sunstreaker's squishy for being a great beta reader. Thanks and please review.

Chapter 9

"Who is Starscream?" Arcee and June exchanged glances before Arcee answered.

"He is- was second in command of the Decepticons. Back on cybertron he was a top class flier. Never was one for up-front battle tactics though. He was more 'go behind the scenes and stab in you in the back' sort." Her optics hardened as her jaw visibly clenched.

"I never imagined he would be a serious threat."

"You're a Cybertronion too right? Why don't you fight him?" Arcee shook her head like a parent would do to a naïve child.

"I haven't been functioning at top efficiency as of late. Not to mention the fact that Starscream has an army that are all well rested and fully fueled. Look, all you need to know is that he is a very twisted mech and you need to stay as far away from him as possible. You of all people should know this." Her body started to fade away as the constant strain of having her holoform out started to take its toll.

"Why don't we can continue this discussion outside after you have gotten some rest. Meet me in about 6 hours." with that the hologram flickered away leaving Alexis to slowly make her way back to the bed. June turned and headed for the door. She started to shut the door but turned around to give Alexis a reassuring smile.

"I'll make sure to wake up in time." The lights shut off with a click and Alexis was left alone to drift into a much-needed recharge.

Alexis was awoken to the sound of light knocking on her room's door. She sluggishly poked her head out from beneath the covers to see June poking her head through the doorway.

"Hey, you better get up. Arcee has been waiting for ten minutes." Alexis nodded and climbed out of bed and quickly made her way outside. June accompanied her on the way down and headed back to the medical center when they reached Arcee.

"Hey. Sleep well?" Alexis nodded, but her eyes grew wide as she got her first good look of the Autobot. Arcee was much smaller then the previous mechs Alexis had seen but still overshadowed her by a good 12 inches. Her light blue coloring was highlighted with various hints of silver and pink along her frame. Unlike the other cybertronions she had seen Arcee sported a red, square-like symbol- much different then the harsh angular purple insignia of the Decepticons.

"Look, before I tell you about anything else we need to get something straight. The people here, they don't know I'm not human. It really comes in handy to use a holoform when the people you are trying to protect despise everything about your species." She snorted.

"Really I can't blame them after what our war has brought to your planet. Nevertheless, these people won't welcome you in with open arms to say the least." Arcee visibly sagged, as if some invisible weight was being pressed down on her shoulders.

"I'm not saying you have to leave. I'll keep an eye on you and try to lead you away from any civilians. But I'll understand if you don't want to stay. However if you do leave we won't be here if you decide to- return." Alexis understood the meaning behind Arcee's words- stay with us and we'll trust you for now. But leave and we will pack up and move on.

"If it's not to must trouble I'd like to stay." Arcee chuckled.

"Oh it's going to be plenty of trouble but I can't do anything about that. Besides-" Arcee's holoform briefly flickered on to grin at Alexis.

"I'll make sure you stay out of harms way."

Alexis groaned as she flopped back onto the couch, her head pounding from boredom. She had been confined to one of the medical center's rooms and had been for the past few days. Arcee had said that once enough time had passed (to assure her that no Cons were going to come bursting down the door) then she would be free to leave the room- supervised of course.

The blank white walls were starting to make Alexis go stir crazy as they started to remind her of the labs containment cell walls. She scanned the room and found, much to her surprise, a pile of clothing on the chair.

'June must have left these here. I wonder if they'll fit?' The pile consisted of a sneakers, t-shirt and a hoodie. She slipped out of her medical gown and slowly out them on, wincing when they would get snagged on her metal limbs, fearful that the clothes might get torn. She managed to get into the outfit though, and looked down and saw something on the chair she hadn't noticed before.

A black eye patch lay on the chair, not noticed before on account of it blending in with the black cloth. She giggled as she put it on, thinking of how much she must resemble a pirate.

Alexis walked over to a mirror behind the door and looked at it. A smile lit up her face when she realized how- human she looked. With her metal arm and leg covered she almost looked like her old self again. Heck, maybe the she could even start getting to know the locals. However, her good humor vanished when she noticed the red light from her optic was still dimly visibly even with the eye patch on. Alexis quickly looked away from the mirror and headed towards the door and much to her surprise it was unlocked. She couldn't stand being cooped up inside and nobody would notice her optic was glowing if she kept her distance.

What could be the harm in that?

After being inside for so long, both at the lab and now in this camp; it was refreshing to get outside. Alexis made sure to stay away from the more crowded areas of the camp and instead opted to stick close to the wall. Every once in a while someone would start to walk her way, making Alexis keep her head down. She didn't want to cause any trouble, after all she wasn't really supposed to be out here.

