Hy! :) First, I want to say thank you to all the reviews, favs and follows! You're all so awesome! :) That's why I feel bad now that I couldn't come up with anything better for a chapter, but... eer, things will get quicker in the next chapter. Or in later chapters. Why am I doing this to myself...? I should really go to sleep now...

Anyway, have a nice day/good night! :)

III.

Ravage sighed tiredly, wondering whether he should try again to calm down his fellow cassette. Frenzy kept pacing nervously in their quarters, hands pressing to his chest as if he was in pain, but Ravage knew there was nothing wrong with the mini-mech's spark. It was the crazy storm of emotions, the wild grasp of fear that rushed through the bond from Rumble, to Frenzy it must have been even more intense. But what frightened him the most was when it all came to an adrupt end; they hadn't felt Rumble since then.

Ravage jumped down from Soundwave's berth in alarm when he saw Frenzy sit down on the ground and start rocking back and forth. Laserbeak flew to his side as well, Ravage nuzzled the red twin's face. He sent soothing waves through their bond, but it seemed to have no effect on Frenzy.

"He must be injured..." the mini-mech muttered, "They must have been attacked... it must be bad... why would Soundwave close the bond from us?!"

So we wouldn't worry. Laserbeak said through their comm. and brushed her wing to Frenzy's arm.

"But this... this is not the way!"

Calm down now, little brother. Ravage said and nuzzled Frenzy's hands so he would let go of his chest, Our creator will be coming soon, he'll tell us what happened to Rumble. But Rumble is strong, so whatever it is, I'm sure he'll be alright.

All three of them turned to the door when it opened to reveal Soundwave. The Decepticon's communications officer couldn't take more than two steps into their quarters when a small body collided with his and he looked down to see Frenzy wrapping his arms around his waist. His other creations got up as well, though they didn't rush up to him, just waited for him to come in. They gasped a little when Soundwave opened up the bond, he tried to send reassurance to them, but couldn't stop his exhaustion seeping through.

Frenzy looked up at him, he didn't have to say anything - Soundwave understood his concern perfectly and he led all his creations to the couch. They sat in silence for a while, Frenzy fidgeted next to the tape decker impatiently, but didn't dare speak up first. Soundwave must have been collecting his thoughts, and he didn't want him to be angry for interrupting him.

"I am sorry I closed down our bond," Soundwave finally began, his monotone voice unusually quiet, "I stayed with Rumble until his condition was stabilized and I had to tend to my duties as well as Megatron's and Starscream's. I am in charge of the Nemesis for an unidentified time interval."

"But why?" Frenzy asked, no longer able to hold himself back, "What happened to them? What's wrong with Rumble?"

Laserbeak glared at him, but Soundwave now just put a hand on the small mech's shoulder, "Rumble accompanied Megatron, Starscream and Astrotrain on an expedition to a planet called Antilla. It was an ancient Autobot colony... it turned out its inhabitants were wiped out by an organic infection known as Cosmic Rust. All four of them... are affected."

While he was speaking, Frenzy grabbed onto his arm, and by the time he was finished, he was squeezing it. The young Cassetticon looked distant as he processed the information, Soundwave gave it time to sink in. He felt all his cassettes' fright, but Frenzy's fear was growing more and more intense and the third-in-command could feel panic steadily building in him. He pulled Frenzy to himself, trying to prevent him from going into a full-blown panic attack when he finally understood what Soundwave said.

"...its inhabitants were wiped out..."

"...all four... affected..."

"A deadly disease?!" Frenzy cried out and pushed himself up from his creator. Ravage sat down in front of him and laid his head on his thighs to try to calm him down - and to calm himself, too.

"Affirmative." Soundwave answered, his voice quiet and soft. Frenzy had just noticed how tired he looked, even with the visor and mask covering his face, his body language revealed enough, and it just served to scare him even more. The tape decker reached out to Frenzy again, slowly, ready to stop if the mini-mech refused, but he let himself be pulled into the embrace.

"And Rumble is sick, too?" Frenzy asked, as if he wanted to hear it out loud, too, from Soundwave; as if that would confirm it being reality.

