CHAPTER 8 - CHILLY ATTACKS
NORMAL P.O.V
A fierce and cold wind blew straight through the forms of the trio of Autobots scouting through the Arctic snow. Snow dusted their armour and temperatures were below sub-zero conditions, but none of the group could leave until they had finished their scouting of the area.
At the head of the pack, who Bumblebee and Starlight were using more as a shield from the wind, Bulkhead paused in his walking to check the scanner. He tapped on it to re-check the coordinates.
"Are we there yet?"
The former Wrecker checked the scanner again. The signal they were tracking was emanating a red pulse, further up from where the orange signal indicating their location was. "No, we're not there yet! But it should be just past this ridge, Bumblebee!"
"Oh g-good!" The small Autobot on the other side of Bulkhead wrapped her arms around her form. "S-S-So not much further t-to go then!"
"Right? It's freezing out here!" Bumblebee's bleeps were also stuttered as he copied Starlight's movements, earning him a giggle as his response.
The trio reached the ridge only moments later. One by one, they slide down through the snow on their feet. Once they had reached the bottom safely, Bulkhead checked the scanner again.
"I don't get it." The scanner began beeping. "These readings are off the metre!"
"T-The s-s-scanner's not faulty, is it?" Starlight asked with concern.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee looked toward his left and immediately spotted something, "Hey guys, check it out!"
The three walked up to what Bumblebee had spotted. It was a large Cybertronian-like pod encased in thick ice as if it had been sitting there for decades.
Starlight smiled underneath her mouth guard, "A-At least we can go home now."
It was too cold for the small Autobot. She was eager to get home, and she could only imagine she wasn't the only one.
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
"I told you, doc. We're fine!"
"The only way to be certain you're fine, Bulkhead, is to endure standard defrosting procedure!"
"Sounds like Bulkhead's being stubborn again," Arcee chuckled beside me.
I smiled amusingly. Bulkhead hated being kept still when he didn't need to be, but Ratchet was always cautious about our health. It was one of the many things they disagreed with, though that was just because they were just totally different 'Bots. And it wasn't like all of us were all just gonna get along easily. Of course, they didn't hate each other; it was just a matter of opinion.
"You know prolonged exposure to sub-zero conditions can cause permanent system damage." Ratchet's voice was louder and more know-it-all than I thought when we returned to the main room.
"Ratchet, have you learned anything more about the arctic find?" Optimus asked.
Ratchet had been eager to get just anyone out on the field when he picked up that signal in the Arctic. As it turned out, he ended up being right to do so. Bulkhead, Starlight and Bumblebee had found a huge Cybertronian pod, bigger than the one we found Star with. They brought it back to base, but Ratchet made Arcee, Optimus and I put it in a storage room down the hall so he could make sure the others were okay after being out in the Arctic searching for it for so long.
"Not yet." He turned to the monitor. Each storage room of the base had security cameras so we could check on everything now and then. So he was leaving up the feed of the ice-covered pod where we could all keep an optic on it. "The pod can't be opened while it's frozen solid."
It was covered with so much thick ice that we weren't going to be getting inside of it anytime soon.
NORMAL P.O.V
Despite being found as being heavily encased with thick ice, the heaters and warming systems inside the room were quickly melting the ice into a puddle of water on the ground. Already, the top part of it had been uncovered.
The melting of the pod was causing the awakening of whatever was inside it, its occupants making noise inside. Suddenly, the unfrozen section of the pod broke open, and was continuously hit, each one making the hole bigger…
Until finally, a threatening claw stuck itself out from the hole…
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
It's Saturday! Which meant we got the whole day with our human friends!
It felt like we didn't get to see them much, because they couldn't always come to base all the time. Sometimes they needed to go home straight after school to study or be with their families, all very valid reasons. Sometimes we couldn't hang out with them either, with patrols and scouts always taking priority. So the only chance we really got to see them was during their 'weekend' which were two rest solar cycles after five solar cycles at school or work. And that was only if we weren't busy with our usual missions.
"What's the plan today 'Swept?" Carly asked.
We were on the way to base early with Bumblebee and Rafael. The sun was still rising, the air was cool but crisp, and there was no one else on the roads except us. It felt perfect.
"At the moment, I think we've just got a chill day ah-"
"Arcee to Windswept, do you read?"
…It felt like I had spoken too soon…
"Loud and clear Arcee," I immediately responded at her page. She was on our private link, but I didn't bother leaving it activated for just me and her since it was Carly with me, "What's up?"
"Optimus thinks we should go to the Arctic and do a scout of the area where the others found the pod," Arcee explained, "He reckons the sooner, the better. Since I'm the only other 'Bot still here…"
"You want me to pick up Jack for you?" I interrupted.
I knew she was going to ask. Ratchet was too busy monitoring the pod and doing other medical work, Starlight had been patrolling all night after being cleared from the Arctic scout so she was going to be needing a rest period when she got back, and the rest of us were with our humans.
"Would've gone to get Jack earlier if I knew Ratchet would start providing us with sensor lights now."
"No worries, Arcee. Carly and I will go pick him up."
"Appreciate it, 'Swept. Arcee out." She cut the communication link almost immediately.
I flicked up my mirrors at my friend, "You don't mind, do you?"
"¡Está todo bien!" I think that meant she was okay with it. "Do you need a location?"
"Very likely please." I only knew the coordinates to Carly and Rafael's home, and Miko's host parents. I hadn't had much reason to go to Jack's place yet, so this was a perfect opportunity.
Carly inputted his address into my locating system. I skidded to a stop and u-turned around back into Jasper. We had only just been leaving town anyway, so it was going to be a quick pick up and back on the road again.
