Just got my compy back from the shop, so YAY. And for all my dear readers, here is the next part of Fused.

I do not own Transformers Animated. Just Nichole.

Part III

"So, what exactly happened after I went unconscious?" I asked, shoving another french fry in my mouth. Ahh, yes. Delicious, un-needed greasy fats, saturating chemically unbalanced potato slices. MY one true pairing.

We were all sitting in the rec room, watching some program about pandas — Prowl insisted he couldn't miss it — when I decided to ask what I'd been meaning to for a while.

"We kicked tailpipe, that's what!" Bumblebee said, then paused as the others looked at him. "Uhh... with your help of course."

Optimus sighed at his friend. "Without Nichole's help, I would be a pile of scrap-metal. I believe we all would have." He then turned to me, to actually answer my question. "By the time you were knocked unconscious, the Spark Fusion had already taken effect."

"Meaning Megatron was in for a nice, long stasis nap," Bulkhead said, taking a drink of oil. Yeah, they drank oil. How weird was that? But then again, I don't suppose it was all that weird, considering they were robots.

"That jet you saw was Blitzwing, another one of the Decepticon lackies," Ratchet said. "About as crazy as they come, and dangerous to boot."

Optimus continued then. "Had Megatron still been awake, there's no way we could have taken both of them. Because of you, Blitzwing had no choice but to take his leader and flee. We were going to chase after them, but then we realized how badly wounded you were and had to take you to one of those... organic healing facilities."

"You mean a hospital?"

"Oh, yes. That's what they're called."

Their lack of Earth knowledge made me laugh slightly, my ribs yelling for me to stop, and I did. I was healing fast, but not THAT fast. I frowned a little, between the fractures and something else.

"Who wound up with the AllSpark fragment?"

They kind of looked at each other a minute, with that who's-gonna-say-it expression, and I didn't like the vibe.

"Don't tell me the Decepticons got it?"

"No, no," Ratchet said. "It's just... we think that there's another reason why they might be after you, besides the Spark Fusion."

The bots looked at Sari, who hoppeed off of the arm of the couch and waltzed over to me. She reached up to this electronic key hanging around her neck and held it out a short ways from where I was sitting. My eyes widened when the key glowed blue and a beam of the light shot towards me. Immediately, I looked at the line on my palm and, I shit you not, it was glowing like crazy. I could see where my veins were glowing, underneath my skin, and I pulled back my hoodie sleeve to reveal that it traveled all the way up my arm. I continued to sit there, gaping at it, until she put the key down.

"You're giving off AllSpark energy," she said. "How do you think we found your window at the hospital?"

Well, color me fucked. As if things weren't bad enough, they pile this on me, too? The look on my face very clearly said, "Give me an explanation as to why I was just GLOWING," and Optimus picked up on it.

"We believe the fragment dissolved into your bloodstream somehow during the fusion, or at least part way. Megatron absorbed the other part — which is another reason they would have been too strong for us."

"How the hell did it dissolve? It was as hard as a freakin' diamond!" I said, totally at a loss.

Ratchet shrugged. "Just another secret of the AllSpark that has yet to be solved."

"Thanks. That's helpful." I started chowing down on my burger, a little frustrated at ll the crap that had been going down. That, combined with a lack of answers, was making it worse. I stared at the electronic key around Sari's neck for a moment before asking, "So what exactly's up with that thing?"

"When we first met Sari," Optimus said, "for some reason the AllSpark infused her key with some of its energy."

"You guys keep saying the AllSpark, and then you'll say AllSpark fragments. Did it like, break or something?"

"More like, exploded into a thousand tiny pieces that we have to find before the Decepticons," Bumblebee said in what I figured was a shortened version.

"Or else...?"

"Or else, they'll become unstoppable," Prowl finished.

I think my eye twitched about then. "How unstoppable?"

"Take over the universe unstoppable," Bumblebee answered, hopping over to the flatscreen. "Is this show almost over yet? Sari and me were gonna have a rematch of Blaster Battles II."

"It's a five hour long special."

"F-five hours? I can't wait FIVE HOURS to play video games!" Bee cried, flailing his arms. Was he seriously going through video game withdrawl? Yeah, I loved video games too, but c'mon.

"Dude, there's plenty of other stuff to do besides play video games," I said. "Especially Blaster Battles II. The first one was good, but the second one sucked majorly."

Bumblebee and Sari looked at me like I had just punched them in the faces. Guess they didn't like their video games gettin' dissed.

"How could you NOT like it?" they both asked with these puppy expressions. Then Bumblebee said, "But it has explosions and... more explosions!"

I laughed (but still aware of my freaking ribs) and told them, "But the plot stinks. It's basically non-existent. A game like that either needs a better storyline or no storyline at all, preferably the latter."

And that started the biggest video game dispute I have EVER had in my LIFE. Plots, graphics, glitches, sequals, characters, and anything else you could think of, we argued or agreed on. How long had they been on Earth and Bumblebee had played nearly every game I could think of? There was something severely wrong with that. Not to mention the fact that Sari had played games like Grand Theft Auto.

