Time passed on.

Everyone was at odds.

Steeljaw, however, was unaffected. He refused to be, or rather, he was so because, unlike the others, he was able to face facts: nobody trusted each other, let alone those of whom connected to the Decepticons, and especially not him. Starscream is so well-known that even those who haven't met him would be able to predict whatever he has planned. Steeljaw, on the other servo, is a complete mystery. While some claim to know him, they don't. Even Bumblebee only knows a part of him: the revolutionary who escaped the prison ship Alchemor after it crash-landed on Earth, constantly coming to blows with the Lieutenant and his team.

He doesn't even know the other half of the story, Steeljaw thought as he tinkered with a new device that partially self-imploded during testing. Not that he or anyone else deserves the need to know. That information is private. My past is none of their business.

Thinking about that time, that part of his life… Steeljaw sighed, pausing in his work to gingerly rub closed optics.

HE is certainly NOT their business!

Before Steeljaw could delve deeper into his memory banks, before the images of an old friend could resurface, there was a knock at the door.

"Steeljaw, open up!"

Bumblebee.

"Steeljaw, I know you can hear me! Please, just open the door!"

Well, since he asked so nicely.

The Lupicon pushed himself away from his workstation and rose to his pedes. He walked over to the double doors and opened them.

"You need something, Lieutenant?" Steeljaw asked.

"Well, I guess I should admit that I'm glad your room isn't actually soundproof," Bumblebee started. "Which means you've been ignoring us. Of course, I'm not sure if that's any better than sound-proofing..."

"Get to the point already, Lieutenant."

"What's the hurry? You busy?"

"Yes, so unless you have something important to tell me, I suggest you go away and leave me alone for a while."

"Steeljaw, you're always alone. Unless we're on a mission, you want to be by yourself."

"Your point?"

Bumblebee stopped himself. He rubbed his temples and sighed.

"Alright. We've come across another planet that we're planning to explore. Just wanted to let you know."

The mechs stood in silence.

"What?" Bumblebee snapped, getting tired of Steeljaw staring at him.

"Nothing," Steeljaw shrugged. He walked past Bumblebee, closing and locking the door on the way out.

Bumblebee looked on, his optics a mix of confusion and concern.

"Are you still mad at me for what happened on Polaris?"

Steeljaw didn't answer.

.

. .

. . .

After a quick, surprisingly under control debriefing, the four mechs leave the ship in Moonracer's capable servos and go off exploring. The planet – Phoria – resembles Earth's temperate rainforests, with an added sense of fantasy and mystery. The sky is both light and dark, the air warm and cool at the same time. Peaceful sounds emanating from every twist and turn are nothing short of soothing. Everything about this place could lull one to sleep…

Dream – beginning

Steeljaw opened his optics, unsure of how much time had passed. At first, he didn't care. He felt so refreshed, so relaxed, so…

Wait, where are the others?

Seeing no signs of Bumblebee, Knockout, or Starscream anywhere, Steeljaw tried to get in contact with Moonracer, but she didn't answer. He tried a few more times, all ending in the same result. This raised his suspicions, and they only continued to grow when he attempted to pick up the scents of the missing mechs.

Nothing.

Fully alert, Steeljaw began his hunt for answers.

There is something wrong with this place, as pretty as it is.

"Eh, Steel, what're you lookin' for?"

Steeljaw froze.

"C'mon, Steel, I haven't ripped a battalion apart in a while now! When're you gonna stop thinkin' so we can start fightin'?"

He's here? No, he can't be! I haven't seen him since…

No, this isn't real. He isn't real. None of this is real!

Dream – end

Steeljaw jerked awake, violently. His systems felt clogged, making it hard for him to function. He gave himself a few minutes to get his bearings before rising to his pedes. His frame felt unusually stiff, not to mention the heavy cloud that hung over his processor.

"I don't know what happened, but considering how I feel…" Steeljaw started talking to himself, flinching ever so slightly with every movement of his body. "Primus, I can't remember the last time I felt this bad. And what was with that vision? Or dream? Or whatever it was?"

Steeljaw thought about what he saw, attempting to put the pieces together, but it just made his helm ache worse. He growled in irritation.

"This is going to be a long day."

