Shelby is in shock.

She can't believe after bringing him back to life, that he would leave. She is still sitting in Optimus's servo after they went back down into base. He didn't dare put the shocked female down. He felt that this was his fault. Because now that they don't know where he went, something could happen to him and if Dreadwing went back to Megatron. He could or would tell him where their base was. His team is now in grave danger. Everyone sits in silence waiting for their leader to speak. Ratchet stands by the computers attempting to get Dreadwing signal.

Everyone thought the Prime would be the first to speak. "I think I should go home." Shelby spoke silently.

Optimus, being the only one who heard her words, while everyone jumped in surprise to hear her voice, "I don't think you should go home. The Decepticons know of your home and could target it." Optimus expresses to her with concern.

"Then I need to go home. I need to protect it." She stands now, determination written on her face.

"And how do you plan on protecting it. You to small to face a con." scowls Ratchet from over at the computers.

"Hey Sunshine, you don't know me. And you obviously didn't see me shoot that purple con, he jetted out of there pretty fast." She yells to him.

Everyone staring back and forth from Ratchet to Shelby. Miko and Bulkhead were laughing, Everyone but Shelby knew why.

"Hahaha Sunshine." Miko giggled out.

Ignoring her, Ratchet speaks again, "You just got lucky. You think that measly weapon will be able to do that again?"

He struts over to her, Optimus brings her in closer to his chest. Both growling at each other.

"Ratchet, Shelby that's enough!" Optimus booming voice halts everything. Everything becomes dead silent.

After a few minutes of silence, and the angry two still staring at each other, both seem to be arguing with their eyes, Optimus breaks the contact. Taking his servo and moving it up high out of Ratchets eye sight. Ratchet scoffs and walks back over the computers.

Without turning around, he scorns, "Let her go back, apparently she can battle cons better than us."

"Ratchet." Optimus warned. And again there is silence. Except maybe from the quiet whispering of Bulkhead and Miko.

"Can you please bring me down now?" Shelby asks looking down from on top of Optimus's servo. He quickly brings it down. "All the way down please. I need to go home." She says looking at Optimus.

She jumped off of Optimus's servo. "I can't force you to stay here. But I would like Smokescreen to go with you." He professes to her just before setting her down on the ground.

"I get a human!" Smokescreen exclaims jumping up and down.

"No, I will be fine." She concludes to Optimus but is looking at Smokescreen. Smokescreen notices her glare and immediately stops and puts a serious face on.

"Please, if you won't stay here. Let one of my Autobots go with you. I can't let any harm come to a human. Especially with skills to revive our species." Optimus says in almost a begging tone. She looks down for a moment, thinking.

"Fine, but does Smokescreen have to come with me. He's so childish." She asks him.

"Hey! I'm a warrior." He steps up to her. Shelby scoffs him off. Arcee and Jack stood in the back shaking their heads, while Bulkhead and Miko were still snickering to themselves.

"He is the only one besides Ratchet and I who isn't already guarding a human. And I can't go and neither can Ratchet." Optimus explains, kneeling down to her level.

"Maybe Wheeljack can do it." Bulkhead speaks up from where he stood.

"Whos Wheeljack?" She wonders looking over at him and the small girl.

"He's a wrecker, just like Bulk and I. He is awesome. You will get along with him great." Said Miko excitedly. Shelby raised her eyebrow at her.

"Pfft, Wheeljack will get her blown up within a day of being with her...Actually sounds like a good idea." Ratchet noted the last part quietly, but not quiet enough.

"Well fuck you too!" Shelby points her middle finger up to him.

"Children!" yells Arcee.

"If they are battling with giants, I think they can handle a little swearing." Shelby snaps. Jack nods his head, but the look he gave Arcee made him shake his head no. Shelby simply rolled her eyes.

"Okay time for me to go." She declares walking towards the ground bridge.

"Who's going with me? Smokescreen or this Wheeljack guy?" She asks stopping just before the bridge.

"Smokescreen will go with you for now. If we come in get in contact with Wheeljack, we will send him to you." Says Optimus.

"Good to go sir." She salutes him and gives him a smile, one he returned.

"Ratchet set the ground bridge to Shelby's home coordinates."

"Gladly" Ratchet whispers to himself.

"I heard that!" She calls back while walking closer to the ground bridge, Smokescreen at her heels. The green and blue vortex opened up, Shelby still couldn't believe this technology.

"Alright Smokes, lets go." She gives one last goodbye and walks though.

"Later, gators." Smokescreen chuckles to them. Happy he is able to leave base and guard a human.

Once on the other side of the ground bridge, Shelby takes off towards her shop. Smokescreen right on her tail.

