Bumblebee and Sari staggered backwards, staring in disbelief at the machine that attacked Silverstreak as the blue bot dodged the tentacles with cat-like agility. They both recognised the machine, even though a single red optic flashed brightly in place of the old cockpit.
"I thought we put the guy behind bars!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "Who's controlling the thingamajig this time?!"
---------------
"Interesting. Even while distracted, he managed to detect the Robo-Smasher's attack on time," Megatron mused, watching from the computer screen the blue bot jumping out of the Robo-Smasher's grip again. "Not bad for an Autobot."
Deciding to analyse the situation more thoroughly, Megatron activated his link with Robo-Smasher so he could scan the Autobot closely. When he saw the readings on the screen, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"So that's why you aren't fighting back. You're either very brave, Autobot… or very foolish."
Megatron didn't ponder on matters for long though. He turned his attention to the computer screen once more, wishing to see what the girl and the yellow Autobot were up to.
"We have to help him!" Sari said.
Naturally, Megatron thought in distaste.
"Call for back up!" Bumblebee cried, getting out his stingers. "It's time to give that ugly mug the Bumblebee treatment."
Megatron's optics glinted in the darkness of the laboratory.
"I don't think so, robotic-runt," the Decepticon leader said, and he activated his link with Robo-Smasher again. "Go after all the Autobots in sight."
------------------------
Silverstreak kicked himself free when one of the tentacles wrapped itself around his leg. Three more tentacles lunged at him, but Bumblebee electrocuted them away from the motorcycle.
"Game over, walking garbage-can," the yellow bot declared. "Why don't you go play with something else?"
The machine's optic simply flashed red and its tentacles lunged at Bumblebee. It took all of the bot's speed to get out of harm's way.
"Hey, I didn't mean me!" he said indignantly.
"What made it change its mind all of a sudden?" Silverstreak wondered aloud.
"Beats me," Bumblebee answered, clenching his jaw. He cast an annoyed look in the motorcycle's direction. "You know, this would be a lot easier if you took out your own weapons!"
"Trust me, it wouldn't!" Silverstreak replied, just as annoyed. He reached for a tentacle with both hands in an attempt to break it in two, but it didn't work. Even worse, Silverstreak had to duck so that none of the other tentacles caught him.
"Sari, where's that backup?" Bumblebee asked, still using his stingers on the maximum setting.
"Okay, okay, I'm working on it!" Sari said. Using her key, she opened the Autobot communication frequencies via her cell-phone.
------------------
"You mean to tell me you didn't see them go?" Optimus asked Ratchet. He had noticed that both Bumblebee and Sari were missing, and he couldn't help but feel alarmed now.
"I've already told you, kid," Ratchet answered with as much patience as he could afford. "I was working on a broken console Sari forgot to fix. So, no, I didn't see them go."
"Maybe Bumblebee took Sari back to her home?" Bulkhead suggested. "It is late."
"If that had been the case, they would have said something in the first place," Optimus reasoned. "I'd better contact Bumblebee."
The words barely flowed out of his lip components when he froze. The sound of an incoming transmission pierced all three Autobots' audios, and they heard Sari's voice loud and clear.
"Optimus, you have to come quickly! We need your help!"
Optimus tensed at once. "Sari! What's wrong?!"
"And who's 'we'?" Ratchet asked in turn.
"Bumblebee and Silverstreak! We wanted to talk to him and then this machine came out of nowhere and started attacking them!" Sari explained as fast as she could. "Now will you hurry up?!"
"Calm down, Sari, we're on our way," Optimus replied. "Just keep your cell-phone on so we can find you, all right?"
"Okay!" Sari said. "Silverstreak, look out!" she exclaimed with a gasp.
Optimus clenched his jaw at that. Things sounded very, very wrong. He turned to Bulkhead and Ratchet. "Autobots, transform and--"
"Wait."
Optimus, Ratchet and Bulkhead turned to the direction of the voice. Prowl was walking up to them, a look of grim determination in his optics.
"I'm coming too," he declared.
