TALK KEY: Normal, ::cybertronian::, emphasized, thoughts, *comm. line*, //bond//

Chapter 1

Overview of the Scientific Method - The Scientific Method is a process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions. Scientists use the scientific method to search for cause and effect relationships in nature. In other words, they design an experiment so that changes to one item cause something else to vary in a predictable way.

Step One of the Scientific Method - Ask a question.

Wheeljack stumbled into the portion of the warehouse dubbed as the recreation room glad that the area appeared to be unoccupied. If someone had been present (more specifically, if the room contained a certain neon yellow-green medic) he was sure to be in for a lecture about letting his energon levels get low enough to induce stumbling. It's not like he did it on purpose. For one, no one claiming to be sane did anything to invite the wrath of their resident border line homicidal medic. Number two, he couldn't help the way his processor worked; if he got caught up in an experiment or invention, his basic needs to be able to function properly just kind of got pushed down the priority list… the bottom of the list.

Wheeljack grabbed a cube from the energon dispenser and allowed his mask to retract into his helmet. He gulped the energon down hungrily in one swig and leaned back on the counter with a content sigh. It was at this moment that he realized the giant panel television they had obtained for the rec room was on. The United States government covered their expenses so there was no concern over an electric bill; but it was still rude to waste energy. Wheeljack replaced his mask and stepped up to the oversized couch facing the entertainment center with the intention of finding the remote control to turn the power off. He paused and looked around curiously when a sound reached his audios that had not originated from the TV's speakers. Both optic ridges shot up in shock when he spotted two of the Autobots' human charges currently engaged in what Wheeljack could only assume was human pre-mating activities.

Wheeljack hunched down behind the couch so that only his optics peered over the top and watched the young human couple. I was unaware of how physical humans got when participating in such activities. He silently moved around to the end of the couch for a closer look. Fascinating; the human designated as bein' male appears to be the primary aggressor…" Wheeljack blinked and tilted his head to the side. Correction; apparently the female is just as capable of taking the lead. Other than the obvious use of their sexual organs, it looks as if their hands and mouths play a vital role while… did she just bite him?! How in the name of Primus is a painful stimulus…?!

"WHEELJACK!"

Wheeljack wind milled his arms and fell backwards with a loud crash while the two humans made their own panicked sounds from the couch. Wheeljack quickly got to his feet and met a pair of glaring optics. "Bumblebee! Uh…hi…um…I was just…"

Bumblebee angrily stepped around the larger mech and put himself between the engineer and the humans. He maintained his glare on the Autobot officer and spoke over his shoulder to the humans scrambling around on the couch. "Sam, Mikaela, are you two alright?"

"Yup, fine, great, nothing to see here" came the muffled reply of Sam as he pulled a shirt over his head.

Bumblebee forcefully pushed air through his vents in an angry hiss as he pulled his full attention back to Wheeljack. ::Wheeljack, I know you are new to this planet and are curious about the human species and all; but… peeping tom?! These are our friends and you were spying on them!!::

Wheeljack flinched as the young scout snapped at him. He conducted a quick check on the internet to reference the name peeping tom and gaped at the result. ::I am most certainly not a peeping tom! And I wasn't spying; I was observing. It was purely of scientific…::

::Spying, observing, whatever! Look at them Wheeljack! You've scared them sparkless!::

::Well they shouldn't have been performing such acts in a public location. And you need to have a spark to be scared sparkless so…:: Wheeljack cut off as Bumblebee sliced the air in front of him with his hands in an obvious 'shut up now or else' gesture.

Bumblebee chanced a glance behind him and saw his charges had finished making themselves more presentable and were now staring confused at the two mechs speaking in Cybertronian. He lowered his hands to the edge of the couch and waited for the two humans to settle on his palms before turning back to Wheeljack. When Wheeljack lowered himself as if to speak with the humans Bumblebee pulled his hands back to his chassis protectively. "These are my charges Wheeljack; my friends. They are not experiments."

"Experiments?!" Sam managed in a strangled shout now that the language had been switched back to English. He ducked back behind a few fingers and clutched Mikaela closer when Wheeljack's attention returned to them.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get anything more out of the humans to sate his curiosity, Wheeljack raised his hands in defeat and took a few steps back. Bumblebee gave a sharp nod and quickly left the room. Wheeljack watched the departure sadly finally realizing his folly. Not only had he succeeded in angering Bumblebee; he had frightened the humans as well. There was little chance of getting anymore information of any kind from them now. Oh he could search through the internet (primitive beyond belief but proving to be an invaluable source of information) but it failed to give a more 'personal' perspective.

Wheeljack was pulled away from his thoughts when the TV produced an unusual sound. So caught up in the events circling around Sam and Mikaela, he had completely forgotten about the TV. He blinked as two humans on the screen appeared to be repeating the actions he had observed on the couch only moments ago. Huh, I wonder if Sam and Mikaela's actions were initiated by the actions bein' displayed on the TV. He turned the TV off but remained staring at the dark screen deep in thought. It continuously surprised him how many similarities appeared between two races that were so obviously different. This recent observation of human coupling was nowhere near cybertronian interfacing seeing as how humans failed to possess the proper… for lack of a better word, equipment; but he could not deny that there were some similarities. There were also some things displayed that he was sure no cybertronian had ever tried performing making these things an unknown. Wheeljack smiled. He liked unknowns. "I wonder… if cybertronians were to attempt a version of human foreplay… would the results be identical to what the humans experience… or would it only prove to be another difference between us?"