Co-Authered by Ultra Rodimus Prime and Omicron Of Ice

Guardians' Quest

Jack pounced into her sire's lap the moment he was sitting in his chair, snuggling against him and folding her fan like fins that dimmed from the playful blue and green to a darker blue of being tired. "So many visitors..." she wondered aloud, the sparklings having worn out the older youngling, and themselves.

The old mech purred warmly to her, running a hand lightly down her back. "It's not often you get three Guardians and their charges in one place." His optics brightened at her reaction, though they were still darker than usual. He'd found the female Guardian, Longsight, crushed under a ceiling collapse in her territory, two of her four charges dead of hunger and the other two barely alive. One had died despite Ultimus' best efforts, and the single survivor was cradled with Outrack's pair.

"Where do you keep the sparklings feeders for the tiny ones?" Pinion asked from where he was rummaging through the store room in the back. "Might help the new little one get some down at a slower rate so not to shock it's system."

"Top shelf on the left, above the empty cubes," Ultimus replied, freeing one hand to point. "There might also be a couple in the cleaning unit." He tilted his head to peer between the nasty-looking teeth of Outrack's beast-mode head, seeing three pairs of optics peering back.

The crock mech had his jaws propped open, just enough space for the sparklings to get out as he recharged for a little bit, a quick nap and not minding the other sparklings that now where attempting to climb over his scaly frame.

"There!" Pinion came back over, his three chargers tumbling over the large tail and debating on staying to investigate or go check out Ultimus' feet. "I still have the sparkling bled from the Wrecker medic, so this sparkling should survive Ulti."

"That's very good to know. I wasn't sure he'd make it, considering how weak he was when I found him." Blue and coppery gold armor ruffled and settled. Still stroking Jack's back, he watched the other two Guardians, smiling at the playing of the younger sparklings before looking back to Pinion. "So, what do we do now?"

"That's a good question," Pinion hummed as he tapped the crock's nose to wake him up. The beast-former unshuttered his optics. Taking in what was going on the rusty Guardian stood and turned his head to gently evict the three sparklings into Pinion's waiting hands and then transformed. He blinked around at his tail at where one of Ultimus' charges was clinging to the mech's tail. "Would you like to do this Ultimus?" Pinion asked as he offered the bottle like feeder to the sparkling, knowing his friend might need the lift of feeling the little life getting stronger again.

The red-haired mech nodded, shifting Jack up to his shoulder before carefully cradling the little sparkling in his arms. Humming softly to the little one, he held the feeder, watching tiny hands grab at it and the sparkling begin to drink before looking up at the other two Guardians. "The life pools have dried up. Vector Sigma is gone, the Wreckers are gone, the Insecticons... We can't stayhere, that much I can figure out."

"I think we need to head up as well," Outrack said slowly, almost not wanting to but knowing it was really their only path. "To the surface. Though this old crock likes being in the depths."

"Without the Wreckers to maintain the levels Cybertron is going to collapse in on itself," Ultimus pointed out. "Collapses already killed Longsight. I personally do not want to be here when the ceiling comes crashing down."

"True enough..."

"Shame this shuttled can't move anymore," Pinion mused as he settled and sat down in the other chair, while Outrack settled on the floor. Both other guardians sorting the little youths to feed them.

"It was left here because it couldn't fly anymore... Last time I glanced at the engine compartment half of it had fallen into rust." Ultimus twitched his shoulders. "I can fly, but my engines suck up too much power, and I'm not a passenger transport. If we're to leave we'll have to do it on foot."

"Flying with the dark energon veins isn't a good idea," Outrack said as sparklings took the offered little cubes. He considered something, "Hmm, it's going to take a long time to get up there. I think the littles should stay their size as they are now for the time being."

"They should... They'll be easier to transport in our armor if they stay small, and out energon supplies should last longer." Yellow optics dimmed briefly. "Outrack and I raided Longsight's caches, as deep into her territory as we could get before the collapse blocked us out. It should last us a while."

The black and red Pinion looked over at Ultimus, "My trailer half full from the stashes I could found from old Thunder's territory, you know the hammer-head? He passed some vorns ago, but he liked his dense-grade energon, those stories should last us as well."

"The more we have stashed in our subspace, the better. We're almost thirty levels down... It won't be a short trip." Under his helm one of Ultimus' audial panels twitched, and he looked sharply toward the shuttle's hatch.

Two growls echoed, in the room, and all the youth paused before a known glyph pinged off the coms of the adults. Nightspin rapped his knuckles on the hatch, rumbling audibly.

Pinion's jaw dropped, his fangs visible as he tried to get over from the shock of one of the deepest level guardians, that was so stubborn about leaving with his territory he nearly starved himself to give energon to his charges and not himself. "Primus..."

