Heya Everyone!

First off, big announcement: I'm making a Transformers Prime-inspired visual novel! It's just a fun little fan game where you get to build relationships with different members of the team, but it's coming along really well.

I've wanted to get into the world of indie game dev for quite a while - especially making visual novels - so this is a dream starting point. Follow on my tumblr (bellamby) for updates and the chance to playtest/review it!

With that out of the way, on with part 2! Which, by the way, is a MUCH longer chapter than I usually write.

Enjoy! ^^

Chapter Eight: Not Even Your Optics

Scraplets. Why did it have to be scraplets?

My thoughts were focused only on what might be going on outside. Beyond the walls of the base.

I'd insisted on staying in the building, even though Ratchet had wanted me to leave. But he'd still ordered me to stay in the supply closet near the medical bay until further notice. Vince was not exactly happy about that.

"Silver?" Vince called to me. "I was asking if you're good?"

I blinked in surprise. "Me? I'm fine. Just...worried about the others."

He shrugged. "Eh, they'll be fine." He turned back a little. "But that's not what I meant. Something else was bothering you earlier after you saw that scraplet."

"It was nothing." I quickly cut him off.

The boy chuckled. "Yeah, I'm now super convinced that it was nothing." He tilted his head. "You've seen them before, right? And it didn't end as well."

"I didn't, exactly." He admitted. "But I recognised that kind of reaction. You didn't even hesitate. Because you spent so long replaying how you would've reacted."

It kind of both astounded and worried me that this kid was so familiar with that. He got all of that from just a brief reaction. How familiar was he with what I was feeling?

He walked over to the wall opposite me and sat down, setting the baseball bat beside him.

"C'mon, we're partners, right?" He tried to smile reassuringly. "Doesn't that involve sharing the weight of this kind of scrap?"

I sighed. "Well, first off, language." My defensiveness depleted a little. "But if you really want to know, I watched a teammate get destroyed by those...things." I thought back to the night. "He was my first friend on Cybertron. My only one really."

Thinking back to that night made me shudder.

I turned away. "I don't hurt living things. But scraplets aren't 'alive'. They're machines without sentience, invented by Decepticons, programmed for one purpose: to destroy anything metal."

Vince nodded. "That's why you freaked out so much about Bumblebee being hurt."

I tried to force a smile. "I swore I wouldn't let it happen again. But I can't exactly do much from a supply closet."

Getting into the details of what had happened would've been too much. He'd already seen a tiny fraction of what the scraplets could do.

Trying to shrug off the fear, I smiled lightly. "It'll be fine. Ratchet will fix the ground bridge, and Optimus and Arcee will come home safe."

Vince tilted his head at me. "Well yeah, but you wanna help, right?"

"Helping is what my sister would do." I shook my helm. "I'm not her."

The human boy furrowed his brows in confusion. "But I've seen you in action. You stood up against that red guy."

"Knock Out?" I recalled, laughing a little. "I got taken down almost immediately."

"So?" He continued, standing up and spreading his arms wide. "My old man used to be a boxer. Trust me, taking the hits is half of the fight. You just need to master the other half: punching back."

I glanced up at him with confused optics. "Your "old man"? Humans have designated elder humans?"

He thought for a moment. "It's like another term for dad." He waved it off. "We're getting off topi-"

"RATCHET!" A panicked voice screamed just beyond the doors.

All the fear within me came rushing back as I remembered what was happening outside. Vince just behind me, I rushed to the heavy metal door and tried to open it. It didn't budge.

"Nonono," The panic set in immediately. "I-It's jammed!"

Vince ran up to me. "Silver, wait! Maybe they can handle it!"

An ear-destroying scream pierced through the door, telling me enough that I knew they most definitely could not handle it. I took a few steps back, bracing myself and taking a deep breath before running into it at full speed. My shoulder rammed the door, but it still barely moved.

I ran at it again and again. Outside, I could hear the others returning from their own hunts for the creatures. My frantic attempts to escape only grew.

