Disclaimer: Obviously, Hasbro owns Transformers and stuff. All non-canon characters are my brain's spawns.

A/N: Just a little plot bunny bite that grew into an infection. Story takes place after '07 movie. The concept of having Decepticons landed on Earth awaiting some orders doesn't sound too farfetched to me.

And 'cause everyone needs a good ol' angst(/suspense) fic in their reading diet every once in a while. You're welcome (I think. Haha).

(EDIT: Fixed a few errors and edited some things since publish/update date. Filled a few plotholes.)

A/N the Second: Well. I guess I might do something of a follow up to this. A few people have asked for it, and I was thinking about it anyway. I got some ideas floating around in the pit called my imagination. Still, I'm more focused on working on The Drones of War as of late. So when (and if, mind you) the ideas make it to paper, it will be slow coming. Plus, if it happens, it'll probably be a new story instead of adding chapters on to this. (Partly because I'm unsatisfied with this story. The fact that this story is old doesn't really help. But thus is a natural, artistic (if you will) reaction that hopefully means you're getting better, as I've learned.)

Defective Care

I give it all my oxygen
So let the flames begin
So let the flames begin

-Paramore "Let the Flames Begin"

"Connor!"

The boy heard the sharp whisper, urging him to stand down. He ignored it, staying where he was standing between the speaker and his opponent.

Oppressors would be a more appropriate word. Since said opposition not only outnumbered him, but were bigger, stronger, heavier, better equipped. By far.

And yet, there he stood. Facing the opposition boldly. Defending the two behind him.

And that's what it boiled down to. It wasn't outright insurgence; no, he wasn't foolish enough for that. At best, his actions could be best compared to those of a dog, claiming what was his by not letting others near it, yet not creating a fuss about doing so. Simply standing there, countenance telling all.

One of the robots, the impossibly big, impossibly existing robots, gave a laugh.

The two females on the ground behind the boy jumped, the smaller giving a slight whimper and clinging tighter to the bigger, burying her face farther into her chest. The boy himself simply flinched.

"So much like a primitive organic," the mechanoid sneered, its harsh and metallic voice grating itself into the humans' ears, "Defending those weaker than itself."

It reached out with its unbelievably large hand and grabbed and lifted the boy, who tried to move far too late. Behind him, the older girl gave a subconscious gasp as she drew the little one in closer to her.

In the monster's hand, the boy was trembling with fear, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"You, human, are going to be staying with us for a while. Your so called 'military' will hesitate to kill innocent civilians, which will give us an upper hand while we organize the demise of your pathetic planet."

The dalek increased his grip slightly. Connor diverted his gaze as his face contorted in pain. Had he been looking, he would have seen the mechanoid's faceplates contort into what could not be mistaken for anything but a twisted grin.

The older girl was clearly fighting to hold back tears, but, to her credit, was holding her composure. The younger was sobbing into her shirt.

"They will be staying as well," said the robot, turning its gaze down to the remaining two organics.

Another of the four mechanoids walked forward, shorter than the one who had been doing all the talking. Reaching his fellow's side, he looked to each human in turn, his crimson optics in a contemptuous glare.

"If one of you causes trouble, you will all be punished."

"I'm back, Hammer."

"Hammer" smiled up at the boy as he took his spot back at her side.

"Why can't you just call me Rachael like a normal person?"

"Easy: Rach' is boring and Hammer sounds cooler."

Rachael shook her head. "Keep calling me your twisted twisting of my last name, then, if it makes you happy."

Connor laughed, Rachael contributing her own small giggle. They fell silent for about a minute, nothing but the sounds of the forest around them to fill the emptiness.

Connor's countenance softened exceptionally when he looked down into Rachael's lap, becoming more solemn as he reached out and touched the head of the young girl who laid there gently.

"How is she?" he asked quietly.

Rachael looked down at the boy's younger sibling as well.

"I don't know," she said, her expression saddening. She looked up to Connor again. "I really just don't know anymore."

"Ten days." The boy played in the young sleeping girl's hair almost absentmindedly as he spoke. "For ten days we've been out here. Now Lexy's sick, and I doubt the super robot aliens will treat 'us organics'' illnesses." he said zealously, melodramatically air quoting around "us organics."

Giving a weak smile, Rachael responded with, "I know."

Connor ran a hand through his hair and planted it there in frustration, blowing out a long breath.

Returning from relieving himself around dawn, the boy stopped in his tracks when he caught site of their campsite.

In the dim light of the beginnings of sunrise, he could see one of the mechanoids, not the biggest but definitely not the smallest, knelt next to where Lexy was laying with her head in Rachael's lap, looking down at them. In the android's left four-fingered hand, the hand closest to the boy, he could see a pack containing their day's new ration of military food.

He turned and paid Connor a glance before turning back to the females, slowly reaching a hand down.

Gently, he ran two of his fingers across the side of Lexy's pale, damp face.

The boy froze, as if afraid that if he moved, it would have a negative impact on the situation. He just stayed where he was, trembling with the adrenaline coursing through his veins from the very obvious threat to his little sister and friend.

"...The youngling," said the metallic giant in a muted voice. "She... has... a virus?" There was something in the robot's tone, something the human couldn't quite place in his current state.

Rachael had startled awake at the mechanoid's first words, and was now looking between the giant and Connor, panic betrayed in her eyes.

Connor met her gazes, but he was intent on the metal fingers ghosting over the smaller girl's face.

