So, that was a long delay (though not as long as some of my others). It's also fall. Hopefully you guys are ready for Halloween. I've already started decorating my apartment.

This is a short chapter this time. The next one is already written, but I won't post it until I've gotten a little further into the one after that.

As always, please let me know if you catch any spelling or grammar errors and let me know if you catch any continuity errors. Some of them are on purpose, others not so much and I don't want to confuse you guys the readers. Also please let me know what you guys think. I'm still experimenting in this genre, please let me know what works and what doesn't. Thanks for reading.

Bumblebee hopped off of the transport and stretched. A few of his joints popped at the movement.

"Hey Bee!"

Bumblebee turned at the sound of his name. Gears, Beachcomber, and Brawn waved him over. "I didn't think I'd get much of a welcoming committee," Bumblebee said.

Brawn laughed. "We heard through the usual sources that you might be back here for a klik."

"It's good to see you again, Bee," said Beachcomber.

"At least Earth hasn't rusted you through yet," said Gears.

"It's good to see all of you again," said Bumblebee. "Unfortunately I won't be here long."

"Yeah, we heard about Blue," said Brawn instantly sobering. He rubbed the back of his helm. "I overheard Trailbreaker taking the message when it came in."

"Yeah," said Bumblebee. Brawn and Gears hadn't always been able to tolerate Bluestreak. More often than not, they would drive him off with a harsh word or two. "Have there been any transmissions from Praxus? Has Blue made any attempt at contact?"

"Not that any of us have heard," said Gears.

"Maybe the signal is being blocked by something," said Bumblebee. He looked at Brawn. "Didn't you often work in Praxus before the war?"

"A long time ago, yes," admitted Brawn. "But Bee, you have to understand. Praxus was a unique city. They weren't fond of outsiders knowing much."

"But there's always the possibility there's something blocking his signal," said Beachcomber seeing Bumblebee's face fall. "Praxus had many defenses, as did her sister city Vos."

"Not like they helped much when the seekers showed up," muttered Gears. Brawn whacked him upside the head.

"Look, Bee, we just want you to be careful," said Brawn.

"I know," said Bumblebee. "Praxus isn't stable-"

"It's not just that," interrupted Beachcomber.

"There were a lot of odd rumors about Praxus," said Gears. "Us minibots steered clear of the winged cities unless we really needed the work."

"What's so bad about Praxus?" asked Bumblebee.

"It produced Prowl," said Gears sarcastically. Brawn smacked him again.

Beachcomber pulled something out of his subspace. "Bee, take this," he said holding out a very light blue crudely cut crystal. Bumblebee carefully took the crystal from Beachcomber. It felt warm to his touch and seemed to pulse slightly in his servos.

"Don't lose it," added Gears.

"Thank you?" said Bumblebee. "What is it?"

"It's a crystal to protect you," said Beachcomber.

Brawn snorted. "I told Optimus we should have been the ones to raise you. Those tall mechs forget we minibots have our own cultures."

"Oh, like you had the time and resources to look after a minibot sparkling," said Gears. "Ironhide and Chromia were officers. They had perks."

"Quiet you!" said Brawn grabbing Gears by his collar plates.

"The point is," said Beachcomber ignoring his companions. "We think it's time we shared some of our traditions with you. We didn't have a lot of opportunities during the war."

"And then you decided to stay on Earth," grumbled Gears.

"We wanted to tell you," said Beachcomber. "We really did."

"It's not just you," added Brawn. "All of ya younguns, Cliffjumper, Pipes and the rest, weren't taught our traditions and stories. Haven't you ever wondered why there isn't a city state for our kind?"

"Um," Bumblebee struggled to put words to his thoughts. Why were they telling him this now?

"We'll have plenty of time for that once Bee gets back," said Beachcomber resting a servo on Brawns arm.

Gears looked darkly at the light blue crystal in Bumblebee's servo. "Keep that charm close."

"Charm?" asked Bumblebee looking down at the crystal.

"It'll protect you," said Beachcomber.

"From what?"

"Anything that might be lurking around Praxus," said Brawn.

Bumblebee was becoming more confused. "Why are you guys being so vague? Why not just tell me what you think is in Praxus? It's a dead city. Aside from Bluestreak and a few scavengers, who could possibly be lurking around Praxus?"

"We're not really sure," admitted Beachcomber.

"But like ya said, Praxus is dead," said Brawn. "And the dead are of a world all their own."

"What the frag?" said Bumblebee just as he heard another voice call out.