"What'd you find last night?" Carly asked curiously.
"Another Cybertronian pod," I replied.
"Like Starlight's?"
"Bigger," I corrected, "It's still thawing out at base. We won't know what's inside of it until it's dry."
"And Optimus wants to go back to the Arctic because…?"
"He wants to scout and see if there's anything that could let us know how long the pod's been there, what or who could be inside it," I explained, "You know, just small details."
Anything could still tell us a lot.
I turned the corner of the street where Jack's house was on. He made it easy for me to figure out which residence was his, as he was standing out at the curb with his helmet. I tooted loudly to get his attention. He turned and looked at me with an unsurprised expression. Arcee probably told him he was carpooling before we got here.
"I can't tell if you're happy or sad to see us," Carly joked as we pulled up beside him.
"Oh it's not directed at you, don't worry," Jack reassured quickly as he hopped onto my form behind Carly, "Arcee just didn't really specify why, just that I was going with you guys."
"It was a semi-urgent, last-minute kinda thing," I explained, "You don't mind, do you?"
"Between Miko's taste in music and bugging Raf by making him translate everything 'Bee says, guess you'll guys have to do." His dramatic sigh made it clear his last words were in the vein of sarcasm. However, he now and then would say he felt like he was annoying Rafael when he had to request a translation for what 'Bee is talking about, and he wasn't fussed about Miko's musical taste.
I mean, I don't know what she listens to, but based off how Carly too reacts to her now and then, it wasn't a favoured choice.
I watched Jack settle his helmet on his head so I knew when it was time for me to go. When he appeared comfortable, I refired and set back onto the road towards our base.
Carly's grip on the handlebars was tightening and loosening on and off now and then from when we left Jack's place to on the road. It was a little off-putting to say the least because I didn't understand why. She seemed comfortable and was talking to Jack a lot about stuff from school; there was something about her that seemed unsettled.
I got to learn a bit about them from their conversations apart from that. They shared the same 'homeroom' - whatever that was at their educational center - and it sounded like they've known each other for a very long time. I think they said that their human equivalents to Creators had known each other for a while before that.
In all honesty, it was fascinating to learn about their education and studies. Cybertronian studies weren't what they had been previously advertised, however that was because there was a war going on for our planet. When we reached a certain age, it was time for us to figure out how we wanted to serve for our side: Elite Guard, the Medical field, Engineering, Combat… there was probably much more I could name.
But don't get me started on the Decepticons. Any youngling on sight was slaughtered, or if lucky, drafted in depending on if you possessed potential for combat.
It was just a completely different world for us than it was for humans.
The sound of a Groundbridge portal opening up could be heard in the tunnel.
"Arcee and I will search for any clue that will explain the origin of our arctic find." Optimus' voice was distant, but very clear, so our arrival to base was timely as it sounded like he and Arcee were about to leave.
"Only until your sensors sound. Remember, once your core temperature drops into the blue zone, system failures aren't likely. They're imminent."
Cybertronians were affected by frozen temperatures more often than not. With the way our bodies worked, we were more prone to malfunctions and shutdowns within our systems. Our winters on our planet were feared so much because they were much, much colder than the winters I had experienced on this area of this planet.
Bulkhead and Bumblebee pulled up first at the entry of the tunnel. I drove up alongside Bulkhead where Ratchet was in front of us, and Optimus and Arcee were standing in front of an open Groundbridge portal.
"Miss us, Doc Bot?"
Ratchet moaned like he was annoyed at Miko's presence, "Shouldn't they be in school?"
"But it's Saturday!" Carly whined, her and Jack getting off me.
"We have the whole weekend off to spend with you," Miko sing-songed past Ratchet as we transformed.
"I wasn't expecting to carpool. What gives, Arcee?" I looked down at Jack and Carly approaching my teammates.
"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 was bumping into Carly's shoulder with a telling smirk.
She seemed to pick up whatever hint he was giving her based off her mirroring his expressions, and also folded her arms, "Don't you and 'Swept have a score to settle?"
I rolled my optics amusingly. Obviously, we didn't tell Jack about where Arcee was truly going.
"Arctic exploration duty."
"Indoors where it's warm." Jack and Carly wasted no time heading towards the stairs where the makeshift human area was.
"The Arctic?" Rafael walked up. "I've always wanted to see snow!"
"I would invite you to join, Rafael. But the conditions are much too extreme, even for we Autobots," Optimus sighed.
"I…understand," The young boy nodded in understanding, though his slight disappointment was clear.
Optimus went to head out with Arcee, "But." He suddenly paused and turned back, "I will bring you back a snowball."
"That would be awesome!"
I felt a big grin forming across my faceplates. I couldn't help it. It just warmed my spark seeing Optimus' kind interactions when he didn't have to worry about the usual things... In saying that, their exploration duty was still a task that needed to be focused on carefully, let alone being in the Arctic doing so. I could feel the grin slip off my faceplates.
"Transportation complete-"
A sudden mini-explosion erupted from the Groundbridge controls. I looked over at where Ratchet was, who seemed panicked at the… electricity sparking from them?
"By the All-Spark!"
…That… wasn't how the Groundbridge controls usually worked…
"So…what do you guys think we should do today?"
"How about some gaming? Competitive style!"
"Video game tourney!"
"Last one standing wins!"
"You lot! Here! Now!" Ratchet's sudden call for help interrupted Carly and Raf's laughter.
…He sounded panicked…
Something was very wrong, and whatever it was, it had something to do with our portal that just sent Optimus and Arcee into the Arctic.
NORMAL P.O.V
"Sorry guys, maybe next time?"