"Yes."

He shivered in his creator's lap.

How is he? Ravage asked this time and Soundwave turned his head down towards him.

"I'll give you all information about Cosmic Rust, so you will know what to expect." Soundwave replied, his voice again quieted down when he added, "Rumble started showing classical symptoms of the disease. Decomposition of metal into rust-like substenance. His temperature had risen and he had continued tank purges before his systems entered emergency stasis. Hook managed to stabilize him. He is recharging now."

Frenzy pushed himself up again with a blank look on his face, "I want to go see him."

"Entrance is not allowed into the repair bay until the next solar cycle."

Half-expecting this answer, Frenzy slumped back into the couch, burying his face into Soundwave's arm. Rumble's absence just hurt more in the bond now that he knew the reason, and even the room felt colder without his twin by his side.

By evening, the growth media had solidified and Starscream vented deeply. He made four plates; two of standard Earth medium that the humans made for their own microbial cultures - the seeker did a quick research on what kind of nutrients they used for iron bacteria - and one with their metallic composition for the germs to feed on. Now he only needed the microbes themselves.

He didn't have to go far for a sample, he thought, looking down on his thigh. Now that his processor wasn't so preoccupied, he began to feel a dull ache radiating from the small wound and he winced when he touched the loop to it. It left a burning sensation behind, not particularly painful, but rather irritating. He pushed it away from his mind, though, this small discomfort was still nothing compared to what Astrotrain must have been through. Starscream couldn't keep a shudder from running down his backstrut.

The former scientist streaked the sample from his wound onto the gelatin plate, then wiped the loop clean and repeated the procedure three more times. His cooling fans kicked on, he was starting to overheat, alright, but at least he was ready now; he closed down the dishes and put them in the incubator. It was separated into distinct areas, one Starscream kept on the temperature they lived in on the Nemesis, in the other half of the equipment he turned up the heat. They already knew the microbes could stay dormant in the freezing cold of space, but Starscream wanted to see how they would react to warmth and how warm he could heat them up that even they couldn't stand.

He took deep vents as he switched on the inner cameras of the incubator to keep track of the cultures' developement. He cleaned the tools he used and just as he finished, he felt a large hand rest upon his shoulder and turned around to see Hook standing before him with a small cube of energon in his hands. Starscream accepted it with a curt nod and drank the glowing liquid gratefully.

"How are you feeling?" the Constructicon asked.

"Well enough." the air commander replied, "And the others? Has Rumble awoken yet?"

"He's coming out of recharge, albeit slowly. His energy levels are alright. Astrotrain is stable now and Megatron... well... he seems ready to pass out. I hear your cooling fans are on, too-"

Starscream waved his hand, "I'm ready now, so I'll take some rest, don't worry. I'll finish the datapads tomorrow. The computers are monitoring everything here."

As they talked, they slowly made their way over to the berths. The rush that ruled the repair bay when they arrived was over now. Hook spoke again, "You should wash down before you go into recharge for the night. All of you. Maybe the solvents would take away some of the rust."

"Maybe." Starscream nodded. He looked towards Rumble's berth and was relieved to see the Cassetticon was opening his optics. Scrapper stood there next to him, he was unhooking the IVs from his medical ports; Rumble still looked a little dazed and his visor was dim, but Starscream saw he was in good hands for the time being and he instead walked over to Megatron's berth.

The leader of the Decepticons had just laid down on the berth, offlining his optics, his vents let out strange, wheezing sounds with every intake as if something was blocking his filters. Starscream frowned at the sound and noticed another rusting spot on Megatron's side when he leant over him. The Seeker shook the bigger mech gently, but froze in shock when all of a sudden a hand shot to his neck and grabbed his cables.

He didn't dare move as the light in Megatron's optics shone up. The Gunformer still hadn't released Starscream from his grip when he sat up and he pulled his second-in-command down with a growl.

"What do you want?" Megatron hissed and finally let go of Starscream. His vents were expelling hot air forcefully from his systems into Starscream's face and the air commader made a grimace of disgust as he straightened up.

"You should wash down." he growled back, locking his gaze with his leader's feverish optics, "Cold water can do wonders to temper tantrums."

