New recruit...

Raf and Jack searched the internet for pictures of the Autobots or Decepticons.

"Removing Bumblebee and replacing him with..." Rafael put a new picture up.

"A tap dancing monkey strikes again." Jack and Rafael hi 5ed.

"Bumblebee sightings on the world wide web are no laughing matter. Are they?" Ratchet looked at the sparkling at his right. She cooed at him and stuck out her glossa. Shadow for a little bit was going to be off the spark support machine and go be able to be free from it for a while. Ironelle gently stroked the child's face.

"Stick that back in your mouth." He pushed it with his index finger gently back in her mouth. She giggled. Ironelle smiled.

"Shadow sounds like she's feeling better," Jack said.

"She's getting stronger at least. After the torture, Wheeljack put her through I'm still surprised she's alive." Ironelle hit Ratchet on the arm and they started arguing. Bulkhead and Miko behind Ratchet were trying to work back on Bulkhead's weak legs.

"Seven, eight nine."

"Why can't I just drive from now on?"

"Because your legs will atrophy if you chose not to use them." Ratchet said as Ironelle ran away to her new personal quarters. Bulkhead groaned.

"One, two, three." Jack looked back to Rafael's laptop.

"Wait what's that?" Bumblebee looked at the laptop too. Raf increased the picture.

"A Cybertronian escape pod?" Optimus walked from the hall into the main room of the missile silo.

"Here is Earth's atmosphere?" The 12 and a quarter year old boy put the increased picture on the screen of Ratchet's computer. Arcee walked over.

"Autobot or Decepticon?"

"Impossible to tell given the image resolution." Shadow gurgled and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

"In any event this merits investigation." Optimus said.

"Could be a trap. And we're down one bot. Should we reach out to Wheeljack?"

"I can hear you!" Bulkhead said irritably.

"I don't care if Bulkhead isn't combat ready. After that revenge stunt, he pulled with Miko and Ironelle and almost killing Shadow Wheeljack can stay broken. Besides I don't want him anywhere near Shadow." Optimus turned towards the ground bridge.

"An Autobot may be in distress. Ratchet bring your medical kit." Ratchet scooped Shadow up in his arms.

"Time to go back on spark support little one."

"Can't you leave my daughter off the spark support for an hour Ratch?" Bulkhead asked.

"When I'm not here she stays on support so I know she won't go offline."

"All right." He put the small machine on Shadow's chest and grabbed his medical kit. Arcee opened the ground bridge.

"IF Shadow starts crying tend to her." The others walked through the ground bridge and Raf closed it when they all got through.

"I hate this."

"I know you do Bulk."

Miko ran across the base floor.

"We haven't had somebody new here since Wheeljack and Ellie. Well I guess the babies count but still. So what's your story Smoke? Where'd you come from? How'd you get here? How many blasters you packing?"

"So these are the life forms we're supposed to protect. Are they all like this?" Smokescreen asked.

"Fortunately not and we have our sparkling to protect. And I do share Miko's fascination with how you became to arrive on Earth." Arcee walked towards him.

"In a Decepticon escape pod."

"Still got trust issues huh? Tough crowd. The main thrust of combat operation was at least 20 kliks from the hall of records so things have been pretty quiet but the situation went downhill fast. The cons launched a massive surge that wiped out the entire last line of defenses surrounding Iacon. I was the only thing left to hold them back and let me tell ya I was pumped. I mean this was my chance to see real action for the first time to prove myself. Until everything went black. The cons took me prisoner and dumped me onto a transport ship. But I managed to give a guard the slip and hopped in a escape pod. Apparently it was a long distance escape pod because it knocked me into stasis. Next thing I knew I'm hitting solid ground. Hard."

"The Decepticon warship must have picked up the pod's beacon and guided it to Earth." Ratchet said.

"Which would explain Smokescreen's welcoming committee. I bet the Cons were disappointed not to find one of their own inside," Arcee mused.

"Smokescreen?" Smokescreen turned around and looked at Optimus and Ratchet.

"Do you know of Alpha Trion's fate after the fall of Iacon?"

"I wish I did but that was the last I ever saw of him." The young Autobot replied. There was silence.

"That's it my life story. Not exactly, the glory I envisioned for myself. Until now being here with Optimus Prime, I knew I was destined for great things. I mean now that you have help how hard would it be to end this war?" They all heard Bulkhead's growl. He walked to the room.