Suddenly, he felt himself swell with anger, pent up emotions breaking loose. Try as he might, he couldn't hold them from forming words.

"Yeah, she's sick," he began in a that's-obvious-idiot! tone, "And if it wasn't for you alien robots, she might be fine right now!"

At that, the mech evenly turned to look at the boy, withdrawing his hand. Rachael drew the younger girl towards her as soon as he did, somehow not awaking her in the process, nervously staring at Connor. However, Connor himself only subconsciously cowered as he met the robot's red-eyed, strangely neutral gaze with a steely one.

He'd had enough. He wasn't sure how he'd do it, but if he had to fight the metal giants to get them help, he would.

The mech cocked his head at the boy subtly. Turning his gaze to Rachael after a moment, the mechanoid laid his hand down in front of her, palm up. The girl looked between it and the mechanoid's unwavering gaze in fear, not sure what to make of it.

"Get on."

Moving to them quickly, Connor stood between the hand and the girls, his arms spread behind him. He began to get jumpy now too, being this close to the giant.

"I wish to help."

"Y-You're not exactly a doctor, what can you do to—"

"You misunderstand me." replied the mechanoid, shaking his massive head. "I mean want to help you escape."

The collective shock of the two humans was evident in the next moments of silence, filled only by a small breeze as it passed.

Giving his head a shake, Connor was the first to speak again.

"Why should we trust you?"

To the humans' surprise, the countenance of the alien seemed to soften, looking for all the world like he was... upset.

"Because. I am your only hope."

...This was impossible. All of these robots were heartless—both literally and figuratively. Nothing but heartless, planetary conquest bent killing machines.

...right?

The humans stared, these thoughts undoubtedly passing through both their minds. And yet, as they knew, the logic of the mechanoid's last statement was undeniable. If they wanted to get help to Lexy in time, they had to get out soon, a feat which would probably only succeed if they fought fire with fire.

Still, they didn't move again until the mechanoid curled and uncurled the fingers still on the ground next to them cautiously in an urging gesture.

"Hurry. The others will be back from scouting at any moment. We can get to the roads more quickly if I carry you."

Connor nodded shakily, turning stiffly towards the other two.

If it was indeed a trick, it wouldn't matter anyway. Their fates probably wouldn't alter too much any other way.

Wrapping the blanket around his sister, he picked her up, holding her in his arms against his chest. Carefully, wary of a change in demeanor at any moment, he stepped into the waiting mech's hand. Realizing the danger and instability in standing when the mech would move, he slowly and clumsily lowered into a sitting position.

Once there, and still alive, he took a deep, shaky breath in a pointless attempt to calm himself.

He looked over at Rachael, who was obviously thinking the same thing as he was. She half stood up, mostly crawling into the hand, which was small enough that she was forced to draw in her knees for them all to fit, even with Lexy in Connor's lap.

Once they were onboard, the mech nodded and rose to his full height, immediately holding them against his chest to reduce their chances of falling. The two conscious humans hadn't realized how cold they were until they felt the surprising warmth from the mechanoid's chest.

It was silent as the android carried them. Despite the warmth, Connor was still shaking in anxiety. Looking over at Rachael, he saw her visibly trembling in her anxiety, her eyes wide and alert.

The mech himself was unreadable in his expression, silent.

Connor held tightly to the steering wheel in front of him, bleary eyes fixated to the road ahead. While this was a good skill for any driver to practice, it was completely pointless in this instance.

The car was, after all, self-driving.

When they had reached the road, the mechanoid had set them down, muttering something about having a military vehicle for an alt form being inconvenient. So they waited, hidden away in the brush, the humans huddled together in an anxious bundle.

Lexy woke up as they were set down. Somewhat faint but awake, she had stared up at the mech.

She had turned to Rachael, asking the older girl where they were going. When Rachael had explained to her, meekly, that the mech was helping them escape, the little girl had gazed at him some more.

The mechanoid had turned his head, meeting her gaze for a moment, turning his attention back to the road.

They weren't quite sure what he was waiting for until ten minutes of sitting there had gone by, the desolate road having a rate of about one car go by every two minutes.

The fifth or sixth car to go by was a Jeep—some kind of new model hard top was all Connor knew, never really car savvy.

As it rolled by, its body coated in mud from an earlier excursion, their robot companion seemed to perk a little, leaning forward some as if to get a better view. As the humans watched, he had followed it with his optics, his head turning with the vehicle's movement.

Suddenly, his body had shone with what could only be described as a sharp gleam. There was a high-pitched but faint whirring noise, accompanied by various other whirrs and metallic sounds.

When all had settled a few moments later, an exact copy of the Jeep was sitting where the mechanoid had been, though its caramel paintjob was shining like new.

Connor and Rachael had stared, startled and fascinated all at the same time.

The driver's door and the back door on the opposite side had popped open. It took a moment, but the humans had taken the hint; Connor edged in the driver's seat, Rachael in the rear with Lexy, who had fallen back asleep.

When they were in and the doors closed, the engine had engaged and the Jeep had rolled out onto and down the road.

So far, the robot—Kane, as he had told them was his 'designation'—had been very laconic in his speech, if a bit tentative as well. He had informed them that they were headed to an area a couple days away where it was rumored there were Autobots, the Decepticons' counterpart. That was probably their best, if slightly discouraging, chance of getting Lexy to help safely. He told them it was too dangerous to remain in the area where they'd been held, for obvious reasons. It was even too dangerous to try and contact those they were supposed to be with at the present time, the risk of Decepticon interception and then tracking them too great.

