Transformers 1. Chapter 1

**Set before all the movies and maybe before the creation of Earth itself I'm not entirely sure! Haha!**

**So I haven't written a transformers story in a while but here it is! An OC-centric fic with pairings galore and some angst to boot. Hope ya'll enjoy the fic!**

**Read and Review guys!**

**Tulip Out.**

_Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears._

_Arthur Koestler_

There are people in this world, who when they hear the word 'no' actually think 'challenge accepted'.

Catherine Rye was one of those people. Catherine was not ashamed to admit that she was one of those people, nor was she ashamed to admit that it was a stupid thing to do and had often gotten her into trouble.

Catherine was ashamed to say it got her and her two closest friends killed.

It wasn't even a dangerous stunt, in fact it was something Catherine had done hundreds of times before both alone and with her friends.

Catherine was a regular user of the local scrap yard, she would make herself a makeshift ramp, strap on her skates and fly. Marie and Charlotte came along to watch, and occasionally provide a small amount of first aid because hey, slag happens.

So when Catherine flew through her gradually growing skate park she didn't think much of the occasional creak, nor the fact that her friends had perched themselves underneath one of the lopsidedly stacked cars. Catherine didn't notice the give in her metal ramps as she flew, so when she fell through the ramp she shrieked.

Her friends laughed when she landed with a thud beside them.

They all laughed as Catherine caught her breath, drowning the sounds of creaking as the car tipped.

They laughed as Catherine rolled onto her stomach and the car started to fall.

The car fell down to them unknowing as they laughed, then the car landed.

They stopped laughing.


	2. Chapter 2

When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.

Viktor E. Frankl

_**Do you wish to live?**_

_I don't want to die._

_**Do you understand that this life will not be like your first? That this time, you will have a job to do, an important job.**_

_Please, please I'm scared, I don't want to die._

_**I want to let you live, but you must understand that if I let you live you cannot tell anyone directly of who you once were, of what you once were.**_

_I wont tell them, but please, what will I become?_

_**You are going to become a very special sparkling, you and your friends were meant to grow old and change the world in your age, but the world decided that you were needed here. I will guide you only when you most need it, and you will change the future in this world rather than your own.**_

_Who are you?_

_**I am the Allspark, and it is time for you to join your new family in your new life.**_

_Please, don't leave me alone._

_**One thing you shall never be child, is alone.**_

Heaviness was the first thing Catherine felt when her mind started to come into focus, and a voice fading into the back of her mind. She moved sluggishly, and something whirred gently as she did so.

The whirring sound was soothing, and something was cooing at her with this strange clicking sound she didn't recognise but somehow knew. She forced her eyes open, and found that they adjusted almost automatically to the dim lighting around her.

The cooing stopped, and Catherine recognised the shushing sounds that were being made at her and the snarling she could hear from behind some sort of door or something. She was being placed on the floor and finally a face peered into her vision, a huge strange freaky face that made her squawk in distress.

The metal face made those shushing noises again and turned to the banging behind the door, covering Catherine with something metallic and thin. Catherine recognised the danger she was in and fell silent, listening as something exploded, something screeched, something fell and then something _laughed._

Catherine was pretty sure she'd just heard a murder.

Catherine was silent for a very long time, waiting for a sign that she would be rescued from the darkness she had been hidden in. It took a long time but eventually she heard noises, that clicking sound from before and she started to squawk.

She squawked until the cover was removed and a new face peered down at her, a new metal face.

_What _are_ these things?!_

It lifted her up, carrying her like a newborn and rushed her away from the danger zone she had been left in. She didn't see whatever it was that had protected her, and she never would again but she did glimpse the wreckage that had been her brief safe haven.

She could hear distant fighting, yelling in that strange foreign tongue and the sound of whatever was holding her cooing softly and heavily at her to keep her silent and still.

Catherine was no idiot, she knew to be quiet in a war zone.

When the sound of battle had finished, Catherine realised that she was much, _much_ smaller than whatever was holding her. Catherine was seventeen, and tall for her age, so she shouldn't have been dwarfed so much by…

_Wait a second…sparkling…the Allspark…called me a…sparkling?!_

Suddenly it made sense, Catherine had died hadn't she, died and been saved by the Allspark. That was why she was so small, and why they were cooing at her, it was because she was a _baby._

Catherine had been a transformers fan, and now she…was one? And what of Marie and Charlotte? The Allspark had said something about them…where were they?

She started to shriek now, because that was all she could do, she didn't understand how Cybertronians spoke and now she'd have to learn how to be one of them.

She was scared and frustrated and wanted to go home, except she had agreed to be here because she was scared. Fear seemed to have ruined everything for her, that and her stubbornness.

The Cybertronian holding her tried harder to calm her and she knew she was causing trouble for them but lord she was being controlled by her emotions so much right now and she just couldn't stop screaming.

_You said I wouldn't be alone! Where are my friends!?_

There was no response from the Allspark and she continued to scream and wail and cry because she didn't know how to do anything else right now. Even now there was practical silence, only curious chirping filling the air she still wailed.

She was passed over to somebody new and she wailed, this new voice cooed her and chirped to her carefully to try and calm her and slowly she started to stop. Hiccupping as she tried to control her own body, which was damn near impossible and it almost made her start wailing again.

"_You are loud Cath!"_

Her head span around and curled, trying to find the source of the voice, and her eyes (actually, now she thought about it, they were optics weren't they?) landed on a pair of small robots sat on some sort of giant robo-crib.

"_Marie! Charlotte!"_

Catherine reached out for them, desperate for her friends no matter how they looked and she was placed on the crib beside them. She almost fell for lack of control over her own body, but whoever had hold of her settled her so she could sit upright with her friends.

"_It took them forever to find you, I woke up here and Marie was found like an hour later." _Charlotte explained reaching forwards and patting away the…tears…that she had been crying with her podgy metal hands. Catherine let her, and then scooted closer to the two of them.

"_Whoever was looking after me hid me and got killed, I think by a Decepticon but I didn't see."_

The three of them sat talking until they fell asleep, curled around one another as they were watched by a much older mech.

"Prime help us." Ratchet grunted with affection, as the last three sparklings on Cybertron rested in stasis.

Things were about to get interesting at the Autobot HQ.


	3. Chapter 3

The three sparklings chattered away to each other in a language that only they knew and understood whilst Optimus, Ratchet and Prowl stood watching them. They were all healthy, but they were also terribly young and would need a carer each.

Hence the three mechs currently stood watching them, deliberating on how they would handle this situation.

"I wish I knew what they were saying." Optimus noted absently and Prowl nodded in agreement.

"I have been recording their speech, but have so far been unable to make any sense. Likely it is just sparkling speech, clearly they knew each other before they were...separated, from their carers." Ratchet informed them as the three chirped in delight.

"But to have that level of understanding in their speech, at such a young age…clearly they are much more advanced than most sparklings at this point in their development." Prowl inclined and Ratchet could not help but agree.

"There is no doubt that the three of them possess higher intelligence than practically all sparklings I have ever dealt with, but they are still just _sparklings._"

Optimus knew where this was going and beat the medical officer to the punch.

"They need guardians, but I cannot understand why you would decide that the three busiest mechs should care for them."

Ratchet grunted "I am aware, but just as Prowl said, they are _advanced, _I doubt most mechs and femmes would know how to handle a sparkling, let alone one with advanced mental capacities."

Prowl hummed his understanding "So you picked the mechs you believed capable of handling a sparkling of advanced mental capacities and the ability to further that natural mental aptitude."

Ratchet clicked in agreement, Optimus held in the small smirk when he realised that Ratchet had not only put Optimus and Prowl forwards but himself as well.

"Not to mention, if Ironhide can handle Bumblebee then we can surely handle these young femmes."

Optimus did smile this time, and the three of them shifted closer to the chattering femmes. The three of them slowly went silent, watching the mechs with wide blue optics.

"Well…" Ratchet began waving his hands "take your pick."

The three sparkling femmes chattered in hushed voices to one another, giggling and pointing at the three mechs conspiringly and Optimus was reminded that they were advanced. How advanced? Well, he doubted he'd ever know.

"Do they have names?" Prowl asked moving tentatively towards the three femmes, looking the most anxious of the three.

"If they did they are lost now, I doubt they would even remember anyway." Ratchet grumbled, wiggling his fingers at the three of them, amusing them to no end.

Prowl took another tentative step, reaching down to the three and lifting the largest of the three femmes gingerly into his arms, making sure to support her head. The little femme seemed happy enough, curling into his chest plates and purring at the warmth she found there by his spark.

Ratchet was less hesitant, having handled sparklings before and took the second sparkling (and the smallest) into his arms, she gurgled and patted his face. The sparkling on the table laughed, Optimus wondered what she had said as she patted Ratchets face.

Optimus stared down at the final femme, who was looking up at him with wide blue optics. She had an expression that seemed to say 'well, what are you waiting for?' and he scooped her up into his arms carefully.

She _seemed _happy enough, but Optimus, much like Prowl, had never handled a sparkling before. When Bumblebee had been this small Ironhide and Chromia had kept him under constant watch and barely let anyone visit other than Ratchet.

Sparklings were no more, the well extinguished, and these three had simply fallen into their laps. Optimus dreaded to think what might have happened if Megatron had managed to find them before the Autobots did.

"Take them with you for a few cycles," Ratchet instructed "talk to them, try and connect. If they don't then they don't, but I'd rather they did."

Optimus nodded and carried his new charge with him back to his personal chambers, Ratchet had given him a crib the day before (ditto with Prowl) so they could be homed as quickly as possible and he would let her recharge now.

He just hoped she wouldn't do as Bumblebee did, Primus he had a set of vocal processors on him.

XXX

Ratchet had never met a sparkling with such a distinctive personality as the little femme sat on his medical berth, refusing to sit still and just let him perform the medical exams on her.

"Please sweetling," He soothed "they aren't going to hurt, I need to make sure your defences are at a good standard."

She squirmed again but after a few moments she sat rigid and still, bracing herself for something she clearly didn't realise _wouldn't hurt._

"Primus, I'm going to have my hands full aren't I?" He asked aloud, barely turning as the door slid open and he was suddenly joined.

"Hey Ratch! Think you could patch up my-" Sunstreaker was suddenly at his side, peering down at the berth "-is that a sparkling?!"

On the medical table, the femme squealed at the sudden presence and volume and fell onto her back. Ratchet smacked Sunstreaker upside the head and reached down for the whimpering femme.

"Do you mind? I just got her settled." He scolded, rocking the sparkling and shushing her with gentle words.

Sunstreaker stared, then after a few moments he moved his fingers and wiggled them at her looking like a sparkling himself. She stared at him, reached up and wiggled her fingers back. Ratchet scoffed, she had gone into recharge so well last night and had woken up happy and bubbly, but now she seemed to have a condescending edge to her movements.

"I can't…a sparkling…an actual sparkling…" Sunstreaker babbled in a soft voice, still staring at her.

Ratchet had almost forgotten that sparklings no longer came into this world, and allowed Sunstreaker his moment of wonder to stare at her before he placed her back on the berth.

"When did you find her?" Sunstreaker asked, awestruck as he watched her.

"They were found-"

"THEY? THERE'S MORE?!"

Yet again the femme was startled into screaming, flailing her arms as she began to lose balance and slowly teetered backwards. Ratchet lurched his hand forwards and managed to catch her, scooping her back up to once again soothe her.

"Will you be quiet? Primus she's just a _sparkling. _Yes there are more, three femmes all the same age but not a trine." He rocked gently, patting her back almost robotically "They were found out on patrol, and nobody is to know about them until they are older for safety reasons _are we clear?_"

Sunstreaker nodded, turning suddenly sheepish.

"Can I…can I hold her?"

Ratchet wanted to tell him no, he could not hold her, but then he remembered way back at the start of the war when the twins had been young, and they'd had a sister to hold and coo over. He remembered the day that the three of them became two, and their poor sparkling sister had been killed in recharge by the cons.

Ratchet let him hold her, let him fawn over her for a little while. Perhaps Sideswipe could know, simply because nothing remained a secret between the two of them and Primus knew they were still mourning.

"She's got fire in her spark Ratch," He whispered "I can feel it."

Ratchet agreed, she did have fire in her spark.

"My little Spitfire."


	4. Chapter 4

Primus what was Prowl doing?

He'd read every file there was on sparklings, could recite it backwards, and yet he still felt so completely _lost _with her sat watching him. It wasn't even like he could ask her either, she didn't have any grasp of speech yet.

"I should talk to you. So that you grow accustomed to my voice and to speech." He stated, and they watched each other like they were caught in limbo.

She seemed happy enough just to watch him, but if she was anything like Bumblebee had been in his youth then she would soon grow bored. He had already tried imitating Ratchet and wiggling his fingers at her, but she had been less than impressed by the actions, stubbornly refusing to be amused by it.

"I confess I am unqualified for this job. Perhaps it would be better if Ratchet found someone more suitable."

The door swished open and he recognised Jazz's light footsteps as he attempted to startle Prowl, he knew as always that it would end in failure but Prowl turned before he had even made it halfway across the room.

Jazz looked almost comical halfway across the room ready to pounce with his body curled backwards ready, and with such a disappointed look on his face.

"Aw! Prowler, you ruined mah game!"

Prowl rolled his eyes and beckoned his closest friends over with his hand, stepping aside so that he could see the femme on his desk. Jazz moved forwards without hesitation and made noises at her.

"Here she is, I wondered where she would end up after we found her…wait wasn't there two sparklings?"

"Three, another was found later in the same quadrant, their parental units had all hidden them and been offlined for it." Prowl explained, watching as the little femme seemed even less impressed by Jazz than he had by Prowl.

She took a few moments to arrange her five digits and then extend them at Jazz, all but her centre digits were curled up, so that the middle finger was stood upright.

"Ha, I think she likes me." Jazz smirked triumphantly.

Something told Prowl that she wasn't doing it out of friendship, he almost told himself that a sparkling her age could not possibly know what respect was but then he remembered that she and the others were mentally advanced.

Perhaps that single finger had a meaning, and perhaps the other two sparklings would understand it whereas he would not.

"Ratchet has another, Optimus the third." Prowl explained curtly, feeling a sudden pang of jealously that maybe she did like Jazz more.

This pang vanished when Jazz went to lift her, and she bit one of his digits. Jazz wrenched away and almost pulled her with him, but Prowl was there to keep her from being flung across the room and hurt.

"Fragging thing!" Jazz cursed and Prowl scowled at him.

"Refrain from that kind of language around her, I don't want her to pick up those kinds of habits." He scolded, holding her against his chest and watching her curl into the warmth as she seemed want to do.

Prowl could not deny the swell of warmth he felt when he realised she did indeed like him more than she liked Jazz. Prowl decided then that Ratchet did _not _need to find her a new home, she would be very happy here with him.

"So, she gotta name?" Jazz asked, holding his finger gingerly, as if she could hurt him with her dentures at this current point in her development.

"Not yet, I am still thinking but…" He watched her with soft optics "perhaps…Nightwire, seems suitable for her."

Jazz nodded, Nightwire did sound good, rolled off of his tongue easily too.

"Nightwire, try to help ya daddy loosen a few gaskets will ya?"

XXX

Optimus watched the little sparkling as curiously as she watched him, she had scrunched up her face in what he gathered was concentration as she stared at him. Then she relaxed her face and started reaching out towards him, opening and closing her little hands in what even Optimus knew what the universal sign for 'lift me up'.

So Optimus reached forwards and lifted her up, keeping her held tight against his chassis where she clung to the corners of his armour happily enough.

He still hadn't thought of a name.

He'd considered naming her after his femme parental unit, Spiral, but after rolling the name around a few times it just didn't seem to fit.

"You are a complicated little femme, perhaps Ratchet may help shed some light on a name." He mumbled to himself, carrying her absentmindedly to the medical bay where he, Prowl and Ratchet had decided to meet a mere three cycles after collecting the sparklings.

Prowl was stood inside scowling at Jazz as he tried to coerce the little femme from Prowls arms, and Ratchet was watching with caution as…was that the twins?

"Prime!" Sunstreaker greeted as Sideswipe swayed gently, holding the little femme in his arms with adoration.

"Optimus sir, how has she been?" Prowl asked turning away from Jazz who still was waving at the little femme in Prowls arms.

