My mind was spinning. All that Optimus had just explained... it made no sense, but at the same time, there really didn't seem to be any other explanation. I stared at them all in shock. My jaw was hanging open and my eyes were saucers. Red, blue, green, yellow, and white plates flashed in my eyes. I shook my head, closing my jaw and feeling myself blush.

"Um.. are you okay?" Bulkhead asked.

The blue, female Autobot watched me with fierce but concerned eyes. "Miko had a much different reaction than you."

Bumblebee, the yellow one, buzzed something I couldn't understand. Bulkhead chuckled and Arcee rolled her eyes. 

"That's true," she said.

I watched them joke in awe and curiosity. Most of my fear was gone now.

"Taylor, I know this is a lot to take in," Nurse Darby said soothingly. "It was for me, too. Wasn't too long ago that I discovered that my son was involved with these Autobots."

I perked at her words. "S-son?"

"Jackson Darby," Optimus answered for her. "He, Miko, and Raphael have also learned of our existence."

I smiled a little. More kids like me. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

That's when the bitter reality hit me. Mom was dead. I had no home. I had no friends. And I was surrounded by aliens. The shock finally hit me, and I quickly burst into tears.

Ratchet, who had been silent near monitors for most of Optimus' explaining, let out an exasperated sigh. "Humans. Always so loud."

Each of the Autobots shot him a look, even Optimus.

"I-I'm sorry," I sniffed. "I just.. have a lot going on right now."

"Maybe we should take you home. It's been a long night," Bulkhead said, trying to cheer me up a little. "Your family should be worried sick about you."

Night. It was nighttime already?

"I.. I can't," I said quietly, rubbing my eyes. "I don't have a home anymore. Or a family."

I heard Nurse Darby gasp and her hand left my shoulder. The Autobots all exchanged glances once again. For a while, it was silent, aside from my quiet sobs.

"Taylor," Optimus said. "If it is alright with you, you may remain here for the time being."

Ratchet instantly protested. I had a guess he didn't like people much. I was no longer listening to what they said, though. My mind had more or less drifted off into my own drowsy world. I was just now realizing how sleepy I was. My body had to be exhausted.

I felt myself lay down before I drifted into a tired, dreamless sleep.

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'Ugh. My head hurts. And the rest of me.'

My eyelids fluttered open heavily and struggles against the light. Once they got accustomed, I realized that I was facing a hard wall. I groaned slightly and got up slowly. My body ached all over. Why had I not felt the pain from the explosion the night before? Groggily, I looked around. My mind was already looking for the Autobots. I guess I knew what was going on now. The fogging confusion from earlier seemed to have faded away.

I was surprised to see that no one was around. My heart jumped a little, nervous that I was alone. Then my eyes drifted over to the monitor and found Ratchet studying them intently.

"Oh," I sighed in relief. I wasn't by myself.

Ratchet jumped slightly at my voice, facing me. "Oh. You're awake."

I remembered that he didn't like humans. Or noise. So I simply gave him a small smile and nodded. His reply was nothing more than a grunt as he turned back to the screen. I looked away and around. The place was bigger than I though. There was a lot of strange tech in one corner. A medical booth? And a human sized elevator went of a deck up to the ceiling. How many people knew about them.

I finally got the courage to ask Ratchet, "Where are the others?"

"Optimus is on a scouting mission. The others all went to pick up the children from school," he replied without turning to me. "You were in stasis for a while, you know."

'School? That means it's nearly 3 o'clock. My body must have been tired.'

I jumped.

'Pick up the children from school.'

That meant the other kids were coming. Suddenly I felt a lot better.

Not better enough to get up, of course.

I looked over at Ratchet and watched what he was doing. It was all mumbo jumbo to me, but it was interesting enough to keep me occupied. After a few minutes, I could tell which symbols were repeated. Not that I knew what they meant, and I wasn't about to ask Ratchet. He would probably find that bothersome. I contented myself with guessing.

A few minutes later, I could hear the sound of a loud engine coming this way. I looked around, wondering where it was coming from. Ratchet also perked up and glanced off to an entranceway I hadn't noticed before. He left his monitor and approached just as a red and blue truck pulled in.

"Optimus," Ratchet said. "I was honestly expecting Bulkhead and the others to arrive with the children before you did."

"The mine was already empty," came Optimus' voice from the head of the truck. "I have to assume that it was a nearly empty mine before the Decepticons arrived."

In a flash, the truck turned into the towering Optimus Prime. I gasped in wonder. The Autobots had explained their alternate vehicles last night, but I had nearly forgotten about it. Now that I had seen him transform, I wanted to see what the other vehicles looked like.

Optimus caught me staring and turned his eyes to me. I blushed in embarrassment for staring and looked down. 

"Taylor," he said. "I am glad to see you are well." He gave me a small, collected smile. I could only return it feebly.

"Getting better." Ratchet turned again to his monitors. "Her body has still suffered some from the energon blast. She still needs rest." He paused. "According to Nurse Darby."

Optimus gave Ratchet a look I couldn't read, then glanced back at me. I shrugged, not sure what he was implying. A moment later, more engines revved in the entrance. A bulky green van, yellow and black patterned Chevrolet, and a slim blue motorcycle raced in and all screeched to a stop. The door to the green van opened and a Japanese girl jumped out excitedly.

"Way to go, Bulk!" she cried in a slight accent. "We totally kicked their butts!"

A tall, dark haired boy took off his helmet and stepped of the motorcycle. "You must be kidding Miko. Arcee and I totally won!" he protested.

The yellow sportscar warbled something. A small boy with wild sandy hair and glasses jumped out of the car. "Bee's right. You guys were in our dust."

Then all three vehicles turned into the forms of Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee. I watched in amazement. They were here.

"Please," Ratchet sighed, rolling his blue optics. "Must you children be so loud?"

Optimus took a step towards them. "I am going to have to ask you to lower your voices today. We have a recovering human guest."

The children jumped, looking around excitedly. One by one, their curious and gleeful eyes all fell on me. They stared in shock and awe for a few moments, their mouths open.

I shyly waved and smiled. "Hi..."

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Yay!! Jack, Miko, and Raf are finally here!! I can't WAIT to right more about them!! Next chapter will have some of their perspectives! *Excited scream*

It's okay, I'm fine. Not going crazy or anything. Lol.

So far, no has guessed my favorite Autobot character. (I'll give you a hint. He fought like a boss in the Darkness Rising episodes.)

How do you guys like my main character so far? I know, I know, it's hard to tell what her character really is. Don't worry, I'll add more persona as the book goes on. Kind of the point of this book anyway.

Thank you for reading! 

*waves*