The humans wouldn't have asked questions even if they'd had them, simply nodding their understanding. The plan made sense.

The boy found it slightly odd that the robot would treat them so. From what he'd gathered, these red-eyed beings called themselves 'Decepticons,' and they could care less about any other living thing that did not register under this title. So was Kane just living up to his faction's name, really still holding them captive and just setting them up for a stomach-turning fall? Some kind of cruel, inhumane alien humor?

Connor didn't know the answer to that. The human really didn't want to think about it. He stood by his earlier judgment:

If it was indeed a trick, it wouldn't matter anyway. Their fates probably wouldn't alter too much any other way.

"You may sleep..."

The brunette startled badly at the disembodied voice. Disembodied, though he knew exactly what—or who rather—had spoken instantly. The words had been transmitted through the speakers of the Jeep as an innocuous statement, almost a question.

The boy let go of his hitched breath, taking a deep, unsteady inhale.

"I-I'm okay. Thanks."

There was a short pause, through which Connor sat uncomfortably. The statement had caused him to be struck with the thoughts that the mechanoid could see them all. Rachel and Lexy, asleep together in the backseat, and himself, tensed in front of the wheel. It didn't strike him to think if he could see them directly as they could see him, or in some other way.

He drew in on himself, as if trying to touch as little as possible of the vehicle.

A low electronic sort of whirring, modulating sound crept from the speakers, halting almost as soon it started when the boy tensed slightly. The sound hadn't really sounded threatening. If anything, its foreignness and unfamiliarity had made the human uneasy.

Another silence fell as the boy's wound nerves somewhat relaxed. He stared ahead, past his fingers gripping the steering wheel and out at the headlights of other cars as they went by on the vast interstate.

"...you should take advantage of this respite," spoke the mechanoid hesitantly, voice carefully muted. "Recharge...Sleep is important, is it not...?"

"Yeah..." Connor had managed not to startle this time, but could not relax his form. He could still hear his heart beating in his ears, but it wasn't nearly as harsh as it had been when this trip had started several hours before.

"No one will be able to see that you're not piloting," pressed Kane, persistent. "You will need your energy. I am not able to help your sister alone."

The boy opened his mouth to parry again, but any words dissolved into nothing before they could be spoken. The statement had been strategically placed, he gave the space android that.

Connor knew that Rachael would be able to help if he couldn't. But he didn't want to put anymore weight on her shoulders from the burden he was carrying himself.

Apparently, Kane had read this in him.

The radio had been playing lazily in the background the entire trip. The station changed every now and then, but it was all basically the same tone. Talk shows, the people discussing various topics from news to entertainment to skits, light music from classical to jazz or even light rock playing in intermission every now and then.

It happened that they were leaving another region right then, the radio personalities dissolving into static as the station's boundaries were left behind. Not for the first time, Kane flipped stations. A light rock song replaced the static after a terse pause.

Connor was determined to stay awake, still uncomfortable about the mechnoid and his intentions. But this was too much. The comfortably warm air of the interior tempted him. The darkness outside, spotted with the lights of the stars and other cars, urged him. The soft music, the strumming chords melting into each other smoothly, lulled him.

Fight it as he might, the imperative of sleep finally won him. Easily, his head lolled down against his chest, one hand still on the steering wheel. His last conscious thought was wondering when he had leaned back.

"Humans! Wake up!"

Connor startled awake at the voice, looking around wild-eyed. Behind him, he heard Rachael's gasp and Lexy's small wimper. His heart racing, the boy looked around the vehicle's interior, the memories coming back to him.

"I'm sorry," came the voice from the speakers again, tone notably gentler. "But I had to rouse you."

The doors popped open. Connor felt the cool air hit his face, stealing away the comfortable warmth of the Jeep's interior.

"Hurry and get out. Please."

The humans did as they were told, clambering out at the urgency in the mechanoid's tone. They were in the woods again, apparently having diverged from the road. The light of the early morning sun peeked down at them in between the leaves of the trees above. They had stopped in the middle of what appeared to be a worn old nature trail. Apparently it wasn't used much, nature slowly reclaiming what had been cleared sometime ago.

Walking around the Jeep quickly—startling slightly when he initiated his transformation—the boy regrouped with the other two.

"Connor!" called Lexy weakly as he approached, reaching out to him from where she stood against Rachael.

He took her warm hand in his, looking at her flushed face worriedly.

The modest sound of whirring mechanics brought his focus to Kane, who was kneeling with them next to his side.

The boy drew back some. He knew the android wasn't going to hurt them. He was helping them, right? Still, he couldn't quite shake the stale, dreading feeling.

As he watched, he noticed that Kane seemed to be scanning the distant trees, almost searching for something.

Gathering up his nerves, the boy asked, hesitantly, "What's going on?"

"One of my former comrades may have tracked us," answered the mech. "I may have to engage him in combat." Still scanning, his optics paused, narrowing and widening rapidly. Connor watched as the two Antennae? on the mech's head rotated up some and then down slowly.

"Stay behind me," spoke his muted voice, continuing to scan the distant woods.

As the humans consented, starting to walk behind the mechanoid, Lexy protested.

"My bracelet!"

She somehow pulled away from Rachael, staggering back to reach down to the ground for her dropped bracelet.

"Lex—"

Rachael's words were lost as the ground beneath them exploded.