"She has been strangely well behaved for someone her age, she did not cry out nor become irritated though I did not know what I was doing." He told them and Prowl nodded.

"Nightwire has been much the same."

Ah, so he had named her Nightwire, a pretty little name for a young femme and one that seemed right for Prowl to pick.

"As has Spitfire."

Nightwire and Spitfire.

Sunstreaker looked curiously at Optimus.

"Have you named her yet?"

Optimus' reply was cut off when the sparklings themselves engaged in a conversation.


	5. Chapter 5

_Italic Speech _\- English

_**Bold Italic **_\- Comm. link

Regular - Cybertronian

Catherine sat in the mechs arms comfortably, listening to the strange chirping and clicking sounds they made to speak. Boy did she wish she knew what they were saying, some of the clicks made a little sense to her but they weren't so much words as _tone._ The soothing tones, the coaxing tones, she understood basically what they were trying to explain to her when they spoke but that was the extent of it.

"_Any luck with the language barrier?" _Marie called over to her from her mech as Catherine had taken to thinking of them, although she could swear she knew them!

"_Negative, I did flip the bird at the big silver one though, he didn't seem to understand so I bit him." _Charlotte explained casually and the three of them giggled.

"_Either of you feel like you know these bots? I mean, I'm pretty sure the red and white mech is Ratchet but I'm still muddling out the others." _Catherine asked and the other two nodded.

"_Well, if red and white is Ratchet, then surely silver is Jazz." _Marie suggested _"Which means big black must be Prowl right?"_

Catherine agreed with a grin _"Those two, the red and yellows ones? Could they be Sunny and Sides?"_

Suddenly the three of them were alive with ideas and thoughts on the mechs that surrounded them.

"_Which means the big guy holding you, old red and blue must be Optimus!" _Charlotte finally called with delight and the three of them cheered at their discovery.

Then the mechs holding them shifted and placed them together on the berth, standing around them and watching intently. They were talking to each other, and the three of them shrugged the best they could in their sparkling bodies and continued talking.

"_Do you think the Allspark wanted us to…do something?" _Marie asked timidly, not entirely comfortable with the level of attention they were receiving.

"_He…or it…said we had a job to do ri-what the hell are you doing?" _Catherine was interrupted by Maybe-Optimus holding something in front of her.

Marie and Charlotte burst into peals of laughter, watching as Maybe-Optimus held it out for her to inspect with her prodding fingers.

"_I think it's a bottle…after all we are meant to…ingest? Ingest energon." _Marie put forwards and Catherine pulled the nib of the bottle towards her mouth, the glowing green liquid sloshing around inside.

Catherine looked up at Maybe-Optimus with an undecipherable look, one of mild contempt and irritation as well as amusement. Maybe-Optimus started clicking at her, moving the nib down to her mouth where she pulled away slightly and glowered at him.

"_I know how to use a damn bottle, but give a girl her pride would you?"_

Then, she moved forwards and placed her mouth around the nib and she drank, and wow did it taste good! Catherine liked the taste so much that she drank the entire bottle all at once, letting the nib pop from her mouth when Maybe-Optimus took it away.

"_Hey, I was going to chew on that."_

Maybe-Optimus seemed to hesitate, but allowed for Maybe-Ratchet to refill it and hand it to Marie. Marie was less keen on the idea of drinking from the robot equivalent of a baby bottle.

"_You need drink it dummy, you'll die if you don't." _Charlotte huffed at her as Maybe-Ratchet tried to entice her into drinking it with those clicking-chirping sounds they all made.

"_Oh come on! This is humiliating!" _Marie argued, looking very much an infant as she pushed the bottle away from her face stubbornly.

"_I did it." _Catherine informed her sternly and Marie sighed.

"_You but we all know you don't have any humility when it comes to food."_

Catherine yelled obscenities at her as she continued to stubbornly refuse.

XXX

Spitfire clearly did not want the energon that Ratchet was offering her, but Optimus was more interested in the conversation the three of them seemed to be having. Nightwire and his little femme seemed to be trying to convince Spitfire to drink it.

"Are they seriously having a conversation?" Sunstreaker asked quietly as they watched.

His little femme looked up at him with a frown, then back at Spitfire angrily. They started yelling across the table at each other, and Prowl lifted Nightwire from the fray to try and calm them, Optimus did the same with his little femme.

Still they screamed at each other, until out of frustration Spitfire clamped her mouth over the bottle and drank it all. The mechs stood baffled and shocked, had they just witness an argument?

"Ratchet, tell me ya recorded that?" Jazz asked and Ratchet nodded dumbly as he refilled the bottle once more for Nightwire who drank it obediently just as his little femme had.

"Mentally advanced does not even begin to explain them, imagine their mental capacities when they grow older…" Ratchet mumbled to himself, clearly taking mental notes about the interaction.

"Oh yeah Prime! You never did tell us her name." Sideswipe suddenly remembered and Optimus pondered.

"I have yet to find a name suitable." He admitted but the gathering did not seemed perturbed.

"Well, there are plenty of femme names you could use…" Ratchet began filtering through files of femme names and the others considered the options, staring intently at his little femme.

Optimus and his little femme stared at each other, her big blue eyes intent and bright, a small smile played at her lips as she reached out and placed her hand on his chassis above his spark.

"Perhaps…" He interrupted the others as they thought of names "Starblast."

Starblast peered up at him, he didn't know whether or not she understood that this was her name, but he'd make sure he said it often so that she would.

"Spitfire, Nightwire and Starblast." Jazz said, smirking at the names.

"In a few orns we can introduce them to Bumblebee, he should be a good influence on them and the age gap is not as great as it would be with anyone else." Ratchet told them using his fingers to coo at Spitfire.

Once they were sure the three femmes had calmed down, they were placed back down on the berth to converse further. Ratchet was recording everything they said so that maybe he could try and decipher it, but the sounds they made were unlike anything he had ever heard before.

Perhaps it was just advanced sparkling speech, sparklings were known to create basic speech patterns when they spent a lot of time with others and this kind of speech was common in twins and trines.

Except they weren't a trine.

"They understand tone," Prowl decided indulge in talking about the three of them whilst there were people around that could assist "is this normal for sparklings their age?"

Ratchet frowned "I have noticed this, it is not uncommon for sparklings to have a good grasp of tone, some sparklings do and some don't, the ones that do tend to pick up speech quicker than those that don't."

Optimus nodded, smiling down at Starblast, well, how much of a handful could she really be? He could see she would grow to be an intelligent femme, all three of them would of that he was sure. He had no doubt that just like Bumblebee, Ratchet will ensure they have the best education they could, Jazz and Ironhide would ensure they could hold their own and Prowl would ensure they knew how to be sensible.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker would be there along with Bumblebee so they could grow happy and surrounded by laughter, which was what he had always wanted if he had a sparkling. He remembered Elita-One, they way she would light up when she spoke of the sparkling they would one day create and he wondered, would Starblast be like her?

"Look! Nightwire is doing that thing with her middle digit again!"

The thought was knocked from his mind, Elita-One had been gone for many orns now so Starblast could never truly be like her, so she would be like him. Somehow, Optimus didn't think she would mind.


	6. Chapter 6

_Italic Speech _\- English

_**Bold Italic **_\- Comm. link

Regular - Cybertronian

As time passed Catherine found that speech would not be as hard a barrier as she had thought, she went regularly to Ratchets for medical exams and Optimus spoke to her no matter what he was going.

Slowly but surely, Catherine was starting to pick up the words and learn her new language. Marie and Charlotte were learning too, and now they all knew their own names.

Starblast was what they called her, it was a pretty enough name and she wasn't going to complain about it. Marie was now Spitfire, and Charlotte now Nightwire.

The three of them had agreed to no longer use their human names because this was their life now, they weren't human anymore. They would speak English only until they had mostly mastered speech, and, in emergencies.

Optimus was talking to her again, she recognised the names he used and some of the more common words but still not enough to truly understand what he was telling her, she listened aptly all the same.

Starblast and Nightwire could crawl around now, and Spitfire had taken a few unsteady steps not long ago. This was good, the time seemed to pass quicker now they were focusing on learning and not on the past. Starblast felt that they'd adapted well to this new scenario, and the fact that they'd had no help from the Allspark since it had sent them to Cybertron.

Optimus spoke to her gently as he lifted her, she heard Ratchets name and knew they were going for another medical. Another word she had learnt was 'scan' because that was all Ratchet seemed to do, that and a few other things she didn't entirely understand.

Spitfire had suggested they were like the jabs you got as a baby, and that made a whole lot of sense really because they could still get ill even though they were robots because they were alive. Anything living can get ill.

They arrived in good time and Optimus quickly placed her with Spitfire, Nightwire and Prowl had yet to arrive which meant she and Spitfire had time to talk and teach each other new words. All the words Spitfire tended to learn were medic based but they were always good to know.

"_We've got names down check, but what is that one Ratchet keeps using?" _Starblast tried to imitate the sound but knew it was a poor attempt, even so Spitfire seemed to understand.

"_Pretty sure it means recharge, he always says it to me before he puts me in the crib." _

They repeated it a few times to each other, trying to get it right and when Nightwire joined the three of them tried to mimic it. Ratchet continued recording even as they tried to master the word, happy that they were developing at a good rate.

Ratchet moved forwards and lifted Starblast from the medical berth and onto the smaller berth he had reserved just for the sparklings, he started scanning and checking her internal functions. He had originally been worried about trauma because of the war zone they had been found in, yet the three of them fell into recharge as easily as anybot.

"_Hey Spit, does Ratchet make a good dad?" _Starblast called as she was scanned, giving Ratchet her arm when he asked and letting him connect something to one of the ports there.

It made her arm tingle, but she knew that Ratchet would never do anything to hurt her so she didn't show any sign of discomfort.

"_Don't know, it's hard to judge when you can't understand most of what he's saying, but he feeds me and cuddles me and all that stuff so I guess so."_

Nightwire decided to chime in _"What's Prime like as a dad?"_

Starblast considered this, there was little she could say, other than what Spitfire had told them about Ratchet.

"_I think the same, although he is a little…I don't know…shy, sometimes? I don't think he's ever looked after a sparkling before." _

They two of them looked expectantly at Nightwire.

"_Prowl is better than you'd think, he's a bit overprotective but only really when Jazz is around, I've already learnt how to say two curse words." _

Ratchet unhooked Starblast and placed her back with the other sparklings, then he lifted Nightwire to repeat the procedure. After this the three of them would need only one more visit and they could begin integrating with other bots around the base, mostly the higher ups because some young bots could be foolish on the battlefield.

Today however would be slightly different from most check ups, as the door swished open and Ironhide strode in with Bumblebee sat on his hip like it was the most mechish thing in the world, Chromia walked just behind listening to Bumblebee's excited speech.

"So they're actually little femmes?!" He repeated and Ratchet got the feeling he'd been asking that a lot on the way there.

"Why don't you see for yourself." Chromia smirked, nodding her head at the berth and when Bee twisted around in Ironhide's arms to see just as Ratchet was placing Nightwire back on the berth, he'd done Spitfire's updates a while ago now.

Bumblebee yelled in delight as Ironhide placed him down and he immediately rushed over to the berth to see the three of them, Bumblebee barely reached Ratchet's waste and had to be lifted so he could stand on a chair and see the there of them clearly.

"Hey there! I'm Bumblebee!" He chattered excitedly, Ironhide chuckled, wrapping a caring arm around Chromia's waist as they watched their charge interact with the three little femmes.

"This is my sparkling, Spitfire." Ratchet told him, pointing to his femme because the three of them were very indistinct at the moment.

"That is Prowls sparkling Nightwire, and she is Optimus' sparkling, Starblast."

"Are they a trine? They all look the same!" Bee chattered excitedly, and Jazz hummed in agreement.

"Well after their final medical we can see about putting a little colour into their frames." Ratchet suggested, looking towards Prowl and Optimus to ensure it was alright, but both of them seemed to agree.

They could tell their femmes apart, but the rest of the crew might make mistakes and the confusion could be irritating and may waste time. Besides, the three of them wouldn't want to be mistaken for each other and Ratchet knew that many unmarked 'bots detested the plainness of their framework and often changed it as soon as they were able.

"They can change it when they get older if they so wish." Prowl agreed sensibly, Jazz grinned and clapped Prowl heartily on the back as the two of them stared warmly at Nightwire.

Ratchet knew that Nightwire was going to end up with both of them as her carers, because the only people that didn't know the two of them were meant to be were the two of them, and Ratchet suspected Jazz had known it all along anyway.

XXX

Starblast had recognised Bumblebee instantly, it was hard not to when he was that shade of sunshine yellow, not to mention he was still a kid himself! That was probably why he'd been brought she realised, so that he'd not be lonely as the youngest kid on base.

She just wished she could say his name in Cybertronian so that they could get to know him better. Starblast looked up at Optimus helplessly but he was busy talking with the other mechs to notice her communication problems.

"Starblast." She finally gurgled, Bumblebee grinned at her and clicked excitedly, he pointed to himself and made several clicking noises.

"_I don't know if my infant robo-lips can manage that." _Starblast grunted and Nightwire nodded encouragingly.

"_If we can speak in perfect English despite the fact we technically have no lips, we can speak the language are bodies were made to."_

The three of them started clicking, trying to master Bumblebee's name. It took several long moments but eventually they were saying it to a good standard. Bumblebee clapped every time they got it right and even the mechs had started chattering down at them happily.

"_Well, it may be only little crack, but we have started to crack the language barrier." _Spitfire cheered.

"_Now we just have to master coherent sentences." _


	7. Chapter 7

_Italic Speech _\- English

_**Bold Italic **_\- Comm. link

Regular - Cybertronian

By the time the three femmes were walking, the communication barrier had practically been demolished. Ratchet was constantly surprised by the speed in which the three of them grasped concepts most sparklings would not, he hadn't seen sparklings like this since Prowl had been a youngling, and Ratchet had been quite sprightly then himself.

He knew the three of them would go on to do amazing things, but until then they were just three mischievous sparklings.

Three mischievous sparklings knocking oil onto the floor and drawing pictures in it.

Ratchet grumbled and lifted the three of them away from the oil, dropping a few rags on it that he would clear later, for now he had to clean them.

The three of them laughed as he mopped their faces, digits and peds clean of the oil and then he stared down at them as sternly as he could while those six big blue optics stared up at him.

"If you want to make a mess, then you need to let me set up a space. This is the medical bay, even if it is the private bay and I can't let any sort of infection get in." He explained carefully, the three of them chattered in their little language before they chorused up at him sweetly.

"Sorry Ratcheeet!"

"Sorry Ratch!"

"Sorry papa!"

Primus, his spark would always skip a pulse when Spitfire called him that, almost made him forget they'd made a mess on the floor. Almost.

"Just don't do it again." He scolded, but there was no spark behind it because until they got older those puppy optics were going to have everyone wrapped around their little digits.

He left them to themselves again, keeping a stern optic on them as he read through the latest file reports Prowl had delivered along with Nightwire and Starblast. They had managed to make a schedule that would allow them all the care for the femmes whilst doing their jobs during the day, then the femmes would return to their parents every night to recharge.

Ratchet knew in a few clicks that Ironhide would be here the collect the three of them so that they could spend time with Bumblebee, who at last could spend time with children and not the twins. The twins had tried, harder than Ratchet had ever seen them try before, to be responsible for Bumblebee and to make him feel like one of them, but responsibility just wasn't in their programming.

Bumblebee had felt happy at least, even when he was laughing at his surrogate brothers as Ratchet clapped them upside the head with his wrench. Ratchet knew they'd try with the femmes, because every time they looked at them they saw the sister than never got to grow into the femme she deserved to be.

Femmes were still being culled left right and centre, only a fraction remained. Chromia and Arcee had been rendered unable to breed after Ratchet had been forced to remove their breeding units, Chromia had been hit especially hard, poor femme had always wanted a sparkling.

There were small groups of femmes remaining, but after the cull had began many went off world and the ones that remained either had their units removed by a medic, or became warriors. Megatron had initiated the cull, but even he couldn't control his mechs desires and Ratchet knew too much of forced bonding by the cons.

It made his spark lurch to think about it, now more so than ever because of his own precious sparkling.

"Hey Ratch, I'm here to collect the femmes - Ratchet are you alright?"

