Transformers 1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the new story :D I hope you all enjoy this one as well ^^

I own nothing except My OCs and the plot!

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Chapter 1  
Zoey

"_Lastly, we have ten old Adella Zoey Campbell from Tranquility, Nevada. Now look at that smile. Isn't she just a cutie, John?" _

"_Why yes she is, Nicole. In fact, she has already won my heart."_

"_Oh you!"_

The room was lit by sunlight cascading through the large floor-to-ceiling window and the sweet scent of lavender waved through the air. A few white furniture decorated the room beautifully. The white painted walls were decorated with various photos of landscapes and people. A bright colored retro carpet with circle designs was placed in between the TV and the bed.

"_Look at that spin! Wonderful!"_

A young girl sat on the bed, watching the TV with a smile plastered on her face. A red Blackbird Fly Toy camera was held in her hands. It was a gift from her brother for her 10th birthday.

"_And the Triple Axel! Just magnificent!"_

"Watching your old skating films again, Zoe?"

Said girl turned to face her older brother with a smile. She looked down to the viewfinder of the Blackbird and pulled the trigger by the bottom lens. It took a picture of her brother who was leaning against her doorframe, a smile on his face. Her brother smiled and took three strides to reach her bed. He sat on the edge, watching the old footage of his little sister's figure skating films.

"You do know that Mom is going to freak when she finds out you still have those skating videos."

"—_second place goes to ten year old Adella Zoey Campbell!"_

"She'll never know if she's never here." Zoe replied, her eyes never leaving the TV screen.

Her brother laughed and Zoe took another picture, this time the camera zoomed on her brother's laughing face.

Aiden Roderick Campbell is a twenty-one year old college student with a handsome face. He's the eldest of the Campbell siblings by seven years from Zoe and four years from Jade, his other sister. He has spiky platinum blond hair and green eyes. He has a friendly personality, always helpful and loves baking. Zoe personally loves his signature home-made chocolate chip cookies. She sometimes steal a few from the cookie jar.

"Shouldn't you be practicing your violin?" Aiden asked, glancing over to the violin in the corner of the room. "You do know that Mom and Jade are downstairs." He added.

Zoe shrugged and pressed the play button on a CD player. The sweet soft melody made from a violin was heard. She wasn't really a fan of playing the violin ever since she was ten. "Shouldn't they be at work?"

Jade Hailey Campbell is a seventeen year old high school student who works part time as a model in a well-known magazine. She styled her long wavy hair in an ombre color, dark brown with light brown tips. She's the older sister of Zoe, but the two doesn't quite get along with each other. They both have opposite likes and dislikes, making it impossible for them to get along.

Layla Campbell is the mother of the three siblings. A woman with dark wavy brown hair and forest green eyes. She's a very strict and prideful person who expects perfect results from her children. She was proud of Aiden and Jade for their achievements, but she wasn't with Zoe. She always expect Zoe to be 'perfect' like her brother and sister. She also works as Jade's manager.

"I think today's photo shoot was cancelled… Be careful, Jade's not that happy about it." Aiden warned with a sheepish smile.

Zoe snorted. "I think the photographer was a genius to cancel Sea Hag's photo session." she said as she stared at her old-fashioned camera.

"C'mon Zo! Don't be like that! She's your sister!" Aiden scolded like a mother.

Zoe rolled her eyes. She turned her attention back to the TV. The video was showing a scene where her father and her younger-self were hugging each other. A soft sigh escaped her lips at the memory of her father. They both used to be close, but ever since he moved to work overseas at Scotland as a Vice Chairman. It was a once in the lifetime opportunity and Layla somehow convinced him to work overseas for the sake of the family.

"I wish Daddy is here…" Zoe mumbled, her eyes staring at the face of her father in the TV.

Aiden smiled and ruffled Zoe's light brown hair. "Cheer up, kiddo. He says that he's coming back for your birthday."

Zoe gave a rare smile. She rarely smiles anymore, ever since she came in second place in the Junior Figure Skating competition. She only smiles at her brother and her father after that day. Her hopes and dreams of becoming a figure skater was crushed by her own mother.

"_If you can't become number one in something, then what's the point of doing it? From now on, you're forbidden to take part in any ice skating activity. You should focus on your violin rather than do ballet on ice."_

She remembered those words perfectly.

Nobody_ is perfect, mom. _The brunette let out a sigh.

Aiden patted Zoe's head. "How about you go out and get some fresh air?" he suggested.

"The witch and the sea hag are downstairs." Zoe bluntly said.

"I'll distract them. You can go through the back door." Aiden wink as he stood up from the bed. Zoe nodded her head and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her head. Her beloved Blackbird Fly Toy camera was hung around her neck by a black leather strap. The platinum blond turned the TV off and looked over to the CD player playing soft violin music. "And don't worry, I'll keep the CD playing."

"Thanks." Zoe said, nodding her head. Aiden softly closed the door behind him as the two stepped out of Zoe's room. He told his little sister to wait by the staircase while he distract his mother and sister. The young girl watched as Aiden cheerfully made his way to her mother and sister. How her brother could stand Layla and Jade was beyond her.

Zoe listened to how Aiden smooth talk both her mother and sister into a conversation, asking about Jade's new modeling job for a brand new collection from a designer's brand. Zoe never liked anything about fashion. As long as it feels comfortable, it was enough for her. Finally, she saw the signal. Aiden was scratching his cheek purposefully.

The young girl tiptoed her way down the stairs as quietly as she can. She gave an OK sign to her brother before exiting through the back door.

When she turned around, she was met by the warm sunlight hitting her skin. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths of the fresh air. After taking a picture of her own backyard, she walked to the streets of the neighborhood, taking pictures of everything that amazed her.

It wasn't an eventful neighborhood. It was just a quiet neighborhood where folks spend their days in town or just sit around in their homes, drinking ice cold lemon teas. Her eyebrows knitted together at the brightness of the sun stinging her eyes. She stopped for a brief moment, taking out her red cap from her sling bag. She placed her cap on properly before continuing her walk to the city. All the time, she kept on holding her camera, waiting for something exciting to shoot.

In the hustle and bustle of the intersection, she was the only fourteen year old without someone accompanying her. She stood in the middle of chatting teens and a video-gamer stood beside her. She completely ignored the laughs and clicking sounds of the PSP controller being pushed. Her green eyes were fixed on the crossing-light, waiting for it to turn green.

A yellow Camaro zoomed pass the road, making an after effect wind. Zoe stared at the Camaro as it disappears from the horizon. The light suddenly turns green and the people around her began to cross the road. She soon follows the crowd before the light turns back red. She made with a, only to catch a silver Corvette Stingray waiting for the light to go green. Quickly, she looks down at the viewfinder and pulls down the trigger to take a picture when it was focused enough.

_Click_

A small smile appeared. It was her first Corvette Stingray. She perked her head up when the sound of brakes were hit. It was a silver Pontiac Solstice. She quickly set the film advance lever, rotating it to the next frame and locking it before taking another picture.

The light turned green and the sound of the powerful engine of the Stingray roars to life. It speeded forward along with the silver Pontiac Solstice.

Zoe stares at the two sports car as it disappears from view.

Come to think of it, Tranquility never has this much fancy cars before. Sure there were a lot of rich people living in the neighborhood, but their expensive cars rarely goes out because they were afraid that some 'punk' might scratch up their 'babies'.

The brunette gave a sigh as she continues her walk around town.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sideswipe was worried. He was being spied by a human. She took pictures of him and Jazz with a weird red box camera. Worst part is that she kept on staring at him until he was out of view! Now what would Prime have to say when he finds out that one of his best warrior was being spied at by a tiny human spy? Ironhide and Sunstreaker would laugh at him for being paranoid.

_Hey Jazz, did you see that human taking pictures of us?_ Sideswipe worriedly comm. linked his speeding buddy.

_Ya, why?_ Jazz asked, curiosity in his voice.

_I think that she might be a spy._

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A/N: That's the first chapter! The prolog! I hope you guys enjoy this new story! And all will be further explained throughout the story line :D

Reviews are very appreciated! And please no flames ^^

R&amp;R please!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I love you guys! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! And of course, for the favs and alerts :D

This is set after Mission City! But AU!

Alice Gone Madd: xD

Lololreview: that would actually be really interesting!

SW11037: Thank you ^^

Vampirebite801: Thanks ^^

AllSpark Princess: Thank you :D

KayleeChiara: Thanks!

AkatsukiKittenGirl: Sure!

SunstreakersSquishy2. 0: He sure is!

Lightnening-strike-prime: xD thanks!

Red: thank you ;)

Dark Cat Food Lover: Okay

Allison: thanks!

DarkshadowXsunny-sides: thank you ^^ it's cool

SunnySides: Thank you!

I own nothing except the OCs and the plot!

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Chapter 2  
The Wanted

Jazz laughed.

He was laughing _at_ him through the comm. link.

Jazz laughter subsides after a few earth minutes. _**.:You're becoming more and more paranoid like Red!:.**_ He said, chuckling.

Sideswipe felt insulted and worried at the same time. _**.:Stop laughing, Dumbaft! This is serious! I don't want to get lectured again by Prowler!:. **_

_**.:Fine, how 'bout we go and spy on 'er instead? To see if she really is a spy or not.:. **_Jazz suggested, turning on his turn-signal to the right. He drove through the busy streets. His hologram flickered on, just in case someone decided to look inside. It wasn't perfect. It sometimes glitches and would disappear if he doesn't want it to, so he has to be careful not to be pulled over for speeding._**.:But I still say that she isn't.:. **_He added.

_**.:Well, you can't be too sure.:.**_ Sideswipe replied, following Jazz from behind.

_**.:She's a **__sparklin'__** for Primus' sake, Sides.:. **_Jazz emphasized.

_**.:A **__sparkling__** that can be a spy.:.**_

Jazz vented heavily. _**.:Ladies and gents, we have another Red.:. **_The first lieutenant mumbled under his breath. It wasn't long until he found the human girl he was looking for. She came out of a Kodak Store, holding her funny looking camera. A few minutes later, she started to take pictures again. For about two hours, the two Autobots followed the small girl everywhere. Starting from the streets to the local park. All the time, Sideswipe kept his distance.

_**.:You see Sides? There's nothin' for you to be worried 'bout! She's just loves to take pictures..:**_ Jazz said as he watched the girl walk around the small park, stopping for a minute or two to take a picture. _**.:Now can we please go back to base? My joints are killin' me!:. **_He complained, anticipating the large space to change back into his bi-pedal form.

_**.:…I guess you're right.:.**_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Zoe perked her head up when she heard the roar of powerful engines. She turned her head to the park gates, catching a glimpse of the same silver Pontiac Solstice and Corvette Stingray. She blinked, staring at the spot where she saw the two expensive cars before turning her attention to the butterfly she was trying to picture. The lens focused on the beautiful blue wings. She pulled down the trigger and stood up straight, closing the viewfinder.

The fourteen year old was aware that she was being followed. Who wouldn't notice? She could hear the cars' engine from a mile away. It was obvious that she was being stalked by two silver sport cars. But she didn't mind, she couldn't care less about being stalked. She's a laid-back girl, who doesn't worry about anything. That kind of personality she has sometimes worry her brother.

She went over to the empty swings and sat on the seat, slowly swinging herself back and forth. She looked up to the sky, watching the clouds move above her. The sun drowned in the horizon, it rays of light glimmering in the darkness of the clouds. The warm orange glow canvased the sky. A few stars glowing faintly were already seen, scattered throughout the endless sky. The park was no longer noisy as everyone have left. The only sounds that were heard were the squeaking sounds made from the swing.

Zoe stood up when she felt her cell phone vibrated. She flips open her cellphone and read the text. It was from her brother.

_Going out to take Jade to her next photo shoot with Mom. Dinner's in the fridge.  
P.S. Don't worry about Mom, she still believes you're still in your room. Unbelievable, right?  
—Aiden_

The young girl sighed. Texting back an 'I told you so' to her brother. She stood up from the swing, pocketing her black and white cell phone. She began to walk back home before the sky completely turns black.

Zoe stopped when she saw a police car. At first she dismissed it as some lazy-donut-eating-policeman's car, but after walking closer to it. The motto was rather unusual and so was the logo. The logo looked like a bird's face while the motto was 'To Punish and Enslave' written in white letters. Her green eyes kept staring at the motto on the rear quarter. She opened the viewfinder and looked through it, finding the right focus. This was probably one of those gag cars. She pulled the trigger down.

_Click_

* * *

It was a rather slow afternoon in the streets. There were less cars in the road and not many people were walking in the sidewalk. A Saleen S281E police car drove slowly around the quiet part of town, 'patrolling' the streets. It parked on the side of the road and the policeman turned the engine off. Every human that pass by it didn't pay any attention to the police car, dismissing it as a mere patrol car. They didn't pay attention to the details when they should. This wasn't any ordinary police car.

This was a _Decepticon_.

Barricade has been cruising around the town, scouting. He had to be careful. He was alone in this good for nothing planet. The coward Starscream has left him to fend for himself after seeing what the humans are capable of. They killed a Cybertronian by using a puny firearm. Blackout was exterminated by a mere filthy human and so was a few other Decepticons. Lord Megatron was also defeated by a human who goes by the username, ladiesman217.

Now, the humans have formed an alliance with the Autobots to eliminate the remaining Decepticons on Earth around the globe, including Barricade himself. He was now a refuge, hiding from the Autobots while gathering information as much as he can till the day his Lord is revived.

Just a few hours ago, he saw the Autobots' scout along with the Lieutenant and the Warrior speeding through traffic. He was forced into hiding for a few hours. For some odd reason, his scanners detect the Lieutenant and the Warrior haven't left the town like the scout did. But it was fine for him to drive around now. His scanners detected no Autobots were around to hunt him down.

"—really! It's true! He really did—"

"Ew! That's so gross!"

_Disgusting_. Barricade thought in utter disgust as he overheard the human females' conversation. He dislike the human kind inhabiting the planet as well as the creatures in it. He found them more disgusting than the Autobots. They weren't as intelligent as the Cybertronian race and they were twice as annoying as the cassettes Soundwave has.

_Click_

Barricade almost transforms when he heard the click. It was a small human girl, staring at the rear quarter of his alt-mode with a weird looking camera in her tiny hands. The Decepticon scout relaxed a little. It was just a human. He didn't even feel the human coming close. He let his guard down for a few seconds and a human was already taking pictures of him—wait, pictures?

The human girl took a picture of him. Barricade growled. If that human girl shows that picture she has taken of him to anyone, his mission would be jeopardized! He knew that words spread out like wildfire here on Earth. He just can't risk the Autobots knowing of his existence in Tranquility. His rear-view mirror moved to see the girl walking around a corner, disappearing from his sight. His engine roared to life. The police car turned around, following the girl.

He was waiting for the right time to confront the girl alone.

Zoe was actually getting the feeling of being followed again. She glanced sideways to pretend to look at the merchandise displayed behind the large shopping window. The reflection of a black police car coming to a halt came to view. The brunette sighed. It was just the police. She continued her way home, ignoring the feeling of being watched.

The fourteen year old stop on her tracks when she realized that she was the only one walking in the neighborhood's streets. The sun has already set and the moon took over. The skies were painted inky black with stars decorating the sky. Her stomach growls in hunger. She let out a small sigh before walking again. Her footsteps echoed in the empty street, along with the sound of crickets chirping.

She stopped when she heard a ruckus coming from a house across the street. Yelling and wood being crushed was heard. The young girl wondered why all of the other neighbors didn't come out to check where the noises were coming from. Her eyes widened in surprise when something yellow peeked out of the wooden fence. It looked almost humanoid with the body and head. It was a giant robot.

"Bee! Off my grass please!"

"Dad! Not so loud!"

"_Ups... sorry."_

"There goes my birdhouse. Sammy! Tell your psychotic alien friends to lay off my backyard! And my house!"

"Ma!"

Bumblebee kneeled down to his charge's level, making whirring and clicking noises as his door-wings dropped a little. He changed from station to station to make out the right words to apologize to Sam's parents. The scout and the lieutenant were sent to guard Sam together for reason of a Decepticon was lurking around in Tranquility. It wasn't technically their fault that the Witwicky's backyard weren't enough room for them to walk around, especially there was a rule of 'keep on the path' by Ron.

"Chill. I ain't gonna destroy your house." Jazz said coolly, sitting on the roof near Sam's room. He crossed his servos behind his helm and crossed his legs. This was actually the only place he could sit. It was either the roof or the grass since Bumblebee took the driveway. He glanced around and his electric blue optics widened slightly in surprise. He jumped down from the roof, stepping on the lawn, making Ron yell out complains.

Bumblebee tilted his helm before turning around. He let a whirr of shock when he saw a human girl no older than Sam was staring at him with wide eyes. His sensitive audio-receptors picked up a soft click. His optics moved down from staring at the girl's face to the small camera, hung around her neck by a leather strap.

"Oh shit!" The yellow scout heard Sam curse under his breath. "She saw you." He whispered to him, keeping his eyes on the small girl.

Judy crossed her arms before she turned to face the small girl. She furrowed her eyebrows down, "Who is that?" she asked, leaning to the side a little. A sudden realization hit her as she remembered the familiar face. "Oh hi! How's your brother?" she asked cheerfully, waving her hand as if nothing happens.

The small girl waved her hand back slowly as she backs away, speed walking down the street while tucking her head deeper into her cap.

"What a sweet little girl!" Judy exclaim, smiling.

Her son turned to her. "You know her, Mom?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh pssh! Sure! We meet at the supermarket. Zoe and her brother helped me carry my groceries to my car while someone finds the discount gardening tools more interesting than helping his wife." Judy rolled her eyes, giving the 'eye' to her husband who gave her a look. "That's right cheapo, I'm talking to you."

Bumblebee pressed a key beside his audio receptor, comm. liking the Prime. _"Houston we have a problem…"_

* * *

Barricade came to a screeching halt when he felt the presences of two Autobots in the same street the girl has walked into. A low growl was heard as he slowly backs away from the street. Stealthily, he turns around, searching for another route to reach the human's house unit. He ran a quick data check for the girl's profile. He overheard the girl's name. Zoe.

Thousands of people named 'Zoe' in Tranquility pops into his memory. He searched through the faces, looking for the apathetic looking girl in the pictures. In a matter of seconds, he found the girl's profile. It showed him her school profile, starting from her full name to her address.

The police car turns his engine off when he was in front of the girl's house. He detected life inside the house in the room on the second floor. It was a neighborhood, he would cause a scene if he transforms and grab the girl, especially when her house is near the annoying Witwicky's. The Decepticon scout has to be careful if he didn't want to attract attention from those Autobots.

Zoe sighed deeply when she closed the door to her room. She went over to her desk and turned the CD player off, cutting the violin music. She pulled the chair and sat on it, placing her Blackbird on the desk. The girl rested her head on her left hand as her right hand staring at her camera. A lot of things had happened today and some of those things were captured in her Blackbird. The slides the film lock on top of the camera, opening it. She took the 35mm film, rolling it between her finger and thumb.

A picture of a giant yellow robot alien was in one of the last frames.

She wasn't hungry anymore. The brunette's mind was filled with unanswered questions. There was another life in outer space and a robot alien was living in her neighborhood! She was always the one who believes that myths do exist. The sound of her phone vibrating on the desk snapped her out of her thoughts.

She flipped the phone open. It was an e-mail from an unknown sender. Curious, she clicked read.

"_You have something I want."_

The brunette raised an eyebrow and she strolled down.

"_Give it to me before I take it from you."_

Finally, she e-mailed back. "Who are you?"

A reply was send, _"I'm watching you."_

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Special thanks to: Alice Gone Madd, AutobotCopperShadow, Burningrose194, Dar Cat Food Lover, Lololreview, Mistress-Nightmare, Random Fox Girl, Songbird's Spirit, Starbees, Transfan1623, Zeng Xiao Long Sunstar Crystal, blufizz, lightening-strike-prime, ninjagolover456, psychicgirl132  
for adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to: AutobotCopperShaodw, Burningrose194, Cliff Prime, Lololreview, Mistress-Nightmare, Random Fox Girl, Samantha2798, Vimpirebite801, Whitelilly Prime, Zeng Xiao Long Sunstar Crystal, blufizz, caramelkitkat, lightening-strike-prime, ninjagolover456, psychicgirl456, sugabee14  
for adding this story to their alerts!

Reviews are very appreciated! And please no flames ^^

R&amp;R please :D


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: A new chapter! I'm just really excited for this story! But don't worry, The One and Only shall be updated! ;]

IronHidescannonlover: Thank you so much!

Archer of the Eclipse: Yeah! Get away from Zoe! xD

Lololreview: Thank you ^^

KayleeChiara: Thank you so much :D

Allison: thanks ^^

Lightening-strike-prime: 'CADE! XD

DarkshadowXsunny-sides: thanks! Maybe yes, maybe not ^^ let's find out ;D

AllSpark Princess: Yup ;)

AutobotCopperShadow: Ups! I've changed it, thank you for pointing it out :D

SunnySides: (Barricade: no promises) thanks ^^

Dark Cat Food Lover: Yeah, he is…

Alice Gone Madd: he's my fav con too!

Galem: That make me shiver too! xD

Jimmy 144: thank you ^^

Erin Primette: uh-oh indeed!

I own nothing except my OCs and the plot!

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Chapter 3  
Proposition

"This is bad. This is bad. This is _really_ bad!" Sam said over and over again.

Bumblebee's helm followed Sam as he kept on walking back and forth the path. The Scout gave a few clicks and whirrs, but Sam ignored him as he was too freaked out. This was the first time ever since Mission City, someone outside the family has seen Bumblebee in his bi-pedal mode. He was specifically told to never let anyone know without the approval of Optimus or Lennox. While Sam was panicking like there's no tomorrow, both of Sam's parents remained surprisingly calm.

"Chill lil' man, panickin' is not goin' to solve anythin'." Jazz said calmly, moving his servos, gesturing for Sam to at least sit down. The Lieutenant was impressed at how long Sam could keep pacing around without getting dizzy. The one who should be freaking out now was the girl. At such a young age, she already discovered a Cybertronian, in her own neighborhood nonetheless. He wouldn't be surprised if he found her trying to stay as far as possible from the Witwicky's. "We've contacted Prime and Lennox of the situation. Both will be here in a few." He added.

Sam stopped pacing, he slowly turned to face Jazz. "How's that going to make me stop panicking?" he hissed out in frustration.

Jazz shrugged, "It stopped 'ya didn't it?" he replied, revering to Sam's pacing habit. The brunette groaned, face-palming and he ran his hand down his face. He rubbed his temples before giving a look to the silver mech. "What? Why are 'ya givin' me the look?" He asked, raising an optic ridge.

_"You… need to chill, give it a rest!"_ Bumblebee said, switching from station to station to form the right sentence. His doorwings dropped a bit when Sam let out a loud sigh. Finally, his charge was calming down.

"Your alien friends are right, Sammy. You need to chill." Judy said from the porch, arms crossed against her chest. "It's no big deal."

Ron turned to his wife, "No big deal? Judy, this is national security we're talking about. How's this a 'no big deal'?" he asked, using an air quotes gesture.

Sam agreed with his father. "Yeah, Ma… This is a teenage girl we're talking about! You know the texting, the gossiping, the phone-calling and the agh!" he dug his fingers into his scalp, trying to pull out his hair.

Judy rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't worry about Zoe. She's a really quiet girl and I'm sure she could keep a secret."

"Yeah, but the problem is that she took a picture! Who knows what she would do with that picture! It could be posted in Facebook or other websites right now!" Sam shouted, taking his new smartphone out. He quickly opened the Facebook application, typing 'robots' in the search bar. In a matter of seconds, a lot of pictures about robots showed up. He strolled down, but none of the robots were Bumblebee or Jazz.

"Well what do you want us to do? Invite her to dinner?" Ron snorted, chuckling soon after.

Sam stopped strolling his screen down. He, Jazz and Bumblebee slowly lift their head and helms to Ron, smirks on their faces.

Ron stopped chuckling when he realized that they actually took his joke seriously. "Oh no," he mumbled as Judy let out a squeal of joy, happy to finally gave dinner guests for once in a while. She kept on rambling about having steaks for the dinner party. "No. No. No. No! We're not going to invite those Campbells!" he shouted, his arms crossed in an 'X'.

"Why not?!" Sam complained.

"Because I say so."

Judy placed her hands on her hips. "Oh c'mon you cheapo! Steaks can't be that expensive!" she said, furrowing her eyebrows down.

"Judy, it's not about the steaks. It's about the Campbells. I don't like them, especially their mom. She likes to brag about everything!" Ron grumbled.

"Oh and like you don't? You can buy a Porsche, but you can't buy a couple of steaks? Be a little more of a…a…a shopaholic!" Judy retorted. It was true, because of their status, Layla Campbell is a prideful person. Ron only met her once at the neighborhood gathering and he already disliked the woman. On the other hand, Judy never actually met Layla in person. The redhead just knows about Aiden and Zoe, not Layla or Jade. "Ron, can't you see the baby whiny look on Sammy's face? He and his robot friends need Zoe. And I need a friend." She added the last part with a pointed look.

"Yeah, Dad. I promise that it's just this once. We won't make the same mistake again, right Bee? Jazz?" Sam turned to face the two Autobots.

Jazz gave a thumbs up, smiling. "'Ya got it."

_"Baby please… I beg of you!_" Bumblebee's radio blared out as he bowed his helm down a few times.

"Think of it Dad… the future of NEST depends on you." Sam said seriously, but it was only to get his father to agree.

Ron seemed to be in thought for a moment. He sighed heavily, "Fine."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was a lovely Saturday morning. The sunlight went through the gap between the curtains, making a thin line of light. The lump on the bed moved a little when the sound of birds' chirping were heard. The cool air from the AC made the girl snuggled closer to the warmth of the blanket, wrapping herself into a cocoon. The sound of her alarm clock woke her up from her peaceful slumber. She knitted her eyebrows together and reached her arm out from the blanket, turning the clock off.

The girl dazedly sat up, her eyes heavy. A loud yawn escaped her lips and she stretched her arms above her head. Without looking, she grabbed the remote to the AC, pressing the off button. The AC 'ping'ed before the cool air was turned off. The cool air still lingers in the room, making the girl shiver when she threw the blanket off. She slipped on her slippers, dragging them towards her drawer. She took a clean set of clothes before heading straight to the bathroom.

It was around nine thirty in the morning. In exactly ten in the morning, her sister would wake up and use the bathroom for an hour. Zoe sighed in relief when she found the bathroom door slightly opened. She was about to push the door fully open when a hand pushed the door open and simultaneously pushed Zoe away from the door. It slammed right in front of her face, missing her nose by an inch. She stared at the door blankly.

_'Stupid Hag… can't even tell what time it is.'_ Zoe thought, glaring at the closed door. The sweet smell of pancake waved in the air, making her stomach growls in hunger. She placed a hand over her stomach. She hadn't eaten anything since last night and she was starving now!_ 'Might as well eat while waiting for the Hag to finish.'_ She walked down the stairs, clothes still in hand.

"Ah! Good morning Zoe!" Aiden greeted cheerfully as he placed a plate of pancakes on the table. The table was decorated beautifully, filled with each of the family's favorite breakfast. Zoe nodded in acknowledgement, sending a silent greeting as well. She took a seat in front of the plate of pancakes, placing her clothes on her lap. She poured the maple syrup, almost drowning the pancake on the bottom. The butter melted as soon as it was placed on the warm cakes. Her brother smiled when his sister ate his dish. "How was sleep?" he asked, taking a seat beside her.

"Good." Zoe replied curtly with a mouthful of cut pieces of pancakes. Last night, she deleted the e-mail, thinking that it was only a prank. After that, she got ready for bed and slept peacefully. She surprisingly slept well after what had happened. Usually, people who have met other beings from space, couldn't go to sleep as they were too excited or too freaked out. "Why's Hag in the bathroom? It's Saturday. Isn't she supposed to wake up at ten?" she asked.

Aiden sheepishly laughed. "Yeah… she got a huge job to do this noon. Last night, she signed a contract with—,"

"I'm not interested in Hag's daily job." Zoe quickly cut him off, turning to her brother with a frown. She watched as Aiden smiled sadly. She knew that her brother hated the fact that she and Jade can't seem to get along. The brunette tried her best to get along, but she gave up. Jade was just too stubborn and cocky. Zoe turned back to her plate, staring at the almost empty plate. "I'm going out today." She stated, changing the topic.

A soft sigh escaped the blond lips. "Hmmm," Aiden hummed, resting his chin on his opened palm. His elbows were on the table, supporting his head. He smiled brightly. "Sure. Just be sure that you won't go home late. Curfew's at six."

"Okay." Zoe nodded and grabbed the tall glass of warm milk. She tipped the glass up, drinking the warm white liquid. She placed the empty glass down, wiping the white mustache off her mouth with a napkin. She stood up, carrying her clothes with her. The brunette walked up the stairs, the wood creaks softly at the weight. She gave a soft sigh when the bathroom door was still locked. She knocked the door twice, but there was no answer. Finally, she started banging.

"What?!" Came an annoyed reply from the other side.

"Get out. It's my turn, hag." Zoe said.

A minute later, the door clicked open. Jade stepped out of the bathroom, her hair still dripping wet. Her forest green eyes were glaring down at the smaller petite form of her little sister. Zoe glared back, averting her eyes up with a frown.

Jade clicked her tongue in annoyance as she pushed Zoe out of her way. "Tsk, annoying brat."

"Hag."

Jade's red lips twitched up a little at the nickname. She scoffed. "Emo."

"Cootie Queen." Zoe shot back.

"Freak."

"Circus Clown."

"What did you just call me—!" The verbal fight ended when Zoe slammed the bathroom door. The fourteen year old locked the door with a click as she listens to her sister cuss out words from the other side of the door.

It took her fifteen minutes in the shower. She took a sip of water, swishing it for a few seconds before spitting in the sink. She rinsed her toothbrush, placing it back in her glass. She cupped her hands under the faucet of running water, splashing some to wipe the leftover toothpaste around her mouth. Her hand turned the handle of the faucet to the right, cutting off the water. She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her own reflection.

There was steam on the mirror. Zoe lifted her finger up, touching the glass to draw a few lines. She drew on the steam-covered mirror. Her fingers drew lines, connecting one to another. Finally, she finished drawing a symbol. It was the symbol she saw on the police car. It wasn't exactly a hundred percent perfect, but it was recognizable. She stared at the symbol she drew. Somehow, she found the symbol…unique and mysterious.

"Zoe! Get out of the bathroom! I need to blow my hair!" the sound of the door being banged broke her thoughts. Zoe quickly wiped the steam off the mirror with a face towel, along with the symbol she finished drawing not a minute ago. She tossed the face towel to the laundry basket before opening the door. "ZOE—!"

"What, Hag?" Zoe inquired, her eyebrows furrowed down and her lips were set in a frown.

Jade pushed Zoe out of the bathroom. "Took you long enough!" she complained.

"Says the one who likes to spend her time in the bathroom putting on her clown make-up." Zoe retorted and the door was slammed hard.

The brunette sighed, walking back to her room to get her things. Once she was in her room, she grabbed her sling bag, filled with 35mm films and her favorite red cap that has the word 'RED' in white. She sling her Blackbird camera around her neck, her left hand holding the bottom of the camera. Her green eyes wondered around her room. It was messy, filled with old junk that she likes to collect. The polished surface of fine rosewood reflected the sunlight. It was her violin.

She used to love playing the violin, until the time her mother forced her to stop ice skating.

Zoe closed her bedroom door and walked down the stairs to see her brother having breakfast with her mother. The girl quickly walked towards the front door, attempting to exit the house without her mother noticing her leaving. She reached her hand out to grab the door handle.

"I've received a call yesterday from Angel Ears." Layla suddenly said, making Zoe stop. The girl didn't turn to her mother. The woman took a sip from her morning tea while reading the Jade's schedule. She placed the day planner down on the table to turn her head to her youngest daughter. "They said that you've been skipping lessons for the past week."

Zoe stayed quiet, gripping the door's handle tightly.

"Starting from now on, I'll be picking you up from school to drive you to Angel Ears." Layla said.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Layla let out a heavy breath. "Honestly, that girl needs to be taught some manners."

Aiden sighed. He scrubbed the dirty plate slowly as his mind was drifting to something else other than doing the dishes. He remembered the time when Zoe still loved playing the violin. Her playing was somehow music to his ear. The soft melodic sounds she played was one of a kind. He remembered perfectly that ten year old Zoe played well and a gentle warm smile was always present. Now, a frown was always visible when she played the violin. He was glad that she rarely played the violin anymore. The song she always played was saddening, as if it was expressing what she really feel inside.

The door was suddenly knocked.

"Aiden, be a dear and open the door for me." Layla said, closing her eyes while taking a sip from her hot tea.

Aiden washed his hands. "Sure." He answered with a smile. He walked towards the door, looking through the peephole. A fisheye version of Ron and Judy was seen from the peephole. The blond opened the door and gave a smile to the Witwickys. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky. Is there something I can do for you?" he kindly asked.

"Good morning, Aiden. My! You've grown taller!" Judy complimented, laughing a little. Ron gave a snort and he received a good jab to his ribs from his wife. Judy gave him a pointed look, as if saying for him to behave. "Actually, there is something we want you to do." She said, trying to hide her excitement.

"What is it?" Aiden asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

Ron inhaled a deep breath, exhaling from his mouth. "Would you and your family like to have a dinner party with us Witwickys and a few other families?" he asked with a flat tone, obviously not happy with the idea at all.

Aiden blinked.

"Aiden, dear, who's at the door?" Layla asked as she walked to the front door. Her forest green eyes widened in surprise before a smile appeared on her lips. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, giving an elegant look. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky." She greeted.

"Oh! Good morning!" Judy greeted back gleefully.

"Yeah, morning." Ron replied, rolling his eyes.