The mechnoid felt himself be blown suddenly into the air by the sheer force of the explosion. He hit the ground a fair leap away, rolling a few times before going over a cliff he had apparently neglected to take inventory of a fair distance away. He managed to reset his balancing gyros fast enough, barely jamming his claws into the ledge of the cliff before he fell.

No rest for the weary, the two oldest humans came tumbling over the cliff a moment after he had, bits of dirt and gravel with them.

With no secure foothold—the cliff slanted too far away—Kane could not catch them with a hand. Reacting quickly, the mech bypassed standard transformation codecs, lifting the two doors caping his back.

This succeeded in saving the organics from their doom far below, Connor thankfully reacting quickly as well. He got a grip on the mech's back armor, the other hand grasping the screaming Rachael's before she fell out of reach.

The mechanoid's rebelling autonomous systems gradually forced the doors back down. He made a noise at the uncomfortable feeling, the robot equivalent of a groan.

His claws sank deeper into the cliff side as he tried desperately to hold on and pulled himself up a bit. Connor was doing the same, anchored on his back, Rachael dangling from one of the boy's hands.

"Traitors don't just get to go on living, Kane."

Kane glared at his former fellow Decepticon as he sauntered up. Either he had not noticed the smaller human hidden in the bushes, withdrawing from peeking her head up with wild and frightened eyes, or he was just not bothering her. Whatever it may be, Kane planned to keep it that way.

"I always did know you'd be the one of us to lose it."

"I haven't lost anything!" Kane protested with a bark, reaching out farther onto the cliff face, still trying to get a good hold to pull himself up.

"You must have some kind of screw loose, betraying us like this!" the Decepticon laughed. "And for what? A literal handful of organics. Are those useless, inferior creatures really worth sacrificing your existence?"

"That doesn't matter! If you all would have had your optics halfway open for the time we've been on this planet, you'd have seen that these beings 'deserve' to live no more or less than you or I! They are sentient, Griphook. Being weaker than our kind doesn't mea—"

"Oh, don't go sentimental on me, fool!" Griphook laughed menacingly. "Sentient or not, the creatures are none of my worry. Our cause takes precedence over all else." He crouched slightly, going into a fighting stance. "And right now..."

The metal plating that made up the Decepticon's hand splayed and drew back, revealing his integrated projectile weapon.

"You are a flaw in that cause."

A glow from the weapon began to grow brighter, it emitting a sound that was unmistakably charging.

On his back, Kane could feel that Rachael had managed to cling to his back armor as well, both humans now holding tightly.

"Hold on!"

It was the only warning they got. Drawing down the cliff slightly, routing energy drawn carefully from reserves to his arms in one instant, Kane promptly launched himself into the air from his claws with all his might just seconds before Griphook fired, dislodging the ledge he had been clinging to. Rachael gave a terse scream at the explosion of the shot.

Before gravity could get him back down, Kane had revealed what was, while somewhat strange in appearance, unmistakably a sword. It seemed to be almost alive with an energy of some sort, emitting a faint hum. The mechanoid had it gripped tightly in his right hand. He wrapped his other arm behind him, supporting the humans to reduce the stress of the impending impact on their frail bodies.

The landing was surprisingly gentler than one would expect it to be for someone of the mech's size and weight. As soon his feet touched the ground, the smaller mechanoid streaked at Griphook. The other did not react in time at all, which Kane took full advantage of.

Coming in low and using his momentum, he utilized both hands and jammed the sword up under the larger mechanoid's chest armor at a weak point in his structure.

The only sound that could be heard was the humans' breathing. Griphook's gaze was set on the mechanoid who had just sealed his fate.

"I'm sorry." Kane said softly. "But I can't just allow you to put the innocents of this planet in jeopardy." Then, after a pause, added, "...I am defecting. ...I mean well..."

It was at that exact moment that the sword penetrated the mech's Spark casing. Electricity surged through its found outlet.

Alarmed at what this might do to the humans, Kane immediately isolated the charge so it could go no farther than his arms when it reached him.

When it hit, his arms shook violently with the energy, his grip tightening on the weapon. He was able to harness the surge into a spastic jerk, having enough control that he managed to pull the blade out of the dying mechanoid in one swift motion.

Griphook fell back on his back, the resulting thud causing the humans to startle. As his optics faded to darkness, the dead silence of even the wind allowed for the deactivating of his systems to be heard.

The silence lingered for all of what must have been a full minute, everyone staying where they were.

Finally, Kane knelt down low, inclining his back slightly.

Understanding, the humans slid off carefully. Both of them moved slowly to look around him at the lifeless mechanoid cautiously. Once they were apparently convinced he wasn't going to be getting back up anytime soon, Rachael trotted over to where Lexy was hidden.

Still looking at Griphook's lifeless shell, Connor spoke, his voice weak.

"Man. It's like a bad sci-fi, samurai movie." he said, shaking his head incredulously.

Kane turned to regard him with a curious look.

"There was a time when I, too, believed humans to be mere non-sentient inferiors. But now I see you are creatures with your own volitions. Not unlike we Cybertronians ourselves. If only all others of my kind would see that..."

"Well, maybe they will." spoke Rachael, sympathetically.

"Someday," Connor added. He smiled at the steering wheel. "You can only really change you. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"Don't... What...?"

Groggily, Connor sat up from where he'd slumped down in sleep. He rubbed his neck, groaning some. The bruises he had gained from the attack the day before throbbed some as he moved.

Immediately, he felt an adrenaline rush when he startled at the car around him coming to life of its own accord.