Ratchet turned to Ironhide, he hadn't realised how much he had bonded with Spitfire until the idea that the cons could do…_that, _that unspeakable thing to his little girl.

"Of course." He bit in his traditional grouchy voice "Merely thinking, you know what time to bring them home."

Ratchet leaned down and placed the gentle kiss on Spitfires helm before Ironhide collected them all up, sparing another glance at Ratchet before he took them out to join Bee and Chromia until it was time for them to recharge.

Ratchet had to go out into the medical wards today to do some extensive rounds after that last battle, the decepticons getting steadily closer to Iacon with every attack and leaving more injured then they could handle.

"_**Wheeljack, how are the energon stores looking?" **_He called across his comm.

"_**Looking good Ratchet, the team found a large quantity a few clicks ago and have began mining it, they think it'll take at least a cycle to get all of it!"**_

Ratchet hummed over his link in satisfaction, it was about time they found a good energon store. The cons never seemed to run out of the stuff, not to mention Megatron had been playing with dark energon and that did things to a bot that Ratchet didn't even want to think about.

"_**How're the femmes?" **_Wheeljack asked in what he must have thought was a casual tone.

The sparklings had been introduced to a few more mechs, some had accidentally come across them during medicals just as the twins had and some had been chosen to meet them instead.

"_**Barely a breem old and they've got everyone suckered in."**_

He could feel Wheeljack's amusement.

"_**Good then?"**_

"…_**very."**_

Ratchet wasn't surprised that the femmes were adored, nobody was able to resist three sparklings especially at this stage in their development. He knew in a few more cycles they'd need their first frames, built specially to ensure good posture and healthy growth for their protoforms.

He'd spent a very long time creating these frames, the femmes each had picked a colour and their parents the other so that they were two coloured, a theme favoured by almost every Cybertronian on the planet.

His own little Spitfire had picked silver, and Ratchet had picked red meaning her theme would be similar to his own. He had asked her as plainly as he could but she didn't mind, she seemed happy to have the same theme as her father.

Nightwire had decided on periwinkle blue, Prowl had chosen black.

Jazz had tried to dissuade the mech to picking something brighter but Prowl had denied him, and Nightwire didn't seem to mind the darkness in contrast to her light.

Starblast had chosen an electric blue, Optimus had chosen red.

Ratchet wasn't sure who was more excited for them to try on their first frames, the femmes themselves, or their parents. No, scrap that, Optimus, Prowl and himself were all much more excited than the femmes.

XXX

Starblast knew that she shouldn't have done it, but when Chromia had told her 'no' she had immediately thought YES! Primus would she ever learn?

So here she was perched on top of some hunk of scrap that Ironhide had left in a rush to get to an emergency meeting with Optimus, Chromia was sat in her quarters head resting on her palm as she recharged softly.

She'd been away on a long undercover mission and the four of them didn't want to disturb her, but they might have to if Starblast wanted to get down.

"Bee can't you just jump up?" Nightwire asked in a hushed voice as Starblast peered over the edge at them.

Slag it wasn't even that big! It barely reached Ironhide's waist! Bee's head almost reached the top, but he wasn't strong enough to reach over lift Starblast and place her on the floor.

So there she perched, and then she grinned.

"Oh scrap." Nightwire muttered seeing her face.

"She's got an idea." Spitfire groaned and Bee took a few quick steps back.

"I think she's going to jump."

Starblast wobbled on the edge with the ends of her feet teetering over the edge as she swung her arms backwards in preparation.

"She is going to jump." Spitfire agreed.

"And she is going to hurt herself." Nightwire added.

Bee was the only one who was panicking, holding his arms out as though he could possibly catch her when she leapt from the heap of scrap parts and ruined medical kits.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE PIT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Apparently, Chromia had woken up.


	8. Chapter 8

Starblast staggered at the sudden, and very loud, voice.

Starblast teetered forwards and back, and then she fell forwards off of the scrapheap that had manifested in Chromia's absence.

Chromia however had already been shooting across the room and scooped Starblast into her arms before she was anywhere near the ground, glaring at all four of the sparklings as she held Starblast warily. Damn femme was as bull headed as the twins sometimes.

"Now correct me if I'm wrong," Chromia muttered, the four of them preparing themselves for a scolding "but didn't I tell you to leave that alone?"

Well at least they had to graces to look ashamed as she scolded them, but Primus did Chromia know that sparklings had to learn from mistakes but she really wished these mistakes would end up with less injuries. That didn't mean she wasn't going to grill them out to their parents so that they could learn not to disobey orders.

"Didn't Papa tell you not to take your eyes off us?" Spitfire asked in that innocent little voice of hers, and Chromia glowered down at her (you didn't glare at sparklings)

"Don't backchat me young femme, your _Papa _can decide how to punish you." Chromia informed her and Spitfire balked.

"Grounded." Nightwire grumbled, scuffing her peds on the floor and Starblast sighed dramatically in her arms.

"We'll soon find out, come on you little scraplets, time to take you home."

The four of them groaned at her, whining about not wanting to leave and please don't tell and we were just playing, all the sort of thing she expected from them. Bumblebee wisely kept quiet, but Chromia would have to deal with him later when the other three weren't there.

Ironhide was waiting outside, but he took in the sullen mood of the younglings and the sour look on his spark mates face and knew that something had happened. He looked down at Bumblebee, who had Spitfire on his back as Chromia cradled Starblast and Nightwire who both looked grouchy.

He didn't see any injuries, apart from maybe damaged pride but he knew Chromia would explain later in full detail. Ratchet was the first stop, and he crouched low to pat Bee on the helm and take his daughter into his arms.

"How was she?" He asked, sensing Chromia's mood.

"I recommend withholding treats for a day." She informed him and he scowled down at her, Spitfire cradled her face in his chassis and refused to meet his eyes.

"I will certainly do so, briefing tomorrow?"

Chromia nodded "Briefing tomorrow."

Starblast wanted to laugh, calling it briefing sounded so official, all they were going to do was talk about the sparklings and what trouble they had/hadn't gotten into. Chromia told Prowl much the same, and even Jazz tried to keep a sombre face as Nightwire was handed to them, they could hear her being chided as they made for their final stop.

Starblast curled into Chromia the closer they got, and Chromia almost felt bad about it but the femme had to learn somehow. Optimus wouldn't do anything more than withholding energon treats just like the others, but Starblast the troublemaker hated getting in trouble.

"Figures the most trouble-prone would like being scolded the least." Ironhide grumbled as Bumblebee fell into a steady recharge in his big engulfing arms.

"You know what Prime's like," Chromia chuckled "nobody likes those big disappointed eyes he gives out."

Ironhide agreed, those eyes were enough to make even cons feel bad about their actions, he had no doubt that Optimus (unknowingly) used those eyes on Starblast as well.

"Chromia, Ironhide," Optimus greeted at his door "and Starblast."

Starblast uncurled despite herself and reached for the familiar arms of her father, letting him lift her and pressing herself into his chassis as much as the small femme could. Chromia could remember when Bumblebee was that age, small and cute but mischievous too.

Chromia told Optimus the story, Ironhide listening closely as he peered down at the now sleeping Bumblebee.

"Sparklings will be sparklings Optimus, she's young, she'll learn." Chromia decided that would be a good thing to finish with.

"Thank you, I will see you both tomorrow."

Starblast curled up even more, keeping her optics clamped shut, and Optimus sighed.

"Sweetspark, do you understand what you did wrong?" He asked once the others had gone and he had placed her into her crib.

She uncurled and nodded sullenly, optics firmly on her berth.

"Din't listen." She mumbled and Optimus rubbed her helm gently.

"You wont do it again?"

She made a muttered promise and Optimus let her recharge.

Starblast hated making promises she knew she couldn't keep.

XXX

As the femmes grew, so did the amount of trouble they wound up in around base. The blame would be equally shared amongst the four younglings (Bee was their permanent playmate by this point) and they'd return to their homes covered in grime and metal scrapes.

By now the three femmes reached most Autobots shoulders, were in their third frames and were starting to discover their skills.

Spitfire was following in her fathers footsteps, having a knack for anything medical and she'd also picked up Wheeljack's knack for tinkering with things she shouldn't. Spitfire was often found pulling something apart, rewiring it putting it back together and then letting it lose on the bots on base.

Nightwire didn't have Prowl's gift of stealth, instead she'd inherited his diplomatic abilities and his ability to keep a straight face in all situations. Not to mention Jazz's people skills and fighting style, making her the best femme to get you out of a sticky situation.

Provided said situation didn't involve either of her fathers.

Starblast had her fathers undeniable leadership skills as well as his tactical skill, but she was brash and bull headed and often went against what she was told. There was no denying the three of them made for a formidable force, having had some of the best tutors in Iacon, but they were young and inexperienced.

Bumblebee had only just begun as a scout, having only been out on three expeditions. The femmes had been on none, they were young and bots dreaded what would happen if and when the three of them were ever injured.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were in agreement with the femmes, it was about time they had at least a recon mission, they were vastly overqualified for it and more than ready. Their parents and guardians were less keen.

"Give it a few more vorns sweetling, soon ya will be out their kicking aft like tha best of 'em!" Jazz encouraged with a grin as he went out on duty.

"Language." Prowl scorned by way of farewell, his stern exterior dropping only slightly as Jazz placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

Nightwire was the only one privy to these shows of affection, although she was sure Jazz would have been more than happy laying claim to the diplomat in public.

"But Dad, the three of us could help!" Nightwire pleaded but Prowl was obstinate.

"Not yet."

She growled and stomped away to join the others, the same as she did everyday when they weren't being tutored by various mechs.

Spitfire was very much in the same position.

"Papa, please you know we could help, our teamwork is flawless!"

Ratchet sighed at her persistence "Sweetspark, your teamwork may be flawless but you three still fail to follow the orders of your superiors-"

"We follow Star's orders."

"-which could result in death out there."

Spitfire glowered and stormed away to join Nightwire outside her home before they stormed in mutual silence to Starblast's home where they waited outside.

"Dad I'm serious we could help you and you know it!"

"Don't speak to me in that tone young femme, and your disobedience during training means you are not field worthy."

"You know we'd be different in the field! I know for a fact that Sunny and Sides were as bad as we were until you put them out there!"

They heard Optimus' aggravated sigh through the door.

"Starblast, my answer is no, and that is final."

"But!"

"One more word and you'll be confined to your room."

The two femmes moved out of the way of the door as it swished open, Starblast stormed out without a word to her father and the three of them headed to the public room where Bee and the twins would be waiting.

They would get out there on the field, even if it took forever to get there.


	9. Chapter 9

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe adored the femmes, in different ways.

Sideswipe adored them as sisters, seeing the sister that never got the chance to live and for Sunstreaker it was mostly the same.

Mostly.

"Hey Starblast, you alright?" Sunstreaker called, jogging with his brother to reach the three clearly aggravated femmes.

"No." Starblast hissed, still stomping along with her dearest friends.

"Still not allowed out on patrol?" Sideswipe asked knowingly, and the three of them glared down the corridors of the base.

"No worries, we're stuck on duty with Red so you can stay with us for a while." Sunstreaker smiled, draping an arm over Starblast's shoulders playfully.

Sideswipe glanced at him from the corner of his optics but said nothing, if Prime knew that Sunstreaker was trying to flirt with his daughter he'd not be on base much longer. Orbit, he'd definitely end up in orbit and not Cybertron's.

Starblast smiled coyly at the yellow mech and let him lead her, and subsequently the other two femmes, to monitor duty at the control hub.

Optimus would probably be less-than-pleased that his daughter was trying to flirt back. Not that Optimus would ever get in the way of his daughter happiness, he'd just keep a _seriously _stern eye on poor Sunstreaker to make sure he was honest.

Prime wasn't a bad mech, but he was a protective father, especially after losing Elita-One way back when Sunny and Sides had been the youngest on base. It had been horrible for everyone, Elita had been the mother figure to so many young mech's and especially to the femmes on base and her loss caused a rift between the femmes and mech's.

Chromia had slowly but surely closed that rift, but Optimus continued to suffer. There was no doubt that Starblast eased the pain, but losing a sparkmate was something that never stopped aching.

"Hey Red Alert!" Sunstreaker called as the doors of the control hub slid open for them, and Red Alert groaned.

"Oh don't worry Red, it's not just us two you've got." Sideswipe leered and Red Alert took his optics from the screens and sighed.

"Hello Starblast, Spitfire, Nightwire, I take it that your attempts for patrol did not go smoothly?"

"Wouldn't be here if they did, sorry big guy." Spitfire apologised, but he just flapped his hands and they took up their regular seats in the hub.

Because of the tightened security on the three of them, what with them being the three youngest femmes on the entire planet, they didn't get to leave the base very often and when they did they were surrounded by guards. Starblast understood her fathers reluctance to put her in the field, off the top of her head she could thing of at least fifty reasons why he wouldn't want her out there.

The most obvious: she was his daughter, and seeing her hurt in battle would destroy her, just like when she saw him return from battle covered in battle scars.

The one that scared her most however had nothing to do with dying, but the sickening tales she'd been hearing around base about a certain psychopathic femme-hunting seeker.

Blitzwing.

He had headed the femme cull, the mech took sick pleasure in mutilating femmes and doing unspeakable things to them. With fewer and fewer femmes about, Blitzwing had started doing the same to the mechs that crossed him. Everyone agreed he needed to be terminated, the sooner the better.

"Any suspicious activity lately Red?" Sideswipe asked, only slightly mocking the antsy head of security.

"Not suspicious as such, but the Decepticon's are covering ground on the boarder of Altihex. I'm worried they'll reach the edge of Iacon soon."

Boy did that send cold shivers along their plating, but they laughed and joked and tried to get Red to lighten up and even managed to make him smile a few times. People didn't understand Red like the younglings did (as they had been dubbed) because nobody tried to.

Red Alert showed joy in other ways, smiling wasn't him showing he was happy but showing that he was _really _happy and enjoying himself. When Red Alert panicked and got worked up over a simple incident it was just his way of demonstrating how he cared.

Sunstreaker was in the middle of telling them about the time Bumblebee had first met Prowl, when a sensor bleeped on the east side perimeter. The east perimeter was the closest to Altihex, and to the cons.

"Spitfire, did something come up?" Red called over, a scowl donning his smooth features as Spitfire clicked away on her screen, but as she was searching Nightwire's monitor bleeped but Nightwire was on it in seconds.

"Intruder in the east wings, he's moving through the ventilation system." She called over her shoulder and Red Alert started doing what he did best.

"This is Red Alert, initiating emergency lockdown in east wing. An intruder has been spotted moving through the ventilation systems, those of you nearest to air ducts will be sent instructions. Do not engage the intruder unless you can verify allegiance-"

"Um, pretty sure that's a con." Spitfire called as she watched Nightwire toggle the blurred image of the small silver Cybertronian as it darted between vents.

"What gave it away the red eyes?" Starblast asked as Red Alert amended his previous statement.

"-Target has been identified as a Decepticon, engage and if possible capture, _alive._"

He ended the broadcast and got back to his computers, Red Alert had been speaking to the bots on base, listening to the femmes _and _sending instructions all at the same time, whilst still searching the base for the intruder.

"Alright, I'm pretty sure that's Rumble. No sign of Frenzy but you might want to let everyone know to keep an eye out just in case." Nightwire informed Red over her shoulder, not daring to take her optics from her screen as she searched.

Nightwire had optics like a hawk, and she enjoyed helping Red Alert in the control hub as she shared his ability to spot wrong-doers and slackers. Especially if those slackers had red and yellow paintjobs.

Red Alert relayed the information as they kept scanning the area for Rumble and his evil little brother, the east wing was on lockdown but something didn't sit right with Nightwire…

"Every duct is covered, but he's still moving…where could he be going?"

Something thudded above them and they all looked up.

"I think the answer to that question may be _here_." Sideswipe muttered as his guns whirred into life, as did Sunstreaker's.

Starblast stood from her seat and drew closer to Nightwire and Spitfire, her twin blades unsheathing from her wrist guards as the thudding above them continued, denting the vent system as the little devil rushed along.

"This is Red Alert, Rumble has been located in the air ducts above the control hub."

Rumble smashed through the metal and all hell broke lose.

**_I'm sorry this took so long to update, I've been doing my uni applications and things have been seriously hectic for me, I'll try and get back to regular updating._**


	10. Chapter 10

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe fired the moment the metal broke, and immediately Rumble was pelted backwards by blue shots. He shrieked in the air and landed behind the monitors and Starblast jumped up onto one of the desks to see where he had gone.