"I don't think you should play stuff like that," I said. Ethan was ten and Mom still wouldn't let him. "It's a bad influence, even for kids MY age. Plus, there's really no point to it."

Sari made a face. "What are you? My mom?"

I shrugged, not wanting to turn it into an actual fight. "Just my opinion. Do what you want, it doesn't matter to me." But really. An 8-year-old playing Grand Theft Auto? When her friends were giant robots who stopped crime and changed into vehicles themselves? There was an irony in there somewhere...

"How old are you anyway?" she asked.

"Seventeen."

Her eyes got a little bigger. "Really? You're awfully short for a 17 year old."

I gave her a 'Thank you, Captain obvious' look, before finishing the rest of my burger. I've never really liked kids that much, mostly because they always whined too much or wouldn't stop messing with my stuff. But I really didn't like it when an 8-year-old told me that I was short.

I stared at the tv, not really out of interest, but just for something to do while I sipped on my coke. Not that I didn't like pandas! They're freaking adorable. Which was exactly what I was thinking when one of the cubs on tv tumbled on to its side, playfully taunting the mother. Both me and Sari mad an "Aww..." sound at its little squeaks. Okay. Maybe she wasn't too bad. For a kid.

By the end of the program, I seriously thought poor Bumblebee was going to have a stroke of sheer happiness. Optimus, Bulkhead, and Ratchet had long since left to do something else, so they missed his little episode.

"Yes! Finally!" Bee shouted, starting the game before Prowl even stood up. When he did though, I saw a slight smirk on his face.

"Bumblebee," he said, "Just so you know, we have another television."

The yellow bot froze and turned to face him with an appalled expression. "S-since WHEN?"

"Since the others decided we needed another."

"You mean to tell me that this entire time we could have been playing? And you didn't say anything?"

Okay guys, if you had seen Bumblebee's face, you would have cracked up too. Total Kodak moment. Especially when Bee started chasing Prowl all throught the base. I thought Sari was going to bust a gut she was laughing so hard. Heck, coke almost shot out of my nose! Our fit of laughter finally ended when Prowl disappeared like the ninja-bot he was, Bumblebee still puffing when he came back to the rec room.

I laughed a little more before asking, "You guys have an extra controller?" If I was gonna be stuck here, might as well enjoy it.

"Yeah," Bee said. "We got a lot, just in case."

I wound up getting served by a robot from outer space and a little kid. How pathetic can you get?

There was a static-type noise and Bumblebee paused, right as I was about to finally win. He put his hand on his head, as if he were listening to a walkie-talky, and began talking to what I thought was himself. But when he said, "Got it, Boss-bot," I figured they had some sort of built-in communication link, and he had been talking to Optimus.

"NanoSec's escaped from prison again," he said, transformering to car mode. Sari automatically hopped in, but when I made a move to, Bumblebee kept the door tightly shut, saying, "Nuh-uh. Optimus said it'd be better for you to stay here because you're still not fully healed."

I growled slightly, but relinquished my hold on the handle. In no time, they'd already pealed out of the garage door as it shut behind them. I mad another angry sound, just to appease myself, before going to Sari's room.

I rummaged through my bag until there was nothing else to look at in it besides lint. I had my DS but didn't feel like playing anymore video games, and my MP3 player's batteries were low. Man, if only I had a computer...

And behold, my unobservantness would never end. Sitting in the coners of the girl's room was a computer (a pretty fancy one at that) and I immediately logged onto IM. Of course, my best friend Emma was on there and she instantly jumped on me.

melikescake: OMFG! is that u?

Nikiole32: yes.

melikescake: whats my fav color and animal?

Nikiole32: Red. Squirrel.

There was a long pause in which the status said she was typing (and probably having a heart attack.)

melikescake: where the FK hav u been? Ur moms worried sick about u! srprised she hasnt called the fbi or somthing.

Nikiole32: its hard to explain. U kno that fire we had at school the other day?

melikescake: duh. & u told me about the bots and the crystal and I thought u were crazy.

Nikiole32: yeah. thanx btw. Well the evil bots want the crystal thing except it kinda fused with me or some shit like that. Whtevr happens 2 the leader of the bad guys happens 2 me & vice versa. I hav 2 stay with the good guys 4 now.

melikescake: no really. Where the fuck r u?

Nikiole32: ...

melikescake: holysht. Ur serious arent u?

Nikiole32: don't tell my mom. She already hates the autobots as it is.

melikescake: she has a right to know!

Nikiole32: plz! She'll make me come home and that might put her and ethan in danger!

There was another long pause in which I almost regretted telling her what was going on. She pulled through, though, in the end.

melikescake: u owe me big.

Nikiole32: yes. And when this is all over I'll buy u the biggest chocolate thank-you cake in the world.

melikescake: lol. Just be careful ok? I'd feel really bad if u wound up dying becuz I didnt tell anyone.