Besides, it was refreshing to see people just living out there lives instead of watching scientists rip out her insides and worry about what new 'modification' she was going to get placed into her. However while it seemed peaceful enough, she couldn't deny that there was a constant feeling of dread looming over them. Turning back towards the wall she noticed that the further she made her way down the older the barrier became, made clear by missing bricks here and there. She found a crevice that was near her head and peered into it.

Beyond the barrier lay the pine forest she had run through. Looking to her right she saw the trees creep closer and closer to the wall the farther away from the central camp they got. After a while she resumed her walk and eventually got to the crop field planted at the edge of the area. The wall here was shorter here and stood only about ten feet high.

Alexis drew back in surprise when a loud crash echoed across the forest, followed by a string of colorful curses. Alexis leapt over the wall without a second thought, only stopping when her processor caught up with her actions.

'What am I thinking? I don't know if that's even a person out there! I better go back to camp and tell Arcee-' Alexis let out a groan when she realized that technically she wasn't supposed to be out here alone and if she told Arcee she would be in heaps of trouble. She turned and started to head back to camp, determined to try and find help. Without letting anyone know just how she knew someone was in the woods if she was supposed to be outside.

She stopped suddenly when a loud shout filled the air followed by a cracking of wood. Her spark stuttered as her optic searched the dark shadows in the trees for the source of the noise. Alexis berated herself as she opted to investigate, staying out of sight until she knew it was not a trap.

She rushed forward into the undergrowth, her scanners pinpointing the general direction of the noises' source. Up ahead lay a small ravine. In it lay a small stream, surrounded by mud and weeds. Alexis dashed over to one of the ravine's surrounding trees and hid behind it, waiting a couple minutes before peeking around the trunk.

To her surprise an Italian sports car sat in one of the muddy ditches, its frame covered with mud. Next to the car a man was furiously scrubbing at the grime, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. Alexis was puzzled to say the least. Why was this man in the middle of nowhere- cleaning a car no less?

SCANNING FOR DECEPTICON ACTIVITY

NEAREST DECEPTICON: 100 MILES EAST

She cautiously stepped out from behind the tree, her arm blades ready to slide out just in case something went amiss.

"Took you long enough, I was wondering how long you were going to stand there. Although I can't blame you for staring, after all, I am absolutely stunning." The man stood up from his crouched position, his hands resting on his hips while a smirk appeared on his face.

"So, how about you make yourself useful and give me a hand?" Alexis slowly stepped towards him, all the while analyzing the situation. He seemed human enough; her scanners still weren't picking up anything strange. As she neared the vehicle she saw it was filthy, absolutely covered in grime and muck from the ditch, so much so that the color underneath was obscured. The man shuddered as he ran a finger through it, grimacing when it left a muddy smear on the finish.

"Ugh, disgusting. Why did I have to drive out here in the first place?" he mumbled to himself, resuming his previous position and looking over the car. Alexis crouched down next to him and surveyed the car.

"Well, it looks like not only is it filthy but I think the tires are stuck." The man ignored her and groaned as he got to his feet.

"It will take me hours to get all this- muck off." He looked down at Alexis as she rose to her feet as well.

"Shouldn't you be more worried that it can't move? I think you'll have to leave it here, those tires aren't rolling anywhere." The man chuckled which earned him a confused glance from Alexis.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." A grin spread across his face as his eyes sparkled with mischief.

"You know, I was supposed to be scouting the area for an- associate of mine but I don't believe I'll be going anywhere any time soon. Plus it's always a delight to mess up his plans. So how about we delay the mission for a bit and you meet me here again." He paused to give her time to respond but the glint in his eye seemed to show he already knew what she would say.

"Why? You don't even know who I am. In fact, I don't even know who you are."

"Does it matter if we know each other or not? I need to get this mud off, you don't look like you've got anything better to do, so why not?"

"I suppose-" Alexis mentally battled with herself, trying to determine whether this was a good idea or not.

'As long as he doesn't find about the camp or where I've been, I should be fine. Plus, I should keep tabs on him until I can tell Arcee, if only so he dosen't run off when I leave.' Alexis looked to the man as she made her decision.

"I- I suppose it's alright. Do you know where you will be staying?" Alexis had no intention of inviting him back to camp with her, (that would've been moronic) but she at least had to know he wouldn't be wondering about in the woods at night, getting tired and cold.

"I've set up camp just a short walk away." His nose crinkled as he turned back to the car.

"Find cleaning supplies, I need to get this mud off before it dries. Meet me here in, let's say, three hours? Great."

"But I-" Alexis stuttered to a halt as the man nudged her back towards the direction she had come from.

"Now get going. I'll answer any questions you have when you get back." Alexis, although confused, quickly nodded before darting back to camp. Before she got to the trees though, she could've sworn she saw a flash of red but when she turned around the man was nowhere to be found.

"That was strange…"