They arrived back at base well into the night. There was a lot of cleanup work after Sideswipe found out what happened and more so trying to get a story out of Nichole. All she would do was say, over and over, "Sunstreaker betrayed us. He betrayed Prime. He betrayed me." Right now, everything was a complete mess. No one really knows what is going on. "Always knew that son of a glitch was going to betray us." Crosshairs scorned as he walked into the hanger. Without warning a metal fist collided with Crosshairs face. His eyes were red, his face contorted in anger. "Sunny wouldn't betray us if he had a reason." His fist is still pulled back, ready for another go. Sideswipe isn't going to let anyone talk about Sunstreaker that way. "O' yea then why ain't he here then. Why ain't Prime and the others back yet, or why ain't we had communication with 'em yet." Crosshairs shouted pointing a digit at him. Sideswipe stayed silent, knowing the older bot was right.

No one went to bed gently that night. The next few days weren't that great either. Guard duty had been doubled, security on high alert. No one goes out or comes in with out the correct approval. NEST has been working hard to locate Sunstreaker with no avail. The Autobots have been doing everything possible to find Optimus and the others, again to no avail. No one knows if they are alive or if the comm link has been damaged on their end. Nichole had gone into hiding. Her presences seemed to have disappeared. Some feel relieved to not have her around, but yet they feel as if they are just waiting for a volcano to blow. Sideswipe wondered around like a ghost, his body moved, but almost like it was just a shell. His voice seemed hollow and unrecognizable. It hurt the others to see him this way, but they knew there was nothing they could do.

Nichole woke up groggy to the sound of a knock on her door. Bags under her eyes, the same clothes sat wrinkled on her body from the last few days, as she slowly got up to see to the door. Her hair is a wild mess, tangled behind her head. She shied away from the light luminating into her room as she opened the door. "Ms. James?" A young soldier stood in the opening. "What?" Her voice came out hoarse. "Major Lennox would like to see you." He answered quietly. "Why?" "I'm not sure. He just told me to come get you." He jumped back as she gave a loud growl at him. "Tell him I need an I need a reason." She stated slamming the door and practically crawled back to her bed. Not a moment after she got to the bed, just as she had the sheets in her hand, a knock was heard on the door again. Grumbling and stomping her feet to the door again, she tightly grabbed the handle and yanked it open. "What!" She shouted. "Your coming to my office whether you like it or not!" Lennox shouted back at her. "What if I don't want to!" "I don't care! Get your ass up to my office and shower first! You look like shit." She grumbled an answer then closed the door and began to get a shower ready.

After her shower, she spent over twenty minutes brushing the tangles from her hair. Though, it didn't help that her hands didn't want to work. They felt like weights were holding them down. It took most of her strength to lift the brush to the top of her head and slowly bring it down through her hair. She continued to struggle until there were tears in her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the weak tears. When her eyes opened, she jumped in surprise. "Sunstreaker?" She questioned herself. Standing behind her in the mirror is Sunstreaker's holoform, looking sadly at her, cuts and gashes covering his beautiful face, hair disheveled and dirty. Her hand reached out without her commanding it to, touching the mirror where it seemed he was. He didn't move or reach out to her. More tears began to stream out of her hollow eyes. "Sunstreaker." She cried out. Closing her eyes, hand still on the mirror, crying, more like sobbing. When she finally looked back up, he was gone. She whipped her head around behind her. Nothing, there is nothing to show if he was really there. He is just a figment of her imagination. Rubbing her eyes harshly, she but herself back together.

Soldiers stood back in surprise to see her walking though the hanger. Almost as if they were seeing a ghost. Some looked down on her, unsure of what to really feel. Some felt pity, sorrow. All of them were feeling their own pain, but what happened to her was much worse. Just when she had everything, it all vanished, gone without a trace. She strutted across the cement floor, head held high. She was not going to show any kind of weakness. Skipping a step as she went up to the second floor to the Major's office. She didn't bother to knock as she stepped into his office. "What do you want?" She growled. She strutted to the chair, putting her hands on the back of the chair that sat in front of his desk. Knuckles turning white from gripping so hard. "We need to talk about what happened." His hands were crossed in front of him, elbows on the desk.

