Ok, so I escaped with far less threats to my personally been than I thought. Sweet! Yes, I know it was cruel to kill the babies like that. Don't worry because I'm asking all of you to suggest names for the new little femme Optimus and Elita will have in the beginning of the love story. She'll be a ball of energy that follows Leo around much like he followed Kacey. Yes, Leo. What? Did you think I'd kill him? Why when several of you voted on his alt form for the love story! Besides, Leo's too cute to kill.

So anyways, after that epic long chapter, this one is much shorter. That other one wore me out! Now, lets find out how the Autobots are doing.

Author's note: italics denote comlink chatter

Prowl

Chaos.

That's what it felt like as I had watched Ratchet making what repairs he could in order to move Elita. Then if that wasn't enough, I felt out of control as we raced with her body on a stretcher across the battlefield. If the Decepticons hadn't suddenly retreated I would have remained on the battlefield as the lead commander. However, with them gone I felt my place was at my Prime's side.

I also needed to get inside the base to inspect the breached in the safe room. Hound wouldn't give me too many details yet, only that all the little younglings were accounted for. Upon hearing such news was a great relief. Then he delivered the bad news…Bumblebee was missing. And worse, Kacey was missing…possibly taken by the Decepticons from what Sam had told him.

"OUT OF THE WAY NOW!!!!"

I shouted more from the fear rushing through my systems as we hurried with Elita. We couldn't lose Elita because I know Optimus would take it bad…really bad. He had snapped out of his spark shock just enough to get his aft moving. Probably having him hooked directly to Elita to give her more energon was what did it. The fact that he could do something to help the femme he loved so much helped him focus. That and Ironhide smacked him upside the head a couple of times to help too.

"Ironhide, once we're in the surgery room, we're disconnecting Optimus…"

"I'll take him into your office, Ratchet. Don't worry. I'll take good care of him."

Glancing back, I saw Optimus blinked as if dazed. His optics solely focused on Elita as he stayed close to her side. He still wasn't all there. I wasn't even sure how much he was able to process right now. Which was odd. I thought he'd be coming out of it by now since Elita's spark had been stabilized. She just needed emergency surgery and energon.

"Sockets, run ahead…prep the energon transfusion, power link, and have my tools all ready."

"Yes, Sir!"

"Prowl, take his place, we need to keep her steady."

Without hesitation I slipped around the side and grabbed onto the handle of the stretcher as Sockets let go. Ratchet glanced back from his position as he now lead us, holding one handle. Beside him was Trailbreaker with the other handle.

"Hide, you ok?" I asked noticing the worried look on his face when I glanced to my left.

"Nitro was injured," he replied, readjusting his grip slightly on the stretcher handle he was responsible for. "A concussion. Not sure how he got it yet. All the younglings, including Sidewinder were too upset to answer Chromia's questions. Red assured Chromia that Nitro's repair systems were mending the injury and that he'd wake up on his own soon enough."

"I'm sorry," was all I could think to tell him.

I felt so bad that I overlooked the fact that we could have been attacked from below once the Decepticons found our bases location. I swear I must be missing a logic chip to have over looked that!

"No need to be. So stop beating yourself up! None of us thought the Megatron would be so bold as to attack our femmes and our younglings."

We were silent for a long moment as we made the final turn towards the med bay.

"Are you going to tell Optimus?" he asked.

"We don't know for certain if Kacey is one of the bodies buried in the cave in or not. So there's no reason to tell him anything until I have all the facts. Hound took a better scanner down into the tunnel to scan the rubble. We'll know soon enough. As for Leo's condition…I'm not sure how to tell Optimus about his son."

"I don't think she's dead. Optimus would have freaked out if she died."

"He was already in spark shock because of losing the little sparks and Elita. I'm not sure if he…"

"He would have felt it. Trust me. Besides, if he hadn't I'm sure Orion and Ariel definitely would have."

I frowned. I didn't even think of them at the moment.

"Stop beating yourself up. You're not perfect even though Jazz kept telling you that you were."

I snorted at his comment.

"Prowl, this is Hound."

"Prowl here, go ahead."

"After a thorough scan of the tunnel I've detected several dead bodies buried beneath the rocks. Do we still dig them out?"

"Yes, we have to determine if Bumblebee or maybe even Kacey are amongst…"

"Hang on! Wait…we found one energy reading…it's very faint!"

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Pray its one of our own. Prowl out."