Bulkhead cocked his head. "Are you worried about your brother?"
Prowl snorted. "Bumblebee and Sari are in danger too, as you're well aware," he replied coolly before transforming to his alternate mode. "We'd better go."
In spite of their dire situation, Optimus smiled inwardly. Prowl's tone sounded too aloof even for the ninjabot's own standards, and that meant only one thing. He was worried about Silverstreak, even though he'd probably never admit it.
-----------------
After making sure she left her cell phone on, Sari put it back in her pocket and hurried to Silverstreak and Bumblebee. The blue bot fell down, but he managed to punch away the machine's foot before it descended upon him. In a matter of moments, he was back on his feet and at Bumblebee's side.
"Sari, get out of here!" the yellow bot said, keeping his optics on Robo-Smasher.
"You know I can help!" she replied. "I can use the key!"
"You can't get close enough!" Bumblebee answered. He dodged one of the tentacles and electrocuted it.
"Wait, I have an idea," Silverstreak said, "Retreat towards the end of the pier!"
"Are you crazy?! We'll be cut off!" Bumblebee exclaimed incredulously.
"Just trust me!" Silverstreak said. He jumped backwards before any of the tentacles could touch him.
Sari looked at the machine, then at the lake. She smiled knowingly when she realised what was Silverstreak's plan.
"Bumblebee, do what he says!"
Bumblebee stared at Sari for moment. "Okay, I was wrong. You're both crazy!" he answered. Nevertheless, he followed Silverstreak's example and retreated too, until the lake was right behind them and they could go no farther. Robo-Smasher crept towards them on all six legs, ready to attack again.
At that, Bumblebee turned to Silverstreak. "Right. Now what?"
Silverstreak placed a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder, a strange expression settled on his features. "Wait for it."
"Wait for what?" Bumblebee asked.
He found out when Robo-Smasher leapt at them. Before Robo-Smasher had the chance to catch either of the Autobots, Silverstreak ducked, dragging Bumblebee along with him. Bumblebee yelped in surprise and instinctively closed his optics, bracing himself for the impact.
There was no need for alarm though. Robo-Smasher leapt over them and into the water with a loud splash.
Though relieved to see the machine gone, Sari rushed to Bumblebee and Silverstreak. "Are you guys okay?" she asked worriedly.
Bumblebee sighed. "Peachy." He turned to Silverstreak, giving him a very wry look. "Give a little warning next time, okay? I almost had a spark-attack."
Silverstreak couldn't help but smile at that. "My apologies," he answered in a mild tease, and offered his arm as support to help Bumblebee up. They were still dusting themselves when Optimus arrived at the scene, followed closely behind by Ratchet, Prowl and Bumblebee.
"Bumblebee, Sari!" the Autobot leader said, transforming to his robot mode. "Where's the machine?"
"At the bottom of the lake, so I don't think we'll have to worry about it anymore," Bumblebee said, "All thanks to Silverstreak here," he added, patting the blue bot on the shoulder.
If it were possible, Silverstreak's face would acquire a tinge of red. "It was nothing…"
"Are you kidding me? That was awesome!" Sari argued. "Have you ever done that before?"
"We both have," Prowl said at that moment. He walked up to Bumblebee and Sari, regarding them quite austerely. "The question now is: What were you two doing with Silverstreak?"
Silverstreak shook his head at those words. "Relax, Brother. They only wanted to talk to me."
"About?"
"Our encounter with Oil Slick."
Prowl huffed at that and turned to Bumblebee and Sari once more. "What more could you possibly want to know about the matter?"
It was Silverstreak who answered though. "They wanted to know what you never cared to find out."
"Such as? How it felt to pull the trigger against your own brother?" Prowl snapped.
For the first time ever, everyone heard an unusually acidic tone in Prowl's voice. Even Silverstreak flinched visibly and, for a moment, it seemed that he would cuff his brother. In the end, however, the blue bot just shook his head.
"I think I'll leave now," he said simply. He got ready to transform and drive off, but Optimus stood on the blue bot's path.
"This isn't over," he said softly.