"Calm down," a voice emitted from the speakers with a slight air of amusement. "Please. Your internet says that stress can be detrimental to the well-being of you organics."

"Yeah," the boy replied absent-mindedly.

"What is the source?" the car went on. "Do you still not trust me?"

Connor rubbed his eyes. "It's not so much that," he said, sounding a little apologetic. "We humans don't tend to grow up with talking cars with minds of their own. Cars with—what was the word? Sentience?"

"I can understand that." the car laughed. "So, what else?"

"What?"

"There's something else."

Connor sighed, looking down at his lap. Kane could read him like a book. No fair having super advanced technology stuff he groused in thought.

"Well," he began, "I guess the whole concept of giant alien robots still freaks me out a little. I mean, you could crush us just by changing right now."

"I wouldn't."

"I know," the boy hastily agreed admittedly, "But you could if you wanted to. Then...there's..."

As he trailed off, he turned from his spot in the driver's seat to look in the back seat. Rachael was sitting there, asleep while holding Lexy against her, of course, still asleep.

"...your younger sibling?"

Connor vented air again.

"Yeah. My little sis." He ran his hand through his hair, an action which the mechanoid was beginning to identify as habitual. "We gotta get her to a doctor real soon, Kane. We can only do so much until then."

"Do not fret, Connor. She will be alright."

"Yeah," the human replied, not sounding really convinced. His hand plowed through his hair again, planting itself in the middle of his head.

The serene sound of the breeze weaving through the warmly colored leaves of the nearby trees occupied the encroaching silence. The shedding leaves were blown from their perches, some colliding with Kane and the scant other cars on their way to the ground, where they were cartwheeled and skipped across the paved lot with faintly audible ticking and scratching noises.

"You should go and do what you need to here." said Kane. Glancing out the window for the first time to abate his confusion, the boy realized that they were sitting in the parking lot of a rest stop. It hadn't really occurred to him that they weren't moving.

"But I—"

"The little one needs to rest. Rachael could use some rest as well. I will look after them while you are away." the mechanoid cut him off. "Allowing your own health to deteriorate when your sibling needs you most would not be a wise step, would it?" he queried rhetorically.

Connor made a slight noise in defeat.

"Right..." he said. Again, the space alien's logic was undeniable.

He pulled gently on the door handle, getting out into the cool, crisp air of mid autumn. When he was halfway to the building, he glanced back. Kane was still sitting there, showing no sign of life as he did his best imitation of an idle Jeep.

"What is it?"

It had been a subtle hint, but as the boy had been gazing out at the scant other cars on the interstate as the Jeep he occupied cruised past them, he'd heard the engine's timbre change from the constant one it had been humming at for so long in the comfortable silence.

Kane growled. "We're being tailed."

Connor laughed lightly. "Well, you can go faster, Kane. Then they won't be on your bumper."

"No. We're being followed."

"Again?" breathed Rachael.

Both of the awake humans looked behind them, Rachael turning and Connor looking in the mirrors.

"It's aerial this time," the mech informed them, switching lanes.

"So what are you going to do?" asked Connor, remembering he was supposed to be playing the role of driver as a woman in a car they passed eyed him somewhat suspiciously. Really though, it couldn't be helped. He wasn't actually old enough to drive by a couple years, the same for Rachael. So unless he remembered to play the part, his appearance easily betrayed his lack-of-license.

"Get away from as many potential human casualties as possible," responded the mech to the question calmly, speeding down an exit ramp.

Through the windshield, between searching the skies for their stalker, Connor could see buildings coming into view in the distance as they approached them. It was a small city. But, when they got closer, about to enter, the boy noticed something strange.

"He's... going away." spoke the mechanoid, tone surprised.

Rachael breathed out a relieved breath.

"Kane," asked the boy, looking out through the windows now, "Is there anybody in this city?"

"No. Sensors indicate that it is abandoned. Empty."

As the boy gazed out the window, it struck him that this was probably an abandoned military base of some sort rather than a city.

"...Or it would be empty." spoke Kane, breaking the boy from his thoughts. "Autobots."

A light smile cracked Rachael's lips. "That must be why the Decepticon ran off."

"It would appear so," concurred Kane.

Connor leaned forward and looking around as they cruised past the old, abandoned buildings.

"Where?"

Without warning, Kane put on a burst of speed, swerving to the left. The building in front of them erupted into a million little pieces, silencing any criticism the humans might have offered. Their wide-eyed stares didn't see what was left of the building for long as Kane streaked left down a side street, engine roaring.

Connor looked back, gripping the seat as Kane swerved and dodged more projectiles.

Pursuing them, the boy could see an oversized truck, followed closely by a yellow-greenish vehicle that resembled an ambulance. Where the truck's hood should have been were, while somewhat alien to the boy in design and appearance, what were unmistakably massive missile racks. As he looked on, some part of his mind registering from his peripheral vision that his little sister was awake, arms wrapped around Rachael's waist as she stared at him, too exhausted to convey strong panic, another alien projectile parted with the missile rack, hurtling straight at them.

Rachael, who had also been turned to look at their pursuers, let out a cry, even as Kane adroitly dodged.

"Kane! I thought you said these were Autobots!" the boy shouted as he turned back to face forward. He was holding on to the seat still as if for dear life as the car sped down the mostly deserted street, weaving and swerving to avoid projectiles.

"My scans register them as so." responded Kane. He wasn't shouting, though his voice was louder from an adjustment of volume. His voice carried a hint of frustration.