He screamed and jumped at her, and she kicked him over towards Sunny who shot the little bugger right in the side. But Rumble kept up his assault and leapt at Red Alert. Red Alert ducked to the side of him but he managed to get one of his long thing claws embedded under Red's armour.

Red yelled and tried to reach around but as he twisted to grab Rumble, Rumble lashed out and Red screamed as his optics were shattered. Starblast had been leaping across the monitor desks and she slashed her left blade in a wide arc, easily slicing the monster into two chunks of annoying scrap metal.

Red Alert was holding his face, energon dripping between his digits as he choked on fear.

"Easy there Red, I'll get you fixed up in no time alright just stay calm-" Spitfire soothed as she took his hands gently, helping him to a seat and peering at his optics.

She had apprenticed her father, the greatest medic on all of Cybertron, repairing his optics would be a piece of cake.

"Oh hey guys Red left the broadcaster on." Nightwire hummed as she switched the broadcast off, but then she switched it back on again.

"Don't worry about that little skirmish guys, Red needs some new optics but other than that we're all fine." She stressed casually, earning a hidden smirk from Spitfire and a muffled moan from Red Alert as Spitfire patched up his optic wires to stop the bleeding.

"Oh and you can stop guarding the vents, Rumble is not going to bother us again." Starblast kicked the lump of Rumble with his head on "_Ever_."

"The moment I figure out how to switch off lockdown someone should probably help us get Red to Ratchet, I need some replacement pieces for Red's eyes." Spitfire called, pulling another groan from Red Alert.

"Red, do you think you could tell us roundabout what to do?"

"_**There's a switch by the door for use in emergencies, it should switch of lockdown. Provided Red Alert hasn't 'upgraded' the systems recently."**_

Prowl's voice was reassuring over the comm. link and Sunstreaker located the switch easily, now it was just a simple case of getting the now-blind Red Alert to the medical bay.

"Alright, if you see us, move." Spitfire ordered as they finally ended the broadcast and assisted Red Alert to his feet.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe took an arm each and slung them over their shoulders, following Spitfire through the corridors, Nightwire and Starblast brought up the rear, each holding half of Rumble and playing with it like it was a puppet.

"That is a corpse you are playing with." Spitfire reminded them as she kept checking Red Alert's eyes for any extra bleeding or sparking from the wires she had managed to fix and reroute.

Starblast lifted Rumble's hand and flipped her the bird with his remaining finger, the other four had been blasted away during the fight and Spitfire rolled her eyes.

"Don't be rude." Nightwire mock-scolded, as she made Rumble's legs kick his own head.

His eyes flicked into life and he screeched and Starblast drop-kicked him into the ceiling. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe both stared at her over their shoulders incredulously.

"It was a reaction!" She claimed as she jumped up to peel Rumble's now definitely-probably dead upper half from the ceiling.

They both glanced at each other, spoke briefly over their twin bond and continued down to the med-bay. When they finally got there, Ratchet moved forwards and took Red Alert to a berth.

Sunstreaker was pretty sure he heard Red Alert mumble "Thank Primus." as the cranky medic lead him away.

Ratchet wasn't the only one in the med-bay however, and Optimus moved forwards to check on Starblast, but she just grinned and held up Rumble's top half.

"_Happy Birthday!" _She cheered in sparkling speech, and Optimus stared at the corpse as she waved it's arm at him, then held both arms wide out before him.

"_Want a hug?"_

"_Star, you're freaking him out." _Spitfire scorned taking his top half away from her and throwing it into a dish so she could examine it later.

"Spoilsport." Nightwire giggled, as she made Rumble's legs tap dance on the nearest medical berth much to Prowl's displeasure, and to Jazz's amusement.

"Give me that." Spitfire ordered grabbing the legs and throwing them on top of Rumble's top half.

"Spitfire what do you intend to do with that?" Ratchet asked as Red Alerts newly repaired optics flared into life, she considered the dead Decepticon thoughtfully.

"I was thinking about turning him into a remote-controlled recording device."

Ratchet shook his head at her as he ordered Red Alert to offline his optics, and then online them again so he could make sure all the connections were in place.

"You all did well to stay calm in this situation," Optimus praised them all.

"I dunno OP, Red Alert kinda freaked out." Sunstreaker mocked and Spitfire pointed her laser scalpel at his left optic.

"Lets see how calm you are without your optics."

He balked and waved his hands at her.

"I take it back! Red Alert was the calmest bot in there!"

Ratchet rolled his eyes, and Red Alert thanked him for his help, and then he thanked Spitfire. She turned bashful and shrugged the thanks off, just as she always did but he could tell she was pleased with herself and her work. He was pleased to, and also a little saddened.

If Optimus thought he could keep them off active duty now that they had proven themselves, he was sorely mistaken.

The femmes had been ready for a while, but all their fathers had been in denial.

"Papa? Are you alright?"

His spark fluttered, just like it always did when she called him that. He brushed his hand across her face and then flicked her nose affectionately.

"Of course I am, just thinking about the mayhem you'll cause when you convert Rumble into something useful."

She grinned at the approval of her project, and turned back to her friends to chatter about the event.

When the sounds of battle had come across the base's broadcast, Prowl almost had a spark attack. Nightwire was a skilled marksfemme to be sure, but from what he could hear she didn't even engage.

"You three had it handled." She had told them, and whilst the twins had teased her, Spitfire and Starblast had said nothing.

Jazz had been worried, but he had already figured out the only outcome was victory for the younglings. With seven capable bots fighting one little con there was no way anyone could be seriously injured, even Red hadn't been given a _serious_ injury.

Despite knowing that victory was the _only _possible outcome, he'd rushed to the med-bay to check on his daughter.

"Soooo, patrol?" Starblast charmed, and Optimus sighed and nodded softly.

"Patrol."

He agreed, and he felt his spark clench tightly, and he felt Prowl's fear across their sparkbond. He saw Ratchet's jaw servo clench and unclench before he and Spitfire got back to their rounds, and everyone began to disperse.

Starblast walked with Optimus to his office, and perched on the edge of his desk when he sat on his chair. He pretended to read through his data-packs, barely glancing up at her.

"Go on, I know you want to say it." His face was stern, but she could hear the smirk.

"Say what, daddy dearest?" She asked and he reached up and pushed her lightly off the desk onto to the floor, she giggled and crouched with her chin resting on the desk.

"You have shown that you are a capable warrior-"

"Told you."

He slanted his head and waited for her to stop smiling.

"-and it's time you showed it in active duty. Remember, you _wont _be the commander."

She nodded "Dad, I swear I wont get killed."

He rolled his optics but let her kiss his helm before she drifted to her room and into recharge. They both knew it wasn't a promise that could be made in a war, but every time he went out to battle he made that promise, and now he knew how much it hurt.

_Please Primus, please protect my sparkling._


	11. Chapter 11

The patrol was set up and the group of younglings that had been chosen waited for briefing, Starblast didn't comment that they were putting together a group of _the _most inexperienced bots to go out together without supervision. She thought that wouldn't be prudent to her desperation to get out of Iacon and actually help.

The Allspark had been quiet for a while now, the three of them only ever heard from it when they were heading off-track or getting lost on their mission, whatever that was. The Allspark never did give them a straight answer.

They were also the youngest bots on Cybertron, and it was decided that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were going to lead them. Starblast and Bumblebee were going to be scouting together, with Bumblebee leading her and showing her the ropes as she wasn't technically a scout.

Starblast was a warrior, she had the same fighting programming her father did just as Nightwire and Spitfire had their father's programming. Everyone thought it was a coincidence, but the three of them knew better.

Nightwire was going to serve as protection for Spitfire and as backup. Spitfire, of course, would be the medic.

"We have teams patrolling the east after the previous incursion, you six will be heading towards the west to collect resources." Prowl informed them, he was in charge of missions and patrol when he was on base and not out delegating with other Autobot strongholds or Neutrals.

"If you find any Decepticons, do not engage. Report to us and then return to base, no unnecessary risks." He commanded in that tone that left no room for arguments.

"Move out."

We followed the twins out of Iacon and onto the west boarders, if you looked out a little way you could see the remains of Altihex smoking slightly. When they had been younger, the three femmes had been able to see Altihex from the upper floors of the base.

Now there was hardly anything left.

"I don't like travelling in such a large group." Sunstreaker muttered to his brother as they travelled, hands always ready to fight as the four others scavenged for anything reusable.

"I agree, maybe we should split up. Two groups of three."

Starblast growled under her breath, speaking in that strange sparkling language the three femmes had never grown out of. Spitfire laughed and threw something at her, still chattering in sparkling speech. The three mechs present shared a look and listened in closely.

Ratchet still recorded their speech whenever he had the chance, because the three of them had _created _a language as _sparklings _and _still used it. _Ratchet had been trying to translate since they'd first arrived but he'd had zero luck.

"Star, Spit you two come with me we're going to circle around the medical estate and meet back here." Sunstreaker ordered and they nodded and followed him towards the medical estate.

"Night, Bee, we're going to head around the industrial estate and meet here, lets go."

Sunstreaker kept Starblast and Spitfire behind him as they travelled, he couldn't risk them getting caught out by any lurking Decepticons. Not that he expected to really, the east wing was under heavy attack but then that was the direction of the Decepticon stronghold in Kaon.

Something was just bugging him about the entire thing…but he wasn't sure what.

"Hang on guys, I think this used to be a hospital, there might be something here we can use." Starblast called, mostly to Sunstreaker as he had wandered ahead of them with his thoughts, and the three of them crept inside the decrepit building.

"Primus knows Papa could use some more equipment." Spitfire muttered as they searched, moving deeper into the hospital and as they travelled Sunstreaker noticed something strange.

"Spit, does that look _fresh _to you?" He asked, lowering his voice as Spitfire inspected the spilt energon, she dabbed the end of one of her digits into it and nodded.

"Someone was here recently, injured." She confirmed and the three of them changed formation.

Sunstreaker and Starblast lead, keeping to the shadows and keeping Spitfire behind them at all times, because all medics were invaluable at this point in the war. There were so few medics left, they couldn't afford to let anymore get hurt but they also couldn't afford to pull them all from the field, they were caught in a catch twenty-two.

"Sunny, I can hear voices." Spitfire barely murmured and the three of them froze, standing and listening intently.

"-fragging femme, you'd think she'd thank us! She's been in those cells for vorns without her sparkmate, we were just offering to help her out!"

Sunstreaker scowled, it sounded like they were talking about a captured femme, and there were too many of them to count right now so the three of them waited.

"Man I haven't had a femme in so long, I've been craving those three bots, you know the young ones?"

"Oh Primus above they would be so nice."

Sunstreaker looked over at Starblast and Spitfire, looking at their faces and feeling the rage building up in his spark. Spitfire was shaking slightly, her whole body trembling and her optics flickering as she tried to block horrific images from her processor.

Starblast was clenched, her entire body tight as she tried not to let her disgust and fear show but Sunstreaker knew it was there, knew she was only being strong for Spitfire.

"Just wait, this one'll be so starved of energon soon she'll be begging for us to help her out."

He could hear slight scratching, and he saw that Starblast's blades were sliding slowly from their sheaths. She was frightened, she was frightened and instead of letting that fear stop her she was turning it into rage.

"What about the other one with her? Ar…something?"

"Arcee?-" Three sets of optics darkened "-she almost bit off some mechs spi-"

Starblast and Sunstreaker were moving, Sunstreaker peppered them with shots and Starblast sliced through them like a hot knife through butter, they fell to the ground dead before they'd even had time to shout. Spitfire followed through and opened her subspace to start slicing the mechs and gathered the reusable parts. Once she'd finished, she looked up at her team mates.

"Papa doesn't need to know where they came from."

The other two nodded and waited for her to stand before they moved further in, Arcee was here, and not only her but somebody else too. The three of them prayed silently that it was Chromia, and allowed themselves a moment to feel guilty about it.

Any Autobot femme would be welcomed, a little bit of hope that all the femmes they had thought were dead might still be alive out there somewhere. Arcee had been added to the list of dead so long ago, and to hear she was alive and still fighting gave them hope.

"-go?"

They pulled back and hid, watching as the decepticon mech stomped his feet angrily, they could see cells behind him.

"I think they're scared of us."

The three of them felt their sparks jump, Chromia, _it was Chromia!_

"They're scared of real femmes, probably never seen a living femme before poor little mechlings." And there was Arcee, sounding fierce and furious just like she always did.

"We ain't scared of ya prissy little femmes. Ya'll need to let us help you _unwind, _the five of us are stuck together until you're picked up by Shockwave and he wont be as nice as we are." The decepticon cooed at them, leering at the door of the cell.

"I'd rather bond with a scraplet." Arcee hissed and Sunstreaker grinned, he'd given them a number.

"_Five." _He mouthed, they'd taken out two, Arcee and Chromia made four, leaving big dumb and pervy as the last enemy.

Chromia and Arcee must have been really battered if they only needed three mechs to guard them. Sunstreaker took the lead, he didn't hide anymore or try and gloat, he just stepped out of his hiding space and shot the mech straight through the helm.

He crumpled and the other two moved out to the door of the cell, the two femmes glared up at them for only a moment before they were recognised.

"Thank the Allspark." Chromia muttered, her body going slack as she finally let herself go and let all the strain of her capture showed.

Arcee tried for only a second, before she to just let everything go.

"We're going to get you out of here and back home okay? Star can you message base and the others and let them know what's going on?" Sunstreaker asked as he broke the lock on the cell door.

"On it."

Sunstreaker and Spitfire moved in to get the two femmes on their feet, Sunstreaker took the larger Chromia and Spitfire took Arcee.

"_**This is Starblast here, we've got to MIA Autobots here requiring medical attention immediately. We'll meet up at the point of separation before returning to base."**_

She sent the message to the team and to base, taking the lead and swapping her blades for blasters as they moved out of the hospital. Just because there had only been three here, it didn't mean that there weren't others lurking nearby.

"_**We read you Starblast, the medical bay will be ready for you when you return."**_

Now they just had to get everyone home.


	12. Chapter 12

In war, nothing ever went to plan. Starblast was learning this the hard way, as she, Sunstreaker and Spitfire sat in the Decepticon cell next to the one they had liberated Arcee and Chromia from not long ago.

They had reached the rest of their team when they had been attacked, and it was made quickly clear that the decepticon team, lead by Blitzwing, were after the femmes.

Not just Chromia and Arcee, _all _of them.

The priority had of course been the two injured femmes, and Bee, Sides and Nightwire had gotten them away. Sunny, and Star had been about to join when they'd heard Spitfire holler at them for help, and had gotten injured in the fight.

Sunny had taken a hit to the spark that had sent him into fits, and as Star tried to defend him whilst Spitfire tried to stop him going into shock but she'd been hit hard over the helm and blacked out.

Now they were here, each of them had an arm chained to the wall and the chains were just short enough so that the three of them were out of reach of one another. There was just a fingertip between them when they tried to reach out for one another.

They were silent as they waited, and even when Blitzwing came cackling towards them they remained quiet. The tension was almost tangible, and Blitzwing crept into their cell as if they couldn't see them, treading lightly and letting his cackling turn into a near-silent hum.

"Pretty little things…pretty little things…" He sang quietly as he walked over to Spitfire.

Sunstreaker stiffened and Starblast took a scary step forwards, making the decepticon stop in his tracks, literally, with one foot hovering in the air mid-step as he turned to her.

There was silence as they stared each other down, and Blitzwing turned his head slowly and robotically to Sunstreaker.

"Always did prefer mechs."

Sunstreaker's optics shuttered as the information processed, as Blitzwing started his predatory walk to the yellow mech. Sunstreaker pushed further back, against the wall as his chest started to heave with his sparks terrified pulsing.

Starblast lunged forwards, grabbing Blitzwing before he could move out of range and used the chain on her arm to pull him towards the wall of the cell nearest to her. He hit with a thud, and she started smashing her fist against his face and body relentlessly.

Blitzwing laughed all the while, making her angrier as she pummelled him until she felt her digits bend and break under the force of her hits. When her hand could take no more, she twisted and began kicking him in the stomach and knees.