"What are you doing?" Prowl asked, looking at Optimus incredulously.
"What you should have been doing all along," the young leader replied, crossing his arms. "It looks to me that you two have a lot to settle, so you're not going anywhere until you do. Is that understood, Prowl?"
"But--" Silverstreak started.
"Sorry, kid, but I think you should listen to Prime," Ratchet said, placing a hand on Silverstreak's shoulder. "We'll be a little farther away to give you some privacy, all right?"
Neither of the brothers spoke as they started contemplating matters carefully. Once they realised that they were cornered, they settled for a reluctant nod.
"Good. Come on, everyone," Optimus said, beckoning the rest of the group to follow him. "Let's let them be for a while."
Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Sari complied, though they cast a brief look of concern at the brothers before walking away.
"Do you think that will work?" Bulkhead asked, leaning close to Optimus.
Optimus heaved a tired sigh. "If it doesn't work… I don't know what will."
--------------------
Prowl looked in the direction Prime and the others left, tempted to follow them. Being the stubborn bot he was, the last thing he wanted was to be left alone with Silverstreak. He reasoned that he said all he wanted to say a long time ago.
Still, curiosity got the better of him and he cast a glance at his brother. Silverstreak was currently resting his back against some of the largest crates in the pier. He kept his head bowed, seemingly ignoring Prowl's presence.
Apparently, he had no intention of saying anything either, so both bots remained silent.
"Your friends are quite persistent," Silverstreak noted out of the blue. He didn't look at Prowl as he spoke.
Prowl nodded absentmindedly. "Like someone else I know."
Silverstreak said nothing. Prowl caught himself wishing to go to his brother, but he squashed that feeling at once. He hissed a curse under his breath when he realised that his spark was torn in two. A part of himself, the one that still loved and cared for Silverstreak in spite of everything, wanted him to assure his little brother that he wasn't angry anymore; that he was relieved and happy, even whole, to see him there. Then another part of him, the one that was still disappointed, angry and bitter, still recalled the pain in his spark when Silverstreak shot him.
"Why did you come, Silverstreak? I told you I didn't want to see you again," he asked, doing his best to keep his tone neutral. He had to maintain a distance, especially after making the mistake of opening up once.
"Does that mean I have no right to worry about you?" Silverstreak asked in a hurt manner, facing Prowl. "When I heard your ship was missing, I thought that--" He stopped himself. "…I'm just glad you're okay."
"A little too late to be concerned about my welfare, don't you think?"
Silverstreak's optics reflected his sadness. "Prowl, I can say I'm sorry a thousand times and it wouldn't matter to you. But that's all I can say. I'm sorry. I never meant to shoot you."
Prowl clenched his jaw, frustration building up in his insides. "Then why did you?"
"I…!" Silverstreak stiffened, sighed, and then turned his gaze away. "I… didn't know it was you."
Now Prowl was downright furious. Did Silverstreak underestimate his intelligence?
"I was standing in front of you!" he all but shouted.
"Exactly."
Silverstreak's voice was barely audible. Prowl still flinched as though he had been slapped on the face. All emotions of wrath vanished into thin air to be replaced by the cold tendrils of realisation crawling up his spinal axis. Everything was silent now, and the whirring sounds of Silverstreak and Prowl's engines were the only things disturbing the quiet of the night.
Then Prowl saw – really saw – his brother's light blue optics, a far cry from their normal bright cerulean colour. Prowl's realisation changed to numbing shock, for everything fell into place at that moment.
"Are you telling me that--?" Prowl never finished his sentence, for Silverstreak suddenly tensed and lunged at him. Prowl didn't have time to react as his brother pushed him aside.
Robo-Smasher, still dripping water after escaping his watery prison, leapt and latched onto Silverstreak. The blue bot didn't even get the chance to scream as one of the tentacles penetrated his cranial unit and started doing its vile work. He merely collapsed on the ground, convulsing violently.
"NO!" Just fury taking control of his actions, Prowl took out his shuriken and charged against the Robo-Smasher.
