I

Things were escalating, again. Just peering out the window, Blades could see all the smoke and fog of the cities just a drive away. His parents were out again, leaving him with his brother. Blades didn't mine Cross Switch, but he didn't like the idea of his parents leaving. They said they had work to do, that is their job was almost over. They never told him what their jobs were.

"The smokes clearing, must be almost over," Cross Switch murmured, coming up behind Blades.

"Which means they'll be home soon, right!?" cheered Blades, looking over his shoulder.

"Hopefully," grinned Cross Switch.

A knock at the door and Blades' spark dropped. Cross Switch glanced wearily at him before heading to the door. Blades moved for the hall, peering around the corner. His brother answered the door, revealing two armored guards. They held their heads low.

"We're sorry to inform you…"

Blades shook his head, running away. This couldn't be happening. They weren't coming home.


Boulder kept his vocal processors silent. He didn't dare speak out against any one of his brothers. They were wrestling and fighting as per the usual. He was reading or trying to. He didn't want them to know anyway. His brothers weren't much of the reading type after all. He could afford new data pads every other day, finishing the new ones usually the day before getting a new one.

"Yo, Boulder! Throw in a servo!" ordered his brother, Bulkhead.

"Please, like he'd be helpful," spat Breakdown.

Boulder rolled his optics. He liked to read, not wrestle. He moved away from the living room, heading upstairs to one of the bedrooms. It was at least quieter. He wanted to finish his data pad, anyway. It was a history pad, sometime before known as the Golden Age. He found it interesting. Entering the room, his mother peered out and glanced at him before returning to her room to finish cleaning.

"Someday, I'm gonna have my own space," grumbled Boulder, shutting the door behind him.


"Chase, slow down!"

Chase liked to run. Maybe that was why his name was Chase. It didn't matter. Running was running. It drove his parents insane though. The second the door opened to the outside world, he was off running. He couldn't be stopped and wouldn't stop until he was completely drained. That took a few hours. today, he could feel his dad's impatience though. He was breaking the rules now, leaving the house without permission. He didn't care much for rules though.

"Chase! Chase! No!"

Chase stopped, looking to his right. He stopped dead, staring into the headlights of the vehicle bot that was driving toward him at top speed. He could hear his father. Rules. He broke the rules.


It was getting dark. The city's lights were damaged almost everywhere. Most the buildings were busted too. Nothing worked and everything was destroyed. What wasn't destroyed barely functioned. Not that he mined. He was used to it by now. Everywhere he went was nothing but busted buildings and broken homes.

Had to duck between lights, he thought to himself. Didn't want to get caught by guards tonight anyway. Flowing in and out of the shadows proved difficult though with his bright red chest plate. Tonight seemed different though, tonight ever guard seemed bent on finding any survivors from this latest battle. He snarled, ducking between buildings.

"Halt!"

A guard grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in his tracks. The young bot snarled, struggling against the hold. The guard shook his head, kneeling down to deal with the child.

"Kid, what are you doing here?" the guard sighed. "Where are your guardians?"

"Let go! Let go!"

"Kid, you got a family?"

"No," he snapped.

"You got a name?" growled the guard.

The child grinned, "Heatwave."