Mood whiplash. Sorry. I wanted more bonding between these two, and this seemed like a good way to do it.

Chapter 21: Hyperjump's POV

I tossed a broken piece of the bunk onto the debris pile with a grunt. "Cleaning. Why'd it have to be cleaning?"

Skystorm looked over her shoulder before whispering, "'Cause Hoist is a picky glitch, that's why. And Ratchet's worse."

"I am not!" Hoist barked from the back of the room. "I can still hear, y'know, kid."

"Sorry," Storm called back, blushing before smiling at me. My spark skipped a beat, and I had to look away.

"Uh…pass me the…um…that thing, could you?" I gestured vaguely in the direction of a tool that I used all the time, but suddenly didn't recognize very well.

She giggled. "It's called a wrench, dumb aft. Why are you looking at me like that?" She brushed her hands across her face and shoulders nervously, touching a slight cut on her left cheek. "Is it really that bad?"

"No…no, it's not." I cautiously reached out to pull her hand away and touch the cut myself. "Does it hurt?"

She shook her head slightly, not quite enough to break the contact. "No. I'm alright."

Just as she started to hold her hand out to me, the door smashed open. We jumped away from each other as Ratchet yelled, "HOIST! I need a berth clear stat! No, I don't care what happened, we've got three down and we need life-support for Blaster!"

Storm scrambled out of the way as another medic hurried through, carrying the Autobot comm specialist. I winced at the injuries he had; the entire comm center must have been hit with something big.

"Oh, no…" The gasp brought my attention back to Skystorm, who was staring at Wheeljack in horror. She half-stood, reaching out to the mech he was carrying. "Prowl..."

I reached out for her, and she clutched my arm as if it were the only thing holding her to consciousness. "Prowl, no!"

"Stay back, kid!" Wheeljack snapped. "Ratchet's got this. You two should wait outside."

I pulled Skystorm to her feet. "Come on, he'll be fine…" I only hoped she believed what I was saying, because I didn't.

Riella met us just outside the door, covered in dirt and energon, but still on her feet. "Storm. Hyperjump. Are you two alright?"

Skystorm practically threw herself into her mother's arms as I nodded. "We're a little battered, but okay."

"Riella, you're bleeding!" Storm wailed, pointing to the injury on the scout commander's side. "You need to get to Ratchet!"

"Relax, Storm." Riella held her a little closer. "I'll be fine. It looks worse than it is. The medics need to take care of the seriously injured first."

I could tell that even though she spoke confidently, she was hurting. "Are you sure you're alright?" I held out a hand. "I can help you get somewhere to – "

"I said I'm fine!" Riella snapped irritably. "If you really want to help, take Skystorm back to her room and wait with her there."

Skystorm clung to Riella, shaking her head. "I'm not going without you! What if Prowl's dying?"

"Your father is not dying," the older femme said firmly. "I would know. And I'm waiting here until Ratchet has a chance to give me an evaluation of his condition. I promise, I'll let you know as soon as you can talk to him, but right now it would be better for you – both of you – to wait somewhere else. This hallway is going to be pretty crowded soon."

"Did we win?" I asked quietly. Dad…

Riella nodded. "Yes. Megatron left after the Driller was destroyed. And yes, Hyperjump, Soundwave is fine. He wasn't even badly injured. Right now he's helping Arcee and Ironhide on guard, but as soon as he's replaced I'll send him to find you. Enough questions, now. Go." She kissed her daughter's forehead. "I'll see you later. Be patient."

Skystorm reluctantly detached from her mother and allowed me to take her arm. "Okay, but hurry!"

Riella smiled slightly as we left. I held Skystorm's hand tightly. "They'll be fine. If anyone can get through this, it would be them."

"I know." She didn't say anything else until we reached a door in the relatively undamaged part of the base. "Here."

I opened the door to reveal what was probably Skystorm's room. "Do you want me to stay with you, or – "

She nodded shyly and sat down on the bed. "Riella said to stay together. Normally Prowl would throw a fit, but…" Her lower lip quivered. "He has to be okay."

Forgetting about caution and Autobot/Decepticon issues, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "He will be."

To my surprise – alright, and pleasure – Storm rested her head against my wing. "I hope you're right."