This started as an entry for 1forSorrow2for Joy's Contest on . Got see her journal if you want to enter as well. But it seemed to fit in with what I was doing with Smudge and Iron right now. And now, and another plot bunny. Humm my friend watcher, you aren't the only one with the crazy rabbits. And with friends like this, who needs distractions? I love your encouragement. Today is 4/30 and I nearly hit 500 watchers? {Gasp and passes out.} How in the world did that happen? Okay, time to get some more glyps on a certain somebody's blankie that will be donated to Hasbro's Children's Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. I finally got one finished for Litahatchee ready for donation.

It had been a bloody day. Not only had all three leading commanders (Optimus, Rodimus and Ultra Magnus) had to go on this run, but half the bots that came back had some kind of injury. Wheeljack, Medivac and Firelock were all dong their best a triage in the hangar bay while 'Iron and Red Alert took on the heavier issues into the med bay. The larger commanders had been left to do their best of doing what little they knew in battlefield techniques for twisted servos and splinting broken limbs. Everyone was covered in Energon-bot fluids and weapons expellants and Pit knows what else. Nothing like a ruse turned into a trap, ensighting a full fledge battle to screw up a very nice quiet day off.

Red Alter rushed in with an orange and red mech on a gurney on the edge of a fritz. Iron only narrowed his gaze in warning to his partner not to do it. Red gave him a weak smile, "Not a chance, Doc. You may not throw wrenches but with two Primes as your in-laws, I fritz, they'll kill me. Then you'll kill me for leaving you another medic short."

Iron couldn't help but smile at the attempt to lighten the mood for a moment. That was until he saw the face of the smoldering mech Red brought in. His chest hitched and he sighed a moan, "Smudge…"

Red grimaces reaching for a tray of tools, "I know. Looks like a direct hit to his chest."

Together they immediately remove the battered acid-eaten chest armor. The damage underneath almost made both medics purge. Red grabbed the base to counter the acid continuing to eat through the mech's underarmor skin. With a quick douse of sterile wash, the rotting bits of metal pushed away from the wound. The spark chamber was vulnerably exposed and damaged.

"Primus, just like-" Red breathed.

"Not on my watch! I buried his sire, I'm not burying him too!" He dove into his work and barked at the seriously wounded friend, "Smudge! You stay with me or so help me I will chase you into the Matrix and bring you back. Do you hear me?"

"Yes Mom," was barely understood from the off lining mech.

"Scrapaziods he's crashing!" Red cried.

"I forbid it!" Iron dove a device and then tool after tool into the chest cavity. He barked and snarked orders at Red. For just a moment, Red swore he was standing beside Ratchet and not Ironhide & Chromia's son.

Just as he was getting a handle on the situation:

'Wroughtiron's comm. link opened, he heard the delicate clicks sounding through his right audio receiver and sighed, as soon as he heard the static stop, he spoke first;"Can't this wait!" he then looked down at his work and half smiled, proud and pleased to be where he was; saving lives, "I'm elbow deep in a mechs spark chamber and time is of the essence," there was no immediate response, "Hello?" 'Iron asked hesitantly, then the comm. link suddenly cut out...'

He hesitated for only a moment and then charged back to work.

The medbay door burst open. Both medic heads popped up and ordered, "GET OUT!"

But the orange and white flamed mech of Iron's generation refused and thrust an angry finger at the black and blue officer, "Where is my sister?"

Thoroughly shocked at his brother-in-law's interruption of delicate surgery for such a ridiculous question he only had one reply, "Huh?"

Firelock stepped forward but Iron thrust a long leg out gently keeping the mech at bay and his hands still within the fire truck's chest, "There's open spark surgery going on here, stay back."

Firelock steps back physically but not verbally, "Where is your mate?"

Iron furrows his brow, "Firelock, how should I know. She was supposed to be with you in the hangar." And then it felt like Cybertron just landed on his head with realization. "Oh frag. When's the last time you heard from her?"

"You first." Firelock curtly responds.

Red gently prods them both, "Iron, you can't leave Smudge's chest exposed much longer. Please."

Iron is torn between his duty as medic and as mate. If he lets himself be distracted Smudge could die. If he doesn't use his sparklink he could loose his mate. Think stupid think… The com signal….

"Wroughtiron…" Red reminds him.

"Brother…" Firelock pleads.

"Both of you shut up and let me think." He takes a deep breath and concentrates his hands on the task before him, and shoots a question to 'Lock without changing his optic's focus, "When did you last see her?"

"When did you get your last send?"

"Firelock!" Wroughtiron fires only his voice keeping his optics on the task, "Give me that plate, Red. We'll reinforce it for now and give the spark a chance to calm down. I wish Mercy was here and she could send to-"

Iron snaps his head to the flamed-mech, "Where is Mercy?"

