Small Problems

By: Ghost of the Dawn

Day Six: Crash

In the quiet moments before dawn, when the sun was barely beginning to tint the sky with color, Megatron was not happy. Starscream had returned parading like a peacock that he had ended the existence of the great, but tiny, Optimus Prime in a bright ball of fire. Despite the lack of additional Autobot casualties or presence of a body, he insisted that it had been a sure victory for all Decepticon kind.

Megatron did not agree.

“It’s hardly my problem that you refuse to celebrate this victory with us,” Starscream huffed. It seemed inconsequential to him that Thundercracker and Skywarp had made themselves scarce.

Megatron snatched Starscream by the throat, lifting him off the ground. “There is no victory,” he growled. “Optimus Prime is alive. I can FEEL him!”

Despite Starscream’s precarious situation, he managed to look disgusted at Megatron’s statement.

“Megatron,” Soundwave warbled as he approached. “Transmission from the Stunticons.”

Megatron threw Starscream to the ground. “It’s about time they checked in.” He stormed toward the communication screen and barked “Report!” as he turned it on.

Drag Strip’s disinterested face popped on the screen. “Hey Megs, just thought we’d let you know we saw an Autobot try to get into the city earlier.”

“How many? Who was it?”

Drag Strip picked at his nose. “I dunno, that blue one that can fly. But we chased him off.”

Megatron scowled. “No doubt that didn’t stop him from taking a different route. How long ago did this take place?”

The Stunticon shrugged. “Like... a couple of hours ago.”

“A couple of hours?!” Megatron was steaming. “Why didn’t you say something before?”

Drag Strip shrugged again.

Megatron growled as he clenched his shaking fists on the control panel; then paused as a thought occurred to him.

“Optimus Prime is no longer in the city,” he declared to no one in particular, then turned back to the screen. “Stunticons, patrol all exit routes back to the Autobot base. Find Optimus Prime!”

At that point, Motormaster pushed his way in front of Drag Strip’s communicator.

“Megatron, you’re talking about searching an entire country of freeways. We can’t--”

“Do it!”

Megatron cut the transmission and turned to Starscream. “You and your seekers will go as well. Find him.”

Starscream was obvious in his attempt to remain silent as he turned and walked out.

Crystal shifted in her sleep, an unexpected weight beside her. It was solid and metallic, but warm, and so she curled up against it. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up when she realized she had been cuddling the blue and red form of Optimus Prime.

“Your body temperature was high, but you were shivering,” came a matter-of-fact voice from the end of the bed. Crystal glanced in that direction to see Prowl studying her. “I thought it would be better to keep you near something warm."

Crystal didn’t comment. Instead she got up and made her way quite unsteadily toward the bathroom. Upon reaching for the doorknob, she pulled back in pain and opened the door with her left hand instead. She went inside without shutting it and the roaring of the bathtub water was heard soon after.

“Optimus, how are you feeling?” Wheeljack asked as he climbed onto the bed as well.

Optimus touched the gash that still decorated his side. “I believe most of the damage is repaired thanks to you, Wheeljack. However, I’m very low on energy.”

“We all are,” Prowl admitted. “If we don’t get back in a day or two or if we have another battle, we might not make it.”

At that point, Optimus requested to be filled in on what had happened in his absence. Although Wheeljack wasn’t the best one to give the report, Prowl was already off the bed and heading toward the bathroom.

He found Crystal on the floor, leaning on the tub’s basin with one arm in the water. She looked as though she had fallen asleep again and Prowl had to climb over her long legs to get close enough to see the face that was buried under her wild bed hair. She looked up at he peered at her.

“What’s your status?” he asked her seriously.

“Status?” she wondered, still looking drunk from sleep.

“What is your... physical condition?” Prowl tried again.

Crystal lifted her hand from the hot water and tried to flex the fingers, flinching at the pain. “I think my hand’s busted from the fight.”

Prowl thought it over, looking uncertain. “Can you... repair it?”

“Not as such, but I can wrap it and it should hold for now.” Crystal sniffed and shivered a bit. She was not happy to realize she was catching a cold, adding to all her physical aches and pains.

“Don’t worry about it Prowl. I’ll take care of it. Just get out so I can get dressed.”

When she emerged later in a sweater and jeans, the Autobots present had to admit she was looking as haggard as they had ever seen her. Her eyes were a bit bloodshot and the side of her face had swollen where she had been punched the night before.

Prowl started after her. “Crystal, are you-“

She waved him off as she stumbled in the dim light toward the door.

Outside, around her car, more heads popped up. Ironhide and Jazz had kept watch all night. Grimlock hadn’t exactly been helping, but he was nearby and ran up to Crystal in dinosaur mode as she emerged.

“Crystal, me Grimlock practice hunting prey like car-ni-vor! Me catch rats and-“

Crystal reached out and clamped his muzzle shut. “Sh-shu-shu,” she cooed gently. “No my pet. It’s too early.”

“But me Grimlock-“

”Too early,” Crystal insisted in a more forcible hiss.

She then started toward the street. Across the road was a gas station. As she walked, she noticed that, as usual, she had a mini Autobot trailing her. This time, however, it was neither Prowl nor Jazz.

Optimus Prime fell in step with her as she waited for the traffic light to signal them to cross. The two stood in silence for a moment. Crystal had had no previous conversation with this one. She wasn’t really sure what to say to him, nor was she feeling up to the challenge in her current condition.

“We can cross now,” Optimus Prime stated as the walk light lit.

Crystal didn’t even know she had drifted off until he had said something and she quickly moved to cross. Once inside the gas station, Crystal grabbed herself an orange juice and a muffin for breakfast before aiming for the small collection of pharmaceuticals the store had to offer.

“What are you looking for?” Optimus wondered.

“Something of the non-drowsy variety. I don’t want to admit it, but I’m sick as a dog and we’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Meh, I’ll survive.” She sniffled noisily and frowned at the selection. After a while she picked out a few more items and headed for the counter.

The cashier, an older man, eyed Crystal strangely as he rang her up.

“Forgive me for saying so Miss, but you look like you were on the losing end of a fight.”

Crystal coughed. “You got it half right. But I won. Now how much is it?”

The cashier continued to look at her dubiously. “12.02.”

Crystal checked her cash. “Darn, no change. Hey Shorty, you got two cents?”

Optimus looked up at her. “I... do not have any human currency.”

Crystal grumbled as she paid. “You don’t even have two cents? What good are you, Optimus Prime?”