"SOMEONE, OPEN THE DOOR!" My voice became hitched as I begged them through the door.

I pounded on the door, but it was no use. No one would let me out in the heat of the danger they were trying to protect me from.

Over and over, I was left feeling helpless. The memories of teeth tearing into metal and the spark-shattering screams were back so quickly. I didn't know I'd given up until I was slumped against the door. My arm still weakly knocked on it.

It was at moments like that when I realised just how powerless I was in a battle like this.

Vince's POV . . .

When I'd met Silver Sun just a week or so before, I didn't really believe that robots could really..."feel". Not like humans did, at least. I mean, you don't expect a motorcycle to have complicated emotions.

That is until you see their optics wide with fear as they frantically try to reach their friends.

I couldn't hear what she said under her breath, but I heard something that sounded like a name over and over: Red Alert.

Dropping my baseball bat on the floor, I slowly approached her. She was just staring at the light coming through the bottom of the door. It was like she was trying to understand just how fragged they were based on the tiny shadows.

"Silver Sun?" My voice was as soft as I could make it. "I-I know you're freaking out right now, but please, listen to me."

She seemed to snap out of it as I spoke. The silver robot glanced over to me. I panicked a little, but she needed me right now. I couldn't afford to waste time.

"Okay...step one done." I nodded, trying to sound sure. "You need to trust them, okay? You're thinking of the past, but it's not just one 'bot out there. It's Ratchet, Bulkhead, and...the one that beeps whose name I've forgotten." I waved it off. "They're gonna be fine. A little injured, but fine."

Silver Sun shook her head adamantly. "N-No...you don't know that for sure. You haven't seen what I've seen those...things do."

"But they have, right?" I remembered what Bulkhead said earlier. "You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep trying to break a solid metal door down."

She didn't seem entirely convinced, but silently accepted what I'd said, turning to lean back against the door. Her giant frame sank to the floor.

Her optics were shut tightly. I could see her eyelids tensing every few seconds. She was trying to block out the sounds from beyond the door. I couldn't blame her one bit.

There wasn't anything more I could think to say. So I calmly sat down beside her. I paused for a moment, daring to glance up at my guardian. Placing my hand on hers, I just waited with her patiently. Praying the chaos outside wouldn't be any worse than I'd told her it was.

No One's POV . . .

The middle of the Arctic . . .

The endless expanse of brutal coldness had begun to take its toll on two Autobots hours ago. Optimus did his best to scout for a location for shelter up ahead, but Arcee was much more skeptical. She trailed behind him, keeping an optic out for any signs of their very, very late Ground Bridge.

A particularly harsh gust of ice caused her already worn-down form to stumble a little into the snow. Optimus quickly offered her help as she shakily got to her feet.

"Arcee, are you alright?" He asked, furrowing his optic ridges in concern.

Shrugging, she gave a slight smirk. "I mean, now that you mention it, it's a little chilly in here." She dusted off as much of the settling ice as she could. "Are you sure a nice long drive wouldn't help? I hear Miami's beautiful this time of year."

Optimus smiled at her attempt to lighten their predicament but shook his helm. "Unfortunately, the nearest temperate climate is too far away. It would only hasten the freezing process." He stood up. "Our best case solution would be to seek shelter until Ratchet sends for us."

They carried on through the icy storm, both shivering. They finally reached a structure of ice that curved in a way that could shield them only slightly from the onslaught of snow. Arcee immediately sank into the slope, sighing in relief. Optimus didn't hesitate to follow suit beside her, keeping his battle mask up for extra shielding.

He grew increasingly worried as he noticed his optics begin to close. "Arcee. We need to remain alert."

The blue sharpshooter immediately sat up further, trying to force herself to stay awake. "Just...resting my optics."

Silence fell over the two. Although the spy had known the Autobot leader for quite some time, she had to admit that coming up with conversation topics with him was still a difficult task.

"So..." She began. "Who do you think screwed things up back at base?"

