Chapter Eight

Ultra Magnus sat in his office going over a few reports before sending them on the appropriate officers when his door opened, he looked up annoyed that this bot would just walk in without knocking first. "Hot Rod, it is common practice to..." He stopped seeing the grin on the mech's face as he walked over to him. "Why are you here?" He asked a little wary.

"I was just wondering why you keep staring at my sister?" The red and orange mech asked having at tone of amusement in his voice.

Ultra Magnus froze, if Hot Rod had seen it then who else had? Were his feelings so obvious that everyone could see them? "I have not been...staring, as you put it, at Silverlight. I am merely making sure she comes to no harm." He explained in what he hoped was a calm and confident manner.

"You were staring." Hot Rod stated. "Almost like when Silverbolt was before he..." He stopped as he saw the car transporter's hand curl into a fist "something wrong, Magnus?" He asked as innocently as he could pretending he didn't know what was wrong.

"You know, don't you?" The blue and white mech said his voice low and partly annoyed as he looked the mech in the optic.

"Know?" Hot Rod asked trying to sound confused "know what?"

"Don't play innocent with me, Hot Rod. You know very well what and the only mech that knows who could have told you is your father." He said getting more annoyed by the minute. "Who has decided, it seems, to tease me over it." He sighed looking away from the mech "now I know what he felt like when he was going after Airier." He muttered.

"Okay that's just... too much information." The red and orange mech said slightly disgusted. Suddenly the car transporter chuckled as he looked back scaring him. "U-Ultra Magnus?"

"Prime wants to play this...game, then so can I. Would you like to know all the slip-ups and other embarrassing things your father did before actually getting with your mother?"

Hot Rod's grin returned, "You bet!" He said taking a seat.

Silverlight stood looking out at the starry night sky, her brother's comment going round in her head. "Have you ever noticed how Ultra Magnus stares at you? Wonder what's with that?" She had in fact noticed this, she had caught him staring a few times when he thought she wasn't looking. It was actually starting to worry her, her mind kept coming up with reasons why and all of them bad. The two main ones being: He's keeping an optic on you because he doesn't believe that you've changed and He still believes you're a Decepticon. She couldn't go to Prime with her concerns since they were good friends the Autobot leader would side with Magnus. That in itself saddened her the most because it meant that her own father didn't believe she was an Autobot. Though she had often wondered if anyone believed it or they were just going along with it because she was the Prime's sparkling. "You should be locked up for what you've done but because of who your supposed father is you're allowed to walk free among us." Sideswipe's words suddenly sounding in her mind. She sighed downheartedly as she looked at the ground, her doorwings drooping. "Silverlight?" The femme gasped in shock as she turned to the voice. "You should not be out here alone." They reprimanded "If any Decepticons were to see you..."

"I know, Prowl. But I just needed to think…somewhere that wasn't my quarters." She turned back to the night sky, her optics sadly looking up at the stars. "But that's what everyone wants, don't they?" She said quietly.

"What do you mean?" The tactician asked a little confused.

"Everyone still believes I'm a con, even If they say they don't. I know they're only going along with it because of who my supposed father is." The racing truck's hands curled into fists that shook as she willed herself not to cry. "No one believes I've changed."

"That's not true, Silverlight and you know it. I don't know where you got these absurd ideas but I can assure you that none of it is true." The Datsun told her.

"Hm. You sure about that? I'm sure a lot the mechs here would love to see me lock up for the things I did."

"Are you forgetting that you have been and are currently involved with some of these mechs?" He reminded her.

Silverlight looked over at the black and white mech. "I'm Prime's sparkling, Prowl, what mech wouldn't want to go out with that?" She stated before looking back at the stars then down at the horizon.

"You are being ridiculous, Silverlight. I will not stand here and listen to you torture yourself about this. Get back inside, I will be speaking to Prime about this." Prowl scolded expecting her follow his order only to see her still standing there. "Silverlight." He commanded.

The blue femme turned to him tears now falling from her optics, "why should I? Why should I return to a situation where no one understand me, no one loves me, no one trusts me! Why Prowl, huh, tell me why?!" she asked her voice pained and distressed.

"If we did not trust you do you think we would have let you go on all those missions, let you walk freely anywhere in the base? And don't you dare say it was because of Prime." The black and white mech chastised.

"What the frag would you know about what I've been through!" the blue femme suddenly spat, her optics narrowing with annoyance as the tears continued to run down her face "No one here does! No one cares! And thanks to Sideswipe and Ultra Magnus I see that now." She ran from him transforming a little way off and speeding away.

"SILVERLIGHT!" Prime, we've got a problem. The tactician commed his leader as he watched to form of Silverlight disappear further and further into the night.

Optimus sat in his quarters with his head in his hands. Prowl had told him what had happened with Silverlight and everyone was now out searching, apart from those who...'disliked' her like Sideswipe, who had got a severe reprimand and warning from the Datsun. He had let his second-in-command do it as he did not trust himself to remain calm and collected throughout it. Ultra Magnus however was an entirely different matter. The femme had obviously seen all the mech's stares and taken them the wrong way. The semi looked over at the picture of his family, picking it up and bringing it over his focus entirely on the blue femme. "Silverlight." He whispered looking at the youngling sadly. He knew he should be out there with everyone else looking for his sparkling but with the way his mind and emotions were at the moment he could stroll straight into a Decepticon ambush and not know until it was too late, further strengthening the thought of those who still believed her to be a Decepticon. All of this reminded him of the day he'd lost two of most important femme's in his life and if things weren't done right he'd lose that very same femme again though this time he could not blame it on Megatron.

Optimus suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up seeing the car transporter with deeply sadden optics.

"I'm sorry, Optimus." He said sadly. "I didn't..."

