Note: Bumblebee's dialogue has been changed into words, as indicated through italics... however his voice box is still damaged. He only communicates in beeps (as he does in the show) but this will hopefully make reading a little smoother. Enjoy! And as always please review, follow, and fave! - AP

The warm Nevada air blew gently as the sun slowly began to fall on the horizon. Jack gripped the motorcycle handles firmly as they sped towards the mountain-face ahead. The tire treads followed the uneven pavement, as they had done countless times before. But today was different. Everything seemed unfamiliar to Jack ever since he and Arcee returned from Cybertron. He had so many questions that needed answers. So many thoughts that whirred in his tired mind, that begged for further explanation. For the first time ever, he knew that the Autobots were keeping secrets from him. He had uncovered a skeleton in the closet from their collective past, a past that he needed to know.

He swallowed shallowly, looking up at the road through the helmets visor. Jack demanded to know the answers, after all it was he who travelled to Vector Sigma, it was he who restored Optimus' memory, and it was he who made the strange discovery. He and Arcee had not spoken of the events of their journey to Cybertron; they both were consumed with other problems at the time. Three days had passed, and Jack could no longer contain his questions. Tonight was the night that the secrets would be resolved.

The blue motorcycle rounded the secret opening in the mountain-face, following a lighted corridor that opened into the center of the Autobot base. Arcee's tires screeched in a semi-circular motion as she braked hard. Jack stepped off the bike and removed the helmet, tucking it under his arm he turned and watched Arcee as she quickly transformed. Her parts locked and clicked into place, and soon she was standing beside him, her faceplates hardened with concern.

A tall white and orange Autobot turned to the pair, rolling his optics.

"You don't have to make such a loud entrance. It's very distracting to my work. Having your screeching tires reverberate off the walls nearly sends my audio receptors into a fritz." Ratchet scoffed from behind a data-screen as he continued punching different keys with his fingertips. Arcee rolled her optics.

"I'll try to be quieter next time, don't get your tailpipe in a twist." Her voice was plain as her gaze followed Jack. He walked up the stairs in silence, setting the helmet down on the small coffee table next to the plethora of game consoles.

Ratchet huffed under his breath, muttering to himself. His optics softened as he looked up to Arcee. She lowered her helm as she took a seat opposite Ratchet. Jack slumped onto the couch and put his feet on the table, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"You both have been acting strange ever since you returned from Cybertron. Did something happen?" Ratchet looked to Arcee who averted her optics.

"You could say that." Jack piped up, turning to face the two Autobots. Arcee raised her helm quickly.

"Jack, don't."

"Don't what? I have questions too! You all are keeping something from us, from me! I risked my life to travel to Cybertron, and you haven't even asked me once how I feel about what happened!" Jack stood up, walking to the banister angrily. "You're keeping me in the dark Arcee, we're supposed to be partners, friends. I deserve to have an explanation…you owe me that much." Arcee rose slowly, taking a few steps toward the boy. Ratchet furiously slammed a data-pad onto his work surface.

"Alright. What in Primus name is going on here? What are you talking about? Do I need to alert Optimus?" Arcee turned quickly to Ratchet, her optics burned intensely.

"No!" She yelled. Her voice echoed through the empty space. She paused, looking up to Ratchet and Jack's stunned faces. "No, don't alert him. He has enough to worry about. Besides this doesn't concern him." She quietly finished, her voice laced with subtle remorse.

Ratchet broke the silence, turning to Arcee. "I don't know what this is about. But if no solution is found when Optimus is back from his mission, I will have to involve him. We can't afford to have any breaks in our chain, not when we are overwhelmingly outnumbered as is. Do you understand?" Arcee nodded slowly, looking over to Jack who also nodded.

Ratchet sat on a medical berth slowly, looking up to Arcee and Jack. "Now, what is going on? Both of you, explain yourselves. What is it that happened on Cybertron that Jack was referring to? Arcee?"

