AN: So sorry it took forever to post this! College got crazy for a few weeks so I had to put this on the back burner until I had a bit of a lull this weekend to write. Finals are next week, but I'll try to post regularly again once things settle down for me.

A very heartfelt thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited the story. A special thanks to Karmic Acumen for their pointers. For the record, I went back into the previous chapters and made some of the suggested changes, particularly with the page breaks.

As usual, a very special thanks to my friend, Marya, for her editing assistance.

Adeline and Sideswipe sat in complete silence until they were well past the city limits.

"Do you think it was too soon?" Adeline looked out the side window as they passed yet another sign about reporting transformers. It had been degraded by the weather and a thick layer of graffiti ran across its message.

Sideswipe's hologram shrugged. "I don't think we'll be able to tell until the dust has settled. We've got a lot banking on Sam being able to push through some sort of alliance with the government again. We're going to need to lay low for the time being though. No trips outside the security dome."

"I agree. But firstly…" Adeline pulled out a handheld radio. "Mind letting out a tone through the unit? Need to tell Victoria to frag off."

"With pleasure," growled Sideswipe. The hologram touched the radio, causing it to let out an earsplitting screech. He let it run for about a minute before let go of the radio.

"Thank you," purred Adeline. She brought the radio up to her mouth, clicking the talk button. "If you were trying to be subtle, Vicky, it isn't your style. We've had you on the radar since we arrived at the garage."

"How clever," said Victoria drolly, "So I assume that your leaving the city was a means to avoiding placing civilians in harm's way?"

"Too close quarters, yes," replied Adeline calmly, "If your men fired a shot, which we both know they would even if we were to ever come peacefully, it would probably ricochet and hurt someone else. Then again, maybe we should have. It would make sure that you were labeled what you really are now. Terrorists."

"I prefer revolutionaries… Besides, if the government is corrupt enough to grant asylum to these walking rust buckets ever again, then someone needs to lead the charge to change that."

Adeline frowned. "Was that a threat to the United States of America? My, you have grown bold. Is that Attinger's influence or have you just grown mad on your own?"

"You just better hope I get my hands on you and your silver fendered friend before it comes to that, Adeline. If you surrender, I promise to avoid such an end to our work."

"You never keep your promises, Victoria. So no. And I have a feeling that it would be very ill to my health and my friend's health is we surrendered now…"

"Then you had best continue to watch your back, Adeline. We will catch you. Whether it is today or the next day. We will nail you down."

"Someday," said Adeline, "But not today, Victoria. Today, you'll end up empty handed again."

Sideswipe scrambled the radio signal once again as Adeline hung up the radio. "Exit Plan B?"

"Indeed. Head for the tunnel. We'll need to provide her with a false hope that she's got us." Adeline settled back in her seat, pulling out her cell phone. "I'll call Sunny for the pickup coordinates."

Sideswipe's hologram grinned. "Already done. You ready for this?"

"Always," purred Adeline, "Always."

Sunstreaker walked into the control room with Bluestreak at his heelstruts. "Sides and Addy are on their way back, but they're going to need a bridge. Victoria's up to her usual games. I have the coordinates ready."

Red Alert turned away from the security monitor. "Alert Perceptor. Ready yourself and Bluestreak at the bridge entrance in the case that we receive any unwanted guests. Keep me apprised. I'll need to remain here to make sure that the power surge doesn't take out the shielding."

Sunstreaker nodded. "Understood." He raced out with Bluestreak, headed for the lab. There wasn't time to lose.

Victoria chuckled darkly to herself as she raced after her sister and the cowardly Autobot, imagining the look on her sister's face when they ensnared them. The two had changed routes, trying to shake off Victoria's pursuit and fallen right into her trap. The tunnel ahead was under construction and was simple to adapt to her plan. The moment they entered the tunnel, they would be trapped. "Bravo One to Bravo Seven, Nine and Twelve, make sure the doors are ready. I want no mistakes this time."

"Roger, Bravo One. We acknowledge. The trap is ready."

Victoria purred. Her prey would be in her hands soon enough…

Sideswipe watched on his radar as Victoria continued her pursuit, noting the distance between the vehicles. "She's slacking off a bit. We should have plenty of space between us and her when Perceptor opens the bridge."

"Good. I'd hate to let her into the dome…" Adeline glanced back at her sister's car. "How much further to the tunnel?"

"Less than a mile. Don't worry. We'll make it." I hope. Sideswipe wasn't one for being pessimistic about the whole situation, but he was a realist. If they couldn't get to the bridge, they would be screwed.

