JMJ

Chapter Forty-One

Optimus' Family

"This was the one," said Flare Up.

They were at the furthest back from the door, and in front of the only line of hatchlings facing the opposite way towards the door on the actual wall of the domed chamber. These would be the biggest of the new generation and would take the longest to be ready to hatch.

The form Flare Up pointed too looked peaceful and sleepy as he always did. There seemed no reason to think something was different about him, but it did not take the exactness of a Cybertronian mind to remember that he was the one. He was the largest. Flare Up knew him well, and the image of Soundwave was still so imprinted in her mental processors as though she had taken a picture of the scene.

The eldest and smallest of the generation looked behind her up at Arcee and Ratchet.

"Did he tamper with any others?" asked Arcee.

"Depending on how long he was here, he might have tampered with the common knowledge of any other of them as well," said Ratchet uneasily. "He had two distractions, after all. The fight in front of the hatchery and Shockwave and Skywarp in the Predaking's domain. The only fortune in this event is that the Common Knowledge of all cannot be inserted simultaneously— a foresight in the original designs of the old Cybertron that we fortunately replicated."

"He could not have been there long," protested Arcee. "I'd just come only a few minutes before."

"You can't be sure that he was not there. They all should be checked," said Ratchet firmly, "starting with the few hatchlings that have just hatched today. It might be something that will remain dormant for a time."

"But if Soundwave's dead, wouldn't that mean that it wouldn't have the same effect?" asked Arcee.

Flare Up looked from one seasoned Cybertronian warrior to another. Her brow puckered during that brief pause.

Ratchet raised a brow. "Are you willing to take that risk, Arcee?"

#

Flare Up assisted them wherever she could, mostly in helping the newly hatched with Smokescreen as the next in line for hatchling-raising, while Ratchet and Arcee did their work analyzing every remaining spark in his or her energon sack for distorted readings from the Common Knowledge insert.

But during her break, Flare Up wasted no time coming in to check how everything was going. Her brother that she saw being attacked by Soundwave— she had to know he would be alright.

"Vasteffect is okay now, right Arcee?"

Unaware of her presence until then Arcee gave a slight start, but she smiled strangely as she turned to Flare Up and then raised her optics to Ratchet looking somewhat confused himself from a few feet away.

"What?" Arcee asked not withholding her amusement.

"That's his name," said Flare Up. "That's what Knock Out called him."

Ratchet and Arcee looked at each other. Arcee's smile grew. It was playfully wry as she returned to Flare Up.

Flare Up made a face. "Isn't Vasteffect going to be raised by Knock Out? He talks to him all the time."

"Well, Knock Out wasn't officially approved for …" Ratchet started to say.

"Of course, he will," said Arcee. "Though most of his hatchlings are the next group coming since they'd be more or less the right size for him, I'd think, right Ratchet?"

Ratchet eyed Arcee a moment and then nodded. He smiled kindly at Flare Up.

"Yes," he said, "we're all family, and everyone will be someone to look up to and will have someone to look up to. Optimus Prime would be pleased to see his family now." He paused for a few seconds and then said lifting a finger for emphasis, "Oh, yes! And Vasteffect is just fine. We corrected the damage, and so far he was the only one. That doesn't mean we should not keep checking the rest, but there are only a few remaining. It's nearly safe to say Soundwave did not accomplish what he set out to do."

Flare Up nodded. "Good!"

#

"Bulkhead!" cried Miko instantly running towards him as he appeared behind Ratchet through the bridge.

Flare Up peaked with curiosity from behind Arcee as the tiny creature hardly gave Bulkhead a chance to say hello before she was climbing him like a little mouse. With a laugh he helped her to his shoulder.

Flare Up had been told their names ahead of time with brief descriptions. No description had quite prepared her, however, for the funny way these Earth people looked. So small, so soft, so fuzzy with their even fuzzier drapings all over their bodies aside from their heads and hands. But despite this surprise she felt she could figure out who everyone else was. Raf was smaller than Jack so that was easy, and they both went to Bumblebee and Arcee.