Aiden turn to his mother, "Uh… Mom? Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky invited us to come over for dinner. Can we?" he asked.

Layla chuckled into her fist. "Of course! We would love to."

"Great! We'll see you at seven!" Judy giggled. She felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to her husband, who raised both of his eyebrows, lowering his head a little to give a little clue. Judy rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him. "By the way, where's little Zoe? I wanna give her a big hug!" she looked around.

Aiden smiled, "She's out at the moment, probably back at the city again." He answered. "But don't worry, I'll make sure that she'll join us tonight." he said reassuringly. The blonde stepped away from the entrance, giving way for Ron and Judy to come inside. "Please, come inside for some tea." he invited.

"Oh! Don't mind if we do." Judy said happily, dragging a groaning Ron along.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Barricade silently drove out of his hiding spot when he saw the girl walking out of her house. He followed the girl, keeping his distance to avoid suspicion. Since the break of dawn, he was already wide awake, observing and learning Zoe's daily routine. He found that she was not fond of her female sibling and her mother for some reason. The Decepticon couldn't care less about her family's affairs. He was only interested in one thing. The camera she held in her puny hands.

The Autobots seemed to be on the move as well. It appears the human girl have done something to attract the Autobots' optics. If those Autobots get to her first and convinced her that she is in grave danger because of knowing their existence, she might blurted out the fact that there's a police car with the motto 'to Punish and Enslave' around Tranquility. He needed to work fast. He needs to confront the girl _**now**_.

He found the girl walking into a quiet park. There weren't any children nor parents. Perfect.

"Frenzy." The Decepticon grumbled in his baritone voice.

The car's stereo jumped out of its place and transformed. "Y-You ca-called?" the cassette stuttered, his optics shuttering. The small cassette rarely transform or talk because Barricade dislike his stuttering and something crawling inside his interior. After the human mercilessly attack him at Hoover Dam, he escaped the facility with one optic missing. In a week, he managed to fix his optic to function properly and regrouped with Barricade.

"Get out and follow the girl." The Decepticon ordered, opening the passenger's door for his little partner to step out. "Lead her to me." He lastly said before driving away.

The cassette nodded his helm, following his master's orders. He skittered into the trees of the park, hiding in the shadows. He peeked through the gap between the bushes, his optics glowing and shuttering every second. His four optics zoomed on Zoe, watching her closely. She had her back turned from the small Decepticon. Stealthily, Frenzy skittered towards her.

Zoe was in a sour mood. Her mother and her sister just had to ruin her Saturday. This was supposed to be her day off from her mother and her sister. It was just going to be her, her camera and the town. This morning, she took a different route to the city. She didn't pass by the Witwicky's house like she normally did. After that little encounter last night, she was sure that the Witwicky's are going to try and take her camera away from her.

Her grip on her precious Blackbird tightens. She lost her ice skates and can't do anymore ice skating because of her mother. She just can't afford to lose another thing she loves doing. She wasn't going to let anyone take her camera or films. It belongs to her and her only.

The brunette jumped a little when she heard heavy-metal music playing in the background. She turned around, only to find a CD player boom-box sitting in the middle of the park. Her green eyes scanned the park, looking for street dancers, but there wasn't anyone in the park besides her. She approached the boom-box as it continues to play heavy-metal music. She crouched down and gingerly reached her hand out to the stop button. She pressed the stop button, cutting the music off.

Her phone stared buzzing in her sling bag. She dug her hand inside, taking out her phone. She flipped her phone open and found one un-opened mail. Her thumb pressed the OK button, opening the e-mail.

"_You have something I want."_

Zoe blinked and stared at her phone. She strolled down.

"_Give it to me before I take it from you."_

It was from the same insane unknown person from yesterday night.

She glanced around, still finding no one else but her inside the park. She glanced down at the boom-box. Her fingers pressed the keys, sending back a reply to the stranger.

"_Are you looking for your boom-box?"_

"_Follow the instructions." _

"_Get out of the park."_

Zoe carried the boom-box in her left hand as her right held her opened flip-cellphone. She knew better than to not trust the stranger's messages, but she wanted to return his boom-box so he could stop sending the stupid threat messages to her. She was outside the park's gates. The girl waited for another message.

"_Turn right and cross the road."_

She did as told. The young girl turned to her right, walking straight to the zebra-cross. She crossed the road with a few people.

"_Go to the alley in front of you."_

Zoe went inside the alley, walking further away from civilization. The air was damp as there was no warm sunlight to brighten up the narrow street. She ignored the stench of garbage and the sound of flies buzzing around it. Her nose scrunched up in disgust as she tried to hold her breath. She kept on walking until there was an intersection.

"_Turn left and go straight to the underpass."_

The underpass was filled with abandoned cars, either broken or unused anymore. Zoe glanced around looking for the boom-box's owner. She kept on walking and walking. There wasn't any more messages from the stranger. Her eyes caught something. It was the police car from yesterday.

Barricade's headlights suddenly turned on as his wheels screeched, leaving a cloud of dirt and dust behind. The police car speeded forward, surprising the human girl. He transformed mid-way and stopped right in front of the human, who was staring at him with wide green eyes. He bends down, slamming his large servo beside her petite form.

"You have something I want, human." The Decepticon growled.

Zoe let out a breath from her mouth. She held the boom-box out. "Here." She said.

Barricade snarled, curling his digits into a fist. "That is not what I want!" he yelled, making Zoe take a few steps back.

The boom-box started to transform. The young girl gasped and backed away from the transforming boom-box. She stared at it as it shifted to a small robot with four blue eyes. It lunged at her. She quickly swerved in time before the sharp claws dug into her clothes. It skidded to a stop a few feet away from her. She turned her back on the giant robot when she shouldn't.

"How foolish and naïve of you to come here." Barricade chuckled darkly.

Zoe turned around, glaring at the black and white mech.

"Give me the camera before I take it from you." Barricade tried to grab her camera hung around her neck. She held her camera protectively, glaring at the crimson-eyed robot. She was prepared to make a run for it, even though she knew that she can't outrun a twenty foot tall robot and a fast little robot in the same time. "My patience is wearing thin, human." He continued with a growl.

"I would like to see you try." Zoe said, backing away more.

The underpass was suddenly filled with Barricade's laughter. "Quite the little spitfire you are, human." He leans down, his crimson optics staring at Zoe's green ones. "But that is not going to save you."

"Frenzy."

"Hey!"

The tiny blue-eyed robot snatched her camera from behind. It began to tinker with it, trying to open the plastic camera. Zoe tried to get her camera back, but Barricade blocked her way with his large servo. Just then, she realized that they were after the 35mm film inside of it.

She reached her hand out to Frenzy. "Give it to me." She said as both robots stared at her. This was her precious camera. She wasn't going to let anyone touch it, much less a robot. "You're going to break it if you keep doing that, Four Eyes." She added.

Frenzy glanced over to Barricade and the larger mech nodded his helm. The cassette skittered over to Zoe and gave her back the camera. The brunette slides the lock on the camera and took the 35mm film out, holding it out for Frenzy to take. He snatched the film and quickly looked through the negatives, looking for the right one his master is looking for.

He turned to Zoe, throwing the film to her, "Th-This is not-nothing but a bun-bunch of pl-plants!" he stuttered.

"Who do you think you are trying to fool, human?" Barricade angrily asked.

Zoe shook her head and examined the roll of negatives. "If this isn't the film you're looking for, then what?" she asked calmly.

"Yesterday at 18:05 hours you took a picture of my alternate mode."

Zoe thought back for a moment. "You're the police car?" she blinked her eyes in surprised.

"Correct."

"Well, I don't have it." Zoe answered bluntly.

Barricade slammed his servo beside Zoe again, threatening to squish her. "What do you mean you do not have it?! Did you give it to the Autobots?!" he demanded answers and he want them to be answered now.

Zoe moved back. "What's an Autobot? I don't give my films to anyone." She answers truthfully. "I left all of my films at home. I don't want anyone touching it."

The Decepticon growled and Zoe's phone buzzed, telling her that there was a phone call. "Answer it." Barricade ordered.

Zoe glared at the Decepticon, refusing to answer her phone.

"Answer it, _human_."

"Make me, _Dracula_."

"Do it before I crush your camera."

Zoe let out a low growl from her throat. She answered the call, pressing her phone to her ear.

"_Zoe! Took you long enough to answer!"_

"What do you want, Aiden?" Zoe asked, her eyes not leaving the giant robot in front of her.

They heard a laugh from the other end. _"Change of plans, Zo! You're going to have to come back by five!"_ the cheerful blond said from over the line. Zoe waited for him to continue. _"The Witwicky's invited us to a dinner party!"_

"I don't want to go. I hate dinner parties." Zoe tried to find an excuse.

"_Aw c'mon Zoe~! Mrs. Witwicky really wanted you to go!"_ She heard her brother whined. Her eyes narrowed at Frenzy. _"Please? Do it for me?"_

"...Fine." she sighed out.

"_Great! See you at five! And please stop bringing stray dogs with you… Mom doesn't like it when her carpet gets marked…"_ Aiden said jokingly.

"I didn't bring one yesterday." Zoe retorted.

Aiden laughed. _"That's great, but that also means a 'no' today, 'kay?"_

"Whatever." Zoe hung up on her brother, closing her cellphone.

Barricade kept a close optic on the human girl. He hacked into her cellphone and listened on her conversation with her brother. They were going to have a dinner party over at the Witwitcky's house, an Autobot zone. Which means the Autobots are watching the girl's family to ensure the girl's safety. He cursed in cybertronian.

He leans down to come face to face with the girl. "If you ever so tell about our little encounter, I will come after you." He threatened.

"Even if I don't, you will still come after me. I still have the film you wanted." Zoe retorted, her hands fiddling with the lens of her camera.

Barricade smirked, "Smart girl." A sudden thought came to his processor. The girl can still be useful even after she gave him the film. "I will let you live and became my little pet if you do as I say."

"Ba-Barri-Barricade?" Frenzy stuttered.

"I rather not. I don't want to be put on a leash and let you walk me around like a Chihuahua, Dracula." Zoe said, taking a deep breath.

"How blunt you are for a puny human. Your insults mean nothing to me."

"Your face is weird."

Barricade shifted down into his alt-mode, opening the passenger's door for Frenzy and Zoe to come in. Frenzy ran inside and sat on the driver's seat. The passenger's door was still open. "Like I said, human. Your insults mean nothing to me." He said. "Now get inside. I would like to give you your mission."

"I didn't agree to anything, you psycho."

"Do you want your brother dead?"

Zoe went quiet and groggily went to the police car, seating herself on the passenger seat. The door slammed shut as the car drove out of the underpass and into the road. Silence fell on the three, minus Frenzy's constant clicking and chattering.

"What do you want me to do?" Zoe quietly asked.

The car stopped a few blocks away from Zoe's house. "Report everything to me concerning of the Autobots. With you knowing of their existence is enough for them to put you under watch and protection. They might place an Autobot to become your guardian, but I highly doubt that. You are only fourteen of age." He explained.

Zoe glared at the dashboard. "Then how am I going to report to you if there's an 'Autobot' watching me, Stupid?"

The seatbelt around her tightened a bit. "Don't tempt me, Human." The car's engine rumbles. "Frenzy shall come with you and make sure no Autobot is following you to the meeting point."

"I-I don't like this." The blue-eyed robot shifted down to a laptop.

"It would be hard for them to detect a cassette." Barricade said as Zoey took the laptop off of the driver's seat. She stared at it before shoving it inside her sling bag, she was lucky that Frenzy's laptop form could fit in her bag. "Now get out, do your mission properly."

"I hate you, you over-grown evil panda."

The car shook, as it chuckles darkly. "Remember, I'm _know _where you live."

* * *

A/N: *Le gasp!* Cade! How could you! She's just a fourteen year old xD Anyway, further things will be explain throughout the story ^^

Special thanks to: AllSpark Princess, Galem, angelslaugh, animebella09, ninjagolover456, LunarNightDreamer, Archer of the Eclipse, Jeanie Bae, Wags14, deathangel147, heather. taft3, IronHidescannonlover, Heatheriko  
for adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to: Galem, Jimmy 144, ShadowedHand, TexTau, TrailWave, angelslaugh, animebella09, ninjagolover456, BlinksGoyl, HeartsGuardianSol, dancethenight-03, Archer of the Eclipse, Nightdaze, emc2fantasyfan, IronHidescannonlover, deathangel147  
for adding this story to their alerts!

Question: What do you guys think of the first three chapters? and who's your favorite Autobot or Deception?

Reviews are very appreciated! And please no flames ^^

R&amp;R please ^^


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: a new chapter!

KayleeChiara: thank you ^^

Answerthecall: awwww thank you so much x3

Lololreview: Hmm Cade and Frenzy are the remaining Cons in Tranquility for the moment because Starcream abandoned them.

SunnySides: xD my fav con!

HeartsGuardianSol: thank you :D

AllsparkPrincess: I hope so too

Archer of the Eclipse: thank you ^^

Alice Gone Madd: Me too… and those are my fav Autobots too!

Dark Cat Food Lover: okay ^^

IronHidescannonslover: Yeah! It'll be downright hilarious!

DarkshadowXsunny-sides: xD he's the cool and bad cop!

I own nothing… except for the plot.

* * *

Chapter 4  
Blackmail

Zoe stayed at the spot where Barricade has left her with Frenzy. She haven't moved an inch. She was just staring blankly at the sidewalk. The buzz inside her bag made her stop staring. She gazed over to her sling bag, unzipping it. She picked up her buzzing phone, flipping it open to see a new message. She ignored the fact that Frenzy was inside her bag disguised as a laptop.

"_Well? Aren't you going into your house to retrieve the film?"_ Frenzy texted.

The brunette stared at her phone, sighing softly. She texted back. _"No."_ The light jab to her hip was sent from inside her bag. She glared at her bag before swinging her bag to the stop sign beside her, 'accidentally' hitting it with a loud clang. There was a light grunt. Her eyebrows knitted together confusedly when Frenzy texted her some gibberish language. _"Use English. I don't understand your stupid gibberish."_

She waited for a reply. _"Answer my question."_ Frenzy texted after a minute of silence.

Zoe let out another sigh. _"It's still too early to come back. I don't like coming home early."_ She walked down the sidewalk, walking back into town. It was still around noon and she still has time to kill before going to the Witwicky's for their dinner party. Although she hated dinner parties, she was still willing to go because of her brother. She loved him and would do anything to make him happy_. "Besides, The Witwicky's might still be having tea parties with my family."_ She added a few seconds after she sent the first one.

"_Valid point." _

The young Campbell continued her walk to the city. The light went red when she was about to cross the road. She stood there, waiting. She glanced to her left and then to her right, finding not a single police car in sight. The girl sighed in relief and slipped her hand into her left pocket, feeling the familiar 35mm film. She lied to Barricade and Frenzy, saying that she left all of her films inside her house. She didn't leave _all_ of her films inside her drawer. She did have yesterday's film, safely secured inside her left pocket.

She walked up the small stairs to the main school's entrance. It was a Saturday. Students rarely come to school if there aren't any school activities going on a weekend. She pushed one of the double doors open and stepped inside, the door closer automatically closed the door behind her. Her footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. She could perfectly hear the singing voice of her school's janitor down the hall. She found him dancing and singing while mopping the floor.

"Moose." Zoe could hear the leaking sound from his headphones. She sighed. No matter how much she try calling out his name, he won't respond. Her finger tapped his shoulder a few times. The janitor nicknamed 'Moose' turned around as he kept moving his body to the beat of the music. He blinked when he saw Zoe standing behind him. He reached for the set of keys on his belt and searched through the keys, looking for 205. He took the 205 out of the ring and gave it to the girl. "Thanks." She mouthed and took the key from Moose.

Moose nodded his head, giving a thumbs up as he resumed mopping the floor. The school's janitor, Moose, worked on Fridays and weekends. He frequently saw Zoe coming to school almost every Saturday since the first day he worked in Tranquility's High School. Every Saturday, she kept asking for room 205. It was now a routine for Moose to give Zoe the key on Saturdays.

Zoe walked up the stairs in silence. She was breathing heavily when she reached the fourth floor of the building. The girl took deep breaths, catching her breath first before going to room 205. The fourth floor was mostly used as a place for after school clubs. The last room on the end of the hall was the Photography club. It was fully equipped with tools to make photos the old fashioned way, including a darkroom. The photography teacher wanted the students to learn photography the old fashioned way since he thought it was way interesting than digital.

Ironically, for a girl who likes old fashioned photography, she didn't join the photography club. She thought that it was boring taking pictures of her classmates doing purposefully ridiculous things for the camera to take. The members of the photography club were always the one who got cornered by group of girls, demanding that they should took pictures of them instead of boring nature.

The brunette opened the door and turned the lights on. She pluck in the key to the hole and turned it, locking the door with a soft click. She grabbed a couple of films and a pack of photography paper from her bag before placing it beside the table. The laptop crawled out, twisting and shifting to a thin blue-eyed robot. Frenzy glanced around the room, scanning. He climbed up the table as Zoe approached the door on the left. His optics shuttered before jumping from table to table to reach Zoe.

"Wh-Where a-are we?" he stuttered, jumping down the table.

"School. Room 205. The photography club." Zoe answered, not turning to face the cassette.

Frenzy tilted his helm. "Wh-What are we-we doing here?" he questioned suspiciously.

Zoe sighed. "It's not 'we'. It's me." She corrected, glancing over to the films in her hands. "I come here regularly to print pictures. I don't like people touching my films." She said with a frown, throwing Frenzy a look.

Frenzy skittered over to her and looked over to the films in her hands. "Y-You sa-said th-that you left yo-your films a-at your house."

"I did said that, but not all." The brunette murmured. "This might take a while…" she added.

The cassette eyed Zoe suspiciously and Zoe gave the stink eye. Finally Frenzy backed down and shifted back into his laptop form on the floor. The screen turned on automatically and a pop-up chat bar appeared. "Don't take too long, human." The chat bubble appeared.

"I said it might take a while. You'll get your film, just not now." Zoe rolled her eyes at the robot. She opened the door to the darkroom and peered over her shoulder to the laptop sitting on the floor. "Don't come in… I'll be a lot faster if you don't come in and ruin the pictures." She said, closing the door.

The fourteen year old girl let out a heavy sigh behind the closed door. She turned on the lights and placed the films next to the easel with the Blackbird placed beside it as well. She took the apron, gloves and safety glasses from the cabinet, placing them on while walking to another cabinet filled with chemicals used for printing. She prepared the developer, bath, fixer chemicals and the water in separated trays. She quickly turned off the regular light and turned the safelight on. The dimmed light illuminates the room in an amber color.

Without wasting more time, she began to work.

About two hours later, she finished printing the pictures and most of them were hang on a clothes line by clothespins. She dipped the photo paper into the tray of developer chemicals and a latent image appeared. She repeatedly dip and hold the paper by the tray before moving to the bath, the fixer, water and print washer. Once it was finished, she hung the finished photo paper on the clothes line and stares at it for a minute.

It was the picture of the giant yellow and silver robot. Next to it was the picture of the evil cop-car. If those robots are going to threatened her, she would blackmail them. She took down the pictures when they were dry and placed them inside an envelope. She carefully place the two 6x6cm pictures and the two negatives inside a hidden pocket in her jacket. It took her another half an hour to clean everything. She took off the apron, gloves and glasses, placing them back to where they belong. She grabbed her Blackbird, putting it over her head. She stepped out of the darkroom with an envelope in her hands.

Before she even took a step away from the door, Frenzy snatched the brown envelope away. Her green eyes glared at Frenzy as he skimmed through the pictures. His blue optics stared at the pictures and then to Zoe.

"What?" Zoe asked a little annoyed. She took her pictures back and went over to her bag, shoving them inside.

Frenzy made clicking noises. "Took yo-you long e-enough." He said, shifting down to his laptop form once again and climbed inside of the brown bag.

"Impatient Insect." Zoe mumbled and sling her bag over her head. The ticking clock on the wall shows that it was already two in the afternoon. She hadn't had lunch yet, but she wasn't feeling that hungry. She had a big breakfast and tonight, there was going to be a dinner party with a few families over at the Witwicky's. Perhaps she should just have something light for lunch.

She opened the door and grabbed the key, locking it again when she was outside of the room. She made her way downstairs, back to where Moose was moping the floor. In two hours, Moose has just finished mopping the first whole floor. The brunette gave the key to the janitor, mouthing a 'goodbye' to him before leaving the school grounds.

The brunette paused on her tracks when her phone buzzed. She flipped open her cellphone, reading the text Frenzy has sent her while walking down the sidewalk.

"_Get out of here. This place is crawling with Autobots."_

Zoe raised an eyebrow and glanced around. There wasn't anyone near the school. She inwardly sighed and continue her walk to the city. It was a busy afternoon in the streets of Tranquility. People were coming in and out of stores and restaurants. The streets were filled with passing and honking cars. The blazing sun shone high in the clear blue sky, not a single cloud was seen for miles.

The young Campbell inwardly groaned, taking her cap off to wipe the sweat off her forehead. She placed her red cap back on, tucking it deeper to cover her eyes from the stinging sunlight. She spotted a food stand not far from where she was standing. She ignored Frenzy's text messages as she went to wait in line. Once it was her turn, she had to stand on her toes for the cashier to see her. The counter was higher than her. She hated the fact of being a short fourteen year old.

The man smiled kindly. "Welcome to Mama's Sandwiches. How can I help you?"

Zoe pointed to the menu, pointing at the picture of a grilled cheese sandwich and a soda. The man merely smiled and Zoe handed the bill. He accepted the money and in a minute, he came back with her order. Zoe nodded in thanks as she took her food. The brunette walked away from the stand, sitting on a nearby bench.

Her phone buzzed when she took a bite from her sandwich_. "Didn't you read what I've sent?! GET OUT OF HERE!"_ Frenzy texted the last line in caps lock.

"_I did. You've sent that when we were at school. I did get out of school, Genius." _Zoe texted back.

Frenzy knows that Zoe was being sarcastic with him through the text. It took every of his will power to not transform right there and eliminate the girl. He would give away his and Barricade's location to the Autobots. Now, those Autoscums were everywhere! He spotted them at Zoe's school and now there are over three plus the two humans from NEST. He needed to get this apathetic, sarcastic and disobedient girl out of the danger zone.

"_If they can't detect you then how come you can detect them?" _

Frenzy growls. _"I hacked into the streets' cameras. I can see everything."_

Zoe glanced over to the camera placed on top of a streetlight where a black GMC truck was parked next to it. _"Does that mean you can see me?"_ she asked the most obvious question.

"_Just get out of here before we're caught!"_

"_It's you, not me."_ Zoe took another bite, tasting the rich salty flavor. She sipped her soda from a bendy straw, taking her time to finish her lunch. Every few seconds, Frenzy kept on sending her text messages for her to just get moving and go back home. Annoyed, she send a reply. _"I hope this doesn't go into my phone bills, Stick-droid." _

Frustrated, Frenzy decided not to send anymore text messages. He never knew that a small human girl can be this stubborn and annoying.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ratchet grunted when the girl he was watching is eating a none-healthy meal. He, along with Ironhide and Prowl were assigned by Optimus to keep a close optic on the human girl named Adella or Zoe since the rest of the Autobots were eye-catching. Jazz and Bumblebee were prohibited to volunteer to watch the girl. She has already seen them and would probably run away. Lennox and Epps also tagged along for human contact. If they saw a fitting chance, Lennox and Epps would talk to the girl.

"What's with all the grunting, doc?" The African American man asked. He sat on the passenger seat, keeping his dark colored eyes closely on Zoe who was playing with her phone.

"Look at what she is eating, Sergeant Epps." The radio spoke.

Epps raised an eyebrow before furrowing his eyebrows to get a more focused look. "I dunno…" he admitted. His eyes weren't as keen as the Autobots that can enhanced a thousand times and has a high resolution. "A sandwich perhaps?"

"A _grilled cheese_ sandwich." Ratchet corrected. "Just look at it! It has a high amount of cholesterol and calories! How can you stand eating those?" he grumbles. As a medic, of course he would say things like that. "She's going to have a heart-attack if she keeps eating those..._things_." He added with disgust.

The African American man laughed and patted the dashboard. "Chill, doc! She's just a kid!"

The CMO grunted in respond. "If I could, I would like to have a few words with her parents." He said, making Epps gave a nervous laugh.

"Oh boy… I feel sorry for her parents." Epps said, shaking his head with an awkward smile.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Ratchet inquired in his usual gruff tone.

Epps coughed a few times into his fist before clearing his throat. "Nothing, nothing."

Across the road, a monstrous black GMC truck was parked. The driver—a Caucasian man in his late twenties—was staring out of the window at the girl sitting on a bench. He couldn't believe that a little girl could cause so much trouble for NEST, and just because she took a picture of Bumblebee and Jazz using a Blackbird Fly Toy camera.

A few hours ago, they've somehow lost sight of the girl. She suddenly disappeared just like that and appeared an hour later. She was spotted going down to the city and into her school. For a few hours, the man just sit in his car, waiting for the girl. It was weird. Whenever he was trying to approach her, something just came up. It was as if the girl knew she was being followed. She was a step forward from them.

"Lennox," The gruff voice from the radio snapped the man from his thoughts. "When are we going to direct approach? It's been hours. I'm beginning to get impatient." The voice continues.

William Lennox stared at the radio, a hand on the steering wheel. "'Hide, you can't just approach her. She's just a kid. What happens when a guy from a big black monster truck suddenly approached her? She'll get freaked out and scream her lungs out." he explained, sighing from his nose.

Ironhide snorted. "With that face? She's as expressionless as Soundwave. I bet my high-grade energon that she won't scream."

Lennox rolled his eyes. "Remember, we're just here to keep an eye on her. Tonight, Sam and Mikaela will try and talk to her and then they'll lead the kid outside without her family." He reminded the impatient Weapon Specialist.

The black mech scoffed. "I still prefer to do it now. The sooner we get those films, the better. That slagging Decepticon scout is still around here somewhere. I can feel 'im." The truck's engine roared loudly, making pedestrians turn their head at the driver with an angry look.

Lennox sunk down into the leather seat, massaging his temples. "Way to go, 'Hide." He mumbled under his breath.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"This is going to be so exciting!" Judy giggled to herself. She happily prepared dinner for the 'party'. Ron just let out a heavy sigh at his wife's enthusiasm. He wasn't as enthusiastic as his wife. He was more annoyed than happy. They were wasting a perfectly good Saturday night, just for what? A little girl who accidentally took a picture of Sam's car? He could've just go straight to the point and ask for the film himself if it wasn't for Sam's rant. Sam just had to use the 'it's a teenage girl we're dealing with' talk. "Don't be such a lazy ass and start helping me set the table!" his wife scolded.

Ron grunted, an annoyed look was plastered on his face as he got off the couch. It was bad enough that he has to invite those Campbell and pay for the steaks, but now his wife was telling him to work?! Can a guy just get a break or something?

Lennox glanced over to his wrist watch. It was already seven past thirty. The Campbells were late, he noted. What can be keeping them so long? He glanced outside the window, finding the Autobots parked in the streets. There were a total of five Autobots, including Bumblebee, parked outside of the Witwicky's house. The mighty Autobot leader was among those cars. The Campbells were lucky that the Autobot leader is a very patience mech.

"Man… What's taking those Campbells so long?" Epps asked, voicing out Lennox's thoughts.

Lennox shrugged, "Maybe they didn't get the message?"

"Or maybe Zoe found out about the Autobots outside my house and decided to tell her family!" Sam shrieked, panicking like last night. He grabbed his hair, trying to pull it out.

Mikaela sighed at her boyfriend. "Sam. Calm down. I'm sure they're just fashionably late. It's not the end of the world if they're late for half an hour." She said, calming the brunet down.

Lennox smiled when he heard his one year old daughter's giggle. He was glad that his wife and his daughter were having fun, even though this was all a set up. He looked out the window once more when the sound of breaks screeching was heard. A sleek black Mercedes-Benz was parked in front of Ironhide. He furrowed his eyebrows down and watch as a family of four stepped out of the vehicle. He grinned when he spotted Zoe.

"Alright everyone! Just act natural! We don't need Zoe to find out." He shouted to the people in the room. Judy squealed happily as Ron groaned. Sam on the other hand was saying 'act natural' over and over, like it was like a mantra or something. He earned a good slap to the back of his head by Epps. The door was knocked twice. It was show time.

Judy literally skipped her way to the door, checking her hair and clothes before opening the door for the Campbells. "Hi! Welcome to the Witwicky's!" she smiled giddily.

Layla smiled. "Good evening, Mrs. Witwicky. I'm sorry for coming late." She apologize. "My youngest daughter decided to show up late."

Zoe rolled her eyes at her mother. She crossed her arms and looked away, a frown on her lips. She tried her best not to look back at the fancy cars. Two of them she recognized as the robots she saw the other night. The brunette decided to stare at the roses. She could've sworn she saw the GMC Topkick moved a little when she glanced back for a second.

Judy grinned. "Oh it's no problem at all! The party is just getting started!" the ginger-haired woman stepped aside, allowing the Campbells to step inside the house. "Please, please! Come inside and make yourself at home."

Aiden nodded his head and gave Zoe a little push. Once they were inside, they were greeted by the other families. Judy gave Aiden two plates of steak. The eldest of the Campbell siblings gave one to Zoe, who took it with a frown. Aiden gave a reassuring smile, placing his free hand on Zoe's shoulder. "C'mon, Zo. Just enjoy it. You don't need to show that sour look to Mrs. Witwicky." He chided.

Zoe looked away as her brother sighed. The brunette went over to the couch and sat on it across from a blonde woman and a baby. She began to eat silently while listening to her mother's brag. She tried her best to ignore it, listening to the other's conversation. But it was hard since her mother's voice was so loud. She felt the cushion shifted when someone sat beside her.

"Er… Hi?" Sam waved his hand awkwardly. The young Campbell ignored him and continue to eat her steak. Sam shifted uncomfortably at the silence Zoe was giving him. He always thought that a teenager was going to be really chatty, but he never expected her to give him the silent treatment. He cleared his throat. "So…um… how's the steak?" he laughed hopelessly.

Zoe stared at the nervous Witwicky. "I know this is a set up." She whispered quietly.

Sam jumped out from his seat, making the blonde woman look up at him with an eyebrow raised. He smiled at her before sitting back down beside Zoe. "How do you know?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Your dad hates us." Zoe bluntly said, taking another cut pieces of the steak.

Sam almost chocked on his own saliva. "W-What? My Dad doesn't hate your family." He stuttered and they both looked back to the parents when they heard laughter. Judy and Layla were giggling while Ron gave a loud sigh, rubbing his forehead. Lennox and Epps were giving awkward and forceful laughs. Sam turned to Zoe who was giving a look. "Okay…well. I guess, but that doesn't mean he hates you."

"I don't blame you if you hate my family too." Zoe said, grabbing a glass full of water on the coffee table. She averted her eyes to look at Mikaela and Jade, who was chatting. Although, it was more like Mikaela listening to Jade's rambling of her job. The young Campbell could perfectly see that Mikaela doesn't like the way Jade brag about her job and lifestyle. "Your friend doesn't seem to like my sister too." She pointed out before drinking the water.

"Wh-What? No-No! My girlfriend like your sister!" Sam spluttered out, waving his hands frantically in front of him.

"Don't worry. I don't like her too." Zoe completely ignored Sam's words. She watched at the brunet took a deep breath of relief with a hand on his chest. Zoe let out a soft sigh as she placed her empty plate and glass on the coffee table. "You just wanted to take my camera, right?" she clutched the Blackbird on her lap.

Sam shook his head. "No, well yes. No, but—," he ruffles his own hair in frustration as he tried to form the correct sentence. "Ugh… What I meant to say was… Yes, but only if your camera has the film of Bee and Jazz." He said.

Zoe sighed before reaching for the hidden pocket inside her jacket. She checked the negative first before giving it to Sam, making sure that it wasn't a picture of Barricade. Sam stared at the negative, gingerly taking it from Zoe's small hand. He points the negative to the light and saw that it was indeed a picture of Bumblebee and Jazz. He stood up from the couch and held up one finger to the brunette.

The fourteen year old stared at Sam. The older teen went over to a Caucasian man, talking something to him about the film in Sam's hand. The man glanced over to Zoe and made eye contact. Zoe broke the eye contact and stared down at her Blackbird, fiddling with the focus.

"You have a really interesting family." The woman sitting in front of her said, breaking Zoe's thoughts.

Zoe perked her head up to the blonde woman. "That's just your way to say you hate my family." She retorted.

The woman chuckled. "I'm Sarah Lennox and this cutie pie is Annabelle." The baby in her arms giggled happily, waving her small hands up and down while giving Zoe a toothless smile. She lifted Annabelle up, pressing the tip of her nose to Annabelle's small one.

"Do you want my full name or nickname?" Zoe asked seriously, but Sarah only giggled at her. The young Campbell stared at Sarah with an apathetic look. "Zoe…" she introduced.

Sarah smiled. "Do you want to hold Annabelle?" she stood up, holding Annabelle.

Zoe wasn't fast enough to respond. The blonde woman has already placed Annabelle on Zoe's lap. The baby laugh and giggled in Zoe's arm as she just stares blankly. Annabelle suddenly grabbed Zoe's camera, slapping it and almost putting it inside her mouth. Zoe quickly took the camera away from the baby girl. She had on an annoyed look plastered on her face. Another thing she hated than someone touching her camera was a baby wanting to use it as a chew toy. The baby's doe blue eyes stared at Zoe's green glaring ones. Annabelle patted Zoe's cheek and gurgled.

"…you're lucky you have a mother who likes you." Zoe said slowly, holding out her finger for Annabelle to grab.

"Don't say that Zoe. Your mother loves you. She just have another way of showing it." Sarah advised as Zoe struggled to carry Annabelle to her mother. The blonde woman took Annabelle from Zoe's arms and rocked her back and forth, humming a lullaby.

