"You got a lot to say about me and my past
Well I don't, I don't, I don't get it 'cause I don't judge you like that"
»«

Her mind wandered constantly, imagining what the Autobots - and Megatron - were doing at Earth's core. Worry ate away at her mind as she imagined Unicron destroying them all in some of the worse ways she could think of. If Ratchet was all that was left of the Autobot cause . . . Well, the war would be over, whether Megatron was there to lead the Decepticons, or not.

"-over 60 volcanoes are erupting worldwide, and Honolulu is under six inches of snow!" The reporter announced over the TV. But just before he could get another word in, the monitors shut off, leaving them without any more clues to the happenings of the outside world.

June frowned for a moment, then turned to the kids, plastering a smile across her face. "So, who wants to play a game?"

"You can count me out." Dana replied, her legs dangling off the edge of the catwalk and her arms looped around the lowest bar, chest also leaning against it. "I can barely tolerate board games; much less games without a board."

The woman frowned a little more, glancing over her shoulder as Agent Fowler have a huff of frustration.

"That tears it!" He yelled, drawing everyone's attention to him as he started heading out of the base.

"And where are you going?" June questioned.

Dana rolled her eyes as he began to vent his frustration. He wasn't the only one that was feeling helpless in this situation. She knew for sure fact that Ratchet was probably twenty times more stressed than the rest of them, if only because his innate medic instincts wanted to be close to his comrades should any of them get hurt.

Standing up, she grabbed a small Cybertronian tablet - small for Arcee, anyways - and opened up a menu that she could just barely navigate. She had more like memorized the pathway that would bring her to the translated pages of the Cybertronian arts and sciences than actually read the language. Ratchet was helping her with bits and pieces, but she had just barely started memorizing the alphabet, which surprisingly enough was not unlike the English version.

Her next "lesson" that Ratchet had loosely compiled was of the nervous system, and multiple brief descriptions of various ailments that could affect it. Nerve degeneration, broken back struts and sensory cord, sensory malfunctions, to name a few. She sat in the chair and tried to shut out the arguments around her, but then Ratchet pulled her back with an amazing statement.

"-Optimus and Megatron were not always mortal enemies."

Wait, what?! She looked back up, tablet in her lap, as Ratchet began his story.

"Recall how I told you that Optimus wasn't always a Prime? Well, he wasn't always Optimus, either. He was a data clerk, in the Iacon Hall of Records, named Orion Pax," Ratchet began, "There, he began learning of Cybertron's past, and Orion grew concerned about the corruption affecting high places and the state of inequality of the masses. He became inspired by the revolutionary words of Megatronus, a gladiator who took his name from one of the thirteen original Primes."

"Wait, I've read about him." Dana interrupted. "You guys refered to him as The Fallen, don't you?"

Ratchet frowned a little, not liking being interrupted. "Yes, but that is a story for another time. Regardless, history will repeat itself, as Megatronus gained a loyal following through his radical and innovative actions, Soundwave chief among their number. Orion Pax began corresponding with Megatronus, who became a mentor figure to Orion Pax, and saw fit to shorten his name as he left the gladiatorial arena for the political one."

"Megatron." She whispered, looking back up at her guardian as he resumed his tale.

"Megatron appeared before the High Council, and it was here that he began to show his true colors. He proposed that they overthrow the Old Guard with force, arrogantly demanding to be named the next Prime. Orion did not believe in violence, and protested against Megatron's. The sparks and minds of the Council were moved by Orion's words. Here, for the first time since Cybertron's Golden Age, was someone worthy of the title of Prime." Ratchet paused as the story became darker. "But that title could only be truly acheived to the one who earned the legendary Matrix or Leadership. His ambitions thwarted, Megatron spiritually severed all ties to Orion and the Council, waging war on all who opposed him, and naming his followers 'Decepticons.'"

Dana was listening intently now, soaking up every word.

"In time, war consumed Cybertron, poisoning our planet to its very core. Hoping to reverse the ill effects Orion journeyed there and found himself before the spark of of our lifetime himself, Primus. Primus sensed the purity of Orion's spark and bestowed upon him the legendary Matrix. And it was thus, that a surprised, and humbled Orion Pax became Optimus, the last of the Primes."

There was a pause as Ratchet finished, Dana mulling over the information thoughtfully before she began tapping away at her tablet. Perhaps she could find more information about Optimus Prime and Megatron, though the medic had earlier claimed that what little history was on there was old, very old, and nothing new had been added yet.

"So, Optimus took the Matrix from Cybertron's core, and is giving it to Earth's?" Miko questioned.

"And what is to stop Megatron from claiming the Matrix of Leadership for himself?" Jack added.

Ratchet grimaced. "Only his desire to save this planet, so that he may later conquer it, as he so compellingly argued. Provided the lord of the Decepticons can ever be fully trusted."

Dana snorted a little. He had a point.

"Don't you get me started with you!" The medic snapped, jerking her gaze up to him. His blue optics were bright, which only happened when he was angry. "That stunt you pulled with Megatron was dangerous, and absolutely unacceptable!"

"Ratchet, I already have her a talking to." Fowler began to butt in, but the medic held up a servo.

"I know what you're like," he continued, "but do not, and I mean do not, call anymore of Megatron's attention to you. Not unless you want to get killed."

"I was making a point with him." She argued back, setting her tablet aside and walking up to her guardian. "Did you not hear what he said to Raf? 'Little one,' mocking his 'resilience.' Lord of Decepticons or not, I wasn't about to let him belittle him."

Ratchet stared at her for a long time, sighing and growling. "I am just asking this one thing of you, Dana. You can run out on missions, you can sneak into military bases and museums with Jack, Miko, and Rafael. But if you continue to try and call Decepticon attention to you, they will squash you like a bug."

Dana leaned against the railing, her guardian giving her a firm look. She sighed, the nodded, holding out her pinky. "Pinky promise. No more crazy confronting Megatron stunts."

Ratchet just gave her a look before he turned back to his monitors, and she in turn returned to her tablet, exiting out of the history section to continue with the nervous system.

"So, who is The Fallen?" Miko asked.

"Like Ratchet said, he was one of the thirteen original Primes. Megatronus Prime." She began, noticing that the other humans were listening as well. "The Primes were created to defeat Unicorn, and once that happened there was relative peace. But then Megatronus, for reasons they're not quite sure about, turned against them, murdering Solus Prime and waging a temporary war against his fellow Primes. They cast him out, and cursed his name, rendering him simply as The Fallen. Ever since, he's had a grudge on both Cybertron and Earth, possibly because they house Primus and Unicron respectively."

"Whoa." Jack leaned against the railing.

"Where did you learn all that?" June asked suspiciously.

"My tablet." She raised it up for her to see, the device almost as long as she was tall. "Ratchet is letting me borrow it. The Cybertronian has been translated to English so I can actually read the darn thing."

"You're welcome, by the way." Her guardian muttered.

Smiling, Dana returned to her tablet, immersing herself back into Cybertronian nervous systems and sensory structures, absorbing all that she could.

Maybe I can become some kind of expert on them. That would be an awesome job.

»«

Hey guys, just wanted to say "thank you" for the support, and I do want to apologize for following the episode's storyline. It's gonna be like that for a while, just because I need Dana to get really involved in the Autobots' and Decepticons' shenanigans. Thanks again!

~Fanfic_Fanatic13