Optimus thought about the question for a moment but took the safer route to answer it. "Our situation could be a simple malfunction."

"Caused by Bulkhead. Probably tripped over a fuse or something." She guessed in a dull tone. "He's never been too graceful. It'd be a plot twist if it was Ratchet."

"Arcee."

"They say if you listen closely, you can still hear the mad doctor shouting "I needed that!" in the night air." She chuckled, then turned a little more serious again. Or as serious as she could be bothered to get in the storm. "It was probably Bumblebee. Trying to show off his lobbing skills and BOOM! We're popsicles."

The Autobot leader glanced over at his comrade. He'd overheard her conversation with Silver Sun earlier. It struck him as odd for Arcee to begin being more critical of Bumblebee since Silver joined the team. But he couldn't say that he didn't understand why.

"I understand that most Cybertronians born of the same spark have a 'bond'." He began. "Do you believe you could contact your sister through it and try to understand what is happening at the base?"

Arcee's spark dropped. She'd forgotten about the bond. She'd forgotten a lot about what it meant to have a sister in her life, but the bond was an especially sore subject.

"I...can't." She shook her helm. "That channel got cut off orns ago."

Optimus raised an optics ridge. "Cut off? How so?"

She shrugged. "It got to a point in the war where having enemies who knew you had family was a danger to them, so...I cut it off."

The Prime couldn't help feeling sympathy for Arcee and Silver Sun alike. To lose so much in this war was already a heavy toll, but to lose a connection so deep to one's own family?

"I've sensed distance between the two of you." He acknowledged. "I simply thought it was the way your sisterly bond was."

"Nope. I...barely know her now." Her optics fell as she remembered the day. "I don't think I ever told her why. She would've just insisted it was fine. She swears she can handle anything thrown at her. But she's just a kid. She doesn't know the horrors of the war like we do."

"I wouldn't be too certain, Arcee." Optimus commented. "Silver Sun has seen more of the war than you might believe."

The sharpshooter squinted at him, partly from confusion, but also shielding her optics from the ice. "How do you know? Did she tell you?"

The leader shook his helm. "Not in words. However, after so long, it is a skill to understand more than what you're told. The way she avoids the fight and the way she quietly carries herself is enough to recognise that there is...pain there. Not one for me to investigate as an authority. But, should you wish to understand your sister better, I would advise you to discuss it with her."

Arcee thought it over for a moment, trying to replay her encounters with Silver in her processor. "If we survive long enough to make it back to base, I'll be sure to book a family therapy session."

Optimus offered as much of a smile as he could. "Have faith in the team we've built, Arcee. They're not to be measured by only their faults."

Silver's POV . . .

Finally.

The door creaked open.

I bolted to my feet and Vince along with me.

Standing at the door stood a tired, wound-ridden scout. I instantly rushed to check over his frame.

"Primus, you're bleeding..." I looked over some of his injuries. "Sit on the medical berth. I'll get the first-aid kit."

Bumblebee shrugged. "Yeah, um...I'm not exactly the only one."

He stepped aside and my optics grew wide with terror at the scene in front of me. Ratchet and Bulkhead collapsed against the walls, awake, but losing energon from several gashes across their frames.

The destroyed scraplets were littered around them. Jack, Raf, and Miko were still hitting any that they weren't convinced were dead.

"Oh, Primus..." I felt my spark-rate rise.

I rifled through the medical kit I kept on my hip, gesturing for Bee to sit down. Bumblebee did so and I began patching up a few of his worst-looking wounds. As long as I could seal up the most severe ones, the others wouldn't take much of a toll on them.

"Did you get 'em all?" Vince asked the other kids.

Rafael shuddered. "Not even close. We barely escaped the ones we saw in the hallways."

"I-I'm sorry," I apologised while trying to help a very tired-looking Bumblebee. "I couldn't get out of the room and-"

Ratchet waved me off. "That was the plan, Silver. I knew if you heard a commotion, you'd try to help in any way you could."

