Okay, this chapter, you hear E.R.'s story. To hear Axann's, see One Thing Left. It should be getting updated next week in the earliest.

Sparklings 1: Mirage

Chapter Six: A Bit of a Back Story

ONE WEEK LATER:

"No."

Prowl sighed as he stared at Cliffjumper. "You're the only one available."

"I am NOT looking after Mirage."

"Cliffjumper, you're the only one available!" Prowl argued.

Cliffjumper growled at Prowl. "So's Prime! And Ratchet! Oh, and how about this, Swoop and Grimlock! Plus, Bumblebee's free!"

"Prime is busy working with paperwork. If Mirage needed something, Prime wouldn't be able to spare time. Ratchet's had enough of the kid. Swoop and Grimlock can't be trusted. Also, Bumblebee is out with Spike."

"Axann and E.R.?"

Prowl paused. He hadn't thought about the two younglings. He knew from experience Axann was good with kids, despite being a disaster warning. E.R. was a medic in training. He'd be able to take of Mirage if anything happened to him. However, he also knew that E.R. had been avoiding Ratchet as much as he could. And, wherever E.R. went, Axann wouldn't be too far behind. Ah, the joy of the bond between creator and creation... He looked at Cliffjumper, the minicon practically on his knees, begging not to be stuck with the current Spy-turned-Sparkling. Said Sparkling was sitting on the ground nearby, trying out a new puzzle.

The tactician sighed. "Fine. You're off the hook THIS time, Cliffjumper. I'll leave him with Axann and E.R.. BUT, the next time there's no one available BUT you, YOU are getting the job."

Cliffjumper cheered as he raced out of the room. Prowl sighed again as he looked at Mirage, who clicked at him in question.

"I hate that guy," Prowl told the Sparkling.

Mirage chirped in reply.

- - - -

"Uh... what?" E.R. and Axann looked at Prowl in astonishment outside of the base. "We're stuck with him?"

Prowl nodded as he stuffed Mirage in their faces. Mirage chirped, blinked his golden optics, and looked at Axann and E.R. with the biggest grin on his face. E.R. and Axann just looked at him like they hadn't seen him before.

Axann's father smirked. "Oh... look. He remembers you."

Axann looked at Prowl with a frown. "You sound evil."

"Right now, I am. I have no one else to watch him, and Jazz and I have recon in less than five human minutes. You two are the only ones doing nothing that can look after him." Prowl glared at the two.

Both shivered from underneath his deathly gaze. It was very scary. Unlike Jazz, Prowl's optics were every bit visible.

Axann and E.R. nodded vigorously.

"Okay!" Axann chirped.

"We'll watch him!" E.R. agreed.

"Thank you."

At that, Mirage was handed to Axann, and the police car tactician walked off.

"Eh!" stated Mirage. This probably meant, "Well! I'm going to have fun TORTURING you two!"

E.R. and Axann worriedly looked at each other.

- - - -

Surprisingly enough, Mirage was very good with E.R. and Axann. As he got ready for recharge, he looked up at E.R. who had just knelt down to optic-to-visor level.

"Well, Mirage, looks like you need a rest," E.R. stated the obvious. He picked up the Sparkling and walked to Prowl and Jazz's recharge berth.

"Eh..." Mirage whined.

E.R. sighed as he layed Mirage down. "Okay. So you don't want to recharge... oh! How about a story, Mirage?"

Mirage smiled tiredly.

"Okay... um... once upon a time, there were two medics. One was named Ra... Hatchet. The other, was named Survivor. The two were once very good friends, maybe even lovers," E.R. told. Mirage clicked questionably at the names. "Hatchet and Survivor had a small mech. His name was E.R.."

"Eh!" Mirage squeaked, pointing to E.R..

E.R. smiled. "Yes, me. Well, after E.R. was born, problems began to arise in the Autobot Army, as Megatron began getting more powerful. This was causing all able-bodied Sparklings and Younglings that were born Autobots to train to become soldiers for the army. Survivor wanted E.R. to train to become a soldier, to go out in the battles. But Hatchet wouldn't hear a word a word of it. E.R. didn't want to be a soldier. He wanted to become a Medic, just like his parents. Hatchet didn't want E.R. to be in the war at all. But E.R. refused his father's words and became a Medic anyways."

"Ehh?" Mirage asked.

Although E.R. didn't know what Mirage asked, he decided to answer his own question. "Survivor got angry, and left the two. She joined a different team of Autobot, and flew through space, very far away. Hatchet purposely had E.R. moved to a different team as well. E.R. went very far away. But, he gained new friends, so it was all okay in the end. The end."

Mirage yawned and turned off his optics, happy that he had a story. Soon after, the little Sparkling was fast asleep. E.R. looked up at the sound of feet to see Prowl, Jazz and Axann looking at him curiously.

"Interesting story, Exertion," Jazz voiced.

E.R. ("Exertion") growled. "Don't call me that, Jazz. I gave up that name a long time ago."

He got up and walked out of the room. Axann glared at Jazz. "You of all mechs should have known that."

Prowl stepped back.

Jazz chuckled nervously. "It's his name! Aren't names self-explanatory? I like music. Prowl's a stalker of Decepticons. Ratchet likes ratchets. Cliffjumper jumps cliffs. Ironhide has a an iron hide. You are delicate like a flower, but dangerous as venom. Like the Axannion flower of Iacon. It may be delicate, but the venom is deadly! Exertion pushes himself to his limits to give his all."

Axann smirked. "Maybe, but 'Exertion' no longer uses his name. Now, he uses E.R.. He changed his name the day Ratchet tossed him a pass to join our ship. He claimed it was because 'E.R.' sounded more 'medically accurate'. I think he did it to distance himself from his parents."

At that, she raced out of the room to chase down her friend. Prowl sighed as he looked at Jazz.

"I thought she was going to hammer you to nothing but little chips, and sell them to Ratchet and Reviver," he confessed.

Jazz chuckled. "For a second there, I thought so, too!"

Mirage stirred. Both mechs froze like a refrigerator (ha, ha!) and turned to him. After that, he snored. Prowl and Jazz sighed in relief.

"By the way, why is Reviver called Survivor?" Jazz asked after a long silence.

Prowl smirked. "Because she's seen, and survived everything. Including merging with Ratchet."

At this, the two left the room, and Jazz began howling with laughter that it was a miracle that Mirage didn't wake up.