Optimus just stared at her as the cashier stared at him and adjusted his glasses. “Optimus Prime? You mean the leader of the Autobots? He looked so much bigger on TV.”

“Tell me about it,” Crystal replied as she grabbed her bag of items and left.

Once outside she sat on the curb and began digging through her bag. The best thing she had been able to find for her injury was medical tape and she immediately opened it and started wrapping her hand. The pain was getting worse. The night before Crystal had thought she had simply bruised it, but she’d come to suspect the hand might be broken. It was just one more worry that she didn’t need.

Optimus Prime sat beside her, waiting patiently for her to finish.

“I’m sorry it took us so long to find you,” Crystal stated.

Optimus waved off the apology. “Do not worry about it. I’m just glad I was found.”

“Me, too,” Crystal agreed. “Everyone would have felt bad to leave you in the city.”

“I would not have faulted any of you for doing so. You would simply have done what was necessary.”

Crystal rested her good hand on the top of his head. Optimus stiffened at the contact. No one had ever done that to him before.

“Still,” Crystal insisted. “I am sorry. I know going at it alone is a very frightening way to live.”

With that, she got up and headed to the crosswalk. Optimus said nothing as he followed. Though he did not plan on telling his troops what he had gone through those past couple of days, it was nice to know that someone recognized the difficulties he had endured.

It was definitely an experience he had not been accustomed to. Not just his new size, but the absolute loneliness of it all. He couldn’t even recall in his memory banks the last time he had gone it all alone. There was never need for that. No matter the mission, he had always been surrounded by his fellow Autobots. Their company had always been a constant no matter where he went. Alone for days without knowing where the others were or what he should do to find them, he had felt truly lost.

As they waited again for the light, Crystal asked “So, be straight with me, Optimus Prime. How long could you guys last without getting home?”

Optimus paused significantly.

“Don’t even think of lying to me now,” Crystal warned. “I’m not in the mood for it.”

“Two days, maybe less. Significantly less if we have any more battles.”

Crystal sighed as they crossed the road. “Even if I were at my best, I doubt I could do it in two days.”

Optimus folded his arms as he walked. “I am deeply sorry you got involved in this.”

Crystal harrumphed at the apology. “They were my decisions. You were missing or unconscious when I made them. Besides, your Autobots saved my life last night. So you’re really in no place to be sorry for what’s been happening to me.”

“You’re very blunt,” Optimus accused.

She shrugged. “Just taking responsibility for my actions. No one decides what happens to me but me.”

By then they were back at the motel. Prowl sat on the nose of her car with Jazz. Crystal handed him a road map, saying, “For you,” before continuing inside to her room. Without shutting the door, Crystal flopped facedown on the bed and stayed there as Grimlock climbed all over her and chatted about his night while Wheeljack told him to stop.

Optimus stayed outside as Jazz and Prowl unfolded their new map and looked it over. He glanced over at the room and then back at his two seconds.

“She is not well, is she?” he asked.

“No, she isn’t,” Prowl confirmed, not looking up from his map.

“And she is injured.”

“She is.” He paused, “But she is safer with us. And if she can take us further west, I believe we can meet her halfway. Ratchet must have a team returning with Skyfire by now. We just need to get far enough away for it to be safe to radio him. It’ll be at least a day’s drive, maybe more depending on how our energy resources hold up.”

Only then did Prowl look up toward the open door. “If she can make it one more day, I think we can do the rest.”

“Let’s get her up then,” Jazz announced as he slid off the car. “The sooner we go, the more distance we put between us.”

Optimus and Prowl nodded and all moved to put their plan into action. It took a while to get Crystal up again. She insisted on more sleep. So the Autobots did all her packing for her and put everything back in the car before dragging her off the bed. Crystal stumbled toward the driver’s seat, noticing there was someone already occupying it.

“Haven’t heard from you in a while,” she told Blaster as she sat the radio in her lap while she buckled her seatbelt.

There was a pause before Blaster responded. “Wheeljack took all my energy reserves. He said I wouldn’t use any energy if I didn’t talk.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow at the ruthlessness of the inventor and then decided to herself that maybe it was just as well. She handed the radio to the Autobots sitting in the back seat. For a minute longer Crystal sat there, sighing and resting her forehead on the steering wheel. The Autobots began to look around at each other, wondering what to do.

For a moment, it looked as though she was ready to call the whole thing off. But then she looked up and stared for a moment at the tiny silver chime hanging from her rear view mirror. She poked it with a finger and the chimes made hardly a sound at all.

That noise caught Optimus Prime’s attention. He remembered those. The night before, when he was laying in the front seat bleeding, all he saw were the passing lights of the city and those chimes. Something about them felt profound to him though it took him a while to access his memory banks to remember what it was.

Whatever it was, it seemed to have an affect on Crystal as well. She managed to summon some extra energy and they were off on the road again.

Sideswipe’s plan was working. Bluestreak wasn’t sure how, but it was. Two Autobots and four Dinobots were making their way through the city. It was slow, but without any notice or city-wide panic which, Bluestreak had to admit, was the best possible result. The presentation, however, was still quite ostentatious.

They were disguised as a float from the previous day’s parade. The Dinobots were on a flatbed, standing as still as they possibly could, decorated with gaudy streamers and plastic flowers, while the two Autobots towed them through the city streets.

Despite the parade being the day before, Sideswipe insisted they could pretend they were relocating one of the floats. So far it seemed to be working, despite the fact that no one remembered seeing a flowery Dinosaur float in the Fourth of July Parade. That and, unknown to Bluestreak, they were giving off a rather rank odor whose putrid stink was unique to the foul harbor in which they had swum the night before.

So far the only glitch in the plan was that they had yet to spy any sign of either Autobot or Decepticon. That worried Bluestreak. Their convoy wasn’t exactly hard to miss. While the humans may not have realized what they had in their midst, either faction would have recognized them on sight. The lack of response to their presence was not encouraging.

One block away, Mr. Yamada was enjoying his first vacation to America with his wife and son. They were going to visit the Statue of Liberty later that afternoon, but until then they were content to roam the city and take pictures.

They stood outside Central Park. Mrs. Yamada and her son Kenji were smiling as Mr. Yamada took their picture.

Just as the camera flashed, Kenji raised his hand and pointed toward the street. “Chichi, sore o minasai.”

Mr. Yamada looked and saw the flowery plastic horror slowly coming their way. The family made sounds of fascination as Mr. Yamada snapped some pictures.

“Nioi wa nan desuka?” Mrs. Yamada wondered, grabbing her nose and making a face at the stench.

