It had been little over a month since Kimberly had seen the Autobot warrior, Tracks, last. She couldn't help herself as she sometimes would stop and look at every sports car or peer down every street thinking (and hoping) that she might again see the vain bot- this routine had become a daily ritual.

Along with car seeking, more had happened within the two months. Kimberly had graduated high school and she continued her job at the garage working as a mechanic. She had also moved out from the apartment in Greenwich, with the rest of the month's rent money returned to her, and into another one in New York City Manhattan. Not only was it cheaper, but was closer to work too.

Kimberly weaved her way through the allies of New York City. The sky was dark at midnight and hardly a star lit in sight, but what little the moon shone through the tall buildings and the clouds was bright enough to keep light for her path as she climbed a fence and jumped over. She examined the domain, everything was too quiet for her somewhat noisy City. It gave her an eery feeling as she quickly unlocked the door and walked into the garage.

Putting her back against the door, she gazed over at her car sitting up on jacks. It was still in its unsightly state from when she had encountered the Autobot. Hardly any work of repair had been done to it mostly do to three weeks ago when she had been informed that her father had died in an explosion at one of the labs he worked at. It left her devastated. Kimberly sighed, why did things have to go wrong with her. She bowed her shoulders, collected her tools and crawled underneath to begin her work while she focused her hearing on the radio that blasted out with the song 'You Spin Me Round'.

Tracks had been parked in the entrance of an ally listening to the quietness of the City as he monitored the stillness. He had never left New York City since his departure from the human girl, Kimber. The mech had been keeping his sensors on her every day, checking in on her, but she had never stop to take notice of him.

While he was parked there his audio sensors picked up a thud not far behind him. The Autobot scanned the area and discovered the noise was human and not that of another ally cat- like before. He backed up and decided to follow who ever it was. The mech observed the figure, it was oddly dressed in black overalls and wavy pink hair and bangs, but he never got the face completely until it turned around. Tracks couldn't help but chuckle softly, he had been following Kimber the entire time. The warrior watched as the girl disappeared inside and, in turn, he followed her around front.

Kimberly labored steadily on her car as she sang the lyrics to the song that blared on the radio barely hearing the bell chime as a car drove in. She rolled out from under her car and sat up, yelling out over the speakers "Sorry, but we're closed!". Kimberly concentrated hard for the sound of an engine leaving, but that sound never came, forcing her to quit her work, turn the volume down, and politely see to her costumer. "Like I told you we're closed for the night." she said angrily walking out of her work area. Kimberly hadn't bothered to look up as she cleaned her hands off with a rag.

"I'm glad to see you too." said a unmistakeable, haughty voice.

She let her piercing blue eyes trail ahead to see her Corvette friend, Tracks. "Couldn't live on without me, could ya?" she said with a grin putting a hand on her hip while the other held the oily rag. "I knew you'd come back,"

"Why wouldn't I?" he said sounded confused "Somebody has to keep an eye on you so you won't do something horrid to yourself, I'm surprised you lasted this long without me."

With her arms crossed, Kimberly stared at his hood "And have I done anything horrid to myself?" she asked coolly.

The mech inched up a little closer to the young woman and transformed into his robot form. On one knee, he stretched out his servo and gently rubbed two of his pointed digits in her locks; his sensor nodes picked up the smoothness of her hair. "Your hair." he stated flatly "You look like Strawberry Shortcake." he spoke about the girls cartoon from the 80's.

Kimberly tugged on the curl that Tracks had a hold of and forced it out of his servo. "Strawberry Shortcake has red hair, mine is pink." The 'Strawberry Shortcake' comment didn't go over with her very well; Tracks could be so insensitive at times.

Not realizing what he had done emotionally to the girl, he positioned himself to his full height "Is their anyone else here?" he inquired.

Kimberly walked back to her car "No, everyone's been gone hours ago." She ignored the mech as he trailed her. It was lucky for Tracks that the garage was tall enough that he didn't have to lower his upper structure in order to move around loosely.

