Day of the Black Sun

by Kitsune Triforce

One year has passed since the battle in Chicago, and the Great War seems to be over at last. But just as the Autobots are beginning to settle into their new peaceful lives on Earth, a rogue Decepticon crashes in Ohio. This Decepticon, Firestorm, has a cryptic warning for the Autobots and their human allies: He is coming. AU Sequel to Dark of the Moon, follows Moon Shadows.

21. Changes

A/N: I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out. A string of events starting with computer problems followed by spraining my right wrist so bad it was swollen all the way up to my elbow and ending with the AC at my house failing and it being too hot to concentrate on writing are the obstacles that stood in the way of me finishing this when I had planned, but I finally was able to get it done.

This chapter marks the end of what I consider the first part of the story. As promised, we enter into some happier territory in parts of this chapter, but things are only going to get more intense from here.

But enough from me, there's an overdue chapter you want to read.

Dialogue Guide:

"Radio speak"

Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words

"Normal speech"

"Cybertronian"

Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve.

Enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.

HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.

NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Transformers: Day of the Black Sun

Chapter Twenty-Changes

Rating: T

Words: 14,970

---

EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON OF THE DAY following the departure of the group headed out to stop the Decepticons from obtaining Megatron's remains found Ratchet, as always, in the medbay, once again working to organize the medical reports he kept while Beachcomber and First Aid took their recharge naps. This time, however, he was not alone with his Sparkling charges. Scattershot was standing in one corner of the medbay, where the medic could keep an optic on him, nervously watching as Ratchet worked. On a table next to the Decepticon, a cube of Energon lay untouched. Being an efficient multitasker, Ratchet was able to watch Scattershot while also going through the medical reports he had pulled out of his desk. As Computron, Wheelie, and Brains, along with Sam, were currently in a room that had been converted into a Recharge area for the little ones, watching over the other three Sparklings, the job of keeping tabs on the Decepticon prisoner fell to the medic, even though he had other work to do.

As time passed, however, Ratchet found himself believing more and more that keeping a guard over Scattershot was completely unnecessary. The orange-armored Decepticon had a decidedly nervous attitude, and obviously lacked self-confidence, but he did seem sincere and desperate in his wanting to find a way to help the Autobots. His pitiful outward appearance-armor marred by dents and scrapes, which were obviously from old injuries that had either healed without proper medical treatment or treatment that was patchy at best, gave him a somewhat lopsided look, and the healing yet still nasty-looking scar on his left cheek plating-only seemed to emphasize the nervousness and lack of confidence he was visibly displaying. But those observations were not the only reason Ratchet had for his newfound belief and agreement with Optimus Prime that Scattershot wasn't a threat to the Autobots.

Ratchet was already aware that Scattershot had been suffering from memory-lock and had only recently come out of it, as, with no time to tell him in person before leaving to confront the other Decepticons, Optimus had sent him a compressed transmission file containing the details of his earlier conversation with Scattershot after he had left with the others. A scan to make sure that there were no resulting problems from Scattershot's former condition had shown that he was healing properly with no complications-aside from a lingering processor ache that should go away in a day or two-but the medic still could not help feeling sorry for the younger mech for having gone through something so horrible.

He trusted Optimus's judgment about Scattershot, of course, but for Ratchet, the biggest factor that supported Scattershot being trustworthy was how the Sparklings had reacted to him the previous day. Actually, it had been one Sparkling in particular. First Aid, Beachcomber, and Fireflight-Blaster had refused to let Sam put him down at all the previous day, so it was hard to judge his reaction to the Decepticon-had kept their distance from Scattershot, obviously scared and nervous about the mech that was a complete stranger to them, but Trailbreaker had walked right up to him. The oldest Sparkling had solemnly looked Scattershot over for a minute, then went back to the other Sparklings, talking to them in the mixture of clicks and babyish English all the Sparklings used, pointing in the Decepticon's direction as he firmly told them in a serious voice that he was "'kay, not mean". After that, the other Sparklings had stopped being nervous around Scattershot, Trailbreaker's reassurance about the mech being nothing to worry about encouraging them to not be afraid of him anymore, even going so far as to play relatively close to him.

Scattershot, for his part, had initially been very hesitant around the Sparklings, it being painfully obvious that he wanted to help the others look after them but not being sure how to go about actually doing so. He had been genuinely surprised by Trailbreaker's actions, and while he was still a little hesitant even after the Sparklings had accepted him, he had relaxed enough to allow Ratchet to see that he was actually a kind mech-nervous, anxious, with no self-confidence of any kind-but a genuinely kind-sparked Cybertronian who had never been meant to be a Decepticon, one who really wanted to help the Autobots and be accepted as one of them.

All thanks to Trailbreaker, proving his name to be an apt one as he once again took it upon himself to resolve a situation that was making his friends upset, taking the first steps that the others had not been willing to.

Optimus was right-Trailbreaker's a natural leader. Not surprising, seeing as how Optimus is the one raising him. Ratchet mused. And he's perceptive, too. After all, Sparklings can see the true character of someone else far better and easier than a grown Cybertronian can, but he didn't take any time at all to decide that Scattershot was safe to be around.

"That Energon isn't contaminated, you know," The medic said out loud, glancing in Scattershot's direction. "You can drink it."

Scattershot flinched, casting a nervous look at the medic before looking at the cube of Energon that rested on the nearby table. It was meant for him, but he didn't really feel like he could drink it at the moment. "I…I don't feel like having any Energon right now, sir."

Ratchet refocused his full attention on Scattershot at that statement, frowning. "I know for a fact that you have not refueled since the Sparklings were put to bed last night. You need that Energon." Knowing the reason Scattershot was most likely to have for refusing the Energon, he allowed his voice to take on a slightly gentler note. "I know how awful you must feel after remembering what happened to you when you were a Youngling, but making yourself ill by not refueling won't help matters."

"I know, sir," Scattershot replied quietly, giving the medic another nervous look before lowering his gaze back to the Energon cube in question.

"Then drink it."

Scattershot looked at the Energon cube for another minute, then finally took it off the table, drinking the contents of the cube with small, hesitant sips.

Ratchet nodded in satisfaction and returned his attention back to the medical reports scattered on his desk. Since he had the time while waiting for the others to contact him to let him know that they were on their way back, he might as well use it to finally finished organizing these reports.

His comm suddenly coming to life, however, put a stop to any sorting he was preparing to do as he received the message he had been waiting for.

Ratchet, is the medbay prepared to receive casualties from the battle?

Yes, it is, Optimus, Ratchet replied immediately. How far are you from here?

Not very far. Silverbolt, Firestorm, Prowl, and myself will be arriving at the base in about thirty minutes. Things went badly for us, old friend. It was obvious how extremely weary Optimus was, even though the emotion did not carry over through the comm. But I will tell you more once we arrive. In the meantime, you should make additional preparations-we have the most desperate in their need for medical attention with us. You will need to be ready to treat a Spark damaged from a lost Spark bond.

A lost…There was only one possibility for what the Prime had just told him that the medic knew of. Primus, did one of the twins…?

No, both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are fine. We have been reunited with Chromia and Arcee. Chromia is very weak and needs the treatment immediately. Arcee needs the treatment as well, but her need for it is not as serious as Chromia's.

Ratchet stood up suddenly, ignoring the nervous look Scattershot gave him at seeing his actions. Optimus's words had both surprised and worried him. Chromia and Arcee? You found them?

They found us, Optimus replied.

Ratchet vented, relief at knowing the two femmes were alive warring against the worry he felt at knowing what their medical conditions almost certainly were. I'll bet there's a long and complicated story there.

Yes, there most certainly is, Optimus agreed. I will tell you once we arrive back at the base.

All right. Ratchet began clearing the medical reports off of the desk. He had to get the equipment ready for the treatment that Chromia, and Arcee, to a lesser extent, would need the moment they arrived. I'll be ready.

Good. We will see you soon. The comm cut off.

Ratchet placed the last of the medical reports in his desk, checked to make sure both Beachcomber and First Aid were still in recharge, and once he saw that they were, he turned to Scattershot. "So, you want to help the Autobots in any way you can?"

Scattershot put the now-empty Energon cube down on the table and nodded nervously, but resolutely. "Yes, sir. I want to help."

"Good. The others are going to be back soon and there are two that will need immediate, specialized medical attention. I need to have everything ready when they get here. Now, here's what I need you to get out of those cabinets next to you…"

---

Sam had taken advantage of it being time for the Sparklings to have their recharge naps by going to the mess hall to join Carly in getting something to eat. Initially, he had been reluctant to leave-there had been an unspoken agreement between him and Bee that he'd be the one to look after Blaster while the others were gone-but Wheelie, Brains, and Computron had insisted that they could manage by themselves for a little while. Besides, Sam also knew that Bee wouldn't want him to go without eating, anyway.

He still felt a little guilty about leaving Blaster when he had agreed to look after him, though, especially when he thought about Blaster's behavior since Bumblebee had left.