Upon entering the medical bay I saw the extent of some of the carnage Megatron caused. Akima, thankfully was unharmed, was with Magnus tending to his injured chest as best as she could. The mech was in a great deal of pain and would be a priority once Ratchet, Red and Wheeljack were done. Starbreeze, minus an arm, was in stasis from what I could tell. Rox, looking as battle worn as the rest of us, was there watching over her. Firestar, another femme that managed to escape harm, was standing beside Nitro's with Chromia, her leg heavily wrapped, holding hugging Sidewinder on the other side of the bed. Wheeljack was working on Moonracer on the main exam bed in the center of the med bay.

I didn't see Red Alert, so he obviously took Ratchet's and my suggestion to work on Leo out of sight in another room. Alpha Trion was caring for Optimus' twins in a private waiting room across the hall. Ratchet and I agreed we didn't want to bombard Optimus with everything at once. Especially when we didn't know if Kacey was alive, dead or captured yet. Optimus had enough to deal with currently with Elita's desperate condition.

"Moonracer's repairs are going nicely!" Wheeljack smiled, momentarily looking up from his work on the femme. "I'll have her back online in no time."

"Thanks, Jack," Ratchet nodded in appreciation as we rushed by and headed straight into the surgery room. "Sockets, grab that line and get ready to swap it out."

"I'm on it, Sir!" he exclaimed as we carefully transferred Elita to the medical table.

"Optimus, Elita is going to be just fine," Ratchet said to him, patting the mech on the shoulder. "She needs some extensive repairs. It's going to be a very long surgery. But she's going to recover. Understand?"

Optimus nodded, watching as Sockets removed the infusion line from his Optimus' and hooked Elita up to a med bay one. Together, Ironhide and I gently coerced Optimus out of the surgery room. It was a little difficult because the big mech didn't want to leave Elita's side. But at least he was quiet about it. I wasn't sure I could handle anymore of his outbursts, I was exhausted enough from earlier.

Unfortunately, it was in that moment, just before we got Optimus into Ratchet's office that Red rushed out of the private room and scanned the main med bay room. Optimus froze in his tracks. We all kind of did. I swear it felt like my spark leapt up into my throat upon seeing little Leo. His chest was wide open, energon smeared on his small body. Primus, he looked…

"Akima! I need your hands!" Red called. The femme was quick to rush over, following Red into the room. Ironhide and I followed Optimus who also entered the private med bay room. "His chest is so small and my hands too big…I can't reach the leak..."

"I see it, tell me what to do."

"Primus…Leo…" Optimus whimpered, rubbing his chest.

"Fraggin 'Cons!" Ironhide growled quietly to me, clenching his hands into tight fists.

I almost didn't want to believe it. Hound had said Leo was hit. But…it didn't sink in how bad until just now.

"I think I see it," Akima exclaimed.

"That's it…keep going," Red said, glancing up at the monitor.

The medical monitor on the wall indicated that Leo's energy levels were dropping. His spark rate was too erratic. Red Alert injected something into Leo's arm that seemed to help some. But it took several long agonizing minutes before Leo's vital signs all stabilized.

"That was close," Red smiled with relief. "His energy levels are returning to normal. He'll be back on his feet in no time."

Optimus turned and glared at me. Optics flared. I swear I even heard him growl.

"Optimus, I was going to tell you…" I started, actually taking a step back.

"Tell me what? What else have you kept from me?!" he demanded shoving me hard into the wall. Ironhide moved to intercede only to get tossed out of the way. "Where are my younglings?!"

"Alpha Trion has Orion and Ariel in the private waiting room across the hall," I quickly answered.

"I can feel them. They're frightened bring them to me! Where's Kacey?"

"We…I…"

"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!" he roared, towering over me.

"I don't know, Optimus," I said in defeat, hanging my head. "I don't know."

Optimus

All the unfocused anger and rage in my systems instantly melted away upon seeing the way Prowl stood there before me. He normally stood proud and always had an answer for me. It was rare for him to ever say 'I don't know'. Besides, I didn't want to harm my second in command. I needed him now more than ever. And I was too exhausted to sustain my rage anyway.

I patted him on the shoulder, making him look up at me in surprise. I smiled reassuringly at him. Then I reached down, holding my hand out for Ironhide to take. He glared at me for a moment before his features softened and accepted my offer.

"Sorry," I told him helping him up onto his feet. "I…I have no excuse for how I treated either of you."

"I'd done the same in your position, maybe even worse," Hide smiled at me.

"You weren't quite yourself, it's understandable," Prowl said.

"Still, that's no excuse," I frowned, looking across the room at Leo.