Tracks followed the human girl into another work area where a familial, sightly car set. The detailed dents and scratches on the wreak was from his own handy work from a month ago; he observed intriguingly as Kimberly began to repaired underneath. Who would have thought that this human girl, that looked as if she step out of a fashion magazine, knew anything about fixing things.

"Hand me that wrench." Kimberly called out to Tracks from under her car, her hand held out for her tool. "It's over there on the table."

"You didn't say please." he smiled, teasing the girl.

Kimberly rolled out. Her overalls was filthy with grease and dirt, but she didn't care, she just glared at him. "Hand me that wrench please."

A smile widen across is face as he reached for the wrench. "Much better." he said and handed it to Kimberly who thanked him. "You know on my world you would be considered a doctor."

She looked over at the Autobot and stated flatly "Then you'd better be nice to me, I could save your life someday."

Tracks transformed and opened his hood "Or maybe you could just give me a check up today... doctor."

Kimberly grinned, it was hard not to like Tracks or to stay mad at him. "I'll do it, but it's gonna cost ya a ride tomorrow- somewhere new- and different."

She walked over and peered over her project. He beheld a pretty powerful, strong engine. "Nice." A word she knew, didn't give it enough dignity.

"I know." purred Tracks.

"You sure I should be messin' around in here?" Kimberly sounded nervous as she viewed over the long strands of unknown wires and cables. " I don't want to do something wrong and hurt you."

"I'm not that much different than any other car you work on... Well, I am a lot more sophisticated and better than those, but the idea is not that much different. That is why my kind can "transform" into your vehicles, but just to be on the safe side don't touch anything you don't think you should."

Ring...ring...ring...ring

The bedroom was small, but spacious; enough for the rent she paid, which was quite a bit in her book. She rolled over to her nightstand, the morning sun beat in her face and her phone buzzed in its place. It was eleven thirty in the morning; this caller had better have something good to say.

Kimberly sat up in bed and fumbled with her cell phone. "Hello?" she answered with little energy.

"It's about time you're up. You humans waste most of your time sleeping."

The tired girl yawned "Easy for you to say, you kept me up most of the night working on you." Quickly, Kimberly slip out of her covers and onto the cold floor- it felt good. She walked over to the window and opened it. Kimberly poked her head out and looked down to the street to see Tracks waiting on her in a parking section of the road; she waved to him "I'll be ready in about a half hour."

Fresh, clean, and ready, Kimberly walked out of her apartment building and into sunlight. She strolled over to Tracks and climbed in, letting tracks drive off out of the City and into a rural part on New York.

Kimberly sat in the passenger side mostly because Tracks would let her drive this time. "So... where are we goin'?" She couldn't stop herself from asking.

The Autobot insignia on the steering wheel lit up as he spoke "The Mojave Desert in southern Nevada."

"Um, do you know how many days a drive like that could take?"

"Who said anything about driving?" Tracks revved up his engine with a loud roar and accelerated in his steady pace that he had been driving to since they left.

The mirror above the dashboard and both mirrors outside move to face Kimberly; she took a glimpse to see the sight of two beautiful wings reveling themselves from underneath the tire area of Tracks's vehicular mode. She knew now what the Autobot was talking about when she felt the structure of the Corvette lift off the earth and into the air. Kimberly peeked out the window to see the earth itself getting smaller and smaller by the seconds.

"Tracks, you didn't tell me you could fly."

"You never asked." He said smugly.

"Southern Nevada huh, what for?"

"I ran out of an Energon supply and I need to fuel up." he said as he ascended higher in the air so he wouldn't be spotted by spectators. "With my speed it shouldn't take no more than a couple of cycles."

"You know, Tracks, my mom grew up in Jasper, Nevada before she moved to New York. We could go there if it's not out of reach. I've always wanted to see what kind of town it was and ...maybe get somethin' to eat."