As soon as he said that, Steeljaw could've sworn he heard something. Despite his grogginess, he turned around swiftly and prepared for an ambush.

"Whoever's there, I suggest you show yourselves, now!" Steeljaw demanded.

Nothing responded, at first. Soon enough, Steeljaw's propensity for patience pays off. Three figures stumble out of hiding and into his view. His optics lit in surprise.

"Lieutenant?" Steeljaw questioned, noticing something wrong with the familiar mechs. "Starscream? Knockout? What's going on?"

The trio didn't answer. They continued to approach Steeljaw. Unsettled by their actions, or lack thereof, Steeljaw slowly inched away. Unfortunately, that seemed to get their attention. The trio's helms snapped-up, revealing their deep, dark, empty optics.

"Scrap."

Suppressing a shiver, Steeljaw turned tail and ran. Not usually his first choice, but considering he had absolutely no idea what was going on, he didn't want to risk getting into a fight. This whole entire planet had him on edge, from the environment to the weird effects it had on them...

Wait, Moonracer! Steeljaw suddenly thought, remembering that he was out of that place and back in reality.

SJ: {Moonracer? Moonracer, come in!}

Please pick up please pick up…

MR: {Steeljaw? Steeljaw, what's wrong?}

Steeljaw couldn't help the relieved laugh that left his vocalizer.

SJ: {Moonracer, thank the stars you answered! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get through!}

MR: {Steeljaw, you're scaring me. What's going on? Are the others alright? Are you alright?}

SJ: {Moonracer, listen to me! I'll explain everything later, but could you just calm down long enough to send me a ground bridge? Preferably right now.}

MR: {Yeah. Hold on.}

Steeljaw stopped running and hid behind a tree, anxiously awaiting for a ground bridge to appear. One materialized almost immediately. Taking one last look around, Steeljaw rushed through, right into the safety of the ship.

.

. .

. . .

"Anything?"

"Not yet. And didn't I tell you to get some rest?"

"Can't."

"Why?"

"Because…"

Steeljaw abruptly stopped talking. He wanted Moonracer to get off his case and back to analyzing the results of the tests she performed on him shortly after his return, but at the same time, he didn't want to tell her why he couldn't rest. Even if she was the only one on this ship that he actually trusted, – the exception being himself, of course – he wouldn't tell her. Not about him.

"Does it have something to do with whatever you saw out there?" Moonracer asked.

"None of your business!" Steeljaw snapped, immediately regretting his tone. "Sorry."

"It's alright. I shouldn't have pried when you were clearly uncomfortable or unwilling to talk about it. My apologies."

.

.

.

.

.

A super loud, super annoying beeping went off and interrupted the tense silence as the test results came back.

"Finally!" Moonracer applauded.

"I'd be just as happy if it weren't for this infernal noise!" Steeljaw growled, lowering his ears against the audio-piercing sound.

"Sorry, sorry! Just give me a nanoklik!"

A few seconds felt agonizingly longer to Steeljaw, whose hearing was a lot more sensitive than almost all other Cybertronians.

"Ah, there we go!" Moonracer piped. She turned to look at Steeljaw. "Better?"

"I think I'll be hearing that stupid thing 24/7 for the next week or so," Steeljaw said, rubbing his still ringing ears. "These test results of yours better be worth my pained audio receptors."

"I hope so, too."

Moonracer started scanning through what was on the screen. Steeljaw glimpsed bits and pieces, but he didn't understand them the same way an experienced medic such as Moonracer would.

"Oh no."

"What?"

"According to this, the atmosphere of Phoria contains a toxin that has an anesthetic effect. Prolonged exposure leads to the afflicted either losing consciousness or falling into a vegetative state.

However, it appears that there may be something else, living in or as a part of the air itself. Like parasites, microscopic spores embed themselves in their hosts and prey on their dreams and fears. The more of the substances that some believe cause thoughts and feelings are devoured, the stronger the invaders become. Once they have enough power, they are able to control their host however they please.

Meanwhile, the spores trap the victim's conscience in a realm of nightmares and negative emotions. This steady, constantly circulating supply of energy is what helps them to keep control over their host.

In most cases, the victims will..."

