Smokescreen had been severely scolded for going off of the radar, and was pushed for answers on how he had simply disappeared! Of course, he gave no definite answer, just dodged the question until Arcee and Ratchet were finally done with his antics and usual rookie answers that gave no clue as to where he was and who he was with, though they had a mild suspicion.

         |:Dude where were you?:| Bee asked as he came behind Smokescreen.

         "Oh you know, just checking the perimeter, guess something shorted out and you guys couldn't find me," he shrugged, and went off somewhere else before more questions could be asked.

         "You weren't looking for (Y/D) were you?" Bulkhead moved in his way.

         "Whaaaaaaaaat? Pfft, no, you guys said she was long gone."

         "We said there were rumors," Ratchet grumped.

         "Who's (Y/D)?" Raf asked as he looked up from his computer, this time it was Optimus who answered, and Smokescreen hoped he had a bit more to say that might reveal this mystery femme.

         "(Y/D) is Megatron's only known heir," his baritone voice announced, "She was known for being quite ruthless, just like her sire, earning respect often through fear, and was always seen as his most trusted soldier," Smokescreen frowned, perhaps the femme he has been seeing isn't the same (Y/D), the only time she had shown hostility was when she thought he was a threat, "Alas, she disappeared before we Autobots, and her fellow Decepticons, left our home on Cybertron, and came here to Earth. No one knows what had become of her."

         "Ratchet and Arcee told me of some of the rumors!" Smokescreen piped up, "Do you think any of them are true?"

         "All I know is that (Y/D) once had a chance to change," Optimus spoke, "whether she took that chance or not, is a complete mystery."

The rookie looked to Ratchet, who's optics were downcast. What would warrant that kind of reaction? Especially for a Decepticon, alive or not?

     That night, Smokescreen did exactly what he was told NOT to do. Making sure no one was awake, he opened a groundbidge, hoping no one heard as he slipped through, but not before setting a timer for it to open in half an hour. He stepped onto the sand of the oasis, a couple shoots of grass popping out here and there. The moon made the water glitter, and the femme currently in it shine. She hadn't heard the groundbridge, much to Smokescreen's relief, so he decided to get a closer look, hiding behind the lush foliage just across from the deep pool. He watched as she seemed to dance in the water, bobbing up and down from time to time as she giggled and laughed. How could this graceful being be the daughter of such a tyrant? Smokescreen couldn't seem to put it together. She resembled Megatron to a point, but was such a polar opposite that it was hard to believe that this was the (Y/D) from the horror stories Arcee and Ratchet described. He took a step closer, his pede landing on a stick he did not see, and the mech froze, looking to the now suspicious (Y/D). She looked in his direction stepping out of the water as she neared him, curious. The many droplets of water gliding down her frame like pearls as she slowly waded out, and Smokescreen found himself frozen in the cool air of the Nevada Midnight. Her green optics brightened the closer she became, and adrenaline shot through both of them as a small lizard darted from the bush Smokescreen had used as his cover, resulting in both to shriek in alarm. The rookie shot up and stumbled out, bumping into (Y/D) and both landing on their afts in the water.

     For a moment they stared at each other, breathing heavily as their moment of fright ebbed away, and they laughed, Smokescreen's a young, innocent and boisterous laugh, (Y/D)'s a more mature, held together laugh that rang like a sharp, but lovely bell in the night. How can this femme be the daughter of the war lord, whose laugh sends shivers down even the most brave of back struts?

         "W-what brings you here?" the femme's mirth died down, but her smile stayed as she looked to her current companion.

         "Well... I wanted to tell you that I got in trouble," Smokescreen chuckled, and noticed her smile fade, "But don't worry, I'm just not aloud to leave without an escort."

Her expression suddenly went dark as she stood up from the water, and the mech still sitting found himself intimidated by the smaller femme as she looked down at him.

         "Are you alone now?" she asked threateningly, and while Smokescreen knew he came alone, he still felt that he had to play his cards right.

         "Y-yeah... no one saw me come through the groundbridge-" (Y/D) growled and began to stomp off, Smokescreen scrambling to get up and follow her, "It's fine! The groundbridge will come back and then I'll be gone!"

         "Imbecile!" she shouted, turning abruptly, stomping a pede into the soft sand and grass mixture, "The coordinates will lead them straight here. I thought you would be smarter than this!" Her faceplate went from angered to frightened, and then to guilty as she looked to the ground, "I-I'm sorry... You should wait here for your groundbridge... just... don't go looking for me again."