Megatron murmured something and turned to get up from the berth, but pushed Starscream's hand away when he tried to help him. He coughed painfully and grabbed the berth for support, but it seemed he was well enough to walk to the wash racks on his own. Starscream rubbed his temple and shook his head, he really didn't wish to deal with his headstrong leader right now. He smiled a little when he saw Astrotrain was sitting up without help, Hook by his side, and the Seeker made his way over to Rumble, ignoring the pain that shot up from his thigh with every step he took.

Rumble let out a faint groan as his systems came back online. He had a good recharge and he wished he hadn't woken up - heat washed over his body and a queasy ache gripped his energon tank. His memory banks slowly rebooted, too, when he looked around the repair bay and remembered what happened. He saw Scrapper above him and winced when the Constructicon slid an arm behind his shoulders to help him sit up on the berth, he shut his mouth tight as the movement sent a nauseating wave through his frame.

"There you are." he heard Scrapper's voice and Rumble onlined his optics when he felt the sick feeling start to fade, "How do you feel?"

"Like slag." the cassette grumbled and raised a hand to his chest. He could feel his fellow creations, especially Frenzy reaching out to him, wanting to find reassurance from him that he was better, and a shiver ran down Rumble's body when he felt his twin's fear for him.

"Come on now," it was Starscream this time and Rumble looked up to see the Seeker standing on his other side, "I'll help you wash down for the night. Come."

He was pushing him gently to the edge of the berth and Rumble complied, "Where's Soundwave?" he asked faintly and leant to Starscream's side after they helped him down onto the ground.

"Back in your quarters, I guess. He can't stay for the night."

Rumble grabbed onto the Seeker's large hand that he offered him for support and let himself be led into the wash racks. The room was starting to spin again as they walked and the queasy ache returned to his tank. Starscream noticed the mini-con's steps slowing down and his ventilations becoming deeper and he frowned. He hoped the little mech wouldn't get sick again, he really didn't want him going into another stasis lock. That would mean a sleepless night for both him and Soundwave, and the communications officer needed his rest to run the base in their absence.

Megatron merely glanced up when he saw the two of them enter and continued his half-hearted scrubbing on his frame. The coldness of the solvents did help a little, but they didn't take the pain away. Astrotrain, on the other side, looked already tired out, but gave his fellow Decepticons a curious look. "Hey, Screamer, how do you do this?"

Starscream raised an eyebrow, "What?" he asked back.

"Just that you seem... alright. Like you're not infected at all."

The Seeker sighed, "I am infected. It's..." he shrugged, "I guess the preparations took my mind off this. But I'm starting to overheat, too... just for your satisfaction." he shot a dirty glare towards Megatron that the Gunformer returned.

"And what's this sudden change of spark?" Megatron shot back, straightening up.

"What do you mean?" Starscream stood straight, too, and Rumble squeezed his hand when he almost let go of him.

"Why do you care?" Megatron answered with a question, "Before this, you wouldn't care about anyone's well-being other than your own."

Starscream huffed and grabbed a tube of cleanser and a rag, "I am the only one here who has experience in this field, and since I seem to be the least affected, I can lend a hand to the Constructicons. They're mere engineers."

"You're trying to play doctor here, but you're no medic either."

"Well, if you would rather I let you alone to your suffering, I shall obey, oh mighty Megatron. Whose idea was it to-"

"Starscream..." Astrotrain's voice echoed through the air, "you should stop."

At that moment, there was a strange, grinding noise and then a splash from his side. Starscream cursed and kneeled down next to Rumble, he held him and tried to rub his back the way Soundwave did. Megatron turned away with a disgusted look while Astrotrain wore a worried frown.

Rumble coughed and let himself be pulled to the Seeker's lap when he sat down on a chair. Starscream turned on the water to wash away the pool of energon the mini-con's tank expelled, the small frame pressed to his own was hot and trembling wildly. He soaked the rag in cold water and pushed it to the back of the Cassetticon's neck.

"Ugh, Starscream," he heard Rumble groan, "why is it... is it the..."