Zoe stared at Sarah. The woman was being so kind to her and yet she was trying to act all cold to her. She glanced down to her Blackbird, a small sigh escaped her lips. She opened the viewfinder, looking down at it as she tried to find the right focus. She switched the aperture from f11 to f7. From looking down at the viewfinder, she was seeing Sarah rocking Annabelle back and forth. Without wasting time, she pulled the trigger down.

"Oh yes, Jade graduated Angel's Ear when she was fourteen. The youngest one to ever graduate from the school. She excels in piano, along with Aiden." Layla said with a proud smile.

Ron snorted. "Really?" he sounded really uninterested.

'_Yeah… really?'_ Zoe thought as she rolled her eyes at her mother. There she goes. The bragging beast of the Campbell is finally released. The youngest Campbell leaned back on the couch, slouching as her eyes narrowed at Layla. She hates it when her mother began to brag about everything.

Judy clapped her hands a few times and placed her hand on Aiden's shoulder. "Then how about you play us a song? We have a piano right here!" she exclaimed.

Aiden glanced over to Zoe who was staring at him. His lips quirked up in a smile. "No, no… I think I'll pass. Jade?"

Jade smirked and flipped her hair from her shoulder. She flashed Zoe a smug smirk as she went over to sit on the chair, opening the piano cover. Her fingers hoover above the keys. Zoe looked away, rolling her eyes with an annoyed look.

'_Chopin Waltz no. 7…'_ Zoe thought when she listened to the opening. She glanced over and saw that Jade still had the same smug smirk across her lips. Abruptly, Zoe stood up from the couch when the music began to get faster. Jade was showing off, again. And she was rubbing it on Zoe's face too. She ignored Sarah's call as she went over to the glass door that leads to the backyard, exiting the house as everyone was moved by Jade's playing.

Zoe walked on the path and stopped in the middle. She lifted her chin up to look at the inky black sky. The full moon shined brightly with stars here and there. The sound of crickets chirping in the night was the only thing she could hear. She closed her eyes for a brief moment before the sound of the door being opened was heard. She glanced over her shoulder and found that it was the man Sam talked to earlier.

"It's a beautiful night." He said, breaking the silence as he stood beside Zoe.

Zoe averted her eyes to the fountain. She ignored the man.

"William Lennox, call me Will." The man smiled and offered his hand.

The brunette gingerly shook his hand. The two stood in utter silence. Lennox crossed his arms over his chest as he kept on averting his eyes to Zoe and then to the night sky. He was feeling rather uncomfortable with the silence.

"So…um—,"

Zoe beat him to it. "Is there something you want other than the film?" she asked without looking at the man.

Lennox blinked and he rubbed the back of his neck, a hand on his hip. "Well… I— We would like to talk to you."

"We?" Zoe echoed.

"Yes, we." Lennox confirmed and the sound of metal shifting and clicking was heard. Zoe raised an eyebrow at the military man before giant shadows consumed them. She followed Lennox's gaze and her eyes widened for a split second. In front of her stood five big and tall robots, two of them she recognized. The other three? They were bigger than the last two.

Lennox smirked at Zoe's amazed face. "Zoe, meet the Autobots."

* * *

Special thanks to: DarkshadowXsunny-sides, DoctorWho53, Generalhyna, NightCoringMadness, The Winter Akayla, Answerthecall, McCrane55, catspajamas12, PixieFictie, xDaphnetjuh, Steelrider, Lightning Emerald  
for adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to: DarkshadowXsunny-sides, DoctorWho53, Generalhyna, Shadestriker27, The Winder Akayla, Answerthecall, TheAwesome101, catspajamas12, PixieFictie, xDaphnetjuh, Mang- uungol. Ng. Buwan, Lightning Emerald  
for adding this story to their alerts!

Reviews are very appreciated!  
R&amp;R please :D


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: thank you guys so much for the reviews, favs, and alerts! :D I love you all 3

Lololreview: Ah, I'll try to improve ^^

Archer of the Eclipse: Sure thing! :D

Jgoss: Thank you ^^

DarkshadowXsunny-sides: Yeah she is… everyone would if they have Frenzy in their pocket xD

Lightening-strike-prime: XD thank you so much!

AkatsukiKittenGirl: Sure

Transformeranimefan: Yeah she is that kind of person

ShiftFrame: XD

Answerthecall: Lol love ya Lennox!

Alice Gone Madd: yeah…

AllSpark Princess: They now have something in common xD

Shadestriker27: Thank you so much :3

Dark Cat Food Lover: Sure thing XD

Dragon of Yin and Yang: Of course :D

Galem: Yeah…

I own nothing except the plot and my OCs!

I apologize if there are any errors! I'll to fix them when I find them!

* * *

Chapter 5  
First Meeting

Optimus kneeled down on one knee, moving his helm closer to the girl as his electric blue optics were locked on the small girl. He saw her move a little closer to Lennox. Though her face remains apathetic, the Autobot commander could tell that the small girl was feeling uneasy. He moved back, giving some space for the girl. He raised his servo, motioning for his comrades to move back a little.

"You are Adella Zoey Campbell, correct?" His deep baritone voice broke Zoe from her thoughts. She blinked and her eyes were more focused on the large mech. The small brunette nodded her head mutely. Optimus smiled a little, "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots." He introduced.

"You have already met my lieutenant and scout, Jazz and Bumblebee." He directed his servo to the silver and yellow mech. Lennox and Zoe turned to the two Autobots.

Jazz gave a two digit salute, "What's kickin', lil' lady?"

"_Hi, darling!"_ Bumblebee chirped happily from his radio, waving his servo at the girl.

Zoe raised an eyebrow at Bumblebee's voice. "He's a guy, but he sounds like a girl." She said quietly, but the Autobots and Lennox heard it. Her head turn to face the large black mech when he snickered. She moved her gaze back to Bumblebee, staring at the yellow mech.

Bumblebee's door-wings dropped, feeling slightly offended.

Lennox opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again as he tried to think. Finally, he started to explain, "Uh… His voice box is damaged during the war. He uses selected playbacks of radios or TV signals to communicate with us… So um… that explains his voice." He averted his eyes from Bumblebee to Zoe.

"Oh…"

"Well, let's continue shall we? That's Ratchet, the Autobots' CMO." Lennox pointed his finger at the neon-colored mech. "That's Chief Medical Officer." He added.

"I know what it stands for." Zoe said, staring at the medic.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "You seemed to have some problems—,"

"Moving on," Zoe cuts him off, turning to face the black mech.

"What? You do not interrupt someone from talking. It is considered rude." The CMO grunted, scolding the sharp-tongued girl who in return ignored the Autobot. Optimus place his servo on Ratchet's shoulder, calming the medic down before the Hatchet side comes out. The neon-colored Autobot simply scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest plates, sending a quick glare to Zoe. "Honestly, sparklings these days…"

The NEST field commander could only smile awkwardly. "And last but not the least, Ironhide. He's the Weapon Specialist." He lastly introduced his guardian.

"How about it, girlie?" The black mech smirked as the back of his servo began to twist and turn into a fusion cannon.

Lennox chuckled when Zoe moved another step closer to him. "There's no need to be afraid of him, Zoe. I can assure you that the Autobots are the nice guys. Ironhide's just trying to show off. It's not every day he gets to show off his cannons." He gave a reassuring smile when Zoe glanced at him.

"Damn right," The trigger happy mech laughed, his fusion cannon turning back into his servo. Ironhide suddenly began to sniff the air and his servo once again turned to a cannon. Due to his behavior, the others began to follow him. Glancing around the suburban house for any Decepticons. Whenever Ironhide starts to sniff, it only means a Decepticon was around. "I can smell one, but I can't actually pin point his location." He grunted.

Zoe placed a hand on her sling bag, glancing at it before looking up at Optimus. "Who exactly?"

Optimus turned his helm to the small girl, "The Decepticons. To be more specific, their scout, Barricade and his partner, Frenzy. They have been spotted around Tranquility for the past few days and we are uncertain of what they are looking for."

"Decepticons?" Zoe asked, her hand still over the sling bag.

"They are a malevolent race, brutal and merciless, led by Megatron. Have you heard of the terrorist attack in Mission City?" The mighty Autobot Leader began, asking the brunette. She gave him a skeptical look, but nodded. He raised his servo up to the side of his helm, pressing the temple of his helm. A small projection of Mission City appeared in front of Lennox and Zoe. The brunette crouched down to get a better view as Lennox knelt down beside her. "It was never a terrorist attack. The Decepticons invaded the city to get their servos on the AllSpark. Major Lennox and his men had fought bravely against the Decepticons and have gain our trust."

Zoe watched the projection of the fight in Mission City. It was showing the part when the Autobots and the humans were waiting for the air forces. She leaned her head back from the projection when there was an explosion. After that, the scene changed to the part when Optimus was fighting Megatron, but it was from Optimus' point of view. She got a clear view of Megatron's face and her eyebrows furrowed down. He has the same eyes as Barricade. Finally, the scene was skipped to Sam when he fuse Megatron's spark with the AllSpark.

"Sam had risked his life to save ours. We are in his depth." Optimus pressed the temple of his helm, ending the projection. Both Lennox and Zoe stood back up, staring at the tall mech. "NEST is formed under Major Lennox to protect Earth and its people. Now it is our duty to hunt down the remains of the Decepticons across the globe… and Barricade along with Frenzy are one of them."

Zoe opened her mouth to speak.

"Zoe! It's time to go home now!" Her brother's voice stopped her.

The glass door opened. "No, no, no, no need, Aiden. I'll go and tell her." The African American man let out a short laugh to Aiden before popping his head out of the opened door. His expression changed, a troubled look on his face. "I can't keep this up, man! Hurry it up!" He hissed quietly before going back inside, closing the curtains.

"Our time is cut short," Optimus announced. "Adella—,"

"Zoe…" Zoe murmured before looking up. "I don't like being called Adella."

Optimus gave a nod. "Zoe, it is crucial if you kept this as a secret. Not all humans react the same as you when they see us."

Zoe nodded and lowered her head down, a frown on her lips. She began to think again about the picture of the robo—Jazz and Bumblebee. The story their told her seemed like the truth. They weren't lying to her and they were right. If that picture gets into her classmates' hands, it might cause some big trouble, both for her and for the Autobots. She slipped her hand into her hidden pocket, pulling out a 6x6 picture.

Lennox stared at Zoe confusedly when she extended her hand to him, holding a picture. "Uh… what's this?" he asked, taking the picture anyway.

"A picture, isn't it obvious?"

The Caucasian man flipped the picture over and his eyes widened. "This… How did you?" he asked before taking out the negative from his pocket. "When? Where did you go to print this out?" he asked seriously.

"Earlier today… at school. I did it on my own. I don't like other people touching my films." Zoe admitted quietly.

Lennox sighed in relief. "That's good…" he ruffled Zoe's hair with a grin on his face. "Thanks for being honest with us, Zoe."

Zoe glared as she combed her hair with her fingers.

"Anything else?" Ironhide grunted.

"Actually, there is—," Zoe paused when she felt a jab to her hip. She quickly shut her mouth and glanced around, looking for something to lie about. Ironhide raised an optic ridge when the girl suddenly became quiet. "—you have something on your foot." She finished before turning around on her heels, walking straight back into the house.

"My foot—? Pesky rodent!" Ironhide hissed as he lifted his pede up to see a Chihuahua with one of its leg lifted up. "I hate Chihuahuas." He grumbles.

Optimus chuckled, "If there is anything else, do not be afraid to come and tell us what is on your mind." he lastly said to Zoe before she stepped inside the house. He stood back up to his full height and motioned his servo for the Autobots to move out.

"Autobots, transform and roll out."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
—(Monday)—

Zoe sat quietly behind her desk. It was in the corner of the room near the window. She wasn't always the one who would pay attention to the teacher. She found the topic boring and a waste of time. Everybody already knows who the first president of the United States was. The freshman pulled out her phone when she felt it buzzed. She flipped it open under her desk, reading the text.

"_Barricade wishes to see you after…school."_ Frenzy texted.

The brunette narrowed her eyes. Apparently, Barricade was out of town yesterday for unknown reasons. Though, Zoe had suspected that he was too chickened out at the amount of Autobots around town. After the party, Zoe gave the negative to Frenzy, but the cassette refused to take it, saying that he wanted to test her loyalty to Barricade. The answer was obvious. She trust the Autobots more than Barricade, but she was afraid that Barricade would get to her brother first before the Autobots can.

"_I can't. The Witch is picking me up after school."_ Zoe texted back, glancing around to see if anyone saw her using her phone during class. Her thumb hoover over the keys, staring at the screen. As quietly as she can, she typed another message. _"Tell your master that he can talk to me through texts…"_ She pressed send, closing her phone soon after before the teacher passes her table. She opened her phone again when the coast was clear. _"…as long as he's paying for the bills."_ She added.

"_Barricade is not happy."_

"_So am I."_ Zoe sighed, closing her phone. She turned her attention to the teacher before her eyes stared out the window. A silver Pontiac Solstice slowly drove down the road. Her eyes followed the sports car until it disappears from view. The Autobots were around, keeping an eye on her. Perhaps they were afraid that she might spill everything out to her friends, but the thing is, she didn't like anyone from her class or any other class. She found them too boring for the taste.

Her head perked up when the bell rang. The teacher dismissed the class, saying that there will be a test next week. Groans were heard across the room and the teacher ignored his students' displease. Zoe quickly packed her things, stuffing them inside her bag. She stood up, the chair behind her screeched against the floor. Her precious camera was around her neck, held by the leather strap. She never goes anywhere without it.

"Hey Adella! Have you seen the latest issue in TeenPop? Your sister looks so pretty!" A girl from Zoe's class giggled. Her classmate stopped her from going out of the class. The magazine was shoved to Zoe's face, making the brunette scrunch her nose in disgust at her sister's image. "I was wondering if you could—hey! Where are you going? Adella~!" her classmate whined when Zoe walked pass by, ignoring her request.

She flipped open her phone_, "You're ignoring your friend? I thought humans stick together."_ Frenzy asked.

Zoe scoffed. _"Friend? She's not my friend. She's annoying. They're all annoying. They just want to use me to get closer to the Hag."_ She typed while walking down the hall.

The brunette stood on the curb waiting for her mother to pick her up. Students lined up to get inside the school bus as many other went by foot, bicycles, or by their own car. Her eyes narrowed when a pair of friends started to talk about the latest issue in TeenPop magazine. She did her best ignoring the giggles, but failed not to cringe. She glared at them at the corner of her eyes when they let out another ear-aching squeal. She silently hoped that her mother would just hurry it up.

A yellow Camaro stopped right in front of her, the black tinted window rolled down. It was Sam with his girlfriend sitting on the passenger seat. The Witwicky leaned his head out with an awkward smile. "Need a lift home?" he offered.

_"This is not a drive by…who's gonna drive you home?"_ The radio turned on, switching from one station to another.

Zoe declined the offer, shaking her head slowly.

Mikaela smiled, "Are you waiting for someone, Adella?" She asked nicely. Zoe could only stare at the black-haired beauty. Her phone buzzed and she opened the message, ignoring Mikaela's question. The black-haired teen tilted her head to get a better view. "Texting your friend?" she asked again.

This time, Zoe answered. "No."

Sam averted his eyes from Zoe's cellphone to Zoe. "But you're texting now." He said confusedly.

"Yes." Zoe said.

"So are you texting your friend?" Sam tried to clarify.

"No."

Sam blinked, a hopeless smile on his lips.

_"Baby! You're confusing me."_ Bumblebee whined.

"I think what she's trying to say is… she's texting, but not to her friend." Mikaela turned her head to the brunette, smiling. "Isn't that right, Adella?"

Zoe nodded her head. Her head perked at the sound of brakes screeching. A familiar black car was parked right in front of the Camaro. "I have to go now." She waved her hand goodbye, walking towards the black car.

"Hey, Zo." Her brother greeted as soon as Zoe opened the door. The brunette blinked in surprise. She expected her mother's cold greeting, not her brother's cheerful grin. She got inside the car, closing the door. Aiden put the gear on D and drove away from school. "Seatbelt on, please." He glanced over to his little sister.

"Where's Hag and the Witch?" Zoe bluntly asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

"Jade got called for another modeling job. She had to leave school early." Aiden explained as he drove into the city. Zoe's eyes sparkled. If her mother and sister is at work, that means no violin class for her! Her brother's laugh broke her from her thoughts. "Sorry, Zo… but I'm still driving you to Angel Ears. Mom would kill me if I don't."

That broke her spirits.

Zoe slumped on the leather seat, arms crossed and a frown on her lips. The car pulled to a stop in front of a classic building. Aiden took off his seatbelt and reached to the back, taking a violin case, placing it on Zoe's lap. Even with the violin on her lap, the youngest Campbell refused to get out of the car. Aiden smiled, ruffling Zoe's hair.

"C'mon, Zo… Do it for your big brother Aiden, 'kay?" Aiden soothed, a kind smile on his face. "How about when I pick you up, we'll stop by your favorite ice cream shop and buy a double-scooped ice cream. How does that sound?" he bribed.

"…with sprinkles?"

Aiden nodded, "With sprinkles."

Zoe let out a soft sigh, finally exiting the car.

The window was rolled down. "I'll see you later Zoe."

Zoe watched Aiden's car drive away until it disappeared from her sight. The brunette sighed again before walking up the steps of Angel Ears' building. Her phone buzzed again, stopping her from walking inside. It was from Frenzy, again. But this time it wasn't a text, it was a phone call.

"Ba-Barricade wi-wishes to-to see you. Fo-Follow the di-directions I'm go-going to give to you. The-There's an Autobot nearby. He's a block a-away. I su-suggest you get moving, human." Frenzy stuttered. The brunette scoffed, but on the other hand Zoe mentally thanked both Barricade and Frenzy for saving her from the old and cranky violin teacher. She quickly walked down the steps, going inside an alley to hide. She followed Frenzy's directions, avoiding the main street and the Autobot. "The meeting po-point is in th-the abandoned warehouse 13. All yo-you have to do is g-go straight."

Zoe hung up on the cassette, thinking that it wasn't necessary anymore to hear his stuttering. She shifted the violin case in her right hand to a better position. It was a quiet place. No one was around the warehouse, except for a few mice digging in the trash cans. The rusted door of the warehouse made it hard for Zoe to push it open. With all her might, she managed to push the door open just enough for her to slip inside. She closed the door with a thud, echoing in the spacious warehouse.

In the middle, a ford mustang was parked. As Zoe walked closer, the mustang began to break apart. It shifted and gears began to whirl into place. The red-eyed robot stared at Zoe with glare. "Took you long enough, Human. You do not keep me waiting." He snarled, walking towards the stacked up crates. The Decepticon sat on the crates, still keeping his optics locked on the girl in front of hm. "I'm not a patient mech." He growled.

Zoe didn't answer. She just placed her violin case beside her and opened her sling bag, letting Frenzy out. Her green eyes stared at the cassette transformation before taking out the negative film from inside her pocket. She extended her hand for the cassette to take it. He snatched it away, skittering over to Barricade. They both spoke in another language, making Zoe frown. Her eyes narrowed when Frenzy ripped the negative to shreds. What a waste of film…

"…is that all you need?" Zoe broke the silence, lifting the violin case beside her.

Barricade lifted his helm up when Zoe turned around on her heels, walking away. "Who told you to leave?" The scout inquired, his red optics glowing in the dark. Zoe stopped and stood sideways, waiting for the Decepticon to continue. "You're not leaving yet, Fleshy."

"T-There's a-an Autobot scouting." Frenzy told, his bright blue optics shuttering every second. Zoe sighed before placing the violin case down. Frenzy tilted his helm and skittered towards the girl. He poked the case with his digit and looked up at Zoe. "W-What's in th-the case?"

Zoe glanced at Frenzy before her eyes landed on the violin case. She bends down, opening the case.

"Y-You p-play th-this in-instrument?" Frenzy asked.

"What do _you_ think?" Zoe spat, glaring at the cassette beside her.

Barricade chuckled darkly. "Why don't you play it and entertain me, Human?"

Zoe refused.

"Well?"

The brunette let out a sigh before taking the bow, applying rosin it. She took the violin out, tuning it first and placed it between her jaw and her left shoulder. Her small fingers were arch over the fingerboard. She placed the bow on the strings and began to play. The pitched melody echoed in the warehouse. She started out slow, but when it gets into the middle of the song, her fingers started to move a little faster and the sound was higher and power than the beginning.

Barricade stopped the violinist. "Theme from Schindler's List. That's a depressing song." He grunted.

Zoe stared at him before shifting the violin to the right position. The position of her fingers changed and she began to play again. The song of 'Happy Birthday to You' was played.

Frenzy dropped down to the floor, laughing. "Ha-ahaha-HAHAHA!" He began to spasm.

The Decepticon scout growled. "Are you toying with me, human?" he glowered, his servo balled up into a fist.

Zoe glared at him. "You're the one who wanted a happier song. I can't think of another one than Happy Birthday." She retorted. "Be grateful that I'm not playing random notes." She murmured quietly.

Frenzy pulled himself up. "h-ahahaha…" His laughter dies down after a minute. "Yo-You do-don't seem t-to like p-playing the violin a-and yet you played it well."

"I don't. I hate it." Zoe answered, positioning her fingers on the fingerboard to play another song. Adagio for Strings was next.

"T-Then why are you playing?"

Zoe ignored the cassette.

Barricade scoffed. This is why he hate humans.

* * *

A/N: Barricade is acting like the boss xD. I just love writing Optimus' character! He's just so fun to write! When would the Autobots come to rescue the heroine of the story?!

I've read that Freshmen is the 9th grade, right? Cause where from I'm from, 9th grade is middle school. So if I get something wrong, please notify me ^^

Special thanks to: 1nconceivable, CarsCars2Fanatic, CastielLunaWinchester, Dragon of Yin and Yang, JoySalvatore1, Shadesriker27, ShiftFrame, Transformeranimefan, x-utalicious, Shannon the chameleon, jgoss, lizziecats, DisneyFreak-Lover  
for adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to: 1nconceivable, CarsCars2Fanatic, CastielLunaWinchester, Catgoddess92, DisneyFreak-Lover, JCDisme, JoySalvatore1, Nessamir, ShiftFrame, StarLight837, ninja-of-twilight, x-utalicious, Nakka, Superlils, jgoss, lizziecats, Counting Sinful Stars, MahoganyShadow, Patches9812  
for adding this story to their alerts!

What do you guys think of the chapter?

Reviews are always appreciated! And please no flames ^^

R&amp;R please!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: A new chapter! Auto Re:Play 2 and The One and Only is next in my updating list! :D

CastielLunaWinchester: They have to roll out soon xD

Education: Yes, thank you for the information ^^

Answerthecall: Thank you so much!

Imjaysong: Awwww thank you :3

Shadesstriker27: Hehehe thank you very much!

DarkshadowXsunny-sides: Yeah. And Aiden's a really cool bro!

Erin Primette: Maybe… but throughout the story they might become friends… maybe… It takes progress and progress ^^

Dark Cat Food Lover: sure ;D

TheBookieworm: Thank you for the info! :D

Alice Gone Madd: Lol! Yeah…

AllSpark Princess: I hope so too…

Counting Sinful Starts: Go Optimus Prime! xD

I own nothing except my OCs and the plot!

* * *

Chapter 6  
Downfall

Zoe moved her hand, writing down the answer to the last problem. She kept holding her number two pencil as she glanced around the classroom. The sound of feint scraping noise from pencils could be heard inside the room. Everyone was focused on their test paper, answering the questions printed out on the white paper. Some found it difficult, but some found it easy. She even spotted a few passing a small piece of paper, probably the answers. The brunette rolled her eyes before she stared out the window.

A month had passed since she met the Autobots. The Autobot—Jazz—have stopped following her. The others seemed to also have stopped following her from place to place. Perhaps they were tired of her going around too much, but that just make things easier for Barricade and Frenzy. Without any Autobots constantly watching her, the Decepticon scout could easily keep a close optic on her.

Truth be told, Zoe hates Barricade. He would threatened her, pushing her mentality to the end. She wasn't one who would break because of his constant insults. In fact, it only makes her hate grow. The funny thing was, Barricade never laid a servo on the girl. Sure, he would sometimes throw objects near her, but he never harmed her. Perhaps it was because he was afraid that the Autobots would find out if there was any scratch on her. And as for Frenzy, she learned to just ignore him.

The bell rang, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Alright class, pencils down. Hand over your paper to me on your way out." Her math teacher said from behind his desk. A few annoyed groans could be heard. Zoe narrowed her eyes at the students who confidently hand in their papers to the teacher. She packed her things before walking to the front, giving the teacher her paper. When the brunette was about to walk out of the class, a voice stopped her. "Ms. Campbell? Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.

Zoe stopped right at the door. She turned around, nodding her head. She walked back to the teacher's desk, standing beside it as she patiently waited for him to speak. They both waited until everyone was out of the class, telling the last one out has to close the door.

"Is there something you need, Mr. Wilson?" Zoe asked, breaking the silence.

Mr. Wilson took off his glasses, folding them and he placed it on the table. He crossed his hands, turning his head to face his most quiet student. "Is there something bothering you, Ms. Campbell? You've been acting quite strange for the past week." He said, showing his concern.

Zoe's sharp green eyes stares into Mr. Wilson's dark brown ones, keeping her poker-face. She was careful. How did Mr. Wilson know? For all she know, she was always the same—even after her encounter with Barricade and Frenzy. Her brain began to think of any possibilities. "Did someone put you up to this?" she bluntly asked.

The man blinked and fixed his posture. He cleared his throat. "Now why would you say that?" her teacher hid his stutter.

Zoe shook her head. "Never mind." she felt her phone buzzed inside her pocket. To avoid suspicion from her teacher, she didn't glance down to look at her vibrating phone. "I have to go. See you tomorrow, Mr. Wilson." She said, ending the little talk with her teacher in less than a minute.

When her back was turned on her teacher, she flipped open her phone, reading the text from Frenzy. "That man is asked by NEST to ask you." the cassette said.

"I figure…he never ask me anything." Zoe texted back. The girl quietly exited the school building. Unlike the other students, she didn't talk to anyone—even when there was a school project. She would exchange a few words, but never a full sentence. Except when she has to make a presentation in front of the class. Everyone would found that boring because of her flat tone.

The green-eyed girl glanced around, looking for her mother's car. Her mother would pick her up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday—the days her violin lessons took place right after school from 2 PM to 5 PM. She spotted Jade in the middle of a crowd, surrounded by her fans and friends. Zoe even saw a few of her classmates holding out a magazine and a pen for her sister to sign. The brunette rolled her eyes, putting away her phone as she walked down the steps. She opened the viewfinder of her camera, looking down at it while focusing the lens.

"S-Stop it! That's mine! My mo-mom gave it to me!" the loud voice made her turned the focus too much, making everything a blur to look at from the viewfinder. The brunette clicked her tongue in annoyance, turning her head to the boy who screamed. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of a boy trying his best to get his calculator back from a group of bullies. If she wasn't mistaken, that boy was in her class, the smart and shy one—Alexander. "C'mon guys! Gi-Give it back! I-It's not yours!" the boy pleaded.

Zoe looked away from the scene. It wasn't her problem.

The taller boy—Derek—sneered. He threw the calculator to his friend across from him. "Haha! If you want it, come and get it momma's boy!" he laughed along with his friends as they play monkey in the middle.

Once Alex had his back turned, he felt a sharp tug, pulling him back. His hood was pulled up, covering his eyes. Derek spun him around a few times, laughing as he did so. He lost his balance and fell to the ground, his head pounding as the image of the world around him spun. Everything was a blur, his glasses were nowhere to be found. He squinted his eyes, trying to focus on Derek's arrogant face.

Derek smirked, "Looks like Turtle Boy needs his mommy to help him!" he jeered, waving the calculator in his hand. His friends laughed at his comment while Alex kept his head low. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted the silent yet cold-hearted girl from his class. "Hey! Adella! Come over here!" he shouted at the girl.

Zoe raised an eyebrow before walking closer to the group, a frown on her lips.

"How about you take a picture of me doing a wedgie to Turtle Boy over here? It'll be a great yearbook photo!" Derek grinned happily.

The brunette scoffed. "I don't take pictures of idiotic bullies." She calmly said, looking down at her viewfinder as she searched for the focus.

The black-haired jock looked baffled. "W-What?! What did you say?!" he shouted, his cheeks bright red.

"I don't talk to idiots either." Zoe added, turning away from the bullies.

Derek reached his hand out, forcing Zoe to look at him. He grabbed her collar, twisting it up. "I like you to say that to my face, Adella!" he growled, raising his fist up threateningly.

Zoe narrowed her eyes, glaring at the boy with an annoyed look. "You're an idiot." She bluntly said, placing her hand on top of Derek's wrist. "I saw you cheating on Mr. Wilson's math test." She continued, staring into Derek's frightened eyes. She averted her eyes to his friends, who flinched at the sight of her sharp eyes. "If I took a picture of you bullying Alex, I might as well show it to Mr. Wilson." She lifted her camera up to Derek's face, pulling the trigger down.

"I-I'll show you!" Derek pulled back his arm, curling his fingers to a tight fist.

Before the boy even laid a hand hit on Zoe, a familiar blue and red flash stopped him. They both looked back to see a police cruiser blaring his sirens. The police officer turned off the flashing lights, revving the engine loudly. The driver's window opened, reviling a young police officer glaring at the kids behind his black sunglasses. He lowered his sunglasses a little, showing his crimson eyes.

"Is there a problem here, gentlemen?" His deep baritone voice broke Derek from his fear.

Derek glanced down at Zoe before pushing her away. "N-No sir." He stuttered, turning away from the police officer. He threw the calculator to Alex, who caught it clumsily. The black-haired jock shoved his hands inside his pockets, sending a glare at Zoe. "C'mon guys… let's leave these two weirdoes." He said quietly, but loud enough for his friends to hear.

Zoe watched at the group of bully stormed their way from the crowd, pushing everyone who gets in their way. The brunette let a soft sigh out as she fixed her collar.

The police officer turned his head to Zoe, "Adella. Your…mother asked for me to pick you up. Get inside." He ordered, rolling his black tinted window up.

Zoe rolled her eyes at the man. "Whatever…" she mumbled under her breath. The brunette crouched down to take the glasses from the ground. She approached the blond boy, staring down at his form. Silently, she held out his glasses, waiting for him to take his glasses back. "Well? Are you going to take it?" she asked.

Alex looked up, his eyes squinted to focus on the figure in front of him. He took his glasses back, placing them on. "T-Thank you, Adella…"

Zoe nodded, turning around on her heels. She walked towards the passenger door of the police cruiser.

"Took you long enough, human." The police officer growled when the passenger door opens. Zoe sat quietly on the leather seat, closing the door with a thud. The hologram disappeared into thin air while the steering wheel kept moving on its own. "All you humans are the same. You're afraid of the ones superior to you." The car jeered.

Zoe didn't answer the Decepticon. Instead, she kept on staring at her camera, opening and closing the viewfinder. She averted her eyes to the driver's side, staring at the steering wheel. Despite the fact of her hatred towards the Decepticon, she sometimes feel grateful of his actions, but that was a rare occasion. Only twice, the first time was when he bailed her out from her violin lessons. The second time was now—when he stopped the bullies from hurting her. But that still doesn't change her view of him being the bad guy.

Frenzy crawled out of her bag, flexing his strained joints. "N-No A-Autobots in si-sight." He stuttered, informing his master.

"Excellent." The radio chuckles. The police cruiser drove inside the entrance gate of a museum. He parked in the basement, at the darkest corner. He scanned the area, making sure that there were no humans were around.

Zoe glanced out the tinted window, "What are you doing in the museum's parking lot?" she asked, staring at the radio.

"You will work for me, human." Barricade said and Frenzy transformed back into a laptop. The cassette in the form of a laptop—crawled to the dashboard. It turned on, showing a bright picture of the museum's exhibits. A picture of an artifact was shown. It was a rock. "A week ago, a new artifact was transferred to this museum. I believe that artifact is indeed a fragment of the AllSpark. Your mission is to retrieve the fragment and bring it back to me. Frenzy shall accompany you on your mission. Do not fail me, human." He explained.

_'Why can't you do it by yourself?'_ Zoe thought, unbuckling her seatbelt. Before she could even open the door, her phone vibrated, alerting her that someone was calling her. She pulled out her phone, flipping it open. It was her mother. Her green eyes stared at the bright screen, her thumb hesitating to push the answer button. The cassette transformed and peeked over her shoulder.

"It's h-her creator." Frenzy said, his optics shuttering.

The radio let a snarl out from the speaker inside the car. "Answer it."

Zoe pressed the key.

_"Adella, where are you? I'm with Jade and she said you're not at school anymore."_ Layla said from over the line. The woman sounded angry, but she kept her voice from yelling.

The brunette glanced over to the radio. She furrowed her eyebrows down when Frenzy transformed back into a laptop and typed something on the screen. "I'm on my way to Angel's Ear with a friend. She offered a ride." She read the line Frenzy typed.

Layla sighed. _"How troublesome…Alright, I'll come by and drop your violin. I expect you to be there when I arrived."_ She hung up.

Zoe sighed, closing her cellphone. "So?" she asked in a bored tone.

The mustang revved his engine loudly and put the gear in drive. "We have to postpone the mission until tonight." He said, driving quickly down the street and to the music school. "Your creator is annoying." He growled.

"Now you realized?" Zoe said.

The police cruiser was parked across from the music school. Frenzy crawled back into Zoe's bag, zipping himself in before Zoe got out of the car. The brunette fixed her hat, looking both ways before crossing the zebra-cross. All of the sudden, the mustang blared his sirens, making Zoe stop on her tracks to look back at the car. She felt something zoomed pass by her, followed by the sound of a powerful engine. She blinked before looking to her left, finding a red sports car speeding down the road. That car could've hit her if it wasn't for Barricade's sirens. The brunette shook her head and continued to walk across the road, being more careful this time. She stood in front of the school, watching the police cruiser drive away, speeding after the red sports car.

