"EYO, CAREFUL!"

"Quit being such a sparkling!" Blades chastised, presently applying a special gel he received from Ratchet days prior to Thunderhoof's back. "You aren't going to get any better by letting the burns and cracks sit and fester."

"Don't use that word!"

"What, fester?" Heatwave questioned.

"Yes, that!"

"Why?" Boulder asked.

"I don't know! It just sounds like it means somethin' disgusting!"

"It kind of does," Graham mentioned from his spot on the medical console. He was already flipping through tabs on his tablet and typing something into his search bar.

"It's a word often used to describe a wound that's become swollen and infected. I can show you some examples…"

"NO!" The mechs yelled in unison, all optics on the human.

"Thanks, Graham, but I think we've got the picture," Boulder said apologetically, though the look in his optics was anything but.

"Yeah, I really didn't want to bring those photos up," Graham said, rubbing the back of his neck and closing out his tablet. "They really are disgusting to look at."

"We get it, human," Thunderhoof lightly snapped.

"You know, you can call the human by his name," Heatwave retorted.

"I'll get around to it, eventually. Ain't that what yous said about me?"

Heatwave stared incredulously at the Ex-Con, mouth partially agape. However, no sound came out of him. It did come out of Blades in the form of a chuckle.

"Hate to admit it, but he's kinda got you there, Heatwave," Boulder said. The red mech crossed his arms and muttered something to himself.

"It's fine, Heatwave, really," Graham waved off.

"Whatever," Heatwave grouched.

The mood of the room was suddenly broken by laughing and happy chirps as Cody ran inside, Specter hot on his trail. The pup made an attempt to pounce, but her target feinted to the left and avoided her attack. She landed on the floor with an audible thud.

"Whoa! Are you okay, Specter?" Cody said worriedly, turning on his heel and running back over.

Specter pushed herself onto her haunches and raised one of her forepaws, short, blunt claws rubbing her snout. After a few strokes, she lowered her paw and turned to look at Cody, yellow optics brightening.

"Yip!"

"Yeah, she's fine," Thunderhoof translated.

"Since when do you speak sparkling?" Heatwave asked, somewhat mockingly. Thunderhoof has grown so used to the red mech's attitude that he is more amused by it than anything else.

"Since I've been stuck with her for…" Thunderhoof trailed off, contemplating something. "How long now, yous think?"

The med-bay fell silent for a minute.

"Nearly three weeks, I'd say," Heatwave responded, servo rubbing his chin.

"Over half a month already? Wow, that was fast," Blades commented.

Thunderhoof vented and leaned forward a bit. Half a month with no news. That wasn't a good sign. Normally, Thunderhoof wouldn't worry, but he desperately wanted to return to Nova Terra, and that can't happen until this whole thing regarding Steeljaw's past is taken care of.

Dammit, Steeljaw. For once, can't you do something good and simple and not mess it up?

A servo on his shoulder disturbs him from his trance. It feels rough yet comforting, heavy yet gentle. Thunderhoof doesn't have to look to know who is trying to get his attention.

"I'm fine, Boulder, don't need that kind of help right now," Thunderhoof said.

"Are you sure?" Boulder asked, squeezing lightly, not enough to cause any sort of pain or discomfort.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

The green Rescue Bot vented, but he did remove his servo, albeit reluctantly. The med-bay fell to peace and quiet once more, everyone tending to their own things: Graham doing something on his tablet, Cody playing with Specter, and Heatwave and Boulder standing by as support for Blades while he worked on Thunderhoof. Things remained as they were for a while, until the sound of multiple footsteps approaching caught everyone's attention.

"Graham, are you in here?" Chief Burns called out from the doorway.

"Up here, dad!" Graham responded, waving from his spot up high.

"Ah, there you are! Boulder, mind getting him down?"

"No problem, Chief," Boulder said, reaching out for his partner.

"Is something wrong, dad?" Graham asked as he stepped into Boulder's servo and was lowered to the ground.

"You mean aside from the mayor calling an emergency meeting that everyone in town needs to attend out of nowhere?" Kade questioned irritably.

"Oh boy. Do you know what it's about?"

"I have a hunch…" Chief Burns briefly glanced in Thunderhoof's general direction. "But I don't want to say anything without knowing more."

Everyone else was even less subtle when they flat out stared at Thunderhoof. The Ex-Con vented and rolled his optics, growing tired of being the one blamed for what feels like everything lately.

"How's can I be a problem if they don't know about me?" Thunderhoof asked, resting his helm atop one of his servos.

"That's not entirely true," Graham interjected, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "You have been causing some problems since you arrived here…"

"Such as?"

"You nearly sank a boat and drowned someone," Dani immediately recalled.

"Not my fault."

"We had to look the other way when that red doctor who was brought in to fix your foot was speeding around town," Kade added.

"Sounds like not my problem."

