"The war ship is down thanks to Bulk, and (Y/N) is the one who got to see it?" Miko pouted, folding her arms as the taller woman smiled sheepishly.

         "Sorry Miko- I would have brought a souvenir but we were more worried about getting out of there alive."

     The two were forgiven, of course, though (Y/N) guessed it was the long pause that reminded Miko of her false condition. Pity was a wonderful, moldable tool. 

         "We should strike them now, while they're vulnerable." Arcee suggested, and the others were eager to do just that.

     (Y/N) had been very surprised by Bulkhead's smart thinking in damaging (basically blowing up) the Nemesis' main engine. They were grounded, for the time being, and (Y/N) felt at fault for it. Soundwave's reputation was at stake because of her. If Megatron didn't take this out on him then he'd certainly take it out on her. Then again, maybe Soundwave wouldn't tell him it was their choice to keep the bulky 'Bot on board and unnoticed? It wouldn't do him any good to tell Megatron the truth of how an Autobot managed to sneak onboard. Albeit it was more or less an accident.

         "If we're going to strike, it should be sooner rather than later. I'm detecting a very large energy spike!" Ratchet announced, and the team prepared themselves, Optimus giving Bumblebee the Spark Extractor. 

     (Y/N) wished more than ever that they'd take her with, just to warn Soundwave. Ratchet was not going to let that happen, however, and she frowned when they all left through the swirling portal that cut through space. Miko tried to run after it once Fowler had left, but (Y/N) was in a sour mood so didn't let her. Instead, the three children and one adult watched the monitor in anticipation. 

         "Something's wrong," the oldest human fretted, "I can feel it."

     Ratchet glanced at the woman warily. She had not proven adept to predicting ominous happenings, but the statement had forced shivers up his spinal strut. Her false optics shone brightly, though they were pointed at the monitor, and he wondered about the woman. She was perfect for their team as an ally. (Y/N) had been helpful in many situations, such as bringing Orion Pax back to them. Somehow. She had certainly been the most tolerable human, next to June Darby, Jack's mother, and her story was a sad one. Yet she had lived and seemed all the more resilient for it. Bumblebee had explained how she simply jumped from Megatron's helm to Optimus' shoulder. Ratchet considered it a bit stupid but clearly, she knew her way around a battlefield, and what to use to her advantage. 

         "(Y/N)," Ratchet began, "do you remember anything about your past?"

     The question had caught her off guard as she turned slowly, head tilted as a puppy would have. Her hair swayed to the one side as she thought slowly with the head movement.

         "No, not really." Her optics glittered with a faint curiosity. "Do you have a suspicion?"

         "A small one," he nodded, "but I'm afraid it may be null and void."

     The woman only nodded and turned back to the computer monitors.

     To Ratchet's horror, something did go terribly wrong. Once the war ship left for wherever, he hauled the four frozen Autobots back into the missile silo base. He fretted over their stuck forms, frozen expressions a mix of terror and surprise. They didn't even know the Nemesis was equipped with a Stasis Beam. What could possibly get their soldiers and leader out of this predicament?

         "Why did they leave the Spark Extractor and Fowler," (Y/N) then questioned, earning Ratchet's fretful lecturing as she stood from the couch, as pale as moonlight and optics flickering. She had fainted earlier, and Ratchet had scanned her to reveal a lack of water and food. She still had bouts of sickness from the low altitudes, though the medic was still under the impression it was from Knockout's supposed experiments.

         "Sit back down!" He ordered, "I don't know. I've never encountered this kind of stasis before either."

         "And now the 'Cons are headed to North America." Fowler announced from the railing after he draped a blanket over (Y/N)'s shoulders. 

         "We're tracking them?" Jack looked over from Arcee's frozen pede. "What if we could contact them then?"

         "Contact Megatron? Who do you think he is, a long-lost friend?" Ratchet grouched.

         "Technically." (Y/N) mumbled with a shrug from her blanket after a long silence took over the base. "Ratchet, this is extremely out of character. Megatron is clearly ruthless after what happened with Orion. If everything was quote-end-quote fine, never mind that we're talking about the Decepticons, then we all know Optimus Prime would be dead."

     With a begrudging grumble and nod, Ratchet switched to the large monitor and hailed the Nemesis for Megatron. (Y/N) grew to be the most concerned when no answer came for a long while. Everyone jumped when a low voice sounded from the communications line. 

         :Megatron is no longer in command.:

         "Then who is this that now commands the vessel?" Ratchet ground out.