Frag! My spark couldn't take much more today. What kind of father am I to not notice my own son was in danger? What else did I miss when I was so wrapped up with Elita and the little twins she lost? I know it was terrible to feel their living essence ripped from me but I have four other younglings that I shouldn't have forgotten about!

'Pull your head out of your aft!' my inner self told me.

Right. I had to be strong for my younglings right now, it's what Elita would do and has done. Orion and Ariel were terrified and confused right now. I couldn't allow them to remain that way any longer. I just thank Primus they couldn't sense the sparks Elita was carrying yet. I doubt even Kacey could because the sparks were so newly developed and it takes a concerted effort to reach out to them and sense them at that stage.

But I can't dwell on that anymore. Not right now anyway. I will have time to mourn them later, alone or with Elita. So for now, I buried my grief for the little femme sparks I lost and reached out with my love to the sparks I could help.

'Be calm my little ones,' I said to them over our bond and I instantly felt them cling to my affections. 'Shh, everything's going to be ok. I promise. Your mother is in surgery and will be fine. Leo is going to be ok as well. I will see you both in a few minutes, I promise. Take care of each other until I get there. I love you.'

I continually gave them my love, allowing them to bask in it as I moved to Leo. I frowned upon seeing him so vulnerable and helpless. It reminded me so much of that first time I saw Kacey on a med bed just before Ratchet re-attached her arm and the other time when she had the surgery to take her transformation systems offline.

"Red, what is my son's condition?" I quietly asked.

"Stable, getting stronger and on the mend," he smiled. "He was lucky the 'Con had bad aim considering it was a close range weapon's shot."

I cringed. Close range was not good for any mechanism, particularly youngling mechs with no armor. Leo was incredibly lucky.

"You can probably thank Galen for saving Leo's life," Red added much to my surprise. "He was able to slow the majority of the bleeding before I arrived."

"Thank you. I will make sure to extend my gratitude to him as well. Please, inform me when my son will wake up," I said, looking down at Leo, caressing his head. "I need to be here when he wakes."

"Of course, Sir."

"Prowl, get me the video images of what happened in the safe room," I said, turning towards him. "I need to see them."

"Hound has them. I have yet to see them myself."

"Where is he?"

"The safe room, they've found a faint energy signature and are digging through the rubble to get to it."

"Any indication as to who it is yet?" I asked, making my way into the main med bay room. I came to an abrupt stop, seeing all the injured, including Nitro. I took it all in quickly and didn't hesitate in my decision. "Hide, you can be with your family now."

"Are you sure?" he asked even though I knew he was desperate to be with his son right now.

"Go on my friend. It's where you belong right now."

"Thank you, Optimus," he smiled and headed over.

The first thing he did was kiss Chromia and Sidewinder before taking hold of Nitro's hand and wrapping an arm around Firestar. The young femme was already so much a part of the family. It was a wonderful sight to see. I sincerely hope she knows what she's getting in to!

Then I glanced around at all the other faces of the injured. Their confidence seemed shaken. Even Magnus was having a difficult time, his hand clinging to Akima's as she returned at his side.

What the frag happened out there today?

"Prowl, come with me," I ordered and headed out into the hallway. It took a minute to find an area where we could talk in private. "Tell me everything."

"So far we have no casualties to report. Lots of wounded, mainly the femmes."

My optics widened.

"It seems that was Megatron's plan," Prowl continued. "A sniper was picking off our femmes one by one. It was through luck and skill that none of them were damaged beyond repair. Moonracer and Elita were the only two severely injured."

I closed my optic covers. I had no idea Moonracer was that badly damaged. Poor Ratchet. Frag, I'll have to talk to him later. I glanced up at the ceiling quickly thanking Primus for no taking any other lives today.

"Please continue," I said, folding my arms across my chest.

"In my opinion, I think attacking the femmes was a means to distract us from his real goal…abducting our younglings. I mean, with the mechs in spark shock it'd be difficult for them to pick up on their younglings distress."

"It was. I didn't even feel their fears until a short bit a go."

"I'm…I'm sorry for you loss, Optimus. It sickens me to think that Megatron would stoop so low. Too kill or attempt to take those so innocent…it makes my energon boil!"

"It does us all. And…I thank you for you concern. Can I assume Leo and Nitro were injured when the capture of the younglings didn't go as planned?" I said, glancing back towards the med bay thinking about Leo and Nitro being injured.

