Sorry to keep you waiting, but I started to feel a bit lazy and decided to take a break from writing for a while. Now I'm back.

So here's another chapter for you guys to enjoy.

Chapter 17: Scrapheap

It has been a boring day for Sam. Today is Saturday, and it suppose to be the funnest day ever. Actually, it's only fun if his Autobots weren't busy today. Right now, Bulkhead and Bumblebee had left for the Arctic to find something Ratchet had picked up. Arcee is out patrolling and he doesn't think Optimus is up to have fun. Primes don't party, as Arcee had stated before. He had called Jack, Miko and Raf to come to base, but they all busy at the moment and they will come later in the afternoon.

Maybe he should've went with Fowler today to celebrate his friend's birthday. It was a celebrity by the name of Peter Cullen. He had met him once. Nice guy. But his voice sounded so familiar. And his deep voice sounded so hot and sexy. For an old guy. With nothing to do, he went to the main control room and sat down on the couch to play some video games.

Ratchet looked up from his work and glared at Sam for disturbing his work, as always. "Sam, could you lower down that infuriating noise? It's disturbing my peace."

"I would if I could, Ratch, but there is no remote control to decrease the volume of your voice." Sam replied with a mischievous smile. How could Sam forget about his favorite activity: annoy the living bolts out of Ratchet.

Ratchet decided not to replay back and went back to work. He knows that look Sam is giving. He always use that look when he's going to bother him. He tries to ignore the small approaching footsteps, but later became uncomfortable from Sam's stare. "What do you want?" He asked.

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing." He replied back, still staring at Ratchet.

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"To get on your nerves. Is it working?"

"All the time."

"Good." Sam smiled proudly before going back to play his video game.

Ratchet huffed at Sam before he went back to inspect the monitor, waiting for Bulkhead to report back. He didn't wait any longer as he's getting an incoming call from Bulkhead.

"Ratchet, we need a GroundBridge. We found what we are looking for."

"All right then." Ratchet cut off the comm link and activated the GroundBridge so that Bulkhead and Bumblebee can come back with their finding. Bulkhead and Bumblebee walked out of the GroundBridge, carrying a giant pod on their backs. "What did you find?"

"We don't know. This thing was frozen solid when we found it."

"Ok. Take that pod to the storage room for defrost and then come back here for defrosting procedure."

"But we're fine, doc. Nothing's wrong with us."

"I'll be the judge of that. Now leave that pod and come back for the procedure." Ratchet said with a commanding voice.

Bulkhead grumbled before he and Bumblebee left to leave the pod at the storage room. Ratchet then told Sam to get the Sickbay ready. Sam quickly turned off his game and went to prepare the defrosting procedure for Bulkhead and Bumblebee.

"I told you, Doc, we're fine." Bulkhead yanked out the tubes that are connected to his chassis and stood up, but only to have Ratchet force him to sit back down.

"The only way to be certain you're fine, Bulkhead, is to endure standard defrosting procedure. You know prolonged exposure to sub-zero conditions can cause permanent system damage. I mean, take Sam for example. He accidentally left his game console in the freezer for over a day, and now, that thing is busted. Isn't that right, Sam?" Ratchet looked down at the embarrassed Sam and smirked at him, which Sam sticked his tongue out at him as a reply.

"Ratchet, have you learned anything more about our Arctic find?" Optimus asked as he and Arcee arrived at the bay.

"Not yet." Ratchet pointed the monitor that shows a video feed of the pod in the middle of defrosting. "The pod can't be opened while it's frozen solid."

Even as it sits defrosting in another part of the base, the pod begins to crack open from the inside and small little hands popped out. But everyone else is unaware what's happening right now.

"Arcee and I will search for any clue which might explain the origin of our Arctic find." Optimus proclaims as he and Arcee stood before the open GroundBridge.

"Only until your sensors sound. Remember, once your core temperature drops into the blue zone, systems failures aren't likely... They're imminent." He warns them as he gives them temperature sensors.

A loud honking grabbed their attention and Bulkhead and Bumblebee arrived with the kids through the entrance of the base. "Miss us, Doc Bot?" Miko asked as he stepped out of Bulkhead.

"Shouldn't they be in school?" Ratchet groaned tiredly.

"On Saturday?" Miko asked in disbelief. "We have the whole weekend off to spend with you."

Ratchet sighed and shook his head. He's not used to having more human kids in the base, and one is tiring enough.

"I wasn't expecting to carpool. What gives, Arcee?" Jack asked.

"Tag team, Jack. It's my turn for exploration duty."

"Too bad. It's a beautiful day for a ride. Would hate for you to feel guilty for leaving me indoors." Jack said in a sing-song voice, trying to make Arcee feel guilty.

"Arctic exploration duty."