"Then why is that one shooting at us!? I thought you said they didn't hurt humans!" interjected Rachael from her spot in the back. She was clutching the door with one white-knuckled hand, Lexy held against her form with the other arm.

The mech responded as if thinking aloud.

"Technically, I'm still a Decepticon. At least, that's what I register as until I can get something done about it." He took a hard left, the girl letting out a slight yelp as another missile flew past her window. "The 'Cons don't take too lightly to being betrayed, so they make sure you catch slag—quite literally more often than not—when you defect by making the Decepticon faction encryptions coded into your person nearly impossible to wash out."

"So, what, do they think we're fake?" asked the girl with a slight squeaking, not actually expecting a confirmation from the mechanoid.

"It seems likely. Either an artificial biological signal, or perhaps hostages; Possibly further thinking that putting me out of commission at the cost of three human lives is for the greater good."

"What!?"

"War changes Sparks; Even those of Autobots. While I'd like to believe that they simply wish to stop me and rescue you, I am inclined to take all precautions against every possible circumstance. They could themselves, after all, be Decepticon spies."

"Well what do we do?" shouted Connor, practically hugging the seat absentmindedly. "We're all 'slag' if you can't show that you've defected!"

Kane thought hard, pushing his processors. The human was right, but he didn't see any way of doing it.

Turning yet another corner, and being sprayed yet again with glass and debris from the explosion caused when the pursuing projectile hit the building, the Jeep nearly hit brakes.

A Dodge Charger, police decals adorning its sides, was sitting right in the middle of the road. Part of the hood had slid away to reveal weaponry, risen and pointed directly at them.

Slag.

The Charger gave a woo-WOO and let loose its projectiles. These weren't missiles or anything the mechanoid recognized for that matter, but, while curious as to their effect, he wasn't about to let them hit him and find out what their effect would be.

He turned sharply, narrowly avoiding them as he went around the black and white vehicle on the broad section of sidewalk. Behind him, the cop car quickly gave chase, joining the other two.

.

"Is there a plan here, Prowl?"

"Not precisely, Ratchet. But if he turns down the correct road..."

Dodging a volley of missiles and shots aimed at his left side, their quarry turned to the right, tires squealing.

"...We have him." Prowl finished, never losing his authoritive disposition.

"I can only hope those aren't humans with him."

.

Turning the corner, Kane immediately saw his mistake.

Up ahead, there was no where else to turn. Only the solid walls of adjacent buildings, forming an open quadrilateral. Apparently, this had been a parking lot of sorts at one time.

Like a bolt of lightning, it suddenly hit him what had to be done.

Doing a complete 180 when he came to the end of the line, he skidded to a dead stop, his doors flying open.

"What...?"

"Hurry." spoke the mechanoid, leaving the human's question unanswered.

The humans' nods encouraged him as to their trust as they scrambled out. Rachael got two feet away from him, carrying Lexy, before she stopped and her legs gave out. She was trembling all over as she dropped, sitting with her legs bent and at her sides, adrenaline levels high.

Transforming swiftly to his bipedal form, Kane quickly brought his arm cannon forward in place of his hand.

"Get up," he said, gently lifting Rachael to her feet with his free hand. He looked up towards the corner the Autobot soldiers would be coming around at any moment.

"Listen to me," he said, his tone serious. "You must run back; towards them. When they come around that corner, they will be free to let loose their individual arsenals on me. Get away from me and stay out of their line of fire. You might have enough time to find a place to hide."

Connor looked up at the mechanoid, incredulous.

"But, w-what about you?"

Kane brought out his blade with a resonating ring.

"I defend myself."

"What!?" both humans chimed as one. Even Lexy put in her own weak "No...!"

"That's, like, three on one, Kane! You can't do that!" continued Connor, his words running into each other.

The mech turned a stern look down on the boy.

"I must! Just as you must take Rachael and your sister to safety!"

"No." It was Rachael's shaky voice this time, Connor shaking his head. "We can't leave you like that!"

Kane stared up at the corner, anticipating a visual of the Autobots at any moment.

"Don't be unreasonable. Go now!"

The other mechanoids came around the corner swiftly at that moment, all too quickly for Kane. He looked down for the humans to ensure that they were running.

And was thoroughly surprised.

Connor was in front of him, facing the approaching Autobots. His arms were spread wide, as if he hoped to shield the mechanoid. Rachael was next to the boy. One hand was held out behind her, half holding Lexy, who was on her feet, with the other.

His sensors chimed. Looking up, he saw a pair of missiles streaking towards them.

NO!

It was far too late for him to dodge. Their voices muffled by the explosion, he heard the humans cry out as the first missile struck squarely into his shoulder, the force of impact causing him to stagger backwards. By some chance of fate, the other missed him as he was reeling, flying past and exploding into the building behind them. In the enclosed space, the sound was amplified twofold.

Kane immediately stepped back forward, retracting cannon and blade and falling over the humans to shield them from the shower of debris.

.

"Ironhide!"

"It was too late to stop them, Ratchet. You know I would have!"

Despite the truth in the statement, the medic was still irritated. Those had been humans, not just artificial biological signals, and he hadn't realized that.

The three mechs all converted to their bipedal forms a few yards away from the scene, jogging the rest of the way.

The truck immediately began removing the larger pieces of debris from the mech's back. The explosion had been larger than expected, most likely compliments of some sort of gas inside of the building the missile had stricken.

