Time pasted quickly after Orion first started talking.

He was now around the age most sparklings went to school. But due to his small size and defective state, Ratchet and Ironhide made a roundabout homeschool. Ratchet taught science and health, Ironhide taught gym, some of the maids taught math, and Kup had taken it upon himself to build a playground for 'recess'.

Ironhide never hid the truth about where he came from, or what happened to his Carrier and twin. Or that he was sick. Orion had accepted it easy, understanding he was different. Orion had gotten his own room, with his own things, but he was still able to call to Ratchet or Ironhide if he needed them. Ratchet had made injections for Orion to stop his glitching if he needed them. But what killed Ironhide the most was Orion's nightmares. The nightmares had increased in frequency, happening every dark cycle. Orion would wake up screaming in the middle of the dark cycle, saying things that made no since. Ratchet said that his mind was making up a future for him, since he might not have one. But still Ironhide did all of the research he could trying to find a way to help Orion.


"Ratchet, I think I grew!" Orion came rushing into the medbay

"In the past sol? Well aren't you an amazing little mech?"

"I'm serious Ratchet!"

"Humm?"

"Fine! I will go on remembering that you didn't give me the one thing I ever asked for and deprived me of a-"

"Ok, ok aft to the wall. Ill measure you." Ratchet said as Orion squealed standing up to his full height

"Huh. Another inch. You really are amazing."

"I did it! I grew! I grew!" Orion started jumping up and down


"Kup! I found one!" Orion held up a crystal with glee

"Good mech. Lets see now...that is a Shamen crystal, it is used in big mech drinks." Kup said studying the crystal carefully

Orion made a face, "I don't like the big mech drinks. They taste weird."

"No sparkling does Orion, you will like them when you are a big mech."

"Nuh uh. I'm not gonna be a big mech, 'member Kup, I'm gonna visit Primus before then."

"Maybe not, Orion."

"What do you mean?"

"If you wish hard enough for something to happen, it will. Orion you have thirty more klicks outside." Kup said gesturing to a timer on a nearby stand

"Awww. Ok I'm gonna go play on the swings."

"I will come get you when your times up."


Orion stared at the new face. A sparkling around his age was on the other side of the fence, looking at the slide on his playground longingly.

"Hi?" Orion tried

"Hai!" the sparkling smiled back

"What are you doing?"

"I lookin' at 'chu pretty slide. Can I play?"

"I don't know how to open the gate." Orion said gesturing to the gate on the other side of the garden

"Is Okay. I can climb." The sparkling stated, started to climb the chain link fence, falling down beside Orion

"Whats 'chu name?" The bigger sparkling asked

"Orion."

"I Jazz. Whys chu' in here? Whys not go out theres?" Jazz looked at the street and the Orion again

"I cant."

"Why not?"

"My spark is sick. If I go out there I could offline." Orion stated with an even tone, used to it by now

"Whoa. Well that's okay. I'll just come in here to play."

"Okay."


"Orion it is time to go in-" Kup stared at the new sparkling playing beside Orion, "How? Who? What?"

"I'm Jazz!"

"...Go inside Orion."

"But I wanna play more."

"Your thirty klicks is up, Orion, go inside."

"Aww. See you tomorrow Jazz?"

"See you tomorrow!" Jazz shouted as Orion went inside

Kup looked on as Jazz climbed the fence, scampering off to his house, "Dear Primus, how am I going to explain this to Ironhide?"


"You cant come 'ere any more." Ironhide stated to Jazz around the third time he came over to play with Orion

"Wha' why not?" Jazz demanded, placing his servos on his hips

Ironhide huffed, "If you continue to play with Ryan, Ryan will get sick because of your germs. You don't want Ryan to get sick do ya?"

"...No..."

"Good. So then you stay away from Ryan, okay?"

"Okay."


"Hey, Jazz" Orion called to Jazz from inside his fence

Jazz looked at him and then kept walking

"...Jazz...?" Orion asked softly his servo sliding down the fence

"It was for your own good, Ryan." Ironhide stated coming up behind him

"Jazz." Orion whispered as tears streaked down his face


"This is all your fault, Ironhide." Ratchet said as Orion purged again

"Wha'? Ma fault? How?"

"Orion made himself sick because he thinks Jazz hates him. You made Jazz leave Orion. Put two and two together."

"Ill tell im'. Ironhide stated going over to the berth Orion was on, "Ryan, ah..ah made Jazz leave."

"You made him leave?" Orion asked weakly

"Yeah. And ah'm sorry, and he can come back and-"

"I hate you." Orion cut Ironhide off with those words as he fell into emergency status

Ironhide's optics widened at that. His sparkling had never told him that before, and he said it with such venom.

His once happy, bubbly, giggling, sparkling said he hated him.

What had he done?


Quick update for today! Its a little short but I will try to get another done to make up for it!