"I believe so. From Sam's account, there was an explosion that blew a hole in the floor. It was Kacey who thwarted Megatron's plan. I don't know all the details yet. But she saved all the younglings before…"

"Before what?" I asked when he hesitated.

"Optimus, the 'Cons took Kacey into an underground tunnel. Bumblebee went after them. By the time Hound, Sunny and Sides got down there the tunnel had caved in blocking any pursuit. And that's all we know so far."

"If the Decepticons tunneled under the base they must have started somewhere."

"I thought of that as well when Hound told me. Teletran is still scanning the area for an outlet or even a possible small ship since they would have needed one for transporting all the younglings. So far we've turned up nothing. On top of that, the composite of the rocks of this mountain make it impossible for Teletran's scans to penetrate deep enough to the tunnels. So we don't know how many 'Cons are even down there. Do…have you reached out to Kacey?"

"I've been afraid to since you told me you didn't know where she was," I replied. "Her normally vibrant essence isn't there within my like it always is. The only time I don't feel it as much is if I'm on the opposite side of the planet or she's up in space with you doing flight training."

Prowl simply nodded in understanding.

I decided to take the moment to finally reach out to my daughter with the hope of sensing her life force. At first I felt nothing but strained to reach further for her. That's when I felt her. Only she didn't respond to me which meant they probably knocked her out. Decepticons had a habit of incapacitating uncooperative prisoners. If Kacey is anything like her mother or I in that regards, I'm sure she would not make things easy for them.

"Expand the search further away from the base," I quickly ordered him. "Kacey is still alive and on the planet. We need to find her."

"Yes, Prime," he saluted and then took off running in the direction of the command center.

I was going to head to the safe room but after I saw Orion and Ariel. My spark went out to them the moment I set my sights on their teary optics and trembling protoforms. At first I said nothing but simply walked over to them, knelt down, and pulled them both into my chest, holding them tight.

"Is mother ok?" Orion managed to choke out in between his sobs.

"Yes, she's going to be fine," I smiled, kissing the top of his head as he cried harder. I could feel his relief. I knew how close he was with Elita. Orion was always close to his mother, more so than his siblings. The majority of the time it was only she who could make his tears go away. Oh how I wish I could take them away for him now. "Shh, my son. Everything is going to work out. You must have faith."

"What about Kacey? The 'Cons are going to kill her, aren't they?" he asked.

"I will not lie to either of you," I said, setting them on the couch before me so I could look them in the optics. "The Decepticons can be cruel to their prisoners. But I promise you this I will find her and bring her home. Right now, I need you both to be strong for your mother and Leo. Can you do that?"

"Yes, father."

"Yes," Ariel sniffled and hiccupped. "Can we go see them?"

"Well, your mother will be in surgery for a long while still. But I see no reason why you can't sit with Leo and watch over him."

"Optimus, Sir, this is Red Alert. It's Leo…little fragger is awake before he should be."

"On my way. And Red, make sure he's cleaned up. I'm bringing his brother and sister to watch over him," I said.

"Understood, Sir."

Standing up, I took hold of Orion and Ariel's hands.

"Let's go," I spoke softly.

I kept my steps slow to ensure Red had time to do as I had requested. My younglings saw enough energon shed today they didn't need to see anymore. Once we reached the med bay I lifted them up and asked them to not look around the room. Both obeyed me by hiding their teary faces on my neck.

"Dad!" Leo weakly wept when he saw me, his small body covered neatly with a thermal blanket.

"Leo, please keep still or you'll tear the welding," Red insisted, holding Leo down.

"Do as he says, son."

"I had to tell you…before he put me back to into recharge," Leo choked and sobbed. I quickly set Orion and Ariel down so I could hold Leo's hand. "I'm sorry. I tried so hard to save Kacey. But I couldn't. I couldn't do it! I couldn't save her!"

"Shh," I cooed, leaning close and gently wiping his tears from his cheeks. "You're too young to burden such a responsibility. I do not blame you and beg you to forgive yourself."

Leo continued to weep uncontrollably. I glanced at Red who nodded that it was ok for me to pick up my son. I gently lifted Leo, cradling him like a sparkling in my arms.

"You did well. I'm very proud of you. But I beg of you, as your father, try not to grow up too fast. One day you will have armor. One day you will be a strong mech who will be able to save his sister if he must. Until that day, please, please Leo try not to be so courageous for you mother's sake and my own. We'd be devastated if we lost you."

"I'm sorry, father," he wept, clinging to me.