Suddenly Blitzwing twisted, grabbing her face and smashing her head against the wall. His face was bleeding but he was still chuckling low in his throat, his body still vibrating with excitement. She bit his hand but if he even _registered _the pain it didn't show on his features.

He smashed her head again, bringing it forwards and smashing it back, over and over and over. Spitfire and Sunstreaker were yelling at him, they had gotten over their shock and fear and now Sunstreaker was trying to pull Blitzwing's attention back to him before he permanently damaged her processor.

Starblast could barely stay online, the world would fade to darkness and then light up, and then fade back to darkness again.

Blitzwing dropped her, and she hung from the chain on her wrist, swinging slightly on her knees as Blitzwing turned back to Sunstreaker with that predatory grin. Spitfire was yelling alone now, Starblast couldn't see what was going on, just the blurred shapes of Blitzwing as he pressed against the struggling Sunstreaker.

"_No!" _Spitfire screamed, flinging her hand out and, out of desperation and instinct she propelled the laser scalpel she kept hidden in her wrist guard at the side of Blitzwing's helm.

Starblast's vision was clearing just enough for her to see the mech stagger, and then tip backwards. He landed hard and dust rose from around him when he crashed to the floor, his optics flickered and then dimmed nearly to black.

He was alive, but only just.

Spitfire and Sunstreaker were shaking, quaking and Starblast knew neither of them would be able to escape without help. She stretched herself out and grabbed the scalpel, and then tugged it away from Blitzwing slowly, his optics flickered but stayed that dim red.

She took the laser scalpel and fixed it to its highest setting before she started to cut through the manacle connecting her wrist to the chain. Once she was through that she went to Spitfire.

"Spit, I need you right now Spit, I can't get us out of here on my own." Her optics were unfocused "Spitfire _I need you._"

That got her, and she focused and took the scalpel to free Sunstreaker who had not taken his eyes from Blitzwing since Spitfire had taken him down with that one good shot.

Starblast was checking for cons, but the path was clear and she dared to send out a long-distance message to base.

"_**It's Starblast, we're going to make an escape from the same place we found the femmes but we need a medic for Sunny, probably for me too but he's the priority."**_

The reply was instant.

"_**What kind of injuries do you two have?"**_

"_**I've got some helm and processor damage, Sunny…Red Alert, tell Ratchet to be ready for trauma."**_

"…_**understood."**_

Starblast focused on Sunstreaker and Spitfire, she was holding him up fine but Starblast knew she wasn't the strongest of femmes. Starblast would have to lead, despite Spitfire being the only truly capable one currently there, but she could see her trembling and knew that she couldn't ask her.

Starblast had one hell of a headache, but she could still think. She hadn't seen it, she didn't know the truth, she wasn't sure she ever wanted to.

"_**Team Prime is on route, get out of there and then hide, ETA four and a half clicks."**_

She jumped when Red spoke but relayed the information, and worked on getting the two of them out of there and to safety. She could hear voices above, and she kept them both to the shadows and did her best to ignore the cons as they spoke.

"I wonder if he'll leave any of them alive."

"Hopefully one of the femmes, I'm not really into mechs-"

She shuddered but didn't react, she didn't have the strength to fight and if they did she knew they'd all end up offlined. They kept going, it was a struggle to keep Sunstreaker upright as his processor had gone into shock, and he could hardly keep his feet from dragging along the floor.

Somehow they made it out, somehow they found a place to hide. Team Prime were still ETA two clicks, so Starblast let her arm transform into a blaster and aimed it at the only obvious entrance to their hideaway, the window.

"_**Starblast, Team Prime is approaching your location now."**_

"_**Roger that Red, see you soon."**_

"_**Starblast, everything will be alright."**_

There was no response down the line, Starblast was thankful for the sentiment but she didn't see how everything could be alright after what had happened. Sure, the physical injuries would be gone quick enough, but the mental ones? They were going to take some time to heal.

Spitfire shifted suddenly when she heard something by the window, and Starblast tried to stand but just fell with a thud back onto her butt.

"Starblast? That you?"

The two of them relaxed.

"In here Hide." Spitfire called, Starblast wasn't sure her body was going to let her do a whole lot else as she dragged herself over to Spitfire and Sunstreaker.

She took his hand and gave it a squeeze, talking to him softly as Ironhide made his way inside and lifted Spitfire up to hand her to whichever member of Team Prime was waiting outside.

"Should ah bring you two togetha?" He asked softly, and she nodded and let him hoist her and Sunstreaker up into his arms with a grunt.

She tried to help him by pulling herself out of the window, into the waiting arms of Prowl as he helped her get the rest of the way through and then she waited for Sunstreaker to come through on shaky legs. Optimus came up beside her and scooped her up and held her close to his chassis.

"Come on Sunstreaker, let us give you a hand." Jazz reached out slowly, but Sunstreaker didn't look like he wanted them anywhere near him.

Starblast pushed herself out of her fathers arms, sending him reassurances over their bond before she went to Sunstreaker. She was dizzy, and she could see about three of everyone but she still made it to him, still took his hand in her own and tugged him gently along.

"Come on Sunny, Sideswipe is waiting for you back at base." She cooed softly, teetering on her feet.

"Yeah…" He mumbled, peering at her strangely before moving forwards and lifting her the same way her father had been moments ago.

Nobody said anything as they moved back towards base, travelling cautiously until they made it over the boarders and back into Iacon. Once they'd made it that far, they picked up the pace all the way back to the medical bay. By the time Sunstreaker had laid Starblast down on the berth, she was already out.


	13. Chapter 13

Optimus watched her recharge, watched as Ratchet worked on the damage Blitzwing had done to her helm and to her processor. She was going to be off balance and unable to patrol for at least an orn, and Primus only knew when Sunstreaker was going to be ready to get back out on duty.

Spitfire had explained, in horrible detail, what had happened down there in those cells. Chromia and Arcee had explained what had happened to them, but Chromia and Arcee were both seasoned warriors and had been taught time and time again how to deal with torture.

Spitfire was shaken, but she had become stronger too. There was less hesitation to her movements now, she no longer looked to her father or Wheeljack for reassurances when she worked, and her laser scalpel had become her most treasured tool.

"Take a weakness and make it a strength, that's what you do in war." She had said when Sideswipe had asked about it, and then she had gotten back to work.

Sideswipe was irritable, and rather agitated because the twin bond had been shutdown by the trauma and Sunstreaker still hadn't recovered enough to open it again.

"I expect she'll online soon Optimus, but she may be a little discombobulated so make sure you explain where she is." Ratchet ordered, before he turned his attention to the newest batch of injuries from the latest fight.

Optimus glanced at the youngest soldiers Ratchet worked on, thought about how much younger his own precious daughter was, and wondered if any of them would last to see the end of this war. He tried not to wonder about it too long, as he did not like the answers to his thoughts.

Sunstreaker came over, looking timid and unlike Optimus had ever seen the mech looking. Optimus took it in his stride, and greeted Sunstreaker just as warmly as he ever did.

"Sunstreaker, it is good to see you."

Some of the trepidation left him, and some of that old confidence returned to him. Optimus knew that Sunstreaker had to recover in his own time, and when others treated you like a thin piece of plating you started to feel like one, so Optimus treated him as what he was. A warrior.

"Thanks Prime, has she woken up yet?" His optics had settled on Starblast, looking hopeful and very concerned.

"Not yet, but Ratchet believes she will soon. Spitfire informed us of what Blitzwing did, she is going to be rather confused when she wakes." He sounded confident, more so than he felt.

He didn't doubt Ratchet for a second, but he was her father, he was always worried about the worst.

"I need to thank her." Sunstreaker explained, and Optimus let him, it seemed like he needed to get this off his chest.

"She tried to protect me, even though Blitzwing could've…he could've…"

"Just as he could've to you." Optimus finished, not wanting to hear what Sunstreaker was trying to say.

"Yeah…and then even after he hurt her like that, smashed her helm against the wall enough to offline the biggest of mechs, she still managed to keep her processor and get us out of there." He peered up at Optimus.

"Starblast thinks she's nothing like you, there are bots who think she's nothing like you but she is. She's a born leader Prime, I just thought she needed to know that."

Optimus thanked him, and he took another glance at Starblast before he left to find his brother, hopefully to open their bond and let him back in.

He'd not known that she felt like she wasn't like him, and hadn't heard any bots say otherwise, in fact many bots were always telling him how much like him she was.

But then, he rarely spoke to the bots that weren't of higher ranks despite his best efforts, and many of them didn't know Starblast like the twins, like Bumblebee and Ratchet and everyone else.

Maybe they just saw an impetuous young femme with an attitude problem, and not the caring tender-sparked femme that he did.

"Dad?"

Her tiny voice snapped him out of his revere and he smiled down at her, heeding Ratchets earlier words about her confusion.

"You're back at Iacon, Blitzwing did a lot of damage to your processor and you may feel dizzy for a little while."

She hummed, optics thinned before she tried to sit up. He helped her, sat on the berth behind her and let her rest her back on his chassis as his legs hung over the edge. He used to sit with her like this when she had fitful recharges, way back when she barely reached his knees.

"Hurt my helm." She mumbled, sounding like a confused sparkling.

"Blitzwing hurt your helm, when you got caught on patrol." He explained again, waiting patiently for her processor to catch up to what had happened.

Her body jerked suddenly, "Spitfire! And Sunstreaker!"

He shushed her softly, pulling her back down to his chassis and wrapping his big arms around her much smaller frame. Unlike Prowl and Jazz, he knew he would never have to worry about Starblast outgrowing him.

"Everyone is fine, you got them home Starblast." He smiled, proud of her "You got everyone home safely."

She relaxed, leaning back into him and exhaling air from her fans. He couldn't see the dent in her helm anymore, Ratchet had worked wonders in removing it, but he knew he'd see the effects it had on his daughter soon enough.

"Dad?"

"Yes sweetspark?"

"We found Arcee and Chromia."

He smiled, Chromia and Arcee had been lost so long ago that everybody had simply thought them dead. Chromia had been a big sister to them all, and her loss had hit them hard in the spark, to have her back must have had her feeling giddy.

He would always regret, just a little, that Starblast and Elita-One never got to meet each other. He had tried to impart his wisdom on his daughter, had tried to teach her the things he thought Elita would have wanted their sparkling to know but he knew he'd had limited success.

He wondered if he'd ever stop thinking of Starblast as _their _sparkling, not just his, but Elita's too. Probably not.

"Do you think…maybe that…there are other femmes still out there?"

It brought their numbers up, but on base there was still only five femmes. He knew Moonracer worked with Sentinel Prime and his team but they hadn't been to Iacon since before Starblast had been born, so to speak.

"I do not know sweetspark, it is possible I suppose…" He didn't want to raise her hopes up, femmes had been rare before the cull, now he could almost positively say that only a dozen or so remained.

Including his own daughter.

He went to tell her this, but she'd already drifted back into recharge, eyes dimmed as she rested from her ordeal. He stayed with her, wishing for the times he'd done this when she was a youngling, wishing he could take back the time and fix all the mistakes he'd made.

He knew he couldn't, but that didn't stop him dreaming.


	14. Chapter 14

Her father wasn't around much, but he did his best to visit her a lot as she waited for the all clear to get out of the medical bay. She could walk in a mostly straight line now, and she wasn't tripping over her own feet so clearly the damage done to her processor was starting to heal.

Ratchet told her she'd have to wait just a little longer, whilst Spitfire and Nightwire stayed off patrol to wait for her recovery.

Arcee was bedded up beside her, and Chromia beside Arcee which meant she always had some company. Even when the two of them drifted into fitful recharge somebody was there, be it Ironhide or one of the twins, or Bumblebee, there was always somebody there for her to speak with.

"Ironhide," Ratchet scathed for the millionth time since Chromia had been found "I know you're worried but she's been through an ordeal and needs space to rest without you hovering over her."

Ironhide stayed resolute, and refused to leave the bay despite Ratchet's, and even Spitfire's, best efforts.

Chromia was never awake for these moments, Ratchet wasn't so insensitive to do that, but Starblast was pretty sure she knew anyway.

Sunstreaker snuck in once Ratchet left, and came to sit on the end of her berth. He visited her a lot, not that she minded the company, but she was starting to get a bit worried.

He and Sideswipe hadn't been right since they got back, their relationship was becoming strained and Starblast knew they needed each other. Twins couldn't survive without the other there and their sparks connected.

"Hey Star, how's the balance coming along?" He asked teasingly, he'd been there when she'd fallen flat on her aft and although he'd been concerned at the time, he now mocked her about it relentlessly.

"Ratchet says I'll be out of here soon enough Sunspot, then I'll get you."

He scowled at the nickname, but didn't say anything about it. He'd been pretty timid when they first got back, but he was becoming his old self more and more now that he was going to Ratchet for therapy.

Private therapy that Spitfire had in no way told her or Nightwire about.

He didn't have anything else to say it would seem, and she shared a look with Arcee across the berths.

"How is Sideswipe?" She asked, and his whole body seemed to sag downwards.

"Dunno…haven't seen him all day."

Ironhide winced at how small Sunstreaker sounded, but Starblast just kicked him on the back of the helm with a chiding scowl.

"Then go find him afthead, things wont get better unless you do."

He rubbed his helm with a sparkling pout, but she kept up her scathing look until he relented and agreed to go speak with his brother. She smiled, and he hugged her before he left with a wave to Ironhide and Arcee, who both looked amused.

"You've got him wrapped around your digits." Ironhide chuckled, rubbing Chromia's arm as her recharge became fitful.

Arcee was clearly impressed.

"How did you do it?"

"Well Cee, it took a lot of time and patience but I was resolute in my plan to tame the twin-"

"By Primus, your ego is almost as bad as his."

The femmes laughed at him, and he let them. Arcee was allowed to get away with anything right now after all she had endured, and Starblast could get away with anything forever because she'd brought Chromia home. Even if she had fitful recharges, he thought as Chromia whimpered, she was still here in his arms and that was all that mattered.

He could help her, and he would.

Arcee drifted off pretty quickly after that, and Starblast went quiet as she pondered. Her mind drifted to Elita-One, and that slim bit of hope that made her believe she was alive.

Optimus had always acted like she was his _and _Elita's daughter, and because of this she felt like Elita was truly her mother and not just another lost femme. Not just a ghost she'd heard about but never met, she felt like she had a connection to what was possibly a dead spark.

There was a clang to her right, and she saw that Ironhide's head was now resting on Chromia's berth, he had fallen into recharge. He'd been here almost constantly since Chromia got back, his back must have been killing him from sleeping in a chair for so long.

Starblast saw and opportunity to clear her head, and she took it. Moving slowly and carefully, and giving Spitfire a warning across the bond the three of them shared, she crept out of the medical bay and through the base.

She made it all the way to the Spire without being noticed, and she came to a stop before the Cube.

The Spire was the tallest most fortified building in all of Iacon, as it housed the Cube in all it's glory. The Cube was huge, if she, Nightwire and Spitfire all joined hands and tried to wrap around it, they still wouldn't be able to encompass it.

The building itself was built like a spire, (hence the name) with great stairways twisting around it right up to the top where it opened up to the sky. Other than a few guards, the Spire was practically empty, even the cons didn't dare attack here. It was holy ground.

"_You know I haven't spoken to you in while have I?" _She asked aloud, staring up at the Cube, the guards ignored her, many bots came here to ask for wisdom from the Cube so she wasn't exactly unusual.

The speech might have confused them, but she didn't care about that.

"_That's because I had a goal, get out onto the field and save lives. I can do that now, and I don't have a goal."_

The Cube didn't answer.

"_You never told us what we had to do, just that it was important, so I'll tell you what __**I **__want o do."_

She didn't hear the doors slide open, didn't see Prowl as he stood by the door, silently watching her as she opened her spark to the Cube.

"_I want to change it. All of it. I'll start here on Cybertron, I'll stop Megatron from ripping Bee's voice box out."_

Prowl began recording the conversation she was having with the Cube, he never understood what it meant but maybe, maybe one day he would.

"_Then, somehow I want to get everyone to Earth. Not just the ones in the movies, but as many as possible. Then I want to stop everyone dying."_

She waited, for something, _anything…_but the Cube was silent. She sighed heavily.

"You know, just once, you could help _us _instead of yourself." She glared "Selfish git."

