"As you can see," Marissa finished her several-hour long explanation of her misadventure with Starscream and Barricade to the newly arrived Autobot leader, who also had realized on his way back from meeting the small convoy of supplies that the pull on his spark had stopped, "the only harm done to me is a couple bruises, and maybe a concussion and whiplash." She had shortened her tale for the sake of Optimus Prime's patience and her own sanity after having to explain every possible detail to her captive audience of three teens, two adults and several Autobots before he arrived. 

     Optimus merely nodded as he mulled over her story, and the likelihood of such a thing actually happening. The bracelet on her wrist had gone dormant once more, except that the plasma-like strands continued to dance and sometimes follow her trailing fingers if she touched the device. Barricade had taken to brooding in the corner of the hangar, watched and more or less guarded by Ironhide and Bumblebee. The Prime had agreed that he would not be considered an enemy unless he proved himself hostile, considering he brought the strange device to them asking for aid in solving its mystery.

         "And they did not threaten your life in any way?" He questioned.

         "Of course, they did," Marissa smiled with a shrug, "they didn't try to butter me up to that extent. Starscream made most of the threats, though I'm sure Barricade would have ripped my arm off on numerous occasions."

     Said Decepticon merely chuckled, knowing it was true. The fact that Marissa seemed to consider it a joke troubled her father, who stood with her on the platform with the other humans, taking suspicious glances of the black and white alien. 

         "And you did not fear for your own safety?" Optimus clarified, watching a thoughtful expression cross the civilian's face as she once again caressed the bracelet on her wrist. 

         "Maybe a couple times," she admitted, "and rightfully so, but overall, I wasn't worried. There was once when Starscream dropped me on accident, but Blurr caught me before I could hit the ground. And then when he barrel rolled that one time. I'm not a fan of falling."

         "But you did not fear either Barricade or Starscream?" Ratchet questioned further.

         "I was terrified." 

     Barricade's four gleaming optics focused on the woman, as he had not heard anything about her fear of him or Starscream since abducting her. She had only shown a confident defiance and idiocy (idiotic to him, anyway). 

         "I mean, who wouldn't be? A giant alien jet creature shows up in your back yard and his four-eyed friend who's been stalking you since being in Mission City rolls up later that night and they both kidnap you? Optimus Prime, sir, I have never been more terrified in my life. I didn't know if my parents were okay, or my sister, or if my brother was going to be left out of this entire debacle." Setting her hands gently on the railing, Marissa's expression was one of peace, and perhaps a strange amusement. "Barricade and Starscream could have killed me, but for some reason they didn't, so while I'm still aware that they can absolutely tear me limb from limb, I also know they're capable of not doing that. They tolerate me enough to consider keeping me alive even if it's not to their own benefit."

         "It's that trinket, isn't it?" Knockout had been listening, despite appearing bored.

     Barricade nodded. 

         "Starscream had taken it into the Alps so he'd have some form of solitude. It didn't last long because Sideways was nearby and had crept under his sensors. Apparently, the device had synced its pulsing to his spark and forced feelings not of his own to appear."

         "And what of Sideways?" Blurr raised an optic brow.

         "Offline as far as we know." Barricade shrugged, still leaning against the metal wall of the hangar. "Starscream buried him in an ice cave."

         "So, then this device forced a protective instinct that attached to its current host into the both of you." Ratchet mulled over the information given to him. "Optimus there's no artifact known to Cybertronian kind that could possibly change a bot's own personality- and so quickly!"

         "That explained why Blurr was so bent out of shape about losing the fleshy." Knockout nodded. "I had a hunch, but I didn't have much to go on. Maybe if I had a look at the both of your sparks, I could find if there's any physical change."

         "The day I let you near me as a doctor, is the day my spark is extinguished." Barricade growled.

         "He's really not that bad." Marissa piped up. "He might be vain and full of himself, but I watched him repair Blurr's communication system and he takes his job seriously."

         "Finally, someone who knows a steady servo when she sees one." The cherry red racer sighed, apparently tired of not being trusted in his chosen field. 

     Optimus was not completely listening to the conversation, nor Ratchet's mumblings beside him. Instead, he was trying to deduct from the evidence provided what exactly this energy could be. The older medic was correct in saying no such artifact could have such an intimate connection to a spark that it could change a bot's very personality. His stare continued to rest on the tiny object around the woman's wrist, watching the plasma slow as her other hand left the warm metal. It obviously didn't mind humans, but it held more of a connection too all of the Transformer species. 

         "Marissa," Optimus started, quieting the room, "would you be willing to cooperate in a few, harmless tests regarding your bracelet?"

         "It's not really mine," she shrugged politely, "but sure, as long as they're harmless."

     Optimus nodded in assurance before asking her to hand the bracelet to Mikaela. The older woman was clearly curious as to what it could prove but wasn't hesitant in doing so. The teen took it gingerly, taking the opportunity to examine the broken glass-like design on the jewelry piece. There was no change, to the human eye, anyway. Optimus and Ratchet noticed that the small glow the energy emanated weakened. Asking to pass the device on to Sam, then William, Optimus contemplated letting Miles hold the trinket, but he clearly was a little apprehensive about holding something possibly important. 