"Indoors where it's warm."

"The Arctic? I've always wanted to see snow." Rafael exclaims excitedly.

"I would invite you to join, Rafael, but the conditions are much too extreme, even for we Autobots."

"I understand..." He smiled in understanding.

Optimus and Arcee began to walk towards the GroundBridge, but stopped and looked back at Rafael. "But I will bring you back a snowball."

"That would be awesome!"

"There is no need for that, Optimus." Sam joined in the conversation and ruffled Raf's hair in a brotherly manner. "You see, I plan on taking the guys to a nice snow resort." Sam looked down at Rafael and smiled which Rafael smiled back.

"And how can you afford a stay in the resort?" Arcee asked with her hands on her hips.

"Fowler's paying for it." Sam replied which caused Arcee to raise an metal eyebrow on him in suspicion. "What? He offered. Now, if you all excuse me, I have some packing to do for tomorrow." Sam ruffled Raf's hair once more before heading back to his room to pack. At the same time, Arcee and Optimus left for the Arctic through the GroundBridge.

"Transport complete." Ratchet stated. Just then, the GroundBridge control exploded. "By the AllSpark!"

"So, what do you guys think we should do today?" Miko asked Bumblebee and Bulkhead as the kids made their way to the couch.

"Video game tournament! Last one standing wins!" Rafael said, translating to what Bumblebee just said.

"Bulkhead, Bumblebee! Here! Now!" Ratchet yelled out.

The two looked at each other before going to check what Ratchet wanted. Rafael waved back at Bumblebee as he left and made tried to get the game controller, but Miko beat him to the punch.

"Prepare to be destroyed." Miko stated as she offered Jack a controller.

"Yeah, not really my thing, Miko."

"Oh? Scared of losing? To a girl?" Miko taunted while she waved the controller in front of Jack.

Jack sighed as he finally gave in. "Bring it."

"No mercy." Miko declared as the two began playing.

Rafael watched the two play, looking quite sad. Jack noticed this and felt completely guilty for making him feel left out. "Hey, Raf... you want to take on Miko for me?" Jack offered the controller to Raf, hoping to make him feel better.

"Nah. I think I'll just go help Sam pack." Rafael stood up and left. Miko and Jack watched Rafael for a moment before going back to their game.

"You can't boss us around just because the boss it out." Bulkhead complained as Ratchet fiddled with the levers of the GroundBridge control.

"I need some heavy lifting. The Bridge is down." Ratchet said, disregarding Bulkhead's comment.

'What about Arcee and Optimus? Did they made it through?' Bumblebee buzzed in concern.

"Optimus and Arcee made it through just fine. It's bringing them back that concerns me. Now, remove those panels... Chop-chop." Ratchet ordered as he made a chopping motion with his hands.

Along the way to Sam's room, Rafael decided to play an pretend game of "being in the Arctic" as he made his way to Sam's room. He imagines fighting against the strong winds of the Arctic while trying to get back to base he continues down the corridor, he heard a metal clanging. He looked around and spotted a bolt rolling out of its place. He approached the bolt and picked it up, examining it for a bit until he heard more clanging from above and in front of him.

"Hello?" He called out while adjusting his glasses. He gasped and turned to look back when he heard a bang. He took a few steps back and fell with a surprise yell. As he picked himself up, he spotted a tiny, cute metal critter with big blue optics staring at him.

Rafael laughed nervously. "Where did you come from?" The little creature blinked and moved a bit closer to Rafael. "Sam never mentioned he has a pet." Raf went through his back pocket and grabbed the bolt he picked up earlier. "You want to play fetch?" He asked the little critter. The little machine began to jump up and down and run around in circles in delight.

Rafael threw the bolt and watched happily as the small critter chased after it. "Good boy. Go get it!" But instead of returning it back, the small creature began eating it. "No! Don't eat that! You're gonna choke!" When the creature looked back at him and returned to his side, Raf was surprise it didn't affect it. Happy with Sam's pet, he heads back to the control room, unaware that there's a sparking hole in the equipment behind him.

Back at the control room, Jack and Miko are having an intense racing competition as Jack tried to ram Miko's car out of the track. After a few tries, Jack managed to knock Miko's car off the track. "In! Your! Face!" Jack gloated and did a small victory dance. But it didn't last long as the power went off. "What the...? Great. Power failure."

"Aw. It wiped out our game." Miko said with a smile as she threw the controller on the couch and went to check with the other Autobots.

"But I was winning!"

"Bummer."

Ratchet carefully picked up a circuit board with bite-marks and inspect it with confusion. "We most definitely have a problem. But what could have caused this?" The lights around them flickered on and off again.

"Or that?"

"Might be the main grid. Hopefully, it isn't a substation malfunction."