Barricade wasn't that bad…

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So… what did she say?" Lennox asked Zoe's math teacher. An hour after school ended, the NEST field commander came to school with Ironhide. He asked a favor to the school's teachers and staff to keep an eye on Adella Zoe Campbell. He went undercover to be her 'protective uncle'. They believed him. Lennox was a little worried. After Zoe's first encounter with the Autobots, things have been rather…off. He sent an Autobot every day to keep an eye on her, but every time right after school, the Autobot he sent would lose the girl till the evening. Once, he sent Ironhide, but the big grump also lost her. "What did my niece tell you, Mr. Wilson?" he asked again.

Mr. Wilson licked his dry lips. "She knew that you put me up to this." He answered, smiling a little at the Caucasian man. "You have a very smart niece, Mr. Lennox."

Lennox's eyes widened for a split second before going back to their normal size. "Ah yes… Zoe is always a step ahead of me." He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Wilson." He shook hands with the teacher, bidding him farewell.

The soldier walked down the hall, pondering. How did Zoe know that NEST was watching her and her family? It was suspicious. The man let out a deep breath as he exited the building. He climb up the Topkick, opening the door. He sat on the driver's seat, arms crossed against his chest. His eyebrows were furrowed deep in thought.

"So? What did her teacher say?" Ironhide asked, his radio glowing blue.

"He said that she knew I was the one who put him up to this." Lennox replied as he leaned back on the leather seat. The black-haired man sighed, a frown on his lips. "I think Zoe's hiding something…"

Ironhide snorted. "You think? I suspected her since day one. Her eyes show something, but I don't know what that something is."

Lennox nodded his head, "So what did you find?"

The weapon specialist turned on his engine, driving away from the school. "Sam told me that he heard a siren. He had a feeling that it was Barricade. So he hid inside the janitor's closet. Mikaela found him there half an hour later." He told and Lennox let out a small chuckle. It was three o'clock now. The Topkick drove to the music school that Zoe attends. He parked right in front of it. "But the thing is… Sam's not lying." He added.

Lennox turned his head from staring at the classic building to the radio, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he curiously asked.

"Mikaela have questioned Zoe's classmate. He claims that a police officer told her to get inside the car and around ten minutes later, her mother appeared." Ironhide explained. The boy Mikaela asked sounded happy that Zoe has helped him with his bully problem and he wanted to thank the police officer for helping. He asked Mikaela if she knew the officer and asked if she could give him his thanks. "I've comm. linked Prowl and he said that he hasn't left the base all day." He continued.

Lennox's eyes widened. "Which means… Barricade has kidnapped Zoe!" he shouted, panicking.

"Not quite." Ironhide stopped his charge from calling reinforcements. "I was thinking 'threatening her' rather than 'kidnapping her'. My sensors says that she's inside that building. If you want to see for yourself go ahead. I'll be talking to Prime of the matter." He stated.

Lennox quickly opened the door, jumping down from the large car. He ran inside, asking the receptionist for an 'Adella Campbell'. The receptionist pointed out the room and he thanked her, sprinting towards the said room. He ran up the stairs, skipping a few steps. Once he reached the third floor, he searched for the classroom, glancing around frantically.

"No, Adella! That's not correct—!" The violin teacher turned her head around when the door burst opened. Lennox panted as he glanced around the small group of children holding their violins. They all stared at him confusedly. The teacher cleared her throat. "Is there something you need, sir?" she asked him.

Lennox glanced around and spotted Zoe looking at him with an apathetic look. "Uh… I just need to talk to Zoe for a moment." He cleared his throat.

Zoe sighed, placing her violin inside her case before following the man out of the classroom. She closed the door behind her and stared up at the taller man. "Is there something you need, Mr. Lennox?" she questioned.

The man crouched down to her eye level, staring at her sharp green eyes. "Zoe, I need you to be honest with me, alright? You have to tell me the truth, okay? No lies. I just want the truth." He said, keeping his voice low. The girl slowly nodded her head, unsure of what Lennox was saying. "Is there something or rather… is someone bothering you?" he whispered.

The brunette shook her head. "No." she curtly replied.

Lennox took a deep breath. "I'm serious. You could be in danger." He pulled out his cellphone, and typed something before showing the screen to the girl. "Is he the one who's bothering you?" he asked again.

Zoe leaned a bit forward, furrowing her eyebrows down to focus. Lennox typed 'Barricade' to his cellphone. "No." she answered.

"Zoe…" Lennox warned.

"No one's bothering me if that's what you're wondering…" She turned around, opening the door. The young violinists in the room played the notes in perfect sync, not a single note was amiss. She stopped after walking a few steps. She glanced over her shoulder. "But if you count my violin teacher... that's a different case." She finished, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

Lennox sighed, standing up from his previous position. He ran his fingers through his short black hair as he walked down the flight of stairs.

"Well?" Ironhide questioned as Lennox step inside his interior.

The black-haired man inhaled a deep breath, letting it out a second later. "That girl has a damn good poker-face." he admitted.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
Friday 22:45, Tranquility's National History Museum

Zoe struggled to keep her eyes open. It was way pass her bed time. She couldn't help but yawn. A tired yet annoyed look was seen on the teen's face. If it wasn't for the stupid mission Barricade gave her, she would've still be sleeping in her comfortable bed. It wasn't easy to sneak out of the house without Aiden knowing the sound of the wooden floorboard creaking under her foot. She had to come up with having a sleepover and won't be back until tomorrow. Sadly, her brother believed her. She was expecting a 'no', but her brother was never the one to say 'no' to anyone.

A sneeze was heard in the dead of night. Another thing was, it was cold waiting outside for Frenzy at the backdoor. The cold desert wind brought chills down her spine. She zipped up her jacket, tucking her hands inside her pockets to keep warm.

Finally, the door clicked opened. Frenzy was there, holding the automatic door for the girl. Not wanting to spend another second out in the cold, the brunette quickly stepped inside the building, remembering to close the door. She glanced around, it wasn't the main building. It was the museum's storage. She took the flashlight from her backpack, turning it on. The two quietly made their way pass the sleeping security guard. Since Frenzy was a hacker, they both wouldn't worry about the security cameras.

"Where exactly is this AllSpark?" Zoe asked, flashing her flashlight to the fossil of a t-rex.

Frenzy walked ahead of her. "I-It's at th-the space exploration exhibit." He answered, skittering towards the deep ocean's exhibit, located at the next room.

"If you can get in here without a problem, then why ask for me?" the brunette questioned, pointing her flashlight at the Decepticon.

"I-I can't carry t-the AllSpark… Ba-Barricade thinks I m-might dro-drop it." The cassette said, sneaking around the exhibits like a ninja.

Zoe rolled her eyes as she flowed Frenzy in a straight line. "Where's the night guards? I thought this museum has the best security?"

"I ta-tazed them be-before I open th-the door for you." Frenzy answered, pressing his back against the wall while Zoe stood in front of the Space Exploration entrance. The cassette skittered across the room and to the main attraction, a rock. "N-Now be quiet, human. I'm trying to con-concentrate." He ordered, tapping the thick glass with his claws.

The brunette irradiate Frenzy with her flashlight, watching his servo turn to some sort of laser. Her head perked up at the sound of rattling keys. She quickly grabbed Frenzy, much to his dismay, and hid behind an Astronaut's suit. She turned off her flashlight as she cautiously gazed over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the security guard.

The security guard flashed his flashlight around the room, his footsteps echoing in the spacious room. He moved his flashlight to 'the Man on the Moon' exhibit and then to the exhibit next to it. Suddenly, he moved back, walking closer to the Astronaut with his eyes narrowed.

"Who's there?" The guard took out his club, holding it tightly. He jumped, trying to surprise whoever was behind the suit. The man blinked confusedly. There wasn't anyone hiding behind the Austronaut suit. "Huh… must be my eyes." He mumbled to himself before walking away.

Zoe exhaled the breath she has been holding. After the security guard move his flashlight to the exhibit beside the Man on the Moon, she quickly hid behind another display with Frenzy. She peeked her head out of the corner, glancing around. Once the coast was clear, she stepped out of hiding spot while Frenzy skittered behind her.

"I thought you said you tazed everyone?" Zoe questioned, an eyebrow raised.

A hum was heard. "Mu-Must've missed one… Wa-Wait here. A-At the me-mean time, ge-get the AllSpa-Spark." He detached his servo, throwing the laser version to the surprised girl. She stared at it in disgust as Frenzy crawled away, probably to knock the last security guard out cold. "J-Just twist it to ac-activate the laser." He instructed before disappearing in the shadows.

Zoe stared at the laser, the same disgusted look still on her face. She never used any lasers before, but she has seen spies use them in movies and TV shows. The girl moved the pointed to the glass, twisting the lower part of the servo to the right. The tip began to emit light as well as the laser. She carefully moved the laser in a circle, cutting a messy circle on the thick glass. Once she was finished, she turned the laser off, placing it on the floor. She carefully picked the circle glass, carefully putting it away.

'_This is stupid… all this trouble for a stupid rock?'_ The brunette thought, taking the rock from the display. She grabbed her bag, unzipping it. She placed the rock inside and zipped her bag again, slipping her arms through the shoulder straps of the backpack. _'Never thought I would break an entrance to get into the museum… I always thought I can take pictures here…'_ she glanced down to the Blackbird camera dangling from the strap around her neck. She never goes anywhere without it.

She sat down beside the pedestal, her back pressed against it. She opened the viewfinder, looking down at it. She flashed her flashing light to Frenzy's servo and moved her camera to picture the servo. _'First thieving…' _she sighed. _'Aiden's going to kill me.'_

A thud echoed in the spacious room and the girl couldn't help but cringe, her mouth twisted up in a scowl. Frenzy just had to do it near the room she was in. She glanced up when she heard footsteps. _'Not Four-Eyes…'_ she grabbed Frenzy's hand, taking her belongings as well and ran as quietly as she can to the second exit of the exhibit room. _'…who?'_

It was Lennox. He narrowed his firearm around the room. The mini flashlight were pointed all around the room as he cautiously walked inside with his team. A few hours earlier, word got out that a driver was caught speeding by a police man with the registration number: 643. After further investigation, the same police car was spotted going into the National History Museum's parking lot around two in the afternoon.

The man perked his head up when he heard a whistle. "You find something, Epps?" He whispered once he was close enough to his friend.

Epps took off his night-vision goggles, sliding it up to his forehead. "A glass that's been cut in a circle." He answered, pointing his gun to the circle. The flashlight illuminated the badly cut circle on the glass. "Looks like it's done by laser." He concluded after observing the cut.

"Must've been Frenzy… the little bug." Lennox mumbled. "Well, I guess that explains the passed out guards we saw earlier."

"Well… the glass' still warm, he couldn't have gotten far."

From the other room, Zoe perfectly heard the whole conversation. She frowned. So Lennox was here too? She could just get out of her hiding spot and tell Lennox the whole truth, but that would mean putting her brother's life in danger. Plus, Barricade was nowhere to be seen. He could be near her house, waiting for Frenzy's signal to kill. The brunette sighed before taking a white pebbled from the display, crouching down to avoid getting seen. She threw the pebble across to the display that has the same rocks.

"What was that?" She heard the one called 'Epps' asked in alert.

She needed the team to get inside the mammal's exhibit or her plan would never work. If everyone is occupied pointing their guns at the fake mammals and the Auditorium, she may have a chance to run.

"Everyone be on high alert… Don't shoot if it's not Frenzy." Lennox ordered.

The young girl hid behind the plastic trees and threw another pebble at the Auditorium's entrance, making Lennox and his team point their guns at the doors. She sneakily escaped the team, walking as quietly as possible to get out of the show-room and back into the storage.

Zoe exhaled a deep breath when she was out of the danger zone. She let the back door close on its own as she leaned back against the wall for support. She never felt so relieved in all her life. She was glad that there was only four men in Lennox's group, including the team leader.

"Reach for the sky!" A voice shocked her.

She turned her head to her left to see Bumblebee with his battle mask slipped in place. The scout quickly retreated when he saw that it was Zoe. He slid his mask away and turned his cannons back to his servos.

"Good evening, milady." The yellow mech greeted. Zoe sighed and nodded her head in greeting. Bumblebee kneeled down on one knee, leaning his face closer to the human girl. "What'cha got there, girly?" he looked down, pointing at the strange item in her hands.

Zoe glanced down at Frenzy's servo. "This? It's a souvenir from the gift shop." She replied smoothly.

Bumblebee raised an optic ridge. "You reek! Readings… off the chart, baby!" he said. His scanners must be broken, because the readings he was receiving from Zoe was in fact off the chart. His scanner was beeping like crazy. He pointed his digit to the girl's backpack. "What'cha hiding? Suspicious!"

Zoe kept calm. She shrugged, not wanting to answer.

"Sorry, sweetheart… but you're gonna have to come with—," before Bumblebee even finish his sentence, something rammed into his from his side.

Zoe's green eyes widened. It was Barricade.

* * *

A/N: End of chapter!

And there's no holoform yet! Only holograms!

Special thanks to: LadySilverstreak, imjaysong, kimmay94, Tari Luinwe, bro0kensilver, elita13, Skyress98, ProwlHawthorne, Z0mbieMart, HeartStarryNights, Shades-Soul, ThousandOfMilesAway, Heart-and-Spirit, yuyaKnightwriter97, mette598i, yuki. sawer. 7  
for adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to: Rurikuro, imjaysong, warrioroftjeravens, LeafCatcher36, SunstreakerSquishy2.0, br0kensilver, elita13, Skyress98, 4 the wiin, z0mbieMart, Shades-Soul, ThousandsOfMilesAway, tally Ho Mofos, mette598i, Arabian3332, yuki. sawer. 7  
for adding this story to their alerts!

So what do you guys think? About this story and this chapter? Leave your answer in your review! I love a long review! It makes me feel fuzzy xD

Reviews are very much appreciated and please no flames!

R&amp;R please ^^


	7. Chapter 7: Troubled

A/N: Yeah! A new chapter! Thank you for all the reviews, favs, and alerts guys~

Transformers Cowgirl: Here's the update!

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Shadestriker27: Actually no, Lennox is just playing the part so her teacher wouldn't suspect a thing ^^ They're not blood-related or anything.

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Counting Sinful Stars: I'm not so sure about the pairings though…

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Answerthecall: thank you~!

AllSpark Princess: There's not hiding now…

I own nothing except the OCs and the plot!

* * *

Chapter 7  
Troubled

Zoe stepped back and covered her head from the small bits of broken concrete from the Museum's wall. She squinted her eyes when a cloud of dust gathered around her. The small girl turned her head to the direction where the sound of metal clashing metal was heard. Once the cloud of dust cleared out, her green eyes could perfectly see Bumblebee fighting Barricade with all of his might.

The scout turned his helm to Zoe who was staring at them with a surprised look. He let out a whir, landing a punch on Barricade's faceplate. The Decepticon staggered back and the Autobot quickly swiped him beneath his pedes, bringing him down to the concreted road with a loud thud. Bumblebee quickly walked over to the human girl, attempting to take her to safety. Before he could even do that, Barricade was already up to his pedes.

Bumblebee stopped when he saw Zoe moving back a step and crouching down to take cover. Alarmed, he turned around, finding Barricade lunging himself at him. He swerve on time, the claws whistling past his faceplates. He kicked Barricade on his torso from behind. The Autobot stood in a fighting stance, his servos balled up into fists and his chin tucked down. His electric blue optics glared at Barricade's form.

Barricade pushed himself up, turning his upper right arm to a plasma cannon. He twist his upper body around, aiming his cannon directly at Bumblebee's spark chamber. He blasted the glowing plasma a few times, but in every shot, Bumblebee managed to dodge the hot plasma as he countered with a round of plasma as well. Finally, the Decepticon managed to shoot Bumblebee's left arm. The scout stumbled back, falling backwards.

"Human!" Barricade growled, turning his helm to face Zoe, who was spacing out. A second later, Zoe snapped back to reality at the sound of gunshots from inside the museum. The brunette turned around to the backdoor, staring at it cautiously. The Decepticon cursed in Cybertronian, slamming his fist to the ground. "Frag those Autobots and their pets!"

He lowered himself to Zoe's level. "Get back to the meeting point, Adella. Frenzy and I will join you soon." He ordered, his crimson optics glowed in the dark as Zoe's green eyes stares into his optics. He glanced over his shoulder to see the scout getting back up to his pedes. His optics shifted when his audio receptors picked up the commands Lennox was giving to his subordinates. His scanners also picked up the Autobot leader and the Weapon Specialist coming with speed. He stared down at the girl. "Two Autobots are on their way. Avoid the main street and protect the AllSpark. Don't let it fall into the Autobots' servos!" He ushered the young girl to leave.

Zoe gave a slight nod.

"Not so fast, copper!" Bumblebee grabbed Barricade by his shoulder, forcing him to turn around. The scout's fist contacted with the Decepticon's face. He kept on throwing kicks and punches at the larger mech, not stopping for a second. He drove Barricade away from the girl, giving her time to escape and find Optimus. He glanced over to Zoe, finding her staring at him and Barricade. "Run! Big boss is on his way!" he put his radio on full blast before a punch was delivered to his torso.

The brunette grimaced at the loud volume. It left ringing sounds in her ears, making it hard for her to hear anything said by Bumblebee. She backed away a few steps and turned around on her heels, running away from the scene. She didn't head straight to the exit. There was a possibility that Optimus and Ironhide would already be at the museum's entrance. Instead, she ran to the back exit where large trucks usually came through to deliver an exhibit. She was lucky that it was an automatic barrier gate, otherwise she would've climb up the high fence. She ducked down, going from under as she glanced over to see the guard at the post was out cold.

There weren't any NEST soldiers at the back. It was unguarded. Lady Luck was on her side.

Just like what Barricade had instructed, she avoided the main street, going through the alleys instead. She could no longer hear the sound of metal clashing metal. It was quiet now. It was only herself, alone in the dark. She stopped for a brief moment to catch her breath. She placed her hand on her knees for support as she looked back over her shoulder to see if someone was following.

The girl wiped the sweat rolling down her face with her sleeve as small pants escaped her lips. Her eyes narrowed at the sound of rustling from behind a pile of garbage bags. She tightened her grip around Frenzy's detached servo, preparing to activate it for self-defense from whatever was hiding behind the trash. She warily walked closer to the source, pointing the laser at the garbage bags. She jumped a little when something black jumped out from the bags.

Zoe let out a deep relieved breath and her expression relaxed a little. It was only a cat. The street cat licked itself clean as Zoe stared at it in disgust. She wasn't fond of cats. She was more of a dog person rather than a cat person. The brunette flinched when the cat hissed at her. It puffed its entire body up, hissing and screeching the entire time while clawing the air. Instinctively, Zoe backed away from the cat.

The sound of trashcans colliding with the concreted ground echoed loudly in the dark and quiet alley. Zoe quickly turned her head around, staring at the shadows with tensed muscles. This was just like those thriller films with her being the main target of a murderer. She stood straight with her sharp green eyes glaring at the shadows.

"Hu-Human," the skinny figure stuttered. It was Frenzy. He skittered closer, glancing back and forth to see if any humans or Autobots were tailing him.

A few minutes after Zoe's escaped, he overheard one of the soldiers talking about the girl's whereabouts. A different team that consist of Sam and Mikaela was sent to the girl's house around nine o'clock. The designated time for Zoe to meet up with Barricade and himself. They didn't bought the 'sleepover' excuse. Zoe was a really quiet girl…who doesn't like to befriend anyone. The cassette manage to escape NEST in the last minute to catch up with the human girl. The NEST soldiers were a little hesitant to shoot. Perhaps they were afraid of a stray bullet hitting an innocent girl.

Zoe kneeled down to Frenzy's level, staring at him with an apathetic look. She silently gave his servo back.

Frenzy quickly attached his servo back, flexing his claws as he stares at it. He turned his helm back to the girl who looked calmer than any other humans. He wondered though…did this human have any expressions at all? The cassette shook his thoughts away.

"W-We ca-cannot re-return to th-the mee-ting point. A-Autobots ha-have surrounded the pl-place." The blue-eyed Decepticon stated.

Zoe sighed softly. "Bringing an army just to take you down…pathetic." She said, her eyebrows furrowing down. "Are you really that much of a threat to the Autobots?" she asked, eyeing the cassette.

"Vice ve-versa." Frenzy answered, nodding his helm.

The brunette pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. It was once again quiet, minus the sound of Frenzy's skittering. Suddenly she felt her phone vibrated in her pocket. She flipped open her phone, staring at the caller's ID. An unknown number was calling her at the dead of night. She suspected that it was from one of the NEST soldiers, or more precisely, Lennox.

"D-Don't answer the ca-call! It-It's NEST!" Frenzy shouted, stopping Zoe from answering the call.

Zoe took a deep breath from her nose and exhaled it from her mouth. The buzzing stopped for a moment before it continues when Lennox called her again. She switched her gaze from her buzzing phone to Frenzy—who was ready to attack her anytime. "…all this trouble for a stupid rock." She mumbled under her breath before pressing the answer button.

"Don't—!"

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, pick it up, pick it up," Lennox chanted like a mantra. He held his cellphone to his ear, hoping that Zoe would pick her cellphone up. He tapped his foot on the concreated ground, listening to the dial tone a few times.

'_I'm sorry; the number you've reached is—,'_

"Dammit," The man cursed under his breath.

Epps appeared next to the black-haired man. "Any luck man?" he asked worriedly.

Lennox shook his head as he tried calling for the second time. His eyes traveled around the area. The security guards were being attended by the paramedics while a few that weren't hurt badly were being questioned. All Autobots had went back to their alt-mode as soon as the ambulance and the police arrived. As for Barricade, he fled when Optimus and Ironhide arrived at the scene.

Epps crossed his arms over his chest, glancing around to pass the time. "Man, this is taking too long! Let's just find Zoe. She couldn't have gotten far." He suggested.

The NEST field commander sighed.

"_Hello?" _

"Zoe?! Is that you?" Lennox sounded surprise that the girl actually answered him. Epps' eyes widened and he started to ask Lennox to ask questions to Zoe. The Caucasian man shushed his partner to be quiet. A small smile made its way up to Lennox's lips, relief washed over his worried expression. He was glad that Zoe was fine. "Are you okay? Where are you now?" he asked softly.

"…_I'm fine… At the alley a few blocks away from the museum."_ Zoe answered.

"Good, good. Just stay there, we'll be on our way." Lennox motioned his hand for his team and the Autobots to move out. He averted his eyes up to see Epps, who was already inside Ironhide's interior. The black-haired man heaved himself up to enter the car with one hand still holding his cellphone, conversing with Zoe. Suddenly, his ear heard a loud noise in the background. "Zoe? What was that?" he asked, a lump beginning to form in his throat.

There was a moment of silence. _"…I'm being followed."_ She answered in a hushed tone.

"Zoe? Don't hang up!"

"_I'll call you—,"_ before she could even finish, a loud thud was heard and the line went dead.

"Zoe? Zoe? You still there?! Can you hear me?! Dammit!" Lennox shouted as he quickly got into the cab.

Epps turned his head to his friend. "What's wrong man?!" he demanded, panic in his voice.

"Lennox?" Ironhide inquired.

Lennox gulped, "We need to hurry. Frenzy or Barricade has gotten to her first." he said.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Zoe pressed the end button, staring at her cellphone. She glanced over to Frenzy, who was staring at her confusedly. When she answered Lennox's call, Frenzy had threw his shuriken at her. Luckily, she managed to dodge it, or else her head would've been cut clean off her shoulders. The shuriken grazed her left arm, letting blood ooze out from the wound. She ignored the stinging pain as she tried to keep her voice calm when talking to Lennox.

"…what?" Zoe asked, annoyed.

"W-What did yo-you just do?" Frenzy blinks rapidly.

The brunette clicked her tongue. "I just saved you and your boss' life. What does it look like?" she snapped, dropping her phone to the ground. The screen's glass cracked at the impact. She placed her left hand above the broken cellphone, letting a few droplets of blood stain her cellphone. She stood back up and walked away to another part of the alley.

Frenzy tilted his helm when Zoe sat on the filthy ground. "They would be too preoccupied finding me. I can play dead for a few minutes… At the meantime, you and your boss can do whatever you want." She said, laying down on the ground.

"W-Why a-are you doing this?" He stuttered, standing beside the brunette.

Zoe stared at the ground before averting her eyes to meet Frenzy's blue ones. "…I'm repaying you back for what Barricade did to me." She answered truthfully, remembering the part when the Decepticon helped her. "Now get out of here before the whole army sees you." She said, shooing the cassette away.

The look on Frenzy's faceplates softened a little. "T-Thank you, A-Adella…" he quietly thanked. "I-I'm so-sorry a-about your arm…" he apologized sincerely, staring at the blood.

Zoe sighed again. "Zoe… It's Zoe… and it's fine… I'm kind of glad you did that. Mr. Lennox wouldn't believe me if I didn't get hit." She let a small smile appeared on her lips. Her smile was suddenly replaced with a frown. "Just because I said that, don't think that I'm a masochist…" she glared at the small Decepticon.

Frenzy laughed.

"B-Before I-I forget… s-some o-of the Au-Autoscums ha-have a ho-holoform." The small Decepticon informed.

"Holoform?" Zoe echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"A s-solid form o-of a ho-hologram. Ba-basically it-it's their human fo-form." Frenzy said. His helm perks up when he heard the screeching sounds of the breaks being hit.

"I see…Now go, leave." She said, closing her eyes to play her act. She peeked with her right eye, watching Frenzy turn to a corner. She could already hear Lennox shouting commands for his men to keep their eyes open for a small fourteen year old girl. She closed her eyes, waiting for Lennox to come and get her. _'Ah… he forgot the stupid rock… Hopefully they won't open my bag…' _she thought, thinking of the AllSpark inside her backpack.

Lennox searched the alley, flashing his flashlight everywhere as he tried to find the missing girl. He caught sight of something reflecting the light of his flashlight. Once he got near it, his eyes widened a little before going back to its normal size.

"What is it?" Epps asked from beside him.

The Caucasian man plucked the shuriken off from the wall. He gave the flashlight to Epps so he could examined the shuriken for a moment. He turned it over to the other side, frowning. "A…shuriken, I think? No doubt that this is Frenzy's doing."

Epps shook his head, "Poor girl… we need to find her right away!" he said.

"Wait a second Epps… Gimme some light over here." Epps did as told. Lennox gazed at the brick wall, with his free hand, he traced his fingers over the wall where the shuriken was previously stuck on. He pulled back his hand, rubbing his thumb and finger together to see a red stain. "Oh gosh…" he mumbled under his breath.

The African-American man stared at Lennox hand with wide eyes. "Oh shit man…"

Lennox quickly looked around. He spotted a cellphone in the middle of scattered trash. The man ignored the stench coming from the pile of garbage as he walked right through it, focusing on the object on the ground. He crouched down to pick up the broken cellphone. The glass was cracked and there were more dry blood on it. He furrowed his eyebrows down.

"There's more…" Epps announced as he points his flashlight to the trail of blood on the ground. He followed the trail and at the far end of the alley, a body laid still. His eyes were wide when he saw the body. "Oh bloody hell… Will!" he patted his friend's shoulder and pointed at the direction of the body.

"Zoe!" The two soldiers sprinted towards the girl.

"Get Ratchet now!" Epps shouted to the others.

Lennox quickly cradled the girl into his arms, pressing his fingers on the side of her neck. He sighed in relief when he felt a pulse. "Oh thank goodness…" He flinched when he saw his hand was covered in fresh blood. "Zoe, sweetie, can you hear me?" he asked softly, trying to get a reply.

"…don't call me sweetie." Zoe slowly opened her eyes, glaring at Lennox.

Lennox let out a small laugh, "How are you feeling?" he helped the girl sit up, supporting her with his right arm.

"I feel dizzy," Zoe said, staring at the ground. She narrowed her eyes at Lennox, frowning a little. "…why are you so concerned? We're not blood related." She said monotonously. "Or are you being nice to me because you want something that I have?" she continued.

Lennox cringed. The way she said it…makes his heart clench. It almost feels like being stabbed at the heart with a knife. He carefully place his hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's… probably because of my 'father instinct'. It's a dad's job to protect the family. Your dad would probably do the same too." He explained, smiling at Zoe—who in return stared at the man with a confused look. "I guess I also view you like a daughter…" he admitted.

"It hasn't been a year." Zoe retorted, looking away.

Lennox laughed, ruffling the girl's hair. "It doesn't have to take that long to call someone as their own son or daughter even though they're not blood related."

Zoe let out a scoff, "It does when someone hasn't been spying on them for the past month."

"Haha… So you knew?"

"Who wouldn't?"

"You're a lot smarter than you look," Lennox chuckled. Zoe stared at him with a blank look. She didn't know whether to feel grateful or offended. "Now up you get." He carefully lifted the small girl up into his arms, carrying her back to where the Autobots were waiting.

Zoe clutched her backpack closer to her chest as bright lights blinded her for a moment. She squinted her eyes, trying to adjust to the brightness. Her eyes glanced around to see the Autobots in their alt-mode, providing the light in the dead of night. Before she could even say anything, she was passed to the medic—who quickly tend to her injury, bombarding her with questions regarding her wound.

"Are you hurt somewhere else, child?" The doctor asked as he finished wrapping the bandage around the girl's arm.

"I feel a little dizzy." Zoe answered, rubbing her temple. Her little white lies kept piling up, fooling everyone around her. She wasn't the one who liked lying, but to buy some time for Barricade and Frenzy, she has to. They might naturally be mean, scary and a part of the Decepticons… but as time passes, she began to feel grown on them. Despite the many negative things, she felt as if they were close. For years, she didn't like to talk to anyone besides her brother. And now, Barricade and Frenzy managed to get her to talk to them more than one sentence. That was rare, even for Aiden. "…don't touch me." She swatted the doctor's hand away.

The man blinked, "Excuse me?" he asked, a baffled look on his face. "Kids these days…" he mumbled under his breath.

Lennox's eyes widened for a split second before he leaned down, "Zoe… Just let the doctor check you. He isn't going to hurt you." He assured, placing a hand on Zoe's shoulder.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Ratchet?" Zoe asked, narrowing her eyes at the doctor.

The doctor's eyes were wide in surprise, his lips slightly parted open as he stares down at the brunette. He pushed his glasses up with his index finger and he stood back to his full height. He crossed his arms over his chest, a small smirk slowly tugging on his lips. "Impressive. How did you figure it out?" he questioned.

Zoe stared at Ratchet's human form. What? She can't just say that Frenzy told her about holoforms and overheard Epps shouting for Ratchet. She didn't actually knew which Autobot has those things, but thanks to Frenzy she could at least guess which one has it. Optimus definitely has one since he's the leader. Ironhide, there's a fifty percent chance as Optimus' Weapon Specialist.

"…It was a guess." The brunette bluntly answered. "You're grumpy and pushy like last time." she added, a frown on her lips.

"A guess? That is impossible, unless of course you overheard Sergeant Epps calling for my name." Ratchet's eyes narrowed into slits behind his frameless glasses.

Zoe glared back, "Impossible. I was out cold." She curtly replied.

Lennox stepped in between them. "Alright, remind me to never put you two in the same room. You both are a scary combination." He shuddered. He could feel it. The spark and dangerous aura radiating from the Hatchet and the cold-hearted girl. The black-haired man kneeled down to Zoe's eye level, catching her cold green eyes. "Zoe, be nice to Ratchet. You know he only wants to insure your health." He chided.

Zoe let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes. "…whatever." She murmured, clutching her backpack closer.

Lennox smiled as he ruffled Zoe's hair. "Good. Now c'mon, we're going to take you back to base for your safety." He said, offering his hand for the girl to take. He saw Zoe hesitating to take his hand. "Don't worry about your family. We'll make up an excuse." He reassured.

"By excuse you mean sleeping over a friend's house?" Zoe asked quietly, taking Lennox's hand.

"What was that?" Lennox paused, turning his head over his shoulder to look at the brunette.

"I didn't say anything."

Epps raised an eyebrow, "But you just said—,"

"Nothing." Zoe interrupted.

The African-American man raised his hands up in surrender. "Geez… what did your parents do to you?" he asked jokingly.

The brunette ignore him.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The trip to the base was quiet and awkward for Lennox and Epps. Ironhide didn't mind the peace and quiet. In fact, he likes it. He didn't like it when Glen sings along with the song blaring through his speakers. Through the whole ride, she didn't even ask a single question. Usually, a few people that had been brought back to base because they've seen a Cybertronian, would ask questions. But not this one. She was calmer than any adult, but maybe that was because she has seen Barricade and Frenzy.

Ironhide moved his rear-view mirror to look at Zoe. She sat at the back quietly, staring out the window with her arms tightly wrapped around her backpack. Ever since the mech scanned the area to look for Zoe back at the alley, he has the strangest reading ever. His scanners says that there was a big energy source—almost like the AllSpark, radiating from the area. But he knew that it was impossible. The AllSpark was destroyed, along with the Decepticon leader.

Suddenly, Zoe averted her eyes to look at the rear-view mirror. Ironhide quickly changed the mirror's position.

"We're here." Ironhide announced from the radio.

"Finally," Epps sighed out quietly. He opened the door, jumping out of the car. He stretched out his arms in the air, doing a little stretching.

"C'mon Zoe," Lennox turned his gaze to the back, smiling at the tired looking girl. His smile disappeared when he found no one at the back seat. He looked out the window to see Zoe standing outside, waiting for him to come out. The black-haired man laughed nervously before stepping out of his guardian's alt-mode. "You're full of surprises." He said.