She retold the story, right down to every little detail. Including the pulsating blue cylinder. Lennox took notes as he listened to her speak. Nodding his head every now and then. He never stopped her, letting her continue with the rate she was at. She seemed to get lost in telling him everything, her eyes wondered around the room, almost as if she wasn't even there. Clear glistening tears rolled down her cheeks when she began to talk about Sunstreaker. She sniffled, trying to hold back when she brought up Diesel. "Megatron said there was an ambush waiting for them near Cybertron. Sunstreaker had planted a chip in one of the computers, so it would seem that there was something there, but there was nothing, just a bunch of Decepticons waiting for them to get close." Nichole paused for a moment. Her story was finished. Lennox knew what happens after that. Sunstreaker leaves, Megatron flies away, and she storms out of a burning building covered in soot and ash that sank into the wounds that she had acquired from her time of capture.

Silence. Neither Lennox or Nichole had any more to say. His pen sat next to his note pad, his eyes staring down at the words he had written. A small water mark appears on the pad, followed by a sniffle from Lennox. Nicholes eyes bore into the seat of the chair her hands were still gripping tightly too. Her eyes dried of any wetness. There was nothing left in her. She did everything thing she could to keep her composure. Her body threatening to shake and give way. After a few more moments of silence, she broke it. "I need to leave." Her voice barely audible. "What?" He asked looking up at her, her eyes still staring downward. "My work here is finished. You only needed me for information. You got that and more." She raised her voice, trying to stay confident. "But what about trying to get back into the military?" He questioned, honestly surprised by what she is saying. "It wasn't going to happen anyway. I have other demons I need to go battle. It will probably be safer for you all anyway, if I leave." Her eyes caught his. They seemed to darken as she spoke.

"What kind of demons? You don't have to leave. What if Sunstreaker comes back? What if Diesel and the rest are still alive?" "Sunstreaker is nothing to me! Diesel and the others are dead. It's a fact, not a question." She shouted, forming a scowl. "You don't know that. We don't even know why Sunstreaker did what he did. Maybe he had a reason." Lennox is standing at this point. "It doesn't matter. Once a traitor always a traitor." She turned to leave. "What demons? At least answer me that before you leave." Her hand stopped before it reached the handle. "I can't tell you, sir. It is better that you don't know." "Please. I have been nothing but trying to help you since you got here. I know you never wanted to come here, but you know I have been trying." Her shoulders fell forward and she let out a sigh. "You are not to tell anyone..." Her voice trailed off as she began to speak. She turned back to him and he gave her a nod of understanding.

She stormed down the base hallway, after leaving Major Lennox's office. She made her way through the hanger to get to her barracks room. Before she could disappear. She was stopped by a transforming Sideswipe. Once finished he knelt down in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "What happened?" He asked concerned in his tone. "None of your business." She snapped. She proceeded to try and walk around him. He put his servo down in front of her "Don't do this." He warned. He wasn't mad at her, he just didn't want her to go back and lock herself away again. "I'm not in the military anymore. I will do what I want." She demanded, knowing what he meant. "Sunny wouldn't like this." He warned, trying to get through to her. "Sunstreaker isn't here." She growled, pushing his servo out of her way and left down the hall. Sideswipe watched her disappear down the hall to her room. He wanted to know why Lennox needed to talk to her. Since the lose of Sunny, she hasn't been the same. Before she was trying hard, working with Lennox to try and get back in the military. Now she didn't care anymore. Lennox came out of his office after she was long gone.

Sideswipe took long strides to get to him. "What did you say to her?" He demanded to know, kneeling in front of the disgruntled Major. "I can't disclose that to you. If you want to know, she needs to be the one to tell you, but she did ask to leave base." Lennox relayed. Sideswipe's shoulders fell. His eyes dimmed. "Why?" He asked in a whisper. "All she said was she's done. She has been here longer than she needed to be. But that's all I will disclose to you." Lennox shrugged. Sides stood and left the major standing there. He transformed and raced down the hallway to her barracks room. His holoform jumped out as he came to a sliding stop in front of her door. Nichole heard the hard, fast knocking on her door. She hesitated to open the door. As soon as that handle turned, Sideswipe barged in. "Sides." She began to protest as he wrapped his arms around her. Holding her tight. "Sideswipe, what are you doing?" She questioned, stiff against his hold, not sure how to react. "Please don't leave." He whimpered into her neck. "Why?" She said not necessarily as a question, but to reassure him. "I lost Sunny, I can't lose you too. Please." He begged. His arms snaked tighter around her waist. They stood in silence for a moment. Nichole kept her arms close to her chest and rested her head against Sides chest. His spark humming in her ear. She grabbed a bit of his shirt tightening her grip. Her eyes were wide, trying to stop the tears that were on the verge of falling.