"Hey, guys. You didn't told us Sam has a pet." Rafael called out to the others. The little critter sleeping in his arms.

"He doesn't!" As soon as Ratchet lays his optics on him, he screams as he spotted what he was holding and began backing away in a very good distance. Soon, Bulkhead and Bumblebee joined him with their cannons aiming at the sleeping creature, yelling in fear.

Miko and Jack quickly got in front of Rafael to protect him from those cannons. "Hey, hey! What's with you guys?" Miko asked.

"Scraplet! Scraplet!" Bulkhead yelled in terror.

"What's a scraplet?" Rafael asked as jumped to get a view the Autobots.

"The most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron." Ratchet answered with a bit of dramatic in it.

The kids looked at each other, finding it a bit funny that big, strong robots are afraid of the little creature like this Scraplet. "This? Are you kidding me?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"You're giant robots. Scrappy here is... teeny."

"You have no idea of the damage that teeny thing can do!"

"Aw, he wouldn't hurt anything." Rafael stated as he looked at the sleeping Scraplet in his arms.

The Scraplet blinks opens his optics and looked around his surroundings. As soon as his vision landed on the Autobots, his jaw opened, revealing its many razor sharp teeth. It jumped out of Rafael's grasp and began making his way towards Bumblebee. Bulkhead and Bumblebee began shooting at it, but the Scraplet was quick enough to dodge the blast and jumped on Bumblebee's leg and began eating his leg. Bumblebee fell to the ground because of it and grabbed the Scraplet before it could do any more damage. But the Scraplet escaped through and continue to eat Bee's arm. He was able to flick it right off his arm. The Scraplet got up again and began heading its way to the Autobots, but was crushed by a large luggage. The owner of said luggage was none other than Sam.

"Thanks for your help." Sam said sarcastically, stretching his aching back for carrying a heavy luggage. He opens the luggage and pulled out a few sweaters. "Now, where we are going, it's gonna be chilly. So I want you guys to try these out." He went to each of the kids and put them on sweaters to see if they fit.

Everyone else were dumbfound from Sam's behavior. He just killed a Scraplet and he doesn't even knows about it. He just came here in the nick of time just for him to have the kids try out sweaters and coats for tomorrow's trip. He's obviously unaware of the Scraplet infestation they are having. Honestly, did the Autobots did a terrible job of raising him?

Once Sam was pleased to see all the sweaters and coat fit them perfectly, he put them back in the truck and picked it up. "Ooh, I can't wait for tomorrow." Even when he picked up his luggage, he is unaware of the dead Scraplet he squashed. With a smile on his face, he began to head back to his room.

"Samuel James Witwicky, you hold it right there, mister."

Sam froze in fear at Ratchet's scolding tone. He only use that tone when he's in serious trouble. Shyly, he turned around and walked back to his previous spot and put down his luggage on the same spot where the Scraplet was squashed. "Ok. Before you say anything, Ratchet... It was Bulkhead's fault!" He yelled, pointing at Bulkhead.

"Excuse me?" Ratchet looked at him with confusion.

"Uh huh. It was all Bulkhead's idea. He wanted us to mess around with your tools, but I said, 'No, Ratchet's gonna be mad at us.', and he was all, 'What's that old, cranky 'Bot gonna do to us?' I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me. And don't you dare open your mouth, Bulk. If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

Ratchet felt like he was about to snap, but quickly remembered of their dire situation. Punishing the two will have to wait. He went to check the wounds Bumblebee got from the Scraplet to see if it's fatal or not. That's when Sam noticed it.

"What the scrap happened to you, Bee?"

'Scraplet.' He buzzed.

"Scraplet?" He repeated. That word sounded so familiar to him. He hummed in thought, trying to remember where has he heard that word. "Aren't those tiny machines that only dismantle machinery and eat anything metal. Especially living metal such as yourselves?"

"That's the one."

"Oh. So where is that Scraplet that took a bite out of Bumblebee?" Sam asked, looking around for the Scraplet.

"It's right there." Miko pointed at Sam's luggage.

Sam looked at his luggage and carefully picked it up. When saw the crushed Scraplet, he backed away a little and shuddered in disgust. "That thing looks like a giant squashed cockroach."

"Well, bug squashed, game over, right?" Jack asked nervously.

"No. When it comes to Scraplets, there's never just one. And I fear I know how they got in here." Ratchet got up and made his way towards the storage room, with the others following him.

As they arrived at the storage room where the pod was left, they see a large hole on the pod. "It's a trap... A Scraplet trap." Ratchet identifies it.

"An empty Scraplet trap." Bulkhead added fearfully.

"Most likely ejected into space eons ago, only to wind up in the Arctic, where the temperature kept them in stasis."