"It is okay, Magnus." The Autobot leader said placing a reassuring hand on the mech's "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

The blue and white mech sighed, "If I had not been staring at her this would never have happen." He said looking away.

"No my friend," Optimus began "I have a feeling that this would have happened whether you were staring or not. I was the one who should have noticed that things were not as...good as I thought they were." Looking back down the picture, his hand moving towards the picture to gently touch the young femme in it.

"You can't blame yourself, Optimus." Magnus said looking back at his leader and friend, giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You've been busy."

"That's the problem, Magnus. Ever since Airier died I've kept myself busy never having time for...others."

"Hot Rod turned out okay. Sure he's a pain in aft at times but he's a good mech." The car transporter reassured.

"I was not referring to Hot Rod." The semi said still looking at the picture.

"Everyone kept their distance from Silverlight when she first got here, even I did. You should not blame yourself for that either she knew your position meant that you could not..."

"It never stopped me when she was a youngling." He insisted.

Ultra Magnus sighed again, "no matter what I say you're going to blame yourself, aren't you?" He got no reply and sadly shook his head "I'll let you know when we find her." He said before walking out.

Outside Prowl and Jazz were waiting, the Porsche was leaning up against the wall arms folded across his chest while the Datsun paced back and forth. "Ya know if ya keep that up there'll be a nice hole in the floor." The saboteur joked. The tactician stopped only to show the mech he was unamused by his comment before continuing his pacing. A couple of minutes later the door opened gaining the two mech's attention.

"Well?" Jazz asked as he stood.

The blue and white mech looked sadly back at the door before looking back at the mechs in front of him. "He blames himself."

"Why would Prime blame himself?" Prowl asked "this was beyond his control."

"He believes he should have spent more time with her." Ultra Magnus explained as he walked off with the two mechs following him.

"We all should have done that." Jazz commented.

"The only thing we can do now is find her and pray to Primus that the cons don't find her first."

As they reached the entrance they heard someone clear their throat behind them and turned to look.

"What do ya want?" The saboteur asked partly annoyed.

"I...I want to help." The mech asked nervously.

"I don' think so, ya've done enough damage, Sideswipe."

"I...I didn't mean to upset her." The red Lamborghini began "I mean, I didn't think she'd take what I said to spark."

"And how exactly did you think she'd take it, Sideswipe?" Ultra Magnus asked annoyed. "You virtually told her she was still a Decepticon and should be locked up."

Sideswipe sighed as he looked at the floor dejectedly, "I know." He muttered.

Prowl studied the mech "this has nothing to do with Silverlight, has it? This is about Sunstreaker." He stated. Everyone looked at him.

Sideswipe was surprised that he had mentioned his twin. "Why would you say that?" He asked.

"He's out there searching for the very femme you hate." The Datsun said plainly.

"I don't hate her." The red mech muttered looking away.

"Ya could've fooled meh." Jazz retorted.

"You upset him and now you want to make up for it by helping to search." Prowl continued ignoring the Porsche.

"And by making sure he comes to no harm by that very same femme." Ultra Magnus concluded.

Sideswipe flinched at their explanation and how right they were about it. He did want to make amends with his brother since primus knew the mech had stopped talking to him since snapping at Silverlight when she came to see him but he also wanted to search for her as an apology to Prime.

"Prowl," Ultra Magnus began as he looked at the Datsun "as second-in-command the choice is yours to make, though considering he's the one that caused all this I'd be against letting him go. I am going to continue the search." He said turning to entrance, transforming and driving off.

"Jazz?" Prowl asked looking over at the Porsche his tone suggesting that he was asking the saboteur's opinion.

Jazz thought for a moment then asked, "How do we know that ya won't just drive Silverlight further away from us?"

Again Sideswipe sighed, he looked back at them and the seriousness on their faces. Don't screw this up now, Sideswipe. He thought to himself. "You were right in saying that I want to find and protect Sunny but I also want to apologise to both her and Prime and this is the only way I know how to do it." He half lied and tried hard not to squirm at the intense stare he knew Jazz was giving him under his visor.

"There's more." Jazz finally said.

Slaggit, why did Jazz have to be head of Special Ops and notice every little detail. "No, that's it I swear to primus, that's all." He was not going to tell them he had brought Silverlight to tears with what he said two days before he'd snapped at her in front of his twin, they'd never let him near her again and his brother would definitely never speak to him afterwards.

"Jazz, may I know your decision?" Prowl asked breaking the tension. The red mech prayed that he would say yes, if anyone could sway Prowl on a decision it was Jazz.

"No." The Porsche said firmly.

"What?! Why not?" The Lamborghini almost whined.

"Ya not being truthful with us." He stated.

"But I am!" Sideswipe insisted. "I told you everything!"

"Ya choice, Prowl." The saboteur said looking over at the tactician.

The Datsun once again studied the mech for a moment, a doorwing twitching as he weighed out each 'argument' and the consequences "after hearing both the views of Jazz and Ultra Magnus I have decided that, against my better judgement, you may search for Silverlight."

"What?!" Both mechs said in complete shock.

"However," the tactician began "you will follow these rules, fail to comply and..."

"I…understand." Sideswipe Interrupted. He was still trying to get over the fact that the mech went against both Ultra Magnus and Jazz, and by the look on saboteur's face so was he.

"You will stay close to me and not wonder off. If you feel your twin nearby you will inform me and I will decide if we go after him. You will not under any circumstance go off to find him, am I making myself clear?"

"Yes Prowl." The Lamborghini replied.

"If we happen to find Silverlight before anyone else you will not approach her nor will you try to speak to her, understood?" He received a nod "very well then, let us join the search."

Jazz couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. For Sideswipe this was the worst punishment, having to stay right next to Prowl for an infinite number of hours.