Raf waved his guardian a temporary farewell while blindly reaching out for the video game controller on the table. But before he could grab hold of it, Miko snatched both controllers from the table, waving one of them to Jack.
"Prepare to be destroyed!"
"Uh. Yeah. Not really my thing, Miko."
"Oh? Jackson Darby, are you scared of losing to a girl?" Carly appeared on his other side on the arm of the chair.
Jack sighed, looking prepared to turn down the challenge. Instead, the extra taunt from his classmate made him snatch the controller off the girl sitting beside him, "Bring it!"
"No mercy!"
Raf watched his friends play the video game glumly. It was common for him to be left out. After all, he was the youngest wherever he went, so being ignored by all the elders, and sometimes even his own family occurred often.
Jack noticed the look on his face, "Hey, Raf. You wanna take on Miko for me?" He handed out his controller to him.
"Nah. I have stuff to do." The young boy slipped off the couch and began walking away.
"Yeah Raf!" Carly left the couch to stand with her younger brother. "Let's leave these 'mature teens' with their video games." She gave him a teasing wink.
With a grin shared between the pair, they set off towards the hallway, leaving Miko and Jack shrugging at each other and continuing their racing game.
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
"You can't boss us around when the boss is out!" Bulkhead started yelling when we got to Ratchet.
"I need some heavy lifting. The Groundbridge is down!"
I looked down at the 'Bridge controls. They were sparking with electricity.
Starlight gave me an uncertain look. She had only just come back from patrol and was probably feeling like a rest. Tough scrap for her because that seemed unlikely for now…
"What about Optimus and Arcee?"
"Optimus and Arcee made it through just fine. It's bringing them back that concerns me." Ratchet pointed at the ground behind him. "Now remove those panels. Chop chop."
If we don't get the 'Bridge up and running soon, then we won't be able to bring Arcee and Optimus back when they're ready or when their systems said so.
Time was of the essence.
NORMAL P.O.V
A loud, whooshing sound swept through the hallways deep within the Autobot base. But it wasn't the sound of actual wind blowing through. Rather, it was coming from two humans playing a game of their own. Because not all entertainment could come just from a video game system.
"Temperatures… sub-zero… dropping," Carly groaned dramatically, holding out her arms from the fake wind she acted like she was being pushed against.
"Gotta… get back… to base…!" Raf jumped back as if the force of the wind was pushing him.
Carly looked behind her and went to reach out to her younger brother to help him. Suddenly, the sound of clashing metal made them jump. They turned to the sound where a loose screw was lying on the ground.
"Where did that come from?" Carly wondered, sharing a shrug of confusion with her brother.
The pair walked over to the screw where Raf picked it up to inspect it, finding that it was larger than his own hand. Another sudden scuttling noise from high above and behind started to make them paranoid.
Raf pushed the screw into his belt loop just as something dashed past in front of them. He adjusted his red-rimmed glasses to ensure he wasn't seeing things, "Hello?"
Another metallic crash caused the siblings to turn behind them, but neither of them could see anything.
"Maybe we should get back to the others," The elder teenager suggested.
Raf seemingly agreed by taking steps backwards. He suddenly let out a scream as he tripped and fell forwards. His older sister turned to the boy and bent down in concern when he rubbed his head briefly.
"Raf! Are you okay?"
Her brother looked up at something in front of him, which caused her to do the same. Before them stood a small metal creature peering at them curiously, blinking its' large, purple eyes. The pair gave a yell of surprise and jumped back in case it went to attack them, however the little robot darted towards Raf innocently like it wanted to know if the siblings were okay.
"Where did you come from?" Raf asked the metal creature.
The creature only blinked again and trotted forwards, showing they were not a threat. Its large and purple eyes watched the pair stand up.
Carly gave a small, but uncertain grin, "No one said anything about any pets here." Her tone showed she was slightly worried at the sudden appearance of the creature.
They watched the creature move closer, seemingly eyeing up something Raf had on his form. Sensing what it could be looking at, he pulled out the screw from his belt loop, "You wanna play fetch?" He held up the screw.
At the sight, the little robot jumped for joy, eager to have what the boy was holding up. It scampered around in a circle to show its excitement, much to Carly's entertainment as she couldn't help but giggle at its antics.
Raf threw the screw, "Good boy! Go get it!"
The siblings watched the metal creature rush after it as it bounced up off the floor. It followed and leapt up, suddenly chomping away on it as it landed, much to the concern of the pair.
"No! Don't eat that! You're gonna choke!"
The creature turned and immediately returned to them unharmed, appearing to have easily eaten the screw.
"Or not," Carly's laugh was mixed with amusement and confusion, watching their new pet nuzzle up against Raf's leg.
Sharing a shrug and a smile, the siblings began walking back to the main with the metal creature bouncing and following them in excitement…
...While behind them, a hole in a switchboard sparked and cackled with electricity.
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
"Come on. Come on. You want some?"
I could hear the car racing noises of Jack and Miko's video game as we worked to pull apart the panels on the floor. Thanks to Agent Fowler, we'd been able to set up a recreational area for the humans whenever they came to visit if they got bored, or if we were unavailable. They used the gaming center a lot more than they did with doing their schoolwork though…
When I peeked up at them now and then, I did find that Carly and Rafael were no longer there. That was okay, they were probably doing something like roaming the halls. We'd given them the rundown of the place after Optimus decided they would be a permanent fixture in our lives. The hallways should be more than safe for them to traverse.
"In! Your! Face!" It sounded like Jack had finally won against Miko.
I mean, no offense to Jack, but Miko was a fierce gamer and competitor.
Darkness suddenly fell upon us, then the lights suddenly came back on.
"What the? Great. Power failure!"
"Awww… it wiped out our game!"