"Take a good look newbie. This is how hard." Everybody looked at Bulkhead.

"Smokescreen I suggest you take some time to become acclimated to your new surroundings. A tour of the base would be an excellent start."

"Sure thing!" Miko said. Bulkhead growled again. Miko looked at him.

"I mean Jack offers a very informative tour." Smokescreen looked at Jack and he smiled.

"Phase shifter, spark extractor, immobilizer. This is where we store the Cybertronian relics we find buried on Earth and talk about a small universe cause most of them came from..." Jack was cut off by Smokescreen.

"The Iacon Hall of Records. I remember these." He looked in the window at the phase shifter then started fallowing Jack again. The white and blue mech looked in another storage room window at Airachnid.

"Whoa! What kind of relic is she?" He asked.

"The kind you don't want to mess with."

"If you wanted to replace me you should have called my bondmate!" Bulkhead said angrily. Ironelle sighed and looked towards Bulkhead.

"I could have lived with that!" Bulkhead crossed his arms.

"No one is replacing you Bulkhead. For one thing Smokescreen's too green." Arcee said.

"Well Bulk's as green as they get," Miko said.

"What Arcee means is Smokescreen still has a great deal to learn," Ratchet said.

"And once you got him trained then what?! Huh? He's in and I'm a doorstop!" Bulkhead continued.

"You won't end up a doorstop Bulk," said Ironelle gently.

"Bulkhead your place with us is not in jeopardy. But there is no dispute that we have long required additional firepower. It is essential that our team learns to work with our new recruit not against him."

"Better hope the hot shot's blasters are as big as his mouth. How hard could it be?"

Smokescreen and Jack set on a rock looking at passing cars.

"How 'bout that one?" Jack asked as an old pickup drove by.

"More Ratchet's speed don't you think?"

"Cement Truck?"

"Yeah if I were a Constructicon." Smokescreen said.

"Seriously is this the best your planet has to offer?" Jack set his head on his fist.

"No but this is Jasper."

"I feel for ya."

"Hey. I saw you looking at Elle...you like her or something?"

"Elle?"

"Short for Ironelle. The green female."

"That's Ironelle?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"She's THE female wrecker from the legends."

"Legends?"

"The female Wrecker. There's a lot of stories about her."

"Like what?"

"Where do I start?"

"Optimus! Is something wrong?"

"Starscream has come for the red energon and I fear he will not be deterred in his quest." Nova and Luna chased each other around the floor.

"Nova, Luna will you stop for a nano kilk?" Bulkhead said. Smokescreen and Jack came in.

"Starscream? I heard stories about that stiletto heeled creep back on Cybertron. Send me in doc." Ratchet and Ironelle turned around.

"When Optimus requires back up he will ask for it."

"Ah come on I got my v-mode and everything! I sopped up and ready to roll!"

"Aht, aht, aht what part of further training did you not understand?!" Nova and Luna giggled and Ironelle scoffed and turned to leave.

"Optimus what is your status?" Bulkhead walked up behind him.

"Ratchet they need me I can do this!"

"Arcee? Bumblebee?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard," Ratchet turned to him, "and I'm ignoring you. This may be your opportunity after all Smokescreen. Where is Smokescreen?" Nova looked around. Luna looked at Ratchet, Bulkhead, and the humans. They both shrugged.

Smokescreen opened the storage unit containing the phase shifter.

"That's the one."

"You there!" Ratchet called. Smokescreen turned to look at the medic.

"What in the name of the All Spark are you doing?"

The Autobots except Bulkhead were in the main room. Nova and Luna stood by Optimus.

"Told ya I just needed to barrow it for a while. Doc here thought I was trying to steal you relics." Ratchet snatched the phase shifter from Smokescreen's servo.

"Only until you explained your plan which I then sanctioned. It's called Protocol!" Optimus stepped up.

"Ratchet is correct standard procedure must be observed by every member of this team. However I believe we must also commend Smokescreen you have proven to be a quick study by choosing to place strategy above bravado." Optimus placed a servo on his shoulder.

"There's going to be no living with him now." Arcee said to Bumblebee.

"While this may lack the pageantry of a proper Elite Guard ceremony I wish to welcome you to Team Prime." Smokescreen turned to the others. Bumblebee crossed his arms. They all heard Bulkhead grunt. He had almost a sad look in his optics.

"The newbie did all right." He looked at the Apex Armor. Miko ran down the stairs.

