"You're making me stay here?!" Sideswipe cried, balling his fists up as if he was prepared to fight over the order. Bumblebee resisted the urge to sigh.
"You're still injured, Sideswipe. You're not fit for combat right now."
"Fit, schmit! I'm perfectly fine! See?" Sideswipe waved his repaired arm up and down as if the demonstration would change his leader's mind. "You can't leave me behind, Bee! How are you going to take down the 'Con without my moves?"
"Listen to the grown mechs, junior. They have more experience than you do." Knockout drawled, lazily examining his fingertips as if he couldn't care less about the proceedings. Sideswipe shot him a glare that would've peeled paint.
"But you're taking him along?" The youngling jerked his head toward the medic. "I'm not fit for combat, but the geezer is?"
"That's out of line—"
"It's all right, Bumblebee." Knockout interrupted. "The sparkling's just venting. Missing his stasis nap probably made him grumpy."
Sideswipe's optics widened with rage and he actually took a step toward the medic before Bumblebee put himself between them. "All right, that's enough out of both of you! We have a mission, we can't waste our energy fighting each other."
Bee gave Sideswipe his best authoritative look. "I understand your frustration—really, I do. But Knockout's the expert and if he says you need to rest, then you need to rest. This is not a debate," he said warningly as the youngling opened his mouth to protest again. "This is an order. You're staying here."
Sideswipe scowled, but he didn't argue further. With that, Bumblebee faced the rest of his team. "Right, then; is everyone clear on their jobs?"
"Patrol Crown City, watch for the Decepticon, protect civilians, SIR!" Strongarm rattled off, saluting sharply.
"What she said," Knockout replied, not looking up from his fingernail examination. He ignored the disgusted look Strongarm gave him for his lack of respect.
"I'll keep an eye on the Decepticon's signal and let you know when and where he touches down," Fix-it said. As an afterthought, he copied Strongarm's salute. "Uh, sir."
"I'll help you navigate and identify likely targets," Denny replied, holding up several folded maps.
"And I'll stay here and help Fix-it," Russell added. His shoulders slumped slightly at the thought of staying behind, but he held back the complaints.
Grimlock looked around at his teammates, all taking their duties so seriously. Then he looked at Bee and grinned, smacking his fist into his palm. "I get to punch stuff."
Bumblebee nodded. That was good enough. He looked at Sideswipe, who was still glaring at the ground. "Sideswipe, you'll help Fix-it. Do whatever he says."
"Whatever." Sideswipe muttered. He turned and marched out of the clearing into the depths of the junkyard. Bumblebee started to call him back, but stopped before the reprimand left his vocalizer.
He wouldn't listen anyway; might as well let him sulk and get it out of his system, Bee thought. Putting the Sideswipe problem aside for later, Bumblebee faced Strongarm and Knockout for a final pep talk. "All right, team: I don't need to remind you how dangerous this fugitive is. If we're going to take Iron Wing down, it's going to be as a team. If he comes to Crown City, we'll regroup before engaging him. If you spot him, alert the rest of the team. We'll need to try to lure him away from the populated areas before starting a fight. The last thing we want is human causalities." He looked at Knockout specifically as he said that. "Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!" Strongarm replied proudly. Knockout rolled his optics.
"Don't worry, Herr Kommandant, the fleshies will be safe."
"Then let's go." Bumblebee pumped his fist in the air, deepening his voice dramatically. "Autobots—time to fly high!"
Dead silence greeted the display.
"'Fly high'?!" Knockout asked incredulously. "That's your catchphrase?"
"I'm still working on it," Bumblebee sighed. He quickly transformed and popped his door open for Denny to climb in. "Let's just go."
"I mean, none of you even fly! Whatever happened to 'Transform and roll out'?" Knockout went on as he and Strongarm transformed and followed Bumblebee out of the yard. The roar of high-powered engines faded into the distance as the bots raced away. The remaining team members gazed soberly at the junkyard entrance, silently wishing their friends the best of luck.