As the camera flashed, Sludge turned his head from the irritating light. Kenji, eyes wide, gestured frantically at the Dinobots.

“Haha! Karera was ugokimawatta!”

Mrs. Yamada did her best to assure her son that they were probably just mechanical and not live beasts. Mr. Yamada, curious, approached Sideswipe and knocked on his window. His English was poor, but he tried to find out about the float.

Sideswipe, however, was listening intently to his family speak and was searching his language files for a match.

“Kounichiwa! Hajimemashite,” Sideswipe sang at the startled man.

At that point, Slag finally got fed up with standing still and slammed a foot on the flatbed, denting it considerably.

“Sideswipe stop talking strange!” he demanded. “Make sense now!”

At that cue, the rest of the Dinobots came to life in front of the terrified Yamadas’ eyes.

“Me Snarl no see Grimlock anywhere.”

“Me Sludge no see Grimlock, too.”

“Autobots lie to Dinobots! Me Slag say Dinobots go look for Grimlock ourselves!”

Mrs. Yamada screamed and grabbed her son as the Dinobots clamored off the flatbed and ambled toward them, not giving the humans any notice.

“Hashitte!” Mr. Yamada told his family as he grabbed them and retreated as fast as he could. “Hashitte! Gozira! Gozira!”

The two Autobot cars stayed where they were as general panic began to spread in the wake of the Dinobots.

“So... what should we do now?” Bluestreak asked.

Sideswipe was quiet for a moment. “Kuroo o deshite.”

They had been driving for a few hours. Crystal stayed hunched miserably in the driver’s seat. All her good humor was gone. The meager breakfast she had bought had barely been touched and she had hardly spoken a word except when spoken to.

Prowl and Optimus Prime were in the front with the road map. Prowl found it expedient to point out every entrance and exit Crystal had to take; otherwise they’d stray off course. They were lucky she was still managing to pay attention to traffic.

Crystal swerved unexpectedly to the side of the road and stopped the car, turning it off.

“I need a break,” Crystal announced in a rough voice.

She unbuckled herself and Autobots scrambled to get out of the way as she climbed into the back seat and curled up with her blanket.

“I need to sleep just for an hour. Wake me in an hour,” she mumbled.

Ironhide looked a bit put out that they had lost the majority of their sitting space, but Jazz was already solving the problem. He climbed on top of her, straddling her waist while leaning toward her ear.

“You want one of us to drive?”

“No.”

Jazz slid down to sit next to her, leaning against her stomach.

“Why not? We’re technically cars ourselves. I could totally do it. I would just need someone to push the pedals and--”

Crystal palmed his head and pushed it toward the seat. “I said no! Prowl, take the keys. No one drives this car.”

Prowl reached for them reflexively, but then paused. He stopped to look at Optimus Prime who had not given him an order either way. Prowl had been so used to taking orders from the human, he had forgotten his commanding officer was present. And yet...

Optimus Prime watched as Prowl eyed him carefully while he continued to lean toward the keys as if Optimus was going to tell him to stop at any moment. Prowl leaned further and suddenly snatched the keys and quickly scrambled into the already crowded back seat for safety. The Autobots currently back there protested at having to make room for another. Optimus watched in confusion as Ironhide and Wheeljack climbed into the front seat for some leg room.

“Looks like Prowl needs to visit the Doc when we get back,” Ironhide brooded in the driver’s seat. “He seems to be glitching a bit.”

“Nah, he’s fine,” Wheeljack assured them as he began poking around curiously in the glove box. “It’s just his battle computer. It gives him the overwhelming urge to follow the orders of the highest ranking authority figure without question. I guess right now, considering our current condition, Crystal ranks higher than you do, Prime.”

Optimus looked at him and Wheeljack instantly added, “Of course, that will change the second we’re back to normal.”

Ironhide huffed as he propped his feet on the steering wheel. “Doesn’t he have one a them crazy government experimental computers? Why don’t ya tell him ta toss it an’ get a normal one?”

“Ratchet and I both have offered a couple of times,” Wheeljack said. “He wants to keep it.”

“And it’s entirely his choice,” Optimus put in. “Prowl must certainly have his reasons for it.”

Ironhide huffed again. “Ah guess if he likes everyone thinkin' he’s a glitch head, it’s up to him.”

“I AM just in the back, you know,” Prowl’s indignant voice barked at them.

Time drifted lazily by while Crystal slept. The interior of the car stayed quiet for the most part. Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, and Ironhide conversed in low tones while Blaster, for once, kept to himself. It seemed Wheeljack’s threat had stayed with him. Prowl still camped on the floor of the back seat while Grimlock’s dinosaur mode snuggled in Crystal’s arms while she slumbered.

Jazz had managed to squeeze into the small space between the rear window and the top of the seat where he lay on his back, enjoying the sun shining down on him. For no reason he could fathom, Jazz suddenly felt compelled to turn his head and watch the freeway traffic. After a few moments he saw something that sent him scrambling.

“Blaster! Turn on your radio, man! Every frequency! Hurry!”

He fell on Crystal, who squeaked in response to being bothered. But Jazz continued to crawl to the floor and shake the Autobot radio.

“Blaster!”

“Dude, I hear you! Be cool!” Blaster snapped back. “I’m on all frequencies.”

“Jazz, what’s going on?” Prowl asked.

Jazz handed Blaster to Prowl so he could climb on the seat and peer at the oncoming traffic.

“Wait for it...” he said cryptically.

The car was dead silent. Every Autobot was watching Jazz and the window. The seconds ticked by.

Prowl looked down at Blaster. He wasn’t sure what Jazz was after but he knew, even at this distance, the Decepticons would pick up Blaster’s signal and that made him nervous every moment the radio was broadcasting.

“Anything, Blaster?”

“No response yet, Prowl.”

A minute went by, then two, then three.

Jazz made a whooping noise and hurried to open the passenger door, almost dumping himself out on his face in his haste.

Ironhide rolled down the window and he, Optimus, and Wheeljack all stuck their heads out, hardly believing their optics. Pulling up behind Crystal’s car was a bright yellow, and quite confused Lamborghini. He had no idea why an ordinary human car was emitting several Autobot frequencies, but he was about to find out.

“Sunstreaker!” Jazz greeted as he ran up to him. “Man, are we glad to see you!”

“You gotta be slaggin’ me!” Sunstreaker shot back. “Is this for real? What the hell happened?”

“Give us a ride home and we’ll tell you everything,” Jazz grinned.

Sunstreaker gave a sound akin to a sigh. “Sure. It’s not like I just drove across the slagging country and now I’m going back again.”