"I'll make a stop along the way for food, but you are not eating inside me." That was just like typical Tracks.

The calculations Tracks had mentioned was indeed correct and they arrived to Nevada in about two hours, although twenty minutes was taken out of that time for Kimberly to eat. Tracks made a smooth landing in the middle of nowhere and he allowed Kimberly a few seconds to vacate before he transformed. Kimberly was overwhelmed by how big the desert really was. It was kinda how she pictured it: hot, dry, and with little life, but at the same time she was awed by its natural beauty.

"What's in the middle of nowhere that you need?" she questioned him as she followed him in his shadow.

The warrior searched for his human friend so she wouldn't be stepped on by accident; he found her behind himself shaded in his shadow. Realizing the sun at this time of day where they were would be damaging to any human brain, he scooped her up and shielded her from the damaging rays "At the moment my ship."

He located his starship inside of a cave that he had carefully and skillfully crashed there many earth years ago. Tracks scanned the perimeter and hurried inside, placing the human on the ground. The starship was strikingly almost the same color of Tracks, but it was rather small for a spacecraft Kimberly thought; she pictured them much bigger like the Enterprise from the Star Trek series .

Kimberly watched as Tracks made many inspections to his ship before she followed him inside. "What's its handle?"

"Its handle?" Tracks had no idea what she was exactly talking about. "It handles almost as nice as I do."

"No, I mean its name. What's the ship's name?"

"Oh, the Stargazer."

The ship outside seemed dead and uninhabitable, but the inside( Kimberly soon found out) buzzed with life all around. Its front interior held two seats: one for the pilot and one for its passenger; and the dashboard flowed through with bright and sometimes flashing lights. In the back storage held cubes of glowing blue liquid the Tracks had been injecting into himself from a large container that looked a lot lot like those you would find in a doctors office when getting those painful shots- only tons smaller.

The young women was indeed intrigue by the strange substance "What's that blue stuff?"

"Energon. It's the fuel for my race; it keeps us alive and gives us are ammo." Tracks looked down at the female "Only we don't acquire it as much as you humans need to consume food."

Kimberly had gotten quite use to the pompousness of Tracks's personality "Aw c'mon , Tracks, humans aren't all that bad."

His red face plate knowingly looked down at her with a metal eyebrow raised "Are they? Look what your kind has done to your planet: garbage waste along the roads and thousands of big cities that cover your planet like a big band-aid." Tracks returned his attention back to his arm and removed the large needle and laid it back where he had found it. "I must say that I do admire your New York City, it is by far the most favorite of mine, but unlike Cybertron your planet is a living source that needs to breathe and to have it's natural resources given back."

"Hey, I'm clean." She insisted raising her hands in the air defensively "I recycle and throw all my trash in a garbage can."

The warrior kept an eye on Kimberly as she tried to climb onto the passenger chair. The scene was amusing to him at first the way the tiny human kept jumping and clawing at the chair completely missing the sit every time. Once Tracks had had his fill he stepped over and helped her up by giving Kimberly a boost. He then sat in the chair beside her and examined the scanner blinking to a specific spot on the screen. Without taking his sensory receptors away from the screen he pointed a digit at the flashing dot "Looks like Stargazer found a fresh Energon deposit just east of here."

Kimberly gazed her perception to Tracks "Are we takin' the Stargazer?"

"No, its systems were fried during the crash; the only thing that works is the computer."

"Sounds like another drive then." She said hoping down and leaving the ship with Tracks right behind.

"You're gonna love it, Bulkhead! It's gonna be that greatest place to go dune- bashing ever!" proclaimed Miko, an excitable fourteen year old girl from Japan, bouncing in her set.

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this." the steering wheel lit up with light "The last time, I was busy picking sand out of my articulators." The All- terrain truck vented a sigh, as much as he hated picking the sand off of him he loved dune- bashing with his human companion.

