Rating: T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

Warnings for this chapter: Descriptions of the results of a scraplet attack.

Summary: Scraplets. Are. Bad. News.

Pairing(s): None

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Echo.

Chapter 14: Bringing Scrappy Back

Echo ran a scanner carefully over the pod. "I'm not picking anything up. The ice is blocking my scans. Dad? Are you listening to me?"

Ratchet shoved Bulkhead back into a sitting position. "You know prolonged exposure to sub-zero conditions can cause permanent system damage! And yes, I heard you, Echo. Have you tried using the transmitting pulse generator to reach past the blocking?"

"First thing I did," the young femme called back, making her way into the main room. "We'll just have to wait until it thaws out. Hopefully it opens, and isn't some kind of touch-sensitive bomb."

"I'll second that hope," Arcee commented. "Given the size of that thing…"

Optimus turned to the femmes. "Arcee, prepare to roll out. You and I will search for any clues to the origin of our Arctic find."

"Only until your sensors sound," Ratchet warned. "Remember, once your core temperature drops into the blue zone, system failures aren't likely – they're imminent."

With a screech of tires, Bumblebee pulled into the main room and opened both doors. Miko hopped out, grinning and waving to Echo. "Miss us, doc lady?"

"Like I miss a broken arm," Echo grumbled. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"On Saturday?" Miko gestured to nothing in particular. "We have the whole weekend off. To spend with you."

Ratchet groaned as Jack walked past him. "I wasn't expecting the carpool, Arcee. What gives?"

"Tag-team, Jack," Arcee explained. "It's my turn for exploration duty."

"Oh, too bad." Jack smirked. "It's a beautiful day. I'd hate for you to feel guilty for leaving me indoors…"

"Arctic exploration duty," Echo pointed out with a grin.

"Indoors where it's warm." Jack nodded understandingly. Raf's eyes widened. "The Arctic? I've always wanted to see snow!"

"I would invite you to join, Rafael," Optimus said gently. "But the conditions are too extreme even for Autobots."

Raf sighed. "I understand."

Optimus turned toward the groundbridge. "But I will bring you back a snowball."

"Really? That would be awesome!" Raf's smile returned immediately. Echo chuckled softly before turning to the groundbridge as the two Autobots left. "Transport successful – what the frag?" Jerking her servo back just in time, she stared at the blown controls. "Dad!"

"Okay, who broke what?" Ratchet glared down at the console. "By the AllSpark! Bulkhead, Bumblebee! Here. Now."

Sulkily, the two Autobots left the humans and stomped in their direction. Bulkhead grumbled irritably. "You can't boss us around just 'cause the boss bot's out!"

Ratchet ignored his complaint. "I need some heavy lifting. The groundbridge is down." At Bumblebee's worried beeping, he modified his statement. "No, they made it through just fine. It's bringing them back that concerns me. Now you two start removing those panels. Chop-chop." As the duo started removing the groundbridge's protective covering, the senior medic turned back to Echo. "And you can crawl under the console and start checking for any wiring problems."

"Yes, sir," Echo replied promptly. She could hear her father continuing to give commands as she dropped to the floor and slid into position. Sliding her fingers into the opening, she activated a mini-light and peered up into the tangle of wires and various computer components. And a screwdriver. "Hey Dad, guess what I found!" She worked it free and crawled out, only to see Ratchet holding up one of the small power grids.

"We most definitely have a problem."

"Primus." Echo stared at the mangled metal. "What could've caused this?"

The lights flickered and died. "Or that?"

"Might be the main grid." Ratchet sighed. "Hopefully it isn't a substation failure. If it is, we'll be back there all day."

"Hey guys!" Raf walked into the room. "Look what I found!"

Echo sighed. "We're busy –" Her words trailed off as she saw what Raf was holding. "AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

At her high-pitched scream, the other three jumped upright, weapons powering and pointed toward the tiny metal creature. Echo scrambled backward, trying to get as far out of range as possible, and ran right into Bulkhead.

"Hey, hey!" Miko and Jack ran between the 'bots and Raf. "What's with you guys?"

"Scraplet! Scraplet!" Bulkhead almost knocked Echo over, trying to aim. "SCRAPLET!" Chilling horror pulsed through the young femme at the word, and she ducked behind Ratchet.

Miko raised an eyebrow. "What's a…scraplet?"

"The most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron," Ratchet growled. "And you're holding one!"