“That’s the spirit! I’ll go get everyone.”

As Jazz ran back to the vehicle that wasn’t a sentient robot from outer space, Optimus and Ironhide got out and approached Sunstreaker.

“You look like scrap, Prime. This is going to be one interesting story.”

“Indeed. And you have perfect timing, Sunstreaker. We badly need your help.”

“Well you know me. My timing is impeccable and- what is that?”

Jazz was leading a frumpy, bleary-eyed human girl from the car and taking her by the hand over to him.

“Oh no,” Sunstreaker protested. “I am not carting around organic matter inside my flawless--”

Crystal bent down to lay against his hood, pressing her cheek to the warm metal. “You,” she told him, “are the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen in my life.”

“Yes, well...” Sunstreaker stumbled, “Who am I to deny someone with such a great eye for perfection?”

Jazz shot Optimus a thumbs-up. Prowl was helping Crystal into the back seat.

“But all my stuff…” she worried.

“We’ll pack it for you,” Optimus assured her. “Get some rest.”

“What about my car? I just paid for it. I can’t leave it here.”

“I will send someone back for it, I promise. But we need to get going.”

Crystal relented with a sigh and lay down in the back seat. Grimlock climbed up to wriggle into her arms again.

Prowl got right to work organizing the other Autobots to pack what they could in Sunstreaker’s modest trunk space. The yellow Autobot complained only a little bit and was ignored as they got to work.

When Crystal’s trunk was empty, Prowl happened to notice Optimus climb into the front seat and grab the chime hanging from the rear view mirror. Prowl decided that then was not the time to ask about it. He locked the car and climbed into Sunstreaker’s interior with the rest of them. The Autobots were on their way back home.

Ratchet almost hit his head as Teletraan’s screen beeped. He crawled out from under Skyfire’s large hull where he had been repairing jet’s engines. Brawn flipped on the screen as Ratchet approached.

Tracks appeared onscreen with New York City behind him. “This is Tracks reporting in. I’ve made it inside the city and located Sideswipe’s team.” He muttered under his breath, “They weren't hard to find.”

“Good,” Ratchet acknowledged. “Any sign of our missing party?”

“Strangely enough, Ratchet, neither they nor the Decepticons have shown themselves. However, that may not be our biggest problem.”

Both Brawn and Ratchet looked confused.

“What do you mean?” the medic asked.

“Well, it’s--”

Behind Tracks, fire spewed into the background, followed by screaming people, then by confused, fire-breathing Dinobots. Sideswipe ran in the frame as Bluestreak pounced on him. The grey Datsun grabbed the red Lamborghini by the throat and began to throttle him like a rag doll, screaming, “You’re so stupid! You’re so stupid!”

Tracks winced at the scene.

“I’ve got to go. Backup would be appreciated.”

“Tracks, wait,” Ratchet tried, but the connection was already cut and a new Autobot signal was streaming through. This one was voice only, indicating the one sending it was in vehicle mode.

“Sunstreaker reporting in. You won’t believe this Ratch, but I’ve got them all and I’m heading back to base.”

“I didn’t see that one coming,” Brawn mumbled.

“All of them?” Ratchet asked, hardly believing the news.

“Oh yeah. Optimus, Prowl, everyone. I’m taking them back to the base right now. But I’d love it if Skyfire could meet me partway. None of them are in any shape to fight and I’m sure Decepticons will be on my tail soon enough.”

“They can’t fight? How damaged are they?”

“Well... I wouldn’t say damaged. But trust me; they’re not exactly able to take on Megatron. You’ll understand when you see them. Any way possible for us to get back to base sooner would be great.”

Brawn looked at Ratchet. “What do you think he means about--”

“Roger, Sunstreaker. I’ll send him as soon as I can. Ratchet out.”

He cut the transmission and went right back to work. “Brawn, see if you can contact any of the Autobots in New York and tell them to start heading back if they can. After we get Prime and everyone back to base, Skyfire will pick up the Dinobots.”

Brawn grinned and shook his head. “It’s sure been an interesting week.”

Underneath Skyfire, Ratchet muttered, “The next time Optimus asks me to take charge I’m going to shove this drill where the sun don’t shine.”

After a few hours of driving and the third time Sunstreaker threatened Jazz with bodily harm for touching his radio, Crystal sat up and looked none too steadily over the front seat.

“Stop the car.”

“Look human, I’m not taking orders from you,” Sunstreaker spat back. “So just sit quiet and--”

“Stop and let me out or I’m going to hurl the contents of my stomach all over your interior.”

The Lamborghini screeched to a violent halt, his side door flinging open. As Crystal crawled out, Sunstreaker could be heard mumbling about the disgusting functions of organics.

Optimus got out and followed the human as she waded through the weeds a few feet away. Crystal stopped and tilted her head skyward to enjoy the sunlight. Optimus came up beside her and grabbed her non-bandaged hand.

“Are you still ill?”

Crystal closed her eyes, still facing the sun. “I’ll be okay. I just needed some fresh air. I was getting a little motion-sick.”

The Autobot leader looked around. “We cannot stay here long. It’s possible we are being followed.”

Crystal looked down at him. She could see the concern in the Autobot’s face despite his lack of features.

“I understand. Let’s keep going.”

She got back into the car but lifted Jazz as she sat in the front passenger seat, putting on her seatbelt and setting Jazz in her lap.

“You’re not going to spew any kind of bodily byproduct on me, are you?” Sunstreaker warned.

“It will be fine. I’ll feel better when I’m up front and can see out the window.”

Prowl, from the back seat, tugged on Crystal’s sleeve, “How are you feeling?”

Crystal shot him a thumbs-up. “I’m so drugged up right now that I don’t feel much of anything."

“I would assume that’s good,” Wheeljack commented.

Prowl didn’t look convinced.

Sunstreaker pulled back out on the road and they were on their way. They hadn’t gone far, however, when everything shattered all around them.

Ratchet was still trying to decide whether his luck was good or bad. Right as he finished repairing Skyfire and was about to leave, another group of Autobots came in: Gears, Hound, Mirage, and Bumblebee. Ratchet was dubious of this turn out as he wasn’t sure whether their appearance would have been better served earlier in the week or if now was the more opportune time.

It made no difference now. The Autobots all boarded Skyfire and flew off toward Sunstreaker’s homing signal. Ratchet did not leave anyone but Teletraan I to guard the base. It may not have been what Optimus would have done, but Ratchet was willing to bet all of Megatron’s resources were spent hunting for their leader halfway across the country. The unprotected base would be overlooked for the time being.

