Infected

Chapter 23

Flare POV

Eclipse gasps next to me as she wakes up. I groan tired.

"Eclipse? You ok?" I mumble into my pillow.

"Yeah... yeah I'm ok." She mumbled back. "I'm going to grab some energon."

I nod, sinking back into my blankets.

"Flare?" Siege grumbled, barely awake. "What was all that moving?"

"Eclipse woke up." I yawn.

He mumbled something before falling asleep again.

"Imma go check on her." I whisper and pull myself out of bed.

Siege grunts when I get off him, annoyed his warmth left. I drag myself through the halls and into the ship's cafeteria.

"Eclipse?" I call for my sister.

"Hey." I hear her speak in a quiet voice.

"You woke up suddenly." I walk up and rest my helm on her shoulder.

"Yeah. Just a dream."

I nod.

"About what?"

"A memory."

I hum. "Of what?"

"The summer before school. The recent one." She was staring into her energon cube, green optics reflecting back at her.

"The one where you went back to the Sea of Rust?" I double-checked.

"Yeah."

I nod. She loved that place. Eclipse would talk about the quiet there. We were told stories of how many hours she practiced teleporting. She found camps and strongholds from the Great War. Maps and journals from both fractions. That's how Solar got the journal he treasures so dearly. A gift from Eclipse.

"You look unsettled." I bring up, rubbing her wings.

"I guess maybe I am." She sighs. "It's just- last summer I was thinking about what was going to happen after high school. Then we suddenly don't make it to the end of the year but leave Cybertron instead. I thought you were going to college. Siege and I would join you. I thought everything was going to be simple..." She sighed.

I nod listening.

"You're scared."

"Very." Eclipse admits.

"You think Sire and Uncle Thundercracker are mad?"

"Most definitely. Not to mention worried out of their minds."

I hum. "Do you think they blame us?"

Eclipse went silent.

"I-" My little sister sighs. "I don't know."

"I think that's somehow worse." I look down.

"Yeah. Maybe, maybe they don't though."

"Why say that?"

"You said so yourself. When we first left. Our situation is a lot like theirs. Leaving Cybertron. Not knowing what in the galaxy you'll face. Not knowing when you can go home again. If you can." Eclipse took a sip of her energon.

"I'm scared." I admit.

"I think it's ok to be." Eclipse held my servo.

"Do you think they were?" I ask.

"Yeah. I think so. I think all three of them were."

"You're thinking about Uncle Starscream aren't you?"

She smiles slightly.

"Hah! Caught in the act." I laugh quietly.

"Whatever. But yeah, I was. He- Flare he was always so fearless, brave, impossible to break down. Uncle Starscream always knew what he wanted! And he always worked so hard for it. He was a brilliant bot who lead thousands of successful battles. He worked to keep so many seekers alive. But, within all that...."

I listen to her admire our uncle.

"Within all that I'm curious if he ever doubted himself. If he was ever scared. What regrets he had."

I rest a hand on her shoulder.

"I wish we met him." I sigh. "I wish Sire as Uncle Thundercracker at least told us why they don't talk about him. I- can see why. I think something split the three apart. They're hurt over it. I don't think they blame him though."

"They're not those types of bots. Especially with family."

"So you think they're ok with our choice to leave?"

"I don't think ok is the right word." Eclipse laughs.

"Come to terms with then." I laugh as well.

"Yeah. That sounds better."

We giggle and I grab myself a cube.

"What do you think they thought about Earth?" I take a sip.

"Uncle Thundercracker misses it. A lot."

"Yeah. He gets mopy every time someone mentions it." The memory made me laugh.

Eclipse chuckles as well.

"He set up bases of his own there right?"

"About 98% sure!" I wink.

She sighs with a smile.

"I wonder what it looks like."

"Mech cave!"

"Uncle Thundercracker?"

"Yes. But with strobe lights!"

"He would NOT have strobe lights." My sister laughs.

"I think he would!! And a sauna."

"Really?"

"Really!" I give her a proud grin.

"Hey!! We have a spaceship now! Why not go see it?" I offer.

"We're hunting for a relic still? One I highly doubt is on Earth."

"Well duh. But there are so many cybertronian crash sites there! Those ships are bound to have something that could help!" I explain my thinking.

"Flare."

"Yes?"

"You are a genius. An insane genius though."

I puff my chassis and grin. "As I should be!!"

"So, when everyone is rested, we take off for Earth?" She thinks it through.

"Yes. We've already made a ton of stupid decisions. Why not make tons more?"

Eclipse laughs. "Ok. Fair enough then."

"Let's get back to bed though." I take her empty cube and put it in the washer with mine.

"Yeah. Going back to sleep sounds great."

I find myself yawning again.

"All of this smart thinking wore me out." I complain.

"Oh my! Poor sparkling!" She laughs and leads me back to our room.

"Think you can sleep this time?" I ask opening our door.

"I think I will yes." She lowers to a whisper.

I giggle and climb back onto Siege. He woke up enough to complain but didn't move.
Eclipse pushes herself under my wing and falls asleep. I smile watching my siblings for a few minutes. Uncle Thundercracker couldn't help us in person. But maybe he could in another way.