Bulkhead drove down a dusty road following the direction Miko had given him earlier. This was an area that he had never been to and he was all in for the adventure; but that was all interrupted when his sensors picked up an Energon signal three klicks from his position. "Sorry Miko, but work comes before play."

"Aw."

The Wrecker ventured off the dust path and continued to follow the signal until he arrived to a spacious, natural depression of Energon crystals. He paused to let Miko out and then he transformed to view his findings; and as usual the human got their before him. "Bulkhead, look." Miko was crouched down at the edge when she whispered, pointing in the direction of the blue Transformer standing in the bottom of the Energon opening "It's Breakdown!"

The Autobot quietly walked up beside her and hovered down so he wouldn't be spotted "Can't be."

"We'll I see him, and he's getting our Energon."

"Stay down." He replied deploying his wreaking ball and sliding down the massive hole lunging himself at the unsuspecting ' Decepticon ' with full force.

Tracks and Kimberly arrived at the Energon deposit; it was indeed a mother load. Kimberly got out and walked over to look into the mouth of the dugout while Tracks transformed to his robot mode. "Better stay up here." he commanded as he started to climb down into the crater.

The Corvette's equilibrium sensors held great balance as he jumped from boulder to boulder; his stabilizing servos never slipped from place as he reach the earthy ground. He looked around at the mineral with awe. Energon. A substance so rare on earth it was almost scarce, and to find a large portion all at once was even more extraordinary than the latter. Tracks went over to touch one of the crystals, but he was interrupted by a scream; it was the same scream by Kimber that had almost scrambled his audio sensors when they first met. The warrior gazed up to see what her problem was to have his optics behold the sight of a massive Transformer falling towards him. Quickly, he jumped back as the big green bot land smack down on the ground with a loud thud and a brown cloud of dust. The unfamiliar bot swiftly got up and started to pound on the surprised Autobot.

Kimberly couldn't believe what was happening at the moment. This big green bot just showed up out of know where and poor Tracks was taking a pounding from the stronger Transformer, but her Autobot was holding out with all he had. She watched the hideous battle from above, their was nothing she could do about it and she knew it, but she just had to do something, nobody was going to get away with thrashing Tracks. The teen searched around for something to help her friend; her eyes fell upon a human girl, about her age, on the other side cheering for the offender. How could she, she must be some kind of ally for the Decepticons she thought to herself. Kimberly stormed to where the other girl stood; she was going to give her a piece of her mind and, if things got real ugly, how her some of her 'dance moves'.

"How could you!" yelled Kimberly

The Japanese girl merely turned her head and stared at her with interest. "Who are you?" said asked.

"That's not the point right now." Kimberly folded her arms together. "The point is: how could you be working for the 'cons?"

"I'm not working for them. That blue one down there is the 'con, I'm with Bulkhead- the big green one over there." Miko said pointing to Tracks and then to Bulkhead.

Kimberly looked to Miko. "Tracks is no 'con; he's an Autobot."

The facial expression on the girls face expressed to Kimberly that she couldn't believe what was happening. She heard the Japanese girl mutter a fast "Scrap." as she reached for her cellphone in a pocket to call her friend. "Bulkhead, we got a problem." Was all Kimberly overheard so she watched the two Autobots below.

The green one- Bulkhead- had immediately ceased in his actions and looked at Tracks to see an Autobot insignia he hadn't noticed before. Kimberly couldn't make out what he said, but it looked like he mouthed the word 'oh boy' along with some other words. Unfortunate Tracks sat on the ground where he had fallen when he was punched in the face plate; his back rested against a crystal structure as he took the back of his servo and wiped the Energon pouring down his lip. Bulkhead extended a servo and helped him on his stabilizing servos.

"Sorry, didn't know you where on our side." Bulkhead apologized sheepishly.

"You're lucky I didn't blast you. Look what you done to me, my paint job is ruin." Tracks dramatizing was indeed not to put down for the mech was going to have a hard time repairing the glossy finish to its once glorious state.

