"I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then."

"What do you mean?" Pan asked the voice in her head, barely taking note of her surroundings.

Another voice chuckled, "What he means is that, despite knowing about us, you actually have no knowledge of us."

"Huh?"

Laughter made Pan scowl absentmindedly. The voices in her head, despite that they understood why she was a little upset with them, kept laughing, "That probably wasn't the best choice of words," yet another voice said, the male voice was deep with amusement.

Pan scrunched up her nose, "Why me? And who the slag are all of you?"

"Language, young femme," a female voice scolded her and Pan immediately felt sheepish.

"Sorry," Pan mumbled, and several snorts echoed in the back of her head.

"Brilliant job making the youngling quiet, Solus," another male voice chuckled.

There was quiet for a few seconds before what sounded like metal hitting metal, "Oh, shut up, Megatronus," the female voice, Solus, seemed to snap at him.

There was chuckling as Megatronus cursed under his breath, and Pan grinned at their behavior.

🛠

Ratchet couldn't help but glance at his charge, the small grin on her face puzzling him.

Why would she be grinning at a time like this? It wasn't until he noticed how her eyes were slightly glazed over as if she wasn't even paying attention to anything happening around her, that he realised that she was finding something funny... in her head.

Ratchet shook his helm at the thought that crossed his processor, he didn't have the time to console his charge. They needed to get Optimus back to the base.

🛠

"Easy, Optimus," Ratchet warned, "From the looks of things, you've been exposed to a massive amount of Dark Energon."

Optimus' optics landed on the two humans who were also affected by the accursed energon, "I am not the only one."

Raf smiled wearily, "Hey."

And Pan managed a weak 'Hello,' sign to the Prime, a weak smile on her lips and bags under her eyes. She looked to be in worse shape than Raf, but still fighting to stay up despite this.

"They're lucky to be alive," June snapped, and she didn't notice the crestfallen look that crossed across Optimus' faceplates for a split second.

"Megatron found more of the dark stuff?" Jack asked, looking towards his guardian.

Arcee nodded, an almost defeat sigh leaving her derma, "A volcano full."

"The question is, "how?"," Bulkhead said/asked, looking around the room at Team Prime.

Ratchet shook his helm, "No. The question is, "what?". As in, "what in the world is the blood of Unicron doing here on Earth?"

"The 'Cons killed a Unicorn?" Miko asked, confusion littering her face as well as the other humans, all the bots looked at her bewildered at her, "White horse with a horn on its head? Prances around all sparkly?"

Ratchet shook his helm, "Unicron," he corrected, "An ancient evil whose fossilized blood comprises the matter which we call Dark Energon, as legend would have it."

"So, you're saying this Unicron is some kind of boogeyman?" June asked, trying to compare the story the medic was telling with a more familiar term.

""Boogeyman"?"

"Make-believe creepy guy who hides in your closet," Miko supplied and Pan snorted(quietly, and very lady like mind you.).

"No, nurse Darby," Ratchet shook his helm again, silently questioning why he was having to deal with this, "Unicron is very real."

"Was. That is, well, I do believe he once existed. I just don't subscribe to the theory that his primordial life force is the substance which harmed Raf and Pan," Ratchet continued.

June finally shook her head, "I've heard enough. Jack, please, help me get Raf and Pan into the car."

Pan's eyes instantly widened, shaking her head frantically, despite being ignored by the Nurse as she and Raf were carted into her car.

"Mom, I thought they were doing better," Jack protested.

"Raf and Pan need to be examined by real doctors, and their families needs to know what's happened," June said firmly, Miko opened her mouth to protest as well(she wasn't going to let the (crazy) woman take her friends away!), before the woman shot her a glare, "Their real families."

The Autobots actually flinched(all in their own ways) at that harsh statement from the nurse.

Pan actually growled under her breath, her hands signing furiously as she glanced towards her guardian hoping that he'd agree with her, only to find that he was staring(very intently if she might add) at the ground.

"Mom," Jack interrupted, "Raf and Pan's families can't protect them, not like they can."

"June, it deeply grieves me that I have failed," Optimus told the nurse, "But I will do everything in my power to ensure that no harm comes to our human friends or any human ever again.