She turned away once more, but Smokescreen caught her servo before she could take off, making her look to him with a hint of fear in her bright green optics. He looked into these emeralds of pure light, and sighed.

         "You're Megatron's daughter, aren't you?"

     There was a moment of pure shock as her free servo found it's way to her chassis, an empty and torn space just between what came up to be her shoulder armor. This was the missing Decepticon symbol that bound her to her Sire's cause. Yanking her servo away from his own, she started to back away while Smokescreen advanced.

         "Y-you're a trap aren't you?" she asked, shock turning to fear and anger as she held the servo he once had in his own.

         "(Y/D) please listen," Smokescreen pleaded, but she shook her helm, intake slack, "The others don't even know what's become of you. Th-they think you're offlined!"

         "And offlined I shall be!" the grey-white femme hollered, "and I suggest you act that way as well."

     She was about to transform but was once again caught by Smokescreen, this time being wrestled down, but he was quickly flipped over and held down by the overpowered femme, who definitely took on the trait of the former gladiator's freakish strength.

         "Stand down," she growled, an elbow joint shoved between his raised doors as they twitched from the pain, "I don't want to offline you."

         "Nor I you, I just want to understand why you are like this!"

         "Undertsand? What makes you think you are capable of understanding my motives? My drive to live. What makes you think you can understand ME?"

He struggled for a while longer before giving up, and going slack under her hold, resulting in much of the pain to disappear, but he knew that she would create more pain if he resisted again.

         "It's not that I think I CAN understand, it's that... it's that I want to."

     It was another minute, but he soon felt the weight lift from his back plates, and slowly got up, careful not to make any sudden moves that would make the on edge femme think he was retaliating. He turned to see her unsure, yet hopeful faceplate. Oh how she wanted his statement to be true, but who would want to understand the daughter of a monster? so many saw her as such, a monster to be eradicated. She dealt with the insults, she could still hear them clearly. "Unicron-spawn" "Daughter of the Pits" "A Fallen one" "Enemy of Primus" They swam in her processor, they taunted her from the intakes of Autobots and Decepticons alike. She didn't hear that all alone, but she heard her thoughts. Smokescreen had rolled along almost too late, she was going to end the voices that constantly tortured her, but then there he was, about to end it for her if it wasn't for his fast reflexes to brake.

         "No one knows?" she asked, earning a nod in return, and she let her guard down just a bit, "I-I'm sorry... Did I hurt you?"

Smokescreen huffed at this.

         "Hurt me? No way!" He was going to place his servos on his hip plates in a pose of pure bravado, but the dislocated armor on his back side made him wince.

         "Let me get that for you," (Y/D) sighed, and rounded him to take a look at the damage she had done, luckily, it wasn't much, "How much time do you have until the groundbridge comes back?"

         "Um... maybe ten... twelve minutes?"

She nodded at this, and made him sit down on a grassier part of the oasis, sitting just behind him, placing her weight on her knee joints as she tried to relocate the slightly bent armor that caved under her force.

         "Tell me if this hurts."

         "Ha, you're talking to Smokescreen here, not much can hurt M-YOW!"

He jumped as the armor was slid back into place, rather forcefully.

         "You idiot," she sighed, "Next time don't talk so you can tell me if I'm using to much force."

         "Yep," he wheezed, squeezing his optics shut as he tried not to let the tears fall, "Guessing you get that from your sire."

         "One perk," she admitted, "Though it's hard to control."

     (Y/D) used the last of their alotted time trying to make it seem as if nothing had happened, readjusting his backplates so that it was no longer uncomfortable for him to move. When the groundbridge came back, Smokescreen sighed, and looked to the femme whom had caught his interest.

         "Well, I guess this is good bye."

         "Maybe not," she said, smiling slightly. She flicked a rock into her servo, and carved something into it with a sharpened digit, "In case you get bored while you're grounded."

         "Okay, terrible pun." he chuckled, and took the rock, finding a com number, along with a small smiley face next to it, "Thanks," he smiled back.

        "No problem, see you later, Smokescreen."

He left with a small solute, and quickly crept back to his berthroom, being noticed by no one, luckily, though not without erasing the coordinates from the computers.