"Bumblebee, there you are." Prowl stood at the opposite side of the hanger. "We move out in one breem. Head to the ship to start take off procedures."

"Get, going," said Brawn. "We'll catch up when you get back."

The three older minibots left their younger companion gaping. Bumblebee shook his head and made his way over to the shuttle Prowl had indicated. "Sir," he said catching his former commander's attention. "Is there something about this mission I should know about before we take off?"

Prowl paused in his checking of the ship's parameters. "What do you mean?" asked Prowl.

"I don't know," said Bumblebee taking the seat next to Prowl. "Beachcomber, Brawn and Gears were acting a little odd. They also gave me this crystal." Bumblebee showed Prowl the light blue crystal.

Prowl stared at the small crystal. His helm felt lighter than it had, like when he had been a youngling, and his thought briefly cleared. He was filled with a sense of guilty, worry and a strange calm. Without thinking Prowl cupped his servos around Bumblebee's smaller one. "I think you should keep that in a safe place."

Bumblebee shot Prowl a concerned look. He opened a pocket in his armor and carefully put the crystal inside. "Okay, Prowl," he said. "Are we clear to head out?"

Prowl straightened up. His logic center and tacnet taking control back from his more emotional processor. "Yes, everything seems to be in order. We'll be in Praxus in half an orn."

Thundercracker landed softly on the western outskirts of the once great city. He knew that on a clear day, if he looked to the southwestern corner, he would have been able to see what remained of the pillars connecting Praxus to Vos.

This was not how Thundercracker wanted to see the city he grew up in. Praxus should be vibrant and noisy. Tourists should be lining up to see the famous crystal gardens. Younglings should be playing in the many parks throughout the city. A city like Praxus was never meant to be this still.

He sighed. "Alright Grayscale, I'm here." He gazed towards the northern part of the city. "But first, I have to do something."

Thundercracker reached into his subspace and pulled out a cube of energon. Gunner and the foreman had insisted he take enough to last him 5 orns. He should have plenty for this mission. He took a sip form the cube. The energon was not the highest quality, but it was still better than what he had survived on before Megatron's fall.

"I guess I've finally come home," he muttered and finished the cube in two large gulps.

Thundercracker tossed the cube into the distance. One more piece of junk to add to the landscape. With a small jump, Thundercracker was airborne again. He didn't bother transforming. He didn't have far to go and the thought of flying in his alt mode made his tanks churn.

The western half of Praxus had once had several smaller residential sections surrounded by administrative buildings. They hadn't been as big as the neighborhoods to the east or the apartment towers that had stood in the center of the city. The neighborhoods here had primarily served as a bridge between the two cities and other immigrants to the city. Most of the families had been mixed.

It didn't take long for Thundercracker to find his destination. On a street that had been in a Vosian Praxian neighborhood stood a series of crumbling townhouses. Thundercracker touched down in front of the second to last home. He reached out his servo to touch the lock on the front door.

Bam!

Thundercracker whipped around. He expected to see debris from a fallen building or some other form of destruction. Instead, he saw a grey form stagger out from the shadows.

It was a mech. Thundercracker was about to go to the mysterious mech's aid, but hesitated. The mech was a sickly grey color and jerkily took a step towards Thundercracker. It was an unnatural movement. The mech opened his mouth and let out a low groan.

"Excuse me," said Thundercracker. "Are you alright?"

The mech was only a few paces away now and he let out another eerie groan. Thundercracker tried to back up, but he found himself trapped against the door. The mech lunged at him. Sharp claws dug into Thundercracker's wings.

"Ahh," screamed Thundercracker. The mech continued to groan. Vorns of training allowed Thundercracker to quickly reach into his subspace and pulled out his blaster. He shot the mech clawing at him in the center of the chest plate, right where his spark chamber should be.

The mech fell backwards onto the broken ground. Thundercracker leaned one servo against the door frame. He took a few deep cycles of air through his vents to help himself cool down. As he felt himself calm down, Thundercracker straightened up and slide the door open to the townhouse.

There was a groan from behind Thundercracker. Thundercracker turned around. The mech whom he had shot in the spark was slowly pulling himself to his peds. Thundercracker's spark pulsed wildly. He fell through the entry way of the townhouse. The mech stood to his full height. Thundercracker shot at him again, blowing the mech's helm clean off his shoulders.

Thundercracker jumped up and slammed the front door closed. He shot at the lock. Thundercracker tested the handled and found he had successfully jammed the door.

"Well," he said. "That was unexpected."