My shoulders fell as I stared at him. "Wait...you locked the door?"

Bumblebee and Bulkhead both glanced towards Ratchet with slight confusion. Even the kids looked surprised. I didn't know how much they were aware of, but I focused my attention on my mentor.

"Yes." He sighed, pushing himself to stand up. "This is not a fight I believe you could survive if you get too involved."

I was in disbelief. "Ratchet, you know I've survived a lot in this war. Including scraplets."

"I also know that you don't have the same battle experience as us." He countered.

Bulkhead shrugged with the little energy he had. "I don't know, Doc. Sil was the first of us to jump into action earlier. Maybe we should-"

Ratchet waved him off. "She might've been able to defeat the one that attacked Bumblebee, but that does not mean she's prepared to face an entire horde of them."

The scoff I gave in response cut him off quickly. "And locking me in a closet is a good alternative? I thought you were going to die!"

My mentor's optics widened. I don't think I'd ever been so blunt with him.

Part of me wanted to continue arguing, but I'd heard this argument from far too many Autobots before. You'd think I was made of glass from the way Ratchet and especially Arcee tried to shield me.

I'd finished patching up Bee. Moving to Bulkhead, I remembered the other very big concern we currently had to deal with.

"We don't have time to argue." I shook my helm as I bandaged up a large wound on Bulkhead's arm. "Did you manage to solve the problem with the bridge?"

Ratchet stared at me in shock but blinked to snap himself out of it. "No...not quite. I rerouted the central lines and recalibrated the power to ensure no surges, but the ground bridge still won't receive power."

Bulkhead's injuries were easy enough to seal.

I turned to Ratchet. "Injuries?"

He shook his helm. "None beyond mesh wounds."

I thought for a moment. "Okay...so the ground bridge on this end is intact, it's probably an issue with the other side." Pacing a little, I turned to Rafael. "Where did you find the first one? That was likely the first scout."

"Um...near the training room, I think." He answered. "It was under a pipe."

"Bulk and I were there about ten minutes ago!" Miko eagerly remembered. "The line was cut and it looked like energon was leaking there."

Ratchet and I looked directly at one another as we both connected the dots. "Broken fuel line."

I reached for the toolkit. "Once we fix that, the Bridge should come back online."

Bumblebee struggled to sit up on the med-bay table. "W-Wait, you're not thinking of going there, are you? That's where most of the scraplets are."

I turned to him with complete seriousness in my face. "I'm the only one who's not injured and the only one whose alt-mode can travel fast enough in the enclosed space."

"You make a good point," Even Ratchet admitted. "But the scraplets there will devour you the second that you stop. I don't believe their hunger will give you time to allow you to transform back."

Pausing at his words, I couldn't deny that he was right. There's no telling how many of them still lurked out there.

"What if you don't stop to transform?" Vince piped up. We all glanced at him. "Take one of us with you, we'll jump off to fix the fuel line, and you circle back to the main room."

Jack agreed. "Plus, you can lure back any we might've missed."

The idea seemed extremely dangerous and had to be very well-timed. But it wasn't too impossible.

I turned to Ratchet. "What do you think?"

"What do I think? I think it's an absurd plan!" He exclaimed, huffing at the thought. "However...we are in an absurd situation."

Well. The plan was made. I only had to do one thing: be the designated driver.

After giving a brief explanation to Vince and Jack on how to fix the fuel line and seal it up, we were ready to go. Or as ready as could be expected.

I sent the others to the supply closet from before, which in hindsight can't have been a very comfortable situation. My mentor looked increasingly hesitant, but he gave a half-smile and a reassuring nod.

"I may have...been overly harsh earlier, Silver Sun." He admitted solemnly. "But if something were to happen to you under my watch the same way it happened to Red-"

"It won't." I cut him off. "This is for him. For him to know that if I could change how things were...I would in a spark-beat."

Ratchet gave a sullen sigh, but still kept his soft optics on me. "He knows, Silver. Just ensure that you don't meet him again too soon. Understand?"