Arcee closed her optics and seated herself opposite of Ratchet, rubbing her arm cables gently. "I can't tell you." She looked over to Jack, "we can't tell you. I was ordered not to." Ratchet leaned forward, furrowing his optic ridge.

"Tell me what? Who ordered you?"

"The bot that helped us on Cybertron?" Jack asked quickly, as he walked down the stairs to the main floor. Arcee nodded as Ratchet's optics lit up.

"A bot…on Cybertron? Who? What did they say? Arcee, what happened?" Ratchet leaned closer to Jack and Arcee, his voice tinged with urgency and excitement.

"I don't know, I didn't understand…she didn't speak English." Jack answered, as Arcee lifted him onto the surface adjacent to her and Ratchet.

"She was probably speaking Cybertronian-"

"She? Arcee who was it? Who was she?" Ratchet leapt from his seat cutting off Arcee and grabbed her shoulder gears. Arcee sat rigidly, as Ratchet's optics burned into hers.

"I don't know who she was…I, I never saw her." Arcee breathed sadly, averting her optics. Ratchet sat back slowly, furrowing his optic ridge.

"You never saw her? How in Primus name is that possible? To interact with a bot that doesn't exist?" Ratchet questioned curtly.

"I can explain. She helped me in Vector Sigma." Jack spat out quickly, Arcee and Ratchet turned to him. "But try to save your questions until after, I don't want to lose my place."

Ratchet nodded his helm in agreement. "You better hurry though, we don't have much time. The others could call for a ground bridge at any moment."

Jack sat on the surface, dangling his legs over the edge as he leaned back onto his palms. Slowly recalling that day. He closed his eyes as he remembered, gathering his thoughts.

"The Key had guided us to the entrance of Vector Sigma, located somewhere deep in Kaon. When Arcee and I arrived, I went alone as Arcee stood guard." Jack paused for a moment looking to Arcee, a faint smile spread across her faceplates, and he continued. "It was really dark, I couldn't see very much, but it was huge, the light from the Key helped to guide me. I walked for a long time, but after a while, I got the strange feeling as though I was being followed. I turned and looked around using the Key as a flashlight. I thought at first it was Arcee, so I called out her name, but instead I heard an Insecticon. I sprinted, trying to out run it, I ducked behind a metal beam, but then I heard loud banging, fighting. I peered around the corner and saw the Insecticon taking a bashing, but I couldn't see who was fighting it. The Insecticon fell to the ground in a heap, and I could hear footsteps, coming towards me. I bolted from the spot and shone the light towards the sound, hoping it was Arcee. There was nothing but darkness, but then out of nowhere a tall, female, robot appeared. She retracted her arm swords, identical to the ones Optimus has. She also had the same facemask as well, but she never took it off…in fact all that I saw of her face were her optics. She knelt down to me slowly, and showed me her Autobot symbol on her shoulder. It was faded, but still recognizable." Jack turned to Arcee smiling. "All I could think about was how tall she was..." Arcee smiled and opened her mouth to answer. Ratchet waved his hand silencing her.

"Never mind that now. Jack, please continue." His voice was stern, as his optics remained transfixed on Jack.

"Anyways, she pointed to the Key, and I explained what was going on, but she shook her head, like she didn't understand what I was saying. But I think she knew what it was, because she pointed down the tunnel and transformed into a car. She opened the door, and revved her engine, so I climbed inside. Soon we were at Vector Sigma, she guided me towards the panel and I placed the Key inside. We watched it download, but then there were Scraplets. They flew towards her but she turned invisible. I don't know how, but she just disappeared, gone, vanished into thin air. So then they started attacking the Key, I tried hitting them off, and she did as well, without damaging it of course. But then another Insecticon attacked us from behind. She turned off her invisibility whatever, and began fighting the Insecticon. She yelled something at me, and pointed at the Scraplets, I don't know what she said but I got the Scraplets to go after her and the Insecticon. Then she threw herself and the Insecticon off the ledge, and the Scraplets followed. I ran over to the edge to see a ground bridge portal close. But she had somehow managed to hang on to the ledge. She pulled herself up and signalled to the Key, which had finished downloading." Jack paused, scratching his head as he recalled the fierce battle. "I retrieved the Key and she stood guard, in case anymore Insecticons were on their way. I had no idea where they came from, or if more were coming."