The little Sparkling had been really fussy the yesterday, refusing to let Sam put him down, shoving away his bottle instead of drinking his Energon before he went to bed, and he'd had trouble recharging, too. He'd kept asking where Bee was and Sam didn't know how to tell him in a way that he could understand. When Sam had asked Ratchet about the Sparkling's behavior, however, the medic had said the way Blaster was acting was perfectly normal.

"Even without a Sparkbond involved, Sparklings are very sensitive to their caretakers' behavior and emotions," Ratchet had told him. "The others didn't leave the base in the best of conditions. Blaster saw that Bumblebee was worried and anxious about something and he picked up on that, feeling those emotions himself, and the fact that Bumblebee left almost immediately didn't help matters even if it was necessary. A Sparkling, especially one Blaster's age, becomes extremely stressed if separated from their caretaker in such conditions. As Blaster already had a bad experience in which he was separated from Bumblebee, he is upset more by it. Just keep reassuring him, and he'll be fine. He might not completely settle until Bumblebee returns, but he'll be fine."

That was true, Sam could see. Blaster might be loads better, but he was still recovering from being the Decepticons' captive the previous month. Seeing Bumblebee get so worried and anxious, and then suddenly leave without being able to take the time to properly reassure the Sparkling, had made the separation anxiety Blaster still suffered from slightly worse. Fortunately, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been at the start, when Blaster had first been rescued from the Decepticons who had kidnapped him-he wasn't crying this time, he was just being very fussy and restless-but it was still hard to see the Sparkling so upset again.

Blaster had been a little better that morning, though. He'd actually taken his bottle when Sam offered it to him after he woke up, and once in the main hangar's Sparkling play area, instead of sitting quiet and anxious in one spot like he had the last time he had been upset, he'd turned his attention to practicing his latest accomplishment, standing up. He couldn't do it on his own yet; he had to use something to pull himself to his feet and had to hold onto the same object while standing so he could stay upright. However, despite being busy practicing standing up, Blaster still kept asking where Bee was, and Sam still had no idea what to tell him. He and Carly had eventually settled for simply reassuring the Sparkling that Bumblebee had just had to go somewhere very important with the others, but he would be back soon. Blaster hadn't seemed very satisfied with that answer, and kept casting anxious looks towards the hangar exit, watching for Bumblebee to come back.

Fortunately, they had been able to distract him a little by playing with him-Trailbreaker had helped there, as he had seen that his friend was sad again and wanted to make him feel better-and when it was around the time for the Sparklings to take their afternoon naps, Blaster had fallen into recharge without any trouble.

Hopefully that meant he would be less upset when he woke up and would be fine until Bumblebee and the rest of the Autobots came back.

He kept thinking about Bumblebee and the others as he ate; the somber atmosphere that had arrived when the Autobots had left yesterday made neither he nor Carly feel very much like talking at the moment. The two of them had stayed at the base overnight, just so they would be able to know immediately both when the Autobots got back, and what had happened with the Decepticons. He was worried, so worried that he hadn't really been able to get much sleep the night before. He didn't know much about this Cyclonus guy who was supposedly leading the Decepticons now, but seeing the reactions the Autobots had had when they learned that he was on Earth was more than enough to let Sam know that Cyclonus was seriously bad news. And the fact that the Decepticons wanted to try and revive Megatron again was even worse. The Decepticons were dangerous to fight on a good day, but fighting them when they were desperate to revive their dead leader? Things could go badly, very badly.

Sam pushed those thoughts aside. Even though he was incredibly worried about Bee and everyone else, he had to believe that they would be okay. Besides, he had a Sparkling to look after and he couldn't do that if he let his worry take over. Blaster was stressed enough from being separated from Bee as it was.

He looked around. The mess hall was, aside from the two of them and one or two of the non-soldier members of NEST, empty. Nearly all of the people-Autobot and human alike-that had been stationed on the base had left with Optimus and Will Lennox to go after the Decepticons, making it so those who were left behind pretty much had the entire base to themselves. Even Director Mearing wasn't there, but her reason for being gone was different; she had gone back to DC for a meeting of some kind. Sam had a feeling said meeting had something to do with the recent Decepticon activity, but no one was saying anything about it, regardless of whether or not that was what it was actually about.

"I hope they get back soon," Sam finally said, breaking the silence he and Carly had been eating in, giving up trying to avoid thinking about what was bothering him. It wasn't working, anyway. "I hate not knowing what's happening to them. Bee could be hurt, and so could any of the others, and we'd never even know it happened." If he felt this worried just from the Autobots being out-of-reach on a simple mission on Earth, he could only imagine how much worse it would be during the coming battle, when the Autobots would be fighting off-planet. He knew Bumblebee wanted this, to be a part of NEST and help until everything settled down again, and while he respected that and understood-after all, hadn't he wanted the same thing last year before that whole mess with Sentinel had started?-it didn't prevent him from worrying about his friend.

"I know, Sam. I'm worried about them, too." He could tell that Carly meant it, too. It was hard to believe that just a year ago she had held a very different attitude towards the Autobots as a whole.

Chicago and the events following it had changed a lot of things.

Sam stared at the bit of food left on his plate, then pushed it away with a sigh. He hadn't had much on appetite to begin with and what little of one he had was now completely gone. "I don't feel like eating the rest of this."

"Sam…"

"I know, I know. Not eating won't help. But I can't bring myself to eat, either."

Carly gave him a concerned look, but didn't argue. "Do you want to go check with Ratchet? Maybe he knows when the others will get back. Blaster's taking his nap right now, and Wheelie, Brains, and Computron can handle things until we get back, if you want to go ask Ratchet if he knows when everyone else will be back."

Sam blinked. Of course, if anyone on base currently knew when everyone would get back, it would be Ratchet. Why hadn't he thought of that? Because Carly was the one thinking with a clear head, that was why. He gave Carly an appreciative smile, grateful for her suggestion.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

---

Even though Silverbolt had left the scene of the battle before Firestorm had, he soon found himself joined in the air by the old Seeker not too long after he had taken off to return to the base with his passengers. As Firestorm had been elected to transport the more seriously injured of the human soldiers, and the Seeker took his duties seriously, it wasn't really much of a surprise that he had caught up so quickly. Especially unsurprising, since Silverbolt knew that Firestorm was learning medical skills from Ratchet, because he wanted to help others instead of hurting them like he had done when he had been a Decepticon-he'd heard it from Prowl, who had been in the medbay at the time Firestorm had first asked Ratchet to teach him. Of course he would want to get the humans back as soon as possible so that they would receive the treatment they needed. Likewise, Silverbolt was also trying to fly as fast as he safely could, ignoring his dislike of heights to his fullest ability, so that he could get his passengers-Arcee and Chromia, most importantly-back to the base so that they could get the medical treatment they needed, as well.

Silverbolt had heard Arcee tell the entire story of what had happened to her and Chromia; it wasn't much of a stain for him to split his attention between flying and listening to the conversation between the passengers he carried. He knew what the possible outcome would be if Chromia didn't get treatment soon; it was surprising that she had lasted this long. And while he wasn't particularly close to either of the femmes, they were still Autobots, they were still friends, and he had to get back to the base as soon as he could to help them.

That would make up for failing to locate the Decepticons who had run off with Megatron's remains. At least, Silverbolt hoped that it would.

The base finally came into view, and Silverbolt adjusted his flight pattern as he angled towards the runway that was designated for NEST use-meaning the flying Autobots and the normal C-17s that transported the human soldiers-only.

Optimus Prime, sir, I'm getting ready to land, Silverbolt informed the Autobot leader.

Understood, Silverbolt, Optimus replied. We will be ready to disembark as soon as you have landed safely.

Once he had broken off the comm with Optimus, Silverbolt turned his attention to Firestorm, who was still flying a small distance behind him. Follow me in, but don't actually land until I'm done, alright? No need to risk a collision, especially with injured being transported.

I understand, Firestorm responded, hanging back as the silver-armored Autobot began to land on the runway. I will wait until you have finished landing before I come in.

Although he landed relatively quickly with no problems, Silverbolt still couldn't help wincing internally when he hit the runway, hoping desperately that Arcee and Chromia were secure enough that the landing hadn't jarred them in any way-even though the injuries they suffered from were not quite physical, he didn't want to accidently cause them any more pain. Soon after he had come to a stop, he heard Firestorm land behind him, and waited until the Seeker stopped nearby before letting his passengers disembark. Silverbolt could see Firestorm doing the same off to the side.

The human medics who had remained on the base were waiting for them, ready to rush the injured soldiers off to be treated for their wounds. As the soldiers were being taken care of, both Silverbolt and Firestorm Transformed out of their alternate modes, ready to assist Optimus and Prowl with the injured Autobots, if they were able.

"I can take care of her," Arcee insisted, trying to support Chromia as she had done earlier, but it was obvious that this time her exhaustion was too much for her to successfully do so.

"I know that you wish to help Chromia," Optimus said gently. "But you are not in the best of condition yourself at the moment. Please, Arcee, let us help you."

