Transformers Prime: Eclipse

Chapter 18: New and Old Blood

Blinking away the exhaustion in my optics, I could feel the energon begin to flow through my fuel lines as the world came into focus once more. My wings ached despite not having slept on them, and I was quickly reminded of the energon shards that had been embedded into me because of Hardshell.

Flashes of the battle from the day prior entered my mind, how hopeless I'd felt at been rendered grounded, desperately clawing away from Hardshell before he could crush my spark. Then the sounds of battle as Bulkhead and Breakdown pummeled the bug without mercy before sending him into an abyss of lava. Though, a primal part of me doubted that the Insecticon was truly gone. I'd read his file; I knew he'd survived worse fates.

"Hey, you with us kid?"

My helm turned slowly as I met Arcee's worried but warm gaze above me, her arms folded over each other as she slumped at the side of our berth. I would have blushed if possible. The berth belonged to Arcee, but until Agent Fowler could get more beds commissioned from his superiors, I had to share with the other femme.

To the best of my knowledge, none of the others had to double up in berths, just living quarters. It seemed a little suspicious to me that the base was conveniently short just one extra berth. But truthfully, I didn't mind. The extra comfort of another body to hold onto helped ground me a bit more. Especially after the dream I'd somehow shared with Arcee and Optimus.

"Yeah, just . . . adjusting a bit."

"That's to be expected. The others are waiting to see you, but you don't have to talk to the team if you aren't ready yet. Besides, your body still needs to recover from its wounds."

"I'm strong, I can handle it."

And while I was definitely putting on a brave face for the emotional portion of what was about to happen, surprisingly I felt fairly physically capable. Everything was still sore of course, and I knew I wouldn't be flying for a good while, but already I could feel my strength returning to me. Must be a Predacon thing.

"If you say so. Ratchet said you should try to start walking as soon as possible anyways."

"Might as well get this over with then. And Arcee?"

The smaller femme regarded me, and I had to suppress a chuckle at how small she really looked. Even while I was human, Arcee hadn't been that much taller than me or the others. It helped ease my nerves the first time I'd seen the Autobots, knowing that they weren't all terrifying giants. Awesome giants! But also terrifying. 

How the tables had turned, though I swiftly reminded myself that Arcee was more than capable in a fight. She was a true warrior, and I hadn't forgotten how she'd fought against me. Sure, I'd been significantly depowered, but I wasn't incapacitated. The anger and desperation in her optics that day filled me with dread. Now, they were soft and patient.

"Thank you, for everything."

Arcee smiled, a calmness washing over me as the two of us simply walked towards the central hub. That calm aura quickly evaporated when I heard shouting that sounded an awful lot like Wheeljack. Bulkhead was also yelling, though he sounded like he was trying to calm his friend down along with Optimus. 

Wheeljack's ranting was clearly aimed at Dreadwing, though for what reason I didn't know. To his credit, the seeker simply bowed his helm and refused to bite back at Wheeljack's insults and taunting. Bumblebee, Breakdown, and Knockout all awkwardly shuffled around to the sides, and Ratchet stayed absorbed in his work, pretending nothing was amiss as long as none of his equipment was broken.

"Wheeljack, these former Decepticons are our allies now. Without their aid, Miko may never have been recovered from Megatron's grasp."

"That's a load of slag and you know it! We would have found a way to get her back. Wreckers always protect their own."