     The bracelet was returned to Marissa, who smiled as she situated it in her palm, and the minute glow returned, seen only by the observing Cybertronians.

         "Marissa, are you willing to let me hold this device?" Optimus questioned, to which the woman nodded and held out her palm. The Prime stretched a digit for her to place it in when her attention snapped to the open hangar door and her arm folded back closer to her body. The others followed suit, wondering what on Earth had taken her attention away so suddenly.

     Bumblebee was the first to be the wariest as he left his post near Barricade to observe the skies.

         -: I - Don't see anything:- Bumblebee informed, turning back to the tense group.

     Their attention returned to the still staring Marissa, who blinked a few times before setting the bracelet on Optimus Prime's digit and jogging off the platform. It didn't take an order for the others to follow suit, her father close behind as he tried to coerce his daughter into explaining why she wasn't saying anything. The woman only held up a finger in a silent request for a minute of silence as she watched the clouds gather above her. 

         "I thought I heard an engine." She admitted, visibly worried as no sign of the Seeker appeared. "We had to leave Starscream behind when we were attacked."

         "He'll be fine." Barricade snapped from the hangar entrance. "Primus' sake, you're annoying."

         "Watch your tongue." Shane pointed an accusatory finger at the clearly stronger being, who only stared at the smaller with an expression far closer to an angered annoyance than what he could achieve with Marissa. "Remember where you are, beast."

         "Dad." The returned captive scolded, hitting him on his arm to gain his undivided attention. The action only made Barricade chuckle, seeing the older male's anguish as his offspring's abductor was more or less supported by the abductee. "Remember you're a tiny bug, and Barricade's foot is a can of RAID."

     The man only stared at her with pure confusion and dumbness. When he was finally out of his stupor, all he could do was look at the other humans around him, who shrugged or were just as stunned. William took the few steps to stand by the pepper-haired man, setting a hand on his shoulder as silent support. They watched for a while as Marissa continued searching the skies for the other Decepticon, occasionally asking Bumblebee what all they had in supplies. The poor bot was obviously a bit disarmed at how casual the human was acting despite having been abducted by his kind.

         "Stockholm Syndrome." Lennox suggested. "You've said before that she was caring, right?"

     Shane Faireborn only nodded; mouth slightly agape as his daughter spoke to giant alien robots as if she had known them since childhood.

         "That trait might have just backfired a bit, psychologically." The Colonel continued. "I'm sure once she's separated from Barricade and Starscream for good, she'll realize they're not worth caring about."

         "She shouldn't have been separated from her home, Colonel Lennox." The father responded before shrugging his hand off and stalking back to the hangar.

     Marissa looked over her shoulder as footsteps began to recede, frowning when she saw her father's back. She knew his angry walk; the stiff shoulders, hung head and tightened fists swinging with his tense steps. She knew from the beginning that he wouldn't be cooperative if her and Barricade had simply come to the Autobots with friendly words. That's why she was willing to play the part of the helpless victim, in hopes that they would be able to get the information and she could be returned without Shane Faireborn being needlessly angry at his daughter's strange understanding of the Cybertronian race, specifically her captors.

     Bumblebee had noticed the lull in conversation, peering down to find Marissa's melancholic expression. He turned further to find Mr. Faireborn gone, and Colonel Lennox shaking his head as he stared at the open maw of the hangar. There he saw the older human stalk past Barricade, who huffed at him, doing little else as he leaned on the open wall. Marissa returned to staring at the sky beneath the warrior.

         -: You should - take time - for - family :-

         "I know," the human nodded, bringing a hand up to shield her eyes from the disappearing sun, "but right now he's too angry. If dad's angry, you leave him alone until he's cooled down. He doesn't like saying stupid things when he's angry, and neither do I, I'd imagine no one does."

     Bumblebee doubted the Decepticon currently glaring daggers into his backplates held the same thoughts on the matter. The thought of the second one possibly arriving made him suddenly aware of the jets making their usual exercises. It wasn't out of the ordinary, and the two flying didn't hold any strange markings on their shell, so his anxieties were eased. Marissa, however, only became more hopeful, or was it paranoid? Bumblebee couldn't tell as her eyes locked on the two aircraft and her body stiffened.

         Was this a fearful reaction?

         Was it excitement?

     Both seemed a plausible answer as the human's fragile helm whipped in the opposite direction when the jets flew past. She began to grin as her brown, squishable orbs blazed with recognition.

         "There! He made it!"

     Bumblebee searched the horizon where the returned human pointed enthusiastically. His far more advanced optics caught sight of the Lockheed quite quickly and knew exactly where the Seeker was going to land. 