The tunnel suddenly loomed in front of them. Drawing closer and closer to the mouth, Sideswipe tensed. Then the glowing portal appeared centimeters in front of them and they passed through it, the portal closing right behind them in the face of an irate Victoria Price. They'd made it.

Victoria Price howled with untempered rage as the portal closed and she skidded to a halt at the tunnel entrance. She had been so close. So close to catching them!

"Bravo Seven to Bravo One, what are your orders?" Bravo Seven's voice sounded over the radio. Victoria growled, almost chucking the radio at the wall. Almost. "Bravo One?"

"Return to base," said Victoria finally through gritted teeth, "We'll get them another day… And I'll ring Adeline's neck for this."

Adeline stepped out of Sideswipe the moment he came to a stop, not even turning to look as he transformed. "Nicely timed, Perceptor. Victoria's going to blow a gasket over this one."

Perceptor nodded as she approached him and Sideswipe went over to talk to his twin. "I calculated that with her decreased speed, you two would have just enough time to enter the portal. You must thank your sister for being overconfident."

Adeline shrugged. "I'll remember to mention something to her later… For now, how's the groundbridge system working?"

Perceptor actually smiled. "Flawlessly. We'll have no further troubles so long as we continue regular maintenance and virus scans."

Sideswipe stepped over join them with Sunstreaker and Bluestreak. "And energon?"

Perceptor pulled up the groundbridge fuel system. "We're good for now. With the distillery in the works, we have a steady supply for the time being. And according to Red Alert, the dome has been functioning properly. Construction is ahead of schedule if that means anything to you."

"Excellent." Adeline looked at her watch. "And I have an hour until my watchtower shift. I'll see you tomorrow at the daily briefing?"

Perceptor nodded. "Of course."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then. I'll be in my office if anyone is looking for me." Adeline patted Sideswipe's leg affectionately and left, heading towards her office. She needed to write up a report before Red Alert hounded her down for it while she was on duty…

Sideswipe frowned as Adeline left, but waited to speak until she was well away. "That was far too close…"

Sunstreaker snorted. "Understatement. She practically had you and Adeline until we got you guys out with the bridge."

Perceptor nodded in agreement. "I do not think that we should leave the base for a little while. Any of us."

"I'll talk to Red Alert. He'll put out a city wide order. Then we can discuss defensive strategies should they ever manage to get inside." Sideswipe headed for the door with Sunstreaker and Bluestreak at his heelstruts, but turned back at the last second. "And Perceptor? Thanks for the save."

"Anytime, Sideswipe." Perceptor waved them out as he returned to his research. Sideswipe half-smiled, ignoring the look he got from his twin for it. Even with all the chaos around them, it was nice to see that some bots hadn't changed too much.

Adeline let out a sigh as she finally popped herself down in her office chair, gazing out the window at the city below. Autobot City. The city glowed in the bright sunlight and Adeline couldn't help but smile and bask in the warmth coming off of the city and through her window. She made herself a quick cup of tea, watching the city's inhabitants go about their day as she filled out her report.

Two years. Two years and they had managed to build a safe haven for the surviving Autobots and anymore that arrived on Earth after the Battle of Chicago. They hadn't been able to save everyone, but they had saved more than anyone could have ever hoped for.

After the Battle of Chicago, Sideswipe had found her just as much as she had found him. Victoria had left to join Cemetery Wind the moment it was founded and Adeline had been left on her own living with her parents until her downtown Chicago apartment building was rebuilt. Sideswipe was on the run from the government. He'd found her waiting at a bus stop and he'd offered her a lift. She hadn't even hesitated once she knew who he was. They had talked, meeting almost every day afterwards to plan it out. She began work on her book with help from him and his contacts while he had used a solid hologram to build a human identity and submit inventions, making a decent sum off of the sales and his patents, enough to begin the purchase of a stretch of land in the Nevada desert that was both far from any human city and had some old warehouses still standing from the previous owners. The warehouses had served as a hide out for the Autobots they had already found. With the addition of her book sales, they had managed to secure the land and the materials that they needed to begin building the city. As more and more Autobots came to them, they had been able to slowly create human identities for a few of them and increase the income as a community, finally managing to complete Autobot City and the protective dome that hid it from all outsiders. It had taken a long time, but they had done it. Together.

The ringing of her secure phone line jolted her out of her thoughts. She looked at the trace data and smiled, picking up the phone. "Senator Witwicky. I've been expecting you."