Since he hadn't been completely buried in the first place, the mechanoid was already rising. His back plating and doors shook, most of the remaining debris falling off before he sat up some, revealing the three humans on the ground in front of his knees.

Kane gave a small growl when he saw the state of the humans, his arms still corralling them. Connor was rising from where he'd fallen to the ground, his face creased in discomfort, and Rachael was lying prone on the ground and wasn't even moving, aside from her breathing. Lexy was awake and sitting in front of and perpendicular to her, her open eyes shining with tears.

He then became aware of the black and white mech walking up to his side.

"I ask that you surrender quietly," said Prowl, tone offering no place for argument. "You are under arrest under charges of endangering indigenous life forms and siding with the enemy."

"You can't do that!" coughed the boy, blatantly begging to differ.

All optics turned to him. Kane could see that he was clearly nervous and afraid, but Connor again amazed him by being able to push through such emotions.

"He was just trying to help us! A-and he's defected from the Decepticons!"

He tried to get up, but sucked air in through his teeth and gripped his arm after trying to put weight on it.

"Don't do that. You have a tear in your muscular structure at your elbow," chided Ratchet as he scanned him from where he was knelt in front of the small group of organics, reaching out to run a finger down the boy's arm gently for whatever purpose it served. With the other hand, he was holding Rachael in a sitting position.

"Very well." spoke Prowl after regarding Connor and the two other humans. "And I apologize on our behalf for our part in endangering you and your companions." he said, joined with Ironhide in giving a nod. "But the first charge is still valid."

He turned to Kane, who was straightening up and withdrawing his arms with the realization of what Ratchet was doing, watching.

"And we still have no choice but to take you into custody until we have determined without issue that you have, indeed, defected."

Kane didn't respond for a few moments, unmoving. He looked up to Ratchet.

"Medic. You will care for them?"

"Of course." came the solemn response, the CMO never looking up from his work as he ran another series of scans on Rachael.

Kane nodded. As he moved to rise, a slight whimper caused him to stop and look to the smallest human.

She was reaching out a hand to him, a few small tears having leaked from her eyes and down her flushed cheeks.

He cocked his head as he stared, bemused and surprised. After a moment of faint unsurety, he reached a finger down to her in turn, which she gripped weakly. She looked so incredibly exhausted, the mechanoid was amazed that she was awake at all.

"It's okay," he told her softly. "I have to go."

Kane found himself turning to look to Connor. The boy looked from the interaction with Lexy and held his ruby gaze for a few moments before nodding, a hint of reluctance discernable.

Turning back to the little girl, he watched as she nodded vaguely. She allowed him to withdraw his finger, keeping silent and simply following him with her eyes as he towered to his full height above her and walked over to the black and white mech.

"Okay, little one," said the chartreuse mech as he reached out to her, having given Rachael to Connor. He sounded strangely like an earth doctor who had been practicing this pediatric bedside manner for years, if a little rough. "You have a fever."

"Are...all humans so...?" Kane trailed off, unable to find the right description of the organics. He'd been following in the Charger's wake, the Topkick truck right behind him as they headed back to the Autobot base in silence.

Ironhide chuckled despite himself in response over the channel.

"They'd call it courageous or brave. I suppose it could be considered such, if it wasn't so hard for some of us to look past how fragile they really are. That's why through our sights, it could be considered impetuous as well." transmitted the truck.

"But, surely humans can see the impetuity of the some of their actions?" Kane questioned, tone revealing his struggle grasping the concept if the invention of a new word didn't. "They have basic survival instinct, correct?"

"Affirmative." It was Prowl's voice that spoke this time. "But humans are a species who have learned to override such an instinct as their logic and reason dictates. True sentience indeed. Their actions, while rash, ultimately saved you back there." He paused, as if to give the information a chance to sink in, before continuing."It was a human, in fact, that destroyed Megatron."

The line was taken over by silence for a moment.

"...I guess I shouldn't be surprised at that now." came Kane's voice. "But that's...incredible..."

"I might not have believed it myself had I not been there." said the weapon specialist.

"How did it happen?"

"A human male by the designation of Samuel James Witwicky pushed the Allspark into Megatron's chest as opposed to that of Prime, saving the Prime with his quick thinking." answered Prowl.

"The Cube..." the Jeep remarked, incredulity leaking into his voice. Then he remembered the pain and suffering that single power had caused. All the war. All the loss of life...

When it came down to it, the Allspark had created more death than life in the end.

"It was for the better," said Kane, finality in his voice.

"Hard to disagree there," conceded Ironhide. "Still hard to believe it's gone."

"Hey Ratch'," called a teenage boy, holding up his cell phone as he entered into the medbay with a young woman. "You wanted to see us?"

Ratchet turned his attention to the teenagers as they approached.

Noticing movement on top of the highly elevated platform Ratchet used for patients, the young woman focused her attention on the two younger humans she could see sitting up there. "Who're those two?"

As he put down the strange device he had been working with and transformed his hand back from the equally strange device it had been, the medic answered, "We have human guests, and I thought you might want to meet them."

He walked around the highly elevated platform, reaching down and laying a hand down on the floor palm-up.

As the two reached it and stepped into it, the young woman spoke again.

"Oh, these are the ones that were with Kane?" she realized.

"That would be correct," informed Ratchet, lifting them over the edge of the platform.