Moonracer stopped talking and buried her helm in her servos. Steeljaw leaned over the femme and placed a reassuring servo on her shoulder plate, attempting to comfort her while also finishing the reading in silence.

.

.

.

.

.

"Hey, Moonracer?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you think I wasn't affected?"

Moonracer regulated her vents and straightened herself in her seat. She looked up at Steeljaw, who still kept his servo on her shoulder plate.

"I'm sure you were, at first, but then, somehow, you broke free of the control. I guess you weren't intimidated, or afraid, or whatever they wanted you to be," Moonracer explained.

"Maybe…" Steeljaw muttered, not wanting to think back on what happened. "When I was in the other place, I knew something was wrong. When I saw him… I knew it wasn't real."

This time, Moonracer didn't ask for further details. She sat there, quietly, waiting for Steeljaw to finish.

"Then I woke up. The others weren't so lucky."

.

.

.

.

.

"I think I might know how to get rid of them," Moonracer said.

"How?" Steeljaw asked.

"As much as I would love to explain, we don't have time for that. Come on!"

Moonracer jumped out of her seat, grabbed Steeljaw's arm, and dragged him along on her way to the hangar, where crates full of spare supplies were being kept. Steeljaw decided not to question her as she directed him on what to grab and to put where. They worked quickly and efficiently, and soon, their new device was up and running.

"You think this will work?" Steeljaw questioned.

"Probably not, but it's better than nothing!" Moonracer chirped, sifting through vials of chemicals.

"What are you doing now?"

Moonracer turned and gave Steeljaw a sheepish smile.

"You probably don't want to know."

Steeljaw closed his optics and shook his helm.

"Listen, I know my way around a lab, and this little concoction should be a cinch. If anything, you should worry about yourself."

"Trust me, I've been through way worse than this. I'll be fine. Just make sure you're at the bridge controls for, you know..."

"Yeah, I do."

Steeljaw was about to leave when Moonracer raced forward and hugged him. The Lupicon was extremely confused.

What was he supposed to do?

"Please be careful, Steeljaw," Moonracer said, her voice barely audible against Steeljaw's plating. The Lupicon relaxed and returned the embrace.

"You, too, Moon."

.

. .

. . .

Steeljaw had a plan of attack ready the second he stepped out of the ground bridge: get Knockout first, then Bumblebee and Starscream.

Having a second medic around would be a big help to Moonracer, especially one who was her mentor and is still a close friend. Not to mention that he would be the easiest to track down and catch. The amount of beauty and healthcare products he uses give off their own unique scents. Plus, he is the second smallest of the group. Finding him, knocking him out, and handing him off to Moonracer was easy enough.

While Starscream would be easier to find than Bumblebee, he would be harder to catch, due to his ability to fly. At least, that's what Steeljaw originally thought. Little did he know that Starscream would divebomb him out of nowhere. Good thing he was on high alert, or else he wouldn't have been able to avoid the crashing Seeker. Starscream survived, and luckily for Steeljaw, was too damaged to put up much of a fight. He passed him on to Moonracer asap.

.

. .

. . .

"Alright, this is ridiculous. Where is he?"

Steeljaw had been searching for hours, exhaustion creeping up on him. He had caught whiffs of Bumblebee here and there, but nothing concrete. Moonracer checked in every hour, and each time, Steeljaw had to give her the bad news. She wanted to track the signal from her end, but that would mean spending more time away from her patients. Steeljaw told her that he would be fine, that he could find Bumblebee on his own, and that she should be focused on Knockout and Starscream.

Moonracer reported that the two mechs were still unconscious, but stable. The treatment was working. Steeljaw just hoped they weren't too late for Bumblebee. Sure, the Lieutenant grinded his gears, but still, the Lupicon couldn't imagine life without the yellow and black mech.

"I swear, Bumblebee, if you die on me here and now..."

The rustling of bushes caught Steeljaw's attention. He dodged just in time to avoid Bumblebee's ambush. He turned around, claws at the ready. Bumblebee recovered and faced Steeljaw, optics still creepily blank.

"Primus, I am never going to get over that."

