They took shelter in the old house, curling in on themselves as they shuffled the little sparklings ahead of them. They stroked their heads in a soothing way, pulled the water out of their hair, and patted them dry with towels that they had managed to smuggle from their previous base before it was destroyed by the enemy. The medic set up base, treating the wounds the others had with a small bottle of clear liquid and guaze wrap. One eye was lost, another hand was damaged, and an ear was singed. That was the worst of the injuries.
The leader stroked the heads of his team, then he walked around the room they were standing in. "We will investigate this place in the morning. Ratchet, set up the inflatable berths and put the sparklings in them. Arcee, sleep with them. Keep them out of trouble. You know how the little ones get."
Arcee nodded and laid down with the others, smiling and gently stroking a little girl's head as she slept. "Such pretty little ones..."
Her voice echoed in the room and the soft comment aggrivated the ears of an angry spirit.
The woman stood on the stairs, dozens of black-eyed children standing behind her in their pajamas, play clothes, and beautiful dresses and suits.
The group of mechs and the femme didn't see her. She would make herself visible soon enough. She led the troop of children back up the stairs, put them in the playroom, and started to rock in her chair as she watched them watch her. They had lost all interest in playing when she took them, which saddened her, so she was attracted by the pretty giggles of the little ones, but once she had her hands around their throats, they were dead and they lost their childish states.
The sound of the chair rocking echoed down to the group of mechs, who were on high alert through the night, but they weren't going to investigate after Optimus already asked for them to stick together. The sparklings were getting restless, but they were mostly asleep.
Bulkhead was restless as he clutched his ration of Energon. "Optimus, I don't like this."
"We will leave when everyone is healed..." He looked at him, his ear damaged. Wheeljack blinked his single eye at him.
"Prime, I don't mean to step on your pedes, but Bulkhead's not really a coward, so if he wants to leave, it's either because something is really spooking him, or there's a scraplet infestation."
Optimus sighed and he looked around the room. "Nothing is bothering us. So we will stay until everyone is ready to travel. The sparklings are exhausted."
The night watch was posted (Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus) and Optimus laid down on the cold floor. He thought he imagined whispering, but he dismissed it.
Never forgive. Never forgive. Never forgive. NEVER FORGIVE!