"Until we brought the thaw." Jack added.

"Now they're wide awake and ready to brunch."

"So... how many are we talking about." Rafael asked Ratchet.

"Thousands. And the power malfunction and GroundBridge damage are sure sign that their infestation is well underway."

In the Arctic, both Optimus and Arcee continues to find any clue they could find to identify the origin of the pod, unaware what's happening back at base. An alarming beep caught Optimus' attention and he looked at his shoulder to see his Autobot insignia flashing blue. "Arcee, what's your status?" He spoke through the comm-line.

Arcee checked over her shoulder and saw her insignia flashing blue. "My sensor's going off. Guess we should call for pickup before things get chilly."

Optimus agreed as he began to contact base. "Optimus to base, core temperature readings have reached the blue zone. Prepare to activate GroundBridge." All he got from the other end was static. This made Optimus feel a bit worry.

"Ratchet to Optimus, do you read me? We have a situation." Ratchet attempts to contact Optimus, but like Optimus, the only thing he got on the other end was static. "The Scraplets have gotten into the comm-link system! If we don't eradicate these creature immediately, they will reduce the entire base to a scrapheap!"

"Well, I say we bug outta here and let 'em keep it!" Bulkhead suggested as Bumblebee nodded his head in agreement.

"Evacuation is not an option. If we don't get the GroundBridge back online stat, Optimus and Arcee will perish."

"They... will?" Sam's voice was soft, fearing for the two Autobots' safety. Jack placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, telling him they'll be alright.

"Bulkhead, you never run!" Miko stated.

"Miko, you haven't seen a swarm of these things devour a bot. I have. They pick you apart from the inside out, going for the small, juicy bits first – fuse by fuse, circuit by circuit, till there's nothing left, and I mean nothing...not even your optics."

"You have to let us help."

Rafael nodded in agreement. "We're not made of metal."

"Yeah. The Scraplets can't hurt us."

Ratchet rubbed his chin in thought. "Typically, I find your fleshiness to be your least engaging quality... But it would appear to provide an advantage under these extremes."

"Okay, good. So we pair off; one bot, one human. Actually, one 'Bot will have two humans, since there are four humans and three Autobots."

"I call dibs on Sam." Bulkhead and Bumblebee grabbed Sam at the same time, causing him to yelp in surprise. The two 'Bots glared at each other. "I got him first." Bulkhead stated as he pulled Sam in his direction.

'No, I did.' Bumblebee buzzed as he pulled Sam in his direction.

"No, I did." Bulkhead pulled Sam in his direction again.

'No, I did.' Bumblebee pulled Sam in his direction again.

The two started arguing, pulling Sam in their direction, and ignoring Sam's cry of protest and a warning that he'll start heaving if they keep it up. He must admit, he really does miss this. Having the Autobots fighting over him. Just like old times, before Cliffjumper passed away.

"I'll be taking Sam!" Ratchet took Sam away from the two Autobots' fingers and placed him on his shoulder. "The two of you pair off with your human." The two wanting to protest, but a glare from Ratchet shut them up.

"I'll stay here and help Sam watch your back while you repair the GroundBridge." Jack proclaims.

"And we go on a bug hunt." Miko added, surprising Bumblebee and Bulkhead as the two groan and shuddered in fear.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sam stood on Ratchet's shoulder with a big smile on his face, eager to face off against the Scraplets. "If we break apart, we can cover ourselves with more dirt."

"Split up and cover more ground." Miko corrected Sam.

"That, too." Sam agreed to what Miko said as he was lowered to the ground by Ratchet.

The Autobots left with their human partners and went to different part of the base in order to stop the Scraplet from eating the whole base. Jack went to grab a steel pipe from somewhere while Ratchet began to repair the GroundBridge.

"Hey, Ratchet?" Sam lowered his voice so Jack couldn't hear.

"What is it?"

"Um, the Scraplets won't eat me as well, will they?" Sam asked with great worry. "I mean, I have metal bone structure thanks to what happened three years ago. I'm pretty sure I'm in danger as well."

"There's nothing to worry about. Your squishy parts makes it hard for them to detect metal in you. I hope."

Sam glared that him. "Way to make me feel safe." He grumbled.

"But still, I'll make sure those vermin won't harm you."

"And I'll make sure they won't harm you."

Ratchet smiled before starting to repair the GroundBridge. Jack and Sam got into position; Jack with his steel pipe and Sam with his Energon Blade he got from Optimus and the Null Ray he got from Bee as Christmas presents.

While the two boys are protecting Ratchet while he's working, Bulkhead and Miko walked down the corridor, keeping an eye out for Scraplets. Miko is taking the lead with a wrench on her hands, while Bulkhead is behind of her, holding a flashlight and his cannon online. As for Bulkhead, this is all feeling like deja vu. Almost seven years ago since they all thought they had a Scraplet infestation. This was during Halloween. Now this time, they really do have a Scraplet infestation.