I smiled and nodded. "Okay, Ratchet."

That was all the confidence boost I needed for my processor to stop spinning.

Inhaling deeply, I transformed into my motorcycle mode. Vince hopped on first and Jack second, carrying the toolbox behind him.

"Okay..." Vince inhaled deeply, trying to psych himself up. "Ready for the budget Fast and Furious in 3...2..."

One.

I bolted down the dimly lit hallway. The training room was one of the furthest from the main HQ, but I did my best to ignore that fact.

We wound through the hallways, Jack clinging to Vince for support as Vince's grip on the handles tightened.

In a personal best time, we were outside the training area. I slowed down only briefly, giving the boys enough time to hop off, toolbox in tow.

I could already hear the creeping of thousands of tiny steps on the concrete floor.

"Remember, use the solder and the blowtorch to melt and seal it!" I reminded them before speeding up again.

My memory of the map of the base was seriously being tested. As I drove through the left wing of the sleeping quarters, my processor raced with worry about my sister. I had no idea if she was going to be alright.

I'd been worrying so much about the scraplets, that I'd almost forgotten how bad the toll could be for her and Optimus.

It was times like that when I wished we still had our sibling bond.

The mechanical chattering of teeth quickly snapped me out of my own helm. I increased my speed, refusing to let any get close. As I passed by more and more rooms, I attracted the attention of the ones who were still in hiding.

Finally, I received a call from the main computer.

"All systems go, Sil!" Miko alerted me. "Raf's fired up the bridge. Get back ASAP!"

I didn't know what 'ASAP' meant, but I could infer it was something along the lines of 'no time to waste, these things gotta go!'

Turning a particularly sharp corner, I grimaced as my frame hit the wall, but continued on track. The main room was in sight. I could see the glowing green sparks emanating from just out of sight around the corner.

That's when the first one latched onto me.

I let out a scream as it chewed through my frame like nothing.

Then came the second one. And the third. Until they were beginning to weigh me down.

Orns of attempting to repress pain came in handy, despite the trail of energon I was beginning to bleed onto the concrete.

Swerving to avoid the next wall, I felt nothing but sheer relief as I rounded the corner and booked it through the bridge, ensuring that every single one of those tiny monsters was right on my tail.

The bridge felt so much longer than usual, but I burst out of the other side into the cold desolate Arctic. Losing my balance in the air, I transformed back with a panicked yell, landing in a very non-graceful faceplant.

Glancing up, I saw Optimus and Arcee, confused and stumbling towards the bridge.

"GET DOWN!" I yelled, pushing myself off of the floor.

My sister seemed confused, but Optimus didn't. He spotted the scraplets as they came hurtling through the air after me. They bypassed my tired frame on the floor in favour of the two new ones up ahead.

But if a giant robotic organism couldn't survive in the cold, what chance did the significantly smaller ones stand?

They didn't even them, freezing in the air midway and clattering against Optimus' frame like nothing more than stray metal. Not even so much as a bite.

Arcee still looked extremely confused and concerned as she saw the state of my scraplet-covered frame.

I exhaled then laughed a little in relief. "If you think I look rough right now, you should see the other guys."

A few hours later . . .

"Report bio-circuitry status?" Ratchet asked. "And how are Bumblebee's vitals holding?"

I chuckled a little as I tried to get him to rest on the medical berth. "They're both fine. You on the other hand should rest."

He grumbled. "I don't need rest when it comes to my practice."

"Yes. You really do." I countered. "I've got things covered for now. You're not the only medic at base anymore, remember?"

I saw him settle a little more as I reminded him of that. He'd been the only physician for so long that I think he forgot what it was like to share that burden.

"Very well." He nodded, settling back down on the berth. He tried to sit up again. "But if you should need my help-"

"I will alert you immediately," I reassured him. "Now get some sleep. Doctor's orders."

He rolled his optics with a smile, finally agreeing to rest.