"This?" Jack laughed. "Are you kidding me?"

Miko pointed. "Come on, you guys are giant robots! Scrappy here is, like, teeny."

"You have no idea the damage that teeny thing could do!" Echo yelled from behind her father.

"Aww, he wouldn't hurt anything." Raf actually petted the scraplet. Its huge optics onlined, and an instant later, the mouthful of chainsaw teeth appeared as it shot out of Raf's arms. Echo screamed again as it shot straight toward them. "NO! Somebody stop it!"

Bulkhead and Bumblebee both opened fire, but the scraplet was too small and fast. Within seconds, it had latched onto Bumblebee's leg and was chewing rapid patterns through the metal. Horrified, Echo tried to swat it, but missed. "DO something!"

Bumblebee managed to flick it off his arm, sending it flying. Before it could get back in range, Raf was in the way, smashing the screwdriver that Echo had left on the floor into the scraplet. "GET AWAY!"

"Bumblebee!" Echo dropped to her knees, staring wide-opticed at the wounds. "That little…" she shuddered.

"I'm sorry!" Raf ran up to the yellow Autobot's side. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"It's just a mesh wound," Ratchet reassured him. "He'll live. We were lucky."

"Now do you believe me?" Bulkhead gestured frantically. "All scraplets do is dismantle things and eat metal! Especially living metal!"

"Well, then…" Jack shrugged. "Bug squashed, game over. Right?"

"With scraplets…" Echo shivered. "There's never just one. And I think I might know how they got here."

"The pod," Ratchet muttered. "It must be a scraplet trap."

Sure enough, there was a large hole in the side of the pod. Bulkhead groaned. "An empty scraplet trap."

"It must have been ejected into space eons ago," Ratchet reasoned. "And somehow it wound up in the Arctic, where the cold kept them in stasis."

"Until we brought the thaw," Miko commented. "Now they're wide awake and ready to brunch."

"And from the size of the trap, there could be thousands of them." Echo looked around nervously, half expecting a swarm of the creatures to drop on her head.

Ratchet shuttered his optics. "The power malfunctions and groundbridge damage are sure signs that their infestation is well under way."

"And without a groundbridge…" Bulkhead's voice trailed off.

"We've got to contact Optimus." Ratchet led the way back to the main computer console. "Optimus? Optimus, do you read me?"

The screen flickered, then went black. "They've gotten into the comm system." The senior medic's voice was quiet. "If we don't eradicate these creatures immediately, they'll reduce the entire base to a scrapheap."

"Well…I say we just bug out of here and let 'em keep it!" Bulkhead clenched a fist, and Bumblebee nodded in agreement. Echo shook her head.

"We can't do that! If we leave, Optimus and Arcee won't have any way to get back…"

"…And they'll die," Ratchet finished. "Evacuation is not an option."

Miko stomped over to her guardian, glaring. "Bulkhead! You never run!"

"Miko, you haven't seen these things devour a 'bot. We have." Bulkhead shuddered. "They rip you apart from the inside out, going for the small, juicy bits first…fuse by fuse, circuit by circuit, until there's nothing left, and I mean nothing! Not even your optics!"

"Bulkhead, stop it!" Echo pressed a servo to her mouth, trying to hold back the gag reflex. She'd seen it happen too…and even for a medic, it was a horrific sight. "Just…we know already!"

"You have to let us help," Jack said resolutely.

Before anyone could ask why, Raf nodded. "Yeah! We're not made of metal, so they can't hurt us."

"Normally I find your fleshiness to be the least engaging of your qualities," Ratchet huffed. "But it would appear to provide an advantage under these extremes."

"Great." Jack turned. "So…uh…one human per group. Ratchet, Echo, I'll watch your back while you fix the groundbridge."

"And we –" Miko pointed to Bulkhead and Bumblebee " – go on a bug hunt."

Twenty minutes later, Echo fiddled nervously with her wrench, jumping at every little sound. Jack sighed. "It's fine, Echo. I'm still watching. Just keep helping your dad. Speaking of which, how's it going over there?"

Ratchet growled. "I've repaired the damaged conductors and rerouted the central conduits, but the groundbridge still won't receive power!"

"Uh…Jack…Dad…" Echo backed up. "Do you hear that?"

"Whoa!" Jack's cry caused both medics to jump and turn toward him. Echo screamed at the sight of a swarm of scraplets hurtling toward them at full speed.

Cliffhanger! *grins evilly* Review please!