"Don't worry Bulk he's got nothing on you." Bulkhead leaned against the wall, turned around, and started walking in the other direction.

"Seriously once we get that leg of yours back in shape ol' Smokey's going to learn real quick who's the top wrecking ball is around here." Shadow started crying again. Ironelle rushed over to calm her. Bulkhead winced at her cries and his spark ached for her but he kept going.

"Bulkhead?"

"Who am I kidding? I'm sure to become a doorstop." He could still hear his daughter's crying. A couple of footfalls trailed behind him.

"I don't want to talk Miko. Go away."

"It's not Miko." He turned around.

"Nova, Luna why are you fallowing me. Don't you want to go talk to the newbie?" He snapped. They steeped back.

"But we want to talk to you Bulkhead." They said quietly.

"We don't want to talk to Smokescreen."

"Fine." He started walking again and they followed him.

"Why did you not go back for Shadow when she started crying?" Nova asked. Bulkhead didn't answer.

"You want to go hold her. Don't you? But you don't want the newbie to see you." Luna said.

"Yeah." They arrived at Bulkhead's quarters and he put in the pin code.

"Come here I want to give you something to take to Ratchet for Shadow." The two femmes fallowed the lumbering green mech. He pulled something off a shelf.

"What is it?" Bulkhead handed a stuffed animal to Luna.

"It's a stuffed petro rabbit. Give it to Ratchet and Ellie to give to Shadow."

"All right. Bye Bulkhead." They ran out of the room.

"Good girls."

The main room...

Nova and Luna ran back into the main room.

"Ratchet!"

"What is it?" The red and white medic turned to look at them.

"Bulkhead asked us to give this to you to give to Shadow." Luna held up the petro rabbit.

"All right." Ratchet took it and gave it to the sparkling. Optimus looked down at the twins.

"Nova?" The older and taller sparkling was staring off into space.

"Nova?" He knelt down and looked at Nova's optics.

"Ratchet look at her optics." He picked up his daughter and carried her to Ratchet.

"Her optics! They're red!"

"Like a Decepticon?" Smokescreen asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately she and Luna are part Decepticon." Ratchet said.

"Nova? Nova can you hear me?" Luna whimpered.

"Calm down Luna," Arcee said picking her up.

"Megatron's code." Optimus shut his optics.

"Can't Ratchet fix her?" Jack asked.

"I don't know if I can."

"Nova," Luna whimpered.

"Her optics are returning to normal." The older twin blinked.

"What? What happened?"

"Shhh little one," Ratchet said.

"Bring her over here Optimus," said Ratchet softly. She took the sparkling from him. Optimus looked calm, but he was panicked on the inside. Ratchet scanned Nova as she held to Optimus' armor.

"Everything's back to normal. But I still don't know what caused it."

"She needs some recharge though." Optimus nodded and walked to Arcee and took Luna and then walked to his quarters. Arcee looked at Ratchet and then Shadow.

"How about Shadow? How is she doin?"

"Tremendously better. I don't think she's at risk for going offline any more. I'm going to finally take her off spark support tomorrow."

"Good. I'm glad. Bulkhead will be happy to hear. I'll let Ironelle know so she can tell Bulkhead." She walked off. Smokescreen watched before walked over to Ratchet.

"So is she the one?" Ratchet turned around and looked at Smokescreen with a raised optic ridge.

"I'm...sorry?"

"The green femme that left earlier? Is she the one? The femme Wrecker?"

"Yes. Ironelle." Smokescreen smiled.

"That's awesome! I heard stories about her! She's awesome! The only femme to be a Wrecker in existence!"

"Don't go asking her questions. She doesn't like when bots point her out as being the only female Wrecker." Smokescreen nodded.

"You're personal quarters are down the left hall."

"All right." Smokescreen walked down the hall and saw Ironelle coming out of the wash racks. She had a large 'towel' on her helm and one around her waist. She was gently drying the armor protecting her processor and didn't seem to know he was there. He cleared his vocal processor and she turned around.

"Oh! Um...this is awkward...um...you're Smokescreen right?"

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I guess I'll see ya later..." She start to walk off again.

"Hey Ironelle?" She looked back at him.

"Can we talk later?"

"Sure. We can talk in the rec-room later. Ask Bumblebee or the humans where it is they'll tell you." She ran off. He smiled and mentally was cheering.