"I get to be your bodyguard for once. How cool is that?!" Miko said excitedly.

"Raf found the first one here, right?"

All of a sudden, the lights turned off for a second and Bulkhead screams loudly.

"Did you just scream like a little girl?" Miko asked with a teasing smile.

"No! ... Maybe. ... Can we talk about this later?" Miko shrugged and moved on. Bulkhead was right, this is Deja Vu. This is almost like the time Cliffjumper jumped into his arms when the lights went off. But it's a good thing Sam isn't here with them, or else he would be laughing again like last time.

They turn around the corner into a dark hallway. Bulkhead aimed his cannon upwards when he heard tiny footsteps.

"Take 'er easy, Bulkhead. Just stay focused. Everything's gonna be..."

One little sound got Bulkhead shooting everywhere. He shot at the ceiling and cables fell on top of him, which caused him to let out more girly scream once again.

Miko looked back and felt her hanging open in stunned surprise, seeing her guardian getting frantic over some overhead cables. "Okay. Wish I hadn't seen that." She whispered to herself. "Bulkhead you're fine. It's just a bunch of cables."

Bulkhead stopped screaming and looked at the cables. "Right. Cables." Now this is Deja Vu. This is the same thing what happened to him and Cliffjumper few years back. Lights going out and him screaming like a girl, and now cables dangling over him and getting tangled as well. What's worst is that this is the same area where both he and Cliffjumper got attacked by cables. Bulkhead murmured quietly and pulled down the cable. As soon as he did, many Scraplets came raining down on him.

Elsewhere of the base, Rafael and Bumblebee walked down the hallway until they stopped by the air vent. Bumblebee had Rafael step aside so he can open the air diffusers. Bumblebee yanked it open and aimed inside. Not a single Scraplet detected. Then they heard small little clanging coming from the floor drain. A small army of Scraplets popped out from it and went after Bumblebee, whom began to shoot at them.

Back at the main control room, Jack and Sam kept an eye around the area for Scraplets while Ratchet fixes the GroundBridge. "How's it going over there?" Jack asked.

"I've repaired the damaged conductors and rerouted the central conduits, but the GroundBridge still won't receive power!" Ratchet slammed his fist to the ground in frustration.

"I've been wondering. If these Scraplets like to eat metal, why not eat their own kind. I mean, they, too, are metal. Won't they go all cannibalism on each other?" Sam pondered in thought.

"Some wondered the same thing." Ratchet answered while continuing to work on the GroundBridge. "But studies shows that Scraplet doesn't eat their kind. It is in their programing to eat other metal than their own."

Sam hummed in understanding. Then, a quiet tinkling sound caught the boys' attention. They looked around the area to find the location of the noise. Jack looked up and saw Scraplets walking on the wall. As soon as they spotted Ratchet, they opened their small jaws and began hovering to Ratchet. Their ability to fly surprised the two boys.

"They fly?! You never said they could fly!" Jack yelled in surprise.

"You learn something new everyday." Sam commented before springing into action and attacking the Scraplets with his Null Ray weapon and his Energon Blade.

The Scraplets attacks Ratchet, causing him to trip and fall down as they began taking a bite out of him. The two boys cried out his name and they went to his side to know away the Scraplets that are eating him.

"The fire extinguisher!" Ratchet yelled, pointing at the extinguisher not far from him.

Jack rushed to the fire extinguisher and began hosing at the Scraplets, which seems to work as they fell to the ground in a frozen state. But it isn't over. There are still more looming over them. Just then, the rest of the gang arrived, both Bumblebee and Bulkhead holding their injured parts.

"Ratchet, get the patch kit. We're leaking Energon like... whoa!"

As soon as they spotted two new metals to eat, the Scraplet charged at them. The kids began to attack as well, trying to get rid of the Scraplets eating their robot friends.

Optimus and Arcee had taken shelter from the cold winds of the Arctic. They had decided to take shelter when Optimus received no word from base, and to avoid the freezing process. They waited for a while now, and things are starting to look bad for them.

Optimus looked at Arcee and saw her head resting on her knee. "Arcee, wake up."

Arcee lifted her head and began rubbing her optics. "Just resting my eyes." She tells him.

"The longer we remain alert, the longer we remain alive." He advises her.

"What do you suggest?" She asks. "Wait. How about a game? Let's play 'Who screwed things up back at base?"

"Our predicament could be the result of a simple malfunction."