As soon as the last human was out, Ironhide transformed. The sound of shifting gears was heard around the hangar. The black mech grunted. "Gotta stretch my joints."

"Let's go find you a room." Lennox gently pushed the girl away from the hangar.

"So this is the little brat that caused us so much trouble." Both Lennox and Zoe stopped on their tracks, turning around their heels to find a tall yellow mech. He had on a smirk on his metal lips as his eyes showed amusement. "Kind of small, eh, Sides?" he turned his helm to his side.

"Well yeah, she is a human, Sunny." Sides replied, rolling on his pedes to circle the two humans.

The yellow mech scoffed. "Don't call me that." He growled, glaring at his twin before switching his gaze to Zoe. He caught her cold yet blank stare. "Don't tell me that this is the girl who scared you off with her little camera." He snickered.

Sides looked offended. "I thought I told you to forget about that."

Zoe blinked, giving the two mech a blank look. "…who?"

"Uh… The silver one's Sideswipe and yellow one's Sunstreaker. They're twins and the Autobots' front-liner." Lennox introduced, crossing his arms. "Don't mind them. I'll introduce the rest of the team tomorrow. You looked tired."

Zoe tiredly nodded. The man leaded her to the guest rooms. He opened one door, gently pushing her inside. It was…okay. The room was small, but suitable. A bed and a bathroom was all that she need. She scanned the room and placed her bag on the bed. A fresh and clean nightwear was laid out on the bed. She stared at it before turning her head to look at Lennox—who was leaning against the door frame.

"You were expecting me to come." She concluded.

Lennox laughed. "Don't make it sound like that." He said, giving a small tired smile of his own. "We expected Barricade and Frenzy has been following you this whole time, so we prepared a room just in case. Think of it as a sleepover with your friends, but minus the sleepover with friends." He awkwardly explained.

"That doesn't make sense." Zoe deadpanned.

"I know, I know." Lennox chuckled. "I'll come back tomorrow to pick you up to discuss some important things with you. At the meantime, sleep. You really need it. It's been a tiring day for you." He said, closing the door with a soft click.

Zoe's green eyes stared at the door. 'He locked me in…' she sighed out before reaching for her backpack. She carefully took out the AllSpark fragment. She has to be careful. These Autobots can literally sense unusual things. She went to the bathroom and grabbed a face towel, wrapping the fragment with the white towel. She shoved it back to her backpack.

'_I don't know if I can keep the stupid rock away from the Autobots anymore…'_ she thought as she changed into the nightwear. _'Frenzy...Barricade…'_

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"M-Master…" Frenzy concernedly began, skittering over to his master's side.

Barricade leaned against the mountain of broken cars at the abandoned junkyard. He was severely injured. All because of that trigger happy mech and his leader. If Optimus and Ironhide didn't came, he could've finished the scout off and take Zoe away. But now in his condition, he can't go anywhere let alone transform back into his alt-mode. He was about to go into stasis lock if it wasn't for Frenzy. The little cassette tend to his injuries, mending the broken parts and the cut wires.

"The human… where is she?" Barricade asked, staring down at Frenzy who was patching up his torso.

Frenzy stopped for a brief moment. "S-She's w-with the A-Autobots… sh-she b-bought u-us time to e-escape, Master." He stuttered.

Barricade scoffed. A human? Helping them? That was unreal.

"Frag…she has the AllSpark." The black and white mech tried to get up, but failed doing so.

Frenzy tilted his helm up. "B-But master…S-She bought u-us some time to escape… She an-answered the call s-so NEST would come after h-her a-and not you." He tried to convince. Zoe wasn't that bad, if you went pass by her apathetic look and cold demeanor.

Barricade snarled, "Shut the frag up and start fixing." He coldly ordered.

"Y-Yes master…" Frenzy obeyed.

The Decepticon scout vented heavily, shaking his helm. He couldn't help but feel a little worried about the girl. But he shouldn't since she was with the good robots. Other than that, the girl should've been happy that she was with the good robots that can protect her. So why did she help him and Frenzy escape? She could've just sell them out for revenge. So why?

He slammed his servo to the broken car beside him.

He needs to get that AllSpark back…

…or was it Zoe?

'_Fragging human…'_

* * *

A/N: What is this?! Is Barricade really going soft?!

Special thanks to: Angelwings5952, LeafCatcher36, LobstaFace17, kittygirl365, Fandom Jumping Expert, fareyaWH, Shimmer Mane, chronically. Hallucinating, CybertronsLegacyMystic, ILoverAnime89, Jazzy the Jazz, char. Trygg, Duchess of Ooogi Boo, Twilight Dark Angel, bonnieandjangolove, The Midnight Thorn, Shady Kitsune, Jazzlover05, hensonmakenzie, Ratchet's Sparkling, serenabishop97, Transformers Cowgirl for adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to: Angelwings5952, LobstaFace17, TatteredAngel42, Fandom Jumping Expert, Katanna Cain, VioletRibbons, fareyaWH, AshidaReiko, CybertronsLegacyMystic, ILoveAnime89, Jazzy the Jazz, char. Trygg, Duchess Of Ooogi Boo, ladyliberty7476, Twilight Dark Angel, cdbt841, Marfo Faura, Shady Kitsune, Sunny and Sides151, hensonmakenzie, Heart of Starlight, War Wraith, chocolatexpie, DarkEmpress192, Transformers Cowgirl for adding this story to their alerts!

Well? What do you guys think? Was it good?

Anyway, I'm a bit stuck with The One and Only…so if any of you can help me out, I'll be really happy ^^ You can PM me and I'll be glad to answer.

Reviews are always appreciated~! And please no flames ^^

R&amp;R please!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Oh my gosh it's been two years! I can't believe it's been this long! I have so many exams and tests now… and writer's block…

I have an English Essay coming up and decided to try and improve my English to write the essay. I hope you guys like this chapter :D

Another note at the end of the chapter ^^

Guest: That is true. I'll see what I can do

Angelwings5952: That's a nice idea ^^

Reader103: Sure

theSapphireSister: Thank you^^

Sonicfan4life: hope you enjoy this chapter ^^

CadeSixty: Hehe thank you

Guest: thank you ^^

Sadsmile33: thank you ^^

Baesaurus: Awww thank you so much!

Alice Gone Madd: yup she is!

Erin Primette: Yeah I wonder too

AutobotGuy710: Hehe thanks ^^

1nconceivable: Aww thanks! I'll look up to that

RoboDork97: I second to that theory xD

AllSpark Princess: Update :D

Yami-The Lord of Darkness: thank you

Counting Sinful Stars: thanks ^^

Lunacaster: Thank you

CastielLunaWinchester: I just love his fatherly side and no matter how much we'll always love the sunshine. And thank you

Iiv cahill: hehe thank you ^^

DarkshadowXsunny-sides: hehe you got that right~

Transformers © Hasbro and Michael Bay

* * *

Chapter 8: Betrayal

"I don't know about this 'Hide…" Lennox sighed, his brown eyes staring at the corridor. It was around nine in the morning when Lennox and Ironhide decided to wake Zoe up. "I mean, suspecting a kid working with the Decepticons? I think that's too absurd." he turned his head to look at the Weapon Specialist walking beside him.

The holoform closed his eyes. "You could never guess what's behind that face of hers, Lennox." He answered. Mostly people would be anxious, scared, some would even have a mental breakdown, but Zoe didn't show any of those mentioned. She was too calm and passive. "You've seen the look on her face, right? Even the best of the best's poker face could be broken by some events like this."

"But even if she's working for the Decepticons. What could she gain from working for them?" Lennox asked again. He stopped right in front of Zoe's temporary room and took out a silver-colored key. "It's not like they have something, right? Like _'Join the Darkside…we have cookies.'_ or something like that." He joked, a small smile on his lips.

Ironhide rolled his eyes. "I never do understand your jokes."

Lennox chuckled as he turned the key. "Here we go…" he took a deep breath and knocked the door twice. "Zoe? Are you awake? I'm coming in, okay?" he said, opening the door.

The room was empty. No sight of the girl anywhere. Both Lennox and Ironhide stepped inside the room, glancing around. "Huh… she must be in the bathroom." Lennox concluded.

Ironhide scanned the room, comparing it to the room before it was used by the guest. Other than the messy bed, nothing was changed. But it didn't change his scanners picking up the AllSpark signal again. Ever since yesterday, since Zoe came, every Autobot claimed that they sensed the AllSpark was near.

'_Where is the signal coming from?' _Ironhide glanced around. He walked towards the desk, checking the drawers and a few thick books that was provided to entertain the teenage girl. He looked under the bed and mattress, earning a look from Lennox. _'Where is she hiding the AllSpark?' _his eyes narrowed at the sight of her black backpack. _'Could it be?'_ he reached his hand out to grab the bag on the floor beside the best.

"What are you doing?"

Ironhide quickly retreated his hand away from the bag.

"Zoe! Good morning!" Lennox greeted, approaching the girl.

Zoe nodded in response before averting her eyes to look at the Weapon Specialist, her sharp gaze trying to read his expression. When she finished staring at him, she turned to look at Lennox again. "Is there something you need from me, Mr. Lennox?"

"No, not really… I'm just here to take you to eat breakfast and then to the rest of the team. You know, meet and greet? They're really curious." Lennox said, scratching the back of his head. He fidgeted under the stare. The _'I-know-there's-more- to- that- sentence'_ kind of stare. He cleared his throat, "Ehem! Well, you don't mind having breakfast in a private room with a few people in it right?"

Zoe sighed, but nodded. "I don't answer questions that concerns my family." She simply agreed. She walked towards Ironhide and took her backpack, placing it on before turning to Lennox again. "And I'd appreciate if Ratchet isn't in the interrogation room. He and I don't mix quite well." She finished.

Lennox agreed to the terms. "Yeah… I can see that. The truth is, I don't want Ratchet to be in the room too… It's pancakes for breakfast." He stated bluntly, whispering the last part, a little afraid that the CMO might overheard his words. The man opened the door, allowing Zoe to exit the room first. "He's umm… well, to put it nicely, a health freak that orders us to eat healthy meals three times a day." He laughs.

Zoe walks beside him. "Oh?" she sounded, trying to sound interested in the conversation.

"Yeah, one time he even…" Lennox's words were muted. Zoe wasn't all that interested in the topic. She keep on answering with 'hmm's and a few more short remarks, to let Lennox know that she's 'listening'. Her main concern was Ironhide. The Weapon Specialist doesn't know when to stop putting his nose into someone's business and he keeps on staring at her backpack as if she was hiding something important. She ignored his gaze and kept on walking with Lennox. "…—here we are." Lennox announced.

The NEST commander opened the door, reviling a room with two men in it. One of them she recognized as the Autobot's Leader, Optimus Prime, judging from the color pattern and the 'leadership' look visible in his holoform. The other one? She has no idea, but from the looks of it, he was dressed in a black cop uniform. For a second, she thought it was Barricade.

'… _That's highly impossible. He hates humans, let alone disguising himself as one.' _Zoe thought as she sat at the opposite of the officer. Lennox sat beside her since he was the only person she was comfortable with. Ironhide stood at the far side of the room as Optimus sat next to the officer. There was a glass window on the other side of the room near Ironhide. _'One-sided mirror… I guess more are behind there…' _she sighed.

"Good morning, Zoe." Optimus greeted, breaking the girl's thoughts.

Zoe nodded her head in greeting.

"Would you like something to eat first?" He asked again and she just nodded. Lennox placed the plate of pancakes in front of the table.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Zoe asked, staring at Lennox and then to the holoforms.

"Our life doesn't run on nutrients that humans need on a daily basis. We run on Energon, our life source. It's almost equivalent to what you call gasoline." The officer explained. Zoe nodded, taking a bite of the pancake. "Do you mind if I start while you're eating?" the girl shook her head.

"Let's start. Firstly, my designation is Prowl and your name is Adella Zoe Campbell, Zoe for short, correct?" Prowl asked, looking at the biodata. The brunette nod again. "So tell me, Zoe, what were you doing in the museum so late at night?"

"I was told to be there. They said that if I don't complied, they would take something important from me." Zoe answered and stopped for a brief moment to drink water. "When I got there, a stick-like-droid was waiting and told me to come with it." She continued, carefully not mentioning that the droid was Frenzy.

"What does it want you to do?"

"Steal something from the space exhibit. It was some sort of rock with runes." Zoe answered truthfully this time watching as everyone stiffened at the mention of rock with runes. It was the original plan and she doesn't see any harm in telling Prowl what the item was. As long as she doesn't told him where she hid it. "It said that the boss doesn't want it to touch the rock." She added.

Optimus looked deep in thought. "There is no doubt Barricade and Frenzy are behind this." he concluded and the officer nodded. The Autobot Leader turned his gaze to Zoe, who was calmly eating her breakfast. "Tell me Zoe, did you encounter Barricade, the one Bumblebee was fighting, before the museum incident? Did he threatened you before?" he asked seriously.

Zoe thought for a moment and nodded her head. "I guess, once. I didn't know that this 'Barricade' is the boss of the droid." She was aware that if she mentioned her phone, it would be searched over and every text message would be used against her. "I was offered a ride by some policeman since my mom wasn't there to pick me up after school."

"And that's probably the time when he told you to steal the AllSpark and threatened you." Lennox said in disbelief, shaking his head. "Can't believe the Decepticons would get this low to threaten a kid to do the dirty work."

Prowl nodded, "And the AllSpark, do you know where it is right now?" he asked.

Zoe shrugged. "If you're revering to the rock then I had it when I was running away from Barricade. I think I lost it when the stick-droid threw shurikens at me." She closed her eyes, sighing from her nose. It was a good thing she's a good liar.

"That's why our scanners are going off the chart. You touched the AllSpark and some of it must have rubbed off on you." Ironhide crossed his arms.

"Zoe." Prowl called, making said girl turn to face him. The officer leaned forward a little, his bright blue eyes staring at her green ones. Their sharp gazes matched, each calculating one and another.

"Are you lying?"

That's when everything stopped.

Zoe stared at him, sighing.

"What do you think?"

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Did you hear that there's a kid in our base?"

"You mean the one who scared the wits out of Sideswipe?"

"Yup, that's her!"

Zoe sighed as she heard the soldiers' gossip from afar. Their voices were so loud, she was expecting this 'Sideswipe' to burst through the large doors and yell at those soldiers for bringing the sensitive topic up again.

"You know," The voice of Lennox made her turn her head to him. "I can't believe you just said that to Prowl. You're lucky that he can tell if someone is lying or not… otherwise you'll need to go to further interrogation." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Zoe remained apathetic. "Oh really?" If she can fool robots into believing her half-true story, then she could be a really good actor one day. Well, an emotionless and sharp-tongued villain that is… After the whole museum incident it was just Prowl asking questions about the events happening in her life since she took a picture of Bumblebee and Jazz. "I'm glad then."

Lennox laughed nervously. "So are you ready to meet the rest of the crew?"

Zoe gave him a deadpan look. "Does it look like I have a choice?"

The man thought for a moment, a grin making its way up to his lips. "Nope. C'mon, let's go." He said as the large automatic double doors opened with a hiss. Inside the room was something that she doesn't like. A crowd of soldiers working here and there and of course a few Autobots walking around too. She dislike to be in the middle of crowd. It was too suffocating to breath with all the people moving around. Lennox clapped his hands twice. "Alright! Everybody listen up! I have someone I would like to introduce!" he shouted.

Zoe stared at Lennox. Could he at least introduce her to only a few people?

All eyes land on her as she remained silent and expression-less. "This is Adella Zoey Campbell, known as Zoe." Zoe raised her hand in greeting. Lennox continued, "Please treat her well and respond quickly if she ever needed any help. That is all." She felt like this was an introduction on her first day of school as a transfer student.

A small sigh escaped her lips. "Was that really necessary?"

"Kind of…"

"So you're the famous Zoe!" A fairly cheerful voice exclaimed. Zoe turned around and saw an Albert Einstein lookalike approaching. His white hair (?) was styled to look like the human genius, the glasses wasn't helping either. "Greetings youngling! The name's Wheeljack, the inventor!" he held out his giant finger.

Zoe placed her hand on the finger before removing it a second later.

Lennox turned his head when Wheeljack began explaining the mechanism of his new invention, which Zoe ignored. "He's the crazy scientist. I wouldn't suggest trying out his inventions. They always explode. I know that. I learn it the hard way and so did Epps." He whispered.

"Is that why he has losses?" Zoe inquired, staring at Wheeljack with an uninterested look.

"Losses?" Lennox raised an eyebrow before realizing Zoe's statement. "Pfffttt! No, no, he didn't lose his hair in the making of Wheeljack's inventions. I'm just saying that it blows up right in front of him. Luckily, no one got hurt."

"Scaring the girl with your inventions, Wheeljack?" A new voice appeared. This time a tall red Autobot with horns approached the two humans. "Honestly you need to stop scaring newbies. We need as many recruits as we can get." He said, shaking his helm. He looked down, staring at the small human. He bend down to one knee, leaning his helm down further to get a better look. "Cliffjumper is my name don't forget to always call my name!" he introduced.

"Right…" Zoe responded un-enthusiastically. _'I guess robots can be playboys…'_

"Cliffjumper, he likes big guns just like trigger happy Ironhide. He's also the shoot first talk later type." Lennox explained to the girl.

"His personality fits his suicidal name then." Zoe remarked, revering to Cliffjumper's name (cliff jumper) and his personality to shoot without thinking, both of which in her opinion are very fitting.

Cliffjumper crossed his arms. "Now that's just rude, but true….but also rude. I like you kid." He suddenly grinned. "How old are you again?"

"Cliff, stop bugging the poor girl." This time a feminine voice interrupted the horned Autobot from asking further questions. A blue female Autobot appeared behind Cliffjumper. She was smaller in comparison with all the other male Autobots. "It's obvious that she doesn't like you." She continued.

Lennox crossed his arms. "Arcee, one of the female Autobots. She's one of the best."

'_They have girls too?' _Zoe thought as she stared at the Autobot.

"Arcee. Don't pay attention to this brain-dead soldier, kid. You'll catch his stupid." Arcee said sarcastically.

'_Sarcastic. Sassy…'_ Zoe nodded her head, silently liking this sarcastic female Autobot. "Just how much Autobots live here?" she turned to Lennox as they left the three Autobots.

Lennox seemed deep in thought for a few seconds before answering, "Well, you know eleven of them, including the twins you saw yesterday and today. There's a total of eighteen of them and still in counting."

"Lennox! We have a slight problem…" A woman yelled from the upper platform.

"Be right there!" Lennox shouted back. He turned to face Zoe, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about the Autobots. They won't harm a fly. We'll take you home as soon as Bumblebee is cleared off from the med-bay, okay?" he ruffled the girl's hair before walking away.

Zoe nodded and stood in the middle of the room. It might be a few more hours until Bumblebee was cleared out of the med bay and there wasn't much for her to do in a secret military base. It was either watching everyone work their jobs or explore the Autobot sized base. She turned around on her heels, walking away from the main control room.

The base she had to admit, it was large and kind of cool with all of the high platform for people to work and talk to the super-tall Autobots. The halls however were dull, it was only decorated with the NEST logos and numbers.

"Well, well, if it isn't the puny human." A voice interrupted her walk. She glanced over to spot a familiar gold and silver Autobots she met last time. She basically ignored them and kept on walking. "What? Can't stop a second to admire this beauty?" the gold one asked, spinning on his wheeled-feet.

"I see no beauty in what you speak of." Zoe retorted, not even bothering to look at the Autobot.

Sideswipe laughed. "You're not so bad, kid. Well… that cold shoulder you're giving is rather rude, even in our terms though." He said following the girl. While Sunstreaker was a little offended when she indirectly told him that he's ugly, the other twin thought it would be interesting to know the human child better. "So? How are you feeling about all this?" he asked.

Zoe glanced over to him for a brief second. "Be specific."

"How are you feeling about all this? You know being one in a billion of people to see and meet other life-forms beside humans?" Sideswipe asked, this time specifying it.

"The same when I see animals. I feel the same." Zoe answered truthfully. In truth, she doesn't really care.

Sunstreaker growled. "Why you little—!"

"Easy Sunny!" Sideswipe stopped his twin from squishing the human. "I'm sure she just mean that she isn't too surprised to see Cybertronians because she has seen more weirder things in life, right?" his blue optics flickered over to the girl who shrugged.

"Whatever floats your boat," Zoe stared at Sunstreaker, walking past the yellow mech. "I've seen my grandmother's feet. Nothing scares me anymore."

Suntreaker snorted. "It's that why you're such an emotionless human?"

"Sunny!" Sideswipe hissed, nudging his brother on his arm.

Zoe also snorted. "Seeing my grandmother's feet have nothing to do with my emotions. Why I'm like this is my own choice."

Sideswipe tilted his helm. "Well… there's always an answer to everything."

Zoe sighed, debating with these twins was impossible. She rather be with the sarcastic Autobot chick than these two, heck even Wheeljack was an option.

"Down boy, down!" the sound of a dog barking was heard. All of a sudden, something heavy pounced on the teenager's back, making her stumble forward. Luckily, she didn't lose her balance and fell over. She looked behind her shoulder, finding a German Shepherd, three months old by the looks of it. The soldier who was holding the leash ran towards the girl as she began to pet it, scratching it behind its ear. "Sorry about that…. He's a really hyper one." The soldier apologized. "We're training him to be a tracker, I guess he tracked the wrong object."

"No problem." Zoe kept on petting the dog. "Mr. Epps, correct?"

Epps blinked in surprise. "Oh yeah, yeah, that's me." He was still in shock at the affection Zoe was showing to the dog. "You like dogs?"

Zoe nodded.

"Well this little guy's name is Buster." Epps patted the dog's head.

"I think she likes the mutant more than us, Sunny." Sideswipe pointed out.

"Shut the frag up."

Epps laughed. "C'mon guys, I'm sure she'll warm up to you in no time." he watched as Zoe silently raised her finger and little Buster obediently sat down. She lowered her hand and it lays down. Finally she turned her hand over and the pooch gave his pawn. "That's pretty impressive. I've been trying to train him to sit, lay down and shake hands ever since he begins to run. He's a really tough one." He said, completely impressed how much obedient Buster was.

Zoe stood up. "Maybe you have something he doesn't like." She said and looked down to see that Buster was still standing on his back legs, pawing on her leg. _'Mr. Epps said that he was training Buster to be a tracker… could it be…?' _she placed her hand inside her hoodie's pocket.

"Buster! Here boy!" Sam's voice was heard and a second a later, a whistle. The teenage boy came walking in with his girlfriend. The teen tried to make Buster turn his head to him, but nothing happened. He turned to face his girlfriend. "You see, Mikaela? The dog hates me. Even Mojo turned to me." He complained.

Mikaela rolled her eyes, "That's because you need treats to train him." she said, referring to Buster. Her blue eyes stared at how Buster was wagging his tail at Zoe. "Well, on the bright side, it seems like Buster has taken a liking to you."

"Honestly why do you humans see in this…flea bag?" Sunstreaker asked, staring at Buster with disgust.

"I see beauty in it." Zoe answered, glancing over to Sunstreaker to look at his expression.

Sunstreaker raised his servos. "I'm out of here." He announced, giving up. He strolled away from the humans, Sideswipe laughing behind him. The silver twin raised his servo, waving goodbye. "See you dudes and dudettes later!" he shouted.

Sam glanced over to the direction the twins went and then to Zoe. "What's his problem?"

Zoe shrugged. "He has beauty problems."

Sam gave an unsure look. "Okay?"

"Speaking of problems," Mikaela broke the awkwardness. She reached inside her jeans' pocket, taking out a familiar two-colored cellphone. The black-haired girl gave the cellphone back to its owner. "We fixed it and don't worry, Wheeljack didn't tamper with anything vital… we watched." She reassured.

Zoe took her phone, staring at it before flipping it open. _'They gave me back my cellphone and didn't suspect me at all…'_ The brunette wondered. She turned her phone on and checked her inbox. _'Empty… I guess Frenzy somehow deleted all of the messages.'_ Her green eyes glanced over to the top screen. _'No bars… the base must've been built with phone jammers.'_ She sighed.

"Yeah… you can't use your phone here…" Sam scratched the back of his head. He reached into his back pocket, taking out his phone. "But uh… you can use my phone. Mine's not jammed since well… I'm not new here." He offered.

Zoe took Sam's phone and glanced over to Epps, silently asking for permission. The African-American man shrugged. "I don't see why not. As long as you don't tell anyone any of this."

The brunette nodded and dialed her brother's phone number. Ring. Ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Aiden. It's me." Zoe answered.

"_Zoe! You haven't answered any of my calls! Where were you?" _came the reply from the other side.

"I didn't bring my charger. I'm using a friend's phone now. I'm at said friend's house." She answered accordingly.

"_Well alright. Just be home by dinner we're having spaghetti and I don't want to eat alone."_ Aiden chuckled. _"Mom and Jade are on a three days trip to Las Vegas for a photoshoot. Said that Jade has to promote a new hotel." _

'_Good I don't have to face them…' _Zoe sighed in relief. "Okay. I'll see you later."

"_See you later Zo." _

Zoe pressed the end-call button and hand the phone back to Sam, giving a silent thank you.

"So what did your brother said?" Mikaela asked.

"Said I have to be back by dinner because he didn't want to eat alone."

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Aiden hummed to the music. He had just dropped off his mother and sister at the train station. His mother thought it would be nice to travel to Las Vegas using the train instead of the plane. He was glad that Zoe wasn't home to hear their mother's rambling of her not telling her own mother where she was going. True it was Zoe's fault for not informing her parents but to Aiden, but she didn't answer any of the text and calls from them. Jade dismiss it because Zoe never answer calls from her.

Suddenly his phone rang. He glanced over to the road, one hand on the wheel and the other reaching for his cellphone. He looked over to the caller's i.d, not recognizing it from any of his friends. He pressed the answer button and placed his phone on speaker, placing the phone back into the cup holder. "Hello?"

"_Aiden it's me."_ The voice of his sister replied.

"Zoe! You haven't answered any of my calls! Where were you?"Aiden grinned, happy to hear his dear little sister's voice again.

"_I didn't bring my charger. I'm using a friend's phone now. I'm at said friend's house."_ She answered.

'_Same old Zoe,' _Aiden chuckled at her sister's habit to forget bringing a charger to somewhere far. "Well alright. Just be home by dinner we're having spaghetti and I don't want to eat alone." He pulled over in the parking space and turned off the engine. He took the keys out and grabbed his phone, putting the call back to normal.

Aiden pressed his phone to his ear as he opened the front door of the house. His eyes glanced over to the police car parked at the other side of the road. He shrugged, dismissing it as a mere cop parking to take a donut break. "Mom and Jade are on a three days trip to Las Vegas for a photoshoot. Said that Jade has to promote a new hotel." He explained, placing his car keys on the front counter in the kitchen.

"_Okay. I'll see you later."_

"See you later, Zo." Aiden ended the conversation, placing his phone on the counter top as well. He glanced over to the clock. "It's only noon… I have six hours before Zoe comes home." He said to himself.

'_I guess I should make the spaghetti sauce first.'_ He thought, taking out a few ingredients from the fridge.

Completely unaware of his phone turning into a robot.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"We'll see you on Monday then."

"Thanks for the ride." Zoe answered as she exited the yellow Camaro.

"_Anything for you….sweetheart!"_ The radio sang.

Zoe watched as the yellow Camaro along with the couple inside the car turned to the left to another part of the neighborhood. She was relieved that the Scout wasn't injured that badly while fighting with Barricade. She felt bad that she was helping the Decepticons instead of the Autobots, but it was the only way to keep her brother save. She was fine being the bad guy.

She flipped her phone open, seeing the time. _'It's only 4:35… Aiden should be home by now.' _She thought as she walked towards the door. She raised her hand to open the door, but found that it was opened. She pushed the door opened, peeking inside. _'Weird… Aiden never let the door open like this.' _Her eyes flickered around the room, trying to spot her brother.

She went to the kitchen, staring at the few ingredients on top of the counter, along with Aiden's cellphone and car keys. She placed the ingredients back into the fridge and turned around to face the counter._ 'Aiden also never left ingredients lying around just like that…' _

Her green eyes stared at Aide's cellphone when it started to buzz. Her eyes widened when it started to split apart into something robotic. "Frenzy."

"Z-Zoe…" The Decepticon stuttered.

"Aiden's not here… does this mean?"

"S-Sorry Zo-Zoe…." The cassette replied, skittering across the counter.

Zoe took a deep breath and she looked away, glancing over to look at her family picture, her eyes fixed on Aiden. "Where is he?" she asked.

Frenzy tilted his helm and jumped down from the counter. Sure her face wasn't showing any emotions at the moment, but he knew that she felt betrayed. "H-He's fine. He's just at the ab-abandoned warehouse t-twenty miles from h-here. You can ta-take the number 09 bus to reach there. But yo-you have to continue for another ten minute walk to reach i-it." He instructed.

"Y-You have t-to be careful… a-a few D-Decepticon decided to j-join the party. T-They w-want you to b-bring the A-AllSpark. Y-You still have it right?" Frenzy stood beside the girl, looking up.

"Of course I have it." Zoe answered coldly, her hands balled up into tight fists.

"I-I'm really sorry, Zoe…"

"…Let's just get my brother."

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Is this the place?" Zoe asked, staring at the warehouse. It was located in a far-away part of town with the trees blocking any sunlight from shining. The woods used to build the warehouse was damp from the lack of sunlight. Some of the windows were broken and the roof was missing a few parts here and there. To anyone it looked abandoned, but to her, the Decepticons were holding her brother captive.

"Y-Yes…" Frenzy said, popping his helm out from her backpack.

Zoe carefully went down the slope, grabbing on to some trees and large rocks. She clapped her hands, getting rid of the dirt from her hands. She moved forward, closing in on the large door.

_Creak_

It was dark inside. The air was humid and a few spider webs were here and there. The brunette squinted her eyes to look around the dark. She can't even see anything from three feet away.

"Took you long enough, child." A voice said out of the blues.

Zoe kept on looking forward. "I have the AllSpark. Where's my brother?" she asked, quickly getting to the point.

The voice chuckled. "Impatient now are we?"

The door slammed shut with a loud creak.

A pair of red eyes suddenly flashed in the dark. It was low, around her height, but it suddenly got higher. The Decepticon took a few heavy steps forward, moving towards the light that shone from the missing part of the room. The Decepticon's body was seen not clearly, but she could make out the triangle body shape.

"Welcome Adella Zoey Campbell."

Zoe shielded her eyes at the bright lights that was pointed directly at her. She narrowed her eyes as she placed her hand in front of her eyes to block the light. _'One. Two. Three. Four…. Five including Barricade…'_ she thought, glancing at the cars one by one.

"I heard that you have been helping our Scout for the past month." The triangle Decepticon purred, walking over to the human girl. She remained where she stood, ignoring the big bad robot circling her. "Tell me, do you have the AllSpark?" he stopped right behind her.

Frenzy jumped out of her bag. "S-She h-has it."

"Silence! I did not ask you!" The Decepticon hissed. His red optics moved back to Zoe. "Give the AllSpark to me child." He held out his servo.

"Where's my brother?" Zoe asked again, getting impatient with each passing moment.

The Decepticon behind her grinned. "Airachnid. Show the child where her sibling is."

Zoe's eyes narrowed when the Decepticon on her right side began to twist and turn into a robot female form. Her spider like legs was from her back as she stood tall on the spider legs. The female Decepticon threw some sort of cocoon to the middle of the warehouse. The lights from the Decepticons that were in their alt-mode was enough for her to recognize the cocoon was her brother. The only that wasn't covered with the web-like thing.

"It's such a shame that I have to return this fine specimen to you." Airachnid approached Aiden who was unconscious. She leans down, her face near her brother's face. She grabbed her brother's cheek with her servo. "Look at his adorable face. I just want to cut his head off and add it to my collection." She purred.

"Touch him again and I'll break the AllSpark into millions of pieces." Zoe's sharp tone cut through the silence like venom. "I borrowed a hand grenade from NEST and I'm not afraid to use it." She told the spider-like Decepticon.

Airachnid laughed. "You have the AllSpark with you, and you're saying you want to blow yourself up?" she asked, a sinister smile on her purple painted metal lips. "How do we know that you're only bluffing?"

Zoe took out a toy hand grenade she used in the last history role-play. "Try me, Spider Freak." She challenged, raising it up. She just hoped Frenzy won't tell anyone that it's a fake.

"Interesting."

"Enough," The Decepticon behind her stopped the conversation. "Now, child… the AllSpark. Hand it over and this will all be over like a dream." He said.

Zoe glanced over to the police car who kept disguising himself in his alt-mode, Frenzy by the driver's door.

It doesn't take a genius to know that her eyes showed betrayal.

Barricade was supposed to be a top Decepticon scout who hated the human race.

So _why_ did he feel regret?

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-

time for some questions!

1\. The Transformer terms can be quite confusing. Do you want me to switch to normal or keep the Transformers term? I'll mention everything normally if it's in Zoe pov, but I'll switched it to Transformers' term when it isn't her pov. For example: Optic= eyes, hands= servo etc

2\. Can you guys guess the other two Cons? The first is really obvious xD the second is Cade+Frenzy and the third is our favorite evil Decepticon femme from TFP! but who are the fourth and fifth? Pick two Decepticons ^^

3\. there are so much mysteries in this story. One of the biggest is where Zoe is hiding the AllSpark! Can you guess too?

4\. In the movie Arcee's the pink one but I like her in Prime. She's blue there. So it's like this: Arcee is blue, Chromia is purple, and Elita is pink.