Prowl wasn't sure was a 'git' was, but he was pretty sure she shouldn't have been saying to the Cube…except the Cube rumbled, and Prowl heard it, Prowl could _hear _the Allspark.

"_**You amuse me little one, you have done so well and with so little instruction, as I have been unable to guide you on your mission."**_

Prowl was stunned, Starblast had a mission from the Allspark? Little Starblast? One of the youngest femmes, if not _the _youngest femme (they never did find out exactly who was the oldest) on Cybertron, has a mission from the Allspark?

"I get it, you're weak right now, and you're trying to save yourself and the planet ultimately for _us._" She shuffled, unsure of herself and the least confident Prowl had ever seen her look "I just want to do well, I just want to _save them."_

"_**That is up to you little one, you are one of my children, as are your sisters, and you know deep in your spark what must be done."**_

Starblast nodded, understanding whatever instruction she had been given and Prowl just continued to watch what must have been the most incredible conversation he had ever had the joy of witnessing.

"What if I can't do it? What if my sisters and I just can't do it?" She looked so small beneath the Allspark and he crept around the stairs to hide underneath, he'd come to speak with the Allspark himself but he didn't think he should let Starblast know he was here.

Something, probably the Allspark actually, told him that this was a secret, that he shouldn't share this with anyone.

"_**You are so young and yet so old, and you, just like your father, were picked by one of the great thirteen Primes. Just as your sisters were chosen, and one day you will reflect that, maybe not in the way you want but you will." **_The tone changed, softening, becoming gentle for her, maybe he could feel her insecurity it really wouldn't surprise him.

"_**I don't doubt their choices, little Starblast, little Old Soul…I will speak with you again, I will speak with all of Cybertron when the time is right, until then, follow your spark."**_

The Allspark lingered for only a second, and then Prowl knew it was gone, knew that that ancient power had gone back to wherever it rested. Starblast reached up, only to trace one of the many sigils carved into the Allspark, the words lost to them, and then she let her hand drop.

"Alright then Star," She muttered to herself "you've got some work to do."

He waited for her to go, and then stepped out from where he had hidden beneath the stairs and looked up at the Cube, he felt like she wasn't the only one with a mission.

"I'll guide them," He told the Allspark "I'll make sure they're heard."

He turned, but he didn't miss the Allsparks final words.

"_**Thank you."**_


	15. Chapter 15

When the trine met Megatron for the first time, it had been a shock to their sparks and to their souls. They had been at the borders of Altihex defending against the Decepticons, Team Prime held the front line and their team, fondly dubbed 'The Younglings' were holding it with them.

They just had to keep the line until Ultra Magnus arrived with the wreckers, then they could start to push back with their fortified numbers.

"_**Watch your left Younglings." **_Ironhide growled at them, and this was met by a series of cackles from Starblast and Sunstreaker as they took to the left and decimated the three cons trying to bust their way through the line.

"_**How did someone as sweet and level-headed as Prime raise her?" **_Chromia asked over their private line so the younglings wouldn't hear.

"_**She's sweet when she wants to be." **_Ratchet defended his surrogate niece, and even Prowl stepped in too.

"_**And level-headed when she needs to be, give her a little more credit Chromia."**_

"_**Give Prime a bit more credit too, we all raised some fine femmes."**_

They reopened the line so that the Younglings wouldn't get concerned by the silence, and immediately rejoined the battle conversation as everyone tried to battle the cons back. Yet for every con they felled, four more rose to take its place, and there were no more Autobots until the wreckers arrived. They had to hold the line, just for a little while longer.

"_**We've got incoming, and it's not good news everyone."**_

She was beside her father, and of course, heard him rumble the name none of them had wanted to hear.

"Megatron."

After that the entire battle shifted. There was no change in the lines, the Autobots held firm and the Decepticons battled for ground but the atmosphere changed. The Decepticons were pushing harder, and the Autobots were battling with a new determination the femmes hadn't seen before.

All joking attitudes were gone, even the twins had fallen silent down the line and Starblast found herself focusing more on her strikes, on wasting less energy and making every strike count.

This was no longer a routine battle. This was war, and it felt like it, for the first time since they'd arrived here, it actually _felt_ like a war.

"_**Wreckers spotted coming from behind our lines!" **_Jazz called, and Bluestreaker whooped across the line, Ultra Magnus had raised Bluestreak, he was more than eager to see the mech again.

"_**That's not all that's coming up behind us! I spy cassette cons!"**_

As Sideswipe spoke, Ravage darted under Ratchet's legs and snapped his titanium jaws around the head medics calf, eliciting an immediate cry of pain from said medic. Spitfire turned to help, but Laserbeak blindsided her and tore her optics with his sharp talons.

"_Spitfire!"_

Starblast and Nightwire snarled, twirling in unison and bringing bladed weapons around to catch the winged con that dared to assault their sister. Laserbeak squawked and lost a wing for his efforts, but when they tried to finish the job Ravage released Ratchet to save his fellow cassette con.

"_**Ratchet, Spit's blind, anything you can do on the field?"**_

Ratchet grumbled darkly, but took his daughters face softly in his hands as he worked on the patch up job.

"_**She needs evac, I don't have anything in my sub-space for her optics, how far away are the wreckers?"**_

"_**Prowl's just linking them in, ya can ask 'em yerself!" **_Jazz piped, and there was a moment of fizzing as a whole host of new voices joined their chatter.

"_**QUIET!"**_

"_**Ah, good to hear you Ultra Magnus." **_Sideswipe sniggered, and some of the wreckers sniggered with him.

"_**How quickly can you get up to the front lines? I've got a medic in need of evac." **_Ratchet interrupted, as Starblast and Nightwire worked around the two medics to keep the cons at bay.

"_**Give us half a click and we'll be there."**_

Starblast soared through the air, after being backhanded by an irate Barricade and tumbled past Ironhide and onto her back.

"Ow." She groaned, rolling backwards onto her feet in time to block a strike from another nameless con she quickly disposed of.

"_Isn't it funny how the only cons we can't kill are the ones we know the names of?"_

"_Shut up and slag cons Star, Soundwave is making more ground than the entire bloody army!"_

Nightwire was right, there was a reason Soundwave was so feared, and that was because he simply walked through masses of Autobots and sometimes even Decepticons. For once however, everyone seemed to know what the horrifying cons goal was.

"_**He's heading straight for Prime! Intercept! Somebody intercept!"**_

Despite her sparks warning, Starblast stayed with her trine and Ratchet, trying to stamp down the urge inside to rush to her fathers side. They were the best kept secret in Iacon, Megatron and the Decepticons couldn't know that Optimus had a child, because she'd become and instant target. The question was not if Starblast could survive con torture, but if her father could cope with the fact that she had had to suffer through it.

_He needs you now._

Starblast hesitated and almost got skewered, Nightwire kept herself and pulled her trine leader out of the way.

"You heard that right?" She asked, and Nightwire nodded.

"Go. You heard Primus, _go. _And please come back alive."

Ratchet overheard, and stared at them both "What in the Pit are you talking about?"

"_**Soundwave is making too much ground!"**_

Starblast nodded one final time at her sister, sent love across her bond to them both and then turned to run towards her father, Megatron, and Soundwave.

"Starblast!" Ratchet yelled after her, but his voice was soon lost in the sounds of battle.

She kept Soundwave in her sight, weaving around cons and bots and darting closer to her father with every move. Those thick cables Soundwave relied so heavily on were moving sluggishly, the ends flicking like whips and taking the heads of anyone who took their attention from him for more than a second. When a cable flicked over to her, she sliced upwards and felt the strength of the metal as she barely managed to cut through it.

It wouldn't do her to underestimate Soundwave's strength, but she knew that was never going to happen. You just didn't underestimate somebody like Soundwave, even the cables were giving her trouble and they weren't even real weapons.

She was close enough to them now that she could hear her father and her uncle fighting, could hear the sounds of weapons clashing and how Megatron liked to jaw jack whenever he found an opportunity.

"I've heard things Optimus, about a femme you keep in your quarters," Starblast couldn't see him, but Megatron sounded smug "are you over the femme leader finally?"

He talked a lot, and that in itself struck Starblast as strange. How come he had so many opportunities to talk? Shouldn't her father have been on level ground with him?

Optimus didn't reply, just kept up his barrage from the sounds of it, they were coming into view now, just over a ridge of mangled Autobots that Starblast tried not to recognise. One day, when all of this was finally over, she was going to find the name of every Autobot that had died in battle and carve them into a great wall that would reach up to the heavens and maybe Primus could see what he had done.

Then she was going to carve one for the Decepticons, because everyone deserved a second chance.

"_**Optimus needs backup, who's in the vicinity?"**_

She rolled under a cable _**"I'm less than half a click away and getting closer."**_

"_**No Starblast, stay out of this."**_

Optimus sounded strained, she could still hear Megatron goading about the 'mysterious young femme' he had heard rumours about. He thought Optimus had taken on a lover, and why wouldn't he? As far as Megatron knew Optimus had no children, nobody had children anymore and he was the one to blame.

"_**You can't be-ack!"**_

She'd let herself get distracted, and one of those thick cables had wrapped around her neck and yanked her backwards off of her feet. Her voice box stung from the sudden pressure on the cables, they didn't need air but that it didn't mean having something squeeze your neck didn't hurt.

He tossed her again and she curled, doing her best to protect herself as she tumbled.

"_**Starblast, are you alright?"**_

She finally stopped rolling, Soundwave was continuing towards her father and she forced her aching body to get up and run.

"_**I'm alright, I'm still trying to intercept Soundwave but I may be in need of a little assistance."**_

Her fathers voice came across again, tense and worried _**"Starblast please, do not try and engage with Soundwave."**_

It was an understandable concern, but one she chose to ignore. She could still hear the wreckers in the background, they were providing some interesting chatter that she did her best to ignored.

"_**I didn't realise the rumours were true."**_

"_**Yeah, who knew Prime had a new sparkmate."**_

Starblast snarled, bringing her arms, and of course her dual blades, around in a smooth arc. She severed the leg of a tall con, and took the head off another crouching on and continued on her way to stop Soundwave.

"_**I'm not his sparkmate you insufferable twits."**_

A brief silence.

"_**What's a twit?"**_

"_**Nothing good Bulkhead I'm sure. Now stop distracting the femme and assist her."**_

"_**Good idea Ultra Magnus, the twins are on their way Star!"**_

It didn't matter, because nobody was going to make it in time to stop Soundwave as he advanced. His cables were curling and coiling, moving back ready to strike. She was so close, but not close enough to defend successfully.

Optimus turned as Megatron laughed, and those cables moved forwards like lightening towards his spark. She yelled at him, calling out to her dad as she dived. The cables struck her spark and held her there, and her world exploded.

**Hey guys! Sorry this took forever to update, I've just finished my big college show and we went straight into getting ready for our final show without pause and now I've got two weeks after half-term before the show and my last day at college before I go into the big bad world.  
****I am terrified, so, enjoy this chapter as I slowly fall into despair about my forthcoming journey into adulthood :)**

**Tulip Out.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Why did this take so long? Well, unemployment happened and then employment happened and now job takes up a lot of my time and I just sort of fell out of writing but now I am (hopefully) back.**

**So enjoy!**

**Tulip Out.**

Things were speeding through her processor so fast she could barely figure out what they meant. Soundwave. Some femme she didn't recognise, her father, fragments of a life she didn't know of recognise.

_This is his memories, _she realised suddenly, _Soundwaves memories._

This was who he was. Once upon a time Soundwave was that young mech tinkering at a work bench with a femme running around his ankles. A child? No, he was still a child himself, a sibling. A sister.

"_Lets go waaaave!"_

She was so cute. So small and bubbly, with a yellow paintjob highlighted by lilac. Even Soundwave was not his typical gray, he deep purple, the colour of the Decepticon sigils. Blue optics. They both had blue optics. Once upon a time, before the war and before whatever happened to make Soundwave into what he was, before Starblast and her trine.

Peace. This was what peace looked like, Starblast had almost forgotten.

"_Later Ariel," _Ariel? _"I'm busy."_

Ariel pouted, clearly upset and ran off to entertain herself. Soundwave kept working, tinkering away. This scene changed, Ariel and Soundwave growing, changing, the war beginning.

A final interaction.

"_Megatron is a criminal Wave, you don't belong with him."_

"_Optimus is a fool, you do not belong with him."_

His voice was so soft and sincere, and so gentle, was this why he didn't speak? Because he sounded so soft, almost angelic in his ways and words.

"_Optimus is a good mech."_

"_Ariel-"_

"_No Soundwave, I will always be your little sister, and I will always love you, but if we meet in battle, I will be your enemy and nothing more."_

"_You are a contradiction to yourself, but I understand."_

"_I am sorry, big brother."_

"_Me too, little sister."_

One final meeting, but not an interaction. Soundwave, holding the vibrant yellow form of a femme, Ariel's corpse. She's the same yellow as Bumblebee, but she had the electric blue highlights like Starblast's own. She was very dead, her spark chamber was hollow and her optics were dim, Ariel was dead.

Soundwave was weeping, holding her tight to his chassis and rocking slightly, begging her for forgiveness, pleading with her to come back.

The Autobot symbol on her arm had been scratched and clawed, probably by Soundwave.

The scene was fading away, being stolen from her but she wanted to know more. Had to.

Her mind was being pulled in so many different directions, tugged and torn and destroyed, then rebuilt. Pain was fighting through her tubes and pipes, where energon once flowed. It spiked deep into her spark and made her scream.

She'd forgotten that she could scream for a moment, lost in the past. There was a feeling on the edge of her spark, more memories, her own this time.

A moment she shared with Optimus, asking about her mother.

"_Daddy, where is my mummy?"_

She had hoped he would tell her about the femme that had protected her all those years ago, instead she got a different answer.

"_My spark mate went missing, your mother, her name was Elita-One."_

"_Lita-One?"_

"_Yes my sweetling, she was a femme leader, a Prime in all but name."_

She wasn't sure why that came to her mind, didn't understand the relevance and once again her body was wracked with pain. Her spark burned, she could feel her family on the very edges, their bonds getting further and further away.

She tried to pull them back, she didn't want to be left alone in her agony and they reached for her, they tried to reach out to her but they couldn't. They were leaving her all alone in her pain.

Starblast hung there, suspended in the air with that horrid tendril right in her spark, and her optics flickered and flashed.

So did Soundwave's. They were both caught in some strange malfunctioning trance. Optimus didn't know what to do, there was a battle going on, Megatron was coming ever closer to him, to her.

"_**Optimus! You need to snap out of it, Megatron will kill you both if you don't do something!"**_

"_**If I move her, if I damage the link-"**_

"_**We'll deal with it later, she needs medical attention now and we can't risk waiting for Soundwave to disconnect."**_

He ran to her, and for a moment he hesitated to pull her down from the air, from where she hung. But when she started to scream, when he could feel her so sharp in his spark begging for help, he reached up and pulled her from Soundwave without hesitation.

She juddered and jerked in his arms, mouth open even when her screams stopped, optics flashing blue and piercing red.

It was the red that scared him, was this his Starblast? Why did something as slight as red optics bring him such fear?

Maybe it was because it reminded him of his brother, it made her look like Megatron.

"_**Red Alert, ground bridge, NOW."**_

"Did you hear her cry Optimus? Did you hear what she said?"

It was Megatron, he was just across from him, close enough to shoot him dead. He had no gun raised, no weapon ready, but Optimus knew Megatron could draw a weapon quicker than he could shutter his optics. But he didn't.

"I heard her say, _'dad'._"

Even in their youth, Megatron had never said that word. Father, but never Dad. It felt frightening, and unnerving to hear it now.

"My own niece, hidden until now. You and that femme leader were busy behind closed doors."

The ground bridge was whirring behind them, behind his lines, Optimus had to fall back. Starblast needed medical attention now, not when Megatron had finished boasting.

"Go. Take her."

Optimus didn't even care to hear why Megatron was releasing them, he just turned and ran pushing his peds as hard as he could.

Megatron would not needlessly slay his niece, there was still time to turn her to the Decepticons, and make Optimus weaker than ever before. Optimus had always been a family mech, and even if he had pulled through the disappearance and, lets face it, likely death of that blasted femme leader, he would not pull through his own sparklings betrayal.

Or her death, of that Megatron was sure.

"Bring Soundwave back to base and ensure he receives the best treatment possible."

Then he turned, and walked away.