"But… I was winning!"
"Bummer..."
Starlight pulled out one of the Groundbridge components from its' socket and held it out for all of us to see. It looked like it had something had taken a bite into it, with bite and denta marks surrounding what was left of the component.
Not good.
Ratchet groaned, overlooking the piece, "We most definitely have a problem. What could have caused this?"
The lights flickered out again briefly.
"Or that?" Bulkhead queired.
"Might be the main grid. Hopefully, it isn't a substation malfunction."
"The damage is intriguing," Starlight was humming as she was looking over the component herself, "It's like it's been eaten into…"
There was something in our base that was chewing through our stuff…
…Carly and Rafael! Where are they?!
"Hola amigos!"
"Look what we found!"
Oh thank Primus!
"We're busy!" Ratchet yelled, then he widened his optics and let out a scream.
I looked at Carly and Rafael to see why he was scre-
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Everyone started screaming and yelling and activation of weapons in the chaos of our panic.
Rightly so I may add!
"Hey! Hey!" Miko and Jack jumped in front of Carly and Rafael as our weapons pointed to them, "What's with you guys?"
"Scraplet! SCRAPLET!"
"What's a Scraplet?" Raf was peeking over the other's shoulders innocently.
"The most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron."
Starlight and I had never come across Scraplets at Iacon, but they were out there on Cybertron. Vermin that were one of the most brutal things to offline from. They feasted on metal, which… Well, because we were made of metal alloy, we were fearful of them. Some 'Bots managed to get lucky escapes from them mesh wounds, others… didn't function the same ever again. And the rest…?
…Don't ask.
"This?!" Jack began scoffing in disbelief as he and Miko moved out of Carly and Rafael's way.
"You've gotta be kidding…" Carly trailed off when her human optics locked with mine. It felt like she realised that I was terrified, "Right?" Her voice now sounded like she was doubting herself.
"You're giant robots!" Miko argued, motioning at the little piece of scrap, "Scrappy here is… teeny."
"Teeny with a mean as frag bite!" I snapped in fear.
"You have no idea the damage that teeny thing could do!" Bulkhead was edging closer to the tunnel as if he was preparing to evacuate the base.
…Not a bad idea at this point!
"Aw, he wouldn't hurt anything." Rafael stopped petting the Scraplet, which caused it to awaken and spot us.
It felt like it could tell we were going to be its first proper meal in vorns.
It suddenly bared its' razor-sharp denta and leapt out of Rafael's arms towards us. Bulkhead, 'Bee and I immediately fired our blaster weapons at it, but it dodged us so easily. It jumped up onto Bumblebee's armour and immediately began chomping on his ankle.
"Get it off me!" Bumblebee fell backwards as the tiny piece of scrap ate his way up his leg armour.
Starlight suddenly reached around from the back of Bumblebee and pulled it off with what looked like a struggle. She looked as if she was going to throw it off her, but it suddenly leapt out of her grip and began eating at her wrist. She screamed loudly and only just barely pulled it off her before throwing it away from all of us.
The thing began scuttling towards us once more…
When Rafael suddenly used a crowbar to smash it into nothing but a broken ball of metal.
Jack grabbed the weapon before he could smash the Scraplet again, "Easy there, killer." He was able to get it out of his hands.
I walked around and bent down at Bumblebee to help survey his damage with Ratchet and Bulkhead. He had minor wounds on his ankle, but he'll be fine. And it looked like Star would be okay too; if anything just a wrist wound.
"Whoa, I did not see that coming," I heard Miko mutter.
"I'm sorry, Bumblebee!" Rafael raced up beside us.
"Me too Starlight!" Carly joined him.
"It's okay guys," 'Bee responded.
"Are they gonna be okay?!"
"Only a mesh wound. They'll live," Ratchet reassured.
"Now do you believe me? All Scraplets do is dismantle machinery and eat anything metal! Especially living metal!" Bulkhead was right.
Fresh, alive metal was nutritious in comparison to an offline corpse…
"Well… bug squashed, game over… right?"
"No," Ratchet immediately snapped before Jack could say more, "When it comes to Scraplets, there's never just one." He looked down the corridor. "And I fear I know how they got in here."
…The Arctic find.
Starlight locked her scared optics with mine.
"The pod!"
We raced to the storage room that was holding the pod. It was still encased in frozen and thick ice in places, but obviously, it had warmed up enough for the Scraplets to come out of stasis and eat their way out… based on the large hole in it.
"We forget about checking the cameras, then," Starlight remembered from her position of hiding behind Bumblebee, who was hiding behind Ratchet.
I shook my helm. None of us would've thought it would've taken them long to eat through it, let alone even be Scraplets inside of it.
"It's a trap," Ratchet deemed. He was using his activated laser to give us better light inside the pod, "A Scraplet trap."
"Uhh… an empty Scraplet trap." I could feel Bulkhead's servos around my shoulders tighten…
He was a bigger 'Bot than me and yet he was cowering behind my nearly twice as small frame!
"Most likely ejected into space eons ago," Ratchet glanced at us briefly, "Only to wind up in the Arctic where the temperature kept them in stasis."
"Until we brought the thaw," Jack realised.
"Now they're wide awake..." Carly shared a look with Miko.
"And ready to brunch."
All the humans were equipped with makeshift weapons like they were intending on fighting this battle with us. I couldn't help but smile thankfully at them.
"So… how many are we talking about?" Raf asked nervously.
"Thousands." Ratchet transformed his laser back into his servo. "And the power malfunctions and the Groundbridge damage are sure signs their infestation is well underway."
Not only did we now have to find a way to deal with these pieces of scrap, we had to somehow repair the 'Bridge and get them out of here so we could bring Arcee and Optimus back from the Arctic. We needed to move fast.