"Caused by Bulkhead." She remarked. "Let's see. No comm-link. Maybe even no power. The big lug probably tripped over a cord. He's never been too graceful. Remember when we all took Sam out for a drive when he was a baby, and then he began crying? We tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't stop. Bulkhead tried to cheer him up by doing a little trick. At his 'big finish'," she quoted, "his big frame almost crashed into Ratchet. Then Ratchet walked right into those power lines." She began to chuckle at the next part of the memory. "Who knew he could dance like that. And he even made Sam laugh, as well. That boy really loves to see Ratchet hurt himself."

Optimus smiled a bit from behind his battle mask as he remembers what happened that day. Ratchet had admitted to him that it felt tingly and even offered him to try it. "Bulkhead may be...too large for this world, but his inner strength is without bounds. One should not be measured by size alone."

After managing to defeat the Scraplets, the kids smash and bash any Scraplets who are still moving as a precaution while the Autobots rest from being eaten alive by the demonic beings.

"We got them all?" Jack asked. His question was answered when they heard an all familiar noise coming from somewhere in the base.

"Hardly. These were just scouts." Ratchet answered.

"So, the rest of them know we're in here?"

"And if we allow ourselves to become their next meal, Optimus and Arcee will never make it home. We must get the GroundBridge operational."

"Then we can use it to send the Scraplets anywhere on Earth."

"Why not back to the Arctic?" Jack suggested as he looked at the fire extinguisher. "We already know they don't do cold."

"Sweet! One-stop shopping." Miko said excitedly.

"Given the body mass of the Scraplets, sub-zero temperature should freeze them on contact. So think, Ratchet. Think! If the GroundBridge is still down," Ratchet's optics lit up as he finally realized the problem of the GroundBridge, "there must be a breach in the Energon fuel line."

Bulkhead groan in pain. "If we weren't breaching, one of us could get back over there and fix it."

"Then leave it to me! I'll go and fix it." Sam stood up and walked up to the platform to fetch the toolbox.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Please, Jack. I have lived here for almost seventeen years, I know every nook and cranny of this place." As he bend down to pick the toolbox, he hissed in pain and clutched the right side of his abdomen.

"Sam, is there a problem?" Ratchet asked in worry, having been the nearest to hear the hiss from him.

"No. There is no problem." He reassures him.

"Well, stop stalling and go fix the fuel line."

Sam gave a playful salute before picking up the box. But not before he checked out the wound on his right side. What he saw made him groan. He has medium size gash that was beginning to bleed not-so badly. He obviously got the wound from one of the Scraplet that accidentally got a piece of him while they were fighting it just a while back. Well, it was his fault for telling it if it wants a piece of him. He just hope the wound doesn't opens too big, or else everyone will worry about him and tells him to sit down. That is the last thing he wants to do right now. The Autobots' lives are at stake, and he doesn't want to sit back and feel useless. Their lives are more important than his.

He quickly wrapped it in bandage and head back down, making sure he use his sweater to cover the Energon stain on his shirt. "Alright, your three. I need your help to fix it. So come with me." The kids nodded and the four humans began to run to the fuel line to get it fixed.

"So if we get... When we get the GroundBridge open, do we send the creepy-crawlies out or bring our Bots in?"

"Optimus and Arcee will be fresh meat. If we bring them in first, the Scraplets will have a no reason to leave. We'll need a bait."

"Where are we gonna get bait?!" Bulkhead exclaims. "The Scraplets already helped themselves to everything in here!"

The kids have finally arrived at the breach after carefully not stepping on the walking Scraplets. Sam quickly got to work fast while the others help him patch the leakage. Sam turned on the gas torch and put on a safety mask while the others looked away as Sam began to patch the leaking pipe.

During the repair, the Scraplets around them began to mobilize and they went through the air vent.

"They're getting ready to feed!" Rafael yelled in horror.

"Go back to the others! I'll stay here and finish the repair!"

Jack was hesitated on leaving Sam alone, but he knows Sam could take care of himself and he's safe from the Scraplets. The kids all ran back to the main control room to protect the Autobots from the Scraplets. Sam went back to repair he leakage in a haste pace. Once he's finish, he put away the tool and began running back to the rest of the Autobots. He stopped when he came across a Scraplet on the way.

Back at the Arctic, Optimus and Arcee are in thin ice. They have already overstayed themselves in the Arctic, their strengths are almost gone and they're about to meet their frozen demise.

"You know the worst part?" Arcee began with a pained smile. "After battling 'Cons all these years, smacked down, shot at, blown up, this is how our lights go out?"

"Arcee, this may not be the finish that we had planned, but if this is indeed the end, if we are to be one with the AllSpark..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence.

"It's been an honor serving with you, Optimus Prime." She smiles sadly. The only regret of leaving, is having been the one to hurt Sam by leaving him.