	17. Chapter 17

Optimus holds her whilst Ratchet works, he can feel her drifting away from him, further and further as she's pulled by some invisible force.

Twice her spark stops, but twice Ratchet and Spitfire bring her back online. He speaks softly, his calm voice not betraying how his spark tears when hers stops, or how for a long moment even he thinks he has lost her.

Yet he talks to her, slowly and kindly, telling her how everything will be fine, how it will be alright, about what they will do together once she is healed.

Never mind that once she's healed, she may be a different femme entirely, depending on the damage Soundwave has done to her spark and processor.

It took so long, too long, but eventually she was stable.

"Come now Spit, it's alright you can rest now."

Her hands shook, each digit was quaking and she couldn't seem to release her grip on her laser scalpel. Wheeljack pulled her softly away, she must have felt it too, she must have felt the quietness in her spark as Starblast faded away. He wondered if she was as faint to them as she was to him, barely there in his spark.

Her presence was normally as strong as her personality, to have it be so distant was terrifying.

"You too Night," Ratchet ordered "you both need to rest and recover, losing a trine mate whether she returns or not, is not a pleasant experience."

Nightwire had been rigidly sat, watching and waiting and trying not to breakdown herself. She lost three digits during the fight, but once Wheeljack stemmed the flow of energon she pushed him away and sat at the end of Starblast's berth.

They both reluctantly left, but stayed glued to each other all the while. Nobody had ever considered that three could become two, in the same way nobody thought Sunny or Sides could be without the other.

"Optimus, she's alive and stable, but-"

"But you do not yet know the damage done to her processor, and will not till she wakes."

"Yes."

Waiting. Optimus was starting to well and truly hate waiting, it was all he seemed to do. Wait for bots to return from patrol, wait to hear which battles they won and which battles they lost. Wait to see if his daughter was still his daughter anymore.

"Optimus sir," It was Prowl "Ultra Magnus wishes to speak with you, he's outside, he's willing to come speak with you in here."

Truthfully Optimus didn't want to see him, but he knew as leader of the Autobots that he didn't have a whole load of choice. Sometimes he didn't want to be leader to, but it was far too late for that now.

"Does he know of Starblast?"

Prowl sighed "The whole army knows sir, word spreads quickly after battle."

Optimus nodded "Send him in."

Ultra Magnus looked scratched but mostly unharmed, with a single dent in his left ped and nothing more than that. Part of him wanted to be angry that Magnus, an age old veteran, had gotten off so lightly when his precious daughter hadn't, but he couldn't hold the anger above his sadness.

"Optimus sir," He nods curtly "how are you?"

It's a pleasantry Optimus isn't used to hearing from Magnus, who normally gets straight down to business. It was a nice change really.

And Optimus almost lied to him, but Magnus was not one of his men, he did not need to pretend to be indestructible before him because he too was a leader. He knew the burdens you had to bear.

"Words cannot express how awful I am right now Magnus, but I must persevere."

He nodded "I understand, Ratchet informed me she was stable?"

"Yes, stable physically. Until she wakes, we wont know how bad it is."

"You were wise to keep her hidden, despite what any mechs may say. She is the ultimate weapon, anyone can see how much she means to you."

Even Megatron knew now, everything changed from here on. Could he even let her out on the field now? He didn't think he could, but he knew that she wouldn't allow herself to become a base bot. Red Alert served solely on base, but he was a mech made for a desk, a computer system, his little femme was not.

"What do I do now?"

Ultra Magnus took his time with his answer, this was delicate situation and needed contemplation. The only sound was the machines monitoring Starblast, a fine warrior, Magnus had admired all the Younglings in battle. He felt that their future was safe, if they could last out the war till it's end, whenever that would be.

"You must lead Optimus, you are the leader in a war where you cannot show weakness. Megatron must not know your suffering. He will destroy you with it."

_He already has._

This was what made Optimus consider giving up. He never would of course, but over the vorns and the battles he was starting to feel as though this war would never come to an end. He'd lost count of how many battles he'd been in, how many mechs he'd slain.

How many friends, loved ones he'd lost.

"Optimus, I can hold the fort for a while, but you must lead. The Allspark will look after your sparkling, she is the future of Cybertron, he wont let her go so young."

He had to believe that Primus would protect her, he had to. All he had now, was hope.

He stood, slowly, sullenly.

"Ratchet?"

"Yes Optimus sir?"

Ratchet was never far from a critical patient, even if they were stable.

"I'm returning to my duties, keep-"

"Optimus if you think you have to ask me to keep you informed about your daughters health you really are an aft."

He smiled, something about Ratchet's crankiness, about how much you can rely on him to be cranky, was reassuring.

"Then I am an aft."

He followed Magnus to the central communications hub, he had to check the outcome of the battle, loses, gains, prisoners (if any) that needed to be dealt with.

"The battle itself had a positive outcome, we more than halved Megatron's numbers, and captured more than fifty of his men. Some of substantial importance."

"Such as?"

"Shockwave. Unusual for him to be on the field, but Hotshot tells me he was observing the infected cons, like an experiment."

"To him," Optimus rumbled "I'm sure that's what they are."

But this was big, he had Megatron's head scientist. He needed to be executed. It wasn't something Optimus had _ever _done, not once in this war had he killed a prisoner, but there were some crimes that could not be excused.

Mutilation of femmes reproduction systems simply for the sick pleasure of hearing their desperate pleading screams, the mutation of sparklings to name but a few of his atrocities. Primus he would never forget that mission.

"It's high time we learn what Megatron plans to do with all that dark energon, and why."

Magnus nodded "Agreed. I have a mech on my team, he's a specialist interrogator."

"Good, he can start immediately."

Magnus nodded, noting the new found power in Optimus' stride. Maybe Megatron had found the Primes weak spot, but he'd also found the one thing that made Optimus stronger than ever.

Megatron would not be smiling the next time he and Prime met, he knew it.


	18. Chapter 18

Her digits shake long after she has stabilised Starblast with her Papa. They shake when Wheeljack patches up her minor injuries and covers the scratches in her paint job.

Maybe a new paint job is in order. White gets stained too easily, white is too temporary for her now. Sure, almost all medics wore white and red, but this was a burden more than anything. Cons knew who you were, targeted you first, you were a kill priority.

White was too morbid, it was no longer a symbol of safety or cleanliness. It was medical walls and the smell if disinfected energon, but every battle that passed was starting to make Spitfire feel so very old and so very tired.

No wonder her Papa was always grouchy.

Nightwire was down in the base on the lowest level, lights on dim and high grade cans stacked high. Sunstreaker would be there with her, to both drown his sorrows with her and to make sure she didn't hurt herself in the process. Their sparks burn, Starblast's pain combined with an absence of emotion from her, was agony.

Even in recharge, Starblast was strong and emotional, but not now.

The silence was deafening.

"Spitfire? Sweetspark?"

Ratchet is there as always, pulsing powerfully in her spark. Maybe he knows that Starblast has created the biggest hole, and he's trying his best to fill it with his presence. There isn't enough to fill the gap, but it helps her feel real again, like this isn't a dream.

"She's so quiet."

His hand in on the nape of her neck, rubbing softly.

"I know sweetspark, she wont be quiet forever."

"But she might not be Starblast anymore, mightn't she?"

She's crying, tears crawling down her face plates. It might not be Starblast, it might not be Catherine. Catherine could truly be dead this time, and then what? Would she and Nightwire go mad from the loss of their trine leader? And if they didn't, could they continue their mission knowing they had lost her?

Nightwire would fight out of rage, to complete their mission. Spitfire would fight out of a sense of duty.

"Oh my little Spitfire, come here sweetling it's alright, whatever happens it will be alright."

"How can you say that?!"

She pushes him away, hard, harder than she's pushed anyone before because this is the worst feeling in the world. This is worst than anything, worse than any physical pain she's ever felt.

"Sweetling-"

"No! Enough! I am done with war! Over and over and over I watch my family be killed or tortured or…or…ruined! I am so tired!"

"Spitfire please-"

"I know I've heard it all! We're the future of Cybertron the few femmes that are left to one day continue everything I've heard it all!"

Her vents are going so much that she can hear them, the medical bay has fallen into sudden silence as Ratchet tries to calm his daughter. His spark breaks, she's screaming, crying, breaking in half right in front of him and no amount of medical training can pull her back together.

"I want to stop fighting Papa! I want…" She starts to crumble, knees and digits shaking, voice jumping "I want my sister, I want my family to be *hic* safe."

He draws her in again, and this time she doesn't push him away, and lets him slide to the floor with her. She just needs to break down, she's held herself to the highest emotional standards, as a medic she must stay strong when others are weak.

But she is just one femme, and she is so young.

"I don't know what peace is Papa. I was born during the war, and I'm going to die during the war-"

"_Enough."_

She hiccups again, air bubbles trapped in her vents. She used to cry all the time when she was a sparkling, both her and Nightwire did. Starblast would cry only out of frustration, anger, defeat.

Spitfire had always been too emotional for a medic, but he would never have her any other way.

"I think it's time you went to your sister, and recharged for a little while. No more duties until we know if it's still Starblast."

"But-"

"No buts young femme, you need the rest, now go on, I'll bring through some energon soon."

She feels like a sparkling again, but as he stands she lets him tug her from the floor and to her sisters room. She needed to rest, the whole planet just needed to rest.

Nightwire prefers to get drunk in the dark. It reminds her of the times she, Starblast and Spitfire used to sneak out of their rooms at night to talk aloud and in private. They got caught all the time, but it was worth it to laugh and joke like teenagers even when they were sparklings.

So she prefers to get drunk in the dark. Sunstreaker doesn't ask why when he finds her, and doesn't say no when she hands him a cube of high grade, he just sits and downs it almost as quickly as she does.

If everything is numb, if she can't feel anything in any of her limbs, then maybe she wont feel the hole in her spark.

"She'll be alright you know."

His words are slightly slurred, Sunstreaker is a mushy drunk when he's had a few, but he soon becomes an angry drunk if he has enough. Sideswipe is a violent drunk, and so is she. Spitfire is always unimpressed when the two of them brawl, normally with one another, and she has to patch them up.

Yet the two never got angry afterwards, deep down, they were both violent fighters.

"Shut up Sunspot."

She's already getting ragey. She doesn't want mushy Sunstreaker, she wants Sideswipe, angry and full of desperation. That's what she needed, a fight.

"_**Sideswipe. Come here and get wasted with me and Sunny."**_

She's voiced herself over public comms. and she doesn't care at all if her fathers hear. It doesn't matter to her anymore, all that matters is the stash of high grade she helped the twins brew.

"_**Nightwire, come to our rooms-"**_

"_**Daddy, frag off."**_

She's glad it was Jazz and not Prowl, she'd never get away with that with him. Prowl was the stern one, Jazz the fun loving lenient one. He was also the first one there when she was falling apart, but Prowl was the one who resolved the situation almost always.

"_**On my way Night."**_

"_**Sideswipe don't you dare-"**_

"_**Prowl, frag off."**_

She snorts, and even Sunstreaker giggles. It's not often anyone talks to Prowl like that, she enjoys it whilst it lasts and waits for Sideswipe to join them. She's glad when he arrives, and she's even happier to see he's already tipsy.

He tumbles to them, and whacks her hard around the face.

"C'mon then."

She lunges, and the two of them brawl on the floor, rolling and clawing at each others plating and armour. Sunstreaker whoops from the sides, she doesn't notice Prowl or Jazz by the door, lingering, brought by Sideswipe.

"Fragging scraplet piece of-"

Her insults and snarls are mingled, merging into a stream of cussing and nothingness. Sideswipe pushes her face to the floor, and holds her there as hard as he can.

"You always were second to Star."

She bellows, twisting over and punching him square in the face. She grabs the back of his neck and head butts his face plates with all her might. He growls and she rolls him onto his back and slaps him. It's mocking, insulting.

"You're a twin, you know all about being _second best."_

"Twins are equals, trines have a leader, the best of the thre-"  
Another condescending slap.

"You wont be able to lead Spitfire like she leads you-"

Slap.

"And you'll get her killed-"

Slap.

"That's what you think isn't it?"

Her hand is raised, shaking in the air as she cries. It's so quiet, in her spark and in the room. Everything is silent and broken and it _hurts._

"She's not going to wake up." She sniffs, wrapping her arms around herself and letting Sideswipe shift from under her.

"You don't know that, Night come here."

He wraps her up, folding her into him and holding her, nodding his head at her parents. They creep in, Prowl joins them on the floor, Jazz soon follows.

"Sweetspark, oh my little Nightwire."

She hears Prowl, and leaps from Sideswipe to him with a sob.

They sit there, with Jazz and Prowl wrapped around their daughter as she cries and sobs. She can't replace Starblast, she'll never be able to protect Spitfire like she protects them.

Sideswipe grabs his sombre, silent brother and whispers to him harshly.

"We need to talk."

**Thank you for the reviews! Sorry I've been away for so long, life got on top of me but I should be back now, I hope to get the girls on earth soon but that story will be a sequel to break it up a bit :D**

**Thanks for coming back!**

**Tulip Out.**


	19. Chapter 19

Shockwave has been in many cells over the aeons. And he's endured a great many wars in his cycle of life too. Vaguely, distantly, he remembers the day he figured out how to transport his spark from one form to another, he changed his name every time, to put bounty hunters off the trail.

He did not remember his first name. His first face or voice.

He did remember every cell he'd ever been in.

It was a strange thing to remember really, given that he'd long since refigured his processor to only keep valuable information in it. Morals had been the first thing to go in replace of information.

He remembered the first primes, but only because they had imprisoned him, fearful of his studies and drive for information.

He remembered killing one of them, he wasn't sure which one, and for using him as his first new form. For a time, Shockwave, was a Prime.

Another thing, he has kept locked in the recesses of his processor, is songs. Shockwave, when locked in these cells, likes to sing.

He sings songs that aren't even on record anymore, and the language has changed so much he isn't even sure what they mean anymore. But he sings them, this form, Shockwave, has a limited singing voice. So the songs that are meant to be beautiful are raspy, broken and remind him of the screams of those he's experimented on.

Somehow, this is better than the sweet songs they are supposed to be. Screams have long since become a comfort for him.

"Where is your lab located Shockwave?"

He sings till the end of his song, he never stops half way.

"Which one?"

The Autobot is frustrated, Shockwave may tell them out of pure boredom. He invented most forms of torture, and the Autobots wont even try the little ones. Like metal eating parasites, those are his favourites.

"Shockwave, if this trial finds you guilty, you will be executed."

He shrugs, unafraid. He doesn't fear death, nobody who has lived as long as him fears death. When the war ends, if Megatron should lose then he will take a new form and hide until everything has settled. If Megatron wins then he gets to keep this form till it stops working.

Either way, Shockwave continues his life.

The Autobot gives up, growling to himself about Shockwave's seemingly inevitable death. He wont die. Optimus wouldn't execute anyone, even him.

So Shockwave continued to sing.

"_**How much longer do you think Starblast will be out of it?"**_

Ah yes, the comms. link he'd hacked within half a nano click of being here. He could do it anytime he wanted, but in doing so he would take the fun out of the war.

"_**Nobody knows, I'll be honest with you Ricochet, I think she's had it."**_

Shockwave hadn't been there when this femme, Starblast, had thrown herself in front of the Prime, but he did know she was his femme, his daughter. This was good news, the child of a Prime was different from a regular mech or femme.

They were stronger, infused with Primus' essence as their parents were, hence why it was so rare for Primes to have children. Shockwave had been with one of these children once, back when he needed physical pleasure to ease himself of stress. It had been invigorating to say the least.

But he no longer cared about these things, he deleted many aspects of himself when he realised they were holding him back, and ruining his chances at discovering _everything._

He hoped she lived, hoped he could get his hands on her, there was still so much to be learnt from the children of Primes that he had yet to discover.

He had to know all.

"_**Nah, she's the daughter of a Prime, anyone else would have died the moment Soundwave got his tendrils on their sparks, but she's still fighting."**_

The reports of what had happened varied in every conversation he heard, but always it happened at the hands of Soundwave and it always had something to do with her spark. An information transfer gone wrong? He didn't know.

"_**Well, whatever happens, I hope Prime makes it through okay."**_

Shockwave jumped to another communication line, he was bored of this one, grunts got old quick. He moved up the ranks, finding some more interesting conversations to indulge in.

