Hailey

"Hey Jazz." I greeted as I walked into his room. "Hey there 'lil lady." Jazz said in return, looking away from the sparkling on his berth only for a moment while he lifted me up onto the berth. I then found myself face to face with Optimus. "Hey big guy." I greeted, smiling at the sparkling. He chirped at me in reply. "Who knew he was so cute as a kid?" I said, stepping up to Optimus. He ran the end of my jacket through his digits. "I'm not even part of your species and I think he's downright adorab- Ack!" I was cut off as Optimus yanked me off my feet. He plopped me on my butt directly in front of him and started petting my head, playing with my hair. "Well, good to know I'm entertaining." I said to Jazz earning a smile from the saboteur. Optimus clicked curiously as the strands of my hair slid through his fingers.

Jazz's chronometer sounded a clipped beep. "That means it's time for a certain Autobot Commander to take his nap." Jazz said he reached to take me away from Optimus, but Prime was quicker. He yanked me again and pressed me to his chassis, as if I were a coveted toy. "C'mon Prime, you need to sleep." Jazz said gently, reaching for me again. Optimus held me tighter, causing me to squeak, as he stood and toddled away. "No!" he said possessively. His voice was childish and a bit squeaky. Jazz stopped in his tracks. "Now that's odd... You've only been a sparkling for a week, your shouldn't be talking for another few orns... Or walking for that matter." Jazz said thoughtfully, obviously speaking his thoughts aloud. "Hey Jazz, little help?" I called, still in the miniature Autobot Commander's grasp. "Oh, right. C'mon Prime, nap time." Jazz said, moving to enforce. As reply, Optimus lay down with me still wrapped in his arms like a favorite stuffed animal. I sighed. "Guess I'm stuck." I said, resigning to my fate. "Guess so." Jazz laughed.

We both went quiet so that Optimus could fall asleep. I heard his systems slow to a quiet hum, so I knew he was in stasis. "I'm gonna go talk to Ratchet. Can you chill here for a bit?" Jazz asked in a low whisper. "I don't think I get a choice in the matter." I replied just as quietly. Jazz smiled and left the room on silent pedes. I sat there listening to the sounds of Optimus' internal systems, for lack of an alternative. The pulse of his spark gently thrummed into my back, and it had a sort of calming quality. Unconsciously, my eyelids started to droop and I nodded off.

Ratchet

I was in the Med Bay, prepping some low-grade energon. The stuff went quickly since we now had so many sparklings on base. I looked up at the sound of static from a vocalizer, the equivalent of a throat being cleared. "Yes, Jazz? Shouldn't you be caring for a sparkling?" I asked, looking back down to the activity at hand. "Prime's in recharge right now. He's got Hailey held hostage, so It's not like he's alone anyway." Jazz replied casually. I quirked an optic ridge at him. "Held hostage?" Jazz waved off my comment and continued. "Yeah, but I think you'd be more interested with what's happening to Prime." I set down what I was doing and turned to face him. "You've got my attention." I said.

"Prime is speaking and walking already. He shouldn't be that advanced yet, should he?" He asked. I nodded, "Follow me. He's not the only one." Jazz seemed surprised, but followed me without comment.

I stopped outside Ironhide's quarters, where he sat on his berth, the Twins crawling all over him. "C'mon Sideswipe, Sunstreaker's got 'n excuse, you don'!" Ironhide said, attempting to catch the elusive Lambos. Sideswipe pouted from his perch atop Ironhide's helm. "There's so much sparkling curiosity flooding over our twin bond, I can't help it." Sideswipe replied. Ironhide finally noticed Jazz and I. "Thank Primus. Little help here?" the red mech asked. Jazz and I each pulled a sparkling off the mech. "Hi Jazz!" Sideswipe greeted brightly from where he dangled upside down from my grasp. I flipped him upright as Jazz asked "Is anybody gonna give me an explanation?"

"Sideswipe was never actually hit with the ray." I explained as I allowed Sideswipe to fiddle with my index finger. Sideswipe didn't look up from his new game of testing how far the joints in my digit would bend as he added "Sunny got nailed and I was affected through our twin bond. But obviously, the effects weren't as severe." Jazz nodded slowly, so as not to dislodge Sunstreaker from where the sparkling had clambered atop the SIC's helm. "But Prime got nailed, so why's he talkin'?" Jazz asked just before he suddenly yelped. I instantly turned my gaze to the yellow sparkling on the visored mech's helm. Sunstreaker still had Jazz's sensitive horn in his mouth. An icy glare from me was all it took to get the sparkling to release it and to dissuade him from using Jazz as a chew toy any further.

Continuing as if there had been no interruption, I replied "I don't know." Sideswipe, who was now tracing the seams in the armor on my servo, chipped in without pause in his new occupation. "Maybe it has something to do with the Matrix?" "That'd explain why Optimus is th' only one besides Sideswipe affected this way." Jazz added. I nodded. "I'll need to see how fast and how far Prime is progressing." I said, aiming the comment at Jazz. "I'll bring Optimus to the Med Bay as soon as he wakes up. Speaking of my charge," the saboteur said, returning Sunstreaker to Ironhide, "I should get back to him." With that he left the room. I quickly deposited Sideswipe onto Ironhide's lap and left as well, leaving the weapons specialist to the mercy of the twins. Said weapons specialists muttered something about "Pitspawn sparklings" as I left.

Jazz

I headed back to my quarters in not quite a rush, thinking about how I'd left the place. I'll probably be able to rescue Hailey from Prime now. I thought. I smiled at the oddity of the situation. I just hope she isn't too miffed I left for so long.

My worry left my processor instantly as I saw what was left in my quarters. Hailey had fallen asleep where she was still clutched by Optimus. I flinched as the door slid shut, the normally almost inaudible noise seemed far too loud in the quiet if the room. I looked back to the napping duo after giving the door a brief glare. Hailey had shifted and curled up at the noise, and Optimus had pulled her closer in response. Neither had woken.

I smiled at the display, and went over to my desk as silently as possible. I pulled out a datapad containing a half-finished report and went to work quietly. Prowl would be happy to see me finally filling out paperwork.

If he wasn't currently a sparkling anyway.