Your POV
"Time to get up, sleepy head!" An over enthusiastic, accented voice cheers, pulling you out of your deep slumber.

Morning all ready? Darn... I was just getting into the good part of my dream... Revenge.

You let your eyes flutter open to reveal the face of Miko, who was staring down at you expectantly.

"Y/NNNNN... Come onnnnnnnnnnn!" The pink and black haired Japanese girl whines, pouting slightly. "We're gonna have some fun today!"

You sit up slowly, raising your hands in a signal of defense.

"Can you please quiet down!" You snap. "I am not a morning person! At all! And I am not letting you drag me into... whatever your doing today... Plus, we have school today, remember?"

At this, your friend's face falls slightly.

"Oh yeah... I forgot about that..."

You turn your attention to the rest of the base.

Jack and Raf were fitting in their before school match of video games and the bots were slowly appearing into the main area.

"First order of the day, re-establishment recon on Y/N's Mother." Arcee states as Bulkhead clenches his fists and Bumblebee lets out a series of angry whirs.

You nod slowly, the grim reality of your Mother being gone gripping you once more, your ever growing hate towards the Decepticon leader growing steadily.

Today is going to be a long one...

Brushing the negative thoughts aside, you sigh, making your way towards the Cybertronians standing in the middle of the room.

"Has anyone seen Ratchet? He's supposed to take us to school this morning, but it seems he's not exactly here?" You question aloud with a yawn, glancing at your mechanical friends.

"No idea. He's usually already monitoring the computers already. It is strange for him to not be here." Bulkhead muses aloud, gazing at your small form with a slightly concerned expression.

"Why don't we go find Doc, together, Y/N! It'll be fun!" Miko cheers once again, this time grabbing your wrist and dragging your towards the elevator towards the back of the base.

"What? No! Miko, I am just fine on my own... Okay, fine then." You begin to protest but the closing elevator doors silence you.

"Sooooo..." Your Japanese friend chides, her voice extremely loud in the small space. "It seems that DocBot has taken a liking to you!"

DocBot? That's a new one.

"Sure, I guess." You mutter, praying this elevator would reach its destination quickly so you could rid yourself of the over enthusiastic ball of energy standing next to you.

Suddenly, Miko grabs your shoulders, looking you in the eyes.

"Listen, Y/N. Ratchet let you help him patch up Arcee and Bumblebee and fix the Groundbridge controls! Do you know how huge that is?! He doesn't let us even go near his stuff, let alone help him with anything."

"Ratchet was the one to deliver the news of..." You hesitate, a lump welling in your throat. "M-My Mother... He's the one I feel closest to... It's not rocket science, Miko."

Miko glances at your skeptically.

"Dude! You're the Nerdy one of the group! You should be able to see this! Optimus refused to be your Guardian for a reason. Sure, the reason he gave was valid, but he sees how similar you and DocBot are! It's so obvious Y/N! If Bulkhead can see the similarities, you should be able to, too!"

The words of the Optimus Prime ring loudly inside your head.

"I also believe you and my old friend may have more in common than you can currently see..."

"I... I guess you're right, Miko. Optimus told me something similar when I first got thrown into this mess."

"And he's right! Let me lay it all out for you-" The Japanese girl starts before being cut off by the elevator doors re-opening.

The sight in front of you surprised you slightly.

A single light post, mounted onto the rough material of Jasper's desert landscape, accompanied by a concrete catwalk leading to what appeared to be the old missile opening.

However, Your Guardian was no where in sight.

"Are we on top of the base?" You ask your friend who was already out of the small chamber, rushing out into the open air as you take a few steps forward.

"You betcha!" Comes the distant reply.

You pry your gaze from the view of the desert landscape you're currently staring at and urgently look for the pink and black haired girl.

"Miko! What are you doing up here?!" The voice of Ratchet echos, meeting your ears as your friend comes back into view, rounding the far side of the missile opening.

"DocBot's over there!" She grins, pointing to the direction she just had came.

"He's not in a great mood... You've been warned." She informs as she walks past you briskly, getting into the elevator once again.

"Thanks, Miko." You chuckle, shaking your head as the doors close, leaving you alone to take in the sounds of the desert.

"It's so quiet up here..." You muse aloud, beginning your walk the same way your friend had just came.