Flare Up backed up a little more to give them room. She bumped suddenly into Scooter who without a word pushed her through the bridge excitedly.

She recognized Mrs. Darby whose hair tuft was the same color as Jack's, Agent Fowler who was the largest of the group and darker, and the other man took her a moment to recognize. He looked most like Raf, so she took on the idea that it must be Mr. Esquivel, but as Flare Up was trying to stay out of the way and Scooter was looking about him with curiosity they could not go unnoticed for long.

"Flare Up?" asked Miko suddenly.

Flare Up jumped. "Oh!"

Arcee smiled and nodded.

"Yes," said Flare Up stepping forward. "Yes, I'm Flare Up. Pleased to meet you."

"And I'm Scooter!" said Scooter pleasantly.

"Miko!" said Miko.

"Pleased to…meet you. I didn't know you were so small!" Flare Up gasped despite herself.

"Hey, be polite!" Scooter teased.

Miko only laughed.

Flare Up frowned, but it quickly turned into a smile again.

"Hey, Bulkhead, let me down, I want to show them around," said Miko.

Once she was settled she instantly began, but the others, Flare Up knew, had business to take care of first before fun.

"Come on!" Miko encouraged.

Scooter went instantly, but Flare Up paused to look back.

"Fowler," Bumblebee was saying. "Is everything cleared up now with your government?"

"Not quite," Fowler admitted. "Megatron and Lockdown screwed things up but good, but Jack, Raf, and Miko have cleared names now with the help Unit E. A lot of the rest of the mess to clean up, though."

Bumblebee nodded. "Well, I think it's safe to say that finally Earth and Cybertron won't be bothered by Decepticon interference."

"Ratchet informed me that Shockwave and possibly Soundwave are dead and Starscream's captured," said Fowler.

"And Megatron is dead," added Mrs. Darby quickly.

"Yes, yes, I was getting to that," insisted Fowler, but after a pause, he winced at Bumblebee. "Even though, we have thought he was dead before."

"He's in a million pieces," said Bulkhead with a shrug. "I don't think he's coming back this time, and Soundwave too. We found his remains in the blast. Not comin' back either."

"And what about Skywarp?" Fowler demanded. "I don't know much about him. Will he be any kind of threat?"

"Not by himself," said Ratchet. "He does have the Black Hole, but we'll be keeping surveillance. We aren't letting our guard down entirely."

"And neither will we," Fowler assured him.

"Come on, Flare Up!" called Miko.

Flare Up smiled and followed gently behind.

#

"So you really are going to make Cybertron family-based?" asked Raf later that afternoon, his legs swinging under the catwalk as he sat forward against the rail.

"Mmph, 'based'," Bee said lightly. "We may be the same in many ways, but we can't have a family set up how humans do with biologically created groups of children and parents, so the relationships will never be quite like that and they don't need to be. Ratchet would be able to explain the subtleties about it better than me."

"No, it's alright, I get it," said Raf. "I was kind of wondering how that was gunna work anyway. I didn't think Optimus meant the family thing to be that literal."

"Probably not."

"I don't know why," Raf went on, "but somehow you guys getting ideas from us, makes me appreciate it more, though. I mean, I know sometimes I take my family for granted and I shouldn't."

Bee looked at him with sympathy, but he did not know quite what to say. It seemed that sometimes it was difficult to find actual words to say to Raf now that he had his pipes back rather than making it easier. The way he communicated before was understandable even to Raf for some reason, but it was a form of Cybertronian based more on simpler ideas and no complex flourishes. Raf once compared it to "textish." But Raf did not mind either way. The friendship-based language of silence was understood more than any words, he knew.

"Well, I know one thing," said Raf after brief pause.

"What's that?"

"Optimus would be proud of you, Bee— as leader I mean," said Raf looking somewhat embarrassed himself. "And I don't just mean the way you're setting up Cybertron. You really do have the touch for being the leader." His confidence was quickly regained, "and you led everyone so well and got everyone organized. You kept your head through all that's happened."

