"Shooting stars are what happens when a child needs hope."

★☆★☆★☆★☆★

All is quiet in the hanger, most of the Autobots having yet to wake from recharge. Even the sun has yet to rise, leaving the building in darkness. A single light flickers brightly behind a set of cloudy glass doors.

Sparks litter the floor of the workshop, spraying in all directions as they're commanded to weld two pieces of metal plating together. A young woman stands at the source of the grinding metal; her fiery hair tied back in a messy ponytail and a welder's mask shielding her face. She works on the shell of a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, modifying its outer parts to fit her carefully designed engine.

Metallica plays quietly as she works, the woman bobbing her head in sync to the rapid beat and humming along.

"What are you doing?"

The woman shrieks, jolting upright and banging her head on a piece of pipe, resulting in her dropping back to her knees in agony. A small flame bursts into appearance on the hem of her shirt, the welding tool still active in her servo. The woman shrieks again, switching off the welder and chucking it as far from her as possible as she frantically attempts to pat out the fire. Failing in that, she grabs a fire extinguisher from the top of a nearby table and sprays it on herself, hissing at the cold.

Someone chuckles behind her, causing her to whip around to face them.

"Ironhide! We've talked about this!" She growls at the mech standing just outside the garage type doors, rubbing the top of her head in pain.

"It's not my fault that you didn't notice me," he teases, smirking at the glare he receives.

She sighs, admitting defeat as she removes her welder's mask. "What do you want?"

"Lennox requires you in the main room. Something to do with new recruits and a contract," he shrugs, offering a servo for her to step on.

The woman curses, pinching the bridge of her nose with two digits. "Alright, just let me grab my coffee."

She stands, stretching her back and shoulders, the popping sound making the weapons specialist cringe, and picks up an oversized thermos with the words 'Let me finish my coffee first' printed in white.

"Ready?"

"Not really," she sighs, tiredly rubbing her eyes. "Could we make a quick stop at the mess hall? I haven't eaten anything yet."

"If we must," Ironhide groans, earning him a smack on the arm as the woman places herself on his servo.

"Yes, we must. I have to chase off another government worker and I want to be intimidating without a growling stomach," she flails her hand dramatically, holding onto his digit for balance while he walks.

"Another?"

"Word of my inventions has apparently spread; multiple governments are trying to get me to signs contracts for them that automatically makes anything I design their property," she groans in annoyance and exhaustion.

The weapons specialist chuckles lightly, allowing the woman off to snatch a breakfast sandwich from the mess hall. She returns quickly, stuffing her breakfast in her mouth before scaling the Autobot and plopping herself on his shoulder.

"Content?" Ironhide asks as she eagerly bites into her food.

She nods ecstatically, unable to say a word. Any crumbs are soon wiped away with the fabric of her black shirt before she washes her meal down with a swig of black coffee.

The mech shakes his helm, making his way through the halls as the inventor fills her empty stomach with food and caffeine. He glances at her once in a while, making sure that she's not doing anything ridiculous or falling off his shoulder. That has happened once.

Arguing voices start to make themselves known to the pair, two of which can be recognised as Ratchet and Lennox, but the third remains unknown. The further Ironhide walks, the closer they get, giving Toby a feeling of dread as she makes out pieces of the argument. It takes a total of five seconds for the weapons specialist to understand what's being said, but when he does, he only grunts in annoyance.

"Contract, huh?"

"Unfortunately, yes," the young woman groans, sipping her coffee in preparation.

They turn a corner, and Ironhide immediately ducks, a spinning wrench barely missing Toby's head and creating a sizeable dent in the wall behind. The inventor doesn't even flinch.

A group of people fill the med bay, one man in front shouting furiously at the neon medic and captain while the others cower frightfully from the raging mech. Lennox appears the most calm, though his expression shows that he is less than happy with the situation, whereas Ratchet looks like his energeon is boiling, a servo already grasping another wrench.

"Does someone care to tell me what's going on?"

Everyone spins to face the new duo, the two NEST members visibly relaxing at the sight. The man in front of the group adjusts a pair of glasses on his face, stiffening angrily before storming forwards with a briefcase swinging in his hand.

Ironhide looks like he wants to shoot the man on the spot, but Toby pats his armour reassuringly before he sets her down. She walks towards the mystery man, calmly sipping from her gigantic thermos while he starts shouting at her in another language.

When the man reaches her, she stops, appearing unamused and frankly quite terrifying in the fluorescent lighting. With a heavy sigh, she disdainfully finishes her coffee, licking her lips of the energy giving drink.

"Não," he glares at the woman at her word, silently daring her to say anything else.

"Não?"

"Oh, cut the scrap. We all know you can speak English," she snaps, annoyance making its appearance.

"So, what?" He growls, earning himself a sharp glare.

"So, you can either escort yourself out, or I can personally drag you by the hem of your—what is it?—five thousand dollar suit!" Toby snarls, but the man seems unaffected.

Just as he starts to make his business known loud and clear, jabbing his finger in her chest, she swiftly grabs his tie and hoists him up to look her in the eyes. Clearly startled, the man starts jabbering nonsense before a hard shake shuts him up.

"I will tell you what I have told everyone else," the woman grits her teeth, making him quiver. "'No. I work with extraterrestrial beings, making upgrades and modified engines for their alts. I am not required to share my knowledge or work with other countries and governments. Therefore, I have decided that the human race will do better without my creations and instead gift them to the species defending our planet.' Do not return here seeking my signature again. Got that?"

He nods his head frantically, looking like he's about to blubber.

Receiving that final motion of understanding, Toby drops the man, but is quick to yank him to his feet by roughly snatching the collar of his maroon suit. With a last glare and an intimidating baring of teeth, she leaves him and his group to scatter, escorted by an impressed and slightly freaked out Ironhide.

After watching them disappear around the corner, the young woman spins to face her superiors, dusting off her shirt with a servo. The expressions of awe and amusement are enough to make her smile, though it drops quickly after remembering that her coffee's gone.

"So, new recruits?" She asks Lennox with a small huff, earning a quiet chuckle from the captain.

"Indeed," he brushes past her, Ratchet reluctantly following behind.

"Are we talking human or Cybertronian?"

"A bit of both," the medic answers for him, servos clasped firmly behind his back.

"Let's see then, shall we?" Toby skips for a moment as she catches up with the fast pace of the captain.

The man marches up the stairs of a nearby walkway, stopping at the edge for a clear view of the hangar doors. Ratchet halts beside them, a servo resting on the metal platform.

With a short nod from Lennox, the doors start sliding open, the early morning sun momentarily blinding both humans before their eyes adjust.

A wide grin stretches across the woman's face, eyes glinting with something unrecognisable as she sees the line of vehicles. Three colourful bikes and one silver Stingray Corvette.

"This should be fun!"

★☆★☆★☆★☆★

That's all folks!

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this book and it's strange to have it end, but I know there will be more to see of Toby so I don't worry too much.

I want to thank all of you who have stuck with me through this book, you guys truly have no idea how happy it makes me to see you enjoying my writing. You truly don't.

Also, I start school tomorrow and will be out of town for the second half of the week, so don't go expecting the next book immediately.

Speaking of which, book two will be named

'Twisted Cogs'

So be on the lookout for that.

Thank you so much for reading!

Until next time!