NORMAL P.O.V
A large royal blue and red Cybertronian scaled down an icy cliff in the cold Arctic storm. He clung onto a section of the cliff to swing his arm out and check the scanner in the other to decide on what to do next. The search in discovering the pod's history had been unsuccessful, but he wasn't ready to return to base yet.
…That was, until a sudden beeping sounded out, followed by a light blue flashing on his Autobot symbol on his arm.
It was time to return home.
Optimus put away the scanner and reached up to his comlink, "Arcee, what's your status?"
In another area not too far away, Arcee was looking over a different cliff face when Optimus spoke. It wasn't too long afterwards that the same beeping and flashing from the Autobot symbol on her winglet was occurring.
"My sensor's going off. Guess we should call for pickup before things get chilly."
Optimus nodded in agreement, and switched to the channel for their base, "Optimus to base. Core temperature readings have reached the blue zone. Prepare to activate Groundbridge."
He was met with static as his response, which caused him to stare out into the white, snowy land ahead. It was an imminent sign that something was wrong back at the Autobot base.
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
"Ratchet to Optimus, do you read me? We have a situation!"
The identification images of Arcee and Optimus disappeared on the screen, and then everything went blank.
Well, scrap.
"The Scraplets have gotten into the com-link system!" Ratchet slammed his fist onto the controls and turned to us, "If we don't eradicate these creatures immediately, they will reduce this entire base to a scrapheap!"
"Well, I say we bug out of here and let them keep it!" Bulkhead conceded.
"I'm with him!" If Bumblebee could nod any harder, his damn helm was gonna come off.
Starlight was standing on their side, and she looked not keen on moving.
Primus, have they forgotten about Arcee and Optimus?!
"Evacuation is not an option!"
I stood beside our medic, "If we don't get that Groundbridge running soon, we're gonna lose Optimus and Arcee. They'll offline out there!" I pointed at the portal tunnel.
"They will?" I think Jack was finally grasping the severity of the situation, like the others.
Carly moved to squeeze his shoulder in comfort, as Miko stormed up to the edge of the balcony, "Bulkhead, you never run!"
"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."
…Thanks Bulkhead…
"You have to let us help," Jack walked up.
Rafael nodded behind him, "We're not made of metal!"
"Yeah. The Scraplets can't hurt us," Miko pointed at herself.
Carly looked at me, "We can protect you!"
"Typically, I find your fleshiness to be your least engaging quality." Seriously Ratchet?! "But it would appear to provide an advantage under these extremes."
"Okay good. So we pair off?" Jack suggested, "One bot, one human. Or two bots, one human?" He had a determined feature on his face. "I'll watch your back while you repair the Groundbridge, Ratchet."
"I'll stay and guard you too!" Starlight suddenly jumped to Ratchet's side.
"And we go on a bug hunt."
The rest of us shuddered in fear… but for Optimus and Arcee, it had to be done…
NORMAL P.O.V
With no response from the Autobot base, Optimus and Arcee were forced to brave the worsening snowstorm. It was possible that they were no longer in range of communications, so the pair decided to move forwards in an attempt to engage in contact, despite the conditions of the cold storm making it tougher by the second.
"Optimus to base, do you read?"
Struggling behind the Autobot leader, Arcee collapsed onto the snow. The wind was becoming too strong for the smaller Cybertronian, despite Optimus being ahead of her and breaking some of the gusts away. As she fought to return onto her feet, she was soon helped up by her leader.
"Are you sure a nice long drive wouldn't help?" Asking in a dry tone, she went to remove some of the snow from her form. "I hear that Miami's beautiful this time of year."
"The nearest temperate climate is too distant, Arcee. Attempting to reach it would expend too much energy and hasten the freezing process," Optimus explained with a shake of his head, "Until Ratchet sends for us - and he will -" He glanced back at Arcee before she could argue back. "- Our best option would be to seek shelter and insulate ourselves."
"I get to be your bodyguard for once. How cool is that?"
Miko and Bulkhead were carefully walking through the corridor where the initial Scraplet had been found, the former clutching her wrench in excitement while behind her, her guardian was swinging his blaster weapon in one hand, and a torch in the other.
Paranoia was making him extra cautious.
"Carly and Raf found the first one here… right?"
The corridor was suddenly bathed in pitch black darkness, a feminine-like squeal erupting in the hall. The lighting quickly returned, with Miko wasting no time in turning around to face her guardian in amusement.
"Did you just scream like a little girl?"
"No!" Bulkhead shook his head defiantly. But then he looked away, "Maybe…" He narrowed his eyes at his charge. "Can we talk about this later?"
With a shrug, the girl continued forward with the terrified, bulky Cybertronian behind her. As they turned the corner, a metal sound caused the latter to look at the roof above him.
"Take 'er easy, Bulkhead," Miko calmed quietly, "Just stay focused. Everything's gonna be-"
Another metallic sound caused Bulkhead to react more fiercely this time, immediately firing his blaster weapon at the wall where the sound came from. He fired once more before looking up at the roof and shooting again. But the shot loosened something from the roof that came tumbling onto the Autobot.
Miko rushed forwards in an attempt to protect herself, and turned around with her weapon in hand to prepare for a battle when she found what Bulkhead had been freaking out over. Her jaw dropped in disbelief as her guardian squealed in terror of the cables swarming him.
"Okay, wish I hadn't seen that." The girl shook her head. "Bulkhead! You're fine! It's just a bunch of cables!"
Bulkhead froze in his screams, looking at the cables he had been terrified over. He grabbed one and tugged slightly with an awkward laugh, "Oh. Right. Cables."
