Soundchip's P.

I woke up to see a pair of bulky blue arms around me.

As the memories of yesterday started to flow, I felt a mix of sadness and joy. Sadness for what Starscream tried and joy for Breakdown being there for me.

Again, only Primus knows how I found his room, but I'm happy that I did. I needed someone to talk to.

Nate told me to never, NEVER tell him or any other Vehicon a secret, otherwise the entire ship would know this secret. He warned me to never tell anything to Knockout as well.

Seeing that Starscream is the reason the secret exists, I only had two mechs left: Sounds and Breakdown. Seeing that one of them is my older brother and (according to Nate) the most mysterious mech in this ship and the other is a mech that I only know for three days, my choice seemed to be obvious.

So why did I decided to go for Breakdown instead?

I nestled better in Breakdown's chest trying to not wake him up, but failed.

He groaned a little and woke up.

- Hi. – He greeted. I smiled and relaxed.

- Are you better? – He asked, rubbing his thumb digit against my shoulder. I nodded once and ignored the images my braids were forming. It's the closest thing I came to offlining optics.

- Chip, why did you came for me and not for your brother? - He asked. I shrugged and sighed, allowing my frame to enjoy the heat coming from his bigger frame.

Being a seeker came with good and bad things. The good things are agility, sensorial sensibility (wings) and speed. The worse thing is that our frames are too thin and/or small to conserve heat for very long.

- Soundwave is not good with emotions. - I answered, looking into his bright yellow optics - Starscream hurts me emotionally.

The memories started to flow again, making my spark ache.

Starscream took a few steps closer to me and started to brush his claws against the biolights in my wings, scratching the paint.

- S-Starscream? - I asked, walking a step back.

I felt my faceplates heat up when I realized he was giving too much attention to my hips. I painted that Primus dammed mark, so that nobody could see it.

- I knew there was something about you... - He whispered, grabbing my right hip. He scratched the pain until the tattoo was visible, much to my despair.

- …But a pleasure drone? - He asked, laughing. That's why the tattoo meant.

But he got it all wrong.

- I never sold energon to any mech or femme. - I shouted at him - Having the mark doesn't mean I did.

- Do not take me for a fool. - He whispered again.

- I swear on Allspark, I never did! - I replied - The femme that offered me the opportunity was known for marking the ones she thought would fit so that she could recognize them if they came for her later!

He slapped me across the face and started to call me names and say things I never did. He only stopped when I remembered him who I was the sister of.

- You spent the entire night here. I'm betting Soundwave is worried. - Breakdown muttered, taking me out of my thoughts.

I didn't told him how I get the mark, but I swore that I never sold energon to no one. And against Starscream, he believed it.

- Don't worry about him. - I replied - I'll wash up and meet him. If you don't mind of course.

He smiled and nodded. I smiled back and got out of his berth, going for his washracks.

Breakdown's P.O.V

Chip disappeared behind the doors of the washracks. I don't mind at all.

After spending a few vorns with Knockout, anyone can use my washracks and be quicker than him to finish.

Chip took less than half an hour to get out of the washracks. A speed record judging by the other femmes I met.

- I can help you buffing these scratches out of your armor. - I said when she got out. I could see that she was really uncomfortable about them.

- If you can help me cover… the mark, it will be more than enough. - She answered.

- Chip, if you never sold energon to any mech or femme, why do you have the tattoo? - I asked - It's okay if you don't want to talk about it.

- It… - She started - …It happened shortly after Soundwave and I were separated.

She took a deep breath and continued.

- I had just sent my symbionts to look for energon for us when a strange black, yellow and purple femme with those weird extra legs came and said she had an opportunity for me. It happens that she wanted me to work for her as a pleasure drone. I refused of course, but then she grabbed me and tattooed the mark in my hip. I've learned later that this femme had the habit of marking her preys to recognize them in case they searched for her later.

I think I know who this femme is.

I keep paint cans in my room just in case Knockout has an accident and his paint is over. I didn't had paint exactly in her armor's shade of purple, but it ended up fitting. Once the tattoo she wanted to cover only occupied a small place in her hip joint, it was hard to see the difference of colors.

We got out of my chamber and walked side by side through the corridors, talking and laughing. Three Vehicons passed through us. I thought that Chip was going to be shy and stop talking, but I was wrong.

- Wassup lassie? No need for Vehicon taxi-service today? - One of the Vehicons asked, laughing.

- I think so Nate. - She answered, laughing as well - Bye guys!

When they disappeared I looked at her with that "what?" look.

- Nate, Steve and Karol are friends. - She answered. I smiled and we continued our little talk until we reached the rec. room to refuel.

Soundwave's P.O.V

I'm worried. I couldn't find Chip in the cameras after she left the bridge, and she didn't returned to our chamber at night. She wasn't there in the morning either.

I am now walking through the halls looking for her when I saw three Vehicons ahead of me. I recognized one of them as the one who was with Soundchip yesterday before Chip went on that mission.

I walked until them, making them turn and look at me.

- Soundwave, sir! - The femme Vehicon greeted - What can we do for you?

- Chip? - I played a record from Azure's voice the day Chip arrived.

- Last time we saw her she was going to the rec. room with Breakdown. - One of the mechs answered - Probably to get some energon.

- I'm sure she was planning on seeing you after that. - The other mech said. I nodded once and made my way until the rec. room.

Karol's P.O.V

I don't know if it is because I'm a femme, or because I have a glitch in my processer, but I'm not as afraid of the officers as the other Vehicons.

Soundwave used to be an exception, but now that Chip is my friend I've lost my fear of him as well.

- I must confess, it's weird to see Soundwave showing concern for anyone. - Nate comented, looking at me.

- He cares about her. - I answered - And she didn't showed up the entire night, so he has a reason to be concerned.

- How do you know? - Steve asked. We started to walk down the hall and talking.

- He asked me to watch the cameras for a while. -I answered - He had something to do, so I assumed his post. I saw when Chip got out of the bridge and went on autopilot mode until she reached Breakdown's room.

- She spent the night with Breakdown? - Nate asked again. I nodded.

- She seemed to be mad. Her wings and hip joint were scratched… - I added - …and I could tell she was crying when she got out of the bridge.

- Starscream, what have you done this time… - Steve muttered.

- I'm sorry? - I asked.

- I was working in the bridge when Chip came back from a mission. - He answered - He asked for everyone but her to leave.

- Let mount this story… - Nate said, placing a hand in his chin, thoughtfully - Chip was given a mission. When she came back, Starscream ordered to be left alone with her. When she got out of the bridge, she had scratches in relatively sensitive places in her body and was crying. She went for Breakdown, probably for comfort, and ended up spending the night with him.

- If Chip is as half emotionless as Soundwave, Starscream must've gotten in her nerve. - I observed.

- Or, he knows something about her that not even Soundwave knows. - Nate spoke again - They were separated for vorns after all. Who knows who she met or what happened to her in this period?

- We know that Soundwave lost his creators when he was young. - Steve said - So he was the only family Chip had left. If losing him wasn't traumatizing enough, something else must've happened. And if Starscream got to know her during this time, he might know something that he can use to manipulate her. And if that is the case, who knows what he can…

- This we will never know. - I cut him - Chip might find comfort in Soundwave and Breakdown, but we are her friends as well. What means that we have to be there for her when she needs us.

- Karol is right, Steve. - Nate agreed with me - We are in a war. She might not have them forever, so we have to be there for her.

- Not only for her… - I said again - …but for Soundwave and Breakdown if something happens to her.