“Tell me again what we’re doing, Ratchet. This seems like a huge waste of our time,” Gears grouched. “We’ve been in Africa for two weeks and instead of being able to get the jungle gunk out of my joints, we’re taking six Autobots to pick up Sunstreaker. Does this sound ridiculous to anyone else?”

“Shut up, Gears. We can always drop you off here,” Brawn threatened.

“If only for a pleasant flight, I’d almost have to agree,” Mirage whispered to Ratchet. “I’ve been listening to this for days.”

Ratchet leveled a glare at Gears and insisted, “If I have to go, everyone’s going.”

Skyfire’s radio sprang to life as an SOS full of static spat and hissed through his emergency system.

“This... Autobot Prowl. ... ambush... Sunstreaker’s down... help immediately...”

Ratchet moved quickly to the controls. The situation was jumping into startling clarity. “We hear you Prowl. We’re on our way. Just keep sending us your signal.”

There was no response, only more static.

Ratchet looked to Brawn who was grinning.

“It’s about time I got to bust some Decepticons.”

Ratchet frowned. “Skyfire, we need to get there now.”

The jet lurched as Skyfire put on the speed.

“Hang on, guys, we’ll be there soon.”

Crystal ran. She had no idea how she had come to be in the woods or why she was running. Her heart was pounding and she felt acutely afraid, though she didn't know why. She began to slow down and then heard a heavy crashing somewhere behind her. Her heart filled with fear once more as she put on a fresh burst of speed.

She raced as fast as she could until she could no longer remember why she was running. Crystal stopped and looked skyward. What was she doing in the middle of the woods? Where was she? How did she get there? For that matter, the entire day was--

"Why are you stopping?" Wheeljack demanded, grabbing her hand. "Come on!"

Crystal allowed herself to be pulled forward and began running again. It wasn't long before Crystal began to wonder why she was running and why she found herself in the woods.

Wheeljack pulled her down to lean against a tree. Crystal tried to catch her breath. How long had she been running?

Prowl was nearby, looking grave. "This is Autobot Prowl. We've been ambushed by the Stunticons. Sunstreaker is down. Send help immediately."

Prowl frowned when all he received in return was static. His size was probably interfering with his ability to transmit. He was sure at least some of his message had gotten through, even though he hadn't received a response. He had no idea where his backup was or how long it would be until they arrived, or if he could even expect them at all.

Crystal listened to the transmission in confusion. What was a Stunticon? Who was Sunstreaker? Her hands began to sting and when she looked down at them she saw they were sliced and bleeding. She felt something thick running into her eye and brought a hand to her forehead, only to realize it was covered in blood. There was glass in her hair and on her clothes. Her eyes grew to twice their size as she started to shake.

"What's wrong with you?" Ironhide demanded. He certainly looked like he had more important things to worry about.

Crystal grabbed her head, looking utterly panicked. "I don't remember! I don't remember what happened!"

The Autobots just stared at her. How could she have forgotten?

They had been driving along the freeway when the Stunticons had torn into oncoming traffic. Sunstreaker had no time to maneuver and plowed nose-first into Wildrider. While the Stunticon hardly received a scratch, the front of the Lamborghini crunched like an accordion.

The impact shot all Sunstreaker's passengers violently forward. Despite her seatbelt, Crystal's forehead hit the glass in the impact. Jazz, Optimus Prime and Ironhide, also occupying the front seats, were thrown clear through the windshield, shattering it, and onto the road.

Sunstreaker had screamed at all of them to get out and get away. Prowl gathered his wits about him and reached over to undo Crystal's seat belt, then yelled at her to open the door. She had to kick at the dented metal a few times before it finally came loose. The remaining passengers managed to scramble out just as Motormaster stomped up and rammed his fist through Sunstreaker's hood. The group escaped through the trees and they had been running ever since.

The fact that Crystal didn't seem to recall any of this was disconcerting. None of the Autobots knew enough about human physiology to understand why, though any of them would bet that the wound on her head was the reason.

Crystal was touching her forehead again, horrified anew that it was bleeding. "What happened?" she asked again. "Where are we? Is everyone okay?" She looked around, counting the Autobots.

"Where's Jazz?"

"Over here," Jazz called. The windshield on his back was shattered from being thrown from the car and he was a bit dented up, but otherwise intact.

"Where's Blaster?" Crystal then asked.

"I have him," Optimus Prime said.

"Where's Grimlock?"

"Me Grimlock here."

"Where's Jazz?"

"I said I'm over here!"

"Where--"

Ironhide put his hand over her mouth to shut her up. "Fer cryin' out loud, it's like she's stuck on a loop. Everything we tell her she forgets two seconds later."

"We need to find a way to keep her calm," Prowl said as he observed Crystal, horrified once again that her face was bleeding.

"Me Grimlock know!" And with that Grimlock, in robot mode, plopped himself in her lap.

"How is that going to help?" Ironhide demanded.

But Crystal had already flung her arms around the Dinobot and did indeed seem to be slightly placated by his presence.

"Me Grimlock fix," he told them smugly.

"Optimus," Wheeljack started, "We've got to move or the Stunticons are going to find us."

"Wheeljack's right," Prowl concurred. "We need to lead them away from Crystal and stall them as much as we can."

"I'll see if I can get a hold of Ratchet," Jazz volunteered. "That way at least we'll know if someone is coming."

Optimus nodded. "Autobots, let's do what we can to keep the Stunticons busy, but be careful."

His Autobots nodded to their leader and scattered into the woods.

Optimus placed Blaster by Crystal's side. The human's condition worried him. She was less responsive now and hardly noticed her surroundings. Her eyes were large and distant and they looked somehow wrong to him. Dried blood crusted her hair and her face, but the wound on her forehead still seeped slowly. Blood smeared on Grimlock as she continued to clutch at the Dinobot with shaking arms.

In short, she didn't look well at all. The person who had been watching over his Autobots all this time could no longer help them. It was their turn to protect her.

"Grimlock, stay with her. If any Decepticons get close, get her out of here and stay hidden," Optimus ordered the small Dinobot with a stern look.

"No need to tell me Grimlock! Me know!"

Optimus nodded. That was good enough for him, and he was gone.

Most of the landscape was forest and there was no clear area for Skyfire to land. But their targeted area wasn't hard to spot: a massive pile-up on both sides of the freeway. Skid marks striped the asphalt and the state troopers had already blocked off several lanes of traffic. Along the side of the road the cars that were out of commission waited to be towed, among them what was once a yellow Lamborghini.