"_**You should know better than to encourage Night to drink Sunstreaker."**_

Ah, the twins, he had played with them once or twice in his tenure as Shockwave. He hoped to play with them again.

"_**Be quiet, I'm hungover."**_

"_**That's your own fault, they need us to keep it together, if something happens to Star we need to hold them up and keep them sane you know this!"**_

"_**I know."**_

"_**Then why-"**_

"_**Because I'm hurting to! I get it, she's their trine leader-" **_Trine leader? Fascinating _**"-and I know it's selfish of me, but she's my…my…oh frag it to the pit I don't know."**_

"_**Future spark mate?"**_

Even more interesting. The femme was part of a trine, did Optimus have three children then? And she was obviously romantically involved with the yellow twin, which opened up even more experimental opportunities. Bond experiments were hard now there were so few bonded pairs, and he would need both of them in order to truly test the boundaries. Of course they clearly weren't bonded yet.

"_**Yes. No. I don't know, she might not be anything now."**_

"_**Just stay strong, the femmes need us. Starblast needs us."**_

"_**Yeah, but I need Starblast."**_

He dropped it again, he didn't care for emotional drivel.

He did care for the fact that he now had new targets, new experiments. It would be difficult, but he could do it.

"_**Shockwave to Megatron, I am in Autobot custody, any orders?"**_

Megatron doesn't ask how Shockwave gets the signal out, but gives him a more than pleasing response.

"_**Bring me the femme."**_


	20. Chapter 20

There's a vague feeling in her spark, Nightwire isn't sure what it means, but she knows it's bad. Starblast is a follow your gut kind of femme, if her spark is telling her what the right thing to do in the moment is, she's going to do it. Nine out of ten times, she's right.

With Spitfire, oftentimes it's a more subtle, long term feeling. Something will nag at her spark for a few cycles, until she discovers what the problem is.

Nightwire, gets vague premonitions of _danger._

It's hard to tell when it will happen, but she figures it's a gift (or curse depending on your mentality) from the Allspark.

Something is coming, be ready, don't panic.

She tells Spitfire, and together they keep a vigil over Starblast. It feels like this is where they need to be, to the point where every time someone opens the door, Nightwire gets a blaster pulse ready to fire. She feels like this is necessary.

"Easy there Night, I just came to check her monitors-"

"Nothing has changed for Primus sake Wheeljack!"

Spitfire is surprised at her own ferocity. She feels bad, yelling at Wheeljack like that, but her nerves are at breaking point. Starblast is still not waking up, she's still so dim in their sparks and not having her guiding presence left her feeling out of control and helpless.

"Alright, it's alright calm down."

"_The next mech that tells us to calm down is getting a pulse shot to the groin."_

They are anxious, that feeling is growing, a stark warning that something _bad _is going to happen and soon. If only she got this premonition before Starblast's injuries, but maybe that was the Allsparks way of saying, that had to happen, but this next part doesn't.

She didn't know. She never knew, none of them did. Blasted Allspark just couldn't give clear cut instructions could it?

Wheeljack retreated, no doubt to tell Ratchet of Spitfire's outburst. She needed peace right now, together, the three of them here, this felt as good as it was going to get.

"_**Has anyone heard from Red Alert? He stopped giving reports about three breams ago."**_

Given that Red Alert was a report a bream kind of mech, that sounded a bit unlike him.

"_**No, can't say I have."**_

"_**And Topspin has gone quiet too, wasn't he on Shockwave duty?"**_

That feeling was growing, that unsettling nerve that made her leg jitter and jump, blaster ready.

"_**I'll head down and check on Topspin, then I'll drop in on Red."**_

Nightwire waited, Sideswipe had volunteered quite easily to go down, because he did not feel right now how she felt. Nobody felt the dread they currently did.

"_**Topspins here he's just…I mean…oh scrap."**_

"_**Sideswipe? Sideswipe report."**_

They waited, eyes on the door as they held themselves like animals ready to pounce. Spitfire remembered once, back on Earth, watching a show about big cats. She remembered being fascinated by the way their muscles tensed and moved before they leapt at their prey.

She remembered wondering, how such a violent act, could be so graceful and so elegant.

"_**Shockwave is out, Spin is down, can someone please check in on Red Alert?"**_

That feeling was now raging in her spark, danger, there was danger coming. It was coming here and it was going to be _dreadful._

"_**Red Alert has been spotted on the surveillance system heading towards the medical bay."**_

"_**Good, when he gets there fix his comm. would ya? I'm getting the worst feedback from his end."**_

That was why he hadn't checked in, a fault in his comm. Made a lot of sense, Red Alert wasn't the type to put off needed repairs unlike warriors. If you could think, you could fight, that was the unspoken rule of this war.

"_**Priority right now is Shockwave, Sideswipe, what is Topspins condition?"**_

"_**Not sure Optimus, looks like just a simple knock to the head, but with Shockwave nothing is ever simple."**_

"_**Bring him to Ratchet, stay on guard."**_

The base wide speaker system came on, warning everyone to Shockwaves escape. There was sound outside in the main bay, muffled voices. Red Alert must have arrived, clearly his audio receptors were damaged too because Ratchet was making quite a bit of noise-

"_**Red Alert is infected with Dark Energon! Evacuate the medical bay! Sideswipe, get Topspin in a cell ASAP!"**_

The door came sliding open, and the violet eyes of Red Alert shone at them. Nightwire fired, three non-fatal shots that would have slowed Red Alert down if not for the dark energon fuelling him. How had this happened? Red Alert should have been nowhere near Shockwave or Topspin-

_Parasites. Shockwave has parasites._

Starblast. She was there, her body might not have been working yet, but her mind was strong.

Red Alert was hissing, moving forwards slowly, almost tentatively. Nightwire knew what he wanted, knew she had to stop him.

But could she kill him?

He charged, and she realised, no, no she could not.

She dove over Starblast in the berth and Red Alert crashed into a monitor, pulling wires from Starblast in the process.

"Be careful!"

"No time!"

She blasted Red Alert in the shoulder and he bounced back so slightly, and Nightwire grabbed Starblast from the berth and running, regardless of the wires pinging from her body. Red Alert roared, and Spitfire smashed the emergency lock on the door behind them but they knew it wouldn't last.

"_**Topspin is in a cell, still no movement but we'll keep an eye out."**_

"_**Red Alert is in the bay, behind a door for now but it wont hold him!"**_

Ratchet was on the floor, pulling himself up after Red Alert had clearly barrelled into him. He spotted them and dragged himself up quicker, his leg had been hurt quite badly.

"Primus are the three of you alright?"

"He's after Star, don't ask we can't explain, got to run, need backup ASAP!"

Spitfire followed Nightwire, flabbergasted that she could formulate words so easily after what was probably one of the scariest moments of her life.

"Spit, moving meds?"

She nodded, opening a wrist port of her own and one of Starblast's to connect them together and run diagnostics.

"_**Femmes, where are you?"**_

It was Optimus, speaking directly to them. He must know that something was wrong, maybe Ratchet alerted him to the danger.

"_**Heading towards the comms room, we've got Star and diagnostics are stable. Don't know what this will do to her though."**_

"_**I'm coming."**_

It was so reassuring to know Optimus was on his way, no doubt bringing a small army with him. This was beyond bad, Red Alert was infected, Topspin probably was too, and Shockwave was still on base somewhere.

They almost toppled over each other turning harshly into the communications hub, it was quiet and horrid in here without Red Alert's reassuring presence. He was always here, they'd found him deep in recharge in here multiple times.

This was his home, this was where he belonged.

"I need that femme."

"_**Frag."**_


	21. Chapter 21

Having never met Shockwave before, Nightwire and Spitfire are amazed at how stocky, and short he is. Sure, they'd see him in the films way back when they had been human, but seeing him here was different. He was taller than Nightwire, but they matched in width.

Nightwire was a stocky femme, built for power. Spitfire was a little taller, but far leaner.

Still, the single optic was creepy.

"That femme, I need her."  
_"He flushed us out."_

"_We can't fight him, you know that right?"_

"A distinct trine speech? Interesting. I confess I have met few bonded trines, you three are quite the rarity."

"_**This is Nightwire in the comms hub, Shockwave is in here, he's after Star."**_

"_**They can't hear you."**_

He'd hacked the comms system. Was this where he found Red? Did he infect Red then hack in, or force Red to make the hack first. Either way, Nightwire wanted this mech offlined.

"They'll figure out where we are regardless, it wont take long."

"Long enough femmeling. I currently have no orders regarding either of you, hand over your trine leader and you may remain here until I have use of you."  
_"He's a charmer isn't he?"_

Shockwave was studying them as they spoke. It didn't matter, he wouldn't figure out English because it was a language based on sounds, not coding and programming like Cybertronian was. Every language on the planet could be programmed into someone, bilinguals and multi-linguals were such examples, but without a digital basis (ie; the internet) he would never figure it out.

"_Can we stall long enough?"_

"_Maybe Spit, we have to at least try."_

"_He can't take her."_

"_Fuck no."  
_Nightwire held Starblast close to her spark, trying to will her awake. But what would that do? Star may be incapable of moving when she wakes, they just didn't know.

_Come on Allspark, we need some divine intervention here._

Shockwave sighed, saddened almost that he would have to fight. Would he be as bad as Soundwave? No, no but what he would do once he had Star would be far worse.

He reached into a subspace, Nightwire had to find a place to lay Starblast but she daren't put her down. Shockwave pulled a screeching creature from his subspace, it looked like a metal squid with razor sharp pointed tentacles.

Within those tentacles was a beak, surrounded by sharp metal teeth. It looked bad, whatever it was. The worse part was it's violet optics.

"_Dark energon."_

"_Is that what he got Red with? By Primus Red must have been terrified."_

Night wasn't feeling particularly brave herself. It looked frightening, even if it was only the size of Shockwave's hand.

"I recommend you don't resist, but I feel as though you may have already made up your minds."

He released the creature and shots rained down on it, Spitfire was blasting it with her plasma pistol. It was a small weapon, and it had little effect.

"_Take her!"_

Nightwire all but tossed Starblast into Spitfire's arms and began firing, her blaster was far more brutish, more powerful. It knocked the squid-thing back, but did no real damage. The dark energon kept the parasite moving ever forwards. Starblast was too heavy for Spitfire to hold for long, but she managed to get her to the floor as gently as she could.

The doors were starting to rattle, they had been found.

Nightwire couldn't fight off the little beast for long, and Shockwave was making his slow, deliberate advance towards Spitfire and Starblast's prone form.

"Hurry up!" Spitfire screamed at the door as they pounded and crashed against it.

Mumbled yells from the other side, static on the comm. lines. Desperate thoughts.

"_I need a blade! Shots do nothing! If I can slice it in two!"_

"_Starblast has blades! I don't!"_

And Starblast had not moved since Soundwave's cables had pierced her spark.

Nightwire had a sudden realisation.

Nobody was going to save them this time. Starblast was not going to suddenly wake and unsheathe her blades, and their family was not going to suddenly break in and save them. Shockwave was getting closer to her sisters, and Spitfire had never truly been a fighter.

Nightwire had to make a choice. Herself, or her sisters, and Nightwire would always chose her sisters, as they would always chose her.

She turned her optics from the parasite and prayed to Primus for clarity, for one good shot.

And by Primus did she get it.

Her shot smashed into his chest and he shrieked in a way Nightwire had never heard a mech shriek before. It was the sound of a mech that hadn't felt any kind of physical pain in many, many vorns and cycles. And when the parasite latched onto her arm, she made a similar noise and watched the violet drain from it's optics and into her systems.

But Nightwire had done all she needed, when her processor went blank and Spitfire screamed in shared pain, and when Starblast gasped herself awake, they would be safe. Shockwave was reeling, that shot had grazed his spark.

It wouldn't kill, but it bloody well hurt.

And to the sounds of screams, both his and Spitfire's, Nightwire descended into hell.


	22. Chapter 22

Amidst memories that aren't hers, Starblast feels something ripping through her spark. It's sudden, and it gasps her awake optics flashing as they try and focus on something other than spark wrenching _pain._

Her body does not answer her thoughts, it jerks and twitches and then she is still again, but she can feel her sisters.

Spitfire is there, broken and wailing. Nightwire is there, terrible and the colour of evil.

She can see them and not a lot else, her optics aren't obeying her much more than the rest of her but she could see them. Could see violet optics, could hear Nightwire screech as her processor left her and only a beast remained.

_Don't hurt anyone Night. I am ordering you, as your trine leader, don't hurt anyone. Remember yourself, remember you are my sister and a good femme._

The doors finally give and their family barges in, Optimus spots Shockwave, and then locks optics with Nightwire.

"By Primus."

"_No_"

Prowl barely breaths the word as Nightwire screams at him, that unearthly sound that they only heard on the battlefield at the worst of times. She stalks slowly, Shockwave is beginning to recover from her shot.

"Blasted Autobots," He hisses "femme, take your sister, bring her with us."

Nightwire turns to Starblast, Optimus doesn't notice her waking optics, he's too busy trying to figure out if he can save her without killing Nightwire.

_Nightwire I order you to remember yourself._

Nightwire stops, optics shuddering and fingers twitching. She stops in her approach.

"I told you to get her! Now!"

Still, Nightwire does not obey and Shockwave sighs.

"Blasted trine bonds. Fine, come with me _now._"

Something is whirring, buzzing within Shockwave and Optimus is stunned to see a warp, Shockwave pulls it right from nothing and Nightwire, this time she obeys. She steps away from her sisters, her fathers and her home, and together she and Shockwave vanish.

Spitfire is still weeping, she's got Starblast wrapped in her arms as she cries and Ratchet can only stare at his little femme as her spark is ripped in two.

It is then, that Optimus see's his daughters own optics, dimly lit, but lit nonetheless.

He approaches slowly, Spitfire is holding her so tightly, weeping and talking in that strange trine language only they know. He crouches, Ratchet is still frozen behind him.

Jazz has started blasting the consoles, roaring and bellowing and swearing every kind of horrid death he can think of upon Shockwave. Prowl is statuesque, unmoving, unwilling to break the wall he is forcing up to protect himself.

It is later, when they are alone, that Prowl will break and cry as Jazz holds him.

Spitfire screams bloody murder at Optimus when he tries to get closer, he waits and holds himself at her level, crouched as everyone watches. Magnus watches too, Optimus wonders if he thinks this makes him weak.

Optimus doesn't care.

"Spitfire, I need you to let us help."

She's cursing him in trine speak he can tell, but he doesn't know her words.

"I don't underst-"

"_Good!_"

Finally, Cybertronian. She's calming, slowly, they may be here a while.

"Let us help."

"Frag you! Frag you to the pit! Frag this planet, this war, all of it!"

She can't hold herself in, and her screams return once more to their shared trine language.

"_Fuck Primus and his fucking mission! Fuck Shockwave and his fucking dark energon! Primus exists and he is the devil not Unicron!"_

_Spitfire, stop._

She goes quiet, suddenly, and looks down at Starblast.

"But-"

_No buts, I feel the same pain you do, the three of us are burning, we need to go save her._

"I-" She sniffs "'Kay."

Optimus doesn't know what has been said between them, but it brings him hope as he manages to shuffle further in and take his still lifeless daughter into his arms.

Starblast is talking to her trine mates, maybe he can't hear it, but it means she is there.

"Hey Spit, lets go yeah?" It's Bumblebee, not Ratchet, that approaches.

Spitfire sniffs, looking up at him like a hopeless sparkling. So he came to her, and helped her up, wrapped himself around her and walked her away.

Ratchet, slowly, shakily, followed.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe looked across at one another, Red Alert was chained up with every piece of metal they could find, screeching in the cells bellow like Unicron himself was there in his head goading him on.

And the three femmes that were family (and a little bit more in Starblast and Sunstreaker's case) were broken. Nightwire was gone, taken with Shockwave and poisoned.

Starblast was awake, but her body would not move, almost as if it were still sleeping.

Spitfire was the only one left awake, and she was going to struggle to make it through the days, living amongst the injured when she herself was in agony.

"We have to do something." Sideswipe hissed once everyone had left, once it was just the two of them in the comm. room.

"You're right, but we're going to need help."

"The old team?"

Sunstreaker nodded.

"The old team."


End file.

Transformers, Adventure, Family