Bumblebee charged Steeljaw again, and again, Steeljaw dodged. He didn't even have to try hard. This wasn't the Lieutenant; just a shell being controlled by microorganisms that probably didn't even have brains, processors, or the like to work with.

"Alright, enough playing around! If I'm going to fight the Lieutenant, he's going to have to be himself, not..."

Steeljaw cut himself off with a sudden cry of shock and pain. He shut his optics tight, gritted his fangs, and fell to his knees. He looked up at Bumblebee standing over him, then to his shoulder, where the Lieutenant's Decepticon hunter-turned-sword embedded itself. Energon leaked from the wound, gliding down his armor and pooling in the crevice of the servo that automatically reached for the injury. A low growl escaped him as he laid his golden glare upon Bumblebee.

"You. Are. Dead."

Ignoring his stab wound, Steeljaw retaliates with all his might. A few powerful blows, and Bumblebee is down and out.

"Finally," Steeljaw vented, then collapsed. He stifled a whimper as he made the call.

{Moonracer… I need a ground bridge.}

.

. .

. . .

"Where are we?"

"Oh, good, you're all awake."

"Moonracer? Jeez, you look beyond exhausted! When was the last time you got any recharge?"

"Don't know. Been a little busy with everything."

"Where's Steeljaw? Shouldn't he be helping?"

"I just came back from his quarters, after performing emergency surgery on him."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"He will make a full recovery. However, I'm not entirely sure how long it will take."

"What happened?"

"Bumblebee, I'm sorry, but I want you to know that it wasn't your fault! You were experiencing a phenomenon similar to that of a night-terror, and while Steeljaw was trying to bring you back for treatment, you attacked him and nearly killed him."

"I… I nearly killed Steeljaw? But I… I didn't…"

"Don't worry, it's going to be okay. Steeljaw knows you didn't mean to. He knows that none of this was anyone's fault. I recommend you don't take him out on any more missions for a while, and when you eventually do, I expect you all to take it easy on him. After all, he risked his life to save your sparks. He deserves a break."

.

. .

. . .

Steeljaw shifts in his berth, the events from the previous mission still bothering him. Unable to stay in recharge, he pushes himself into a sitting position. Bad idea. He bites back a howl as pain pulses throughout the entirety of his frame.

Scrap, that hurts! Damn the Pits, I'm going to be useless for a while.

Lowering himself a little, Steeljaw turns his helm and notices something that wasn't there before. On the table next to his berth are three full cubes of Energon and an unfamiliar data pad. He reaches for the device and turns it on. Words flash before his optics.

– Steeljaw, we heard about what happened, and we just wanted to thank you for saving us. Since you will be recovering for a while, we decided not to bother you, but if you need anything, just call. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. We owe you. –

It was signed by three mechs: Knockout, Starscream, and Bumblebee.

Steeljaw re-read the letter a few more times, then looked up at the Energon cubes. When his gaze fell back on the data pad, he smiled.

"You're welcome."

The door squeaks open to reveal a small frame peeking into the room.

"Yes?" Steeljaw asks.

"Oh, you are awake!" Moonracer chirped. "I'm guessing you noticed what the others did."

Steeljaw chuckled, putting the note back with the small stack of cubes.

"I have. Care to give them my regards?"

"Of course! But, wouldn't you rather do it yourself?"

"Thank you, Moonracer, but I…"

Steeljaw trails off and averts his gaze. Worried, Moonracer makes her way over to his bedside.

"Are you alright?" Moonracer asks.

"Aside from being bed-ridden for who knows how long, fine," Steeljaw replies, despondent.

Moonracer recognized his behavior and reached out to comfort him.

"Excuse me for prying, but it wouldn't have anything to do with what happened back on Phoria, would it?"

"And if it does?"

"It all depends on you. I know you don't want to talk about it, and I respect that, but I can't help wondering why you won't talk about it. I promise, I won't ask again. Not unless it affects your health in any regard."

.

.

.

.

.

"It's just how I want things to be. For now, anyway."

Moonracer's gaze did not stray from Steeljaw. Even though he wasn't looking at her, she could still see something lurking behind his yellow optics. A secret from his past, and one he was hellbent on not letting out. Releasing a tired vent, she gave him a light pat and left.

"Have a good recharge, Steeljaw."