"But-" Arcee protested, before her words were cut off by a weak voice.

"Arcee, it's alright. You need to rest, too. Let them take care of me for a while."

Arcee looked at Chromia, still hesitating, but she didn't want to argue with her sister. She vented a sigh and reluctantly allowed Prowl to take over in supporting her injured sister. "All right. But I can get to the medbay on my own."

Optimus looked at Firestorm and Silverbolt as Prowl, taking care to support Chromia as well as he could, began to head towards the hangar that housed the medbay, a worried Arcee following as they walked after the humans already on their way there.

"Thank you, Firestorm and Silverbolt, for transporting the injured back to base." He looked over the two fliers, taking note of their own injures-the ones they had received in defending Arcee and Chromia from Cyclonus. While their injuries were not severe, the Prime knew that Ratchet would want to see to them as well-once the two femmes were out of any immediate danger, of course. "I am sure that Ratchet will want to tend to your own wounds, as well, once he has seen to Arcee and Chromia."

"Optimus Prime," Firestorm said, taking a hesitant step forward. "I know that the outcome of the fight was not the one we needed or wanted to achieve, and I wish to-"

Optimus held up a hand, cutting the old Seeker off. "I know what you are going to say, Firestorm, and no, it is not your fault, nor is it yours, Silverbolt. If anything, the blame is mine. I should have realized what it was the Decepticons were after and acted on it sooner."

"No, sir, that's not true. You can't blame yourself," Silverbolt protested. "We all should have realized it."

"It is still my oversight," The Prime replied, regret evident in his voice. He shook his head, his voice taking on a firmer, more resolved note as he continued. "However, we must move past this now, and do what we can to make it right. When everyone has had their injuries tended to and had some rest, we will gather together to discuss what must be done now. I will go now and inform Prowl of this." He nodded respectfully at Silverbolt and Firestorm, and began to head towards the main hangar.

Firestorm and Silverbolt glanced at each other, then followed after the Prime, the guilt they both shared over being unable to track the Decepticons fading in light of Optimus's announcement of forming a plan.

The Autobots were down, but they were not out of the fight. Not just yet.

---

Sam and Carly had been ushered out of the medbay and were now standing in the hallway. Sam was staring at the door in shock, Carly looking at him, both in confusion and concern.

The fact that Ratchet had been rushing around, Scattershot helping him to pull out all sorts of medical equipment when they had arrived to ask about the time the others would get back had been troubling enough -after all, why would Ratchet be in such a rush to get the medbay prepped if he wasn't expecting injured Autobots to be arriving soon? But the sight of Prowl, supporting an obviously-badly-injured Chromia, followed by a distressed Arcee, coming into the medbay as Ratchet hurriedly motioned them over to a pair of berths next to a serious-looking, obviously important machine, had been even worse.

And now, Ratchet had told them to leave the medbay-in an agitated but polite voice-telling them that he needed space to care for the patients, so now they were out in the hall, unsure of what had just happened and what to do now.

Well, Carly was unsure of what had happened, anyway.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Sam, who were those two Autobots with Prowl? Are they new?"

"No, they're not new, they've been here a while and…" Sam stopped and turned to her, remembering belatedly that Carly didn't know Arcee and Chromia. "Oh, that's right, you never met them…that was Arcee-she's the pink one-and Chromia-the blue one. They've been missing for almost two years; we all thought they were dead. Bee was so upset when the search for them was finally cut off…" Seeing that Carly looked even more confused at his last statement, Sam hurried on. "Chromia, well, she was, Ironhide's Sparkmate, you know, his wife, so, uh, that more or less makes her Bee's mom…adopted mom, yeah. And Arcee, she's one of his best friends."

"Arcee and Bumblebee have known each other since they were both Younglings," Optimus's voice came from behind the two humans, and they turned to see the Autobot leader walking towards them, followed by Silverbolt and Firestorm. "And while Chromia was not around very often, she nevertheless contributed a great deal to Bumblebee's upbringing."

"Optimus!" Sam took a few steps towards the Prime. While Optimus didn't seem to be hurt, he could plainly see that Firestorm and Silverbolt were injured a little, and that made him feel more anxious about the fight that had taken place, not less. "What happened? Are you okay, is everything okay? Where're Bee and the others?"

"The rest of those who went to face the Decepticons were not terribly injured. They are currently on their way here and should be arriving within the next hour or so. We only had Firestorm and Silverbolt transport those who were injured severely-both Autobot and human-with us." Optimus's expression was grave, and Sam took that as a bad sign, even though Optimus had more or less said that Bumblebee was all right…well, Bee might be hurt but obviously not badly, or he would be here, too. Seconds later, his suspicions were confirmed when Optimus continued. "The Decepticons were ahead of us from the very beginning. A few of their number had already fled out of our reach with Megatron's remains by the time we arrived. I tried to end it, but failed. Cyclonus led the Decepticons in a full retreat; he claims that they are going to be leaving Earth, but that they will return soon to fight us once again."

"So they have Megatron?" Sam's voice held a hint of panic.

"Yes." Seeing the rising panic in Sam's expression, Optimus wasted no time in continuing. "However, there is little we can do about that now. We must see to the wellbeing of those who were injured. Once everyone is rested, there will be a meeting to discuss how we can make this right."

Sam still looked decidedly nervous about what had happened, but the visible tension in his body had disappeared at the Prime's reassurances. "So…they wanted to leave?"

"That is what Cyclonus claimed. It leads me to believe that whatever it is that the Decepticons believe will be able to revive Megatron to complete functionality must be located elsewhere, possibly on another planet. But as to just what it is…" Optimus shook his head. "I unfortunately do not know."

Sam opened his mouth to ask the Prime another question, but before he even had the chance to say anything he was interrupted by the medbay door opening. Prowl was exiting the room, followed by a decidedly nervous-looking Scattershot. The Security Officer motioned to Firestorm, gesturing over his shoulder towards the medbay interior.

"Ratchet wants you in there to help him, Firestorm."

Firestorm blinked in surprise, looking first at Optimus, then back to Prowl, hesitantly stepping forward. "But I know nothing about treating those who have had their Sparks damaged from losing a bond."

"There's no better time to learn," came Ratchet's voice from inside the medbay. "This is an emergency, so hurry up!"

Recognizing the snappy tone the medic utilized whenever something truly urgent was going on, Firestorm hurried into the medbay, a look of determined concentration replacing the hesitancy on his faceplates. The door to the medbay slid shut after him, living those standing in the hall in silence.

After a few moments, Prowl turned to Optimus. "What will our next step be, Prime?"

"Right now, we need to focus on returning ourselves to fighting strength," Optimus replied firmly. "Once the others have returned, and we have all had a chance to rest, so that we and those who have been injured will have had the time to recover our strength, we will hold a meeting together with the human members of NEST, so that we can decide how to best deal with the situation."

"Can we come to the meeting when you guys have it?" Sam asked, looking back and forth at Prowl and Optimus. The panic had faded from his voice and expression, but it was easy to see that he was still slightly on edge from what Optimus had told him had happened.

"Of course, Sam. Both you and Carly are welcome to attend the meeting," Optimus said. "This concerns everyone."

"Um, Optimus Prime, sir…" Scattershot began hesitantly, his voice fading into silence when Optimus turned to him.

"Yes, what is it, Scattershot?" Optimus asked, concern making its way into his voice at the renewed nervousness he saw in the former Decepticon's expression.

"Well, um, I was wondering, what do you want me to do right now, sir? I mean, I was helping Ratchet but now he's busy, so…" Scattershot trailed off, looking even more nervous than before.

The Autobot leader considered the orange-armored mech for a moment. Despite the fact that he had assured Scattershot that he would be able to join the Autobots with no true problems, it was painfully obvious that the former Decepticon was still incredibly anxious and hesitant around the other Autobots. In addition to that nervousness, however, there was something else that could be seen now; it was plain to see that he was tired. Of course; looking after Sparklings wasn't exactly easy for those not used to it. It was also obvious that, despite his tiredness, Scattershot still desperately wanted to help the Autobots in any way that he could at moment, even though he had not yet been informed about the coming battle…actually, judging by what Cyclonus had said, coming battles. His trustworthiness would need to be proven first, just as Firestorm's had been, and now, there was an important matter that needed to be taken care of, in regards to that. "I know that I told you I would assign an Autobot to look after you and to help you integrate into our ranks. However, I will need to speak with Ratchet first, about the time you spent here, while the rest of us were gone. I will do so before the meeting takes place. In the meantime, Prowl will take you back to your quarters. I suggest you try to get some rest, as well-you may be needed at the meeting."

Scattershot's optics widened in surprise at hearing that he might actually be needed at an important meeting, but despite feeling slightly relieved that he might be able to help the Autobots, he could not suppress the nervousness he felt at hearing that the Prime was going to question Ratchet about how he had acted while the other Autobots had been off the base. He tried to help as best as he could, he really did, but what if he'd made a mistake he didn't realize? He might have finally remembered what his pre-Decepticon Younglinghood was like, but still, he'd spent the majority of his life surrounded by others who hadn't exactly shown him the proper way to care for Sparklings, after all. Trying to shove his anxiety away, he nodded. "All right, sir. Thank you."