"What about MECH? When you and Bumblebee were captured, the bots left to go find you two, so we had to resort to our old Earth vehicles…" Graham sighed and slumped forward. "And let's just say coming up with a believable cover story for their absence wasn't easy."

Thunderhoof didn't immediately reply this time. Yes, he was pissed that the human had the gall to bring up the group that captured him and the Lieutenant, but he couldn't bring himself to snap.

"That… was partially my fault," Thunderhoof begrudgingly admitted. Everyone's eyes/optics widened, shocked by the Ex-Con's words.

"Huh, didn't expect you to actually…" Heatwave started.

"Don't get used to it," Thunderhoof interrupted, averting his gaze. "Though, I still would've been out there, no matter what."

He looked down, red optics focusing on Specter, who was looking around the room intently.

Senses something is going on, something important. I doubt she even understands what, but she is paying attention to her surroundings. Hate to compliment you, Steeljaw, but I think you and Ramulus sparked an intelligent bitlit.

"Chief?"

"Coming, Doc!"

Chief Burns turned around and motioned for his family to follow.

"Come on, everyone. Let's get this over with."

As his children made their way past him, Chief Burns looked up at the Cybertronians.

"You guys, too, and Thunderhoof…"

"I ain't gonna run off again…" Thunderhoof reached down and grabbed Specter. "And I'm gonna make sure she don't, either."

Chief Burns smiled and nodded his head. He turned back around…

"Oh, hi, Frankie!"

"Hi, Chief Burns! Is Cody around?"

"He's still in there with the bots. He'll be out shortly."

"Yeah, I'm sure he will. I'll just go in and make sure he's actually hurrying."

Chief Burns laughed. He didn't miss the devious glint in the girl's eyes, but he knew that was just a cover for something else: curiosity. He had no doubt that she was here to see Thunderhoof, but he didn't comment on it. He left the girl to her own devices and moved on.

When Frankie rounded the corner, she saw some familiar faces, but just as the Chief predicted, she wasn't interested in any of them. Her eyes landed on the tall, cobalt blue mech leaning on a medical slab, and with him, a metallic white wolf.

"Hey, Frankie, what are you doing down here? Aren't you going to the meeting, too?" Cody asked, running up to his best friend.

"I am. I just had one thing I wanted to do first," Frankie said, walking past Cody, further into the room. She didn't get far as Heatwave and Boulder blocked her path.

"Sorry, Frankie, but we can't let you get too close to him," Heatwave stated.

"Seriously?"

"A precaution, nothing more," Boulder reasoned calmly.

"But he saved my life! And I'm going to thank him whether you like it or not!"

Thunderhoof had to force an impressed, arrogant smile from overtaking him. This kid had spunk, enough to match that of any bot's. His expression remained neutral as the girl made her way past Heatwave and Boulder and over to him. Blades had finished applying the gel and was wiping his servos with a cloth, remaining close, but not instantly going on the defensive like his brothers.

"Thunderhoof, right?" Frankie said, stopping a few feet away. The Ex-Con kept his optics locked on her and nodded.

"If it wasn't for you, I don't think I would be standing here right now. Thank you."

Thunderhoof didn't verbally answer, instead tilting his helm in an accepting manner.

Frankie chuckled and crossed her arms.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"Frankie, we have to go!" Cody stressed, looking at the time on his watch.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Frankie sighed.

Once the children were out of earshot…

"You honestly thought I was gonna hurt the kid?" Thunderhoof accused, aggression seeping into his tone, startling the other mechs. He had remained rather mild-mannered today, thus why his sudden flare in temper was unexpected.

"We were just…" Boulder tried to placate.

"I know what you were doin' and why…" Thunderhoof layed down on his side on the medical slab, pulling Specter close and refusing to look at anyone else. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

It hadn't felt like any time passed at all when Thunderhoof heard the elevator turn on. His optics shot open and he instantly looked down. Thankfully, Specter was still wrapped in his arms, now wide awake like him. Venting in relief, Thunderhoof stood off of his slab and walked over to the med-bay's entryway. He poked his helm around the corner, holding onto Specter tightly in one servo while the other formed a fist.

All he saw was Chief Burns stepping off the elevator, but his singular presence when he was supposed to be at an important meeting did nothing to settle his nerves.

"Thunderhoof?" Chief Burns said, surprised and a little suspicious to see the Ex-Con lurking around the corner, staring at him through narrowed optics. "What are you doing?"

"Heard someone comin' down. Didn't think it would be yous," Thunderhoof explained, refusing to move from his spot.

"Yeah, I suppose I would be curious, too. The kids and I did make it sound like this meeting was urgent."

"Was it? Yous back much quicker than I thought."

Chief Burns hesitated. He was acting shifty, sight focusing everywhere except Thunderhoof. He shoved one of his hands in his pants' pocket, whereas he raised his other hand to rub the back of his head.

"What?" Thunderhoof demanded.