5\. And any good fanfics you guys can recommend? I'm really nervous about my English essay and my final English exam. I want to get into much reading as possible to improve my grammar and vocab. By reading stories, I'll learn something new and still had fun xD

Special thanks to:  
RoboDork97, Vodid, Iiv cahil, Kougalover123, Falling Blue Roses, tahalastarnine, Ophaniel, Seiiruu, ruler of the ice dragons, Hollydoor, sadsmile33, Autobotlover56, ShiverThriller10023, Natsukoni, MercenaryBunny, Xireana Prime, Maria Prime, Sonicfan4life, kakashiluckyblackcat, RatchetLover, theSapphireSister, Penny Phoenix, Nicolebear101, 33- Prepare- To- Be- Amazed- 33, Firethroat, Reader103, Hurricane. '97, AetheriusStorm, alannasanderson101, DaisukiHaru, WarriorKat21, elizabethkadunce, BitterB, Shanter, SunnySidesFemme, Tai-Ookami, ShinraFox, Carnavous, wolfblood00, TMNTGirl21155, Blackrose3107, QuietRose- 13, sarah. mcqueen. 921, Kgoodrich16, lightninghawk101, and Dorisangel.  
For adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to:  
RoboDork97, Vodid, Iiv cahill, BrokenScarlet, Kougalover123, tahalastarnine, Hamato Sakura, Seiiruu, ruler of the ice dragons, Hollydoor, bluebell8833, wolfscry248, Autobotlover56, Avacil, CodeSixty, Natsukoni, Lauz-millz, MercenaryBunny, VineAuror, Xireana Prime, Sonicfan4life, AstroCraft, Ten Pinny, RatchetLover, theSaphhireSister, Sunswipe, Nicolebear101, darkling98zoulless, whitneygreen48, 33-Prepare-To-Be-Amazed-33, Reader103, XYukichix, AetheriusStorm, alannasanderson101, Stargazer360, WarriorKat21, BitterB, Shanter, shatteredstar21, Tai-Ookamu, elatedrune, Yawh, Geek By Nature, xSunstreakerxandxLegoas, Carnavous, Leafdragon117, Cybertronian, TMNTGirl21155, Blackrose3107, and Dorisangel.  
For following this story

Read and review guys! Don't forget to tell me what you feel and like about this story in your review ;D


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: So far my practical exams are doing good… If I didn't post this chapter my ideas would be stuck in my head and it will bug my studies xD and i just re-watched AOT... I love Optimus' new design and Lockdown's badass-ness (his alt-form really) hehe...

Shanter: Awww thank you so much!

The Silvernote: I'm glad you like this story ^^

CastielLunaWinchester: xD Thank you and sure, I'll check those out *wink

Storygirl747: Haha don't worry, she'll grow out of she shell

Kat151820: thank you for the suggestions ^^

Mywinx14: That's a good guess ^^ I like them too xD

Jgoss: Do you mean Sideswipe? Well, Bee didn't talk to Zoe, but he talked to Optimus about the conditions.

CodeSixty: Hehe thank you ^^ That's would be great! Thanks!

AutobotGuy710: Thank you!

yuki. sawer. 7: hehe thanks!

* * *

Chapter 9: Discovery

"_Impa— now —re we?"_

"Copy 2 out of 5." Epps said as he listened to the conversation between Zoe and the Decepticons. Another man kept on working on communication device to get a better signal. The African-American man adjusted his earpiece, listening to get a clearer sound. He held his hand for the soldier working beside him to stop turning the knob. "Hold it."

"I heard that you have been helping our Scout for the past month."

"Copy 4 out of 5." Epps gave a thumbs up to stop the soldier from turning the knob again. He got a good hearing on what's happening in the warehouse. He turned to look to his other side, facing his partner. "We have two. Startscream and Barricade…Frenzy too." A disbelief look came across his face as he shook his head.

Lennox nodded. "Anything else?"

Epps held up a finger, motioning for him to wait a second. _"Tell me, do you have the AllSpark?"_ his eyes widened to the size of saucers. He turned to face Lennox, his eyes still wide open and his lips set in a line.

Lennox eyes him suspiciously. "What? What did Startscream say?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Zoe has the AllSpark." Epps announced for the whole crew to hear. Every single of the soldiers who were riding in a military truck turned to face the man. "She has it this whole time… Ironhide was totally right. We should've trust his old rusty nose. We ain't gonna hear the end of it from him."

"Damn…" Lennox leaned his head back, sighing from his mouth. How could a fourteen year old out-smart a whole bunch of military men and the Autobots? Sure she seemed smart and good at hiding emotions, but come on! She's a fourteen year old! The NEST field commander turned to look at his friend, "If we met her in a different kind of situation, I'm sure as hell NEST would find a way recruit her when she's older." He admitted his loss to a teenager.

"Shhhhhh!" Epps pressed his finger on Lennox's lips, who immediately slapped his finger away. He heard a few gears whirring. A female Decepticon was heard talking from the earpiece. People would think the female version would be at least a little less cruel, but this female Decepticon was the exact opposite. In fact, she's way worse than the original level of cruel and evilness of a regular Decepticon. He did not like where this was going. "Oh shit man! Airachnid's there!" he shouted.

"Alright guys, we have at least two civilians and four or maybe even more Decepticons in that warehouse. This is going to be one of our biggest battle against the Decepticons since Mission City." Lennox quickly said, debriefing every soldier on the rescue mission.

It was a good thing Bumblebee placed a small listening device on her backpack. Otherwise this whole thing would forever be unknown to NEST. After the scout heard Zoe's conversation with Frenzy, he quickly reported everything to Optimus and after that, NEST's team was soon dispatch.

"Bumblebee has already arrived and will act if the Decepticons do something that might hurt Zoe or her brother. When we arrive, Team 1 will enter the building. Our top priority is getting the civilians out of the battlefield. Got it? Good. Team 2 and 3 will provide aid to the Autobots. Are we clear?" Lennox instructed clearly.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good." Lennox took a deep breath. "Let's just hope nothing bad happens."

Epps turned to face him. "Dude, don't say that. It'll always lead to something bad. Do you even remember Operation: Rat Attack?"

Lennox groaned. "Don't remind me."

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"What's wrong with the human? She's been like that since five minutes ago." The Decepticon, Sideways, pointed out. He was still in his alternative-mode, refusing to transform when most of the space was hogged up by Starscream himself and of course Airachnid. "I think we broke her. Too bad though, I wanted to see how much she could take when you kill her brother." He turned his front wheels side to side without moving forward.

Airachnid smiled as she approached the girl, leaning down. "Aww don't listen to Sideways, child. I'm not going to kill your sibling..." She stood behind Zoe's small figure. She stroked Zoe's head gently with her claw-like servos. "_yet_." She whispered into the brunette's ear. "In fact, I'll even do it quickly so he won't feel any pain at all. It will just be like a papercut." She chuckled darkly when she saw the darkened look on Zoe's face.

"Do me a favor and _shut_ _up_. I don't want to hear your tone-deaf voice." Zoe said, averting her eyes to glare at the purple ones staring at her.

The spider-like-Decepticon grinned. "My, my, we should do something with that mouth of yours." She faced the girl from above, staring at the girl upside-down. "It could get you killed one day." She cooed, spurting the web-like-thread to shut the girl's mouth.

Zoe quickly ripped the web-like-thread off and spitted to the floor. "_Disgusting_." She wiped her mouth with her hoodie's sleeve as her eyes narrowed. She threw the thread to the ground and stepped on it. "Please refrain from spitting your web to me. I hate insects, _especially_ spiders." She hissed.

"M-Master…" Frenzy whispered to his master. He didn't like the way the other Decepticons were treating his new-found human friend. Sure she was irritating and a brat at first, but being stuck with her for more than a month meant something for the cassette. Her cold demeanor was just a shell. She was a really helpful kid that would help someone in her own cold way. Not that he would admit it out loud. "I… I don't like w-where this is going." He stiffened when Airachnid lifted Zoe's chin up.

Barricade didn't move. "…silence." He said lowly, only for the cassette to hear. His spark ached a little when Airachnid and the other Decepticons kept on torturing the fragile human verbally to break her sanity. Wait—ache? Since when does he—Barricade—one of the most loyal scout to Megatron ever feel sympathy to someone, and a fleshling to add. "It's her own fault for provoking Airachnid." He grunted.

"I'm getting impatient here." The Decepticon Barricade—Breakdown—said impatiently. He moved a little forward, revving his engine loudly. "Let's just squish her already. We can take the AllSpark faster like that." He was tempted to bring out his mighty hammer.

Starscream raised his servo. "We cannot do that to this lovely human girl." he said as he motioned his servo for Airachnid to step away from the girl. "We don't want to taint the AllSpark with her flesh and blood." He laughed menacingly.

Zoe merely closed her eyes. "I'm flattered, really." She said sarcastically. "To tell you freaks the truth, you're not all that scary. I find you all…_disgusting_." She said, her voice and expression calm when the silver Audi roared his engine.

"I had it with this fleshling! Taint or no taint, I'm going to squish her!" Sideways' wheels rotated quickly, leaving tire marks on the ground as it caused dust clouds to gather. His alternative mode lurched forward, but he was immediately blocked by the Decepticon scout. "Barricade what the frag? Get out of my way!" he shouted.

"We can't harm the human, Sideways. She has the AllSpark and we can use her to infiltrate the Autoscums' base. She knows where it is." The scout reasoned. "Isn't that right, human?"

"What if I say 'yes'?" Zoe replied. "But even if I do say 'yes' I would never tell the likes of you."

"I can make you talk." Breakdown said smugly, confident that he would make the human talk.

"Just try if you can, Tinhead." Zoe taunted, glaring at the vehicle.

The air was thick with tension, she could feel it.

"_Yehaa! Ride 'em cowboy!"_ the doors suddenly burst open, breaking the wood. A yellow Camaro skidded to a stop and began to transform in mid-way. His battle-mask was slipped on as he grabbed Starscream and threw the Second in Command out of the warehouse. _"You want a piece of me, hotshot?! Come and get some!"_ he jumped in place, positioning himself in a battle stance.

Starscream hissed. "Autoscum!" the larger Cybertronian growled as the back of his hand began to form a plasma cannon.

The yellow scout, turned his attention a split second to the brunette. _"Hide yourself! Trust me…help…is on the way."_ He browsed through different radio channels, mixing them all together to form a sentence.

Breakdown smirked as he finished transforming into his bi-pedal mode. "Finally some action around here! I'll take care of that slagging scout!" he ran, his giant footsteps making the ground shook with every step he took.

Zoe stared at Bumblebee fighting the two Decepticons bravely. She frowned at the scout's choice to face these Decepticons alone. But nonetheless, she dashed towards her brother. Her eyes landed on the piece of broken glass scattered around. She took the sharp glass and cut through the thick web Airachnid trapped her brother in. She grimaced when the glass scratched her palm, but she has to withstand it for a few more seconds.

"Don't think that we've forgotten about you, fleshy!" Sideways began to transform into his bi-pedal form. The side of his face was suddenly hit by a sharp object. Some of the objects fell to the ground with the 'cling'ing sound resonating in the warehouse. Zoe stared at the object. It was a shuriken. "Frenzy! You slag head! You missed!" the silver Decepticon hollered.

Frenzy blinked, "S-Sorry… M-My aim i-is bad." He apologized. He glanced over to Zoe for a brief second, silently hoping for Zoe to get the message. _'I got your back.'_

"Get your optics fixed, you useless insect!"

'_Thank you.'_ Zoe caught his look and quickly dragged her brother's limp body to the sidelines. She was careful not to drag any attention from Sideways and Airachnid. She didn't bother with Barricade. His alternative-mode was facing her and he didn't do anything to stop her or alert others that she was escaping. The girl quickly hide behind a large crate, glancing around the hiding spot. The window was too high for her to climb, plus she can't even lift her brother. The front door was out of the option since a fight between Bumblebee and Starscream and Breakdown was occurring. _'We're stuck until Bumblebee takes care of the Decepticons.' _She thought warily, glancing over the edge of the crate to find Sideways looking for her with Airachnid nowhere to be seen. _'Where is that Spider Freak?'_

Her head perked up when she heard gunshots coming from out of the warehouse. She kept on looking over the crate, trying to figure out what was doing on. She heard Sideways curse in an unknown language before turning himself back to his car mode. He, Barricade and Frenzy quickly sped out of the warehouse, leaving only tire marks on the floor.

Zoe sighed in relieve. _'I guess they're scared of NEST…' _she sat down and leaned her back against the crate, closing her eyes. She turned her head to see her brother in an unconscious state. _'Aiden…'_

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-(flashback)-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Knock Knock_

"Zoe? Can I come in?" Eighteen year old, Aiden, peeked his head inside of the dark room. His eyes scanned the room and spotted his sister sitting on the bed with a blanket over her head. The door creaks open when the teen went inside, letting the light in the halls shine some light into the room. He stopped a few steps away from the bed, glancing over to his right to find the TV was on. A classic kids' show was showing. "C'mon Zo, you can't keep watching Dora the Explorer all day… I know it's educational too, but you're ten. I don't want you going on adventures on your own with a monkey." He joked.

There was an awkward silence between the two siblings. Aiden sighed, scratching the back of his head with his right hand, keeping his left hand behind his back. The platinum blond sat on the edge of the bed.

"You can't be like this Zoe, I know it's hard for you to let go, but could you at least try?" Aiden said softly and stared at his sister, trying to at least get her to talk again. His sister didn't respond. "You've been like this since Mom forbids you from figure skating. You haven't eaten properly or even talk to anyone for a week. We're really worried, Zo… I'm worried." He tried to look at her face, but she quickly covered it with the blanket.

Aiden sighed. "…how about you try another hobby? Like origami-folding, baking, making poems—No?" the eldest Campbell stopped when his sister turned to look at him with a glare—disagreeing with all of the choices he gave her. "Haha well umm, how about photography? It doesn't involve skating or ice and you also don't need to be an expert to take pictures." He said.

"Photography?" finally, she answered.

Aiden nodded his head. "It's easy! All you need to do is klick and done!" he said enthusiastically. "And to get you started on this new hobby, we have a little something for you. It's from your Dad and I… I hope you like it." He revealed the box he kept hidden behind his back.

Zoe turned to face her brother, her eyes staring at the box curiously. She gingerly took the box and ripped the wrapper open. Her eyes stared at the picture printed on the box. It was a classic Rolleiflex TLR.

"It was Dad's before he moved on to digital. I wanted to buy you a new one, the Blackbird one, but it turns out, it wasn't coming out any time soon. They said that they're still working to perfect it." Aiden admitted. He watched as Zoe examined the camera, turning it around. "But… if the Blackbird comes out, I'll promise to buy you one." He promised, holding out his pinky.

"…okay." Zoe laced her pinky with his.

"Great! How about you start using your camera to capture the moment! That way you won't ever forget that we made this promise!" Aiden exclaimed and taught Zoe which things to do before pulling the trigger down. "Now take a picture of me~!" he sang, a large grin on his face.

Zoe stared at her brother's silly grin.

-x-x-x-x-(end of flashback)-x-x-x-x-x-x

* * *

'_At that moment… I realize that my brother's smile is worth more than anything.' _Zoe let out a heavy sigh. Her love for her brother was far greater than anything. She would do anything that would make her brother happy, just to see the smile that brought her out of her depression. _'Don't worry, Aiden… I'll find a way out of this.'_

"Zoe! Are you in here?" The voice of Lennox rang in the empty space of the warehouse.

The brunette moved her hand, showing it from her hiding spot.

"Oh thank God!" Lennox let out the breath he has been holding. He along with his team ran towards the girl's hiding spot. The man crouched down beside the brunette. "Are you okay? Anything hurt?" he asked concernedly as he take a good look, trying to find any injuries, but he was glad that there weren't any.

"My brother." Zoe said, ignoring Lennox's question about her health.

Epps quickly checked Aiden's pulse. "Don't worry. He's just unconscious." The African-American man put his gun away and motioned his head for another soldier to do the same. The two of them quickly placed each of Aiden's arm around their shoulder to support his weight. "Let's just get the heck out of here… This place gives me the creeps." He said, voicing out everyone's thoughts.

Lennox nodded. He helped Zoe up to her feet. "Right." He lifted his hand up to press a button in his earpiece. "This is Team 1. The hostages have been rescue—!"

"Not so fast." Airachnid landed in front of the group of soldier. She creeped forward, moving in a slow pace to intimidate the humans. Lennox quickly pushed Zoe behind him as Epps and the other soldier stepped back. The other two stood by Lennox's side, their guns ready to shoot. "Oh my, oh my, look what we have here? If it isn't NEST field commander. I knew you would come."

"Stand back Zoe." Lennox ordered, pointing his gun at the Decepticon's head.

"And let's not forget the star of the show." Airachnid's optics narrowed to Zoe, who glares at the Decepticon. The team backed away when Airachnid moved forward. "To think that a small human girl would cause us so much trouble. You must be really something." She laughed. "In fact, I think I want to add your head to my private collection."

"You sick psychotic Decepticreep!" Epps shouted, staring at the Decepticon with disgust. "How could you sleep at night?"

"I recharge like a happy little spider." Airachnid answered smoothly. Two of her spider legs were high up above her head, ready to strike. "Now prepare to die!"

Lennox and the other two soldiers began to shoot the spider-like Decepticon. Airachnid kept on jumping from place to place, making it difficult for them to shoot her down, but they kept on moving towards the exit. Airachnid shoot one of her webs to one of the armed soldiers, disarming him. The other quickly helped his fallen comrade as Lennox provide cover.

"There's no escape humans. Hand me the AllSpark and the girl, and you will be let to live another day." Airachnid said from above the ceiling, her purple optics glowing in the dim-lighted room.

Lennox scoffed. "If that happens then what kind of soldier am I?"

"So be it." Airachnid charged down.

But before her legs could even touch the ground, she was tackled by a familiar blue Autobot. Zoe's eyes widened at the sight of the female Autobot coming into action. Arcee punched Airachnid right on her face, sending her flying back. She coolly narrowed her plasma gun at the Decepticons, her blue optics glaring.

"Arcee! Can you take Airachnid anywhere else?" Lennox asked, staring at the blue Autobot and then to the exit located at the other side of the warehouse.

Arcee smirked. "I'll try." She shot a couple of rounds at the Decepticon, but missed as Airachnid was moving too fast. The Autobot was shocked when Airachnid appeared out of nowhere and tackled her to the ground. She avoided getting stabbed by Airachnid's legs, holding two in her servos as she moved her helm every time the legs tried to stab her. "Get off!" she yelled.

"Exit's blocked off and Arcee's in trouble! We need back up!" Lennox yelled over the earpiece as he tries his best to shoot Airachnid to distract her.

'_There has to be another way.'_ Zoe thought, staring at Arcee and Airachnid. She glanced around trying to find a loophole. Her sharp calculating eyes scanned over the broken properties of the warehouse. Her green eyes landed on the broken walking platform located right on top of the fighting femmes. She looked at the pistol strapped on Epps' thigh. _'It's worth a shot.'_ She took the pistol, surprising the man.

"Z-Zoe! What are you doing?! That's not a toy! You're not even old enough to hold one!" Epps scolded.

Zoe ignored him. She closed her left eye trying to be more accurate in her shot. She lifted the pistol up to her eye level. She pulled the trigger twice, the two shots rigging in the warehouse. The two bullets precisely hit the rusted wires holding up the platform on the right side. The platform quickly swings down, only knocking Airachnid away. The NEST soldiers and Arcee stares at Zoe in disbelief as she lowers the pistol.

"I watched a lot of spy movies, okay?" Zoe shrugged.

"Well whatever kind of movie you watched worked. So let's get moving!" Lennox said, taking the girl's hand.

"Thanks for the safe, kid." Arcee thanked as she ran alongside the humans to provide them cover from the fight going on outside. "Go ahead. I'll cover. Ratchet's waiting for you." She said curtly, helping Bumblebee with shooting a couple of times at Breakdown.

"Alright! All we have to do is go through the other side where Ratchet is." Epps shouted.

Zoe gave him a deadpan look. It was impossible for them to get across without the risk of getting shot, stepped on, and blown apart. It was a completely different scene from the warehouse. The Decepticons seemed to multiply. There were more than five, but most of them looked the same. How could there be more Decepticons than Autobots? "You could at least tell your medic to come get us here." She said flatly.

Epps rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault, okay? It's hard for him to slip past the trees and all this shit." He said.

"We need to find another way. Follow me!" Lennox quickly turned to his left, trying to find a way to go around the fight. He pressed on the earpiece. "Ratchet! We need you to get as close as possible!"

"Right." Ratchet answered through the device. The H2 Hummer moved. Driving itself into the battlefield. "Cover for me, Ironhide." He said.

"Roger!" Ironhide grunted, firing shots at the Decepticon who tried to get in Ratchet's way. "Deceptipunk! Can't even learn to back off!" he shouted over the noise.

A Decepticon—the Vehicon—to be precise, turned his helm to the direction of Lennox's team. He aimed his cannon at the team, shooting once before he was off-lined by the Weapon Specialist himself. Everything seemed to move in a slower pace when the Vehicon fired.

"Lennox!" Ironhide yelled out a warning.

Lennox quickly turned his head and grabbed Zoe. He jumped out of the plasma bullet's way, twisting his body around so he would take the hit instead of the girl in his arms. As there was an explosion because of the bullet, they landed on the ground, skidding to a stop a few feet away. The NEST field commander groaned, lifting his body up when it was over. He looked over to the other side, spotting that his entire team made it out of the explosion alive and without injuries.

Lennox turned back his attention to Zoe. "You okay?" he asked.

"…what do you think?" Zoe clicked her tongue, standing up to her feet.

"You're good. Let's go." Lennox answered quickly, taking the girl's hand again. There was another round of fire, making them duck down to take cover. "We need to split up! Epps! Take care of Aiden!" he shouted.

Zoe refused to move when Lennox tugged. "Zoe! We need to get out of here! Trust me, your brother is in good hands." He said, placing both hands on the girl's shoulders. He leaned his head down a little to look at the brunette's eyes. "You need to listen to me. The Decepticons are after _you_, not your brother. We need to get you out of here." He repeated, a serious look on his face.

Zoe stared down at her shoes.

"Let's get going." Lennox said, dragging her again, this time she complied. He knew that look. She was worried for her brother. He understood that feeling. It was the same feeling he had when his wife gave birth to Annabelle. He was worried as hell when he waited in that hospital's waiting room. But in the end, all turned well and he's now a father to his precious baby girl. "Ratchet will get to your brother in time. He isn't going to let a anyone die." He reassures.

The brunette sighed as she decided to trust Lennox with his judgement. She didn't like the thought of Ratchet being the only Autobot to protect her brother, but Lennox does have a point. The Decepticons were after her because she has the AllSpark, the thing that started all of this mess. She followed Lennox as he guided her out of the battlefield, hiding behind a tree as he held his gun, shooting at the Decepticons.

"We'll be safe here. I've called Sideswipe to pick us up. Just stay down." Lennox instructed.

Zoe sat on the ground, leaning her back against the tree's trunk. She looked over her shoulder, taking a peek at the battlefield. Though there was a difference in number, the Autobots were winning, especially since Optimus arrived. The Autobot leader has been killing the many-look-alike Decepticons left and right. He was good, far better than any Autobot out in the field, she noted.

Her green eyes glanced over to where Ratchet is.

"Get in!" Ratchet automatically opened the back door.

Epps quickly complied. He was about to carry Aiden inside when a white thread was shot to block the back door. The white thread was also shot to Ratchet's wheels, making him unable to drive or even transform. His holoform appeared in a flash. If he can't transform to his bi-pedal mode or drive in his alternative-mode, he can help with his holoform.

"Sergeant Epps, please move back." Ratchet ordered, his electric blue eyes flashing dangerously.

Epps and the three soldiers moved back, afraid that they will get caught up with the wrath of the medic.

"Ratchet." Airachnid greeted, a smile on her metal lips.

"Airachnid." Ratchet returned, his eyes cold and hard.

"You disguised yourself as a pathetic human? You know that in your human form you can't defeat me." Airachnid said, walking closer to face the medic. "Tell you what? I'm only here to retrieve the human boy. I'll let the others leave if you surrender the boy to me. He's an important asset to us." She smiled sickly.

"Don't push your luck." Ratchet pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Very well then."

Zoe stood up when she deemed it was enough to look at Airachnid getting near her brother. She looked over to her left hand, the pistol still gripped tightly in her hand. The brunette ran from her hiding spot, surprising Lennox.

"ZOE! WAIT!" Lennox yelled, running to catch the girl.

The brunette stopped a few meters away from Airachnid and Ratchet. She fired twice at Airachnid to get her attention. It did. The spider-like Decepticon turned her head to face the person who dares to shoot her, though the simple bullets didn't do any damage to her armor. Her purple eyes gleamed when she found out that it was the precious child she was looking for.

"You wanted to see me?" Zoe asked, her voice calm as she still had the gun pointed at the Decepticon.

"Adella?!" Ratchet said, surprise and anger evident in his voice. "Get the frag out of here! You're just making it easy for her!" he continued.

Zoe ignored the medic. "They have nothing to do with this." She said as she watched the Decepticon crawling to her. "I have a deal to offer." she looked up to stare at Airachnid's optics, her eyes cold and sharp.

"Oh? I'm all ears." Airachnid was interested in the deal. No humans, much less a Decepticon, would even dare make a deal with her.

"You and your freaky friends get the heck out of here and _never_ bother my family again." Zoe said her part of the bargain.

"What's in it for us?" Airachnid considered Zoe's part, thinking that it was easy enough to accomplish.

"You get the AllSpark and my head."

Lennox and a couple more people who heard her deal were completely shocked. "WHAT?!"

Airachnid seemed taken aback.

Zoe closed her eyes. "You Decepticons won't stop bothering my family until you get what you wanted. I'm giving you the stupid rock if you want it that badly." She reached her hand inside her hoodie's pocket, pulling out the familiar rock. "Second, you work separately when it comes to collecting heads. You also wouldn't stop bothering my brother until you get your grimy hands on mine." She explained, opening her eyes to look at Airachnid, her eyes devoid of all emotion. "Do we have a deal?"

"Zoe are you mad?! What kind of deal was that?! You can't just make a deal that would only benefit the bad side!" Epps shouted in disbelief.

"Zoe, back away from the deal. This won't be a benefit on your side at all." Ratchet tried to reason with the girl's crazy ideas.

"I'm only ending it sooner." Zoe simply answered. "Humans face death in the end of their life anyway… Do we have a deal, Airachnid?" she asked again.

Airachnid grinned, offering her servo for the girl to shake. "Deal."

Zoe stared at her metal hand. "I don't shake hands. Only words are enough." She gripped on the rock tightly. "Just get it over with." She sighed.

"Don't worry I'll make it as quickly as possible. I do love it when my prey is obedient." Airachnid raised her blade.

The blade slowly swung at the perfect angle to cut Zoe's head clean off her shoulders. The soldiers stared in horror as Airachnid swung the blade. Lennox quickly fired his gun. "NO!"

_Slash_

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Y-You're n-not g-going to help, M-Master?"

"I'm in no condition to engage in this pit blasting battle." Barricade answered as he hid in the dense forest. He could still perfectly hear the battle with his sensitive audio-receptors. "Curse that blasted human." He murmured under his breath, referring to Zoe.

He hate to admit it, but he was getting attached to the human girl. The Decepticon could relate to her a little, _just_ a little. Sure humans were annoying, especially Zoe, but she was somewhat loyal to him even though she hates him. It confuses him how the mind of the girl works. It always makes him wonder why the girl would always provoke him in some way that might get her killed. The thing was, the girl wasn't afraid when he slammed his fist beside her or even threatened to blast her to dust.

The scout found Zoe…an interesting human.

Frenzy looked over the trees to look at the battle. His optics zoomed in. "I-It look l-like Airachnid and Z-Zoe are talking."

Barricade turned his helm.

"_You get the AllSpark and my head."_

"The frag?" Barricade raised an optic-ridge. "Is she out of her mind?!" he shouted, standing up to his pedes.

The Decepticon scout quickly ran pass the trees, Frenzy on his shoulder. He reached the clearing in no time at all, finding out that he was in the right time and moment when Airachnid was about to behead the girl. He rammed into the female Decepticon, failing her attempt to kill the girl.

"Do not touch what is mine." Barricade hissed as he slashed one of Airachnid's spider legs. "The girl belongs to me." He added.

"Barricade?!" Airachnid exclaimed angrily. "Your spark has gone soft, you slag-head. You are a fool for letting a human slip into your cold spark." She said, grimacing when she placed a servo on her severed leg.

The two Decepticons prepared themselves to engage in battle.

"Decepticons! Retreat!" The voice of the SIC shouted through the field, alerting everyone. Airachnid cursed under her breath. "Leave the pathetic scout behind! Get the AllSpark!" he ordered lastly before transforming into the military jet, flying away in high-speed.

Airachnid glared at Barricade before dashing forward to take the AllSpark from Zoe's hand. The brunette just stood there and raised her hand, offering the AllSpark. The spider-like Decepticon took the AllSpark, running past the girl and then turning into a helicopter. She loomed above the brunette, flashing her light at her.

"This isn't over."

Zoe merely stared at the helicopter, glaring at it. Her attention turned to Barricade. "You're not running away too?" she asked.

Barricade grunted.

"M-Master was wo-worried about you." Frenzy sniggered.

"Pesky Insect!" Barricade shouted.

"Freeze you Deceptipunk!" Ironhide shouted, his cannon clearly right behind Barricade's frame. "You aren't using the girl anymore to do your dirty work." He growled.

"Do as you please, Autoscum." Barricade answered.

"Zoe! That was crazy! And I didn't mean it in the good way! You could've gotten yourself killed!" Lennox scolded as he dragged the girl away from the cassette.

"Oh? At least we're all alright." Zoe said, placing her two fingers on her temple to massage it. She was feeling a headache coming.

The gold Corvette Stingray crossed his arms over his chest. "Great… not only the AllSpark is in the Decepticreeps' servos, we have this fragger too." Barricade growled in respond when Sunstreaker jabbed his digit at the black and white mech. "And it's all because of one human girl." he rolled his optics at the girl.

Zoe huffed in annoyance.

"Sunstreaker. Do not blame the child. She did not do it on purpose." Optimus' voice scolded the mech. His tall figure was seen walking towards the group of humans. He smiled at the girl who frowned at him. "We will retrieve the AllSpark back in another time. For now, we shall return to base." He announced the retreat.

"It was only a dumb rock." Zoe suddenly said.

"Dumb? Dumb?! It's the AllSpark for Primus' sake! The source of life! How could you say that it's a dumb rock?! You humans don't understand anything!" Sunstreaker raged, striding forward to teach the girl a lesson.

"Sunstreaker stand down!" Optimus ordered as Sideswipe and Ironhide held the mech back. "And Zoe, please do not provoke him any further." The Autobot leader said.

Zoe sighed. "I'm not lying." She said, taking off her backpack. He also took off her hoodie and held it in her arms. She dug her hand inside the hoodie of her jacket. She pulled out another rock, holding it in her hand loosely. "Like I said. _It_ was only a stupid rock." she remained passive when she heard multiple noises.

"The AllSpark?! How! We all saw you give it to Airachnid!" Sideswipe voiced out everyone's thoughts.

Zoe scowled. "Do you think I'm that stupid? I know that this thing is important to you both. I know which side is better." She took a deep breath. "I figure since it looks similar to any rocks here, I thought it might fool the Decepticons for a few hours maybe. You said it yourself, didn't you? You 'felt' the AllSpark's presences because of the radiation on me. The Decepticon won't know it if they aren't out of range yet." She said, tossing the AllSpark to Ratchet's holoform.

"That's ingenious." Ratchet murmured.

"Wow Zoe… just wow…" Lennox said in amazement as she walked pass by him. She was by her brother's side when he turned his body around. The man approached the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry I doubted you… really."

"…whatever." Zoe answered slowly.

"…" Lennox stared at the weak respond. "Are you alright? You look paler than usual. Ratchet." He called the medic.

"Don't. I'm fine. Just tired." Zoe replied curtly.

"Fine my aft. Your temperature has risen drastically." Ratchet scanned the girl. His eyes widened and handed the AllSpark to Lennox. He quickly supported the girl when her legs gave out. "We have to return back to base _immediately_! Can you find another Autobot who's available to take Aiden? I need Adella to ride with me." He turned to face Lennox, his eyebrows furrowed down.

"That's easy to handle. Is Zoe alright?" Lennox asked concernedly.

"Yeah. She's just tired, right?" Epps added.

Ratchet lifted the girl gently into his arms.

Barricade narrowed his optics at the medic. This doesn't seem good.

"W-What's w-wrong with Zoe?" Frenzy questioned.

"I don't know if your sensors are broken or not, but she's having a heart attack or CHD to be precise." Ratchet said as he placed the girl in the back of his hummer.

Barricade's spark seemed to break at the news.

* * *

A/N: Ahhh! What's going to happen next?!

Special thanks to:  
Storygirl747, don't walk in the rain storm, kat151820, matthewcortes93, Eunice Pacheco, MavisVermillion54, The Silvernote, It199789  
for adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to:  
Lil-B-Rebel, Storygirl747, kat151820, matthrecortes93, Eunice Pacheno, The Silvernote, It199789  
for adding this story to their alerts!

Tell me what you think of this chapter

Reviews are always appreciated, and please no flame ^^

R&amp;R please


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: it's a little short… but I think it fits

Oh yeah! Made a new drawing for this story! It's at my DA!

Galem: Let's find out in this chapter ^^

Red170: here's an update ^^

Shanter: aww thank you!

CastielLunaWinchester: hehe thanks!

HTTYDTF For Life: aww thank you so much!

Lil-B-Rebel: thank you

AutobotGuy710: Thanks!

XxAceLawxX: Yup! They sure do!

Storygirl747: Here's an update :D

Mywinx14: Yeah. I just thought adding her would be awesome and ouch! I just ran 5 laps around my whole school building. Yeah… didn't end up that great.

AllSpark Princess: Don't worry, I've done my research. All will be explain

The Silvernote: update ^^

Yuki. sawer. 7: aww thank you!