Optimus nodded, then looked over the others assembled in the hall. "Now, you will have to excuse me. I need to go and retrieve Trailbreaker from the recharge room. Once everything has been taken care of, I will let you know when the meeting will be held." He nodded respectfully at them all once again, then turned and began to head down the hall, towards the room Fireflight, Blaster, and Trailbreaker were in.

"We should go, too," Sam pointed out. "We need to check on Blaster. I don't think he'll be awake yet, but we should go see anyway. With how upset he's been since Bee left, I don't want him to wake up with us not being there. I don't want him to get more upset; he's been through it more than enough lately."

"I know, Sam. But as long as we're there when he wakes up, he should be fine. And that will probably be the room Bumblebee will head to first, when he gets back," Carly noted. "He'll want to see us right away and he knows we'll be with Blaster."

Sam nodded resolutely. "Yeah, let's go." He looked up at Prowl and Silverbolt, and gave Scattershot a faint smile. "Hey, Scattershot? Thanks for helping us look after the Sparklings earlier."

"You're welcome," Scattershot replied. He looked at Prowl and then nervously turned back to Sam. I'm…I'm happy to help."

Sam waved at the gathered Cybertronians as he and Carly began to walk in the same direction Optimus had gone. "See you guys later."

Once they were gone, Scattershot hesitantly glanced back at Prowl. "I'm not used to humans," He admitted reluctantly. He had been genuinely surprised when Sam had thanked him, but he could tell that the human had meant it. He'd become so used to the hate that humans directed towards Decepticons-not that he blamed them-that being sincerely thanked by one of them was something he had never guessed would happen to him. "I mean, I admire them and everything, I did even when I was with the Decepticons, but I…"

"You'll get used to them soon enough," Prowl assured, motioning for Scattershot to follow him in the direction of the room that was currently serving as the orange mech's quarters. "It might take longer for most of them to accept you, though you shouldn't let that bother you." The Security officer looked back at Silverbolt. "Are you coming, Silverbolt?"

The large silver mech shook his head. "No. I'm going to wait until Ratchet can see me. The plasma fire I took to my armor wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience, even if the damage isn't that serious."

Prowl looked at the closed door to the medbay. "It will be a while before Ratchet can see you."

"I know. I don't mind waiting. Chromia and Arcee need the help more than I do right now."

"I just hope we arrived in time for the medical treatment to heal the damage that's been done," Prowl murmured, casting one last concerned look over his shoulder towards the medbay and the two patients it contained, before turning and leading Scattershot down the hall to his quarters.

---

Ratchet frowned, concerned worry filling his Spark as he looked over the readings from the scans he had conducted on Arcee and Chromia, so that he could see the full extent of the damage done to their Sparks by losing the bonds they had once had. Both femmes were currently connected to the Spark therapy monitor, resting while the machine gave off the energy pulses that would help their Sparks heal from the damage that had been done to them. The old physical injuries they both had would be treated later, once they had regained enough strength.

The medic, assisted by Firestorm, had conducted the scans as quickly as possible so that the treatment could begin, but the quickness in which they had preformed did not make them any less thorough. The results of the scans let them know just how much of the treatment each femme would recquire.

Arcee would be fine; while she was still suffering from losing her Sibling bond with Elita, her Spark had, surprisingly enough, healed a great deal on its own-something that was rare, but possible, especially if the Cybertronian who had lost a Sibling bond had other siblings to turn to once the one was lost. She would still need to undergo the Spark therapy as a precaution, of course, just to make sure there were no hidden complications, and the scar from losing the Sibling bond would always be there, but Arcee would otherwise make a full recovery.

Chromia, on the other hand, was suffering from losing two Sparkbonds, one of which was a Sparkmate bond. Losing a Sparkmate bond was very dangerous, and could even offline the Cybertronian affected if they were not treated immediately after losing it-which was why Optimus was still functioning at full strength, as he had been able to be treated for his broken bond soon after Elita had been killed-treatment that Chromia had not been lucky enough to receive. Chromia losing her bond with Ironhide had been made even worse by the fact that she had already been suffering from losing her bond with Elita. Her Spark had deteriorated to the point that it was miracle she was still online, let alone able to talk and, to a lesser extent, move on her own.

The results brought back by the scans were disheartening.

She might recover to the point of being released to light duty, but Chromia would never regain her full strength. The treatment had come too late for that. To be realistic, going by the amount of damage to her Spark, there was only one possible outcome for her condition, but Pit if Ratchet was going to stand by and let that happen. Not after all the two femmes had gone through, not after how hard they had tried to find their way back, not after Arcee's desperation to see to Chromia's health. No. He would spend every free moment he had trying to find a way to help Chromia avoid it.

If only we had been able to find them sooner, Ratchet thought. Things would not look as bleak right now. This won't be easy, but I'm not going to give up trying to find a way to fix it. Heturned his attention from the scans to his two patients. "Arcee, you will be able to leave within an hour, but I will want you back in here first thing tomorrow, so I can make sure the treatment was successful."

"What about Chromia?" Arcee demanded. She looked at Firestorm cautiously-even though Silverbolt had assured both her and her sister that the old Seeker was on the Autobot side, she still felt incredibly wary of him. The Decepticon insignia invoked that reaction in all Autobots; it wasn't something she could help, especially seeing as she really didn't know anything about the old Seeker. "I don't want to leave her."

"Arcee, I'll be fine," Chromia spoke up tiredly. "Ratchet knows what he's doing, and besides, you heard what Silverbolt told us. Firestorm fights alongside us now."

"I won't leave you in here by yourself," Arcee insisted. "I'm staying."

"Quiet, both of you," Ratchet reprimanded, though there was more concern in his voice than his usual snappiness. "Rest and let the Spark therapy do its job. Arcee, I know you're worried about Chromia, and yes, you two staying close by each other will assist in the Spark therapy, but you're not going to need as much of the therapy as Chromia, and I don't doubt that Optimus will want you to be present at the meeting he will be having later."

Arcee looked as if she wanted to argue, but a glance from Chromia silenced her before she began. Finally, she nodded in acceptance. "Fine. But I want to stay in here tonight, since Chromia will be, too."

"Fair enough. Now please, stop talking and rest." Ratchet turned to Firestorm next. The old Seeker had been standing quietly nearby, both waiting for the medic's next orders and keeping his distance to help alleviate any concerns the two femmes had about him. "As for you…" He blinked in surprise. He had seen the damage done to Firestorm's armor earlier, when he had first entered the medbay, and although the damage had been minor, Ratchet had still intended to treat it once Arcee and Chromia were stable. But now, he saw that the old Seeker's armor was almost completely repaired, and it was only thanks to his keen optics that Ratchet was able to see the faint, remaining traces of the damage-they still needed treatment, but they should not have healed so far on their own.

"Are your repair systems on overdrive?" Ratchet asked incredulously. "Because, if they are, you should let me know so I can correct it. It can strain your other systems far too much if one is working harder than it should."

"What? Oh, you mean my armor?" Firestorm gestured at the faint markings on one wing. "My armor has always been pretty resistant to plasma fire, and on the chance I do take damage from it, the injuries heal relatively fast. That was how I earned my designation, because I can fly into fire and survive. The healing has slowed down in my old age, though."

"If only we all had that ability," Ratchet mused. He shook his head. "Never mind. They may be healing, but it's only a halfway job and that's not acceptable. Get over here; I have the next set of datapads ready for you to read, but you won't be able to concentrate on them if you aren't fully repaired."

As he headed towards a cabinet to retrieve to Energon solution he needed, Ratchet checked to make sure his Sparklings were still recharging. Fortunately, they were, and seeing as how Beachcomber had already woken once and fallen back into recharge, they should both be in recharge for a while longer. Hopefully they would remain that way, at least until the other Autobots returned and the rest of the injured were treated, that was.

Thank Primus you two aren't light sleepers at all, Ratchet thought, smiling slightly in the Sparklings' direction. Because I have a feeling that it isn't going to be quiet in here when everyone gets back.

---

"Opt!"

The joyous cry from the Prime's Sparkling charge greeted him as he entered the room where the other three Sparklings had been taking their naps. At the sight of Optimus, Trailbreaker leapt up from where he had been sitting on the floor, scribbling on a large piece of paper with a crayon, running forward and colliding with his caretaker's leg as he wrapped his arms around in a tight hug, beaming excitedly up at him.

"Hello, Trailbreaker," Optimus greeted warmly, a faint smile crossing his faceplate as he looked down at his Sparkling charge, placing a gentle hand on Trailbreaker's head. The Sparkling's happiness at seeing him was more than enough to lift Optimus's Spark, chasing away the weariness and guilt that had been warring within him ever since the confrontation with the Decepticons had ended. "Awake so soon?"

Trailbreaker shrugged, although he didn't let go of Optimus, continuing to hug his caretaker. "Woke up an' not tired, Opt."