Suddenly, the cables fell down, followed by an endless rainshower of Scraplets. Coming from all directions, the vermin quickly started their attack on the bulky Autobot, giving him proper reason to start squealing once more…
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
I could hear screams erupting from the other side of the base. It did nothing to calm me as I scouted the hallway with Carly.
"Maybe the others saw something they thought was a Scraplet but wasn't?"
Maybe… I didn't have faith in the thought… I had to figure out how to distract myself... Let's see… uhmmm… oh… I know…
"H-Hey Carly?" She hummed at me calling for her. "You get weird with Jack sometimes. I know, it's not my business. I'm just interested in your interest in him."
"You promise not to tell anyone?"
I… didn't think she would say anything back about it… "Of course I won't."
Carly sighed, "I kind of, sorta have a crush on him."
Crush? Like the term we use when one Cybertronian cares about another more than just as a friend or partner?
"I imagine you haven't told him?" I asked.
"It hasn't been a good time. We weren't really on speaking terms before this."
"How come?" I was becoming curious by the nanoklik.
"Well, we had an argu-"
Something metallic scrambled near us. I moved at the noise with my blasters pointed at the area. There was a panel hanging off its hinges, barely clinging onto the wall. I looked down at Carly, and she looked up at me, holding up her pipe weapon.
We edged closer to the wall…
The panel came off with a BANG!
Scraplets came flying out of the hole, immediately racing after me…
NORMAL P.O.V
Raf and his guardian Bumblebee quietly wandered around the corner, looking down the corridor with a fierce or feared expression. Both of them had their weapons ready at what they discovered.
"T-They just won't quit!"
"Don't these things ever stop eating?" Raf whispered in annoyance.
The pair walked down the corridor where there was a dead-end, except for a now chewed-through air vent at the end. Bumblebee paused briefly to glance behind him, fearing that the Scraplets were just nearby, before continuing on. He tapped Raf's shoulder, making him move to the side. He prepared his blaster weapon, and pulled the vent open, his young charge reappearing with a battle cry and his crowbar at the ready.
But there was nothing down the vent. A sudden humming noise forced the pair to look behind them at a floor drain nearby. The humming noise kept coming closer and closer until Scraplets jumped out and instantly began making a beeline for the scout…
...Who could only fire his blaster weapon and hope he would be able to walk away with minimal damage.
Jack Darby paced backwards and forwards in front of the working Ratchet and Starlight while the Autobots worked hard to repair the Groundbridge and the communications link so they could get their friends from the Arctic home.
"How's it going over there?" The boy asked with concern.
Ratchet huffed, "We've repaired the damage conductors and re-routed the central conduits, but the Groundbridge still won't receive power!" He punched the floor beside him in frustration.
Starlight curled her small hand around the elder Autobots closed fist, "There must be something further in the base disrupting the power."
A sudden metal scuttling sound caught Jack's attention, holding up his weapon. He looked around until he found a large number of Scraplets at an air vent high above him. They were crabbing down the wall, searching for fresh metal when they suddenly found the human on the floor. When they realised it wasn't him they were after, they looked up at the forms of the medic and his assistant.
Baring their razor-sharp teeth, they pulled away from the wall and began hovering in the air.
"Whoa!" Jack gasped at the development, watching them head straight towards the Autobots. "They fly?! You never said they could fly?!"
Starlight pulled out her knives and stood protectively in front of Ratchet. The Scraplets charged quickly at them, where Starlight swung two of her knives around to stop as many as she could. However, there were too many of them and soon, they were overpowering the pair as they went tumbling to the ground.
"Ratchet!" Jack swung his pipe up to attack. "Starlight!" He swung back and forth, taking out as many as he could.
The two Autobots tried desperately to stand up and shake off the vermin, however they struggled to even sit up as they were attacked viciously. Jack swung at the Scraplets also on their forms, and was able to take out some, but doing so was not going to be quick enough.
Ratchet was able to sit up long enough to spot something red in the distance that could help them fight off the Scraplets, "Jack! THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER!"
The teenager dumped his pipe almost immediately and grabbed the fire extinguisher at the ladder. He wasted no time in activating it, spraying the cold foam all over Ratchet and Starlight. After a long while of using the extinguisher, Scraplets soon dropped off the Autobots.
It wasn't long until more of them gathered high above them, preparing to attack again...
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
My body ached from the horror Carly and I had just been through. Thankfully, I was okay enough to walk back to the main room. There hadn't been enough Scraplets to take me down fully, so Carly and I had been able to take them down easier. But as Ratchet had said earlier, there were going to be more of the little pieces of scrap around, so we instantly decided to go back through the med bay to see how Ratchet and Starlight were doing.
I gasped and widened my optics at the sight we walked into. Ratchet and Star were on the ground, and very obviously injured by a Scraplet attack. Jack was holding a fire extinguisher; it must have helped him take them down.
"Ratchet, get the patch kit. We're leaking Energon like WHOA!"
I looked up at where Bulkhead and the others were looking-
MORE SCRAPLETS!
…And they knew we knew they were here.
The Scraplets dispersed around and towards us. I began firing at them again, but they were too fast for me to take down. I tried to shield myself to stop the worst of the attacks... and suddenly, I was on the ground on my back.
"Eat this!" I heard Bulkhead then squeal his well-known feminine squeal.
Carly came rushing to me to help fight off the vermin eating at me. I could hear more crashes to the floor like the others had also fallen. There was nothing more we could do except fight off the wave and pray to Primus that there were no more after this…
NORMAL P.O.V
Oblivious to the chaos occurring at the Autobot base, Optimus and Arcee rested underneath a large snow-covered cavern that helped them stay sheltered from the worsening storm. There was nothing more they could do except wait… and stay awake.