"That's why it's nice. No annoying children to pester me to no end." The familiar white and orange medic huffs, clearly overhearing you.

"I'm just an annoyance now?" You joke, nearing Ratchet.

Of course, no answer is given, only a light silence as you sit beside your Guardian, awaiting some sort of answer.

"Why were you up here anyway, Ratch?" You question suddenly, not wanting the silence to continue.

The medic sighs heavily, clearly not happy with your question.

"It doesn't concern you."

"Yes it does. Your my Guardian, my mentor! And I'm your charge, your friend! If something is bothering you I deserve to know." You press, wanting an answer.

"I was up here - wait... I'm your mentor?" Ratchet fumbles, mixed emotions straining his voice.

"Yeah! You are a giant alien robot from space that has similar interests to me! I can learn so much from you! And I have!" You exclaim excitedly, a sudden rush of rare happiness overtaking you. "And I'd like to learn more, if that's okay..."

The Autobot medic was at a loss for words as silence fills the air once more.

Ratchet's POV
Mentorship...

"It's been awhile since I've heard that term." I muse aloud, my thoughts not clear.

"Is that not a good thing?" Y/N's voice asks, concern evident in her tone.

"It's just been awhile..." I sigh once more, my optics resting on the barren landscape of this part of Earth, hoping that the human girl would just drop the subject already.

A single "Oh." can be heard from Y/N who was still sitting in the same spot, waiting for me to elaborate my thoughts.

"Megatron's rule of destruction couldn't come to an end soon enough."

The human nods slowly, contemplating my words.

"I agree, Ratchet." She whimpers, tears beginning to form in her eyes, an occurrence that seems to be happening all too often lately. "I agree with you..."

Without a word, I lay one hand down towards her small form and she climbs into it, sitting cross legged.

"W-Why me? I'm the one who got my Mom into this mess, I have to get her out..." Y/N sniffles, her gaze meeting mine.

"I told you already, Y/N, I will do everything in my power to make sure your Mother is returned safely," I assure in an attempt to console the shaking human form in my hand. "However, I currently have a responsibility to make sure you and the other children arrive at... School?"

At this, the girl stops shaking and smiles faintly.

"School. It's amazing how one's priorities can be re-arranged when there's someone's life on the line..." She muses aloud as I gently set her down.

"Let's go round up the others." I grumble, the idea of four humans chitchatting away to no end not helping my mood.

"Don't be such a grouch, Ratch!" She chirps halfheartedly, laughing glumly to herself.

****
Your POV
"Thanks for the ride, Ratchet." You hum softly as you step out of the familiar white and orange ambulance that had purposely parked a block away from the school.

"It'll wear them out," He had said, referring to your energetic friends, or rather, friend, in the backseat.

"Yeah! Thanks DocBot!" Miko howls as she follows Jack and Raf out of the back, using her newest nickname for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning.

"Yeah, Yeah, off you go, school is that way." Ratchet's voice retorts, the ambulance pulling forward slightly.

You cast your gaze down the sidewalk where the trio of friends were heading off towards the school building, their chatter still able to be slightly heard among the early morning traffic.

"Please be sure to keep me updated about my Mom... And can you thank Optimus for me? I keep forgetting to do that, it seems..." You muse aloud, placing your hand lightly on the door before turning away and following the path your friends had taken moments ago.

****
This is why you hated school so much.

Computer Technology class. Today's assignment was to disassemble and reassemble a basic Desktop computer.

"Don't forget I'm here if you need help!" The teacher had said at the beginning of the period.

And here you are, forty-five minutes later, thirty minutes left to class, a disassembled and reassembled standard desktop in front of you, fans whirring.

Forty-five minutes. A record time and personal best for disassembly and reassembly in your books.

"I guess Ratchet's three and a half hour long tutorial on Cybertronian tech actually helped me out a bit." You mutter quietly.

Or at least you thought you were quiet.

"Who's Ratchet?" The girl in front of you inquires snootily, turning to look at you, a knowing smirk plastered on her face. "Is that a nickname for some sort of, I dunno, invisible boyfriend?"

You gape at her, not sure whether to laugh or tell her off.

Ratchet? Boyfriend? This is hysterical!

At this point, tears of laughter are swelling in your eyes as the girl looks at you quizzically.