Ironelle grabbed her nightly ration and sat down. Her optics drifted shut as the smooth liquid flowed past her lips.

"Hey," she opened her optics again and looked at the entrance. Smokescreen stood with his servos behind his back.

"Hello Smokescreen."

"So...um..."

"Let me guess...you want to ask me questions about being a femme Wrecker."

"Well...um..."

"I know...Ratchet said I don't like those questions. Didn't he?"

"Yeah...how'd you know."

"I'm not the biggest fan of having those questions asked, but I handle them."

"Ok. He sat down on the couch.

"Any questions?" she asked.

"Back on Cybertron, during the war, I heard stories about how you saved two mechlings from the Sea of Rust. Did you really?"

"Oh yeah. Mudflap and Skids. Yes, that rumor is true. I did save those two.

"Awesome! How did you find them?"

"Well do you want to whole story or a summary of what happened?" she said with a sleepy chuckle laced in her voice.

"Could you tell me the full story?"

"Sure, kid." She finished off the energon ration and threw the container in the waste bin.

"Well...Let's see...how did that solar cycle start again?" she asked herself.

"Oh yeah. Impactor, our leader, had sent three mechs out on a mission. They were Bulkhead, Pyro, and Rotostorm, three of the toughest mechs in our legion, out on a mission where some undercover 'Con operations being done near the Sea of Rust."

"Why the Sea of Rust?"

"No idea. But somehow...the 'Cons were drilling down to the center of Cybertron. They were harvesting energon from what remained of the Core's energon supply."

"What?!"

"That's what Bulkhead told me and I saw some of it for myself. Decepticons are desperate creatures, Smokescreen." He frowned.

"Anyways, Impactor sent them to those mining ops and we lost their signals. Wheeljack, another one of our Wreckers who lives here on Earth, said that since they were near the corrosive material that's in the Sea of Rust it was masking their energy signatures."

"Was it?"

"You have to wait. Anyway…After about a solar cycle we got worried. No sign anywhere of their energy signatures. Impactor sent me, Wheeljack and Roadbuster to go check on them. Once we started getting closer I was able to pick up Bulkhead's energy signature. It was faint but we headed in that direction and once we got there…" Ironelle fell silent.

"What happened?"

"I think I'm going to leave you in suspense for a while. I'm really tired. We had quite a day."

"Oh, come on just finish it! Please?!"

"Like I said, I'm going to leave you in suspense until tomorrow and if you remind me I'll finish it."

"Fine. But I'm reminding you. I want to know what happened."

"All right. Goodnight Smokescreen."

"'Night Ironelle." Ironelle picked herself up from the table and walked out of the room. Smokescreen went to his quarters.

Ironelle knocked on Bulkhead's quarter's door.

"Hey Bulk? You in there?"

"It's open." Ironelle pressed the button on the side and the door opened with a series of beeps. Inside Bulkhead had the light on and he was sitting on his berth with an item in his servo.

"Bulk? You all right?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah…I guess…" She sat beside the large green mech.

"What are ya holding?" He handed the item to her. It was a holo-pic. She turned it on. The picture was of her, Wheeljack, and Bulkhead. Bulkhead had Wheeljack on his shoulders and she was on Wheeljack's shoulders. Ironelle smiled and turned off the picture slowly.

"I still have my copy of this. It's on my table that's beside my berth."

"Yeah. We had some times didn't we?" he asked a little solemnly.

"Yeah. Remember Impactor called us the Three Musketeers?"

"Yeah…good times..."

"I miss Jackie."

"Me too. Oh yeah! I was going to tell you. The hatchet is going to release Shadow from spark support tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He said she's no longer at risk of going offline. Her spark's beating perfectly now." Ironelle rested her head on Bulkhead's arm and set her servo on his.

"Love you, Bulk. You know that. Right?" She tried to peer at his optics.

"Yeah. You and Jackie both. I love you too Ellie. You're the little sister I always wanted." He wrapped his arm around Ironelle's frame. She enjoyed the warmth from Bulkhead's chassis and she laid her head on his chest, and listened to his ark beat. Ironelle felt recharge trying to take over her frame. Bulkhead looked down at his friend and gently nudged her.

"Ellie. Get up." She opened her optics again but still was leaning against Bulkhead's chest.

"I would carry you, but Ratchet would probably be mad in the morning." She chuckled.

"All right." She laughed and picked herself up.

"I'm crashing on Jackie's berth tonight. I'm too lazy to go down to my quarters."