         :I am the vessel.:

     The room went still at the announcement, and (Y/N) watched an image of Soundwave float by the screen as the Nemesis explained its priority and that whoever got in its way will be neutralized. She could care less about the Relics anymore. Soundwave was frozen too. She had to help now, not only for her own safety but for Soundwave's. Laserbeak was likely affected too. 

     (Y/N) began to wonder if they could think, even in this odd stasis. Were the Autobots routing for them behind those petrified gazes? What was Soundwave thinking? Was he scared? Did the infamous Soundwave know how to process a fear that this would indefinitely bring, the fear of failure?

     Her plants then flashed across her mind. (Y/N) wondered why these were not at the forefront of her thoughts, considering she cared more for those clumps of flora more than any living being.

         "Maybe it's blind to humans?"

     The (H/C) haired woman shook her head, realizing she had been spaced out. An odd occurrence she hated but they were bound to happen from time to time. With little knowledge of their current conversation, she listened intently to catch up.

         "Raph's got a point." Agent Fowler nodded. "That ship could have offed me, had the perfect opportunity, yet I'm still standing."

         "Perhaps, but if the Decepticon vessel widens its search parameters, who knows what a Stasis Beam will do to your organic bodies!" Ratchet argued.

         "Then we make it quick." Jack stated. "We're in, we download the Iacon database, we're out."

     The older mech thought for a moment before nodding, consenting to the idea.

         "Alright then, but you'll need a USB actually compatible." He plucked said USB from his computer and handed it to Raphael. "Use this, and don't lose it. I'll bridge you on the Nemesis but be careful!"

     The group nodded, and even (Y/N) was allowed since Ratchet determined all the Decepticons had been neutralized. The woman was glad to go, hoping maybe trying to detach Soundwave from the computer terminal he had tried to access would help with his stasis lock. She thought better of it however, as all five of them entered the Nemesis. 

     The scattered Vehicons were eerie enough but seeing Knockout frozen and crouched by the computer terminal made them all freeze. Raph pointed out the open USB port, Fowler ready to help (Y/N) up but the woman had apparently forgotten she was mildly sickly after stepping on the Nemesis and climbed up on her own. The three children marveled at her gymnastic ability, Miko giggling as she clapped her hands once the human femme had jumped to the Cybertronian keyboard.

         "How did you do that?" The oldest teen of the three gawked.

     (Y/N) remembered her role, having forgotten their presence for a mere moment in her hurry to release Soundwave from his bar-less prison.

         "I-" she looked down from her new height, "I don't know. I just, I saw my destination and-" She gasped in fake alarm when she seemed to realize it was Knockout's frozen form she had climbed up.

     The other four joined her, Fowler placing a hand on her shoulder.

         "You didn't realize it was him?"

         "I never... I never got to see him from behind." She started to weep. "He always wanted to see my face when he- he-"

     Fowler hugged the woman as tears fell from her false optics, waving the children on so they would continue their mission. Jack plugged the USB into the port and turned to watch the process. They all realized it was going to be a very slow one.

         "It's headed to Manhattan." Raph then realized. "How did an Iacon Relic end up in New York?"

         :These relics crash landed on your planet long before its cities were built,: Ratchet reminded, :Which means if the Nemesis makes it over the location-:

         "It'll take a big bite out of the Big Apple." Jack cringed. "Can't we change its course?"

         "We can try!" Miko volunteered and was about to jump across to the next keyboard, but Fowler stopped her and jumped instead.

     The group of five became a group of four, nearly, as the government agent was shocked into unconsciousness, and the ship announced an attempt of intrusion in his systems. A camera lowered as the children jumped down and checked on the oldest grown-up, while (Y/N) remained on the console.

         "See, it can't see us!" Miko whispered with a grin.

         "Intruder detected," a satellite looking device popped out from the ceiling and they all froze, ducking when the beam shot above them. 

     Jack realized it was too far above them, straightening and attempting to climb up Knockout again once the camera and Stasis Beam device had vanished.

         "(Y/N)!"

         "Oh no... her optics are Cybertronian." Raph gasped.

         "Jack is she okay?" Miko called, but the older boy wasn't even halfway up Knockout's hunched form. They were all relieved to hear a groan, and then a whimper as (Y/N) stood with her bright blue optics, a bit brighter than before, though they didn't move or even register Jack's presence when he made it up to the console.

         "(Y/N)?" He helped her to straighten up and she jumped at his voice.

         "Jack, I can't see." She stated rather soberly. "I think the Stasis Beam hit me."

         :What's going on over there?:

     They had forgotten about Ratchet. 

     Miko picked up the phone from the floor and answered his worried question.