Arcee lifted her helm, turning to Ratchet. "While Jack was in Vector Sigma a horde of dormant Insecticons awoke, and attacked, I fought off as many as I could before they over took me. They hit me hard and I blacked out, I didn't know how long I was out. When I awoke, all of the Insecticons were defeated but Jack still hadn't returned… I didn't know what happened, or who had fought the rest of the 'Cons. It must've been her." Ratchet nodded his helm.

"It would stand to reason that she fought off those Insecticons, then went inside Vector Sigma in case some others had entered… Or because she knew Jack was already in there." Ratchet rubbed his helm, motioning for Jack to continue.

"I grabbed the Key, and she drove me back to the entrance, but she stopped while still in the tunnel. I got out and she transformed again. She handed me a strange device, it was quite large, and pointed to the entrance, I could see Arcee starting to move. Then she put one finger up to her facemask, as if saying that I had to be quiet… she pointed to the Key and nodded, then she turned invisible. I, I never saw her again." Jack looked down at his swinging feet, averting his eyes from Ratchet's gaze.

"What was the device that she gave to you Jack? Where is it now?" Ratchet asked. His voice was pained and concerned.

"I don't know what it was, I handed it to Arcee…that was the last I saw of it as well."

"It's a portable internal processor drive. Used during the war, as a means to give instructions in person, rather than over radio frequencies. It's technology that I haven't seen in eons." Arcee pulled back a metal casing on her forearm, revealing a small storage panel. She removed a small metal object, rectangular in shape. She pressed a small divot gently, and the rectangle clicked and unhinged, changing into a larger shape. "Technology that only the most elite soldiers had access too. Technology that I thought was lost in the war…" Her voice trailed off as the final mechanisms on the processor drive clicked into place, now resembling a large USB, except Cybertronian in nature.

Ratchet rose to his feet slowly, he inhaled silently, rubbing his optics. "I…I can't believe it. Arcee, have you…what is the message?" His voice was weak and quiet. Arcee shook her helm, clutching the drive in her hands. She closed her optics.

"Ratchet. I can't, it was part of the instructions. No one but myself can know. For her safety, and the safety of others." Arcee's voice trailed off again, as she looked back up to Ratchet.

"Not even Optimus?"

"The message said that the Prime must not know, whoever it may be. I suppose out of fear that he is a vulnerable target… or because his memory was just restored. I don't know, but the point is, the safety of other bots depends on secrecy. Please, please don't tell anyone, and don't ask me to share the information with you. I can't. I'm sorry." She laid her helm in her hands, breathing deeply with guilt and pain. Jack brought his knees up to his chest, and he rested his chin on them, sighing inwardly.

Ratchet sat beside Arcee and placed an arm around her. She closed her optics and moved closer. They sat in silence as Ratchet comforted her. Several moments passed before Ratchet spoke up.

"In the message, did she say her name?" His voice was quiet and gentle.

"No. Only that she was a Femmebot." Arcee whispered.

"Which would explain the processor drive, Femmebots were one of the few sanctions that had access to them during the war." Ratchet started. Jack raised his head.

"Femmebot? Arcee I thought you were a Femmebot…" Jack scratched his head in confusion as Arcee smiled faintly.

Ratchet huffed and rolled his optics. "P-lease." Arcee straightened and smacked his chassis, as the Medic yelped in shock. "That's not what I meant." He choked.

"Femmebots are elite soldiers Jack, they are a different sanction within the Autobot ranks. Comprised of only Femme soldiers, Femmebots were of the highest rank during the war…but I thought they were all killed many, many years ago." Arcee turned to Ratchet who nodded his helm, trying to find an answer.

"It was assumed they were eradicated long ago, seeing as no one ever saw or heard from them since their exodus from Iacon. To find a Femmebot survivor, on Cybertron no less…is nothing short of a miracle."