     In response, the sports car picked up the human femme and whirred the warning of an incoming bogey. The alarm was met with slight panic from the exposed humans on the ground as they rushed back into the hangar, barely making it after Blurr had swept them all into one arm and drifted back to safety. Bumblebee kept the wind from Starscream's harsh landing from reaching the woman in his arms as the Seeker transformed in a heap just before the hangar's entrance. The mech merely groaned as he lifted himself up on shaky limbs, his glare a silent challenge to anyone who dared say a word about his condition.

         "Took you long enough." Barricade spoke first, making the rest of the room stiffen.

     They hadn't accounted for the strange Decepticon dynamic.

         "I could still kick your aft." The Commander bluffed, energon leaking from several deep cuts in his chassis, and his left pede was all but mangled to a stub. His arms certainly weren't spared from the carnage as he held them close to himself. His left wing was also damaged, and helm dented. "The wench has more than Waspinator. Her sister is here too."

         "Black Arachnia?" Ratchet voiced in disbelief. "Impossible, she was eaten by scraplets on Cybertron."

         "Scraplets?" Miles pondered.

         "Hold on- eaten?" Mikaela questioned.

     Both were ignored.

         "Apparently both our informants were wrong at the time." Barricade's usual frown deepened.

         "You guys can have siblings?" Sam wondered out loud, also being ignored.

         "Where's the device?" Starscream demanded, spying the Prime staring at said trinket in his palm. He hadn't even registered that Starscream had more or less crash landed, leaving several cracks in the concrete as a result. There was likely a dent too.

     No one had realized the Autobot leader had zoned out, staring at the trinket which pulsed in time to his spark. A steady rhythm that entranced those watching, except the confused humans, pulled the Cybertronians and Velocitronians toward the Prime as their curiosity grew. 

     Marissa had little choice in also being rather interested as Bumblebee approached the small crowd. Wiggling from his pressed hold she managed to climb over to Barricade's shoulder, who didn't seem to mind. The only acknowledgement of her presence being that his quad-optics glanced at the human before focusing on the trinket. 

     Little changed about it as it pulsed, though its bright center began to move, as if looking at its audience. It seemed to stare at Marissa and Barricade for a bought longer than the others before it returned to center, and its pulsing slowed to nothing, the plasma-like strings halting their movement again.

     Optimus blinked out of his stupor, scanning the crowd that had grouped around him like lambs to a shepherd. Even the two Decepticons seemed innocently interested, Barricade strangely so, the Prime noted his previous captive sitting on his shoulder as the three youth would their guardians. 

     It was a shame such a nice human had been the accidental finder of the artifact.

         "Well?" Ratchet urged his friend. "Optimus, what is it?"

         "Don't tell me you were staring at the thing for nothing?" Starscream griped, swinging a damaged arm at Knockout, who only huffed after attempting to do some minor repairs.

         "You know what it is?" Marissa questioned hopefully, earning the Prime's attention fully. "I'm just curious."

     Optimus was quiet for a moment longer as he looked back to the bracelet in his palm. He gave a calm but warning look to Barricade before outstretching his servo to return the device to its finder. Despite it having returned to its core species, it was wise to let her continue to be its holder. Marissa took it with a confused expression, matching everyone else's.

         "This device which you have found, is one half of a whole." Optimus explained, his servo still hovering for Marissa to stand on, lest the information he was about to unveil convince Barricade and the wounded Starscream they could leave with her in their hold once more. He was thankful she took the invitation, despite Barricade appearing as if he would bite the Prime. Once she was secure on his palm, he brought her closer to himself. "The first half is the Allspark. However, we believed it to be a complete piece. The device in which you hold on your wrist is not a device at all, but rather a living entity, the other half in which creates the Allspark."

         "The Allspark is the Allspark, what half is there to take away from it?" Knockout questioned as he watched Ratchet begin to repair the Seeker with an amount of disdain.

         "What exactly is the Allspark?" Marissa questioned, to which Starscream answered.

         "A life granting power, for our species, anyway." He hissed at the medic as he inspected his sensitive wings. "Remember when I told you about the boy and his use of it to destroy the Decepticon leader?" Marissa nodded, looking in the direction Starscream pointed too, only to frown skeptically.

         "Sam Witwicky? No. That's the guy you said the Autobots would let harm me?"

         "He what?" Sam was clearly offended, while Mikaela held in a poorly concealed spittle of laughter, knowing that Sam could hardly hurt a mouse without feeling squeamish. Miles joined her, only far less reserved.

     Starscream only shrugged as every Autobot glared at him with pure hatred (except Optimus, who only had a ghost of disappointment displayed on his faceplate).

         "It clearly made you uncomfortable, besides, what other way to possibly make you trust us rather than them? Watch your servo, medic!" He snapped as Ratchet removed a piece of shrapnel from his left wing harshly.

         "As Starscream said," Optimus continued, "the Allspark grants life to our species, even from your own technology. The entity on your wrist, Ms. Faireborn, is the half that grants a personality. 

         A true life. 

         An individual."

     Marissa held the bracelet close to her chest as it pulsed strongly to its own name.

"Vector Sigma."