"Shh, my son," I cooed and nodded to Red to administer the sedative. I couldn't have my son crying like this depleting is energy reserves. Once injected, I felt Leo's form slowly relax in my arms. "All will be fine, Leo. Rest now."

"I'm sorry, I must have misjudged the dosage for him to wake up prematurely," Red explained as I placed a now recharging Leo back on the bed.

"It's not your fault. Stubbornness is a strong trait in my family. I'm full of it."

Red chuckled softly while finishing up with Leo.

"We'll keep watch over him, father," Orion said, grabbing hold of Leo's hand.

"I know you will," I smiled, caressing his face.

"Red, I'm to be alerted the moment Ratchet is done with Elita. I'll be in the safe room getting an update from Hound."

"Yes, Sir."

After one last hug and kiss for each of my younglings I hurried to the safe room. Hound was issuing orders down the hole in the floor when I arrived. While he was occupied I took the time to take in the scene.

First thing my optics captured was a smeared pool of energon. Not large enough to be from a mature mech or femme so I assume it was where Leo had fallen. One wall had an indentation in it from the body of a large mech slamming into it with a high amount of force. Another wall had something similar but not as forceful.

Moving further in I saw the head of a Decepticon lying on the floor not far from the hole. Also, there was a dead 'Con lying there too with Kacey's sword still protruding from his chest. Walking over, I reached and grabbed the handled of the sword and watched as the blade folded up and disappeared into the handle.

My optics stared at the weapon in my hand. It was the only thing of my daughter I had to cling on to at the moment. Not wanting to lose something so precious, I put the weapon in a hidden compartment of my armor.

"I figured to leave everything as it was until you arrived, Sir," Hound spoke softly from behind me.

"Thank you Hound," I said, facing him. "Prowl says you have the video images."

"Yes, Sir," he replied, handing me the datapad. "If I may say so, Sir…you have one truly remarkable daughter."

"You saw the footage?"

"Yes, I'm so glad she's on our side," he smirked before moving away to give me privacy.

I smiled and activated the image player. My daughter, my Kaceystar. Yes, she was a remarkable femme. I don't even think she realizes the full impact she has on people. The younglings all look to her for strength and protection and she provided it without hesitation. She took control of the situation much like Elita or I would have done when she tended to Galen and Kayla.

Even the pain in her own spark wasn't enough to stop her from being there for her siblings as she comforted Orion through his tears. Nor did she falter when she took the initiative by attacking the Decepticons. I can see that all her training over the past several years has paid off. My child is more than ready to take her place among the ranks.

I winced when Nitro was slammed into the wall. And my spark shuddered when I watched Leo get shot and fall. Primus, he's far too young and far to brave. He was determined to blast the 'Con back to Cybertron to save Kacey. A tribute to how much he loves his sister. And to be honest, if I were exactly in his place at his age I would have done the same thing.

Ah, Bumblebee. The young mech was never far away when Kacey needed him most. I swear its almost an obsession with him.

"I THINK WE FOUND HIM!" came a shout up the hole as I watched Bumblebee disappear down the hole on the datapad. "WE NEED MORE HELP!"

"I'll go," I said, handing Hound the datapad back.

"MAKE ROOM BELOW, SIDES. OPTIMUS IS COMING DOWN!" Hound shouted. "It's not a long drop. And there should be room enough for you to walk without having to hunch over too much, Sir."

"Thanks for the warning," I smirked and then dropped down into the hole.

My optics widened upon seeing Kacey's cloak on the ground. It took some restraint to not growl as I felt my anger rise up. I wanted nothing more than to blow something up right at that moment. Only there was nothing. I forced my rage back and carefully lifted the cloth up and shook the dirt off.

"I will find you, Kacey," I whispered to myself.

"This way, Sir," Sides said softly.

"Have you determined who the mechanism is?" I asked, bowing my head slightly so I could walk down the dimly lit tunnel.

"Sunny seems to think its Bumblebee. But I'm not sure, Sir. I can't get a clear enough reading on the energy signature. Either it's the rocks or its because the energy signature…is fading, Sir."

"I found him!" Sunny shouted.

Sides and I ran as fast as we could. When we arrived I did see a hand and the yellow armor of a forearm sticking out. The pattern definitely looked like Bumblebee's. Then the hand moved slightly on its own.

"We'll get you out!" Sunny said, grabbing hold of it. "Just hang on."

Bumblebee had enough energy to squeeze back in response.

"Quickly, uncover him!" I ordered grabbing the first big rock I could get my hands on.

For several minutes, the task of uncovering the young scout proved to be rather difficult and frustrating. The more dirt and rocks we removed, more would fall down taking its place.