"What's so funny?" She demands, annoyed that she hadn't offended you in any way, rather made you laugh.

"Oh! Nothing! Nothing at all." You manage to speak through fits of laughter, wiping away tears.

With a over dramatic huff, the girl turns back to her task at hand, leaving you to compose yourself now that the entire class was staring at you, confusion evident on their faces.

****
"And at this point, I'm doubled over from laughter, right? And now the entire class is looking at me! It was so hilarious!" You laugh as you recount Computer Technology class earlier that day to your friends as you all make your way down the High School's hallway towards the Cafeteria for lunch.

Miko, Jack and Raf all look at each other, sharing amused glances as they begin to howl with laughter.

You can't help yourself but join in, getting carried away.

So much so that you didn't hear the many sets of loud footsteps which had came to a stop behind you and your laughing friends.

"What's so funny, Nerd?" A familiar voice jeers, as a hand grabs the collar of your shirt, slamming your back against the lockers lining the walls of the hallway.

"Leave her alone, Vince!" Miko screams, rushing forward, fists flying, only to be stopped by Jack's outstretched arm.

"Leave her alone, Vince." The redhead mocks, letting go of your collar, only to push your shoulder against the locker as you cry out in pain as he removes his hand.

"What the heck is your issue?" You demand, regaining your composure and coming to a fighting stance, ignoring the sharp pains coming from where you had just been hit.

"Oh! L/N's a feisty one, isn't she?" The bully sneers as you watch his figure warily as he also takes up a fighting stance.

At this point, a rather large crowd had appeared around you, your friends and the jerk in front of you.

"Get him, Y/N! Kick some tailpipe!" Your Japanese friend cheers from the sideline while Jack and Raf look on, not wanting to be involved in any of this.

"Kick some tailpipe." You repeat Miko's words under your breath, the image of your Cybertronian friends filling your mind as you take a step towards Vince.

Taking this as an advance and a threat, your opponent punches your other shoulder, leaving you hissing in pain at the unexpected blow.

Ratchet is going to freak when I come back to Base all bruised... I'm no match for this kid...

"You win, Vince. Congratulations." You declare sarcastically.

Lowering your stance and turning slowly on your heel, you shoot one last glare at the School's bully as you gesture to your friends to follow.

"What is going on here?" A new voice roars above the clamor of students, an older, more authoritative voice.

All four of you stop dead in your tracks.

Mr. Evans had arrived, and he wasn't happy.

"You know that nerd, Y/N and her stupid looking friends?" Vince informs the Principal, his voice dripping with false innocence. "They're the ones who started this all, Sir!"

That was all you needed to hear as you grab Miko's wrist and rush towards the School's nearest exit.

Pushing open the door, you all rush outside and into the humid air of Jasper's afternoon heat.

"Are we in the clear?" Jack pants, hands on his knees as he gasps for breath.

"I think so." Comes the reply from Raf, who was watching the doors expectantly.

You sigh, rotating both shoulders slightly, wincing in pain as you do so.

They were bruised, a lot more than you would've liked.

"Are you okay, Y/N?" The twelve and a quarter year old's voice asks quietly, concern laced in his tone.

"I'll live." You hiss lowly, desperately wanting this day to be over.

"Doc is not gonna be happy with youuuuu!" Your bubbly friend chides, getting more and more on your nerves as the seconds pass.

I am beginning to see why Ratchet isn't always so chipper around Miko...

As the girl continues to babble on about who knows what, you finally snap.

"Just. Be. Quiet!" You yell, making your friend's chatter instantly fade. "Please. Thank you... Sorry..."

"It's fine, Y/N. You do have a lot on your mind right now with everything going on, I'm sure I-"

"Miko!" Both boys shush, unbelief evident on their faces.

"She's suffering enough! The last thing you need to do is remind her!" Jack exclaims, still not entirely sure what your Japanese friend was thinking when she spoke her earlier words.

"Oh... I guess your right..." Miko's voice admits, the sound dull and faint as you quickly turn away from your friends and walk away.

"Where are you going?" Raf's voice follows.

"Home." You whisper to yourself, fishing your phone from your pocket and contacting the Autobots.

"Hey, Arcee. Yeah, I'm fine, I think... Can you come pick me up? I just need to get out of here."

