This chapter is really short. Sorry about that.

Song: "Frozen Heart" - Cast of Frozen

Ultra Magnus is eleven orns old. Kup is sixteen.

780.06.32

Clang!

The sound of hammers rang throughout the mines beneath Blaster City. Kup chatted quietly with his comrade, Crosshair, a bulky Grounder, as they mined at a particularly hard piece of Energon.

"Have you heard about the recent Quintesson attacks? Some civilians up in Polyhex were murdered last cycle."

"If you ask me, they deserved it. Those upper-class snobs are always looking down on us, it's high time someone handed their afts to them."

"But termination? Does it really have to escalate to that extreme, Crosshair?"

Magnus huffed in boredom as he listened to his brother and Crosshair carry on about the Quintessons. It wasn't like the Elite Guard couldn't just beat them down! Finally, weary of the bickering, the mechling hopped off of his seat of scrapmetal and jogged over to a pile of abandoned pickaxes. He figured that if his designated caste was labor, why not start practicing now?

His first attempt at lifting the tool was humorously pathetic, but he got it on the second try. Luckily for him, Magnus was tall and strong for his age. Orns of working in the mines, even if you aren't exactly "working," will do that to you.

Staggering to a small hunk of Energon, Magnus lifted the axe and…dropped it on his pede.

He howled and fell on his aft, hugging his pede to his chassis as tight as he could. Kup came running, a hard expression on his faceplate but a glint of humor in his optics.

"Now why would you do that, Magnus? You aren't old enough yet!" he chastised. Magnus frowned and shakily stood up, leaning on the wall for support. "Shut up," he growled playfully, a hint of pain still in his voice.

"Perhaps you should go back up. Maybe get some Energon for tonight?" Kup suggested, but it wasn't a suggestion, more of an order. He was already digging some credits out of his subspace.

"Here you go," he said, handing Magnus the credits, who took them without a word. "I'll be home soon, 'kay?"

"Alright."

Running through the streets (albeit limping slightly), Magnus was in his element in Blaster City. Finally he made it to the plaza, where all the vendors set up shop, advertising various things for sale. Since they lived in the lower caste areas, the black market was also quite popular. Selling frame parts, high grade, and various other trinkets for low prices, many bots took advantage of the system to buy unusual upgrades for themselves. Magnus had heard a lot about bots purchasing secondary sets of audio receptors, optics, and even servos!

But the black market wasn't where he was going. Magnus raced over to his usual vendor: Freeway, a sleek Racer who sold basic necessities like Energon.

"Hey, bud!" called Freeway when Magnus approached. "The usual?"

"Yeah."

Freeway crouched behind his stand and grabbed a few Energon cubes, setting them on the counter between them. Without a word, Magnus placed the credits on the counter and subspaced the Energon. "Thanks, Freeway!" he called as he started home. Freeway gave a little wave, then returned to his business.

Magnus reached home and collapsed on a piece of furniture. He grabbed a remote and turned on the outdated holodisplay, which immediately switched to the news. Normally Magnus didn't pay attention to the news - it was boring! - but what was this?

"Breaking news: We are here, live at Blaster City, where the main Energon mining operations have been bombed by - we presume - the Quintessons! Search and rescue teams are working frantically to locate and save the miners, but…"

The video feed continued on, but Magnus was long gone.

Sparks are cheap in Blaster City.

Magnus didn't believe a word that news broadcast said. Who cared about the lower castes? Nobody! No one would probably even bother to count those who had fallen. Maybe they would attempt a rescue, but they probably wouldn't try very hard.

He was blocked by a pair of Enforcers.

"I'm sorry, mechling, but you aren't permitted here."

He struggled hard, protesting: "But my brother's in there! My brother, you monsters!"

Finally he stopped, vents cycling hard to keep him from overheating. "Kup…" he whispered as the Enforcers escorted him back into the safe zone.

Breems passed, and Magnus only sat at the edge of the site and waited. Rescue teams came up frequently with injured and terminated bots, but he never saw Kup, although he thought he did see Crosshair. He hoped he was okay. He hoped they both were.

I wish this whole fragging war would just stop! Our whole planet is always so centered around fighting, war, and termination. Why can't we just make peace? It was a question that many often wondered.

Then he saw it. The familiar flash of green armor. The blue optics.

"Kup!"

This time the Enforcers didn't try to stop him. He ran right for his brother and put a reassuring servo on his back.

"Watch out, mechling," commanded a medic. He was a Seeker with black and purple armor. A nameplate clipped to his torso read Lifeline.

Magnus nodded numbly. "Okay."

He was still numb when they wheeled the dead and injured away, and even more numb when Kup was placed in a transport and flown to Praxus for medical care. Fortunately, Kup's friend, Ambulon (who was also a medic) found him and took him to Praxus as well. Roadblock and Whiplash, two of Kup's other friends, were there as well, and greeted Magnus and Ambulon with nervous looks.

And it was there, in the Praxian Medical Center, that Magnus stayed. He sat beside his brother's berth and prayed to Primus, to all thirteen Primes, to every deity he could think of.

Yes, Kup is Magnus's big brother in this fic. Magnus is so cute, too! :P