"So…who was she? The one who helped us?" Jack questioned, still confused.

"I don't know, it was never explained in the message. Besides, the Femmes went into hiding before I was even a cadet, much less a warrior. I wouldn't recognize them even if I did see them." Arcee replied, playing with the processor drive with her fingers.

"Being able to turn invisible is a unique quality wouldn't you say? If a Femmebot had that ability, wouldn't other Autobots know about it? I mean I assume it isn't common." Jack questioned, probing for more answers.

"It is a unique ability, one I have never heard of. But it's possible she constructed that technology to survive on Cybertron…and it would explain as to why she's lasted as long as she has. But I don't know of any Femmebots that had that quality." Ratchet sighed, remembering the years he spent with them long ago.

"It makes sense to adapt such a disguise. If the Decepticons knew of her existence…her fate would be sealed. 'Cons hated the Femmebots, hunted them down until there were barely any left." Arcee stated, remembering the stories she had heard from her time in Iacon as a cadet.

Ratchet rose slowly nodding his helm. "Which is why this information was trusted with you and you alone, to lessen the chance of it falling into Decepticon hands. Her survival, and the potential survival of other Femmebots depend on limited knowledge."

"But Ratchet I want to know more about them! When did they go into hiding? Who was their leader? How many of them were there?" Jack spoke up, yelling after the Medic as he began to turn away. Suddenly, the computer began to beep as a transmission was received.

"Another time Jack." The white and orange Autobot answered shortly.

** Ratchet, we request a ground bridge please, same coordinates as previously logged. ** A low baritone voice came from the transmission screen. Optimus. Ratchet walked to the computer and pressed a button. "Coming up Prime, I'm locked on your coordinates." Ratchet pulled a lever down and the bridge burst forth with light.

Arcee lowered Jack to the ground, and turned to Ratchet. "Not a word of any of this, to anyone." She glared at Jack, who breathed incredulously. Ratchet nodded his helm, just as Bulkhead and Bumblebee stepped through the archway of the bridge. The two bots nodded and looked around the space, as Arcee and Jack welcomed them. Large and heavy pede steps grew louder, as Optimus stepped through the archway before the bridge once again closed. He smiled faintly and made his way to Ratchet, who continued to monitor the screens.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee stood next to Arcee, as Ratchet and Optimus talked quietly, discussing the mission.

"So did you find any Energon?" Arcee asked coyly, placing a hand on her hip.

"Not as much as we hoped…" Bulkhead started, as he placed small chunks of Energon next to the refuel station. "But, it's more than what we had this morning." Bulkhead turned back to the group and smiled. Bumblebee began to explain their search to Jack and Arcee, but then paused, pointing to the device in Arcee's hand.

"What's that you're holding 'Cee?" Arcee's optics shot open as she hid the device behind her back.

"It's nothing Bee, just one of Ratchet's new instruments is all." She sputtered quickly, as she opened the storage panel in her forearm and stuffed it inside.

"So why ya hiding it then?" Bulkhead questioned, walking towards the small bot slowly. Bumblebee nodded and beeped a few more times in protest.

"I'm not hiding it! It's nothing…it's for…uh-"

"It's a personal medical instrument, and is none of your concern, either of you." Ratchet cut in suddenly from across the space, the group turned to him. Optimus looked to the others with confusion, raising an optic ridge. Bumblebee and Bulkhead slowly backed away from the small femme as if she were a ticking time bomb. Jack and Arcee collectively breathed a sigh of relief. All eyes and optics were on Ratchet, who had taken them all by surprise. Suddenly he remembered the perfect conversation deterrent.

"Besides, I believe that Rafael and Miko are waiting for their transports. Don't want to keep them waiting." Ratchet added. Bumblebee and Bulkhead looked at each other.

"Oh scrap! I almost forgot!" Bulkhead exclaimed. He and Bumblebee transformed and exited the base quickly, leaving only small clouds from their screeching tires behind.