* * *

Chapter 10: Truth

Ratchet glanced over to the papers on the clipboard in his hands and then to the girl lying asleep on one of the beds in the Med Bay. Her brother's condition wasn't a concern to the medic. He was just unconscious with no injuries at all. His sibling on the other hand was in a critical condition. After two full hours of performing cardiac catheterization, the CMO and his assistant could finally relax for a bit. She was stable now.

"Her vitals are stable." Jolt said, snapping Ratchet from his thoughts. His assistant walked around the bed and stood next to his teacher. The medic was surprised when Ratchet comm. linked him to prepare for a cardiac catheterization, but nonetheless he complied. This was actually the first time he ever done a cardiac catheterization to someone and he didn't expect that someone was actually a little human girl. He was expecting it to be one of the soldiers at NEST. Then again, none of their records show that they have heart defects. "Her temperature has also turn to normal." He continued.

Ratchet nodded. "Thank you, Jolt. Please inform the others that we are finished and no visitors are allowed until I say so, exceptions to Prime and Lennox." He said to the younger medic.

Jolt nodded and his holoform sizzled away.

The CMO sighed through his nose. Really this girl… She had a heart attack due to her Tetralogy of Fallot right after she saved the day? Truly, after the moment she revealed that she has the real AllSpark and outsmarted the Decepticons, everyone was going to give the girl their gratitude. The Prime himself was about to thank the girl for her deeds. So imagine his face when she suddenly had a heart attack. It was almost like Optimus was going to have one too.

"If only you'd tell the truth." Ratchet said, staring at Zoe's peaceful face.

The door hissed opened and heavy footsteps was heard. "Ratchet." The voice of the Prime echoes in the silent room. Said medic turned to face the Autobot Leader with Lennox standing on his large servo. Optimus lowered his servo so Lennox could climb down. He shifted down into his alt-mode and his holoform appeared a second later. "How is Zoe's condition?" he asked concernedly.

"Stable. For now." Ratchet answered as he turned to glance at the girl.

Lennox stared at Zoe's face. She was paler and her lips were a bluish color. They moved to a different part of the med bay so they wouldn't disturb the girl's slumber. "Did… Did she have a heart attack because of Barricade?" he asked.

"Her conditions are like this from birth." Ratchet gave the clipboard for Optimus and Lennox to see. The two read over the biodata quickly, skimming over the pages. "The Tetralogy of Fallot… is a complex Congenital Heart Defect. A cardiac anomaly that refers to a combination of four related heart defects that commonly occur together. The four defects are Ventricular septal defect or VSD, overriding aorta, pulmonary stenosis and right ventricular hypertrophy." He explained as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Lennox raised an eyebrow. "And she has these till _now_?" he frowned.

"I looked into her medical records." Ratchet grabbed a file from the table. He 'searched and copied' medical records of the girl from the hospital and decided to keep it for future purpose. "Says that a few weeks after her birth, on the 28th of April in 1993, she had surgical intervention in her neonatal period and six months after, she undergo a complete repair. I could say that her surgery is a success, but it will cause effects in the future." He finished, holding the file in his hand tightly.

"What is the matter, Old Friend? Is there anything else that might be a concern?" Optimus asked when he caught Ratchet tightening his grip on the file.

Ratchet breathed from his mouth, "No… I'm just disappointed that I couldn't detect it first. When we first met, I noticed a difference, but I didn't see anything that would lead to this." He said, regret in his voice.

Lennox placed a hand on his chin, remembering the time at the dinner party. "So that's why she cut you off when you were about to say something… she knew that you could detect her illness."

The medic nodded. "Yes. She was very smart to avoid me all the time."

Optimus placed a hand comfortingly on his medic's shoulder. "It is not your fault, Ratchet. What matters now is that Zoe is save from harm. You and Jolt did well." he praised, a smile on his lips.

"Thank you Optimus—,"

_Beep Beep—piiippp _

"By the AllSpark!" Ratchet dashed towards the room where Zoe and Aiden were staying. That loss of beep meant something bad has happened or her conditions suddenly became critical again.

Both Optimus and Lennox followed the CMO in any case he needs any help.

"Zoe!" Lennox ran into the room and stopped mid-way when he spotted blood dribbling to the clean white floor.

_Drip drip_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

* * *

_Beep Beep_

Zoe stirred as she regained her consciousness. The first thing she saw was the bright light that was shining above her. She narrowed her eyes, trying to adjust her eyes to the light. The familiar beeping sound could be heard. She averted her eyes to her left, spotting the beeping heart monitor. She moved her left arm, but felt it was stiff. She raised her left arm slowly and stared at the needle and the small plastic tube that was connected to the IV fluid bag.

'…_I remembered… I had a heart attack and scared the living daylights out of everyone.' _Zoe thought as she gently lowered her arm. She slowly sat up, grimacing. She sat on the edge of the bed, trying to gather her thoughts. Her brother was asleep on the bed right next to hers. She carefully walked towards her brother, leaning on the metal pole that has the IV fluid bag. As she was beside the bed she gripped her brother's hand as tightly as she can with her right hand. "…you're alright." She whispered, glad to find that her brother was okay.

Her head perked up when she heard voices talking in the background. _'Mr. Lennox?'_ she recognized his voice. She was guessing the other two were Optimus and that medic, Ratchet.

"—she undergo a complete repair. I could say that her surgery is a success, but it will cause effects in the future."

Zoe gripped on the metal pole. Without thinking twice, she pulled the IV catheter out of her arm. She didn't care that her arm was bleeding from the sudden tug. She let the small plastic tube fall to the floor. She glanced down and ripped out the heart monitor's pads from her chest. The beeping noises were replaced by the straight piip that indicates someone's heart is not beating anymore.

'_Everyone is the same.'_ Zoe thought bitterly, her eyebrows furrowed down.

_Drip drip_

"Zoe!" Lennox's shout was heard as he enters the room. She didn't bother to look at him. She just kept her eyes on her brother's sleeping face. "Y-You're awake!" he stuttered in disbelief.

"Primus child! What were you thinking?!" Ratchet yelled as he appeared beside Zoe. His electric blue eyes trailed over to her bleeding arm. He grabbed her left arm and inspected the damage. "You can't just pull it out! It hasn't been an hour since your surgery is done. You shouldn't even be moving! Go back to bed this instance before I tie you to it!" he ordered as he ushered the girl back to bed.

"Wait here. Optimus can you keep an eye on her?" The medic asked the Autobot leader as he went to get a new IV catheter. "Lennox, go get me some alcohol and some cottons. They're at the top cabinets." The field commander nodded and went to get the items Ratchet needed.

Zoe scoffed as she sat on the bed. "What's the point? I'm going to die either way." She mumbled under her breath.

Optimus heard her mumbling. "Do not say that young one. You are still far too young to say that." He frowned as he sat beside her.

"What do you care? Everyone's the same." Zoe said, her eyes staring at her bleeding arm.

The Autobot Leader raised an eyebrow. "May I know what do have we in common?" he asked curiously.

"The eyes. The looks. I _hate_ them." Zoe pointed out.

Optimus waited. She wasn't being very specific. Of course their eyes looked similar. They are the Autobots. All of the Autobots' eye color are blue. He didn't get what she mean by 'looks'. "Do you mean you hate our species?" he inquired.

"I'm not talking about your species' appearance." Zoe corrected, closing her eyes. "I hate it. I despise it. I loathe it." She continued.

"What do you hate exactly?"

Zoe's eyes narrowed. "Sympathy. Pity. I see it in your eyes. You talk as if you understand what it feels like to know that your life is limited. You only feel sympathy, but you don't really understand anything." She curled up her hands, staring at her fists. "Everyone who knows about my sickness are all the same. I don't need your sympathy or your sugar coated words. I know that I'm going to die sooner or later."

"I overheard my doctors said that I won't live long. Your medic is the same as the others. He's just trying to brighten my mood. He doesn't understand anything." She finished, her eyes gave a hard and cold glare.

Optimus stared at the youngling. Her voice was calm, but it hurt his spark at how she was telling it. It was true. He's a Cybertronian, a being from another planet who functions differently from the lifeform on earth. His parts could be repaired or changed into a new one. On the other hand, humans cannot. True there are transplants, but the chances of survival were very slim for them. They are a fragile being.

The man placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It is true, I do not truly understand how you are feeling, knowing that your time is limited because of your illness." He admitted, his eyes staring at the brunette. He stood up and kneeled down in front of the girl. His large hand was placed over hers'. "But I do know, what we are showing you are not pity nor sympathy. It is empathy. We are soldiers. We have our own fears when we are facing the enemy. We might die or survive to live another day, but our feelings are always the same. The feeling to know you might not survive the battle. I myself once felt it back in Cybertron. I almost die in the hands of Megatron, but Ratchet saved my life." He told her a little about him.

"It is safe to say that I understand what you are feeling." Optimus chuckled. "You have something to live for, correct?" he continued. Finally a respond. She nodded her head slowly.

"Good. Keep on living for the ones you love." He ruffled Zoe's hair, standing up to his full height. "Do not think that your time is limited. You have all the time in the world to recover." He smiled.

"…I guess." Zoe mumbled, finally realizing what Optimus meant. She never really did talk to anyone like that. Not even to her own brother or her family. She never exchange thoughts to anyone. Everyone in school deemed her as a cold-hearted freak who doesn't care about anything. Now that she share her feeling with Optimus, she can understand what others are thinking, the feelings of soldiers at least. She can relate to that. "Thanks…" she mumbled embarrassedly, a small blush on her cheeks.

The Prime kept the smile on his face as he heard her voice. "Ratchet is just concern about your health. He has no ill intention. I can assure you that you are in capable hands. There is nothing that Ratchet cannot cure." He reassured.

"I got the things Ratchet needed." Lennox came, holding the two items. He had a smile on his face. He glanced over to Optimus and then to Zoe. "Did something happen while I was gone?" he hinted. He knew what happened. He heard the whole thing.

"What do you think?" Zoe asked sarcastically, staring at Lennox smile as Optimus chuckled.

"There it is… the sarcastic girl I used to know." Lennox shook his head as he placed the items on the table beside the bed. "Now let's clean that blood off your arm."

Ratchet sighed, a smile visible. He was leaned against the doorframe. He overheard the conversation just like Lennox. It doesn't take long to find a needle. After all, it is his med bay. He decided to let Prime talk some senses into the girl before entering the room. Turns out, Optimus did his job quite nicely.

He decided it was time he enter the room. "You're lucky I still have some new IV catheters… Slagging Liaison didn't approve my medical list yet." He walked towards Zoe and inspected the wound. "I'm going to insert the IV catheter again. This time, _do not_, I repeat, _do not_ take the needle out. Do I make myself clear?" he asked, a threatening tone in his question.

Zoe pouted and looked away. "Whatever."

"I'm going to count to three." In a second, Ratchet inserted the IV catheter. Zoe winced. The medic pulled out the needle and removed the protective cover from the end of the tube and inserted it to the catheter hub. He secured it first before taping the tube to her skin. "Now was that so bad?" he asked as he cleaned up.

Zoe glared. "What happened to one, two and three?" she asked, trying to ignore her throbbing arm.

Ratchet shrugged. "I rather not make you tense and miss my shot, hmm?" he teased. He gave her a glass of water and a pill. "Drink your medicine." He ordered.

'…_Ratchet just teased… The heck is going on with these people's mind?'_ Zoe thought as she drank the medicine Ratchet gave her. She turned to look at Lennox and Optimus, a questioning look on her face. "Can I ask? What happened to Barricade and Frenzy?" she asked.

The three figures tensed at her question.

"Well?"

"They are detained in the brig." Optimus answered. "Questioned by Ironhide and Prowl, if Barricade and Frenzy does not cooperate… we might have to execute them."

Zoe stared at the Autobot leader. "Oh…" she responded lowering her head.

She just can't let them both be executed.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A short one… I just thought it'll be better to leave it like that until the next chapter ^^

Writing Optimus was a tough one! I love his wise and leadership character! It's just so much fun writing him.

We saw a little improvement in Zoe's character. Will she show her true colors more?

Special thanks to:  
HTTYDTF For Life, Lil-B- Rebel, Renrinrin and Darkdarling98 for adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to"  
Yele98, HTTYDTF For Life, Renrinrin, Darkdarling98, Weirdchick27 and Firespark15  
for adding this story to their alerts!

reviews are always appreciated! No flames please ^^

R&amp;R please!


	11. Chapter 11: One Call Away

A/N: I actually type this chapter when listening to One Call Away by Charlie Puth.

Shadowdarkcloud: 'Kay!

Spinout: What is getting out of control?

Ragestorm: Awww thank you!

Storygirl747: Hehe thanks!

Guest: Haha that's a good idea. Might I ask? Are you angelwing5952 from DA? Your review were very similar.

Galem: He's the best grumpy doc there is xD

HTTYDTF For Life: thank you!

Shanter: Yup that's right. They're pretty cool and awesome (and badass). I also like Optimus' wise and leadership aura. Thank you :D!

AutobotGuy710: Thank you!

AllSpark Princess: I catch your drift.

TF © Michael Bay, Hasbro, etc.

* * *

Chapter 11: One Call Away

"Look at you! So cute! Caged up like that!"

Frenzy ignored the Autobot. He finally had enough and turned himself into a laptop.

"Awww! Don't be shy!"

Barricade sat at the corner of the cell, glaring at the two Autobots standing in front of the bars. After saving Zoe from Airachnid, the mech gave himself up to the Autobots knowing that there was no chance he would win against all of them. The mech was placed in the empty brig of the Autobots' base. His signals were jammed and there was no chance of contacting Soundwave without the help of Frenzy. The smaller Decepticon was caged inside a small cage that looks like a birdcage with energon bars that would hurt him if he touch it.

"Not so tough are you now, huh, you Deceptipunk!" One of the ice-cream twins taunted, moving from the cassette to the mech.

"Yeah! You're behind those bars! You can't hit us!" the other continued.

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT THE FRAG UP!"

Surprisingly, it wasn't Barricade who snapped.

"Geez! We were only trying to have fun." Mudflap raised his servos up in defeat at the black mech.

Skids nodded his helm in agreement. "It's not every day we get to see a Deceptipunk in our brig."

"Well knock it off! You can annoy the heck out of him once we're finished!" Ironhide shooed the ice-cream twins away as Prowl stood by the large doors when the twins exited the brig, complaining all the way out. The Weapon Specialist grunted before turning to face the Decepticon. His electric blue optics glaring at the black and white mech sitting at the corner. "I'm surprised a Decepticon like you haven't snap yet." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Barricade grunted, "Believe me, Autoscum. I'm very tempted to rip their sparks out." he replied bitterly. "Once I'm out, I'm going to squish every human pets you have and I'll save you for _last_." He hissed.

"What makes you think you can escape?" Ironhide walked closer to the bars.

The scout smirked, "Your good for nothing securities are no match for me."

The top of Ironhide's servo twisted into a cannon. "Don't get cocky with me punk-aft." His cannon hummed softly as it glows brighter. He pointed it directly at Barricade's spark. "You have no right to sass your interrogator. We have top securities, unlike yours." He growled.

Prowl placed a servo on Ironhide's shoulder. "Ironhide. Temper." The police-cruiser warned.

Ironhide grunted, but backed off. The mech let his cannon shift down, flexing his servos as he moved to give Prowl some room.

"Prowl." Barricade addressed.

"Barricade." Prowl did the same. He cleared his throat, "Shall we start?" he asked, being the polite mech he is.

"The sooner it ends the better." Barricade grumbled.

Prowl nodded his helm in agreement. "The Decepticons have been silent for the past three months since Mission City. Even with the absent of your leader, you suddenly appeared in the late of January and decided to force Adella Zoey Campbell to work for you. What are the Decepticons' plans? What could you possibly gain from a child?" he questioned directly.

Barricade snorted. "The human came to me—,"

Ironhide slammed his servo on the wall. "That's bull! No human in their right mind would come to the Decepticons!" he yelled angrily.

The scout laughed. "Are you sure about that, Autobot?"

"Why you—!" Ironhide stepped forward, his servo turning back into a plasma cannon.

"Ironhide! Stand down! We're here to question him." Prowl reminded the black mech. With a heavy spark, Ironhide backed down, but he didn't transform his cannon back into his servo. He motioned his cannons threateningly at the scout who ignored the presence of the Weapon Specialist. The Tactician Specialist cleared his throat, making Barricade turn his helm to the bot. "And Barricade, do not provoke Ironhide. I suggest you cooperate. We were given the order to kill you if you do not." He warned.

Barricade grinned. "I look forward to it."

"He's out of his mind." Ironhide whispered to Prowl. "We're not getting anything out of this fragger. Let's just kill him. We still have that cassette." he loaded his cannon, huffing a puff of air from his nose.

"No. I am positive I will get something out of him." Prowl whispered back. The mech took a deep breath. "What are the Decepticons planning for the future?" he questioned.

"I'm an intelligent race unlike those humans. I know what would benefit my fraction and not. Do you think I would give away information as important as that?" The Decepticon glared at the Second in Command.

"I am just confirming. The Decepticons do have big plans in near future." The police cruiser confirmed. He didn't need a full statement from Barricade to know that the Decepticons were planning something really big. He placed his servo under his chin, calculating everything from the recent events. His optics widened when he thought up a possible event. "You planned to use the AllSpark fragment to resurrect your fallen leader." It wasn't a question, it was a bold statement.

Barricade looked up.

Ironhide grunted. "So it's true." He said under his breath. "You fraggers really don't learn from the past. Prime finished Megatron back in Mission City and you still want to revive him? Even if your plan succeed, Prime would definitely finish him again." The Weapon Specialist said, stating what seemed to be a fact for him.

"Shut the frag up, Autoscums." Barricade growled. He stood up and stomp over to the two Autobots, staring at the both face to face. He stopped right before he touched the energon-powered-bars. Ironhide readied his cannons, ready to shoot the scout's helm. Prowl remained calm as he observed the Decepticon. "You will never win against Lord Megatron, not even your Prime could keep him dead forever. Lord Megatron can do everything. He can take you all by himself—," he stopped when a voice cuts in.

"So what does that make you?" a female voice asked. Small footsteps could be heard, followed by a much heavier one. The Cybertronians turned to look at the small human entering through the large doors. It was Zoe and Lennox, along with the Prime himself.

The laptop suddenly transformed into a small robot at the sound of Zoe's voice. "Z-Zoe." the cassette said, staring at the brunette, relieved that she was alright.

Barricade stared at the weak human. Her skin was paler than usual. Her lips were slightly blue in color, but other than those symptoms she seemed to be fine. His optics trailed to the small plastic tube connected from her arm to the IV bag. The wheels of the pole squeaked against the metal floor. It was the only thing he could hear beside Optimus' heavy footsteps.

Lennox followed Zoe. She wanted to see both Barricade and Frenzy in her condition. At first, Ratchet didn't let her and threatened to sedate her, but after further sassing the medic, he finally gave up and let the girl do as she wish. As long as she was with Lennox and he would bring her back to the med bay immediately if something happens, and by something he means by the littlest of things, coughs or something alike. The NEST field commander sighed. She sure put up a good argument with the medic

The brunette stopped a few feet from the cellar. She looked up to stare at Barricade's optics.

"Human," Barricade said, staring back at the human girl. "What do you mean by your statement?" he growled, feeling slightly offended.

Zoe sighed. "Optimus gave me a small detail." She closed her eyes to take a breath from her nose. She opened her eyes again. "You used me to get the AllSpark because you wanted to bring your leader back from the dead. And after that you would kill me when you have no use of me anymore." She stated.

"That's true."

"You said your leader can do anything, but in reality he's as useless as a piece of scrap." Zoe said and soon after, a loud clang and an angry yell was heard.

"SHUT UP!"

Lennox quickly stood in front of the brunette.

She stared at the Decepticon calmly when he punched the energon bars. At the sudden act, Ironhide quickly pointed his cannons at the Decepticon as Optimus and Prowl stepped to cover her. It was a good thing Barricade's weapons were disabled, otherwise she would be blasted off in a second flat. She stepped closer to the bars, ignoring Prowl's and Lennox's warnings.

"If your leader can do everything then why does he need you or anyone else for that matter?" Zoe continued. She lifted her head to look at Barricade's angry expression ceasing to a confused one. "From what I learn, Megatron is a cruel leader with the only goal of taking over Earth, typical villain story… He even sacrificed a few of his subordinates to get what he wants." She said, remembering what Optimus told her of Megatron a few moments ago.

"Megatron can do anything, but he can't do anything without his subordinates." Zoe quoted, remembering the story Optimus told her. She learned a lot for the past hour from the wise Autobot leader. "I learned from…_someone_. A leader can't do anything without his team. That they are a leader because of their team. You can't expect someone to be a leader when they're working solo, right?" she said, revering to Optimus Prime himself.

The Prime was taken aback that the girl would use him as a reference.

"Why work for someone who would easily throw you away when he's done?" Zoe added, tucking a loose strand behind her ear.

"You work for me." Barricade retorted.

Zoe snorted. "I was bored. I had nothing better to do. Working for you might lead to something." She shrugged, giving a reply.

'_Scary…'_ Lennox thought, staring at the girl in disbelief.

Zoe crossed her arms as if what she just said was a natural thing. Meeting Barricade and Frenzy was the most exciting thing that happened in her life. It has its good sides. Her life was never boring again, but the down side to it was her brother's life being threatened. Now, she has nothing to worry about anymore. Her brother was safe and the only thing she has to do now is convince the stubborn Decepticon to consider her preach.

"If he is alive, I bet he's willing to throw you away once he knew you're in the hands' of the Autobots, now wouldn't he? I mean, he is the cruel leader who can do anything." she asked.

There was a moment of silence.

Zoe turned on her heels to walk away.

Lennox blinked and followed the girl. "…it took these guys many years to convince the bad guys to give up, but it only took your less than five minutes." He whispered.

Zoe dragged the pole with her. "I call it manipulating with his own words. His statement has a lot of flaws in it…" She replied, whispering to the man beside her.

"Still… that was kind of cool… even I'm touched." Lennox placed a hand on his chest as the two exited the brig area.

Zoe rolled her eyes at him.

"Adella." The baritone voice stopped the two humans from leaving. The two turned to look over their shoulder. It was Barricade who called her. "How did you know I was going to be there when Airachnid was going to kill you?" the Decepticons asked, completely out of the previous topic.

Zoe blinked. She was expecting a question about leadership and such, but Barricade asked a completely different one. She turned her back to him and started to walk away with Lennox.

"I didn't."

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Zoe sat on the bed, letting out a soft sigh. Hopefully, that was enough to convince Barricade and Frenzy to cooperate and not get killed. She didn't know why she kept on helping the two, but she just feel attached to them._ 'I guess that's the effect when you're stuck with someone you don't like for more than a month…' _she thought as she stared at her brother across from her._ 'Aiden's been asleep for a long time…' _her thoughts wondered.

"When will Aiden wake up?" Zoe asked, loud enough for the CMO to hear.

The CMO heard her, "Frenzy probably sedate him on a large dose. There's nothing I can do to wake him up. We'll let him sleep." he replied from another room. "Things would be a lot easier if we can get him back home by tomorrow morning before he even wakes up." He continued.

'_Frenzy did that because he didn't want Aiden to face the Decepticons if he was awake...'_ Zoe thought with a small smile. She was glad that the cassette still cares about her feelings. _'That's pretty nice of him…'_ she added in her mind.

'_What time is it anyway?'_ Zoe glanced over to the small clock on the table beside her bed. The long hand was pointing at the number nine as the smaller one was pointing at the number eight._ 'Fifteen to nine… A lot of things happened in a day…' _she let out a tired sigh.

"Zoe." The voice of Optimus broke her trail of thoughts. Said girl turned her head to the source, spotting the holoform approaching her. "There is something I need to tell you."

Zoe nodded, telling the Prime to continue.

"What you did was indeed reckless. You should not face a Decepticon on your own. I cannot tell you what will happen if Airachnid got what she wanted." His tone was dead serious and his expression showed concern. She knew where this conversation was going, but she decided to listen to him further. "But that is not the main reason."

Silence.

"I never got a chance to thank you."

The girl blinked. "…what?"

A chuckle escaped his lips. "You knew the dangers if you do not surrender the AllSpark to the Decepticons and yet, you kept the AllSpark safe and refuse to tell them any information. What you did would be considered as an act of heroism to our kind. We thank you, Adella Zoey Campbell, for you have given us hope." He smiled, giving a salute to the girl.

Zoe averted her eyes, a faint tinge of pink dusted across her cheeks. "…whatever. You're welcome." She said, embarrassedly as she scratched the back of her neck.

The brunette laid down on the white mattress and a small smile stuck on her lips. She stared at the ceiling, blinking owlishly at it. Her eyes were getting heavier by the second. _'Looks like it's the medicine… so tired.' _She let out another sigh as she closed her eyes.

"Rest, Zoe." The Prime tucked the girl in.

"I feel like a kid." Zoe said, earning a smile from Optimus. "At least I have an excuse for not coming to school tomorrow…" she mumbled.

Optimus' chuckle and Ratchet's snorting at her comment was the last thing she heard before drifting to sleep.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Yawn_

Zoe yawned quietly as she sat at one of the chairs in the med bay. Lennox thought it was a good idea to wake her up at seven. She complained saying that she still want to take advantage of having a time off from school. But the soldier insisted that she still get up early. She pulled the 'I just had a surgery yesterday' talk, but Ratchet cuts in and said that with his doctor skills she should be fine as long as she doesn't do anything too extreme.

"Didn't know you're not a morning person." Epps said from beside the girl.

"What do you expect?" Zoe mumbled tiredly.

The African-American man chuckled. "It's only seven. It's not like we decide to wake you up at four." He shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know what they say, the early bird gets the worm."

Zoe gave a deadpan look at the man. "And the early worm gets eaten." She said, glaring at the fit and healthy man. She wasn't the one who likes waking up early or doing any sports for that matter. The only sport she liked was ice skating, but that was a long time ago. And due to her health, she rarely do PE in school, which she was grateful at. Running around and sweating was not her thing. "I don't get why you want me to wake up early when basically I'm not going to school." She sighed.

"Well… there are a few things we need you to clarify before we drive you wo home." Epps said.

"Like what?" Zoe asked irritably.

"Like how you really met Barricade and why you were hiding it from NEST… questions like that." He answered.

The brunette sighed from her nose. "I took a picture of his 'alt-mode' and he demanded that I give him the negative because he thinks I would report it to you." She stared at the man's expression. The NEST personnel remained quiet, listening intently on her story. She averted her eyes to where her brother slept. "And he threatened to kill my brother if I tell anyone. That's all." She finished.

Epps blinked. "Just that?" Zoe nodded her head. He was expecting an hour long of a teenager's rambling. He didn't expect her to tell everything in less than a minute. He was prepared for a long story, he even prepared refreshments. The man raised his eyebrows and his face showed confusion. "I don't get it… If he threatened to kill your brother, then why didn't you tell us sooner?" he asked as he handed the can of chilled orange juice to the girl.

"I didn't trust any of you yet." Zoe answered truthfully. She took the can and opened the lid, taking a sip from the can. "Besides, Frenzy was with me the whole time."

Epps was a little offended, but the 'yet' at the end of the sentence made him feel a little better. It means that she trust the Autobots and NEST now. He took a sip from his own canned coffee. "Then why are you still defending him? I heard from Will about the preaching you did yesterday, which kind of touched my heart, but still why?" the same way Lennox did yesterday, Epps placed a hand on his chest.

"You try being stuck working under someone you don't like for a month. We'll see," Zoe retorted, rolling her eyes at the man's antics. "There are a few things I could relate to him and Frenzy." she said truthfully.

Epps thought for a moment. Being stuck working alongside Galloway as his personal assistant for a full month? No way. He can't even stand with the guy in the same room, much less work as an assistant. The African-American man raised his hands up—along with the one holding the can. He shook his head. "No way. That won't work with Galloway. Not in a million years. The day I get along with him is the day when elephants fly." He huffed.

"Elephants? I thought it was supposed to be pigs." Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… that's too mainstream. I want to try something new." The man grinned.

Zoe nodded. "I saw an elephant fly once." The man suddenly froze. She wasn't telling the truth now was she? There's just no way an elephant could fly. The man eyed the girl's expression carefully. Her face has a serious look and her eyes seemed to be telling the truth. "He has big ears and performs in a circu—,"

This time, it was Epps' turn to give Zoe a deadpan look. "That's Dumbo. He doesn't count. He's a cartoon character."

"A flying elephant is a flying elephant."

Epps stared at the teen. Turns out she wasn't all that cold and standoffish as he thought. She's actually quite funny, in her own sarcastic way. When he first met her, he thought that she hated them all. Well, who wouldn't think that? The girl was cold towards him and Lennox! Everyone would think otherwise. But as he gets to know her better. She wasn't that bad.

"I'm beginning to like you, kid." Epps ruffled Zoe's brown hair as he brought the can closer to his lips, taking a long sip.

Zoe looked annoyed when Epps messed up her hair. "…whatever." She mumbled, taking a sip from the can as she averted her eyes.

"Thank you for watching her for me, Serge—!" Ratchet entered the room, but stopped suddenly when he spotted the two humans drinking the chilled beverages from the cans. He angrily marched towards them, his eyebrows knitted together. "And just what do you think you two are doing?! Do you know how unhealthy it is to drink from canned drinks?! I left you for ten minutes. TEN MINUTES. And you already went back to your unhealthy self!" the CMO went on a full rant.

Zoe simply ignored. She took another sip from the can, making Ratchet angrier. She finished the whole drink and placed the can on top of the table beside the chair.

"Listen to your doctor when he's talking to you, young lady!" Ratchet shouted.

Zoe let out another yawn.

Epps only stared at the bickering pair—well more like Ratchet scolding Zoe than both talking back at each other. It almost seemed like Zoe was making Ratchet angry on _purpose_. He might begin to like Zoe, but he still doesn't get what's going on inside her mind.

"If you want to drink orange juice then have the natural one! Not the processed one!" Ratchet huffed out as Zoe just sighed.

Suddenly, a groan was heard. Their head perked up and stared at the source. Zoe quickly stood up and went to her brother's side. Bright green eyes stared at her own green eyes, blinking owlishly at her.

"Z-Zoe?" Aiden stuttered.

Zoe nodded.

The young man slowly sat up. "W-Where are we? What happened?" he asked, glancing around the room.

Ratchet went to Aiden's side, placing on the stethoscope. "How are you feeling?" he checked the young man's vitals.

"Like I've been zapped repeatedly with a tazer…" Aiden answered, massaging his temples. "Who is he? I know he's a doctor…but?" he turned to look at his sister.

Zoe got the look Ratchet gave her. "He's a friend of Mr. Lennox. Apparently you slipped in the kitchen and hit your head. Luckily, he was around so he brought you back to his clinic and took care of you." She smoothly lied and earned a good pat to her shoulder from the medic.

"Oh… why is there an IV tube stuck on your arm? DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER ATTACK?!" Aiden suddenly shouted. He stared at her sister worriedly, cupping her face with his large warm hands. He inspected every inch of her body, looking for any injuries. His worry-filled eyes stared at Zoe. "Are you okay? What happened? Are you tired? Did you eat something bad? Did someone hurt my adorable sister?!" he sounded angry at the last question he asked.

Zoe sighed at her brother's 'mother hen' side. "Aiden. I'm fine… Dr. Richard here treated me. He says that I was too tired and stressed, but I'm good now." She jammed her thumb to the CMO in disguise.

Aiden turned to face Ratchet with a smile. "Thank you, Dr. Richard. For taking care of me and Zoe." he politely thanked the doctor.

Ratchet nodded his head. "It's no problem, Aiden. It really is nice to hear someone being polite around here." He said, crossing his arms as he rolled his eyes at the brunette beside him.

Said brunette ignored him. "Whatever."

"You will be discard soon after I run a few tests, if that is not a problem?" Ratchet asked and Aiden shook his head. The CMO nodded. "Excellent, but I do need you to make Adella rest while she recovers from her attack. I'll give her some medicine. Make sure she takes them. I know she can be stubborn, so could you take care of her?" he flashed a smirk at the girl.

'_Cheater.'_ Zoe glared at the medic as Aiden nodded his head.

"Of course. Zoe you should listen to the doctor." Aiden chided.

"…whatever." Zoe replied as her brother ushered her to bed. _'I think I like it better when he's asleep when he's around Ratchet…'_ she sighed and she sat down on the white matrass.

"I know what you're thinking." Aiden said, pointing an accusing finger at her.

Zoe merely stared at her brother, giving a pout.

"Aiden! Good to see you awake." Epps decided to greet the young man.

"Mr. Epps! It's nice to see you too." The two shook hands and patted each other's shoulder. The blonde man blinked after realizing something. "Wait… not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing in Dr. Richard's clinic?" he questioned.

Epps froze.

"Dr. Richard's clinic is in a military base where Mr. Epps worked. Dr. Richard is a military doctor, you know." Zoe clarified, her expression calm. Anyone who saw her would believe what she said. She was the serious type who was always straight-forward. Her brutal honesty sometimes made everyone hesitate to ask her anything.

"I didn't know there's a military base nearby…" Aiden voiced out his thoughts, rubbing his chin.

"This is a temporary base." Zoe covered.

Epps gave Zoe a thumbs up. "Nice safe." He mouthed.

Zoe nodded.

"Oh, I get it now." Aiden smiled and ruffled Zoe's hair—much to her annoyance. The eldest Campbell excused himself to go and freshen up in the bathroom, located in the same room he was in.

As soon as the bathroom door closes, Epps let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

The African-American man turned to face Zoe, shaking his head. "I don't know how you did it, but good job." He praised.

"I simply master the art of lying." Zoe answered.

Epps gave Zoe a look. "Lying's bad for your health though." He reminded the girl that lying was bad.