The Prime considered the red and blue Sparkling thoughtfully. Trailbreaker was the oldest of the Sparklings, and he had always woken completely from recharge before the others-while Beachcomber would wake up early as well, he always fell back into recharge soon after he had first awakened-but being awake at this point in the afternoon was early, even for him. Optimus knew that as Sparklings grew older, they recharged less, eventually, as they became Younglings, no longer requiring recharge naps. Perhaps Trailbreaker was simply about to go through another, what the humans called, a 'growth spurt'. "I see. And have you behaved yourself while I have been gone?"

Trailbreaker nodded solemnly, but his serious expression quickly shifted back into happiness as he launched into an excited chatter about how he'd gotten to stay with Ratchet the previous night-and First Aid and Beachcomber, of course-as well as how he'd made sure his friends were happy earlier that day, because they were all sad that their caretakers were gone and that wasn't any good, so he had helped them feel better.

"He's right, Prime," Computron said, speaking up once Trailbreaker's happy chattering had finally quieted down. The small black and silver mech was perched on the back of a nearby Autobot-sized chair, which Wheelie and Brains were sitting on. "You should've seen him with the other Sparklings. Forget us, he was the one who was really doing all the Sparkling-sitting."

Optimus shook his head, his voice warm with amusement as he replied. "Next time, then, perhaps I should put him in charge of the rest of the Sparklings and allow everyone else to take time off." He looked back down at Trailbreaker as the other three Autobots laughed quietly at his words. "Trailbreaker, go and get your toys, please. We are going to our quarters."

"'kay, Opt," Trailbreaker said agreeably, letting go of Optimus's leg, and going over to gather his stuffed bear and the paper he had been scribbling on with the crayons.

"What happened out there?" Computron asked, looking back up at the Autobot leader as Optimus waited for Trailbreaker to finish picking up the toys he had been playing with. "With the Decepticons?"

At Computron's question, both Wheelie and Brains shifted their full attention to the Prime as well, waiting for his response.

"The Decepticons were successful in what it was they had set out to do," Optimus replied gravely. Noticing the concerned looks that the three smaller mechs gave him and each other, he did not hesitate to continue, repeating the same words he had spoken to Sam earlier. "There is nothing we can do right now. But a meeting will be held later today, with all those who are able welcome to attend, so that we will be able to decide how to proceed further."

"So can we come?" Wheelie asked.

"Of course."

"You'll let us know when it's about to start, sir?" Computron asked.

Optimus nodded as Trailbreaker, one armed wrapped around his stuffed bear and the paper he had been drawing on, came walking back towards him, taking the hand his caretaker offered him. "Yes. The meeting will not take place until everyone has returned to base, as well as had the chance to rest. I believe that will allow for the meeting to take place sometime this evening, but I will let you know exactly when." The Prime looked briefly back at the entrance to the room as the door opened and Sam and Carly stepped in, then returned his attention to the other three Autobots, although the words he spoke next were addressed to the humans as well. "Perhaps some rest will allow us to see just what it is that we need to do in response to this incident."

Trailbreaker looked back and forth between his caretaker and the others in the room. He had been listening to the adults' conversation, and even though he didn't understand most of it, he still could tell that something serious had happened and something important was still going on, and that Optimus needed to figure out what to do. Maybe he could help; even though he didn't know what everyone needed to do, he knew what they could do-he'd seen Optimus handling things that way before. At his caretaker's last words, the red and blue Sparkling tugged insistently on his hand until Optimus looked down at him.

"What is it, Trailbreaker?" Optimus questioned gently.

"Make plans, Opt?" Trailbreaker asked, looking up at his caretaker, a serious, concerned expression on his faceplate.

A faint smile appeared on the Prime's face at the Sparkling's innocent yet accurate suggestion of what should be done. The little one was remarkably perceptive for his age. "Yes, Trailbreaker. We are going to make plans."

---

Sideswipe wasn't one to usually brood, but even he found himself troubled over what had happed in the clearing next to the cave in Kentucky.

He had been one of the few Autobots lucky enough to escape getting damaged in the fight, something that his brother-who had received his least favorite type of battle damage in the form of scratched paint-had not hesitated to complain about. But Sideswipe didn't mind the complaining-he knew Sunstreaker was relieved that he hadn't gotten hurt, and that his complaints were his own way of showing that relief. The silver mech, likewise, was thankful that his twin hadn't suffered from anything more serious than paint scratches.

Maybe that was it…maybe his own lack of any injury was why he found himself worriedly going over what Cyclonus had told them back there as he followed the convoy of human vehicles and Autobots as they traveled the roads that would take them back to the base in Dayton. Going by what Cyclonus had said right before the Decepticons had fled, the Decepticons would be leaving Earth, but would eventually come back to finish what they had started. Maybe that was true and maybe it wasn't, but whether or not it was, everything was going to come crashing together in a violent final confrontation sometime soon in the future. While Sideswipe had never looked away at the idea of a fight with the Decepticons before, for some reason, this time, he found himself intensely worried over what Cyclonus and the others planned to do. He would fight when the time came, of course he would, but this time he knew he was going to have to approach the battle more carefully than he ever had, even in the fights against the Decepticons on Earth, where humans had been involved, causing extra care to be taken. He had to help the Autobots gain a complete victory, more so than ever before, not only against the Decepticons, but against Unicron as well. Why did he know this, that he would have to change his fighting approach? What had changed?

I've changed, Sideswipe abruptly realized. I have a Sparkling now, and I have to make sure he has a safe world to grow up in.

He'd come to the same conclusion when he had set out to rescue Blaster when he had been kidnapped, but this was the first time he had so directly acknowledged it. Looking out for his own Sparkling's wellbeing was different to looking out for his twin, or for his other friends-even though he knew that he had to help them as well, they weren't defenseless Sparklings like Fireflight; they could take care of themselves.

I have different responsibilities now. I have to be careful now, for the sake of someone else besides me or my brother-someone who can't defend himself at all.

Well, don't get too responsible, Sunstreaker told him over a private comm, causing Sideswipe to realize that he had been unintentionally broadcasting his feelings and thoughts over his twin bond with Sunstreaker. I might not recognize you.

Oh, be quiet, Sideswipe shot back, although he wasn't truly annoyed. At least, not very much. I'm still the same mech I always was.

Only now you have a kid, Sunstreaker teased back. Don't worry, Sideswipe. I won't let the 'cons win, either. For Fireflight's sake.

And Sideswipe knew that Sunstreaker would do whatever it took to protect Fireflight, just like he would. He knew how much his brother cared about his adopted nephew-he had seen it in both the fact that Sunstreaker always agreed to watch after him whenever Sideswipe asked, and in the way the normally prickly, aloof mech would get down on the Sparkling's level to play with him when he thought no one was looking.

Yes, Sunstreaker would fight to protect Fireflight, too.

Feeling slightly better about things, Sideswipe let his brother feel his appreciation over their bond and then dropped back slightly in the lane he was in, so that he could talk to Bumblebee. The younger Autobot had been quiet for the entire drive, from the moment they had left the clearing to now, lagging behind everyone else, although he still kept up with the convoy. While it was true that the other Autobots-due to what had happened-had been relatively quiet, there was still the odd bit of comm conversation as they discussed what had happened, what it was Cyclonus really wanted to do, and tried to work out what their next steps should be, a conversation that had been fueled almost an hour ago, when Optimus had contacted them to let them know that a meeting had been planned for that evening. Bumblebee, however, hadn't offered anything in the discussions, remaining silent the whole time.

Sideswipe had a hunch that the young scout was bothered by what happened, and probably more than the others. Because, when everything was said and done, Bumblebee was still a Youngling. The silver mech still wanted to look out for him, like he had always done. Yes, he knew that Bumblebee could take care of himself-he was a trained soldier, after all-but everyone needed support sometimes.

Hey, Bumblebee, you feeling okay? Sideswipe asked as he fell back to drive alongside the younger Autobot. You've been awfully quiet since we left, and that's not like you. Are you worried about what happened?

Well, yes, but… Bumblebee's comm faltered for a moment, but only a moment, and then the scout anxiously continued. I'm really worried about Chromia and Arcee. Especially Chromia, she looked really hurt and weak, and I've never seen her like that before. Do you think they'll be alright?

Of course they'll be alright, Sideswipe replied firmly. He was worried about them too, of course; he'd been just as happy as the others to see them alive, but he wasn't blind to what their medical conditions no doubt were. Chromia and Arcee are two of the toughest femmes I've ever known, and Ratchet's going to make sure they'll recover. They'll be fine.

I hope so, Bumblebee said, though his worry was still evident even though it couldn't be heard.

I know so, Sideswipe responded. The silver mech knew that Arcee and Chromia were hurt, but they were back at the base now and Ratchet was the best medic the Autobots had. He'd make sure the two femmes were all right. And once they were all back at the base, they would figure out what to do. Everything was going to be fine. Besides, do you think Chromia and Arcee aren't going to do their best to jump back into things once they realize what we're going to face soon? They'll be back on their feet before you know it.