Skyfire hovered over the road to allow his Autobot passengers to jump out. They quickly fanned out along the freeway, helping the local authorities to clear the lanes of traffic and allow the emergency vehicles to be on their way.

Ratchet ran to Sunstreaker’s dented form. The yellow Autobot was motionless, all his windows shattered and the heavy imprint of a fist on his hood. Two of his tires were blown and his nose was crunched in.

"Sunstreaker, are you functioning? What's your status?"

"Those slaggers got me by surprise! Ran right in front of me! Now my engine's shot and I can't transform," Sunstreaker complained.

"At least his vocalizer's still in top condition," Brawn quipped.

"Slag your creator to the seventh pit of the smelter, Brawn!"

"Stop it," Ratchet ordered. "Now isn't the time. Sunstreaker, where are Prime and the others?"

"They took off into the woods and the Stunticons went after them. They got a human with them, too."

"Okay," Ratchet nodded. "We'll get you taken care of and then move to give Prime backup."

"No Ratchet, you don't understand. Megatron shrank them. Prime, Grimlock, all of them. They're smaller than humans now. They're no match for the Stunticons."

The Autobots all fell quiet at Sunstreaker’s words. This wasn't good.. Ratchet's protective medic instincts kicked in full-gear.

"Autobots, the situation has changed. Get Sunstreaker loaded onto Skyfire and then we're going in. This is a rescue only. We're going to find our missing comrades and then we're going to leave. No unnecessary battles. Everyone understand?"

They all nodded, fully realizing the seriousness of their predicament.

"All right, Autobots," Ratchet announced. "Let's roll out and get them."

Sometime later, Dead End stood listlessly next to Motormaster, obviously tired of tearing up the beautiful wilderness and told his leader so.

"This has to be one of the most ridiculous errands Megatron has ever sent us on," he lamented. "Finding miniature Autobots in all of this is impossible and a waste of our collective time."

Motormaster gave him a look. “I'm sure you have many other pressing matters to attend to."

"I would have found something," Dead End insisted.

From somewhere in the thicket, Wildrider screamed something about Optimus Prime. Rapid laser fire followed his exclamation. Motormaster grinned. "At least they're getting some exercise."

Dead End sighed as he pulled out his weapon and trudged toward the noise. "I'll go see what kind of mess he got himself into."

Earlier on, Jazz and Wheeljack ran through the undergrowth as fast as their legs could carry them. The thick foliage made it impossible for them to escape in their alt modes. The snapping of thick tree trunks could be heard as Drag Strip crashed after them. The Stunticon couldn't travel through the forest in vehicle mode either, but gained on them easily with his longer stride.

The fleeing Autobots came upon a small ranger station nestled among the trees. Jazz grabbed a coiled rope hanging on the side of the building’s utility shed as they passed by.

"Hey man, I got an idea. Take this other end," Jazz called as he tossed one end of the rope to Wheeljack. "I saw this in a movie."

As per Jazz's instructions, the two Autobots hid between two trees, the rope stretched between them. They waited for Drag Strip to walk by and then pulled the rope taut.

Now when Jazz had said movie, he really meant cartoon.. When they pulled the rope to trip the Stunticon, he really shouldn't have been surprised when it didn't even slow Drag Strip down. The rope caught his foot and, without proper weight resistance, the two tiny Autobots were kicked into the air. The rope snagged on a tree and Jazz and Wheeljack were sent whipping around the trunk only to collide with one another and fall to the ground.

"You're an idiot!" Wheeljack barked as he tried to climb out from under the stunned second-in-command. "What made you think that would work?"

"Hey, you're the scientist," Jazz shot back, "And I didn't hear you disproving the physics before we tried it."

"How fitting," Drag Strip announced above them. "Two Autobots, crushed beneath my foot."

He lifted his foot to squash them like insects. Jazz and Wheeljack, tangled in the rope and immobile, could only accept their end.

The scrape of metal colliding against metal interrupted their deaths and Drag Strip's body was sent flying under no power of his own. The two little Autobots stared in wonder before the full size body of Mirage appeared in front of them.

"Mirage!" Wheeljack cheered.

"Man, are you a sight!" Jazz agreed.

Mirage smirked at them. "I can imagine." Without further pleasantries, he hastily grabbed the two in one hand and moved swiftly away before Drag Strip could recover. "This is Mirage," he said in his radio. "I've secured Jazz and Wheeljack. Come pick me up!"

Within seconds, the sound of Skyfire's jet engines roared overhead and a rope trailed down through the trees. Mirage wasted no time in grabbing it and climbed up to the safety of the jet.

"Wow, Sunstreaker wasn't kidding. You guys are tiny," Skyfire commented when he saw Jazz and Wheeljack.

"It's certainly been an experience," Wheeljack replied. The tone of his voice indicated that he very much looked forward to ending this experience as soon as possible.

"Of course I wasn't kidding!" Sunstreaker insisted. "I'm not someone who jokes about these things." The yellow Autobot's totaled body sat alone at one end of the cargo hold.

"Sunstreaker," Jazz said as he put his hands on the Lamborghini's dented door. "I'm glad to see you made it out okay."

"In a manner of speaking," he grouched. "I don't care how small you guys are. Ratchet is fixing me first."

"Skyfire to Ratchet. I have seekers showing up on radar. They should arrive in fewer than ten minutes."

Ratchet's voice came in clearly through the radio. "No doubt they will have Megatron and Soundwave with them as well."

A second voice came on the line. It was quieter and full of static, but unmistakably Prowl's. "Then we are leaving in five minutes. If we can at least get into the air, then only the seekers can follow us and we'll leave the Stunticons behind. Skyfire, continue to circle but keep an eye out."

"Roger that, Skyfire out."

Wildrider grinned evilly as he stalked his prey. Usually he was the type to just crash his way through. But there was something to be said for chasing down something smaller than you and toying with it like a cat with a mouse until finally crushing it. This Autobot may have been small, but he was also bright red in a sea of greens and browns. This made it impossible for the Autobot to hide and Wildrider was really enjoying himself as he took pot shots at Ironhide every time he tried to scramble away.

Even now, he could easily see red paint poking out from behind a tree trunk. Wildrider grinned as he took aim. If it was this easy to kill this Autobot, think of how much fun it would be to go after Optimus Prime.

As if being summoned by the mere thought alone, Optimus Prime materialized right in front of Wildrider's optics. Not only was he not in miniature, Optimus Prime seemed a giant. The Autobot leader towered above the surprised Stunticon, reaching down to grab him.