"With Firestar." Firelock easily retorts.

Iron rolls his optics but Red asks the question, "Which is where? Aren't they in the hangar doing triage with you and Lilly?"

Lock snarks back, "No. They headed out to look into -"

Iron's optics go wide in fear and he can feel his own spark pulse triple timing. His hands clench so tight on the curved metal sheet that it dents, "That was cycles ago! They should have been back by now."

Red swiftly clamps a hand over Iron's, "Doc-bot, stop, breathe." Iron releases the metal into Red's grip and closes his optics trying to get calm.

Firelock tries again, "Brother, when have you last gotten a send?"

Iron takes a couple more moments knowing good and well now who that comlink was from. He knows he needs to drop his bondlink-shield and yet he is terrified it will be in pain or worse… silently numb.

Red can see the bonded-medic is trying with all his might to get calm while being torn in two between his duties. Firelock opens his mouth but Red swiftly holds up a hand holding a wrench. The orange jaw snaps shut.

An eerily clam voice comes from the black and blue mech splattered in Smudge's life fluids and acid remnants, "Firelock, when I am in disaster mode, I pull a shield over our spark bond. It protects her and keeps my sanity. I had assumed she was with the other femmes when I got word of incoming. Will you please go to Blaster and Rodimus. I need to save Smudge's life."

"But-"

And then a deep slow growl comes from the black mech. Red bristles swearing he just saw Ironhide's ghost, "That was not a request. It was an order, soldier. NOW!"

Firelock gulps and swiftly leaves the room. His brother-in-law and near best friend had NEVER used that tone with him. Then again, Fire Lilly had never been lost like this nor Smudge ever looked so bad while his incubating mate and mother were missing as well. Firelock ran as fast as he could to the hangar bay.

Iron on the other hand took the sheet of metal from Red, "Give me the two point one."

Red is careful, "Are you sure?"

Iron knows his partner is just making sure the CMO is focused, "Yes. Wheeljack used this on Firestar when her spark casing was beginning to erode again. Now, the two point one, please."

Firestar's com had be deactivated as soon as she was captured. Mercy had played terrified damsel, even fainting, to get the assailants to leave her alone. Fire Lilly was known for her invisibility/hologram abilities and so that's what the captures had put their focus on disabling.

It turned out Mercy's faint wasn't false at all. Coming to inside their bare cell of an armored SeaTrain Unit, Mercy was able to tell them what she could from her diagnosis of her sparklink, "Smudge is in great pain but also knocked out right now. I've never felt him like this. I'm worried."

Firestar put her arm around both femmes and gives them a bit of hope, "Smudge is a strong mech and we've got the best doc in the universe. It will be alright."

Lilly isn't terrified yet. Her brain is operating much like Firestar's. Both femmes begin examining their surroundings. Lilly puts a hand to the wall and gets zapped harshly, "Frag! Now if I only had some popcorn…"

Firestar can't help but chuckle at the femme's calmness, and her retort sounding so like Hot Rod. Firestar wrinkles her nose, "And movie."

Lilly smiles back, "I'm working on it. Escape From Alcatraz, I think." Then she snaps her fingers. "Signal boost!"

Firestar smiles, "Oh I do like the way you think!"

~~~ Frustrating time passes….

The rounding pink and black femme soothes Lilly's arm, "Were you able to do it?"

Lilly shakes her head, "I'm not sure. I may have but then again it must be really bad in Iacon. Iron's go that sparklink closed off tight and hard. I've tried every way around it I can think. Even the littlest hair line fracture that I can normally wiggle my way through when he's in surgery and pulse him my support. Nothing."

Firestar leans over as much as her heavy bulk will allow her. "It's alright." She helps Lilly remove the extra wires and armor parts they had attached to Lilly's helm spikes to increase her comlink range. None too soon. Heavy foot steps can be heard coming and the latches on the container unit are being released. The bright light from outside blocks a good view of their warden.

"Fire Lilly, mate of the Autobot Chief Medical Officer, Mercy incubating mate of the Chief of Rescue on the refugee planet and Firestar warrior in her own right, also incubating her dead mate's last offspring," a deep voice chuckles mercilessly, "Oh a fine catch today. If our battle leaving three divisions of Autobot soldiers limping home wasn't sweetness enough, this was just pure icing on the high-grade cake." The evil laugh cackles louder and harder. "Oh Primes you are at my beckon call now." Muwhahahahahahahahahah

For those of you completely lost… come along and read Prime Blood Saga.

Rosa (birth of Fire Lilly's mother)

Rod of Fire (birth of Lilly)

Infernal Fire & Perceived (birth of Mercy & Smudge)

Ironbands (Wroughtiron's birth)

Iron's World (Iron & Lilly's romance)

And Smudge.