[Rachel's POV]

Barricade. The anger I could feel was burning inside my chest. Rage was blinding me from everything but my target. My rifle was already trained on his helm, and I let loose a volley of bullets. Even before they hit, I press a button on the side of the rifle. The magazine drops, and I quickly reload. With a switch, I feel my knives release from my hips and drop toward their new target:

Barricade's spark.

I quickly release even more bullets and I can feel the rage spike as they hit. He stumbles back from Ironhide, who I never realized was just about to get slammed by Barricade. Swiftly, I slap my rifle against my leg, feeling the strap form, and hold the rifle in place. I activate the menu on my wrist and click the wing symbol. Mechanical whirrs echo behind me as massive wings unfold from the armor. They snap out just before I crash against the ground, saving my legs from breaking. I feel the wind push me back up a bit, and I snap them shut as a warning blares in my ears. I land on the ground hard, having to roll to save myself from horrible injuries as a rocket whistles above my head. I lift my eyes to spot Barricade glaring back. He was leaking energon from multiple cracks in his body.

Kill.

My eyes see red, and I charge forward with a roar. I recall my daggers, watching them rip out from Barricade's chassis. As they near, they merge into one blade, and I catch them in my hands. I hold the sword behind me, rushing forward in a blind rage. Alerts warn me of many missiles coming toward me, but a sudden instinct kicks in and I lose control. I slip beneath the first one, launch myself over the second, and swiftly swing my blade into the third, slicing it clean in two. However, it still explodes as I finish, but I come out unscathed, much to Barricade's demise. His bright red optics widen in sudden fear...

Fear

My heart suddenly skips as the thought of his fear fueling me makes my stomach turn. My eyes widen, and I flip over instead and land a solid kick against his cheek. His helm snaps over and he falls onto his back. I crash against the ground and roll, feeling my ears start to ring. My head was spinning, confusion setting in. What was that sensation? That feeling? It... felt right.

I shake my head and stand. I raise my head, expecting a fight. However, all I find is Barricade rushing away with the rest of the drones, dragging their fallen comrades in defeat. I feel a pain in my chest and clutch it, but my mind runs at a million miles an hour. 

'What was that feeling? That... That wasn't me.... was it?'

Once I can lift my gaze again, I see Wheeljack in front of me on one knee. His optics are concerned and I could tell he was scanning me. "Rachel? You there kid?" I shake my head, straightening my stance and sighing. "I'm... I'm here. I just... I don't know what came over me." I look him in the optic, unable to hide the fear and confusion I was feeling. He doesn't say anything for a moment, but he reaches down as if to pick me up. "Hey! I can walk!" I protest. However, my right leg gives way. when I take a step Thankfully, Wheeljack's servo was already close to me, and I fall onto one of his digits. 

"No, you can't. You dislocated your ankle when you decided to kick a solid cybertronian in the helm." I feel my face flush at the reminder, embarrassed that I let rage take hold like that. 

"But..."

I stop. How was I supposed to explain that it wasn't me who did that? I mean, yes, it was me, but I don't remember doing it. It was almost like I was watching a movie and had no control until I saw Barricade's fear.

Wheeljack moves me up until I am level with his helm.

"But what?"

I shake my head. "I just... thought it would be a good idea. Slicing him would've gotten energon on me, and I can't risk it missing my suit. Also, it doesn't rinse out well." I try to give a slight smile, lifting myself onto my good leg. Wheeljack slightly huffs but offers a small smirk. I feel my mind relax, knowing he had bought my lie.

"Now, where's the pain in our aft that had to get into trouble?" Wheeljack laughs at that before turning around. I see Bulkhead patching up Ironhide a bit by an old fresco. We get closer and Ironhide lifts his helm. A look of pride crosses his face. "Nice kick, kid. I'd say you'd fit right in if you weren't so small." I only shake my head as Bulkhead laughs. "You know size doesn't matter with her! She'd take you down in a nano-click." 

"I appreciate the cover, Bulk. But I'd never do that to 'Hide. He's been beaten up enough already." I can't help but laugh as Ironhide frowns. Wheeljack and Bulkhead chuckle and I turn to try and seem like I'm investigating the surroundings.

Enemy.

"Jackie! Nine o'clock!"

Without hesitation, Wheeljack raises his left arm and it switches to the canon. He lefts off three blasts, each slamming into the chassis of a drone that had just appeared out of a pile of rubble. It crashes to the ground, red-triangle optic fading. I suck in a breath, trying to hold back my shock. 

I never saw him.

I didn't know he was there.

I could feel his presence.

It was like a sixth sense. My hair went on end and I knew he was there. I could hear a voice in my head shouting that we weren't safe yet. And the voice? It wasn't mine. 

I think I might have a concussion. These have to be delusions. 

Right?

I shake it off as Wheeljack's voice snaps me back to reality. "Nice eye, kid. The rubble he was under hid him from my sensors. Thought he could pull a fast one on us." I rub the back of my neck and laugh. "Hah, yeah. Guess I have a nose for danger... sometimes." Quickly, I whip out my phone and open the camera app. "Well, while we're here, might as well take a few pics before you break any more murals." Ironhide only huffs before pushing himself up off the ground. "Whatever you say, Rache. Bulkhead, help me load some of this on the Jackhammer." Wheeljack shakes his helm and turns away while Bulkhead nods and follows the taller black mech towards the massive blue crystals jutting out from the side of the mountain.