"Yes, these are the disease's symptoms." the air commander of the Decepticons replied softly, "Do you hurt anywhere? Your tank?"

Rumble nodded and whimpered faintly, letting his head fall to Starscream's shoulder. Megatron, meanwhile, had gone out of the wash racks without a word, but Astrotrain stopped before them, leaning to the wall for support, "Starscream... should I call Hook?"

The Seeker nodded and watched the triple-changer strode out to the bay, himself shivering slightly, too. Starscream felt Rumble's body tense in his lap and he looked down on the Cassetticon in alarm.

"Rumble?" he asked, "Hook is coming, try not to go into stasis lock. Soundwave would kill me if I hadn't taken care of you."

"Huh?" Rumble vented deeply, "Why? Why do you..."

Starscream sighed, "Soundwave and I were good friends at the beginning of the war." he replied, "Hard to believe, I know, but we were different then. It was just after you were sparked... he made me promise I would take care of you if something happened to him. Or at least find someone who would. I have changed since then, and I guess Soundwave thinks I've forgotten about it... I'm not good at taking care of others, but I keep a promise. Megatron was... right when he said I'm no medic, but you can come to me while we're here. I'll try to help."

Hook entered the wash racks with a cube in his hands, but he set it aside when he kneeled down before the cassette, "Open up your chest plates. Let me see that tank."

Rumble did as he was told, he winced as a wave of pain shot through his mid-section. His insides looked relatively clean, but Hook's trained optics noticed the discoloration that shouldn't have been there, "It's there on one of the converters on your tank. It must be malfunctioning due to the rusting. According to your datapad, Starscream, it was... expected. As well as the purging of other vital fluids and systems. It will affect all of you sooner of later."

"Can't you replace that converter?" Starscream frowned, his voice rose in volume with his anger.

"We don't have these kind of parts here." Hook shook his head, "We'll have to contact Cybertron to get them. Now," he grabbed the cube and gave it to Rumble, "drink this. It's low-grade, your tanks should have no problem processing it. Try to keep it down, okay?"

Rumble groaned, but took the cube with shaking hands and Starscream took a deep breath. Nothing seemed to go well. Nothing.

The first night in the repair bay was horrible - Starscream knew it would be the longest night cycle in his life the moment he lay down on his berth. He starred at the ceiling, thousands of throughts running through his processor, his vents were working slowly to cool down his systems. He looked to the side to check on Rumble; the small Decepticon was still sitting on his berth, his legs pulled up to his chest and arms folded over them and he buried his face in his knees. Starscream knew he was still feeling sick, and he hated his inability to do anything to help him. He was used to being in control, but now he couldn't do anything at all.

"Can't recharge?" he heard Astrotrain whispering from his other side and Starscream turned to see the other mech's dimly glowing optics. Megatron was either in recharge or stasis, Starscream couldn't care less at the moment.

"No." he whispered back, "Are you overheating again?"

"Heh," Astrotrain chuckled weakly, "I'm starting to get used to this new temperature. But you haven't taken a moment of rest all day. Aren't you... tired?"

Starscream shrugged, "I'm still too upset to recharge. You want ice packs?"

"Nah, I'll be good." Astrotrain took a deep intake and looked over to Rumble, "And the little guy? His tank still acting up?"

Starscream just nodded and sat up as well. "Will this happen to us, too?" he heard Astrotrain ask.

"Yes," the Seeker replied, "it will. He's smaller, his systems are weaker, that's why it's affecting him as quickly as it does to you... even though he hadn't even touched that chunk."

A sinking feeling settled in his spark. The same will happen to them, too... and when would it happen to him? How long did he have to work it out, how far could he push his body to function properly for him to find the answer to all the questions?

He saw Rumble straighten up and clutch his abdomen, and hurried over to the small mech with a bucket. The Cassetticon starred down at the bottom of bucket, still trying to fight his malfunctioning systems and as much as he didn't want his siblings to feel his fear, he wasn't sure he could control these emotions anymore. How he wished for Soundwave, he was trying to reach out to his creator, but found some solace in leaning to Starscream's warm chassis and listening to his spark.

He would have never thought the world could change so much in such a short time.