"Do you want brutal honesty instead? Tell Aiden the truth?"

Epps crossed his arms. "Lying's good."

Zoe sighed, rolling her eyes. _Adults…_

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

-x-x-(A few days later, Wednesday)-x-x-

Zoe stared out of the window, watching people and buildings passed by. She got the whole week off from school because her brother was worried, but he just had to take her to the station to pick up Layla and Jade. He could've leave her at home, but _no_. He was too worried that she might use her time to secretly go around town.

"I can't leave you alone, Zo. Who knows what will happen?" Aiden glanced over to the brunette for a second, before his eyes went back to the road. "It's not that bad… you're sitting at the front and they'll be seating at the back." Her brother cheered her up.

Zoe sighed, as she kept on staring out the window. Her green eyes caught something silver in the wing mirror. A silver Pontiac Solstice was driving behind Aiden's car. Since returning back home with Aiden, an Autobot, specifically, Jazz always passed by their house a couple of times. The Autobots wanted to make sure that the Campbells remain safe and sound.

It made Zoe question her brother's awareness. He didn't notice the car following them in every turn or anything for that matter. Either he was too focused on the road or he really isn't aware of anything happening around him. He didn't question much about before he was unconscious. He really believed that he trip and hit his head.

'_Talk about having a dense older brother…' _Zoe shook her head.

"Oh! I spot Mom and Jade." Aiden turned on the left signal, signaling the driver behind his car that he was going left. The black car was parked beside the sidewalk. Aiden stepped out of the car to help both his mother and his sister place their suitcase in the trunk.

Jade opened the passenger's door, entering the car first. She raised an eyebrow when she spotted her younger sister sitting in the front. "What is she doing here?" the teen asked.

Zoe glared at her sister before fiddling with her camera, deciding to ignore her sister's snarky comments.

Layla and Aiden entered the car after they closed the trunk. "Zoe, are you skipping school?" her mother began, her voice strained, as if she was trying not to yell at her youngest daughter. She turned to Aiden who just put on his seatbelt with a click. "Aiden, did you let your sister skip school?"

Aiden stepped on the pedal, gently moving forward. "No, no. She was sick. So she was excused from school. Doctor's orders." He replied.

"I see." Layla sighed. "You should take better care of yourself. You will fall behind if you skip your classes. I still expect you to study at home." She continued.

Zoe grunted and her frown deepened. "I can catch up. What they're teaching are easy."

Jade snorted. "What? Are you serious? This is coming from someone who always gets a B minus. If you want to prove that you can catch up, try getting an A plus." she sneered, tying her long hair into a ponytail.

"Jade's right. Don't tell me that you are purposefully failing your grades." Layla sided with Jade.

Aiden stopped the car when the light turned red. He gulped averting his eyes to his little sister and then to his mother. The air was thick, not from the air freshener, but from the tension between his mother and his little sister. He noticed the small changes in Zoe from day to day. She was more…open and bold. She would usually ignore her mother and sister. Perhaps this was a bad idea to bring Zoe along to pick up Layla and Jade.

Zoe glanced back, smirking. "So what if I am?"

The light turned green, signaling for Aiden to move.

"Adella Zoey Campbell—!"

_Crash_

The right side of the car was hit by another car. Although, it wasn't hard enough to crash the car totally, but it still left a large dent on the right passenger's door. The mirror was cracked, but didn't break into pieces.

Aiden quickly pulled the gear from D to P. "Is everyone okay?" he first checked Zoe before glancing to the back. His sister and Mom seemed to be okay as well.

"That could've killed me!" Jade shouted, glaring at the other car through the cracked window.

"Wait here." Aiden instructed as he went out to talk with the other driver. His mother also stepped out of the car angrily, leaving her two daughters in the car.

"You know, this is all your fault." Jade began, a frown on her lips as her eyebrows knitted together. Her arms were crossed against her chest as she glares at Zoe.

Zoe kept on trying to find the right focus on the camera. "Have you gone blind? Clearly it was the other driver's fault." She retorted.

Jade clicked her tongue. "Everywhere you go you bring your stupid luck with you!" she said. "I still can't forget that thing you did on my thirteenth birthday." She pointed an accusing finger at her little sister.

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "I didn't do anything. I simply stood at the side. If you want, blame Mother Nature for it."

"It's not just that! You're also the reason why dad works abroad!"

"Now you're blaming me?" Zoe glared.

"Duh! Maybe you should just leave! And then Dad might not have to work so hard to earn money and pay your medical bills!" Jade blamed.

Zoe snorted, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Maybe I should." She said bitterly, opening the door. "It's not my fault that I was born with this kind of heart. If I can, I'll choose a healthy one." She said lowly.

Jade began to regret what she said. She went a little too far. "Zoe wait—,"

The door was closed loudly.

'_The Hag… can't seem to stop complaining.'_ Zoe thought angrily as she glared at nothing in particular. She made her way towards the sidewalk, angrily staring at her mother yelling at the driver who dented Aiden's car. _'I like it better when I'm spending what time I have left with Frenzy and Barricade.'_ She sighed, leaning against the street pole. _'Wish they were here.'_

"Hey lil' lady? What's with the long face?" Jazz's human form asked as he walked up beside her.

"It's just like what you think." Zoe answered, not bothering to look at the Autobot. The argument between her mother and the driver wasn't going anywhere. "This might take a while…" she added.

"Do you want me to take care of it?" Jazz offered.

"What can you do? You're not an officer." Zoe scoffed, staring down at her camera.

"He isn't, but I am."

Both Jazz and Zoe turned their head to the source. Their eyes widened at the man that stood before them. Zoe blinked confusedly as Jazz's jaw dropped.

"Barricade?" Zoe addressed the man unsurely. The last time she saw him was his hologram of a human, but now he was using the thing he doesn't like to use, the holoform. He didn't mind using the hologram because he said it was only a projection, different from the holoform that can be solid. The brunette stared at the police officer. His hair was short and weren't slicked back. Even though he was wearing sunglasses, his eyes were still red, she noted. "I thought you were in prison?"

Jazz nodded in agreement. "Yeah! You're still on probation till next month! How did you even get out anyway?!" he grabbed the officer's shoulder.

Barricade stared at Jazz's hand on his shoulder. "Don't underestimate mine or Frenzy's skills. It was foolish of you to make the twins watch us." He swatted Jazz's hand off his shoulder. "Like I said, your securities are low-class."

Jazz leaned closer. "If Prime or anyone in that matter finds out, you're dead scrap, man!"

"A month is too long. I shortened it to three days." Barricade took long strides to the scene, an authoritative aura around him. He ruffled Zoe's hair before moving on. "After all, I decided that Adella would be under my care."

"Oh slag, Prime's not gonna be happy with this…" Jazz sighed heavily through his nose. "You can't just decide to break out and take charge of Zoe on your own!"

Zoe caught a small twitch of Barricade's lips from the corners of her eyes. She watched as Barricade deal with the matter professionally. As Jazz was panicking whether to comm. link Optimus or anyone at base, Zoe was staring at Barricade. She quickly looked down to the viewfinder, finding the right focus. She set the film advance lever to rotate it to the next empty frame. She locked it before pulling the trigger down, taking a picture of Barricade handling his first car accident as both a police officer and a human.

A small smile also appeared at the corner of her lips, a chuckle went passed her lips.

Jazz only stared. That was the first time he heard her chuckle.

"Maybe I'm not bad luck after all."

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A/N: I dunno why, but I like writing 'Cade in this chapter! Don't forget to check out the newest cover to this story in my DA account.

I think this might be the last update till later one because I'm having finals! Wish me luck!

Well hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter!

Leave long reviews of what you think of this chapter and how I should improve to make the story better.

Special thanks to:  
sugabee14, Iwalani, AdamasintheRough, riley101z, SkyLion27, shadowdarkcloud, Demoness Gone Insane  
for adding this story to their favs!

Special thanks to:  
Firespark15, AdamasintheRough, Koori no Kitsune, SkyAzusa, SkyLion27, Demoness Gone Insane  
for adding this story to their alerts!

Reviews are very much appreciated, and please no flames.

R&amp;R please!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: It's been awhile! I accidentally reset the laptop and everything was lost! Including the chapter to this story… but I'm glad I can type it up again

MisstyxTB: Thanks!

Skyelover101: Hehe no it doesn't. She might have one *wink wink* Sure thing I'll re-read the previous chapter and improve them ^^

Angelwings5952: that's an interesting theory ^^

Til' all are one: aww thanks!

CodeSixty: Thank you! I'll keep it in mind ;)

Spinout: Ohh I see

Storygirl747: Hehe thanks!

AllSpark Princess: Yeah me too.

Shanter: No, no, it's not bad ^^. And Happy Belated Birthday! Hope you have a wonderful one ^^

Yuki. sawer. 7: Awww thanks!

* * *

Chapter 12: Friend

"I'm going to hand out your last math test."

Groans could be heard from around the class. Zoe couldn't care less. "Those who get lower than a C has to make corrections and give it to me after class. The rest can help or study the next material. I'll be going around to help if you need some explanations." He continued.

"Ms. Campbell." Mr. Wilson began as he pulled out a piece of paper from the stack of papers he has in his hands. Since her name started with an 'A', she was first in line to get her paper. The brunette walked to the front to receive her test paper. The girl quietly went back to her seat as her teacher called the next name. She sat back on her seat, placing the paper on her table. She glanced out the window as the class began to get noisy.

"W-What did you get, Adella?" A voice asked, almost inaudible. It was luck that she noticed someone was staring at her. She averted her eyes from the window to the person sitting in front of her. It was the blond boy with glasses, Alexander. The boy noticed her stare and he shrunk into his seat, turning around to face the front of the class quickly. "S-Sorry! I-I shouldn't have asked…" he apologized.

Zoe sighed. "C+, if you're wondering." She answered. "What about you?" This was actually the first time she ever started a conversation with her classmate.

Alex turned around in his seat to face Zoe shyly. "B…" he replied. The two went back to silence. Alex fidgeted under the stare Zoe was giving him. He gulped. "So um… Mr. Wilson's test is not that hard, right?"

"I give it average." Zoe sighed, knowing that her mother wasn't going to be happy with the score. That is, _if_ she finds out. The brunette always find a way to hide the paper, either by folding it to paper cranes or even throwing it away. She would calculate her mistakes, always getting above a C and lower than a B+ since she didn't want to do corrections.

Alex nodded. "W-Well that's good." He smiled nervously.

"Hey, Alex." A group, consist of three girls, approached the boy's table. The three smiled at the shy boy. "You got a B, right? Could you please do the corrections? We don't have time for it." Britney, the assumed leader, asked sweetly.

Alex blinked. "B-But you're supposed to do it on your own." He pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose, staring at Britney with a nervous look.

"Please. Mr. Wilson said that we can ask for help." Britney pouted, puckering out her lower lip. She gave Alex the sad-kicked puppy look, batting her eyelashes at him. "We really don't have time for it. We have some other things to do. Besides, we don't want Derek to bully you again, now do we? We promise if you do this, we'll make Derek stop bullying you." She repeated, the two girls behind her nodding their head in agreement.

Alex gulped. "O-Okay…" he gulped, afraid something bad would happen if he refuse.

"Really? Thanks, Alex!" Britney cheered happily.

"Are you really going to let this chick have her ways with you?" Zoe asked, stopping the three girls from cheering. She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back against her chair. She averted her eyes to the three girls, her gaze sharp and calculating. The girls flinched and took a step back. "No wonder you're an easy target to these bullies." She sighed, stating the fact.

"Excuse me, but I'm not a bully." Britney placed a hand on her chest, showing that she was offended from Zoe's words. "Don't compare us to those hot-headed bullies." She scoffed.

"Forcing someone to do your work when said person doesn't want to do them and then threatening said person, is considered bullying." Zoe retorted. She turned to face Alex, who was holding the three sheets of paper. "Just leave it empty, Alexander. That way Mr. Wilson will know these three didn't do their assignment." She told the blond.

Britney looked mad. "So are you saying that you want us to get into trouble?" she raised her voice a little as she balled up her hands into fists.

"What does it look like?" Zoe asked, her tone flat and uninterested. She really wanted these three girls to leave her and Alex alone. She rested her chin on her palm as her elbow was placed on the wooden desk. She didn't even bother looking at the girls. "Now take your two copies with you and shoo. Your accessories are blinding my eyes." She shooed the girls with her right hand.

Britney took the papers from Alex's hands and slammed them on Zoe's desk. "Then you do it. I would like to see you do it, Ms. Know It All." She sneered, arms crossed and her eyes stared down at Zoe, underestimating her. "Do it before I tell Mr. Wilson _you_ cheated. He'll believe everything I say."

Zoe stared at the papers before taking her pen. "Teacher's pet." She mumbled and began to write on the papers.

Alex stared at Zoe as she began to write. His blue eyes following her hand as he was too afraid to look at Britney's and the other two girls' expression. Although what Zoe said was true, she used the wrong words to make them realize their mistake. She was known for having the sharpest tongue in high-school from her peers. But most of all, they said that she was heartless. Perhaps, it was wrong of him to talk to her…

"Done." Zoe announced not a minute after.

"That fast? Let me see." Britney snatched the papers from Zoe's hands and her eyes widened. She crumpled up the papers and threw it at Zoe's head, who seemed unfazed when the paper balls bounced off her head. "Is this some sort of joke?! Don't toy with me Adella, I can make your sister lose her job! My Uncle owns TeenPop!" she pointed an accusing finger at the brunette.

Alex gingerly grabbed the paper ball on Zoe's desk and opened it. He covered his mouth as he read over the words Zoe write on the papers.

_I cheated and still got lower than a C  
Now I'm forcing Alex and Zoe to make the corrections_

All three papers have the same writing on them. It was amazing how Zoe could almost copy Britney's and her two friends' writing. If someone doesn't really pay close attention to the writing, they would pass it off. The bespectacled boy stared at the papers and then turned to face Zoe, his mouth agape.

"TeenPop, TeenPoop, does it look like that I care? You can fire my sister if you like. I'm not scared of your uncle." Zoe crossed her legs, turning her whole body to face Britney. She took the papers from Alex's hands and showed it to the raven-haired girl. She pointed the sentence with her finger. "But didn't you wrote this yourself? It's your handwriting, correct?" She asked, pretending to be innocent as a smirk come across her lips.

"No it isn't! You're the one who wrote it!" Britney denied, yelling at the brunette. The two girls behind her nodding their heads in agreement.

"We saw you wrote it too!" one of the girls said, furrowing her eyebrows at Zoe.

Zoe played dumb. "But these are your handwriting. Are you accusing me that I copied your handwriting?" she flatly said, tilting her head to the side, looking confused. "You've confessed. I'm sure Mr. Wilson will go easy on you since he'll listen to _everything_ you say." She closed her eyes.

"You little—!"

"What is going on here?" Mr. Wilson came, stopping Britney from yelling. His eyes glanced over from Britney to Zoe, who was holding the crinkly papers. He asked Zoe to give him the papers, to which she complied. The man read over the sentence and turned to face Britney and her two friends. "Is this true?" he asked, trying to confirm.

"No! Of course not! I would never cheat!" Britney cried, pulling the daddy's little angel look. She pointed her finger at Zoe. "It was her! She wrote it! Kimberly and Jessy saw it too!"

"Ms. Campbell. Did you wrote this?" Mr. Wilson turned to face the calm looking brunette.

"Mr. Wilson, my handwriting is different from Britney's." Zoe began, her voice calm and her face showed no sign of lies. She showed Mr. Wilson her own paper, proving that her handwriting was indeed different. "However, I believe what she wrote is the truth. She wrote it herself, now didn't she?" She asked.

Mr. Wilson nodded. "That's true…" he mumbled.

"But Mr. Wilson! Isn't it weird? Even if I did cheat, which I'm saying that I didn't, would I even wrote it on the paper?" Britney reasoned.

"You have a point…"

Zoe snorted. "It proves that she really did cheat and she wanted to tell you, but didn't have the guts to do it in public. So she decided to write it instead." She countered. The teacher can't blame her since the writing wasn't hers.

Mr. Wilson stared at Zoe before turning to face the three other girls. "Please come with me to the front. I need to talk to you three." He walked towards his table.

"This isn't over, Adella." Britney hissed, giving a warning to Zoe before walking towards Mr. Wilson's desk angrily, her two friends in tow.

"I look forward to it." Zoe gave a thumbs up, her face still blank. She turned back on her seat to face the front, facing Alex who was still staring at her in awe. "Is there something else you need, Alexander?" she asked.

Alex finally snapped out of his thoughts. "A-Alex, you can call me Alex…if you like." he told her to use his nickname. "Ho-How did you do that? Mr. Wilson completely believed you! And, and how did you copy their ha-handwriting?" he asked in a whisper.

Zoe shrugged, tucking a loose strand behind her ear.

The blond gulped. "I…I think that you're a lot smarter th-than you are, Adella…" he stated, a frown on his lips. He held on his test paper, staring at the score. "I'm not as smart as you… nor am I brave enough to stand up for myself…" he sighed, staring sadly.

Zoe stared at Alex. She gave him the deadpan look. "I got a C+, you got a B. There's a difference." She pointed out the obvious.

"But I can't even get an A on my test… Mom would be disappointed." Alex stared at his paper sadly. Zoe raised an eyebrow at her classmate. Was getting a B that bad for him? She decided to listen to the boy's story before closing her ears. "She…She's a Professor teaching in Tranquility's local university. What would people think if her kid got a B in math?" he sniffled, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes.

"Other kids that got lower than a B, that's what they would think." The brunette clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Are you seriously crying over a B in a math test?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Alex quickly wiped the tears away. "N-No… Of course not." He mumbled.

Zoe let out a soft sigh. She reached her hand out and took the test paper from Alex's hands. There was a small protest, but the blond quickly stopped when he saw Zoe's green eyes moving quickly as she scanned over the answers. She placed the paper on the table and took a mechanical pencil from her pencil case. She clicked on the top and began to write.

"You got this wrong. You were supposed to times these two first." Zoe said as she corrected the answer. She wrote what she told him. Alex stared at Zoe's writing intently, trying to figure out his other mistakes. "After you're done, you just need to move this and minus it from the equation you finished earlier." She placed the pencil down, allowing Alex to take his paper back.

"Y-You make it sound so easy…" Alex's eyes trailed to Zoe's own paper. His eyes widened when he saw it. Turns out, the number she corrected was the same number she got wrong on her test. He turned his head up to look at Zoe, his eyes wide and mouth agape. "T-This… y-you got it w-wrong on your test, but you could s-solve it just fine!" he stuttered.

Zoe nodded. "So?"

"A-Are you purposefully failing?"

"So?"

"But you could get an A! You could be on top of the class!" Alex said staring in disbelief at Zoe.

"I have no intention to be on top of the class." She answered calmly.

Alex made a sound, "Eh? But why? Y-Your parents would be proud of you!"

As if on cue, the bell rang, signaling that it was the end of the lesson. Zoe packed up her things, shoving them inside her bag.

"Alright class, see you tomorrow." Mr. Wilson called over the noise from the teenagers' voices.

Zoe stood up and placed her hand into the bag's strap, securing the bag on her back. "I see no reason to make my mother proud. Being number one is not everything, Alex." She lastly said before leaving the boy.

"A-Adella…"

The brunette left Alex without another word. From the corner of her eyes she could see that he was still staring at her. As she passed by the three girls being lectured by Mr. Wilson, she caught a glimpse of them glaring at her. She shrugged it off and walked out of the classroom casually as if nothing happened.

'_Finally… some alone time.' _

Although the halls were filled with other students talking and loud hip-hop music, she didn't have to respond or talk to any of them. She could rest from talking. True, having a conversation with her fellow classmate Alex was a good thing, but talking to him too much was tiring for the quiet and apathetic girl.

A buzz in her pocket made her stop walking for a brief second. She pulled out her cellphone and started walking again. She looked at the screen, spotting a new notification. A text message from an unknown number. She raised an eyebrow before opening the message.

"_I heard what you did in class."_ Zoe read over the text. _"…You're turning out to be just like Master. Cold and cunning, but kind in your own way."_ She continued.

Her thumb pressed the keys, typing a reply to the sender. _"Frenzy. How did you even bug my phone?" _she instantly knew who the anonymous sender was.

"_Simple, ever since I met you. The Autobots don't know because I'm that awesome."_ The little cassette boasted. Zoe rolled her eyes. She could imagine the little Decepticon saying that proudly. _"Being in a cell is B-O-R-I-N-G. Listening to you is much better than hearing the twins talk."_ Frenzy's reply was not ten seconds after she had sent the text.

"_I hardly talk in school."_ Zoe typed.

"_Exactly."_ Came Frenzy's reply.

Zoe sighed, but never found texting with Frenzy boring. Sure he typed fast and mostly talk about how boring his life is during his probation, but he was the only one she would give her time to talk with, well text in this case. He sometimes give a detailed text about what the Autobots did to him and Barricade, which was mostly questions and how they both answer them. It was almost like reading a spy interrogation novel with the length of the texts.

"_How's today?"_ Zoe asked.

They were going on in their second week of their probation. After Barricade helped out the Campbells' with the car accident, Ironhide came to pick him up. At that time, the Weapon Specialist looked so angry and annoyed at the Decepticons. Although he didn't exactly approach the Decepticon himself, the look on his holoform shows it all. So without any other choice, Barricade's holoform went inside his own alt. mode and drove away to the direction of the base with Ironhide tailing behind.

"_Terrible. The twins and that silver twin decided to torture us with their horrible tone-deaf voices, but the good thing is the Mad Medic throw a wrench at them. It shut them good XD." _The emoticon at the end of the sentence made Zoe smile a little. Since Frenzy can't really show any emotions to her, he decided to give emoticons if needed.

"_Really? I bet Barricade's laughing at their misery."_ Zoe said.

"_Nope! He didn't. He kept silent the whole time."_ Frenzy texted.

Zoe raised an eyebrow. _"That's unusual of him…"_

"_Turns out he was in recharge. That's sleep in your human term."_

"_Typical of him."_ Zoe sighed, a small smile on her lips.

Frenzy didn't text back for a minute. _"Wait, Master wants to say something."_

Zoe waited for the text from Barricade.

"_Hello."_

The girl's eyes stared at her phone. This sounds just like the grumpy Decepticon alright. _"You're wasting money for texting one word, Barricade…"_ she didn't press send just yet. She continued typing the keys to form the right words.

"_But hello to you too."_

_Send_

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Zoe moved her fingers from the violin's string to switch keys.

Her eyes moved from her violin teacher to the other violinist in the room. They were so focused to get the keys right, that they didn't even notice a few people came to stare at them through the glass window. Some were the workers of Angel's Ears and some were the other students, both from the lower grade and other musical classes. She has to admit. The piece they were playing were mellow and easy to listen. She was so used to playing dark and sad pieces that this was almost new to her.

The song ended and the teacher clapped her hands, a proud smile on her red-painted lips. "Bravo! Bravo! You all did well, especially you Adella. I didn't know you could follow everything so smoothly this time." she praised.

Zoe's left eye twitched as she lowers the violin. _'What does that supposed to mean?'_ she glared at the teacher when her back was turned.

The teacher clapped her hand once this time. "Alright, everyone! Take five."

As soon as she said that everyone moved from their seats to stretch or even talk to their friends. Zoe remained in her seat, placing her violin in the case before leaning back against the wooden chair. She felt her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took out her phone and flipped it open, finding a new text.

"_Don't listen to the elder human. You did great."_ The text read.

Zoe stared at the text. _"Thanks, Frenzy."_ she replied, flattered.

"_This is not Frenzy."_

Her green eyes stared at the screen intently. Not Frenzy?

"Barricade?" Zoe whispered quietly. She typed, asking if the sender was Barricade himself.

This time it wasn't a message. It was a phone call, the caller's identity titled unknown. Zoe pressed the answer button, pressing the phone to her ear. _"Of course it's me. Who else could it be? The Terror Twins? They prefer rap music over classics."_ Came the voice of the robot she used to hate.

"How are you able to call me anyway? I know how you can bypass using text messages, but isn't an Autobot watching you?" Zoe curiously asked, keeping her voice down.

"_They think I'm recharging in my alt. mode. They won't notice."_ Barricade answered. _"Frenzy's doing all the hacking."_

Zoe nodded her head.

There was silence between the two until Barricade decided to start another conversation. _"I prefer listening to the piece you played just now rather than Happy Birthday."_ The grumpy Decepticon grunted.

Zoe snorted. "You remembered? I'm surprised."

"_You're the first human who dares to toy with me and live. How could I forget?" _Barricade said and got another snort as a reply. True that she was the only human who toys with him and live. His servos weren't the cleanest. He killed a few people who discovered his identity during his days hiding from the Autobots. He remembers one criminal that discovered him when he tried to break into his alt. mode. The criminal was found barely alive in front of the police station the day after. _"What piece was it?"_ he asked.

"Corelli - Concerto Grosso No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6: III. Largo – Allegro." Zoe replied, reading the title from the music sheet in front of her.

"…_what a mouthful."_ Barricade grunted at the long title.

A clap resounded in the classroom. "Alright everyone! Let's continue where we left off!" the teacher ordered and every student went back into their seats.

"I have to go now." Zoe said into her phone, saying her goodbye.

"_I'll be listening."_

Zoe hung up and closed her phone. She clutched her phone, staring at it as a smile appeared on her lips. She took her violin from her case and placed her phone inside the opened case, allowing the Decepticon to hear. She positioned her violin and pulled the string down with her bow when the teacher began to conduct.

For the first time in years, she played the violin with a smile gracing her lips.

It kind of scared her teacher.

* * *

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

'_Five past 10… Where's the Witch anyway?' _

Zoe sighed heavily as she waited for her mother to pick her up. She shifted the violin case in her hand to a better position. She looked at her phone's screen, staring at the clock. Sure she could walk back home, but it would take energy and her mother would scold her again if she didn't find her at Angel Ear's doorsteps. The brunette let out another breath for the umpteenth time.

Her phone buzzed when an incoming call came to view on her phone's screen. She pressed the answer button and pressed the cellphone close to her left ear.

"_Zoe. I can't pick you up. I have to take Jade to the Skin Care Center. Please walk back home."_ The voice of her mother was heard. What she said was loud and clear for her daughter. Straight and to the point.

Zoe clicked her tongue. "Don't bother." She replied as she began to walk down the sidewalk. She avoided bumping into the other pedestrians while she exchanged words with her mother. She hung up on her mother when she began talking about nonsense, something about her being disobedient and rude. She sighed angrily as she waited for the light to turn green. "Could've at least told me ten minutes ago." she mumbled under her breath.

The brunette walked with the other people when the light turned green. She shoved her hand, along with her phone into her pants' pocket. Her thoughts wondered. Today wasn't really that bad. She talked to her classmate. That's a first. And then she started to like playing the violin again. It was all because of those Decepticons, well _ex_-Decepticons. She was beginning to change little by little. If those two can change so why can't she?

Zoe stopped, she got a feeling that someone was watching her. She averted her eyes to the side mirror of a car. Its mirror showing a reflection of someone following from a distance.

"Is there a reason why you're following me, Alex?" She asked aloud, raising her voice so it could be heard through the crowd.

Said boy decided to move out of his hiding spot. "S-Sorry…" he stuttered, moving his gaze away from the brunette. "I j-just finished my piano lesson at Angel's Ear." he said quietly.

Zoe sighed and started to walk again.

Alex also took a step forward.

Zoe stopped, making Alex stop as well.

"S-Sorry… M-My apartment is this way…" Alex said sheepishly, revering to the same street Zoe was walking. He fidgeted under the silence Zoe was giving him. He figured that she was annoyed, angry at him for following her. He pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "I-If you want, you could walk first and—and I'll walk fifteen minutes after you…" he offered.

The brunette stared at Alex, her lips set in a thin line. "Why don't we walk together? The place I live is this way as well." She turned around on her heels and started to walk.

Alex blinked. Did the coldest person in Tranquility High just offered him to walk together? He was expecting the cold shoulder treatment after the events that happened today. Alexander Johnston is a very shy and awkward boy. The people he tried to befriend usually found him geeky, weak and too shy. The main three reasons why his classmates didn't even bother to try and talk to him. He also didn't like to get much attention because he was afraid that more bullies would come to him for lunch money. Usually, after the bullies got what they wanted, they left him alone, but sometimes, they would stuff him in a locker or even give him the classic wedgie.

The blond shook his thoughts away when he noticed that Zoe was already a few feet from him. He jogged to catch up with her.

He fidgeted when there was an awkward silence between them. "So…So ummm…" he tried to start a conversation.

Zoe averted her eyes, staring at Alex's nervous expression. "I didn't know you go to Angel's Ear." she decided that she would be the one who start a conversation. She didn't mind the silence, but the boy's fidgeting and his mumblings were beginning to bug her.

"Y-Yeah… I don't talk much to the other pianists. I uh—sa-saw you performed at Angel's Ear annual concert last year… Y-You were great." Alex said quietly. He looked away when he said that, but when he realized what he said sound kind of wrong he quickly turn his head to face the slightly taller girl. "I-It's not like that, I swear! I-I was there as a contestant! I w-was number 6 a-and you were number 1, I'm g-guessing tha-that you went home after you performed and didn't see me—I'll be quiet now…" he lowered his head in embarrassment.

Zoe stared at Alex with an apathetic look, processing his words. Twice a year, Angel's Ear held a concert to show everyone how much the student progressed. It was mostly held on July and December. She remembered her last recital on December. It was…boring. Her piano accompanist was Katharina, the pigtailed girl who doesn't like losing. Since nobody wanted to be paired with Zoe and Katharina was the last pianist that doesn't have a partner, they both were teamed up, much to the girls' dismay.

"I remember that. I don't like Katharina." Zoe sighed, recalling the memory.

"She… likes attention." Alex nodded his head in agreement.

There were back to the awkward silence. "What grade are you?" Zoe decided to change the topic.

"O-Oh Grade 5… it's nothing compared to you though… We're in a completely different level." Alex smiled shyly.

"Of course it's not. I'm a violinist and you're a pianist. There's a difference." Zoe raised an eyebrow, her lips set in a small frown.

Alex gulped, a hue of pink tinted his cheeks. "T-That's not what I meant…" His lifted his head when he saw that they were nearing his apartment complex. The simple dark brown building stood out from the other apartment complexes. "T-This is where I live…" he announced, stopping right at the main entrance.

Zoe nodded.

"D-do you want me to walk with you to your house?" Alex shyly offered.

The brunette shook her head. "You'll waste more energy then you should." She said, turning around on her heels to continue walking.

"See… See you tomorrow, Adella!" Alex shouted the best he can.

Zoe raised her hand that wasn't holding the violin case, saying her goodbye silently. The brunette continued walking, ignoring the world around her. Alex wasn't that bad… if she ignores his constant 'umm's and stuttering. The boy also go to Angel Ear's which was a new information for her to remember. She was stuck in her own world, she didn't even notice a silver Pontiac Solstice driving beside her slowly.

"Need a lift, lil' lady?" The laidback voice that belonged to Jazz asked from the driver's seat.

Zoe turned her head to face the holoform and nodded.

Jazz grinned and pointed his finger to the other door. "Well then hop aboard!"

The brunette went around the car, watching for incoming vehicles before opening the door. She went inside and closed the door with a small click. The seatbelt buckled itself into place before Jazz drove down the road towards the girl's home.

The holoform pretended to drive just by placing his hands on the steering wheel. Since the ex-Decepticons _insisted_ they would stay and protect the girl, Jazz was appointed to be Zoe's temporary guardian until Barricade and Frenzy's probation is over. The TIC didn't mind being the guardian of the apathetic girl. She didn't complain like everyone did when he listens to loud music.

"It was a nice thing. What you did to the boy." Jazz suddenly said, grinning from ear to ear. "Didn't know you had it in you." He added.

"I'm not that apathetic and heartless." Zoe retorted.

Jazz chuckled. "You know I was afraid that 'Cade and Frenzy's personality might rubbed off on you, but it turns out Prime's the one been rubbing his personality on you."

'_You don't know the half of it.'_ Zoe thought, remembering the slight mishap at school. "Personalities don't change that easily."

"Sure keep saying that." Jazz laughed. His electric blue eyes glanced over to Zoe, his sunglasses sliding down the bridge of his nose just a little. "But I know that you tried to befriend the boy. And that, lil' lady, was a nice thing to do. You need a friend your age." he smiled.

Zoe rolled her eyes, her face facing the window.

The small twitch on her lips didn't go unnoticed from Jazz.

* * *

A/N: Tell me what'cha think about this chapter guys ^^

Thanks to: LilySiriMikaelson, Lucy112358, techmouse6533, Blackrose13, FreakyFrenzy12, Gabriel Nightingale, Till' all are one, AkaNeko-chan, Arcatamous, bellakitty69, hones, Dreamspirit47, Blood vampire princess, AmaltheaLuchiaAizen, Blue And Gold Tigers, Jazzilynn Hall, BluJay16, free0123, ilovepie123, Skyelover101, MissyxTB, Lilithnocte, XFireXStoneX, OhhPlease, WolfetteKurenai, wwsa1995  
for adding this story to their favs~

Thanks to: LilSiriMikaelson, Taylorharvell1997, Lucy112358, RadiantFox, techmouse6533, Blackrose13, FreakyFrenzy12, Wilco pop, Gabriel Nightingale, Flameing-Shadow, Till' all are one, AkaNeko-chan, Arcatamous, bellakitty69, blueteddybear3, Dreamspirit47, Ryder-Hunter, blaze424, AmaltheaLuchiaAizen, Blue And Gold Tigers, Jazzilynn Hall, BluJay16, free0123, Diana Fay, Skyelover101, Flagamon, MissyxTB, Lilithnocte, OhhPlease, shasco, WolfetteKurenai, Novalunni, Caramel27  
for adding this story to their alerts!


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Transformers, Family, Friendship