Robo-Smasher didn't stand a chance as Prowl struck from all directions, hacking and cutting every wire and every joint. Seconds later, the detestable machine collapsed into pieces at the black motorcycle's feet. And by the time Optimus and the others arrived at the scene, alarmed at the commotion, Prowl had knelt by Silverstreak, turning him over on his back. He shook his brother by the shoulders, imploring him to say something, anything.
It was of no use. Silverstreak was offline and didn't so much as stir. Prowl quickly looked at Sari, his optics pleading and asking what his vocalizer couldn't utter.
Save him.
Sari nodded and walked up to Silverstreak, holding up her key. The key emitted a powerful light and transformed, while Silverstreak's chest plate opened as if in its own accord. Knowing what to do, she placed the key in a small slot close to the blue bot's spark. Brilliant light surged through Silverstreak's body, and all the parts that had at one time or another taken damage were soon repaired.
The light finally subsided. Sari removed the key, and they all waited with bated breath to see Silverstreak come online.
He never did. Sari bit her lower lip, unsure what to make of that. She even turned to Ratchet, worry etched all over her young features.
"Why isn't it working?"
"I don't know," Ratchet replied. He leaned close, placing a hand on the blue helm. "It must have to do with what the machine did to Silverstreak."
"But it's not irreversible, is it? I mean, just because Sari's key didn't fix it…" Bumblebee started.
"I can't say anything for certain before I do a full examination on his circuits," Ratchet snapped, not letting Bumblebee to continue. "We'd better take him back to base."
"I'll carry him," Bulkhead offered and scooped the offline bot in his arms.
"Fine, just make sure you don't jostle him too much. I'm going ahead to prepare the repair-bay," Ratchet declared as he transformed and drove off.
Bulkhead transformed as well and followed in his alternate mode, carrying Silverstreak on his roof as carefully as possible. Bumblebee and Sari were next, and then Optimus. Prowl, however, remained rooted on the spot for many long moments, looking at his hands sorrowfully.
He couldn't afford to show such a thing to Optimus nor anyone else, but… he was terrified. Terrified of losing his brother, just when he found him again.
---------------------
When Prowl arrived at the base, Optimus, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were already seated on their makeshift couch. None of them said anything, but all three nodded in the direction of the repair-bay in answer to Prowl's silent question.
Understanding, Prowl nodded his silent thanks and walked into the other room. He winced inwardly when he saw that Silverstreak was lying on a berth, still offline and all kinds of machines attached to his systems. Nevertheless, Prowl walked bravely up to Ratchet and Sari, who were standing nearby.
"How is he?"
His tone was soft, apologetic, almost meek, and enough to undo Sari. Before either of the Autobots could react, the little girl rushed out of the room, doing her best to hold back tears. Prowl watched the little girl go, but then looked back at Ratchet in wait for an answer.
Ratchet sighed and shook his head.
"Explain," Prowl demanded, feeling his vocalizer strain.
"That machine's tampered with your brother's basic programming and memory files," Ratchet said. "Basically, it attempted to delete them with the intention of replacing them with another kind of code."
"A Decepticon one?" Prowl asked.
"It looks like it. The fact that it attacked Autobots wasn't a coincidence."
Though Prowl kept his face neutral, his insides boiled with fury and hatred. If he ever found out who was behind the creation of that machine, he was going to make them wish they were never created. Now, however, he had to focus on his brother.
"What kind of damage are we talking about?" he asked.
"That's just it, kid. I don't know," Ratchet said. "It all depends on your brother's firewalls, the kind of files the machine attacked first, even how fast you cut off the reformatting process."
"Sari's key--"
"Sari's key can't do anything. It can't bring back files that have been deleted."
"So what now?" Prowl asked, unable to hide his exasperation any longer. "We just wait and see what happens?!"
"Yes," Ratchet said simply. He pinched the bridge of his nose, a sign that he was quite weary. "I'm sorry, kid. I wish my news was better, but that's the truth of the matter."
Prowl felt like his spark had extinguished at those words. "I see."
Silence reigned in the room for a few moments, until Ratchet spoke again. "Kid, there's something else."