"...Right." Fix-it cleared his throat, trying to sound official. "Back to work then. Let's see; where's Iron Wing's signal now…?"
"Somewhere far away, if he knows what's good for him," Grimlock bounced on his heels, giving the air a few anticipatory punches. "That overgrown turkey's goin' down this time for sure!"
Russell remained silent. He was still watching the spot where Sideswipe had disappeared.
"I'll be right back, Fix-it. Call me if you need anything." The minicon nodded in acknowledgment, not looking away from the computer's display. Russell vaulted over the Alchemor's safety railing and jogged away. It was easy to tell which direction Sideswipe had gone: anywhere they went, the bots left giant footprints in the soft dirt of the yard. Russell followed the most recent trail of prints until he found the missing mech among the stasis pods. Sideswipe was taking his anger out on one of the damaged canisters by using it as a punching bag.
"Pompous—self-centered—spawn of a scraplet!" Sideswipe growled between blows. He slammed his right fist into the pod and winced suddenly, clutching his arm. Judging from the fact that he was holding his forearm, not his hand, Russell guessed that the pain was more due to the Predacon sting than the punch.
"Your arm's still bothering you?" Russell asked softly. Sideswipe spun around. His angry expression melted somewhat as he saw his human friend.
"It's fine," The youngling muttered, dropping his arm. "It's just sore. I could still fight if I needed to."
"Bumblebee just wants to make sure you're okay," Russell said, walking closer to his friend. "From what the prison roster said, this Iron Wing guy is tough. You'll notice that I didn't get to go, either."
Sideswipe hmm-ed, examining a piece of junk on the ground as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Russell watched his expression carefully.
"What's wrong, Sideswipe? Is this just about having to stay behind, or is it something else?"
Sideswipe stiffened, as if Russell had read his thoughts when he didn't want them read. Then he sighed, shoulders slumping. He glanced at Russell with an unusually somber expression on his face. "Can…Can I tell you a secret?"
Russell plopped down on the ground and propped his chin in his hands, the picture of an attentive listener. Sideswipe followed his lead and sat down as well. He traced patterns in the dirt absentmindedly with one finger, as if putting off an unpleasant task.
"The truth is… I was lying about not knowing Knockout."
Russell had guessed this already, but he kept his mouth shut and let Sideswipe continue.
"You know how humans have 'parents,' who raise you and provide for you?" Sideswipe waited for Russell's confirming nod, then explained further. "Well, on Cybertron, we have something similar. We call them 'guardians.' They're not biologically related like human parents, but they basically do the same things."
Sideswipe paused, as if he was about the say something painful. "Knockout… is my guardian."
Russell's eyes widened. That was unexpected. "Are you saying Knockout's your dad?!"
"Shhh! Not so loud!" Sideswipe glanced around anxiously. "I don't want the whole team to know!"
Russell digested this information.
"And… I'm guessing you two don't get along too well." The boy finally said.
"You could say that." Sideswipe drew his knees up to his chestplates. "It's been kind of… rough for the past few stellar cycles. We've had a lot of disagreements. And then the night before I came to Earth, we got into a fight."
"About what?"
Sideswipe's face darkened. All of a sudden he leapt to his feet and began pacing manically. "He totally overreacted! All I did was go to a party; it's a perfectly normal thing for younglings to do. So what if I didn't tell him where I was going? I'm nearly an adult, he doesn't need to know where I am every second of the day! And yeah, there was high-grade but I wasn't having any, there was no reason for him to freak out the way he did—"
"Whoa whoa, slow down." Russell interrupted, trying to sort through the information he'd just spewed. "So—you went to a party without telling Knockout. And he found out?"