Optimus looked down in the horizon, he, too, feeling regret. He never confessed to Sam. He had so much time in his hands to just tell him and claim him as his own, but he wanted to give the boy time to organize his feelings, have him realize his feelings. He knows Sam has feelings for him, but he's too innocent and naive to know about love. Not only that, he's a giant robot while Sam's a human. Sure it won't work out, but Optimus believes it could work somehow. So he let time to decide for him. He decided he would confess until the time is right.

Maybe perhaps, if he managed to survive for the others to retrieve them, he might confess to Sam of his feelings. Even if Sam has seconds thoughts about it, he won't give up until Sam is all his; mind, body and soul.

Sam arrived at the main control room and sighed in relief to see everyone is okay, even though the Scraplets are above them. "Ratchet, all systems go!" Fire it up!"

Ratchet stood up wobbly, feeling all of his strength almost depleted. "GroundBridge... activated!" He pulled down the lever and fell to the ground.

The sound of the GroundBridge opening got Optimus to open his optics. He raised his head up a little and saw the bridge open.

Bulkhead looked at the open GroundBridge, then looked up at the Scraplets that are eating. "Bait, huh?" He thought.

One of the Scraplet spotted Bulkhead, who was standing near the bridge, waving his arm to get their attention.

"Ready for the main course?" He asks them, which replied to him by showing their sharp teeth. "Come and get it!" Bulkhead made his way to the GroundBridge with the whole Scraplets tailing after him.

Optimus and Arcee staggered towards the GroundBridge, desperately trying to get back home before their systems shuts down. Both are happy that hey can still see another day. When Bulkhead popped out from the bridge, he noticed there was something on Bulkhead.

"Down! Down!" He tells them as he fell on the snowy ground.

The whole horde of Scraplets came out from the bridge and headed straight towards Optimus and Arcee. The two finally knows the reason why they took long to open the GroundBridge and their communicators not working. Scraplet infestation. The two stood their ground, ready to fight the Scraplets.

Just as the Scraplets gotten close, they rapidly freeze in the air and bounces harmlessly off the two.

I'd invite you in, but the place is a mess. More work for Sam, right?" Bulkhead smiles jokingly.

Back at base, everyone are at the sickbay. Bumblebee and Arcee laying down on the two available slabs while the other Autobots are leaning against the wall. With Ratchet unable to repair the Autobot team, he had let Sam take over, knowing full well that the other kids don't understand how the Cybertronian body works. So instead, he supervise him.

"Report bio-circuity status."

"Levels are rising." Sam reports without removing his eyes off the laptop as he types.

"Keep a close watch on Bumblebee's electro-pulse monitor. And check Bulkhead's interface patch."

"Everything's steady and looking good."

"Perhaps you should get some rest yourself, old friend. You saved quite a few lives today." Optimus pointed out with proudness.

"It... wasn't all my doing." Ratchet smiles fondly at Sam, little less on the other three. "We're just fortunate that this infestation happened on a Saturday."

"Our human friends may be small, but they are strong." Optimus commented right before they heard Miko scream.

"Scraplet!?" Jack asked as he and Rafael looked frantically for it, ready to smash it with their weapon.

"Spider! Is it on me?!" Miko cried out as she danced away, trying to get rid of the spider. The others just stared at her with amused looks on their face.

"Did she just scream like a little girl?" Bulkhead asked with a huge smile on his faceplate.

"Speaking of screaming like a little girl," Sam walked up to Bulkhead with that teasing smile he always has on, "a little birdie told me of you screaming just like one today."

"I-I, uh, don't know what you're talking about." He looked away nervously. He is so going to make Miko pay for this.

"Really? So you didn't scream like a little girl, just like you did a few years back?"

"Wait, so Bulkhead screamed like one before?" Jack asked, holding back a laugh.

"Oh, yes." Sam smiled, remembering the time he and Cliffjumper screamed like one. It pains him that his Uncle Cliff is no longer here to hear this.

"Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a guy, and guys don't scream like a little girl." Bulkhead crossed his arms and looked away in a childish manner.

"Whatever you say, Bulky." Sam patted Bulkhead's leg and went back to check the other patients.

Bulkhead sighs in relief that Sam decides to drop the subject. Then he heard a familiar sawing and looked down on his leg and saw a Scraplet moving up his leg. Next thing you know, he quickly stood up and began screaming girlishly, shaking his leg to try and get the Scraplet off his leg. Once he gotten rid of it, he heard laughter coming from the boys with Sam's being the loudest.

"Oh, Bulkhead! That was so hilarious!" Sam continues to laugh, tears beginning to fall. "The look on your face... Priceless!" He laughed uncontrollably.