"It's open," Ultimus called, remotely unlocking the hatch. It had been a very long time since he'd seen Nightspin, and almost never out of the other guardian's territory.

The door opened and a little mechling, no older then Jack, if not a little younger, poked his head in first. He chirped, and Jack chirped back before looking at her sire, "He said something's wrong." She translated, looking over Ultimus' head to see the large form, not quiet moving in, the new adult mech seemed almost to be in a trance.

Ultimus' armor flattened down. "Nightspin? What's wrong?" His optics narrowed slightly. "Can you help him in, Pinion?"

Shedding his clingers and putting them in Outrack's lap, to be able to guide the stunned mech in, Pinion put the other into the seat he'd been in. "Nightspin?" he asked, clicking his fingers in front of glazed pink optics, "What's wrong?" Pinion reached over to peer into the mech's armor, and blinked as a little form flopped into his hand with a wanting kreel for energon.

Pinion automatically offered it some, but the kreel seemed to jar the new comer aware some.

There was a cautious chirp from one of Ultimus' other charges, peering around a blue-and-coppery leg Ultimus continued to feed the tiny sparkling in his hands, one fingertip stroking the small back while holding the feeder with the other. The tiny sparkling was latched firmly onto the feeder, not willing to let go. "Nightspin?"

He dimmed his optics and slowly shook his head, murmuring something.

"...?" Pinion tilted his head, "The Oracle?" he frowned then looked up at Ultimus, who was the last one of their class and group to have been touch by the demi, each had visions over the ages from her or Vector sigma at different points.

"Did she speak to him?" Ultimus blinked, looking at the deep-level guardian. "What did he say?"

"He just said the name and something about stars... none of us have seen stares since the Quints where slagged by the Old Ones." Pinion frowned, and coaxed the mech to let his other three charges out, settling them on the floor with the watching crock-mech, "I think he needs recharge to absorb whatever he was shown."

"Spare berths in the side room, first door on the right." Ultimus indicated the proper direction. "Make sure he doesn't have any more hungry sparklings in his armor before you let him sleep."

"I'm only picking up the four unless they are in stasis," Outrack commented, his scanners were powerful enough, and the mech rose to help lift Nightspin up and over to the berth. "If that old slagger has come up, I think it is time to leave," he said coming back.

"Nothing short of the coming of Unicron could get that pile of rust out of the deep levels, or so I thought." Ultimus looked down at the sparkling in his hands. "If he's come out of his own volition... Then the situation is probably worse than we thought."

"If the Oracle spoke to one of us," Outrack rumbled, reaching down to run his fingers lightly over little helms, "I think, we should get this lot settled down and clicking in recharge. I might be worth mediating a bit in case the Oracle needs to speak with the rest of us."

"Once the hatch is locked, nothing can get in. We and they will be safe until we decide to leave." Carefully getting to his feet, Ultimus moved over to shut and lock the hatch, then settled cross-legged on his own berth. His charges swarmed over his armor, finding their favorite places to curl up on one of the large metal-mech pillows.

"Ulti?" a black hand reached out to tap against the bigger mech's front, tapping for attention. Or rather a request as Pinion balanced the young mechling on his other arm. The dark mech almost always tried to settle in for recharge or just snuggles when either visiting, hosting or even with his own charges. Despite the mech's sometimes 'evil' looks of his armor, Pinion was as much as a snuggler as a Guardian could be.

A soft chuckle answered the tap. Ultimus obligingly moved over, shifting the sparkling-laden pillow out of the way and stretching out on his side, nudging Jack over to the bundle of small bodies. "At least some things never change..."

Pinion shrugged, setting the blinking mechling down on the other mech's broad chest in order to climb up onto the berth. Jack flicked her fins before crawling over to ball up against Ultimus' left shoulder and neck. While at the same time the black Pinion was settling himself against Ultimus' side and wrapping one arm around him, letting the mechling that came with Nightspin wedge himself in the space between them.

The redhead took his time settling, making absolutely sure there were no tiny stragglers getting into awkward places before venting a sigh and sinking into the berth padding. Reaching up, he stroked one fingertip along Jack's back, then loosely draped his arm over Pinion. "Hopefully when everyone wakes up 'Spin will be able to tell us what happened. Until then, let's see if the Oracle hasanything to say to any of the rest of us."

"Indeed," Pinion nodded against the bronze chest, listening to the sound of Outrack's transformationand his beast mode growl as the beast-former stayed in the front to guard the others. Nothing picked a fight with a cyber-crock after all.

Ultimus hummed softly, armor vibrating. Then he put his head down, letting his optics dim as he settled into recharge.