"Dis aint smart Mudflap. Ya gotta get away." Skids told his brother. But Mudflap didn't listen. He kept driving with the bomb safely tucked inside his cargo. The Decepticon symbol on the explosive beeped faster as the seconds passed by. He had no clue how much time he had til there was no time left. He wasn't sure just how big the explosion would be either. So he floored it, getting as far away from base as possible.
"Is alright Skids. E'en if I don' come back..."
"Don' talk like dat! Ya gotta come back! I need ya! Jus' ditch the bomb an' high tail it outta there!" Mudflap frowned. He and Skids couldn't separate. But they just might have to. Was he really going to risk his life any farther just to prove something to an egocentric Sunstreaker? No. He was risking his life for his home, his brother, and everyone who lived and/or worked at NEST. Even Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Now he and Sideswipe were truly even. This had to end all grudges between the sets of twins. Too bad Mudflap probibly wouldn't live to see that happen. Meanwhile, Skids caught sight of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker driving towards him.
"Hey!" Skids hollered. The twins pulled up beside him and transformed.
"What happened?" Sideswipe asked.
"Mudflap took the bomb an' left me here."
"Where's the bomb?" Sunstreaker demanded.
"With Mudflap!" Skids said with attitude. 'Stupid.' He thought to himself. Sunstreaker glared at him as if expecting more. "He's takin' it ova dat hill an' as far outta here as he can get it." Sideswipe pounded his fist into the other hand.
"Scrap! You should have just left it! I know how to deactivate these things! I could have stopped it!" Skids looked away from the twins.
"We din' know it could be stopped. We jus' knew we had ta get rid of it befo' we all got blown ta scrap. So Mudflap dragged me outside, away from Decepticons and took off." Skids looked back at Sunstreaker. "Not such a 'Lousy Autobot' now, is he?" Sideswipe shot a bad look at him as well.
"Well maybe we can still catch him." Sunstreaker said.
"Sure! Now you wanna help!" Skids snapped.
"Watch it Shorty!" Sunstreaker warned. "Sides, how are we on time?" Sideswipe's optics rolled back. He thought deeply for a moment and then sighed.
"We're out of time." Sideswipe answered. Skids' body shivered. The com links opened a message addressed to Sunstreaker. It was Optimus Prime speaking.
"Sunstreaker. We have arrived at the main entry way. Have you retrieved the bomb?" Sideswipe answered for him.
"We're too late, Prime. Mudflap took off with the bomb. Its going to explode in his hands any nano klick now."
"Has Skids warned him?" Sideswipe's jaw dropped. Why hadn't they thought of that sooner?
"Skids! You have to tell Mudflap to toss the bomb now!" Sideswipe ordered. Skids' optics flickered as if he were about to cry.
"Don' matter anyway. He can't get away. He's gonna blow up!" Sideswipe knelt down next to Skids and looked him directly in the optics.
"Call him!" Sideswipe told him. Skids gave in. At least Mudflap wouldn't die alone. At least he'd have the company of his brother's voice in his final moments.
"Mudflap?"
"Hey Skiddles" Skids moaned at the nickname. He thought it was the stupidest nickname he'd ever heard. The fact that it sounded like the name brand of a candy made it sound even stupider to Skids.
"Listen the bomb's gonna blow! Like right now! Don' matter where ya are. Jus' drop the bomb, an roll fo' it! You got seconds left!"
"Thanks. But I can't drop it jus' yet." His voice was as calm as ever. What was wrong with him?
"Why not? What are ya doin?"
"I gotta get dis in the watah."
"Hurry!"
Mudflap transformed and ran for the ocean, bomb beeping in hand. "Dis bettah work!" were Mudflap's last words before he blasted the bomb into the sky. Mudflap counted down as he watched the bomb fall into the water.
"Five...four..."
"Mudflap?"
"Three...two..."
"MUDFLAP!"
Their connection suddenly went dead! Skids lost all sense of Mudflap's presence! Skids froze with fear! He couldn't admit that he'd lost his twin, but he couldn't lie to himself either! Skids just sat there like a statue. He wasn't aware of anything else around him. Not even that the Autobots were all gathered around him and that Ratchet was offering to help him. (But Sideswipe suggested that he stay back until Skids knew of Mudflap's condition.) Sunstreaker knew that look that was in Skids' optics. He looked lost, confused, scared, sad, and absolutely petrified. Sunstreaker was sure he had the same look in his optics when he thought he lost Sideswipe. 'We really aren't so different, are we?' he thought.