Bulkhead growled at him. That little brat put a dead Scraplet on his leg and used a remote control to control the Scraplet. He even used an audio recorder to make the sound effects of the Scraplets. What's worst is that he has it recorded on his phone. Well, two can play at game! What Sam didn't know, was that both he and Cliffjumper has a recorded feed of Sam screaming like a girl when they spooked him after a game of Silent Hill. The problem is, he couldn't find it.

Sam continues to laugh and laugh, until he began coughing which brought worries to the others. At the last cough, he coughed up Energon blood. He looked down at his hand and then the others, his vision going blurry. "Oh, scrap." Was the last thing he said before he blacked out.

"Sam!" Jack quickly came to the rescue and slid across the floor to grab Sam before he hit the hard floor. As he did so, he felt something wet. When he raised his hand, it was covered with Energon.

"What...?"

"Jack, put Sam on the slab next to Arcee."

Jack did as he is told. He carefully lift Sam up and carried him to the slab. He placed him there with gentleness.

"Now, lift his shirt up." Ratchet had noticed a stain on Sam's shirt and hope his assumption is wrong.

Jack carefully lift his shirt up and the area was filled with shocked gasp. The wound on Sam's right side had turned purple and the wound was a gash, but not too deep. Jack quickly took of his shirt and used it to press the wound so that it won't bleed much. Good thing he wears a long sleeve shirt, or else he could feel embarrassed being half-naked in front of giant robots.

"Raf, go get me a med-kit. There's one right next to the Tv." Rafael nodded and quickly went to find the medical supply for Sam.

"What on Earth happened to him?" Bulkhead asked as he came back with Miko.

"Obviously during our battle with the Scraplets." Ratchet surmise.

"I thought you said they don't eat human flesh."

"They don't. It must've hit him on accident."

Rafael came back with the med-kit and gave it to Jack. Jack quickly began treating Sam's wounds; first wetting the shirt with disinfected and began cleaning the wound. The moans and cries of pain coming from Sam was unbearable to the Autobots. Luckily, Arcee and Bumblebee are still out cold, so they won't have to see this. After disinfecting the wound, Jack began to apply stitches. Luckily, Sam only needs three, since the wound is not too deep or not too big.

Once he's finish, he put away the supply away. Looking at his stained shirt, he could tell Energon stain is not washable. So he placed it on the table.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Ratchet asked in wonder.

"My mom's a nurse and Sam's good at medical stuff, so I wondered, 'Why not learn medical stuff, as well', so that way, I could help my mom and Sam, or in case of emergency. Guess it paid off."

"It sure did. Thank you, Jack, for treating Sam's wound."

"It's no problem, Optimus." Jack yawned and stretched his back.

"I guess it's time for the kids to go back home. It is getting dark, and the kids have curfew." Ratchet stated.

"Can I stay here so I can keep an eye out for Sam, in case his wound opens?" Jack asked Optimus.

Optimus hesitated, only because he sees Jack as a competition, but agreed, none of the less. All for Sam's health. "Very well, Jack. But you must tell your mother you'll be staying with Sam for the night. Don't tell her the reason for the stay. Tell here that he invited you for a sleepover."

Jack nodded in understanding. He doesn't want his mom to get involved in this war. So he used Sam's phone to call his mom, knowing that his phone doesn't receive bars thanks to the silo walls. But Sam promise him that he will make his phone receive signal while inside the walls.

"Aw, yeah! Sleepover!" Miko exclaims excitedly.

"Not you, Miko. Both you and Raf need to go home."

"But why, Ratchet?" Miko whined.

"Because the two of you are still young and you have curfews."

Miko crossed her arms and pouted. An hour later, Arcee and Bumblebee woken up and Bee went crazy over Sam's condition. It took a while for the scout to calm down, and had left the base to take Rafael back home. He had refused to leave Sam's side, but was convinced he was in good hands with Jack. He promised he would be back as soon as he drops off Rafael. Miko was next to be dropped off by Bulkhead, and then later returned to base to make sure nothing bad had happened to Sam.

Ratchet told everyone that all Sam needs is a good long sleep to recover any blood loss. By tomorrow, he'll be alright. Jack had taken Sam back to his room and placed him in his bed. He made sure he is tucked in alright and made his way to the couch that is located in Sam's room. Once he made sure Sam is tucked in safely, he fell right to sleep.

Optimus was relieved that Sam would be okay. But it was a shame that he couldn't confess his feeling today. He was planning on telling Sam of his feelings, but passed out because of the wound. Since he didn't confess today, it means he has to confess another day. Only time will tell if it's the right time to confess. He hopes no ones tries to steal Sam away from him. If anyone does, he'll scare them off. That includes Jack.

How many of you watched the series finale of Transformers Prime? Pretty epic, yet I feel so sad they had to end it so quickly. I really loved the series and I wished they would have made more. But I hope the TV movie with make it all up.