"All right. Whatever. We used to bunk in the same room, you, Jackie, and me. Jackie snored."

"Yeah. That was funny. We told him that but he didn't believe us." She chuckled.

"Does he still snore?"

"Nah. He doesn't anymore." Ironelle chuckled.

"Remember the time you, me and Jackie played that trick on Seaspray?" Bulkhead laughed.

"Yeah. He got so scared that he leaked lubricant." Bulkhead laughed.

"Ol' barnacle butt should have seen that coming!" laughed Bulkhead. Ironelle laughed quietly and rested her servos behind her helm.

"Have you seen Jackie, anytime lately Bulk?" she asked quietly.

"Nah. Not since a few days after I woke up. He was in here. Last time I saw him." Bulkhead sighed.

"I didn't even get the once in a lifetime chance to see my sparkling born."

"I'm sorry Bulk. At least you didn't have to see him in pain and in labor."

"I would have liked to. I don't like to see you or Jackie suffering, but I was going to become a father and I didn't get to see it."

"Oh." She sat up.

"Bulk?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I recharge with you tonight. Just for tonight?"

"Yeah." She stood up, walked to Bulkhead's berth and laid down beside the large mech.

"Thanks…for letting me…I'm still not used to recharging on a berth alone. I shared a berth with Jackie during the war and I share a berth with Ratchet now...I never got used to it...and I don't want to see Ratchet...we're fighting again..."

"You're welcome. I remember that you two did. Why are you and Ratchet fighting?"

"He said the reason all this stuff with Shadow happened was all Jackie's fault. I know some of it is but…Jackie an' you…you're my best friends…I can't stand around and let other bots make one of you to blame! We fought all last night…I don't feel like talking to him…" She let out a small sob and turned to her side.

"D-don't cry Ellie." Bulkhead held her to his chest. She let the energon tears fall from her optics and Bulkhead held her.

Next day

Ironelle woke up and Bulkhead was gone. She was covered in his large recharge blanket and there was a data-pad sitting on the berth side table. Sleepily, she reached for it and grabbed it.

Ellie, I went to go take care of Shadow. When you wake up, could you do me a favor and ask Bee to pick up Miko?. Thanks. – Bulkhead

"All right Bulkhead. I'll go ask him after I get my ration." She stood up. She had actually gotten a good night's recharge last night. Bulkhead was a good mech to have around when you're upset. He was like what the humans called a 'teddy bear'. Ellie sighed, walked out of Bulkhead's quarters, and walked down to the rec room. Arcee and Bumblebee were sitting in there and she waved.

"Hey Ellie," said Arcee. Bumblebee beeped, "Good morning Ironelle."

"Morning." She grabbed a small energon cube.

"You guys going to get the kids?"

"Yeah. Jack wanted me to take him for a drive.

"I planned on picking up Raf in a few minutes."

"Bulkhead wanted me to ask if you could pick up Miko Bee."

"Sure." Arcee threw her empty cub in the waste bin. Bumblebee threw his as well. Ironelle sat against the wall and sighed before taking a drink.

"You ok?"

"Yeah." She took another drink of energon.

"Your body language says otherwise."

"Really 'Cee?"

"I'm telling the truth. What's wrong?" Arcee looked over at Bumblebee. He held up his servos, beeped, "I'm going! I'm going!" and walked out of the room. Arcee sat her servos on her hips.

"Start talking," she said. Ironelle sighed and threw away the empty cube.

She sat on the couch and sighed. Arcee sat next to her.

"Me and Ratchet had a fight. I've been sort of depressed for the past three days."

"Why did you and Ratchet fight?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Can we leave it at that?"

Later

"Aww! Look at Shadow!" exclaimed Miko. The said sparkling was recharging with Ironelle on the medical berth. Bulkhead smiled.

"She's sleeping with her Aunt Ellie," cooed Miko. Ratchet looked over his shoulder at the two.

'She's good with sparklings,' he thought. Bulkhead looked at them.

"Ellie's great with sparklings. She helped with her mom's best friend's son while she was a youngling."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If Ellie ever has sparklings she'll be a great mom." Ratchet's optics closed and he walked out of the room.

"I'm not recharging ya know." Ironelle opened her optics and looked at Bulkhead. His face went red.

"Thanks Bulk. I'm glad you think so." She smiled. Miko pointed at Bulkhead's face and laughed.