"Rrright."

"Tracks, you ok?" Kimberly yelled from above.

Bulkhead looked to the blue Autobot "Friend of yours?"

"You could say that." he said to Bulkhead and then lifted his helm out to the girl. "Yes, I'm fine except for a few dozen scratches that I hope you wouldn't mind buffing out."

The two girls watched as the Autobots climbed out of the pit. They raced over to the surface area where the 'bots were emerging- first Tracks and then Bulkhead. The green mech was indeed a big, massive Autobot that was obviously meant for war, and with Tracks right beside him, he was diffidently dwarfed compared to the magnitude of the Wrecker.

"I'm Miko." said the Japanese girl to Kimberly. Her eyes flashed with enthusiasm as she got back to the topic when they first met. "Who are you?"

"Kimber."

"Are you from New York? I bet you are, I can tell by your slight accent. Have you ever been to the Statue of Liberty? Do you like riding the subways?"

As the girls talked, Bulkhead communicated via his com- link to headquarters. "Bulkhead to base. Hey, Red, you still there?"

Red Alert was the 'new guy', as the humans would say, in their group who had been teamed with them for about three months. He had to be one of the most paranoid and uptight Autobot Bulkhead had ever been around. A complete nervous breakdown would best describe him, but Red had come through for his team number of times with his eye for detail, even though on other occasions they were false alarms, but Red did mean well.

"Bulkhead, what is it? Did something go wrong? I just knew something bad would happen!"

"Calm down, Red. You'll never believe it, but there is a pot-load of Energon up for grabs and-." Bulkhead was distracted by the pink haired human.

"What's that noise?" she asked.

Everyone got quiet. The sound of an armada of jet engines were heard in the distance and then finally they were visible to any eye.

"It's Starscream and his Energon Seekers!" yelled Tracks.

"Bulkhead, is everything alright?" demanded Red Alert over the com-link.

"Tell Optimus we're going to need back up. We just got trouble."

"Tell Optimus we're going to need back up. We just got trouble." came over the computer speakers.

"Optimus," the red and white mech turned towards his leader "Bulkhead and Miko are in trouble. I warned them-."

"No need to worry, Red Alert, just start up the ground bridge to Bulkhead's coordinates and stand by for further commands." he said to the red and white security officer as calm as he could. Ever since Red had joined up with his team he had seem like a bundle of nerves going off every time he thought Decepticons had found their base or watching them in the skies. Optimus didn't know him personally, but he had heard medical stories from Ratchet that it was an internal glitch that caused his frequent paranoia outbreaks; but whatever the scenario Optimus was glad to have him on their side. He turned to his other Autobots who were all lined up patiently waiting for their commands "Arcee, Bumblebee, you will accompany me. Ratchet,- ."

The medic didn't need let Optimus Prime finish, but he knew exactly what to do. "I will prepare med-bay."

Optimus Prime nodded to his old friend and turn to the awaiting team. "Autobots, transform and roll out."

The Seekers flew by overhead the small group and transformed from their jet mode in midair; they landed on the solid ground almost in complete collaboration with each other and each had their own unique hue about themselves. One was black with dark purple parts, another was teal in color while a smaller more slender was brighter purple with teal sections stood beside him. The one leading the armada was silver with red; he was the first one to approach the Autobots.

"Well well, if it isn't Bulkhead and his pet vermin, and look Optimus Prime must have found himself another Autofool. My, he looks almost as pathetic as that mouse Red Alert you call an Autobot." the silver one chided not seeming to remember Tracks.

"Tracks, take the humans and go! I'll keep them busy until Optimus shows." ordered Bulkhead.

The blue Corvette transformed and let the girls climb in. He then drove backwards and quickly turned himself around as he made his escape, taking off at maximum speed, but that wasn't good enough. Starscream sent one of his troops after him and his cargo.

"Tracks, the purple jet's tailin' us." cried Kimberly as Slipstream followed them in her jet mode.