I returned from his section of the bay to see the others. Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee were all sleeping, but I noticed Optimus wasn't there. Quickly checking that the others were recovering soundly, I found him in the main area. He stood at one of the computers, typing as if nothing was wrong.

"Optimus, sir?" I tilted my helm. "You should really be resting after so long in sub-zero conditions."

"I'm afraid my role does not allow for that, Silver Sun." He tried to hide his tiredness with a smile. "However, I appreciate all you have done for the others today. Are you recovering well?"

"Me? I only had a few bad bites at most." Glancing at the others, I remembered the struggles of the day. "But them? At some points, I was sure we'd be grieving by the end of the day..."

Optimus seemed to agree. "It could've been much worse. But you and Ratchet prevented that. As did the humans."

"I was surprised to see Jack and Vince working together so well." I recalled. "Maybe he's finally repairing some of his friendships with the others."

"That is a relief to hear." Optimus agreed. "I believe he is not the only one who wishes to heal such matters."

He gestured to the space behind me. Confused, I faced the medical bay only to see my sister sitting up. She noticed me looking and gave as strong a smirk as she could.

I rolled my optics and trod over to her. "Is anyone actually getting rest?"

Arcee brushed me off. "You know I don't take that long to heal up."

"Nice try." I sat her back down as she tried to stand up. "I'll never know why you're so eager to return to the fight."

She offered a small smile. "If you had a little sister, you'd get it."

I was a little taken aback by her statement. My optics were wide, but I returned her soft expression.

"Speaking on behalf of the younger siblings of the galaxy, we appreciate you." I joked, but still with a bit of uncertainty. "Are you...okay? It's just you're not normally this..."

My sister raised an optic ridge. "This what?"

I was slightly afraid of finishing the thought. "Nice."

She paused momentarily. "Huh. You're right. Hope the Arctic didn't make me soft."

Laughing lightly, I shrugged. "Well, better late than never."

"Hey," she called gently. I turned back to her and she continued. "Wanna go for a drive this week? No missions, no humans or 'bots. I think it's overdue by about...five orns."

She must've seen the way my face visibly brightened as soon as she said that. I beamed and quickly nodded. It was the first time since I was a kid that she asked me to hang out. Usually, it was the other way around.

"That'd be awesome!" I tried to be quiet for the sake of the others sleeping, but I was too excited. "Which day? Do I need to prepare my holoform? Y'know what, I'll just ask you in the morning."

Arcee couldn't help laughing a little. "Wow. You're really that excited, huh?"

I smiled nervously. "Well...yeah. You're my sister. Centuries of lost contact and even an intergalactic war aren't going to change that fact."

She was quiet after that. I was quiet too, wondering if I should say anything else. Finally, someone spoke up.

"Y'all are so cute." The grumbling, half-awake voice of Bulkhead chimed in.

Bumblebee groggily chuckled as well. "Yeah, I can hear Ratchet tearing up from here."

A sniffle came from the divider where my mentor was. "E-ENOUGH! I am trying to SLEEP over here!"

Apologising quietly to the others, I retreated to the main adjacent space, sitting down on an old crate as a makeshift chair. Watching over the others and ensuring they were safe gave me the kind of comfort and purpose that I'd lost after years of being on my own.

Now, I was being reminded of the home I'd begun to find here.

I just hoped that no one I'd left behind was out to find me...

End of Chapter!

WOW, that was a doozy to write! I hope you enjoyed it!

In this iteration of the story, I wanted to add more explanation for what happened with Arcee and Silver Sun's sibling bond, since most fics seem to feature some version of them. While Silver doesn't know that Arcee cut their connection, she's still grateful to have it back.

Primus Bless Grammarly for helping me not mess up the tiniest little typos.

Remember, any ideas or characters that you think would be cool to add in, or one-off chapters that might be cool to add, just let me know! I'm usually down to add these things in, or at least hints to them - as long as they don't conflict the overarching story.

Thank you so much for reading!

'Til All Are One,

GreyroseLegacy