Wildrider screamed and frantically fired his energy rifle. All shots went right through the massive Autobot leader and he kept coming.

Hound, camouflaged among the brush and undergrowth in his hiding space, dashed forth to scoop up Ironhide. He ran swiftly from the scene while Wildrider still screamed at the hologram of Optimus Prime. “This is Hound. I’ve got Ironhide and I need a lift.”

As he ran, he almost collided directly with Deadend and both were equally surprised to see each other. For a moment, they just stared, unsure what to do.

"Shoot him Hound!" Ironhide barked. "Shoot!"

Hound instantly reacted to the order and his finger squeezed the trigger reflexively, hitting Dead End square in the face. The Stunticon fell backward with a startled cry, clutching the exposed wiring that used to be his face.

Ironhide chuckled. "Now that's how ya do it!" he announced.

Hound looked a bit disturbed by the scene. He hadn’t meant to aim for the head. Stepping back from the grisly sight, he grabbed the rope that dangled toward him and the pair made their escape.

It had remained quiet where Crystal hid. There were a few sounds of laser fire in the distance, but nothing close enough to be considered an immediate threat. They were well hidden among some dense ferns, but Crystal wasn't exactly being as quiet as possible. Every few minutes she would forget why she was there and Grimlock would briefly explain in a gruff, short voice that she better be quiet lest she wanted to die. He didn’t particularly mind answering the same questions over and over. It was similar to living with Sludge so he was used to it.

Nearby, the bushes shuddered and Crystal held her breath. Grimlock transformed into dinosaur mode and growled.

Out of the woods came a massive yellow and green robot. Crystal stiffened at the sight of him and pressed herself against the tree trunk, but Grimlock transformed back into robot mode.

"That just Brawn. Him Autobot. No need to be scared of him."

"Brawn!" Blaster squawked, making Crystal jump again. "Get us the slag out of here!"

Crystal didn't look too convinced. Though he may have been an Autobot, he was also the largest Autobot she had ever seen. With even bigger robots nearby, trying to kill her, she didn't know if she wanted to leave her little hideaway place.

Brawn didn't look too thrilled with what he found. It was quite a pathetic little nest. He just hoped the human girl wasn't going to cry or anything. He hated when they did that.

"This is Brawn. I found Blaster, Grimlock, and the human." He added as an afterthought, "If you could give me a stationary lift that would probably be best."

Right then, Skyfire flew by and hovered over them, a line from his cargo hold hanging down.

Brawn reached out to the human girl. "Come on, kid. We're getting out of here."

Crystal looked at the massive grey hand stretched out to her. She hesitated only a moment before grabbing Blaster and taking the hand. Brawn pulled her out of the brush and easily lifted her in one arm without any warning. Crystal squeaked in surprise and clutched the radio tighter.

Next, Brawn grabbed Grimlock and set him on his shoulder before taking hold of the rope. Crystal, guessing what was going to happen, steeled herself by pressing as tightly against his chest as she could. Beneath the metal armor she could hear a thick, almost soothing thrumming. It distracted her momentarily until Brawn was pulled up into the air. She clung to him as they were hauled inside the large jet in which Crystal squirmed free and scrambled away from the exit to sit against the wall, Blaster still in her arms.

There were robots even bigger than Brawn in the jet. Crystal very much felt out of her element. Wheeljack and Jazz approached her, still the same small size she was used to. Wheeljack took Blaster from her so he could put the radio in a safe place. Jazz settled down next to her, as did Grimlock on the other side. The mini Autobots were unable to do much else, but Crystal seemed to calm down in their presence.

"We've got to get out of here, now!" Skyfire's voice called out insistently.

Ratchet was climbing up the rope into the bay with Prowl on his shoulder. "Roger, we're almost done."

Below them, Gears and Cliffjumper ran from Motormaster. Skyfire angled toward them and pulled up as they grabbed the rope. The duo went swinging back toward the leader of the Stunticons and Cliffjumper kicked him in the head as they went by.

"Don't do that!" Gears yelled at him. "You're just going to piss him off and he's going to start shooting--"

Motormaster was already firing at all of them as they flew away.

"All in and accounted for?" Skyfire asked.

Gears and Cliffjumper climbed in and Gears let Optimus Prime off his shoulders. "We've got everyone."

"Then I'm heading back to base."

Ratchet and Prowl continued to stand at the open hanger door. They could see the Decepticon seekers approaching quickly in the distance.

"They're not going to follow us," Prowl surmised. "Even if they could catch us, there's no guarantee he would win and Megatron doesn't have the energy to gamble on that kind of confrontation."

As Prowl predicted, the seekers did not follow in pursuit. Their enemies descended to rejoin the abandoned Stunticons and relief spread through the group. At last it was over.

The three seekers landed and transformed, as did those they were carrying: Megatron and Soundwave. The defeated Stunticons slowly came out of the woods and rallied around their leader.

"Was it really too much to ask for you to hold those Autobots for a few minutes more?" Megatron growled. "We were so close!"

No one said anything in his defense.

"It's too bad. We finally got this thing fixed," Rumble said as he climbed out of Thundercracker who was still in jet mode. The little cassette pulled the newly repaired death ray with him. "We got no one to use it on now."

"Hey, let me hold it Rumble," Frenzy insisted, grabbing the weapon.

"No way Frenzy, I've got it just fine," Rumble argued, pulling back.

The two bickered and tugged at the weapon until they both pulled so hard they dropped it. There was the sound of something shattering inside and a piece of the weapon fell off.

"Slag!" Rumble shouted.

"Just like last time!" Frenzy concurred.

The two froze when they realized what they just admitted to.

Megatron was trembling with rage. "YOU!! You broke my death ray?!"

Rumble and Frenzy both tried to explain at the same time, talking up a storm and making no sense whatsoever. Eventually they both transformed and fled inside Soundwave's chest. Then only Soundwave stood in front of his furious leader, and even he had to take a step back.

Megatron clenched his fists and the forest echoed with his cry of rage and frustration.

Upon reaching Oregon and their home city of Portland, Skyfire's first stop was the local hospital to drop of his human passenger. Then he and all the Autobots returned to their base, ready to assess the situation. Within a few hours, all the miniaturized Autobots had gathered in Wheeljack's lab.

"Blaster, would you come sit down for just a minute?" Wheeljack demanded. "I just need to get those weapon plans downloaded."

"Come on, chill man," Blaster insisted as he danced around the lab, newly-repaired. "I've been immobile for 6 days! Give me a break! Give me some time to move around a bit."