****

"What in the name of the AllSpark happened to you?" Ratchet demands as you step off of the motorcycle, wincing in pain slightly as you do so.

"I asked her the same thing when I picked her up. She wouldn't answer." The femme sighs as she transforms.

"Nothing happened, I'm fine." You mutter, not wanting to have a fuss made over you as you make a futile attempt to hide your bruised arms with your hands.

"Those bruises say otherwise." Your Guardian huffs, scooping you off the floor gently and setting you on one of the medical cots. "Now tell me, what happened? How did you get these bruises?"

You stare at the pair of bright blue optics in front of you, sternly waiting for an answer.

"I got pushed against a locker and then a fight ensued." You murmur, your eyes darting to the floor.

"Please tell me you that you didn't engage the opponent."

"Well, I did... Sorta..." You reply, your gaze still fixed on the ground below you. "I took a step forward and he took it as an advancement, I guess."

"Where does it hurt the most?" Your Guardian inquires, his gaze still set on you.

"Both my shoulders."

You shrug off your jacket, hissing in pain, and continue to roll up the sleeves on your t-shirt underneath, revealing a large dark purple bruise on either shoulder.

Sighing, the Autobot in front of you gently picks you up once more, this time setting you on the ground.

The sound of shifting gears erupts behind you as well as the sound of a closing door.

"And you're back in your Holoform yet again!" You tease halfheartedly as Ratchet takes another look at your bruises, humming to himself quietly.

"I'll get you some ice." He concludes, stepping into the back of the ambulance and emerging with two ice packs moments later.

"What are these supposed to do to help?" You joke, taking the ice packs from the medic's hands. "I would've used heat, but that's just me."

Ratchet pauses, thinking.

"That would've worked, but ice is much more effective for recently inflicted bruises, so I'm told."

"I guess you're right." You agree, the cold numbing your skin. "Thanks again, Ratch."

Your Guardian waves a hand dismissively.

"Just try not to get yourself killed, Y/N."

"And what fun would that be?"

****

A series of urgent beeps and whirs sound from the the main area of the Base, loud enough for your to hear over your music playing through your headphones.

Looking up from your homework, you notice that Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Optimus had returned through the Groundbridge.

If they're back... That means they must have news on my Mother!

"My Mother?" You question aloud, loud enough for the returning bots to hear, as you rush towards them, homework forgotten.

"Careful!" Ratchet warns, scooping you up and gently setting you on his shoulder. "You could've been stepped on!"

"But I wasn't." You retort, huffing slightly.

Turning to the Autobot leader, you ask once more, waiting expectantly,

"My Mother?"

A silence settles as the Prime sorts through his thoughts, as you watch the other two mechs shift from foot to foot.

Something wasn't right here. This news was big, and they knew it.

"Y/N..." The leader starts, choosing his next words wisely. "Your Mother has indeed sustained what seems to be life-threatening injuries to any living being-"

You gasp loudly, your hand instantly flying to your moth in shock as your eyes go wide, not wanting to hear the Prime's next words.

Bumblebee and Bulkhead pass you sympathetic glances in an attempt to comfort you in any way possible.

"However, it appeared that the Decepticon medic, Knock Out, was attending to your Mother's injuries." The Prime finishes as another silence settles once more.

Be like a proton and stay positive, Y/N...

"Well that's good news, right? At least a doctor is keeping my Mom alive!" You exclaim quietly, not entirely sure if you had said those words to encourage yourself or the Autobots in front of you.

"Like Knock Out could attend to human injuries!" Your Guardian snarls, evidently doubting the opposing medic's skills. "I'd like to see him perform the task of stitching up a human wound! It's very difficult, you know!"

"He's better at dis-assembling things than putting them back together! You call that a medic?" Miko's Guardian adds, agreeing with Ratchet.

"Though Knock Out may seem to be lacking the essential skills of a physician on the outside, let us not forget that even through his arrogance, Megatron has kept him alive. Knock Out may prove himself yet."

"When do we go get my Mom back?" You ask once more, worry beginning to chew away at you as Optimus's gaze lands on your small form once more.

"All in due timing, Y/N. I feel that our intentions to raid the Nemesis have not gone unnoticed."

*The Decepticon flagship, the Nemesis*

"I feel that our intentions to raid the Nemesis have not gone unnoticed." The voice of Optimus Prime filters through the faceless Decepticon's speakers standing next to the sleek and sly Commander.