You're right, Bumblebee said, perking up. Of course-Chromia and Arcee wouldn't let them fight the coming battles alone; they'd do their best to recover quickly so they could help out. Thanks, Sideswipe.

No problem, kid, Sideswipe replied. He was glad that he had managed to, at least temporarily, alleviate some of Bumblebee's worries. He left the younger Autobot's side and drove back up to rejoin Sunstreaker. Sideswipe firmly believed what he had told Bumblebee. With Ratchet's help, Chromia and Arcee would be fine.

The silver mech did his best to ignore the faint trickle of doubt in his Spark that told him otherwise.

---

Ratchet was nearly finished repairing the minor damage to Silverbolt's armor when he heard the sounds of Cybertronian footsteps-several of them- in the hall outside, no doubt signalling the return of the rest of the Autobots. The sound of the medbay door opening and quiet, yet still distracting, chatter quickly confirmed that as actually being the case. Irritation flared slightly in the medic. Arcee and Chromia had finally both fallen into a well-needed recharge-though it probably wouldn't last long as they had managed to get some recharge earlier, on the way to the base-and these aft-processored mechs were going to wake them up if they weren't careful.

"Crowd those two femmes or wake them up, and you will all get a wrench to the back of your helm," the medic warned without turning his attention from his current patient.

The new arrivals fell silent, and Ratchet continued in satisfaction, though this time he turned around to face the other Autobots. "I know you are glad to see them, but they need rest. Be quiet, stay out of the way and Firestorm and I will treat you one at a time." He turned back to Silverbolt to finish the last of the Aerialbot's repairs. "I take it none of you were seriously damaged if you were able to drive yourselves back here."

"That's right," Mirage agreed, taking care to keep his voice low after Ratchet's warning. "It was really nothing more than dents and scrapes. The Decepticons were holding back again."

"Holding back because they're plotting something." Red Alert looked around agitatedly, obviously still very much on edge after what had happened, but that was normal for the paranoid red-armored mech. "Firestorm helped me patch everyone up as best as we could, but our medical skills aren't very advanced."

"We did what was needed," Firestorm offered quietly.

"I suppose," Red Alert replied unhappily.

"Firestorm is learning and you are a security officer now, Red Alert, with more than just your medical skills to worry about," Ratchet informed both of them as he motioned for Silverbolt to get off of the berth he was sitting on. The last thing he needed was for the only two mechs on base besides himself who knew the most about Autobot medical care to start doubting themselves; they would be needed more than ever with what was coming, and they couldn't afford to second-guess themselves. The possible results from that could be disastrous. "Everyone made it back more or less in one piece. It's enough. You're done, Silverbolt. Let me know if that repair doesn't hold; it should, but plasma burns at close range are tricky. Prime's orders are for everyone to get repaired and then get some rest, so get."

"I will, Ratchet," Silverbolt agreed, stepping away from the berth and making his way towards the door.

Once Silverbolt was gone and he had cleaned the tools he had been using, Ratchet finally drew himself up and turned to face the others in the medbay. "Right, then. Which of you…" He paused, looking over the assembled mechs in the room-Firestorm, Sunstreaker, Red Alert, Mirage, and Diesel-and frowned slightly. Not counting Optimus and Prowl-who hadn't been injured-they were two short of the number of Autobots who had gone to face the Decepticons. "Where are Bumblebee and Sideswipe? Were they not hurt in the battle?"

"Sideswipe sure wasn't," Sunstreaker said grumpily, looking over the scratched paint on his right arm. "Don't know how he was able to avoid it, but he did. As soon as we got here he headed straight to the room the Sparklings recharge in-he wanted to check up on Fireflight-and Bumblebee went with him."

"Bumblebee's left arm was all gashed up," Red Alert said, "But I stopped the Energon bleeding. It needs to be closed up, but he wanted to see Blaster and his human friends so badly I didn't stop him from following Sideswipe." The red mech looked nervously at Ratchet, meeting the medic's unreadable expression. "That's all right, isn't it?"

"Of course it's all right," Ratchet said. Did Red Alert really think he would have a problem with a caretaker who wanted to see his Sparkling and the rest of his family after going through something as troubling as what had happened with the Decepticons? Especially after what had happened to Blaster not all that long ago? He let out a short vent of exasperation. "Since he's not leaking Energon anymore, there's nothing wrong with it. As long as he gets himself in here later, it's fine. Now, who has the worst damage and needs treating first? Not you, Sunstreaker!" He snapped, shooting a glare at the yellow-armored mech, causing him to freeze in midstep on his way to the berth. "Scratched paint does not count as the worst damage. You do remember what I said about it before, don't you?"

Sunstreaker hurriedly went back to his former position of leaning against the wall, muttering something about how suddenly the scratches didn't look so bad after all. Ratchet shook his head and motioned Mirage-who was limping and had a nasty looking gash on his right shoulder-forward, remembering his prediction about the state the medbay would be in once the others had returned.

Yes, he had been right-it had certainly not been quiet at all.

---

Blaster had still been recharging after Optimus and Trailbreaker had left the room the other Sparklings were in, so Sam and Carly had stayed there was well. Optimus had said that Bumblebee and the others would be back in about in an hour, and Sam knew that the first thing Bee would do-injured or not-would be to check up on his family. Bumblebee was like that; he didn't care how hurt or upset he was, he was always more concerned about those he cared about than himself. And while Sam was worried about his friend, he knew that Bumblebee couldn't have been too badly hurt in the battle if he had been among those who were able to travel back to the base on their own. That made him feel somewhat better about the situation, even though things looked bad.

He'd told Carly a little bit more about Chromia and Arcee while they waited for the others to come back, including some of the things Bumblebee had told him about both femmes, such as times he'd been with them while he was still growing up on Cybertron. And while he hadn't told her about it, Carly had immediately figured out that Bumblebee liked Arcee, and Sam had found himself trying to get her to promise not to tell Arcee about it because Sam knew that Bumblebee needed to figure it out on his own. Carly knew that was true, and had agreed. That discussion had helped pass the time, but it still seemed like it was taking the others too long to get back.

In the berth he was recharging in, Blaster squeaked in his recharge and rolled over. On the floor nearly, Fireflight-who had woken up not all that long ago-was taking turns between playing with his stuffed owl and staring at Computron, who was still perched on the back of the chair and talking quietly to Brains, while Wheelie was helping keep watch over the two remaining Sparklings in the room. Not that there was really much watching to do, as Fireflight seemed content to stay in one place for once and Blaster was still recharging (he would probably stay that way for a while yet as he was the youngest and always recharged longer than the other Sparklings did), but it was still something that needed to be done.

The door opened, disrupting the relative quiet and causing those inside-except for Blaster, of course-to look up. Sam jumped to his feet when Sideswipe stepped inside, followed closely by Bumblebee.

"Sideswipe! Bee! Optimus told us what happened. Are you guys okay?"

"We're as okay as we can be considering what happened," Sideswipe said, shrugging. "It was bad, but we've got to do our best to move forward and fix it."

Bumblebee warbled in agreement, stepping forward to join his family next to the berth Blaster was recharging in as Sideswipe headed to where Fireflight was sitting.

"Sides!" Fireflight called out happily as Sideswipe came towards him, reaching for his caretaker with the hand that was not holding onto his toy owl.

"Hey there, Fireball," Sideswipe greeted affectionately, leaning down and picking up his Sparkling charge, holding him close and smiling as he straightened back up, though it was a weary smile. "How are you?"

Fireflight's response was a series of happy clicks as he snuggled up to his caretaker. Sideswipe looked at the others in the room. "Thanks for watching him. I'll see you later; I'm going to try to take it easy for a bit before the meeting." He turned and left the room, Fireflight still clicking happily away in his arms. The door shut behind them.

Sam turned his attention to Bumblebee as the young Autobot came to a stop next to him and Carly. He looked over his friend worriedly; even though he still knew that Bee couldn't have been hurt too badly in the fight, he was still worried about him. His concerned gaze immediately fell onto the damage on the scout's left arm and his eyes widened in worry as he looked over the deep gashes. "Bee, your arm, you're hurt. It looks bad, well, I know it's not leaking Energon or anything, but still, it looks bad and painful. Shouldn't you go see Ratchet?"

Bumblebee quickly shook his head, hoping to relieve Sam of his worry, even though he appreciated the fact that his friend always made sure he was okay after every battle. "Not bad now. The doctor is busy-I'll stop by again later."

Sam frowned. "You sure?"

The young Autobot nodded, and, seeing Sam accept his assessment-albeit reluctantly-he turned his own searching gaze on his human brother before turning it to Carly, then to the berth where Blaster was recharging, and then back to Sam. The same worry Sam felt himself was clearly visible in the Autobot's optics, as was an unspoken question.

Sam understood. "I'm fine, Bee. We're all fine. Well, I'm worried about what's going to happen now, but…" He shrugged, and offered a half-hearted smile. "Optimus will know what to do."