"Well, you see, Thunderhoof, the thing is…" Chief Burns tried to explain, but was interrupted before he could get to the point.

"Dad, what's taking so long? The townspeople are getting impatient and I don't want to get mobbed!" Kade yelled, sliding down the firepole. He stopped and stared at the scene before him once he reached the bottom.

"Oh… Uh… Hey."

Specter would have fallen out of Thunderhoof's grasp if she wasn't holding tightly onto his plating when he jerked from the news abruptly laid out for him.

"What?" Thunderhoof repeated, anger, fear, and confusion clouding his voice.

"You were just about to tell him…" Kade trailed, side-stepping over to his father. "Heh. Sorry about that."

"It's alright, son," Chief Burns sighed, placing a hand on his eldest's shoulder, though his focus primarily remained fixed on the Ex-Con in their care. "Listen, Thunderhoof, I know that this may be hard to comprehend…"

"I thought I was supposed to be safe here! Me and the bitlit! Bumblebee said so, and yous promised! Now you're sayin' the ENTIRE ISLAND KNOWS ABOUT US?" Thunderhoof yelled, plating rattling as panic overrode his better judgment. In a huff, he started pacing and venting.

"FRAG ME! WHY? WHAT DID I EVER DO TO DESERVE TO DEAL WITH THIS SCRAP? THIS IS ALL STEELJAW'S FAULT! NONE OF THIS WOULD BE HAPPENING IF I DIDN'T ASSOCIATE WITH THAT EGOTISTICAL BAG OF BOLTS!

…

But of course I can't blame it all on him. He ain't responsible for my decisions. I'm the idiot who decided to follow him in the first place. Can't blame him for anything you did yourself. Just, why did it always involve him? Why didn't I just stay away? Why did he keep coming back? He screwed us over, but he was trying to help, kind of. In his own way, I suppose. We wouldn't have a place to live if it weren't for him. And then, as always, trouble follows him wherever he goes and we're back to square one all over again.

…

Dammit, Steeljaw. Why'd ya have ta leave me like this? Where are ya and Ramulus and that stupid brother of yours? Why am I stuck here for you? Why am I dealing with this scrap for you?

…

Why is it always us?

…

Why couldn't you just leave me alone?

…

Why'd ya have to let me go?

…

Why Phantomjaw?

…

Why Why Why Why Why Why Why Why Why Why

FRAG DAMMIT, WHY!?"

Thunderhoof slammed his fists on his medical slab. It didn't break, but close to it; a large dent expands most of the surface area. The perpetrator doesn't notice, as he is rather occupied with circulating his ventilations and settling down.

After a few minutes of silence…

"Th…Thunderhoof?"

The Ex-Con stiffened. He completely forgot that he wasn't alone. There were witnesses to what he had just done. Shakily, he straightens his posture and turns around, registering the damage he did to the med-bay in his rage out of the corners of his optics. Nearby while also remaining out of arm's reach are Chief Burns, Kade, Specter, Heatwave, Chase, and Cody.

Everyone – including Specter – appeared to share the same emotion: apprehension.

"Are you alright?" Cody continued. Thunderhoof closed his optics and lowered his helm, a slight shake to his movements.

"Is there anything we can do to help you feel better?"

Thunderhoof brought a servo up to his faceplate and covered his optics.

"Anyway yous can get those other humans to drop the subject and forget I'm even here?" The Ex-Con asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Heatwave admitted. Staring at the clearly miserable mech a little longer, he decided to give him a break.

"Although, if it makes you feel any better, we didn't mention anything about Specter."

That caught Thunderhoof's attention. He removed his servo from his faceplate and looked at Heatwave, red optics wide in disbelief.

"You didn't?"

"Nope. Too many unknowns with her. Plus, at least she can stay hidden when she's outside. You, not so much," Heatwave explained. "Trust me, I understand how you feel, Thunderhoof. I didn't want to be around the humans. Not any longer than I had to, anyway. I still don't, but I had help getting through it, and we'll be here to do the same for you. Just, try not to lose yourself in front of them."

"If you feel overwhelmed around the residents of Griffin Rock, then please, let us know so that we may avoid any unnecessary conflict," Chase piped up.

"Like I said when we first met, Thunderhoof, the safety of everyone on Griffin Rock matters to us, and right now, that also includes you and Specter," Chief Burns repeated confidently. "I know things have been stressful recently, and maybe they will continue to be. All I ask is that you give us the chance to help you."

Thunderhoof was not certain as to what he should say, if he should say anything at all. He can only stand – leaning against the damaged medical slab – and stare. The small crowd before him has calmed down considerably since his emotional breakdown, now looking at him with smiles of reassurance, the most genuine one belonging to, of course, none other than Specter. Her bright optics were locked on him, filled to the brim with happiness. Thunderhoof couldn't help a small smile of his own from appearing as he felt himself relax.

"Fine. I'll give it a try."