"So what are we going to do? What do you do around here? Where are you going? Is this where you brought that con back to life?" He is speaking fast, Shelby can barely keep up.

"Quiet!" She snarls up to him. He shuts up and backs away a little. "You are going to stay quiet, while I clean my weapons. And yes this is where I brought Dreadwing back."

She emphasizes Dreadwing's name. Unsure of the reason, she just didn't want him to be called a con. She still hopes he will return to her.

"Well that sounds boring." Smokescreen states, leaning against the wall.

Shelby decides to ignore him and startes to take out a few weapons out of her arsenal. She laying them down carefully, setting them in a neat order. Smokescreen stares at the weapons she's laid out, wanting to know what they were.

'Maybe if I stay quiet, I can get answers out of her later. She sure is bossy.' He thinks to himself. Before she sat down to start cleaning, she hooked her phone up to a auxiliary cord attached to a speaker. Rise by State of Mind began to play.

https://youtu.be/9Xr86ytdfaA

I won't just survive

Oh, you will see me thrive

can't write my story

I'm beyond the archetype

I won't just conform

No mater how you shake my core

'Cause my roots, they run deep, oh

Oh, ye of so little faith

Don't doubt it, don't doubt it

Victory is in my veins

I know it, I know it

And I will not negotiate

I'll fight it, I'll fight it

I will transform

When, when the fires at my feet again

And the vultures all start circling

They're whispering, "you're out of time"

But still I rise

This is no mistake, no accident

When you think the final nail is in

Think again

Don't be surprised

I will still rise

I must stay conscious

Through the madness and chaos

So I call on my angels

They say

Oh, ye of so little faith

Don't doubt it, Don't doubt it

Victory is in your veins

You know it, you know it

And you will not negotiate

Just fight it, just fight it

And be transformed

'Cause when, when the fire's at my feet again

And the vultures all start circling

They're whispering, "You're out of time,"

But still I rise

This is no mistake, no accident

When you think the final nail is in

Think again

Don't be surprised

I will still rise

Don't doubt it, don't doubt it

Oh, oh, oh

You know it, you know it

Still rise

Just fight it, just fight it

Don't be surprised

I will still rise

The song ends; Shelby is still cleaning her weapons. She finished her pistol and is on to a bigger weapon. She has it all disassembled, and the parts all laid neatly on the table. She is so focused on her work, she almost forgets Smokescreen is there, watching intently as she works. And just like the last song, she sings the next one too.

https://youtu.be/7G8QItjTSDA

Oh dear mother, I love you

I'm sorry, I wasn't good enough

Dear father, forgive me

'Cause in your eyes, I just never added up

In my heart I know I failed you, but you left me here alone

If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?

'Cause I remember everything.

If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?

'Cause I remember everything.

Oh, dear brother, just don't hate me

For never standing by you or being by your side

Dear, sister, please don't blame me

I only did what I thought was truly right

Its a long and lonely road, when you know you walk alone

If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?

'Cause I remember everything.

If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?

'Cause I remember everything.

I feel like running away

I'm still so far from home

You say that I'll never change 

But what the fuck do you know?

I'll burn it all the to the ground before I let you in

Please forgive me, I can't forgive you now.

I remember everything.

If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?

'Cause I remember everything.

If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?

'Cause I remember everything.

It all went by so fast

I still can't change the past

I always will remember everything

If we could start again,

Would that have changed the end?

We remember everything, 

Everything.

Smokescreen notices a lone tear on Shelby's face before she quickly wipes it away.

He wonders why. 'What had happened to her, to make this song bring a tear?'

He opens his mouth to ask, but quickly closes it. It wasn't his business to ask. The next song starts playing but this time Shelby is just humming along. He takes this as his chance to ask about her weapons.

"What kind of weapons are those?" He questions her.

She looks up with surprise on her face, as if no ones ever asked her before. "Oh, well the one I'm cleaning now is a M16A2 5.56 rifle. This was my rifle my entire enlistment as well as I used it in Afghanistan." She shows him the disassembled weapon in her lap.

"The pistol I finished cleaning over here, is a Smith and Wesson MP Shield. It's my favorite. I carry this baby on me at all times." Her face seems to light up as she talks about it.

 
She continues to tell him about her weapons. It seems to make her happy to talk about them. She also explained a lot of the upgrades she had designed for some of them, and was still able to use. Smokescreen is sitting cross-legged in front of her. Paying close attention to the women. Shelby for that moment, forgot all about Dreadwing and him leaving. Smokescreen is thrilled he is able to make her happy. He had never seen a human so excited about weapons before. They were so zoned into their conversation and story telling, that they didn't hear the sound of giant footsteps outside the shop.