Nikiole32: alright officer. I'll drive safely.

melikescake: I is dead serious! *glares*

Nikiole32: ok ok. its not like u need to worry 2 much. They wouldnt even let me go with them wallago cuz my injuries werent "fully healed".

melikescake: good. House arrest would be gr8 for someone like u.

Nikiole32: ha ha ha. Not fair either way.

melikescake: moms calling 4 dinner. gtg.

Nikiole32: ok. I'll try to talk again soon.

melikescake: cool. bye bye! *hugs eternally*

Nikiole32: *hugs back* c you!

With that, she logged off, with me following suite. It made me a little sad that she had to go so soon. I'd wanted to ask what our other friends at school were talking about, or if her sister had already gotten that tatoo she wanted. But I knew Emma's mom. If her daughters don't go when she calls them the first time, then she'll come up to get them, and might accidentally see the computer screen. I was sure my mom had already phoned my friends' parents, so Emma's mom most likely knew I was missing. It'd be kinda bad for her to see my screen name when I was totally AWAL.

I sighed, wondering how long I would have to be so secretive about my ordeal. I didn't even remember them saying there was a way to reverse Spark Fusion either. It made me think. Would I have to hide from the Decepticons for the rest of my life? Would I constantly have to live in fear of the ones I loved being hurt?

"It's not fair," I groaned, throwing my head back in the computer chair. "Why did I have to chase that stupid rabbit?" I would have rather wound up in Wonderland than deal with this crap...

I began falling asleep, staring at the ceiling, (I tend to fall asleep every five minutes, okay?) muttering angry profanities about Decepticons. I started having those halfway asleep, halfway awake dreams, except... they were really weird. More real than any dream I'd ever had before that, and almost like it didn't already happen, but as if it were in happening that instant...

"Spark Fusion? But zat's nearly impossible!" a robot with a very Germane accent said.

"A human is not WORTHY of being Lord Megatron's fusion partner," a lower, more grumbly voice spoke. Both bots had glowing red optics, marking them as Decepticons. The room was dim, with computers and other machinery illuminating the area. I felt the annoyance of whoever's eyes I was seeing through. The annoyance of being connected to a weak and fragile human...

"Find her using the Spark signature. It will only remain visible on your radar for a while longer."

Megatron. I was seeing through Megatron's eyes. At first I thought he was speaking to the two bots in the room, but then he turned to a huge computer screen. On it, a Con, with a black and white face and spikes on his shoulders and neck, looked at him with suspicious red optics.

"I don't normally get requests on organics. Not enough of a challenge really... But it all depends on what the pay is."

Megatron didn't hesitate, knowing how to deal with it. "Double the bounty on Starscream. And there's no doubt those Autobots will try and defend her," he said.

"Double? Slag, this human must be pretty important," the robot on the screen said, optics wider than before. "That's my kind of job."

As the screen was about to be turned off, Megatron said, "And I want her unharmed, or I will know. Do you understand, Lockdown?"

The bot nodded, a smirk on his face, and...

"...cole! ...ichole! ...Nichole! Nikki, wake up!"

I shot up out of the computer chair nearly stepping on Sari who'd been shaking my arm. My eyes flitted around the room, making sure I was still at the warehouse. For once, pink didn't bug me at all.

"You sleep a lot, don't you?" she asked, but I didn't really notice. I knew, I knew it had to have been more than a dream. I could just... I don't know! Feel it!

Sari noticed my insane fidgeting, and tilted her head a little. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to have a heart attack."

I looked down at her finally, taking her by the shoulders. "Do you know where the others are? I have to talk to them right away." Maybe one of them would know what the hell just happened.

"Last time I saw 'em, they were in the rec room. We just now got back," she said. I could tell from her expression that she knew something was wrong.

She followed behind me as I dashed to where the Autobots were. Optimus, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee turned to give a brief hello, but stopped when they saw my panicked expression.

"Th-the Spark Fusion. What kind of side-effects does it have?" I stammered out, unsure of how to word my question. "Like... out-of-body dreams?" Could robots even really sleep?

From their blank expressions, I could tell that they had no idea what dreams were. So, instead I asked, "Who's Lockdown?"

They glanced at each other, then Ratchet said, "He's a bounty hunter from Cybertron."

I let ou a rather loud "Shit!", simultaneously stomping my foot against the ground. "So it wasn't just a dream! Awfuckfuckfuck..." I growled, putting my hands on my face and letting them slide down.

By now I was getting some very strange looks, especially from Sari, who's eyes were slightly wider from all my cussing. Dang it! And I was the one who complained about Grand Theft Auto being a bad influence!

"Cool your jets," Bumblebee said worriedly. "I'm not even sure what you're saying!"

"Could you explain to us what's wrong?" Optimus said. "And how do you know about Lockdown?"

"I... I had a dream— it's when people fall asleep and see things, kind of like movies— but this one was different. It was as if— I don't know! I was seeing what Megatron was seeing! And he was talking to a robot on a screen. They called him Lockdown and... I think he's coming to find me."

End Part III

Thank you for your patience. It means a lot to me. BUT SO DO REVIEWS! LoL. No. Seriously.