"Slag, you feel that?" Sides asked, pausing in his work.

"Oh no…another cave in!" Sunny yelped when the ground shook.

"GET BACK!" I ordered them, shoving them away.

The sound of rocks pinging off my armor increased in speed. I knew there wasn't an astrosecond to spare before I was buried right along with Bumblebee. So, in a last ditch effort, I grabbed Bumblebee's forearm and yanked as hard as I could, praying I wouldn't pull his arm off.

The young mech came free a little easier than I thought causing me to lose my balance. I ended up falling with him on top of me. His optics were dimly lit. I could hear his intakes wheezing. Energon was leaking from multiple holes in his chest armor.

"Grab them, quick!" Hound shouted.

Hands grabbed my shoulder armor and suddenly dragged me just before rocks and dirt fell in a heap where I had been laying. I made sure my grip was strong on Bumblebee. I was not going to lose the mech who last saw my daughter alive. Especially since he could have vital information that could lead to us finding Kacey.

"You ok, Sir?" Hound asked when we came to a stop beneath the hole into our base.

"I'm fine, Bumblebee needs a medical attention right now!"

"Red's on way," Hound responded. "Let's get Bee out of here."

"Wait…"

"Rest now, Bee," Sunny said worriedly as he and his brother lifted Bee up to his feet. "You need to save your strength."

It took us a few minutes but we managed to get Bumblebee out of the darkness and into the light of the safe room. There we could see the extent of his damage. He looked like pit! Dents, dings, scrapes, gouges, holes. I'm not even sure what's keeping him from just passing out.

"Optimus…Sir."

"Rest Bumblebee," Hound insisted gently as we made the scout as comfortable as possible until help arrived.

"Can't…" Bee wheezed, his optics focused intently on me. "Sir…"

"Take you time," I said, kneeling beside him, patting his shoulder. "Did you see Kacey?"

Bumblebee nodded, his optic covers closed and then snapped back open. I could tell he was fighting the automatic recharge. He must have been forever how long he was buried in the tunnel.

"Did the Decepticons take her?" I asked.

Tears instantly filled his optics as he nodded.

"I'm sorry," he wept. "I've failed you. I couldn't get Kacey back. I couldn't save her."

"You have nothing to apologize for," I said, holding his hand tightly. "You did all you could. I'm satisfied with that. You and I both know they will not kill her. Kacey is far more valuable alive."

Bee nodded, grinding his mouth plates, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Can you tell me anything else?" I asked. "Did they say where they were taking her?"

"No," he replied as his hand tightened around mine. His optics flared brightly and I could see he was angry. "You ought to know though. He told me to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"He said to make sure to give you his sincerest regards," he gritted.

"Who Bumblebee, who took Kacey?"

"Thunderblast and…Starscream," he said and finally gave into his automatic recharge.

For some reason I was not as surprised as I probably should have been. I knew Megatron was brought back by some technology beyond our own. Why not his second in command? Of course the fact that my brother didn't bring Starscream back sooner told me that it was with reluctance that the job was done.

"Starscream is dead," Sunny commented just as Red Alert joined us. "Sides and I dragged his fragging corpse across half a desert."

"Red, is Bumblebee going to make it?" I asked the medic, ignoring Sunny's comment for the moment.

"Initial scans indicate that his repair systems are already working to repair some of the damage," he answered, examining the holes in Bumblebee's chest armor. "And no major damage to any of his systems. So, I would have to say yes, he's going to be just fine."

I suddenly heard and felt laughing over my bond. It was cold, maniacal. All too familiar.

'What do you want from me?!' I screamed at my brother over out bond.

'For you to suffer… have you suffered today…little brother?'

'I swear on the sparks of my younglings that if you harm Kacey I will kill you!'

A flicker of surprise could be felt over our bond. And then it quickly vanished. But I recognized it, brief though it was. I always recognized when my brother was irritated over a mistake by his Decepticons.

'Ah so you don't know,' I taunted him. 'What's the matter, your subordinates too afraid to tell you? Well, I'm not afraid. You have failed once again, Megatron! Elita and all the femmes are still alive. Thunderblast and Starscream have failed in their mission. We still have all our younglings, except for one. But believe me when I tell you, I will hunt you down to find my daughter! I promise you I will!'

I severed our connection before he could respond. But just before I did, I felt his anger and it was not directed towards me.

Up next: Kacey and the Decepticons.

Dont forget to send me names for Optimus and Elita's little femme!