"He's gone." Sunstreaker announced.
"NO!" Skids shrieked. Optimus Prime was about to say something, when Skids held up his hand for silence. He was listening for something...anything. Then he heard it!
"Mudflap?" The sound came back to him through the twin bond, but it was quieter. "Don' give up on me!" The sound came again. Like a humming or buzzing. Then it finally stabilized into a clear voice.
"The Awesome...Mudflap...lives ta see...anotha day!" Mudflap declared. Skids laid his head back against the wall with relief. He smiled at Optimus and Sunstreaker.
"He's okay!" Skids exclaimed. Sunstreaker smiled back at him understandingly. Some Autobots cheered for Skids and for Mudflap. Skids cried for joy and didn't care who saw. Ratchet relieved Skids' pain by numbing his splitting pain receptors and ordered everyone to make way so he could properly treat Skids inside the med bay. If there was one left. Optimus assembled a search party. With Sunstreaker leading the way, the search party of Autobots drove off into the night to find Mudflap.
Mudflap was knocked down by the force of the tidal wave that resulted from the bomb's explosion. He was knocked out for a while, but like Sunstreaker, Skids' forced his twin back online through their connection. Mudflap was online, but weak. He crawled his way out of the crashing waves and laid in the sand and dirt. He was tired and cold, but not alone. Familiar headlights spotlighted him. He looked up at the shiny silhouette he knew belonged to Sunstreaker. Two other Autobots, Jolt and Bumblebee, transformed and followed him.
"You gave us quite a scare." said Sunstreaker. Mudflap nodded. He still wasn't sure about what he thought of Sunstreaker. Sunstreaker knelt down and gave him his hand. Mudflap took it and let Sunstreaker pull him up to his feet. Mudflap nearly collapsed, but Bumblebee was right behind him to catch him. Bumblebee lead Mudflap over to a clearing where Jolt, who had some medical experience, could easily look him over.
"He's low on energon. I wouldn't recommend driving in this condition." Jolt stated. Mudflap was surprised at Jolt. He'd hardly ever heard Jolt speak and at that moment, Jolt actually sounded very intelligent. 'Who knew?' Mudflap thought. Bumblebee reached down for Mudflap, offering to carry him, but Sunstreaker stopped him.
"Allow me."
"Really?" Mudflap gasped.
"Just don't scratch the paint." Sunstreaker joked.
Inside Mudflap's processor, Mudflap realized what was happening. 'Yes!' he thought. The two sets of twins had finally come to a truce. Mudflap allowed Sunstreaker to lift him up and carry him up to the road. Bumblebee and Jolt lead the way, driving with their headlights all aglow, while Sunstreaker walked behind, with Mudflap in his arms.
"Thank you." Mudflap whispered.
"Thank you for saving us." Sunstreaker said.
"I'm sorry fo' all the stupid things ma brother an' I said 'bout you." Sunstreaker nodded. "E'en if it was all true!" Mudflap smirked. Sunstreaker held back a few choice words and ignored that last part.
"Forgive and forget?" Sunstreaker asked.
"Deal." They were silent for a long time. Until the base was in sight. Then Mudflap had to ask. "Sunstreaker?"
"Jolt says you should be recharging." Sunstreaker warned. Mudflap had a feeling that Sunstreaker's good will was starting to wear off.
"Will Skids walk o' transform again?"
"Ratchet is capable of healing worse leg injuries. Bumblebee will tell you that."
"Yeah I know he'll be okay. But will he really...y'know be okay?"
"If Skids can survive being your twin brother for as long as he has, I'm sure he'll pull through this just fine."
"Yeah, I was real stupid back there, wasn't I?"
"I would have done the same stupid thing."
When they returned to base, Ratchet had a medical berth set aside just for Mudflap. Skids was recharging when Mudflap laid down on the next berth over to him. Skids stirred a little bit when he sensed his brother was near. But instead of waking him, Mudflap greeted Skids in their dreams. After that, they were out cold for the rest of the night. Seeing that their room was destroyed by the Decepticons, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker figured it wouldn't hurt to spend the night in the undamaged med bay. They were guaranteed to get a check up from Ratchet in the morning, but they didn't care. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker plopped down in a cozy corner, and they too were soon taken away by the sweet dreams of each other's company.