"Things don't look that great at the moment, but we'll figure them out together," Carly added.

"Besides," Sam added, looking up at his friend. "Chromia and Arcee are back. That's good out of the bad, right? I know you're happy about that." His voice turned slightly teasing. "Especially about Arcee."

Bumblebee ducked his helm shyly at Sam's last words, but he knew that Sam was only teasing. He was right, anyway, he was happy about that. And it was true; Optimus would know how the humans and the Autobots could fix this. They'd all find the solution together. Relief and gratitude had taken the place of the worry in Bumblebee's optics when he looked back up, and he glanced at Blaster's berth again before turning back to Sam and Carly and gesturing curiously towards it.

"He's had a rough time," Carly admitted, looking sympathetically at Blaster. True, the Sparkling was recharging peacefully now, but he still hadn't been handling Bumblebee's absence that well. Yes, it was better that it had been before, but that wasn't saying much.

Sam sighed, nodding in agreement with Carly as Bumblebee's expression shifted back into one of concerned worry as he looked back at Blaster and then at Sam again as his friend began to speak. "He's been really fussy and restless. He never cried, but he kept asking where you were and he had trouble recharging yesterday. He was a lot better today, but he was still anxious and wanted you."

Bumblebee chirped softly in concern, stepping up next to the berth and looking down at Blaster. The little Sparkling was tangled in the blanket Sam and Carly had given him, clinging to his stuffed penguin with his left fist partially in his mouth as he recharged. He looked okay, but that didn't mean that he felt okay. The young Autobot felt a little guilty at leaving Blaster behind without reassuring him about what was going on, especially since the Sparkling still had separation anxiety, but he knew it had been necessary. And he had left Blaster in good, capable hands, and he knew that the other members of his family had done the best job possible of watching him. Bumblebee reached into the berth and, taking care not to wake him up, gently laid his two fingers from his right hand on the Sparkling's head. Blaster clicked softly in contentment and curled up tighter, but continued to recharge peacefully.

Fierce determination welled up in Bumblebee as he watched Blaster recharge. The Decepticons would not be successful in whatever it was they were trying to do. He would do whatever he could to help the others make sure that the Decepticons would be stopped. The young Autobot would do what was necessary to insure that the Deceptions never hurt his family ever again. And once they were out of the way, he'd help see to it that Unicron never even caught sight of Earth. He looked at Sam and Carly as he made that silent promise to them, to Blaster, and to Wheelie and Brains. They were his family, and he would protect them.

Sam saw the determination in Bumblebee's optics and knew what it was the young Autobot was thinking. He nodded, determinedly making a promise of his own.

"The Decepticons will be sorry they ever tried to start up the war again, and Unicron's going to wish he stayed asleep, Bee. We'll work together to make sure of that."

It would be hard work, but they could do it.

Everything depended on their success in both battles. They had to find a way to fix this.

They just had too.

---

The injured Autobots had all been treated and the medbay was relatively empty again, with just Ratchet, Chromia, Arcee, and the two Sparklings remaining present. Ratchet had given Firestorm a new set of medical datapads to read and had pointed him in the direction of the main hangar, stating that the less crowded the medbay was the better it was for the two femmes, who were awake now but still recovering.

Well, not exactly.

After conducting another scan, Ratchet had given Arcee a relatively clean bill of health and permission to leave the medbay. But, stubborn femme that she was, she had refused to leave her sister's side despite being reassured by both Chromia and Ratchet that it would be okay to do so. Fortunately, Arcee had the presence of mind to stay out of the medic's way, so it wasn't any trouble at all to allow her to continue to stay in the medbay.

Ratchet had picked up one of the datapads detailing Chromia's condition, intending to read through it until he had an idea of how to help avoid what the scans showed was the most likely outcome for her when the sound of the door opening caused him to glance up in irritation, though his irritation faded when he saw who it was.

Bumblebee looked nervously at Ratchet, but when he saw Arcee and Chromia, both femmes looking significantly better than the last time he had seen them with a fully recovered Arcee standing next to the berth Chromia was sitting up on, happiness replaced the nervousness he felt at taking so long to get his injury looked at. He hadn't really had a true reunion with Arcee or Chromia as things had been too confused after the battle and before he knew what he was doing he had dashed forward and caught Arcee in a hug. Almost immediately, however, he realized just who it was he was hugging and the young Autobot hurriedly let go, looking down in an uncharacteristic display of shyness and embarrassment.

Arcee didn't mind, however, and laughed at her friend's display of affection. "It's good to see you, too, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee looked up with a relieved chirp, then turned his attention to Chromia. While she looked a lot better-there was a brightness to her optics that hadn't been there when she had been in Kentucky-she was still obviously very weak and tired. He wanted to hug her, too-after all, she was the closest thing to a mother he had-but he was afraid of hurting her, so he simply walked up to her berth and reached out to touch her hand.

"Hello, Bumblebee," Chromia said, looking at him with a tired smile. "Are you all right?" The young Autobot nodded and smiled back as best as he could, relieved that she looked so much better.

"It's about time you got yourself in here," Ratchet reprimanded then, deactivating the datapad and placing it on his desk as he stood, looking reprovingly at Bumblebee, though he was actually reluctant to break apart Bumblebee's proper reunion with the two femmes. "Red Alert said your arm needed to be looked at."

Yeah, Bumblebee replied, reluctantly turning away from Chromia. Howlback attacked me, but Red Alert stopped the Energon from leaking out.

Ratchet gestured towards an empty berth. "Get up here, and I'll patch it up the rest of the way."

Not wanting to irritate the medic any further than he no doubt already was from him taking so long to show up in the medbay, Bumblebee hurriedly complied and did his best to stay still while Ratchet evened the torn armor back out, made sure the damaged Energon lines were sealed and healing, and welded a few patches in place to cover the worst of the gashes while they healed. After what seemed like forever to the young Autobot, the last patch was in place and he was free to go.

"And please, take Arcee with you," Ratchet ordered. "She needs to get out and about, not stay in here all day."

Arcee looked indignantly at the medic. "Ratchet, I told you I want to stay here."

"No arguing," Ratchet insisted firmly. "It's an order. I need to speak to Chromia, and you need exercise. And I think there is someone Bumblebee wants you to meet. You can come back tonight. Understand?"

Arcee looked ready to protest again, but Chromia cut her off. "Arcee, please. It's only for a little while. I'll be fine."

The pink-armored femme nodded reluctantly, and, still looking unhappy, followed Bumblebee out of the medbay. Bumblebee chirped a goodbye to Chromia and Arcee gave her sister and Ratchet one last unhappy look before the door shut behind them, leaving Chromia and the medic alone.

Chromia looked appraisingly at the medic. "I think I see what you did there, sending the two of them off together."

Ratchet shrugged. "It's obvious, everyone can see it. There's not that much of an age difference between them, and it fits. They're just too afraid to tell each other about how they feel. Maybe some more time together will put things in perspective for them."

"Maybe." Chromia vented, then looked up at Ratchet. "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

She watched as the medic headed back over towards his desk, picking up the datapad he had been looking over before Bumblebee had arrived, before turning and heading back towards her.

"This contains the results of the scans I ran on you. Not on Arcee, just on you. You will be able to be released to light duty soon. Your Spark will still be weak, though." Ratchet hesitated, then continued, concern and worry barely detectable in his voice. "I'm going to be honest with you, Chromia. The condition of your Spark is not good, and unless I can find a way to fix it, I'm afraid there's only one possible outcome."

She knew what he meant. To be honest, she had known this would happen ever since she felt the tearing in her Spark that had told her Ironhide had been killed. That didn't make it any easier to hear and know, however. She lowered her gaze for a moment, then looked back up at Ratchet. "How long?"

Ratchet let out a quiet vent. "A year. Maybe a little longer. Your Spark…it's too damaged for the normal treatment to work the way it should. The Spark Therapy will help, but it isn't a permanent fix. It can only relieve the pain. It can't fully treat the cause any longer."

Chromia nodded slowly. "I understand."

He looked at her, regret in his optics. "Chromia…I'm sorry. If we had found you sooner, things would be different."

"It's not your fault, Ratchet." Chromia was quiet, then spoke up again. "Don't tell anyone else yet, especially not Arcee and Bumblebee. I don't want them to worry more or keep treating me like I'm about to break any second. Optimus can know. But no one else."

Ratchet nodded. Making such a promise to Chromia was the least he could do for her. "I promise. I'm going to try to find alternatives, but I can't guarantee I'll be successful."

"Just knowing that you'll be trying is good enough for me, Ratchet." She fell quiet again.

Ratchet understood and remained silent as well. He knew what he had just told her was a lot to take in, and he would give her the time she needed to think it over.

The silence in the medbay was abruptly broken by a soft thud followed by a squeak of distress.

Chromia's head shot up at the sound, and she followed Ratchet's gaze to look at one of the small berths beside his desk. She hadn't given the small berth much attention earlier as she had been too tired and weak, but now, she could clearly see that it was a Sparkling-sized berth.

