Hello again, wonderful readers! I'd just like to thank you all for the understanding you all showed for what I've been going through, and I'm proud to say that you're the ones reading this story. And I understand that it's been a rather long time since the last time you got an actual chapter, and I'm sorry about that, though I'm not always able to update this story with school and such.

Sonic: I'd also like to thank you all on his behalf. It's been a little tough for him at times, but every time he saw one of you comment it brought a smile to his face and reminded him that there are kind strangers out in the world. If it weren't for all of you, he might've just stopped completely.

Thank you, Sonic. Now, go get ready! The chapter's starting!

Sonic: Just wait, I still need to give the disclaimer! *Clears throat* Alpha doesn't own Transformers, they're the rightful property of Hasbro, and he only owns this story and the characters he "made" for it.

(P.S. - I've decided not to include the scene of Springer and Luna bonding, 'cause I don't really feel comfortable writing that kind of stuff. Bye!)

Sonic hummed along to the music coming from her headphones, her hips swaying slightly as she tinkered away on her personal project.

Wheeljack walked up behind her, and tapped on her left shoulder. When she looked up and took off the headphones to leave them around her neck, the mech jammed a thumb at the door as he stated, "Percy and I were gonna grab a drink. Care to join us?"

Smiling sadly, she replied, "Sorry, I've actually gotta be somewhere right now... I'll catch up with you two when it's over, though!"

His headfins lit up. "Sounds like a plan!" Wheeljack then patted her arm, before leaving the lab and heading towards to bar with Perceptor.

Sonic's smile widened slightly, pulling the headphones back on as she started to pack up for the day.

Not long after she finished up, Sonic found herself waiting in the crystal gardens with Silver.

"Designation: Sonic Boom?"

The femme smiled, looking over her shoulder. "About time you got here!"

Soundwave stepped out of the shadows, glancing at the femme up at down. Her frame was considerably bulkier in the midsection - for any other species, that'd be a hindrance in combat as the mech knew. But for Cybertronians, it merely meant they could store more reserve Energon during combat.

Silver perked up on her mother's lap, her ears flattening against her helm as the white pupils in her optics narrowed into slits.

"Hey, it's okay sweetie!" Sonic started to stroke Silver's back gently. "Soundwave's with us - isn't that right?"

"Inquiry: Correct." He sat down next to them calmly.

"Jazz apologizes that he can no longer attend your private meetings, but with the war escalating recently, it's necessary that he works more."

"Apology: Unnecessary."

"So, you've got the info?"

The mech nodded, pulling out a flash drive. "Minor plans are stored here. Warning: Decepticons are upgrading security, including new software that takes a picture whenever information is downloaded or transferred. I will have to report them manually from now on.

"I see... And you can handle that, right?"

"Of course."

Sonic smiled, "Good!"

Silver crawled off her mother's lap, looking up at Soundwave. "... You talk funny."

"Silver!" Sonic picked her up, holding her in her big lap as she smiled apologetically. "You'll have to forgive my sparkling, she has a tendency of speaking her mind...!"

Soundwave frowned behind his visor, scanning the two quickly. "... She is your sparkling?"

"Yes...?"

He ran a second scan. "... Analysis: You've never had a completed spark-bond, and your ages indicates that she was sparked during your young adolescent years."

"... Silver, I need you to give momma some time with our informant, okay?"

"'Kay!" Silver hoped off her lap, skipping away.

Sonic waited for Silver to be out of hearing range to turn back on Soundwave. "Silver's opiluk had forced me into a temporary bond when I was young. He doesn't even know she exists."

"I see... Apology: I had no intention of making foul memories resurface."

She forced on a smile. "No, it's fine."

"Response: Very well."

Autobot Medbay

First Aid drove into the medbay as quickly as he could, screeching, "We've got a patient in critical condition!"

Ratchet rushed to the younger doctor, unloading the badly damaged Autotrooper from the back of his ambulance form. "Do we have a designation?"

"His name's Robert...!" First Aid replied as he transformed, looking fairly worried.

"Autotroopers and their human names..." Ratchet grumbled, setting him down on a berth. "What happened?"

"Several pieces of shrapnel from a frag grenade lodged themselves inside his spark chamber...!"

"Then we'll need open spark surgery. First Aid, you go tend to the other patients - Tracks is refusing to cooperate again, and you're the only one who can ever control their rage in this medbay."

The younger of the two merely nodded, going to the other side of the medbay.

Ratchet reached for tools... But didn't feel anything. "No... No, not now...!"

Lightning noticed his shouting. "What's wrong?"

The old medic held up his frozen hands. "These damn hands gets stiffer and stiffer by the day... And they pick NOW to fully freeze!"

The femme medic looked the Autotrooper over quickly. "... I can perform the operation." Lightning didn't wait for Ratchet to state his opinion as she approached him.

"You don't have any experience with this sort of treatment...!"

"I'll manage." She pulled out her E.D.K. TechVolt, setting it on a stand and pointing it at Robert.

Ratchet frowned at the weapon. "What are you doing with that?"

"Saving a life." Lightning turned it on, making it release a steady wave of electricity into the mech. "There. Just gave myself an extra half hour."

The old mech stared in awe as she pulled out a laser scalpel. "That... It doesn't have a setting below fried circuits...!"

"Incorrect." She started to slowly and carefully cut the welded armor open. "Shockwave's design has one setting. Sonic saw the specs for it and made me a modified copy. Now please, let me work."

"I... Of course..."

She placed her hand on the circle she just cut, magnetizing her fingers and pulling up to move it out of the way.

Ratchet took the piece of plating from her, looking it over. "A perfect circle...!"

Lightning elected to ignore his statement, pulling a pair of medical tweezers out of her subspace. She grabbed the shrapnel with the tweezers, using the scalpel at a lowered level to free the shards.

The CMO watched her actions critically, trying to shake some activity into his stiffened servos.

It was just above half an hour later when Lightning started to seal the breaches in Robert's spark chamber. "Now for the tricky bit..."

"What do you think you should be doing?"

"Once I seal the shrapnel entryways, I'll need to open his spark chamber to make sure no shards got in there."

He did his best to suppress his impressment. "Correct."

She finished the sealing, and started to move her fingers across the surface of the spark chamber, activating hidden switches in an intricate pattern.

In a manner of minutes, the spark chamber opened up for her, revealing the bright white spark held within. Lightning looked around for shrapnel that might've snuck in. "We're clear." She finally stated, easing the casing shut and welding his chest back into place. "We'll need to replace his armor and make sure his optics weren't damaged when he wakes up, but he'll be fine."

Ratchet patted her shoulder. "... I must say, I'm impressed."

Lightning nodded, her optics shining a little. "Thank you, sir. That means the world coming from you."

"You're quite skilled with your servos."

"Thanks, sir. Everyone seems to tell me that."

"That's the defining characteristic of a medic, you know."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"The hands," he held up his own for effect, "no matter how much training you have, you won't get far in the medical community if you don't have the hands for it. Some believe it to be evidence of Adaptus - honestly, I find it an incredibly rare spark quality. Like the ability to support more than one alt mode or to change size."

"Like Megatron, sir?"

"Yes, like Megatron."

She looked down at her own hands. "So you're saying I have those kind of hands?"

"You do. And you know how to use them, which is even better."

"... Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, Lightning. And please," he rested his hand on her shoulder again, "call me Ratchet."

"Okay... Ratchet."

The old medic smiled, patting her shoulder lightly. "It's good to have you here, Lightning. Really."

She nodded in response, "Thank you, Ratchet."