Chapter 4

Bulkhead was taking the children home and when he got back to base he was hit with the smell of regurgitated energon. He immediately ran into the med-bay and saw Kakaya purging into a waste bin. Kakaya was crying as her throat burned. Her tank was churning. Then they got a call from the others saying that they needed a bridge. As soon as they walked in they smelt the regurgitated energon. Ratchet ran to the med-bay and saw Kakaya crying her eyes out.

"Did you give her any energon?" Ratchet asked.

"No, I didn't know what it would do to her." Arcee rubbed Kakaya's back as she fell asleep. Ratchet then scanned her. "Is she sick?" Arcee asked.

"No, her tank is just too small to handle the cramping." Ratchet said. "After she feels better I want to run an experiment on her." Ratchet said while stroking Kakaya's back.

"What kind of experiment?" Arcee asked.

"Since regular low-grade doesn't agree with her I was wondering what would happen if we mixed it with water." Ratchet explained as Kakaya woke up. Her tank had stopped hurting and she smiled at Arcee.

"I think she feels better." Arcee smiled as Kakaya tried to stand up. "Is she allowed to walk around?" Arcee asked.

"As long as this doesn't happen again." Ratchet said and Arcee placed Kakaya on the floor. Kakaya immediately started to walk around the base. Bumblebee let out some happy beeps and whirs as he picked up Kakaya. Kakaya let out a few happy chirps as if she was trying to mimic the sounds. Then he put her down.

"What happened to her before?" Smokescreen asked.

"We don't know." Arcee said.

Bulkhead had finished tying the pieces of rope together for Kakaya to play with. He threw it for her and she chased after it, she got it in her mouth and brought it back for him to throw it again, "I think she's developed the concept of 'fetch'." Bulkhead smiled.

"Beep op eeep." Bumblebee chirped.

"Yeah, her claws do look very sharp Bee." Arcee said as Kakaya clawed at the rope Bulkhead had thrown again.

"Bee!" Kakaya chirped happily as she looked up at Bumblebee.

"Did she just…?" Bulkhead asked. Then Smokescreen picked up Kakaya.

"What's my name Kakaya?" Smokescreen asked.

"Lame-o." Kakaya chirped and everybody laughed.

"Very funny Kakaya." Smokescreen said sarcastically, "Now, what's my name?"

"S-S…" Kakaya sputtered.

"Yes, go on Kakaya." Smokescreen encouraged.

"S-lame-o." She smiled, and everybody laughed again.

"How does she get 'Lame-o' from Smokescreen?" Smokescreen asked. And Arcee shrugged. Then Kakaya's small tank grinded.

"I think she's hungry." Arcee smiled and took Kakaya from Smokescreen.

"'Cee." Kakaya chirped happily. Then Arcee gently rubbed Kakaya's stomach and took her into the med-bay where Ratchet was working.

"Ratchet, do you think Kakaya can eat anything yet?" Arcee asked. Then Ratchet scanned Kakaya's small form.

"Her tank is still contracting oddly, I would defiantly wait until tomorrow or she will be sick again." Ratchet explained. Then Kakaya looked at Ratchet with a sad look on her face.

"Watchet." She chirped.

"She just started talking a few minuets ago. She calls Smokescreen Lame-o." Arcee smiled and left.

"Beep op eeep op!?" Bumblebee asked angrily.

"Ratchet said it will make her sick again." Arcee said and looked at the hungry Kakaya, whose tank was still grinding. Then Kakaya yawned, "I think she needs some recharge." Arcee smiled as Kakaya rubbed her eyes with the back of her paws.

"She can recharge with me again." Smokescreen offered.

"Alright, but be very careful this time and she might wake up in the middle of the night with bad cramps." Arcee said and handed Kakaya to Smokescreen.

"Lame-o." Kakaya chirped as she snuggled into his chassis.

"I think I'm going to be stuck with that name for a while." Smokescreen chuckled as he walked back to his quarters.

He gently laid her down on the berth. Kakaya whimpered pitifully as her small tank gave another grind of protest.

"I'm sorry Kakaya, but you're not supposed to eat anything until tomorrow." Smokescreen gently said and rubbed her back. Kakaya quietly whimpered and looked at Smokescreen with pain filled eyes. Kakaya soon fell into a hungry recharge. Smokescreen lay down beside Kakaya and feel into recharge.

Hours later Kakaya woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible cramp in her tank. She tried to wake up Smokescreen, but he kept recharging. She then jumped off the berth and snuck out of his room. She walked into the main room and it was empty. She then managed to sneak out of the base to go find something to eat.

The next morning Smokescreen woke up to find Kakaya was gone, "Oh no, not this again!" Smokescreen exclaimed and started looking all around his room and this time he checked under the berth, "Kakaya, where are you?" Smokescreen was starting to panic now. Then he ran out of his room to see if Kakaya had run out again.

The others had already picked up the children and were just hanging around the base.

"Have any of you seen Kakaya?" Smokescreen asked franticly.

"You lost her?!" Arcee asked angrily.

"She was next to me when I went into recharge."

"We have to find her." Ratchet said and looked at the monitor.

Kakaya had wondered pretty far from the base in the short amount of time she was gone. She then collapsed on the side of a cliff. Her tank felt even worse now and she looked up at the orangey yellow sky. Kakaya was so tried she failed to notice someone behind her.

Ratchet checked different frequencies to find Kakaya's life signal. Then when he found it there was another life signal behind her.

"By Primus." Arcee gasped.

"Autobots transform and roll out!" Optimus ordered and everyone except Ratchet sped out of the base.

The mech behind Kakaya snatched her up and held her tightly. Kakaya screamed in his servos and clawed at him. Kakaya tried bitting the unknown mech, but it didn't do anything. Then the other Autobots drove up to him and transformed.
"Megatron put her down." Optimus ordered while pointing his cannon at Megatron.

"I don't think so." Megatron growled and pointed his fusion cannon at Kakaya.

"Please leave her alone," Arcee begged, "She's only a sparkling." Kakaya was screaming in Megatron's servos and trying to claw her way away from him. Then a ground bridge appeared behind Megatron.

"Don't even think about it." Smokescreen snarled, but Megatron charged up his fusion cannon and kept it pointed at Kakaya, making Smokescreen back down. Then he ran through the bridge with Kakaya.

"NO!" Arcee roared and collapsed onto her knees, "How could he do such a thing?"