"Optimus, they're children," June all but snapped at the Prime(and ignoring Pan's phone calling out that she was legally an adult anyway!), "They do not belong in your world. They should be worrying about grades, prom dates, pimples. Not their own survival!"

"Mom, Dark Energon is pouring out of the earth. It doesn't do that," Jack pointed out, "This could be about everyone's survival, not just ours."

His mother shook her head at him, "You're coming with me, all four of you," June told the teens before looking up at Optimus, "And they will not be coming back."

"I understand," Optimus nodded, an unreadable emotion in his optics that he managed to conceal from the humans.

"That's it?" Miko glared at the Autobots, frustration taking over for a few moments, "After all we've been through together? "See ya"? What about our freedom to choose?"

"That may fly on their planet but not here on earth. Get in," June snapped at her.

"Do you really expect me to ride in a non-transforming vehicle?" Miko snipped, scowling at the nurse.

"Miko, I'm serious," June almost snapped.

"You're not my mother."

"Miko!" Bulkhead gaped, about to tell his charge off before she slunk around to face him.

"Neither are you!" Miko snapped.

"Well, I am yours," June said, looking at her son, "Let's go, Jack."

Jack looked to his guardian for help, Arcee shrugged, "She is your mom."

Jack looked at the faces of the Autobots before turning to face his mother, a guilty look on his face, "I'm staying," he told his mom, "I'm sorry."

June looked like she wanted to drag her son into the car but shook her head as she climbed into her car, ignoring Pan's protests via phone or sign(not that the woman actually understood the hand movements) language. Even going as far as to take Pan's phone off her, leaving the girl without a voice.

"Ratchet, activate the ground bridge," Optimus said, attempting to get the three humans safely home.

"No, thank you," June said stiffly before winding up her window before driving off with Pan and Raf.

The two teens looked out the back window hopefully at their friends before admitting defeat when the car didn't stop.

Pan's hands finally still, and Raf reached over and grabbed her hand. His entire being downcast.

Pan hushed the voices in her head as she squeezed her friend's hand. Both finding comfort that they were in this together, no matter what would happen.

🛠

Raf mumbled numbers under his breath as he watched the lightning.

"You okay back there, Raf? Pan?" June asked the two teens softly.

Pan scowled, how was she supposed to communicate if the woman driving had taken her phone?

Raf squeezed Pan's hand to calm the older girl down somewhat, "I-I saw lightning. I'm counting until the thunder-"

Thunder cut over him.

"Looks like a storm," June said, a small smile on her face, "My garden will love it."

Pan scowled again, "You're going to want to pay attention," One of the many voices in her head(Quintus) warned her. Pan instantly looked out the window, her eyes narrowed as she looked across the desert.

"Raf? Are you okay?"

"Mm-hmm," Raf hummed.

"What's that?" Raf then asked, peering out his window. Pan's eyes widened at the massive twister.

"No!" June started panicking, "Come on. Come on. Come on."

"Worry not, Panacea, here comes the scout," Prima's relaxed voice calmed Pan down slightly as she spotted the headlights of the yellow Autobot from behind them in the dusty cloud.

The car flew into the air, Raf threw himself into a panicked hug on Pan as he shut his eyes fearfully, at least until he heard his guardian. A relieved smile on his face at the sight of the bee themed bot.

"You guys are going to need to climb onto my servo!" Bumblebee called over the wind.

Raf translated for the only human that didn't understand that was in the car, "He wants us to climb into his hand!"

The three managed to climb onto Bumblebee's servo, just as the car was yanked out of his servo. Bumblebee then transformed around the three and sped back towards the base.

June breathed out in relief, glancing to the 'bot's steering wheel , "Thank you."

"No problem," Bumblebee beeped pleasantly. A happy chirp to his voice that made Pan grin.

"He says, "you're welcome," Raf translated again, with Pan realising that her phone was in June's car and scowling("Rather childishly," Nexus added to which Pan pouted at(Only proving his point).) at the thought of having to explain why, and how she lost her phone to her mother.

'U.O.M a new phone,' Pan signed at June, only to get a confused look as Bumblebee and Raf giggled.

Here's Chapter Forty Two.

Lol, R.I.P. Pan's phone.

Double update because I was rather productive on Sunday.(Triple if you count the update for Colours of the Wind).

Hope you enjoyed!
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