As Wheeljack starts moving around, I feel the adrenaline finally wearing off and the ankle begins to throb. I hold back my hiss of pain, but it was getting hard to hide. "Uh, Jackie?" I lift my head to meet his optics, and he tilts his helm. "Hm?" I gesture to my ankle. "Can you pause for a minute? I'm going to reset this first."

"You know how to do that?"

"Comes in handy when working on a massive base."

He only shrugs before he stops moving so I can sit. Carefully, I bring my leg towards myself as if I was sitting criss-cross. Once I get my ankle where I want it, I quickly adjust it and feel the pop as the socket is realigned and the pain already begins to subside.

"I heard that. You sure you did it right?" 

The worry in his voice is heartwarming, and I nod my head while hiding the tears that had slipped passed my eyelids. "Yes. Doesn't even hurt. It's not my first time either." Carefully I stand, putting slight weight on the leg to test it. Of course, it was still sore, but not as bad as before now. I try to discreetly wipe my eyes, but it's in vain.

"You were never good at lying, ya know."

I turn around to see Wheeljack holding a somber expression. "What's really going on? You were shaken up when I found ya after attacking Barricade." I sigh and gesture for him to continue walking. He narrows his gaze, so I start talking.

"I don't know how to explain it, but..." I pause, looking at him. He huffs and starts walking toward a part of the area that wasn't destroyed yet. I start snapping pictures of the excavated parts while trying to replay what happened. "I couldn't... I don't know what came over me. Seeing Barricade after everything, I just lost it. I knew the suit would protect me to a point if I managed to roll once I hit the ground. But, that's as much thought as I put into it." I lower my phone, losing interest in the research project. I carefully sit down in the palm of Wheeljack's servo. I lift my head to look at him, dropping my mask and revealing my fear. He pauses his walk.

"Wheeljack, the rage I felt... I couldn't control it. I just had this animalistic urge to tear him apart limb from limb!" My heart rate increases, and I suck in a deep breath to try and steady it. The sensation was there again, but I could calm it a bit this time. I lift my gaze once more to look Wheeljack in the optic. He was one of the few I was open with about almost everything. His gaze was hard, but gentle. Stern, but calm.

"Rachel, I know what that feeling is. Heh, I'm probably one of the only ones on base who truly understands what you're feelin' right now." He pauses for a moment, lowering his gaze before returning to meet mine. "You're wanting revenge, right?" His pause indicates a response, so I nod. I couldn't bring myself to say it. After all, that would mean I've been lying to Optimus during our little 'therapy' sessions. 

He continues, starting to move once again. "It's... contagious, enticing, promises freedom from the pain you feel." We start nearing the edge top of the mountain. I hadn't realized how high up we had walked. Once we make it to the top, I feel the wind brush against my face. From our vantage point, we could see the ocean. A small town was near the coast. It was beautiful and peaceful. I feel Wheeljack's arm relax a bit as well, almost as if he took in a deep breath.

"I'd be lyin' to ya if I didn't admit that revenge has sometimes given me that freedom."

I turn to look at him, not completely surprised at that statement. I know of his past and how many he has lost before arriving on Earth. What surprised me the most was his admitting to it helping only sometimes. His optics shift to me for a moment, and he lets out a single chuckle. "You'll never hear it from me again kid, but I'll tell you that at times, revenge has only made the hurt worse. I am not the one to guide you on this matter, or to advise you on what to do. I'd tell you to do what feels right, but we don't always know what that is until it's too late." He fully turns his helm to look at me, and I frown. I know who he will tell me to talk to, and it's the last person I'd want to worry right now.

"I'm guessing you haven't been honest with Prime on this matter?"

My face flushes and I huff. I refuse to give him an answer to a question he already knows. He lets out a solid laugh and carefully moves to a sitting position. "He's... well, he's a leader. Sometimes his lectures can be suffocating, but sometimes he's right."

I gasp, holding a hand over my mouth. "Wheeljack! Did you just admit that Optimus is sometimes right about what he tells you?" The wrecker shakes his helm with a defeated sigh. "Like I said, you'll never hear it again. To be honest, he's the only one who could ever lead us." We both go silent, looking over the scenery together. He's right, in more ways than one, but it was shocking to hear him admit it. He always shows himself as the rebel, but his loyalty never wavers.

"I've said I would make a better leader, but that was far from the truth. Prime he... He's the calm to all our storms. He's level when we are all..." He grows silent, looking for the right word. I smirk and lean back on both hands. "Unstable?" The soft chuckle he gives off is all I need. "Yeah. That works."

We stay silent for a moment, enjoying the breeze, the peace, and the beauty of it all.

"You two done sight-seein' yet? Or you leaving all the work to us?"

I shake my head as Ironhide hollers up towards us. Wheeljack just sighs. "Can't expect the commander to ever be lenient, even when we save his aft." Wheeljack stands, and I stay sitting in his palm. "Of course he can't be. We had to save him. He's gotta regain that pride somehow." Slowly, Wheeljack makes his way down the mountain again, and I start flipping through the pictures I took. I have plenty to use for the assignment, however one looked odd. It was a mural of a man holding a golden sphere. I never remember reading about a golden sphere in the mythos. Perhaps there was one I missed, but I marked it as important so I could look at it later.

I was grateful that Wheeljack was willing to just sit and talk after what happened. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was just the urge to have revenge. It felt different, alive almost.

Something's wrong, and I don't know what.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

DOUBLE UPLOAD? Yes, because I'm sorry for leaving you all hanging  for so long.