Bumblebee paused, thinking back about it for a moment or two. He smiled mischievously as though he was about to argue with him, but he changed his mind with a shake of his head. He closed his optics gently.

"Thanks, Raf," he said.

"Hey!" cried Miko then quite loudly. "Are we gunna be able to show Flare Up and Scooter more than the base? Come on, we can't sit around here all day. We gotta get 'em some vehicle modes!"

"Well…" said Arcee glancing with amusement at Bumblebee and then Fowler.

"Can't we!?" cried Scooter.

"I thought that was why they came along," said Bulkhead.

"It's alright with me as long as you keep an eye on them," said Fowler crossing his arms staunchly.

"Especially Scooter," Ratchet warned.

"Aww, c'mon, Ratchet, I'll be good!" Scooter begged throwing out his hands imploringly.

"Oh, it'll be fine," laughed Arcee. "Come on, Ratchet. You come too."

#

While discussions remained about whether or not they should hunt down Skywarp and the Black Hole or when they should begin to hunt for the Raptor-bots' home and a few other things, Knock Out found himself in the hatchery again. This time for a different reason than primary checkups.

Who would have thought that I'd get my own charges? thought Knock Out with great amusement.

Opening his little round optics quite energon blue and blinking up at Knock Out from where he sat on the floor with hands between his legs, the fresh hatchling said in amazement, "You're so bright!"

Knock Out grinned.

"Well," he remarked in spite of himself, "I'm sure I look much more brilliant without a veil of energon."

The little one nodded.

"Can you stand up?" asked Knock Out.

Again the hatchling nodded and eagerly climbed up onto his feet. His legs were only shaky for half a minute before he got them under control. He grinned back up at Knock Out triumphantly.

"How is 'Silverstreak' to your liking for a name?" Knock Out asked then.

"My name?" gasped the little one. "Oh, yes! Silverstreak! Yes, I like it very much! Silverstreak!"

He said the name as dramatically as he could with his little voice. Then he looked again at Knock Out.

"And I know your name. You're Knock Out!"

"Yes, that's me, alright," said Knock Out in his usual careless manner and made to pick Silverstreak up off the ground. "You were a perceptive little one inside your energon sack, weren't you?"

"It's okay!" Silverstreak insisted as he evaded the hand. "I can walk on my own."

"Are you sure?" teased Knock Out.

"Uh, huh," said Silverstreak.

"Alright, but it is a long way from here to the medical center for your tiny legs," said Knock Out standing upright now.

"Why are we going to the medical center?" asked Silverstreak as Knock Out began to slowly walk forward.

Silverstreak kept closer beside Knock Out's feet than would have made some Cybertronians comfortable, but Knock Out was not in the least concerned (for good or bad). He merely kept a close eye on him as he took each careful step and made for the door. He smiled to himself as he watched the bobbling little head of the hatchling turn about in awe at the grand hatchery, at the warm glow, the reflection of energon sacks. He looked back more than once at the rows of his siblings that were not yet hatched with great interest.

When they left the hatchery, even the automatic doors impressed him. As he stepped out into the hall Silverstreak let out a gasp that proved a surprise more sudden than the other fresh hatchlings that were merely carried to the medical center.

Knock Out thought that if he had time, he would allow every hatchling to bumble about in this way to have their checkups. Silverstreak seemed quite healthy enough almost not to need one, but the procedure would still have to be done just in case.

Silverstreak was so overcome by his surroundings that he nearly forgot about Knock Out as he began to walk towards the front exit of the complex, but Knock Out gently blocked his way. He led him back on track for their destination.

The crystal garden in the middle of the hall was still not rejuvenated. All but the roots of the shards had been cleared away. Silverstreak looked at this empty circle with its few scraps of remaining color and gleam and looked up at Knock Out curiously.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It was a crystal garden," said Knock Out with a careless shrug. "There was some… security trouble that you don't need to worry yourself about now. It'll be fixed soon enough."

"Oh."

"We've been too busy fixing the medical center," added Knock Out with a grin, "which was fixed just in time for you."