Sitting there together waiting, Connor and Rachael both looked on as the two teenagers stepped off of the medic's hands. The sight of other humans with the giants was enough to give them some amount of comfort—most likely Ratchet's aim all along. With just the unfamiliar alien medic as company after both of them woke up from the sleep he had all but demanded they take, the two humans had been slightly uncomfortable.

"Connor, Rachael," said Ratchet, gesturing at each of them accordingly, "This is Sam, and Mikaela."

The humans spoke and waved their greetings to each other, Sam and Mikaela settling themselves in front of the two others where they sat, side by side and cross-legged.

"And Bumblebee?" asked the chartreuse mech.

"He's napping," answered Sam, "In the foyer."

Ratchet shook his head, walking back to where he had left the device. "Overworking himself as usual. I told him to take it easy."

"He'll be fine," dismissed Sam, "He's just a hard worker." He looked around, straining his neck as if searching for something. His eyes fell on a human sized bed on the far side of the platform they were on, against the wall.

"Is your little sister over there, man?"

"Yeah," Connor nodded.

"She's recovering from a fever," informed Ratchet, "So keep it down. She needs to sleep." The new arrivals nodded

"So," started Mikaela, her question directed at the two in front of her. "Who are you guys supposed to be with right now?"

"Well," said Connor, "we were supposed to go to Rachael's grandma's house, then I was supposed to head on to my uncle's."

Rachael nodded with a faint smile from where she sat next to the boy, a blanket wrapped over her shoulders.

"Ratchet," said Mikaela, looking up at the chartreuse mech's back, "Shouldn't they contact them?"

The medic made a thoughtful noise.

"That would probably be optimal in keeping down any panic this has caused until it's safe for us to get them home, yes. But we need their reports first. It may be too risky to attempt to establish such contact."

"Mm," nodded Mikaela, her countenance thoughtful and understanding as she turned back to the two.

"So, how'd the Decepticons get you guys?" prompted Sam.

Connor looked down, recollecting.

"We were hiking when they kidnapped us."

"I doubt my grandma has even noticed we're not there yet by now," giggled Rachael

"That, would be pretty bad," Connor laughed back. "C'mon, don't pick on her, she's nice. Anyway, we had just come from the airport. We had caught a bus to near where we both were going to be staying. So we were hiking through the woods—shortcut, you know? Then out of no where, we get grabbed by these giant hands. One of the ro—the, Decepticons has me and 'Rach." As he spoke, his head lowered and he stared at his hands. "The other one had Lexy..."

"What happened?" urged Mikaela, reaching out from where she sat in front of the boy and placing a hand gently on his knee.

"Well," he sighed, "turns out there was military nearby."

"Hunting the Decepticons, no doubt," interjected Sam.

"Yeah," concurred Connor. He gave a laugh, gesturing with a hand as he continued, "But they just flashed us like some kind of security badges when the soldiers came through the trees with their weapons and stuff and they froze. Still had their guns and equipment pointed, but they didn't do anything."

"Didn't even try to stop them from taking us," added Rachael. "Yeah, they tried the 'Please drop the innocent civilians.' thing, but obviously that didn't work. They took us off somewhere away from the soldiers and... 'introduced' us to the others in their little pack..."

"So," remarked Sam, "pretty much the end of the story, is Lexy got sick at some point, Kane decided to defect by some odds, and pretty much saves the day."

"Without the attacks of the Decepticons chasing us? Yeah, that's pretty much it." grinned Connor.

"He risked his life to help us," said Rachael. The way both she and Connor gazed up at Ratchet as she spoke would have made anyone think they had planned it that way.

The chartreuse mech sighed, turning back to tinker with whatever the mysterious object he was working on was.

"He's giving Prowl his report now with Ironhide. He'll be here in a little while so I can repair him." He lowered the tone of his voice, adding, "That missile slagged his shoulder pretty well. There had better not be any damage to the motor systems, or Ironhide..." he trailed off with the threat.

Sam and Mikaela laughed quietly, but Connor and Rachael were perked.

"So, you're gonna let him go?" asked Connor.

"He'll probably be on probation," sighed Ratchet, "but yes. He will not be confined."

Rachael wrapped her arms around Connor from where she was seated next to him, grinning up at the medic the entire time.

"Ow. Hammer," said Connor, though he laughed through it. He pulled his injured arm away as she released the embrace with a happy apology.

Connor noticed the two teens seated across from them give each other a look. Sam grinned and Mikaela looked at them, her eyes going from Rachael to Connor and back. They both met her looks with questioning ones.

"What?" queried Connor, naively confused.

"I sense some Simba-Nala action here," said Mikaela slyly.

"You what?" asked Rachael, looking and sounding genuinely clueless.

"You've never seen The Lion King?" Sam questioned back, laughing at Mikaela's implication.

"Lexy watched that," said Connor, also questioning, "but I never really paid attention to it."

"I've just never seen it." The two teens turned their incredulous stares on Rachael now. She shrugged. "I've always been more of a bookworm."

"Such deprived childhoods," spoke Mikaela, an air of amusement in her amazed tone as she shook her head.

"Well, what she meant is," said Sam, pointing between the two. "You two are betrothed? Intended? Affianced?"

The two younger humans stared at him, confused. So he clarified.

"One day you two are going to be married!"

"Yuck!"

"Eww!"

"I can't marry her, she's my—"

Sam and Mikaela had burst into a fit of laughter hardly before Connor had finished his sentence.

Connor and Rachael, oblivious of their conforming to the movie's script, just gave each other bemused looks for lack of the other two's attention.

Ratchet just shook his head.