Which became the Autobot leader's concern as soon as he saw his soldier curled up beside him, "Arcee, wake up."
The smaller Autobot gently lifted her head off her knees, "Ughh. Just resting my eyes," She rested her head again, this time facing Optimus.
"The longer we remain alert, the longer we remain alive."
"What do you suggest?" Arcee wondered before a thought struck her mind, "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," Optimus insisted.
"Caused by Bulkhead," Arcee decided, "Let's see. No com-link. Maybe even no power. The big lug probably tripped over a cord. He's never been too graceful." She wrapped her arms around her form. "Remember when we first arrived on Earth, and Bulkhead walked into those power lines." A soft chuckle escaped her. "Who knew he could dance like that?"
"Bulkhead may be… too large for this world," Optimus agreed, "But his inner strength is without bounds. One should not be measured by size alone."
There was nothing more left to say between the two as their wait for rescue continued…
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
I watched our human friends take out what was left of the Scraplet wave. We were groaning and mumbling in pain from the attack, but we were still alive at least, resting near the Groundbridge controls. Starlight and Bumblebee had been the worst hit by the Scraplets - they were still active… just.
"Did we get 'em all?" It took all my strength to even lift my head up at Jack and the others looking around.
There was a very familiar and unwelcoming humming noise down the hallway 'Bee and Bulk had come from earlier.
"I doubt it," Starlight barely whispered.
"Scrap this," I gasped out, "They're everywhere!"
"It's never gonna end!" Bumblebee slammed his helm on a crate.
"So…the rest of them know we're in here?" Bulkhead's tone was shakey with fear.
"And if we allow ourselves to become their next meal, Optimus and Arcee will never make it home. We must get the Groundbridge operational."
Ratchet was right. Their systems would freeze in the Arctic if we don't get them home… and depending on the current weather situation… it could be happening sooner than we thought…
Stop thinking 'Swept! You're making things worse!
"Then we can use it to send the Scraplets anywhere on Earth!" Rafael realised.
"Why not back to the Arctic?" Jack suggested.
Carly nodded and patted the fire extinguisher Jack was still holding, "We know for a fact they don't do the cold!"
"Sweet! One-stop shopping!" Miko remarked.
"Given the body mass of the Scraplets, sub-zero temperature should freeze them on contact. So think, Ratchet, think…" He rubbed the back of his helm. "If the Groundbridge is still down, then there must be a breach in the Energon fuel line!"
…That would make sense! He and Star had easily repaired the Groundbridge at this end, but if it wasn't working, then something had to be wrong elsewhere! The systems for a lot of Ratchet's tech were fuelled by Energon that ran further along into the hallways, so maybe it was somewhere down there!
Bumblebee rose up beside me, "Then we need to go…" He suddenly collapsed again.
"...Fix it?" I helplessly added.
"If we weren't breaching, one of us could get back over there and fix it."
Based on our condition, there was no way any of us 'Bots were going to be moving in a hurry. Starlight was drifting in and out of consciousness, Bumblebee could barely lift his own helm off the ground, and the rest of us could barely move from our sitting positions.
"Where do we find it?"
We looked at the humans. They were standing there determinedly, all of them with their weapons and ready to take up the challenge.
"And how do we fix it?"
Our little heroes.
NORMAL P.O.V
With the knowledge and instructions on how to repair the leak in the fuel line, the humans set off through the corridor towards the breach. On their way, they soon ran into an army of Scraplets trotting through their way. The four humans were tiptoeing past them to not set them off, especially as Jack was carrying the tools needed to repair the line.
"Remember. We're OK. We're not metal," Jack reminded the group.
Carly nodded, however, something blue quickly caught her eye before she could say anything. Looking at the fuel line, she saw small droplets of Energon dripping out of it, "There!"
"Come on!" Jack raced up to the leak with the others in tow. "We have to work fast!
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
"So if we get-"
"When!" I growled my correction to Bulk.
"When we get the Groundbridge open, do we send the creepy crawlies out or bring our bots in?"
If we bring Optimus and Arcee in first, the Scraplets will think of it as another meal that came in just for them. Not only will they be fresh metal, but they'll likely already be weak from the Arctic… they'd barely last in their presence…
"Optimus and Arcee… will be… fresh meat."
I looked down at Starlight and nudged her shoulder with everything I had, "Stay with me, Star."
I didn't know whether she could survive another wave of those Scraplets…
"If we bring them in first, the Scraplets will have no reason to leave. We'll need bait."
"Where are we gonna get bait?" Bulkhead snapped at Ratchet angrily, "The Scraplets have already helped themselves to everything in here!"
…I would give up a lot to make sure all of the team would survive whatever we faced…
If that meant sacrificing myself for the Scraplets in order for my leader and best friend to get home…
Then so be it.
NORMAL P.O.V
It didn't take long for the humans to get to work and patch up the breach. With Raf on the pipe, and Miko and Carly all holding parts of the patch to help keep it shut, Jack was sealing the patch onto the pipe permanently.
Just as he had completed the sealing, a swarm of Scraplets baring their teeth suddenly flew past and up into an air vent.
"They're getting ready to feed!" Raf cried.
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
BANG!
I reopened my optics suddenly at the noise and stared straight at another wave of Scraplets flying above us…
Ready for another round.
Bulkhead yelped and slid back onto his backside.
Primus, where are the kids?!
NO ONE'S P.O.V
It seemed as if hope was slipping away for the two Autobots in the Arctic. The snow storm had worsened once more, leaving the pair sprawling out in the snow beside each other as they clung to life.