Prowl regarded the medic intently. "Tell me."
"Well…" Ratchet said, "His chevrons and audio receptors are modified to serve as a complete echolocation system. A bit unusual for an otherwise perfectly healthy bot, don't you think?"
"Yes," Prowl admitted, aware of what Ratchet was telling him. Before realising it, his gaze drifted to Silverstreak. "Are his optics still…?"
"No, Sari's key fixed them," Ratchet said.
That was good news at least. The motorcycle sighed inwardly. "Can I stay with him?"
"Kid, I don't know if…" Ratchet stopped mid-sentence when he saw the look on Prowl's optics. "…When he'll come online again."
That hardly deterred Prowl though. "Then I'll wait."
Ratchet looked as though he was about to say something, but, in the end, he decided to let the matter be. He nodded his consent and headed out of the room without another word. As for Prowl, he sat on a chair nearby, looking at Silverstreak and all kinds of thoughts filling his mind. Thoughts of his brother surrounded in perpetual darkness, trying to move on because there were no other options left for him.
Was it the explosion that damaged his brother's optics? Why couldn't anyone repair them, and how long did it take Silverstreak to adjust to that new life? Did anyone help him when Prowl himself wasn't there to do that? And, more importantly… How long did Silverstreak wander alone in that vulnerable state, searching for Prowl?
Prowl leaned forward, his optics locked on his brother's offline ones.
"We have a lot to talk about, Silverstreak," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I forbid you to give up now."
--------------------------
Professor Sumdac opened his eyes and stretched, letting out a sigh of contentment. He couldn't even remember the last time he had slept so well, and he was feeling quite cheerful. He got up and headed for the kitchen, wishing to have some good breakfast before starting work in his laboratory.
He was more than just surprised to see that Sari was there, looking terrible. The little girl was sitting listlessly at the table, not touching the toast the robo-chef had prepared for her.
"Is something wrong, Sari?" the professor asked, walking up to her. He placed an arm over her shoulders in the hopes of comforting her somehow.
She didn't answer. She simply stared at her plate.
"Sari?"
Finally, she lifted her gaze and looked at the professor. "Hi, dad."
"What's the matter?" Professor Sumdac insisted, his tone gentle and kind, as a father's should be. He regarded the girl closely, noticing something that he didn't like at all. "Have you been crying?"
Sari bowed her head. "It's Prowl," she answered quietly.
"You mean that black Autobot?" Professor Sumdac said. "Did something happen to him?"
"Actually, his brother," Sari answered, and she started telling her father everything that happened the previous day, including Prowl's and Silverstreak's falling out and the attack on the younger brother.
"Where do they have him?" the professor asked, once Sari finished her story.
"Back at the base. Prowl is with him," the girl said, letting out a sigh of resignation. Suddenly, her hands clenched into fists and she pounded the table. "It's not fair! They were both so stubborn to admit anything that they wasted chance after chance to talk and solve a stupid misunderstanding. Five minutes would have been enough!"
The professor listened to Sari's rant patiently, saddened to see her like this. Sure, she could act tough and determined all she wanted. The truth was that Sari was just a little girl with a gentle heart, and she didn't want to see any of her friends hurt or suffering. That was why he decided he had to make things better.
"Maybe they haven't run out of chances," he said.
Sari looked up, her eyes reflecting her hope. "You think so?"
The professor nodded. "Wait here. I might have something that will probably help Prowl's brother," he said, and he headed to his laboratory.
Megatron came online the moment Professor Sumdac entered the room.
"Ah, professor," he said politely. "I'm glad you're here."
Professor Sumdac simply looked around, frowning when he didn't find what was looking for.
"Where's the repair-bot? I was hoping you would have it ready by now," he said.
"Yes, about that. I'm afraid there has been a terrible… misfortune," Megatron replied in an apologetic tone.
Professor Sumdac listened, not realising just how good an actor Megatron could be.
A/n: And there you have it. As to how exactly Silverstreak got blind, you'll find out in the fourth and final installment. :)