The red and white armored mech Sparkling standing in it and looking over in their direction with wide purple optics confirmed it.

Chromia finally found her voice. "Ratchet, is that…oh, where did you find him? What's his name?"

Ratchet headed towards the Sparkling's berth, then briefly crouched down and picked up the source of the soft thud-a stuffed toy rabbit-before straightening up and handing it back to the Sparkling, who took hold of it and hugged it tightly as he continued to stare at Chromia. A faint but undeniably loving smile was on the medic's faceplate as he looked down at the Sparkling before glancing back at Chromia.

"His name is First Aid. He's one of five Sparklings we rescued from an abandoned Decepticon camp one year ago. They were all Hatchlings then. The story is long and complicated."

"I'm sure it is," Chromia replied, still gazing at the Sparkling. "Is he yours?"

"I'm his caretaker, yes." Ratchet looked back down at First Aid. "First Aid, this is Chromia, a friend of mine."

First Aid ducked his head shyly down, burying his faceplate in his stuffed rabbit. He peeked back out at her with one optic, the rest of his face still hidden in the plush rabbit and shyly mumbled, "'lo."

Primus, he's adorable, Chromia thought, smiling at the Sparkling who was still looking at her with most of his face hidden. Watching First Aid, she found that she was suddenly able to brush aside the troubled feelings she had from the news Ratchet had shared with her about her condition, at least temporarily. "He's shy, isn't he?"

"Around pretty much everyone but me and the other Sparklings, yes. Oh, and he likes Bumblebee and Red Alert. But that's perfectly normal. Lots of Sparklings are shy at this age. He'll probably grow out of it, but if he doesn't, it doesn't matter because he's fine the way he is." The medic leaned to one side, peering into a similar Sparkling berth next to First Aid's that Chromia hadn't noticed yet. "I would introduce you to Beachcomber as well, but he's currently oblivious to the world and I don't want to wake him up."

"You have two Sparklings? Who cares for the others?"

"Beachcomber and First Aid are mine, yes. Sideswipe has Fireflight, Optimus has Trailbreaker-the oldest- and Bumblebee takes care of the youngest, Blaster."

Hearing that, Chromia frowned, concern and irritation warring within her. "Bumblebee is a Sparkling caretaker? But he's a Youngling, Ratchet. He's still growing up himself! Why would you and Optimus let him raise a Sparkling? It's probably very challenging for him!"

"Optimus and I talked over it for a long time before we decided to allow it," Ratchet replied, evenly meeting Chromia's gaze, which was almost a full-on glare. "Chromia, Bumblebee asked for it himself. He wanted to take care of Blaster. There was a bond of love and caring between the two of them from the very beginning. We only chose to let it continue. And it was the right decision, we soon saw." Seeing Chromia shake her head in disbelief, he went on. "I assure you, Chromia, you spend five minutes watching the two of them together and you'll realize it was the right decision, too. Bumblebee loves Blaster like that Sparkling was his own and he's done a wonderful job of raising him."

Chromia shook her head again.

"Just wait until you see it for yourself before you're so quick to say no," Ratchet requested.

Chromia vented in defeat, nodding acceptance of the medic's request. She still didn't think it was a good idea for a Youngling to raise a Sparkling, but she knew that Ratchet was right. She needed to see Bumblebee and Blaster together before she could believe what Ratchet had said, if he was right about it. But despite her concerns, she still felt a sense of happiness at what she had seen. They had Sparklings again.

"You know," Chromia said softly, looking back at Ratchet. "Moonracer is going to spoil those two Sparklings rotten when she gets here."

The medic smiled slightly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Chromia couldn't help a smile of her own when she saw that First Aid was still shyly watching her.

---

Arcee still felt irritated at the way Chromia and Ratchet had teamed up to effectively kick her out of the medbay, but she was finding it difficult to hold on to her irritation with Bumblebee happily talking to her as they walked down the hall, heading towards a room which she didn't know the use of, telling her about some of what had happened during the past year. Bumblebee was so upbeat and cheerful all the time that she found it hard to be upset when she was with him. He'd always been able to cheer her up, even back when they were younger. Walking down the halls of the base with Bumblebee, Arcee realized just how much she'd missed him during the past two years. She'd been genuinely touched by his happy greeting in the form of a hug back in the medbay. Arcee knew that Bumblebee was affectionate like that, but still, it had made her feel better than she had in a long time.

I could actually go inside that apartment, Bumblebee was saying as they came to a stop a little ways from the door to the room they had been approaching. It was pretty cool to be able to stay in the same place as Sam, so I was really glad when Sunstreaker told me that our new house has a door for me to get inside, too. He looked up and saw the door. Oh, wait, we're here. Hold on, wait here, I've got to go and see if he's awake now.

"If who's awake?" She asked, but Bumblebee waved at her and headed towards the door without answering her question. She watched him, curious and slightly confused. Ratchet had said there was someone Bumblebee wanted her to meet, and Bumblebee had told her that she would love him, whoever 'he' was.

Arcee watched as Bumblebee entered the room, then jumped slightly at the sound of a happy squeal of "Bee!" coming from the room her friend had just gone into. The pink-armored femme was still thinking over what could have made the squeal when Bumblebee came back out of the room, holding something wrapped in a light blue human-made blanket. No, not something, someone.

A Sparkling. A Sparkling! Arcee stared in disbelief, but at the same time she found herself filled with happiness at the sight of Bumblebee carrying the Sparkling. The tiny red-armored Sparkling was clinging to Bumblebee's armor, clicking and squeaking happily at the Autobot carrying him. Bumblebee was clicking right back at the Sparkling, his optics shining with pride, happiness, and love for the little Sparkling he held as he made his way over to stand next to Arcee again.

They looked so happy together, it was impossible for her not to feel the same way just from watching them.

Arcee, this is Blaster, Bumblebee announced, gently maneuvering his hold on the Sparkling so that he could see the femme. Catching sight of Arcee, Blaster's optics widened and he stared up at her curiously, wondering who this new bot was that his caretaker was showing him to.

"Hi there, Blaster. My name is Arcee," Arcee said, smiling at the Sparkling. He clicked at her, his wide purple optics still looking over her curiously. She glanced back up at Bumblebee. "Whose is he?"

Both Bumblebee's posture suddenly stiffening and the way his armor and doorwings flared slightly at her question surprised her, as did the somewhat defiant look that flickered in his optics. He's mine.

The situation suddenly clicked in her processor, and she felt a little silly. Of course, Bumblebee must have adopted the little Sparkling. It was obvious to see, how had she missed it? "Right, sorry." She couldn't help teasing him a little, though. "So, then, who's the lucky femme?"

Bumblebee's optics widened and he shook his head quickly, flustered and embarrassed. What?! No, that's not what I…I mean, he's…We…

Arcee laughed slightly and gestured to calm Bumblebee down. "I know, I know. I'm just kidding, Bumblebee." She smiled, looking back at Blaster, who was still watching her. "Where did you find him?"

An abandoned Decepticon camp in Africa, one year ago, Bumblebee supplied, his fluster fading as he answered his friend's question. He was just a little Hatchling then-he was so tiny! There's four more Sparklings here at the base, but Blaster's my responsibility.

"I see." Arcee nodded.

Blaster looked up at her curiously, then looked up at Bumblebee, and then back to her, and then to Bumblebee again. He didn't know this new bot his caretaker was introducing him to, but Bumblebee liked her, so that had to mean that she was nice. His caretaker wouldn't show him to a mean bot. Blaster looked up at her again and when she smiled at him, he firmly decided that he liked her, too. Satisfied that Arcee was nice and not mean, little Sparkling smiled happily at her and reached out to her, wanting the nice new bot to hold him.

Arcee's optics widened at this, but she took Blaster into her arms as Bumblebee handed him to her. The little Sparkling beamed up at her, making more of his happy clicks. She hugged him and looked at Bumblebee, smiling, both at the way the Sparkling had reacted to her and at the happy expression in Bumblebee's optics at seeing how quickly Blaster had accepted her as someone he liked.

"He's so sweet, Bumblebee," She said softly. "I can see why you're so proud of him. He's wonderful."

Bumblebee ducked his head a little, but his optics smiled at her.

After only a minute, however, Blaster started to wriggle and held his arms out to Bumblebee, whining softly, and the scout took him back from Arcee. She blinked in concern; she hadn't held him for that long, so why did he want to be back with Bumblebee so badly? But when she watched as the Sparkling returned to clinging to his caretaker, she could see why-she recognized something in the Sparkling's behavior, why he had only let her hold him for a minute before wanting to go back to Bumblebee, even though he obviously liked her. She felt a twist in her Spark at the implications behind it.

"He has separation anxiety, doesn't he?" She asked quietly.

Bumblebee flinched slightly, looking down again as he held Blaster a little closer. Yeah, he does. But it's not his fault.

"What happened?" Arcee said.

The Decepticons, Bumblebee replied. He didn't say anything else.

He didn't have to. Arcee understood.

She understood all too well.