"He gate-crashed it! I'm just sitting there trying to enjoy myself and suddenly he shows up—I don't even know how he knew where I was!—and practically drags me out, chewing me out the whole time. In front of everybody!" Sideswipe spun around and gave Russell a devastated look. "Do you know how humiliating it is for your guardian to treat you like a sparkling in front of all your friends?!"
"That does sound pretty bad," Russell sympathized.
"Tell me about it." Sideswipe resumed his pacing. "And then all the way home he lectures me about spending time with bad influences—like he's one to talk! All he does lately is tell me how I'm going to end up in the stockade if I don't straighten up. I just—I couldn't take it anymore! I told him where he could stick his lectures and—that's kind of the last thing we said to each other."
Something occurred to Russell. "So, wait, did he know you came to Earth?"
Sideswipe's pacing faltered. "…No, he didn't. I didn't think he'd care."
"What?" Russell couldn't contain his disbelief. "He's your dad, how could he not care?! My dad would go ballistic if I disappeared to another planet—"
"HE'S NOT LIKE YOUR DAD, RUSSELL!"
The shout took Russell by surprise. It surprised Sideswipe, too—he hadn't meant to explode like that. The youngling vented, rubbing his forehead as if fighting off a headache.
"Knockout isn't like your dad," Sideswipe repeated softly. "Your dad—it's like his whole world revolves around you. He sees you and he just lights up, like you've made his day just by existing."
Sideswipe sank to the ground again, like the emotional purging had exhausted him. He wore an expression Russell had never seen before: melancholy mixed with bitterness, and longing. "Knockout was always kind of distant—too 'cool' to show his feelings, y'know? I don't think I've ever heard him say that he cared about me. Not once."
Russell approached the giant robot and hugged his arm comfortingly. He was hesitant to say anything-he could feel his friend's pain, and he didn't want to minimize it—but he felt like Sideswipe needed to hear something.
"You know, Sideswipe," he whispered, "Not everyone says 'I love you' with words."
Sideswipe looked down at his human friend, confusion joining the medley of emotions in his face. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, my dad's really open about his emotions." Russell winced slightly as he remembered some of his father's more embarrassing outbursts. "A little too open, sometimes. But most people don't wear their emotions on their sleeves like that. They show they care in less-obvious ways—like fixing your favorite meals, or tucking you into bed at night, or—" Russell fixed Sideswipe with a meaningful look. "—by traveling halfway across the galaxy to an alien planet to make sure you're okay."
Sideswipe scowled. "If he cares so much, why's he ignoring me? He's barely talked to me since he got here."
Russell thought for a moment. "Maybe he thinks you don't want him to talk to you," he finally said. Sideswipe's frown didn't go away, but his brow furrowed as if he was considering the possibility. Seeing this, Russell changed the subject. "I understand how you feel, though. Parents can be frustrating—and they have a hard time letting go."
Sideswipe nodded, though the distant look in his optics suggested he wasn't really paying attention. He put a hand around Russell in an approximation of a hug. "Thanks for listening, buddy."
Russell smiled and hugged his friend's arm tighter. "Anytime." After a few moments, he moved to pull away, but Sideswipe stopped him.
"Do—do you think we could keep this little chat on the down-low? I don't really want the rest of the team knowing about Knockout."
"It's our secret." Russell promised, crossing his heart for emphasis. "We should probably get back to the Alchemor; I told Fix-it I wouldn't be gone long."
"I'll be right there. You go ahead."
Russell nodded in acknowledgment. He had some misgivings about leaving Sideswipe alone, but if the mech wanted some time by himself, Russell had to respect that. He walked back the way he'd come, but as he left he couldn't resist one last glance behind him. Sideswipe hadn't moved from his spot on the ground. He'd pulled his legs back up against his chest, like a small child trying to comfort itself.
It was easy to forget how young Sideswipe was. His battle skills, his confidence—and the fact that he was twenty-foot-tall robot—made him seem older than he actually was. But right now, Russell could see that beneath the bravado, Sideswipe was as much a kid as he was.