"You know the worst part?" Arcee asked, proving that she was still holding on strong, "After battling 'Cons all these years, getting smacked down, shot at, blown up, this is how our lights go out?"
"Arcee, this may not be the finish we had planned. But if this is indeed the end, if we are to become one with the All-Spark…"
The small Autobot was not prepared for her leader's parting words, despite feeling aware of what he may say. She reached out her small hand to his large one resting nearby. It paused her leader in his sentence as he reacted to her gesture by turning his hand over and engulfing hers in his.
"It's been an honour serving with you, Optimus Prime," Arcee whispered, looking up at her leader.
Optimus nodded at her words, and chose to not say anymore than what he had.
Arcee had understood, and that was all that mattered as they prepared to spend their final moments together…
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
The Scraplets kept hovering above us, as if they were preparing that this would be their final attack on us…
"Ratchet! All systems go!"
Jack?
"Fire it up!"
The humans had come back… and they had repaired the fuel breach…!
I watched Ratchet struggle to full height, "Groundbridge ...activated..." He pulled down the Groundbridge lever, but in the process, fell back to the ground.
Too weak to stand.
I looked at the open Groundbridge portal…
…This was it.
NORMAL P.O.V
Just as the Autobot leader had accepted defeat, a familiar noise was heard in the distance. Looking up, he discovered a familiar green and blue portal opening.
A Groundbridge.
All hope hadn't been lost, after all.
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
It was a struggle to stand, given the injuries from those blasted Scraplets… but I had to do this. I would do anything for Optimus, Arcee and anyone else in this base.
There was a sudden crash behind me, so I turned around where there was a piece of the roof now on the ground.
"Bait, huh?" I looked towards Bulkhead smirking at me as he slowly stood.
There was no one more courageous than him sometimes... even if he was terrified of these pieces of scrap.
We stood at the Groundbridge and waved our arms about to catch the Scraplets' attention. One stopped and looked our way.
"Ready for the main course?" All of them bared their sharp denta, zooming straight towards us. "Come and get it!"
I smirked, "Hope you like it cold!"
We turned and started heading into the Groundbridge, but it wasn't long before those little scraps caught up to us. I could feel them latching onto me, trying to take me down. I was stronger than them. I was not gonna falter.
We're coming Optimus and Arcee.
The portal took us to the other side in the Arctic, where the wind was absolutely bitter. I could see my teammates in the distance. They looked like they were covered in snow and weak… alive nonetheless. From here, it looked like Optimus wasn't sure of who it was coming to him.
"Down! Down!" I felt Bulkhead pull me to the ground.
There was nothing I could do but watch the swarm of Scraplets fly over us and straight towards my teammates. Probably identifying them as the 'main course' Bulk had spoken of. Optimus held out his arm in front of Arcee to protect her; she was already on the ground and looking much weaker than him.
Suddenly, the Scraplets began falling around like the snow, dropping into stasis all around us. The 'cold' part of the meal I had referred to.
Hopefully that was the last of them in the base…
Bulkhead brushed off some of the frozen scraps off us, "I'd invite you in. But the place is a mess."
Base was full of offline scraplets, broken equipment and more damaged, but online 'Bots… 'a mess' was a stretch.
I could see Optimus and Arcee sharing a look while the sky became brighter…
How ironic…
"Windswept? Are you awake?"
It was painful to lift my helm, however I did so at Ratchet's request to prove to him I was still awake. I was only resting myself after the events of today, but I didn't want to rest on a medical berth like Arcee, Starlight and Bumblebee did. There were only three available, and all three of them needed them more than me. I was leaning up against Arcee's one to keep within Ratchet's optic line though… just in case.
I watched him nod before looking at Jack, "Report bio-circuitry status."
He was at a computer which was connected to our systems that he could watch over in Ratchet's place, "Levels are rising!"
"Excellent. Rafael, Carly, keep a close watch on Bumblebee and Starlight's electro-pulse monitor. Miko, check Bulkhead's interface patch."
"It's steady!" Rafael confirmed.
Carly jumped off Starlight's berth with her laptop, "Steady!"
"Looking good!" Miko held a thumbs up to Ratchet.
"Perhaps you should get some rest yourself, old friend," Optimus recommended beside Ratchet, "You saved quite a few lives today."
"It wasn't all my doing." We looked over at the kids at his admission. "We're just fortunate this infestation happened on a Saturday."
It was a true wonder how we managed to survive without the humans for as long as we did sometimes.
"Our human friends may be small. But they are strong."
A high pitched scream erupted from us. I instantly looked at Bulkhead, but it didn't come from him. He was looking down at someone so I followed suit…
…Miko?
"Scraplet?" Jack, Carly and Rafael were with her at an instant with their weapons.
"Spider!" Miko screeched and began jumping around, "Is it on me?!" She screamed and leapt her way into the hall behind the medical chamber…
Are spiders as scary as they sound?
I laughed weakly, "Did Miko just scream like a little girl?"
"Miko!" Carly yelled in disbelief, "The spider's not even that big! Come back he-"
I looked down at Carly in concern. She looked frozen on the spot… like something was seriously wrong. Jack and Rafael were poking her but she wouldn't budge.
"Carly?" I called.
"It's a rat!" She suddenly screeched, turning and walking backwards slowly into the hall slowly. She screamed like Miko without warning, and immediately ran in the same direction as her friend. "Miko! Wait UPPPP!"
Bulkhead looked at me in disbelief, "Did Carly just scream like a little girl?"
…So the humans had some fears of their own… So what? We all had them. But if Bulkhead could conquer his fear of the Scraplets and help defeat them once and for all, then surely there was no way we couldn't snap the girls out of their fears…
Right?