A knowing smile appears on the Commander's face.

"Optimus Prime... Always a bit too late to save the day..." Starscream murmurs to himself, the evil smirk still present as he turns, facing a nearby Vehicon.

"Let Lord Megatron know that Prime's actions have been confirmed."

The Vehicon nods, accepting the order blindly.

"Yes, Commander Starscream." Comes the reply as the Bridge falls silent once more.

Starscream watches the tiny human figure with disinterest as Knock Out works hastily to bandage its wounds.

"What is this I hear about Optimus Prime?" The voice of the Decepticon leader booms from the doorway the Vehicon had previously been through, mere moments ago.

"This human's equivalent of a Sparkling was confirmed to be residing with the Autobots," Starscream confirms, gesturing to the unconscious figure in the medic's hands.

"Ah... I see." Megatron hums, thinking. "Knock Out. Bring me the human."

"As you wish, my liege." The doctor replies, setting the human form in his Leader's hands.

"Starscream, Soundwave, prepare to send a transmission to the Autobots... Let's see if Optimus will continue his scheduled predictability..."

*Autobot Base*

"So you're taught Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and what you know of the planets surrounding Earth?" Ratchet confirms, sitting beside you in his Holoform as you finish up your once forgotten Science homework.

"Yep. That's basically it." You reply, too busy counting Atoms to really give much more of an answer.

The Base was quiet, other than a few odd sounds now and then. Optimus was on an Energon recon, soon to be back, and the others were watching over their humans, leaving both you and your Guardian with the Base to yourselves.

"Sounds easy." The medic retorts with the snarky comment, as usual.

"Sure... Maybe for you... Dang it, Ratchet! You made me lose count!"

"What are you counting?" He asks, intrigued.

"Atoms." You reply dryly, as you continue to explain how you actually do so.

After a brief silence of you counting and your Guardian watching, he suddenly declares the answer to your final homework question.

"Two of those, one of those and three of those."

You laugh lightly, at his vagueness in an attempt to make you continue to work at the question.

"Two Sodium, one Carbon and three Oxygen." You conclude, writing in the numbers and hastily shoving your Science binder away. "So? What's next Doc?"

"I'm going to check in with Optimus. He should be back by now." Ratchet replies, seeming to let the nickname slide as his Holoform sizzles away and his true form appears once again.

"I want to watch!" You explain childishly. "You've never showed me how to work the Comms."

"Yes, yes. Alright."

The medic places you beside the computers as you watch eagerly.

Your Guardian presses a few buttons, and the next thing you know, the Autobot leader's voice fills the room.

"I located the Energon deposit. Your estimate seemed to have been accurate."

Ratchet glances at you, gesturing towards the Groundbridge controls.

You give him a double thumbs up as you carefully climb down from where you were perched moments ago and make your way towards the controls.

That's when it hits you.

"How do I work this?" You mutter softly, not loud enough for the medic to hear.

Scrud! I should have been paying more attention the other day!

"It can't be that difficult... All Ratch normally does is just pull this lever..."

Pulling down on the lever with all your strength and locking it into it's resting position, the satisfying sound of a Groundbridge portal fills your ears.

"There's your Groundbridge, OP!" You cheer aloud.

Minutes later, the Leader appears through the portal as it closes behind the mech with whoosh.

"Well done, Y/N." He acknowledges, striding past your small form towards Ratchet.

"Optimus, I-" The medic starts but is interrupted by an obnoxiously loud sound emitting from the computer's speakers.

"What is that noise?" You yell, covering your ears and shutting your eyes in a vain attempt to dampen the sound piercing your ear drums.

"Incoming unknown transmission." Ratchet confirms, glancing towards the Prime.

The sound instantly stops as the transmission comes through.

"Why hello there, Optimus Prime." A cold, villainous voice greets, dripping with false warmth.

You open your eyes in surprise, only to be met with blood red optics boring into Optimus's blue ones.

"Megatron."

!A/N!

Dun, dun dun! Comment what you think is going to happen in the next chapter!

Also! Chapters will likely be this length or a bit longer from now on, as I intend to continue this book until I reach an ending I am happy with!

Also, when the bots were talking about Knock Out, this meme came to mind: