A flash of red blurred through thick smoke, startling the four that were fleeing a crumbling building. "What the hell was that!?" One mech shouted. "I don't know Sides!" Another answered. "Keep it moving boys!" a femme ran past twins. "Uh we're about to run into some trouble Arcee!" Jazz read his radar, that notified there was a group of cons ahead. "Scrap! There's no other exit, we'll have to fight through!" Arcee responded. "They won't know what hit them!" Sunstreaker smirked, drawing his swords. "Wait they're disappearing!" Jazz announced, as they closed in on the cons. All four leapt out of the opening, to find a bunch of dismantled bodies. "Someone must be watching over us?" Sideswipe withdrew his swords. "Wish we could say thank you too this bot. This is the fortieth time, they've saved our afts from death." Arcee sighed. "Lets get this data back home, then we can look into our mystery saviour." Jazz suggested. "Agreed!" All four took off.
Above them, rubble from the building. Smoke hid the body of the mystery saviour, his optics shone a bright cyan blue, brightly piercing through the smoke. As he watched the group drive off. Leaping off the rubble, and leaping down to the depths of Cybertron. Hiding in the damp energon drain pipes. It had been six months of living in the filthy drains. After being outcasted by the Autobots, and avoiding being sucked into the Decepticon army. Mirage was mentally drained. He had no one, his brother was lying and could not be trusted. And his adopted family wanted him, but not in the base. Secretly following the four young adults to the base from under the tunnels. Making sure they make it home with no trouble. Listening with his specially advanced sonar audios, he heard the bots talking.
"How's the sparkling been?" Arcee asked. "Rambunctious, loud, and always hungry. How was the mission?" a familiar baratone voice replied. "Successful, thanks to our mystery saviour." Jazz replied. "Again? That bot keeps randomly popping up in the most needed moments." Optimus sighed. "Yeah it's great. I wish he would show himself, so we can recruit him." Sideswipe added. "Well let's try and figure out who it is then!" Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "Optimus will you take a look at these please." Prowl came over, handing the Prime datapads. "Well we never see them, they are quick, silent, and extremly deadly." Arcee listed. "And we sometimes see a red blur." Jazz thought aloud. The four thought for a moment. "You don't think?" Arcee lifted her helm. "Mirage!" All four shouted, causing the two older mechs too jump. "Where!?" Optimus and Prowl yelped. "He's the one saving our afts!" The boys excitedly replied. "Oh. Are you positive, boys?" Prowl raised an optic ridge. "All the evidence points to him." Arcee nodded. "You really think a tiny youngling is watching over you guys?" Prowl crossed his arms. "Yes we do!" All four replied. "How would he be capable?" Prowl snorted. "He's Mirage!" Sideswipe cheered. "We should search for him." Arcee suggested. "You really think he is going to be welcomed back here?" Prowl replied. "He'll be fine!" The boys excitedly ran out to find the youngling. "You're just going to let us find Mirage?" Arcee questioned the two mechs. "The chances of finding a super, soldier, spy is slim, by all means try." Prowl huffed. Arcee ran after the three in search of their missing little brother.
Mirage wanted to jump out from underground. But at the same time didn't want to end up hurting someone again. Especially after what he and Soundwave did. Thinking from under a storm pipes lid, he mulled over what to do. "You going to hide under that storm drain forever?" A mechs voice startled Mirage. "Come here you!" Sunstreaker lifted the lid, as Sideswipe lifted Mirage out of the drain. Hugging him tightly, Mirage guessed he didn't have a choice anymore. "Mirage! We missed you so much!" Arcee and Jazz joined the group hug. Mirage kept his gaze away from his adopted sibblings, tears began to pour from his optics. "It's ok Mirage, you can come home now." Arcee cooed, grabbing Mirage next. Mirage shook his helm. "What? Are you affraid you're going to hurt someone?" Arcee held out the youngling, who nodded in response. "Oh honey we know that wont happen, this time we will cast Air raid out if he tries anything." Sideswipe tried to reassure the frightened youngling.
"Primus they actually found him..." Prowl said in amazement. "What!?" Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet rushed over. "Mirage you're alive!" Ratchet and Ironhide happily greeted. Mirage had his doorwings pressed against his back, and his gaze to the floor. "You look terrible, is everything alright?" Ratchet lifted Mirage onto a medical berth. "Well he is covered in dents, scratches, and energon. And he hasn't spoken a word yet." Jazz answered. Well no damage besides scratches and dents. But you are completely filthy." Ratchet replied after his scans. "A bath should solve that." Ironhide snorted. "Boys take him and help him." Optimus and Ratchet advised. "Got it." The boys nodded, leading Mirage to the washing stations. "Who that?" A sparklings voice asked. "Oh my." Elita turned around from washing her sparkling. "Oh hey Elita, hey little Bee!" Sideswipe greeted, as he escorted Mirage with his twin. "Sideswipe, who is this youngling?" Elita stood up. "It's Mirage." Sunstreaker replied. "The youngest outcast?" Elita questioned. "Yeah." Sideswipe nodded. "What is he doing back here?" Elita questioned, trying not to be hostile. "It was time for us to bring him home." Sideswipe replied. "Isn't he just trouble waiting to explode?" Elita folded her arms. "No he's not like that!" Sunstreaker defended. "Those were just rumours." Sideswipe added. Mirage after washing, while the boys argued with the femme, he snuck out of the washing station, tired of listening to the conflict over him. "Hey there, you look a lot better!" Optimus greeted Mirage from behind. Mirage spun around quickly in a panic. "Did you see Bumblebee? I'm sure he will be happy to play with someone around his age." Mirage shook his helm in disagreement. Mirage ran past the prime, and straight into his old room, which stayed the same way it was kept.
Locking the door, Mirage sat on the floor and turned invisible. Wanting to hide from eveything. "Mirage please come out, no one will hurt you." Optimus called through the door. "Let me try." Arcee let Optimus unlock the room, she entered and sat next to the invisible figure. "Why did you bring me back?" a young voice finally spoke. "Because you're our little brother, and it's our turn to do the saving." Arcee replied. "I don't need saving." Mirage grumbled. "Yes you do. Casting you out at such a young age, has gotten you thinking you're a dangerous, monster!" Arcee growled. "But I am. I was trained to murder, and that's all I do, and can do!" Mirage snapped. "That's not true." Arcee shook her helm. "Mirage you're a kid not a war machine. You need to learn to be a kid." Arcee sighed. "But I don't know how too! All I know is murder..." Mirage sighed. "How many younglings do you know, that murdered three mechs in one swing?" Mirage growled at the femme. "Look, did you see Primes new kid?" Arcee changed the subject. "Yeah, from a distance. Cute kid." Mirage shrugged. "Yeah everyone see's the adorable kid inside that sparkling, and everyone sees you as..." "A traitor, a dangerous, ruthless, killer, that the cons forgot to bring with!" Mirage interrupted. "I don't." Arcee grabbed the younglings attention. "I see you as a youthful youngling, just like that sparkling. You are being controlled by fears. You need to let the past go. Try being a kid, and not fearful wreck." Mirage drooped his wings and sighed, to the femmes words. "Fine.. I'll try, but if I can't do it, I'm leaving." Mirage smiled. "Alright we got our baby brother back!" Arcee hugged the red youngling. "Now lets go see Bumblebee." Arcee pulled Mirage to the door. "Who the hell is Bumblebee?" Mirage questioned, as he was dragged down the halls. "Oh that's Prime's sparkling." Arcee mentioned as they entered the rec room. "Mirage there you are! you disappeared on us." The twins greeted, from the floor. "Why are you on the floo... never mind." Mirage saw the twins with the sparkling. "Oh this is lil Bee come say hi!" Jazz dragged Mirage onto the floor. Mirage sat unwillingly on the floor across from the twins and Jazz. Mirage quickly caught something small and yellow crawling towards him. Tensing when the small being sat infront of him. "Who this?" Bumblebee looked at the twins. "That's Mirage he's a youngling he's only 9, quite a bit older then you, but not by much." Sideswipe replied to the sparkling. "Hi ra ra!" Bumblebee waved. "...Hi..." Mirage shyly greeted the sparkling. Optimus entered, and smiled at the scene of his sparkling with the red youngling. "Why you so small?" Bumblebee tilted his helm. "Cuase that's the way I am supposed to be." Mirage scoffed. "Why you have pointy? Grow up have only?" Bumblebee pointed to Mirage's swords. "I was... never mind... They're sharp don't touch..." Mirage sighed. "Up?!" Bumblebee raised his arms up at the youngling. "What?" Mirage raised an optic ridge. "Up!" Bumblebee chirped again. "I..." "Oh come on Mirage pick him up." Sunstreaker encouraged. "Uh..sure..." Mirage sighed, picking the sparkling up. "Ra ra!" Bumblebee squeeled happily as he was lifted. Mirage jumped at the random happy squeel and tightened his grip on the sparkling, digging his claws into the sparklings side. "Ah!" Bumblebee screamed in pain. Optimus ran over, as Mirage leapt up, Arcee quickly took the sparkling from the youngling. All the boys jumped up as well. Arcee craddled Bumblebee, trying to sooth the sparklings pain. "We'll go get Ratchet!" The twins and Jazz ran out of the room. Mirage watched Arcee and Optimus sooth the sparklings screams. Looking down at his dangerously sharp claws that did the damage, Mirage saw the energon from the bleeding sparkling, on his claws. Arcee watched Mirage as he realized he did the damage. Her concentration was broken by the rush of bots coming through the door. "Let me see him!" Ratchet quickly took the sparkling. Mirage watched feeling devastated, for what he did. "Optimus what happened!?" Elita panicked. "It was just a small accident Elita. He didn't mean it." Optimus calmly responded. "Who didn't mean it!?" Elita hissed. Mirage winced at the angry femmes words, drooping his wings and lowering his helm. Elita caught his actions out of the corner of her optics. "You! You can't go a moment without destroying something! Even when you were a sparkling you had to cuase damage!" Elita, approached the youngling. "Elita don't it was an accident." Optimus tried to stop his sparkmate. "You are to stay the hell away from my sparkling! You're almost as much of a monster as Megatron is!" Elita continued to yell, making Mirage cower. "Elita!" Optimus scolded. "I... I'm...sorry..." Mirage quivered. "Bumblebee is fine he just has a couple pucture wounds. Nothing too major." Ratchet handed the sparkling to Elita. "Thank Primus." Elita sighed, craddling her sparkling. Mirage took the opportunity to back away from the crowd. "Mirage..." Arcee called calmly. Mirage shook his helm, running out of the rec room. "Mirage!" Arcee went to give chase, but was stopped by Optimus. "I will find him." Optimus told the femme. "Optimus let him go, he just wounded your son, and you treat that ruthless youngling like he's your own." Elita scoffed as Optimus walked away. "I know you are upset Elita, I will speak with you when you are calmer." Optimus left without any further words. Elita was usually a calm collected femme. But when it came to the safety of her sparkling, she did not take things easily.
"Mirage please don't go down there, I highly doubt you want another bath." Optimus's voice came from behind the youngling that was about to jump into the energon waste pipes. "I'm sorry Optimus. I didn't mean to hurt your sparkling, I just..." Mirage panicked. "It's ok I know you didn't. Elita is over protective." Optimus smiled. "Why did you follow me?" Mirage sighed. "Mirage you're coming back. You aren't going to let one little accident throw you down. You don't give up that easily." Optimus started escorting the youngling back. "No... I don't! But I don't think everyone else will be either." Mirage sighed. "Don't worry about them, I'll deal with them. Well the old ones are still happy to see you home." Optimus smiled. "Speaking of them. I didn't see Hound yet, is he on a mission?" Mirage questioned where his father like figure was. "Mirage..." Optimus sighed, leading Mirage to the younglings room. "He's not on a mission." Mirage sat down on his berth. "Then where is he?" Mirage questioned again. "Look Mirage. Hound was killed in a battle. He's no longer here." Optimus sadly explained. "Wha... you're joking right!?" Mirage jumped up. "Who did it!?" Optimus sat Mirage back down. "We don't know who his murderer was, getting angry will not solve a thing. Elita demonstrated that already. Hound cared greatly for you. I know you did the same. But we cannot bring him back." Optimus sighed. Mirage cried silently staring at his floor. He was really starting to lose everyone he cared about. "I'm loosing everyone..." Mirage let tears roll down his faceplate. "You're not loosing anyone Mirage. Who knows, you might gain someone." Optimus dissagreed. Mirage shut his optics, turning away from the prime. "I'll let you rest." Optimus sighed, as it was getting late.
"Take long to hunt down that psycho?" Elita snorted, placing her sleeping sparkling in a crib. "Elita, let it go. He's just a kid that's a little lost inside." Optimus sighed at his sparkmate. "Stop worrying about that younglings problems. And start paying attention to your own sparkling. Let that younglings caretaker deal with him." Elita scoffed to the prime. "He dosen't have one..." Optimus sadly replied. "Right... Hound." Elita closed her optics sympathetically. Looking over at Optimus, Elita shook her helm. "Oh, no. Don't get any ideas. We are not taking in that crazy youngling." "But Elita he's so little." Optimus tried to appeal to a femmes weakness to adorable younglings. "Yeah a little psychopath." Elita organized Optimus's desk. "And he needs help to be steered in the right direction." Optimus continued. "We are not the one's for that job." Elita shook her helm. "He's so young and lost. He's been through a lot. And Bumblebee would be happy with a big brother." Optimus continued to beg. "Yeah after today, I'm sure Bee is begging for him to be his brother." Elita retorted. Optimus sighed, as Elita came to lay next to him in the berth. After a few moments of silence. "Fine..." Elita sighed. "Thank you!" Optimus kissed his sparkmate. "But you do know if he comes to being cast out, it will extremly harder for you this time." Elita warned. "It wont come to that." Optimus replied firmly.
"Knock knock. Hey lil bro." Jazz entered the red younglings chambers in a sympathetic manner. "Jazz..." Mirage sighed in acknowledgement. "You know no one is blaming you for hurting lil Bee." Jazz sat next to the youngling, on the floor. "Elita does." Mirage scoffed. "It was an accident." "It was a step closer towards the door!" Mirage retorted to Jazz. "You're upset about something else." Jazz knew how to look deeper into younglings, and sparklings. His specialty was children. "When did Hound go offline?" Mirage asked continuing to keep his gaze to the floor. "Probably a few months after you left." Jazz sighed. "Sorry lil Red." Jazz appologized. "I am not little Red anymore." Mirage growled. "Oh my mistake, I forgot you were 40 feet tall!" Jazz sarcastically teased. "Ha ha. I know I'm small, how do you think I got around Cybertron? There's a lot of places you would never dream of fitting in." Mirage snorted. "Yeah you're probably right eh. Have a goodnight lil Red." Jazz, said goodnight and left.
A few hours later, the base was quiet and dark. Mirage sighed, and decieded to leave his room. Walking through the empty hallways, many thoughts swam through his processor. Being unaware of what was around he walked straight into a mech. "Oops, I'm sorry." Mirage apologized. "Yeah you will be sorry. For showing your face back here again!" that familiar voice made Mirage tense. As he was lifted up violently. "Airraid!" Mirage gasped. "Yeah, I heard they let you back in. Don't go thinking I have, just cuase Prime said yes!" Airraid tightened his grip. "For such a small piece of scrap, you are one deadly fragger." Airraid sneered. "Is there a problem here?" A baratone voice came from behind. And Mirage never felt so relieved. "No of course not. Just cuaght this little bugger out of bed. But I'll let you deal with him." Airraid handed Mirage to the Prime. Mirage sighed with relief relaxing in the primes arms. "You alright? Optimus asked. "Yeah I'm fine." Mirage tiredly sighed. "You seem tired. Probably because you haven't recharged since you were a sparkling."Optimus gave a warm smile. "No..." Mirage gave a big yawn, as he struggled to keep his optics open.
"Optimus did you really have take him from his room when his recharging?" Elita rolled her optics. "I just took him out of Airraids servos." Optimus replied. "Oh, is he ok?" Elita felt some concern for the youngling. "Yeah I got there in time before anything happed." Optimus replied, sitting next to his sparkmate. Elita glanced over to the small youngling, in the primes arms. "Awful small to be a youngling don't you think?" Elita commented. "with everything Shockwave put him through, I was surprised he grew this much." Optimus replied, with an angered tone. "Well... he is sort of cute" Elita gave in. "Yes but not too cute to be underestimated." Optimus corrected. "Yeah sure. You should take the little assassin, back to his own room." Elita sighed getting into the berth. "I suppose so." Optimus got up from the berth. "Or did you tell him yet?" Elita stopped Optimus in his tracks. "No I haven't. I'm not going to shake him awake and tell him now." Optimus looked over his shoulder to Elita. "I didn't say that. Best you tell him when the right time comes." Elita waved off the prime. Optimus nodded in agreement and silently took the youngling back to his own room. Placing Mirage carefully in the berth, Optimus gave a warm smile at the slumbering youngling, before quietly exiting.