"Not for long." Tracks's vehicular mode pop out wings as he began to take fight.

Miko looked out the passenger window as she felt the structure ascending in air and whispered "Awesome."

A ground bridge portal opened and Optimus and his team rolled out. They transformed just in time for Thundercracker and Skywarp to take shot at them, but Team Prime didn't keep anything back, they shot back with full force. The silver mech knew he and his armada was out numbered with the reinforcement and, being the coward he was, Starscream ordered a full retreat of his team and all but Slipstream followed.

"Slipstream, what are you doing? I ordered a full retreat!" angered Starscream through his com- link as he and the other Seekers transformed and flew off.

"No, not yet. I want a trophy first." sneered Slipstream. She launched both of her missiles at Tracks, but didn't get a chance to make sure her targets didn't miss because Optimus had heard that Miko and another human was contained inside the Autobot, he began shooting at her.

The purple femme flew off and joined her comrades as Skywarp gave her a cheer of approval and Starscream lecturing her about following orders; Thundercracker kept quiet as he secretly hoped the humans would be alright.

The heat seekers inched their way closer and closer to the Corvette's frame as the Autobots below watched in vain. There was nothing they could do, every shot they fired missed and the missiles made they way nearer to its victims.

Tracks felt prod to be admired by the new human. "You like that? Then you haven't seen anything yet."

"Don't be so smug, Tracks. Look!" Kimberly turned around in her seat and pointed at the Seeker unveiling two missiles at them and setting them loose.

The missiles advanced they way toward Tracks; he didn't have much longer to stall, he was coming too close to a rocky wall, but that was just what he wanted. If this human wanted a show then that was just what Tracks would give her. The Corvette fastened closer to the wall as the girls screamed inside, holding on to their seats. Just a few more astroseconds, he thought to himself and then it happened. Tracks was just a few feet away from colliding with impact until he swiftly flew up missing the seekers and their impact.

Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead watched as the Corvette deviously flew out of harm's way and safely down to earth. Bulkhead ran up to him as Miko and the other human cam out allowing the Autobot to take his true form.

"Miko, are you hurt?" worried Bulkhead. She gave him thumbs up, a earth custom, Bulkhead learned a long time ago, that meant a gesture of approval.

Optimus walked up to the Autobot that saved the lives of the two girls; the Autobot stood there with the human right beside him and a hand on his leg. Another human custom that meant 'thanks'.

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots you see," the red and blue mech said extending a servo out to meet with the other Autobot's. "and I am in you dept for keeping Miko out of harm."

Tracks look down at the Prime's servo as if not really wanting to shake it, but with reluctance he shook servos with him.

"I have not seen you before on earth." Optimus edged for Tracks to speak of himself.

"I'm Tracks. I was an Autobot warrior in the group that call themselves Turbochargers that split up when Cybertron went dark and I came to earth finding refuge." a hint of vanity flowed from those words.

"Hah hum." Kimberly gently tapped on his armor. She didn't like Tracks leaving her out.

"And this is Kimber, a good friend of mine." the blue mech looked down at her and grinned in favor.

The red and blue leader cast his optics upon the small girl gazing at him with her head bent back. He lowered himself to make it easier for her to look at him; his optics held a kind and tired glaze. Optimus then risen himself and applied a digit to his helm. "Red Alert, we need a ground bridge." and then he turned to Tracks "You are welcomed to join us."

Tracks conveyed his optics on the girl to see what she thought. She gave him a smile and Tracks glanced at the other Autobots before coming back to the Prime who waited for his decision. "Only if the girl comes."

Optimus Prime smiled at the loyalty of Tracks. "Very well then." he said as the portal to base opened for them and his team passed in.

The leader looked back down to the girl, Kimber, who was being flogged by Miko pulling her by the wrist as they walked into the entrance, she seemed like a tough girl who could take care of herself, but yet she never left the side of her Autobot friend as they both entered the ground bridge.