         "(Y/N) was hit with the stasis thing. She seems fine but her optics don't work anymore."

     The medic cursed himself. How could he have forgotten about (Y/N)'s optics? What kind of physician was he to let her go onboard the Nemesis when it was specifically looking for Cybertronian signatures which those false optics would most certainly give off. Even if they were small, the now living vessel wouldn't take any chances.

         :Bring her back immediately. I don't know if the dark energon Megatron used would be infused with the energy in that beam and I'm not going to risk it.:

         "If Megatron used dark energon to fuel the ship, can't you dump it like you dump a portable bathroom?" (Y/N) then questioned, and while Ratchet had no idea what a portable bathroom was, he understood what she was suggesting. He was also relieved to hear her speaking and sounding, oddly, alright.

         :That's a sound idea, and could work,: the medic admitted, :however, with you blinded and potentially suffering internal damages, I want both you and Fowler brought back. Jack and Raph, I believe you two would be best for the job while Miko helps (Y/N) through the groundbridge.:

         "No." Everyone was silent at the sudden, and rather quick answer from (Y/N). "Jack may need Miko's outside-the-box thinking. I can't see but I can hear and feel well enough. I'll carry Fowler and listen for the Iacon Database to be fully downloaded when I come back. The ship thinks I'm down for the count, so let's use that to our advantage."

     Ratchet was reluctant but allowed it, knowing purging the ship's systems and the Iacon relics were both equally as important. He activated the groundbridge and allowed the human woman to drag Fowler in before she leapt back onto the Nemesis. When she had determined the children were gone and well out of ear shot from the direction she wanted to go, (Y/N) began her journey at a sprint. The Iacon database was massive and would take far longer to transfer to the USB drive than this little errand. The three heroes had taken the phone with them, so she knew Ratchet wasn't able to check on her, but also didn't think she'd be any farther from the USB than she had to be.

     (Y/N) was glad she paid attention to where Laserbeak would often fly when she was on his back, as well as where they had found the computer terminal. It was difficult only when she would run into the occasional Vehicon, but overall, the way was cleared once she came to the bow of the ship, thanks to Megatron's absence and everyone's hurry to neutralize their vessel. 

         Her next challenge was determining exactly where Soundwave was. 

     The woman stopped to breathe for a minute. An easier feat then when she was on Earth's surface, but she also needed to clear her head of her pounding heart's rhythm. The door was stuck open, thankfully, but she needed to be careful of the sheer drop that made up the raised platform in the middle. (Y/N) then remembered that Soundwave would be at the right according to the photo sent by the Nemesis. She found the lip of the platform and followed it, soon bumping into Soundwave's pede.

         "How did I know that?" she wondered. "It could be another Vehicon's pede." 

     Her hand swept across the cool metal, the physical contact apparently confirming in her mind's eye that this was indeed Soundwave. She climbed up his frame, wondering how she felt like she could see, yet saw nothing. The woman was just about to slide down the extended and frozen appendage she had reached when she felt herself blink and could see again. 

     Looking around in alarm, (Y/N) pulled a receipt from her pocket (stuffed there after a shopping trip) and hastily wrote a little note for the TIC before climbing back down and sprinting back to the computer room. She was relieved to find the children still gone, but could hear their frantic footsteps, so quickly climbed up Knockout's form again and attempted to yank the USB from its port.

         "(Y/N) come on, hurry!" Jack urged, about to climb up there himself, but the movement of Knockout's helm stopped him as he looked in absolute horror as (Y/N) too, stopped.

     The woman watched, petrified, as the cherry red medic raised a metallic brow at her presence, then glanced behind him, seeing the two-wheeler's charge. He then smirked, looked back to the still acting (Y/N) and turned a single servo into a saw blade.

         "Say 'ah'." He crooned, only to hear a groundbridge appear behind him, and an orange and white fist met his perfectly pampered faceplate.

         "I'm here." Ratchet soothed, picking up the paralyzed woman and quickly swiping the USB from the port before disappearing. 

     Meanwhile, Soundwave finally jerked from his forced stasis, stiff and mildly peeved. He retracted his elongated appendages, catching sight of a twirling piece of flattened matter. He caught it between his thin digits before scanning it. He wondered what a receipt for a fast-food restaurant was doing on the war ship, but upon reading its blank back, he knew exactly what happened.

     His only question was why (Y/N) would only write 'sorry' on its blank surface with her own life allowing, red liquid. Then again, she might not have had anything else to write with, other than her own blood. That only left the simple word for him to ponder over. Perhaps he will be able to inquire about it in the future.