Ratchet's hand came down on Blaster's shoulder and he pushed him roughly into a chair. "Sit!" the medic ordered and Blaster sat as he was roughly hooked up to Teletraan I for the extraction of Soundwave's weapon plans.

"I should have fixed him after I got the plans," Wheeljack mumbled.

He stood on his work bench, right next to the screen, trying to navigate the large controls. The other mini Autobots were sprinkled around the room. Optimus and Prowl had agreed that it was a good idea for all of them to stay in one place until a device could be built that would return them to their normal size.

Sparkplug Witwicky, a long-time friend of the Autobots, stepped in looking tired. "Well, I finally got all the paperwork sorted out," he said in an irritated tone. "I hate hospitals. They have a form for every little thing. And the fact that you guys didn't tell me she had a LOT of bruising from events prior to her accident didn't help at all. I had to talk to an inspector about domestic abuse. It's a good thing that girl was coherent enough to explain what happened. Boy, it's been a long night."

"But she'll be okay, right?" Jazz asked. He was sitting cross-legged on a chair that was much too big for him or even his human friend.

"Yeah, they say she's fine. She had a concussion which gave her some temporary short term memory loss, but she'll recover. Her face though, we'll see how that heals. Girls can be very particular about their faces. They're keeping her at the hospital over night so they can watch her. She's still a little confused about what happened to her. But that will give me some time to figure out what I'm going to do with her in the morning."

Sparkplug looked down when he felt something tug on his pant leg. It was Grimlock, nosing around his ankles.

"What are you doing?" he asked the metal dinosaur.

Grimlock just looked at him, growled, and wandered off.

"What's up with him?" Sparkplug wondered.

"He's been acting off kilter for a while," Wheeljack said without looking up from his work. "As soon as we fix our size situation I'm going to run a full diagnostic on him. You know, Ratchet, we should send a copy of this to Perceptor at the Cybertron base. I'm sure he could figure it out real quick. He had a shrinking device of his own, I recall."

"On it," Ratchet nodded. "I'll send it right away."

"So," Jazz spoke up again. "We're probably going to be this way for a bit longer. Maybe one of us could stay with Crystal for a while. You know, so she's not by herself."

"I'm sure that would be fine," Sparkplug agreed. "But they're not letting you in with that, Jazz." He pointed to the Autobot's back; broken glass where his windshield used to be.

Jazz looked crestfallen.

"I'll go," Prowl said, already walking toward the door. "Please keep me updated while I am gone."

Sparkplug had turned to follow as Hound poked his head into the room.

"Hey Prime, I just got a call from Tracks; he's still in New York. He said Bluestreak and Sideswipe are in jail and the Dinobots are being held at the Central Park Zoo."

Optimus slumped while Ratchet put a hand thoughtfully on his hip. "Oh yeah... I forgot about those guys..."

Despite his preference to walk, Prowl was carried into the hospital. A few of the orderlies did double-takes at him, assuming Sparkplug to be carrying a child in his arms. The second look confirmed he actually held a child-sized black and white robot.

The lights were dim in Crystal's room. There were two beds, the first unoccupied. The second housed a body with familiar rust-colored hair splayed all over. Crystal was laying with her back to them, her side rising and falling slowly. Sparkplug set Prowl down at the foot of her bed.

"I'll come pick you up in a few hours," he told the small second-in-command. "Or just radio the base if you need anything. I'll probably be there all night."

Prowl nodded wordlessly and watched the human go. He could see Sparkplug shake his head as he left. Prowl wondered if it was odd to his long time human acquaintance to see them at this size. He was a bit surprised himself at how he was getting used to it. Though, truth be told, he would still much rather be his own size again. But one more night at his current height wasn't going to hurt.

He trod softly across the bed to sit cross-legged near Crystal's head. She appeared to be sleeping. The right side of her forehead above the eye to her hairline was bandaged, as were portions of her hands and arms. Prowl just sat and watched her, taking full note of her condition and watching the movements of her breathing.

After several minutes, Crystal's eyes fluttered open to land upon the visitor on her bed.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"How are you feeling?" Prowl asked.

"Mm... not too bad I guess. Everything's... kind of fuzzy. You're home now, right?"

"Yes, we're home."

"And everyone made it safely?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad."

Crystal shut her eyes for a moment but then opened them again when Prowl's small hand grabbed hers. He reminded her of a cat. He was independent, fully capable of taking care of himself. But, for whatever reason, he was always coming back. And, sometimes, even wanting her attention for whatever reason. She idly wondered if by scratching him between the door panels she could get his motor to purr.

"What are you grinning about?" Prowl demanded.

Crystal instantly tried squelch her smile. "Nothing."

Prowl frowned and Crystal, while usually finding Prowl's frowns amusing in their own right, sobered as well.

"Hey listen, I'm really sorry about what I said to you the other night. That wasn't a fair thing to ask. I was a little freaked out and, you know, not feeling well. I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay," Prowl replied and he looked over her and out the door. "I think it's a question we all ask ourselves from time to time, how to prove that we are alive, and also of our fellow beings who are different than us. It's a valid question. But one, unfortunately, that is not easy to answer."

"It's true," Crystal agreed. "But still no excuse to break down on you like that."

Prowl was quiet for a moment. He wasn't good with these kinds of things. Empathy, comfort, he didn't really know how to show them. Jazz did. It came naturally to him. What would Jazz do at a time like this?

Prowl took her arm and pulled it over him as he slid up next to her. Crystal rested her cheek on the top of his helmet and Prowl could feel the rhythmic thrumming of her heart.

"You did everything you could for us. That's all we could have asked. You gave more than you should have. For that, we are all thankful."

There was a deep vibration in Crystal's chest as she chuckled. "I bet you guys were awesome, too, out there. Definitely a combined effort."

"Yes," Prowl agreed. "Would you like... me to read some more to you?"

Crystal giggled in his audio. "Sure, why not?"

Author's Notes: Thank you everyone for the comments from the last chapter. I was really surprised with the turn out of quality comments I received. I was not expecting that at all. I was just trying to get someone to stop harrassing me. But thank you all the same. I really tried to get this chapter out fast as a token of my thanks, but those darn fight scenes always slow me down. So thank you for being patient as well.

Also, thank you to my sister who wrote the Japanese dialogue. Don't worry, I don't know what it says either except I know "Gozira! Gozira!” means "Godzilla! Godzilla!" lol

And also thanks to Ardlent who proofread this chapter for me and will probably be proofreading future chapters and stories.